Psalm 12

The Faithful Have Vanished

Save, O Lord, for the godly one is gone; for the faithful have vanished from among the children of man. Everyone utters lies to his neighbor; with flattering lips and a double heart they speak.

May the Lord cut off all flattering lips, the tongue that makes great boasts, those who say, "With our tongue we will prevail, our lips are with us; who is master over us?"

"Because the poor are plundered, because the needy groan, I will now arise," says the Lord; "I will place him in the safety for which he longs." The words of the Lord are pure words, like silver refined in a furnace on the ground, purified seven times.

You, O Lord, will keep them; you will guard us from this generation forever. On every side the wicked prowl, as vileness is exalted among the children of man.

Dear God,

What would You have me learn from this passage? That people who lie will be punished while You will bring safety to the least of these. God, today I come again with groanings in my heart, praying that You will intervene on behalf of the least of these with regard to healthcare, that You will make sure that the republicans do NOT make things worse than they already are. For as long as insurance is a necessity in order to afford healthcare in this country, everyone should be able to buy it and have full coverage that actually covers them and covers preventive care. No one should have to face losing coverage in the middle of treatments and diagnosis. No one should have to face losing homes or access to food. This country is supposed to be one of the wealthiest. The problem is not the programs that help the poor, the sick, and the veterans. The problem is the republicans who have become so vile and greedy since Mr. Obama. The problem is Trump. Trump who admitted to not paying taxes and called himself smart for not paying taxes when it is just him not being a responsible citizen when he is perfectly capable of doing so. God, there is some comfort in this passage knowing that people like Trump and the other republicans who have done nothing but lie their way into D.C. WILL be punished in the end. But sometimes I pray that it will be sooner than later and that You will make sure to remove the least of these into safety before it happens. 

Thank You.

In Jesus' Name,

Amen

Either Way, You Win!

"Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer." Romans 12:12

"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." - I Thessalonians 5:16-18

"Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust. Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul." - Psalm 143:8

Dear God, 

Even though it is Sunday, the problems related to the proposed budget of hate for the disabled, the elderly, and the veterans are still present as is the problem with regard to healthcare for the least of these. God, You say that You will take care of the least of these and that You want others to help take care of them. Yet everything the republicans are proposing is dangerous and harmful to the least of these. So God, knowing what the Scriptures say about Your heart for the least of these, I ask You to take these worries of mine and I ask that You intervene on behalf of the least of these every single day. And I may ask every day, but I know that You care and I know that You hear me. Or at least I hope that You hear me. 

Thank You.

In Jesus' Name, 

Amen

Because of My Hope...

"Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God. My soul is cast down within me; therefore I remember you from the land of Jordan and of Hermon, from Mount Mizar." - Psalm 42:5-6

"...but as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: by great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities,..." - II Corinthians 6:4

"...as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothin, yet possessing everything." - II Corinthians 6:10

"Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name." - Hebrews 13:15

Dear God, 

I need to put my hope in You. I need to praise You. You are my Savior and God. I'm feeling very down right now. I am discouraged. I am sad. And I am not sure of my hope in You. God, with the healthcare issue, we need Your intervention. They have come after the least of these this time. And that's not good. They are now threatening a shutdown again that would hurt veterans and their families. That's not good. Please, God, intervene.

Thank You.

In Jesus' Name, 

Amen

Worry Is a Waste

And he said to his disciples, "Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest?" - Luke 12:22-26

And he said with a loud voice, "Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come, and worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water." - Revelation 14:7

Dear God, 

Worry is thinking about things at the wrong time. I hand over to You the concerns that millions of Americans have with regard to healthcare and budgets that make things worse for our country. I hand over to You the republican monsters and their hateful actions that go against Your Word with regard to the least of these and the elderly and the veterans. I hand these things over to You because I am but one person and I cannot handle these things on my own. 

Thank You.

In Jesus' Name, 

Amen

The Sun

"And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he Edwards those who seek him." - Hebrews 11:6

"We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete." - II Corinthians 10:5-6

"And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God." - Colossians 1:9-10

Dear God, 

In order to please You, I must have faith believing that You are real and that you reward those who seek You. Keeping You at the center of my every thought, word, and action IS a challenge though! I must take captive every thought and make it give up and obey You. I need to study Your word to find out pleases You. Please do be the sun of my world and shine in my life. Today, I give You my thoughts about what the republicans are doing to destroy healthcare again. This time in a way that would charge the elderly more and would potentially turn insurance into nothing more than the junk plans that were allowed before the ACA. They have a plan that is far worse than the ACA and is still short of universal care. Today, I give You my thoughts about their proposed cuts to HUD which helps house homeless veterans and disabled people. See, they complain about those of us against the wall and refugee bans not being for veterans yet their own party is cutting programs that help veterans!!! I can care about both the refugee and the veteran and I do care about both. God, help us all the next several months. God, do Your will here. God, prepare our hearts and minds and keep them awake against the devil child Trump. He lies. His party lies. And we need to be alert to the lies so we are not misled. You will know them by their fruit. Rotten fruit is rotten fruit. 

Thank You.

In Jesus' Name, 

Amen

My Mighty Hand

"Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you." - I Peter 5:6-7

"He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?" - Micah 6:8

But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble." - James 4:6

Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you. - James 4:10

Dear God, 

You want me to be humble under Your mighty hand and to trust Your work in my life. God, I am struggling with that as we watch yet another very evil man, Jeff Sessions, who has stood openly opposed to the laws that help the disabled and openly opposed to veteran's healthcare funding. I am watching America get destroyed. And I am seeing this after having just gotten out of the hospital for an overnight IV antibiotic treatment to combat a couple of serious infections. And this coming at a time when the republicans are bent on destroying the ACA which would cause 200 million people to lose protections they now benefit from with some 180 million not getting coverage through the marketplace.  God, please show Yourself in a might way. 

Thank You.

In Jesus' Name, 

Amen

You Are on the Path of God's Choosing

Luke 1:76-79 - "...And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace."

Luke 12:25-26 - "And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest?"

Dear God, here and now in this moment is where I am supposed to live. It is hard not to worry about the future. Today I received another message warning about the threats to Medicaid and how it would negatively affect the disabled. More threats to the Affordable Care Act which would also negatively impact the disabled, including myself. The GOP budget of hate is literally going to be the most unChristian thing ever and this time, things are going to be even uglier than ever before. As I evaluate the GOP right now and those who defend their actions, all I can think is how dare you call yourself a Christian while you support a party that wants to cut the disabled off, wants to cut off veterans, and now wants to cut off the elderly! If I will know them by their fruits, the GOP has NO Christians. They are greedy war hungry idiots who care nothing about anyone who is not white or rich. God, while worrying may not help me or extend my life, and while I know I shouldn't wish ill will on anyone, I actually do wish the GOP idiots in D.C. would have to be dealt a serious blow to their bank accounts and wallets such as that which so many families of special needs individuals, including my own, have dealt with. Be it from lack of insurance or lack of proper insruance, or be it from the lack of community services or access to them, every single special needs person and family has suffered the consequences of a very hateful GOP of late. They say they are pro-life yet have no problem cutting the disabled off from the things they need in the way of healthcare and other services. God, please intervene before it is too late. Thank You. In Jesus' Name, Amen!

Learn to Let Go

Psalm 89:15-16 - Blessed are the people who know the festal shout, who walk, O Lord, in the light of your face, who exult in your name all the day and in your righteousness are exalted.

Isaiah 41:13 - For I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, "Fear not, I am the one who helps you."

Hebrews 13:8 - Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

Dear God, I really wish right now that I could rest secure in Your presence, but as You already know the republicans are out the trying to financially hurt the elderly, the poor, the disabled, and the veterans again threatening to strip away at the programs that are designed to help them. They are also yet again threatening to take away their healthcare. And the worst part is that they are doing this and claiming to be Christians. Please remind them about the least of these. God, it is scary really. Because if how they treat the least is how they treat Jesus, then Jesus is being condemned to starve to death, die of cancer or whatever illness befuddles him, be thrown out on the streets, and just keep silent because if he fights back, they will just get uglier. I know because that is what my representative that I did not vote for is willing to do to me. He is serving his rich buddies that can line his fat pocket and claiming that he is doing it because he is a Christian and condemning the rest of us to our deaths just because our circumstances are not of wealth. Their budget plan is so unChristian and so unpatriotic, it is no longer funny. The worst part is somehow they will still survive because they have money, but all the rest of us will be screwed. Oh God, right now, my prized possession is not a person or an animal or anything I can actually hold onto. And yes, I still desire reconciliation but it is up to You to bring that about in due time as You continue to work through me and through that person. Right now my prized possession is the need for security, even if just short term. God, hold my hand and don't let go. Please keep financial provision in my family. Thank You. In Jesus' Name, Amen!

You Are Valuable

Luke 12:22-26- And he said to his disciples, "Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest?"

Ephesians 3:20-21 - Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Dear God, I am glad I am valuable to You, but sometimes I feel like I am not valuable to anyone, especially when the news keeps saying the republicans are back at their old game of hate for the sick who need insurance the most. They are still threatening to repeal the ACA because they hate the color of the president's skin. I finally have a chance at truly getting better so I can work at some point and the republicans want to destroy it before I even get it. It is not fair and it is not what YOU would desire at all. It goes against what You said in Matthew 25:31-46 when Jesus spoke about how to treat the least of these and how the way that they are treated is the way He is treated. I guess that means the republicans would even deny Jesus affordable acces to healthcare too. Scary. But they also don't understand that it is illegal under another law. Many people who have pre-existing are protected under the Americans with Disabilities Act and the ACA, with the pre-existing conditions clause, further extends the rights under the ADA that have always been there but that insurers refused to allow until the ACA extended the extra protection to them. People like me who have private insurance and finally have more comprehensive plans finally have a chance of getting better and some of us may even finally have a chance to work at some point, even if just part time. But the republicans do not want to hear the truth, they cannot stand the truth. They do not care how many people they hurt. They just hate the president and have hated him ever since he took their plan and ran with it to still get it passed. Now, we see the plan the republicans have and it is nothing but repeal and screw the people who are disabled because of their pre-existing conditions. They apparently want us to die so we are no longer a burden to them. Well, I didn't fight all these years for nothing. I will fight against every single one of them. And if they cause me to lose my insurance, I will show up on their doorsteps and insist they must allow my family to move in with them because they caused a veteran and a disabled person to end up going bankrupt to medical costs caused by their disruption and if they refuse that they are committing treason against this country because they caused a veteran to become homeless. As long as the current president is in office, the ACA is protected territory, and like he said, we don't negotiate with terrorists. The republicans are already to shut down the government again if they can't repeal the ACA. Well, that is a breach of contract with the veterans and the disabled. And I think it is time that Americans enter into class action lawsuit against them for the damages they keep inflicting. Yes, I will know them by their fruit, and although they say they are Christians, their actions don't show it. Matthew 25:31-46. Which candidates in my area are for the least of these? Mark Lester and Parker Griffith and seems to be anyone but a republican this year. God, I am glad you value me though. That does make me feel better in light of all the negativity out there. Help me value myself more. Thank You. In Jesus' Name, Amen!

The Problem with I Believe...But...

"I believe no child should go hungry, but not if it comes out of tax dollars."

"I believe no one should go hungry, but not if it comes out of tax dollars."

"I believe no one should go hungry, but if they are on food stamps, then I should get to dictate what they can and cannot buy."

"I believe no one should go hungry, but if they are on food stamps, then they should get drug tested."

"I believe...but...." 

Stop right there!

I believe. STOP! No buts allowed. 

What would Jesus do? What does Jesus say?

Feed the hungry. PERIOD.

Take care of the poor. PERIOD.

Take care of the sick. PERIOD.

Take care of the widow. PERIOD.

Visit the imprisoned. PERIOD.

Clothe the naked. PERIOD.

Shelter the homeless. PERIOD.

Yet oddly enough, many so-called Christians try to set conditions to taking care of the least of these (Matthew 25:31-46). 

Why?

When you, a Christian, say, I believe, but, you are saying I do not believe God is capable of doing his will unless I make conditions for how His will should be done. You place limits on God. Stop doing that!

When you die, you will face your judgement. What will you say when you are asked if you believe in Jesus? Will you say, "I believe, but?" 

Let your yes be yes, and let your no be no. There is no BUT allowed. 

You either believe that no child or no person should go hungry or you don't. You cannot place conditions on how that is done. After all Jesus didn't. 

I am still trying to picture Jesus when he handed out the loaves and fish saying go pee in this cup then I will feed you. No. He would have just said, "here is your food. Peace be with you." Or, "here is your food. Now to in peace." 

To all the lawmakers, media reporters, church ministers, or other Christians out there reading this, stop demonizing the least of these. We have a voice just like you do, and we have the right to the same basic dignity and respect that you do. Either be compassionate because you do believe that is what you should do, or don't. No more half-wit attempts. 

What we do and do not eat does not affect you personally. It never has. It never will. 

Stop cutting SNAP because you think that is what God would want. Stop cutting Social Security for the elderly or the poor and the disabled because you think that is what God would want. Stop cutting veterans benefits because you think that is what God would want. Stop trying to repeal the ACA because you think that is what God would want. Just stop. If you are a Christian and involved in politics, then you have one job, and that job is to figure out a way to strengthen the social safety net programs that exist to help the least of these. And THAT is what God demands. 

No strings attached. Take care of the least of these and you will be rewarded. Fail to take care of the least of these and you will be punished. "For how you treat the least of these is how you treat Me." Jesus basically said that twice. That means it is important. 

God, I believe. When I feel tempted to say, "I believe, but," stop me and remind me that my yes is to be yes and my no is to be no. Thank You. In Jesus' Name, Amen!

Empty Hands and an Open Heart

Isaiah 40:28-31 - Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the. Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not grow faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. 

John 17:20-23 - "I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me." 

Disclaimer: I have no actual understanding of what any of the John 17 passage is saying right now. Best summary is that Jesus is saying that just as the Father is in Him and He is in the Father, that He desires that those who believe in Him will have the same kind of belonging to the Father as He does. I welcome any comments on this though.

Dear God, You ask that I come to You and accept Your love and friendship with me. Why would You be a friend to me when I am apparently so undeserving and so undesirable? Tom said he was my friend and then when grace was most needed, he believed some lies, spread them, and shattered everything and crushed my spirit. He cannot be a Christian. He has not shown the marks of a true Christian. He has made no effort to seek peace or restoration with me. God, in light of that, how can I trust that You really are a friend? Belonging? Oh how I wish! But God, as much as I want to belong, when churches abuse and bully those who have autism or any other kind of special needs, they make the world unsafe for us. The onus is on them in the end because if they are a church that does such heinous acts, then they are not following You to start with since You and Jesus have such compassion for the least of these and Jesus refers to anyone who does not treat them well as goats. Hmmm.... That would mean that Tom is a goat herder, not a shepherd. Even if he was a shepherd, the fact that he threw a sheep off the cliff just because it was crippled was wrong in itself. Heaven will rejoice all the more when he does finally come to his senses and seek peace and restoration with me. Belonging? The tea party doesn't think anyone who is not rich or healthy belongs in America now. They claim to be "patriots," but they are willing to cut veteran's healthcare and throw their fellow Americans off a cliff by starving them and denying them access to healthcare they might need and resources they need to stay afloat. They claim they are only doing what You would have them to do. Well, that is a problem now then, isn't it. Because You would make sure that we have access to medical care if we need it, food, shelter, water, clothing, and most of all, You would still treat us with dignity and respect. So if they are cutting off the least of these and cutting off the social safety nets that help them, then they are clearly not acting in Your name at all. The thing is, an article came out yesterday that the South Carolina governor (republican (most likely tea party extremist)) wants to get rid of public schools because public schools are not in the Bible. Well, neither are private schools. But by that logic, they cannot have guns either because guns were not in the Bible. I learned that whenever anyone tries to impose rules based on something that is not specifically mentioned in the Bible that they are being legalistic which is as sinful as being libertarian. The problem I have with the tea party is that are libertarian. Which means they don't really want to play by the rules of the game. They are trying to create their own rules and pretend like they can just blow off all the rules that have come along since the original constitution. They are fighting a war citing Christianity but they are hellbent on protecting the constitution. So much so that they have become white supremists again. They want their guns and they want America to be all about Christians but no one else. The thing is, if you look at how they define socialism, Jesus is the spitting image of socialism in action. Sarah Palin is an airhead more interested in being able to own a gun to shoot moose than to make sure that the least of these are taken care. She claimed to be in support of veterans having healthcare but the Paul Ryan budget of hate that the GOP passed in congress that will be dead on arrival in the senate due the unnecessity of it and also due to the fact that it again attempts to destroy the ACA which is helping millions of people everywhere now threatens to cut veteran healthcare. Talk about double standard hypocrisy or being uninformed. So yes, God, while I may have belonging when You finally decide to send Jesus back or when You finally decide to bring me home to You, I do not have belonging here on this side of heaven. Because I am apparently not wanted or desired by most churches or by most people. It grieves me when I see a parent of a child with special needs who would not be able to remain insured for long due to all the medical needs vote against her best interest by voting against anyone who supports the ACA. If it were not for the ACA, her child could be dropped or hit a lifetime cap and then what? Her family could lose everything they own. Unless her desired job is one that will secure millions of dollars a year. It also grieves me seeing the parents of children with autism pitting themselves against the adults who have autism. And for that matter, as much as I do not agree with everything that Autism Speaks is about nor TACA (there is no cure for autism, there never will be, there does not need to be, and I do not care what the cause is because I know what the cause is and it is genetic just like ADHD), I support any organization that is raising awareness of autism and providing any resources and information about it. Autism Speaks is more about legislative advocacy than anything else. And if people honestly think that they are suppressing the people with autism from speaking, they really need to think again from the insight of a person with autism. The way I see it is that as long as you are writing on their page, you have a voice. And they may or may not respond to it, but you are speaking. Hence, autism does speak. But the problem is that all these people are so focused on the children (we must help the children who have autism, they need therapy, they need this, they need that) that they forget there are adults with autism who are now floundering and that their children will also become adults who have autism and will end up floundering as well unless something begins now to address the issues that adults with autism face. No job, no churches to minister to and with us, no schools, no community resources like recreation or home living resources or therapy, nothing. And if the adults with autism lack these things now, what kind of future is there for a child with autism who one day become an adult with autism? Not a good one so far. There needs to be a shift in the focus to addressing the problem adults with autism face. At any rate God, this all just goes back to the desire to belong. Bottomline is that I am a young and relatively new believer, a Christian, and I have no place to go to worship with other Christians because a church used the autism as an excuse to exclude me and to abuse me and to bully me and then the one friend I thought I could trust turned on me and has not evidenced that he is even a Christian over something he later claimed was a petty trigger to a meltdown (which he called a tantrum which means that perhaps he lied when he said he understood the autism after all, and a pastor who lies is not a pastor at all). If it was so petty a trigger though, then why would he refuse to seek peace and restoration and work toward biblical conflict resolution? Because of what he did, he brought down not only himself and his own reputation but the reputation of the entire church, not like they hadn't already done a good job of that themselves, especially the new "mercy" pastor. But still. And because of what he did, he brought down ALL churches and not just his own. God, I know that even if things do not get resolved this side of heaven although I pray along with many others that I will at least get answers this side of heaven if nothing else, answers from him, so that I can move forward, I know that You will deal harshly with him when judgment day comes and there is actually a chance that he will not be in heaven because of what he did. I mean those words from Jesus are pretty powerful: "Whatsoever you did to the least of these, you did to me.....Whatsoeevr you didn't do to the least of these, you didn't do to me." Sheep or goat. Which will it be? Thank You though. You are stirring in my heart in a major way. Thank You for wanting to be my friend even if I am not ready for that yet. In Jesus' Name, Amen!

Autism, Down Syndrome, Disabilities, and Hobby Lobby

Follow me please.

Most of you already know that Hobby Lobby is trying to assert itself as having religious beliefs and is opposed to birth control or contraceptives now. They were not opposed before the Affordable Care Act and now they are. Oh, and how can a for profit company be allowed to violate any part of any law it dislikes? And for that matter, although the CEO and founder can have religious beliefs because they are people, how can a corporation hold religious beliefs? It is not a person. Only people can hold beliefs. 

Well, their approach is a slippery slope that is too dangerous to go down. Why? Because if Wal-mart decides they don't want to cover women's care, they might suddenly cry it goes against their religion? Where in the Bible is birth control wrong? It is not in there. It is a grey area and it is legalism. 

Hobby Lobby would have a better chance if it clarified what it means by contraception as being just those forms that they think cause abortion instead of the broad term of contraception they are using. 

Contraception:

Shots

Birth control pills taken on a daily basis for a variety of reasons - don't want babies, have iron anemia, acne, hormone imbalance, heavy bleeding, irregularities 

Plan B - a three day dose of birth control to be taken within 72 hours after failed contraceptives or rape - prevents implantation - does not cause abortion

IUD

Patches

These are contraceptions used to prevent pregnancy.

I gave a scenario though:

Hobby Lobby historically has been one of the few places known to hire people with autism and other special needs. Now here is the deal. The girl with cognitive dysfunction gets a job at Hobby Lobby. Hobby Lobby gives her insurance. The doctor says she needs birth control because she does not understand sex yet. It is for her safety and protection. Also because she cannot handle having menstrual cycles. They can be very stressful. Suddenly Hobby Lobby says no because it violates our religious beliefs. Now they have done something illegal. They have denied a disabled person something she needs in order to have that job. They have now discriminated against her. It is a violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act and subject to lawsuit. 

If they are going to cover Viagra, they have to cover birth control. And because no single birth control is necessarily right for all women, they have to cover all of it. Otherwise, it is gender discrimination. 

If Hobby Lobby gets out of this portion of law, what will be next? No hiring special needs? No hiring women? No hiring someone of a different faith? No hiring a red head? No hiring a person who is not white? No paying what they are supposed to? Where does it end? Give an inch and they will take a mile.

Supposedly they are threatening a tantrum if they lose--close the stores. Fine. They chose to commit business suicide over the fact they are legalistic anyway.

Now I want to say something.

I called out someone who inappropriately commented about someone's size by saying she looked like she had swallowed her last two children. It was rude and inappropriate. And I also pointed out that it was a milestone that I recognized it as a person with autism. Well, he then turned around and in response to the scenario said people with autism and special needs are pathetic.

Let me say this now:

It is autism awareness month and what we need now is autism acceptance. But when people hold that attitude, it is clear that people like me will never be accepted at church, school, work, or in the community. It is hateful. And this is the attitude of someone who probably calls himself a Christian. The Paul Ryan budget was just passed by the republicans. Yeah, the party of Christianity. Well, guess what? It is not reflective of Christian values. It is a violation of Matthew 25:31-46 and it makes the republicans goats. Those are the words Jesus used. 

Paul Ryan hit veterans by cutting healthcare and SNAP. Paul Ryan hit the elderly by cutting SNAP. Paul Ryan killed the disabled by cutting SNAP, SSI, SSDI, the Affordable Care Act, and Medicaid. Paul Ryan hit women by cutting WIC. He wants to force a woman to carry a baby she didn't plan on or want for a variety of reason and in the meantime he takes food and medicine away from her and the baby. So now we have a bunch of unwanted babies because they don't want us to be on birth control and refuse to give us healthcare and the babies are all starving because they don't want us to eat either. It is the Mitt Romney rhetoric of hate toward everyone less fortunate than them all over again, the rhetoric that caused them to lose and caused even the most evangelical pastors to cringe and say that if Christians held that attitude they needed to repent! The Paul Ryan budget is unethical, illegal, and is definitely against what Jesus stood for, the republicans just crucified Jesus all over again. And here's the thing, we are approaching Easter. A time to remember Jesus' life and ministry on earth and what he did for us on the cross. 

Autism awareness should lead to autism acceptance. And in some ways, although we have come a long way with regard to race, we have not moved forward with regard to disabilities. Dear church, what are you doing to effect a POSITIVE change?