We have had a busy week of recovering, school, cross country, and chicken killing.
Ok, I will start with the most unusual of the group: chicken killing! Several months ago, the kids got to pick out a baby chick at the Feed N Seed in New Albany. We brought them home and planned to raise them, hoping they were hens... Well, we ended up with 3 roosters and a hen!
The roosters have gotten large enough to make Chanticleer feel threatened, and they have been wearing him out! He spends most of his day chasing them away from his girls and trying to fight them. Stressed out hens do not lay as many eggs, and this was becoming evident.
Last Saturday, in the midst of sermon preparation, Scott decided to de-stress our hens! We had been talking about it for a while, but he kept noticing how much Chanticleer was fending off our hens from impending Rooster Rendezvous. He went outside, herded the roosters into the chicken coop, grabbed them one at a time, and cut their heads off!
(One rooster managed to escape, and it is funny to see how humbled he has been these past few days! No shenanigans at all!)
Scott brought them on inside, plucked them, gutted them, seasoned them up, and cooked them for dinner! When the kids and I got home from a birthday party, there was fresh chicken in the oven... VERY FRESH!!! It was just a little bit chewy, but our friend told us later that "yard birds" are "dumpling birds," and not really good for roasting. We will know better when Rooster #3's time is up.
I can't find my camera, and so I don't have any pictures to go with this post! Drat! It is somewhere... I just need to take the time to find it...
Anyway, we are all finally healthy and back to life as usual at the Duley house... whatever that means!
BMC cross country is going well... first weeks are always awkward, but I think I know where the copy machine is, where to take postage stuff, etc. I ordered some BMC t-shirts, and I am excited to get some school spirit going on!
Last night we had the runners over for supper and "Cross Country Class#1." We talked about the stages of training and our overall plan for the summer and fall season. Scott did a devotion with us all, and the evening was very enjoyable. I am blessed to have a great group of athletes (actually two of them... Spartans AND Toppers!) to work with!
This morning we had Yoga at 6:00 AM, and this evening is the Father/Daughter banquet for the girls and Scott. I MUST find my camera, and I will post pictures of the girls and their daddy! Thursday is the first spring practice for the Spartans, so we have a busy week! I have a lot to do tomorrow, but I am excited to see all of my runners!
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Sickness and Hannah-ism
The Duleys are generally pretty healthy... good solid stock, if you know what I mean. We have made it through church-wide bouts of stomach bugs and colds with nary a sneeze. But when we fall, we fall hard.
Last Tuesday, Josh started running fever. He had been exposed to strep throat, so I took him in to be tested... postitive. Wednesday Scott was down. Thursday saw Sarah and Will spike temperatures. Friday morning came, and Hannah was down and out. On Saturday, alas, I did not escape; I awoke with a funny feeling in my throat that progressed into a fever and all out sickness as the day went on.
Ironically, just in time for mom to get sick, the 6 year old was getting better... and stir crazy!
I don't know if it was the fever or the RRCA visualization techniques on my mind, but last night, as I lay still, a monumental, microscopic battle was taking place within my blood stream. The white blood cells were regrouping (literally), calling in the cavalry, and brandishing their swords. They were a little beat up, worn down, and fatigued... but this was no time for quitting. It was all out war, and this was the battle that would make history. The foe could not be allowed to keep a foothold, and the white blood cells were about to escort the evil enemy to doom. At first, it wasn't looking promising, but Team White decided to rally and give one all out last push. Their efforts were rewarded! The ugly little vermin were exiled to the icy arctic toe regions... where they would await execution by drowning in the shower drain at dawn.
My kids got a kick out of that story tonight... I actually woke up with a much lower temperature today, and I am very thankful! I am not sure what we had, but I don't think strep throat was the only bug we were fighting. It is Tuesday night, and Hannah still has a 101 temperature, and mine is still hovering just a tad above normal.
My plan is to get some rest and let Team White totally finish the job... BECAUSE... I had to call in sick my first two days at BMC!!! Coach Smith was very understanding, but still... AAARRGGH. We should embrace every opportunity to be humbled.
Hannah-ism: Tonight at dinner, we were discussing a movie, and why it was rated PG-13. I said that is was because of "scenes of massive destruction."
Hannah said, "Oh, then our house is PG-13!"
Scott, not understanding, said, "We have a PG house!"
I explained what she meant, and then Hannah added, "Well, it really is PG-13... we also have brief displays of nudity! (Josh!)"
Last Tuesday, Josh started running fever. He had been exposed to strep throat, so I took him in to be tested... postitive. Wednesday Scott was down. Thursday saw Sarah and Will spike temperatures. Friday morning came, and Hannah was down and out. On Saturday, alas, I did not escape; I awoke with a funny feeling in my throat that progressed into a fever and all out sickness as the day went on.
Ironically, just in time for mom to get sick, the 6 year old was getting better... and stir crazy!
I don't know if it was the fever or the RRCA visualization techniques on my mind, but last night, as I lay still, a monumental, microscopic battle was taking place within my blood stream. The white blood cells were regrouping (literally), calling in the cavalry, and brandishing their swords. They were a little beat up, worn down, and fatigued... but this was no time for quitting. It was all out war, and this was the battle that would make history. The foe could not be allowed to keep a foothold, and the white blood cells were about to escort the evil enemy to doom. At first, it wasn't looking promising, but Team White decided to rally and give one all out last push. Their efforts were rewarded! The ugly little vermin were exiled to the icy arctic toe regions... where they would await execution by drowning in the shower drain at dawn.
My kids got a kick out of that story tonight... I actually woke up with a much lower temperature today, and I am very thankful! I am not sure what we had, but I don't think strep throat was the only bug we were fighting. It is Tuesday night, and Hannah still has a 101 temperature, and mine is still hovering just a tad above normal.
My plan is to get some rest and let Team White totally finish the job... BECAUSE... I had to call in sick my first two days at BMC!!! Coach Smith was very understanding, but still... AAARRGGH. We should embrace every opportunity to be humbled.
Hannah-ism: Tonight at dinner, we were discussing a movie, and why it was rated PG-13. I said that is was because of "scenes of massive destruction."
Hannah said, "Oh, then our house is PG-13!"
Scott, not understanding, said, "We have a PG house!"
I explained what she meant, and then Hannah added, "Well, it really is PG-13... we also have brief displays of nudity! (Josh!)"
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
BMC
Right now I am a jumble of mixed emotions... overwhelmed, excited, nervous, intimidated, thankful... you name it, and it's there. Why?
On Monday afternoon, it was officially announced that I will be the new cross country coach for Blue Mountain College!
A few months ago, Coach Smith asked me if I had ever considered coaching at the college level. I told him that I had never thought about it, and he then assured me he had no immediate plans of leaving BMC. A little more recently, he contacted me to let me know that he was indeed going to be moving to Colorado. He said that he had given my name to the athletic director and wanted me to consider applying for the job.
Scott and I prayed about it and decided that it couldn't hurt to turn in a resume, especially since it just kind of came out of nowhere and landed in our laps. After submitting a resume, I waited. and waited. and waited. For what seemed like EVER... but it was only a few weeks!
I was called in last Thursday and offered the job! It all seemed to work out in an obviously providential manner. They changed the job description to be part time; I can do as much work from home as I like, and my only responsibility is the XC team. This will allow us to continue homeschooling and keep some flexibility in our family life.
Last weekend I got to attend a coaches' conference (not related to BMC.) I learned SO much information that will be helpful to the Toppers and Spartans, and I need to carve out a little time to assimilate it all!
On Monday afternoon, I got to go to the school and meet the team. Before practice, the school photographer interviewed me and got some pictures for the press release...
Just a quick aside... Press release?!? I am like a little kid... I have never really had a "for real" job before! Now, I get my own office computer...business cards... press releases... all kinds of crazy stuff! It seems very weird!
Anyway, I got interviewed for the press release, and went down to the gym. When the first runner came in and saw me in there, he gave a couple leaps across the room, gave me a huge hug, and kept a grin on his face for at least 5 minutes. You see, I coached Austin for 3 years when he was at East Union! The other two runners that I coached at East Union had similar responses, and the ones that I did not know seemed agreeable enough to have me as their new coach.
I start next week in an official capacity, but this week I am working like crazy to begin recruiting, research and plan my training schedule for spring, order some BMC gear, and get my house cleaned and organized!
I am going to try to copy and paste the article from www.bmcsports.com....
Duley named BMC cross country coach
Heather Duley, center, was named the Blue Mountain College cross country head coach on Monday. Duley, talking with BMC athletic director Lavon Driskell, left, and outgoing Toppers coach Fred Smith, will begin her duties March 1.
BLUE MOUNTAIN, Miss. - Heather Duley will become head coach of the Blue Mountain College cross country program on March 1.
Duley, coach of the Spartans, a team of North Mississippi home-schooled runners based in New Albany, will replace Fred Smith, who founded the BMC program in 2007. Smith resigned recently to move to Colorado Springs, Colo.
"Coach Duley brings a wealth of knowledge as a cross country coach," said Lavon Driskell, BMC athletic director. "She has worked with and knows numerous athletes and coaches in our area. It was a difficult decision because of the quality of the candidates for the job, but we feel Heather is a good fit for BMC."
Duley, a native of Cordova, Tenn., helped start the East Union High program in 2001 and coached there until 2004 when she and her family moved to Louisville, Ky. She was a four-time letter-winner at Lambuth University and captain of the cross country team.
While she was at East Union, she coached Tuesdae Rowland, Richard Feist and Austin Epting, current members of the BMC cross country program.
The Toppers are members of the NAIA TranSouth Athletic Conference.
"I'm excited to get this opportunity," Duley said. "Blue Mountain is a great college and Coach Smith has done an outstanding job with the cross country program the past three years. It's a big challenge; definitely new and different, but I'm looking forward to it.
"My main goal is to continue to build a strong program on Coach Smith's foundation," she added. "We're going to focus on building a strong team atmosphere and also add to our women's team. We need to get some numbers there where we can be even more competitive in the TranSouth."
On Monday afternoon, it was officially announced that I will be the new cross country coach for Blue Mountain College!
A few months ago, Coach Smith asked me if I had ever considered coaching at the college level. I told him that I had never thought about it, and he then assured me he had no immediate plans of leaving BMC. A little more recently, he contacted me to let me know that he was indeed going to be moving to Colorado. He said that he had given my name to the athletic director and wanted me to consider applying for the job.
Scott and I prayed about it and decided that it couldn't hurt to turn in a resume, especially since it just kind of came out of nowhere and landed in our laps. After submitting a resume, I waited. and waited. and waited. For what seemed like EVER... but it was only a few weeks!
I was called in last Thursday and offered the job! It all seemed to work out in an obviously providential manner. They changed the job description to be part time; I can do as much work from home as I like, and my only responsibility is the XC team. This will allow us to continue homeschooling and keep some flexibility in our family life.
Last weekend I got to attend a coaches' conference (not related to BMC.) I learned SO much information that will be helpful to the Toppers and Spartans, and I need to carve out a little time to assimilate it all!
On Monday afternoon, I got to go to the school and meet the team. Before practice, the school photographer interviewed me and got some pictures for the press release...
Just a quick aside... Press release?!? I am like a little kid... I have never really had a "for real" job before! Now, I get my own office computer...business cards... press releases... all kinds of crazy stuff! It seems very weird!
Anyway, I got interviewed for the press release, and went down to the gym. When the first runner came in and saw me in there, he gave a couple leaps across the room, gave me a huge hug, and kept a grin on his face for at least 5 minutes. You see, I coached Austin for 3 years when he was at East Union! The other two runners that I coached at East Union had similar responses, and the ones that I did not know seemed agreeable enough to have me as their new coach.
I start next week in an official capacity, but this week I am working like crazy to begin recruiting, research and plan my training schedule for spring, order some BMC gear, and get my house cleaned and organized!
I am going to try to copy and paste the article from www.bmcsports.com....
Duley named BMC cross country coach
Heather Duley, center, was named the Blue Mountain College cross country head coach on Monday. Duley, talking with BMC athletic director Lavon Driskell, left, and outgoing Toppers coach Fred Smith, will begin her duties March 1.BLUE MOUNTAIN, Miss. - Heather Duley will become head coach of the Blue Mountain College cross country program on March 1.
Duley, coach of the Spartans, a team of North Mississippi home-schooled runners based in New Albany, will replace Fred Smith, who founded the BMC program in 2007. Smith resigned recently to move to Colorado Springs, Colo.
"Coach Duley brings a wealth of knowledge as a cross country coach," said Lavon Driskell, BMC athletic director. "She has worked with and knows numerous athletes and coaches in our area. It was a difficult decision because of the quality of the candidates for the job, but we feel Heather is a good fit for BMC."
Duley, a native of Cordova, Tenn., helped start the East Union High program in 2001 and coached there until 2004 when she and her family moved to Louisville, Ky. She was a four-time letter-winner at Lambuth University and captain of the cross country team.
While she was at East Union, she coached Tuesdae Rowland, Richard Feist and Austin Epting, current members of the BMC cross country program.
The Toppers are members of the NAIA TranSouth Athletic Conference.
"I'm excited to get this opportunity," Duley said. "Blue Mountain is a great college and Coach Smith has done an outstanding job with the cross country program the past three years. It's a big challenge; definitely new and different, but I'm looking forward to it.
"My main goal is to continue to build a strong program on Coach Smith's foundation," she added. "We're going to focus on building a strong team atmosphere and also add to our women's team. We need to get some numbers there where we can be even more competitive in the TranSouth."
Victory and Josh-ism
Sorry for the delay... over 102,000 CERTIFIED signatures were delivered to the Secretary of State on February 15th! They will begin the long process of counting in the upcoming months, and the Personhood Amendment will be on the ballot in November, 2011!
Josh has been exposed to strep throat recently. He was complaining this morning about things hurting, so I decided to take his temperature. I put the thermometer under his arm, and he said, "Mom, I think we should do this under my tongue... It is called strep throat, not strep armpit!"
Josh has been exposed to strep throat recently. He was complaining this morning about things hurting, so I decided to take his temperature. I put the thermometer under his arm, and he said, "Mom, I think we should do this under my tongue... It is called strep throat, not strep armpit!"
Monday, February 15, 2010
Personhood Update
I am so thankful to be at home this morning... drinking my coffee, enjoying a fire, looking at a little snow on the ground, and thankful to have my children buzzing around me in the kitchen.
Last week I headed back down to south Mississippi early Monday morning to help gather petitions from different courthouses around the state.... Technically, the law reads that we had until Feb. 13th TO PETITION, which fell on a Saturday. Our secretary of state has been less than accommodating, however, and he insisted that they must all be CERTIFIED in courthouses and delivered by Friday.
We were threatened with an unexpected snowstorm in the southern part of the state, and so we had to try to get all petitions out of courthouses late Thursday afternoon. (Many circuit clerks were telling us that they would be closed if it snowed.) We all picked up and dropped off at our designated locations, and then it was up to Phillip to work on our numbers. He worked on counting all of the certified petitions, but the question remained, "What about all of the petitions sitting in courthouses all over the state that have not been certified yet? Will they count?"
Friday morning was met with a blanket of snow on Jackson, MS. All state offices were closed, but Mr. Hoseman decided that he would be glad to just meet us at the office and require us to turn in everything anyway. Thankfully, a judge intervened and granted us a snow day also, which gave us until Tuesday to deliver signatures to Jackson.
We were worried about how the snow would affect everything, but it turned out to be a blessing; It was determined that we were just a LITTLE short in district four, and so it gave us an extra day to petition. Les asked "everyone with legs" to come to Jackson and petition all day Saturday. Two wonderful circuit clerks offered to come in and certify on Saturday and Monday. It seemed that the Lord was really working in this effort!
Savannah, the kids, and I were planning on going to Jackson Friday for the delivery of signatures and a field trip/tour of the capitol building, but it turned into an overnight trip to spend Saturday petitioning. We spent the night in the home of a very nice CPC volunteer, "Miss Dana," and woke up Saturday morning to petition. The girls got to go to the Dixie National Parade and Rodeo (lucky!), and Savannah, Will, and I spent the day in Clinton. We went from business to business, door to door in neighborhoods, and we even sneaked around the Wal-Mart parking lot gathering signatures! By the end of the day, we were having many people say, "Y'all got me at Fred's," or "Someone asked me in the hair salon." I think the area was well covered with petitioners!
Among all the different groups, it is estimated that about 1,300 signatures were gathered in District 4. Not all of these will be certified, but hopefully we will have enough to make our goal of 89,000!
On Saturday morning, I read this passage in Acts:
"Therefore take heed, so that the thing spoken of in the Prophets may not come upon you:
'Behold, you scoffers, and marvel, and perish;
for I am accomplishing a work in your days,
A work which you will never believe, though someone should describe it to you.'"
I know that this is talking about the gospel and belief in Christ, but it was an encouragement to me as we started the day... it really does seem as though God is accomplishing a work here. I continue to pray that God would show us His mercy, and not His judgment in this. It is still too close to tell, but I think we will know on Tuesday!
AARRRGGGGHHHH!!!! I just got a phone call, and it seems that the attorney general of our state is now saying that just because we got the snow day, we can not turn in any petitions collected on the 12th or 13th... HELLO!!!! Our deadline was the 13th! I have no idea what is going through this man's mind, but it is very frustrating. Especially since we just found out that district 2 is 600 signatures short, but there are a few thousand signatures waiting in a few different courthouses to be certified! I think a suit is going to be filed to allow the signatures gathered by the date to be certified and count. If this passes, we should have enough signatures to get it on the ballot. There is no reason it should not pass, assuming the judge can clearly understand the written English language; the law is written pretty clearly... the attorney general just seems to favor some skewed interpretation of it! Hopefully we will know more soon!
Last week I headed back down to south Mississippi early Monday morning to help gather petitions from different courthouses around the state.... Technically, the law reads that we had until Feb. 13th TO PETITION, which fell on a Saturday. Our secretary of state has been less than accommodating, however, and he insisted that they must all be CERTIFIED in courthouses and delivered by Friday.
We were threatened with an unexpected snowstorm in the southern part of the state, and so we had to try to get all petitions out of courthouses late Thursday afternoon. (Many circuit clerks were telling us that they would be closed if it snowed.) We all picked up and dropped off at our designated locations, and then it was up to Phillip to work on our numbers. He worked on counting all of the certified petitions, but the question remained, "What about all of the petitions sitting in courthouses all over the state that have not been certified yet? Will they count?"
Friday morning was met with a blanket of snow on Jackson, MS. All state offices were closed, but Mr. Hoseman decided that he would be glad to just meet us at the office and require us to turn in everything anyway. Thankfully, a judge intervened and granted us a snow day also, which gave us until Tuesday to deliver signatures to Jackson.
We were worried about how the snow would affect everything, but it turned out to be a blessing; It was determined that we were just a LITTLE short in district four, and so it gave us an extra day to petition. Les asked "everyone with legs" to come to Jackson and petition all day Saturday. Two wonderful circuit clerks offered to come in and certify on Saturday and Monday. It seemed that the Lord was really working in this effort!
Savannah, the kids, and I were planning on going to Jackson Friday for the delivery of signatures and a field trip/tour of the capitol building, but it turned into an overnight trip to spend Saturday petitioning. We spent the night in the home of a very nice CPC volunteer, "Miss Dana," and woke up Saturday morning to petition. The girls got to go to the Dixie National Parade and Rodeo (lucky!), and Savannah, Will, and I spent the day in Clinton. We went from business to business, door to door in neighborhoods, and we even sneaked around the Wal-Mart parking lot gathering signatures! By the end of the day, we were having many people say, "Y'all got me at Fred's," or "Someone asked me in the hair salon." I think the area was well covered with petitioners!
Among all the different groups, it is estimated that about 1,300 signatures were gathered in District 4. Not all of these will be certified, but hopefully we will have enough to make our goal of 89,000!
On Saturday morning, I read this passage in Acts:
"Therefore take heed, so that the thing spoken of in the Prophets may not come upon you:
'Behold, you scoffers, and marvel, and perish;
for I am accomplishing a work in your days,
A work which you will never believe, though someone should describe it to you.'"
I know that this is talking about the gospel and belief in Christ, but it was an encouragement to me as we started the day... it really does seem as though God is accomplishing a work here. I continue to pray that God would show us His mercy, and not His judgment in this. It is still too close to tell, but I think we will know on Tuesday!
AARRRGGGGHHHH!!!! I just got a phone call, and it seems that the attorney general of our state is now saying that just because we got the snow day, we can not turn in any petitions collected on the 12th or 13th... HELLO!!!! Our deadline was the 13th! I have no idea what is going through this man's mind, but it is very frustrating. Especially since we just found out that district 2 is 600 signatures short, but there are a few thousand signatures waiting in a few different courthouses to be certified! I think a suit is going to be filed to allow the signatures gathered by the date to be certified and count. If this passes, we should have enough signatures to get it on the ballot. There is no reason it should not pass, assuming the judge can clearly understand the written English language; the law is written pretty clearly... the attorney general just seems to favor some skewed interpretation of it! Hopefully we will know more soon!
Sunday, February 7, 2010
I don't know what the copyright rules are in the "blogosphere," but I am going to go ahead and copy two blog posts... The first is Katie's post that I mentioned earlier, and the second is from Courtney. Both girls are teenagers in our church who believe in something... and who are doing something about it. So encouraging!
FROM KATIE'S BLOG:
I've been down in south Mississippi all week, petitioning for the Personhood Amendment. We have to have 89,000 signatures by the 13th, and right now we have approximately 87,000.
I cannot tell you how much my feet hurt at the end of each day after standing in front of a store for six hours straight, asking hundreds of people to sign my petition. Like, they were begging me to cut them off, burn 'em, and bury the ashes in a remote location. I told them to hush up and be glad I was still speaking to them after they screamed at me for half the day.
I cannot tell you how much it hurt to have hand after hand shoot up in front of my face while their owners coldly walked away as I said the words "pro-life" or "help end abortion in Mississippi."
I cannot tell you how much I wanted to shake people until their teeth rattled ominously in their skull when they said "not right now" or "I'm too busy today." Too busy?! Are you kidding me?? Do you know how many babies are being killed today and will continue to be killed until something is done to stop it?
I cannot tell you how encouraging was every scritch scratch of the pen on the paper as another person signed his name.
I cannot tell you how hot the tears were in my eyes when a lady said as she signed, "I had an abortion several years ago and it has hurt me every day since."
I cannot tell you how many people "didn't know abortion was legal." Well, ma'am, I'm here to tell you it is, will you please sign your name andincludeyourmiddleinitial. And have you been living under a rock for the years since Roe v. Wade?
I even had to explain to about five older people what abortion was. That really hurt. I didn't like saying the words out loud, because they're so hideous. But every time I said them, they became more real, and every time the reality sank in further I realized that I have been building a rock wall up around that area of my mind and heart ever since I knew what abortion was, because I just didn't want to think about it. This week, that wall crashed.
I'm so glad it has.
Because no matter how much rejection stings, no matter how awful the truth is, no matter how stupid some people are, I would rather be out there praying with all my might and working my feet until they beg for mercy than sitting at home pushing uncomfortable thoughts away.
This week, my heavenly Father has taken my weakness and inability, (because I have realized more than ever that I cannot make people do what is right, no matter how much I wish to,) and has shown me more and more of His kindness and strength. I have learned in a beautiful way that when He calls us to obey, it doesn't necessarily mean there will be success, but it does mean that He will guide us.
There will be no success in this unless God blesses our efforts. Please pray with me that He will, and mostly that through this, whether this petition gets to the ballot or not, His name will be mightily glorified in our State and in our lives.
p.s. I got pooped on TWICE by nasty little birds hiding in the Piggly Wiggly letters above the entrance who were obviously pro-choice. Heather was laughing at me, until they decided to give her a little bit of joy too... in her hair.
Also, I have an ink stain on my favorite pair of khaki pants from some dude dropping the pen. How it managed to fall in such a way as to leave an ink stripe on my pants is beyond me. I mean, you probably couldn't even do that on purpose.
FROM COURTNEY'S BLOG:
Well the Personhood deadline is fast approaching; the dark cloud is beginning to overshadow us, or the dawn is gloriously nearing the horizon, depending on who you talk to. Please keep Personhood Mississippi in your prayers!
Well, I've been thinking (uh-oh, that can't be good). It's easy to look at abortion passively, while stile agreeing that it's bad. As if there's just nothing we can do about it, it's just not in our power, I'm not a difference-maker, etc. You can make a difference! (Please excuse for sounding like some wacko green tree-hugger.) Back to the point. Think about this: at this very second, innocent babies, who have no say in their own life, are being cruelly and brutally slaughtered because their own mothers don't want them or 'can't deal' with them right now or just 'don't have the money' (um, hello ladies, do you think abortions cost llamas or something? No, they do indeed cost money). But we can do something about this! We can help join this movement, petition, and we can pray.
Unfortunately, even many churches are afraid to get involved (or just joined up when it's gotten a bit more popular and the deadline is nearly up). I suppose this is because they're concerned for their reputation or they think it's a bit risky or they don't want to lose any of their pro-abortionist members, I don't know exactly. But, let me ask you this; as Christians are we not called to live in this and world not of it? Countless churches think they can spread the gospel and change the world by looking just like it, but the world ends up changing them.
Abortionists say these babies in the womb are not babies at all. In fact, abortion clinics ban employees from calling the fetus a "baby", lest the mother makes that connection, lest they realize that this is, in fact, a baby inside of them! The clinics are afraid they might recognize this and thus might not go through with the abortion (which would also mean the clinic might not make some money). To the abortionist that baby is just "a clump of cells". This baby becomes a baby or a person at fertilization, not at birth. This is what Personhood is trying to do, "to define personhood as beginning at fertilization...to protect all life, regardless of age, health, function, physical or mental dependency, or method of reproduction."
Amendment XIV, section I of the Constitution states, "No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities if citizens of the United States; nor shall any state deprive a person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws." The fetus is, indeed, a person. It's a person just as much as you or I. If these unalienable rights do not cohere for a child in the womb, why should they cohere for us? Noah Webster said a person is "an individual human being consisting of body and soul." A fetus (beginning at fertilization) is an individual human being consisting of body and soul, is it not? A fetus is a person.
FROM KATIE'S BLOG:
I've been down in south Mississippi all week, petitioning for the Personhood Amendment. We have to have 89,000 signatures by the 13th, and right now we have approximately 87,000.
I cannot tell you how much my feet hurt at the end of each day after standing in front of a store for six hours straight, asking hundreds of people to sign my petition. Like, they were begging me to cut them off, burn 'em, and bury the ashes in a remote location. I told them to hush up and be glad I was still speaking to them after they screamed at me for half the day.
I cannot tell you how much it hurt to have hand after hand shoot up in front of my face while their owners coldly walked away as I said the words "pro-life" or "help end abortion in Mississippi."
I cannot tell you how much I wanted to shake people until their teeth rattled ominously in their skull when they said "not right now" or "I'm too busy today." Too busy?! Are you kidding me?? Do you know how many babies are being killed today and will continue to be killed until something is done to stop it?
I cannot tell you how encouraging was every scritch scratch of the pen on the paper as another person signed his name.
I cannot tell you how hot the tears were in my eyes when a lady said as she signed, "I had an abortion several years ago and it has hurt me every day since."
I cannot tell you how many people "didn't know abortion was legal." Well, ma'am, I'm here to tell you it is, will you please sign your name andincludeyourmiddleinitial. And have you been living under a rock for the years since Roe v. Wade?
I even had to explain to about five older people what abortion was. That really hurt. I didn't like saying the words out loud, because they're so hideous. But every time I said them, they became more real, and every time the reality sank in further I realized that I have been building a rock wall up around that area of my mind and heart ever since I knew what abortion was, because I just didn't want to think about it. This week, that wall crashed.
I'm so glad it has.
Because no matter how much rejection stings, no matter how awful the truth is, no matter how stupid some people are, I would rather be out there praying with all my might and working my feet until they beg for mercy than sitting at home pushing uncomfortable thoughts away.
This week, my heavenly Father has taken my weakness and inability, (because I have realized more than ever that I cannot make people do what is right, no matter how much I wish to,) and has shown me more and more of His kindness and strength. I have learned in a beautiful way that when He calls us to obey, it doesn't necessarily mean there will be success, but it does mean that He will guide us.
There will be no success in this unless God blesses our efforts. Please pray with me that He will, and mostly that through this, whether this petition gets to the ballot or not, His name will be mightily glorified in our State and in our lives.
p.s. I got pooped on TWICE by nasty little birds hiding in the Piggly Wiggly letters above the entrance who were obviously pro-choice. Heather was laughing at me, until they decided to give her a little bit of joy too... in her hair.
Also, I have an ink stain on my favorite pair of khaki pants from some dude dropping the pen. How it managed to fall in such a way as to leave an ink stripe on my pants is beyond me. I mean, you probably couldn't even do that on purpose.
FROM COURTNEY'S BLOG:
Well the Personhood deadline is fast approaching; the dark cloud is beginning to overshadow us, or the dawn is gloriously nearing the horizon, depending on who you talk to. Please keep Personhood Mississippi in your prayers!
Well, I've been thinking (uh-oh, that can't be good). It's easy to look at abortion passively, while stile agreeing that it's bad. As if there's just nothing we can do about it, it's just not in our power, I'm not a difference-maker, etc. You can make a difference! (Please excuse for sounding like some wacko green tree-hugger.) Back to the point. Think about this: at this very second, innocent babies, who have no say in their own life, are being cruelly and brutally slaughtered because their own mothers don't want them or 'can't deal' with them right now or just 'don't have the money' (um, hello ladies, do you think abortions cost llamas or something? No, they do indeed cost money). But we can do something about this! We can help join this movement, petition, and we can pray.
Unfortunately, even many churches are afraid to get involved (or just joined up when it's gotten a bit more popular and the deadline is nearly up). I suppose this is because they're concerned for their reputation or they think it's a bit risky or they don't want to lose any of their pro-abortionist members, I don't know exactly. But, let me ask you this; as Christians are we not called to live in this and world not of it? Countless churches think they can spread the gospel and change the world by looking just like it, but the world ends up changing them.
Abortionists say these babies in the womb are not babies at all. In fact, abortion clinics ban employees from calling the fetus a "baby", lest the mother makes that connection, lest they realize that this is, in fact, a baby inside of them! The clinics are afraid they might recognize this and thus might not go through with the abortion (which would also mean the clinic might not make some money). To the abortionist that baby is just "a clump of cells". This baby becomes a baby or a person at fertilization, not at birth. This is what Personhood is trying to do, "to define personhood as beginning at fertilization...to protect all life, regardless of age, health, function, physical or mental dependency, or method of reproduction."
Amendment XIV, section I of the Constitution states, "No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities if citizens of the United States; nor shall any state deprive a person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws." The fetus is, indeed, a person. It's a person just as much as you or I. If these unalienable rights do not cohere for a child in the womb, why should they cohere for us? Noah Webster said a person is "an individual human being consisting of body and soul." A fetus (beginning at fertilization) is an individual human being consisting of body and soul, is it not? A fetus is a person.
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Catching up/ Petitioning
A friend of mine recently posted under the title, "blog or live." I can relate to that! We have been busy around the Duley house lately!
Last week we got to go roller skating with a lot of area homeschoolers. Everyone (including me) had a blast... until Hannah broke her arm! She was skating and fell while trying to avoid a collision. It was not discolored or deformed, so I gave her some ice and we headed on to Sam's as planned. When she was still whimpering after an hour of grocery shopping, I knew there was trouble. We took her in to the doctor the next morning... sure enough, it was broken! Fortunately, it is not a bad break, and they did not even put a hard cast on it. She has a splint and a sling for two more weeks, and then we will go back for a re-check.
A few days after the roller rink, I headed down to south Mississippi to spend a few days petitioning for the personhood amendment. The girls went to my parents' house, and the boys went with Katie Strevel and I to Scott's mom's house. The boys had fun with Nana and Papa John while Katie and I petitioned around the coast area....
After getting kicked out of one parking lot, denied permission to petition in many others, going on a wild goose chase to be allowed to petition in the "free speech area" of one college, and turned down by countless people, we decided to move north just a bit and join two other ladies from our church.
Columbia was much more friendly and open to our efforts! Regardless of location, there is nothing that will bring you out of your comfort zone like standing in front of a grocery store asking complete strangers to sign a petition! Please read Katie's post about our experience there... I am not feeling super creative, but she honestly and candidly described our experience... and yes, the bird sure did poop in my hair while I was talking to someone!
If I have learned anything at all, it is that you really can't judge a book by its cover.... and that we should all be nice to people petitioning!
I can't tell you how many well dressed ladies with several children walked past me with a hand in the air, not willing to give me the time of day. I think that this frustrated me more than anything, because they were too selfish to even listen, and they had no clue about what they were missing. Coming in a close second were all of the people who said things like, "um, not today," or, "I don't know anything about all that..." Finally, although I completely disagree, I can understand an unwillingness to sign based on a difference of opinion or ideology. Many people were kind about a refusal, stating their beliefs on the subject. I only had a few unkind, ungracious bigots who made awful comments.
On the other hand, I can't tell you how many people signed the petition with enthusiasm... that I never would have guessed would say yes... much less be registered to vote! That fact alone taught me a LOT about myself and how much of a loveless snob I am. I have really spent a good deal of time thinking about appearances- and making more of an effort to see people as God sees us. Good grief, some of the kindest, most gentle people... most concerned about the unborn and the effects of abortion on women... were missing teeth and covered in tattoos.
I also have seen what a bubble I live in... there are a lot of adults who can't vote due to felonies. There are adults in Mississippi who have no idea what it means to be "pro-life," who do not know that abortion is legal in our state, and there are many adults in Mississippi who can't write! (I do not mean they can't write neatly... I mean, really, they never learned how to write. That makes me so very sad.)
Well, it was a busy, tiring week. I am thrilled to know that we are really close in numbers, and so we are going back next week for the final push.
If you are a pro-life voter in Mississippi, and you have not signed the Personhood Amendment Petition... WAKE UP!! Snap out of it!! Only a few days left! "Not today," or "I don't have time" do not apply and are not valid excuses at this point!
This amendment would simply define a person in our state constitution as any human being from the moment of fertilization.
In order to allow the people to vote on whether or not to amend the constitution in this way, 89,000 signatures (of registered voters with correct addresses) must be gathered. We have one week left, and the last count was somewhere around 87,000. Signing this petition does not commit you to anything- It costs nothing more than a signature. We are not looking for money, recruits for some political party... nothing... but an opportunity to save lives of unborn babies.
Last week we got to go roller skating with a lot of area homeschoolers. Everyone (including me) had a blast... until Hannah broke her arm! She was skating and fell while trying to avoid a collision. It was not discolored or deformed, so I gave her some ice and we headed on to Sam's as planned. When she was still whimpering after an hour of grocery shopping, I knew there was trouble. We took her in to the doctor the next morning... sure enough, it was broken! Fortunately, it is not a bad break, and they did not even put a hard cast on it. She has a splint and a sling for two more weeks, and then we will go back for a re-check.
A few days after the roller rink, I headed down to south Mississippi to spend a few days petitioning for the personhood amendment. The girls went to my parents' house, and the boys went with Katie Strevel and I to Scott's mom's house. The boys had fun with Nana and Papa John while Katie and I petitioned around the coast area....
After getting kicked out of one parking lot, denied permission to petition in many others, going on a wild goose chase to be allowed to petition in the "free speech area" of one college, and turned down by countless people, we decided to move north just a bit and join two other ladies from our church.
Columbia was much more friendly and open to our efforts! Regardless of location, there is nothing that will bring you out of your comfort zone like standing in front of a grocery store asking complete strangers to sign a petition! Please read Katie's post about our experience there... I am not feeling super creative, but she honestly and candidly described our experience... and yes, the bird sure did poop in my hair while I was talking to someone!
If I have learned anything at all, it is that you really can't judge a book by its cover.... and that we should all be nice to people petitioning!
I can't tell you how many well dressed ladies with several children walked past me with a hand in the air, not willing to give me the time of day. I think that this frustrated me more than anything, because they were too selfish to even listen, and they had no clue about what they were missing. Coming in a close second were all of the people who said things like, "um, not today," or, "I don't know anything about all that..." Finally, although I completely disagree, I can understand an unwillingness to sign based on a difference of opinion or ideology. Many people were kind about a refusal, stating their beliefs on the subject. I only had a few unkind, ungracious bigots who made awful comments.
On the other hand, I can't tell you how many people signed the petition with enthusiasm... that I never would have guessed would say yes... much less be registered to vote! That fact alone taught me a LOT about myself and how much of a loveless snob I am. I have really spent a good deal of time thinking about appearances- and making more of an effort to see people as God sees us. Good grief, some of the kindest, most gentle people... most concerned about the unborn and the effects of abortion on women... were missing teeth and covered in tattoos.
I also have seen what a bubble I live in... there are a lot of adults who can't vote due to felonies. There are adults in Mississippi who have no idea what it means to be "pro-life," who do not know that abortion is legal in our state, and there are many adults in Mississippi who can't write! (I do not mean they can't write neatly... I mean, really, they never learned how to write. That makes me so very sad.)
Well, it was a busy, tiring week. I am thrilled to know that we are really close in numbers, and so we are going back next week for the final push.
If you are a pro-life voter in Mississippi, and you have not signed the Personhood Amendment Petition... WAKE UP!! Snap out of it!! Only a few days left! "Not today," or "I don't have time" do not apply and are not valid excuses at this point!
This amendment would simply define a person in our state constitution as any human being from the moment of fertilization.
In order to allow the people to vote on whether or not to amend the constitution in this way, 89,000 signatures (of registered voters with correct addresses) must be gathered. We have one week left, and the last count was somewhere around 87,000. Signing this petition does not commit you to anything- It costs nothing more than a signature. We are not looking for money, recruits for some political party... nothing... but an opportunity to save lives of unborn babies.
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