Maybe Today is the Day

I am heading out to the abortion center since I know our Cities4Life teams are often short-handed on Fridays. I volunteered to do so BEFORE I read the weather report. Rookie error! Rain and thunder forecast! Yippeeeee!

At least it is not cold.

Maybe today is the day one of you reading this will decide you want to find out what would compel ANYONE to stand out in the rain in front of an abortion center. Maybe today you will put on your rainboots and yellow rain slicker, and stand beside me. All we expect of "newbies" is to listen and pray. Anyone can do that.

Maybe today you will heed the prompting in your heart to be a voice for the unborn, to intercede where the life and death decision is being made by the dozens today. And if God moves her heart, maybe today a mother will choose life over abortion, and thank you for your presence when she needed one person to encourage her and remind her she is not alone.

God, of course, is always there. Are you?
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For information on how you can help, please go HERE. And if today is the day you want to stand with us, we will be there from 9:30-12 or so.

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1 Corinthians 15:58

Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain

Not Perfect, But Willing. Are You?

This is me in my kayak. I almost didn't go because I really didn't have time, but I need the peaceful alone time with nature and God or my spirit begins to crumble and tear.

I have been consumed with the fight with City Council about making the street where we minister outside the abortion center inaccessible to us through No Parking ordinances while simultaneously working to help get my folks to a safe and wonderful retirement (assisted living) home that can meet all their needs. I have also been actively working with a mom who chose life over abortion who is in an abusive situation. I am trying to find her a safe place, job, and spiritual support. All three issues are still unresolved. I hoped time in my kayak might bring me peace and clarity in the midst of this storm. 

It did. It always does.

If you have followed our fight with the City to not restrict access to ministering to the women at the abortion center, I hope you have also read the accounts of all the incredible good Cities4Life has accomplished. Here is another article that I thought beautifully represented the issues and the incredible work Cities4Life does. Click HERE.

Before I move on to serious matters, check out this article. The author insinuates that Cities4Life instigated a cyber attack on the abortion center and stuffed their drain pipes so the toilets backed up. Then they quote ME, from my speech at the City Council Citizen forum. Me. Are they suggesting that this grey-haired, old, breast-cancer survivor had, first, the knowledge, and secondly the strength, stamina, stealth, and desire to stuff their drain pipes or conduct a cyber attack? And they misspelled my name. At least if they are going to accuse me of such an intellectual crime, they should spell my name correctly.

Nonetheless, it is such a rewarding ministry to be a part of. I have learned more about living the Gospel, reaching others for Christ, and the JOY of serving God and seeing His miracles right before my eyes through serving with Cities4Life than anything else I have ever done. 

We need help. We need more people to reach out to these conflicted women where they need it most - on the sidewalks of the abortion center. I would love to help any one interested in learning more about what we do. If you contact me, we can schedule any morning you are available to shadow me and other counselors on the sidewalk. You can just watch and learn till you feel totally comfortable in whatever role God is calling you to do out there. It is only terrifying the first time. Then strangely, it becomes a privilege and joy. Honestly!

God kept sending me a message for me to repeat over and over: I am not perfect but I am willing.

I think He was reminding me that it doesn't matter if I fail, it matters that I am faithful.

Please contact me at vickychooseslife@yahoo.com.

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2 Timothy 1:9

Who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began

BE BOLD WHEN GOD CALLS YOU

With the looming issue of our access to the abortion center sidewalks being restricted, I have been consumed; first working on my speech to City Council Monday night, and now writing the City Council to correct misinformation presented by the pro-choice group during the City Council Citizen Forum. I have copied my letter below along with the email addresses of all our council members and mayor so all you pro-life friends can challenge Charlotte's attempts to put parking restrictions on a wide street, with sidewalks, and no traffic issues. This is an attempt by the pro-abortion crowd to shut us down because Cities4Life is so effective in cutting into their abortion profits. Our RV and we counselors park on the street right in front of the abortion center, and many lives are saved by that ready access to troubled and conflicted women. The No Parking zone would severely impede our ability to reach them where they most need us.

If this were truly an issue of safety due to parked cars, why do the pro-choice folk park on the street? (They were the ones that raised the concern of safety due to parking to police and council members.) I wonder if the pro-choice group who champion the right to abort a baby in the womb grasped the irony during the City Council Meeting which commended "Child Abuse Prevention Month"? Do they find it a little twisted that they voice concern over safety of children playing in the street while they slaughter thousands of unborn babies a year in the abortion center where we minister?

I was so terrified to speak two nights ago, but knew I HAD to. You have to stand up for what you believe, no matter how frightening it is. I was just reading a Bible passage that reminded me of that truth. In Daniel 6, Daniel continues his practice of praying to God despite the anger and orders not to do so by King Nebuchadnezer. He was so determined to stand up for his beliefs, or more literally to kneel down for his beliefs in praying only to his God, that he was thrown in the lion's den. God preserved him and he was not harmed. However, sometimes we are harmed when we follow God's path. That doesn't matter. Daniel went to the lion's den knowing it might be God's plan that the lions eat him.

Here is one newscast that featured a segment of our speeches. Click HERE.

And we are on a second news cast as well. Please understand, this is NOT a public safety issue. If that were the case as Council member Eiselt claims in this segment, then why did she speak ONLY to the pro-choice folks and not a single word with us when she visited Latrobe Ave???? If she were on a fact finding mission, why only gather the facts of the group who raised the concern and not the concerns of all?

Click HERE for that newscast.

Now since I have supplied all you need below to contact City Council, we are in a NO EXCUSE ZONE.

mayor@charlottenc.gov,
vlyles@charlottenc.gov,
julie.eiselt@charlottenc.gov,
james.mitchell@charlottenc.gov,
cfallon@charlottenc.gov,
pkinsey@charlottenc.gov,
edriggs@charlottenc.gov,
"Smith, Kenny R." ,
aaustin@charlottenc.gov,
dimple.ajmera@charlottenc.gov,
gaphipps@charlottenc.gov,
lmayfield@charlottenc.gov

Hello Mayor Roberts and Council Members,

I appreciated the opportunity to speak with you at the forum last night. I would like to correct some inaccuracies voiced by the pro-choice group in the last few speeches.

First of all, in three years of being on Latrobe as a sidewalk counselor I have NOT ONCE seen a child from nearby neighborhoods skateboarding, bicycling, or playing anywhere on Latrobe Ave. None of us have.

Secondly, Latrobe is a tennis shaped street as they mentioned, and the ONLY business on the section where we counsel women and park is the Abortion Center. ANY other business traffic can access their businesses by taking the other side of the loop. Our work impedes NO ONE.

Thirdly, while we do indeed have some counselors who bring their children they NEVER play in the street. NEVER.

Fourthly, many women go on the mobile RV unlike the speaker's report that she has never seen someone on the RV. One day six women in a row went on while I counseled them!!! I personally follow and work with 30 women, all of which went on the RV. And I am only one of many counselors.

Fifthly, the use of the term "held hostage" in referring to what happens on the RV is a complete falsehood and slander. We often DO have trouble getting them to leave, since it is a place of hope and safety.

Sixthly, this street is wide, with sidewalks on both sides in the area by the abortion center. Tractor trailers go by and wave to us as the RV and our cars are parked there.

Seventh, we do NOT break the sound ordinance law. We legally abide by all terms of using our sound system.

Finally, if the women were so adverse to speaking to us, why do so many women stop, take our literature, change their minds, and call us. Would they do so if we are a "gauntlet of fear and intimidation"?

The pro-choice people tell every client NOT to stop and talk to us...even if the woman is post-abortive, sobbing, and WANTS the comfort and support we offer.

This drive to find some way to silence us is not based on safety. It is based on a recognition that our work has significantly cut into the abortion business and they don't want to lose any more revenue.

Regards,

Vicky Kaseorg
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Acts 28:31

Proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance.

Ephesians 3:12

In whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him.

Proverbs 28:1

The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are bold as a lion.

Lifted From Destruction

A very brave mother who chose life over abortion stood in front of the City Council and a packed chamber while I spoke about what Cities4Life does on the sidewalks of the abortion center for the unborn and the abortion-minded women. When I spoke about the precious baby who might not have been here if our ministry was not on that sidewalk, this wonderful woman held her child high in the air so that everyone could see her. The entire chamber burst into cheers and applause and I lost 30 seconds of my carefully crafted three-minute speech.

That was okay. I remained silent and let the image of that little baby being triumphantly displayed in her mother's outstretched arms speak more eloquently than any words I had prepared.

In the end, that is what it is all about. Human life is precious. Sacred. Imbued with God's imprint. How blessed I am to know this woman and to have played a part in the precious life lifted from destruction by the hand of God Himself.

To see all our speakers, click HERE and go to Citizens Forum section on scroll bar.

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Luke 12:6-7

Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And not one of them is forgotten before God. Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows

The Abundant, Lavish, Overflowing Love of God

Yesterday, Sheryl of Truth and Mercy Pro-life Ministry and I held a baby shower for "C", a mom who chose life over abortion and is due in the next few weeks. (This ministry partners with Cities4Life in presenting a Gospel oriented alternative to abortion.) Her living room overflowed with everything the baby will need for the first two years of life. She was tearful, incredulous, overwhelmed. Sheryl explained, as she always does, that this represented the lavish, abundant, overflowing love of God for her and her baby.

Even though C and her sister had both asked Jesus to be Lord of their lives on the RV when we showed C her baby on the ultrasound, during the baby shower we always present the Gospel again and talk about what it means to follow God. Our culture is very "work" oriented, and the idea that we must earn our way to Heaven is a hard concept to dispel. As my friend Sheryl says, "It never hurts to hear the Gospel again."

God ALWAYS presents perfect openings for us to launch into our favorite subject and life-changing message of the truth of Jesus. He did not fail us yesterday. Three women were at the shower, and had many children between them. All were unmarried. All expressed concern about having more children. All wondered aloud about how to change the pattern of their life.

Sheryl and I had the perfect opportunity to speak of the Bible, its protective guidelines for behavior, the redemptive love of Christ, and the optimal model for families. What floored me was how receptive the women were. They all expressed a desire to learn more and to get into a good church that could keep them on a better life trajectory.

PRAISE GOD for yet another new and exciting development in our ministry. We are in the ramping up stages of matching the moms we work with - both those who choose life and post-abortive ones- with mentors. These mentors are connected with churches who are committed to helping these women, spiritually, emotionally, and materially. The hope is that our culture can be transformed as more "at risk" people (and we all are at risk to some degree...) will find the hope and plan of Jesus for their lives and will be upheld and supported through their struggles by committed churches.

I had just spent a long time the day before the shower discussing this wonderful service through Love-Life Charlotte with the woman in charge of assigning mentors to 'mentees'. She told me they had mentors ready and waiting and I could send her women!

When I mentioned this resource to C at the shower, she said she would LOVE to have a mentor. Then her sister, and her friend both said, "Could we have a mentor too?"

They may not know all the ins and outs of the Gospel, but these three women had a hunger for God, and a desire to know Him better. In that quiet living room of this very poor household in a very poor neighborhood, the peace and hope and transforming power of Jesus swirled in the air.
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Romans 12:2

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

2 Corinthians 5:17

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

2 Corinthians 3:18

And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.

About Silencing Those You Disagree With: Fighting To Be Heard

Today, I will help run a baby shower for a young woman who chose life over abortion. The baby shower, hosted by Truth and Mercy Pro-life Ministries who partners with Cities4Life, will provide EVERYTHING the baby needs for the entire first two years of her life. The mother was so overcome by the truth of the Gospel which we shared with her on the mobile ultrasound RV parked along the curb of the abortion center that she and her sister both asked Jesus then and there to be Lord of their lives.

She is due at the end of this month, and that precious child would be another abortion statistic if the Cities4Life counselors were not there the day "C" arrived at the abortion center. Her choice for life for herself and her baby might not have been so firm if HELP Crisis Pregnancy Center Mobile Ultrasound RV had not been parked in front of the center with the equipment to show this woman her child's beating heart.

A few weeks ago, a member of Charlotte's City Council visited that abortion center. She spent hours talking with the pro-choice staff and police, but not one minute with the pro-life folks standing on the sidewalk offering tangible help to the mothers streaming in thinking abortion was the only hope in their situation. Shortly after that time, we were informed a NO PARKING ordinance would be issued for the area where we park our cars and our RV.

This is the true nature of the pro-choice movement. Silence and obstruct those who interfere with the big-money enterprise of abortion. Marginalize the pro-life counselors as "protestors" with no understanding or even attempts to understand the enormous on-going assistance and hope they offer to these women.

No, instead, the city is exploring other ways of limiting our access to these women. There has been additional talk of silencing and limiting our right to the sound systems we use so women in the center and parking lot can NOT hear our offers of services, resources, baby showers, mentorship programs, and more.

Yesterday, I spent hours on the phone with one of the women I met over a year ago and helped with our Cities4Life network. This woman is in an abusive situation and had no idea who to turn to or how to escape. She called me. She told me she could not believe how much Cities4Life has already done for her, and how they continue to help her and her baby.

"I honestly don't know where I would be if it hadn't been for you all," she told me. One of our network crisis counselors will be meeting with and assisting this desperate woman. Others are lining up other resources to help her. It is THIS voice our city seems to feel needs to be silenced.

Monday night, our group and partner ministries such as Love Life Charlotte will be gathering at City Hall to voice our concern at the City Council Meeting at 6:30. I will be speaking in one of the ten allowed public forum slots. I will try to say something in my three allotted minutes that will help our council to understand that abortion is so often not about 'choice', but about coercion, helplessness, hopelessness, abuse, and despair. Cities4Life offers tangible help, constructive resources, training, and most importantly the hope of God to transform and equip whenever we walk with Him in obedient faith.

We would love to overwhelm the council chamber with people supporting our mission of turning Charlotte into a city where life is viewed as the sacred gift it is. If you share our vision, please join us. Help us to turn a terrible darkness into light, and while you are at it, consider contacting Cities4Life to see how you can serve alongside us.

Right before going to bed, another woman I just met and counseled Friday at the abortion center texted me: Thank you. Love you. You really were sent by God. No doubt.
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Isaiah 6:8 

And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here am I! Send me.”

Empty Arms and Deathly Deception

"Don't go on that RV," the pro-choice 'escort' told the young lady, "They will hold you hostage. And if you go on that RV with those pro-life people, you cannot come back here if you change your mind."

A baby's life hung in the balance. The young mother, Asha, had gone into the abortion center determined to abort, but her brave friend, Rina, got her on the phone, and despite our expectations that she would hang up on me, I was handed the phone. Unbelievably, after a few minutes of talking with her, Asha told me she was coming out. She would go on our mobile ultrasound RV and see her baby, discuss her options with us. (Names changed for privacy.)

I drew pictures of animals for Rina's three small children while Rina ran to meet Asha at the abortion center door. The two emerged. The nurse, Sherry, and I rejoiced, knowing that most of the time if we can get a mom on the RV to see her child on the ultrasound, she will choose life.

Suddenly, the 'pro-choice escort' began challenging the young woman. She told her we trap women in the RV, and won't let them off. The escort told Asha she could not leave and expect to come back. It was abortion now, or never. The conflicted woman returned to the abortion center and we were livid with the outright lies to secure the death of a baby.

This was a woman that wanted to go on the mobile ultrasound unit. She wanted to see her baby. She wanted to hear what we could offer. The so-called "pro-choice" escort told her choose abortion...or get lost. What choice was being offered this woman? One choice in the Women's Preferred Health Center: Abortion.

One couple left before the abortionist arrived. One baby saved! Sherry, the nurse, had an extended discussion with a Muslim man who saw the "pro-choice" person lie about what we do, and in the end, he wanted to know more about Jesus. Glimmers of hope.

I know the people at the abortion center lie to draw in business. It sickens me to know that they would lie to prevent a woman from letting her baby live. Lord help us.
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Galatians 6:7-8

Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.

I'm a Rock Star, not an Alcoholic

I have been having a fantabulous time in Seattle with my sister Wendy -- cross country skiing, hiking, finding bald eagles, exploring beautiful islands and rain soaked trails.

Yesterday, we were visiting a property she is selling on Whidbey Island.  After checking her property, we were ravenous but discovered that most restaurants on Whidbey Island close on Tuesdays in the winter.


Finally we stumbled upon a delightful little place that was open. As we got out of the car, a man stomped out of the restaurant. He had the look of an aged hippie - bandana, long grey hair, grizzled, lots of denim. He glared at us and shouted, "I would boycott this place! They were rude to me!"
"Oh," I said, "I am so sorry! What happened?"
"They wouldn't serve me a second shot of tequila!"
Wendy could not keep from a burst of laughter.
He scowled at us and said, "I'm a rock star, not an alcoholic."

As he stormed away, Wendy and I slipped into the restaurant. "Frankly," I whispered to her, "That commends the place to me."

As we settled down into our seats, it came to me immediately what God was saying. So many of us think we are rock stars in our character, talent, and spiritual nature. However, the sad truth is we are miserable sinners with no hope of stardom in purity, righteousness, or meeting God's Holy standards. We are all as deluded as that poor man. We ARE spiritual alcoholics, needing drink after drink to sustain an unquenchable thirst if we are not drinking of the water of life that emanates from the only source that can quench our thirst eternally.

We can drive all day looking for a place to satisfy our hunger, to fill that hole in our gut that rumbles and growls and is always empty. I think we are designed with a God-sized hunger and thirst and we will seek every way to satisfy it, but ONLY ONE WILL.

Jesus beckons us: Come to me, all ye who are thirsty, hungry, weary, overburdened...and I will give you life.

And He doesn't close on Tuesdays.

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John 4:10-15

¹⁰ Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”

¹¹ “Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? ¹² Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?”
¹³ Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, ¹⁴ but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
¹⁵ The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.”

Do Unto Others...

I am not sure I have ever skied in such stunning scenery as the snow-park an hour from Seattle. Sister Wendy and I drove an hour to the ski park, not certain if my past year of breast cancer, frozen shoulder, and recent final procedure in breast reconstruction which I am still recovering from would allow me to ski at all. My right arm is quite weak, and I use my arms a lot in Cross-country skiing.

We arrived, and the trip was worth it just for the scenery from the parking lot.

These pictures do not begin to do it justice. I was enthralled. We slapped on our skis. Now to be entirely accurate, I slapped on my skis. Wendy seemed to be having a great deal of trouble. She told me to do laps while she fiddled with her bindings. I did so. Click on the triangle to view this video below. It was like I had not had a few years of no cross country skiing. It felt like home.

Sadly, home is where Wendy had left the boots for the particular skis she had brought. She would not be able to ski. She had snowshoes in the car however, and strapped those on. She intended to jog in the snowshoes to keep up with me. Unfortunately, the snowshoe straps broke within minutes.

"Just go ski and have fun," she told me, "I will jog in my boots and I'll see you when you get back."

This was totally unselfish of her. She loves cross-country skiing as much or even more than I do. However, my boots don't fit her so there really was nothing I could do but go have fun.

I stopped to take a few pictures but it was readily apparent that the pictures could not begin to capture the grandeur of the setting. So instead, I spent an hour and a half skiing, incredulous that each magnificent scene was more gorgeous than the last.


So, I have a question for God. Here is my sister trying her hardest to be sure I have the world's best experience in Seattle. She bought me a ticket to fly me to Seattle, gave me her bedroom, worked out an intricate itinerary of joy, cooked luscious meals, and drove me an hour to ski. Why would God not have slipped in the right pair of boots so she could ski too?

Maybe He wanted me to know that my mistreatment of Wendy when we were children was not gracious, loving, kind or fair-- scratching her with my finely honed fingernails, being jealous of her manifest talents, and constantly grumbling about having to wear her hand-me-downs and endure the endless teachers greeting me with such high expectations ("Oh! You are Wendy's sister!!!). How had I missed what a lovely human being Wendy was? (Thank you God for the lesson, but please, be sure Wendy has the right boots today.)

I wonder how many other people I have not recognized the unique value of because of petty differences between me and them? I suspect way too many. I bet I am not alone in marginalizing those who we don't agree with, don't understand, or are just plain envious of.


When I got back, a little girl and her family asked me if I was Wendy's sister.
"Yes!" I said, "How do you know Wendy and how do you know I am her sister?"
"You look like her. She told us she brought the wrong ski boots, but told you to go ahead and ski without her. She found an old pair of snowshoes in the garbage and was trying to see if they still worked."

They didn't but I thought it was resourceful of Wendy to try.

I was so proud and delighted to be Wendy's sister. And to think I look like her!

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Ephesians 4:32 

Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

Matthew 7:12 

“So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

Romans 15:1-2 

We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up.

Romans 12:10 

Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.

You Close Your Book When God Sends a Divine Encounter

I am in Seattle visiting my sister Wendy. And of course, it is raining. I believe Seattle has more rain than any place on earth since Noah docked the ark. Wendy felt it was a good time to take me on a walk on the muddy, slippery trails through a lovely forested area...trails that go straight up or straight down. Oh, and that umbrella and raincoat she promised me so I didn't have to pack them? Those were not forthcoming.

Wendy's goal on this visit is to ensure that I cry "Uncle!" and admit that she can exercise me under the table. It is apparently a challenge to prove that I may talk a good talk, but I am actually just an East coast wimp, used to sunshine, warmth, and level paths.

She is correct.

But before I get sidetracked by the muddy, rain-drenched joy of a 3-mile walk with Wendy that my body assured me was at least ten miles...let me tell you about a divine appointment on the plane trip over to this wonderful ego-deflating adventure.

I sat down with my phone loaded with hours and hours of books. I never get five straight hours to indulge in reading, and the trip to Seattle is long. I couldn't wait to cocoon in my little self-absorbed capsule and read. The first leg of the journey was only about an hour and a half, but I eagerly popped open my kindle App on my phone and nestled into my middle seat.

The young man by the window was adorable. He was obviously on a very rare plane flight, and was taking pictures out the window even before the plane took off. He smiled at me with wide-eyed delight. I made the fatal mistake of smiling back when I snuck a peek at the receding skyline of Charlotte.

"It's just so pretty!" he said, catching me peering out the window as we took off.
"It sure is," I said, giving the subtle hint of continuing to read my book.
"I love to see the clouds. So many people don't even look."
I glanced up. "I do too. I love the window seat but usually end up on the aisle so I can get out more easily if I need to. Is this your first flight?" I kept my phone on, the words of my book gleaming so he could see this was just a brief polite interlude.
"Well I am returning home now with my father's ashes in that backpack under the seat. I sprinkled half on the east coast, and will sprinkle the other half on the west coast. He always wanted to travel, but never did."

I shut off my phone.

"I'm so sorry," I said, "That must be very hard for you."

Thus began an hour and a half of the young man telling me about a difficult life, but one which he viewed with remarkable maturity. The deceased father clearly had no chance of capturing "father of the year" award, but the young man said he knew his dad had been struggling to find something he never found.

This of course was the opening God always seems to provide, and I shared with him the hope and peace and joy I found in Jesus. The young man had known God in his youth, but had fallen away. Much of his moving from God was due to the struggle with the question of why bad things happen to good people. I told him I struggled with that too, and in fact, wrote books that dealt with that issue. I gave him my promotional bookmark and told him to contact me and I would send him one of my books that I thought might help.

He revealed that his dad had committed suicide and his whole family was beating themselves up over what they might have done to prevent that. He worried that his dad once knew God, but felt this showed he no longer did. The young man was sad, because he had embraced the gospel as a youth, though his faith was shaken now. But what about his dad? It was clear he wanted to see his dad again, and the suicide and what it demonstrated about his father's lack of faith convinced him that would never be possible.

"The Bible says our salvation cannot be lost, or taken from us. We have to choose to give it up," I said. "If your dad truly knew Jesus, maybe he didn't lose his faith. Maybe he was just weak."

The young man brightened, and said that when he heard of his father's death, he was terribly distraught, and having a drink with a friend. Suddenly, he felt a presence. It was immensely comforting, almost as if his dad was right there, assuring him it would be all right.

"Perhaps that was God telling you you would see your dad again. Terrible things happen in this world," I said, "And the older I get, the more terrible things I see. The best thing I have found to do with the pain of living is not to ask why, because that is a useless question, but to ask what do I do from here? If I can use my pain to help others, it gives meaning to some of the horror. I think the only way to make it is to keep your eyes on Jesus, keep an eternal perspective. C.S. Lewis said that every hunger in humans can be satisfied - hunger, thirst, sex, sleep...We can meet every one of those needs and it makes sense that they are there so we will seek to satisfy them. In fact it is necessary to life that we satisfy them. It makes sense as well that the universal longing to live forever, for eternity, is capable of being satisfied. Eternity is real."

I had 37 minutes to make my connection. The plane had landed, and taxied to the gate.
"You better go now!" the young man urged, not wanting me to miss my flight to sunny Seattle.
"I'll be praying for you," I said, dashing away, grateful God had urged me to close my book.

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1 John 2:1 

My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.

Mark 9:24 

Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!”

Matthew 17:20 

He said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.”

Bon Voyage...Absent in Body but Not in Spirit for a Little While

This is happy me on the way to Seattle to ski with my sister Wendy. She sent me a ticket because she felt sorry for me and our pitiful Charlotte snow this year. I don't want to be cold, but I do love to cross-country ski. She suggested on the proposed itinerary that we also go "dragon boating". While paddling on Seattle bay would normally be great fun, NOT in 30-45 degree weather. I told her I would watch her dragon boating in water that would instantly ice every cell in her body if she fell in,  but I myself would pass on that wonderful offer.

I suspect I will not be getting blogs out this week. I intend to enjoy my sister and the left coast to the fullest. However, you do not need to be without my daily dose of inspiration! Did I ever tell you I write books????

I received a letter last week from a sweet woman who battled cancer many years ago, and is now battling it again. She told me she wished she'd had my book twenty years ago when she had breast cancer. And now, as she faces a new cancer, she thanked me for the good laugh my book provided her. Laughter is great medicine, she added.

She is right. And I am grateful for her kind words because I wrote the book hoping it would be a real help for people facing all kinds of adversity.

You can purchase that book HERE to tide you over till I return from Seattle.  If you want a fun, zany, but faith-filled series chock full of animals, God, and underdogs, you could try my new Unlikely Friends series. You can click HERE for the first book. Book 3 is in edit, due out very soon, and Book 4 has been started!

My ticket says "TSA/PreCheck". That means I don't have to stand in the long line of all those people checking in to the airport security who have to empty all their possessions and take off their shoes. I did nothing to earn this, nor did I pay for this privilege.

I get to go in the short, quick line that those in authority have given a safe pass. How much this reminds me of what happens when we put our faith in Jesus. We can not earn or pay for God's favor or forgiveness of our sins. We must only accept the free pass He offers. We are pre-approved to pass through death into eternal life with God because Jesus paid the penalty for our sins through His atoning sacrifice on the cross. We are no longer condemned in our sin, but sail right to God's side through His checkpoint with no hassle, forgiven and free.

Bon voyage and God Bless you all.
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1 Thessalonians 2:17

But we, brethren, having been taken away from you for a short while--in person, not in spirit--were all the more eager with great desire to see your face.

Why Bother With Unique Fingerprints? A Lesson From My Nursing Home Art Class

I taught my little art class yesterday for my nursing home residents. We wanted to do a spring watercolor, which was ironic considering what a blustery cold day it was. No one had ever drawn a robin before, and all greeted my model picture with the same dubious laughs and assurances they could never do that, like I hear every month. The painting at the top of the blog is by one of those folks who said they could never paint a robin. All the paintings below are by residents who voiced a similar concern.

I love how each artist interpreted the scene a little differently. Each was unique though we used the same model picture, and the same set of watercolors, and the same instructions from yours truly.

Did you know that even identical twins have different fingerprints? How could that be? They share the same DNA. An even more interesting question is WHY would God design even identical twins to be unique?

Here is what I think. We are all loved by God. Each of us is uniquely, specially designed in such a way that NO ONE can take our place. If I leave this world, there will be a Vicky-shaped gap that no one else can fill. That is true of each of you. I think God is sending an unmistakable message that each one of us is of infinite and unique value to God.

Kind of makes you feel important, doesn't it? I matter! So do you! Now go and be YOU in the way only YOU can be to a world that could be better because YOU are here. God would not have made you if this wasn't true.

It is one of the reasons I fight so passionately to urge women not to abort. That child they carry is uniquely made in God's image for a wonderful purpose that ONLY that child can fulfill. 

His painting of you is based on His image, but each one of us is painted in a glorious unique and different way. Now go fulfill your unique and special purpose to the glory of the One who designed you.
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Ephesians 2:10 

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Matthew 10:30 

But even the hairs of your head are all numbered.

Romans 12:1-21 

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. ...

Destruction Before Finding God

A young lady deeply burdened over a recent abortion unexpectedly answered  my text. She had been on my heart from the moment I met her on the sidewalks of the abortion center, so I texted her telling her I was praying for her and wanted her to know I was here if she wanted to talk. She had been avoiding my questions about whether she'd been coerced to abort, but now admitted she had aborted her child. She didn't know how God could forgive her. I told her I knew how. Would she like to hear? She said she would.

I shared the Gospel, carefully building from the bad news (we are all dead in our sin and doomed!) to the Good News (Jesus died to pay the penalty for our sin and we are set free when we accept this incredible gift.)

I spoke about sin, sorrow over sin, how sin separates us from God, but how desperately God loves us and wants us to return to Him. I explained what it means to truly repent, and how true repentance involves turning from sin with revulsion and horror over what it cost Jesus. I spoke about His mercy and grace that is as perfect as His justice, and how all came together at the cross. The penalty for sin was paid, justice was served,  God's mercy was extended, and we are forgiven and eternally secure in our salvation. We talked a long time.

She told me she understood now in a way she never had. I asked her if she wanted to accept Jesus right now as Lord and Savior. She said she did. So we prayed together, and this wounded, sorrowful woman was immediately ushered into God's holy presence.

It never gets old, walking alongside a precious soul finding the source of all comfort.

I am very sad that she aborted her child. The sorrow and despair of terrible sin and its consequences are regretably what it sometimes takes before we submit to the authority and plan of God. I am grateful that God had placed her on my heart and that He filled me with words of His comfort, not condemnation.

What a woeful world that so much destruction precedes so many of our paths back to God. How gracious of God to devise a plan where somehow we can wade through the wreckage and grasp His scarred hand that lifts us from the grave we have been digging for ourselves.
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John 3:17-21 

For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”

Psalm 60:5 

That your beloved ones may be delivered, give salvation by your right hand and answer us!

Pro-Choice As Long as the Choice is Narrowed to Suit the Agenda

This photo is of the sticker on one of the "pro-choice" escorts cars at Charlotte's busiest abortion center. I did speak with her for some time as I stood with my team in the freezing cold to encourage abortion-minded women to let their babies live and to let us help them with the many resources Cities4Life could offer. These escorts hold up umbrellas as they walk the women into the abortion center to try to block them from seeing or hearing us.

The escort looked stonily ahead and did not comment as I tried to engage with her in discussion.
"Do you know the record of this place?" I asked. "Do you know it has been closed several times due to 'imminent danger to women.' That's a quote from the health department. Did you know that all three abortionists here have had their licenses revoked at various times for either sexual misconduct, medical malpractice, or conducting medical practice while under the influence of alcohol or illegal drugs? Did you know none of them have admitting privileges to area hospitals? None! If you don't believe me, you can look it up yourself. It's public domain info."

She glanced at me and then looked angrily ahead. Her escort friend blasted radio music to drown me out.

"If you are going to support this place and hamper our ability to help the women who come here, you ought to know the record of the place you support," I added before turning away.

It was a cold day, and my wonderful team carried on, speaking of God's love and provision, offering tangible help in myriad ways, and pleading with the women. I saw three yesterday crying as they put their purses in their trunks, the signal they were going in for the abortion. We begged them to let us help them, that they were not alone, that we had helped many others, and that God would never leave them nor forsake them if they trusted and followed Him.

As it neared 1:00, I had been there 3 1/2 hours with no women we knew of yet choosing life. Other members of my team had been there even longer. Part of our team headed home, and the rest of us were getting ready to leave. I saw a woman on the porch whom I'd spoken with quite a bit throughout the morning, and especially in the last half hour. I could tell she was conflicted. Since she was back on the porch, I called out to her again with offers of help. She glanced at me, and stood up. One of the escorts talked with her. Then the woman went back in the clinic.

Just as we were turning to leave, she came out.
"Did you change your mind?" I called.
She nodded.
"OH wonderful! Come to us! We have gifts and help for you!"
She came over, smiling joyfully and walked into my open arms. She hugged me a long time. I felt like she was a lost soul that had found the first turn to the right path home.

She wanted to come on our RV, see an ultrasound of her baby. Our gracious RV driver and nurse agreed to stay, and I scrambled to change a doctor appointment so I could stay and counsel her. I cannot give all the details in order to preserve her privacy but there are some very important things I can share. She told us that the "pro-choice" escorts had told her NOT to talk to any of us. Even when she told them she was conflicted, they told her don't talk to us. When she had been in the clinic, and gotten the required ultrasound, she asked if they would turn the screen towards her so she could see the baby. They refused. When she asked if she could have a picture of the baby, they said no, but they would mail it to her possibly. She asked if the baby's heart would be beating at the gestational age of her baby. They said NO. That was a lie. The heart would have been beating for several weeks.

If our RV, parked on the curb right across from the abortion center had not been there, one of our most powerful tools would not have been available to convince this woman her child is a little human being who has a right to life. The voice she would hear was the voice of the "pro-choice" escorts telling her she had good reasons to abort and not to talk to us.

"I wanted to talk to you when I heard all you were saying...but they told me not to," the woman said.

"Pro-choice" as long as the choice is abortion.

We have learned that Latrobe Dr., the street where we and our mobile ultrasound RV park will soon have NO PARKING signs posted along the road. Our cars and our RV have never obstructed traffic or caused traffic problems on this wide, low traffic street with sidewalks. We do know that certain council members have pushed for this and we feel strongly it is a targeted attempt to end our access to women who often respond to our help and encouragement.

Here is the plea from our our Cities4Life Director, Daniel Parks asking for action from Charlotte citizens to oppose this plan, which puts one group's interest over another and limits women's true freedom of choice and services.

Cities4Life needs your help. As you know we are at Charlotte's busiest abortion clinic 6 days a week proclaiming the Gospel and offering practical help. One of our must helpful resources are the mobile ultrasound units. We have heard from a reliable source that certain members of city government , Councilwoman Julie Eiselt and Mayor Roberts, are behind a push to place "no parking" signs along Latrobe drive (the road that the clinic is on). This would greatly hinder our efforts and make it very difficult to use the mobile units in an effective way. Please contact Councilwoman Eiselt and Mayor Roberts and express your concern. Here's the contact info for Mayor Roberts and City Council members. http://charlottenc.gov/CityCouncil/bios/Pages/ContactUs.aspx

"You all are amazing," the woman told us before leaving the RV. "I'm really grateful you were here."
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Proverbs 31:8-9 –

"Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy."

Proverbs 3:27-28 –

Do not withhold good from those who deserve it, when it is in your power to act. Do not say to your neighbor, "Come back later; I’ll give it tomorrow" – when you now have it with you.
 

The Son and the Snowman

There was enough snow for kids to build a snowman in the morning yesterday. All but the snowman vanished by 2:00.

This is what the morning looked like yesterday:

 Thus is winter in Charlotte. I am not grieving the quick departure of snow. This morning, my Cities4Life team and I head out to the chilly sidewalks of Charlotte's busy abortion center to encourage women to choose life over abortion. At least it won't be slippery with snow as well as frigid.

One of the prayers I always offer to God on my drive to the abortion center is based  on John 3:30: Lord, might they hear you, not me. You must increase in their eyes while I melt away. Let them see your glory, not my inadequate presentation.

The snowman is almost gone. The sun, while not yet hot, is warm enough to melt it away. It is a fitting image as my team and I go to minister to the conflicted women with appointments to take the lives of their own children. May the Son melt away their fears and their sin, and may they accede to His power in their lives. 

May there be more of Jesus, less of me.
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John 3:30-36

³⁰ He must become greater; I must become less.”
³¹ The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is from the earth belongs to the earth, and speaks as one from the earth. The one who comes from heaven is above all. ³² He testifies to what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts his testimony. ³³ Whoever has accepted it has certified that God is truthful. ³⁴ For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit. ³⁵ The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands. ³⁶ Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.

Eternally Washed Clean

Snow was forecast for this morning. Two days ago, I was in t-shirts and shorts in 80 degrees  by the ocean, and now am being threatened with snow. Normally I would be excited by the prospect of snow, but Friday I fly out to Seattle to cross country ski with my sister. (Wendy, bless her kind heart, is flying me out there as she knows how much I miss cross-country skiing.) Since the coming week is so busy, I am already packed. I have packed all my cross-country ski clothes and boots.

Even though the clocks sprang ahead an hour, I was up at 5 a.m. this morning.  Was it snowing? I hurried to the window. It was!! And coming down hard though there was no covering on the ground yet.

If it really does snow enough to ski on the streets, I will have to unpack. How can I not ski if Charlotte gets its once-every-two-years BIG snowfall?  However, at this point it doesn't look like we will get enough to do anything but make the roads slippery. It warms in the afternoon, so even if the snow accumulates, it will melt quickly.

I hope it accumulates if only briefly. Snow is the great equalizer. Everything looks beautiful, fresh, clean, new under a blanket of  white snow. It is fitting that snow is one of the symbols referred to time and again in the Bible as the newness of souls who fall in love with Jesus and accept His lordship. His presence blankets us so that we are all made new, beautiful, fresh, and clean. The good news is that unlike snow, His covering over us will not melt away. We will be eternally washed clean.

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Isaiah 1:18                         
“Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.

Fullness of Joy

My last morning on Edisto Island yesterday was magical. A mama and baby dolphin were feeding at the dock I always walk to before heading on to my beach walk. It was the closest I have ever been to dolphins. They didn't seem to mind me or the other people that came over, all of us chatting and taking photos. They were there all morning. I circled back several times to say "hello."

As I meandered back to the hotel to check out and start home, I thought, "I would have liked to have seen the bald eagle one last time."  Not more than a minute or so later, guess what flew directly overhead?

One of my friends who saw the dolphin photo I posted said, "God appointed this creature - from the foundations of the world - to greet you this morning."  I LOVE that sentiment. What an astonishing, wondrous thought! God, creator of the universe, wanted little old ME to look upon the simple beauty of a mama and baby dolphin, and He even appointed this moment in eternity for my pleasure.

While I was on Edisto Island, I talked to many locals. It is how I learn about the wonders of places I visit. One fisherman told me he once saw a mama dolphin in the river pushing a dead baby dolphin all the way down the river until she reached the ocean. He had never seen anything like it, but others told him that mama dolphins do that if a baby dies in the estuary waterways!

"Is it her way of burying him?" I asked.
He shook his head. Who knows?

I thought immediately of where I would be on Monday. I would return after my week vacation to the sidewalks of Charlotte's busiest abortion center. My goal would be to share the love and hope of Christ and offer tangible help to the abortion-minded women. Sadly, I would watch dozens of mamas go in to that wretched place and return with their womb emptied of the child they'd conceived. Instead of an arduous, mournful journey to the sea to be buried by a grieving parent, that baby would be thrown in a bucket and incinerated as "medical waste."

I was up before the sun on my last morning there. I didn't want to miss a moment. So I sat on the porch and watched the sun rise. A strange brown and white patched deer was grazing on the golf course outside my deck. I had never seen a deer like that. Another divine appointment to fill my heart.

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Psalm 16:11 

You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.