Having the "Mind of Christ"

Tonight I do not feel like going to the abortion mill. I must wake up early (as in 5:30 am) and drive 40 minutes down to a busy road where I will hold a sign of a brutally murdered pre-born baby ("exposing the darkness" as in Eph. 5:11). I have not been in the Word regularly this week and these feelings and apprehensions are my own fault. But God is so good, isn't He? I spent a few minutes reading some verses and came upon a passage I have heard before: 1 Corninthians 2:9-16. In fact, I have memorized verse 14 at some point in my life. And yet, suddenly God revealed this passage to me in such a fresh and overwhelming way! Let me share it with you...

“What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him”—

10 these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. 11 For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. 13 And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual.

14 The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. 15 The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. 16 “For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.

Now, read that passage again and think of all the implications of what Paul is saying to the Corinthians here. First of all, notice the big "S" in verse 10: "these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit." That is God. Living in US. Now Paul makes an interesting analogy to the Corinthians so that they will "get it." So they will truly understand how huge this thought is. He says, "For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him?" Little "s" this time. Your thoughts, wishes, ponderings...they are all so personal. They are the essence of you. They are what really makes you, well...you. But do you see where Paul is going with this? "So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God." Do you see it? It's the same thing! Your thoughts, wishes, ponderings are your spirit. But you also have the Spirit! You also have GOD'S thoughts, wishes, ponderings if you are truly His child! Now, go back to verse 10 where Paul says, "For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God." That is the same Spirit that resides in you! Do you want to know the heart of God? Do you want to know the very depths of God Himself? You can. He tells us so. "Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God." Freely given! But do we desire them and seek them? And do we share, with our brothers and sisters in Christ, that wisdom that is taught by the Spirit? "And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual."

Or, do we remain like the natural man? "The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned." Few things sadden me more than when people claim to know my Jesus and yet live as though they have no understanding of what He told us to do. They do not help widows or orphans, as we are commanded (James 1:27). Or they criticize those who are, using human reasoning ("that's ineffective," "you are making Christians look foolish," etc.). I know many of those Christians are well-meaning. And certainly, our faith is not determined by our works. But faith without works is dead, as we are told in James 2:14-17! Personally, this puts a health fear of God in me! Are we living like we love Him or like we love the world? Are we Spiritual, discerning the Spirit, or "natural," perceiving the spiritual to be nothing more than "folly"?

Now for the really tricky part of the passage (at least to me). I sat and thought about this one for a while, but I want to chew on it even longer. "The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. 16 'For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?' But we have the mind of Christ." As best I can understand, then, if (big if) we are truly sharing in the "mind of Christ" in our actions and attitudes, then there is no place for others to judge us. If a fellow believer is doing the things that God commands and we cannot point to a chapter and verse in the Bible that contradicts his or her actions, we need to be very, very careful of casting judgement, or we just might be judging the "mind of Christ!" This is another very heavy thought! In all our judging, God always gives warning to us. We must have humility and search our own hearts first. We must ask God for wisdom and proceed with much caution.

"But we have the mind of Christ." Isn't that an amazing thought? Go read that passage once more and let all the wonderful implications sink in!

Is This Not the Fast?

I had a wonderful encouragement tonight on Facebook when I received a message from a friend from college. It read, in part: "I have never done this before, but I feel like the Lord is leading me to fast for you the next time you go to the abortion mill to counsel women away from making a terrible decision for themselves and their baby." I see this as one more way that God is providing for our needs in this battle. We truly wrestle not against "flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places (Eph. 6:12)," so having prayer warriors covering us in prayer as we go out is such an encouragement...and need. But what was even more amazing was her reply back after I responded in thanks. She quoted the exact passage that has become very special to me since we've been going out to the mill...Isaiah 58. And, what is even more interesting is that in our Bible study, we've been studying Isaiah this year (I had already "claimed" this passage for my life, so I was excited when I found out we would be studying Isaiah) and just today we studied this passage so close to my heart, Isaiah 58! Read these beautiful verses and ponder their meaning a moment. You may even want to read the entire chapter.

Isaiah 58:6-9
“Is this not the fast which I choose,
To loosen the bonds of wickedness,
To undo the bands of the yoke,
And to let the oppressed go free
And break every yoke?
7 “Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry
And bring the homeless poor into the house;
When you see the naked, to cover him;
And not to hide yourself from your own flesh?
8 “Then your light will break out like the dawn,
And your recovery will speedily spring forth;
And your righteousness will go before you;
The glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.
9 “Then you will call, and the Lord will answer;
You will cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’

I have such a burden that most Christians in our comfortable American culture don't understand that the way to truly get to God's heart is to simply obey...to go out and actively live our faith by loving our neighbors as ourselves. In fact, fasting has become the newest "thing", it seems...the latest spiritual gimmick. Everyone wants to fast and pray. It seems we think that is the key to revival. But God says differently! He tells us here that we have it backwards! He shows us the hypocrisy of simply following a list of "dos and don'ts" while ignoring His commands to live out our faith (James 1:22; 2:17,24). In a culture that so despises religious hypocrites, it is amazing how those who hate them most are doing the very things they claim to hate! We truly need to start taking the logs out of our own eyes (Matt. 7:3)!

When we go out and love our neighbor in these kinds of tangible ways, like standing in front of the abortion mill and pleading on behalf of the babies, it lights our hearts on fire for Him. Our faith becomes real because we are living it and we suddenly see the genuine importance of putting on the armor of God because we suddenly realize we really are in a battle (Eph. 6:10-20)! I truly believe that if Christians across this country would start going out and living their faith in tangible ways (doing good works) and giving the Gospel while doing it, we would see a revival in this country! I know He has started a revival in my own heart. I pray that He spreads it to the hearts of everyone I come in contact with, and then to the hearts of everyone that they come in contact with, and on and on! If you love Jesus, you simply cannot share that love without it causing a fresh stir in your own heart that is infectious. His love is powerful and overwhelming!

What a blessing this friend's message was to me tonight. I don't think she thought much about it...there was such humility in her words. She was just following God in obedience and speaking in the Holy Spirit. But God is a God of detail and He weaves all of these experiences together to encourage and strengthen us when we need it most! He used her words tonight to stoke the fire of my passion for this ministry and to lift my dampened spirits! What a wonderful God we serve!

A Mounting Spiritual Battle

Today was a heavy day. I feel beaten down in my spirit for no particular reason. It is not that today's spiritual battle was so highly unusual or uniquely intense. Intense, yes. Unique, yes in the sense that they all are. But today was nothing that should throw my spirit down in the "body slam" that it has. It was just another untypically typical day down at the abortion mill, standing on the sidewalk offering hope, love, and judgement (yes, God speaks of that, too) to the women, and fighting on behalf of those "being led away to slaughter". But I believe what made today different was the spiritual warfare that is happening on a broader scale now in our nation, due to the horrific case of Kermitt Gosnell. And Satan's attacks are ramping up. It is a sign that he is feeling the threat to his vile kingdom. I ask that all Christians keep the sidewalk counsellors/missionaries in their prayers! I have spoken to others who are feeling equally beaten down. And I have heard that the tactic that the mainstream news will take is to claim that pro-life missionaries ("protesters" as they like to call us) are what is driving these women into such "houses of horror". Can you imagine anything so absurd and illogical? But now that they feel the pressure to actually cover the story of this mass murderer, they must spin it in a way that does not disparage their sacred cow.
Sadly, we did not have any confirmed saves today at the mill, though some did witness a woman crying for over 30 minutes and then leaving with her assumed boyfriend, who waved as they left. Believing in faith that this was a save is a comfort to this worn-out heart of mine. And I was also thankful today for the lack of rain! It blew over and left us with a sunny, breezy morning. Perfect outdoor weather! I was also blessed to have a great team today, despite Lisa and her family being sick and unable to come. A sidewalk preacher, Jesse Boyd, and his daughter came, along with a Daniel and Courtney Parks (?) who are regulars on Saturdays. We also had a new face out, as well as several others I had not yet met. It was especially encouraging to have strong men there to speak truth boldly. Sometimes the boldness seemed to me to cross a line and there was a time of intense back and forth between one man on our team and Lazarus (the bouncer who desperately needs to "rise from the dead"), but I know we were all praying for God to work through even that situation and I truly believe He did. And I am learning that even when we judge actions, we still do not fully know a heart and we must always give the benefit of the doubt while seeking to learn from both the positive and the negative interactions. Love can be the motivation for the too-extreme actions of both mercy and justice. I later saw it in reverse as another sidewalk counsellor (a lady this time) was far too understanding with a man who was claiming not all murder by abortion is wrong. All of us should be working to find that balance between mercy and justice, as God is a God of both mercy and justice and we seek to emulate Him, as He commands us to. But in our culture we tend to excuse the love that leans too heavily on the side of mercy...perhaps because our love for God and hatred for sin is just not strong enough. We have a serious problem understanding...or even wanting to understand...the incomprehensible holiness and righteousness of God!
One way that God used those "moments of raw humanity" today was to pull a man named Shamari outside to discuss abortion with us, as he felt we were being too judgemental. Poor, deceived Shamari talked in circles, obviously struggling with the Truth and not wanting to allow his conscience (or us) to "win" the argument. He was polite and kind, but so, so blinded! Caryn and I talked with him and finally had to leave the Holy Spirit to deal with him. But when I asked him to read Matthew 25 about the final judgement, he actually agreed and it was the first time he allowed me to speak freely and didn't interrupt with "reasoning". I felt the Holy Spirit was dealing with him strongly in that moment, so pray that the work is completed in his heart and that he will not continue to harden himself to the plain, simple truth.
Caryn shared with me her own heartbreak of today...a couple there to abort their baby due to doctor's "orders". She prayed with them and pleaded on behalf of the baby, but the father was apathetic and they were already convinced of the decision. After counselling them fruitlessly, she had to turn away and weep. How much will God hold these doctors accountable who tell these trusting women that their lives are in danger if they do not kill their own child! I do not believe that the circumstances are even usually as dire as they claim. However, even in such a case, who are doctors to "play God" and decide that the mother's life is more important than her helpless child's? Do any of us have the knowledge of God to be able to see His plans (Jeremiah 29:11)? Is it up to us to take on His role and decide who lives and who dies?
Another atrocity was the car that pulled in with their "Jesus fish" and cross firmly affixed to their trunk. When their hypocrisy was pointed out, they responded with obscene gestures and cursing. Despicable! These are the religious hypocrites Jesus condemned (Matthew 23)! They go to church on Sunday and sing lies of false praise to the idol-god made in their own image and then pull in the parking lot the next week to murder their innocent child! Their prayers are an abomination (Proverbs 28:9)! But, sadly, they are the rotten fruit of pastors that preach an "easy" gospel...a false "pray this prayer and you've got your golden ticket to heaven" gospel, which is contrary to what Jesus taught (Matthew 16:24-25). Every time they speak the precious name of my Savior, Jesus, they use His name in vain and break the third commandment because of the wicked testimony of their lives. May they repent and accept God's radical grace before it is too late for them!
Sadder still was the lady who came into the mobile ultrasound RV and saw her tiny twins on the monitor, but was apparently unmoved. Her car was seen back in the parking lot a few minutes later and she proceeded with her scheduled murder. Seeing her own flesh and blood on that screen did nothing to change her heart. Or perhaps it was pressure from her grandmother, who was also present, as many young women are told they have no choice and are horribly pressured into this horrific decision. It is sometimes hard to know the whole story, but we see the choice of murder and we grieve for the baby who had no choice whatsoever in the matter!
We left with heavy hearts, heavier than what is normal for all of us. Even my children felt the extra weight of the battle today. Again, I ask that you keep all of the sidewalk missionaries in your prayers in a special way over the next few weeks. We are under spiritual attack, as I believe the Gosnell case is a powerful testimony against abortion and gives support to the work we are doing. I believe this case could be a major spark in lighting a fire in the hearts of Christians across the country to put an end to the atrocity of abortion! Pray for faith to believe this can happen and then follow God's command to "rescue those who are being taken away to death; hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter" (Proverbs 24:11).

Crazy Day at Latrobe

Now, the promised status update from the mill:

This morning started off with a well-intentioned man getting on the mic who signed the statement of faith Lisa gave him, but who we do not believe truly agrees with the doctrines of Christianity, due to a number of reasons. It is always difficult when we work for the same cause, but our ultimate cause (the Gospel) is different! We were all very concerned with the situation, but praise the Lord he did not deviate from the facts of abortion into shaky theological territory or outright heresy. Pray that God would win these kind people from other religions into his "fold" and that we could all be completely of one mind and one spirit in Jesus Christ!

Next on the list of events was a car that Annalise was able to stop. She and a man named Dan were able to talk to the girls inside for a minute until Lazarus, the bouncer, came tearing out of the parking lot and pulled up beside them. He was yelling at them, then got out and shoved Dan a couple times and held a fist in his face. We called the police and filed papers for the assault, while Lazarus fled somewhere (likely in the building), leaving his SUV in the parking lot. On the positive side, we didn't have to deal with his loud music the rest of the morning! The police officer strongly hinted that Dan should press charges, so pray that this would be one more crack in the foundation of this evil place. God WILL bring it down in His time! Many of us who minister together feel this very strongly in our spirits and are praying for this.

I watched the car drive down the road, praying that it would just keep on going, but a minute or two later I saw it come back and pull over. I walked very quickly down the road to meet with the girl as she got out. I asked her if she was there for an abortion and she replied that she was. I asked, "Can I pray over you before you go in there?" I put my arm around her and prayed that she would not go through with the abortion and that she would realize it was murder. The Holy Spirit moved me to gentleness, so every truth spoken with love was in a gentle tone. She was appreciative, but set in what she was about to do. She told me she had a child and no money for another. I told her about all our resources, about adoption, etc., but that was not what she wanted to do.

As she determinedly walked down the sidewalk toward the slaughter house, I asked if she knew it was murder, to which she replied, "yes" in a tone that said she couldn't think about that ugly reality and then she asked me to just not show her any pictures because she "had a weak stomach". So, naturally, I showed her pictures! I showed her the reality of abortion by confronting her with the truth...the picture of a tiny baby not much bigger than a dime, cut into tiny pieces. She was disturbed, but would not be moved. Pray for that girl that the conviction she feels would not go away until she repents. (This was one of my first "real" counselling moments and I was nervous! I'm usually on the mic. How is it that a microphone doesn't intimidate me but talking to someone one-on-one does? God equips us each for different jobs, I guess! But he wants us available for whatever He needs us for at the moment.)

Another lady and her daughter took a booklet from Wendy and were receptive, but unsuccessful in getting the lady they brought to come out. As far as we know, she went through with the abortion. Pray for this lady.

Finally, we had a very interesting conversation with a psychology major who just wanted to talk to us because he "respected what we were doing" even though he disagreed...at least that is what he claimed. But his body language and his tone of voice betrayed his conscience and we could hear the cognitive dissonance (all the rest of us being former psych major or minors ourselves ;) ) spilling out of him! Even Konur (11) told me later that he didn't seem to believe his own words. Pray for him to stop ignoring his conscience and believing the lies he knows he is accepting! He had brought his girlfriend. We asked why she couldn't give the baby up for adoption and were told she wouldn't care for her baby while pregnant the baby would end up with fetal alcohol syndrome. He said a baby like that should not live, to which Lisa replied that her own daughter, Annalise, has FAS. She brought her over and introduced her, asking "Pete" if he believed she didn't deserve to live. It was an uncomfortable moment for Pete. ;) There were many other interesting moments in that conversation, including a brief deconstruction of relativism, as he claimed all our reasonings were just "your truth, but not mine", to which I replied that his green shirt was red because that was MY truth.

Well, one last "finally", actually. As we drove home and "debriefed", praying for all the varied situations we encountered today, we nearly got in another car accident in the SAME spot as last time! It's a very bad entry onto the highway that runs right into an exit ramp and another car couldn't decide what lane to be in and nearly caused an accident! I'm thankful I was alert enough to get out of the way and that God protected us.

Now this, my Christian friends, is what an exciting Friday looks like! Who wouldn't want to experience these stories? Are they tragic? Yes, many are. But the excitement of the one or two saves or hopeful cases outweighs it all! And even in the tragedies, when you know you are planting seeds and you truly have real hope in Jesus Christ, you know that you ARE making an eternal impact, whether you see it or not. If we focus on the death of babies, we are giving into Satan and allowing him to discourage us from this ministry. Our focus, even in the midst of so much death and tragedy, is the hope that lies within us (1 Peter 3:15)! It is the hope that is offered for these young moms, regardless of whether or not they go through with murder, that we have to cling to. And even the one or two saves a day which seem so insignificant compared with the losses will multiply, as those babies will someday have babies of their own. Who will we meet in heaven someday who is there because we stood up for life today? Praise the Lord he uses weak ones like us to do abundantly more than we could ask or think!

Safe or Sanctified

(I am going to do a little preaching to myself here, so recognize that I speak as one who is still learning, and doing much of my learning in this public way).

American Christians worship the god of comfort. We base many of our decisions on comfort...decisions on preferences like where to live, where to work, what to wear. Decisions on convictions such as homeschooling or public schooling, birth control or no birth control. And we seem to have a deep belief that we have a God-given right to comfort. But I don't see this in the Bible. Yes, I see that God wants us to be happy, but so often I see that His way of bringing about our ultimate happiness is often not anything of which we would ever conceive.

One thing that impresses me about times past is the depth of those Christians' faith and devotion to God. Compare yourself to a John Bunyan, Susannah Wesley, or William Tyndale and you will probably find yourself falling shamefully short. Certainly being tortured, imprisoned, and martyred for the faith would lead to sanctification, but even those with "normal" lives seemed to have so much spiritual depth. I often wonder if the "normalness" of discomfort in that time played the major role in many of our Christian heroes' sanctification. So many women struggled just with the simple daily chores. Laundry was real work. Eating required far more reliance on things beyond human control, such as weather conditions in order to grow the food, health in order to harvest it, and time in order to prepare it. God had a part in the process, and faith was exercised regularly. Today, we open the freezer, pull out a bag of peas and dump it in a pot on the stove. No peas left? No problem. Having "faith" that the grocery store will be well-stocked, we hop in our cars to make the quick trip up the road, swipe a piece of plastic to "harvest" it, and return to slave for a full 10 minutes to heat them on the stove.

And food was just one aspect of faith-stretching that these Christian giants of the past faced. What about childbirth? Women got pregnant often, and there was no guarantee that the delivery would be safe and easy. In fact, very often it was not. It was a fairly common occurrence for a woman to die in childbirth, leaving her husband and little ones behind. Today, it is almost inconceivable to our weak spirits. Women hear from their doctors that they may face death if they refuse to prevent, or worse abort, a pregnancy. So they opt for "safety". Sure, no one wants to face their mortality, especially with so much earthly treasure to lose. But treasure, whether it be material or familial, is still just temporal. Eternal riches are gained only through sanctification. And women of those days had no choice but to accept God's path to sanctification, whatever it brought along the way. In having to accept it, they faced their mortality with faith in a loving God who was sovereign over all, and hope in an eternity filled with greater riches than earth's.

Schooling, too, was an issue of discomfort at times. Imagine not only having the daily work load to bear, but also having the responsibility of educating and discipling your children, who were often numerous, due to no birth control options. One of the biggest reasons (or excuses, if we are to be completely honest) I hear from a person who chooses not to homeschool is, "I just don't have the patience." Really? You don't have patience for your own child? Don't get me wrong. I have days when my humanity is blatantly evident. To put it another way, I yell at my kids too! But what about sanctification? If you do not have the patience, would you be willing to put yourself in a position of discomfort in order to gain that quality, which is directly related to love (1 Cor. 13)? Back then, homeschooling was the common practice and parents had to have patience or learn to develop it quickly!

As you read this, you may be counting your blessings, feeling grateful for our modern conveniences and societal advances. But are we really better off?

You see, this life is not about comfort. If we constantly take advantage of our many modern "perks" by making our choices based purely on what is "best" according to personal comfort, and then dismissing the issue with two simple words (Christian liberty), then we have missed it. We should not ask ourselves which decisions or convictions are most comfortable, but rather we should ask ourselves which decisions will most pull us out of our comfort zones and cause us to rely on the Lord the most. Which options will grow us in our faith? We should not ask which options are safest, but which have the most potential to cause sanctification. Isn't spiritual growth more important than life itself? Likewise, isn't obedience to God more important than anything, including our own mortality? If in our eternal life we have nothing to show for this life, were all the comfortable decisions really best?

Once identified, we should ask the Lord if that uncomfortable, dangerous, sanctification-producing decision is truly what He wants for us individually. And not just pray, but plead for it for the growth it can bring! I think more often than not, He will direct us down that narrow way. Or, as Robert Frost put it so well, "the road less traveled by". And that, my friends, will make all the difference!

Cognitive Dissonance is my Best Friend

I posted this little statement as my Facebook status update earlier today: Cognitive Dissonance is my best friend, as long as she doesn't stay as a guest too long. It really sums things up for me. But what I hate is when I can't seem to work it all out in my head...when she decides to take up residence in the guest room of my mind and outwears her welcome. I'm feeling that way about a lot of various things these days.

I guess that's where we have to have humility to recognize that there is a certain amount of mystery to this life and to our spirituality. And all our ponderances...all our "musings and puzzlings" if you will...may not be entirely answered this side of eternity. It's okay to suffer through a little...or a lot...of cognitive dissonance. Maybe at some point we just let go of it and give it to God?

So, what is my brain driving me crazy over? I'm not sure I want to go into every nuance and detail here at this point. It isn't overly private, but I think I just want my brain to have a little more time to chew on it all. I think, also, I am a little too tired to do any more mental chewing at this time. A fresh day and some rest would put me more in the mood. Not to mention the fact that I have chewed on it for months and seem to go in circles and it is a subject that I don't think is answered very simply, in fact. Sometimes I think I know what I think and then I find another angle, another hidden facet that I hadn't spied before. And sometimes that hidden facet leads me to still other topics and angles that need conquering.

So, about this time, maybe you are wondering why I am even sharing this. I think I may be wondering that a bit, as well. But I suppose I just want to encourage you to be okay with your own cognitive dissonance. Be okay with not having all the answers worked out. Too many people in this world already know everything. And I think we miss out on exciting discoveries when we are not human enough to admit that maybe we don't have the answers we thought we did.

Social-Lies-ing

I once heard of a psychologist who had "discovered" the cathartic experience of telling the truth, even when it was most difficult. He started a whole practice based on the idea that it is always best to always tell the truth, no matter how uncomfortable or painful. It intrigued me because...well, because of the truth of it! We read in John that the truth will set us free (John 8:32).

Yet, most of us don't really believe it. At least, in practice we don't. I consider myself one of the few fortunate women to be married to a man who always tells me the truth. I may not want to hear that my rear end is getting larger or that I really need a shower to get the stink off me, but you know what? It is unbelievably freeing to never have to doubt the words of the one who is dearest in the world to you. It takes away the insecurity and suspicion. Is he just saying my butt looks good because he knows that's what I want to hear or does it really look the same size as before I had three children? Does he really like that meal that I made? Am I really a good writer, mother, wife? Hearing honest answers to these questions allows me the opportunity to truly grow and become a better person. And in seeing the benefits to our truth-based relationship, I have become more comfortable with simply answering questions truthfully myself, rather than participating in social lies.

But there's a catch. Part of the downside is that I sometimes truly forget the "social norms" of our culture. I forget that not everyone wants to hear the truth when they ask a question. This is a warning to you. Do not ask me questions that you really don't want answers to. Ladies, seriously...When you are nine months pregnant, you are huge. Just accept it and move on. I mean, you have another whole person inside of you! I am not saying you are huge and ugly. Do not assume that "huge" means "fat". In fact, I think pregnancy is beautiful, large bellies and all. And even if you do look puffy and strange, I promise not to tell you that you look puffy and strange...unless you ask me. So, please, don't ask me. But if you ignore this warning, I'll probably try my best to nicely deflect the question or dress up my answer because I also believe in doing to others as I would have them do to me. (Nothing is so frustrating as wanting reassurance from my husband only to get the harsh truth...no ribbons, bows, or glitter included. But of course, those are the exceptions, not the rule. He understands I still need a little glitter on the ugly truth from time to time)!

So, if the truth will set us free, then I believe it will set us free in all areas. If I don't fit in because of it, then I guess that's okay, too. Maybe more can join me in the quest for being completely truthful so we can all be odd specimens of society together!