Category: life

Turn, Turn, Turn

Ecclesiastes 3 is the third chapter of the Book of Ecclesiastes in the Hebrew Bible or the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. I know the verses better through how the Byrds sang them in a song called “To Everything There Is A Season” by Pete Seeger and originally released by the Limeliters in 1962 which happens to be the year I was born. I’m sure you know it:

To everything turn, turn, turn
There is a season turn, turn, turn
And a time to every purpose under Heaven

A time to be born, a time to die
A time to plant, a time to reap
A time to kill, a time to heal
A time to laugh, a time to weep

To everything turn, turn, turn
There is a season turn, turn, turn
And a time to every purpose under Heaven

A time to build up, a time to break down
A time to dance, a time to mourn
A time to cast away stones
A time to gather stones together

To everything turn, turn, turn
There is a season turn, turn, turn
And a time to every purpose under Heaven

A time of love, a time of hate
A time of war, a time of peace
A time you may embrace
A time to refrain from embracing

To everything turn, turn, turn
There is a season turn, turn, turn
And a time to every purpose under Heaven

A time to gain, a time to lose
A time to rain, a time of sow
A time for love, a time for hate
A time for peace, I swear it’s not too late

This song has entered my thoughts many times over the last year. Recession in our economy, war in Europe, and sparring leadership in the federal administration have given me an uneasiness. Yet when I am able to focus on my own work, family and community my tensions ease and all seems right in the world. Things change and time changes…It’s how we build wisdom. Life was never meant to be easy, but we can certainly turn lemons into lemonade with a willing mind or even a good biblically inspired verse or song:

To everything turn, turn, turn…

Abortion is a Decision

Abortion is not a right. Abortion is not a choice. Abortion is not health care.

Abortion is a decision to end a pregnancy by means of a medical procedure and continue your own life unencumbered by all the other decisions that come with bringing new life into this world. The conclusion is clear.

If abortion were a right, then God or government would be involved. God is on the side of pregnancy which is a natural right. To end a pregnancy by force is not a natural right and therefore must be implemented by capable hands.

If abortion were a choice, then nothing and no one could get in your way.

If abortion were health care, then the health care system would be lobbying government to make abortion safe and legal. But the health care system is not doing this for good reason…LIABILITY.

Think about it! Government officials can only use abortion as a wedge issue. They are not God and they are not the individual involved in the decision. Government officials must compromise with other officials to pass legislation or play games with an issue to maintain their power. They do very little for an individual who makes daily precise decisions. Health care must remain absolutely free of government intervention in order for women to be in control over their personal reproductive decisions. Now that government (taxpayer) funds are being used to support health care costs and government regulations control physicians, all taxpayers have a stake in health outcomes.

So what is the answer? We need to look back to the history of the 1930’s and 1940’s https://publishing.cdlib.org/ucpressebooks/view?docId=ft967nb5z5&chunk.id=d0e3371&toc.depth=1&toc.id=d0e3371&brand=ucpress . At that time health care was private or pay for services rendered, physicians were more independent and women were gaining more autonomy. Privacy was honored, that was until government intrusion. So the answer is that government must be completely out of our health care system.

Abstinence?

I believe pro-abortion activism became its own undoing. Its push to make abortion acceptable up until full gestation became a rallying cry to the anti-abortion activists. No longer was abortion simply “safe, rare and legal”, it instead was now pride filled, extreme and in some cases paid for with co-mingled tax dollars. Freedom bears responsibility, and a government that restricts freedoms is telling us that it does not trust our responsibleness.

In our country individuals are responsible for their own actions. We are not “groups” or “numbers” or “widgets” to be spoken down to or pushed around…Unless of course we allow ourselves to be by an overarching authority.