A final email with a follow-up reflection and email tomorrow, I’m sure.
It’s Day 40!
It’s hard to believe that today is the final day of
this 40 Days for Life campaign.
I was in Chicago yesterday and today my family is
joining me in Jacksonville, Florida for a 40 Days for
Life concluding rally.
Like you, we’ve been running really hard toward the
finish line of this campaign — knowing the urgency of
the abortion crisis in America right now.
And, like you, at times we’ve been exhausted on this
journey we’ve gone on together over these 40 days.
Yet we are amazed as more and more people are saying,
“We have to keep going!”
It’s easy to understand why people are overflowing
with such enthusiasm when you hear all the reports of
God’s blessings pouring in from across the country —
and around the world — during this intense time of
prayer and fasting.
Here’s a typical example of how hearts and minds
are changing.
A young woman often drove by the 40 Days for Life
vigil in Great Falls, Montana, offering a friendly
toot on the horn and giving the vigil participants
a thumbs-up.
Recently, she stopped to thank the prayer volunteers
for being there. Nine years ago, she had driven by the
same abortion center when people were praying.
She had honked her horn then, too — but it wasn’t a
friendly honk. She was very angry, she said — so
angry she nearly hit the car in front of her.
She was angry because nine years ago, she had an
abortion.
“I gave her a hug and told her she should join us, as
we were just Christians trying to make a difference,”
said Bea in Great Falls. “She said she’s changed her
life and has given it all to Christ. Praise God!”
“One of the powerful things that has happened because
of 40 Days for Life is the members of the Body of
Christ, no matter our denomination, coming together to
pray for our brothers and sisters — born and unborn,”
said Sylvia in Los Angeles County.
“We need all of the children of God coming together,
praying together, fasting together, and helping those
in need of healing and those who have chosen life for
their babies,” she said. “With God, all things ARE
possible — including the end to abortion and the
horror that comes with it.”
These thoughts reminded me of one of my favorite
40 Days for Life pictures. It’s a photo of the National
Shrine of the Little Flower in Royal Oak, Michigan.
There’s a 40 Days for Life banner at the front of the
church. But the stunning thing about the photo is the
church tower — a massive stone structure reaching far
into the sky with the image of Christ on the cross
carved into it. The tower stands in stark contrast to
the dark, threatening clouds that are swirling around
in the sky.
To see the picture, go to:
http://40daysforlife.com/blog/?p=893
The church — not the building, but the church, the
Body of Christ — is standing firm against the turmoil
and the darkness in our world. And that is exactly what
you’re doing through 40 Days for Life.
“I may be the only Bible some of these folks will ever
read,” said Margie in Sacramento.
“We are a sign of contradiction,” she said. “We are the
gospel — the good news taken out into the world.
Hopefully, it becomes an exercise in humility and hope.
Most of all, my patience grows and my heart fills with
the love of all I meet. This is the time we are given.
Let us rejoice to be of service to our King.”
The final email:
If you’ve ever been to a graduation ceremony, you may
have heard the event referred to as “commencement
exercises.” Yes, the day marks the end of a period in
the graduate’s life — but most importantly, it marks a
beginning. Such is also the case with 40 Days for Life.
You may have heard me say that 40 Days for Life
campaigns could well mark the beginning of the end
of abortion — in the communities where those campaigns
are held, and across the nation and around the world.
There have been many, many, many blessings that God
has given us during these 40 days. Go ahead, take a
deep breath, and rejoice in the marvelous things the
Lord has done!
But the truth is, this is just the start.
“The beginning of the end of abortion” means that
seeds have been planted. When will the seeds sprout?
When will they begin to grow and develop? When will
they bear fruit?
The answer is God’s alone, of course. But who will
water the seeds? Who will keep the garden free of
weeds? Who will take the next steps to see that these
seeds don’t wither and die — or simply lie dormant
waiting for something to happen?
The answer, of course, is — YOU!
There are many things you can do to keep the momentum
rolling. For one thing ... please keep praying!
At a 40 Days for Life rally in Hagerstown, Maryland,
a man told of going to pray at the abortion facility
with his wife and eight children. While they were there,
a woman canceled her abortion appointment and decided
to keep her child.
Some days later, the man’s 4-year-old son said,
“Daddy we saved a baby. When are going again?”
Any day when abortions are scheduled is an appropriate
day to go and pray.
What else can you do?
* Train to be a sidewalk counselor outside the
abortion facility.
* Support — and volunteer for — a local pro-life
pregnancy resource center.
* Start a pro-life group at your church or school.
* Promote the pro-life viewpoint in letters to the
editor or calls to radio talk shows.
* Speak up for the unborn in this year’s political
discussions.
* And those are just a few of the many possibilities!
If you have not yet had a 40 Days for Life campaign in
your community, please think and pray about bringing
this prayerful outreach to your city. The dates for
the next campaign are September 22 - October 31.
We’ll begin taking applications this summer.
“The campaign is growing,” said Mary Anne in Ithaca,
New York, which just wrapped up its second 40 Days
for Life effort. “If anyone out there hears the Lord
calling you to start 40 Days for Life in your area,
please respond to that call. You are not alone. We are
with you! What an awesome God we have!”
Were you able to attend any the closing rally for your
40 Days for Life campaign? I hope you were! But if you
were not able to join the celebration, I have a special
“end of campaign bonus” for you.
David Brandao, our communications director of 40 Days
for Life, attended the closing rally for the Virginia
Beach, Virginia campaign.
To see some pictures of their unique vigil location,
and to hear a powerful, moving 8-minute audio wrap-up
of the closing event in Virginia Beach, go to:
http://40daysforlife.com/blog/?p=896