Shirlee Abbott

Prayer for Life

Posted on January 22, 2016 by Shirlee Abbott

Lord, turn the hearts of the parents toward their unborn children. Amen.
(from Malachi 4:6)

Posted in other | Tagged abortion, Malachi 4:6, Roe v | Comments Off

A Special Uncle

Posted on January 21, 2016 by Shirlee Abbott

I had a very special uncle. Mel was half playmate, half willing servant, all joy. He delighted in the smallest favors. He unfailingly saw the bright side of things.

Once, I asked my father if his little brother had ever been angry. Dad thought back through the years. “No,” he said, “I remember he cried once because the rest of us were angry, but Mel was never angry.”

A lifetime without anger. Yep, Mel was special.

Mel was Down Syndrome.

Countless DS babies are aborted. Countless families miss the chance to touch the heart of God.

Posted in other | Tagged abortion, Down Syndrome | 2 Comments

I Have My Own Dream

Posted on January 20, 2016 by Shirlee Abbott

This week marks the intersection of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and the March for Life. For me, they fit well together.

“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” Dr. King, 1963

I, too, have a dream. I have a dream that we will live in a nation where a thousand black babies are no longer aborted daily. I have a dream that we will live in a nation where homicide will no longer be the leading cause of death for young black males. I have a dream that black lives will be abundant lives.

Posted in other | Tagged abortion, abundant life, homicide, March for Life, Martin Luther King Jr. | 2 Comments

It’s a Lie!

Posted on January 19, 2016 by Shirlee Abbott

It’s a woman’s right to choose, they tell us.
It’s a personal matter, they say.

That “temporary inconvenience, long-term blessing” of yesterday’s post is more than “a personal matter.” No, he hasn’t cured cancer or become president. He’s just an ordinary citizen who has touched countless lives. Things would be different if all those relationships had been cut off before they started. The world would be diminished.

Jesus said this of Satan:

John 8:44 (CEV)
He has always been a murderer and a liar.

“It’s personal” is one of the enemy’s lies. It has served him well.

Posted in other | Tagged abortion, John 8:44, Satan | 2 Comments

Temporary Inconvenience, Long-Term Blessing

Posted on January 18, 2016 by Shirlee Abbott

43 years ago, Roe v Wade made abortion legal. What do you think about it?

It’s settled law
Abortion is a personal decision
I’m praying for a change in America’s heart

1973—we were newly married, still in college, scraping by with a couple part-time jobs, with student health insurance that didn’t cover maternity . . . and I was pregnant.

Some would have said, “This is no time to have a baby.”

From the rear-view mirror of 43 years, the inconvenience hardly registers. I got my degree. We paid the hospital bill. It didn’t ruin our lives.

Posted in other | Tagged abortion, March for Life, Roe v Wade | 3 Comments

Powerball Prayer

Posted on January 15, 2016 by Shirlee Abbott

All-knowing God, the Powerball winners are no secret to you. May they be filled with gratitude, not greed; wisdom, not wastefulness; decency, not debauchery; restraint, not recklessness. May they be kindhearted, not tightfisted.

Posted in other | Tagged Lottery, Powerball, prayer | Comments Off

Richer for It

Posted on January 14, 2016 by Shirlee Abbott

“To be clever enough to get all that money, one must be stupid enough to want it.”

That about sums up my thoughts on the billion-dollar Powerball.

Thank you,Gilbert Keith Chesterton, for saying it so bluntly.

His fans think that G. K. Chesterton (1874-1936) was the best writer of the 20th century. I can’t attest to that, but there’s no doubt he had a way with words. I think I’ll read me some Chesterton. I’ll be richer for the experience.

Posted in other | Tagged G.K. Chesterton, Lottery, money | Comments Off

Go Fish!

Posted on January 13, 2016 by Shirlee Abbott

Jesus orchestrated an unusual financial windfall so that Peter could pay the taxman.

Matthew 17:27 (CEV)
“Go cast a line into the lake and pull out the first fish you hook. Open its mouth, and you will find a coin. Use it to pay your taxes and mine.”

I suspect that our chances of finding wealth in a fish are as about as good as in a lottery ticket. But I don’t see folks waiting in line for their turn at the ol’ fishing hole.

Posted in other | Tagged fishing, Lottery, Matthew 17:27 | 2 Comments

In the Lottery We Trust?

Posted on January 12, 2016 by Shirlee Abbott

Did you buy a lottery ticket? Why?

Just part of the fun
It’s a long chance at a new life
Who doesn’t want more money?

I’m not buying. Frankly, I can’t grasp the concept of my own billion (or even the fraction of a billion that would be mine after taxes). Sure, I could do with more money. But not that much more, nothing-in-my-life-would-be-the-same more. I’d be trading in the stress I know for stress I can’t imagine.

Ironic how all those bills saying “In God We Trust” are exchanged for the fragile hope of a winning ticket.

Posted in other | Tagged In God We Trust, Lottery | 4 Comments

Everybody’s Lookin’ to Win the Lottery

Posted on January 11, 2016 by Shirlee Abbott

Maybe not everyone.

Posted in other | Tagged Lottery, Matthew 6:21 | 2 Comments