Sunday, November 30, 2008

To Finish off a Great Thanksgiving Weekend...

(1) Run in the sleet and rain for three miles without getting hypothermia.

(2) Climb Stissing Mountain and the firetower at the top with Mary Claire, Laurel, Dad and Rebecca.

(3) Enjoy the views from the top of the firetower (we could see all the way to Albany!).


(4) Eat something other than turkey. How 'bout lunch for fifteen with grilled salami and cheese sandwiches?!

Saturday, November 29, 2008

Hope, Emily Dickinson

Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune--without the words,
And never stops at all,

And sweetest in the gale is heard;
And sore must be the storm
That could abash the little bird
That kept so many warm.

I've heard it in the chillest land,
And on the strangest sea;
Yet, never, in extremity,
It asked a crumb of me.

- Emily Dickinson

Friday, November 28, 2008

Post-Thanksgiving Celebration

Our post-Thanksgiving celebration included time at the farm (swing rides in the back yard) and a rather traditional hike at Katerskill Falls in the Catskills which was pretty fun due to all of the snow and ice (Pat even juggled snow balls for all of us)!


The Greatest Saint

"Would you know who is the greatest saint in the world? It is not he who
prays most or fasts most; it is not he who gives most alms, or is most
eminent for temperance, chastity, or justice; but it is he who is always
thankful to God, who wills every thing that God wills, who receives every
thing as an instance of God's goodness, and has a heart always ready to
praise God for it….

If anyone would tell you the shortest, surest way to all happiness, and
all perfection he must tell you to make a rule to yourself, to thank and
praise God for everything that happens to you…..

And for this reason I exhort you to this method in your devotion, that
every day be made a day of thanksgiving and that the spirit of murmur and
discontent be unable to enter into the heart which is so often employed in
singing the praises of God."

William Law (1686 – 1761), Wholly for God, edited by Andrew Murray

Thursday, November 27, 2008

Thanksgiving Defined by the Suffering Saints

What if everything that I said that I was thankful for today disappeared tomorrow? Would I still be thankful? What would I be thankful for?

I am so grateful for the testimony of the saints who have gone before us and left us a record of praise to God in the absence of any earthly comfort. These men and women who have suffered and still offered thanksgiving, define what is truly the heart of all of our thanksgiving: God, Himself.

From Richard Wurmbrand, Tortured for Christ:

In solitary confinement, we could not pray as before. We were unimaginably hungry; we had been drugged until we acted like idiots. We were as weak as skeletons. The Lord's Prayer was much too long for us - we could not concentrate enough to say it. My only prayer repeated again and again was, "Jesus, I love you."

Can you even imagine that? A dark prison cell, no earthly companionship, hunger, delusion, filth?

Thank God for the faithful saints that teach us to pray, "Jesus, I love you" regardless of the circumstances. What great, great faith.

Thanksgiving Celebration 2008

Thanksgiving was celebrated with a crowd of eighteen - Isaac's girlfriend, Allie Blue, and her family joined us along with Neil (from Tulsa, Oklahoma via Cornell) and Victoria (from Chicago, Illinois via Princeton). The day began bright and early with a big breakfast from Dunkin' Donuts. We organized a two-mile Bentley Farm Turkey Trot through the woods. Much work was accomplished to prepare the appetites for the Thanksgiving feast - Luke washed the tractor, Nate and Victoria cut and split wood, Isaac and Allie prepared the turkey...

The feast was outstanding. A post-Thanksgiving walk was enjoyed in the fields before dessert. The afternoon was relaxing as we sang songs and played (a quite dramatic version of) telephone charades and coffee-pot!



Monday, November 24, 2008

Yet I Will Rejoice: The Heart of Thanksgiving is God Himself


Though the fig tree does not bud
and there are no grapes on the vines,
though the olive crop fails
and the fields produce no food,
though there are no sheep in the pen
and no cattle in the stalls,
yet I will rejoice in the LORD,
I will be joyful in God my Savior.

(Habakkuk 3:17)

I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

(Phillipians 4:13)

Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!

(2 Corinthians 9:15)

Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD.

(Psalm 150:6)

Saturday, November 22, 2008

Hornets' Nests and Bows and Arrows

Since all of the leaves have long fallen off of the tree branches, the summer work of the busy hornets has now been unveiled. Caleb (with Uncle Mark's help) has taken it upon himself to dislodge a hornets' nest from a branch about 60 feet from the ground. His mechanism of assault? A bow and arrow. So far two arrows have landed in the hornet's nest, but have unsuccessfully dislodged the nest. Good aim, though!

Friday, November 21, 2008

Cozy Friday Evenings

Lows today were around 17 degrees Fahrenheit. We couldn't ask for a better excuse to stay inside and listen to a story! Dad has been reading us a book about Calcutta, India recently - The City of Joy (Dominique Lapierre). Jacob snuck this picture while we were reading this evening. Yes, we were actually listening. It's only an optical illusion that makes it look like we were sleeping!

Luke's Nineteenth Birthday

Luke celebrated his nineteenth birthday yesterday with cinnamon buns, a full platter of cream puffs, and a pound of Krause's homemade peanut butter chocolates, as well as a brand spanking new Cornell sweatshirt that will keep him warm as he studies so hard to hopefully enter Cornell's Class of 2011, as a junior next fall!

The Jewel of Suffering

A continued selection from Tortured for Christ by Richard Wurmbrand:

One of our workers in the Underground Church was a young girl. The Communist police discovered that she secretly spread Gospels and taught children about Christ. They decided to arrest her. But to make the arrest as agonizing and painful as they could, they decided to delay her arrest a few weeks, until the day she was to be married. On her wedding day, the girl was dressed as a bride - the most wonderful, joyous day in a girl's life! Suddenly, the door burst open and the police rushed in.

When the bride saw the secret police, she held out her arms toward them to be handcuffed. They roughly put the manacles on her wrists. She looked toward her beloved, then kissed the chains and said, "I thank my heavenly Bridegroom for this jewel He has presented to me on my marriage day. I thank Him that I am worthy to suffer for Him." She was dragged off, with weeping Christians and a weeping bridegroom left behind. They knew what happens to young Christian girls in the hands of Communist guards. Her bridegroom faithfully waited for her. After five years she was released - a destroyed, broken woman, looking thirty years older. She said it was the least she could do for her Christ. Such beautiful Christians are in the Underground Church.

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

The Joy of Our Salvation

I am reading Richard Wurmbrand's first book, Tortured for Christ, which recounts the years of Wurmbrand's early evangelization among the Russians in occupied communist Romania in the 1940s. For his bold proclamation of the gospel, Richard Wurmbrand was imprisoned and severely tortured for fourteen years in Communist prisons. His biography (which is really the biography of a persecuted church) is an account, to of all unbelievable things, beauty. Over and over and over again, amidst torture and the vilest of human offenses, Pastor Wurmbrand reflects on the unfailing love of Jesus Christ and the beautiful faithfulness of His bride as seen in the suffering faces of the persecuted church. The entire book would be replicated here, if possible, but for now, the encounter recorded below will provide a glimpse into the covers of this book.

The following account takes place before Wurmbrand's first arrest. A Russian officer had been sent by a colleague to speak with Pastor Wurmbrand regarding his desire to make a confession. In Richard Wurmbrand's own words:

I read to him the Sermon on the Mount and the parables of Jesus. After hearing them, he danced around the room in rapturous joy proclaiming, "What a wonderful beauty! How could I live without knowing this Christ!" It was the first time that I saw someone so joyful for Christ.

Then I made a mistake. I read to him the passion and crucifixion of Christ, without having prepared him for this. He had not expected it and, when he heard how Christ was beaten, how He was crucified and that in the end He died, he fell into an armchair and began to weep bitterly. He had believed in a Savior and now his Savior was dead!

I looked at him and was ashamed. I had called myself a Christian, a pastor, and a teacher of others, but I had never shared the sufferings of Christ as this Russian officer now shared them. Looking at him, it was like seeing Mary Magdalene weeping at the foot of the cross, faithfully weeping when Jesus was a corpse in the tomb.

Then I read to him the story of the resurrection and watched his expression change. He had not known that his Savior arose from the tomb. When he heard this wonderful news, he beat his knees and swore - using very dirty, but very "holy" profanity. This was his crude manner of speech. Again he rejoiced, shouting for joy, "He is alive! He is alive!" He danced around the room once more, overwhelmed with happiness!

I said to him, "Let us pray!" He did not know how to pray. He did not know our "holy" phrases. He fell on his knees together with me and his words of prayer were: "Oh God, what a fine chap you are! If I were You and You were me, I would never have forgiven You of Your sins. But You are really a very nice chap! I love You with all my heart."

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

After Everything is Over

I have started reading John Piper's newest book, This Momentary Marriage: A Parable of Permanence. In this book, Piper unveils marriage as a temporary shadow of an eternal reality: the persistent pursuit and love of Jesus for His bride. This book is a tribute to love, commitment, covenant and life-long vows; but more than that, it is a book of mind-altering perspective in its reminder that this life and all of its institutions are quite far from permanent. Eternity is close at hand, and the shadows of this life will soon be replaced by the realities of forever.

As I was reading, I thought back upon a love song to the Creator, the Everlasting God, that I hadn't remembered in years. It seemed fitting:

You are the reason I live
You are the reason I move
You are the reason I breathe
You are the reason
It's You

And after everything is over
You'll be the song I sing forever
(Michelle Thornberry)

Holidays With a Big Family

Wow, could it be that time of year already? We shopped for stocking gifts this weekend amidst Christmas carols and lighted trees. The wrapping part is always a huge deal for eleven people, so Becca and I got started on all of the little practical things, like toothpaste and Kleenex. But, shhhh...don't tell!

Monday, November 17, 2008

All the Pride and Dreams of Manhood

I was running a new country route this evening with Hannah when I saw an unforgettable November scene.

We had just followed a bend in the road that left a residential area and entered a wooded area when up and over a little hill we saw a green John Deere tractor climbing the slope that we were about to run down. As the tractor approached, I could see that the driver was wearing bright orange, and I was a little confused by the rather non-agrarian color.

I was confused, that is, until, the tractor's scoop was close enough that I could see a freshly killed deer in the bucket of the John Deere. I quickly averted my eyes (I really don't like staring at freshly killed animals), and I glanced up at the face of the elderly gentleman in the orange cap driving his John Deere.

The look on his face was absolutely priceless. In one look the orange-capped farmer conveyed all of the pride and dreams of manhood. The elderly gentleman raised his hand and said, "Hi."

His "Hi." said much more than just "Hi." It really said, "Hi. I just killed this deer with my own gun. He is mine. I waited for him. I caught him. I got him. He's in my scoop. He's not going anywhere. I am a man. I am a fulfilled man. I am a proud and happy man."

I was absolutely so thrilled for this gentlemen. I was thrilled that he was fulfilled in all of the dreams of his manhood. I almost said, "That's a nice deer you shot."

But I actually hadn't looked at the dead deer long enough to know if it was nice or not, so I decided to simply nod in the direction of the tractor's bucket and just say, "Hey."

Sunday, November 16, 2008

The Covering of Darkness

I have realized that under normal circumstances, once night falls, I tend to not spend very much time outdoors. That has recently changed, though, as Hannah and I have started running in the night's darkness. I am struck by how the covering of darkness brings such a different perspective to the earth.

When you run in the dark, you find that you notice different parts of the world. Especially sounds. During the day, when visibility is heightened, it seems that your primary source of sensory intake is through vision. But at night, vision being limited, my awareness of sounds is astronomically different than in the day. Since Hannah and I like to run through farmland, one of our favorite (and most adrenaline-pumping) sounds is that of a pack of coyotes howling. When coyotes howl it is almost symphonic; it is a very three-dimensional sound, kind of like an ambulance siren.

Running at night is also very rhythmical. The pound, pound, pound of feet on pavement serves as some type of adult lullaby. It's easy to lock into a rhythm and because you can't see far ahead at all, the upcoming big hills are not so discouraging - it's always just "foot ahead, foot ahead."

Night shadows are different than daylight shadows. Daylight shadows are always dark against light, but night shadows are dark against gray. The moon's phases vary the depth and coloring of the shadows as well and I have actually been really impressed with the amount of light variation produced by a waxing gibbous moon on a very cloudy night.

Night running makes you most glad for companionship. Running alone at night is scary. Running with your sister is bonding, "If that pack of coyotes actually does descend on us, we'll figure out how to scale a tree together!"

Saturday, November 15, 2008

On the Limits of Intellection

I love the gifts of the mind, of the intellect. I believe that the intellect is a great gift of God, to be used for His glory. But the intellect is not everything, and, at times, it is so important for me to reflect on the wisdom contained within the following quotes.

Godliness with contentment is great gain, the Bible says, and so far as I know, neither requires daily intellectual calisthenics. - Elisabeth Elliot

Blessed is that simplicity that leaveth the way of hard questions, and goeth in the plain and steadfast way of the commandments of God.

Many have lost their devotion because they would search the higher things than pertaineth to them. Faith and a good life are asked of thee, and not the highness of understanding nor the depths of the mysteries of God. If thou may not understand nor grasp such things as be within thee, how mayst thou comprehend those things that be above thee? Submit thyself therefore meekly to God, and submit also thy reason to faith; and the light of knowledge and of true understanding shall be given unto thee as shall be most profitable and necessary for thee. - Thomas a Kempis

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Cueva de los Cristales

Photograph Source: National Geographic

Wow! I am absolutely fascinated by this cave of crystal giants (yes, those are people in the orange suits above) that was featured in this month's National Geographic. It is located about 1000 feet below the Chihuahuan Desert in Mexico. The crystals are composed of selenite, a form of gypsum (calcium sulfate).

All of my classes are currently studying chemical bonding and this cave of crystal giants contained such awe-inspiring examples of ionic bonding that I couldn't help but excitedly show all my students what ionic crystals look like on a mammoth scale. To read more about this cave and the science of its formation, click here.

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Nature's Deep Hibernation

Dad, Jacob, Rebecca, Caleb and I spent the better part of Veteran's Day enjoying the 40 degree weather at Rudd Pond State Park. We went on a three-four mile hike through woodlands that made it very evident that nature is perfectly prepared for the first snow storm of the year. All the leaves were off of the trees, the animals had found their warm resting places, and all was still...just waiting.


Second-Cousins-Once-Removed!

Grandma's nephew, Steve Young, came this past weekend with his wife, Bobbi, two daughters, Sarah and Abby, and two grandchildren, Avery and Michael (featured below) who enjoyed a tractor ride on the big John Deere!



Refuse That Wisp of Cloud

So there could be nothing but a peaceful acceptance, and when one accepts, all that is included in the thing accepted is accepted too - the helplessness, the limitations, the disappointments of hope deferred, the suffering.

I think this must be important to the clearness of our spiritual atmosphere, for if we let the fugitive wisp of a cloud, which we call a wish (a wish that things were different), float across our sky, then swiftly the whole sweet blue is overcast. But if we refuse that wisp of cloud and look up and meet the love of the Lord that shines down on us, and say to Him about that particular detail of trial, "Dear Lord, yes" (for was it not included in the first act of acceptance?), then in one bright moment our sky is blue again.

- Amy Carmichael, Rose from Brier

Monday, November 10, 2008

Bliss Is...

...Isaac getting a special visit from Allie in the middle of his busy semester at vet school.



My Times Are in Thy Hand

My times are in Thy hand;
My God, I wish them there;
My life, my friends, my soul I leave
Entirely to Thy care.

My times are in Thy hand;
Whatever they may be;
Pleasing or painful, dark or bright,
As best may seem to Thee.

My times are in Thy hand;
Why should I doubt or fear?
My Father's hand will never cause
His child a needless tear.

- William F. Lloyd, 1824

Sunday, November 09, 2008

Beyond the Sky

(Picture taken as dusk fell on Middlevale Farm this evening.)

One morning
When time is done
Bright Heaven
Will be our refuge
The City of God most high

I long for
That holy day
This longing
Sometimes it captures my heart
And carries me far away

Beyond the sky
Beyond all telling
Our Father himself
Will be our light
His arms will hold us
And with his hands
He'll wipe away the tears
That stain our eyes

When darkness
Falls over me
This promise
It's like a fire inside
Burning the dark away

Beyond the sky
Beyond all telling
Our Father himself
Will be our light
His arms will hold us
And with his hands
He'll wipe away the tears
That stain our eyes
- Fernando Ortega

Milk Isn't Cheap


Saturday, November 08, 2008

Babies Smell Like Heaven


(Pictures were taken today in New Jersey where Emily and I visited our friends, Katherine and Justin, and their beautiful four-week-old baby, Addy.)

Thursday, November 06, 2008

Home Is Where the Lights are On

Now that the covering of darkness comes earlier in the day, I tend to notice house lights more. As Hannah and I were running in the dark this evening, I found myself enjoying the comfort of the homes where there was light emanating from the kitchen and living room windows.

The sad homes that you pass in the darkness are the ones where no one is home, where all of the windows are perfectly dark.

Homes were made to live in, to congregate in, to be a center of community life.

When lights are on at home, the world is a much cozier place indeed.

Tuesday, November 04, 2008

John Piper: Let Christians Vote as Though They Were Not Voting

Voting is like marrying and crying and laughing and buying. We should do it, but only as if we were not doing it. That’s because “the present form of this world is passing away” and, in God’s eyes, “the time has grown very short.” Here’s the way Paul puts it:

The appointed time has grown very short. From now on, let those who have wives live as though they had none, and those who mourn as though they were not mourning, and those who rejoice as though they were not rejoicing, and those who buy as though they had no goods, and those who deal with the world as though they had no dealings with it. For the present form of this world is passing away. (1 Corinthians 7:29-31)

Let’s take these one at a time and compare them to voting.

1. “Let those who have wives live as though they had none.”
This doesn’t mean move out of the house, don’t have sex, and don’t call her Honey. Earlier in this chapter Paul says, “The husband should give to his wife her conjugal rights” (1 Corinthians 7:3). He also says to love her the way Christ loved the church, leading and providing and protecting (Ephesians 5:25-30). It means this: Marriage is momentary. It’s over at death, and there is no marriage in the resurrection. Wives and husbands are second priorities, not first. Christ is first. Marriage is for making much of him.

It means: If she is exquisitely desirable, beware of desiring her more than Christ. And if she is deeply disappointing, beware of being hurt too much. This is temporary—only a brief lifetime. Then comes the never-disappointing life which is life indeed.

So it is with voting. We should do it. But only as if we were not doing it. Its outcomes do not give us the greatest joy when they go our way, and they do not demoralize us when they don’t. Political life is for making much of Christ whether the world falls apart or holds together.

2. “Let those who mourn [do so] as though they were not mourning.”
Christians mourn with real, deep, painful mourning, especially over losses—loss of those we love, loss of health, loss of a dream. These losses hurt. We cry when we are hurt. But we cry as though not crying. We mourn knowing we have not lost something so valuable we cannot rejoice in our mourning. Our losses do not incapacitate us. They do not blind us to the possibility of a fruitful future serving Christ. The Lord gives and takes away. But he remains blessed. And we remain hopeful in our mourning.

So it is with voting. There are losses. We mourn. But not as those who have no hope. We vote and we lose, or we vote and we win. In either case, we win or lose as if we were not winning or losing. Our expectations and frustrations are modest. The best this world can offer is short and small. The worst it can offer has been predicted in the book of Revelation. And no vote will hold it back. In the short run, Christians lose (Revelation 13:7). In the long run, we win (Revelation 21:4).

3. “Let those who rejoice [do so] as though they were not rejoicing.”
Christians rejoice in health (James 5:13) and in sickness (James 1:2). There are a thousand good and perfect things that come down from God that call forth the feeling of happiness. Beautiful weather. Good friends who want to spend time with us. Delicious food and someone to share it with. A successful plan. A person helped by our efforts.

But none of these good and beautiful things can satisfy our soul. Even the best cannot replace what we were made for, namely, the full experience of the risen Christ (John 17:24). Even fellowship with him here is not the final and best gift. There is more of him to have after we die (Philippians 1:21-23)—and even more after the resurrection. The best experiences here are foretastes. The best sights of glory are through a mirror dimly. The joy that rises from these previews does not and should not rise to the level of the hope of glory. These pleasures will one day be as though they were not. So we rejoice remembering this joy is a foretaste, and will be replaced by a vastly better joy.

So it is with voting. There are joys. The very act of voting is a joyful statement that we are not under a tyrant. And there may be happy victories. But the best government we get is a foreshadowing. Peace and justice are approximated now. They will be perfect when Christ comes. So our joy is modest. Our triumphs are short-lived—and shot through with imperfection. So we vote as though not voting.

4. “Let those who buy [do so] as though they had no goods.”
Let Christians keep on buying while this age lasts. Christianity is not withdrawal from business. We are involved, but as though not involved. Business simply does not have the weight in our hearts that it has for many. All our getting and all our having in this world is getting and having things that are not ultimately important. Our car, our house, our books, our computers, our heirlooms—we possess them with a loose grip. If they are taken away, we say that in a sense we did not have them. We are not here to possess. We are here to lay up treasures in heaven.

This world matters. But it is not ultimate. It is the stage for living in such a way to show that this world is not our God, but that Christ is our God. It is the stage for using the world to show that Christ is more precious than the world.

So it is with voting. We do not withdraw. We are involved—but as if not involved. Politics does not have ultimate weight for us. It is one more stage for acting out the truth that Christ, and not politics, is supreme.

5. “Let those who deal with the world [do so] as though they had no dealings with it.”
Christians should deal with the world. This world is here to be used. Dealt with. There is no avoiding it. Not to deal with it is to deal with it that way. Not to weed your garden is to cultivate a weedy garden. Not to wear a coat in Minnesota is to freeze—to deal with the cold that way. Not to stop when the light is red is to spend your money on fines or hospital bills and deal with the world that way. We must deal with the world.

But as we deal with it, we don’t give it our fullest attention. We don’t ascribe to the world the greatest status. There are unseen things that are vastly more precious than the world. We use the world without offering it our whole soul. We may work with all our might when dealing with the world, but the full passions of our heart will be attached to something higher—Godward purposes. We use the world, but not as an end in itself. It is a means. We deal with the world in order to make much of Christ.

So it is with voting. We deal with the system. We deal with the news. We deal with the candidates. We deal with the issues. But we deal with it all as if not dealing with it. It does not have our fullest attention. It is not the great thing in our lives. Christ is. And Christ will be ruling over his people with perfect supremacy no matter who is elected and no matter what government stands or falls. So we vote as though not voting.

By all means vote. But remember: “The world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever” (1 John 2:17).

Voting with you, as though not voting,

Pastor John

Sunday, November 02, 2008

A Pre-Thanksgiving Stomach Stretcher

Chris Blue and Jacob made our two families a very special dinner including fried chicken, filet mignon, hot dogs, hamburgers, coleslaw, chips and dip, fresh potato french fries and garlic bread. The girls were in charge of dessert - banana cream pie, chocolate cake, cream puffs and carrot cake.

Andy Blue and Caleb elected themselves to be the official connoisseurs of the meal and rated all the dishes on a five star scale. The fillet mignon, garlic bread and cream puffs were rated especially high. Overall they said that it was a really great meal and according to Caleb, "It was a great pre-thanksgiving stomach stretcher."



Come What May

A group of 40 homeschooled students put together an impressive first film through Advent Film Group, entitled Come What May. The movie's plot is centered around a moot court debate in which Caleb Hogan (played by Austin Kearney) contests the landmark Supreme Court Decision, Roe vs. Wade. A portion of the transcript follows:

Your, honor, not only was he viable, but he was in fact alive and you can’t just kill a baby.

Judge: A senior biologist, with thirty years of experience, testified that the fetus wasn’t viable.

He said nothing about the viability of the fetus in the womb. That is the issue. They tear the baby out of its only means of life support and say wow, look at that, our machines can’t sustain its life. And somehow that proves it's not viable?

You know, your honor, that their own reasoning assumes that the child is alive in the mother. The very question of viability assumes that he is alive. Now, can we keep him alive? Biology tells us what things do, it doesn’t tell us what things are. It is not a biological question.

Judge: What about the legal issue, why isn’t that a matter for the courts?

Federal judges can never resolve this. All they can do is based on their own moral preferences and that is no legal standard. That is fiat – raw power.

It avoids the real issue, “Is that thing inside the women’s body alive?” And if it is we cannot simply go in there and kill it. So which laws will govern, the ones made by the people, or the ones made by the judges?

Interpret the law, sure, but replace the people’s definition of life with his own, that’s quite different. The courts never should have gone this route and now that they have they need to recognize it as a terrible mistake.

Judge: Overturn Roe v. Wade? And just let the states deal with it themselves?

The grounds for overruling Roe v. Wade are found in Roe itself. Roe quoted extensively from an American Medical Association report. The third reason of the frightful extent of this crime, they’re speaking of abortion, is found in the great effects of our laws common statute as regards the independent and actual existence of the child before birth as a living being. Look at the date. That report was issued in 1859. The 14th amendment was ratified in 1868. The scientific consensus at that time was that an unborn child was a person and killing him was a crime.

His protection is already enshrined in the 14th amendment. If you change that, you need to add another amendment. Judges were never meant to have this type of policy making authority. Respectfully, your honor, but it is the courts that have forgotten their function, which is to decide law and not to make policy.

And I must say that it is a threat to our democracy, it is a threat to our freedoms and it is a threat to the stability of our nation when judges make decisions without any fear of the people. The Declaration of Independence, recognized at least forty times as a legally binding document, by this court, tells us that all men are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, and that among these is life.