my "a-like" bro

Timo! (tee-moe) my coolest bro, who can't stay serious for more than the length of a family dinner prayer. "T", this post is for you, I'm so glad you're here with us, making jokes, playing pranks, and serving more than the rest of us combined. I remember when you started saying that I was your "a-like" brother because we like the same things and looked the same and said things the same way. So rock on, I love you, and don't get too cool for your older bro...

-brubber

"may I present to you, the class of '09"

that was what he said...and I guess he meant it.  High school is kinda over.  I finished four years of tough education to begin four tougher years..     The ceremony was short and sweet, and I have my mom to thank for that.  She worked long and hard to make it the most perfect graduation ceremony anyone's ever had to endure.       Everyone is asking me how I feel different now that I'm out of high school, and truth be told, I don't.  It's sorta like what I've heard about when someone dies, it doesn't really hit you until later...

But philosophy aside, I'm maxing out this summer, working at Jason's Deli (cream of the fast food crop) and hopefully soon a morning shift across the street at Panera Bread.  I was the recipient of many generous graduation gifts..I didn't phase out enough not to be extremely grateful to all those who contributed.  I have enough to go on the Mexico E-team trip and buy a car, with some money still left over.  

I just bought Kevin DeYoung's book "Just Do Something" on practically making decisions and following God's will.  DeYoung spoke at NEXT '09 which I neglected to post about, but was really totally awesome.  I would encourage anyone and everyone to go download all the messages given there because they were simply amazing.

If anyone has any suggestion on what to do with my summer free time, or whatever time slips through the cracks, I would welcome them...

mp

YES!

The Murphy family will be moving to Virginia July 1st! Thanks a ton, God!

It's May, so I decided to write a post. I think it's been about a month since my last post. I am a truly prolific writer, am I not? Anyway, I have some time on my hands and Jars of Clay's surprisingly strong album "The Long Fall Back to Earth" is playing through the speakers, so I might as well ramble for a bit.

* I graduate in less than a month. That's a rather frightening thought. The last four years have been an absolute whirlwind. I'd like to say I learned a lot, but I'm not sure how true a statement that is. I think I can identify a lot with Calvin's answer to the history question, "When did the Pilgrims land at Plymouth?" His response - "1620. As you can see, I have memorized this utterly useless fact long enough to pass a test question. I now intend to forget it forever. You've taught me nothing except how to cynically manipulate the system. Congratulations." Poignant, isn't it? But then I suppose a lot of life involves "cynically manipulating the system". If we can do that well, we're bound to succeed, right? Anyway, I think I did learn one thing, and that is that high school never turns out the way Disney wants you to believe it will.

* I now have a Twitter. I even have ten followers on Twitter. That means I'm hip, connected, and in tune with the cutting edge of society. Does being on the cutting edge of society offer any tangible benefits? Um........no. But hey, at least I now know what Ashton Kutcher is doing every moment of the day.

* Does swine flu remind anyone else of bird flu and SARS? Maybe we as a nation just like being under constant threat of a global pandemic. The looming prospect of disaster makes us feel alive, doesn't it?

* X-men Origins: Wolverine was terrible. Maybe that had something to do with the fact that I ate a whole bag of popcorn smothered in some sort of half-butter, half nuclear waste beforehand. I felt sick the entire movie.

* Why is it that life can seem so wonderful one moment and so horrifying the next? You see things so beautiful they make your heart ache, and then the spectre of what this world actually is, what we as humans truly are, is enough to overwhelm you with loathing. "What is this evil in the heart of nature?" (Brownie points if you can name the movie I copped that line from)

* "We're the middle children of history, man. We have no great war, no Great Depression. Our great war is a spiritual war, our Great Depression is our lives." Does this quote accurately characterize our generation? Why or why not?

Okay, that's it for today. I just read over what I had written, and most of it could have been compressed into a couple of Twitter posts. Twitter's making everything obsolete.

"Seriously?"

hey-yo...its been kinda fast lately so I havn't really been on here that much.  

I got back a couple of days ago from a "field trip" to the Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek.  I don't think that the people there who were conducting us through the "field trip" knew that is was a field trip.  There were several officers who were in charge of us for two days, and they worked us like we were in boot camp.  But I can't tell you about that stuff because I had a calc II test that morning so I missed the tough stuff (push-ups, leg-raises, getting yeld at) and came after the officers had already blew most of their steam.  We got to shoot M-16s and 12-gage shotguns, go in the gas chamber, run through Marine obstacle course, and repel down a 90-ft wall.

My favorite moment was, right before we got to repel, the marine who was checking our safety harness to make sure they were on properly (after he had explained it to us several times) came to Brett and took one look at his harness.  It was on backwards.  The marine looked up at Brett and groaned: "Seriously?"

mikey

And Then They Came For Me

On January 8, 2009, unidentified gunmen on motorcycles shot and killed Sri Lankan journalist Lasantha Wickramatunga. Mr. Lasantha was editor and columnist for the Sunday Leader, a controversial newspaper that outspokenly attacked the Sri Lankan government for their human rights abuses during their campaign against the Tamil Liberation Fighters. On January 11, the Sunday Leader published a letter Mr. Lasantha had written and requested to be published after his death. In it the journalist, who for some time had been aware that he was going to be assasinated, explained the reasons behind his highly dangerous campaign for justice and issued a final plea for change. Here's the link to the letter: http://www.thesundayleader.lk/20090111/editorial-.htm

I'd encourage everyone to take some time and read this. It's rather lengthy, but it is a touching and moving last testament to a man who refused to be cowed by injustice and sacrificed his life for a cause he believed in.

"There is a calling that is yet above high office, fame, lucre, and security" Mr. Lasantha writes. "It is the call of conscience"

Intermission.

As a break from this heated debate...check this band Liam and Me. I just found them and love their music but aint so sure about their lyrics. I put one song on the blog but please check out their myspace site for their better songs. Tell me what you think!

Here's Ashley's take:


Okay, here's what I think the problem is here.We are operating from different bases. You are arguing from a view that is filtered through purely religious views. Not everyone believes in a God and therefore, not everyone is going to be motivated by the whole "God will smite us if we allow homosexual marriage" thing.
Okay here's a source for you to check out: http://media.www.mainecampus.com/media/storage/paper322/news/2008/03/27/SoapBox/Gay-Marriage.Is.Required.By.The.Bible.And.The.Constitution-3286055.shtml
Here are some of the main important points:"The primary argument against gay marriage is that it's seen as an abomination under Christian doctrine. Indeed, there are several passages in the Bible that make this point, the most prominent being Leviticus 18:22 which states:"Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination."It's kind of hard to avoid the clarity of such a statement. Reinforcing this view are passages from Genesis, Romans and Deuteronomy, but can these passages establish a legal precedent in the United States? The answer is no. Homosexuals have a constitutional right to marriage"The author goes on to explain Jefferson, the 1st amendment and the separation of church and state."in justifying the legality of gay marriage, one must first define marriage as a state function and not a religious one. It can be argued that marriage is a state function because it has the power to modify other state functions such as Social Security and tax filing status. Because marriage affects state functions, constitutionally, it too must be a state function for it to legally do so. If not, the government is violating Article Six and is actively discriminating against unmarried citizens. If marriage is a state function, then it's protected under various civil rights laws."The church doesn't have to recognize the legality of it, much less endorse it, but it will exist nevertheless.According to Matthew 22:21 [Jesus] said:"Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's; and to God the things that are God's."Jesus himself advocated keeping religion out of the law."Romans 13:1, says:'Let every person be in subjection to the governing authorities. If the law of the land is that everyone must pay war taxes then that is what we must do. It is the law!'The legality of gay marriage is incontrovertible when these passages and precedents are taken into account. Romans 13:1 goes on to say that those who believe a law is wrong should work within the system to change it. Simply denying homosexuals the right to marry on the basis of religion is illegal. According to Christ, it is also against Christian pathology."So there you go...this is a much more eloquent and better reinforced rendition of what I meant.

Alright. Here it is.

Ok. I'm not trying to show you that homosexual marriage is unconstitutional. For the straight up answer to your question: I think that if you just look to our governing documents, homosexual marriages could fit in just fine.

Now with that said, this is my problem: I dont think that because it may fit into the Constitution that we should allow it. Whether we should allow gay marriages in the United States is not the same as whether outlawing gay marriage is unconstitutional. There is more to the first question than to the second. So I agree that if you just look only to the Constitution, gay marriage fits. But I want to point the other question to you: Should we, as Christian Americans, allow gay marriage to be legal?

These are two opinions of people who emailed me their opinions:  (I kept them anonymous to prevent bias)

"I thought you would find this link helpful.  BTW, homosexuality is very harmful to a society- just look at Sodom and Gomorrah.  And it might be good to go back and read Romans 1:18-32.  God's judgement  is that people are given over to the degredation of their bodies.  It's a scary place to sit back and do nothing to stand for righteousness when others are under such a serious judgement from a loving Lord.  It's harmful to all of us when we are worshipping created things rather than our Creator.  Some people would want to worship freedom or happiness as the ultimate cause but again, that would be a created thing that becomes perverted when it becomes our goal.   

http://www.allabouthistory.org/separation-of-church-and-state.htm"

and

"Just an FYI
No where in the constitution does it state "separation of church and state"  this statement was made in a private letter sent from T. Jefferson and has been widely used out of context thanks to our liberal media.

"Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness" is not in the Constitution, but in the Declaration of Independence.

The argument that being in a homosexual relationship is not hurting anyone but the people involved is a farce.  If they  truly understood the homosexual community, their roots and their agenda they would understand that there is much more to this than homosexuals being allowed to join in marriage.  I do not recommend researching this yourself as it is a very dark and disgusting world."

I hope you find this helpful.

mikey

In case anyone else missed my point....

All right, I'm beginning to lose my temper a wee bit. Here is the position we have been taking (I've even put it in capitals!) AN ANTI-GAY MARRIAGE AMENDMENT TO THE CONSTITUTION IS, IN ESSENCE, UNCONSTITUTIONAL. Really, dude, you should have seen that before now. I won't elaborate here because I have already done so extensively in my comments to your post. What are you talking about when you say you've heard "confusing" statements? I have been quite clear (if a bit lengthy). And you continue to confuse issues. I am not, as you say, "pro-gay". I simply believe that, UNDER THE CONSTITUION, gays should be allowed equal rights in this nation of ours

Stop. Listen. Clarify.

Ok. I'm gonna stop shouting my position over and over again. I want to hear your argument in clear, simple terms. Try to be clear on your arguments and your position and where your allegence lies and what is your priority in taking your view. Aaron: feel free; Connor and Ashley or whoever else wants to answer: write it as a comment to this post and I will post it.

So far I have heard many confusing positions from near pro-gay to near my own position...so I'd like to hear clear, concise, and simple, and perhaps honest opinions. thanks.

mikey

Come on now.

I'm sorry. But I must speak to this issue that Aaron brought up of government's involvement in gay marriage. I'm very close to disgusted by these views not only of Aaron's, but of those who have commented on it.

Since when was the government's business not the Christian's business?! Since when was the seperation of church and state something that we as God's ambassadors approve of?! Just because we're talking about politics does not mean we drop our crosses! We may have the job as citizens to obey the government, but in a democracy we also have the job of making our views represented in the government. If you wish to argue that the Christian morals in this case intrude on other's "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness", then I want to ask you to define these, especially pursuit of happiness. When the Thomas Jefferson penned this, do you really think that he was including sensual pleasure (moreover in a sinful form) in this happiness that the government should protect? And if you say that the culture now should redefine it to mean the "happiness" that today has so prevaded our society, then aren't you and I called to be in the world but not of the world? Since when do we give in to the culture and how it defines our lives? I do not presume your spiritual condition, but if you have a desire to see Christ glorified, then I would define Jefferson's diction differently: I believe that yes, the government does have the duty of protecting our pursuit of happiness, but not happiness defined as pleasure. Happiness defined as Joy. And our Bibles can competently show us where that is to be found. and its decidedly not in homosexuality. I believe that no matter how much pleasureful happiness can be found in homosexuality, it is not the joyful happiness which we as Christian should pursue or encourage others to pursue, namely by allowing gay marriage.

I was going to begin this post with : "Wow! It's been quite a while since I last wrote!" but then I realized that my last three posts began with essentially the same statement. Therefore, I have decided not to mention it directly this time around. However, the format will stay the same. What follows is a series of quick, condensed bullet points that sort of cover some of the thoughts and reflections I've had in the last month or so. Enjoy!



* It's a comfort knowing the 800 billion or so American dollars President Obama is planning to pour into the black hole that is the American economy will soon be used to finance the private jets and swanky yachts of top excecutives while their companies self-destruct. Why I am so cynical about this I can't really say. Last time I checked I was an Obama fan.



* I am currently reading Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. I really enjoy it. Maybe a bit too much. Today I was seized by a sudden desire to drop everything, buy a motorcycle, and spend the rest of my life cruising the wastelands of the American Midwest and pondering the deep philosophical questions of life. Then I remembered that I don't have any money.

* I didn't get a chance to watch the Oscars, but I sort of followed it. I haven't had a chance to catch Slumdog Millionaire, but I saw The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I was somewhat surprised that the Academy ignored the superb Gran Torino, which was probably the best film I've seen this year. I generally enjoy the movies that the Oscars honor, but the whole culture of Hollywood makes me sick. Why is our culture so image-obsessed? What is it about celebrities that attracts us so much? What about the people who really make a difference in this world, like teachers and doctors and farmers? Our society is so superficial. American beauty is only skin deep. We ignore the true beauty and wonder of the human soul and focus only on outside appearances.

* I read a quote by the absolutely brilliant author David Foster Wallace in which he examined the underlying idea of suicide. "All this business about people committing suicide when they're ' severly depressed '; we say 'Holy Cow, we must do something to stop them from killing themselves!' That's wrong. Because all these people have, you see, by this time already killed themselves, where it really counts.....When they 'commit suicide', they're just being orderly." Aside from being deeply disturbing, this quote is quite profound. All of life, I believe, is a search for joy. Without God, people gradually destroy themselves from the inside. Without something more, what is there to live for? Where can joy be found? We fill our lives with distractions in order to shut up the demons in our own heads. We can't even face our own thoughts. A clear, honest look at who we really are is enough to drive anyone mad with despair. We can't stand the stark reality of existence. Some of us God rescues, others search their entire lives and die unfulfilled. Still others kill themselves for peace, in a last, desperate attempt to find rest and joy. I am so very grateful God found me. I shudder to think where I would be without Him. For David Foster Wallace, the reality of life was too much. He killed himself in 2008.

* I graduate high school this May. Forget college. I've decided I'm gonna be a rock star!

* Green Day's new album, 21st Century Breakdown, is due out in May!!!!!!! Ok, I know they're not exactly the cleanest band lyrically, but no one can deny that they are uncannilly brilliant in their own screwed-up way. A hamster could learn their guitar riffs, but somehow they come up with great tunes that really strike a chord in the listener's head. Their 2004 release, American Idiot, is an all-time classic. If you ever get a chance, sit down and read the liner notes. The lyrics are severely depressing, but they capture in a unique, clear-eyed way the emptiness of American society.

* I am listening to U2's latest, No Line on the Horizon. It is brilliant. Go out and buy it when it hits stores on Monday. Really. It's a great piece of music.

* Last of all, I have a question. Is there really any constitutional basis for an amendment outlawing gay marriage? I don't agree with homosexuality, but aren't those who practice it entitled to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness just as much as I am? Is it really fair and just to forbid gays to marry? Let me know what you think!

God Bless,

Aaron

Whirlwind!

WOW... a lot has happened in the last month...sorry for those of you who REALLY wanted to hear from us (if there are any of you... :-)  We had our 316 Christmas Party (possible best ever) planned by the SGC seniors.

I'm still not sure how we pulled it off...but it was a success (at least that's what we were told?)
danny's awesome corndog vendor costume, we definitely cudnt have done it without the help of the singles...
And in return, most of the seniors helped out at the Singles Christmas banquet...me, joe, and jon in the aftermath...

After Christmas and the New Year, (which was fun), the SGC basketball program had a date with the Coventant Life Church basketball...the varsity boys and the JV girls both had games in Maryland....

And Im sorry but this pic of josiah is dripping with awesomeness...

Ky-guy and hulme came with us to beef our bench...

Josh, as usual, carried the game...Aaron came up with us to add to the hype...and Phil vowed that no camera would record his mouth the entire trip...

I think this was the part of the game where we were losing right before half-time...then in the third quarter we whooped em 29-6

The girls team, although full of talent, could not hold back the varsity girls team they had to play...

And this....

I dont know if you can see that but...it may be the most cherished score in the history of SGC basketball.  Our team beat Gateway in their own gym.  It was a tough game but we had the greatest fans ever and we managed to win...

Thoughts and obersvations on life.......

It's been a while since my last post. I'm taking a break from the rat race for a couple of hours, so I figured I might as well write something. Trouble is, I'm not sure what to write about. I guess I'll just put down some thoughts I've had recently.

*Why did it take the government a year to declare that we are in a recession? It's not like anyone actually believed that we weren't in one, right? Then again, I don't know much about economics, so maybe I'll just shut up.

*It feels weird being a senior. I remember when I was a freshman and looked up to the seniors with a sort of awe, as if they were a higher race of beings or something. I imagined what it must be like to be preparing to enter college, with a firm plan for the rest of my life. Now I'm in my last year of high school, and I feel no sense of closure at all. To tell the truth, I feel more lost now than I ever have. Maybe I'm just getting old.

*I half-followed the recent terrorist attacks in India. To tell you the truth, I wasn't really that interested. I mean, only 172 people died. That's not a genocide or anything. Reflecting later on the event and my reactions toward it, I was stunned. When did words, pictures, and even videos of events like these lose the power to affect us? We turn on the TV and watch as the lives of human beings just like us are extinguished, shattered, and ruined. We don't even blink. In fact, we're bored. That sort of stuff doesn't interest us. So we turn on the video game console and blast away at digital representations of ourselves, sated in the gore and violence that fills the screen. 172 people lost their lives, and countless Americans (me included) yawned and turned away. When did we lose our soul?

* I have had the opportunity to work on a program for our youth ministry at church. The entire senior class (which is twenty or so people) has been put in charge of creating a Christmas party for everyone. It's been........yeah, it's been .........great. Interesting how quickly we discover the true nature of ourselves and of others when we work together on a project of this size. Show's on in a week or so. Pray for us.

* Will someone tell the people in the Obama Campaign that the election is over? As soon as the results were in, I unsubscribed from the mailing lists. Yet my inbox is still flooded with messages that often don't have anything to do with the President-elect. My favorite was one from the campaign offering free downloads of the movie Hair.
Did these people actually have a life before this election? If they did, now would be the time to return to it.

* All controversy aside, His Dark Materials, the fantasy trilogy by renowned atheist Phillip Pullman, are actually great reads. I enjoyed all three books from the series. Pullman is an extremely talented author who weaves a strong, enjoyable, and engaging tale that is, while not on level with the works of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien, certainly close to it. It was especially interesting to trace the author's worldview through the trilogy and notice how, while in the end his characters destroyed God and achieved his version of a perfect world, he was unable to bring the story to a satisfactory conclusion. His ideal world, one where humans live on without God, as part of the "Republic of Heaven", is empty and meaningless. This shows rather clearly in his books, no matter how hard he tries to disguise it. Most Christians won't even go near these books (and the movie version of the first one) because of the worldview portrayed in them. I, however, think that it is possible to disagree with the worldview of an author yet enjoy his work.

* How many of you are sick of Christmas music? I am. I walked into Wal-Mart the other day and heard "Rockin' around the Christmas tree". That almost drove me crazy.

* I recently tried to read the book Blood Meridian by Cormack McCarthy and had to put it down. I usually enjoy his work, but Blood Meridian was different. It was a gripping and well-written tale, but the level of brutal, graphic violence contained in the work was incredible. I understood and appreciated the point McCarthy was trying to make, but I just couldn't get past the violence. It got me thinking: How much violence does an author need to put in his work to hammer his point home?

* Why is it that Christmas seems more and more empty as the years go by? Every year I seem to over-reflect on how meaningless the whole charade actually is, and end up thoroughly depressing myself. Maybe this year I'll just stick to the hot chocolate and candy canes.

International Busy-ness Recognition Day

I have been so crazily busy lately. That's why this post will be really short. But I wanted to remind everyone that no matter how busy you are or how many things need to get done...make Christ and your relationship with him your priority. Everything else will come.

P.S. if you are really busy, leave a comment about your amazing mile-high to-do list...

mikey

Who floats on?

I just wanted to see what you all thought of this song: musically and lyrically. I personally really enjoy the music but am not sure about the lyrics....

mp

(i put it on the site playlist...)

Ladies and gentleman, your President-Elect.......

Barack Obama handily beat John McCain in the national election yesterday to become the 44th President of the United States. He is the first African-American to be elected to the Oval Office. Although I am excited and happy over the events of November 4th, I realize that many of you are discouraged and even fearful for the future of our country. I'd ask you all to remember that our Lord is the Sovereign Ruler over all nations. The fate of this country does not rest in the hands of Barack Obama, it rests in the hands of God. It's time to put away any bitterness or discouragement that might remain, accept this event as ordained by God, and pray for our new leader as he becomes the most powerful man on Earth. No one knows what these next four years will bring us, but I pray that Barack Obama will lead this nation well and deliver on the message of change with which he inspired so many millions of Americans. God Bless you all, and here's to an incredible four years.

Aaron

Psalm 146:1

Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord, O my soul!
2 I will praise the Lord as long as I live;
I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.

3 Put not your trust in princes,
in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation.
4 When his breath departs, he returns to the earth;
on that very day his plans perish.

5 Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the Lord his God,
6 who made heaven and earth,
the sea, and all that is in them,
who keeps faith forever;
7 who executes justice for the oppressed,
who gives food to the hungry.

The Lord sets the prisoners free;
8 the Lord opens the eyes of the blind.
The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down;
the Lord loves the righteous.
9 The Lord watches over the sojourners;
he upholds the widow and the fatherless,
but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.

10 The Lord will reign forever,
your God, O Zion, to all generations.
Praise the Lord!

How can you?

This is an essay by my granpa who has been an engineer and avid political supporter of Christian values. He has written many letters to the editor not only here in Virginia but also in Kingston, New York, where he moved from; many of which have been published and/or answered.

Why I Can’t Vote For Obama

10/18/08

Barack Obama claims that he would be a President that would stand up for the poor, the hurting and the most vulnerable in our country. Yet he has a record of warring against the most vulnerable and most innocent human lives – unborn babies.

Since he went to primary school in Indonesia, maybe he’s not aware that our country was founded upon our Declaration of Independence which states that “all men are created equal and are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, among which are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” Notice that “life” is the first and foremost right! It takes priority over the “pursuit of happiness” It is a scientific fact that human life begins at conception. Thus abortion is the taking of a human life.

Barack Obama has consistently voted against every law that would in any way limit the unbridled exercise of “abortion rights”. He even is against the Partial Birth Abortion Ban which bans the barbaric practice of partially delivering a late term baby (except for the head) and then reaching in and crushing the baby’s head before completing the delivery.

It is also clear that he would nominate pro-abortion Supreme Court justices that would legislate more abortions “rights” from the bench instead of following our Constitution.

He has also stated that he would sign the “Freedom of Choice Act” that would nullify virtually all federal and state limitations on abortion, including the limitations now allowed by the Supreme Court, such as parental notification and waiting period laws. He would also support the liberal funding of abortions by the federal government. The FOCA law would also make partial-birth abortion legal again.

It gets even worse. While a member of the Illinois State Senate, he voted against the Born Alive Infant Protection Act in 2003 and thus killed the bill in the committee that he chaired. This law would have required hospital care and comfort for babies who were accidentally born alive as a result of late-term abortions. This same law was passed at the federal level without a dissenting vote in the U.S. Congress. Apparently Obama thinks it’s better to throw these infants in the garbage rather than give comfort and appropriate care even though these little ones have a low chance of survival.

This hits home for us since four years ago a sonogram showed that our unborn grandson had a very serious brain problem. Although encouraged to abort, our daughter carried her son to term. Even though he died 18 hours after birth we had the bittersweet joy of being able bring him home, hold him close and tell him we loved him.

Twenty four years ago our oldest daughter became pregnant while in college. She could have quietly had an abortion and we would have not known. But she knew that she carried a unique human life within her and made a courageous decision to keep her baby.

Today he’s all grown up and is about to graduate from college. We are very proud of him and of his mom who has recently resumed her college career.

This morning as I was playing with my 11 month old grandson, watching him crawl around and discover life, I grieved for the 48 million American babies that tragically never got to see the light of day. How great is the injustice that has been done to these precious, innocent, most vulnerable little ones!

I can’t vote for Barack Obama who seems to have so little respect for human life. I have to go with what the bible says:

Psalm 139:13
For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb.

Jeremiah 32:35
They built high places for Baal in the Valley of Ben Hinnom to sacrifice their sons and daughters to Molech, though I never commanded, nor did it enter my mind, that they should do such a detestable thing. (Abortion is the sacrifice of our children to the gods of convenience and comfort.)

Proverbs 6:17
There are six things the LORD hates, seven that are detestable to him: …. hands that shed innocent blood ….

Deuteronomy 30:19
This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live.

I’ll be voting for John McCain who has a consistently pro-life record regarding abortion.

Bob Murray

I would love to hear comments not only from McCain supporters, but would like to hear

how Obama supporters would respond. (and not complaints about McCain's voting

record: he is pro-life.)

mikey