Planned Parenthood slipped up.
I'm often told that abortion facilities use
ultrasound to let the abortionist know how far along
the pregnancy is -- it apparently makes a difference
in how the abortion will be performed.
But the images are for staff only -- not the mother
of the child whose life is at risk. So please keep
that in mind.
As a 40 Days for Life prayer vigil was under way, a
young woman walked towards the Planned Parenthood
facility in Sarasota, Florida with two friends. She
accepted some information about abortion from a
sidewalk counselor -- but she may have just taken it
so the counselor would leave her alone.
As she entered the abortion center, she handed the
packet to a Planned Parenthood staffer -- who quickly
tossed it in the trash.
About 45 minutes later, however, the woman and her
friends came back out. "They made the mistake of
letting her see the ultrasound picture," said one of
the friends, "and she couldn't go through with it."
The group then asked if they could have another
information package. "She wasn't planning on keeping
the child," the friend explained, "so now she needs
someone to help her." That's exactly what happened
next. The counselor told them of several nearby
pregnancy resource centers that could offer
assistance for this mother and her baby.
"As they left," said Jeanne in Sarasota, "they seemed
pleased. No direct action by any one of our sidewalk
counselors helped save this baby. But the potential
effect of the prayers of several people on the
sidewalk can't be dismissed."
The truth -- and in this case it was an ultrasound
picture that was worth much more than a thousand
words -- cannot be denied.
40 Days for Life vigil participants in Winston-Salem,
North Carolina didn't have to say much to the woman
who arrived for an abortion appointment. She was
still in the early stages of pregnancy, but a
counselor told her that even at 21 days, her baby
already had a heartbeat.
"I had no idea," she said. "I never thought of it
that way." She immediately changed her mind.
Showing posts with label 40 days or life. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 40 days or life. Show all posts
Oct 18, 2009
Oct 17, 2009
Before I formed you in the womb I knew you
We pray for the conversion of all those who refuse to acknowledge that human life belongs only to God.
Scripture:
Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying: "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations."
- Jeremiah 1:4-5
Reflection:
To be or not to be? There is no question!
The question of "being" is something philosophers have long pondered. What is the meaning of being and what is the source? In the passage before us, we have our answer. We have being because we are known by God.
For God to declare that he knows and sets apart the prophet Jeremiah even before he is conceived indicates that our being rests in God's own being. Because He is and because He wills we, therefore, are and do. The Apostle Paul says as much when he declares before the philosophers of his day, "In Him we live and move and have our being" (Acts 17:28).
One of the tragedies of the abortion culture is that life in the womb has been so heartbreakingly devalued. To embrace the arguments of the "pro-choice" crowd one must conclude that the child in the womb doesn't exist, isn't there, has no being. But nothing could be further from the truth. That child is known by God and, as such, has being.
Prayer:
Lord God, we confess that in You we live and move and have our being. Because You are, we are. May we find grace from You to affirm the being of every human and may we labor to make this truth known to the world around us. Amen.
Rev. J. Kirk van der Swaagh
Pastor, Conservative Congregational Christian Conference
Scripture:
Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying: "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations."
- Jeremiah 1:4-5
Reflection:
To be or not to be? There is no question!
The question of "being" is something philosophers have long pondered. What is the meaning of being and what is the source? In the passage before us, we have our answer. We have being because we are known by God.
For God to declare that he knows and sets apart the prophet Jeremiah even before he is conceived indicates that our being rests in God's own being. Because He is and because He wills we, therefore, are and do. The Apostle Paul says as much when he declares before the philosophers of his day, "In Him we live and move and have our being" (Acts 17:28).
One of the tragedies of the abortion culture is that life in the womb has been so heartbreakingly devalued. To embrace the arguments of the "pro-choice" crowd one must conclude that the child in the womb doesn't exist, isn't there, has no being. But nothing could be further from the truth. That child is known by God and, as such, has being.
Prayer:
Lord God, we confess that in You we live and move and have our being. Because You are, we are. May we find grace from You to affirm the being of every human and may we labor to make this truth known to the world around us. Amen.
Rev. J. Kirk van der Swaagh
Pastor, Conservative Congregational Christian Conference
Sep 29, 2009
May we have a heart and a zeal to save the poor and release the oppressed.
May we have a heart and a zeal to save the poor and release the oppressed.
Scripture:
The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed.
-- Luke 4:18-19
Reflection:
This passage is a very familiar one. It has been preached on many occasions, even made popular in books and songs. Though the quote is about Jesus, all Christians take this commission seriously as a directive on how to reach the world with the gospel. We, like our Savior, are to bring the good news to the poor, the broken hearted, those in captivity, those who cannot see, and the oppressed.
The commission given to us in this passage is clearly a charge to care for those for whom God cares the most. I wonder though, whom do we look for to be touched by the Holy Spirit as we go out into the world?
Who are the poor, if not those unborn children who have been abandoned by their parents before they ever leave the womb? Who are the broken hearted, if not those unborn children whose only example of love is having their mother take them to an abortion clinic to be destroyed, or the mother of a child who has been deceived by everyone around her into believing that what she is doing is best for her and her child? Who are the captives, if not those unborn children who are bound over to death by the "choice" of abortion? Who is more blind than an unborn child in the darkness of a womb that has become a waiting room for their death? And who is more oppressed than those unborn children whose oppression has been legitimized by their government, their church and even their family and loved ones.
Prayer:
Lord, You empower us with Your Spirit to do your will in the earth. Send us to the poorest, the most broken, the most captive, the most blind and the most oppressed in the world, the innocent pre-born children in their mother's wombs that are scheduled for destruction. Help us to bring them healing, liberty, sight and justice through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.
Fr. Terry Gensemer
National Director, Charismatic Episcopal Church for Life
Scripture:
The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed.
-- Luke 4:18-19
Reflection:
This passage is a very familiar one. It has been preached on many occasions, even made popular in books and songs. Though the quote is about Jesus, all Christians take this commission seriously as a directive on how to reach the world with the gospel. We, like our Savior, are to bring the good news to the poor, the broken hearted, those in captivity, those who cannot see, and the oppressed.
The commission given to us in this passage is clearly a charge to care for those for whom God cares the most. I wonder though, whom do we look for to be touched by the Holy Spirit as we go out into the world?
Who are the poor, if not those unborn children who have been abandoned by their parents before they ever leave the womb? Who are the broken hearted, if not those unborn children whose only example of love is having their mother take them to an abortion clinic to be destroyed, or the mother of a child who has been deceived by everyone around her into believing that what she is doing is best for her and her child? Who are the captives, if not those unborn children who are bound over to death by the "choice" of abortion? Who is more blind than an unborn child in the darkness of a womb that has become a waiting room for their death? And who is more oppressed than those unborn children whose oppression has been legitimized by their government, their church and even their family and loved ones.
Prayer:
Lord, You empower us with Your Spirit to do your will in the earth. Send us to the poorest, the most broken, the most captive, the most blind and the most oppressed in the world, the innocent pre-born children in their mother's wombs that are scheduled for destruction. Help us to bring them healing, liberty, sight and justice through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.
Fr. Terry Gensemer
National Director, Charismatic Episcopal Church for Life
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