Dear Deacon John,
This 40 Days for Life campaign is just getting started ... and we already know of at least 12 babies that have been spared from abortion! We’ll share specifics in the days ahead, but these early results point to one thing ...
... your presence matters!
A few days ago, the moms of those 12 babies – and many others right now where you live – had abortion appointments. They had their minds made up ... and showed up for their abortion.
But when they arrived at the abortion center, they encountered something they didn’t expect: hope.
God wants to offer hope to those seeking abortion ... and He can use you to do that.
Your peaceful presence is the last – often unexpected – sign of hope.
But for the woman who goes through with the abortion, your presence is also the first sign of mercy. That is why it’s important to be there before, during and after the abortion.
In this campaign, there are 40 Days for Life vigils taking place in 16 countries. Find the one nearest you and be that sign of God's hope!
We start today in a place that is doing 40 Days for Life for the first time and offering hope ... 24 hours a day!
The call was put out in Bogota – and the faithful came. They came at midnight, and they didn’t go home.
Throughout the night, they were joined by others … and a steady crowd
of people continued to pray for an end to abortion throughout the day.
“Last night, in the middle of the night, there were more than 200 people
with us to pray for life, for the end of abortion,” reads the report
from the team in Bogota. “Thank you Lord! We invite you to register and
come during these forty days – all the times you can.”
Their Facebook page chronicled the first day of the first official campaign in Colombia:
- Midnight. We're waiting for you at Santa Ana Church to participate in prayer and a candlelight vigil for life for our country.
- 2:37 am. It's cold, but the heart is full of love for you, Lord!
- 6:51 am. We are persevering in prayer. Today, this is a territory of peace and life.
- 8:40 am. We're praying for God’s mercy for all of us, that we have offended the Lord with our sin.
- 12:40 pm. Already half a day of staying awake with prayer and fasting – because we love you, Lord, and we want to take care of the heart of women, and the life of their babies.
- 7:35 pm. Many people have joined our prayer, including police officers who have come with devotion to ask for the Lord’s mercy and the conversion of the world.
We look forward to seeing what God does in response to all the faithful in Colombia!
Cleveland, Bedford Heights, Painesville, Ohio
Steve Karlen, our
North American outreach director, attended an event in Cleveland that
was a combined kickoff for three campaigns.
Steve describes Cleveland coordinator John Noall as “a rock star.
He retired early so that he could have more time to serve God. That, of
course, includes doing a whale of a job leading 40 Days for Life.”
The team is still
celebrating the recent closure of a Cleveland abortion facility. They’ve
also learned that another center is now open only four days a month.
“I also met a young
man,” Steve said, “who told me an ex-girlfriend got pregnant. He said
he was promiscuous at the time and thought it might be his baby. It
wasn't, but he helped pay for the abortion. He was so haunted that it
became a turning point in his life. But he eventually found faith … and when he learned of 40 Days for Life at his church, he jumped in.”
Here's today's devotional from Dennis DiMauro of Lutherans for Life.
Day 3 intention
We pray for God's gift of strength as we strive to protect human life during these 40 Days for Life.
We pray for God's gift of strength as we strive to protect human life during these 40 Days for Life.
Scripture
Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?
—Matthew 6:25-26
Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?
—Matthew 6:25-26
Reflection
Billions of dollars are spent each year on diet plans. But Jesus tells us to stop worrying so much about our bodies, and instead to trust in God's care for our physical needs.
What would happen if the people who had started on a low-carb diet this year had instead gone on a diet of heavenly food? For non-believers that diet would include trusting in Christ for their salvation, and for believers it would include a renewed prayer life, a new Bible study, or even a spiritual fast. This diet doesn't include giving up on certain kinds of foods. What this diet includes is giving up on anxiety by resting in the loving arms of Christ, trusting that He will provide.
Such a spiritual diet also frees us from our worries, and allows us to freely praise Him and serve others. "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?"
This promised provision teaches us the inestimable worth of our lives. He will not allow us to go without. This intimate knowledge and care for human life on the part of our gracious God is what motivates us to seek for the preservation of human life in all its stages.
Billions of dollars are spent each year on diet plans. But Jesus tells us to stop worrying so much about our bodies, and instead to trust in God's care for our physical needs.
What would happen if the people who had started on a low-carb diet this year had instead gone on a diet of heavenly food? For non-believers that diet would include trusting in Christ for their salvation, and for believers it would include a renewed prayer life, a new Bible study, or even a spiritual fast. This diet doesn't include giving up on certain kinds of foods. What this diet includes is giving up on anxiety by resting in the loving arms of Christ, trusting that He will provide.
Such a spiritual diet also frees us from our worries, and allows us to freely praise Him and serve others. "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?"
This promised provision teaches us the inestimable worth of our lives. He will not allow us to go without. This intimate knowledge and care for human life on the part of our gracious God is what motivates us to seek for the preservation of human life in all its stages.
Prayer
Loving heavenly Father, help us to see the worth of all human beings by the way in which you provide for us. We would ask that you provide also the faith, grace and courage to enable us to protect that which is so precious to you. Through Christ our Lord, Amen.
Loving heavenly Father, help us to see the worth of all human beings by the way in which you provide for us. We would ask that you provide also the faith, grace and courage to enable us to protect that which is so precious to you. Through Christ our Lord, Amen.
Printable devotional
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For life,
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SHAWN CARNEY
Campaign Director
40 Days for Life
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