“I’m the fruit…”

I met a young man recently who gave me a snapshot of his 23-year-old life story. Full of passion for Christ with a heart for people, he told me that he comes from a Christian family and expressed tremendous thanks for his upbringing. He managed to make it through his college years with his integrity intact and has since become involved in global missions.

He’s a great kid. You know, the ones that give you hope for this next generation.

As we continued our chat, I told him a little about myself and the work that I’m involved in at a local pregnancy resource center.

It was then that his eyes lit up. His face brightened. His smile widened. And he thanked me.

“I was adopted,” he said, beaming. “I’m the fruit of what you’re doing.”

Ya’ll, my heart stopped, then leaped for joy. I was completely overwhelmed.

What started as a simple chat became God’s very words of encouragement to me. I can’t tell you how awesome it was to see this impressive, God-fearing 23-year-old man giving thanks for pregnancy resource centers, and praising his birth parents (that he’s never met) for giving him life and providing Christian parents for him through adoption. He was so happy that his birth parents chose the parents that he has. Through his birth parents’ sacrifice and his adoptive parents’ dedication, this young man is going to do great things for God and will be a light in this dark world. And all because his birth parents said no to death and yes to life. God’s purpose for his life will prevail.

This young man is proof that unbeknownst to us, there is “fruit” all around us. If you have been laboring in ministry, I promise you there is fruit! You may not see it every day or receive testimonies as often as you’d like, but there is fruit from your ministry that can be seen throughout this fallen world.

Press on and persevere. Draw on God’s strength and grace daily. Keep doing what you’re doing for and in the name of our Father.

There is and will be fruit!

Two words

Two words.

“It’s positive.”

Her heart sinks and the tears flow. Hope seems lost. Dreams suddenly fade. Loneliness seeps in and she feels completely powerless.

Shouldn’t she have known better? Why would she put herself in this position?

That’s all irrelevant now. A tiny life is already growing inside of her. And now, in the midst of what may be the most earth-shattering news of her life, a decision must be made.

Two words.

Pregnancy center.

Through committed volunteers and donations from caring people, the light at the end of the tunnel begins to burn brightly. Maybe she can do this. Maybe things won’t be so bad after all.

Hope is restored. God begins to open doors for her. She discovers there is a community full of resources to help her overcome what seemed impossible. Yes, at times she still struggles. But seeing her baby’s smile makes it all worth it.

Two words.

Choose life.

A Beautiful Choice

It is heartbreaking to hear a woman who is facing an unplanned pregnancy say that she would rather abort her child than give the child parents and a purposeful life through adoption. Many pregnancy center clients welcome abortion as an option, but are not willing to consider adoption.

Why?

Many say they could not bear the thought of carrying a child for 9 months and “giving it away.” But what about carrying a child for months or several weeks, and then taking its life?

Adoption is a difficult, but very beautiful choice. We need to hear more stories from birth mothers, adoptees and adoptive parents who can attest to this.

I recently heard one about Christian singer Mark Schultz. During his special music portion at a pregnancy center banquet, he shared his story of being adopted at just 2 weeks old. He has never met his birth parents, but God has used his life to minister mightily throughout the world. As Mark worshiped the Lord with us, he seemed very grateful, sincere and at peace. Then he shared this.

These stories are all around us

I recently invited a friend of mine to an upcoming annual banquet benefiting our local crisis pregnancy center. She was so excited about the event, and then shared with me that she had previously been involved with a crisis pregnancy center.

“Oh, you were a counselor?” I asked. My heart soared at the thought of a fellow laborer in my midst.

“No, I was the one in crisis!” she exclaimed with a hearty laugh.

We grabbed hands and looked into each other’s eyes, both smiling joyfully about our newly discovered connection.

I knew that she was a single mother. She is also successful, well-educated and has a lot going for her. Little did I know that she was at a crossroads about a decade ago, when the loving staff of a crisis pregnancy center stepped in to help her sort things out. The woman I see today, full of confidence and grace, excelling in her career and seeking to serve the Lord daily, is the woman she is today because of a local pregnancy center.

And the best part?

She is a proud mother.

I realized that day there are pregnancy center success stories all around us. Women and men who are thankful that someone shared the truth with them about abortion, and then came alongside them with the Gospel of grace, giving them wings to fly and giving their unborn child a chance at life.

Let’s support our local pregnancy centers so these wonderful discoveries will continue.

Psalm 30:11-12

You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent. Lord my God, I will praise you forever.

What’s Your LIFE Story?

HeCreatedMe readers, I want to hear from you! What’s your LIFE story? Meaning, what is the story behind your support for pro-life ministry? When did you become passionate about saving the lives of the unborn? What are you doing to bring awareness to the tragedy of abortion in your community? Do you have a personal experience that’s related to this cause?

What’s your LIFE story?

Here’s mine:

I heard about the need for pregnancy center volunteers in a church I was attending one Sunday morning. The director of the center told a story about a girl who was planning to have an abortion and found out she was carrying three babies! The director stressed the importance of volunteer support for the center, and it was at that time that something inside me connected with her plea and I thought, “That’s what I want to do.” It was the Holy Spirit leading me and filling my heart with love for these women.

I called the center shortly after and as faith would have it, the director herself answered the phone. She asked me about myself and shared more about the volunteer opportunity to meet with teens and women every week to minister to them at the point of their decision. A decision between life and death for their unborn child.

All of a sudden I became nervous. I didn’t have any experience with pregnancy centers, and until hearing the director’s presentation at church, I didn’t even know they existed. I just knew I believed abortion was wrong.

I told the director I didn’t think I was qualified for this. She assured me I would be thoroughly trained before I was allowed to meet with clients. I received a packet in the mail, had an interview and became a weekly volunteer at the pregnancy center.

That was almost four years ago and my life has never been the same.

That’s my LIFE story. What’s yours?

Rebecca’s Story

It’s hard for many people to understand why pro-lifers are opposed to abortion even in cases of rape. But when you believe that all life is created by God and has value, you know that  –  somehow – God’s goodness can and will be witnessed even in the most extreme and unfathomable situations.

I’m confident in God’s ability to help and heal all who cry out to Him. And when I see testimonies like Rebecca Kiessling’s, I am reminded and encouraged that God’s grace is sufficient in all circumstances and for every journey.

“I didn’t see no tissue…”

I didn’t see no tissue…I just saw the face of a child.
–Jasmine Guy as “Mary” in the movie October Baby

My husband and I went to see the new movie October Baby this weekend, and we both were very deeply impacted. A pro-life film, October Baby is the story of a young girl named Hannah who finds out that she is adopted, and that her adoption came after her birth mother tried and failed to have her aborted. 

I don’t want to give too much of the movie away, but Hannah, longing for answers, goes on a search to find her birth mother. We follow her on this heart-wrenching journey for truth and closure, and end up witnessing the wonderful transformation of her life and the lives of many others around her.

I’m so proud of this movie and joyful because the Lord is using it to touch the lives of those who have been personally affected by abortion and to encourage the fight for LIFE. It is evident that the Lord is sharing His heart for LIFE in a major way by opening so many doors for the sanctity of life message.

October Baby will make you laugh and definitely make you cry. The pro-life message is beautifully weaved throughout the film, as well as the promise of forgiveness and hope through Jesus Christ.

I am encouraged by October Baby. Our labor for LIFE is not in vain.

How to Really Celebrate Your Birthday

So, I’ve got a birthday coming up next week and I’m starting a new birthday tradition that I hope you will consider as well. Starting this year in honor of my parents who chose life, and with thanksgiving for another year that the Lord has granted me, I plan to make a donation to my local pregnancy center.

Crisis pregnancy centers, or pregnancy resource centers, protect and save unborn babies’ lives every day through client services that include free counseling and ultrasounds. Most centers run on limited funds and are usually in need of volunteers, baby items and financial assistance to maintain programs and services for their clients. Funding is always needed to support center operations and help save lives.

Another way to really celebrate your birthday is to ask friends and family to donate to their local pregnancy center in lieu of sending birthday gifts, or to include a baby item with their  gift, or to throw you a “pampers” birthday party so that you can donate the items to your local pregnancy center. However you choose to donate, whether it’s through your volunteer time, money or gifts, you are helping save lives.

So, this will be a birthday tradition for me – protecting life on the day I was born by supporting my local pregnancy center. You can click here to find one in your area and join me!

We Can Slay the Abortion Goliath

If there’s one thing that gets my blood boiling, it’s whenever I hear someone act as if Planned Parenthood should get a pass by saying “they do more than just abortions.”

I don’t understand this defense. I wouldn’t support an organization that killed dogs, nor would most people, regardless of their religious background or political party affiliation. Yet, when it comes to babies – lives that God created for a purpose – millions of people in our country choose to look the other way.

Abortion wipes a human being completely off the face of the earth forever. It steals, kills, and destroys lives and Planned Parenthood aborts more than 300,000 babies every year. Unfortunately, the abortion goliath has a tremendous amount of influence, support and control in this country as evidenced by the Komen – Planned Parenthood debacle last week. 

So what can we do?

• Pray for an end to abortion, for the eyes of abortion doctors to be opened, and for the doors of abortion clinics to be closed. 
• Get educated about abortion procedures and statistics and start dialoguing with family and friends to create awareness.
• Talk with your church leaders and members about starting a pro-life ministry and an abortion recovery group at your church. Also, encourage them to support a local pregnancy center.
• Pray that more pastors will speak up and that the Body of Christ will stand in unity for the sanctity of life.
• Volunteer your time and/or donate money or goods to local pregnancy centers to help assist clients.
• Start a pro-life blog.
• Vote for true pro-life leaders in government.

We can slay the abortion goliath. Have no doubt – God the Father is on our side.

The Great Reversal

When I first heard that the Susan G. Komen breast cancer charity had decided to pull funding from Planned Parenthood this week, I was ecstatic. It was a staggering blow to the largest abortion provider in America and it felt like a huge victory for LIFE.

But as we all know, soon after, the Komen organization decided to reverse the decision to defund Planned Parenthood and “apologize to the American public.” It felt like such a letdown and I wondered what effect it would have on the fight for LIFE. 

I began perusing all the online news stories and blogs and reading comments from supporters of both sides. And what I found was that many people up until this week’s breaking news story had absolutely no idea that the Komen organization had been funding abortion giant Planned Parenthood all this time. I myself didn’t know about the Komen – Planned Parenthood relationship until some three years ago. I was shocked that an organization that exists to save lives would support an organization that exists to take lives – more than 300,000 lives a year in fact.

When I found that information out, I knew I could never support the Susan G. Komen foundation. And then I began researching other well-known charity organizations, corporations and nonprofits and found that many partner with Planned Parenthood through funding and support. It was an eye-opening experience and since then I’ve vowed to become more informed and be more selective about where my donated dollars go.

So there is a bright side to all of this, because I believe more people will now begin to do their research about an organization’s partnerships and network of support before donating their hard-earned dollars to it. And many will reverse their funding decisions for LIFE.