October 26, 2009
The words a sidewalk counselor spoke to a woman
entering the abortion center in Dallas, Texas summed
things up so accurately. "I know the baby is not the
problem," the counselor said, "but it's the situation
you are in."
The woman took information from the counselor but
continued into the clinic -- while 40 Days for Life
vigil participants prayed for her and her child.
An hour later, the woman came out of the clinic in
tears. She was married, she said, but thinking about
abortion -- though she doesn't know why it got to
that point. But when she saw people praying, she knew
abortion was not the answer, and that indeed, it was
her situation that was the problem, not the baby.
There are two other stories from Dallas with a
similar theme -- and the same outcome.
A woman entered the clinic -- and left 30 minutes
later, telling people on the sidewalk she was scared,
and that the conditions in the clinic were
troublesome. She was invited to go instead to the
very clean clinic across the street -- the pro-life
pregnancy resource center. She found that help was
indeed available, and chose life for her child.
A short time later, a couple walked into the clinic
but left about 40 minutes later. The woman held her
head down and appeared quite troubled. She, too, told
the people at the vigil she was scared. But as she
kept watching the people praying on the sidewalk, she
found the courage to reject abortion as a "solution"
to her problems.
To see a picture of some of the 40 Days for Life
vigil participants in Dallas, go to:
http://40daysforlife.com/blog/?p=458
Choosing life -- a blessing that God has provided...
...411 times during this fall's 40 Days for Life
campaign thus far!
Here's the story behind another of those blessings:
A mom in Atlanta, Georgia went to pray at the 40 Days
for Life vigil with her 7- and 10-year-old daughters.
At the time, they were the only ones at the clinic.
But after Paige explained to her girls why they were
there, they all began to pray and sing.
When a woman got out of her car and walked towards
the clinic, on of the girls said, "Let's sing 'Jesus
Loves Me.'"
"They sounded so sweet," Paige said. "I know the lady
could hear them."
A bit later, a man pulled up and got out of his car
to talk. "He was very noticeably angry," said Paige,
and he wound up making a threatening remark before
driving off.
"I told the girls what Jesus said, 'Blessed are you
when they persecute you and falsely say all kinds of
evil against you, because of me.' But it was hard
staying there."
It's a good thing they stayed! The woman that the
girls had sung for earlier in the hour walked out of
the clinic and towards the parking lot -- all the
time, looking at a sign with the number of a pro-life
pregnancy counseling hotline. She picked up her cell
phone and made a call.
As she pulled out of the parking lot, the woman made
a point of looking right at them, giving thumbs-up
and shaking her head in an emphatic "yes." She was
smiling at them, though it looked like she had been
crying.
"The girls were thrilled," said Paige. "We really
have no idea of the good that may come of people
standing outside of clinics."
Here's today's devotional from Rev. Paul Stallsworth,
President of Lifewatch (United Methodist Church)...
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DAY 34 INTENTION
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May we come to know that divine life, in
relationship, creates human life.
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SCRIPTURE
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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
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REFLECTION by Rev. Paul Stallsworth
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"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.
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PRAYER
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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.
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PRINTABLE DEVOTIONAL
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To download today's devotional as a formatted,
printable PDF to share with friends:
http://40daysforlife.com/docs/fall2009day34print.pdf
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For Life,
David Bereit
National Director
40 Days for Life
P.S.- Stay tuned for a few more videos over the next
few days. The computer I've had with me on the road
has been crashing while trying to edit videos, but
later today I'll have access to another computer that
should be able to handle the job.