Is Your Faith Real?

One of the moms I work with just discovered there may be problems with her unborn baby. This particular mom tried to abort that baby multiple times, but God always miraculously intervened, often using Cities4Life counselors to promote His message. When I received the text that her baby had tests that indicated potential severe problems, I worried. The mother had come to faith after we shared the Gospel with her. However, given how she had tried so hard to abort in the past, would her new faith sustain her choice for life?

She texted me while I am in the desert visiting my folks. I have spotty cell phone reception and brief time with my folks, so could not return the call. What would she do with this worriesome news?

She said it doesn’t matter.  She will love her baby no matter what! This is exactly what God would have us do and the basis of faith. If you cannot trust God in the struggles in life, is your faith real? Here is one of my favorite verses about that in tribute to that wonderful, brave mama!

Habakkuk 3:17-19 

Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. God, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like the deer's; he makes me tread on my high places. 

A Person’s A Person No Matter How Small

One of our wonderful Cities4Life sidewalk counselors stood shivering beside me in the cold damp day, facing the abortion center. The sun peeked out momentarily and then disappeared behind the rain clouds again.

“It was here for one hot moment, and then gone!” Courtney said. She told me that in the summer, being on the sidewalk counseling women to choose life had been a comparative breeze. As winter rains and chills hit, she said she asked herself, “What were you thinking???” She said this in jest. She is one of our strong team members and very committed to being there each week. 

However, as demonstrated in the photo at the top of this blog, it took me two cups of tea, a blanket, and a couple of hours to warm up after our morning on the sidewalk. One woman chose life and there were very few abortions for a Monday. That was all encouraging, but winters are not easy on our teams.

The day before, Sunday, our pastor had preached a fabulous message about trusting God no matter what. I took notes, as I always do. Later that day, I received a text from a mother who has tentatively chosen life over abortion, but she is still struggling. My pastor’s message was perfect to encourage her. I have recorded the texts with her below, hoping it will encourage others who are similarly struggling.

Mama: Haven’t had much time to think.

I did receive your email. 

Thanks.

Vicky: You’re welcome. I know you know that God loves you, that God’s word is clear about the precious life of the child you carry, and that if you trust in him you will find peace.

In fact, that is what our sermon was about today.

It was from Philippians 4 and how PAUL was able to find peace even while in prison. He understood that contentment only follows when we follow God and that no matter what our circumstances are, we can find peace when we are in sync with God.

And without that, we will never find contentment.

Philippians 4:13 is the verse that says “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me“ but in the context of the entire book, ‘we can do all things’ means being able to trust God no matter what our circumstances are. That is where true contentment lives

Mama: Thank you 🙏🏾 

Vicky: As I was listening to the sermon, I knew that it was true because through my breast cancer, despite terrible circumstances, I supernaturally was able to trust God and I found peace in the midst of all that horror.

Trusting God is not easy when our circumstances are hard, but it is the only way to finding life, hope, and peace.

I have been praying that tomorrow you will see your baby’s heartbeat and that will give you the strength you need to follow God. But even if you don’t see the heartbeat, I am praying you will have the strength to follow God.

And I am envisioning His mighty everlasting arms encircling you and leading you and comforting you.

Mama: Thank you. 

This is so hard because I honestly don’t want to be pregnant. 

Vicky: You’re welcome. Please send me the photo of your baby if they find it on the ultrasound. I know it is hard, but I also know it is an enormous gift.

The things that have stayed with me my entire life are when I did the right thing that was sacrificial. Those are the things I am the most proud of...

In the end those are the things that have brought me the most joy.

Mama: So true.

Vicky: I love your heart. I know you texted me because you need reassurance.

I know you can do this through Christ who strengthens you.

And your baby and the witness of this struggle and how you overcame evil to follow God will be the saving of many lives. I have no doubt.

Did you ever read Horton Hears a Who? By Dr. Seuss ?

Mama: I haven’t. 

Vicky: I would encourage you to go online and read it. It is the story of tiny little people who inhabit a tiny little speck of dust and no one can hear them shouting when they were on the brink of destruction. But Horton the elephant hears them and no one believes him. His refrain throughout the book is “a person’s a person no matter how small.“

He finally convinces the world not to destroy the  speck of dust because on it reside little people who no one can see and no one can hear except Horton, but they are of infinite value.

The little people call out, “We are here, we are here, we are here.”

But only Horton can hear them.

Your little baby is calling out to you, “I am here. I am here. I am here.”

He is counting on his mama to hear him.

A person is a person no matter how small.

Mama: 💕

Vicky: Rest in the knowledge that if you follow God, he will empower you to do everything you need to do.

Mama: Thank you , Thank you.

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As I sat sipping my hot tea, I read my Bible. I wanted to read about Mary when the angel of the Lord told her she was chosen to carry baby Jesus in her womb. I have read that story thousands of times, but something new leaped out at me. Perhaps it was due to the intense battle the mama in my texts above has been waging. I have spent several days trying to help her see the humanity of her child and how deeply God loves that baby.

Look at this verse:

“You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. For he will be great in the sight of the Lord; and he will drink no wine or liquor, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit while yet in his mother's womb.”

‭‭Luke‬ ‭1:14-15‬ ‭

Do you see the amazing truth here??? While yet unborn, God filled that baby, John the Baptist, with the Holy Spirit! This speaks so powerfully of how God clearly sees the unborn as precious souls that He loves, He values, and for whom He already has a plan and purpose. 

A person’s a person, no matter how small.

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Why Do We Ignore What We Know is Right?

“Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin.”

‭‭James‬ ‭4:17‬ ‭

Yesterday a car immediately stopped in front of the abortion center. The driver had an appointment to abort in a few days. She said she really didn’t know why she was driving by. She had multiple abortions in her past, one quite recently. She was astounded herself that she was back. She felt compelled to drive by. She agreed to pull over and talk as long as I understood it was just to talk. She would make her own decision and she did not want to be pressured. She just wanted to talk.

As her story unfolded, I felt great sorrow for her. She asked repeatedly why all this terrible stuff was happening to her. Why had she felt compelled to drive by today? Why had she felt so bad after the last abortion, purposely gotten pregnant, and now wanted to abort this one? Why was God doing this?

I asked her if she wanted me to answer, because I felt I had an answer. I told her I was unabashedly pro-life, and loved Jesus and that would frame my answer. She said she wanted to weigh her options. As long as I understood it was her decision, she wanted to hear what I had to say.

If you have followed my blog for any length of time, you know what I had to say. First, it was no accident she had been compelled to drive by and meet me. The amazing irony is she knew me! Before the last abortion she had gotten my name from the Cities4Life  pamphlets we hand out at the abortion center and had called me! She had chosen to abort despite all I had to offer back then, but of course, never told me. I told her God was giving her a clear message, a clear direction. She agreed she knew God was speaking, she knew abortion was wrong, she knew her choices had led her to dreadful places. She agreed that the only times in life when she had felt good about her choices were when they aligned with God.

One would think no more would need to be said. When HELP Pregnancy Center RV and mobile ultrasound technician arrived, we showed her her baby on the ultrasound though she was too early to see much clearly. We told her about the vast array of resources in our network of supporters and partner ministries. I specifically addressed her two major obstacles and before she left sent her an email with the resources to help her.

Still, she said she felt conflict in her heart over what would be best. She was leaning towards a choice for life. Nonetheless, I am not certain at all of what she will do. However, I can think of nothing else we could have offered. Now all we can do is pray.

But as I pondered the interaction, I thought of my own life and how often I had disregarded God and my conscience to do what I wanted to do. Like that woman, I ignored what I knew was the right thing to do and pursued the path I wanted. That attitude ALWAYS led ultimately to despair.

The scourge of abortion is not because people have lost a sense of right and wrong. It is because they don’t care if it is wrong. If it conflicts with self-interest, righteousness is expendable.

This Thanksgiving, my prayer is that all of us would truly understand the sacrifice Jesus made on our behalf...that the magnitude of His suffering reflects the absolute abhorrence God feels for our sin, for our rebellion against Him...the depth of His love that yearns for us to return to Him that He would provide such a personally painful way back to Him....

...And that we would be filled with gratitude to Him, the savior of our souls and the only light that will dispel our darkness.

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* the woman described in the story is NOT the driver of the car pictured above. That photo was from another day in front of the abortion center.

                   

                                 

Cities4Life

Turning a Life Around at the Abortion Center

“If you and your Cities4Life team had not been there, my baby would be dead.”—Izzy, mother

Yesterday, several thousand Christians from almost 200 churches in the Charlotte area gathered with Lovelife Charlotte to celebrate life and pray for the end of abortion. I had dashed home from a week out of town caring for my new grandson. I wanted to attend the event and be on the sidewalk with our Cities4Life team in front of the abortion center to offer women tangible help and the hope of God. I was exhausted as it has been twenty years since I have been caring for an infant full time. God has a good reason for ending fertility in the aged.

I am glad that I pushed through my fatigue to be there.

As I arrived on the sidewalk, few others were yet there. The sun was just peeking through the trees. It was frigid. But the worship team for the Lovelife Prayer March was already singing. I was a good distance away from the stage, but I could hear them. As cars carrying abortion-minded women began streaming in, the sounds of praise music to God drifted across the crisp blue sky. One car slowed down at the entrance to the parking lot. The young woman driving the car looked at our small team, then drove on. I don’t know if she ever returned, but I pray that in that moment, God spoke to her and she decided to heed His call to save her precious child.

Later, I was called on stage to hold a beautiful baby girl and stand beside her mother. It was a great and humbling  honor to do so. I had been the one privileged to slip our literature into the hands of the conflicted mother, Izzy, as she drove into the abortion center parking lot a year ago. She read the literature, God spoke to her heart, and she left. Three months later she called me as my name and phone number was on the literature. Cities4Life, Lovelife Charlotte, and countless loving Christians in our network have helped her. She is one of the most grateful women I have ever met, and it is a delight to see her blossoming in her role as a mother and as a child of God.

At the end of the Lovelife Prayer March yesterday, she asked if the pastors there would gather around her. She wished to dedicate her precious child to the Lord. Right there. Next to the abortion center. 

What she had once intended as a place of death transformed now in her heart as the place of life.

And that is my prayer. May this place of death be vanquished and replaced by life. May the promises of God so overwhelm the pressures of the world that women would flock to HIM, not abortion,  and Satan and death would be overcome 

                                   

                                      in their lives, 

                                                              in our city, 

                                                                                in our nation, 

                                                                                                        in our world.

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Genesis 50:20 

As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.

Romans 8:28 

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

Hebrews 12:11 

For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

Hebrews 10:24 

And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works,

Where Am I and Where Am I Going?

I met a woman in the elevator of the Assisted Living Home and asked her how her day was going. She said she wasn’t really sure. I asked her if she was coming to my art class. Again she said she didn’t really know where she was supposed to be. I could tell it disturbed her that she didn’t know where she was or where she was supposed to be going. 

I told her I thought she would enjoy the art class and I was on my way there right now. If she’d like, I would take her there with me. She wasn’t sure about that, but because she wasn’t sure about anything, she agreed. As we approached the art classroom, she looked down the hallway and asked me what was there. I told her some of the residents had rooms along the hallway. She asked if she had a room down there. I told her I did not know but that in all likelihood a nurse would be showing up at some point in the art class and we could ask the nurse. With a troubled look, she followed me into the art classroom. She sat down and repeated that she didn’t know why she was here or what she was supposed to be doing. I told her my name again and that I was going to teach her how to draw a cat today; would that be OK ?

She nodded, a little dubiously, and picked up a pencil. Again she said she didn’t know what she was supposed to do. I told her when the rest of the class arrived, I would teach her step-by-step how to draw a cat. Then I sat down to chat with her while waiting for the others to arrive.

I asked her if she had children. She said she did but she could not remember what they did, how old they were, or where they lived. Again, she grew upset, knowing that she should remember these things. I asked her what her favorite season was and she instantly said, “Autumn” . I agreed with her and we talked about the beauty of the autumn scene just outside the window. There was a tree lit by the sun, shades of orange and yellow and gold. 

The rest of the class began arriving. I went to the front of the room to finish setting up. The woman asked each person as they sat down if she was supposed to be there. Again I returned to her and reassured her that she was indeed supposed to be here and I promised her that she would be able to draw a lovely cat. I figured I would have to guide her even more than I usually do with the elderly residents. The confusion in her expression broke my heart.

I began the class and the woman fell silent, drawing. As I circled around the room checking on everyone’s drawing each step of the way to be sure that no one became lost, I was shocked to see that she had stayed up with me and had drawn very well the steps thus far. She no longer asked anyone why she was there or what she was supposed to be doing. She watched me intently, and drew each shape carefully as I demonstrated on the Art board at the front of the class.

The hour whizzed by as it usually does. Many of the residents reminisced about cats that they had owned. One man told me of a disturbing memory that he had never forgotten of a cruel child in fifth grade throwing a kitten against a tree. He said that that memory still lingered and he couldn’t understand how people could be so cruel even to this day. 

As we drew the tail, I asked if anyone knew what the purpose of a cat’s tail was.

“For balance!”one woman said proudly.

“That’s right,” I said, “So why do you think God designed a Manx cat with no tail?”

Silence from the class.

“Why?”another woman asked.

“I don’t know, but I am sure there is a reason.”

“Amen,” said one of my new art class members.

Class ended and all the residents trickled out clutching their picture of a cat and pumpkins.  As usual, all of them were saying they were surprised that they had done this picture since they had never drawn a cat before. 

The last one to stand up was the woman I had met on the elevator. She had drawn a very beautiful cat. I held it up and said, “Are you surprised that you were able to draw such a beautiful cat?“
“Oh no,“ she said with a big smile, “I drew quite a bit in my childhood.”

She asked if she could keep her picture and I assured her she could. Still smiling, she followed the group out of the room. I heard her ask someone where she was supposed to go now.

I was grateful that for that hour of art class, she had remembered who she was and why she was there and a piece of the joy she had known as a child those many years ago.

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Nothing is impossible with God

Contending with God at the Abortion Center

I was training a new volunteer up the street from the abortion center when a car stopped for me. The woman was so interested in what Cities4Life could offer that she asked if she should pull over. 

“Please!” I said.

She felt she had to abort as it was “not the right time for a baby.” However, as soon as I began sharing the truths of human development in the womb, her eyes teared. 

“Do you believe in God?” I asked.

She nodded, and now tears flowed freely.

As I explained all the resources we could connect her with that would help her, she texted on her phone.

“I’m going to talk to my boyfriend,” she said.

“That is great,” I told her, “But I would suggest you sit here and do so. The closer you get to the abortion center, the stronger the pull to abort becomes.”

“I am turning around,” she said. “I won’t go in.”

I prayed as I moved away from her car. To my delight, she turned her car and left. She did not return. Praise God for a baby saved from death.

Later in the day, another woman talked to her boyfriend who convinced her to come on our RV.  They began walking towards us. One of our counselors told our ultrasound nurse to get ready for a client. Shocked, I watched the “pro-choice” escort scurry over to the couple. She spoke for ten minutes. We suspect based on past conversations we overhear that she was telling the couple we lie, not to trust us, and she should just go get the abortion. Her body, her choice.

To our collective dismay, the woman turned back and went in the abortion center. The boyfriend glanced back at us, then followed her in. 

A lot of what happens on that sidewalk is disturbing but perhaps the most disturbing is to see the “pro-choice” people actively DISSUADE a choice for life. It reveals the truth of who they are. We all felt sick to our stomach.

The couple came out a short time later and drove away. They did not have time to have done an abortion. God knows whether it was a baby saved, or only a reprieve. However, the sight of the “pro-choice” escort encouraging a couple to kill their baby still hangs heavy on my heart. The spiritual battle between good and evil played out before me.

A young man, only 19 years old, volunteered with us yesterday. He watched this sorrowful drama unfold and our mutual grief as the woman returned to the clinic. As we dispersed, he came to me and said, “I really feel God calling me into this ministry. I’ll be back next Monday.”

A young heart inclined to God. Balm on a difficult day.

Join us? Click Here for information.

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Isaiah 49:25 

  

For thus says the Lord: “Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken, and the prey of the tyrant be rescued, for I will contend with those who contend with you, and I will save your children.

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For latest book in pro-life series, click HERE.

Are We Listening When God is Shouting Loud and Clear?

I stood up the street from the abortion center as usual, encouraging drivers on their way into the clinic to stop and talk with me. We have so many resources that can help women reconsider their situation. Cities4Life is not only committed to spreading the truth about the baby’s humanity, God’s clear word on the precious sanctity of human life, and the horror of abortion, but also provides tangible help to reduce the obstacles the woman faces. To that end, I was waving at a car approaching me.

I am always surprised when the driver stops. This woman smiled at me and rolled down her window. Her car was an expensive, immaculate vehicle.

“Hi,” I said, “Are you heading to the clinic?”

She nodded.

“May I give you this?” I asked, handing her our literature. “We have all kinds of resources that can help you so you do not need to choose to abort your baby. On that RV right there, we will do a free pregnancy test and ultrasound, and then discuss how we can help you.”

“Oh thank you,” she said, taking the pamphlet. “But I can’t have this baby. You see, I have two children already.”

“Well actually you have three,” I said. “The baby in your womb is your third child. Do you love the two other children?”

“Oh yes,” she answered.

“You will love this one just as much. Did you know if you missed your period, that little baby’s heart is already beating?”

She looked surprised. Now she switched gears.

“I can’t have this baby...there are health issues I might encounter if I have another child.”

“We have a doctor that will give you a second opinion on that for free,” I said.

At that very moment, I got a text from one of our counselors down the street. It said, “Dr. Harrison and his family just showed up to pray!”

Dr. Harrison is a very busy man. I don’t see him on the sidewalk often. He is the incredible man who pioneered Abortion Pill Reversal protocol, and the very doctor who provides second opinions that I had JUST told the woman about.

I was about to tell her this miraculous news of God swinging wide open a door for her, when one of the “pro-choice” people came to the car. 

“She is not with the clinic. Just drive away, or she will never stop talking. You can’t block the road. Just drive on, the clinic is up there.”

The woman shot me a desperate look, and drove away. She kept my literature.

I quickly texted my team down the street to have Dr. Harrison call out to this woman, but by the time they relayed that to him, the woman was inside the clinic. As far as I know, she aborted her child. 

I grieved, as I always do over the death of these innocent babies. There were several things that were exposed in the encounter. First, the expensive car showed me finances were not the issue. The advent of one more child was not the issue as shown by her quick switch to a new excuse. The potential of problems in child-bearing was not the issue. She would not even entertain the idea of talking to a doctor about whatever possible health risks she supposedly might encounter. The knowledge of the fact that the baby was indeed alive with a beating heart was not the issue. 

As so often happens out there, God provided an immediate, miraculous path to follow Him rather than her destructive desire to kill her baby. She made her choice to disregard God, but it was not because God didn’t care, or God condoned it, or God left her no choice because of a desperate situation He could have prevented. The value of a living human baby did not apparently matter to her more than her own desire not to bring that child safely to term.

As always, I came home from that encounter and the memory would not let me go. How often does God speak clearly to ME, show me miraculous provision and a way out of sin... and I ignore Him? Do I pretend I don’t see Him or hear Him when He is standing right there? May God help us all to harken to His commands and His clear voice.

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John 8:47 

Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God.”

Proverbs 2:1-5 

My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you, making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding; yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.

John 10:27-28 

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.