Infinity

I know I keep harping on 40 Days For Life, but...who cares? Out of all Pro-life organizations it is definitely one to keep in touch with. Does this following article fit into my series which you're probably dying to be done with by now? Yes, but this is an argument with your own mind rather than a fellow human being.

A few weeks ago, about the same time that the words "Seattle abortion clinic shut down" caught my eyes, I was told that 40 DFL had saved 9 lives through prayer and petition. All said and done, one might be tempted to be discouraged. "After all," you think, "aren't millions of abortions actively supported annually in the U.S. alone?"

To teenagers the ratio of nine to millions is quite a gap. As young people we tend to view the world subjectively and not consider those few children that were saved. But think about it for a moment. In a few years nine will have turned into nineteen, then thirty-five, then fifty, etc. This brings up an interesting question: just how many lives were saved? The number could be endless.

Do not think there are slim pickings among the fruits of our labor. Such doubting leads to despair and leaves a person wondering why he even bothers being actively Pro-life. This is one of those times that the future is on our side. I by no means want to disregard or forget those babies who have suffered at the hands of abortionists, but it is still very possible one day to tip the scales of the number of aborted children versus the ones who were saved. Wouldn't it be something if just those nine babies started it all?

Good News + Good News=

First the update. About two weeks ago John Leslie, a campaign director of the 40 Days For Life, emailed to say that an abortion clinic nearest U.W. in Seattle has completely shut down! I realize this news has been circulating now for the better half of a month but better to write late than never. Let's hope more abortion clinics soon follow suit. Say, "Hasta la bye bye!"



Let's keep a continuous stream of petition going up to heaven and laying our prayers at the Lord's feet. God is doing marvels!



Second is our new members. We soon hope to get a few of our freshmen an opportunity to write on Worth Fighting For. However, they will be using wordpress instead of blogspot. As soon as they are ready we will provide the link to their site. Meanwhile we will continue to read, learn, and write as time allows.

Schedules

We sincerely apologize that updates to this blog have not been made more frequently. Junior year and holiday seasons just don't mix well time wise. We will be re-organizing our writing schedule and trying to get things posted on a weekly basis. Thanks for your patience.

Abortion Survivor

Perhaps you've already seen these videos from a while back, perhaps not. Either way they are worth seeing again. Gianna Jessen is one of those few people who by God's grace survived an abortion. Want to know what's even more spectacular? The abortionist had to sign her birth certificate! Here is the video split into parts 1 and 2.

Me, Myself, and I Am

As I become more and more aware of how popular and prevalent abortion is in our society, the more I want to ask the question, “Why?” But the question isn’t, “why do people have abortions?” Rather it is, “Why do people who are honest with themselves and God not fight abortion as vigorously as they should?” Granted there are many people who spend their entire lives fighting this evil, but there are just as many others who are indifferent or put in minimal effort.

Let‘s say someone approaches you and says, “Okay, abortion is wrong, but there are already others who are organized to deal with it. Don’t get all wound up about it. Besides, you might end up offending a lot of people and cause more damage than good.” What would you say to them?

Well, it depends on what your understanding of the Pro-life movement and the Scriptures really is. If you consider Pro-life as merely a charity organization reaching out to those in need and saving the unborn, you only have half of the picture. Plus, you may not recognize that the person above is really asking you, "What could possibly tempt you/me to aid pro-life activists?" or even, “If I join the Pro-life movement, what’s in it for me?”

Keep in mind that being Pro-life is not charity. It is a mission. A Christian fighting for the lives of both baby and mother is constantly aware of a spiritual battle between Christ, the devil, and our sinful hearts. So when one asks in so many words, “What’s in it for me?” it sounds ridiculous and unabashedly selfish. The soldier in battle does not look after his own skin and comfort. He is there at the command of his superior officers and their orders. So what are our orders?

How about Matt. 19:14 which says, "...Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven." One might think that this verse has been taken out of context of the original passage. I say it hasn't, knowing that infants in the womb are children, the message is still the same no matter what critics think.

Now that our command has been clearly stated, what might be used as both a warning and encouragement for those who do not consider it motivating? (I like to think of Darth Vader's quote: "Then perhaps I can find new ways to motivate them!). 1 John 3:4 says, “Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness”…and 1 John 3:8, “Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning…” I can gaurantee that nobody wants to be "of the devil." But if there is a warning, there is also a blessing for those who do His commands. Dt. 7:9 states, "Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love Him and keep His commandments, to a thousand generations..."

This all leads to an elongated response to your friend’s (or enemy’s) criticism. The bottom line is, if God rewards man in this life or the next it is not the ultimate goal. Glory and love for God is. "Me" is merely the tool for I Am's work and not the focus. So from a purely human perspective there is nothing for Me. I Am is the potter and Me is the clay.

If you are certain that abortion is the work of Beelzebub, and that God has called His children to uphold His laws and statutes, are you willing to do more than your fair share to preserving God’s image? Are you ready to spread the news of the gospel to desperate mothers, fathers, and the will-be-born even if they may hate you or reject His message? Will you trample Me and Myself to smithereens and cling to I Am? Then what are you waiting for?

Great News

It is time to join the 40 Days for Life campaign in prayer to our most Holy God that He might end this horrific practice of abortion. I especially encourage young men and women to participate in this fight for life. There is a teen rally Saturday the 2nd of October at the Hilltop Planned Parenthood facility in Tacoma. This is your chance to prove that teenagers are not made of potato chips and actually care about what happens in the world around them and how people treat God's image. For more information go to the site below and click on the events tab. Scroll down and click on the Teen rally icon. At least one of our team should be there and it's possible we might bump into you and say "hi." See you soon.

www.40daysforlife.com/tacoma

Does living in Tacoma or being a teen have anything to do with participating? Absolutely not. This website is for everyone of all ages to read and is a nation wide movement. Click on the link to find out how you can participate.

4US

It’s a shame I didn’t remember to post this sooner, but here is a look at our schedule for tomorrow.

We plan to participate in the annual 4US event Sep. 25 at Owens Beach in Tacoma. If you are not familiar with this particular organization here are some informational tidbits to gather:

4US is split into many events from riding, to running, to reading, to baking. Its primary concern is to raise money to buy advanced ultrasound equipment for Care Net pregnancy centers (especially in the Puget Sound area). Participants must register since it is a fund raiser and can then join the pancake breakfast or whatever precedes the activities.

To learn more about future events hosted by 4US and how to contact them or donate, visit http://www.4us.org/.

Also, if you know of any other pro-life movement such as 4US in your area please let us know. Not everything happens in Tacoma or Seattle and perhaps we or our readers will find out how to participate in your events.

Christ and Choice

This is just a thought that came to me. Did Mary ever complain to God that she was a slave to her fetus Jesus? Did she gripe about her rights being ignored by a “forceful” and “unrelenting” God?

I’m sure there were plenty of inconveniences that came with having baby Jesus. Joseph had originally planned to call off his engagement with Mary so she wouldn’t be embarrassed. Why? Because they weren’t married yet! Mary was most likely shunned and or taunted from behind her back. In her day as in ours she would have been considered promiscuous and an adulteress (although it meant much more back then). In that context it was worse than being raped, because then she could have made an excuse for the pregnancy.

“Oh, God came to me and said I was to give birth to the Messiah.” Right. How many people do you think believed her? And would you believe a friend today if she told you such a thing after becoming impregnated?

So why did Mary rejoice instead of complain about this “good news?” I can imagine a pro-abortion friend saying to Mary, “You know, you don’t have to be embarrassed about this kind of thing. Our latest technology is so good Joseph won’t even know what happened.”

And it’s bologna to say that people thousands of years ago didn’t have options to having “safe” or fetal abortions. They were optional before Mary’s time by at least a couple centuries. For a Scripture reference, Ex. 1:15-17 comes to mind. “Then the king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shiphrah and the other Puah, ‘When you serve as a midwife to the Hebrew women and see them on the birthstool, if it is a son, you shall kill him, but if it is a daughter, she shall live.’ But the midwives feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but let the male children live (ESV).” For historical evidence read the italics below.

Assuming that Mary underwent pressure to terminate a child born literally outside wedlock, and knowing that abortions were optional; is it just coincidence that she instead sang a song of thanksgiving and praise to God for His blessings (Luke 1:46-55 ESV)? Did she doubt the prophecy of the Messiah or resist God‘s purpose? No. Then why should a woman abort a child today? To me, “women must have a right to control their own bodies,” is not a satisfactory answer.

For historical references, type in “Abortion in Ancient Times” on the internet and you should get a long list. Maybe you have an encyclopedia with relevant information. All I will mention is that one of the main tools for abortion was poisonous herbs. The rest is for you to study.

Conversation: The Bad Kind

Even though I’ve just started on this series it can be difficult to pick illustrations that are not only applicable but also within reason. This next article will be drawn not just from informative imagination but from experience.

Let’s say that somebody has unabashedly decided to ignore my warning about gossip (don‘t worry, I‘ll forgive them). In fact it’s not just one but two people firing comments about an issue over a friend. You unhappily are caught in crossfire as you pass by. I have nothing against people with the names Sarah and Kim, but for the illustration’s sake we’ll use these ones.

Sarah: “Can you believe that…broke up with her boyfriend?”
Kim: “No way! What is she going to do with the baby?”
Sarah: “Do you think she of all people is going to let her parents know? They’ll flip!”
Kim: “Totally, I mean with that kind of problem she should have an abortion really soon.”
Sarah: “She’s such a moron! If she handled things better this might not have happened.”
Kim: “I mean, what if she actually…”

As you exit the premises you hear the two of them giggling. Now I have not heard conversation like this in the same context, but in some ways it was very similar and just as repugnant. But you’re probably thinking, “Yea, I’ve heard this one before. Beware of Lady Folly. Get the point over with Jonathan.” Ha!

Actually this isn’t a story about Sarah and Kim. Replace these two with masculine or one masculine and feminine name of your preference (say…John and Ryan) and read the script over again. Does it seem even more ugly than the original? Why or why not? And has anyone ever heard a guy’s giggle? I have.

I’ll explain why this may be more repulsive than a Sarah/Kim incident and then we’ll discuss why you should do absolutely nothing. Zip, nada, nine. Let’s get started.

First, the facts.

I don’t care what your religious view point is on the matter, but to Christians the man is always the leader. Whether it is in the household or the church pulpit, men take the role of the higher authority. God created man first. God created a woman from a man. “Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, His body, and is Himself its Savior (Eph. 5:22-23).” Am I sexist? No. Do men and women have equal rights? Yes, but men are the head. There are some distinctions between rights and leadership. We are to submit, “to one another out of reverence for Christ (Eph. 5:21).” What is my point? John and Ryan are the epitome of callousness. They have taken for granted what everyone except a few psychopath feminists knows to be true. It is contemptible for a man young or old to laugh at abortion and at the one responsible for it; ultimately the woman. I’ll reiterate my point with some statistics.

How much influence do you think males have in an abortion decision? This can be the father, grandfather, husband, boyfriend, etc. Statistics from polls as far back as 1987-1988 showed that 14.1% of women were encouraged (or threatened) to have an abortion by a family member(s) or partner of the opposite sex. That number rose to as much as 40% in 2003 and is currently hanging (to the disappointment of some) at about 39-43% (Although some sources claim higher). I say they’re disappointed because, whoever they are, they prefer more men to take a stand with the pro-abortion feminists. To me, numbers haven’t dropped significantly enough. Think about it. 40% of millions of abortions have been induced by men who care nothing for God’s image. In spite of that, whether they know it or not, John and Ryan can only jeer.

Now here might be the hard part. Whether it is Sarah and Kim or John and Ryan, have nothing to do with this discussion. Many will feel obligated to butt in (I know I would), but you may not know the subject of the discussion, nor have you heard the entirety of it. Perhaps you misheard. And even if somehow you did hear the whole discussion, do you think that people with minds as focused on mischief as these will listen to your well intentioned impromptu arguments? Not likely. Only God can change the heart.

I said before that you should do nothing, but the one thing you should do is pray. Pray for the victim of the conversation. Pray for the gossipers behaving badly. Pray that the Lord will pour out His saving grace like a waterfall on every one of these people. Don’t be surprised if you see results.

http://www.theunchoice.com/pdf/FactSheets/ForcedAbortionFactSheet.pdf
http://www.pollingreport.com/abortion.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abortion_in_the_United_States
http://www.rhrealitycheck.org/reader-diaries/2010/02/11/where-have-all-prochoice-men-gone
http://www.elsevier.com/authored_subject_sections/S06/S06_351/misc/freearts/art11.pdf
http://www.stopforcedabortions.org/forced.htm

Life Issues

If you want to see what a 4D ultrasound video looks like, here is a link to a pro-life website called Life Issues Institute. In order to view the videos, scroll down on the home page and click on the icon labeled 4D ultrasounds.

http://www.lifeissues.org/

I also recommend viewing the other icons, one for "breaking news" and the other just for teens.