The Abundant Love of God

As usual, God’s people poured the love of Jesus upon someone in need. I posted yesterday about the abortion worker who quit her job to save her soul. Cities4Life received an outpouring of offers to help. A Christmas gift of a gorgeous rocking chair for the woman, offers of Christmas gifts for her kids, offers of gas and grocery cards, an anonymous donation of money to cover some of her needs, an offer from a large church to meet with her and discuss how they can help her....

I was certainly humbled by the response of loving Christians. I asked her if she felt loved yet. Here is her response: I really do. I’ve never been helped by no one other than my mom so I’m just ecstatic. I never knew love like this.

I told her:  THIS is the love of God.

“Amen,” she said.

It is messy on the frontlines, in the trenches, where Satan and God clash and the war for our souls is waging. Often, the work is discouraging, the rewards are not obvious, and the sacrifice takes a toll. BUT when we see the love of God, the abundant, lavish, overflowing love of God pouring over the prodigal returning to His fold, well...it is worth it. More than worth it.

*********

John 10:10 

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

Two Abortion Workers Quit Busiest Southeast Abortion Center And God Shouts Out

Five women left the abortion center before the abortionist arrived. They were all in there a long time, so we think they sat and listened to our pleas on the microphone, examined their troubled consciences, and chose life. Only one of the five confirmed she had chosen life, but we felt the others probably did as well. (They are told not to stop and talk with us, and one woman Saturday told us the pro-choice escorts threatened that the Charlotte Police Department  would “ticket” her if she stopped...something the police department has NEVER communicated to us.)

That was wonderfully exciting, but perhaps not as amazing as what we learned when a car pulled over and the driver began telling us her story.

Before I share what happened next, let me tell you a little about what we do as sidewalk counselors. Our mission is to spread the truth and hope of Jesus to everyone we encounter while ministering in front of the abortion center. We know that unless someone intervenes, innocent babies will die by the dozens each day, so our focus is to speak on behalf of those unborn babies. However, the Bible states that God desires that no one should perish. We pray for the pro-choice crowd, the security people, the pregnant women, their friends and support people, post-abortive women,  and the abortion workers.

Each time I see an abortion worker, I call out to her, “Abortionworker.com! They will help you leave this job so you do not need to harm babies for a living! They help with salary, finding jobs, and other needs. Abortionworker.com!” 

For years, one of the pro-life movement’s most staunch laborers has been Flip Benham. He is the man that actually brought Jane Roe, of the pivotal Supreme Court case legalizing abortion (Roe V Wade), to the Lord and baptized her. He has been praying for years with one woman in particular who worked at the Charlotte abortion clinic. He told her to call him when she left her job.

She was the driver of the car. She and her friend had BOTH quit their jobs at the abortion center, and they wanted Flip to know. 

I spoke at length with her later in the day. I discovered that she has proclaimed Jesus as Lord.  She knew she should not be working at the abortion center, but struggled with raising her family, making ends meet, and the constant stress of unexpected financial burdens trapped her in a job that she knew was not what God would have her do.

She heard the sidewalk counselors speak over the microphone day after day, year after year. She would laugh at the prayers, the verses, the offers of help...but then she would think about them. She recognized that there was truth in what they were saying. Finally  the day came when she decided enough was enough. She quit.

“The weight of the world was lifted from my soul,” she told me.

Now this brave woman, stepping out in faith, needs help. She has children to whom she wants to bring a magical Christmas, but no income to do so. The ministry that helps abortion workers find new work will be helping her, and Cities4Life along with Lovelife Charlotte will try to help her as well in securing a new job. Until then, funds to live upon will be very tight. 

We need a family or church willing to “adopt” this mom and her kids to provide Christmas gifts to bless her family. Gas and grocery cards would be very welcome. If you are interested in showing the love of Jesus in this way, please contact me at vkaseorg@cities4life.com  and I will connect you with her.

When I was urging her to remember that it is of no profit “to gain the whole world but lose your soul,” she told me she understood, and agreed. She said while she knows there will be struggles as a result of this decision, she already had a wonderful testimony. She was out of gas and out of money. She had fallen to her knees, asking God to help her. A friend showed up unexpectedly and handed her $100 knowing she had just left her job and might need some help.

“When you think you have nothing,” she told me, “God shows up and shouts out.”

Amen!

******************

Philippians 4:19 

And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

Matthew 6:31-32 

Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.

Matthew 7:11 

If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!

Luke 12:24 

Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds!

The Irony of Killing An Unborn Child During Christmas Season

It was a very chilly morning at the abortion center yesterday and it will be a chilly morning today as well. But all our hearts were warmed when four women chose life for their little babies. There were no spectacular stories shared, just the quiet miracles of four women changing their mind at that critical last hour. 

I had been very distracted driving in, which is often the case around holidays when there is so much going on in my life. I had to consciously pray out loud a few times, “Please Lord, my heart is so distracted by so many things. Help me to focus on our mission today on the sidewalk.“

I prayed that God would help me to speak His truth that would somehow permeate the shell of sin and hardness that covered so many of the people I would encounter that morning. I love what Charles Spurgeon reminds us is critical in speaking and living truth: Be it ours today, O gracious Spirit, to be ruled and governed by thy divine authority, so that nothing false or sinful may reign in our hearts, lest it extend its malignant influence to our daily walk among men.

The malignant influence can creep in subtly. Angry, bitter, or self-righteous thoughts can quickly poison interactions that may begin with the best of intentions. A harried, worried spirit can usurp the work of the Holy Spirit. Help me be governed by the divine authority and His truth.

I arrived and none of my Cities4Life team members were there yet. However, a couple of the women from the local Pregnancy Resource Center were shivering together on the sidewalk. They hugged me and said they were happy to see me and would I like to pray with them? They had come down the street when they saw no one else on the sidewalk, but knew I would be coming soon. They said they wanted to pray with me. It was such a blessing because their prayer washed away all the troubling thoughts of which I’d been obsessing.   

It is so easy to let our hearts be distracted by worries and cares that move us away from the mission on which God has sent us. While worries and cares are often legitimate, when they take us away from giving our full effort to do what God has called us to do, we need to find a way to refocus.          

       

As we enter the Christmas season, I know I will not be alone in being overextended and distracted. And yet the sad result is sometimes the flurry of activity removes us from the whole reason for all that activity in the first place. Christmas is not about celebrating getting or giving the perfect gift, or decorating a house to rival Martha Stewart, or baking the best cookie EVER. We are celebrating the birth of God come to earth in human form with the purpose of dying that we might live and be set free from the penalty of our sin.

The celebration of the birth of Jesus is a good one as is remembering how He came to earth:  fragile, vulnerable, innocent, and dependent. Juxtapose the image of that holy baby and His mission with the plight of all those unborn children and their mothers’ mission as they flock to the abortion center with increasing intensity as the holidays approach. The college students rush there over their Christmas break so they can return to college in the new year with an empty womb and their worries supposedly eradicated.

      

What a grievous, ironic tragedy that they believe killing their child will relieve their burdens so they can relax and celebrate the birth of the child who came to save them from their sins.

***********         

Isaiah 9:6 

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

The Delight of Helping Others

This beautiful neighbor and I were on a walk and I was telling her one of the moms I work with as a Cities4Life volunteer had her baby 5 weeks early. We had just hosted a huge baby shower through Truth and Mercy Pro-life Ministries  which provided the full first two years of everything the baby would need. But then the baby threw a curve ball and arrived five weeks early.

Now what? We had gotten the baby no preemie outfits.

My dear neighbor started jumping up and down in the middle of the street. “My baby girl was a preemie!!!” She cried, “I have a whole bag of preemie outfits for little girls!!!!”

We hurried back to her garage where she opened a bin and showed me adorable little tiny baby clothes. I think she was perhaps happier than I was. I had not remembered that her daughter had been a month early. 

“What else can we solve!!???”my neighbor said, exuberantly pumping her fist in the air. “God is so good.”

I showed up at the new mama’s house with a big bucket of chicken and a bag of preemie clothes. Her other kids hugged me and told me that KFC was their favorite.

There are a lot of sad and terrible stories that emerge as Cities4Life  volunteers speak for the unborn at the abortion center. However, the good FAR outweighs the bad. Every life that is saved is a life saved. Those moms who choose not to abort will not bear the burden of having taken their own child’s life. 

This is a priceless gift. How can anyone measure the value of a life?

The glee my neighbor felt as she handed me the bag of preemie clothes to bless a little girl who is being welcomed into the world is what I feel every time a woman decides to turn back to God and flee from the devil’s temptation to kill her unborn child. I can hardly contain my joy. And as we meet the families and help them, there are many struggles, but again, the delight when their world begins to shift towards God is incomparable.

A friend going through a rough time asked me how to keep her focus off of her struggles. I told her that when I was going through one of the darkest periods in my life (including cancer), my happiest moments were when I was on the sidewalk of the abortion center encouraging moms to choose life for their little ones. My focus shifted from my trials to God’s miracles and provision.

This is something I have found to be true over and over again. When we pour ourselves out for God, He fills our soul. Our troubles may not cease. The source of our suffering may remain. We may not find material wealth or even success as the world might measure success, but we do find the promise of eternity when abiding in God’s will...and honestly, that is far more satisfying and lasting than anything the world has to offer.

********************

Luke 6:38 

Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”

1 John 3:17 

But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him?

Galatians 6:2 

Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.

We Shall Have No Time Like the Present

Charles Spurgeon:

The past is gone; the future has not arrived; we never shall have any time but time present. Then do not wait until your experience has ripened into maturity before you attempt to serve God. Endeavour now to bring forth fruit. Serve God now, but be careful as to the way in which you perform what you find to do--"do it with thy might." Do it promptly; do not fritter away your life in thinking of what you intend to do to-morrow as if that could recompense for the idleness of today. No man ever served God by doing things to-morrow. If we honour Christ and are blessed, it is by the things which we do today. 

I am home from a stupendous four days with my family in Richmond. All but my oldest son showed up. My middle son and daughter-in-law put on an impressive hosting of Thanksgiving for the first time. It was an ambitious project between both of their families being invited. Thirteen  people. As far as I could tell, not one angry word was spoken and not one moment of tension. That is rare under any circumstances.

I was always awake long before the group in our Airbnb, as was Ragnar, my daughter’s dog. It was bitter cold in the mornings, with a layer of ice on the shallow water along the shoreline of the James River. Nonetheless, Ragnar and I bundled up and ventured out, braving the cold to indulge in the magnificence of God’s creation. 

We saw almost no other people in those early chilled hours. We walked six to eight miles each morning, meandering along rock strewn trails while the James River gurgled and surged beside our paths. It was a beautiful setting for prayer and worship to the One who created all this beauty. 

I could have stayed in my nice warm bed, or settled in the kitchen with a mug of hot coffee in my palms. I was tempted, particularly since my Achilles’ tendon has been bothering me. However, I felt the nudge of God. Today is what you have. I cannot always promise you a gurgling James River or legs that will still carry you safely on rocky paths, or an energetic dog who can match your energy (and more.) I can promise you today, this moment. Seize it.

This morning, home again and enjoying the Sabbath rest, I awoke to an email about a battered woman who needs help. I settled immediately into researching the resources in her area. I will call her later today to encourage and offer assistance. She left the abortion center apparently Saturday but didn’t stop to tell our Cities4Life team she simply could not go through with the abortion. She had been warned if she stopped, she would be issued a ticket.

So, fortunately, she had stopped on the way in before that threat and received the name and number of one of our team members to call if she needed help. She needed help desperately, and would NOT have received it if the pro-choice folks had their way. These are the people who claim to be trusting and helping women?

It is Sunday, and I am tired. However, next to the email about the battered woman who needs help was my morning devotional with Charles Spurgeon. The quote at the top of the blog exhorted me. Christ’s call extends for TODAY. If there is work to be done on behalf of the Lord, do it now. You may not have tomorrow.

*****************

James 4:13-15 

Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.”

Matthew 6:34 

“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Hebrews 3:7 

Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says, “Today, if you hear his voice,

Jesus wept

My heart is overflowing with Thanksgiving this morning. But even as I praise the Lord who created the heavens and the earth and saved me for all eternity, I recognize that there are many today who are not comforted. Many who are struggling with deep deep sorrow and no happiness appears to be on the horizon. 

I remember one Thanksgiving when I felt I had lost everything and I remember storming from the table saying, “I just don’t feel thankful.“

I have been there and my heart mourns  for all those who are grieving on this holiday, mourning  unfathomable loss. There is no understanding, no Comfort, no hope that it will ever feel right again. I have been there. I know.

I mourn with you. I remember CS Lewis saying that speaking of the comfort of God to hearts that have been deeply wounded while they are wrestling with the effects of the trauma will only seem like foolish cruelty. I know because I have come out on the other side of deep grief. 

Nonetheless, I do believe that the comfort of God and of eternity is the only comfort that will ultimately satisfy, but I understand that for today, the best that we can do at times is offer a shoulder for someone to weep upon. 

To all of you who are mourning  today when others are overflowing with the bounty of Thanksgiving, I am crying with you now and praying for you. I remember. And Jesus gazing down from the cross, with his hands and feet pierced for our transgressions remembers too. 

Jesus wept. The shortest verse in the Bible and the one that perhaps draws me closest to Him. He knows our pain. He feels our pain. One day maybe we will understand why We are being forced to endure such pain. Unfortunately, sometimes all we are offered is the One who has a purpose that we may not understand. 

I have come through to the other side when I was certain only darkness would ever fill my eyes. Let him hold you and let those around you grieve with you. I know that even though maybe now it doesn’t feel like it, we can trust He will lead us back to light. Back to hope . Back to Him.

       

Bringing Hope When It is Absent

Our new young Cities4Life volunteers stopped a car with a Hispanic couple driving on their way into the abortion center. The couple did not speak a word of English. I could see by the look on our volunteers’  faces that they would like some help, so I scurried over. The man said something that I didn’t understand at all. So I said, “Yo hablo espanol un poquito.” That means (sort of) “ I speak Spanish a little.”

And it’s true. A VERY little.

“Pull over ici.” (Pull over here....except ici is French for here. I learned both languages once long ago and get them confused a lot.)

I pantomimed  pull over since I had no clue how to say that in Spanish. He understood and pulled over to the curb.

“No aborto,” I said. (Don’t abort.)

They both nodded. 

Now I was stuck. 

“Bebe?” I asked, pointing to the woman’s abdomen. (Baby?)

They shook their head, no. No baby? I didn’t believe them. I was pretty sure they were there for an abortion, but didn’t want to admit it.

I pulled out my phone and found my Google Translator App. I spoke into the phone to translate to Spanish, “Do you want a free pregnancy test?”

The man nodded, but the woman did not look as eager. Now my guess shifted: the man did not desire the abortion, but the woman did.

Sadly, they didn’t quite understand how to speak Spanish into my google translator and so we gave that up. I called our Spanish counselor, who, praise God, was home and willing to talk with them.  At first Connie spoke to the woman while the man and I smiled at each other. Then the woman handed the phone to me. Connie told me the woman did not want to talk about how far along she was or share much information. Connie felt they were going to abort. So I put Connie on speaker phone. I told Connie to ask if the woman believed in God. 

At this point, the woman looked down and said something to the man. She looked uncomfortable. I knew the look. She DID believe in God and she knew abortion was wrong. Meanwhile, another counselor stood on the other side of the car looking up the address of the nearby Crisis Pregnancy Center. (Yesterday exemplified team effort from start to finish.)

With Connie on speaker phone, we were jointly able to let them know about all our resources and reasons not to abort. The man was especially excited about our baby showers. He nodded vigorously at me and gave me a thumbs up. I asked if they would now go see the baby at the local pregnancy center and gave them the address. (Due to various reasons,  our mobile RV ultrasound unit was not out at the center that day. Typically we can provide that valuable resoure ourself right on the curb of the abortion center) Thankfully, they both nodded, and I repeated, “No aborto!” They both smiled this time.

Still, as they pulled from the curb, we held our breath as they drove slowly by the abortion center driveway. They drove past and we all exhaled. A baby safe!

Another big thrill of the day followed!  Another one of our new volunteers, Samantha, gave our brochure for the first time to a driver that stopped for her. She was ecstatic. She has only volunteered with us for a few weeks, and had not yet spoken to the women, nor tried to stop a car and hand out our information. But from that moment on, she became bolder and bolder, calling out to the women and eagerly flagging down cars. 

One of the women who stopped and took the literature from Samantha on the way out of the abortion center told her she had not aborted. Now Samantha was unstoppable. She told me that she had been fearful and felt the oppression of the enemy her first few times out with us. But suddenly, the fear vanished and was replaced by a determination to speak boldly for God. She would not let Satan have power over her. She would not give in to a spirit of fear. What a joy to watch this transformation and equipping of those who step out of their comfort zone in obedience to God!!

A third woman left, and told us she had decided not to abort. What a glorious day! And as if it were not wonderful enough, another woman stopped on her way down the street to talk to Cities4Life director, Daniel. She was hoping for a free pregnancy test and was told by a friend that we provided those. Since our RV was not there today, I offered to drive her to the nearby Pregnancy Resource Center. I called them and told them the situation and they said they could see her immediately. I plugged their address in my phone, and saw it was a 12 minute drive.

As we started off, I asked her if we were to crash and die, where would she go: heaven or hell? (I only had 12 minutes so I couldn’t waste much time on small talk.) She confessed that she thought she was going to hell. She had no assurance of whether God loved her or not. What a golden opportunity. I had 12 minutes and I planned to use it wisely. I shared the Gospel. 

As I talked about sin and the penalty for sin that must be paid, she grew very sad and somber. She knew she was a sinner, and now thought I was confirming her fear that she was doomed. Then I shared the incredible good news of what Christ did for her on the cross, how He paid the punishment for her sin in her stead. I told her the Bible tells us we can accept what He did on our behalf, repent of our sins, believe and proclaim Jesus as Lord of our life, and our salvation is secure. We are going to heaven if we accept and believe that, and as Romans 10:9 tells us, “Proclaim with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead...”

Her entire demeanor now transformed from despair to hope.

“Do you want to do that?” I asked.

“Yes!!!” She said.

So we prayed as we pulled into the parking lot of the Pregnancy Resoure Center and she asked Jesus to be Lord of her life. I told her the Holy Spirit indwells those who claim Christ, and He would guide her. Knowing the terrible suffering Christ endured on her behalf, even though her sins were washed clean in God’s eyes by her profession of faith, would she want to continue in sin now? No, she told me.

I hugged her and gave her some gifts that I always have in my car. As I drove away, I praised God for His incredible gift of allowing us to be used by Him for such a wonderful task as bringing hope to someone who had thought she had none.

***********

Psalm 39:7 

“And now, O Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in you.

Hebrews 11:1 

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

Isaiah 41:10 

Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Frozen Hearts May Yet Thaw

It was a frigid cold morning when I first arrived at the abortion center. I was all alone for the first half hour. A policeman stopped and asked where everyone was.

“They’ll be here,” I said, “For now, it’s just me...and God.”

“That sounds like all you need,” he said.

“You are right about that.”

It was a spark of warm encouragement on this cold morning. 

One young lady also stood out in the cold, on the porch of the abortion center. Her boyfriend hovered near. It was clear that the young woman was listening to me, and then nodding, and speaking to the boyfriend. It looked to me like she didn’t want to abort, but was being pressured by the young man. The interaction between the two was heated at times. She went in the center but came back out. Several times. And the arguments with the boyfriend continued. Finally, she stomped to her car, he stomped to his, and they peeled away before the abortionist arrived. I wanted to cheer. Good for you, young lady! Good for you!

I read that 60% of abortions are coerced. Sometimes, all a young woman needs is an advocate speaking truth, confirming in her heart what she already knows. So many people are afraid to confront others when they wander from God’s clear commands. We will be held accountable for that action...or lack of action. What we don’t say can sometimes cause more damage than what we do say.

We can always use help out on the sidewalk. Please prayerfully consider joining us. Click HERE for information. It was a bitter cold morning, but the sun rose in the sky, sending rays of comfort and warmth. The sidewalk began to fill with people praying and speaking for the unborn. We all began peeling off our coats. 

Frozen hearts do thaw sometimes, I thought, as we all watched the cars gathering in the abortion center. At least we know of one that day that did.

My day ended as it began. Reading Bible verses and praising God in front of my Christmas tree. I was reading Psalm 34 and hit this verse: “The righteous cry out and the Lord hears them, He delivers them from all their troubles.”

This stopped me in my tracks. I was in prayer over a dear woman who is engulfed in unbearable grief and loss right now. How would she read this verse? Does she feel delivered? I am sure she does not. She was clearly NOT delivered from her troubles. What was I missing?

We all know we have troubles on earth that the Lord does not remove. So I studied and pondered verses of deliverance and read what others had to say. In the end, this is what I think these verses mean. We WILL have troubles on earth; we will struggle. We are promised that over and over again.

“In this world you WILL have troubles,” Jesus says, “But take heart, I have overcome the world.”

We should pray. We should call out to God. Sometimes God removes the troubles but often He does not.  He does promise that in the end, when He returns, if we have put our hope and trust in Him, we WILL be made whole and all our troubles will be ended. Also, and I think this is very important, He delivers OUR SOUL through all our troubles. If we rely on Him through our trials, He protects us from the Evil One who desires to destroy our souls. It is easy in our troubles to become bitter and denounce God, even renounce our faith. But the Psalmist is reminding us, even in the midst of great heartache, God can deliver us from the worst trouble of all....losing Him.

“The Lord is close to the broken-hearted, and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” Psalm 34:18

I have lived the truth of this verse. I know the comfort of God when I was completely broken and crushed. 

The last line of the Psalm summarizes what I had wrestled with: “The Lord WILL rescue His servants, no one who seeks refuge in Him will be condemned.”

He WILL rescue us...but it may not be completely fulfilled until we stand before Him for all eternity. If we seek refuge in Him as we go through the agony of struggle on earth, our souls are secure. We will not be condemned.

I sat in front of my Christmas tree thinking of the One who was born a baby with the sole purpose to die in order to pay the penalty for all our sin that justice demands. He suffered that we would be delivered from all our troubles one day and be eternally safe in His presence.  I pray this comfort of God reaches my friend in her sorrow.

Hebrews 4:16 

Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

He Sanctifies Our Efforts

Mother Nature is considering putting the heavenly bathing suits in storage, with the bite of winter in the air. The mornings are winter; the afternoons are sometimes late summer. I notice squished baby snakes on the road in the mornings. They are as confused as the weather. The snakes should really be hibernating, not procreating. If something as powerful as the weather is confused, how can any of us hope to have clarity? I can identify with the snakes in that befuddlement. Sometimes life throws curveballs and you just don’t duck out of the way in time.

While I hate being cold and thus was not upset with Mother Nature holding off on the Big Freeze, Winter is my most productive writing season. Because my kayak is neatly stored away till toasty days and warmer water are back, I can use the hours I would have kayaked to write. I recently finished the book I’d been working on for months, and am ready to tackle the next one. (PS- that book can be purchased here. Go ahead. I will wait while you buy it. Don’t forget to write a review when you finish.) 

A lot of ideas are bouncing around in my head for the next project but I haven’t yet settled on which story God wants me to tell. I have been warned that pro-life books don’t sell, so that is probably what I will choose to write. I seem to have a knack for choosing books that won’t sell. For one thing, I refuse to write books which I wouldn’t read with Jesus looking over my shoulder. That alone narrows my audience.

I work with several women who chose life over abortion, and any one of their stories is book-worthy in my mind. Most have come from difficult backgrounds steeped in tragedy. Many made miraculous conversions upon choosing life for their babies. Many came to know Jesus or recommit their lives to God upon meeting our Cities4Life teams and hearing the truth of the Gospel.

The stories of these women are powerful. I would have to fictionalize my telling of their stories to preserve their privacy. Most would not willingly want to share some of their past that they are ashamed of. I wouldn’t either. However, part of why I write is that by telling my story and the stories of others as honestly as I am able each day, I believe and hope that others sharing similar struggles are encouraged.

One mom I work with asked me how she should respond to her child asking her if he was illigitimate. He used the less kind word, clearly heard from a cruel friend. This woman had since married and asked Jesus to be Lord of her life, and was making remarkable gains in walking more closely with God. She was ashamed of her past, and worried about how to answer her son. She told me she couldn’t answer. She just didn’t know what to say.

While that particular struggle I didn’t have to deal with, I certainly have sins from my past when I didn’t know God that I shudder to remember. I would not share the specifics with my kids, but I have often shared with them the fact that I never struggled to believe “ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” My life is a testament to that truth.

So I told the mom she had a golden opportunity. First, respond to that child’s need to be reassured that no matter what conditions swirled around his parents surrounding his advent into this world, he was deeply loved. I urged her to read him Psalm 139 which is a beautiful description of how deeply loved ALL of us are by God who “knitted us together in the womb....fearfully and wonderfully made...”

Then, use that question as a springboard to admit her own sin when she did not walk with God and to reinforce the truth that we all sin and fall short of God’s glory. It is why all of us need Jesus. Tell him how she recognized how hopeless her life or any of our lives are without the atoning death, resurrection, and forgiveness of Jesus. Talk about how we are restored to a right relationship with God when we step towards Him in faith, confessing and repenting of our sins, accepting His gift of paying the penalty we deserved, and walking in newness of life, reborn through His mercy and grace. Remind her son of how she chose God and NOW she is living for Him even if she did not before, but none of that changes the fact that her son is beloved with a special, unique position in God’s kingdom no one else will share.

Like the fickle change of seasons, she will probably still fall short of God’s desires for her. So will I. But if we keep moving forward with our eyes on the goal of being more like Jesus every day, He empowers us, He steadies our feet, He smooths our paths, and He sanctifies our efforts. Eventually, we will arrive and see Him face to face. 

*****************

Romans 5:8 

But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

1 John 1:9 

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Jude 1:7 

Just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which likewise indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire.

1 Thessalonians 4:3 

For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality;

I Am my Brother’s Keeper

An Uber driver stopped on his way out of the abortion clinic after driving a woman there. He pulled over to talk with one of our counselors. He had not known when he took the fare that the woman was going to an abortion clinic. As soon as he found out, he did everything in his power to convince her not to abort. He knows Jesus and knows abortion is wrong. He took our literature and told us he would likely be the one picking her up as well. He spoke Spanish, and she spoke no English.

Before the abortionist arrived, the Uber driver returned. He waved to us as he pulled in. The Hispanic woman came out. She had changed her mind! The words of the Uber driver must have percolated in her heart, and in the end, brought her to a different decision. As he pulled out, I went to the window of the car. 

“Do you speak Spanish?”the Uber driver asked.

“Yes,” I said. I don’t except for a few words. I figured they were enough.

“No aborto?” I asked her.

She shook her head. She had not aborted.

We gave the Uber driver the literature we have in Spanish with our Spanish speaking counselor’s name and phone on it. We urged him to explain to her that we have many resources and would be eager to help her if she needed. Just call us.

A second woman pulled over on the side of the street, smoking a cigarette. I approached and asked if she was going to the abortion clinic. She said she was. She was meeting a friend to “be a support.”

“Do you believe in God?” I asked her.

“Yes, and so does she.”

I shared the many verses that talk about the sanctity of human life.

“I know,” she said, “But I can’t say anything to her. It is her decision. I am just here to support her whatever she decides. Jesus tells us not to judge but to love one another.”

“He does tell us to love one another, but He also says that we are to try to intercede when we see the innocent led to the slaughter. He speaks in love, but He never shied from speaking truth either. Like the woman Jesus met at the well that had lived with several different men. Jesus was quite clear with her that those men were not her husbands. He confronted her in her sin. Our model is not to be silent in the face of sin. We are clearly commanded to speak for the voiceless, defend the defenseless, and protect the innocent.”

“I don’t disagree,” the woman said. “OK, give me your information. I will try to bring her out to you.”

Sadly, her friend did not come out.

Two stories of two people who had the opportunity to change hearts and minds. One spoke courageously for the baby’s life for as long as he could. That baby is alive today. The second did speak up...finally...at the last minute, having been silent for the many days she could have perhaps swayed the decision. That baby is dead. I am glad she tried in the end, but what if she had tried all along? Might there have been a different outcome?

Every day I am at the abortion center sidewalks, I hear that same spineless platitude: “It’s her decision. I will not judge her, but love her and support her whatever she decides.”

Do we say that when someone decides they want to end their life, or kill their mother, or sell cocaine to teenagers, or any of a million other wrong and harmful choices? No. Not if we love them. Why in this instance, when a baby’s life is on the line, do we think silence is loving or compassionate? 

I pray God brings a special blessing to that Uber driver. He deserves it.

**************

Psalm 82:1-8 

A Psalm of Asaph. God has taken his place in the divine council; in the midst of the gods he holds judgment: “How long will you judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked?  Give justice to the weak and the fatherless; maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute. Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.” They have neither knowledge nor understanding, they walk about in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken. ...

When She Chose Life She Discovered She Was Not on This Journey Alone

Many of you have helped over the past six months to bring this wonderful family finally to the place where they can raise their baby soon-to-be-born and other children in a safe home. Jacquese told me to find a way to thank all of you for all you have done. For the wedding donations, the funds to fix up the apartment, funds for the car, the furniture, pillows, sleeping bags, air mattresses, television sets, clothes, all the needs we have raised over the past six months to which so many of you have so generously responded.

I told her most of you read my blog, so I am telling all of you: thank you. You have helped a miracle occur in a wonderful family’s life. You have been the hands and feet of Jesus to a family that had lost hope until they met the Cities4Life team on the sidewalk of the abortion center. From the moment they met our team and chose life, their lives changed.

In conjunction with Cities4Life efforts, LoveLife Charlotte came alongside this family. They provided a mentor, a friend and resource guide, and asssistance securing a safe and reliable car large enough for their growing brood.

So many Christ followers contributed to the ongoing challenges and needs to help the mother who decided to trust God  even when it looked impossible.

Yesterday, I had the extreme pleasure of walking in with them as they saw their new apartment clean and ready for them for the first time. I am not sure who was happier...me or them. After nearly two years of living in temporary housing, sometimes their car, always on the move, they are finally in a stable place. Jackson Park Ministries will provide the housing as well as fantastic programs to help the family with training and assistance in all areas of life that they have struggled with. 

Not a moment too soon. Jacquese expects the new baby to show up by the end of November.

Beautiful wonderful Sheryl Chandler of Truth and Mercy Ministries then filled their new home with a lavish outpouring of gifts that will cover the first two years of everything the new baby will need. Jacquese was overflowing with gratitude and delight.

If this story is not compelling evidence yet that the presence of pro-life counselors on the sidewalks and the far-reaching network of supporters is not saving only babies, but the women as well, read on. 

Sheryl always prays about the gifts she will shower on the women. She has storage rooms filled with donations from supporters, and she sorts and chooses prayerfully what God would have her give each mother. She had never met Jacquese though she knew the general story: homeless, unmarried, pregnant, living in her car until she met  us and chose life, marriage, and Jesus.

Sheryl did not know some of the sorrowful details, such as the family had lost everything they owned, including important papers, momentos, cherished baby items through a terribly sad and unfortunate series of events outside their control. 

When Jacquese looked inside the box of the brand new stroller Sheryl brought her, she almost cried. She threw her arms around Sheryl, exclaiming, “How did you know?” Inside the box was the exact same stroller she had owned for her now 2 year old, the one that had been lost to her in the confiscation of a storage unit

Later at dinner, we had a glorious time sharing the truths of the Gospel. Jacquese had accepted Jesus when she first met us, but the discussion went deeper and exposed areas of misunderstanding. Jacquese was so honest, and inquisitive, and grateful for the truths of God. As the dinner ended, Sheryl gave one last gift. It was a bag filled with Christian literature and a Bible. She included a little trinket, collectibles called Cherished Teddies that one of her supporters had given for the mothers she showers.

When Jacquese unwrapped the Cherished Teddy, again she cried, “How did you know??”

She then told a story of how her beloved aunt who was her ‘second mother’ had recently died.That aunt collected Cherished Teddies. Jacquese had wanted the collection for sentimental value... she loved and missed her aunt deeply. Tragically (again), the collection was stolen and Jacquese was broken-hearted. Now, Jacquese, clutched The Cherished Teddy with wide glistening eyes, remembering that precious aunt. “How did you know!?”

“I didn’t,” Sheryl said, “But God did.”

As we concluded our dinner talking about our incredible God and how far this wonderful woman has come in the past six months, she told us she had considered naming her child Journey. “I have been on a journey,” she said, “I didn’t know where God was taking me but I knew if He created this baby, then He had a plan for her and He would get her there.”

Amen. Praise God for all those who helped Jacquese know she was not on this journey alone.

**************

Isaiah 43:18-19 

“Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.

***********

If interested in being a regular supporter of Truth and Mercy Pro-life Ministries, please visit the website HERE for information. Due to changes in job situations, this vital ministry is in danger and needs help. For 29 years Sheryl has provided these life-changing baby showers to desperate moms. Please prayerfully consider being a part of her incredible work. 

Ragnar Forgives Me For Being Late When He Hears Three Mothers Chose Life

“I am really sorry I’m late! I have a good excuse though, Ragnar.” And I did...but I still felt terrible as I raced to my granddog’s apartment and freed him from his crate.

“Didn’t you know I was stuck in my crate and I really had to poop and pee? I mean bad.” Despite his frustration, he greeted me with overwhelming expressions of joy, wagging tail and expressive howls.

“Well, yes, that was obvious. We barely made it out in the nick of time.” (He almost dragged me off my feet down the two flights of stairs to get to the outdoor bathroom patch.)

“What could be more important that taking your one and only granddog out to sniff, and go on long walks on your visitation day???”

“Now Ragnar. Don’t pout. I had a good reason. Three moms at the abortion center chose life for their unborn babies.”

“What’s the big news in that???All creatures protect their young.”

“Some humans don’t.”

“I knew humans were bonkers, but you must be joking.”

“Well, sadly, I am not joking. That’s why our Cities4Life team is out there on the sidewalks of the place where people go to kill their unborn babies.”

“Go on. I’m listening.”

“Well, you know the lake where I take you and we watch the geese swimming?”

“UH...yes. I was hoping we could go there today.”

“We will. You know what those geese would do if you tried to harm the eggs they sit on when they are nesting?”

“Yep, like any decent mother they would peck my eyes out.”

“That is what good mothers do...they would die for their young. It is unnatural, and wrong, for a mother to want to harm her young. We go to the sidewalks to try to encourage mothers who feel overwhelmed or desperate enough to harm their baby that there is hope and help. They don’t need to do that.”

“Do they listen to you?”

“Not always. But today, three of them did. And one of them even asked Jesus to be Lord of her life, right there on the curb of the abortion center. I couldn’t leave. I was praying with her.”

“I don’t know who Jesus is...maybe if I did my nose would not have incriminating dirt from your backyard all over it. Back to the discussion. Do you mean your pack helped three mamas save their babies?”

“Yes, with God’s help of course. Our ‘pack’ has this saying: Where two or more are gathered in God’s name, there He is in the midst of them.”

“We have the same saying in our pack...except we gather in Dog’s name.”

“Well, maybe I can tell you who Jesus is in a little while, but for now, I hope you will forgive me. I couldn’t leave. I was helping those women with all the resources they needed so they wouldn’t feel so alone, so desperate. One mom told me that she didn’t want to abort...but EVERY person in her life was telling her to. She was really grateful we were there. She said we were the only voice giving her hope and it reminded her that God is with her.”

“I forgive you. That sounds like a pretty special pack you run with.”

“It is. But we have the whole day in front of us now. Shall we go look at the geese?”

“I’d really like that. Is there a biscuit on the agenda?”

“Of course.”

******************

Matthew 5:16 

In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

******************

If you like Christian messages wrapped in the antics of humans and animals, you might enjoy my new book, just released. Click HERE to read about it and purchase if desired. Can’t go too far wrong for under $3.