Name:Stacy Country:United States State:Nebraska Metro:Lincoln Birthday:January 15, 1981 Gender:Female
Interests:Jesus, China, Missions, Politics, and Changing the World! Expertise:Crossing my eyes and blinking one eye at a time :) Occupation:Administrative Assistant Industry:Government
It has come to my attention that you think you can defeat me. That’s sort of cute,... naïve and foolish, but cute! See, apparently you have not read my file. I am skilled in the arts of perseverance, patience, follow-through, and most importantly butt-kicking. I have every intention to beat you soundly in this skirmish.
If you feel you must persist in your futile efforts, I will have to annihilate you, so you should just surrender now! Oh who am I kidding??…I’ll annihilate you regardless!
So, bring it weigh-loss plateau! You ain’t got nothing I haven’t seen before. Lies, excuses, and discouragement are no match for my will and resolve to see you dead on the side of the road in my rear-view mirror.
Have a nice day! Sincerely, Stacy “The Annihilator” Anderson!
I have not had a lot of time to write in recent months, but I have much on my mind and heart that I plan to share in the next couple of weeks if I can just find a few minutes to sit down and write.
I do want to say a few words though about what is happening in China. It is very hard to explain how I feel about this. My heart hurts over many things. Hatred, Racism, the Death Penalty, Iran, North Korea, Africa, Abortion, people I know going through hard circumstances. But it doesn't seem to compare to the heart ache I experience when things happen in China. I don't know how to explain the difference.
It is not that I believe the Chinese are more valuable, because I don't. It's just that when something goes wrong in China, I feel like my family, my people have been injured. I'm not Chinese by birth, but G-D has called me there, and I've always felt at home there, among the people. My heart particularly hurts for the minority groups in China, as they are so oppressed. I have friends who work with Uighur people in China, and I hurt for them, because I can only imagine the pain they are enduring watching the fighting between the Uighur and Chinese people.
Reports coming out of China are conflicting at best, but more than likely dishonest. Outside Uighur groups say they are receiving reports that as many as 600-800 Uighur people have been killed, and who knows how many Han Chinese have been killed.
But I also recognize that G-D often uses extreme hardship among a people as a tipping point to bring them to Himself. I have prayed for the Uighur for many years, and I continue to pray that G-D would make Himself known to them, and that they would become a reached people group who extend a hand of piece to their oppressors. I also pray for the Han Chinese to know the love of the savior and to stop the cycle of hate. But most importantly, I pray for the many Chinese believers (most of which are Han Chinese) to wake up to the teachings of Jesus and set an example of love. To reach out in love to the Uighur people, and defy the culture of hate that exists between the ethnicities. The fact is, that not too long ago (and even to some extent now) there were believers in the US who had to make brave choices to stand with those in the civil rights movement and tell the oppressors that ALL races are loved by their Maker.
This truly weighs heavy on my heart. I continue to pray for China. I recognize there is little I can do, and I do trust in the goodness and sovereignty of G-D. Please pray with me if you would!
I don't know how ANYONE in the body of Christ can find this acceptable.
This makes me so incredibly sad. I am praying for this Tiller's family today...and for those who think that this is an acceptable way to protest abortion.
This has been a particularly long and emotionally draining week and it is only Wednesday.
The Nebraska Legislature has been debating the Death Penalty, and specifically whether to use Lethal Injection as their means for carrying out death sentences.
Yesterday, they voted to advance the use of Lethal Injection through the first round of debate with 34 Ayes. I knew it was going to happen, it still makes me sad.
My last blog entry sparked some interesting conversations with people who disagree completely with me. That’s fine. I think reasonable people can disagree on this issue. I even think reasonable Christians can disagree on this issue.
The one thing that I cannot tolerate, though, is people who call themselves Christ-followers and are deeply excited to see someone executed, and spout hate toward the person about to be executed.
I have been sick to my stomach the last few days as I’ve watched different friends who I know call themselves Christ followers say the most hateful things.
Just so we’re clear, I’m not talking about the people who have commented on the blog who, I’ve been engaged in conversation with. You’ve all been very respectful and approach this with great consideration.
I’m talking about friends who have said things like:
I am so glad NE passed lethal injection, so we can finally kill offthat monster (named one of the murderer’s). It’s just unfortunate we can’t fry him anymore in the electric chair. Lethal injection is going to be way too easy for that monster who (did such and such).
YAY!!! NE passed lethal injection. Now they just need to kill all that scum on death row before they have a chance to appeal this or those liberal judges have a chance to rule this unconstitutional.
NE finally has a way to kill all those (expletive’s) on death row. I can only hope that they’re subjected to far worse torture in Hell, than just falling asleep when they are injected with painless chemicals. They didn’t give their victims that much consideration.
OK…you get the point. I have to stop because I’m crying and gagging right now.
As a non-believer, I used to say stuff like that. I was a strong proponent for the death penalty.
Hate was deeply rooted in my heart. Especially for those who committed horrendous crimes.
But HOW does this happen in the body of Christ? When I became a believer, it was certainly something I had to submit to Him.
The Holy Spirit did not allow that kind of Hate to continue to dwell in me. I still long for Justice, but for HIS perfect justice. Not for empty, hypocritical justice offered by my country and state.
I am still horrified, dismayed and disgusted whenever I think about what happened to Adam Gomez and Heather Guerrero in my hometown of Scottsbluff (that’s part of why the death penalty debate is so hard to listen to, because Senator’s rehash all the gruesome details).
I still live in fear sometimes because of these crimes. I’m afraid of the dark, walking by myself at night, and I have nightmares.
This is a small community. I knew all of these people, including the murderers. I know how devastating this was to the communities.
BUT, in the gospel of Luke, in chapter six Jesus said 27"But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you, unless they do something really bad, like kill someone, especially someone you love. In that case, hunt them down, and make sure you inflict the same kind of pain on them that they did on your loved ones.”
OH WAIT….maybe that’s not what he said. Jesus didn’t say that we only had to love our enemies if they’re just nominal annoyances to us. He didn’t say we only had to love those who are easy to love.
Jesus’ completed work on the cross and His subsequent resurrection not only freed us from the bondage of sin, but it freed us to love like he does. He loved even murders. When he radically changed me, he gave me the supernatural power to love with his love. He didn’t say that we only have to love those who have played by all the rules of society.
I would venture to say that according to Jesus’ own teaching, my friends who spout the kind of hate I talked about before, are perhaps in the same category as the murderers they hate. Yeah, I said it. But I love my friends. I want them to be free to love. I want them to free from the bondage of hate.
The fact is, that believers can reasonably disagree about whether or not capital punishment is just. BUT when the state carries a death sentence out, all believers should mourn the loss of that life. We should be sobered, and we should be praying for their repentance and salvation before the sentence is carried out.
We should forgive them in our hearts, and we should be offering them the forgiveness Jesus offered.
I think about the story of Jonah when I think about this stuff. Jonah delivered the warning from G-d of the impending judgment of Ninevah (I think it was ninevah??), then sat back and wanted to watch while G-d wiped them off the face of the earth. Jonah was indignant when G-d offered them mercy when they turned from their wicked ways.
Are we like Jonah? Are we gonna be pissed at G-d if he saves one of these terrible killers?
I don’t claim to know how all of this works.
BUT:
I do believe that G-d is perfectly Just and perfectly good all at the same time?
I do believe that G-d will make all things right in His good time.
I do believe that those who carry out horrendous crimes are not beyond redemption, and I long for them to be reconciled to G-d.
Finally, I do believe that G-d is so incredibly heart-broken when sinful man kills and tortures those we love. He mourns with us.
Looks like I’m starting a blog series on my views on various controversial or prominent issues.It wasn’t really my intention when I wrote the last one, but I suppose it’s good for me to just get my line of thinking down in writing. It’s good for me to see why I believe what I do, written out in a logical form.
I consider myself Pro-Life. I do not consider myself Pro-Life because I am against abortion. If the only reason you feel you are pro-life is that you are against abortion, I will respectfully ask you to refer to your self as anti-abortion.
I feel that Christians can only call themselves pro-life with any integrity, if they are, in fact, consistent across the board in all life issues.
Therefore, I am anti-death penalty, anti-abortion (for the life of the child and the remnants of the life of a mother who has one), anti-genocide, anti-war, and against the use of lethal violence in cases of self-defense.
Now PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE understand that I only feel that this line of thinking and need for consistency/integrity applies to believers for several reasons, that I will not get into in this blog.
In addition to being Pro-Life, I have several reasons for being against the Death Penalty.
1. The Number one reason that I am against the death penalty is that I believe that Christ’s Death ended the need for bloodshed, as a means of justice/righteousness.
·Obviously this is not the only reason for His death, so we are clear.
·There was a time when animals were sacrificed to “atone” for the sins of His people.
·G-d realized that this did not actually atone for sin, but relieved the conscience of the sinner. It was a picture of the final sacrifice that was to come. The system was put into place for the sake of the human and not for G-d’s sake. The people longed to have a way to be atoned and back in relationship with G-d.
·With Christ’s death, the need for bloodshed was eliminated. Christ’s blood was sufficient to rectify and justify all wrongs!! I believe strongly that that work also eliminated the need for humans to carry out any final justice. We no longer needed to take and eye for an eye, or blood for blood, because blood was already taken for the blood of the guilty and the “innocent”.
2. If we believe that G-d is truly Holy and Just, we can trust that He will make things right in His good time.
·If G-d is the only one who is actually perfectly Holy and Just, why would we put our faith in the State/Government to carry out Justice perfectly?
·I, of course, believe that the state/government can make rulings and provide punishments. I believe strongly in life in prison without possibility of parole. Which, leads me to my next point:
3. There are countless instances of the state/government getting it wrong: arresting the wrong person, convicting the wrong person, killing the wrong person.
·If the state carries out the Death Penalty, and evidence arises later, there is NOTHING that can be done to make that right.
·At that point blood is on the hands of prosecutors, judges, juries, and executioners….are we to take their blood as well?
·At least if someone is wrongly convicted and given life in prison, a person can be freed and compensated if new evidence proves their innocence.
·Recently in Nebraska DNA evidence proved the innocence of 6 people who were sentenced to prison for life. They served several years in prison for a crime they did not commit.The state has now freed them and is in the process of figuring out how much to compensate them.
·Had they been given the death sentence and the sentence was carried out, the statewide embarrassment, heart-break, and newfound distrust in our judicial system would have been catastrophic.
·Still, this year we will be debating a bill to make Lethal Injection the mode to carry out the death penalty. Last year the supreme court ruled that the electric chair was an unconstitutional mode of carrying out the death penalty.
4. Finally, as believers, we should be a light in the midst of very dark circumstances
·With understanding of 2 Peter 3:9 we should be praising G-d that he has not returned, because there are so many who have yet to repent. (interestingly enough 1 Peter 3:9 is also applicable to this conversation)
·We should take the posture of Abraham who begged G-d to stay his hand of judgment. He negotiated down to the number of righteous people who may have been found. While no one was found to stay his hand of judgment, a lesson can be learned.
·We should be petitioning G-d for more time for those who have not accepted his Grace and Mercy. We should be praying for more time, not only for our friends and family who have yet to repent, but for the worst of the criminals on death row.
·G-d is not willing that ANY should perish, and neither should we will that anyone perish, especially those without Christ. All can be redeemed. All need a real chance to accept or reject the gospel. We should long for these killers to be reconciled to G-d, and hopefully to the families of their victims.
·I also think, that Christians of all people, should be the first to seek reconciliation between a killer and a victim’s family.
·When the Amish school was attacked and several children were killed, the world MARVELED at the Amish people visiting the killer, extending grace and forgiveness, caring for the killer’s family.
·What the world needs to see more than justice, is scandalous grace and forgiveness. The Bible says it’s His KINDNESS that leads us to repentance, not His justice, wrath, holiness or threat of punishment.
There is one final note that I’d like to share on this issue. I did not come to these conclusions in a cozy, theoretical vacuum. I came face-to-face with my views on this and what I feel like G-d wanted me to learn through this when my friend was kidnapped, raped, and murdered.
It was so horrendous for her family and for the community. It broke my heart, and in many ways led me to choose fear in many of my life circumstances. Her killer has been sentenced to death in Nebraska.
When the trial was going on I really wrestled with whether or not I wanted him to be sentenced to death. A part of me longed for Justice, but as G-d dealt with my heart, I knew deep down that her killer’s death would offer no satisfaction, for that longing. The only place I could put my trust and hope was in G-d’s ability to make things right.
This forced me to dig down deep and come to a conclusion on the death penalty, and that is what led me to this set of beliefs.I pray for her killer every day. I pray there is a chaplain or a fellow prisoner who is a believer that is reaching out to him. I pray that lethal injection does not make it through the legislature.My heart breaks over the death penalty in the same way my heart breaks over abortion, and Darfur and other areas that experience genocide.
