His presence
Sometimes we experience the Lord’s presence when God gives us the right information and resources at the right time to have the right impact. We see his hand in all of it and we know he’s at work. The Holy Spirit is fully present. Are we?
Join me as I continue an interesting journey down Memory Lane. In part 11, I shared the story of little Michael and his foster mom, Miss Clara. That began my search for little Michael’s birth mom. In the middle of it all, the Lord gave me an unexpected (and unwanted) book to emphasize who caused the family-splitting traumas and how he did it.
Key verse
Psalm 105:4 will be our key verse for the posts about joy in the Lord’s presence. The Holy Spirit, who inspired all scripture, tells us to seek the Lord’s presence continually. How do we do that?
Trusting, seeing, walking
The Holy Spirit indwells Christian believers, so he’s always present. Do we cherish and acknowledge him? Or do we ignore or reject him.
Experiencing joy in the Lord’s presence is all about trusting and seeing God—seeing his character, his working, his speaking, his leading, his blessings. How do we seek the Lord’s presence continually? We live Proverbs 3:5-7. Read the section called The Word in this post.
I think of Proverbs 3:5-7 like this—
walking with God and walking away from evil.
A paradigm shift
Have you ever experienced a paradigm shift? A big step out of the matrix? A time when you thought you knew the truth about “what was going on” and you suddenly realized you were completely wrong? Misled? Lied to? Pumped full of propaganda?
A particular way
Simply because we were born into a federal income tax and public welfare nation doesn’t mean it has to be this way; or more importantly, that things always were this way. These “modern realities” began at a particular time in a particular way—instigated by particular people. Were these longstanding institutions established for the good of We The People or for the good of someone else—some other group? (Not a rhetorical question.)
A better way
Last month I read a book that my boss, Father Daniel, highly recommended, In Our Hands: A Plan to Replace the Welfare State by Charles Murray. I did not intend to like this book. I thought it would be pro-socialism hogwash. It was actually very pro-capitalism. More to the point, In Our Hands was absolutely brilliant—filled with profound truths about human nature, families and communities. Since Father Daniel loaned me his copy, I couldn’t highlight it, so I took photos of certain pages. I read parts of the book out loud to Brandon while we sat on the couch.
In Our Hands enlightened me about many aspects of our welfare state. I thought I knew a lot about welfare, but I actually knew very little. I knew from my time working for Child Protective Services (CPS) that the welfare system didn’t work. Many people didn’t get out from under its chains. Couples didn’t marry due to our government’s welfare regulations, so women and children lived in perpetual instability, with seemingly no way out. I saw the lack of dignity, the despair, the impact of drugs and violence—the dark realities for many who lived in government housing projects—called “the projects.”
Welfare includes food stamps, welfare checks, Section 8 housing, Medicaid, Social Security and Medicare. In Our Hands provides a reasonable, attainable, easy-to-understand, vastly-preferable alternative. While the financial information in this book is remarkable (and not overwhelming), I found the pointed, practical societal information to be the ultimate gem. Author Charles Murray answered these vital questions, clearly and concisely.
How do people change based on government policies and practices?
How has the welfare state radically changed our United States society?
Peaceful Readers, I’m shocked to say this, but I highly recommend this book. Even if you approach In Our Hands with great hesitance like I did, I believe you’ll be extremely glad that you read it. Like me, you’ll find yourself nodding your head and saying, Wow.
What does a sociology or public policy book like In Our Hands have to do with today’s topic—joy in the Lord’s presence? You may be as surprised as I was.
Lena and little Michael
Last month, I told the story of little Michael and Miss Clara, his foster mom. Telling that story began an important search for me. I felt the need to find little Michael’s birth mom and talk with her. I’ll call her Lena. I couldn’t stop thinking about her.
The story
Back in the 1980s when I was the CPS caseworker who worked with Lena, she lived in rough, run-down government housing projects. Even so, she was very different from my other clients. She was a pretty young lady in her 20s—well-spoken, relaxed, slender. She had good social skills. She was smart. She visited Michael faithfully at the Child Protective Services office and she did what I asked her to do in her official, written Service Plan. Lena got her son back. In the three years* that I worked in what we called “direct services”—in the trenches—Lena was my only client who got her child back.
Little Michael went home.
What was his story? Michael came into foster care because his mom was using crack and leaving him with other people—a common tale in rough parts of town back in the 80s. Crack was cheap, hard-core and high-addictive. After Michael went back home, Lena went back to crack and Michael went back to Miss Clara’s. After Michael came back into foster care, I remember one day when I went to visit Lena at her apartment in the projects. I knocked on her door and she didn’t answer. The door was unlocked or maybe ajar, so I went on in and called out to her. (Yes, I was young and foolish.) I found her upstairs, passed out—dead to the world, as they say. It was 1 or 2 in the afternoon. I learned that Lena was many months pregnant. She admitted that she’d been hiding her pregnancy from me by holding a pillow in front of herself. She was still slender, except for the baby she couldn’t hide anymore.
Lena lost Michael forever and he was adopted. She also lost her new baby.
*After three years in direct services, I worked in night intake at the child abuse hotline, and then with foster and adoptive parents. For more about my 10 years in CPS, read this post and this post.
Lost and found
Lena lost a lot. More than 35 years ago, she lost herself and her children. How in the world would I find Lena after all those years? I typed her name in an internet search and saw her LinkedIn photo. I couldn’t believe it. She still had the same name. She worked in the same city. Wow. Even though I’m not on social media, God gave me enough to get started.
The Holy Spirit showed me what to do: Bring a special treat from Nothing Bundt Cakes and a card to Lena at work. In the card, tell her you want to hear her story.
The search
Yesterday I drove to one of her employer’s Ft. Worth offices, with cake and card in hand. A nice lady checked for Lena in her computer. Her name wasn’t there at all. Bummer. Time for Plan B. I asked Brandon to contact her via LinkedIn.
More to come about the search for Lena….
The name
What does the name Lena mean? I looked it up in The Name Book by Dorothy Astoria. (I felt led to choose this name for her.)
Name: Lena
Language/Cultural Origin: Greek
Inherent Meaning: Gentle
Spiritual Connotation: Blessed Peacemaker
Scripture: Matthew 7:12
Lena’s scripture is The Golden Rule. I love that. What about her real name—the name God chose for her? It means truth and holiness.
Names are extremely important and each one has a specific meaning and significance. Your name is very intentional. Here’s a beautiful example. I featured a talented artist in this post and she asked me to use her real name, Melissa. What does Melissa mean?
Name: Melissa
Language/Cultural Origin: Greek
Inherent Meaning: Honey Bee
Spiritual Connotation: Industrious, Creative
Scripture: James 2:22
Industrious, creative Melissa found and painted this rock and gave it to me. Isn’t that amazing? She took something no one else would notice and made something beautiful and shiny and special out of it. Melissa and her name make me think about this passage of scripture. Do I see God in Lena’s name and Melissa’s name? I sure do. And that gives me joy in the Lord’s presence.
We The People
Last month I read In Our Hands. What am I reading now? We The People: Documents and Writings of the Founding Fathers (2022 edition). I found it this May at Cracker Barrel as we drove home at the end of Logan’s junior year at Texas A&M. Logan gave it to me for Mother’s Day. The limited-edition volume is beautiful on the outside and much richer inside.
What did Thomas Paine have to say about society and government in his landmark pamphlet, Common Sense, written in 1776? After the introduction, Paine begins his essay describing society as a blessing and government as a necessary evil. We’ve all heard the expression “necessary evil,” haven’t we? Thank you, Thomas Paine. He describes government’s role—protection. Because people can’t be relied on to always do the right thing, someone must step in to control the harm, once it reaches a certain point. We need laws. Since I haven’t gotten very far into this essay, the remaining thoughts are mine.
Lawmakers
Some lawmakers are outstanding. Others are not. Unfortunately, the people who write the laws can be vastly similar to—if not horrifically worse than—the dangerous people those laws are supposed to protect us from. Some lawmakers are egregiously self-serving, malicious and blatantly evil. Some are bought and paid for by the oligarchs—the puppet-masters bent on death and destruction. For a very long time, slavery was legal in the United States of America. In more recent years, some laws and regulations have clearly sought to destroy traditional marriage and the nuclear family. Laws have been passed that make it legal for doctors, nurses and parents to murder children before and after they’re born.
Laws, propaganda, advertising, the media
and public opinion impact our beliefs and behavior.
Let’s consider abortion and welfare, and the surprising relationship between the two.
Abortion
Christians who are well-versed in biblical teachings and seemingly mature in their faith frequently—yes, frequently—fall prey to abortion—what laws permit; physicians and other professionals recommend; relatives and friends advise; and our warped society pushes incessantly through the media. Pro-abortion propaganda and pressure can be extreme. (Read The Walls Are Talking by Abby Johnson or see the documentary Bloodmoney, described in this post.)
And the church, with precious few exceptions, has been eerily silent. Women across America go to church on Sunday and to abortion clinics on Monday. A friend of mine had two abortions while she and her husband were seminary students, studying at the graduate level for Christian ministry.
I must say it again: Laws, propaganda, advertising, the media and public opinion impact our beliefs and behavior.
Until they don’t.
Choosing
The lies of the abortion industry are many. One of the big lies is that a woman gets to choose if and when she becomes a mother. Obviously, she becomes a mother at conception. People don’t want to talk about that reality. Motherhood begins at conception. At conception, she is physically a mother. She is spiritually a mother. And when she learns she’s pregnant, she is emotionally a mother. She may deny it all, but the truth is the truth. And her life will bear that reality out, powerfully, whether she wants it to or not.
The second chance
The peeps at Planned Parenthood and their pals in private practice train millions of teens and women to think this “I get to choose” way—giving them these scripted words: “This isn’t the right time for me. I’ll do that later.” And for many women, later never comes. They conceive once, abort their child, and never conceive again. Millions of women forfeit the gift of motherhood—both the gift of life that was entrusted to their care and the privilege to parent and hold their own child in their arms. They’re horrified when they realize they didn’t get a second chance. I’ve met some of them. And when I say horrified, I’m not exaggerating. I’ve heard the words and I’ve seen the tears.
The teenagers and the women believed the Planned Parenthood lie: You can do that later. And millions of them couldn’t. You see, the women weren’t in charge of their fertility, their conception, their motherhood. God was. The women didn’t get to choose everything.
God is the author of life. We aren’t.
The fallout
Another one of the big lies goes like this: “Abortion is no big deal—like a casual appointment to get your hair dyed or your teeth cleaned.” Nothing could be further from the truth. Very few people talk about the trauma and the frequently-lifelong fallout. When up to a third of the men and women in our society live silently in deep denial or with PTSD symptoms from the worst day in their lives, the true impact on our nation is incalculable—millions dead and millions more seriously compromised mentally, emotionally, spiritually. (Read Her Choice to Heal by Sydna Massé and Fatherhood Aborted by Guy Condon and David Hazard.) For more, including healing resources, see Abortion in the index.
The lawmakers said abortion is okay. Go for it, y’all. They said yes to mass murder, utter destruction, and evil taking over our land with a pervasive culture of death.
Abortion = death, trauma, silence.
What does welfare equal?
Welfare
The welfare regulations in the United States of America have encouraged teens and women to conceive and give birth to children outside marriage. Back in the 1980s when I worked with Lena, unmarried teens and women could receive welfare checks for their children. Married teens and women couldn’t. Charles Murray addresses these issues in his book In Our Hands. (His one casual mention of abortion is my only complaint with the book.)
The 1990s reform
Despite welfare reform in the 1990s, penalties for being married remain. See the Stronger Families booklet from The Heritage Foundation and other articles on their Welfare page. But please note: A “two-parent family” is not necessarily a family headed by a man and a woman who are married. Do you perceive the subtle wording difference? A “two-parent family” can be a man and a woman who live together outside marriage. It can also be two homosexual men or two homosexual women who parent together. In other words, a “two-parent family” sounds oh-so-wonderful and like a vast improvement over single parenthood (Stronger Families, item #1), but there can be serious, inherent problems involved. (Read this post about God’s design for marriage and this post for gender issues and resources.)
Item #6 in the Stronger Families booklet praises the 1990s welfare reform, which “halted the rapid rise in the percentage of children born outside of marriage.” Forty percent of children in the United States of America are born to parents who are not married. Personally, I don’t consider that reality worthy of celebration. At all. Besides, what percentage of children are born to a married homosexual couple? What does the statistic fail to tell us in that department?
The merry-go-round
Prior to the 1990s welfare reform and to some extent since then, millions of teen girls have viewed giving birth as their ticket to a monthly paycheck. They started riding on a seemingly-fun merry-go-round, but they couldn’t get off it. The destructive patterns began—promiscuity, rejection, pregnancy, reality, parenting, restricted options.
These teen girls thought their babies would meet their deep need to feel loved. It never crossed their minds that they had the giving-and-receiving reality of parenting backwards. It was their job to love their children, to speak the five Love Languages, to make their children feel loved. In addition to not knowing their responsibility in The Love Department, they didn’t understand what love is. They were misled children, under 18, when they hopped on this merry-go-round—the one they couldn’t leave.
Seeking relief
I met some of these teen girls when I worked for CPS. Their lives were disastrous. Parenting is hard. The welfare puppet-masters don’t tell anyone that. Teens from hard backgrounds, almost always without a dad in the home, made life-changing decisions as they sought relief from their misery. And the formula the government gave them only made life harder.
The mirror
These girls really thought their babies would love them unconditionally and would solve all their problems. I heard them say that a lot. But they didn’t realize that children are a mirror. Children start doing and saying the things we do and say, and sometimes those things are bad. They’re embarrassing. In the hands of a mature, self-aware adult, this mirror—our child’s face, behavior and words—can point out things we need to fix, for our own well-being and for the good of our child. What happens in the hands of a severely broken heart, a life drowning in neglect, abuse, dysfunction, poverty? Her child’s face, behavior and words are The Mirror—an unwanted, exasperating, anger-inducing indictment. Sometimes, in her own way, a young mother will shoot the messenger—her child.
What they were told
The welfare regulations, society and their friends told girls these lies: If you want to be loved, don’t get married. Have babies instead—the more, the better. The government will take care of you all and life will be great! Being a poor single mother who couldn’t afford child care was less than great, to say the least.
Welfare = slavery to the anti-family system.
Related
What do abortion and welfare have in common? How are they related? In abortion and certain aspects of the welfare system, the participants’ motivation focuses on the parent, not the child. Abortion and intentional welfare-mentality, “you are my ticket” births are both about fear or selfishness, not love.
Abortion tells women: Your baby is a problem. Get rid of it.
Welfare tells many women: Your baby will solve your problems.
The darkness and the destruction
What else do abortion and welfare often have in common? Despair.
This comment in [the documentary] Bloodmoney stood out to me: “In abortion, it’s not about choice; it’s about despair.”
For more, start reading at the Questions and Answers section in this post. I’ve seen the despair of teens and women enslaved by the welfare state. I think about Lena; I think about the two sisters; and others. I walked down the dark road of abortion. Lena walked down the dark road of the welfare state. We had no idea where those roads would lead.
The agenda
The destruction in both arenas was orchestrated. The laws and regulations were put in place by The Powers That Be. In both systems—abortion and welfare—children were the primary victims, either murdered or sought after for perceived financial gain by people who were the least likely to be able to care for them decently. Children were eliminated or born into high-risk situations.
Both abortion and welfare have caused trauma,
instability and the take-down of the family.
For a better understanding of this nefarious agenda, learn about the purpose of trauma in the Why? and Trauma sections of this post and watch the important documentary, Beneath Sheep’s Clothing.
The truth
What does God say about children?
Look, children are a heritage of the LORD. The fruit of the womb is a reward. As arrows in the hand of a mighty man, so are the children of youth. Blessed is the man who has his quiver full of them.
Psalm 127:3-5a, New Heart English Bible
Children are a blessing from the Lord. They need parents—preferably good, godly parents. Notice the man mentioned in the Bible verses above. The father was present in the home. I highly recommend this short article from Got Questions: “What does the Bible say about raising children?”
The two authors
Early in today’s post, I wrote: “And in the middle of it all, the Lord gave me an unexpected (and unwanted) book to emphasize who caused the family-splitting traumas and how he did it.” Whose traumas? I was referring to Lena’s traumas and little Michael’s traumas—the welfare state, life in the projects, drugs, poverty, instability, neglect, two trips to foster care, etc. Who is the author of ruined lives? Who is the author of despair? The same one who’s the author of death. The author of abortion.
The thief only comes to steal, kill, and destroy.
John 10:10a, New Heart English Bible
The thief—the author of ruination, despair and death—is the devil. See part 9 for more.
But the devil doesn’t get the last word because Jesus is the author of life.
I came that they may have life, and may have it abundantly.
John 10:10b, New Heart English Bible
Wrap-up
What did we learn today about joy in the Lord’s presence? The Holy Spirit is the Lord of intersections, timing, the divine appointment. Have you experienced a memorable divine appointment? A time when you ran into someone unexpectedly and you were both blessed?
One month ago, I wrote about joy in worship. I had no idea that little Michael and Miss Clara would play important roles in that post. The Holy Spirit brought them to my mind at just the right time. Then I started thinking about Lena, little Michael’s birth mom. At the exact same time, I read In Our Hands, a recommended book that I didn’t want to read. It was amazing—opening my heart, eyes and mind to many things. What I wrote and what I read last month brought my thoughts to Lena. Why? Because God had a message for me to deliver to her. Will I find her? I believe I will.
Did I experience joy in the Lord’s presence during the last month? I sure did. I knew what God was calling me to do and why. God will see the task successfully to its completion at the perfect time, in the right way.
The message
Peaceful Readers, this message is for you, for Lena and for me.
God sees me. God knows me. God loves me.
Please join me in praying that Lena receives the message.
Coming next: Today’s post really surprised me. Next time, we’ll continue exploring joy in the Lord’s presence. Come back next time to read about Brandon’s wallet, a prayer for Logan and much more.
Until next time, thanks for reading and for Choosing Peace.
Truth from The Word: Philippians 2:14-16
Song: The week when I began writing about Lena, the song “Mirror” was released on YouTube. It spoke the message I wanted to convey to her. Enjoy “Mirror” by LO Worship, featuring Sadie Robertson Huff.
More: To stay current on recent posts, sign up for my monthly newsletter.