16

Pam's story

He is being mocked and ridiculed but he keeps bending that knee!!!

Pam's Story

In a recent email, I read about a woman named Pam, who knows the

pain of considering abortion. More than 24 years ago, she and

her husband Bob were serving as missionaries to the Philippines

and praying for a fifth child.

Pam contracted amoebic dysentery, an infection of the intestine

caused by a parasite found in contaminated food or drink. She

went into a coma and was treated with strong antibiotics before

they discovered she was pregnant.

Doctors urged her to abort the baby for her own safety and told

her that the medicines had caused irreversible damage to her

baby. She refused the abortion and cited her Christian faith as

the reason for her hope that her son would be born without the

devastating disabilities physicians predicted. Pam said the

doctors didn't think of it as a life, they thought of it as a

mass of fetal tissue.

While pregnant, Pam nearly lost their baby four times but

refused to consider abortion. She recalled making a pledge to God

with her husband:

If you will give us a son, we'll name him Timothy and we'll make

him a preacher.

Pam ultimately spent the last two months of her pregnancy in bed

and eventually gave birth to a healthy baby boy August 14, 1987.

Pam's youngest son is indeed a preacher. He preaches in prisons,

makes hospital visits, and serves with his father's ministry in

the Philippines .

He also plays football. Pam's son is Tim Tebow.

The University of Florida 's star quarterback became the first

sophomore in history to win college football's highest award,

the Heisman Trophy. His current role as quarterback of the

Denver Broncos has provided an incredible platform for Christian

witness. As a result, he is being called The Mile-High Messiah.

Tim's notoriety and the family's inspiring story have given Pam

numerous opportunities to speak on behalf of women's centers across the country.

Pam Tebow believes that every little baby you save matters. I

pray her tribe will increase!

May the peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you always!

Dr. Gerald B. (Jerry) Kieschnick

President Emeritus, The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod

Presidential Ambassador for Mission Advancement, Concordia

University Texas

Back in 1932, I was a fairly new husband. My wife, Nettie, and I were living in a little apartment on

Chicago 's south side. One hot August afternoon I had to go to St. Louis where I was to be the featured

soloist at a large revival meeting. I didn't want to go; Nettie was in the last month of pregnancy with our

first child, but a lot of people were expecting me in St. Louis . I kissed Nettie goodbye, clattered downstairs

to our Model A Ford and, in a fresh Lake Michigan breeze, chugged out of Chicago on Route 66.

However, outside the city, I discovered that in my anxiety at leaving, I had forgotten my music case. I

wheeled around and headed back.I found Nettie sleeping peacefully. I hesitated by her bed; something was strongly telling me to stay. But eager to get on my way, and not wanting to disturb Nettie, I shrugged off

The next night, in the steaming St. Louis heat, the crowd called on me to sing again and again. When I

finally sat down, a messenger boy ran up with a Western Union telegram. I ripped open the envelope....

People were happily singing and clapping around me, but I could hardly keep from crying out. I rushed to

a phone and called home. All I could hear on the other end was "Nettie is dead. Nettie is dead.'"

When I got back, I learned that Nettie had given birth to a boy. I swung between grief and joy. Yet that

same night, the baby died. I buried Nettie and our little boy together, in the same casket. Then I fell apart.

For days I closeted myself. I felt that God had done me an injustice. I didn't want to serve Him any more or write gospel songs. I just wanted to go back to that jazz world I once knew so well. But then, as I hunched

alone in that dark apartment those first sad days, I thought back to the afternoon I went to St. Louis . Something kept telling me to stay with Nettie.. Was that something God? Oh, if I had paid more attention

From that moment on, I vowed to listen more closely to Him. But still I was lost in grief. Everyone was kind to me, especially one friend. The following Saturday evening he took me up to Maloney's Poro College , a neighborhood music school. It was quiet; the late evening sun crept through the curtained windows. I sat down at the piano, and my hands began to browse over the keys. Something happened to me then. I felt at

peace. I felt as though I could reach out and touch God. I found myself playing a melody. Once in my head

they just seemed to fall into place: 'Precious Lord, take my hand, lead me on, let me stand, I am tired, I am

weak, I am worn, through the storm, through the night, lead me on to the light, take my hand, precious

The Lord gave me these words and melody. He also healed my spirit. I learned that when we are in our

deepest grief, when we feel farthest from God, this is when He is closest, and when we are most open to His restoring power.

And so I go on living for God willingly and joyfully, until that day comes when He will take me and gently lead me home.

For those too young to know who he is, Tommy Dorsey was a well-known band leader in the 1930's and

40's. Did you know that Tommy Dorsey wrote this song? I surely didn't. What a wonderful story of how

The purpose of a horoscope is to gain insight into a person’s character and foretell the future. The basic belief of astrology is that planets and stars exert an influence upon our lives. Those with special knowledge—astrologers—can predict events in a person’s life. It is distressing that most major newspapers have a horoscope column, and even more distressing that many Christians read their horoscopes.

The Bible expressly forbids divination, sorcery, and hidden arts (Deuteronomy 18:10-14). God’s people are to heed God only (Deuteronomy 18:15). Any other source of guidance, information, or revelation is to be rejected outright. (See also Acts 16:16-18.) The Bible points to Jesus Christ as the only proper focus of faith (Acts 4:12; Hebrews 12:2). Our trust is in God alone, and we know that He will direct our paths (Proverbs 3:5-6). Faith in anything besides God is misplaced.

Astrology, then, opposes biblical teaching in at least two ways: it advocates faith in something other than God, and it is a form of divination. We cannot determine God's will for our lives through horoscopes. As Christians, we are to read the Bible and pray to God in order to gain wisdom and guidance. Consulting a horoscope is a violation of God's means of communicating with His children. We strongly believe that horoscopes should be rejected by Christians.