This Week's 66/40 Radio Broadcast

Articles and Commentary

• Life Triumphs Over Abortion - (Read)
• Al Qaida Still Prowling For the Kill - (Read)
• Unconditionally Forgiving Others - (Read)

Important News Headlines

LIFE TRIUMPHS OVER ABORTION - (Print)

The most recent 40 Days For Life campaign ended on Sunday with pro-life groups rejoicing that at least 2000 children have been spared from abortion since the first 40 Days For Life event in 2004. The campaign did not simply involve standing outside abortion clinics, it also meant prayer. A lot of prayer.  And after decades of battling for the hearts and minds of America, the effects of millions of prayers are being felt.  Between faithful crisis pregnancy workers, technology that allows us to look inside the womb, and mothers who have hope for a better way, the tide is turning against abortion in the United States. There are now officially more people in America who call themselves pro-life than pro-choice, and even Democrats on Capitol Hill are concerned about pro-abortion language in the health care bill.

As the latest 40-day vigil ended, an especially amazing story came out of Bryan/College Station where Abby Johnson, the director of the local Planned Parenthood, switched sides in the abortion debate.  Bryan/College Station is where the first 40 Days For Life campaign was held five years ago and is the site of five more fasting and prayer vigils since.  After having worked at the abortion center for eight years, Johnson's heart was moved for the unborn, and she resigned her job on October 6.

According to Reuters, Johnson said, "I left on good terms and simply had a change of heart on this issue. Over the past few months I had seen a change in motivation regarding the financial impact of abortions and really reached my breaking point after witnessing a particular kind of abortion on an ultrasound."

"I just thought I can't do this anymore, and it was just like a flash that hit me and I thought that's it," said Johnson, according to KBTX.

The fact is that abortion is losing its appeal all across the nation. A Gallup poll in May found that more than half (51 percent) of Americans polled described themselves as "pro-life" and 42 percent described themselves as "pro-choice".   The self-described pro-lifers outnumbered pro-choicers for the first time since Gallup started polling on this question in 1995. Fifty-three percent of those polled said that abortion should only be legal under certain circumstances, and 23 percent should abortion should be illegal in all circumstances.  Just over one fifth of those polled (22 percent) were fully "pro-abortion", wanting abortion to be legal in all circumstances.

Even Hollywood is showing rare favor toward unborn babies. In a recent episode of Law and Order, the characters actually noted the shifting views in America on the subject of abortion, even arguing in favor of the pro-life position. One of the more liberal characters District Attorney, Jack McCoy, said his daughter was pro-choice until she saw her own baby on an ultrasound. Bam.

The episode didn't end there. Later during a trial scene, one of the witnesses described how she had chosen not to abort her disabled child, and the jury was moved to tears. Even the pro-abortion doctor called as an expert witness was portrayed as an abortion zealot. 

Not only has pro-life sentiment reached Hollywood, but it has stretched even into the Democratic side of Congress!

Republicans still make up the majority of pro-life advocates, but there are currently enough Democrats upset over abortion language in the health care bill to cause real trouble for Nancy Pelosi. "I will continue whipping my colleagues to oppose bringing the bill to the floor for a vote until a clean vote against public funding for abortion is allowed," Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.) said Monday in a statement. Last week Stupak said he had 40 other Democrats ready to stand with him against the bill if the issue wasn't settled. The Democrat majority had supported a provision in the bill to make subsidies available for people to buy health insurance plans that would cover abortion.

These developments are encouraging, and it is good to see hope for America's unborn children after decades of fighting.  But the battle is not over. There are still more people who need to come to truly appreciate the value of even the youngest human life. There are millions of little ones still waiting to be born, and there are millions of mothers who will be much better off finding help so they can joyfully hold their babies in their arms. Keep praying.

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AL QAIDA STILL PROWLING FOR THE KILL - (Print)

The world watches Afghanistan while US President Barack Obama and his advisers work to decide how to handle the situation there. In the meanwhile, Al Qaida has not given up its fight in other parts of the world. The terrorist organization and affiliated groups continue to plot terrorist attacks both in the West and the East.

Al Qaida's ringleader in the Arabian Peninsula, Abu Basir Nasser al-Wahayshi, is urging Al Qaida bombers to attack sites in the West using homemade explosives and knives. In the e-magazine Sada al-Malahem, Wahayshi called for the bombing of train stations and airports with small bombs that could be made from items found in the kitchen. He also urged Al Qaida operatives to make personal attacks on secular media figures who justify the actions of "infidel rulers."

Wahayshi stated that "It is a duty that a Muslim mujahid be busy planning to reap the heads of infidels."

Saudi Arabia:
The Saudis have reported finding a cache of almost 300 assault rifles and about 41,000 rounds of ammunition near Riyadh. Al Qaida has perpetrated a series of bombings on the Arabian peninsula since 2003. In August, a suicide bombing at the port of Jeddah injured Assistant Interior Minister Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, the Saudi prince in charge of Saudi Arabia's anti-terrorism campaign. Even though Saudi Arabia follows a strict reading of the Koran in their government, the kingdom's peaceful alignment with Western powers has made it an object of Al Qaida violence.

Denmark and India:
Two men were arrested in Chicago last week in connection with terrorist attacks planned for Denmark and India. Tahawwur Hussain Rana, 48, a Chicago businessman originally from Pakistan, and his friend David Coleman Headley, 49, are accused of plotting to attack The Jyllands-Posten, the Danish newspaper that caused an uproar in the Muslim world by publishing cartoons of Mohammed 4 years ago.

Rana is considered to be the money man behind the plot, but he says he thought the whole thing was just a joke. Headley, who changed his name from Daood Gilani in 2006, travelled to Denmark twice to scope out the newspaper. Headley also made a trip to Waziristan to meet with Ilyas Kashmiri, the head of Al Qaeda's 313 Brigade. Brigade 313 is a coalition of five Muslim terrorist organizations and has been credited with the Mumbai bombing in November 2008 and the Marriott Hotel bombing in Islamabad in September, 2008. In a recent interview from his hideout in Waziristan, Kashmiri told a journalist that the Mumbai bombing was nothing compared to future attacks planned on India.

It is interesting that Brigade 313 enlisted Headley in plots against sites abroad when he would have been more strategically located for attacks on US soil. The fact that Kashmiri met Headley for an attack on India when Headley was already planning to strike Denmark perhaps offers some insight into Al Qaida's focus at the moment.

Afghanistan and Pakistan:
The Taliban was beaten down in Afghanistan, and while it continues to raise its bruised head, Al Qaida is not as much a danger to world security in Afghanistan as it is in Pakistan. Pakistan, after all, has nuclear weapons. Right now Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari is energetically after Taliban in his county. With Zardari, fighting the terrorists is no joke, especially after the Taliban murdered his wife Benazir Bhutto. He's moved troops from Pakistan's border with India to the Afghan border and has forced the Taliban out of the Swat Valley. South Waziristan is now a site for major fighting, and Zardari and has plans to move into North Waziristan.

Al Qaida continues to be a thorn in the world's side. They have not succeeded in any attacks on US soil for many years, but they haven't given up. They've just made a slight adjustment in focus for the moment. They're goal is still to cause disruption and instability, and eventually gain domination of the world for Islam.

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UNCONDITIONALLY FORGIVING OTHERS - (Print)

Most of us would love to know God more fully.  Yet, there's a huge difference between simply knowing that we possess God's Life in our hearts and actually experiencing it in our lives. The key to being able to do this, moment by moment, is understanding how to surrender ourselves to the Lord. These are the actual steps that the priests took in Solomon's Temple in order to deal with their sin and be reconciled to God. And, they are the same steps we must take each time we quench God's Spirit. The essential steps are:

1) Recognizing, acknowledging and experiencing our ungodly thoughts and emotions as they come in.
2) Confessing our sin and self, choosing to "turn around" from following them and unconditionally forgiving anyone who has wronged us.
3) Giving over to God all that He has shown us that is not of faith, and...
4) Reading God's Word and replacing the lies with the truth.

Isaiah 24:15 reminds us that we are to "glorify [or reflect] the Lord in the fire..." And going through these steps, moment by moment, is the only way we can do this.  One of the hardest parts of this is not necessarily turning from our own sin; it is often terribly difficult to unconditionally forgive those who have hurt, betrayed or wronged us.   Yet, this part is so important, and can make a huge difference in how we experience God’s fullness in our lives.

Unconditional Forgiveness
There are really two parts to forgiveness: first, our relationship to God; and second, our relationship to the other person. The primary reason we must forgive is because God commands it in Scripture. Mark 11:25-26 tells us, "And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have anything against any: that your Father also, Who is in heaven, may forgive you your trespasses. But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father, Who is in heaven, forgive your trespasses."

The next reason we are to forgive is to be able to reconcile with the other person. When we choose to unconditionally forgive them, we will be clean before the Lord, and we can know He will then give us the Love we need for that other person. The only way we can genuinely love those that have wronged us is by unconditionally forgiving them (or releasing them to God) and then, becoming an open vessel for God's Love to flow. If we don't do this, Scripture tells us what will happen - the enemy will get an advantage in us (2 Corinthians 2:11).

There are at least four good reasons why we must forgive others: 1) God says so in His Word. 2) Our relationship with Him will be quenched if we don't. 3) We won't have His Love flowing through us if we choose not to. And, 4) The enemy will get an advantage in us if we won't obey.

Now, if that other person comes to us and asks forgiveness, then our relationship with him has a wonderful chance of being healed and we can end up even closer than we were before. If, however, that other person never repents and never comes to ask our forgiveness, then there will be a breach in our relationship and only God's wise Love can operate. The Bible exhorts us, however, that we are still to love them wisely. In other words, we are still to be an open vessel for God's Love to flow through us to them.

People often have trouble forgiving a serious wrong or betrayal, because they feel that forgiving a deep wrong is the same as saying it didn’t really matter.  They feel that forgiveness denies the hurt that was caused .   That’s not the case at all.  When we sin against God, that sin matters very much. It causes great destruction to His creation and to the humans He loves so much.  Yet, He is willing to forgive us because of the greatness of His love.  He is willing to forgive us because His perfect, sinless Son died to pay for our sin.   That’s not something to sniff at.  When we forgive someone, we don’t deny that we were damaged; we simply release the person into God’s hands, for Him to handle as He chooses – even if it means that He forgives them too - as He forgave us. 

It is not a simple step, but it is one of the most important we can make in our walk with God.

To be continued next week…

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Fetus Tissue Used As Skin Care Ingredient - November 03, 2009
A San Francisco cosmetics company has ignited an outcry among pro-lifers for including an unexpected ingredient in its anti-aging creams: skin-cell proteins from an aborted fetus. Neocutis defended the use of its trademarked ingredient, Processed Skin Cell Proteins, or PSP, arguing that the fetal cell line was harvested in a responsible, ethical manner for use in treating severe dermatological injuries. "There's just no excuse for using aborted babies in skin-care products," said Debi Vinnedge, executive director of Children of God for Life, a 10-year-old organization based in Murfreesboro, Tenn. "The reaction, the shock and anger I've seen is incredible." The Washington Times

European Court Rules Against Crucifixes in Italy's Public Schools - November 03, 2009
The Vatican on Tuesday denounced a ruling by the European court of human rights that said the display of crucifixes in Italian public schools violates religious and education freedoms. In a decision that could force a review of the use of religious symbols in government-run schools across Europe, the court ordered Italy to pay a $7,390 fine to a mother in northern Italy who fought for eight years to have crucifixes removed from her children's public school classrooms. The Italian government said it would appeal. AP

Health Care Bill Would Create 111 New 'Federal Bureaucracies' - November 02, 2009
House Republicans claimed Monday that the health care reform bill pushed by Speaker Nancy Pelosi would create a whopping 111 new "federal bureaucracies." The House Republican Conference circulated what it called a list of "new boards, bureaucracies, commissions and programs" created in the House health care bill. Among some off the new agencies, the list cites a Health Insurance Exchange; the Public Health Investment Fund; the Food and Drug Administration Office of Women's Health; and about 100 other government-sponsored creations. Fox News

A Strong Israel Deters Jihad - November 02, 2009
Hebrew University Prof. Moshe Sharon, a world renowned authority on Islam, sheds light on Jihad in Islam against Israel and the West: "Jihad is the strategy and, therefore, agreements are a (tactical) interlude in the war (against the infidel)," he writes. "Any sign of weakness is a clear call to renew Jihad. An agreement which contains anything beyond a limited armistice or ceasefire is null and void. The only agreement with non-believers that is permitted by Islamic law is one that enables Islam to strengthen itself, so that when the time comes it can resume Jihad in better conditions." YNet

Americans To Protest Health Care Bill at Capitol Thursday - November 02, 2009
Lawmakers are calling on Americans to storm the Capitol on Thursday in an "Emergency House Call on Congress" to stop the House from passing the Democrats' health-care bill THIS WEEK. A group of legislators will be holding an emergency town-hall meeting outside the Capitol at noon to protest the health-care bill set to hit the House floor. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has indicated that a vote on the bill could take place as soon as Thursday. WorldNetDaily

NSA To Build Cybersecurity Center in Utah - October 29, 2009
The National Security Agency, whose job it is to protect national security systems, will soon break ground on a data center in Utah that's budgeted to cost $1.5 billion. The NSA is building the facility to provide intelligence and warnings related to cybersecurity threats, cybersecurity support to defense and civilian agency networks, and technical assistance to the Department of Homeland Security, according to a transcript of remarks by Glenn Gaffney, deputy director of national intelligence for collection, who is responsible for oversight of cyber intelligence activities in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. Information Week

Present Obama Signs Hate Crimes Legislation - October 28, 2009
President Barack Obama has signed into law a measure that adds to the list of federal hate crimes attacks on people based on their sexual orientation. Congress approved the legislation last week as part of the $680-billion FY 2010 Defense Authorization bill. Appended to the hate crimes amendment was a statement ensuring that a religious leader or any other person cannot be prosecuted on the bases if his or her speech, beliefs, or association. OneNewsNow

"Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." John 8:32

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