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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.

LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS

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

LUFKIN, TEXAS

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

FLAGSTAFF, ARIZONA

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