Largest 40 Days for Life ever! September 28 – November 6
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301 locations will take part in the next 40 Days for Life campaign (and a few more may be added, as we're working out final details with a few more).
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Posted on 09/22/2011 7:16:19 PM PDT by Salvation
Largest 40 Days for Life ever! September 28 – November 6
| |
301 locations will take part in the next 40 Days for Life campaign (and a few more may be added, as we're working out final details with a few more).
|
Take the leap of faith and get involved with 40 Days for Life
Have you been to pray at a 40 Days for Life vigil yet? You may ask, “What do I do?” or “What sign should I bring?” The answer is simple; the only sign you really need to bring is yourself, for you represent God’s love.
Concern about going to pray at the abortion facility is common — and normal. 40 Days for Life campaign director Shawn Carney shared some thoughts at the national Students for Life conference.
What 40 Days for Life has witnessed (so far!)
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There have now been eight coordinated 40 Days for Life campaigns since 2007, mobilizing people of faith and conscience in 337 cities across all 50 of the United States plus communities in Canada, Australia, England, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Spain, Denmark, Georgia, Armenia and Belize. |
During these unified efforts, participants witnessed countless blessings from God:
After so many years of legalized abortion, many people of faith are experiencing a renewed sense of HOPE!
That must have been something else to witness. Did whoever brought her to the abortion mill seem concerned?
Do you have any follow-up on the ambulance run from your local TV, newspaper......or wait, they don’t cover things like that. <sarcams off/
Prayers for the poor girl and her family.
Day 11 - October 8
Intention:
Pray that when those representing Planned Parenthood and other abortion groups see volunteers for 40 Days for Life, they see ambassadors of Christ, and may each volunteer be consciously aware at all times we represent Him.
Scripture:
I...beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness, and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love.
-- Ephesians 4:1-2
Reflection:
When a former abortionist and post-abortive woman, Carol Everett, was asked what turned her heart from death to life in Christ, she replied, "It was unconditional love" shown by a man who prayed daily for her in front of the facility where she worked.
He told Carol that "God had sent him" because there was someone in there that God wanted out. She left 27 days later and now serves as Christ's ambassador to help others. We too have been sent by Christ as an ambassador to love unconditionally those God seeks to "get out" of their bondage and sin.
In his book, "Fishers of Men," Dr. Sumner Wemp describes what it means to be an ambassador of Christ, the King of Kings:
Prayer:
Dear Heavenly Father, we are humbled that you have called us and appointed us to be ambassadors of Christ in a world that is not our home. It is a calling much higher and grander than our finite minds can imagine.
We pray that your Holy Spirit will empower us to walk worthy of the calling. We pray that Your unconditional love will flow through us onto those who desperately need Your saving grace. In the name of Christ who is worthy, amen.
Carmen Pate
Co-host, "Point of View" Talk Show
No follow up yet. We are trying to get the 911 tapes.
We have a new video for you!
40 Days for Life’s national director, David Bereit,
was able to visit all of the 40 Days for Life campaign
locations in Montana recently. And I was able to join
him in Helena.
Over the past four years, David and I have collectively
been to more than 300 of the 40 Days for Life locations
— but have only spoken together at kickoff events
together twice.
The first time was in 2004 during the first 40 Days for
Life campaign in Bryan/College Station, Texas. The
second time was last week in Helena, Montana.
We just posted video higlights online from the Helena
kickoff event. If you want to get a big shot in the arm
for this 40 Days for Life campaign, watch the inspiring
video right now by going to:
http://40daysforlife.com/blog/?p=2335
The 40 Days for Life campaign in Dayton got off to a
huge start, with about 250 people on hand for their
largest event ever.
The campaign even got some television coverage of their
kickoff, which included the release of 200 balloons —
one for each of the estimated 200 babies lost to
abortion each month at the facility where the Dayton
prayer vigil is taking place outside.
One of the group’s leaders told the reporter that
people of various faith backgrounds had come together
for 40 Days for Life, “praying to God for an end to
the scourge of abortion.”
Sometimes, people simply feel drawn to the 40 Days for
Life prayer vigil to share stories about themselves.
Three 40 Days for Life prayer volunteers were outside
the abortion center when a man walked up and asked what
they were doing. He had noticed the signs they had with
them: “Pray to end abortion” ... “Women regret abortion”
... and “Men regret lost fatherhood.”
One of the volunteers responded, “We’re here to raise
awareness about abortion and save the lives of the
unborn.” Another member of the prayer group shared a
personal testimony.
“He stayed with us for the next two hours sharing, that
he and his wife had chosen life for their two boys when
they were just 15 and 17 years old and found themselves
in an unplanned pregnancy,” said Lynda in Eugene. “I am
sure he will be joining us again.”
Later the same day, a young man approached one of the
volunteers to say that his own mother had entered a
facility like this, but had walked out and chosen life
for him. Shortly after that, a woman came up to share
an almost identical story about her mother.
“God is so good,” said Lynda.
Day 12 - October 9
Intention:
May the King of the Universe, who entered this world as a helpless infant, give us the humility to be healed.
Scripture:
My power is made perfect in weakness.
--2 Corinthians 12:9
Reflection:
The great mystery of the Humility of God is very near and dear to the mission of those serving in pro life and in a special way, post abortion ministries across this nation. For those wounded by their participation in abortion, the door to healing often feels like crossing an abyss of great fear: fear of judgment, fear of being torn apart by the pain, by self hatred and rage at those who hurt and abandoned you, and manipulated you in your time of temptation. For men in particular, entering the unknown waters of emotional vulnerability, so necessary to healing calls for a different kind of courage that feels deceptively like weakness.
The door to healing is humility. It is born in the inability to no longer control the pain, to live with the consequences of that tragic decision to reject life. The hearts cries out, "I have committed a grave offense against my Creator and I am consumed by regret, grief and sorrow!"
During these forty days let us pray for all who have participated in abortion and with love call them to healing and reconciliation. With healing these women and men can become as John Paul II proclaimed in the Gospel of Life, "the most eloquent defenders of everyone's right to life."
Jesus proclaimed, "I am the Vine, you are the branches" (John 15:5). To bear the greatest fruit, the branches must be pruned. Each level of pruning of the vine requires a deeper level of humility so that we can abandon ourselves to His will. This is not a lofty theological concept as much as it is an earthy experience of pulling weeds, tilling rocky soil, pruning and healing the vines. "If a man wishes to come after me, he must deny his very self, take up his cross, and begin to follow in my footsteps" (Matthew 16:24).
Prayer:
Lord, during these forty days, we ask that with each day of this sacred vigil, everything in us that separates us from your perfect will would be pruned from our hearts and souls. In this blessed freedom may we experience a powerful anointing of your Holy Spirit. Filled with confidence and trust may we proclaim with the mother of Jesus, "Let it be done to me, according to your Word."
Kevin Burke
Executive Director, Rachels Vineyard Ministries
Your comments have been pouring in this fall!
At the end of these daily updates, I’ve asked people
to visit the 40 Days for Life blog and tell me a bit
about their own experiences — and many of you have
responded.
Some of you are in cities where campaigns are under
way while others are participating by praying and
fasting from far away — including Prague in the
Czech Republic!
I appreciate EVERYTHING you’re doing! Here are some
of the comments from the blog.
“David Bereit spoke to our little group in Saint Paul,
last night at 9:30,” wrote one person who was there for
this appearance by 40 Days for Life’s national director.
“He had, that day, traveled from southern Minnesota
(Rochester and Mankato), all the way up to Duluth and
Walker, then down to Alexandria, Saint Cloud and then
Saint Paul — encouraging folks at each stop.
“He looked fresh as a daisy and spoke so eloquently and
passionately to us for at least 20 minutes and he still
had plenty of voice. AWESOME! It would tire ME out for
the day, just going to Duluth and back!
“Thank you, David, and ALL who are out there, all who
are praying — wherever you are! Glory to God!”
“My mother and I were at the Planned Parenthood in
Whittier,” wrote Rosemary. “There were several young
girls being dropped off.”
As they watched one young woman leave following an
abortion, “our hearts were broken for a life lost and
our prayer became more fervent. We cried together as
we prayed yesterday’s daily devotional — so
beautifully moving and centering for this horrendous
task we must do.”
Suzanne is doing what she can, as “we don’t have the
numbers here in Prague in the Czech Republic to mount
a campaign at this time.”
“I know that my presence has made a difference already,
since I was approached by a policeman yesterday who
told me that my sign — ‘women do regret their
abortion’ — was offensive to a woman at the hospital
and I would have to leave the area,” she wrote.
“I have wondered whether my prayers and presence was
even being noticed in this country and obviously it
has. Perhaps I’ve also made other women think about
the risks of choosing abortion as a solution to their
unintended pregnancy.”
“At first, I felt like Jonah being fed to the whale,”
Dennis said upon arriving for his first time to pray at
the 40 Days for Life vigil site. After a few minutes of
prayer, a woman got out of her car and went to join him.
“It was good to have her company.”
Some passersby offered honks of encouragement; a few
others offered rude gestures. Shortly afterward, it
started to rain. But Dennis continued to pray. “I was
completely absorbed in the moment.”
Said Dennis, “Not a bad day.”
Have you had a chance to take part in a peaceful
40 Days for Life prayer vigil yet? If not, here’s
the link to the list of campaign locations:
http://40daysforlife.com/location.cfm
Day 13 - October 10
Intention:
For all fathers who are terrified of being fathers.
Scripture:
A father of the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in His holy habitation.
-- Psalm 68:5
Reflection:
I had a friend many years ago who confided in me that he was terrified of being a father. He and his wife already had two children when this revelation came forth. "I never knew my father," he explained, "and I have no idea what a father is supposed to do." We continued to share about this, as well as pray together. He began to see he had a father's heart for his children. His biggest problem was not a limitation on love but not knowing how to act out this love.
One day we talked about the verse quoted at the top of this page. I shared that he did know his Father… not his biological father but his Heavenly Father, who had rescued him from a life of destruction not many years before. "How did your Heavenly Father guide you?" I asked. He talked about the ways he had seen God's love offered to him and the way the Lord had used circumstances and the Scriptures to mold him and mature him. "Well, the Lord wants to do the same thing through you for your children. Be available to His love and available to your kids. You'll do fine."
How wonderful it is to know that God takes a personal interest in each of us, many times using His faithful people - the Church - as channels of this love. No one is fatherless who lives in the Lord. His fatherly care begins at the moment of our conception, as it is written, "you knit me together in my mother's womb" (Psalm 139:12), and continues to be poured upon us throughout our lives.
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, we thank you for caring about each of us so deeply. Help us to see and know you as our Father in heaven each and every day of our lives. Your loving hand also rests on every child today carried in its mother's womb. May they be born into this world and come to know fully and personally your endless love. We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Randolph Sly
National Pro-life Religious Council
Day 14 - October 11
Intention:
Abortion is the great "no." May all of God's people have the freedom and grace to say "yes" to His marvelous plans.
Scripture:
For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother's womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well. My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed and in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them.
-- Psalm 139:13-16
Reflection:
Unlike the rest of creation, we are capable of a personal relationship with God. Not only did God create us, but created us according to a plan devised from all eternity. No matter how far back we go in our imagination, there was never a time when God did not know each of us, in every detail of our being.
There was not a particular time when God decided to make us. The decision to make us has been in the mind of God from all eternity. All our days were written in His book.
To dare to say that a human being, developing in the womb, should not be born is as wrong as to say that a born person should not continue to grow and live. In each case, an attack on human life is an attack on the God who formed and made us. Jesus Christ is the great "yes" to the promises of God; abortion is the great "no."
Prayer:
Lord, I pray today for every unborn child. The beauty of the bodies and souls of these children flows from your hands and your eternal plan. Awaken in every human conscience a profound reverence for human life, and grant us grace to defend our smallest and most defenseless brothers and sisters, those still being formed in the secret places of their mothers' womb. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Fr. Frank Pavone
National Director, Priests for Life
Great story about an ultrasound tech here.
Prayer, persistence and the power of pregnancy centers
are the theme of today’s message.
After speaking at a pregnancy center banquet in Michigan,
I was sent this story from Grand Rapids.
This amazing story shows what can happen when a
40 Days for Life vigil works with a pregnancy center
to save lives that would otherwise become statistics.
“This is the day the Lord has made,” we read in
Psalm 118. “Let us rejoice in it and be glad!”
A visibly upset young woman and her mother had just
walked out of the abortion center where the 40 Days
for Life vigil is going on — and walked right up to
one of the prayer volunteers.
She had been advised to have an abortion because she
had difficulties in her life.
After a short discussion, the two women seemed
interested in the offer of a free ultrasound at
a local pregnancy care center. But there were two
challenges.
First of all, it was 8:30 in the morning — and the
pregnancy center wouldn’t open til 9:00.
The volunteers decided to take the young woman and
her mom to breakfast; that would help them settle
down a bit, and it would let them wait until the
doors were open at the pregnancy center.
The second challenge seemed a bit more formidable.
While an ultrasound MACHINE was available, there
might not be an ultrasound TECHNICIAN available.
So they all went to the pregnancy center to wait —
and pray.
Within the hour, another couple arrived at the
abortion center. They had been told to abort
their baby because of possible disabilities.
They had doubts about going through with it — so
they, too, were offered a free ultrasound.
“Can you get us that ultrasound right now?” the
couple asked.
About the same time, yet another couple arrived for
an appointment. They had significant financial
challenges — and they, too, had been encouraged to
abort. “And yes,” said the volunteer, “couple number
three also wanted a free ultrasound.”
Meanwhile, back at the pregnancy center, a car had
entered the parking lot. None of the volunteers
recognized the car. A woman got out. They didn’t
recognize her, either.
She walked over and introduced herself. “I’m an
ultrasound tech and I have nothing to do today,”
she said.
“Do you know of anyone that could use my skills?”
“Seriously!” said the volunteer. “Just like that!”
Three young women saw ultrasound images of their
babies that day. And despite all the reasons each had
been encouraged to abort — they each chose life for
their children.
Each of these mothers has a long road ahead and many
challenges to overcome. But they’ve taken a wonderful
first step. Please keep them in your prayers, and ask
Christ to guide them on their way.
“Before I knew the difficulties of this day, God had
planned for our needs to be met,” said the 40 Days
for Life vigil participant. “Three couples who had
planned on ending their babies’ lives today are still
pregnant tonight. Praise God!”
She added that the overwhelming feeling “is one of
both personal humility and awe for our God who did
so much today. What a blessing! We praise and honor
the Creator tonight. He has done marvelous things!”
Day 15 - October 12
Intention:
May God's people awaken to the fact that we are our brothers' keepers.
Scripture:
Now Cain talked with Abel his brother; and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him. Then the Lord said to Cain, "Where is Abel your brother?" He said, "I do not know. Am I my brother's keeper?" And He said, "What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood cries out to me from the ground."
-- Genesis 4:8-10
Reflection:
"Methinks he doth protest too much ..."
The Bible is filled with passages that speak to our obligation to care for our fellow human beings. From the many commands in the books of Moses enjoining love of family, neighbors and even strangers, to Jesus' parable of the Good Samaritan, the injunction to care for others is inescapable.
In this account, the guilt-stricken Cain tries to shrug off his obligation to his own kin by dismissing it as an unreasonable duty. A la Shakespeare, though, "methinks he doth protest too much." Cain's objection doesn't stem from his sense of proper boundaries of responsibility, but from his own self-centered sense of self-preservation.
Christ said, "Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends" (John 15:13). This is the standard of divine love. It required God to sacrifice what was most precious to Him for the temporal and eternal well being of all humankind (see John 3:16). Though on a much-reduced scale, he expects us to do the same.
Trying to duck our obligation to others is futile. We can't get away with simply dismissing others, especially the most vulnerable among us: the pre-born, the disabled, the sick and the aged. As with Cain, God sees and hears their suffering and will call us to account for what we do -- or do not do -- for them.
Prayer:
Father, help us to embrace the fact that we are our "brother's keeper." When, due to selfish motives, we try to cast off this responsibility please call to us to account. We would be pleasing to you and to our "brother." Through the help and grace of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Rev. Rob Schenck
President, Faith and Action
Yesterday I prayed at the 40 Days for Life campaign at
a Planned Parenthood facility in Dover, Delaware.
You will see frequent references to Planned Parenthood
in these daily updates — after all, of the 301 vigil
locations for this 40 Days for Life campaign, 133 of
them are outside Planned Parenthood facilities.
That’s because Planned Parenthood is America’s leading
abortion chain — 332,278 abortions in one year alone!
Now Planned Parenthood is trying to spruce up its image.
It has to; its financial stability is at stake.
According to their own annual report, this organization
took in $1.1 BILLION during that year. Of that total,
$363 MILLION came directly from YOU through federal,
state and local taxes.
The bible warns of those who would call good “evil” and
evil “good.” As you will see, that’s exactly what
Planned Parenthood does.
Today’s subject line refers to a banner hanging from
Planned Parenthood’s Virginia Beach building. It reads:
“Planning for parenthood is sacred work.”
If “planning for parenthood” means a husband and wife
prayerfully cooperating with God’s will within holy
matrimony, then that can be sacred.
But that isn’t what they’re talking about — not at
an abortion center.
40 Days for Life volunteers in Virginia Beach gathered
last Friday, as Deacon Robert Durel of Holy Spirit
Catholic Church led about 75 people in prayer.
Some of the participants brought a banner of their own:
“Planning to kill babies is NOT sacred work.”
And they prayed — diligently — that God will overcome
this darkness.
To see pictures of the banners and the Virginia Beach
vigil, please go to:
http://40daysforlife.com/blog/?p=2369
You may have been told that Planned Parenthood provides
healthcare for poor women and prevents abortions — and
that abortion accounts for only 3% of its services.
That is hardly the case.
Nearly every Planned Parenthood “service” may be
obtained from a county health department, community
clinic or private physician. All except one — abortion.
How can an organization that, by its own admission,
carried out 332,278 abortions (the annual total
increases EVERY YEAR), claim to prevent them?
Planned Parenthood says abortion comprises only 3% of
its services. That’s true — IF you use a definition of
“service” that treats abortions, birth control
prescriptions and STD tests as equal.
However, when you look at clinic income, you get a
much clearer picture regarding the importance of
abortion to Planned Parenthood.
According to their own annual report, Planned
Parenthood’s clinic income was $405 million. As noted,
they performed 332,278 abortions. Assuming an average
cost of $500 per abortion, that means abortion brought
in $166 million.
That figure represents 41% of Planned Parenthood’s
total clinic income. As always, follow the money.
I could say much more about Planned Parenthood. But
for today, I would just ask you to please PRAY.
* PRAY that the light of truth shines on this
organization and its activities.
* PRAY that the people who work there will see that
light — and seek honorable work elsewhere.
* PRAY that the women seeking abortions there will
understand — and choose life for their babies.
* PRAY!
Day 16 - October 13
Intention:
Pray for the mothers going into pregnancy help centers. The personal care, the free ultrasound, the ongoing practical help is designed to deliver them from those who profit in shedding innocent blood.
Scripture:
Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
-- Matthew 11:28
Reflection:
"You have twins. That will be another $350." She did not speak English. But she finally understood that they were telling her to go get more money and return for her abortion.
She had already given them her rent money. But they were not about to give her a two-for-one deal. They told her to get dressed and return with more cash. A couple, who was praying outside, comforted her. They brought her to their local pregnancy help center.
The staff quickly saw that her personal circumstances were so desperate, and immediate, that they would need direct and ongoing help from local Christians and churches. They started making calls.
Then they did the ultrasound. It showed there was only one baby, not two. This abandoned, immigrant, powerless mother was being exploited. She would do whatever she was told. Who would know? Who would care?
God calls us to "Rescue the weak and the needy; and deliver them from the hand of the wicked" (Psalm 82:4).
When you provide an alternative to abortion you are not only rescuing innocent babies, you are delivering mothers from the wicked: those who profit in the shedding of innocent blood. Pray for those who rescue and deliver daily at your local pregnancy help center.
Prayer:
Father, hear our prayer! Snatch desperate mothers from the fire. Bring them out of our abortion businesses and into our pregnancy help centers. Deliver them from evil. Use us to help them chose life and see your hand of provision.
Rev. John Ensor
Vice President, Heartbeat International
Prayers for every baby-—for there has yet to be one sentenced to death who did not want desperately to live.
Here is a question I hear quite often:
“Shawn, why do we need to be praying when the abortion
center is closed and not just business hours? Isn’t
that a waste of time?”
First of all, time spent in prayer is time NEVER wasted.
As Augustine says, “Silence is the accent of God.” God
is always listening. And He often surprises us with
unexpected blessings — even when the abortion facility
is closed for the day.
Here are just a few examples.
“I had the blessing today of going to Planned Parenthood
with my daughter, Kelly,” Dave wrote. As they approached
this 40 Days for Life vigil location, Kelly noted that
Planned Parenthood was closed.
“I reminded her that this was a 40-day vigil, and that
we needed to be faithful to that commitment. And I can
guarantee that, around the clock, abortions are taking
place somewhere in the world. Abortion is big business
and big business never rests.”
It was much quieter than usual, so Dave was more focused
on the prayers and meditations — “and very attuned to
Kelly’s participation. It was a wonderful experience.”
Dave’s suggestion: Go pray at the 40 Days for Life vigil
— and bring your family. “It is a beautiful way to spend
an hour together, and the benefits are immeasurable for
yourself, your family, the Body of Christ, the mission
and the victims.”
Tom said he and Aaron were praying at the 40 Days for
Life vigil in Everett. “We saw that it was closed and
no one was around, but we knew that our standing there
praying would make a difference.”
Before long, a woman arrived and asked if she could
join them — and of course they agreed. She said that
God had told her to join them. “She didn’t really want
to,” Tom said, “but she felt that she was being called.”
A bit later, a couple drove up. “The woman seemed to be
checking to see what the hours of the clinic were,” he
said. “As they drove off I made it a point to wave and
smile. She did the same. I thought that was encouraging.”
Praying outside of Planned Parenthood on Sunday was
“very peaceful,” said Nancy in Plattsburgh.
“God did provide a few signal graces,” she said. A van
drove by with the driver tooting the horn and waving in
support of prayer to end abortion.
“I was getting ready to call it a day and three college
students came over and asked to talk,” Nancy said.
“They admitted they were pro-choice. We had a great
conversation that lasted 30 minutes. The Holy Spirit
was with me the whole time, defending life in every
instance.”
She gave them information, shook hands with them and
said good-bye. “Their gears were really turning as
they walked away! I pray that the Holy Spirit planted
a big seed in their hearts.”
Nancy said it doesn’t matter if Planned Parenthood
is open or not. “God will bring someone along that
needs Him.”
Day 17 - October 14
Intention:
May all understand more deeply that the pro-life message is rooted in the two basic truths of life:
Scripture:
And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.
-- Genesis 2:7
Reflection:
From the beginning of the Bible until the end, the theme is echoed that God alone has dominion over human life. He made it; shared it; died to save it; will raise it up forever. The act of creation described in Genesis 2:7, and earlier in Genesis 1:26-27, is a sovereign act. God did not have to do it, and would have been happy forever without us. Yet without our asking for it or earning it, God brought us out of nothingness and into life, and sustains our existence at every moment. And He does so in Christ. "For by Him all things were created…in Him all things exist" (Colossians 1:16-17).
"You are not your own," Paul declares in 1 Corinthians 6. God alone owns us. While He entrusts us to the care of one another, He does not allow any human being to own another. A Southern California abortionist, James McMahon, once explained how he justified killing children after 20 weeks gestation by partial-birth abortion. He did not deny that this was a child, but rather asked, "Who owns the child? It's got to be the mother." The struggle over abortion is really a struggle over the dominion of God. The Christian individual, and the Christian Church, cannot sit idly by when others declare that God is not God.
Prayer:
Lord, we are yours. Thank you for breathing into us the breath of life. Thank you for claiming us as your own. May our words and actions in defense of human life proclaim to all the world that you alone are Lord of life and death, Lord of our freedom and of our choices. We pray in Jesus' Name. Amen.
Fr. Frank Pavone
National Director, Priests for Life
I’m on the road again!
Louisiana is a special place — and when they decide
to do something, they go full force ... be it gumbo
or anything else.
Yesterday, I got to meet and pray with the 40 Days
for Life team in Shreveport. I’ve also heard great
things about the first-time campaign in Baton Rouge.
Everywhere I go — and every time I check my e-mail —
I keep hearing great stories about local campaigns.
Here are just a few.
The first 40 Days for Life campaign in Baton Rouge got
off to a fast start with 300 people attending an
interfaith prayer service.
On the campaign’s second day, three women with abortion
appointments changed their minds while a group of women
prayed with their children at the vigil outside the
abortion center.
Then there was a day when the facility did not see any
clients — on a day of the week when they typically see
about two dozen.
Charlotte in Baton Rouge is amazed by the number of
people participating who have never prayed at an
abortion facility before.
“Each person that we have talked with has found it to
be a powerful, transformative experience,” she said.
“The reality of seeing the building and knowing that
abortions take place there instills a deeper
conviction to help pray for an end to abortion.”
To see some photos of the 40 Days for Life events in
Baton Rouge, please go to:
http://40daysforlife.com/blog/?p=2384
A building in Ithaca appears to be “a lovely blue
Victorian house,” said Mary Anne, the local campaign
coordinator. Inside, however, it’s a facility that
provides abortions up to 13 weeks.
“All the prayer volunteers on our team have declared
this is definitely a life-changing experience and they
are all glad they got involved,” she said.
Mary Anne said evidence of spiritual warfare is
growing. Passersby can’t resist offering opinions
about the vigil.
One shouted, “I don’t have any kids and I NEVER
want any!”
A second person called out, “You people can’t
proselytize in public! You can’t force your beliefs
on others. Planned Parenthood doesn’t force their
beliefs on you!”
As one vigil volunteer said, prayers are more
effective when people stand together outside the
abortion facility than when they pray alone in the
comfort of their homes.
To see some pictures of the 40 Days for Life vigil site
in Ithaca, please go to:
http://40daysforlife.com/blog/?p=2384
It rained all day in Jacksonville last Saturday —
except during the procession sponsored by the local
40 Days for Life team.
They prayed at one abortion center — then walked to a
second abortion facility for more prayer.
“Hundreds of devout pro-lifers faced the wet day and
trusted Him who is in charge of the weather,” said
Trudy in Jacksonville, “and clergy of all faiths
prayed to Him to rid our city of abortion.”
She reports the parking lots at both abortion centers
were all but empty — unusual for a Saturday.
To see pictures of the 40 Days for Life prayer
procession in Jacksonville, please go to:
http://40daysforlife.com/blog/?p=2384
Day 18 - October 15
Intention:
We pray for a flowering of the joy of parenthood.
Scripture:
Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one's youth. Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them; they shall not be ashamed, but shall speak with their enemies in the gate.
-- Psalm 127:3-5
Reflection:
I still vividly remember the day my first child was born. As she came into the world I gazed upon the most beautiful little baby I'd ever seen. Later I was driving home from the hospital for a shower and a fresh change of clothes when a song came on the radio, "The Men in My Little Girl's Life" -- a ballad about being a father as he watches his daughter grow through childhood to womanhood. I wept as I listened, knowing those years would go by very fast… and they did.
Being a father, whenever I read the Psalm quoted above I'm always captivated by one word - "heritage." It basically means "something passed down from a preceding generation." That little girl I watched being born and wept for is not mine to give to God like a product of our fertility, but rather His, which he has entrusted to us. So are all her siblings.
My wife and I share a great treasure: precious lives, which are placed in our lineage that His life with us might be perpetuated. To the psalmist, this was a blessing from the Lawgiver, God Himself, who blessed Israel with another generation intended to continue their covenantal promise. For us in Christ, it is his gift of succeeding generations for His Church and her families.
These days I'm looking upon my grandchildren, and rejoicing that my children and their spouses will pass on the greatness of Christ's gospel to them and thus will continue the work of God in the world. What a blessing. What a heritage!
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, please keep me from taking for granted the gift of children. Help us to remember this heritage that you have given us. Make us faithful stewards of these precious lives, that each generation might be raised in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Randolph Sly
National Pro-life Religious Council
Yesterday I was at the Flagstaff, Arizona 40 Days for
Life campaign — where they have gotten some excellent
coverage from local media.
In fact, 40 Days for Life continues to get great media
coverage from local newspapers and TV stations.
These reports are getting the word out to people who
otherwise might not know about the campaign — and who
might not even know that abortion is such a serious
problem in their own home towns.
Here’s a rundown of several of those stories.
Mary Pate, the 40 Days for Life coordinator for Little
Rock, was part of a lengthy live report aired by KHTV,
the local CBS affiliate.
She called 40 Days for Life a peaceful attempt to
change people’s hearts and minds.
“There are many victims to abortion; it’s not just the
child,” she said. “Women are hurt by abortion as well
and we feel like that once women learn that there are
alternatives to abortion when they are in a crisis
situation, they will make a better decision.”
Mary also countered the pro-abortion argument that
abortion is healthcare. “It’s not a simple procedure
and the pain doesn’t end the day they leave the abortion
clinic,” she said. “There could be a lifetime of pain
and regret and guilt.”
For a link to the KHTV video, please go to:
http://40daysforlife.com/blog/?p=2393
Local coordinator Michelle Reynolds was quoted in a
Lufkin News story about 40 Days for Life.
“I’m a normal person just like everyone else, but I’ve
seen the effects of abortion — my friends, my past
experiences with Planned Parenthood and myself — they
bring them to a clinic to get help and they’re not
getting the help that is needed. I’ve seen the hurt
they can cause,” she said.
Rev. Mark O’Neill, pastor of Lufkin’s Covenant
Presbyterian Church, told the reporter, “Planned
Parenthood is the largest provider in the country.
We want to pray here and pray that the Lord would have
mercy on our country and cause people to see that
abortion is the taking of another human life.”
For a link to the Lufkin News article, please see:
http://40daysforlife.com/blog/?p=2393
The Flagstaff Daily Sun spoke to Sam Copeland, who
heads up the local 40 Days for Life campaign, at their
vigil location outside Planned Parenthood.
“It’s a spiritual issue. It’s not a political battle,”
Sam said. “It’s peaceful.”
He said for the most part, participants are members of
local evangelical Christian churches. They would like
to see Planned Parenthood stop performing abortions —
and in the case of locations that do not actually
perform abortions, to stop referring women to other
locations that do.
For a link to the Flagstaff Daily Sun coverage, go to:
http://40daysforlife.com/blog/?p=2393
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