The sermon began with many teens' nightmares of impregnating their girlfriends and having to deal with the fallout and answer to their parents. Chaplain Hayes reverently and discreetly illustrated in this manner what Joseph dealt with when Mary was found to be with child. Joseph, being a respectable and devout adult in his devout community when he encountered his nightmare, undoubtedly answered to his father who not only trained him in his carpentry trade as a service to the community of the faithful, but also taught him matters of integrity, righteousness, and reverence in the fear of God. As LT Hayes rhetorically asked if faced with such a dilemma, "What would you do? Fall apart?"

In an age when U.S. Marines must watch for legal and moral blunders in order to re-enlist, some Marines, like some personnel of other Armed Forces and even like citizens in the general populous, sometimes face this very issue. LT Hayes brought this point home quite clearly in his outstanding sermon. As he articulated, when an unfaithful wife or husband is found out, dreams are crushed, pain is often numbed with alcohol, and people lash out. Others seek justice, demand harsh punishment, and pursue every legal means possible so as to not be humiliated and shamed. Not Joseph! He undoubtedly sought counsel and considered putting Mary away privately, but instead he maintained his integrity. As LT Hayes pointed out, Joseph heard the voice of God, remained obedient to God, and took Mary as his lawful wedded wife. Consequently, his nightmare turned into a dream-come-true when she gave birth to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, Jesus the Christ, the only Savior of the world, by whom men may be saved from their sins, and before whom men must kneel.

We have choices to make. We can follow apparent distractions by implementing destructive coping mechanisms, or we can keep our focus on Jesus Christ in the midst of our nightmares, and maintain our integrity and righteous manners with a clean conscience before God, until He makes our dreams come true.

The Christmas Eve Candlelight Service at this quaint chapel was tremendously enhanced with Christmas Carols which were only about Christ and which were therefore truly uplifting to the Marines. This multi-talented Lieutenant also served as the worship leader, directing each song with the backing of one of the finest women's quartets ever to be found. Mrs. Becca Hayes complimented her husband's ministry in an exemplary fashion when she provided the backdrop for her husband's sermon by reading Matthew's account of the birth of Jesus Christ. This example of a chaplain and his wife is the right model for U.S. marines and sailors today, and also for soldiers, airmen, and coast guardsmen, especially at Christmas time. (This article was submitted by Dr. Verna Linzey to Christian Newswire on December 25, 2011 and reprinted for your encouragement.) (Contributor: Christian Newswire)

Why is Ohio such an important state for a Personhood Amendment? Ohio is famous for our advocacy in protecting African American slaves in the colonial era. An infamous Supreme Court decision in 1857 declared that the runaway slave Dred Scott was "property" and not a "person," and should therefore be returned to his southern master. Many Ohioans defied this immoral, unconstitutional Supreme Court decision and hid runaway slaves from their slave-masters and the federal government. Ohioans transported slaves in the "Underground Railroad" to Canada, where the law protected them. Help us continue to mobilize people to pray about these issues, CLICK HERE.

Campaign officials have submitted the first round of signatures to Attorney General Mike DeWine, who has said he will certify it. "By law, he has to certify it within a couple of weeks," reports Dr. Michael Johnston, who is heading up the campaign. "So by the beginning of 2012, we'll be ready for our statewide campaign to gather the 380,000 signatures necessary to put the Ohio personhood amendment on the ballot."

Our American forefathers stated in the Declaration of Independence, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed..."

You have the right to life and liberty because you are created "in the image of God" (Genesis 1:26-27). Not because you are wanted, not because you are fully developed, not because of your size, not because of the circumstances surrounding your conception, and not because of where you live - your rights come from God. You possess these rights by virtue of His law which forbids others to assault you, steal from you, or kill you. Moreover, your God-given rights are inalienable; that is, irrevocable except for punishment for a crime.

When precisely were you "created in the image of God"? When did your life begin? When did you first have the right to live?

Article 1, Section 1 of the Ohio Constitution states, "All men are, by nature, free and independent, and have certain inalienable rights, among which are those of enjoying and defending life and liberty, acquiring, possessing, and protecting property, and seeking and obtaining happiness and safety."

Article 1, Section 16 states, "All courts shall be open, and every person, for an injury done him in his land, goods, person, or reputation, shall have remedy by due course of law, and shall have justice administered without denial or delay."

The Ohio Personhood Amendment will insert Section 16(b):

   "Person" and "men" defined:

   (A) The words "person" in Article 1, Section 16, and "men" in Article 1, Section 1, apply to every human being at every stage of the biological development of that human being or human organism, including fertilization.

   (B) Nothing in this Section shall affect genuine contraception that acts solely by preventing the creation of a new human being; or human "eggs" or oocytes prior to the beginning of the life of a new human being; or reproductive technology or In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) procedures that respect the right to life of newly created human beings.

The Bible proves when life begins - It is a verifiable fact of the Holy Bible that life begins in the womb. The Bible confirms repeatedly that a woman is pregnant with a "child" - not "products of conception", not "a blob of tissue". In Genesis 25, Rebekah's "children" struggled within her. In Psalm 139, the inspired writer insists that he existed in his mother's womb - not a non-living, non-human "product of conception" that became him later on. Pregnant women were considered "great with child", and Jesus' mother Mary was found "with child of the Holy Ghost."

Some have argued that since Adam did not begin to live until God breathed life into his nostrils, then therefore no one begins to live until they breathe air. However, God created Adam differently than he created the rest of humanity. He created Adam as an adult without a mother or a human father. The circumstances of his creation have no bearing on the creation of his posterity. Moreover, although children in the womb do not breathe air into their lungs, they do require air to survive, and that air is diffused in their bloodstream from the air in the mother's lungs.

One of the most convincing passages proving that the preborn had full human status is found in Exodus 21:22-24. The passage says that if a man carelessly injures a pregnant woman and she has a premature delivery, yet no lasting harm follows to the mother or the child, he shall be punished for his carelessness as the judges determine. However, if the mother or child are injured or killed, then "life for life." God mandates the same civil penalty for those who would kill the preborn as for those who would kill the born: "life for life." Preborn human beings are children to God, and the intentional killing of innocent human beings at any stage of existence is unlawful and criminal - His Word is clear.

In light of this, it becomes obvious that we have committed a great travesty against the weakest and most helpless members of the human family - the preborn. Forty-five thousand to fifty thousand innocent children die in Ohio every year by abortion. In this, as in all state-sponsored genocides throughout history, society first dehumanizes the victims before genocide can be committed against them. Thus, one of the first steps to protect the preborn and end the Abortion Holocaust is to inscribe into state law that which science, reason, and biblical truth affirms: that personhood begins at the beginning of our biological development, or at fertilization. Children in the womb are recipients of the God-given, inalienable right to life and liberty. It is the mission of Personhood Ohio to restore the God-given right to life and liberty to all Ohioans, and to secure "justice for all." (Contributor: PersonhoodOhio.com, One News Now)

"AARP is known for being the largest and most well known seniors' organization in the country," Herger said in a statement. "But what Americans don't know is that AARP was the 4th highest spending lobbying organization between 1998 and 2010 or that the AARP brand dominates the private Medicare insurance market. AARP went along with the Obamacare legislation and as a result has come under scrutiny by many who view Obamacare as a dangerous socialist promotion. Many senior Americans are leaving the AARP and looking to other organizations like AMAC that reflect their conservative healthcare values. This is the time of year to financially support IFA, CLICK HERE.

Three House Republican lawmakers are asking the IRS to explain how nonprofit seniors group AARP is able to shield hundreds of millions of dollars from tax levies even though, they say, the group is effectively in "day-to-day control" of products offered by private firms with the AARP stamp of approval.

Rep. David Reichert, R-Wash., said companies that use AARP's brand to sell everything from health insurance to hearing aids are helping the seniors' group make huge profits. All the while AARP's profits gain tax-exempt status.

"They're really trying to manage these companies to increase their revenue," said Reichert, one of the House Ways and Means Committee GOP members to sign onto a letter sent to the IRS.

Republican critics note AARP's income from United HealthCare alone skyrocketed from 2007 to 2009, even as the recession was hitting, leaping from $284 million to $427 million during that time, a 50 percent jump. In 2010, those revenues soared even higher -- to $670 million.

"Those increases, I think, are dramatic," Reichert told Fox News.

Republicans say AARP's deal with United HealthCare is different, and in the letter to the IRS, they point to what they say are several examples of AARP's daily influence over the business, including its "authority over United's 'operating plan'" and its ability to "approve, modify on a line-by-line basis, or provide specific direction to United."

Josephson said if that's indeed the case, "the kinds of hands-on relationships (AARP) has with its supposedly arms-length insurance companies are hardly passive."

And if it's not passive, lawmakers contend, the income is taxable.

AARP did not make anyone available for an interview, but did send a letter to Fox News from Kevin Donnellan, AARP executive vice president and chief communications officer, who wrote that AARP's chief aim is upholding its standards, and its actions are a detailed commitment to quality control on products offered in its name.

"We have spent more than five decades proving our commitment to helping older Americans obtain quality, affordable health so, of course, we take seriously how others use our name," Donnellan wrote. "We are disappointed that this work should be the subject of congressional criticism."

AARP makes the majority of its revenues from United's supplemental insurance policies to seniors, including what is known as Medigap, which covers things for which Medicare does not pay. One of AARP's many ads tells seniors that the insurance can help them protect themselves "from some of what Medicare doesn't pay."

"Save up to thousands of dollars in potential out-of-pocket expenses with an AARP Medicare Supplement Insurance Plan," the ad says.

Donnellan wrote that the group's supplemental plans "help many of the sickest and most disadvantaged seniors who would otherwise be denied insurance by accepting more than 99 percent of applicants, which is far higher than the market standard."

But AARP's support for the Obamacare law, which calls for $500 billion in cuts to Medicare, critics say, makes it all the more likely people would need supplemental insurance, something AARP stands ready to provide.

"That move alone, as seniors began to go to Medigap insurance, increases AARP's revenue over a 10-year period by $1 billion. And we think that's just a little bit suspicious," Reichert said. (Contributor: Politico, AMAC, Fox News)