#MusicMonday

 

A gift life our Holy Father gave 
Now we've stolen all these innocent babes
Why do we murder
Innocent blood is on our hands
A new generation killed
Now the burden's on this land
Can't we see the running blood of these children on our hands

This new song written and performed right here in New Zealand presents some pertinent questions for the times in which we find ourselves. Once a "live and let live" society where everyone was allowed a "fair go," New Zealand now legally allows our next generation to be killed at any stage up to and during birth. Can't we see the running blood of these children on our hands?

Special mention to my sister Monique for performing violin on this track. Well done!

Innocents by Jasmine Brett & Kirsten Strom

#MusicMonday

My life here is at your mercy, don't you see.

I am unborn, my entire life ahead of me. I am your baby. 

The world awaits my cry and breath;

I long to be held in your arms mommy. 

God's depth of love for you is everlasting. 

In the dark, or in the light, He'll never leave.

I'm finding it hard to write anything about this song. It already communicates with such depth and feeling. What is there to add to a work this beautiful? I'm not even sure how I found this, but I'm sure glad I did. Someday I'll grow up, just because of you, who cared enough to love.

Unborn by Caitlin Jane

#MusicMonday

"They are not forgotten

We are fighting for them

We've answered their silent cry to be their voice

Their life was not for nothing

We celebrate their heart beat

The price that they paid is a fire that'll change this world"

We're living in a time when churches are closed and abortion clinics are open. Over 500,000 abortions in New Zealand alone wasn't enough bloodshed for us so we rushed a new bill through parliament while everyone was distracted by coronavirus. Now we can legally murder our children right up until birth is complete. We decided to allow it for almost any reason including disability and gender, because we've come to believe that life is a privilege only for the perfect and the wanted.

Even amid so much death and darkness, a few brave souls will hear the cries of the innocent and rise up to defend them and bring light to the darkness. They must not be forgotten. We must be the voices of the voiceless. We must fight for them. We must turn to God and pray, "Jesus heal our land"!

Not Forgotten by Phil King

March for Life Auckland

What an incredible event!

When a few of us first begin meeting to discuss our ideas for hosting a March for Life in Auckland and the logistics of doing so, I never could've dreamed how big or amazing the event would be.

Throughout the day I had to remind myself to step back and take in my surroundings; it was surreal to see how all our planning had come together.

Thank you to everyone who made the event what it was:

The 3,500 people who attended.

Our large group of volunteers.

Wonderful speakers.

Everyone who prayed.

The amazing committee members I've worked alongside.

I'm honoured and grateful to have played some part in such a wonderful event.

Are You In the Same Place I Was? || Event Highlight

Growing up in the modern world, I heard the terms "pro-life" and "pro-choice" from time to time, but for many years I had little idea what they meant. I'm accustomed to viewing choice as a good thing -- how boring would a restaurant be if it served only one dish? -- and life, well, without it we can't make any choices! Clearly though, the two terms represent opposing viewpoints and so I had to dig a little deeper to uncover their real connotations. 

Later, I didn't know what abortion was, but somehow related it to the anti-family violence campaigns that published on TV, billboards, and bus stops. How was it fair to bring a child into such situations? I wondered.

Slowly but surely I found answers to my questions, and I wanted to get involved. Only problem, the links I found were all based in America! There must be people running similar organisations in New Zealand . . . hmm.

Whether you're curious about what the pro-life movement is and stands for, what we're doing, wish you could articulate your own opinion more clearly, or are ready to get involved and wondering how, this event is for you! 

Next Saturday, February 2nd 2019 come along to hear some awesome speakers from around New Zealand, eat some great food, and make some new friends. Lunch and dinner are both included, and the entire event costs $15 -- less than a restaurant meal!

Be sure to book here for catering purposes. :) 

I look forward to seeing you there!

End of Life Choice Bill Public Meeting || My Thoughts

Earlier this week I attended a debate between David Seymour, ACT MP, and Professor Rod MacLeod, palliative care specialist and hosted by Dan Bidois, National MP. I anticipated that Dan would primarily be interested in hearing from those in his own electorate, but I still wanted to hear from David about his own bill. The evening certainly proved interesting.

Before things got underway Dan and David both made their way around the room greeting us all individually. My initial impression was that Dan may be easily swayed to vote whichever way would be most likely to ensure his re-election, and David appeared to be very calm, collected -- and confident.

Dan got the evening underway, saying that he'd organised the event so his electorate could "feel heard", explaining that he had a view on this issue but wasn't there to share it. I found it interesting that he repeatedly said he wanted his electorate to "feel heard", never that he wanted them to actually "be heard". Am I just getting caught up in the grammar, or is his choice of wording perhaps indicative of something more? Secondly, I feel his view was made clear when he seated himself next to David, and the two shared small talk throughout the evening, joined later on by the moderator, while the professor was left to himself.

It was determined by a show of hands that about half of attendees were from the Northcote electorate, with some others having travelled significant distances to be there. A majority opposed the bill (roughly 60 to 30), and someone commented that it was the young ones who opposed.

David and Professor MacLeod were each given 10 minutes to explain their argument, and then 5 minutes to respond to the other's. David went first, calling the current situation in New Zealand around palliative care barbaric, and then essentially reading the headings off a slip of paper he'd handed to us beforehand. (Pictured below.) Professor MacLeod spoke about his experience during 30 years of work in palliative care, and said that New Zealand ranks 3rd in the world for that area. In their responses, David continued reading where he'd left off while the professor responded to his opponent's argument.

After the first half-hour, Q&A was opened up to attendees. The vast majority of questions were from opponents of the bill and many were directed at David. An air of shock fell over the room when he responded to one questioner that he absolutely could guarantee that not one person would be wrongly killed within the next hundred years as a result of this bill. It seems ironic that he responded to Professor MacLeod's statistics by saying certain countries were irrelevant, and then proceeding to reference them himself many times throughout the evening.

Professor MacLeod impressed me with his knowledgeable responses, presented clearly and calmly despite the hostility shown him. In contrast, David's apparently calm and easy-going demeanor fell apart as the evening progressed. It was clear that he ran out of any sort of material midway through, after which point he become more and more angry, and resorted to jumping around questions, accusing the professor of fear-mongering, and telling questioners that if they looked at the evidence they'd find there was nothing to worry about -- yet he couldn't seem to reference any such evidence. At one point a woman began "I'm not considering suicide, but--" and David interrupted, "well maybe you should!"

I'm glad I went along and I left with greater conviction to oppose this bill every way I can. It's sad that we've become a country that can even entertain the idea of assisted death being "compassionate". A doctor's duty is to preserve life -- euthanasia is the antithesis of this.