A major goal of Agape Restoration Society is to help residents and others get needed assistance so they can live at home, either in our wheelchair-accessible Agape Restoration Communities or other housing. Our state, Pennsylvania, offers various social services for citizens age 60 and up, as shown in the photo. Then "Home Health Care" and "Meals on Wheels" can go a long way toward keeping you at home – that is, if your home is suitable for this when you need it to be.
The basic problem, however, is that most people don't want to think about such things... until it's too late. Psychologists call this "the normalcy bias" – our brains work in terms of past experience, so we assume that everything will simply keep on going on "like normal" just as it has in the past. But when we stop and think about it (if we ever do take time to stop and think...), we realize deep-down that someday we're going to die, and more likely (70% probability!) first will come the slowing down, having a hard time climbing up or going down stairs, feeling exhausted after walking 50 or 100 feet, needing a walker or a wheelchair, etc. – the old heart, back, knees, etc. are getting tired and worn out. Are YOU going to be proactive and stop to think about it now, or will you wait until it's too late to choose which accessible housing is best for you? Then you'll have to depend on relatives – who are busy with their own lives – to take time out to do it for you.
What is an ARC – an Agape Restoration Community? Perhaps first of all we should say what an ARC is not: it is not a nursing home, a personal care home, or an assisted living center. Think of an ARC as a Christian community, an independent living facility where you have your own living unit, can move about, come and go as you please without the physical barriers of stairways, steps at porches or decks, or narrow hallways and doorways that hinder movement by people with mobility impairments. An ARC also provides common spaces for worship and other group activities so you're not cooped up at home alone.
Why an ARC? See the article "The Changing Demographics of Nursing Home Care: Greater Minority Access… Good News, Bad News": as our population ages, more and more low-income elderly people (often minority groups) are being placed in nursing homes as an increasing number of white Americans move into high-end independent living or assisted living facilities that they can afford. Will you be able to afford thousands of dollars per month for such hotel-like accommodations? What we need is moderately-priced "walkable" housing for empty-nesters and other people with mobility issues!
The elderly of minority groups and the poor tend to rely more on Medicare and Medicaid which have strict limits of what they will provide only if medically necessary: a basic double-occupancy room with two TVs, three meals a day, limited-staff nursing care, a shower once a week, and perhaps some physical therapy to keep in shape. Picture yourself in a room with two TVs and both residents want to watch and listen to (loud!) their favorite programs... one late at night and the other early in the morning!
But this doesn't mean that more and more nursing homes are being built: quite the opposite, in fact! Because of Medicare's and Medicaid's stricter limits on how much and what they will pay for, thousands of nursing homes have shut down in the past thirty years: see "In the Nursing Home, Empty Beds and Quiet Halls" -
"Thirty years ago, 90 percent of Medicaid dollars for long-term care flowed to institutions and only 10 percent to home- and community-based services. Now, the proportions have flipped, and nursing homes get only 43 percent of Medicaid’s long-term care expenditures.
"A report from the federal Government Accountability Office earlier this year pointed out, for example, that Medicaid covers assisted living for 330,000 people. A demonstration program called Money Follows the Person has moved more than 75,000 residents out of nursing homes and back into community settings.
"It's good news for consumers – but not so good for nursing homes. The 31 largest metropolitan markets have 13,586 fewer nursing home beds now than in late 2005, the investment center reports.
"This could prove a temporary crisis. When the baby boomers enter their 80s and need residential care, occupancy could pick up again."
But will the beds be there when the baby boomers need them? Another article, "The Need for Long-Term Care Continues to Grow", tells of the 10,000 "Baby Boomers" retiring every day: they were born from 1946 to 1965 and number seventy million people, about one-fourth of the entire U.S. population. Most retirees don't need accessible housing right at age 65: disability usually begins around age 75, so the tsunami of disabled "Baby Boomers" began in 2021. We need to be ready!
As more and more of the "Baby Boomers" leave the workforce to retire, fewer and fewer people will be paying into Social Security and general public funds while more will be drawing from these funds. This article states – "An estimated 70% of people currently turning 65 will require long-term care in their lifetime, and they will receive care for an average of 3 years." This is obviously a danger, but also an opportunity... for Christians to form "intentional communities" to show compassion by providing accessible housing and care for the elderly and infirm.
And a fourth article, "Medicaid Cuts May Force Retirees Out of Nursing Homes", relates how people who think they have plenty to retire on find out that it's used up after just a few years, maybe even less, together with hospital bills. It tells about Alice Jacobs, age 90, who once owned a factory and horses, but eventually exhausted her savings at an assisted living center and now "relies on Medicaid to pay for her care at Dogwood Village, a nonprofit, county-owned nursing home." Wouldn't it be wiser to get "Home Health Care" and "Meals on Wheels" while living in an ARC and not burning through those savings? Enroll in our free courses to see how YOU can do diakonia-ministry!
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My wife and I left our careers 30 years ago to serve in Russia as missionaries: we're now nearing 80 and semi-retired. We receive no financial support from Agape Restoration Society, we volunteer our time. Our websites and ministry are funded by just a few friends and myself. So if just 5% of the people on our mailing list would give just $5 per month, we could cover our operating expenses and do much more in serving and providing accessible housing for the disabled. See below: ↓ ...thanks in advance!
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NEXT, THE NEWS:
WATCH THE VIDEO! MEET THIS FORMER ABORTIONIST AND HER HUSBAND.
from: LiveAction News
(11 Aug.) Dr. Noreen Johnson, a former abortionist, had a complete life transformation and fought to protect children from abortion every day until she passed away last year. Lila Rose, founder and president of LiveAction, had the privilege of doing a full interview with Dr. Johnson and her husband, Dr. Haywood Robinson.
Dr. Johnson explains how abortionists desensitize and dehumanize themselves and their patients to continue to commit abortions. "You never make eye contact with your patient. You don't identify with her as a human being because if you look at her, you can identify with her pain and suffering, and you see her as a human being."
Dr. Johnson’s explanation of her journey from abortionist to pro-life advocate is the content our wandering world needs right now. As you go into your weekend, I hope you set aside some time to watch this interview and share it with others in your life. I guarantee you won’t regret it. [read more...]
COMMENTARY: This is a complete turn-around, from being a leading abortionist to becoming an influential pro-life advocate. It is proof that a person is not "predestined" or locked into a worldview, but can experience a change of heart – a genuine conversion.
CANADA TOPPED 10,000 EUTHANASIA DEATHS IN 2021
from: BioEdge.org
(7 Aug.) There have been 0 deaths from monkeypox in Canada, but the disease has received considerably more media attention than the 10,064 people who died under the country’s Medical Assistance In Dying (MAID) last year.
The third annual report on MAiD for 2021 was hardly reported in the media. Health Canada failed to publish a press release and tweeted just once about it. The figures are startling for anyone who takes interest in them – which does not include the Canadian media.
The main points are:
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In 2021, there were 10,064 MAID deaths, representing 3.3% of all deaths in Canada.
* This is an increase of 32.4% over 2020.
* The total MAiD deaths since Canada’s 2016 legislation is 31,664.
* The main reasons for requesting MAID did not include pain. They were loss of ability to engage in meaningful activities (86.3%) and the loss of ability to perform activities of daily living (83.4%).
The third reason was inadequate control of pain (or concern about pain), which was cited by 57.6% of the people. The statistics do not distinguish between people who actually felt pain and people who only feared pain.
Nearly one in five of the Canadians who died through euthanasia in 2021 did so because they were lonely. To be precise, 17.3% cited "isolation or loneliness" as a reason for wanting to die. In 35.7% of case, patients believed that they were a "burden on family, friends or caregivers."
Even if the MAiD annual report flew under the radar, the media has not ignored the issue. CTV News Toronto recently interviewed a Toronto woman in her 50s who is suffering from long Covid and has applied for MAID. It "is exclusively a financial consideration," she said. "My choices are basically to die slowly and painfully, or quickly. Those are the options that are left." [read more ...]
COMMENTARY: An over-30% annual increase in traffic deaths, measles deaths, or deaths from domestic violence would be front page news. But there was hardly a peep about last year's huge increase of MAID in Canadian media. The reasons given by lawmakers for permitting MAID in 2016 were "autonomy" and "unbearable pain." But pain figured in only 57.6% of the deaths and we don't know whether this was actual suffering or merely the fear of future pain. 53% of these deaths were attributed to loneliness and financial burden on family, both of which can be avoided if the housing environment were to be changed. But basically, MAID is a euphemism for assisted suicide, killing another person. Killing innocent people is called murder.
RUSSIA: GOVERNMENT PRESSURE ON RELIGIOUS LEADERS TO SUPPORT UKRAINE WAR
from: Forum 18 News Service
(2 Aug.) The government has pressured religious leaders to support Russia's renewed invasion of Ukraine, and prosecuted and fined religious believers and leaders who publicly oppose the war. Lutheran Bishop Dietrich Brauer and Moscow Chief Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt left Russia in March after resisting state pressure to support the war. The FSB security service warned local religious leaders, including at least three Protestant pastors individually in one region. "Such warnings don't take place now," one pastor told Forum 18 in July. "Those [March warnings] were enough for everyone."
Bishop Dietrich Brauer, who left Russia in March and moved to Germany, resigned as head of the Evangelical-Lutheran Church of Russia on 1 June. The Church Synod replaced him as Archbishop by his former deputy, Vladimir Provorov, and appointed Brauer Archbishop-Emeritus. He continues to hold the position of Bishop of the Evangelical-Lutheran Church of European Russia, to which he was elected in 2011.
"The Presidential Administration made a clear demand of all religious leaders to speak out and support the war," Bishop Brauer stated in a March interview for Württemberg Diocese. "We were not allowed to talk about the war, pray for peace, or contact our Ukrainian brothers and sisters." Brauer gave a sermon in Moscow's Cathedral of St Peter and St Paul on 27 February, which consisted of thinly veiled criticism of the war. He left Russia for Germany shortly afterwards and sees no possibility of return in the near future.
In an interview with "Die Kirche" (a weekly church newspaper in Berlin and Brandenburg) on 14 April, Brauer said: "We are witnessing the blackmail of religion [my emphasis - ed.]. But we shouldn't abandon the truth of the gospel, because then we have no future." He also noted that prayers in Russian churches cannot specify "that we have in mind the people in Ukraine, the images and horrors of the war."
Russia's government has used a range of tactics to pressure religious leaders into supporting Vladimir Putin's renewed invasion of Ukraine from 24 February. These tactics include warnings to senior and local religious leaders, and prosecuting and fining religious believers and clergy who have publicly opposed the war. It is unclear what effect this has had on religious believers who may have considered making a public protest against the war. Similar warnings and prosecutions have been used against many Russians who express opposition to the war for any reason.
The Chief Rabbi of Moscow, Pinchas Goldschmidt, who is now in Israel, also left Russia under pressure in March because of his opposition to the war. "As the terrible war against Ukraine unfolded over the last few months, I could not remain silent, viewing so much human suffering," he said on Twitter on 7 July. "As time progressed, it became clear that the Jewish community of Moscow would be endangered by me remaining in my position."
Other religious figures – including Patriarch Kirill of the Moscow Patriarchate, Mufti Talgat Tadzhuddin of the Central Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Russia, Old Believer Metropolitan Kornily, and Bishop Sergey Ryakhovsky of the Pentecostal Union – have supported Russia's war against Ukraine.
While many religious organisations in Russia still support the invasion of Ukraine, small numbers of laypeople and clergy continue to protest from an explicitly religious perspective. Like thousands of other Russians who every day voice their opposition to the war in public spaces and online, they are soon detained by police and frequently prosecuted and fined.
Many of the religious believers who have opposed the war have been Russian Orthodox, both of the Moscow Patriarchate and other branches. Like Lutheran Bishop Brauer and Chief Rabbi of Moscow Goldschmidt, some have had to leave Russia because they oppose the war. [read more...]
COMMENTARY: Bishop Brauer's expression "the blackmail of religion" hits the nail on the head. Christians, both leaders and laypeople, are being blackmailed and coerced into supporting Russia's renewed war in Ukraine that has been ongoing since 2014. For many people, all it takes is an order or a threat from those in power to make them cave in and "go along to get along." The number of martyrs who will stand tall and confess their faith unto death are few.
POTTERY BARN LAUNCHES ACCESSIBLE FURNITURE LINE
from: Disability Scoop
(28 July) One of the country’s biggest names in furniture is introducing a new selection of chairs, tables, bathroom vanities and more, all specially designed to meet the needs of people with disabilities.
"The Accessible Home" collection includes bestselling pieces from Pottery Barn's regular lineup that have been tweaked to be more accessible. Chairs have been adapted to offer a lift function while tables, desks and other items have been adjusted to the appropriate height to roll up in a wheelchair. There are also grab bars, non-slip rugs, unbreakable plates and other tabletop products, adjustable beds, mirrors that pivot and more.
Designers worked with industry experts to adapt items in order to offer "style, without sacrificing function and accessibility," the company said. The 160-piece collection is the first of its kind from a luxury home retailer, according to Pottery Barn, and it’s aimed at people with disabilities, injuries and those who are aging in place.
"In our ongoing commitment to enhance the quality of lives at home we’re excited to now better serve our customers' specific needs with The Accessible Home," said Marta Benson, president of Pottery Barn. "Our mission is to incorporate accessibility into everything we do — providing beautiful, thoughtful design that makes a home a more comfortable place for everyone."
Products that are part of "The Accessible Home" are now available on Pottery Barn’s website and at select stores. [read more...]
COMMENTARY: It's great that a big-name furniture outlet is getting into the accessible furniture market. This is very much needed as our population ages and more people will need such items in order to continue living in their current homes. But will these homes also be accessible? Most are not. What we also need is accessible housing as well as accessible furniture.
"WE ARE TOGETHER, AND THIS GIVES US THE STRENGTH TO ACT, LOVE, AND HELP OTHERS," - TETIANA STAWNYCHY, PRESIDENT OF CARITAS UKRAINE
from: Religious Information Service of Ukraine
(31 July) A year ago, the Head of the UGCC, Patriarch Sviatoslav, nominated Tetiana Stawnychy to be the President of Caritas of Ukraine. After the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russian aggressors broke off, Caritas, based on more than 30 local cells throughout Ukraine, was one of the first to provide assistance to people affected by the war. In an interview with Tetiana Stawnychy, we discuss new challenges and address people's needs:
"Tetiana, a year ago, you officially became the President of Caritas Ukraine. It was undoubtedly a very difficult year. Could you kindly share your impressions about this time?"
"Despite the significant difficulties and challenges that I encountered, I feel gratitude in my heart. I am grateful that I am part of Caritas and have the opportunity to serve people in such a difficult time and be part of the network of an organization that provides daily assistance and support to those in need. Thanks to the leadership of our Church, the bishops, my colleagues in the national office, the directors of the regional cells of Caritas, employees and volunteers, and also thanks to God.
"When I first took office as president, I tried to meet people as much as possible, get to know them, and listen to them to develop my vision of the organization and its work strategy. Meanwhile, the organization continued to move along a predefined trajectory. And then the moment came when it was necessary to move from contemplation to active actions, drawing their own conclusions and offering their own concept for the further development of Caritas in order to actually lead the organization.
"This time was also a period of preparation for the potential escalation of Russian aggression. It was very important for me to find a path that would take us through this difficult time so that the organization, which has been operating in Ukraine for almost 30 years, and which is a practical tool for active service of the Church, was capable to respond to the challenges of our time and continue to develop and improve itself."
"What inspired and motivated you most in your work this year?"
"Every visit I make to a local cell is always a great joy and inspiration. It's an opportunity to tap into the activities of our managers, social workers, psychologists, consultants, volunteers, and people who implement our joint assistance projects and put our ideas into practice. The stories I hear are touching, sincere, and real experiences that convince me that in our attempt to help, we are moving on the right path.
"Each of my visits to Chernivtsi, Dnipro, Ivano-Frankivsk, Stryi, Poltava, Kamensk, Ternopil, Kryvyi Rih or any of our local centers is always a new experience of communication and motivation. I am also very inspired by the moments when I manage to find solutions to some problems, solve some difficulties when something 'worked' and bore fruit."
"After the full-scale invasion broke out, Caritas has been actively changing and growing. What are the challenges it faces today, in your view?"
"I am sure that Caritas is ready for all these changes. Our experience and history have prepared us for such scaling." Our institutional capacity allows us to swiftly change priorities, attract new donors and partners, and provide assistance to an ever-increasing number of people in need.
"During the 5 months of the war, Caritas has provided assistance to more than 1,300,000 people – this is actually an impressive figure that we would not have been able to cover under any circumstances if not for our well-developed network throughout Ukraine and our practical experience in responding to emergencies. In particular, the social service development project has become very relevant for expanding the network. And now, this area of our work is very effective – the parishes with which we previously worked to develop social service are now actively involved in responding to the humanitarian crisis." [read more...]
COMMENTARY: We thank God for this bold lady who has stepped into a very difficult role at this point in Ukraine's history. We need more people like her who are willing and able to stand up and speak truth to power, not to cave in and "go along to get along."
IT'S "NOT MORAL" TO REQUEST ABSTINENCE TO STOP MONKEYPOX: LGBT ACTIVIST
from: The Daily Signal
(8 Aug.) New Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data confirms that monkeypox overwhelmingly occurs in men who identify as gay or bisexual and who engage in risky sexual behavior – yet LGBT activists have said it is "not moral" to ask men to refrain from sex until the government can get the virus corralled.
Virtually all cases reported through last month involved men who have sex with men. "Among U.S. monkeypox cases with available data, 99% occurred in men, 94% of whom reported recent male-to-male sexual or close intimate contact" within three weeks before they developed symptoms, according to a CDC report released on Friday.
Of that number, one-third of men said they had sex with five or more partners in the previous three weeks. In all, 27% had sex with one other male sexual partner; 40% reported two to four partners; 14% reported five to nine partners; and 19%—nearly 1 in 5—reported 10 or more sexual partners within the previous 21 days.
The report also noted that monkeypox infections often took place in group settings: 38% "reported group sex, defined as sex with more than two persons, at a festival, group sex event, or sex party," according to the CDC data, which cover May 17 through July 22.
The current administration’s survey confirms a study published in The New England Journal of Medicine last month, which found "98% of the persons with infection were gay or bisexual men" and that transmission "was suspected to have occurred through sexual activity in 95% of the persons with infection."
While the CDC explains that "the best way to protect yourself and others is to avoid sex of any kind," it also recommends having virtual sex or "having sex with your clothes on." World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus also counseled "for the moment, reducing your number of sexual partners."
Despite such a stark number of monkeypox cases tied to homosexual or bisexual activities, the notion that men who identify as gay should temporarily abstain from having random sex hardly received a hearing from the LGBTQ community, the public health establishment, and the legacy media. At best, a number of men offered to restrain themselves to "sex pods" – having group sex with the same people. Some LGBT activists denounced the notion of chastity as immoral. [read more...]
COMMENTARY: Imagine that: chastity – or even monogamous heterosexual marriage – that would render one virtually immune to monkeypox (or AIDS) is called "immoral"! This is a complete "transvaluation of values" as Friedrich Nietzsche, the father of Fascism, elaborated in his book The Antichrist. This rejection of common-sense medical care comes from society's values being turned upside-down by the mass media and government.
Scripture states that wisdom from God will "deliver you from the way of evil, from the men who speak perverse things; who forsake the paths of uprightness, to walk in the ways of darkness; who rejoice to do evil, and delight in the perverseness of evil; who are crooked in their ways, and wayward in their paths" (Proverbs 2:12-15). We need to turn away from the Antichrist – the path that leads to death – and return to the God of the Bible. "My son, don't forget my teaching; but let your heart keep my commandments: for length of days, and years of life, and peace, will they add to you" (Proverbs 3:1-2).
NOW, OUR VIEWS:
The Lord Jesus, in Matthew ch. 25, gave us the parable of the sheep and the goats: the sheep go to heaven but the goats go to hell. Some believe we are predestined to one fate or the other, there's nothing you can do about it, no way to change your fate, you're "born that way." But is this always true?
Last week, we read about Eusygnius the Martyr of Antioch in our online "Morning Prayers and Readings." Eusygnius was martyred for his confession of faith to the Emperor Julian "the Apostate." Julian had been raised as a Christian, he studied the faith with Basil the Great and Gregory the Theologian and was even tonsured a reader in the Church. But later, Julian apostacized, he denied the faith and attempted to return his whole empire to paganism.
So it is possible for someone to confess Christ and later to deny Him like Judas did, to apostacize. Some will say – "Well, he never really believed in Christ to begin with!" But history is replete with stories of people who really thought they were believers and had eternal security, a guaranteed ticket to heaven, so they fell into sin – like pastors absconding with the church secretary and millions of dollars from their church – and thus denying Christ. Like Julian the Apostate, a "sheep" can become a "goat."
On the other hand, in a small number of cases "goats" can turn into "sheep" – read "Switching Sides: The Elusive ‘Russian Legion’ Fighting With Ukraine" about Russian soldiers and civilians who have joined the top-secret Russian Legion because they could not with a good conscience fight against Ukraine or stand idly by. Such conversions among adults are quite rare: for example, the most fruitful fields for evangelism are among teens and young adults – deathbed confessions of faith occur very seldom because as people grow older, they become more and more set in their ways. But they can happen!
In Matthew 10:14-15 we read – "Whoever doesn't receive you, nor hear your words, as you go out of that house or that city, shake off the dust from your feet. Most assuredly I tell you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on Judgment Day than for that city." As the Lord Jesus was sending out His 12 apostles to evangelize, He told them there would be many who would reject the Gospel and the consequences would be more severe for these "religious" people who were stuck in their mistaken beliefs than for the homosexual perverts in Sodom and Gomorrah who tried to rape God's angelic messengers.
Some pro-LGBTQ folks twist this Scripture text to say the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah refers to not offering hospitality to strangers. But a straightforward reading of this text and other related texts contradict this notion, for example Ezekiel 16:49-50 – "Behold, this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: pride, fullness of bread, and prosperous ease was in her and in her daughters; neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. They were haughty, and committed abomination before me: therefore I took them away as I saw fit." Instead of offering hospitality, the homosexuals of Sodom and Gomorrah committed abomination before God.
As we see in the article "IT'S "NOT MORAL" TO REQUEST ABSTINENCE TO STOP MONKEYPOX: LGBT ACTIVIST," there are some LGBTQ people who will insist that their lifestyle is moral and anyone who doesn't condone it is immoral and a "hater." Their value system is turned upside-down. But the point here is not chiefly about homosexuality. The context is evangelism and about people's refusing to accept the Good News: that is a worse sin than homosexual behavior.
It may be difficult and rare for hardened people to convert, but once in a while a "goat" can be converted and become a "sheep"! As Romans 12:1-2 states – "Therefore I urge you, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service. Don't be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God."
(Get this as a separate article on our ARC-News blog at blogspot.com.)
Please remember to pray for Christians in Secularized Countries, and for...
Your fellow-servants,
Bob & Cheryl
p.s. Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. Leave the rest to God.
