Overflowing Abundance of God

This is the picture of joy. A mom at the abortion center decided not to kill her baby. As her friend drove the car out of the parking lot, she stopped to let us know the sweet mama in the back seat had chosen life. The mama spoke little English, but the radiant smile on her face sent her message loud and clear. She was the second mother we knew about who chose life over abortion Monday. We all rejoiced, the warmth of that moment sending tingles through our frost-bitten fingers. (It was REALLY COLD.)

This is another picture of joy. Over two hours away, another mother who chose life was receiving a full apartment of furnishings. She had nothing. The two truckloads of furniture and baby supplies were provided by Cities4Life friends and supporters.

The volunteer, who had a truck and had told me he would transport the furniture, called me on the morning of the transport.

"Vicky, we have a problem."
My heart sank.
"We have so many donations that I don't have room in my truck for them. I am happy for the mother, but how will we get it all to her?" (The mother lived over 2 hours away.)
Fortunately, one of our supporters had recently sent me money and told me to use it as God led me.

Well, God was leading me.

"Can you rent a U-Haul and I will reimburse you?" I asked.
"Yes ma'am."
I had hoped the money would last me a year of odds and ends helping the mamas I work with...but that would be hoarding God's bounty.

The overflowing truck and U-Haul is a symbol of how God works. He provides just when we need it, and His Love is always lavish, overflowing abundance. We cannot try to hoard some for tomorrow. His mercies...and His provision are sufficient unto today. We should not worry about tomorrow, until tomorrow.

When the driver, Stuart, arrived at the mamas apartment, he said there was a crowd of people from a local church we had contacted waiting to help him unload. He said the mama was completely overwhelmed. Christians, from age 9 to 50 surrounded her, and prayed for her and this new life following Christ.

When I met this mama, she said she had to abort. She and her own mother and siblings were homeless. No one would help them. There were medical issues. There was no hope. She had no choice.

"Trust God," I told her, "Do the right thing and He will bless you."
She chose life for her child. Cities4life sprang into action. Supporters responded immediately to my list of needs. Not only did donations from C4L supporters help secure an apartment for the mama, but her own mother who had been denied an apartment for two years suddenly received one when they heard that C4L supporters were helping the daughter with security deposits. Our financial counselor is actively advising and working with this family now. Our director lined up a church that is mentoring this mama, but also showed up in force to help unload the trucks brimming with supplies.

An entire extended family, on the brink of destruction, now has hope.
The choice for life for that little baby... and everything changed.

When the overflowing truck and trailer were unloaded, Stuart prayed with her. Then he backed up with his now empty trailer, and called me as he headed on the long drive home. "We left her in good hands," he told me, "What a blessing to be a part of this."
Yes. What a blessing to participate in the overflowing abundance of God.

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charlotte.cities4life.org : Be a blessing. Volunteer. Donate. Pray.

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Ephesians 3:20 

Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us,

Psalm 23:5 

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

Psalm 65:11 

You crown the year with your bounty; your wagon tracks overflow with abundance.

We Are Not Given a Spirit of Fear From God

I have been asked to speak at the Charlotte Roe V Wade Memorial rally on Jan. 22. If you want to be there, it will be 12-1, downtown Charlotte, at the corner of Trade and Tryon. I am only allowed ten minutes, but it will be a frightening ten minutes. If you know me, you know I hate to speak in public, and it is not my gifting. However, the more you do what you are terrified of, the more God makes you do it. Has anyone else noticed that?

That is not the positive message though. The positive message is the more you do what terrifies you, the less terrified you become. At least in theory.  I never thought I could speak on the microphone on the sidewalk of an abortion center. But I can. I do it every Monday, sometimes for hours.

So God is just reminding me once again that He created me NOT to sit under a rock with all the gifts He gave me. He gave me a mouth. Use it to speak the Gospel of Truth. He gave me hands. Use them to grasp others as they sink in the mire of sin and despair. He gave me legs. Use them to run to those who call out in need of a friend. He gave me a heart. Use it to spread love. He gave me a mind. Use it to show how logical and rational is is to follow God.

He gave me so much, but He did NOT give me a spirit of fear. That is from the enemy. So I will be standing on the corner of Trade and Tryon Friday speaking on behalf of the unborn hoping to persuade someone on the fence, or sitting on the sidelines, to challenge the horror of abortion. I probably will be afraid, but I will not let it stop me. Don't let it stop you, either.

Meanwhile, today, Martin Luther King day, I have a dream too. I have a dream that all the moms who flock to the abortion center today will stream out when they hear Truth and listen to God's prompting deep in their souls. Please pray for all us sidewalk counselors to speak without fear, but in truth and love. It is going to be a cold day to be standing at the gates of Hell.
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2 Timothy 1:7 

For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.

1 John 4:18

There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.

Philippians 4:6-7 

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Romans 8:26 

Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.

With God We Shall Do Valiantly

I worked all day yesterday editing not one, but TWO books. I am in the final edit of both. I cannot even tell you how I managed to have two new books written, back from the editor, and now almost through the final edit, with all that has been going on lately.

I have been out nearly every day for the past two weeks with the intense needs of the women Cities4Life is working with lately. When I was home, I worked on the books in snatches, but it doesn't seem I could have accomplished this in the time I had to do it.

I see no other explanation but GOD. But God. My favorite phrase on earth.

It feels good to feel victorious for a change. Even as I was considering the theme of this blog, and drawing the picture, God sent me a symbol validating my thoughts. I was drawing the picture on my computer when all of a sudden my digital pen stopped working. I crumpled in defeat.

Not again! I seem to be having all kinds of struggles lately with technology. My phone, my Surface Pro 3, and now my digital pen! Defeated...doing the work I am certain God has gifted me to do. What is up with that!?? Trial after trial after trial. When do I catch a break???

I sighed, and started to think of all the possible things that could have gone wrong with my pen. And then, like a bolt of lightening, a thought came to me.

Maybe it is not screwed together tightly and the battery is not quite connecting to complete the circuit.

I screwed the two halves of the pen tighter. Guess what? The pen worked again! Snatched from the throes of defeat, rising victorious, powerful and able to do what God has directed me to do!

The pen was the perfect symbol. When we are detached from God, no matter how minimal the cleft, we lose His power in our lives. We must stay as tightly connected to God as possible, every thread of our being aligned with His.

The pen worked perfectly. I finished my drawing.

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 Deuteronomy 20:4

For the Lord your God is he who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies, to give you the victory.’

Philippians 4:13 

I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

John 16:33 

I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

James 1:12-14 

Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire.

Psalm 108:13 

With God we shall do valiantly; it is he who will tread down our foes.

Walking in the Truth

This picture above is of the future of humanity. Notice Barbie's baby bump? The little girls who are playing with these Barbie dolls are little midwives/ultrasound nurses in training. They go regularly with their mother to the sidewalks of the abortion center, and try to talk the mamas into choosing life. When they grow up, they want to help those women. This picture is of their Barbie doll viewing an ultrasound of her baby.

For Christmas, they received a Barbie doll RV. The little girls wanted to convert it to a mobile ultrasound unit, just like we have outside the abortion center. As soon as I heard about the heart of these children, I wanted to enter into their dream. I wrote to their mom and told her I thought I could make an exam table for their RV, like the one on the real RV. Would that be ok?

Well, my intentions, as often is the case, were good. Execution....not so much. I intended to make the exam table out of sculpy clay. I spent hours on it...and it didn't work. While lamenting my lack of skill, my husband walked by. One thing led to another, and per my specs, he made an awesome exam table, complete with a retractable foot rest. I contributed a sculpy clay pad for the top, and hand made pillow and exam sheet.

It was a work of art, maybe the nicest thing my husband has ever made. I put it on the RV for the little girls. Their mother would surprise them with it the next time they were on the sidewalks ministering to the abortion-minded moms.

We are blessed with an exceptional nurse on the RV. Not only does she have a heart for the conflicted mamas, but also for little girls with big dreams. Sherry presented the little exam table to the girls, and then spent the morning playing with them, helping them do the ultrasound on their Barbie patients.

In a world where so many kids spend hours and hours absorbed in violent video games, watching TV shows that glamorize casual sex without consequence, or walking the malls buying all sorts of self indulgent goodies whose pleasure passes in an hour....here are two little girls who grew up watching and mirroring their parents as they lovingly and fearlessly confronted the evil of abortion.

Their dream is to grow up to be like them, speaking and working on behalf of the unborn in one of the darkest places on earth. I don't know about you, but this gives me hope.

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Deuteronomy 6:6-7 

And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.

3 John 1:4 

I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.

Stir One Another to Good

I had the miraculous pleasure of watching a baby reveal himself to his mom on an ultrasound. This is a little boy who was slated to die at the abortion center a month ago.This video (click here) will take you to the incredible moment that his heartbeat was first heard by his mama.Since I am the lucky one who counseled her to choose life, I was also the lucky one to meet her for the 3-D ultrasound session paid for by a friend of Cities4Life. Another friend provided gas money for the mama, as she came from out of state.

On the way out to the Sweet Pea 3-D ultrasound in Concord, I stopped for fast food. I am normally very healthy, but I LOVE french fries. And lately, I have been running ragged helping solve some pretty complicated issues with a couple of the moms I work with, so I needed french fries.

As I pulled up to the window to pay, I asked the cashier, "How are you?"
"Grateful to be here," she said.
"What a lovely attitude!"
"Well I am. Grateful."

Think about that. Here was a woman in a minimum wage job which could not be terribly exciting, and all she had to say was she was GRATEFUL. There was something about her wrinkled face, and expression as she said this that told me the gratitude was hard-won. Her life had not been easy, and what she was now given with an income supplying job meant a great deal to her.

It is often not till we are broken that we understand how much God has offered that we rejected and trampled.

On to the ultrasound appointment with a mama who has nothing. She started crying as she saw her baby on the screen, and then heard his heartbeat. She had wanted a girl, but she had a name all picked out and ready when she found out he was a boy.

"For whatever reason, God doesn't let us pick," I told her, "So there must be a good purpose in that."


That same day, she was given the key to her apartment, the first one she had ever had on her own. This miracle was engineered by Cities4Life friends and supporters, as is the truckful of furniture arriving Monday. As  is the baby shower providing two years of the baby's needs.

Two churches in the mama's town, galvanized by our C4L director, will be helping gather the last few supplies and helping the move-in on Monday. The mama, so taken with the love she has seen of so many Christians, will be attending church Sunday. She'd fallen away from God, but was completely overwhelmed by how lavishly He blessed her when she brokenly turned back.

It was an exhausting week overseeing all these pieces falling in place. At the end of the day, I chatted with one of my C4L counselor friends pivotal in helping make this all happen.
"A life saved!" I said, "This is how it is supposed to work. If the church would rise up and do this for every girl who considered abortion, we could change the world."
"Amen," my friend said.

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Interested in rising up together for God in this life-saving ministry?
Charlotte.cities4life.org
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Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 

Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

Proverbs 27:17 

Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.

Hebrews 10:24-25

And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

God Sent You

"Hello ma'am, what brings you here?" the Apple salesman asked me.
"My phone is possessed."
"Ah, then you need the phone exorcist. Follow me."

I love it when salespeople get in the spirit of my world. What I didn't love is it would be two days before I could get an appointment with the phone exorcist.

So I went to my phone carrier, Verizon, hoping they could help. They had dire predictions. The phone did not look good. While it looked like a hardware issue, it could be a software problem and the only way to find out was to do a factory reset. Goodbye all my apps and data. Now, they would all come back...with hours of work.

"And if that doesn't work, and I need a new phone, what would you recommend?"
"Ah, then the world is your oyster."
"But I am not a deep sea diver...and don't know which oyster to choose."
He smiled, and pointed at iPhone 6.

So, I have always been an iPhone girl. Love my iPhone. I have a 5c. I also have the expensive Lifeproof, waterproof case for a 5c. If I get anything but a 5c, I have to replace the case I love. Still, I guess it is best to truly look at this calamity as an opportunity.

Leaving the old means embracing the new.

So today, before I choose any oysters, I will do the factory reset. But first, I will head off to a 3-D ultrasound with a mama who chose life over abortion a few weeks ago. This is one of the blessed perks of my work. I get to see a mama get a clear glimpse for the first time of that little baby boy or girl in her womb. This mama's life had completely imploded. She ran from her abusive husband and was left with nothing...except the baby in her womb which she intended to abort.

And then she met cities4life counselors on the sidewalk of the abortion mill. She left without aborting after her conscience seared her heart, and went to her emergency shelter where she called me. She still saw no way out other than abortion. After a long discussion of God and the purpose of life, she decided her baby should live, and she would try to make a new life. Cities4Life promised to help.


We called in our volunteer financial advisor, and an area church to counsel this mama. I stayed in daily contact, and advised both the Mom and her own homeless mother on what the next step should be. Yesterday, that mama found out for certain that she will be given a very low cost apartment. The list of needs I had put out on Facebook for this mama's new apartment had been nearly filled by dinner time. A volunteer stepped up to collect the items in his truck and drive them to her town 2 hours away. Only one big ticket item remained. I chatted with a neighbor about the mama, and he offered the last big item, a bed.

The mama moves in next week. She can't wait. She met with the church pastor's wife, who is mentoring her. Her heart is filled with a hope she hasn't felt in years. She also has been counting down the days till the 3-D ultrasound of the child she almost aborted. She cannot wait to see her baby. Her old life is passing away, and she is eagerly embracing the new.

"Now aren't you glad you didn't abort?" I asked.
"Yes, very much so! Thank you so much for all you have done for me. GOD SENT YOU."

Yes, He did, as well as all those other cities4life friends and volunteers. I am so glad I listened and went where He told me to go. Seeing that little baby on the ultrasound and watching his mama's joy will probably even take away the pain of the phone debacle.

Oh yeah...the phone. 

I need something waterproof, easy to use, not too pricey, great track record...If I go with iPhone 6, I need to sell my 5c waterproof case. Anyone in the market for one?  I need input friends. Go!

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If God is piercing your heart to help stem the tide of abortion, please consider sidewalk ministry or financial assistance, or helping with the many needs of abortion-minded moms who choose life instead.
charlotte.cities4life.org
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Revelation 3:20 

Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.

Hebrews 4:7 

Again he appoints a certain day, “Today,” saying through David so long afterward, in the words already quoted, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.”

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,

1 Timothy 4:10 

For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.

When You Are Losing Hope...

While I was on the sidewalk of the abortion center yesterday, I received this text picture of a one-month-old child from a woman we counseled to choose life many months ago. This precious baby is wearing an outfit provided by Truth and Mercy Pro-life Ministries in a lavish baby shower they threw in partnership with Cities4life.

Two women chose life Monday while we pleaded on the freezing cold sidewalks outside the abortion center. Despite the bitter cold, I was warm since I was wearing my polar ice cap coat, ski pants, ski mittens, and arctic hat. (My sister always tells me it is never too cold for any outdoor activity, it is just a question of proper attire.)

It was so cold that one man's car battery died while he waited in the abortion center parking lot. Fellow counselor, Gordon, urged the man to push his car from the lot to the sidewalk. We could not help him by crossing into the private property parking lot, but if he could manage to push his car to us, we would help push-start his car. (By 'we,' I mean Gordon. I was of little help push-starting a car but I would be certain to hand the man our literature and tell him to get back in there and get that woman out of the abortion center.)

The man gave us a thumbs up, and then groaning, and moaning, managed to make it to the sidewalk where we waited. I walked alongside the car, literature in hand, waiting for the man to roll down his window. Gordon pushed the car till the battery sparked to life, and the man drove away.

I was sad I hadn't been able to hand the man our literature. The abortive woman he had transported in the balky car was still inside the center. Gordon told me not to worry. God has this. A few minutes later, the man returned, stopped to talk with Gordon, and took our literature to bring in to his sister who was there to abort her child. Love and care of our fellow human beings can open doors. Don't lose hope even when it seems hopeless. God has this.

Another man tried to drown me out as I called out to the women who were entering the abortion center. He parked his truck in front of me, opened his door, and blasted obnoxious and vile music. Our director, Daniel, heard my voice straining futilely to rise above the evil clamor and brought me a portable speaker.  My voice trumpeted with the portable speaker. "You can try to drown me out, but you will not drown out the voice of God, and He will speak. In the quiet darkness of night when you are all alone, He will come, and He will require an accounting of what you have done. This does not have to be a fearful encounter. You can repent, choose to follow God now, before it is too late."  The man finally closed his door, and drove away.

When I returned home, my computer broke. An entire file of valuable pictures had vanished. The Microsoft technician on the phone took two hours to fix it. She took remote control of my computer, and saw my many book documents, book cover files, and illustrations. Curious, she asked what all these files were for. I told her I was an author. A frustrated writer herself, she said she starts several projects, realizes they are awful, and quits. Her dream is to write a book, but she can never seem to get very far before giving up.

"That's your problem," I told her, "You quit too soon. Just write. Write no matter what, whether you are inspired or not. Then at the end you can revise, and edit, and cut out the bad parts, but like anything, writing takes dedication and hard work, and the will to just DO it."

She fixed my computer, found the lost file, and set everything right. It took all afternoon, but I was grateful. I thanked her, and asked if she would be sure to email me when her book was on the market. She told me she was inspired and would be sure to do so. And, she told me as soon as we got off the phone, she was going to buy my books.

Every one of those vignettes yesterday had a similar theme. When we have a message of hope, do not be afraid to express it. Love and hope can be inspirational, something as simple as a lovely little red dress on a baby that was slated to die can spark renewed vigor to proclaim life in a dark and frigid place. No matter how loudly evil clamors, the message of God's love and hope can rise above it. No matter how many times failure has dogged a dispirited path, the message of love and hope can reignite a dream.

Secondly, when there is a God-given task before you, DO IT. Don't wait for all the pieces to fall perfectly in place in your life before you put your hand to the grindstone. If the need is there, and God has called you, DO IT. 

Before the day had ended, I received yet another wonderful text. It was from a woman who chose life a few weeks ago. She had left an abusive situation and had been homeless, but was texting to tell me she had just secured an apartment. Cities4Life has been helping and advising of the basic logistics in making this miracle possible.

When we met this mama, she had told us there was no hope. She could see no way out other than abortion. And now....everything changed. She has no furniture, no earthly goods but a few clothes...but now she has shelter, a church that will be mentoring and walking alongside her in her area, and the joy of the baby she cannot wait to meet.

Do not quit too soon. Follow God, no matter what, whether you understand where He is leading or not. Life is filled with plot revisions, and few of us get it right in every instance, but that should never keep us from writing our story with a message of hope and love. You never know who might be inspired by our example just as they were ready to give up.

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Charlotte area friends, we have a wonderful opportunity for you to help meet this brave mama's needs. We need  someone with a large van or truck and the time to transport furniture to a location 2 hours from Charlotte probably next week. Please contact me if God is saying DO IT to you.
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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.

Psalm 39:7 

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

Mark 9:23 

And Jesus said to him, “‘If you can’! All things are possible for one who believes.”

Romans 8:24

For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees?

1 Corinthians 13:13 

So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

Proverbs 23:18 

Surely there is a future, and your hope will not be cut off.