Roe and Doe Oral Arguments Anniversary

(So much for not posting this week while I finish up the semester.) 

Today is the 40th anniversary of the first rounds of oral arguments for Roe v Wade and Doe v Bolton. 

Clark Forsythe of Americans United for Life wrote this article for LifeNews today, including links to transcripts and audio of both Roe and Doe arguments. 

Funny story: on Thursday I’m turning in a research paper on abortion history, but I was having trouble finding good transcriptions of the cases. Perfect timing. God provides again and again and again, ad infinitum. 

College Application Essays

I'm writing a college application essay about an experience that has influenced my life. Naturally, I choose my experience writing a book as a teenager about one of the most controversial subjects of our time that I apparently have no authority to write about.

Now that I've really stopped to think about it, I realize I've learned so much from this book. If you wanna learn a lot about yourself, go write a book.

(P.S. I have a list of blog posts I want to write, but college applications and a 15 page research paper stand in my way first.)

Wisdom from a Shell (with shoes on)

-Marcel the Shell (yes, yes I did. Because it's worth it.) 

When People Become My Gods

My existence, my very being, rests on what God has done and continues to do.

They have done nothing for me compared to what He has done; He has expressed His love for me through Creation, atonement, grace, mercy, Christ's life, Christ's death, death's death at Christ's life, sanctification, faith, justification, seeing me as already righteous, common grace, continuing grace, never ending grace, by Him all thing are made and all things hold together.

Without Him, we are nothing.
Compared to Him, we are nothing.

Lord, I believe; help my unbelief! 

-Mark 9:24

Happy 40th Post To Me

It's been a really long time since I've actually had a decent blog post, hasn't it. I have a few ideas for posts, but instead of writing them now the diligent thing would be to study for my modernity test and write my research paper. However, here is a brief, unorganized, and slightly ramble-y list of things that are happening:

• Two more weeks until this semester ends and Christmas break starts. Thus: crunch time. Thus: not much blogging or writing or ukulele other happy things. 
• College applications are happening, slowly but surely. 
• I finished a draft of chapter 1, the first draft that I'm actually pleased with. I've now rewritten this chapter 3 times, so here's hoping this one's it! 
• I will soon be letting other people read a few select chapters to get their input and edit, which is super scary. I've only let one person read anything in the book before and I made them swear to not judge me or read certain chapters. 
• I'm becoming really good at being sleep deprived. I've actually found that with 2 hours of sleep and a little more coffee than usual, I'm happier than I am when I'm well rested. Granted, I'm certainly not smarter in that state of mind. 
• Tonight I'm going to a Behold the Lamb of God concert. If you've never heard Andrew Peterson's Christmas album by that name, you should change that. I'm not a fan of Christmas music, actually, at all, but this concert and this album is my favorite part about Christmas every year. 
• I've realized why I hate Christmas music. It's too happy. Now, I'm a very happy person almost all of the time, but Christmas music just annoys me so much. I love honest music with honest lyrics, so singing historically inaccurate songs about Christmas that pretend like everything in the world is wonderful for one day a year just make me want to punch something. (There weren't 3 wise men. The wise men didn't come until Jesus was 2 or 3. Jesus more than likely cried as a baby. And no, my grandmother did not get run over by a reindeer. Gah.) Okay, I feel better. End rant. 
• I was super excited that I had over 1000 page views in all sorts of countries, until I learned that most of them are probably spam. Dang it. I should have realized that when it looked like I had such a following in countries that don't speak English, ha. 

Remember when I said I had a modernity test and a research paper? I should probably go do that now, I guess. If you actually read all of those bullet points props to you. Even if you didn't, I hope you have a wonderful day! 

One Third.

"At current rates, nearly one third of American women will have an abortion." That's four women in this Starbucks.

That was the final push I needed to finish chapter 1. It's about 5 pages long and desperately in need of a title and a good edit, but it's done. So much love is needed in this broken world, I pray God will use this chapter to help.

College Mail

I get it, College. I want to be with you, too. You'll just have to wait for me, Darling. Just please stop sending me so many letters.

Go Anna!

Tonight I get to see my baby sister as the Sugar Plum Fairy in the Nutcracker.

Good luck, Anner Bananer!

She's the coolest. 

Mark 2:1-12

Today I was reading in Mark about when four guys lowered their paralytic friend down through a roof so that he could meet Jesus and be healed. I've heard this story a zillion times in Sunday school with the good 'ol flannelgraph, but today it got me thinking. To what lengths would I go to get my friend to Jesus? Would I drag him on top of a roof, bore a hole into said roof, and then carefully lower him down into a crowd of people surrounding Jesus?

I wonder if those guys knew how long their determination would last. With determination, creativity, and some faith they brought their friend to Jesus and watched him be healed and his sins be forgiven. Did they think the extra trouble they went to was worth it? They certainly didn't know their stunt would be recorded in Scripture and thousands of years later people would tell their story on flannelgraph. What if people remembered our deeds, hundreds or thousands of years from now? We don't know these guys' names, just their faith and what they did for their friend. What if people knew of our deeds in history books? What if we had that faith?

Just some thoughts.

New Friends

I'm on the process of learning something crazy. Did you know there are other teenagers passionate about abortion, besides me? Yeah, my mind is blown too. And they're pretty amazing people.

God gave me two new friends who are my age and have the same passion that I do. Every time I hear from one of them I get so excited. We can get excited and talk about stuff that all of our friends would roll their eyes about. It's like when you put two nerds in the same room, suddenly they're speaking a different language. I've never had that before, and it's awesome.

And yet again, God provides us with things we could never get on our own. Becca made a friend! :)

Read the amazing blog by one of my new friends, Aubry, here.

Bricks and Sucker Punches

A Bible study leader told me a few years ago to never ask God for a brick, because He will definitely send one. When you're praying about something and trying to make a decision, asking God to make it as clear as possible (like hitting you in the head with a brick) is very effective and often very painful. The example she used was when she was trying to decide whether or not to quit her job. She prayed and asked God to hit her with a brick, then the next day she got laid off. Apparently, God did want her to quit, so the brick He sent was doing it for her. I've asked God for a couple of bricks, and boy, they're painful. If you ask God to make something clear at the expense of your own comfort, He probably will.

This is how I feel today.

The past few weeks God has been speaking to me in another way, besides bricks. After studying Proverbs 31 with my Bible study I asked God to make me into a godly woman, the woman He made me to be. I wasn't looking for a brick this time, so instead He delivered a series of sucker punches to the gut. A lot of them. After lots of long conversations Saturday night with various people about all different topics, I sensed that God is creating tension in my life to make me grow. At church Sunday morning during the main service, God gave me a huge reality check about my life. Then in youth group, every single word my youth pastor said was another punch to my gut. I left church feeling completely pathetic and helpless. I'd let my attitude, focus, and motivation for everything I do get so far off track.


This morning, I looked at the question I have to answer this week for my manifesto I'm writing for school. It was another huge punch to my gut delivered by the fist of God's sovereignty. As I care for my wounded gut, I have to write a paper about all the areas of tension and change in my life. Time to get back on track about everything. Time to focus on God. Time to invest in a shield and a helmet maybe? Maybe just listen better, so God wont have to do this again.

Somehow, just focusing on God makes moments like these so much better. Instead of feeling pathetic, I'm trying to focus on God's love for me and His incredible, overwhelming forgiveness for my stupidity. This song describes that perfectly for me.

When you want God to change you or make something obvious for you, He will. Just know that it's not super pleasant. Sometimes it's more like being hit in the head with a brick or being punched over and over again.

7 Billion!

Today the 7th billion member of humanity was born. The population of the world hit 7 billion. One more time: there are 7 billion people on the planet.

Instead of freaking out and assuming the end of the world is near, let's welcome the 7th billion person as a person, not a liability.

Overpopulationisamyth.com

Sparkle or Osteoporosis. You Pick.

I'm in an awesome Bible study every Thursday night. We're taking a couple of weeks to go through the verses in Proverbs that talk about how a woman and a wife should act. One of my favorite verses we went over was Proverbs 12:4:

An excellent wife is a crown of her husband, but she who brings shame is like rottenness in his bones.

We, however, decided to put it in our own terms in order to remember it more easily:

You can either be the sparkle in your man's life, or his osteoporosis. 

Either way you choose to say it, it definitely got me thinking. Even though I'm quite young, it's not too early to start becoming the woman God wants me to be. I love the way Proverbs 31 describes a woman. First off, when King Lemuel wrote this he cites his mother. I love that as a king with all sorts of wise counselors he chooses to describe the perfect woman using what his mother taught him. Aren't moms incredible people? What they teach and the example they give really sticks.

Another things I noticed is the strength of the woman described in Proverbs 31. She doesn't quiver in the corner like the church-mouse wife that's expected. She has strength and dignity, handles money well, and cares not only for her family but her servants and the poor as well. She's trustworthy, hard working, caring, well dressed, knowledgeable, wise, a good mother and wife, and has a good reputation. "She laughs at the times to come," showing her reliance on God for the future and a sense of humor.

Looking at the things feminists want and what they consider "biblical womanhood" to be is interesting. A godly woman can have strength and dignity. 1 Peter 3:7 says, "Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered." I realize this verse bugs a lot of people because it calls women the "weaker vessel." Ladies: that does not mean we should be weak. We can be "weaker" and still be strong. Paul didn't mean it in a demeaning way at all, he's telling men to honor us!

Quite frankly, I think men have the harder job. I'm a much better follower than leader in most circumstances (indecisive leaders aren't very good, no?) and I would hate that kind of pressure. Choosing a college is pretty treacherous for me, I would never be able to lead a family like the way God commands a man to. Ephesians 5 tells women to submit to their husbands like the church (including, in fact, their husbands) submits to Christ. Wives have to obey and honor their husbands, while husbands have to lead their wives. I'm perfectly content with being told what to do and doing it, especially when it comes to making decisions. The husband, however, is told:

Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her, that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that He might represent the church to Himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies... Let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband. 

Let's review what Christ did for the church: He died a terrible, brutal death. That's how much the husband is called to love his wife. Christ will present the church "in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish." What girl doesn't want to be without wrinkle or blemish? That's why there's make up, plastic surgery, tanning beds, and all sorts of things to change our appearance. I love the way the Bible presents being a woman, and I plan on growing up to be like that. I want to be sparkle in someone's life, not his osteoporosis.

Here's to being a lady. I like it.

(Aaand so much for a fast, short post.)

Be My Vote

This is Why I Love My School

It's 3am and I have class in 5 hours. I'm still up writing a paper, and it looks like I'll be up for a few more hours. What am I writing about? 

For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’ The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, proved we suffer with Him in order that we may also be glorified with Him.

-Romans 8:14-17

I am so blessed in so many ways.

I'm not slacking, I promise

I have 4 blog posts in my head, I just haven't had a chance to write them down yet. Stay tuned! Now that I've finally kicked this virus I need to get caught up in school. Now just to decide which is more important, blogging or homework...

In other news, while I'm not much of a tumblr-er (tumblr-r?), one of my posts hit over 50 notes. New personal best. Cha-ching.

Have a great day, and stay healthy!

Unashamed Narrow-Mindedness

"And God said, 'Let there be light,' and there was light." 

The light, not yet in existence, obeyed the voice of God.

How Others Perceive Us

"In working to save the unborn, let's not worry about what will happen to us if we act; let's worry about what will happen to the unborn if we don't"-Father Frank Pavone, Priests for Life


It's easy, especially as a teenager (maybe not especially, but I don't have any experience past teenager-dom) to worry about what others will think of you if you stand up for something. Will you be the weird kid with the cause who can't talk about anything else? Will you be the one who only posts things on Facebook about "the cause" trying to guilt trip others into joining? Will you be the one who looks down on others because they're not involved in "the cause"? These are all things I try to avoid, but sometimes avoiding it can turn into a lack of boldness, or fear. 


Instead of focusing on how others perceive us, let's focus on the people who need our help: the children in the womb, the pregnant women needing love, women and men overcoming past abortions, and everyone who needs Christ's love. 

Emmanuel Kelly- the X Factor Auditions

I don't tear up often, but I did watching this video. It's one of the most incredible things I've seen in a while.

Why Writing a Book Is a Happy Thing

I found this on my computer from last semester, I hope you enjoy. :)

• I get to open sentences with articles. Multiple times. In a row. 
• I can use be verbs. 
• Exclams! 
• I can make up my own way to cite things. Somewhat. 
• No pointless busy work assignments. Amen. 
• I can use wikipedia! Oh wait, no I can't. 
• I DON'T HAVE TO USE FREAKING NOTECARDS IF I FREAKING DON'T WANT TO. 
• I don't have to avoid certain words because certain teachers don't like them. 
• I can have three sentence paragraphs. Or two. Or one. Or one and a half. And fragments and the occasional run-on! 
• The words my fingers are forming will have no effect on my GPA. 
• No strategizing whether or not math homework or writing is more important to get done now.
• I don't have to use times new roman 12 point font with one inch margins all around. Bring on the Helvica. 
• I can write in the first person if I feel so inclined. 

When things feel overwhelming, write a list of positive things no matter how small and trivial they seem. And who knows, it may help you in quite a few months :) 

It's been way too long since I've posted. I've been busy learning some lessons.

"Lead me, O LORD, in Your righteousness because of my enemies; make Your way straight before my face" Psalm 5:8. 


I'm thankful God is sovereign and good most when I'm making decisions. He's moving a lot these days, I'm dizzy trying to keep up.

I'll hopefully be able to write another post this weekend. In other news: I printed what I have of my first draft and I'm going through it word for word, making it perfect. I had an incredible time at the Surrendering the Secret training yesterday and met some incredible women. God is doing so much.

Proverbs 31:1-9

 The words of King Lemuel. An oracle that his mother taught him:

What are you doing, my son? What are you doing, son of my womb? 

What are you doing, son of my vows? 

Do not give your strength to women, 

your ways to those who destroy kings. 

It is not for kings, O Lemuel, 

it is not for kings to drink wine, 

or for rulers to take strong drink, 

lest they drink and forget what has been decreed

and pervert the rights of all the afflicted. 

Give strong drink to the one who is perishing, 

and wine to those in bitter distress; 

let them drink and forget their poverty 

and remember their misery no more. 

Open your mouth for the mute, 

for the rights of all who are destitute. 

Open your mouth, judge righteously, 

defend the rights of the poor and needy.  

Personal Prison Prepared for Forced Abortion Proponent Chen

Read article here. 

Abortion is about "women's rights"? Do we just forget about these women when talking about it? 

I'm thankful I live in a country where the government cannot put me in jail and beat me for disagreeing with them, but my heart breaks for people in China. 

Mom Uses Abortion to Hide Rape of Mentally Disabled Daughter

(Read article here).

My heart breaks for this little girl and her child.

Abortion in cases of rape and incest are highly disputed. The book Victims and Victors is an incredible resource concerning this heartbreaking topic and I would highly recommend it (it's out of print but you can find it used on Amazon). This story exemplifies a major point in Victims and Victors, that abortion is often used to protect the rapist. In cases of incest, like this one, it only keeps the victim in an abusive relationship.

Abortion doesn't help victims of rape and incest. It only further destroys the already hurting woman or girl. Can we stand for women?

Where Are the Feminists Now?

***Edit: I lot of people seem to be missing my point here. I'm sorry for the ambiguity; please let me clarify. I am not blaming feminists for forced sterilization, forced contraception, and forced abortions in Asia. I am simply asking why they aren't fighting this more. If abortion is a fundamental right, then is it okay that it's being forced on women in Asia? It's starting to look like abortion is not equalizing men and women in Asia, rather being used to discriminate against women.

Abortion is used to kill women. There are currently 163 million more men than women in Asia. Why? Because 163 women have been killed. Whether you believe an unborn human, a fetus, is a life or a potential life (another argument for another time), you still can't say that 163 missing women is bringing equality to women.

I'm sorry for the confusing and I will try to be more clear in future posts. Thank you for reading.***


“163 million women are missing from Asia. That is the entire female population of the United States.” 

The feminists who claim the “right to abortion” is what gives them true equality with men should be horrified by this truth. 

Thanks to population control, forced sterilization, forced contraception, and forced abortions in Asia, there are 163 million men without future wives. Rebecca Taylor explains, “This abundance of unmarried men is not a small problem. Unmarried men are more violent than their married counterparts. Crime is now on the rise: 

Between 1992 and 2004 China’s crime rate nearly doubled. In India from 2003 to 2007 rape cases surged over 30 percent and abduction by over 50 percent prompting the government to unveil female-only trains.”

163 million women are missing, and those who are left are living in fear of being raped, kidnapped, and sold as property to ensure rich families a wife for their son. The pro-abortion movement claims that abortion is a fundamental right for women. Where are the feminists now?

http://www.lifenews.com/2011/08/03/legacy-of-population-control-163-million-missing-women/ 

Announcements Galore!

Originally posted on tumblr, hopefully for the last time! 

Oh, hey there! Long time no see! 

I haven’t posted anything in quite a while, as you’ve probably noticed. I took a much needed break from blogged to focus on researching, writing, editing, spending time with my family in Montana, spending time with friends in Michigan, and catching up on summer reading. It’s been a great last few weeks of summer and I’m getting geared up for my second to last semester of highschool! 

Now, drumroll please, I have a somewhat-large blog announcement. After much thought and prayer during the last few weeks, I’ve decided to move my blog. While Tumblr is great and it allowed me to do a lot, it didn’t fit my blog entirely. I would love to have an opportunity for people to comment and a way to follow or subscribe without having a Tumblr account. Because Tumblr offers neither of these, I couldn’t tell if my blog was actually going anywhere or if I was just filling the internet with more never-seen blog posts. I’ve learned a lot about blogging on Tumblr, so thank you all for allowing me to make classic blogging mistakes and learn from them here! My new blog can be found here (thankfully the address is similar enough to my Tumblr that it shouldn’t be too hard to remember): beccafrench.blogspot.com. I’ll probably keep the Tumblr and update it a few times after the switch and check it periodically, but I wont make any promises other than that. I’ve already moved some of my best (judged by my own humble opinion) posts to the blogspot address. But good news, you've already found this blog! 

Another announcement! On Tuesday, a week from this very day, I will be beginning my senior year of highschool. My schedule will be pretty packed, but I’ve done my best to account blogging into it. I’m hoping to get a good blogging routine and post at the same times each week so it’s easier for you to keep up with. I’m not telling you when that/those time(s) will be, I’m keeping it nice and ambiguous for you. Once school gets rolling I’ll see what I’m capable of :) 

And while I’m at it, how’s about another announcement. Apparently, combining your professional and personal social media accounts is the number one way to kill your writing career according to this. So, despite it feeling incredibly weird and awful, I’ve created for myself a second email and facebook account. I changed my personal facebook name to avoid unnecessary confusion, so look for the new (and currently quite unpopular) Becca French on facebook. 

Here’s a little recap for you with all these new changes: 

Facebook: Becca French, Cincinnati Ohio (same picture as here) 

Email: beccafrenchauthor@gmail.com 

Blog: beccafrench.blogspot.com 

The Weight

This was originally posted in July of 2011 using tumblr. 

I can already tell this post is going to be very hard to write. This is a question that I still struggle with every day, though I have no idea how to answer it. I’ve been facing it for over two years and I still feel like I deal with it by improvising. Though I don’t have it anywhere near figured out, I’m learning a lot about what works and what doesn’t. Going through daily life with the weight of abortion is possibly the hardest thing I’ve ever done. I choose the word “weight” carefully—feeling the emotional pain of so many children dying and women hurting who you can’t help and seeing such a huge battle ahead when you’re already tired, the only way to describe it is a weight. It wears you down, makes everything else seem tedious, exhausting, and so insignificant, and I’ve found it to even wear me out physically. There are so many people dying, they all need someone to grieve for them. There are so many women hurting, they all need someone to cry with them. How do I handle that while doing homework, babysitting, hanging out with family and friends, and doing chores?

I’ve had many dark days where the weight consumes me. I’ve had many days that are dark in another way because the weight seems to no longer matter. How I handle this weight effects my family, friends, performance in school, my productivity with book stuff, and my relationship with God. I don’t think it is humanly possible to excel in all of these areas—however, there is a way to prioritize and do my best at what matters. I just have to figure that out, now.

So how do I handle the weight of abortion? A very simple answer is to use it as fuel. People often tell me after I explain abortion that “that’s so sad” and “that makes me want to cry.” While it is heart-wrenching, I do not believe simple sadness is the answer. The Bible distinguishes the difference between anger and righteous anger; anger is a sinful, irrational, self-centered emotion, and righteous anger is joining God in a strong negative emotion toward something unjust that leads to action. Abortion does not call for sitting back and pitying the children being ripped limb from limb in their mother’s womb, but a fiery, passionate, righteous anger that leads to swift action to bring justice. Turn the weight into righteous anger, and let that fuel our work of bringing justice.

What Does That Look Like? 

Here’s the all-annoying question I ask myself way too much: how does this practically play out? How do I write a paper on Hamlet when I’d much rather do something to save another precious child’s life? How can I let the weight fuel my righteous anger and let that lead to action when I’m supposed to unload the dishwasher? (Speaking of which…) How do I comfort a friend who’s having personal issues when tens of thousands of lives are on the line every single day?

It’s an obvious tension we must walk in. I feel like Paul when He said, “To live is Christ and to die is gain.” He wanted to continue to serve God’s people, but he also longed to be rid of this world and meet his Savior in Heaven. There are days when I feel like I’m called to two lives, the “normal one” and the passionate one, and I can’t handle them both. I oftentimes find myself picking one or the other, but either way it ends up disastrous. All I can do is trust God. Trust Him to provide me the strength to live with this weight, trust Him to give me the ability to remain sane another day longer, trust Him that He knows the end of abortion and how we play into it, trust Him in everything. That’s my big and grand answer. I’ve been told by many caring people that I’m not made to carry this burden, and I believe that’s true to some extent. I’m not carrying it, Jesus carried abortion to the grave and left it there. However, I do believe there is incredible value in feeling it. There is value in feeling the weight. We are called to walk this tension, feel the pain abortion brings, mourn for the dead, mourn with those who feel it too, and let it fuel our righteous anger.

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” Matthew 5:8

"You have no idea how much it hurts!"

This was originally posted in July of 2011 using tumblr. 

“I’m so sick of you people!” a woman screamed as she attacked a man and a woman praying outside of an abortion clinic in New Mexico a few days ago. Before stabbing them with her keys, she mentioned that she had an abortion. The woman being attacked said to her, “You are full of guilt!” to which the angry woman replied, “Yes, I am. You have no idea how much it hurts!” (Videohere). 

Yet another reminder of how painful this issue is for everyone. A woman who had an abortion was filled with guilt to the point of physically assaulting two people who were peacefully praying outside a clinic. There’s no denying that abortion is more than a simple procedure; it commonly causes years of pain for the her and people around her. Many fall into a deep depression, alcohol, drugs, unhealthy relationships, even to the point of suicide. 

Pray for this woman and other post-abortive men and women. 

I’ve been reading Won By Love by Norma McCorvey these past few days, and I’m stunned at God’s incredible healing for even the most broken people. This battle seems impossible, but Christ has already won. 

"Jane Roe" on Abortion

This was originally posted in July of 2011 using tumblr. 

"In all honesty, abortion has a way of reducing so-called women into girls. In all our proabortion rhetoric, we talked about “women’s rights,” but you’ve never seen as many teddy bears as you’ll see in one week at an abortion clinic."

Norma McCorvey or “Jane Roe” of Roe v Wade. 

Ladies and Gentlemen

This was originally posted in July of 2011 using tumblr. 

I have a thought. I’ve been reading through the book of Mark, and I noticed the way Jesus talks to women. He always speaks tenderly and respectfully, treats them like ladies, and makes them feel beautiful. Even when talking to the sinners and prostitutes, He treated them with value in a way that no one else ever had. He knows all the terrible things they did, yet He casts no judgement. I can’t imagine being around Jesus and not feeling like a beautiful lady who is worth more than the world to Him. How incredible is that? Not only is it true, but I can have that mindset now. I am a child of God, a beautiful woman He created and loves. And ladies, so are you!

Secondly, it made me wonder about the way men treat women and women treat men. Is there a way for men to treat women that makes them feel like beautiful ladies? Is there a way women can treat men to make them feel like strong men? We live in such a confused world where some women want to be treated like men, some men try to be women, and people are so confused about what being a man or a woman means. Can how Christians treat and talk to each other change that? Jesus treated men and women so differently, but in a completely appropriate, encouraging, and God-glorifying way. How can we do the same to each other? 

Reply to this, message me, or email me with comments. I’d love to hear what you have to say. 

The Morning

This was originally posted in June of 2011 using tumblr. 

The world:

“The mask I polish in the evening by the morning looks like shit.” (Bright Eyes) 

God:

“Weeping may spend the night, but there is joy in the morning.” (Psalm 30:5)

I’m holding on till morning

Mark 5

This was originally posted in June of 2011 using tumblr.

Today I was reading Mark 5, where Jesus casts demons out of a man and sends them into a herd of pigs. Verse five definitely caught my attention, “Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains he was always crying out and cutting himself with stones.” The notes in my ESV Study Bible says, “The goal of demons is to destroy the person created in the image of God.” Pretty simple, but I never realized that before. All over the world we see lives being destroyed. Think of cutting, suicide, depression, eating disorders, abuse, slavery, abortion; there is an endless number of things that demons are using to destroy precious, priceless people made in God’s image. Instead of seeing that as proof that God is not good, see it as proof that demons are at work. Someday soon, God will defeat them and bring justice. 

He is good, and justice is coming

The Opinion of Roe

This was originally posted in June of 2011 using tumblr. 

"The opinion in Roe is so poorly written that defenders of its outcome usually begin their analysis by apologizing for the opinion."

Dispelling the Myths of Abortion History by Joseph W. Dellapenna, page 687. 

(I find this incredibly amusing. So much for this monumental and liberating court case that feminists love so much!) 

What Does Planned Parenthood Say About Adoption?

This was originally posted in June of 2011 using tumblr. 

What does Planned Parenthood say about adoption? This is a screen shot of a page of their website talking about adoption. 

On their website, they have information about a woman’s “options” when she becomes pregnant. They talk about parenting, adoption, and abortion. When you click on each one, they have information and frequently asked questions. For abortion, the FAQ’s they answer are things like, “How effective are in-clinic procedures?” and “How much does it cost?” There’s nothing about “is abortion right for you?” or any precautionary questions when talking about abortion, yet when talking about adoption they seem like they’re bracing you for a traumatic experience. 

They ask about adoption, “Will I be able to cope with feelings of loss I may have?” but don’t even mention the thousands of women who suffer from Post Abortion Syndrome, a deep depression and feelings of loss after an abortion. They ask if you’re feeling pressured into adoption, but don’t consider women being pressured into an abortion as a bad thing. Why should they? It’s good business. 

Planned Parenthood is a business. A big business. They make money with abortions, so they sell them like products. People say sex sells in advertising (just watch a body wash commercial), so Planned Parenthood sells a whole lot of sex. They don’t really care about women that much; it’s all about the money. So much for pro-choice! (For more information, see the movie Blood Money. It’s crazy good.) 

P.S. They hurt tens of thousands of women a year, and kill tens of thousands of innocent children a year. Our tax dollars still go to them. 

Abortion History Jeopardy (because we both know you always wanted to know this)

This was originally posted in June of 2011 using tumblr. 

This week I’m working on a chapter about the history of abortion and how it became legalized in the United States. And ohhh boy. I have two books that are over 1200 pages long, and countless other books and articles that I’m trying to make heads or tails out of. I’m not very bright when it comes to law, so this has definitely been the most exhausting and excruciating chapter thus far. 

HOWEVER. I’ve found a way to make it interesting. 

There are some remarkable, crazy facts in the history of abortion. So I’ve been keeping track of them, you know, to whip out at that perfect time in conversation. Here’s a few of my favorites: 

• Margaret Sanger (the founder of Planned Parenthood), her first husband, William Sanger, was an architect who helped design Grand Central Station. He was also a Communist and Socialist. 
• Margaret Sanger got started politically when she heard the propagandist for the Bolshevik party (I forget his name) speak, then she became a Marxist. 
• Numerous cases (I could think of around 5) about birth control and abortion that lead up to Roe v. Wade all rhymed with Roe, including the companion case, Doe v. Bolton. 
• The case that legalized abortion, Roe v. Wade, happened when a woman named Jane Roe and her attorney Sarah Weddington sued the state of Texas for an abortion. Although Sarah Weddington had an illegal abortion a few years prior to the case and ran an abortion referral organization, she never helped Roe get an abortion. Roe put her child up for adoption and has never had an abortion. 
• The idea for Roe v. Wade began at a garage sale. 
• Sarah Weddington’s first case was Roe v. Wade. 
• Quite a few years after the case, Jane Roe (or her real name, Norma McCorvey) worked in an abortion clinic until a pro-life crisis pregnancy center moved in next door. Because of their love and kindness to her, she converted to Christianity and became pro-life. 
• Jane Roe/Norma McCorvey was almost aborted. 
• The companion case, Doe v. Bolton, was about the alleged Mary Doe suing for an abortion because she had health problems keeping her from using birth control. The real Mary Doe, Sandra Cano-Bensing, never wanted an abortion. She thought she was signing papers to get her children back in her custody. When her attorney made an appointment for an abortion for her, she left the state to protect her unborn child. 

See? I knew you always wanted to know that. You’re welcome, world. 

(If you’re interested about citations, ha, because I’m sure you’re as cool as me and are, email me: beccafrenchauthor@gmail.com) 

Behold!

This was originally posted in June, 2011 using tumblr. 

***Edit: Oh snap! I said Peter, but this disciple is definitely John. Sorry about that. Also, this passage is John 19. Thank you, Michael, for the correction!***

Recently I’ve been obsessed with the word “Behold” and how it’s used in the Bible. I keep finding really sweet verses in the New Testament when “behold” is followed by something incredible. 

Today I found an extra amazing “behold.” When Jesus dying on the cross, suffering more intensely than I could ever comprehend, and taking on the sins of the world, he said behold. He said to his mother, Mary, “Woman, behold your son,” then to John, “Behold, your mother.” Awesome, right? Yeah, I know. 

Quite simply, Jesus was telling John to take care of his mother when He died. She was in her late 40’s or early 50’s, probably widowed, and had no source of income to provide for herself. Jesus was caring for His mother. 

It goes much deeper than that, though. Jesus was suffering intensely, dying on the cross, taking on the sin of the world, and He cared for His mother. When I’m going through trials and hard times, I use it as an excuse to get out of my responsibilities. Then from Mary’s perspective, this is an incredible moment. God took care of her, even when His perfect and eternal Son was dying. In moments that defined history and fulfilled thousands of years of prophecy, God did not forget Mary.

God doesn’t forget you, either. When it feels like the world is falling apart with earthquakes and tsunamis and fires and floods, you are never forgotten. The Maker of the stars wants to hold you.

The band Starfield has a song with the line, “I want to hold the hand that holds the world.” And the hand that holds the world wants to hold your hand. Let Him.