Choose the correct answer.

"They are not fully human. They have no rights. We have the right to do with them as we choose."

QUESTION: Which group of human beings were the above statements applied to?

_____A) Jews in Nazi Germany.

_____B) Native Americans.

_____C) Black Americans during slavery and/or Jim Crow segregation.

_____D) Babies in the womb in contemporary America.

_____E) All of the above.

Thank you for choosing to think about the above groups of human beings who were denied the right to choose how to live their lives, all under the cloak of legal and judicial covering.

Since the many and various forms of animal and human life on planet earth have a self-preservation instinct, I think it is save to assume that an unborn child would choose life rather than being viciously pulled into pieces. Genuine justice demands that their slaughter be stopped!

Our prayer patrol this morning was mainly inside. A few months ago we began to pray that God would use a church building that was only being used for storage. Through an answered prayer the building is open now as a place for people to receive financial aid, food, and/or counseling and prayer. And Linda who walks with us was hired to lead it. None of us had any idea that would happen when we prayed over the building.

So today we prayed inside that building that God would greatly use it and the services offered there to touch and change people's lives. And we also got to pray for two different women who came to the door while we were there. God really show up and both of them were in tears while we prayed for them. One had a health problem and the other a severe financial need.

Another answered prayer -- there is a building across the street from that church building which was an inner city store when we started prayer walking a year ago. It looked like a place for many "less than wholesome" activities. We prayed that God would stop any negative activity on that corner and the store closed soon afterward. A couple times people have tried to reopen it, but something always happens to stop it. We never see anyone hanging out on that corner any more.

Prayer is powerful. Why not start a prayer patrol yourself? All you need is one other person, some shoes, and a heart to pray.

Lost: Somewhere in the 20th Century. 3 very important life-skills -- reason, wisdom, and conscience. If you find them, please begin to use them in your life. Then help others use them in their life as well. Unless we recover these 3 life-skills, our society is headed for disaster! They can be recognized as follows:

Reason: This is the ability and willingness to use logic to think through your behaviors -- to personally examine the pros and cons -- and then to follow through and choose the best behaviors. But reason has been lost to habit. Thus people engage in the same behaviors and thought patterns over and over again, mindlessly hoping for better outcomes. The failure to think through the consequences of personal and corporate behaviors has reaped great misery in our society and in our individual lives.

Wisdom: This is the ability to follow through with reason and to choose beneficial behaviors and thoughts. It is also the ability to observe the self-destructive choices of others and to avoid them in your life. Wisdom has been lost to peer pressure, custom, and the fear of other people's opinions. Lost wisdom has generated widespread self-destruction through monkey-see-monkey-do behavior.

Conscience: This is the inner sense of right and wrong that comes as standard equipment in human beings. It is the inner voice that seeks to direct us into the most effective and positive ways of living. Conscience has been lost to impulse -- "if it feels good, do it". Lost conscience has flooded our land with fatherless children, divorce, vulgarity, the slaughter of unborn babies, mockery, violence, and decadence.

Last Sunday I saw the movie, "Amazing Grace -- The William Wilberforce Story." It was very inspirational and contained no SV (Sicko-vision -- see the post from Monday, February 26).

It is the story of the man who led the movement to end the slave trade in the British Empire. When Wilberforce began to work against the slave trade, it seemed all but impossible that it would ever be abolished. He and a small group of dedicated abolitionists worked tirelessly. As a member of Parliment, Wilberforce presented bill after bill to no avail. Finally after many years, the slave trade was abolished.

William Wilberforce was a deeply commited Christian. He wasn't a member of a church, but he had a strong personal relationship with Jesus Christ. He wrote a book called: "Real Christianity". It is still in print and is a wonderful examination of passionate, heart-felt Christianity.

"Amazing Grace, The William Wilberforce Story" is a little slow at times, as in my opinion they try to cover too much material. Yet the overall effect of the movie is encouraging, challenging, and motivating. I recommend you see it!

Thank you, Oprah, for the inspiration last night. Your television program, "Building a Dream", touched me deeply! Now that was some amazing television!

Thank you for building a beautiful school for 150 poor girls in South Africa. And thank you for not just writing them a check, but for pouring your life and heart into those girls and the school you built for them. I believe your example will inspire more of us to get to know and love people who are struggling to make ends meet.

So many Americans give to churches and charities and that is a good thing. But we really need to go one step farther. We need to give directly to people in need. We need to show broken people love by giving them both our time and our money. Jesus called it giving "alms". And He said" "What you do to the least of these, you do unto Me".

That is what you are doing, Oprah. You are not just helping from a distance, but it is so obvious you have taken those precious girls into your heart. Thank you for using your time and your resources in such a beautiful way!

Sincerely,
Steve Simms

Oprah's program, "Building A Dream" will be repeated on ABC (I think -- Channel 2 in Nashville) this coming Saturday. See it if at all possible. You will be inspired by Oprah, the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy For Girls, and by 150 amazing young women.