Why American Heritage Girls Support Life

Exactly one year ago, AHG launched its Respect Life Patch, affirming its support of all life and the importance of caring for all God’s children.  Since then, the Patch has sold quicker than any other badge or patch in AHG’s nearly twenty- year history.  The sales tell the story, AHG supports life and so does its members.

As a Christ centered ministry, AHG loves the things Christ loves.  He loved His Father who gave Him life. He loved the sick, the poor, the disabled, the deformed, the mentally ill, the demon possessed, the disfigured, the elderly, the newborn, the prostitute, the tax collector and those that followed and believed in His divinity.  He taught His disciples to do the same.  His message of love for all continues today as His followers, through the power of the Holy Spirit, toil to love His children despite their sin.

God, the Creator, gives each of us life.  According to Holy Scripture, God loved us so, that He even made us in His own image. The prophet Jeremiah affirms God’s love affair with us before our conception: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations."  

Faith in Christ requires a Faith in God, the Father who gave Jesus life.  Faith in God requires respect for His sovereignty and His righteousness.   

January 22, 1973, the United States Supreme Court approved the ability for women to have the right to stop the work of the Creator, a work that women did not begin, according to Scripture.   Many AHG Families across the country will hold this day as a “Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of the Unborn”.  In addition to the precious, innocent unborn lives, let us not forget to pray for the protection of those who live with chronic illness, the disabled, the elderly, and all of those who have been marginalized by society.

When AHG announced the Respect Life Patch, most applauded the initiative.  Others (most from outside the AHG family and mainly media) shared messages of disgust citing AHG’s “political” bent.  To me, standing for life is not a political issue but rather a God-issue.  All life is valuable to Him.  And if we, as a ministry, purport to love Him and follow Him, life must be valuable to us as well.   

And we need to teach our daughters this most important lesson. 

Until Next Time,

Patti

The Tragedy of America's Funny Man- Robin Williams

Dear Friends,

It is always a difficult time when someone you love passes from this earth.  Depending on our relationship with the deceased, the pain we feel can be intolerable, haunting and long lasting.  Sometimes the pain is so strong that we don’t know how we can go on.  We lose our “joie de vivre” our energy, our focus, we may even be so devastated that we

wish to join our loved one because our loss is so great.

As believers, our work on earth- our meaning of life, is to share the Gospel of Jesus with all those we encounter.  This sharing takes different forms dependent on the depth of relationship we have with our acquaintances.  No matter how long we have known someone, we should just exude the essence of love- the essence of Jesus.  We should exhibit a personality that is pure, encouraging, loving and full all of the other qualities found in our longstanding AHG Creed.  We should live in a way that makes others wonder what makes you different, what brings you this inner peace and consistent joy?  As Steve Taylor of Newsboys said in one of his lyrics, “Shine, make ‘em wonder what you’ve got, make ‘em wish that they were not on the outside looking in.”

 

But the reality of exhibiting and living real joy can be tough.  For many, too many, it is tougher than tough.  Mental illness in all its various forms affects people from all social demographics, from all religious backgrounds and from all cultures.  Mental illness, including depression, affects Christians.  Claiming that “true” Christians do not and should not suffer from depression places additional pain and guilt on suffering believers.

I believe it is important as believers whose work on earth is to share Jesus, that we understand what depression is and what it is not.  I pray that through the recent sudden death of Robin Williams, a comedian that made all of us smile despite his pain, that perhaps we could wake up and commit to learn more about depression so that we can minister to the wounded.

Robin Williams’ death has shocked us all.  He was just a man and men die every day.  But the loss of America’s funny man, the funny man that transcended generations with his gifted comedic style, through an apparent suicide presents a disturbing reality.  That reality is: So many of us are not who we seem to be and are living our lives behind masks that cover our hurt and our pain.  This is true of more people than we think – more than just age 60+ actors with past addiction problems, but it is also true of many young women who are in our Troops , or their parents or their grandparents. 

Consider reading David Murray’s Book “Christians Get Depressed Too” http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1601781008/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1601781008&linkCode=as2&tag=headhearthand-20

May the knowledge that we glean from understanding the hidden killer that is depression, be a tool in the Tool Box of Love that we use to share the love and true joy that only comes from knowing Him.  Learn more, affirm the girls in your Troop, love your kids and hubby unconditionally, and keep all families who struggle with depression in your prayers.  If you are struggling with this illness, please seek help - ignoring it is not a remedy.

I pray that Robin Williams’ wife and three kids, friends and extended family members are consoled by members of the Christian community who share the love and comfort of the  Holy Spirit during their time of intense grief. 

Until Next Time,
Patti

Through Many Trials - by AHG Patriot Sarah Peterson

Dear Friends,

AHG Girl Blogger, Sarah Peterson tackles the subject of the usefulness of Trials in sharpening our walk with Christ.  With wisdom beyond her years, Sarah shares her thoughts and I pray you will share this important message with a special girl in your life!

Trials. Not a fun word. Not something we like going through. and sometimes we don't expect them.

This last weekend we were at Faith Baptist Bible College for their annual high school basketball tournament. I was very excited. Last year our team went down and won the whole thing! We lost four of our starters last year, so I knew that this year at the tournament would be harder.

But I didn't think it would be this hard.

The first three games were pool play to determine our ranking for the fourth game on Saturday. We lost all three pool play games. On Saturday we would play for seventh out of eight teams.

Talk about a trial.

I don't like trials. Never have. Thing is, I learned so much this basketball tournament. Not only about basketball, but also about myself, my attitude, my character and my walk with God. Trials do help us learn. Funny...God uses trials to teach us things that we may not have learned otherwise. Would I have looked at my attitude if we had won every game? Probably not, because my attitude would have been great. But instead I had to learn to love the other players on and off the court when they killed us. I had to keep my head up high for the younger girls when I really just wanted to go into the locker room and pout. I had to honor God with my thoughts when I honestly was feeling defeated. Saturday night I got home and I was tired. Mentally and emotionally. But looking back a few days later, I think that we had the best tournament yet. Yes we got crushed, but we bonded as a team. We lost together. We learned together. We encouraged each other together.

God uses trials. Why?

1) they push us out of our comfort zone. I wasn't comfortable losing. Honestly I wasn't used to it. The past few years we have only lost about six games. But losing made me think that winning isn't everything. Character is. If we won but had a horrible attitude, we might as well have lost. Wins and medals will fade, but who you are as a person never will.

2) they reveal what we need to work on. Not only did I learn tons of things that I need to work on in basketball (better passes, hustling more, having patience, etc.) but also about myself off the court. I get in to the habit of having an attitude of defeat. I feel like I have to be perfect and when I'm not I feel defeated. I learned that I can't have that attitude. If you're in a hole and life throws dirt your way, shake it off, stomp it down and step up.

3) they show us that we need to turn to God. When life is going good I get into the habit of forgetting God. I get content. Comfortable. God has to sometimes throw a trial into our lives to remind us who is truly in control. Lesson from that? Don't wait for a trial to put God first. Make Him a priority when things are going great as well as horrible.

Trials aren't fun. But you know what? If we let God have His way and if we are teachable, we come out better than before. That tournament changed me as a person and as a basketball player. So are trials bad?

No.

Not if you let them change you into more of an image of Christ. God doesn't bring trials in our lives to knock us down, but so that through Him we can learn to rise up better than before.

Well said Sarah!

Until Next Time,

Patti

 
Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds 

                                                                                                                               James 1: 1-3

A Lenten Visit to Haiti

Hi Friends,

Today's blog is dedicated to the beautiful children of Haiti and to our Father who loves each of us so much they He sacrificed His one and only Son so that all of us can have eternal life.  

And now the account of Jody Token's( AHG's Public Relations Coordinator) wonderful adventure to Maison des Enfants de Dieu (Home of the Children of God) in Port- a- Prince, Haiti:

 Port-a-Prince is barely an hour-and-a-half from Miami. How can something so stricken by poverty and devastation be so close? Let me just say, despite the history of the Haitian nation, God is an ever-present force in Haiti and in the end, Jesus will overcome, just as promised in Revelation 12, And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony.  And people like you and me are the hands and feet of this promise.

I traveled to an orphanage in Port-a-Prince in Creole. Maison is home to over 80 children, most of whom have been abandoned since the earthquake in January, 2010, either by loss of parents, or by birth parents that cannot care for them. The stateside organization which manages the orphanage is called For His Glory Outreach http://www.forhisgloryoutreach.org/.

There is a school for the children from preschool through fourth grade. The school is taught in English to help prepare children for their adoptive families. The house is clean and filled with the love of nannies and caretakers that have a great heart for the children. The orphanage ministers to the people in Haiti by employing local Haitian men and women to care for the children and to teach in the school. Every day at noon, the nannies in the nursery would burst into an amazing time of prayer and worship. I sat at their feet with a baby on my lap and soaked in the sound of intercession.

The way these children hugged is beyond the hug even of my own children. I’ve never been hugged like this. I can still feel their embrace. I’ve spent the last few days crying and remembering this hug.

My youngest daughter asked if she could have a little sister (so that she didn’t have to be the youngest anymore. I came home empty-handed, only because most of the children have adoptive parents waiting for them. However, the paperwork sits in a pile in a Haitian government building. A typical adoption takes two to five years in Haiti. 

This breaks my heart.

Yet, a spirit of overwhelming joy exists in this orphanage. Their eyes and smiles are bright. Their words reflect a deep love and trust in Jesus.

I have included a link to a simple video from my trip. In this instance, a picture is truly worth a thousand words. Every face you see, I had the privilege of looking into their eyes. I hugged and held each child. I shared the love of Jesus and prayed over them. Jesus looked back into my eyes and smiled at me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRznXR01sY0&context=C4d49accADvjVQa1PpcFNYsxur-RL00s0gt1GzRhQaw2nujiNj-sk=

I pray that every follower of Jesus will take the time to go out beyond their walls of comfort to pour out the love of Jesus. This is not a casual suggestion. This is a Biblical mandate.  It’s our response compelled by the love of Jesus.

Once we receive the “Christ-died-for-me-while-I-was-still-a-sinner” kind of forgiveness, we should be moved to action. Scripture reveals the appropriate response many times throughout the Old and New Testament. My favorite New Testament Scripture is James 1:27 “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”

“Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?” Then I said, “Here am I! Send me.”

For HIS glory, Jody

Jody thank you for being His hands and feet.  

Until next time, lenten blessings to you,

Patti 

Welcome! Happy March!

I can’t believe I am writing my first entry on a blog - my blog. I feel like Julie of Julie and Julia but I would never attempt to cook that much! Don’t get me wrong, I like to cook but mostly on the weekends when I have time, not after a long day of work at AHG!

They (who are “they” anyway?) say your first blog should tell the audience who you are, why you are blogging, what you will be blogging about and how you can leave feedback. Well....here goes!

I am a Christian, a wife, a mother, a grandmother, a sister, a daughter, a cousin, an aunt, a great aunt, a neighbor, a friend, a co worker, a manager. I am a lot like you. I love to learn and I love to teach. I love my family – my husband Pat whom I have loved since grade school and my 4 blessings – the 3 Garibabes and Jon. They too have fallen in love, some married with children the other two dating wonderful people. I love to love and have a great amount of compassion and empathy – sometimes that gets me in trouble, we’ll talk about that in a later post.

I hope to offer some thoughts on living a life that makes a difference despite the demands of the urgent. I hope to share some lessons I have learned from parenting my four kids. I hope to offer some insight on obedience and the blessing that it brings. And I hope to share with you the depth and width of a love that only God can provide. And I hope that my thoughts are worth the time you may invest reading them.

I welcome your comments. I truly believe that we are all part of the body – equally important to the whole. I believe that sharing our challenges and our triumphs help to lift one another through difficult times. And I believe that a united body in Christ can truly change our culture.

Welcome to this adventure, I don’t know what I am doing in the blogosphere. One thing I have learned in my 50 plus years, if it is of Him, He will give me the words, the topics and the followers.

Until next time... Patti