Basil (Pronounced Baa sil)

When I first saw this name in our lecture notes for Thursday I laughed thinking about the seasoning basil. I love that stuff. But, Basil was an amazing man. He lived 330-397AD. At first he wasn't a Christian but after his children were converted from being taken so well care by the church during a plague, he realized that he needed Christ! He became a Christian because the church did their job! They acted as the church is supposed too. When his daughter was sick she was as pagan as she could be, but they took care of her and when we demonstrate love and mercy Christ demonstrates His Lordship. He would be considered a genius now. He very well could of had an amazing career in politics but chose to enter into the ministry. He loved his flock, he spoke passionately and he had 18 services a week! His community of Caesarea was, he thought, all Christian, but it wasn't. There were still pagans roaming in that city. These pagans were called the Sagae. They were a group of abortionist. Think about that. Abortion has been around since 300 years after Christ. During this time, in the early church, Christianity was flourishing.

In the Roman Empire a baby was not considered a human until it was literally raised up by it's father and he declared it so! But, up until then, it was fair game. A Roman mother did not HAVE a child, she TOOK a child. During this time there was NO law that protected babies or children. There was child sacrificing, abortion and walls for you put your babies on for them to be exposed to death. Basil knew he had to end this. He knew that it was not going to be just a battle, but a war! He took action. He realized that those who had abortions were poor girls with no man to stand by their side. So, he started a school to educate men on how to be fathers, that they got themselves in this mess and they are the only ones who can get themselves out of it, he taught them that they have the responsibility of being a father. He started hospitals for these girls. He preached about the sanctity of life, would read a Psalm and say "Hey, Sagae, this ones for you!" He was bold! He went to the officials and asked them if all these acts of child killing were legal, they said they were and even though they did not like them either, if they did anything to the Sagae, they were so wealthy the society would crumble! The reason why the Sagae were so rich was because of their trade. Once the women took the herbs that would kill the baby in her womb (maybe even her), when the baby was out of the womb, the harvested them and sold them to Egyptian traders. These people would take the knee caps and such and make beauty products out of them. Basil fought this. He hated it!

Even though in our society babies aren't killed with offered sacrifices to some god in olympus, or left on a wall to die from exposure, it is the same thing guys! When are we going to wake up and quit walking around with blinders on our eyes! We have to take off our masks and soar on the wings of eagles and do hard things like Basil and fight this! Lets do a little comparison here:

• They killed their babies with herbs-we do basically the same things.
• They offered them as sacrifices-we do the same thing. We sacrifice them to ourselves. We think that it will make us happy, but, it never does.
• They would leave their babes on a wall to be exposed to death-in post birth abortions a babies lungs cannot stand our air but it could survive with the proper medical help, but they are left in a soiled utility room to suffocate.
• I don't see much a difference.

Then, oneday after a service, Basil and a group of faithful deacons went down to the exposure wall and DEMOLISHED it!!! They tore it DOWN! After hearing about this amazing act the Emperor set a law that abortion, child sacrificing and the building exposure walls was illegal! Another law was made that all parents are to support their children. This was the first law, in history, to of ever been made that protected children. Basil has been such an encouragement to me. I hope that he has been to you. He was ready. And we need to be too! He had been waiting on his moment to come and when it did, he knew it and he was ready for it. He had been preparing all his life, God had been getting him ready. He didn't know what for, and I bet that at times he didn't want to do whatever it was God had for him in order to get ready, but, when the time, came he was fully equipped. He changed the course of history. It didn't just happen, he had to fight. He knew that their were no disposable children, that God IS the only giver and taker of life! He knew that there are two worldviews in our world: those who will take life without reserve and those who will fight for lfe without reserve.

God Bless,

Joy.

My Mission

Well, as you can tell, I have been out of blogger world for a while! Well, last Saturday we were blessed with being ale to go to a Do Hard Things Conference (i talk more about that later). While we were there God told me that He had something big for me to do. And so, I was like, well, ok, whatever you say. Well, when He did start giving me signs about what He wanted me to do I got really scared! I told Him that he was going to have to keep giving me signs in order for me to this. Well, I guess He smiled and said, "Hey y'all, what this," and He did. And I guess I should of thought that it was amazing but, because what He wants me is so big the signs scared me. I was hoping that I was making it all up and that I wouldn't see anything. Well, I saw a lot. The mission He has given me is to bring abortion to an end in our state. And when He told that I was like "Well, that would be really hard, what if I fail and look dumb?" What is crazy is at the conference they talked how even FAILED EFFORT BUILDS MUSCLE! We have to keep going! I had shared with Small Group last Sunday that so many great men in history were because they were stubborn and determined. Whinston Churchhill said to "Never, never, give up." He wasn't considered smart, he had a lips, but what most people don't know is that he was the only man that Adolf Hitler was afraid of. A humble, determined servant of Christ, who never gave up. And when I thought those thoughts of doubt I realized that I was being dumb and COMPLETELY contradicting myself. Let me share with you some f the signs that He gave.

• In our history lecture our teacher talked about the sanctity of life.
• I have seen the director of our Crisis Pregnancy Center' name twice this week.
• I am reading a book called "Just Do Something" and in it the author talked about Esther saving her people; last year I wrote a paper about Esther saving her people and how the babes of abortion are our people we need to save them.
• I was able to talk about Abort73 (a website who's mission s to raise aware in teens about abortion) on Wednesday night at church and it felt so awesome and I was thankful for that opportunity!
• Matthew 8:10,13 says, " As assuredly as I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel... 13Go your way and as you have believed, so let it be done for you."
• Before I read this I was very afraid, Matthew 8:26 says, "But He said to them, 'Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?' And there was a great calm"
• In the book I am reading for school the author talked about what miracles babies are!
• In "Just Do Something" the author sad that if you want a career in medicine, then do something that will honor God, "to not perform abortions." (talk about feeling like you were feeling being hit up side the head with words!)
• And just now my sister told me that our cousins ran a marathon to help stop abortions.

So, yes, there it all is! I am so thankful for all the girls that listened to me tonight at Small Groups and all the girls who got so excited and wanted to join me! God is so awesome!!! As I was talking with them and as I have been writing this I have realized that I will not be doing this alone, that even if I am physically alone, HE IS with me!!

So, we hope that maybe we can start by volunteering at our local Crisis Pregnancy Center. And just a shout out to ny other girl who may read this and have a passion for innocent lives, please leave a comment and I would love to pray for you and would appreciate if you would pray for me. Thanks to all who took the time to read this. Please pray that God will guide so that I will do what need to do, one step at a time.

Thank you all so much for your support, encouragement and if you know anyone who wants to help fight this injustice and speak for those with no voice, please send this way and I would love to encourage them if I can, pray for, just form an online community of ACTIVE pro-life young women, for we are either a child or an adult and God has called us to be adults and act as adults, so we need to do something adults would do.

Again thank you all so much for listening!

God Bless you!!

Joy.