Prisoner of Zenda Audio Files

For my students: You can listen to the audio tracks by clicking on the arrow.  If you would like to download it to put it on your ipod etc., click on the title (i.e. PoZ Chapter 5).  You will be taken to Soundcloud.com.  There you will see a "download" option.  After you have downloaded it, you can add it to your iTunes library.
***UPDATE: if you play these tracks from my blog and hit pause, for some reason you get a screen asking you to go to Sound Cloud.  To start playing the track again, just click the X in the right corner and you'll see the play button once more.   

Abortion: Let's be reasonable

A couple of days ago at our school we celebrated, like many other schools, National Right to Life day.

I have been challenged and encouraged by thinker and nationally syndicated radio show host Dennis Prager for many years.  He challenges Christians and Jews to realize that, while explaining our beliefs by using Scripture is good, it doesn't hold much weight for secular (non-religious) people.  Of course, the Bible has authority regardless of whether other people think so or not, but Prager's point is that we must be able to explain our values through logic and reason as well.

Below is an example of Dennis Prager explaining logically why abortion is not moral.  Check it out.  It's only 5 minutes.

An Ugly Romance: Love Without Legs

This story is cute.

But it's actually quite ugly.

Check out this video that shows their story.


Andrew and Tori Smith rushed their wedding to marry before Andrew's military deployment.  Within a short amount of time Andrew, stationed in in Afghanistan, stepped on an IED and lost both of his legs.

The vigorous commitment of his wife Tori is inspiring.  She drove hours to reach the last-minute location of the landing of the plane with her injured husband.  When he arrived at the hospital, she ignored protocol, breaking through the acceptable distance in order to hold his hand, kiss him, and tell him she loved him.

Hospital personnel instructed Tori that she was not to stay with her husband in the hospital room.
She disregarded them and stayed, even sleeping in a chair.

She stayed with him through every bend in the road and helped learn to walk again with prosthetic legs.  Today they are still together.

So cute, right?  But think about how ugly things really are.  What is it like to lay in bed with your husband who has no legs?  How might this affect their romantic relationship?  What limits might this put on their future?  Will he ever be able to run around with their future children?

One article said, "Shrapnel from the explosion ripped through his groin and slashed apart his abdomen...He lost his abdominal muscles on his right side.  Doctors performed 15 surgeries on his intestines."  I have no idea the implications these injuries have on Andrew's daily living, but there's got to be lots.

To me, though, recognizing these 'ugly' factors shows what real beauty is: love, commitment, affection in the midst of sadness, or even in spite of it.

It is proof that light can conquer darkness, that love can stomp on destruction.

Jesus' love is like this.  His cross-bearing is disgusting when you fully understand crucifixion.  And look at us, our failings, our messiness, yet love, His love pushes back the darkness.

Andrew and Tori have seen the evil, the destruction, the darkness that life tries to flood us with, and yet have said, "No, our love, and romance spits in the face of evil."

And there is beauty.

Is there someone you are trying to love, but it is messy?  Do you see the real beauty of your love?  Is there someone who loves you in your imperfections.  Do you honor the beauty of that love?

Do you, now, see why "Jesus loves me" is not just an old-hat, clichéd phrase?  In those three words there is universe-shattering, shocking, excessive beauty.

Here's the article that first introduced me to the Smith's and where I got a lot of the info above.
Here is a recent article about them:
Here is a more recent photo of them: