Catholic Ping - Come home for Easter and experience God’s merciful love. Please freepmail me if you want on/off this list
Catholic Ping - Come home for Easter and experience God’s merciful love. Please freepmail me if you want on/off this list
Pro-life ping!
This is a fascinating plea from a cardinal widely regarded as liberal. I'll bet it receives next-to-no attention in the U.S. Catholic press.
Frankly, I believe that Terri's best chance is to be spirited into another state that can start over with this case. Someone, an attorney, the prent's attorney perhaps, needs to arrange for a rescue operation to get her the hell out of that state and into Alabama or another state in a decent hospital that will treat her and with courts that are not stacked with Godless judges who want to rule to starve her.
Just wanted to post this - please don't flame me I'm just the messenger.
DAILY DEVOTIONAL FRIDAY MARCH 4, 2005
www.liveprayer.com
The REAL story of Terri Schiavo. This is a Devotional that I should have
written many months ago, I apologize. In a way, it has become a personal
test of my own commitment to the work God has called me to do and my
faithfulness to that work. I am well aware that I could easily write a
Devotional on this issue that 99% of those who read it would agree with and
stand and applaud every word. I am also well aware that if I write what the
Holy Spirit has led me to, many may be upset, primarily due to the
incredible amount of misinformation that has circulated in regard to this
tragic and emotionally charged situation. However, if I do not share with
you today what God has called me to write, then I have no business doing
what I do each day. So I will do my best to help you understand the true
facts of this tragedy, as well as the REAL story of Terri Schiavo.
While most of you have only been aware of this tragedy in the past year
since the national press picked up on it, the Terri Schiavo saga is over 15
years old. As someone who has followed it since day one due to the fact it
has unfolded in the same community Liveprayer is located, I want to give you
a timeline of what has happened in this case since the beginning. This will
be information that 99% of those who are reading this have never heard
before since you have been getting most of your information from the
multitude of organizations that found this to be a great "issue" to take on
once it became a national story, disseminating lots of false information as
facts, and of course, using it as a vehicle to raise money for their
organization.
The timeline of this story is far too extensive to put in this Devotional,
so here is a link that will take you from the birth of Terri right up to the
present day:
( http://www.miami.edu/ethics2/schiavo/timeline.htm ). Several things
need to be noted. First, the feeding tube that Terri currently has is
something she has had since the day of her tragic heart attack over 15 years
ago. Second, during the first 3 years after her heart attack, she was seen
by all of the best specialists in the world who did all they could to help
her. Sadly, not one was able to do anything for Terri and her physical
condition has never changed. Her husband and parents were actually working
together for the first three years following her heart attack. Their split
came from what else, the control of the money awarded from the malpractice
lawsuits that were filed on Terri's behalf.
Over the last 12 years that her husband and parents have been fighting over
her custody, every county, state, and federal court have all come to the
same two conclusions. First, that it was Terri's wish to never be kept
alive through artificial means, and second, that she is in a persistent
vegetative state (PVS). It has been the word of her husband Michael and
several of her friends that have led every court to rule Terri would have
never wanted to be kept alive the way she has been these past 15 years.
During these many years of litigation, Terri has been evaluated by numerous
independent, court-appointed doctors. Every single doctor, appointed by
every single court, has come to the same conclusion. It is the same
conclusion all of the specialists who treated her during those first 3 years
came to, that Terri is in a persistent vegetative state (PVS) and because of
the damage done to her brain after her heart attack, there was no hope of
that ever changing.
I am very aware of the video many have seen where she "appears" to be
cognitive. Those doctors I have spoken to have told me that she has
involuntary muscle reactions that give the appearance she is cognitive, but
that is impossible since there is no brain activity. Many people were
given false hope regarding Terri's condition due to the woman in Kansas that
recently came out of a coma after 20 years. There is no similarity between
this woman and Terri since Terri is NOT in a coma. The woman in Kansas was
brain damaged, Terri is brain dead.
Over the years, her husband Michael has become a lightning rod figure. Years
ago he made the ungodly choice to start living with a woman even though he
was still legally married to Terri, and they have had 2 children together.
Whatever settlement money that existed has been long gone, so Michael gains
nothing from Terri's death. Because of his immoral choices, he has been an
easy target, but one day it is God who will judge him for his actions
regarding Terri's wishes and care.
*I would suggest that if you are really interested in all of the facts and
details of the Terri Schiavo case, you go through the 15 years of archives
at the St. Petersburg Times as well as pull up the court documents from all
of the litigation that has taken place. Especially informative are the
court transcripts of the malpractice suits back in the early '90s. The
monetary awards were actually greatly reduced from the original amounts due
to the fact they found Terri was largely responsible for the condition she
was in due to her eating disorder.
The REAL story of Terri Schiavo is about 3 issues: eating disorders, Living
Wills, and playing "salvation roulette." One of the biggest problems we
have in our nation today, especially among young women, is eating disorders.
Sadly, we deal with it daily here at Liveprayer and I have done entire
Devotionals on this bondage so many young women, and some young men, are in
today. Terri had an eating disorder. Having been overweight throughout her
teen years, Terri became a slave to "binging and purging." This is where
you eat a large meal, and then go to the bathroom and force yourself to
vomit the food up. DOING THIS CAN KILL YOU!
The famous singer of so many great songs during the '70s, Karen Carpenter,
died from this. What happens to those who binge and purge is that it throws
off the electrolytes in your body which can cause your heart to stop
beating. You have a heart attack, not caused by clogged arteries which cuts
off the blood flowing to your heart, but from what amounts to an electric
shock. This is what happened to Terri on the night of February 25th, 1990
as she had a heart attack after vomiting, and literally layed dead for over
5 minutes on her bathroom floor. Most doctors say that after 3 minutes of
no oxygen, your brain dies. This is what happened to Terri, and I pray
today that every young woman reading this who is in bondage to an eating
disorder will wake up and realize that what you are dong can KILL YOU! The
time to fight this battle and get victory over it is NOW!
The second issue is having a Living Will. Even though every court has ruled
that Terri did not wish to be keep alive artificially, and yes, a feeding
tube is artificial, this is a great lesson on why everyone should have a
Living Will. It is a legal document that covers tragedies like Terri's, and
clearly spells out your wishes. I would encourage you to contact your
lawyer and draw one up. This way, YOUR TRUE WISHES are clearly spelled out,
and you do not have to put your family through the gut wrenching choices of
what to do if something like this ever happens to you.
The last issue I want to talk about is what I call "salvation roulette." I
wish I had $1 for every person I talk to that tells me they will think about
getting saved, they aren't ready but will think about it. I also get tons
of people that tell me they know Jesus is the only way, and before they die
they will get saved. Please, listen to me right now. The Bible says that
TODAY is the day of salvation. The Bible teaches us that tomorrow is
promised to NOBODY! When you know Jesus is the only answer, and you put it
off, you are playing the most dangerous game of all, "salvation roulette."
You are hoping that you will have another chance to ask Christ into your
heart, when in fact you may not. You have no idea if God allows you to wake
up in the morning, what that day will hold. I deal daily with too many
people who felt fine when they woke up, but before the day was over they
were dead from a heart attack or some other illness. Accidents happen every
day. The reality is, you may have an accident and never have the ability to
make that choice to accept Jesus. If you know Jesus is the answer, and you
are putting off asking Him into your heart and life, you are playing games
with your eternal soul.
I don't think it is going to slap any sense into our dear Bishop Lynch.
I am very disappointed.
Terri Ping!!
ProLife Ping!
If anyone wants on or off my ProLife Ping List, please notify me here or by freepmail.
Waiting for an apology from Bishop Lynch and a reaffirmation of LIFE.
Lynch should be called to the Vatican for reinstruction.
"The U.S. bishops have so far remained silent."
Sad and appalling.
DAILY DEVOTIONAL TUESDAY MARCH 8, 2005
Epilogue to the Terri Shiavo Devotional. Rarely in the past 67 months of
writing this Devotional each morning do I ever follow up with a Devotional
on a previous Devotional. However, this is one of those rare occasions when
after much prayer I feel it is necessary. With over 2 million people
worldwide who subscribe to the Daily Devotional, the fact that through
forwards, hundreds of websites we have given permission to post it on, and
various message boards and blogs people post it to, well over 1 million more
read it each day.
Since I deal most days with issues many refuse to deal with, I know there
will always be a percentage of people who don't agree with what I share for
a variety of reasons and that is fine. Even if you don't agree with what
you read, I pray it will open your heart and mind to think about the issues
that are raised and how they relate to your own life. My ultimate goal each
day is to share with those who read the Daily Devotional the real life
issues we all face during our journey through life in the context of the
truth of God's Word, encouraging and challenging those who know the Lord to
be all God has called them to be, while pointing the lost and hurting to the
hope and love we have in Jesus Christ.
I knew in trying to bring balance to the sad, emotionally charged story of
Terri Schiavo while it was still unfolding, it would upset many due to the
incredible amount of misinformation that is being circulated by numerous
organizations who started using this tragedy as their "cause" once it became
a hot national story this past year, even though it has been going on for
over 15 years. Many people who have never read anything I have written in
the past, people who don't know me or this ministry, have partially read
Friday's Devotional and are circulating emails labeling me "Hitler," "an
angel of death," accusing me of being paid by Terri's estranged husband and
his attorney, being an advocate of her death, as well as the fact I will be
personally responsible for her death when she does die.
They obviously did not carefully read the entire Devotional and totally
missed the key points that were made. Sadly, they have become part of the
mob mentality this tragic story has created, and if anyone is not in
lockstep with them, you will be personally attacked and slimed. To those
who have slandered my good name and the great work God is doing here at
Liveprayer I can only say, "I forgive you."
My friend, nobody is more pro-life than myself and anyone who has read what
I write over any length of time would know that. Those who are using this
case to talk of
euthanasia are in error. The Schiavo case is RARE AND UNIQUE and has
nothing to do with the issue of euthanasia. This would never even have been
an issue only a few years ago since before artificial life support, people
like Terri were simply allowed to die a peaceful death. I did my best to
dispel some of the false information that so many who have never taken the
time to do any legitimate homework on the facts have been led to believe.
As I stated, if you are really interested in this issue, start back in 1990
and do your own research into what has really happened as opposed to the
stories various websites put out, especially the first 3 years when she was
seen by all of the top specialists available who did their best to treat her
(they all concluded nothing could be done for Terri, and 15 years later they
have been proven to be correct), as well as the court records of the
malpractice suits. Sadly, those who have been brainwashed already through
what they have read seem to have no desire to know what really happened,
instead have been whipped into an emotional frenzy by those who have a
vested interest in this tragic case.
One point nobody seems to want to address. EVERY COURT has ruled that her
wishes were to never be kept alive by artificial means. Why is that so hard
to believe that in fact this was her wish? I can assure you that in my
Living Will, if something tragic happened to me and I was in such a state I
will be allowed to die naturally and go be with Jesus. As a matter of fact,
I have yet to talk to one person who would want to be kept alive by
artificial means with no hope of ever recovering. Who would? Yet those who
claim to defend Terri, have never spoken to her, want to deny her wishes.
As a side note. Pinellas-Pasco Circuit Judge George W. Greer who has had to
rule on many of the legal issues involved in the Terri Schiavo case is a
Republican, born-again Believer, and member of Calvary Baptist Church, one
of the great Southern Baptist churches in Clearwater, Florida. This man has
done his best to make his rulings based on the evidence and LAW, not half
truths, unsubstantiated rumors, and raw emotions. The hate-filled attack
letters and emails that he has received from "Christians" for simply doing
his job is sad. This is a brother in Christ who loves the Lord and has to
travel with security to be protected from CHRISTIANS! Those personally
attacking Judge Greer should be ashamed and I can guarantee you that you are
NOT representing the Lord for doing this.
For those who did read all that I wrote, you know my main focus was on 3
issues that stem from this tragedy. To encourage those who are in bondage
to an eating disorder like Terri was to look to the Lord for deliverance,
the need to have a Living Will so that if you are ever incapacitated your
wishes will be carried out and your fmaily does not have to make those
choices for you, and not playing games with salvation. We were blessed that
this has caused many in bondage to an eating disorder to seek the Lord for
the strength to find victory over that bondage. Also, from the invitation
at the end of the Devotional to know Christ, to date we have seen over 300
people we know of come to know Christ as their Savior. God can use even sad
tragedies for His glory!
(C) Copyright 2005, Bill Keller Ministries. All rights reserved.
http://Liveprayer.com
An excellent letter! Rome PLEADS along with the rest of us!
God Bless Cardinal Martino!
Bumping it for a later read. Positive comments from the Vatican...keeping Terri in our prayers.
bttt