This is the blog for Gavin and Carrie Jones and family. We live in Papua New Guinea and are working to see lives transformed by the living Word of God through Bible translation. Gavin is a helicopter pilot. Carrie, who has her degree in Public Health, works in the lab at our busy rural clinic. Our son, Isaac, was born in 2004 and our quintuplets, Will, David, Marcie, Seth, and Grace, were born in 2012.

Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. The you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man. Trust in the Lord with all you heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight. -Proverbs 3:3-6

Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Carrie's 2 cents

I wrote this days ago regarding abortion and the love of Christ, didn't have time to finish it before Gavin went to bed, and so didn't post it. I'm not trying to re-start any debate, I just have some concern for some women who might have read the original blog (I used to work at a crisis pregnancy center):

I would add fear as a main motivator for abortion. Gavin says he shouldn't have put "self righteous" in his sentence about abortions being done in the name of convenience [You'll note he's since then removed those words.]. We know there are many women who have found abortion anything but convenient, suffering from agonizing doubt beforehand and trauma and remorse afterward. And while we believe that Scripture teaches us "a person's a person no matter how small" (see Psalm 139), and a woman's rights can never overrule the rights of another life growing inside of her, I would also hasten to reassure anyone who has already aborted/selectively reduced a child that Jesus Christ will never turn away anyone who comes to Him (John 6:37).

John 6:28-29 says the only "good work" necessary and sufficient for our salvation is to believe in the One the Father has sent. Jesus came to take the punishment for ALL of our sins - and that includes gossip, jealousy, pettiness, abortions, murder, anything at all that falls short of God's glory.

It's like trying to leap across the Grand Canyon when it comes to trying to measure up to God's holiness and perfection on our own. The greatest Olympic long-jumper would way out-jump me, but he's still going to fall far short to his death. One person's good works might be much more evident than another's, but the most right acts of any of us are like filthy rags compared to God's righteousness (Isaiah 64:6).

For several years I felt like too much of a let-down in God's eyes to even come to Him, despite having accepted Christ's sacrifice as a four-year-old. I will always remember sitting on a couch in our apartment and working on memorizing these verses from Romans 8 when the truth of them struck me to the heart and caused me to sob with gratitude!:

 1So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. 2And because you belong to him, the powera of the life-giving Spirit has freed youbfrom the power of sin that leads to death. 3The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature.c So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. 4He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit.


Love and gratitude to you all for caring and sharing in so many, many ways,

Carrie

12 comments:

  1. Powerful article. God's grace does, indeed, cover us and our sinful natures. And, as a Christian, I have experienced closeness and separation, but thankfully, He was always there and loved me while I worked out my relationship with Him. It reminds me of the old Marvin Gaye song, "There ain't no mountain high enough
    Ain't no valley low enough;
    Ain't no river wide enough;
    To keep 'God' from getting to you."

    The nuns sang this on the old movie, Sister Act. But it is so true. God comes to us wherever we are .

    Bless you, Carrie and Gavin.

    ReplyDelete
  2. My sister, Betty Givem,a missionary, gave birth in Papua New Guinea, in 1965. The baby lived, but she died, as a result of blood loss. They were in a remote area, and the MAF could not get in to help her and get her to a hospital. She is buried in Mt Hagen.

    We cannot always understand the things that take place in our lives, but how we deal with them is always the key. Our reactions show who we are inside. May the Lord continue to give you strenght and grace for the future.

    ReplyDelete
  3. The quints look so sweeet in their many outfits. They are so beautiful; each one, what sizes are they in now? It would be fun to know if I saw something special.

    Judith

    ReplyDelete
  4. AMEN is all I have to say---and the growth of those babies is amazing, and so cute--I do see Jones in some of them!!!! We love you, continue to pray for and continue to look forward to your posts. Richard and Phyllis

    ReplyDelete
  5. As always, a lovely post Carrie and I also liked Gavin's. I so enjoy reading your posts and seeing the babies grow. they are so precious. I feel honored to be able to share in the journey of your family. Thank you again for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  6. What a profound statement! I just ran across this blog and your family story. What beautiful babies and your older on too. And what a testimony to our Father in heaven. May He bless your family and prayers for continue health and improvement! My younger son and daughter in law serve with Network of International Christian Schools (NICS) on the island of Java in Indonesian. God bless you and your husband for serving! Prayers for you all, Karen

    ReplyDelete
  7. hello!,I really like your writing very much! proportion we be in contact extra about your article on AOL?
    I need a specialist in this space to resolve my problem.
    Maybe that's you! Looking ahead to see you.

    Look into my blog post: http://mitoslimblog.net/

    ReplyDelete
  8. You've made some really good points there. I looked on the net for more info about the issue and found most individuals will go along with your views on this web site.

    Here is my page; Zinn collection reviews

    ReplyDelete
  9. Hello, always i used to check web site posts here early in the morning,
    as i enjoy to find out more and more.

    Feel free to surf to my weblog - Weight loss supplement

    ReplyDelete
  10. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  11. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  12. You can definitely see your skills within the article you write.
    The world hopes for even more passionate writers
    like you who aren't afraid to say how they believe. All the time follow your heart.

    My website ... Payday Loans ONline Direct Lenders

    ReplyDelete

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.

Gavin, Carrie, Isaac, Will, David, Marcie, Seth, & Grace Jones

Gavin, Carrie, Isaac, Will, David, Marcie, Seth, & Grace Jones

Blog Archive