Preparing good ground

Posted on November 12, 2007 by Barbara Harper

This is “harvest season” rather than spring planting, yet a farmer can take clues from inspecting his harvest to determine what he needs to do the next year for a better harvest.

The parable of the sower speaks of different “soils” of the heart that produced different results from the sowing of the Word. What can we do to help our hearts be “good ground” so that God’s Word can take root and bring forth fruit?

1. Hosea 10:12 says, “ Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you.” Jeremiah 4:3 also speaks of breaking up our fallow ground.

2. We need to remove the “stones,” the hard places of our willfulness, and the “thorns” of the cares and pleasures of this life which want to choke out the Word.

3. Psalm 25:9 says, “ The meek will he guide in judgment: and the meek will he teach his way.” Elisabeth Elliot writes in Keep a Quiet Heart, “Meekness is teachability. ‘The meek will he teach his way’ (Psalm 25:9, KJV). It is the readiness to be shown, which includes the readiness to lay down my fixed notions, my objections and ‘what ifs’ or ‘but what abouts,’ my certainties about the rightness of what I have always done or thought or said. It is the child’s glad ‘Show me! Is this the way? Please help me.’ We won’t make it into the kingdom without that childlikeness, that simple willingness to be taught and corrected and helped. ‘Receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls’ (James 1:21, KJV). Meekness is an explicitly spiritual quality, a fruit of the Spirit, learned, not inherited. It shows in the kind of attention we pay to one another, the tone of voice we use, the facial expression.”

4. Psalm 25:14 says, “The secret of the LORD is with them that fear him; and he will shew them his covenant.” Reverence for the Lord makes us teachable. Proverbs 1:7 says, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.”

5. In Matthew 15:16 and Mark 7:13, Jesus tells the Pharisees and scribes that they have made the commandment or word of God “of none effect” through their traditions. That is a scary thought, that we can diminish the effectiveness of the Word by our preconceived notions or our imposing on the Word our own ideas of what it says or means.

6. In John 7:17, Jesus says, “If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.” A willingness to do His will makes us teachable.

7. Though this speaks of the seed rather than the ground, it is a needed reminder: John 12: 24-25 say, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.” In order to bring forth spiritual fruit we have to be willing to die to our own plans, dreams, desires, and will and yield all of those things to the Lord. This sounds so difficult, and it is, but the more we know the Lord, the more we can trust Him with all of those things and stop grasping them for ourselves, thinking we can protect them. His way really is so much better, but often we can’t see that til we get on the other side of the issue at hand, til after we’ve yielded. That’s where faith comes in — faith in Who He is, His love, wisdom, and goodness.

This is not meant to be an exhaustive list, and there are probably many other aspects to consider, but, if you’re like me, this is more than enough to get us started.

What do we do, though, if we’re not feeling particularly meek, if we know we don’t reverence the Lord as we ought, if we’re feeling stubborn and willful and we know it is wrong, but we don’t know quite what to do with ourselves? Should we avoid the Word, then, thinking it will be useless with our hearts in that condition? When I am feeling like that, first of all I pray and confess that to the Lord and ask Him to change my heart. Then I look up verses like three in Psalm 80 which say, “Turn us again, O God, and cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved,” or Psalm 85:6: “Wilt thou not revive us again: that thy people may rejoice in thee?” or Psalm 119:36-37: “Incline my heart unto thy testimonies, and not to covetousness. Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity; and quicken thou me in thy way” or Psalm 119: 10-11: “ Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God: thy spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness. Quicken me, O LORD, for thy name’s sake: for thy righteousness’ sake bring my soul out of trouble.” (If you have a concordance or Online Bible program, it’s very helpful to search for the word “quicken” and read through the verses that contain that word, and use those in your own prayers. One online source is at crosswalk.com. When you click on the drop-down menu for the version you want to use, at the very bottom there are choices for the KJV or NASB with Strong’s numbers. If you use those, the words in the verse will be highlighted and you can click on them for definitions, other ways they are translated, etc. BibleGateway.com is another good source).

When we go to Him confessing our lack of meekness, reverence, and willingness and asking Him to work on us in those areas, then He can use His Word to begin to plow up the soil of our hearts and make “good ground.”

If we leave a field untended, it grows weeds and the ground hardens again. So this plowing must be a continual process. It might sound painful, “but no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby” (Heb. 12:11). The more our hearts are “weeded” and kept soft and pliable, the more the seed of God’s Word can take root and bring forth fruit.

(Photos courtesy of the stock.xchng)

Homemade With Love 2007: Personalized Scripture

Posted on November 12, 2007 by Barbara Harper

Gibee at Kisses of Sunshine is hosting a Homemade With Love Holiday Gift Idea Exchange today. If there is a gift that you could make for the holidays, make up a sample, post a picture and instructions, then link to Gibee’s.

This is an idea I have used for our “Secret Sister” program at church, but it could be used for anyone. The idea is to personalize the Word of God, to remind ourselves that it really does apply to us.

This is for a friend named Cheryl (who doesn’t have a computer so hopefully won’t hear about this yet). I look for Scriptures that apply to what I know of her needs, usually promises, and insert her name; for example,

For God so loved Cheryl, that he gave his only begotten Son, that is she believeth in him she should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16

Fear thou not, Cheryl; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. Isaiah 41:10

It’s at this point, though, that I want to urge great caution. The Word of God is not just inspirational: it is the very Word of God, and we want to handle it carefully. Be careful not to distort it and not to use a verse that was spoken to a specific person for a specific time and purpose and is not generally applicable, and not to wrench a verse from its context so it misconstrues the meaning. It is best to keep to verses or promises that would apply to anyone and can simply have a name added just as a way to help the person remember that it is for them as well.

I print out a page of these verses with a font that is a little fancy but not so much so that it is hard to read. This one is Kayleigh.

Then I cut the individual verses into strips. I’ve done it before with just a paper cutter, but decorative scissors can be used.

Then I wrap the individual verses around a pencil with the beginning of the verse on the outside (so that when she unwraps it she sees the first of the verse first rather than the end). It won’t stay this tightly wound, but that’s okay.

When all the verses have been wound like that, put them into something decorative. I like using metal tins — I like that it is decorative in itself and has a lid to keep things contained and dust out. But you could use a basket or pretty box as well.

Before I gave this, of course, I’d have it full.

You could put a ribbon with a gift tag around the top, if you’d like, or a note explaining to her what is inside..

You could use a Christmas tin or box, of course, but that will only come out at Christmas. Something that goes with her decor can be kept out year round.

You could also do the same thing with a small scrapbook and the verses cut in shapes to fit the page rather than in strips and decorative scrapbooking paper behind it. You would likely use fewer verses that way, but you could use verses on a certain theme — verses to encourage a new mother as a baby gift, verses promising God’s help and strength for a rough time, etc.

Be sure to check out Gibbe’s post on her blog, Kisses of Sunshine, and all the ideas included on Mr. Linky.

Also, other carnivals going on this week are Christmas Shopping Carnival at Don’t Try This at Home and the month of sewing and craft tutorials (some absolutely darling stuff!) at Sew, Mama, Sew. There is also a week of Thanksgiving poems, decorating ideas, etc. at There’s No Place Like Home.

Cool links

Posted on November 11, 2007 by Barbara Harper

A conglomeration of links I found interesting this week — some funny, some serious, some contests or carnivals.

25 photographs taken at the exact right time. HT to Amy.

Peace is a Person at new-to-me Holy Experience (HT to Shannon)

A darling advent calendar garland — and pattern!

Kelli at There’s No Place Like Home is hosting a “Giving Thanks” event this week with “sharing decorating ideas, crafts, poems, songs, prayers, ‘after dinner’ games, table settings, activities for children, and a daily cleaning schedule (with before and after pictures!)” and a Mr. Linky so others can join in. And prizes!

Mrs. B. at Cherish the Home had a link to a post earlier this week that was very convicting from Growing In Truth (also new to me): What If Your Husband Isn’t “On Board?” There are many points for conviction there no matter where your husband is spiritually.

Finally, there are some hilarious signs posted at ivman’s sign language post.

Veteran’s Day

Posted on November 11, 2007 by Barbara Harper

“It is, in a way, an odd thing to honor those who died in defense of our country in wars far away. The imagination plays a trick. We see these soldiers in our mind as old and wise. We see them as something like the Founding Fathers, grave and gray-haired. But most of them were boys when they died; they gave up two lives — the one they were living and the one they would have lived. When they died, they gave up their chance to be husbands and fathers and grandfathers. They gave up their chance to be revered old men. They gave up everything for their county, for us.

All we can do is remember.”

~ Ronald Wilson Reagan
Remarks at Veteran’s Day ceremony, Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia, November 11, 1985

Veterans Day (2001) Message from the Secretary of Defense

Eighty-three years ago, an armistice was signed between the Allies and the Central Powers. As the guns of both the victors and the vanquished fell silent, World War I — “The War to End All Wars” — slipped into history.

For the next twenty years, “Armistice Day” was celebrated with parades and speeches, simple ceremonies and sacred observances. For many years, buglers played “Taps” at 11 o’clock at the main intersections of towns across America or the village greens — I was one of them. And for two minutes, all the traffic and daily transactions ceased as citizens stopped to honor those who had fallen in the defense of liberty.

Today, we celebrate “Veterans Day,” but while the name has changed, its meaning and purpose remain the same. It is a day to honor and to remember those who died and those we are blessed to still have with us.

Their collective experience — from the gas-filled trenches of World War I to the deserts of the Persian Gulf — covers much of the turmoil and change of the 20th century. Their stories are the story of our history, for America rose to greatness on their shoulders.

But Veterans Day is also a day to honor and to recognize not just the Greatest Generation, but the latest generation — those who today wear the uniform and bear the responsibility for defending freedom and protecting our American way of life. And while this is true even when the country is at peace, it is particularly so when America is — as it is now — at war.

Like the thousands of soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines who went before, you have dedicated yourselves to the strength and survival of our nation, and willingly placed yourselves in danger to secure peace and freedom. In so doing, you have assumed the highest responsibility of citizenship, and your country is grateful. Never forget that you serve in the finest military in the greatest nation on Earth, a military and a nation dedicated not to oppression, but to freedom.

Today we celebrate and salute the men and women who have served so gallantly over the decades to keep us free. We offer them our love, our thanks and our promise that we will never forget their valor or their sacrifice.

We offer the same to you, as you voluntarily put your lives at risk so that we may all live in freedom.

God bless you and God bless America.

Donald H. Rumsfeld

Book Review: The Restorer’s Son

Posted on November 10, 2007 by Barbara Harper

The Restorer’s Son wasn’t originally on my Fall Reading List simply because I forgot it was coming out in that time frame. How could I have forgotten? Sharon Hinck is one author whose books I eagerly anticipate.

The Restorer’s Son is a sequel to The Restorer (previously reviewed here), second in The Sword of Lyric trilogy. In the first book, Susan, an average “soccer mom,” is suddenly pulled into another reality where she discovers she is the Restorer, one whose purpose is to help the people heart’s return to the One who made them. Feeling overwhelmed and dismayed, she learns to rely on the One for strength for the task to which He has called her. She is startled to find that her husband is originally from this world. At the end of the book, the Restorer gifts are transferred to probably the most unlikely person, Kieran, who is distrustful and antagonistic, who is not even sure what he believes or if he believes, and Susan and husband Mark return to their world thinking that adventure is over only to discover that their son Jake has disappeared through the portal, and they have to go back to find him.

The Restorer’s Son picks up the story right where The Restorer left off. I’ll try not to reveal much more of the plot than the back of the book reveals so as not to spoil it for those who haven’t read it. Kieran is running from his destiny and stumbles upon Jake, who he realizes is Susan’s son. He can’t really afford the time and energy to care for him, but he knows he can’t leave him alone. Susan and Mark return and panic in the unfruitful search for Jake. All are drawn into the events occurring in Lyric and its enemy Hazor.

Whereas Susan’s story was inspired by that of Deborah in the Old Testament book of Judges, Kieran has a very Jacob-like encounter with the One. Parts of his story also remind me of Jonah. He’s not running from the One’s call for the same reasons, but he is running.

Sharon portrays the alternate world as very real, and readers will readily identify with struggles, wrestlings, and feelings the characters have. There are some surprises along the way. The title has at least a double, if not a triple meaning. Gentle humor throughout keeps the book from being too “heavy,” and the spiritual truth is convicting and inspiring.

I can’t wait til The Restorer’s Journey, due out next February.

Saturday Photo Scavenger Hunt: Flexible

Posted on November 9, 2007 by Barbara Harper

PhotoHunt

Theme: Flexible | Become a Photo Hunter | View Blogroll

The first thing I thought of when I saw this week’s theme was this little flexible tripod we got my oldest son to use with his digital camera. I can’t take the credit for being hip and knowing about it — he told us about it. 🙂 You can bend the legs, wrap them around something, and move the part that holds the camera to different angles.

It gives you a lot of versatility in being able to use your camera in different places and at different angles.

My second thought for flexibility was Jesse, the most flexible member of our family. I often see him playing or doing homework in what would seem to me to be very uncomfortable poses! The first picture I call “pretzel mode,” the second “vulture mode.” I’ve used these previously in Wordless Wednesday photos, but they fit here. 🙂

Show and Tell Friday: Grandpa’s cabins

Posted on November 9, 2007 by Barbara Harper

My husband’s father was partially disabled the last several years of his life after a fall from a ladder resulting in a torn hamstring. Later heart health issues further drained his energy. He had always been an active man and it was very hard for him to sit back and take it easy for very long.

At one point, just for something creative to do, he began making small log cabins. If I remember correctly, he gave several away. My husband gave him the idea of selling some on ebay. He didn’t have a computer, so he shipped some to us and my husband took the pictures and set it all up, explaining that he was a WWII vet in his retirement years. To his dad’s surprise and delight, they sold. He was excited and made several more and shipped them to us. They sold very well for a time, and then interest dropped off. But it was amazing to see the joy and energy that came about just as a result of having something useful and profitable to do.

We had enough leftover cabins to keep a couple on display and to keep one in the attic for each of the boys to take with them, if they want to, to remember Grandpa by. He passed away several years ago, and now these cabins are a remembrance of him.

We keep our two at the top of the bookcases that came with this house.

I took one down to get some close-up pictures.

I always especially liked the chimney. I am not sure what kind of rocks these are.

I’ve wished that the roof came off or the back could be removed and I could place some small furniture and rugs and such in there, but it is all very firmly attached. I’ve thought about placing a rocking chair on the little front porch, a welcome mat. etc. Where we have them now those kinds of things wouldn’t be seen. But maybe some day I’ll do that. But they are nice just as they are in all their rustic simplicity.

Kelli at There’s No Place Like Home hosts “Show and Tell Friday” asking “Do you have a something special to share with us? It could be a trinket from grade school, a piece of jewelry, an antique find. Your show and tell can be old or new. Use your imagination and dig through those old boxes in your closet if you have to! Feel free to share pictures and if there’s a story behind your special something, that’s even better! If you would like to join in, all you have to do is post your “Show and Tell” on your blog, copy the post link, come over here and add it to Mr. Linky. Guidelines are here.“

Work, work, work

Posted on November 8, 2007 by Barbara Harper

Jen tagged me for a meme about our work history a while back and I am just now getting to it. (Sorry, Jen! 🙂 )

Well, let’s see. Since I was the oldest of six and the oldest among my mom’s friends’ children, most of my early work was baby-sitting.

I worked for one whole week in a fast food place when I was a teenager. Couldn’t stand it. A while later I worked in the bakery department of a grocery store. I just sold things: I have no skill at cake decorating. I was afraid I would really gain weight with all the donuts and cookies, but they had the opposite effect: I got kind of sick of the overly-sweet smell (maybe I should go back to work there…….)

At college I worked in the university library for four years. I enjoyed it. It was more involved than I would have thought. One fringe benefit was that I met my husband there. 🙂

A couple of summers during my college years I baby-sat my siblings again. My folks paid me the same amount they would have paid day care, but it helped everyone not to have to get all the kids up and out early in the morning during the summer. One summer I worked in the office at my church: the church secretary was diagnosed with encephalitis right at the beginning of the summer. First I just answered phones but gradually took over the bookkeeping, Sunday bulletins, letters. That was before computers and copying machines (boy that makes me sound so old!!) but we had those old mimeograph machines that turned out copies in purplish ink. It caught fire one day while I was there — thankfully it was noticed before it got too far. That was a very enjoyable summer. It was fun, too, to help visiting missionaries and speakers with any office needs they might have. The secretary was out the whole summer and was able to come back to the office just as I needed to go back to school. Another summer I worked with my mom. She was the assistant head bookkeeper at a local bank and I worked in the bookkeeping department with her and a room full of other ladies. Each of us had what they called a “drawer” of accounts we checked every day. I don’t know if they still do it this way, but we would take out the drawer, look at the checks that came in, check dates, compare the signatures to the signature card they filled out when they first opened the account, and pull out anything that looked “off” for someone over us to check out. You got to know somewhat the handwriting of the people in your drawer and could tell the difference between when they were paying bills at their table or desk or when they were writing hurriedly at a store. I think my worst mistake was that I didn’t know then that the British way of writing dates was different than ours, so when one customer always wrote his dates with the month and day reversed, I thought they were post-dated and pulled them. 😳 We also had to answer phone calls. Sometimes it was very easy to help a customer with whatever they had a a question about, but sometimes they could be irate.

A few months before getting married I worked in the home of a lady in town doing various chores around her home. I continued that for some time after we got married, plus my husband and I worked together cleaning five banks five nights a week. That was a great job for students because it was flexible: we could do it any time from the time the bank closed til the time it opened again. Plus all the cleaning equipment was in a van that we could use for ourselves in-between cleaning jobs, so it gave us access to an extra vehicle. The only problem with so many cleaning jobs was that then I got tired of cleaning and didn’t want to do all the same things at my own place. We didn’t have any mishaps at the banks (except that the people at one of them kept missing food and accusing us of taking it. Somebody was making out like a bandit there), but the people who took the job after us found a bunch of money somewhere it wasn’t supposed to be (seems like it was a trash can) and another time found a man hiding in a trash can. I’m glad our time there was relatively uneventful!!

Then for a few years I worked at a fabric store. The fun side of that was seeing all the new things, being stimulated creatively by the other people who worked there and the things they would sew or make, and the fact that we’d take turns making items for display at the store, and then we were able to bring them home and keep them after they were taken down. The down side of working retail sales is that you end up working when other people are off, so you miss out on some family times, plus the general public can be very….not nice at times. One of my worst experiences was my first night in charge after being promoted to third assistant manager when a lady got irate when the fabric that she thought was on sale wasn’t, and she followed me back to the stock room and swung open the door and started yelling at me. I really don’t handle that kind of thing well — I crumple and cry. And she called me stupid for crying.

I also tried my hand at sales and discovered that is definitely not my talent. I sold Avon for about six months and worked with a home party system that sold craft kits and taught craft stitches at the parties. I enjoyed teaching the crafts: I didn’t enjoy selling. I don’t like salespeople pressuring me, so I wasn’t about to do that to anyone else. And even though they tell you when they’re recruiting you that you can work as many or as few hours as you want and make as much or as little as you want, you always have a manager and sales meetings pressuring you to do more.

Then I worked for several months as an inventory counter in a department store at the mall. This is probably all done by computer now, but a few of us would count stock items in the different departments every month — not the seasonal things, but the regular items that they stocked year round. We weren’t supposed to help customers because we weren’t trained on the registers and we’d never get our work done if we did, but we had to wear name tags, so the poor customers would see us and ask questions and then get frustrated when we couldn’t help. We tried to point them to one of the associates who worked in that department if one was in sight, but sometimes the easiest thing was just to go ahead and help them if we could. I had to quit that job after I became pregnant with Jeremy because my doctor didn’t want me climbing ladders and the department wasn’t willing to work around that.

The stint with Avon occurred when Jeremy was a toddler, but other than that I’ve been privileged to be a stay at home mom ever since — both the hardest and most rewarding job I’ve experienced. 🙂

I’ve also done a lot of unpaid volunteer work at church or my kids’ school.

As my boys have gotten older I have considered working again to help with their college expenses. I think our home life would be a lot less peaceful if I worked outside the home, but I’d love to find something I could do from home. I have sold a few magazine articles and have thought about expanding on that, and I have a couple of ideas of things I could make and sell on ebay or Etsy. I keep thinking after this project or that event or deadline, I’ll look into that more.

Whew! That ended up being longer than I thought it would. If you’d like to share your work history, please feel free to do so in the comments or let me know if you do a post on it on your blog.

Three abortion stories

Posted on November 7, 2007 by Barbara Harper

Over the last few days three very different abortion stories have come to my attention.

I saw the first one linked to from Crystal’s about a woman who found she was expecting triplets and decided to abort two because,

“I worked freelance; and I would have to go on bed rest in March. I lecture at colleges, and my biggest months are March and April. I would have to give up my main income for the rest of the year. There was a part of me that was sure I could work around that. But it was a matter of, Do I want to?…When I found out about the triplets, I felt like: It’s not the back of a pickup at 16, but now I’m going to have to move to Staten Island. I’ll never leave my house because I’ll have to care for these children. I’ll have to start shopping only at Costco and buying big jars of mayonnaise. Even in my moments of thinking about having three, I don’t think that deep down I was ever considering it.”

She went on to say she is afraid of getting pregnant again because of the possibility of conceiving multiples again, and that if she was pregnant again with triplets she would again abort one or more of them. A note at the end of the article says this woman is an abortion rights advocate who has no regrets over her decision.

I felt both sick and sad after reading this article. Any honest parent would admit that yes, babies don’t always come at convenient times, and, yes, they do change your life — especially when they come three at one time. This mother didn’t feel as if she couldn’t handle it. She didn’t want to. Aside from the religious and moral implications, how sad that two lives with all their potential for who they could have been and what they could have accomplished were snuffed out with a shot of potassium chloride to the heart — an act that would be legally murder done to someone outside the womb — just because they were an inconvenience to the one who gave them life. How sad that life is only valued if it is wanted. There used to be some measure of self-sacrifice, of putting aside one’s own wants and pleasures for the sake of another’s life, even among non-Christians. Those are foreign concepts these days.

I have to admit the thought of triplets would be jarring. The thought of such a sudden and drastic life change would be unsettling. When I found out I was pregnant with my third, I’ll have to admit there were mixed emotions, just for a little while — my other two were older, and though we hadn’t decided on a certain number of children or a certain time frame for having them, there was a feeling as if we had moved past the baby stage of life, and entering it again was daunting. Maybe that’s part of the problem — we as Christians never talk about these things and we make it seem like parenthood is all bliss. It’s not. It’s wondrous, it’s fun, it’s beautiful. But it is hard. But there is help. By God’s grace I knew that He is the author of life, His timing is perfect, He has a plan for every soul (Psalm 139:13-17), and He gives grace to help in time of need, and therefore I would never have considered abortion. I wish this mother knew these things as well, and I hope she would have been accepting of them if she knew them. I am so glad He brought Jesse along when He did. he’s the sunshine of our family. I can’t imagine life without him.

The second story was one I saw linked to at Amy’s. For the past day or so I had been thinking about blogging about this one under the title “Doctor’s aren’t always right.” “When doctors found that Gabriel was weaker than his brother, with an enlarged heart,and believed he was going to die in the womb, his mother Rebecca Jones had to make a heartbreaking decision. Doctors told her his death could cause his twin brother to die too before they were born, and that it would be better to end Gabriel’s suffering sooner rather than later.” ”

Mrs Jones said: “They told us that if he died, it could be life threatening for his brother. We had to decide whether to end his life and let his brother live, or risk them both. They said it would be impossible to keep him alive afterwards as he was so poorly. It would be kinder to let him die in the womb with his brother by his side than to die alone after being born.” (That’s rather strange logic to me). “That made my mind up for me. I wanted the best thing for him.” (The best thing?)

Mrs Jones decided to let doctors operate to terminate Gabriel’s life.

Firstly they tried to sever his umbilical cord to cut off his blood supply, but the cord was too strong.

They then cut Mrs Jones’s placenta in half so that when Gabriel died, it would not affect his twin brother.

But after the operation which was meant to end his life, tiny Gabriel had other ideas.

Although he weighed less than a pound, he put up such a fight for survival that doctors called him Rocky.

Astonishingly, he managed to carry on living in his mother’s womb for another five weeks – until the babies were delivered by caesarean section.

Now he and Ieuan are back at home in Stoke – and are so close they are always holding each other’s hand.

When Mrs Jones reached 31 weeks doctors carried out a caesarian to deliver the twins. Ieuan weighed 3lb 8oz and Gabriel 1lb 15oz. Both were kept in hospital, but since going home they have thrived. At seven months, Ieuan weighs 15lb and Gabriel 12lb 6oz.

Mrs Jones said: “The boys are so healthy, they have huge appetites too. Ieuan is the noisy one, while Gabriel is always laughing, it’s like he’s just so happy to be here.

“There is such a strong bond between them.

“They are always holding hands and if one cries, the other reaches out to comfort him.”

“Doctors tried to break their bond in the womb, but they just proved it couldn’t be broken.”

I am so thankful for the outcome, thankful this little one lived and is thriving. And I can sympathize with the mother’s thought that she was sacrificing one child to help the other survive rather than lose both. But I wish the mindset among people in general and the medical community in particular was geared toward giving life a chance rather than thinking a fatal intervention is needed.

The last story was one I read just this morning about God’s amazing grace to a woman who had had three abortions. I don’t want to just quote pieces from it — go on over and read the whole thing. I pray that anyone reading this who is considering abortion or who has had an abortion would read this story and find the same amazing grace.

Works-For-Me Wednesday: “Backwards” Day

Posted on November 7, 2007 by Barbara Harper

Today’s edition of WFMW is another “backward” day in which we ask a question of readers rather than supplying our own tip.

My question of the day: how do you reduce static electricity, especially in hair?

I must be the most statically electrical person I know. Even taking my jacket off this morning jolted me. And with today being the first day we turned the heat on, it’s only going to get worse.

I know Shannon mentioned on a previous WFMW that she sprayed Static Guard on her brush and that helped. But I usually use a comb when styling my hair, and the Static Guard didn’t seem to do anything. I had also read that you could rub a dryer sheet over your hair. That actually does work. But then I smell like a dryer sheet. And it doesn’t last.

I know that spraying static guard on your legs can help keep your hemline from sticking, and even rubbing a bit of lotion on my legs will do the same. But, again, it doesn’t last long.

So, short of keeping a can of Static Cling or a dryer sheet on hand and applying several times a day, do you have any other ideas?

If you have a question you’d like some help with or you have some answers you might be able to give others, see today’s WFMW post at Rocks In My Dryer.