The Written Word: Make This School Year Great

The Written Word: Make This School Year Great: Here we go again. Another school year is about to start, so it’s a fitting time to ask ourselves how we --parents, teachers, and students -...

Make This School Year Great

Here we go again. Another school year is about to start, so it’s a fitting time to ask ourselves how we --parents, teachers, and students -- can make this a great and productive year. Everyone has a stake in the education of the children of this country because these youngsters are our future voters, employees, and employers.

Parents need to realize that their children’s education is ultimately their responsibility, no matter how or where this education is taking place. Even if your children have wonderful, caring teachers, these same educators have many more students that they are also responsible for, so there is only so much time they can devote to each child. It is imperative that parents understand educational milestones and check their children’s progress regularly and frequently. My sister-in-law, a New York public school teacher, said that if a child doesn’t learn to read by third grade, he or she is basically considered a lost cause. This should never happen. Parents need to be aware of what their children should know and when, and if there’s a problem, they need to address it sooner rather than later. Advocate for your child and make yourself known in the school. Be prepared to speak up if there’s a problem, and stay informed by reading communications from the teacher or other school personnel. Check your child’s homework frequently to make sure all is well.

Teachers, especially those in public schools, have a lot of restrictions placed upon them by the federal government, and unfortunately must dedicate a lot of time to bureaucratic matters rather than actually teaching. This is a real problem, and the children of this country are getting short-changed as a result. Great teachers everywhere need to remember their calling, take matters into their own hands as much as is humanly possible, and get back to imparting real knowledge that will actually educate children and make the United States competitive again. They need to spend time every day reading great works of literature, helping their students analyze what has been read. Analytical thinking hasn’t really been a focus of teaching in the public schools for years, which is one of our country’s biggest problems. Teachers are being forced to spend way too much time preparing their students for the next standardized test because successful outcomes means more money. A long-term view is what is needed instead in order for the U.S. to regain its competitive edge.

Finally, students need to internalize the fact that they are in school for their benefit, not anyone else’s. Many young people don’t take their education seriously until sometime in high school when they realize that there’s a relationship between their performance and their future. Those who realize it sooner are at an obvious advantage. As parents and educators, we need to try to get them to understand this. They are not in school for our benefit. It is their future that is on the line. So, if any students are reading this, remember that you won’t ever regret working hard in school. If you don’t work hard, however, you will likely be sorry later, and your path in life may be much more difficult as a result.

Here’s hoping for a great school year for everyone – parents, teacher, and students. Let’s give it our best.

If You're Pro-Life, Then Vote That Way

Last week, I and several hundred other people had the privilege of hearing the testimony of Dr. Anthony Levatino, a gynecologist and obstetrician who performed more than 1,200 abortions before something happened that made him stop. He, and his wife, Ceil, were the keynote speakers at Pregnancy Help Clinic’s annual Celebration of Life fundraiser on April 3, 2014 at Brighton Nazarene Church in Brighton, Michigan. While the testimony was gripping and difficult to hear – especially the details of how abortions are performed – the most important point of the speech had to do with politics.

Dr. Levatino stated that when he and his wife spoke at a prolife meeting shortly after President Obama’s inauguration, he asked those in the crowd if they had voted for him. More than half raised their hands. This stunned last week’s gathering, most of whom are well aware that the current president is not only the most Biblically-hostile leader this country has ever had, but he is also the most radically pro-abortion, even to the point that he has no problem leaving a baby who survives one to die, naked, cold, and alone, in a utility room.

So, why would so many who call themselves pro-life and Christian vote for a pro-abortion candidate? This is the great conundrum. If this were Nazi Germany, what would have been more important than ending the slaughter of the Jews? Nothing. In America alone, more than 56 million babies have been killed by abortion – almost ten times the number of Jews slaughtered by the Nazis. Why, then, is this issue not the most important one on the ballot for those who call themselves Christian and prolife? It should be – and needs to be. All the other issues that people raise to try to defend their pro-choice position (such as how will women who are unprepared for a baby care for it, etc.) can and should be handled by those in the Church, pregnancy help clinics, and the community at large. The main point here, though, is that all of the issues that people raise do not in any way detract from the fact that it is wrong to destroy innocent human life. That is the bottom line.

It is eye-opening to hear the testimony of someone who has been on the other side. When Dr. Levatino and his wife had been married for only a couple years, they discovered that they were unable to conceive and had been told by a fertility specialist that it was highly unlikely they ever would. They adopted a little girl, Heather, who was tragically killed by a car in front of their house in the mid-80s. Suddenly, Dr. Levatino’s perspective changed and the harsh fact that he was “killing someone’s son or daughter” dawned on him in an eye-opening, life-changing way. He stopped doing abortions. He also became a Christian and now, in addition to his medical work, he travels the country speaking about the horrors of abortion and the urgent need to end this modern-day holocaust.

Wake up, Christians! Wake up, prolife voters! Remember that those who are prochoice would most likely never consider voting for a prolife candidate. Why, then, would you ever vote for someone diametrically opposed to your view? Know where the candidates stand on this crucial issue and vote in such a way that you won’t be ashamed later when you face God: Defend the unborn because they cannot defend themselves.

For Dr. Levatino’s full testimony, visit this link: https://www.priestsforlife.org/testimonies/1127-testimony-of-dr-anthony-levatino---former-abortion-provider

Longtime Director to Speak at Dinner

Right to Life of Livingston County’s 23^rd annual Focus on Life dinner will be held on Tuesday, October 29, 2013, at Crystal Gardens Banquet Center, 5768 E. Grand River, Howell, Michigan. Registration begins at 6 p.m., and the event runs from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Ed Rivet, who has been the legislative director of Right to Life of Michigan for over 25 years, is the scheduled keynote speaker. His topic is “Obamacare vs. Human Dignity: What is at Stake.” Senator Joe Hune will be the master of ceremonies.

Tickets for the dinner are $50 per person or $450 for a table of ten. Student tickets are $30. Checks are payable to Right to Life of Livingston County, Inc., P.O. Box 934, Brighton, MI 48116. For additional information, call the Right to Life office at (810)227-5788 or email rtllc@sbcglobal.net. 

"Life Chain" Slated for Oct. 6

Prolife supporters across the country will gather at designated locations on Sunday, October 6 at 2 p.m. for the 2013 National Life Chain. This peaceful movement, in which participants quietly stand, holding signs and praying, is to raise awareness about abortion, which has been legal in the U.S. since 1973 and has resulted in more than 55,000,000 deaths.

Livingston County supporters are asked to gather at one of the following high-traffic locations: in Brighton at Grand River and Main Street or in front of Planned Parenthood; in Fowlerville at Grand River and Grand; in Howell on Grand River at the courthouse; or in Pinckney at the Town Square.

For more information, call Right to Life of Livingston County at (810)227-5788.

Honoring Victims of Abortion

Pro-life Americans are being called upon to attend the National Day of Remembrance for Aborted Children on Saturday, September 14, 2013, at gravesites around the country. Sponsored by Citizens for a Pro-Life Society, Priests for Life, and the Pro-Life Action League, this date was chosen because it is the 25^th anniversary of the burial of hundreds of aborted children in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

As even abortion activists are beginning to acknowledge, victims of abortion are human beings. It doesn’t take a degree in rocket science to know that if a fetus (“little one” in Latin) is not aborted, after about 270 days in the womb, a human being, just like you and me, will emerge and one day walk this earth. Therefore, because these unborn victims are human -- until this sick country gets back on track (if it ever does) and stops allowing the murder of these innocents -- these poor children at least deserve recognition of their humanity and the right to a proper burial, rather than being thrown into a dumpster behind some seedy clinic.

Please join us at Holy Spirit Catholic Church, located at 9565 Musch Road in Brighton, on Saturday, September 14, 2013 at 1 p.m. for the hour-long solemn prayer vigil to honor these victims. For more information or other locations, visit http://www.abortionmemorials.com/

Unconditional Love

Quiet times in my house are rare, so on a summer morning after some have left for work and the others are still asleep, I enjoy being able to think. I know that mothers with big families and/or small children can relate! The other day, though, the silence felt heavy and made me start thinking about my mom. It will be 20 years in December since she died at the too-young age of 64. I still miss her terribly and hope that someday I’ll see her again, but I really have no idea about that.

Thinking about my mom made me think about how much mothers (some – the normal ones, anyway) love their babies. The ones I’m thinking about – like me and the women I know – love their babies before they’re even born, before they’ve even seen them. They love them unconditionally, which means that this same child can (and probably will—maybe more than once) rip his mother’s heart out and although she may be very sad and angry, she will still love him. This parent* – child relationship is the only time humans love this way. This is the only “unconditional” love.

Thinking about unconditional love made me think about abortion and how it’s changed human relationships. If you know me, you know that I am passionately prolife. I cannot understand abortion or the people who support it. It seems obvious to me that it’s the murder of an innocent human being and therefore wrong. I recently read an excellent memoir about prolife activism – Abandoned by Dr. Monica Miller – in which the author explains that abortion is not only murder but the vilest form of rejection. Aborted babies are ripped from their mothers’ wombs – what should be the safest place in the world – and stripped of their humanity, even considered less than human. They are implicitly declared not worthy of inclusion in our human race; they are nothing -- rejected, unloved, unwanted.

Making abortion legal 40 years ago not only didn’t make it rare or safe, but it also permanently altered how we view each other. What was once generally assumed to be a sure and unconditional love – that love between a mother and her baby – is now not unconditional at all. In fact, this love is so conditional  that a mother has the right to not only not love, but to hate to the greatest degree – by arranging for the murder of her own child.

Now, “sacrifice” no longer necessarily means giving up something in order to benefit another. Rather, it’s been twisted in the most evil way. Sacrifice now may not be the mother giving up something in order to love and care for her child, but possibly sacrificing her child so that she doesn’t have to relinquish anything.

It’s hard for me to look at pregnant women and mothers of babies and young children without recalling the statistic that one out of three women will have had an abortion by the age of 45. When I see a young mom or one with a big belly, it makes me wonder…..did she ever have an abortion? And if she did, how then can she really love her other children? What if they find out that their mother aborted their sibling? Will they wonder, “Why not me?”

Abortion is murder. It’s a sad and harsh day, but a great day, when people who’ve participated in this atrocity finally acknowledge what they’ve done. While unspeakably difficult, acknowledgement is the critical first step. Thankfully, there is a great, healing Physician who is able and willing to forgive all sins when one truly repents. If this is you, it is my most sincere hope that you will recognize Jesus Christ for who He is – the Messiah. He is “the Way, the Truth, and the Life.” As He said, no one can come to the Father except through Him. He can and will save you and heal your broken heart if you ask. It will take time and support is strongly recommended. Visit http://www.rachelsvineyard.org/ or http://www.silentnomoreawareness.org/. If you live in Livingston County, Michigan, there is confidential group and individual support available at Pregnancy Help Clinic http://www.pregnancyhelpclinic.com/

*Normal fathers love unconditionally, too.