Dear Deacon, I'm back home after a visit with the 40 Days for Life
team in Mobile, Alabama. As I mentioned yesterday,
a pregnancy help center moved in across the street
to help women get loving alternatives. Pregnancy centers often drive the abortion industry
crazy. The abortion business tries to position itself
as a mainstream healthcare service. But as anyone
who's ever prayed outside one of those facilities
is aware, that is certainly not the case.
team in Mobile, Alabama. As I mentioned yesterday,
a pregnancy help center moved in across the street
to help women get loving alternatives. Pregnancy centers often drive the abortion industry
crazy. The abortion business tries to position itself
as a mainstream healthcare service. But as anyone
who's ever prayed outside one of those facilities
is aware, that is certainly not the case.
-----------------------------------------------------
EUGENE, OREGON
----------------------------------------------------- A small group was praying outside the abortion center
in Eugene when an ambulance pulled up. It wasn't long
before a woman was brought out, put in the ambulance
and taken away. "We have prayed for her and know that she is in the
Lord's hands for healing and recovery," said Lynda
in Eugene. "Again, 'legal' does not mean 'safe.'" That same afternoon, a woman pulled into the parking
lot -- her car was facing a "choose life" sign. As she
sat in her car, a child got out ... hesitated ...
then got back in. The woman put her car in reverse and
drove away. A changed heart? Please pray that it is! The abortion facility usually opens at 9 o'clock. The
next day, it didn't open til 1 pm. According to Lynda,
"business has slowed down since 40 Days for Life
kicked off. Thanks to prayer and His presence we are
seeing change!" To see a picture of the Eugene abortion center, go to: http://40daysforlife.com/blog/?p=3541
-----------------------------------------------------
ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA
----------------------------------------------------- Adelaide is a long way from Eugene -- but these two
40 Days for Life locations have noticed the exact
same thing about the impact of their vigils. "During
our 40 Days for Life campaign," said one of the
Adelaide volunteers, "we know that business drops
off significantly at the Pregnancy Advisory Centre." It's important -- wherever you happen to be -- to
pray for abortion to end. "However," this volunteer
said, "when there are numbers of people praying at
the vigil site, we have found the results of our
prayers to be much more fruitful than if we just
pray elsewhere, away from the site." The Adelaide team had a great opportunity recently
to promote the campaign on the radio. To hear a clip
from this interview on 107.9 Life FM, please go to: http://40daysforlife.com/blog/?p=3541
-----------------------------------------------------
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VIRGINIA
----------------------------------------------------- There was an emergency call at the Planned Parenthood
abortion center in Charlottesville. The local police
quickly arrived, along with a special state police van.
It seems a "suspicious box" had been discovered along
the sidewalk outside Planned Parenthood -- which is
where the 40 Days for Life vigil is currently underway. The rapid law enforcement response got the attention
of one of the local radio stations, which mentioned it
on their newscast. It didn't take long for all the excitement to fizzle
out. When the police opened the "suspicious box,"
they found a Bible and some candles ... apparently
left outside by a late-night prayer volunteer. 40 Days for Life's national director, David Bereit,
spoke at Charlottesville's midpoint rally, sharing
good news about the campaign with about 60 people.
He encouraged volunteers to press on with even
greater vigor and commitment. It had been a rainy day, but by the time the event
started, the skies had cleared and a rainbow appeared
in the sky -- "God's promise of good things to come,"
as one volunteer put it.
Here's today's devotional from Rev. J. Kirk van der
Swaagh of the Conservative Congregational Christian
Conference.
-----------------------------------------------------
DAY 25 INTENTION
----------------------------------------------------- We pray for the conversion of all those who refuse to
acknowledge that human life belongs only to God.
-----------------------------------------------------
SCRIPTURE
----------------------------------------------------- Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying: "Before
I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were
born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to
the nations." -- Jeremiah 1:4-5
-----------------------------------------------------
REFLECTION by Rev. J. Kirk van der Swaagh
----------------------------------------------------- To be or not to be? There is no question! The question of "being" is something philosophers
have long pondered. What is the meaning of being and what is the source?
In the passage before us, we have our answer. We have
being because we are known by God. For God to declare that he knows and sets apart the
prophet Jeremiah even before he is conceived
indicates that our being rests in God's own being.
Because He is and because He wills we, therefore, are
and do. The Apostle Paul says as much when he declares before
the philosophers of his day, "In Him we live and move
and have our being" (Acts 17:28). One of the tragedies of the abortion culture is that
life in the womb has been so heartbreakingly
devalued. To embrace the arguments of the
"pro-choice" crowd one must conclude that the child
in the womb doesn't exist, isn't there, has no being. But nothing could be further from the truth. That
child is known by God and, as such, has being.
-----------------------------------------------------
PRAYER
----------------------------------------------------- Lord God, we confess that in You we live and move and
have our being. Because You are, we are. May we find
grace from You to affirm the being of every human and
may we labor to make this truth known to the world
around us. Amen.
-----------------------------------------------------
PRINTABLE DEVOTIONAL
----------------------------------------------------- To download today's devotional as a formatted,
printable PDF to share with friends: http://40daysforlife.com/docs/fall2012day25print.pdf
----------------------------------------------------- Yours for Life, Shawn Carney
Campaign Director
40 Days for Life
PS: Have you seen signs of encouragement from your
local 40 Days for Life campaign? If so, please
leave a comment at today's blog entry: http://40daysforlife.com/blog/?p=3541
40 Days for Life 10908 Courthouse Road
Suite 102229
Fredericksburg, VA
22408
US
