Passions of the Soul

Surprised by Grace in a God-Forsaking Place

Title:  The Grace Effect: How the Power of One Life Can Reverse the Corruption of Unbelief *****
Author:  Larry Alex Taunton
Published by Thomas Nelson, 2011
Kindle Edition

What on earth would lead a child who had spent her entire existence in one orphanage or another, in a country that had plunged ever deeper into the abyss of Godlessness, to pray to God? Under a government whose policies continued to dismiss the poor, the weak, the disabled and the orphan as worthless, and which continued to deny the existence of God, how would a child know to pray to anyone, let alone a Being she could not see?

          Sasha, ten years old, had entered her first orphanage right after her birth. No one had any idea who, or where, her mother was, or if she was alive. Sasha was not only an orphan: She was HIV-positive and, by the time the Tauntons met her, had rickets. She had survived in a system that did not care whether she survived, or not, but wanted her off the streets and off their minds.

          One day, an adoption facilitator the Tauntons would later meet walked into Orphanage #17 and found Sasha, who normally was vivacious, despite her physical condition, in tears. Nobody around wanted to tell him why, but finally one child did: Sasha had been attacked by a teenaged boy. That night, Sasha prayed for a real family, with a mother and a father.

          Taunton’s narrative of his family’s trip to Ukraine to finalize their adoption of Sasha, not so many years after she had prayed, gripped me, as the pitfalls and the possibilities for failure lay waiting at every turn. At any time, any of the Ukrainian “players” could have stopped the whole process; one bribe too few or too small, or one judge having a bad day or too lacking in care for a child, and the family could have been sent home without Sasha, forever.

          Sasha’s resilience, faith and hope throughout the proceedings reflected what Taunton refers to as “the [Christian] grace effect.” I cannot explain that nearly as well as he has done in this book, but he has left me much more aware of the many ways my own life is touched by grace. He has also left me sobered by his discussion of how a nation moves gradually but steadily down the road to losing the gentling effect of grace, toward the ultimate end of abject denial of the human soul, of God, of any purpose in life.

          The Grace Effect fascinated me, took hold of me, and hasn’t let me go. I not only recommend it; I urge you to read it. Will you agree with it? I cannot guarantee that, but if it doesn’t make you think, then your mind is closed, perhaps irrevocably. I hope that is not so. I give The Grace Effect five ****. 

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze program. TN did not require me to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

 

Faith-based Charities

When former President G.W. Bush opened the door to faith-based charities and churches to received government funding, it sounded like a good thing. But it wasn't long before the Boy Scouts of America found itself in court because, the ACLU argued, BSA's policy prohibiting openly-homosexual persons from being leaders could not continue, as long as BSA accepted government funding. BSA prevailed in the High Court.

World Vision, long identified as a Christian-based humanitarian relief organization, is now on the ropes for accepting government funds. Again, the argument is that they cannot accept federal funding and continue to enforce their policy of employing only Christians, as WV (and many of us) define "Christians." Sued by three former employees who had presented themselves as devout Christians, but were ultimately fired because they deny the deity of Jesus Christ, WV will soon be making its case to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals--a bastion of liberal thought and decision.

Any reader of this blog (all two or three of you) knows that I represent Compassion International as a volunteer child advocate. From a secular point of view, Compassion and World Vision would be considered "competitors," because both organizations offer opportunities for individuals, families, groups and churches to sponsor children and/or contribute in other ways. The two organizations differ in philosophy and practice, in the field, but neither has nor makes an exclusive claim to being the most godly. I volunteer for Compassion because their philosophy and approach make sense to me; I have friends who sponsor children through World Vision for the same reason.

One of the many facts about Compassion that I deeply respect is that the leaders wisely decided, some years back, not to apply for any government funds, because they could see that doing so would very possibly, sometime in the future, mean having to change some policies or practices. That is what BSA fought, and that is what World Vision is fighting, now. What makes me happy, in the article linked to above, is the statement that, if WV ultimately loses this fight, they will stop accepting government funds, rather than change their employment policies. If it comes to that, I do believe God will honor and bless them for it. Please keep WV in your prayers...and Compassion, too, as our Enemy has many ways to attack.

And if you would like to sponsor a child, why not search for him or her, now? Your $38 per month will mean not only a better life, now, but a future and a hope for your child. Release a child from poverty in Jesus' name!

The Heavy Hand of Fate - A Book Review

Title: Hand of Fate: A Triple Threat Novel *****
Authors: Lis Wiehl with April Henry
Published by Thomas Nelson, 2010
293 pages

I once heard that the difference between a connoiseur of fine wine and a drunk is that the connoiseur takes the bottle out of the brown paper bag. I am not a connoiseur of anything, let alone mysteries and thrillers, but Hand of Fate is both, and it lived up to its promise as a page-turner. I was sorry to come to the end of the book, and as soon as I finished reading it, I wanted to start over. I also wanted to read its predecessor, Face of Betrayal, the first of the Triple Threat Novels. Now, I am nearing the end of that book, as well, and can't wait for the next one.

Reading Hand of Fate prior to reading Face of Betrayal could have left me handicapped in terms of getting to know the main characters. That was not the case, as they were well introduced and developed. The Triple Threat consists of Allison, a federal prosecutor; Nicole, an FBI special agent; and Cassidy, a crime reporter for Channel 4 news; all live in Portland, OR. The three women knew each other, somewhat, in high school, but not until they discovered--at a class reunion--their mutual interest in crime did they begin to form a real friendship. Now, because they complement each other in solving crimes, they have dubbed themselves "The Triple Threat."

How the three women piece together exactly what happened, learn what actually killed Jim Fate and caused serious panic in the city, and find the true identity of the killer make Hand of Fate so hard to put down. How each of them also confronts her personal issues, and how they all eventually share with each other their personal strengths and weaknesses, make it a great story of hope and the freedom found in facing the truth.

A Christian thread runs through the novel, primarily in the characters of Allison and her husband Marshall. I like the way Allison's faith is treated: She is never pushy, never sanctimonious, but never afraid to express her faith.

The end of the book held a couple of surprises. Author Lis Wiehl included copies of a few notes she received from friends in the news media, e.g., Bill O'Rielly and Mark Levin, among others. To my pleasure, the authors have also provided a number of questions as a guide for reading groups.

If you enjoy mysteries and thrillers at all, and especially if you are a re-reader, buy the book. It's well worth the money.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their Book Review Blogger program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Just the facts, Ma'am

Sgt. Joe Friday would be pulling his hair out; he might even be biting his fingernails, by now, if he were around to hear all the name-calling and accusations being made by both of the main "sides" in the debate over healthcare reform.  One of his signature lines--maybe his only signature line--was, "Just the facts, ma'am."

For too long, I frankly bought into all of the claims by the opposition to "Obamacare," or whatever version was presented in the House.  I didn't stop to question the accusations about what has become known as the "death panel" that would, we heard, require counseling of seniors every five years on end-of-life decisions, including information on suicide, assisted suicide, and other alternatives to treatment for diseases.  I was horrified and appalled by the claims that The Government would be telling doctors what treatment they could provide for any of us, if we were part of the "Public Option"; in fact, it has been said that eventually all of us would be forced to participate in the public option, and that we would lose all of the choices and freedoms we want in our healthcare.

I still don't believe the government can come up with a competitive healthcare option and run it more efficiently and cheaply.  Medicare is a Godsend to many seniors, but efficient, it ain't.  And the doctors receive less and less pay for their services through Medicare, as well as from insurance companies.

I do not believe, for one moment, that the healthcare systems in the UK and/or Canada are good models.  In fact, both are broken (if pressed for citations, I will ask my spouse for some links, including one I just read in the last couple of days).  My Canadian (now American) husband has said that "the best Canadian doctors moved to the States, to set up practice."  I'm inclined to believe him; our primary physician came from Canada, and I have seen other excellent doctors who had come to the States from there. 

I still don't want our tax dollars to be used for abortions, and I don't know whether that is specifically provided for in the current legislation.  The opposition claims that, without a clause specifically denying coverage for abortions, they will soon be covered by extrapolation.  It can happen; look what happened with Roe v. Wade.  [What started out as a "right" to an abortion in the first trimester, then through the second trimester, is now considered by many a "right" all the way up to birth, even though premies of five and six months gestation can so often (maybe virtually always?) live and ultimately thrive.  Instead, some claim a "right" of "partial-birth" abortion, which is about as insane, barbaric and cruel as anything I've ever heard or read about Hitler's regime.]

The problem is that it's been so difficult to try to sort out fact from factoid from downright fiction, in this healthcare debate, but maybe this will help.  It doesn't address every horrid-sounding claim, but it's a start.  I have to back off from assuming everyone who carries a different political label than I do is wrong-headed about everything and not even a good person; I have to be willing to believe that some of them, at least, are persons of good will.  We will disagree on many things, but that does not make them evil.  Neither of the political parties is exempt from corruption, from immorality, from scandal, from putting partisan interests above all.

I am tempted to make a statement beginning with the words, "We Christians...," but I will limit my discussion to myself.  I need to do a lot of growing in my willingness and my ability to see people as Christ sees them. I know about those folks who want to kill us simply because we are not like them and do not worship the same god or God, and yet, I know that He loves them and died for them, every bit as much as He loves and died for me.  His first choice is for all (includes everyone who hates him) to turn to Him, to accept His love and to love as He does.  I cannot say I love God, when I hate or write off any of His creation (see I John 4).  This is hard for me to say, because those really strong feelings have been a part of me for so long; but I believe I have to let them go.

Psalm 42:5-7

We are told to praise the Lord in all things.  That's a cinch, when everything is looking good, but a challenge for some of us, when it isn't.  But contrary to the references to being downcast, I am not...exactly.  Disquieted, yes.

(5)    Why are you downcast, O my soul?
            Why so disturbed within me?
        Put your hope in God,
            for I will yet praise him,
            my Savior and (6) my God.

        My soul is downcast within me;
            therefore I will remember you
        from the land of the Jordan,
            the heights of Hermon--from
                Mount Mizar.

(7)    Deep calls to deep
            in the roar of your waterfalls;
        all your waves and breakers
            have swept over me.

Congressman Forbes

It isn't often that I make a point of listening to Congressional speeches, but this one is worth it, and it's even brief.  May God bless this effort to counter some of the President's recent statements about this country.

Shocking!

Both my husband and I are in our 60's; I'm "early," he's "late."  He filed for Social Security in either late February or early March.  He filled out everything he needed to fill out, pulled together all required documents, and took everything into a local S.S. office.  Got it all done, and we've just been waiting for the first check to hit our bank.

We get to wait longer.  Either he has been lying to me, all these years, about his age, or someone at the Social Security Administration can't read.  He just received a letter saying he is not qualified for Soc. Sec. at this time, because he has not provided sufficient evidence that he has reached age 62!  That's good for a laugh!  I told him that everyone (including me) says he doesn't look his age.

I stopped laughing pretty quickly, though, because he now has to appeal, which will eat up more time, all because some incompetent person was handed his application.  Maybe I'm being too harsh (it happens).  Maybe a normally competent person dealt with his application on a really bad day.  That happens, too.

Then, again, it's a bureaucracy.