Thursday, June 23, 2011

Attention All Pro-Lifers!

Here is some GREAT news that I just received this morning from our office of Christian Life and Public Affairs here at the BSC.

Check it out:

By Traci DeVette Griggs


When the complexion of the North Carolina General Assembly changed after the last election, pro-life Christians around the state expected to see movement on some bills that have been languishing in the legislature for years. Their hopes were not denied. Four key pieces of legislation passed both House and Senate; however, one important bill is still sitting on Governor Beverly Perdue’s desk. It’s called the Woman’s Right to Know bill and many people expect the governor to veto it.

Choose Life License Plate. This bill has been a true perennial; sprouting for ten years in the general assembly and each year it has been rejected or left languishing in a committee. It was among a long list of specialty plates being consider this year including Stock Car Racing, Guilford Battleground, First in Forestry, and Support our Troops. But the Choose Life plate was the most contentious. Amendment after amendment attempted to gut the bill or place restrictions on it, but in the end it squeaked through the door just as the legislature was about to adjourn. Why all the angst over a license plate design? Perhaps it’s because a percentage of the income from the plates goes to Pregnancy Resource Centers, which provide abortion alternatives.

Unborn Victims of Violence Act/Ethen’s Law. The opposition was intense for another pro-life bill designed to designate an unborn child as a victim when the mother suffers from a violent act. However, the bill passed and has been signed into law. L. A. Williams, writing for the Christian Action League, recounts testimony from Representative Edgar Starnes from Caldwell County, who supported the bill. “If it is a crime to kill an unborn deer in North Carolina, it should be a crime to kill an unborn child,” he had earlier told the body, describing a drunk driving case in his district some 25 years ago in which a woman was hit head-on and lost her full-term baby as a result. When the district attorney tried to charge the drunken driver with the death, the judge dismissed the case because North Carolina law does not recognize unborn children as worthy of protection. Starnes said that same year a hunter charged with killing a doe out of season had his charges tripled when it was determined the animal was carrying twin fawns.

State Funds Cut to Planned Parenthood. You may have heard headlines about the budget battle between Governor Perdue and state lawmakers. Perdue vetoed the budget but legislators quickly retooled, gathered a few more votes, and over-rode the veto. Lost in the scuffle was the story that this budget successfully removed all state funding for Planned Parenthood, the nation’s largest abortion provider. According to Planned Parenthood, that cuts four percent or just over $434,000 per year from their budget. The budget also prohibits coverage for elective abortions in government health insurance policies, and repeals the state abortion fund.

Woman’s Right to Know Awaits Governor’s Signature or Veto. The Legislative Research Office estimates this new law could save eight babies from abortion every day in North Carolina. That’s nearly 3,000 fewer abortions each year simply because women are given more information and more time to consider alternatives. However, the bill fell one vote short of being veto-proof in both the House and the Senate. So it sits on the governor’s desk awaiting her decision. She has 10 days to decide whether to issue a veto. The Christian Life and Public Affairs Committee of the BSCNC is urging NC Baptists to call Governor Perdue’s office at 919-733-4240 to ask her to allow the Woman's Right to Know bill to become law.


Friends and family, I implore you to call the governor's office sometime today and ask her to pass this bill into law! It's so important that WE take action when we have the chance, and stand up for these precious unborn babies and also for their mothers who are not being given all of the information that they deserve when making these life altering decisions forever.

If you want more information on any of the stories above, click here for the original article which has those links.

Saturday, May 14, 2011

What we've been up to lately

So last weekend I ran my first official 5k! I did better time-wise than I
had expected, finishing at 36:12. John was really encouraging and even
though normally he could roast me when it comes to speed, he stuck with
me til I encouraged him to go ahead and finish. But, sweet man that he is,
he finished the race, then ran back and finished the last 1/2 mile with me.
Seriously, the man is a running machine.
I won't post his time because, even though it was great,
it doesn't really speak to his true running abilities.



And this Monday, we celebrate 2 years of marriage.
Praise the Lord!
He is our rock and foundation, and without Him,
our marriage would be nothing, or quite miserable.
We are excited to continue growing and enjoying
this time in our lives. Honestly, we have more fun
together now than we did when we first got married,
which I'm sure sounds odd. I was always told by random
people that it would be the other way around. ;-)
Praise Christ!

Friday, February 18, 2011

In the news today...


Saw a couple of interesting headlines today:

House approves GOP amendment to starve funding from president's health care overhaul through the fiscal year in a move to limit the law's power.

House Rejects Anti-NASCAR Bill


House blocks federal aid from Planned Parenthood

WOW! Really?! That's SO awesome! Finally.

But here's the kicker...what will happen to this ban once it reaches the Senate?

Many people argue that Planned Parenthood provides valued services and birth control options to the women who cannot afford to find help anywhere else, like PAP smears or breast cancer screenings.

It breaks my heart that these excuses are being used so frequently by those who are blind and lying to themselves about what Planned Parenthood is known for. The bottom line is that I don't trust a place that has built their "business" on the murder of innocent unborn babies. YES! They are babies. From the moment the sperm and egg become one, LIFE is formed! Tiny innocent human beings who are supposed to be protected by their mother in who's womb they are growing and being nurtured are given up to be murdered by that same guardian.

Believers, we've got to do something about this NOW. Fight for those who cannot fight for themselves. Contact your government officials, both on the US and State levels, but especially your state senators. Pester them with information and facts and pictures until they are persuaded...but also PRAY and pray and pray.

Pray for those who are next in line to make the big decisions regarding the funding of Planned Parenthood by the government, that God will soften and convict their hearts!

Pray for the mothers currently struggling with the decision of what to do with this unexpected pregnancy; the mothers who have already made a regrettable decision; and for the mothers who have chosen life but are struggling.

And Pray for all of them to have a chance to hear the Gospel like the lady who's the most famous for having a hand in legalized abortion today, Norma McCorvey, aka Jane Roe.

Check out her incredible story testimony here which I found on cnn.com.

And may Ms. McCorvey motivate you to do something for the sake of the at-risk unborn. Support your local pregnancy center by volunteering your time, donating diapers or other needed new baby goods, financial giving(which is HUGE), and by praying.

For the Raleigh area, check these out:
Gateway, LifeCare

For Eastern NC:
Carolina Pregnancy Center

Care-net.org 24/Hour Option Line: 800-395-4357

Also, please check out this blog if you are interested in keeping up with this here in NC and in our nation.



***ultrasound pictured found on wikipedia.com.

Thursday, February 10, 2011

starting off with a bang!...almost...

First of all, I'd like to say that we have been so humbled by what we are about to share with you. In some ways, it may seem small and not a big deal, but to us, it has been a testimony of God's goodness and mercy in EVERY area of life(this is NOT an endorsement in any way of Joel Osteen's blasphemous "preaching", just fyi). We want it to be known that we know our God is faithful and good even if this story had turned out to be the opposite outcome. Our hearts might be heavier, but we would still believe and rejoice in the fact that Christ is more than sufficient. Praise His name for His faithfulness in all circumstances. He's worthy!

So...this weekend, starting last Thursday, February 4th, the McCoy's, Haddocks/McNeills, and the McCoy's youth group from Cove City all hit up the slopes in Davis, WV, at Timberline Ski Resort. Friday's weather was great, probably high 30s-low 40s, with a few spots of sunshine. There weren't many people on the slopes, so we had a blast! You could ski to the bottom and hop right on the chairlift to the top...just awesome! Saturday started out on the rough side since the crowds had officially arrived, and everyone from little ski bunnies who were just introduced to the slopes, to veterans who dressed with Swedish-looking cape attire, to the Timberline Ski team were out cutting it up. Now, about mid-afternoon, it started drizzling rain, and then not too long after that, raining pretty consistently. Holly and I held out as long as we could, but when we discovered our gloves were soaked through, we decided to call it quits. John and the Matts, Jeremy, Meredith, and her friend Sarah were still out there braving the elements, but shortly after Holly and I headed in, the wind picked up and the temperature dropped, creating freezing rain and strong enough wind gusts that they stopped the chair lifts once the freezing rain turned into snow. It was a blizzard! Super fun...at least, I enjoyed it from the warm couch inside. The wind was so intense no one went back out skiing for the rest of the night. It was quite humorous to watch those brave souls who were trying to still get their money's worth and poled their arms off trying to get to the chair lift. Some gave up fighting and detoured to the ski lodge...others, though it took a very long while, finally made it to the bottom. If you could have seen the intensity of the wind, and their valiant efforts, you would have applauded and laughed at the same time. Too funny.

By the way, let me also make a note that my husband was rockin the slopes as well! He hadn't been since we met 5 years ago on a McCoy ski trip to Timberline, but the man strapped on a pair of snowblades, and couldn't be stopped after that. I was so impressed, and am so thankful that even when he was struggling on the more difficult slopes, he was willing and able to try any slope we went to. And my thanks to the fellas that he came back in one piece. Seriously, what a catch!

Sunday, we packed up early and were out before 9am, which allowed us to make great time on the road getting home. I had worked really hard before we left to make sure the kitchen was dirty-dish free and the living room was spotless so that when we got home we could relax on the final evening before we got back to work. We arrived back in ol' Garner around 4:45pm, and John headed to unlock the front door. I grabbed a suitcase from the back and started up the walkway, when I noticed a funny smell. I was just about to comment when John, who's standing on the front porch, says "I smell propane or something." Yikes! We proceed to go inside (seriously, if you ever think you smell gas, stay OUTSIDE until you call the gas company. Going inside is quite stupid), and this awful rotten-egg like smell smacks you in the face. Ugh! It was so awful. Still not 100% sure what it was, I think we were secretly hoping that it was just some bad food or we forgot to empty the trash before we left, we kept sniffing around and inspecting the trash, the fridge, anything we could think of might be the source. We opened some windows and doors to get some fresh air in, brought in the remainder of our luggage, and I in my "what-if" mindset shut off our heat. Since it was Super Bowl night, I ran to the store to grab a few things, and I get a call from John who says he thinks we have a gas leak, and he's called PSNC Energy and they're coming right over. Uh oh!

Gas guy comes, and we do indeed have a gas leak. He shuts off the broken line (meaning now we have no downstairs heat) and tells us we'll be safe to enter the house in about 10 minutes or so. Who knows how long that big ol' machine has been leaking! We had been gone since Thursday, and our bill for January jumped up sky high from the norm, so it's probable that it had been slowly leaking for who knows how long. Our neighbors also shared with us that they could smell it really strongly at their house on Sunday morning, but they didn't have any way of contacting us. Rats! Thankfully, despite us not making wise choices when we got inside(you aren't even supposed to turn on a light), our house did not explode! Praise the Lord. As far as we know, we'll get the smell out of the house, repair the HVAC, and be good to go!

Not gonna happen...our HVAC repair guy(who also happens to be a friend of John's) kindly came over to take a look on Monday afternoon. John describes what happened to him, and Rick reassures him that it's highly probable that it's a simple fix. However, upon opening up the panel to look inside our unit, John hears an immediate "This isn't good." He scoots over to let John take a look, and what he sees was completely unexpected. The heat sensor safety switch, which is supposed to shut off the system when the burners reach a certain temperature, had been moved up and far away from where it needed to be. At some point, this caused a fire in our unit(probably before we lived there), which had also melted the insulation off the wires and now they were all fused together. Rick said it is a wonder that our house is not a pile of sticks right now because it should have blown up with the amount of gas that leaked into our house, and with time bomb that was our HVAC.

So begins my list of praises to the Lord...
1) That God graciously preserved our house from blowing itself to smithereens, and saving our neighbors houses from damage as well.
2) That, if our house had exploded, this happened during a time when we weren't home to possibly get "smithereened" with it
3) Our system was almost to the end of it's life anyways, so it doesn't hurt our hearts to see it go
4) We're only having to pay some $$$$ for a new heating system, not for building an entirely new house! And, for different reasons we've already had to push back different projects in the house so this isn't a major setback for us financially
5) The Green Bean is still kicking...please pray for it to continue to last us a while longer!
6) For Rick and his wisdom and experience and His help. May He come to know the true King.
7) That while we were processing the news of having to buy a new system(we were driving to a meeting) we came around a curve and there was bright and bold rainbow! This just encouraged us so much because of the reason for the rainbow. We didn't feel like God was saying anything to us specifically. We were just reminded of the faithful, just, and good God that has been Lord and High King of all creation from generation to generation, from the beginning of time and forever. There were no promises of "our lives will be easier now, let's not worry about it," but I did think, this is such a small matter in comparison to such an incredible God; yet He has cared and has been so kind to protect us from the "what-ifs" of our situation over this weekend. It's hard to even explain this understanding of knowing that nothing John or I have done has earned his loving kindness, yet we have SEEN it, we have known Him to be True. And I feel so strongly that even if our house had blown up, as hard and terrible as that would have been, when putting things into perspective, a house blowing up vs. a mighty King and Ruler of the earth, our house and gas leaks and gross smells and dipping into savings doesn't matter at all! It's a part of life, sometimes hard emotionally or physically or financially, but my hope isn't in my house, it isn't in my behavior or of the behavior of those around me...my hope is in Christ. And I hope and pray that for the rest of my life, despite persecution or death that may come, I will still be able to trust Him and worship Him because He is Hope and Life and Truth.

Pictures of the ski trip to come later...

Saturday, November 13, 2010

State Fair!!!...yea, from a month ago...


Having never gotten any fair food before,
I finally gave in. It's a whole new world, people!

Paul trying his first Krispy Kreme Burger.
Ugh...two things I never want to eat together.

The game that was played every single time
we saw one. I'm not joking. John's friend Paul
wanted a win, but the game just wouldn't relent.

As much as I love this picture, I can't ride
a Ferris Wheel. Within the past few years
I've discovered I'm seriously afraid of heights.
Who knew?

At the Chris Young concert? At least, I think
that was his name. It was fun, even though
John's not a big concert guy, and I'd never
even heard of this country artist before. But,
I got a caramel apple out of it, so I was a happy
little camper.

Monday, November 1, 2010

Sweat equity

I know...I know! It's been about a month. Geez, I can't believe how
quickly October flew by. Thanks to my sweet family, we've been
hard at work and have been accomplishing quite a lot around the
ol Casa de McNeill. So, a huge THANK YOU to Jeff, Sandy, Holly
and Mere for coming these past two weekends and helping us
eliminate the nasty brown that has been inhibiting the life of
our walls for who knows how long. Until I can take some pictures
of the final products, here are a few pics to wet your appetite
and give you a tiny glimpse into our lovely, yet fumey, home.

John and Dad installed the beadboard wainscoting this weekend.
I'm SO excited about it. I lovee the crisp, clean white beadboard up
against my "Smoke Infusion" blueish-grey walls. I just love it
when colors compliment and bring out the best in each other.




"So long, sucker!"
My favorite phrase when thinking about the nasty
brown that used to darken our awesome foyer & hallway.
It's so amazing how a dark color can either make the room,
or completely kill it's potential.

The hard-working Pa.
The man is amazing: he paints, he plums...he can do it all!

I should reverse this picture and the one below it, but whatever!
I'm tired, and it's late...and tomorrow's voting day, so I'm gonna
keep it short. Here's the great Hub painting my current fav room
in our house: the office. "April Thicket" is the color, and it is just
the best. I can't wait to show you!


And this picture is a tribute to my sweet sister, who I
like to refer to as Neddy(real name Meredith), and her
friend Sarah who were quite the humble service troopers
and primed our office for us while we were on vacation.
I know, what college sophomores do you know who would
use their Saturday evenings to paint someone else's room?
It was a huge help to us, and so I wanted to thank them
with the only picture that I was able to get of the evidence
that they were actually there.

Goals for this week: Finish 1/2 bath.

Let me know if there is something you'd like to see. Maybe
a picture of something I promised to post a picture of, but
more than likely forgot but you're still holding on to that hope.
Don't want to leave you hangin!

Thursday, September 30, 2010

Yikes!

Just got back from vacation a few days ago.
Will be posting pictures soon.

Just wanted everyone to know that we
are alive and well...and loving this rain!

I don't have our pictures uploaded
on the computer yet, or else I'd put
up a little appetizer. So, for now,
I guess you'll just have to be happy
with this:

:)