Tomorrow the number 5 and number 8 teams in college football meet for a huge showdown in Jacksonville, Florida: the Florida-Georgia game.

A few hours ago, I spoke at a fundraising banquet for a pregnancy resource center here in Jacksonville, after visiting the local 40 Days for Life campaign that has mobilized 1,500 people.

At the banquet, I shared the platform with Pam Tebow, mother of Florida quarterback — and winner of last year’s Heisman trophy as the best player in college football — Tim Tebow.

She shared her amazing testimony about how doctors had actually advised her to abort Tim when she was pregnant with him…

…And why she refused.

She also shared how ESPN broadcast their amazing pro-life testimony around the world, saving other lives.

After the dinner, Pam and her husband Bob sat down with me to record a short audio clip to share their story and to encourage YOU to persevere in your 40 Days for Life efforts.

I think you’ll be blessed by this seven-minute audio…

David & Margaret Bereit with Pam & Bob Tebow

Listen to the Audio Online (click “Play” button to start audio):

Download MP3 (click to play, right-click to save to your computer):

http://www.40daysforlife.com/blog/audio/tebow.mp3

Today’s devotional calls us to become vessels of hope. It is indeed hope that you are bringing to the abortion centers.

Women who are on the brink of abortion see no hope, unless you’re there to bring them hope: hope in God, and hope in the form of better options for themselves and their children.

Christ warned of those who would call good evil, and call evil good.

We saw that firsthand in some pictures Bob sent from an abortion center in Michigan. The clinic staff posted four large message boards in the building’s windows — three panels were an open letter to “persons of faith” and the fourth was titled “a blessing.”

Here’s the picture:

Letter from abortion facility staff

The letter began, “We forgive you for your infringement into what is a deeply personal and difficult time in our lives… We forgive you for your lack of understanding, your blind assumptions and your lack of faith in us.”

The whole point of the letter is to make 40 Days for Life vigil participants question why they stand outside and pray, attempting to create confusion about the very clear difference between right and wrong that is central to the effort to end abortion.

The letter continued with a rehash of worn-out abortion rhetoric. It suggests that in addition to praying for an end to abortion, vigil participants should “pray for universal health care, a living wage and affordable child care,” as if any perceived lack of support in those areas offers justification for terminating the life of innocent unborn children.

In short, this set of posters was an abortion movement manifesto, suggesting that we have no right to stand up — as Christ commanded us — in defense of the least of our brothers and sisters.

“We are honoring our selves, our partners, our families and our pregnancies with a wise decision,” the letter stated.

That’s enough to turn your stomach or rip your heart — or both. Sin honors no one.

What was truly reprehensible was the final poster, the “blessing,” which begins, “Let us be blessed as we go forth. Choices have been made in some of the hardest moments of our lives. May we leave this place free from guilt and ready to live with conviction and clarity of purpose.” It ends, in classic prayer style, with the single word, “Amen.”

I prefer to think of this ploy as a desperation measure by an abortion industry that knows its time is running out.

That feeling is echoed in a message I received from Marti in Little Rock.

“I cannot really describe the sense of relief I felt when I arrived at 7:45 Saturday morning and found an empty parking lot,” she wrote. The abortion center was closed.

“I just stood at the entryway of their lot and praised God and claimed that someday this lot will always be empty. I was standing there with the perfect vision of what we are praying for — days upon days where no babies have to die in this place.”

To that, we can truly say, “Amen!”

Here’s today’s devotional from Fr. Frank Pavone, National Director of Priests for Life and President of the National Pro-life Religious Council…

DAY 38 INTENTION:

Pray that we become vessels of hope to all around us, especially to those who minister in the pro-life movement.

SCRIPTURE:

On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen!”

– Luke 24:1-5

REFLECTION by Fr. Frank Pavone:

This meditation, based on a sermon I once heard, is adapted for pro-life concerns.

It’s Friday. Jesus is on the cross. He has been killed by his enemies; he is off the scene. But that’s because it’s Friday. Sunday’s comin’!

It’s Friday. Abortionists continue their work 3,300 times a day, tearing off the arms and legs of little babies and crushing their heads. But that’s because it’s Friday. Sunday’s comin’! It’s Friday. Pro-abortion groups receive blood money from billionaires who are as deceived as they are. But that’s because it’s Friday. Sunday’s comin’!

It’s Friday. Liars attempt to speak for all women and hide the pain of abortion, and ignore the evidence of how it harms women, and call abortion a blessing. But that’s because it’s Friday. Sunday’s comin’! It’s Friday. People of hardened hearts guard the clinics and usher desperate women in to have their abortions, while keeping them from the pro-life people who want to give them hope. But that’s because it’s Friday. Sunday’s comin’!

Hope does not mean that we ignore or minimize the evils around us. It means, rather, that we see the whole picture, which is that evil is conquered because of what happened one Sunday morning. The power of sin and death has been broken by the Resurrection of Christ. We are called to proclaim, celebrate, and serve that victory, waiting in joyful hope for Christ’s return and the full flowering of the Culture of Life! Indeed, Sunday’s comin’!

PRAYER:

Lord, fill your people with new hope. Make us vessels of hope to all around us, especially to those who minister in the pro-life movement, that as we engage in the difficult work ahead, we may experience the peace and joy that come only from you and that nobody can take away from us. We ask this through Christ our Lord, Amen.

Today’s 40 Days for Life devotional can also be downloaded at: http://40daysforlife.com/docs/fall2008day38print.pdf

Yours for Life,

David Bereit
National Campaign Director
40 Days for Life

P.S.- If you want to personally thank Tim Tebow’s mom and dad for their courageous pro-life stance, simply post a reply below this blog posting. I’ll make sure that they see your comments!

Today’s Scripture verse from Romans beseeches us to, “present your bodies a living sacrifice.”

This is exactly what faithful volunteers have done several times during this 40 Days for Life campaign, when the police have been called — either by abortion facility workers or abortion supporters — to investigate bogus complaints about those who are peacefully standing up for life.

The mere sight of people quietly standing in prayer outside an abortion center or Planned Parenthood office is considered a reason to call the police.

In Winston-Salem, North Carolina, the 40 Days for Life team has seen squad cars pull up at their vigil more than once. Toni said the officers are always nice and supportive, “and they are clearly annoyed with the petty complaints about us being a disturbance.”

Toni said the local group has permit for its activities, and they’re in compliance with every requirement. “We are just being effective in what we are doing.”

And what they’re doing is raising awareness and telling the entire city of Winston-Salem that there is indeed an abortion center in their community.

“That appears to be the main topic of discussion when patients enter the surrounding doctors’ offices” in the medical complex where the abortion center is located, she said.

“That is what is bothering the doctors. We can only hope and pray that neighboring doctors and other businesses will unite to confront the owner of the building leased by Planned Parenthood — and maybe Planned Parenthood themselves. Pray for this!”

Those who are “presenting their bodies a living sacrifice” are also getting to know the local police in California’s San Fernando Valley. Patti describes a “police drama” at one of the abortion centers where a 40 Days for Life is taking place.

“We had five squad cars pull up, with officers going inside the building, walking back to the driveway and watching us out on the corner,” she said.

“Early on, one asked me if we were staying peaceful, and if anyone had been physically preventing people from walking into the building, blocking cars from getting into the parking lot, or — get this — jumping on top of car hoods!”

After about 20 minutes, the officer in charge spoke to the group and acknowledged that everything they were doing was perfectly legal. With that, they left.

Why the upsurge in calls to law enforcement?

The obvious answer is that the 40 Days for Life prayer vigils are working. Powerfully. And the abortion industry doesn’t like it.

“The folks inside are getting frustrated and recently called the police – twice – to ‘report’ [erroneously, of course] that we were throwing things at the women going in and were blocking the sidewalk,” said Major in Huntsville, Alabama. “This activity is definitely the result of the continuous 40 Days for Life presence.”

Thanks to all of the police officers who’ve responded so professionally to vigil participants in the wake of these unfounded “disturbance” calls which are clearly meant to harass and discourage participation in 40 Days for Life!

And thanks to all of you for continuing your prayerful witness against the evil of abortion, presenting your bodies a living sacrifice, at the very places where this unthinkable horror continues to occur.

Here’s today’s devotional from Carmen Pate, Co-host of the “Point of View” radio talk show…

DAY 37 INTENTION:

Pray that we will each submit ourselves this day as a living sacrifice to God, giving all that we have in us for those being sacrificed on the altar of convenience.

SCRIPTURE:

I beseech you therefore brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.

– Romans 12:1

REFLECTION by Carmen Pate:

Since all things are for His glory, we are to offer ourselves for that purpose. This of course is in sharp contrast to those who are being swayed by the enemy to sacrifice their babies on the altar of convenience, rather than choosing to surrender their all, including their unborn child, to the Lord for His purposes.

A career, education goals, or even a boyfriend can unknowingly become an idol for some young women. In their minds, abortion is a convenient way to “rid themselves” of an obstacle in the way of their “worship.”

In light of the sacrifice Christ made on our behalf, and the fruit of God’s mercies on our lives, we owe God our highest form of praise and worship. Presenting our bodies as living sacrifices is therefore reasonable service.

We were made to worship God and God alone. The enemy who seeks worship for himself distorts God’s truth regarding worship, sacrifice, idols, and children.

As you have given of yourself to rescue those who are perishing — the young woman and her child — you are worshiping God in the truest sense of the word.

May your example lead an abortion minded client to turn from her idols to worship the one true God, sparing her child from the altar of convenience, and sparing herself from a lifetime of regret.

PRAYER:

God Almighty, You alone are worthy of our praise and worship. Having accepted Your Son’s sacrifice on my behalf, I in turn present my body to you as a living sacrifice. Thank you for deeming me holy and acceptable because of Christ’s shed blood for me.

I pray that you would use me as your vessel to rescue others who are perishing. Through Christ who is Our Glory, Amen.

Today’s 40 Days for Life devotional can also be downloaded at: http://40daysforlife.com/docs/fall2008day37print.pdf

Yours for Life,

David Bereit
National Campaign Director
40 Days for Life

P.S.- Here are photos and short audio interviews with the leaders from three of my recent 40 Days for Life site visits — in Alexandria and Richmond, Virginia, and Ft. Wayne, Indiana. You’ll be inspired and encouraged by these!

Listen to the Audio Online (click “Play” button to start audio):

Download MP3 (click to play, right-click to save to your computer):

http://www.40daysforlife.com/blog/audio/va_in.mp3

Alexandria, VA 40 Days for Life

Ft. Wayne, IN 40 Days for Life

Richmond, VA 40 Days for Life

Yesterday afternoon I returned from Indiana, where I visited the 40 Days for Life vigil in Ft. Wayne and spoke for a Right to Life banquet in Columbia City.

Upon landing at Reagan airport in Washington, D.C., I drove two hours down to Richmond, Virginia, to visit the local 40 Days for Life campaign (which was the 43rd city I’ve visited since 40 Days for Life began on September 24th.)

I’m home for a moment, and in a few hours our whole family gets on a plane to head to Florida where we will be running hard to visit every 40 Days for Life location in the sunshine state before this fall’s campaign ends on Sunday — just four days from now.

The excitement we have been seeing all across America has been simply amazing.

But you don’t have to travel all over the country to get a sense of how God is moving across our land.

If you want to see more about the impact 40 Days for Life is having — especially on individuals — just search online blogs and comments. It’s incredible!

“Yesterday marked my very first time ever to pray in front of an abortion clinic,” wrote a blogger in Vallejo, California. “I have to admit that it has been a very moving experience. It’s quite different from praying at home or at church — since you’re in front of a place where innocent life is slaughtered.”

It is a similar reaction that gets people to return again and again, finding time in busy schedules to pray for an end to abortion at the place where this evil is permitted.

“It was a blessing to be there,” wrote a blogger in Washington, DC, after she and some friends went to pray at the vigil in front of Planned Parenthood.

“God supplied us with a parking spot right in the middle of the day. That is a feat in itself, considering DC traffic, possible tickets and limited parking. The hustle of the city ran about us; people scurried before us; prayers were calm and constant as we stood before Planned Parenthood, a place of death and lies.”

“My girlfriend and I took our bundled babies with us as we stood out there in 23 degree temps for an hour,” wrote a blogger in Anchorage, Alaska. “We decided today, that even after 40 Days for Life is over, we will continue to go and pray weekly. Just our presence is a conscience-tugger for many.”

A blogger in Grand Rapids, Michigan wrote of the discussion she had with a driver who pulled over in front of the 40 Days for Life vigil to see what was going on. He asked how long the people would be in front of that building, and she responded 40 days. The driver then asked what was in the building, and she told him it was an abortion facility. “That’s what I thought,” he responded. “What you are doing is great. Keep at it.”

“It was a simple exchange,” she wrote, “but I was struck by the fact that he stopped. Sure, people walking by stop to ask questions, but not many drivers. I realized then the influence we have had. Our example, our presence has emboldened others. Many people have drawn strength from our vigil, knowing if we have the courage to stand against abortion, they can have the courage to admit they are against it too. If anything, our impact has been silent and subtle, quietly changing hearts with our boldness.”

And who knows which hearts may be changed? 40 Days for Life is also mentioned on abortion advocacy blogs. Many such blogs screech with anger, but some are taking a closer look.

“I admit I am genuinely impressed by this group,” wrote a pro-choice blogger. They have found a way to voice their opinion without being mean, nasty and overly graphic.”

It was especially the absence of graphic posters that showed her 40 Days for Life was different. She said there was “not a chance” she would change her mind about abortion, but then listed a number of things that could be done to help women choose to keep their children.

Not a chance? Who knows? Maybe God is at work here, too. Keep praying!

Here’s today’s devotional from Fr. Frank Pavone, National Director of Priests for Life and President of the National Pro-life Religious Council…

DAY 36 INTENTION:

We are the defenders of true freedom. May our witness unveil the deception of the “pro-choice” slogan.

SCRIPTURE:

Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

–2 Corinthians 3:17

REFLECTION by Fr. Frank Pavone:

Norma McCorvey (the former Jane Roe of Roe v. Wade) used to work at an abortion mill named “A Choice for Women.” She now realizes what a cruel irony that title was.

She saw first hand, just as pregnancy resource center counselors see, that women don’t get abortions because of freedom of choice, but rather because they feel they have no freedom and no choice.

They feel trapped, abandoned, desperate and afraid, and have been led to believe that abortion is their only option.

As Frederica Mathewes-Green has written, no want wants an abortion like she wants a Porsche or an ice cream; rather, she wants it like an animal caught in a trap wants to gnaw off its own leg.

“Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.” That doesn’t mean that the Spirit allows us to do whatever we want or to decide for ourselves what’s right and wrong.

Rather, it means that the Spirit gives us the freedom to do what is right, the power to choose what is good, when we see it before us and yet feel pulled in the opposite direction. Liberty means that we no longer have to feel doomed to do what we know is wrong.

We are the people of the Spirit of the Lord, and when we take action on behalf of life, especially by being present at abortion mills, we are acting on behalf of true freedom, and imparting to those who are in bondage the power to do what is right.

PRAYER:

Come, Holy Spirit. You are the Spirit of freedom, the source of all that is good, the power to do what is right. Fill us, and fill those who are in bondage today, feeling doomed to do what is wrong. Set them free, and help us to hasten them on the road to freedom, where your grace overcomes every temptation. We ask this through Christ our Lord, Amen.

Today’s 40 Days for Life devotional can also be downloaded at: http://40daysforlife.com/docs/fall2008day36print.pdf

Yours for Life,

David Bereit
National Campaign Director
40 Days for Life

Today’s devotional deals with post-abortion healing. With that in mind, here’s a story from Mike Stack from the 40 Days for Life in Southfield, Michigan that shows the importance of our outreach to those who are hurting following an abortion experience…

From Mike Stack, 40 Days for Life of Southfield, Michigan:

I’m still a bit awestruck and emotional at what I encountered at the vigil site today.

We had invited several post-abortive women and men to stand with the “I Regret my Abortion” and “I Regret Lost Fatherhood” signs from the Silent No More campaign. Several of them shared their testimony of hurt and healing. I am still trying to process the intense emotions I have from this experience.

Here we have women and men deliberately ripping off their band aids and exposing their pain for the sake of those entering the abortion facility and those who work there. I have never seen a greater act of love.

Their self sacrifice is changing hearts and saving their sisters and brothers from making the same mistake they made so many years ago. My heart breaks not only from the sorrow of listening to their pain but from the joy of seeing the healing that they have experienced through God’s Mercy.

One of the most remarkable stories we heard this morning was shared by a woman that providence brought to us today.

She is well acquainted with the abortion facility where the 40 Days for Life vigil is taking place. She had an abortion there several months ago.

She told us how she was ambivalent about her abortion decision and had gone back and forth between the abortion facility and the crisis pregnancy center just down the road.

At that time she had been given a diagnosis of HIV and the abortion facility convinced her that her only option was to abort to avoid passing the deadly virus to her baby. Even though her husband objected, she initially consented to the abortion.

She was well into her second trimester and would need the two-day procedure for her abortion. She wanted time to think but the staff insisted she stay for the abortion and tricked her into doing the entire procedure in one day.

Meanwhile her husband was doing every thing he could to talk to her and get her out of the abortion facility but the staff locked him out and forced her to turn off her cell phone so he couldn’t communicate with her.

With the abortion completed she left and was later rechecked for HIV. It was found that there had been some mistake at the lab and she had been given a false positive report for HIV.

Today God has given her a healthy pregnancy — twins! — a renewed marriage commitment and some good lawyers to bring prosecution against the abortionist and his staff. She freely admits that these are all good things but nothing will bring back the child she has lost to abortion.

We pray in thanksgiving for the courage these women and men have demonstrated in exposing their hurt and healing and we pray for blessings on all those that hear their courageous words.

Here’s today’s devotional from Carmen Pate, Co-host of the “Point of View” radio talk show…

DAY 35 INTENTION:

Pray for post-abortive women who cannot forgive themselves; may they understand that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

SCRIPTURE:

Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sin is covered. Blessed is the one to whom the Lord shall not impute sin.

– Romans 4:7-8

REFLECTION by Carmen Pate:

In the passage above, the Apostle Paul making a point about justification by faith, refers back to David’s words in Psalm 32:1-2. In spite of the enormity of David’s sin — adultery with Bathsheba and his murder of her husband — and the utter absence of any personal merit, David in his brokenness, understood the imputed righteousness of God. David’s response was not continued guilt over his sins, but praise for his freedom from guilt, and God’s power to live life differently.

Once your relationship with God has been restored, your guilt has served its purpose and should no longer be given place in your life. This is true regardless of the sin, including the sin of abortion. As a post-abortive woman, I too struggled with this issue until I realized that punishing and hating myself after receiving God’s forgiveness was an insult to God.

It was as though I were minimizing Christ’s work on the cross as insufficient to cover my sin. I was denying Him the opportunity to bring glory to His name for the healing and restoration He wanted to do in my life. I was giving victory to the enemy who having lost the battle for my soul, was bent on destroying my testimony as I accepted the continual guilt he heaped on my mind.

It is my joy to continually sing of God’s grace rather than give the devil a foothold in my life. Don’t waste God’s mercy! Accept His forgiveness and forgive yourself as testimony of His amazing grace.

PRAYER:

Our Most Gracious Heavenly Father, thank you for your amazing grace that saved a wretch like me. I come against the enemy of my soul who would have me feel cast down and dejected.

Lord, keep your children from falling prey to the accusations of the father of lies. Turn our mourning into dancing and may we bring praise to you as we give testimony of Your healing and restoration in our lives. For by His grace we are saved, Amen.

Today’s 40 Days for Life devotional can also be downloaded at: http://40daysforlife.com/docs/fall2008day35print.pdf

Yours for Life,

David Bereit
National Campaign Director
40 Days for Life

“The Oklahoma City clinic has been closed five days in a row now,” Karen told me. “No word on why. Praise God! It’s not like him to close during the week.”

That quick message says so much. The “why” really isn’t that important; what’s important is that for numerous days during this 40 Days for Life campaign, the doors were locked — and no babies were dying in one Oklahoma City abortion facility.

In Ottawa, Ontario, the 40 Days for Life team spotted a want ad for the Morgentaler Clinic, the center run by Canada’s most infamous abortionist.

The ad is for a counselor. The clinic is looking for someone with a university degree to work 15 hours a week. The job pays $24 an hour, and it’s an immediate opening.

Does that mean the previous counselor quit? There’s no way of telling at this point. But that could well be the case.

It’s noteworthy when clinics close or lose staff members, but it’s your presence outside the abortion centers that is, has been, and will continue to be so critical to changing individual hearts and minds.

And that’s why we continue to rejoice in the many reports we’re hearing of saved lives.

The latest tally of confirmed lives saved as a result of this fall’s 40 Days for Life campaign is up to…

…384!!

Here are just a few of those stories:

“Another turnaround!” notes Major in Huntsville, Alabama. “That makes six here since 40 Days for Life started. This one was 18 to 20 weeks into her pregnancy. Please pray for her!”

“A pregnant woman came to speak to me after having left the abortion clinic,” said Joanne at 40 Days for Life in Providence, Rhode Island. “She changed her mind because people were praying outside. She has decided to have the baby.”

A couple spoke to a 40 Days for Life volunteer outside the abortion facility in Louisville, Kentucky, then went in. A while later, they two came back out and the man said, “You got to me. We couldn’t do it!” Jenny said there is so much to be thankful for. “Isn’t it so humbling that God has called us to be a part of this?”

Luke in South Bend, Indiana tells of praying at the 40 Days for Life vigil on a day he was tired, hungry and really looking forward to taking a break. About that time, a woman drove up and asked if he worked at the abortion center. “No, I’m working for the Lord,” he said, “and praying.”

The woman told Luke she was under extreme pressure to have an abortion, and then asked him, “Can I have your advice? What do you think I should do?”

Luke prayed for the Holy Spirit to give him the right words. He then asked the woman, “Who gave you this child?” Those were indeed the right words; she responded, “God did.”

He asked her how she could reject such a gift. She thought about that for a moment and said, “You’re right. I could never have an abortion.” Luke told her she could find help at the nearby pregnancy resource center, and then she drove away.

“I broke down and cried for joy,” he said. “Blessed be God forever!”

Here’s today’s devotional from Rev. Paul Stallsworth, President of Lifewatch (United Methodist Church)…

DAY 34 INTENTION:

May we come to know that divine life, in relationship, creates human life.

SCRIPTURE:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.

–John 1:1-3

REFLECTION by Rev. Paul Stallsworth:

“In the beginning” was God. Always, before all times, there was God. This particular God — the God of the Bible, the God of St. John’s Gospel — is different from all other gods. This God is alive and full of life. This God is not the picture of deadness and death, aloneness and isolation. This God is the picture of life, relationship, and unity.

For within this God, within this one God, there are three divine persons who live, who love, and who work — together. This is the glorious mystery of the Trinity. The Trinity means divine life. The Trinity means three, living Persons — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit — who relate to each other. The Trinity means mutual love and service among three Persons.

The Word was always with God the Father. This Word was, is, and will be the Trinity’s second person. The Word is also the Son of God or, as revealed in time, Jesus Christ. God the Father and God the Son live, love, and work for each other. As one, they create “all things” together: the Father creates all things, including all human life, through the Son.

So the Father, through the Son, creates all human lives. The little one swimming in his mother’s womb, the infant smiling in his father’s arms, the child crying in pain in a hospital bed, the energetic teen running another mile, the old man gasping for his last breath — all were created, at their beginning, by the Father through the Son. No exceptions. Divine life creates human life.

PRAYER:

O God, may we always be quick to call you Father. And when we call you father, let your Spirit remind us that we, and all people, from their beginning to their last day, are your children. We praise you, Father, that you sent your Son to reveal to the world that all people are His brothers and sisters, that all people are your children. Through Jesus Christ we pray, Amen.

Today’s 40 Days for Life devotional can also be downloaded at: http://40daysforlife.com/docs/fall2008day34print.pdf

Yours for Life,

David Bereit
National Campaign Director
40 Days for Life

P.S.- Just a quick reminder that Fr. Frank Pavone of Priests for Life is hosting a major teleconference later tonight — Monday, October 27 — to discuss what can be done to make a positive impact on the elections before it’s too late. Get all the details and sign up for this important call at:

http://www.priestsforlife.org/conferencecall

With only one week left of the fall 40 Days for Life campaign, I wanted to share a touching story with you that appears in the current issue of the National Catholic Register.

It’s about two of the local 40 Days for Life leaders in Massachusetts. Until reporter Gail Besse called me about this story, I had no idea what Stephen Marcotte and Paul Fullen did for a living.

It turns out they do the same thing in their full-time jobs as they do with their local 40 Days for Life campaigns — they save lives!

Here, thanks to the National Catholic Register’s kind permission, are excerpts of their story…

HEARTS ON FIRE FOR LIFE
BY GAIL BESSE

Ever since the day he responded to an emergency at the Four Women Clinic in Attleboro, Mass., firefighter Stephen Marcotte has looked at lifesaving in a new way. The crisis was abortion-related.

“I asked the patient’s name like I do on all medical runs, but nobody knew,” he recalls. “Here they had just aborted this 19-year-old girl’s baby, and I saw them scrambling to find out who she was. To them, she was just a procedure, a paycheck. That really bothered me.”

An eight-year veteran Attleboro firefighter and emergency medical technician, Marcotte found himself contemplating Pope John Paul II’s call to build a culture of life.

“It just didn’t sit right with me that I was just sitting by with this in my back yard,” he says. Marcotte, 34, prayed about the situation at Eucharistic adoration.

The result: He’s now helping coordinate a 40 Days for Life vigil outside that same clinic. The vigil is one of 174 planned across the United States and Canada in the lead-up to Election Day, Nov. 4.

The 40 Days for Life campaign seeks God’s power to end abortion. It consists of 40 days of prayer and fasting, community outreach and peaceful public witness outside abortion facilities. The effort is modeled on biblical 40-day periods when God worked miracles through Noah, Moses, Elijah, Jesus and the disciples.

In Worcester, Mass., firefighter Paul Fullen will head up another of the five Bay State vigils. Fullen and his wife, Crystal, both 37, will coordinate efforts outside Planned Parenthood there.

“We could have other firefighters involved that I just don’t know of,” says David Bereit, founder and national director of 40 Days for Life. “I get to know people around this shared mission rather than by their occupations, but it’s certainly a natural fit. Firefighters have already demonstrated they’re willing to sacrifice and risk their lives. Now they’re willing to sacrifice and risk embarrassment and persecution.

“There’s just as much heroism involved in trying to save a life in the womb as in fighting fires in burning buildings,” adds Bereit.

Fullen, a 10-year veteran of the fire department, sees the connection between his occupation and his pro-life prayer work with new clarity. “Our job,” he says, “is to protect life and property.”

“This is stepping out into the trenches,” says Marcotte. “Prayer is so important, but it’s combining prayer with getting out of my comfort zone that drew me. I just bought into the whole campaign. The Holy Spirit put it on my heart to trust that the Lord is in charge — and I’m excited about how he continues to bless this campaign.”

Bishop George Coleman of the Diocese of Fall River, Mass., is among more than 20 Catholic bishops nationwide actively supporting this pro-life mobilization.

Bereit, says he, too, is energized by the campaign’s momentum. Since it began in Texas in 2004, two Planned Parenthood centers have stopped doing abortions and a third clinic has closed. At least 500 babies are known to have been saved.

“This comes at a crucial time now that abortion is in the forefront of the political debate,” Bereit points out.

Marcotte admits he was wary of going public with his convictions. “I knew I’d get razzing from some of the guys, and I was a little nervous,” he says. “Then I thought: Whoa — if I like being out of my comfort zone by praying outside the clinic, then I shouldn’t worry about my comfort zone when it affects other parts of my life. I’ve got to be consistent.”

Fullen concurs. “My wife is expecting our seventh child,” he says with a smile, “so the other guys think I’m crazy anyway.”

“Many firefighters I know are not afraid of standing up for what they believe in,” says Father Michael McNamara, a Boston archdiocesan priest who has headed numerous pro-life prayer vigils. “Maybe it’s because when they understand their role in the protection of life as a vocation from the Lord, they seek God’s guidance in their everyday lives.

“It’s so in their character to view a situation with a clear mind and logical thinking,” adds Father McNamara. “They’re used to reflection and then action as normal responses on the job.”

Volunteers in their 30s like Marcotte and the Fullens are typical nationwide, Bereit notes.

“You know, until I started with 40 Days for Life, I was just like many people are now,” says Fullen. “I was uninformed. Hopefully, this will get people to realize how the life issue is right up there in the forefront for the upcoming elections.”

Although 40 Days is ecumenical, Bereit says, it’s now almost 75% Catholic, thanks to early support from pro-life leaders like Father Frank Pavone and Father Thomas Euteneuer, along with coverage in the Register and other Catholic media.

“Evangelicals are being inspired by their Catholic brothers and sisters,” Bereit says. “It’s beautiful to watch people who don’t see eye-to-eye theologically stand arm-in-arm to speak up for life.”

Especially when they put their actions where their words are, extinguishing the fires of the culture of death — one vigil at a time.

Read the whole article online at:

http://www.ncregister.com/site/article/16302/  

I thank Stephen and Paul for their willingness to answer God’s call.

And I thank God for raising up people — just like YOU — all across North America who are also answering God’s call to “speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves.”

Together we are making a powerful impact!

Here’s today’s devotional from Fr. Terry Gensemer, National Director of the Charismatic Episcopal Church for Life…

DAY 33 INTENTION:

May we absorb the truth that God is paying attention to us, and to each human life, personally and individually.

SCRIPTURE:

When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained, what is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You visit him? For You have made him a little lower than the angels, and You have crowned him with glory and honor.

– Psalm 8:3-9

REFLECTION by Fr. Terry Gensemer:

How often we ignore the phrase, “stop and smell the roses” and instead submit to the all too “urgent” task at hand. Is this tendency what keeps us, at least in part, from acknowledging that God’s care for His sacred creation is paramount in His own mind?

The Psalmist speaks of God’s handiwork: the heavens, the work of his “fingers,” and then points to God’s masterpiece – human life. He declares to us that God is mindful of us. God keeps His masterpiece in His thoughts.

God, the creator of the awe-inspiring heavens, is not distracted by the tasks before Him. He is not pulled away, as we might be, by thoughts of something “more important.”

God is paying attention to and attending to His crowning glory, His masterpiece of creation, which cannot be duplicated or replaced, which surpasses the beauty of all other created things — the human being.

There is no way to adequately describe how God feels about us as human beings. There are no words to fully portray His love, compassion or desire to be in communion with us.

Perhaps, the closest we can come, is to contemplate the thoughts of a mother as she gazes for the first time at her newborn child. God cares for Life.

We, as His followers, should take time to consider the life He has created and called upon us to love and protect.

PRAYER:

Lord, you are the creator of all things. Guide my thoughts to consider your creation in all of its majesty, beauty and holiness. Guide my heart especially to your creation of precious human life.

Help me to comprehend how essential life is in your own heart. Teach me to appreciate, love and protect all human life through your son, Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

Today’s 40 Days for Life devotional can also be downloaded at: http://40daysforlife.com/docs/fall2008day33print.pdf

Yours for Life,

David Bereit
National Campaign Director
40 Days for Life

P.S.: Fr. Frank Pavone of Priests for Life asked me to invite you to attend a very important teleseminar he is organizing tomorrow night, Monday, October 27, to discuss what we have to do as pro-life voters to make a real difference BEFORE election day.

He will be joined on the call by an all-star lineup including David Barton of Wallbuilders, Dr. Paul Schenck, and Dr. Alveda King (niece of Martin Luther King, Jr.) Learn more and sign up for this important event at:

http://priestsforlife.org/conferencecall

The call to participate in 40 Days for Life is a call to sacrifice.

Whenever I read the hundreds of daily e-mails in my overflowing inbox and see the comments on the 40 Days for Life blog, it always amazes me to see how many people are hearing that call and taking it to heart.

Praying outside an abortion facility is not a convenient thing to do. Yet many are embracing this sacrifice with faith, hope — and joy.

Bill is finding such joy in the witness of Patrick, with whom he prays in front of an abortion facility in Southfield, Michigan.

“He walks with the help of a cane or a walker,” said Bill, “but he is at this site several times a day and for several hours each time. Patrick participates in the wee hours of the morning when many others just can’t. Patrick is an inspiration.”

Susan in Greenland, New Hampshire finds similar inspiration from Vicki, a woman of around 80 years of age who prays at the abortion center every day. “She has a tremendous amount of physical pain but is on her knees at the entrance to the driveway, usually for an hour or two. This woman prays — through tears — for this abortion clinic to close, as this is her dying wish.”

Pat needed someone quickly to fill a vacant hour at the 40 Days for Life prayer vigil in Jacksonville, Florida. So she called Marie’s cell phone and asked her if she could get over to the clinic and help.

Marie laughed, because she was attending her husband’s high school reunion in Las Vegas. But she figured that if Pat was calling her to stand vigil, she was meant to do so. Pat looked up Las Vegas on the 40 Days for Life web site and gave Marie the vigil location.

“No matter where we are, we are united in our commitment to life,” Pat said, “even on vacation.”

There is no abortion center in Walker, Minnesota. But that hasn’t stopped the faithful people of this small town from gathering together and holding a 40 Days for Life to pray for an end to abortion.

“We are a town of approximately 1,069 people and have been able to go 24/7 without much trouble,” said local 40 Days for Life coordinator Beth Bohannon. “People are coming from minutes to hours away. God’s graces have been flowing in abundant amounts allowing many people to be touched in special ways. We have a cozy little white tent on the lawn of the courthouse that provides for a peaceful atmosphere with a touch of heaven. Many people of all faiths are uniting and praying together like never before.”

Beth said it’s an awesome thought that a little town in Northern Minnesota could be used in such a mighty way to help transform the culture of death into a culture of life. “God bless you all for listening to the Holy Spirit’s call to action in saying ‘yes’ — by using your hands, feet and mouth to help us to be part of this exciting movement in ending abortion in America once and for all.”

Here’s today’s devotional from Carmen Pate, co-host of the “Point of View” Talk Show…

DAY 32 INTENTION:

Pray that we display an attitude of humility as we stand in peaceful vigil, as we fast, as we knock on doors in our communities. Though we proudly proclaim Christ’s truth, may our boasting be only in His grace.

SCRIPTURE:

These six things the Lord hates, yes, seven are an abomination to Him: A proud look, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that are swift in running to evil, a false witness who speaks lies, and one who sows discord among brethren.

– Proverbs 6:16-19

REFLECTION by Carmen Pate, “Point of View” Talk Show:

The Lord who made us knows us well. I can’t help but think that perhaps as He inspired these words, He knew that our tendency might be to make the judgment call on which sins should be labeled as detestable.

He wants us to be absolutely clear, however, that the sinfulness of man encompasses much more than the external sins that we easily identify.

Lest we assign a particular sin as that of an abortionist, or a worker in an abortion facility, or an abortion activist, the Holy Spirit insured that our sin of pride would be listed first.

In this passage that speaks of eyes, tongue, hands, heart, and feet we realize than every part of our being is subject to the curse of sin.

We all need Jesus Christ who saved us from the penalty of sin, saves us from the practice of sin as we abide in Him, and will one day remove us from the presence of sin. Praise His Holy name!

Proper self-esteem in a follower of Christ is a matter of recognizing and confronting yourself in your humanity, including the tendency to sin. It is also a matter of embracing Jesus’ work on the cross — His grace that covers a multitude of sins.

The Apostle Paul sums it up best in 2 Corinthians 10:17-18: “But he who glories let him glory in the Lord. For not he who commends himself is approved, but whom the Lord commends.”

PRAYER:

Dear Father, guard my heart. Prick my conscience and may I be receptive to your rebuke at any moment I drift towards pride. May I remember in fear and trembling that You cause the proud to fall, but the humble You raise up.

Lord, may I never forget my true identity is in Christ and that apart from Him I am nothing. By His grace, I pray, Amen.

Today’s 40 Days for Life devotional can also be downloaded at: http://40daysforlife.com/docs/fall2008day32print.pdf  

Yours for Life,

David Bereit
National Campaign Director
40 Days for Life

WOW!

I just got off the phone with Shawn Carney on our national team who is in the midst of 40 Days for Life visits to New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont.

He also just returned from visits to Michigan, Illinois, Iowa, and Nebraska.

Shawn gave me an electrifying report on what he is experiencing at all these sites, and fortunately I was able to audio record the call so I could share it with you.

During this 17-minute high-energy update, you will also hear a deeply touching story of something that happened to Shawn earlier today related to a special needs child and the Special Olympics. Powerful.

Before doing anything else, take a quick listen to Shawn’s amazing update…

Listen to the Audio Online (click “Play” button to start audio):

Download MP3 (click to play, right-click to save to your computer):

http://www.40daysforlife.com/blog/audio/shawn1.mp3

Since well before this fall’s 40 Days for Life campaign began, I’ve been saying this is a critical time for the United States.

It seems it is also a critical time for the entire world, judging by the fact that two local campaigns are under way in Canada, and I am receiving notes of support from all around the globe.

Here are just a few…

There is much pro-life fervor evident in Latin America. Monica in Mexico City sent greetings and thanks to everyone participating in 40 Days for Life, asking God to “bless this campaign and all people involved. You have my prayers with all of you!”

“I live in Guatemala,” wrote Geraldine, “but I am so grateful for the 40 Days for Life campaign. I will be accompanying you in prayer.” Geraldine notes that a number of nations in Latin America are being pressed to legalize abortion. “Mexico has already begun falling into it, and Ecuador is faced with the approval of its pro-abortion constitutional amendment. But God has raised up soldiers to fight in Christ’s name all over the world.”

In Puerto Rico, Brunhilda has been praying and fasting. “We have also spread the word among Christians from different churches and they joined us in our prayers to end abortions,” she wrote. “Keep going and God bless you all!”

There are signs of hope in Europe. Gabriella wrote to salute her 81-year-old mother, who taught religion in Hungary for many years. “We started praying and fasting together for 40 Days for Life,” she said, “and now she is organizing two praying groups in Budapest.”

And there is breaking news coming out of Northern Ireland. We had received numerous requests for prayer for this country, where 40 Days for Life vigils were conducted in the spring. Abortion is not legal in Northern Ireland, however there was an aggressive effort to extend the United Kingdom’s abortion law to Northern Ireland to legalize the barbaric practice.

Eric Scheidler, the leader of the current 40 Days for Life campaign in Aurora, Illinois was there on the ground in Northern Ireland with Bernadette Smyth, the leader of the previous 40 Days for Life campaign, who organized a massive rally in Belfast on Saturday.

Following the rally, Eric e-mailed me this report:

“Victory in Northern Ireland! The U.K. Parliament in Westminster chose NOT to impose abortion on Northern Ireland. They could see that such a move would endanger the fragile political situation there.”

In the Pacific region, many of the cultural indicators Americans are concerned with are also being noted in New Zealand, where Sue Rowe has been working to organize a 40 Days for Life effort.

“All these pointers have brought abortion back into the public’s attention,” she told the New Zealand Catholic newspaper. “With all these things tying together, now is the time.”

“Thank you so much for allowing me this opportunity to be involved in 40 Days for Life,” said Fe in the Philippines. “God is so good! I know and I trust that with this worldwide effort, abortion will finally end in America and throughout the world!”

Isn’t it amazing what God has done with the tiny seeds that were planted just four short years ago with the first 40 Days for Life campaign in Texas?

WOW!

Here’s today’s devotional from Rev. J. Kirk van der Swaagh, Pastor, Conservative Congregational Christian Conference…

DAY 31 INTENTION:

For the medical community, that the truth they know about the human body may become awe and wonder at the God who made it.

SCRIPTURE:

Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them.

–Psalm 139:16

REFLECTION by Rev. J. Kirk van der Swaagh:

Human beings — God’s tapestries.

Psalm 139 is a psalm that reveals the enormity and otherness of God. His divine attributes are on display: omniscience (2-4), omnipresence (7-12), loving-kindness (17-18), justice (19-20), righteousness (23-24), and omnipotence. Yet, when it came to express this last attribute, what example did the psalmist use – God’s creation of mountains, seas, or far-flung galaxies? No, he used none of these. To express the wonder of God’s unparalleled creative power the writer mentions the fashioning of the human in the womb (14-16).

The Hebrew word used to express God’s forming of us in the womb, raqam, is the same term for needlework or embroidery. In other words, we are a tapestry that displays God’s artistic mastery. And, like the artist who knows his creation down to the last detail, God intimately knows us. This reality provokes the writer to awe and wonder. He proclaims, “I am fearfully and wonderfully made.”

What is true for this psalmist is true for each human being. Each is fashioned by God and known by him and we can proclaim on behalf of each, “I am fearfully and wonderfully made.”

PRAYER:

Gracious God, help us to appreciate the wonder and beauty of Your creation. Help us proclaim on behalf of every one of our fellow human beings, “I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” May the knowledge that we are intimately known by You shape our lives and actions. Amen.

Today’s 40 Days for Life devotional can also be downloaded at: http://40daysforlife.com/docs/fall2008day31print.pdf

Yours for Life,

David Bereit
National Campaign Director
40 Days for Life

When I sent you the prayer request yesterday about the woman who is trying to get out of her job as a medical worker at Planned Parenthood…

…I had NO IDEA how incredible — and generous — your response would be!

E-mail messages poured in from people all across the country who are praying for this lady and nearly 100 people asked where they could send money to help her get out of the abortion industry.

Your compassion and willingness to help this woman is deeply touching!

I am in communication with the local 40 Days for Life leaders to see if funds are still needed, and if so, where to send them. I’ll let you know as soon as I hear anything.

With the overwhelming response we have received over the last 24 hours, maybe a fund should be set up to help many more people escape their jobs at Planned Parenthood!

You know, whenever I mention Planned Parenthood in one of these messages, my mailbox immediately overflows with more stories about the abortion chain.

A 40 Days for Life volunteer in Memphis, Tennessee reports that four people were standing in prayerful vigil outside the building in which a Planned Parenthood abortion center is located.

A man walked up to the group and introduced himself as a Planned Parenthood employee. “He became upset and said they were harassing his ‘customers’ and blocking access. They assuredly were not,” said the volunteer. “The man said if he received one more complaint, he would call the police.”

The group remained in prayer, and no one called the police. “Note how the Planned Parenthood worker referred to these mothers as customers,” said the volunteer. “He was upset because he was losing business. Evidently, our prayerful presence is affecting Planned Parenthood’s ‘customers,’ and in turn, Planned Parenthood’s bottom line. God is melting mothers’ hearts. We are saving lives. Planned Parenthood is losing business.”

Don’t ever think for a moment, however, that Planned Parenthood is ready to throw in the towel. It is a huge, resourceful organization that always finds something else to try if one tactic fails to generate a response. It’s important to remain faithful, in spite of whatever Planned Parenthood does in an attempt to discourage you.

Mary in Sacramento focused on faithfully responding to the call to pray, even though she felt a bit overwhelmed when she first arrived outside a Planned Parenthood facility as part of 40 Days for Life.

She quickly noticed that only two people were standing vigil against this outpost of America’s abortion giant — herself and her 2-year-old daughter. “I thought I must look a little weird just walking back and forth with no other prayer warriors,” she said. “But I did it.”

Not long afterward, an 18-year-old girl arrived with her boyfriend. “They talked to me for a long time and were very open to listening,” she said. “They still kept their appointment. But I know she wants to have this baby.”

Mary felt like she needed some help, so she went to the building next door, looking for a man there who had been kind to her earlier. “I found him leaving his shift with five other men, so I asked them all to pray with me for the young girl. Immediately, they all bowed their heads and prayed.”

Mary told one of the men that abortion days at this Planned Parenthood center were Tuesdays and Thursdays. He sighed and said, “I wish I hadn’t known that. But those days will be different for me now.”

“It was a great experience,” Mary said. “These men stopped to pray for one of God’s special girls, and I know Christ was with all of them. I thought my time of quiet prayer would be uneventful — but I was wrong.”

Here’s today’s devotional from Fr. Frank Pavone, National Director of Priests for Life…

DAY 30 INTENTION:

That those tempted to abort may understand that their child is already present, and already a real person.

SCRIPTURE:

And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary that the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.

Then she spoke out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! But why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For indeed, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy.

– Luke 1:41-44

REFLECTION by Fr. Frank Pavone:

Jesus not only loves unborn children — He was one himself!

Think about this for a moment.

We often hear people speak of a pregnant mother by saying, “She’s expecting a child.” Now if one is expecting a package, the package is not yet there. As reflected in our verse for today, however, this is not the case with the mother.

Her gift is already there. The pregnant woman, a mother already, does not have a child “on the way,” but has a child, already present and in full possession of his or her human rights, starting with the right to life.

PRAYER:

Jesus, open my eyes to your presence in the life of every child. Open my heart to joy in the birth of every child, a birth that reflects the joy of your own birth in Bethlehem. As you shared life in the womb of Mary, so now send your protection upon every child still in the womb, and grant to their mothers the strength and joy that comes from welcoming the gift of life. We pray through Christ our Lord, Amen.

Today’s 40 Days for Life devotional can also be downloaded at: http://40daysforlife.com/docs/fall2008day30print.pdf

Yours for Life,

David Bereit
National Campaign Director
40 Days for Life

P.S.- Thanks to several of you who caught my mistake yesterday when I put the wrong scripture passage in the daily message. Oops! The corrected reading for yesterday’s devotional is now online at: http://snipurl.com/4manj

I have an URGENT prayer request…

On Saturday a medical worker at a Planned Parenthood abortion center where a 40 Days for Life campaign is happening approached the prayer volunteers outside.

She said that Planned Parenthood had told its workers that they would be immediately fired if they ever talked to those on the sidewalk, but she felt drawn to them — and she shared that she desperately wants out of her job.

She explained that after she started working at Planned Parenthood earlier this year, the abortion business assigned her the gruesome task of counting the baby body parts following each abortion to make sure everything was removed from the mother.

What she has seen inside the walls of Planned Parenthood is horrific.

She then shared that several weeks ago a young woman sat before her registering for an abortion and said, “I’m so conflicted, should I do this or not?”

She leaned forward and quietly told her, “Don’t do this.” The girl left, her baby alive within her.

A co-worker overheard and reported her to the abortion center’s supervisor who wrote her up and put a stern warning in her employment file.

She asked the 40 Days for Life prayer volunteers if she could meet Monday with someone who might be able to help her — and the time she had available was the exact time that Jim Pinto, pastoral associate for Priests for Life, was there in town for his visit to the 40 Days for Life location.

Jim stopped everything else to pray for her, with her, and over her. He also connected her with an organization called The Centurions that helps to bring abortion providers out of the abortion industry where they can find forgiveness and healing in Christ and restore their sense of self-worth.

The 40 Days for Life volunteers are now taking up a collection to provide for her short-term needs so she can leave her job immediately and they are helping her find another job quickly since she is the sole provider for her four daughters and needs income.

There is a very real possibility that these faithful 40 Days for Life volunteers may be able to help her walk away from the abortion industry TODAY!

Praise God for what He is doing in this woman’s life, and please keep her — and this situation — in your prayers throughout the day.

Here’s today’s devotional from Carmen Pate, Co-host of the “Point of View” Talk Show…

DAY 29 INTENTION:

Praise God for His compassion in par‐doning our sins and forgiving our transgressions. Give praise that He delights in showing mercy.

SCRIPTURE:

Who is a God like You, pardoning iniquity and passing over the transgressions of the remnant of His heritage? He does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in mercy. He will again have compassion on us; and will subdue our iniquities.

– Micah 7:18-19

REFLECTION by Carmen Pate, “Point of View” Talk Show:

Micah had been sent to declare God’s judgment and call the people of Judah to repentance. The people had become spiritually and ethically corrupt.

Prosperity had hardened the rich, the poor were oppressed and the heirs to David’s throne were practicing abominations and idolatry.

Is it not easy to see the parallels of God’s people in Micah’s day and God’s people today in America?

Through Micah, God corrected His people by demanding justice, not burnt offerings and sacrifice. He told them to love mercy, and to walk humbly with their God.

In speaking of Old Testament stories of God’s people turning from God to sin and idolatry, Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 10: 11, “Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.”

Many biblical scholars believe God has removed His hedge of protection around our nation in response to our sins of immorality and abortion. Let us cry out in repentance for His mercy once again. And may we honor His faithfulness by doing justly, loving mercy, and walking humbly with our God.

PRAYER:

Heavenly Father, eternal, changeless, and faithful Lord, we recognize that we are in need of forgiveness as a nation, for turning our hearts away from you. Hear our prayer of repentance Lord and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. We praise you for your tender mercies and your compassion that never fails.

Lord, it is only by Your grace that we can live lives that are just, and merciful. May Your Holy Spirit enable us to walk humbly in Your presence and may You be pleased to restore America so that a generation not yet born may praise you. In the name of Christ Jesus, who has done great things for us, Amen.

Today’s 40 Days for Life devotional can also be downloaded at: http://40daysforlife.com/docs/fall2008day29print.pdf

Yours for Life,

David Bereit
National Campaign Director
40 Days for Life

P.S.- Two weeks from today, Americans will wake up with our national elections decided. If ever we needed to pray, fast, and put our faith into action… that time is NOW. Let’s do everything we can over these final days to keep building the momentum of this 40 Days for Life campaign!