Little William Goforth is hanging in there, but he has serious problems. Read my previous entry “They Are Weak, But He is Strong,” about the birth of this premature baby. He is the grandson of Richard “Little Bear” Wheeler. Here is an appeal from Grandpa Wheeler for prayer for this tiny baby. Help them out by ordering the video he mentions. Little Bear Wheeler’s historical presentations are wonderful.

Dear friends,

I am once again promoting our latest video, our Little Bear Live William Wallace video in hopes that you will help us make ends meet during this difficult time. Every video I sell we get half the cost that will help keep us afloat.

I have been struggling with the issue of music, specifically worship music. I really, really, really do not like singing choruses in church. I really, really do not like singing many of the “modern” hymns in the hymn book (if it’s by the Gaithers or Andrae Crouch, forget it.) My favorite hymn book is the Trinity Hymnal (I prefer the navy blue edition) which is full of great hymns of the faith which emphasize a God-centered theology rather than man-centered navel-gazing or mindless repetition of milk-toast drivel.

Does that mean that if it’s less than 150 years old I steer clear? Not at all.

What I object to is the emotional manipulation and Arminian theology of modern church music. I admit that some choruses, particularly those based on the Psalms, may have a place in a worship service. I think that the songs “Lamb of God” and “We Bow Down” by Twila Paris are lovely, especially as they focus on God’s majesty and they emphasize sound theology. Ditto for by Michael Card who is one of the few modern Christian songwriters to focus more on God and His word rather than his own subjective experiences.

I don’t have the answer to this controversial topic. All I know is that the churches I have been in which appear to be more mature, where the emphasis is God-centered rather than man-centered, have been churches where hymns are sung. The churches I have been in which focus mostly on choruses are the churches with congregations still imbibing the milk of the Word, not solid food (see Hebrews 5:12-14).

I would be interested in knowing what Christian music YOU (my invisible readers) enjoy listening to. We have enjoyed, in addition to what I have already mentioned, Keith Green, The Second Chapter of Acts, Rich Mullins and Caedmon’s Call. Read this article by Calvin Jones for an interesting perspective on modern music.

Also see my links in the sidebar for a new link to ArtsReformation.Com which discusses many cultural issues from a reformed Christian perspective.

Turns out that stem cells from aborted babies may not be necessary for medical research after all. The pro-death lobby insisted that embryonic stem cell research was absolutely essential to find solutions to a myriad of medical problems, Parkinson’s Disease topping the list. The end justifies the means, you know.

New research indicates that cells from the bone marrow of adults may be just as capable of providing the replacement tissues once believed to generate only from embryonic cells.

“The work is very exciting,” says Ihor Lemischka of Princeton University. “They can differentiate into pretty much everything that an embryonic stem cell can differentiate into.”

Even if this were not the case, it would never justify taking an innocent life to extend the life of an adult who suffers from a dibilitating disease. We are in sad state when we make decisions about who is worthy to live and who is obligated to die. But this takes away one of the justifications of the pro-death crowd for their bloodthirsty behavior.

Do I think it will stop them from demanding the lives of more babies? No. But we have more ammunition for our battle. The battle will not ultimately be won, however, until we can stop arguing from a pragmatic perspective and help people understand the issue in absolute terms of right and wrong.

Here’s the story.

As we remember the precious gift of life that is a baby this week, remember to pray for Joshua and Noelle Goforth. She is the daughter of Richard “Little Bear” Wheeler and he works with Doug Phillips at Vision Forum.

This young couple was married a few months ago, and Doug Phillips wrote an article about their marriage called Never Been Kissed: A Homeschool Love Story. Noelle became pregnant shortly after their wedding, and yesterday she delivered a baby boy at 23 weeks weighing only one pound, four ounces. The chances of survival for such a tiny preemie are very slim, but God can do miracles.

As you pray for this baby, also remember Walter and Megan Lindsay who had a baby girl, Maggie, under similar circumstances last May. Maggie has been fighting for life ever since then, with many surgeries and medical interventions, but now she is nearing the end of her life. Her dear mommy and daddy were only married last January and like the Goforths became pregnant right away. This is not the ideal way to begin married life, but God in his sovereignty has chosen a difficult road for these dear Christian couples.

Read Walter’s words of faith in God:
We cannot help but continually affirm what God has shown us time and time
again through this trial. All of this is more than we could possibly bear
without the love of Jesus Christ, whose sacrifice has covered us with the
mercy we so desperately need. How could we lose our child and not die in
despair? Because we know that in death there is new life. And we have hope
in the resurrection — Maggie’s, and our own resurrection — when we will
bear sin and death no more. As we have realized, the bread of life He
gives each day is more than enough to sustain us.

And here is Doug Phillips on the Goforth’s situation:
Last night, God brought a precious 23-week, one pound, four ounce baby boy into the world. The baby is beautiful and fully formed, but ever-so-tiny. So tiny, in fact, that he can sit in the palm of an average man’s hand. As you might guess, this little preemie is in need of prayer. He was born to Joshua and Noelle Goforth. (You might remember the couple who were the subject of an earlier e-mail entitled “Never Been Kissed: A Home School Love Story,” or from our Vision Forum catalogs — Josh is our designer, and Noelle was on the cover of the Girl’s catalog a year ago.) We love this couple very much, and are crying out to God that He will preserve the life of their little miracle baby.

Will you, your friends, and family join me in praying for this baby each day for the next two critical weeks during which the child is considered by the medical profession to be highly “at risk?” How wonderful that we know and serve the sovereign God who alone controls the life of this child in His hand, and who loves to hear the petitions of His saints.

Let these couples, fighting to preserve the lives of their babies, inspire us all to keep fighting the fight for the innocent lives (one of three pregnancies) being ended by abortion.

I added more bargains tonight to the bargain page: books at AllBooks4Less.com and BookCloseouts.com. Using the links I have provided helps to support this website! Email me if you want coupons for your purchases there.