Day 20 - If You Don't Like Abortion

Half way through our spring vigil!

Here is a repost - thoughts on the phrase, "if you don't like abortion, don't have one..."

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i couldn't tell you how many times i have read that phrase from those who advocate unlimited access to abortions, "If you don't like abortion, don't have one..."
& i get what they're trying to say. 
i totally understand that an unplanned pregnancy can be a tender thing - full of shame and uncertainty.  Watching women going in & out of that abortion clinic has solidified this view for me.  These aren't liberated, confident women... these are fear-filled women; many of them are coerced - and i'm willing to bet that none of them feel like they have any "choice" in the matter. 
The reason i feel like i can't be silent about abortion isn't because i want a hand too, in manipulating these vulnerable women... it's because there is another life at stake.  There is a little one in danger of being torn from the safety of his mother's womb. 
A baby. 
To say that i should only consider my own children borne of my own body when i consider the world-wide epidemic of abortion, seems rather short sighted.  That's like saying that if i don't like child abuse, i shouldn't abuse my own children....
Should i not speak out on behalf of the little ones who are battered and wounded at the hands of their parents?  Or is it enough that i don't lay a hand on my own, since child abuse is such a personal matter, between a parent and child. 
Should we not seek to protect the vulnerable ones... both born, and unborn?  Whether they're ours, or not?
Standing at the abortion clinic and praying - is the most effective thing that we can do to change hearts and lives.  We often hold signs to remind those mama's of the tender life they carry - not in judgement - but in compassionate mercy. 
Hey, mama... you have other choices.  We love you - and are here because you and your little one are precious in His sight... i know it hurts to see us here.  i don't want to cause pain, but i do want to save you from the permanence of abortion... 

If you don't like abortion... join us & pray.

Day 10 - peace

i have learned so much from my participation in 40 Days for Life.
Constantly, i find myself adjusting my reflexes to stay within our code of conduct and our pledge for peace. To see our Volunteer Code of Conduct, click HERE. 
Part of the Code is to make sure that all volunteers are aware of the court injunction that places certain limitations on our prayer vigil participants. If you're ever concerned or confused about part of our code of conduct, or how to comply with the court injunction, please feel free to contact us via our facebook page or by the "contact us" tab at the top of the blog.

Be kind, be loving, be full of hope and mercy - our presence is having an enormous impact - continue to rely on our Father to give us the strength to respond with humility!

And God heard them, for their prayer reached heaven, his holy dwelling place. 2 Chronicles 30:27

Lord, the psalms are full of stories of times when David's enemies came against him, but you interceded on his behalf and confounded the efforts of those enemies so that the things they thought would defeat David defeated them instead. I pray today that you would confound the efforts of those who destroy innocent human life and those who try to thwart the volunteers who stand and pray for the unborn. Let their efforts to defeat us work against them instead. And when they fail, open their eyes to see that they failed not because they opposed us but because they opposed you. Amen.
(Prayer is an excerpt from the book, 40 Days for Life, available on Amazon).

Day 2 - why do we vigil?

It made me uncomfortable, the first time i went to vigil outside our city's large abortion clinic.
i knew that there were around 5000 little ones that lost their lives there every year... i knew that young children were ushered through those doors and coached without their parent's consent or knowledge through a procedure that would end the child's life growing within the child. i knew that women travelled from out of province to visit this clinic that specializes in death...
But it made me uncomfortable to stand there and vigil.
Throughout the years that i have been involved in prolife, though, some of my thoughts on the presence of those who vigil outside the clinics and hospitals that offer abortions have begun to have more clarity, and i want to share some of those thoughts with you today.

We vigil at the abortion clinic because that's where abortions happen. We could have a prayer meeting at our local churches - and yes... our Heavenly Father would hear those prayers too... but when you've gone to the clinic, and made eye contact with those parents going through those doors, your prayers change in quality, your compassion is roused and your heart cannot help but be broken. Abortions aren't happening at our local churches... in Calgary, they're happening on 5th Ave... and they're happening a lot.

We vigil at the abortion clinic because we want to be a sign of hope for those little ones. Is there hope at an abortion clinic? Yes. There is. God has not turned his back, or forsaken those tiny ones... and neither have the prolifers who are there, who even in those last moments are offering the mamas a chance to change their minds and let their little ones continue to live in peace. At the time of this writing, 40 Days for Life has heard stories of almost 7000 children being saved from abortion worldwide during our campaigns. Our presence at the clinic, and our voice of hope is saving lives.

We vigil at the abortion clinic because we want to be a sign of mercy for those mothers and fathers who have scheduled an appointment with death at that clinic. And we are also there to extend mercy to the abortion workers who make their living taking the lives of our most vulnerable citizens. After an abortion has taken place, we need mercy more than ever... The bible tells us in Micah that God requires us to love mercy... and love her we do. Because of our presence and our cry for mercy during 40 Days for Life, abortion workers have left their jobs and refused to take part in abortion any longer, women have found healing from their past abortions - and the sign of mercy that our presence brings, allows our communities to draw closer to the Father who loves us all.

We need prolifers. We need them to be praying, fasting, reaching out in our communities and churches - gently speaking the truth in love.
And we need people who are full of love who are willing to stand on a cold sidewalk outside the building where abortions are happening to be a sign of hope and mercy to a culture that desperately needs us.

Day 39 - testimony

i asked my friend to send me a picture of the sign that she carried when she went to pray at the abortion clinic. Arms wide open - she allowed her life to be changed by adoption. This is her story, shared in red ink on a cheap cardboard sign. A sign that could prove to be priceless. And so i shared my story too:

Day 32 - Do you believe?

Beautiful update and pictures from our midpoint rally! Mark our closing celebration on your calendar: Sunday, November 4th 2012 from 2:30-4 at the West Hillhurst Community Center. See you there!

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by fawne

This battle we face--the fight for life--is often hard and lonely and even downright discouraging at times. I stand on the small space of sidewalk across from the abortion clinic and wonder if my prayers are doing one single thing. Often, there is no evidence of change. Despite my begging prayers that this woman, the next woman, the woman after her, will not open that door and walk inside...most of the time the door still opens and shuts behind her. I am across the street and cannot hear the dull thud of it closing...but I do not need to be over there to feel it right down to my core. Bang. Another death. Bang. Another defeat. Bang. Another loss.

The other day you gathered....those of you who ache to see abortion end....





And you worshiped God together.....



And shared the joys you have experienced and the change you have seen through prayer.



And I witnessed your faithfulness...and today as I sit and pound out words I think about twelve men who are a lot like you.

These men were asked to go on a mission. Is it not the same with you? With me? Hasn't God asked us to go on a mission for the unborn? To be a voice? To intercede with prayer? To plead for justice and to show love and mercy? Did you begin this mission with zeal and excitement?

These twelve men did. They charged into their "calling" and were faithful for 40 days. 40 DAYS! And then ten of them stopped focusing on the greatness of God and started focusing on the seemingly insurmountable walls of the enemy. (Numbers 13, 14)

Can you relate to that feeling? I sure can.


Sometimes I want to quit. I don't want the weight on my shoulders anymore. I don't want to pray without seeing results any longer. The wall I am asked to scale seems to high. The burden I'm called to bear feels too heavy. I cannot see the greatness of God anymore because I'm focused on the impossible-ness of the mission.

I have forgotten who my God is. I have quickly forgotten the way He rescued me from my enemy. I have forgotten that I use to be in BONDAGE but now I am FREE. I have forgotten the miracles, the parting of the Red Sea, the manna on the ground and the water gushing from the rock.



And here....in this hard place....this place of decision....what will I do? Will I choose to believe that the God who sent me on this mission is accomplishing His purpose or will I only see the clinic door as it opens and shuts....yet again?!

I want to be a Joshua. I want to be a Caleb. I want to believe, to be fully confident that the God who sends people on missions (whether it is to spy out a land or whether it is to pray for a miracle across the street from an abortion clinic)....this God, is the God of the impossible.

Last Saturday, I saw some Calebs and some Joshuas....and I take courage from their example. The "walls" we attempt to scale may be high. The enemy we fight against may be strong. But all my fears and insecurities crumble in the presence of the great I AM!

Alissa - it's your child

It's not an easy thing to carry a sign. Have i said that before? Again and again? Over and over till you're tired of hearing about my weakness? For some reason, that sidewalk remains a heavy place for some of us.  It remains a place that we go because we want to be obedient - but it takes everything we've got to make it out there to stand on 5th ave. and witness what we witness...
Alissa told me she prayed about it as she created her sign - but now that we're on the sidewalk, she feels tenderly towards the women we see coming from the clinic, and wonders if they'll hear harshness when her broken heart pleads gentle...
Oh, mamas... can you see our pain as we try to reach you? Can you hear our mama heart as it cries out to yours? Can you see the love that we want to wear for you in your moment of vulnerability?
Father, could you just cover us with you - so that they don't see us at all, but instead see You?  

*this beautiful panting was also made by Alissa - such a sweet testimony.

Day 18 - praying together

We have all met so many interesting, beautiful individuals from being involved in 40 Days for Life. It has been good to pray with those that i know, but it has been equally good to go and meet new people who are moved for the unborn as well...

Day 15

He grabbed my sign and started running backwards in his socky feet - his shoes having been stripped in the park and left behind with his brothers and sisters.
He was giggling uncontrollably as he slipped from shadows to sunshine and back again.
And as we vigil outside that clinic that brings only death - i can't help but be struck by the beauty the gift of his life has brought...
Each life - wanted, or unwanted, healthy or ill, planned or unplanned - each life comes from God - created in His image for His purposes.
A gift.

Day 14

Two full weeks into this campaign.
My friend and i went to the clinic on Thanksgiving Monday - knowing it would be a quiet day, with the clinic closed.

We prayed for it to close permanently - through the changing of hearts, laws and minds...
And we wore our mittens.

Day 13 - For God So LOVED...

This is a repost from a previous vigil. Keep sending your stories - we'd love to share them with others who are vigilling outside the Kensington abortion clinic...

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It's cloudy.  The cold keeps biting through my hoodie and i feel my hips shaking with both cold and discomfort. 
i'll never get used to praying outside our city's abortion clinic. 
i hold up my new sign.  My old one, bedraggled with wear has finally gone missing... and so my children helped me make a new one.  Carefully, i penned the message that remains on my heart as these months pass, and these vigils come and go... It's the message that Jesus brought when he came to tell a lost world that they could be found, the message is: "You are loved."
On the other side, in bold print, i offered the message that my mother in law sent me when i miscarried our son 16 weeks into my pregnancy... it ministered to my broken heart then, and i pray that it's truth will penetrate the hearts of those bent on death, "Each fragile life is a gift". 
My nine year old son and my seven year old daughter stand with me.  Nervously, they ask what we should pray - and my son asks if it would be alright to pray Our Father. 
So we do. 
Soon, their little limbs fidget and they're ready to run to the playground and i smile as they go - and continue to pray and hold the message of love to the city of Calgary.

You are loved... Yes you, little bald man who slows to a near stop, eyes squinted, mouth agape to see the colourful words on my sign.   And you, you are loved, angry woman shaking your head "no" as you drive disgustedly away, slamming your hand in frustration on your steering wheel, and you - poor father... i see you slumped over your steering wheel as you wait parked on the side of the road after she walked in those doors, do you know that you too, are loved?
You are loved, little family in the red van - who wonder why a stranger holds up a sign about love on a seemingly  random sidewalk; oblivious to my calling, and what you are driving past... and you, gramma with the pixie cut who stares straight ahead with rigid jaw, pretending i don't exist... and neither does that grey building on the other side of the road that boasts, "accredited surgical facility..."
You.
Are.
Loved. 
Tiny babies that are hidden beneath clothes, beneath skin and bone - tucked in the secret place - growing and unaware of the possibility of outside interference.  You are loved, passenger who cranes your neck to read my message and then rolls down the window to wave it's receipt.  You are loved, bus driver - who shocks me by pulling over and thanking me for my prayerful presence.  She calls it, "Good Work..." this praying... & work it is... & i know in my heart that she's right. 
You are loved, unwanted person, unhealthy person, old person and young.  You are loved beautiful person, mocking person, scornful person, confused person, seemingly unlovable person... each one... loved. 
Each one of us here, now... has been given this one life by the Creator of the Universe.  Each unique life is precious in it's undeniable vulnerability and temporary nature. 
i believe that a culture that truly knew God's love... that truly understood that they were loved... that grasped the very core of the reason *all* human life has value - (for God so loved the world...) would be unable to so casually take it away.
You are loved, Calgary. 

Day 9 - community

 

 

Community is a pretty special thing.

A new focus for our leadership team this campaign has been to see different communities taking a chunk of time and vigilling together. In the past we've had some churches who have faithfully taken on several full days to pray together for an end to abortion (shout out to St. Peter's!!) :) 



This campaign we've made an effort to encourage more congregations (or community groups, bible study's, small groups etc...) to go; vigil and pray together. We believe it will make our communities stronger as we hear from God, and allow ourselves to be changed by Him.

As a result - we've seen more full days taken, more people borrowing courage from their friends and fellow believers, and more hours covered in prayer.
 

We are encouraged - and believe that this will be our most successful campaign to date.
 

This past week - i have seen a few mothers praying with their children - one whispering into her daughter's hair, "Should we pray for the babies?"
"Babies..." her tiny girlie echoed back... and i wonder at the beauty of praying together with our families - biological or adopted, from the same faith background, or one slightly different... What impact will this have on our church families to be united in prayer?

 

 

 

 

And so we'll pray on the sidewalk in groups - and overflow into the park when we pass our limit of 4 on the sidewalk. We'll pray on our feet - stomping out the cold - or on our knees when He bids us come...

We'll share that sidewalk with familar "vigil friends" - or with those who are shy to come but believe so strongly in the power of prayer that they make that unfamilar trek to the Kensington abortion clinic for the very first time to join in.

We'll pray with old friends - and new - and our communities of faith will powerfully change the community at large by our peaceful prayerful presence and outreach.

 

We'll sharpen one another as we encourage each other to be faithful. 



We'll be changed as we're drawn to Truth.  Our little ones will see our fervent prayers and realize their own value - assigned by God at conception when they were created on purpose in His image...

i can't wait to see what will happen next....

Day 8 - Growth

My friend Fawne started about Moses on the way to the clinic. How he went from hiding his face when he first saw the burning bush - to being a man who asked God to, "Show me Your glory..."
She mused as she talked, "Something happened between those two events to change his mind about God..."
And it strikes us both that it could be relationship... maturity... growth...
And i want it.
We bow to pray - and as we watch a petite blonde girl walk into the clinic - the woman beside me murmurs, "It just makes you ache, doesn't it?"
And in my ache, i cry out to my Father, "Make my heart like Yours!  Grow me, help me pray the prayers that you would have me pray... meet with me, change me, show me Your glory..."
And i know that He will...

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Most people who participate in a 40 Days for Life campaign discuss the spiritual growth they have experienced as a result... What has your experience been?

Day 5 - Holy Ground

i have walked this sidewalk countless times.
Our Campaign Director tells the story how his wife asked him to participate in 40 Days for Life and at first he didn't want to, but he did it anyway... and now praying on that street corner feels like slipping into his favourite pew at church. He has met with God there too many times, and now it has become Holy Ground.
We've all vigilled in rain or snow... in sunshine or wind...
That street corner - and the entire sidewalk down 5th Avenue across from the Kensington Abortion Clinic - has become a place of prayer. Hundreds have spent combined days, weeks, maybe months praying for the unborn.
Come, spend an hour - let yourself be changed.

Day 4 community outreach vigil

Martin arrives to pray after i've been there alone for about 20 minutes. He's a cancer survivor who arranges his bus schedule so that he can stop and pray for an hour on his way home from the gym.
It's not a friendly afternoon.
i wonder if it's the subconscious hum of what has been happening politically in Canada with the abortion debate - but people seem more aware and sometimes it seems to draw anger.
Martin is friendly though, and gives only the smallest grin at the surprisingly loud and long lecture he receives from a man driving by in his vehicle. As the man passes me, he almost shrieks, "DID HE TALK YOU INTO COMING HERE??!!"
i have to smile.
Martin is definitely in the minority being a man who comes to pray at our vigil. It is mostly deeply, passionate prolife *women* - who come here to pray. Many - maybe most - of us have borne children of our own, and this perspective makes us especially tender to the plight of the little ones losing their lives in the Kensington abortion clinic across the street. Some of us have held our own miscarried babies in our hands, and marvelled at the Creation of a Holy God - and been forever awakened to what it really means to have an abortion - having held our own much loved, longed for children in our hands at the exact stages of pregnancy that they're being killed across the street. What a funny assumption that i, a woman, would be unable to recognize injustice on my own...
Martin seems to take unfriendliness in stride, so i decide to too.

i long to talk to the woman who hangs out her window yelling, "It's NONE of your business!  None!!"
i want to talk to the woman who waits till she passes us and then yells, "Get a life!" It is precisely because i *have* a life that i am unable to remain silent over the senseless taking of it.
i wish for the opportunity to engage, to explain and to defend -  but sometimes, our community outreach involves only replying with a smile and a nod - sometimes it involves being willing to wear a sign, and go out of our way to take a bus to 5th Avenue instead of heading straight home. Sometimes it involves letting rosy cheeked little ones play in the park for an hour while mama prays.
Always - with 40 Days for Life - community outreach involves prayer and a willingness to humble ourselves as we ask God to bring about change.

Day 35 - need help?

It was that damp cold - snowing great, huge flakes that landed and melted after a pretty, swirling descent.   i know spring is coming... and this vigil is days away from it's close. 
It seems that there are others there praying almost every time i go now. The organizers who live close by have commented that this seems to be the most successful campaign so far, a more consistent presence - and so many new faces.  This day, there's a mother praying with her daughter, one of my faithful 'vigil' friends is there too - her years don't keep her away, and i'm sure she must go every day - hour after hour - praying, encouraging other believers and being a visible presence for those who feel forsaken by the world on this day they've been brought to face the choice of life or death.  My friend and i grab signs - and take our little space on the edge of that busy little sidewalk. 
i'm encouraged by the growing numbers... by the ladies who 'made a day of it' and traveled 2.5 hours either way, praying in the cold for a full 5 hours, the mama who came to pray when she made the long trek to Calgary for her midwife appointment, the people who drive from the outskirts of our city, through traffic, making time in their schedules for this... because praying for an end to abortion?  It's important to us. 

Father God, be with us as we finish up these last days of this vigil - build strong families in Calgary and gently open the eyes of our city to the painful truth of abortion.  amen.

Advertising Poster

We got some help from CCBR putting together a little advertisment for The Interim. We love it & are grateful for the help! Feel free to steal it for a poster or contact me at sojourner.ephraim@gmail.com to request the original file (either jpg or pdf).

Day 39 - this is the kensington clinic

This... is the Kensington Clinic. 
& as these 40 days count themselves to their end, this is the view that has been imprinted on my mind, in my heart, in my prayers. 
We stood on the street corner... (it's getting colder here in Calgary), and i was glad i ran back to get my scarf before coming.  It was quieter than it usually is for a Wednesday afternoon.  There was less bustle, less coming and going...
My friend Alissa had created a new sign - (it's a link to a website that is educational - but graphic, so go there knowing that it is not something that a prolifer necessarily needs to see.)   She also brought a picture she painted in university - of a tiny baby in utero... and i had my trusty, blue, faded message... "you are loved..." 
Together, this trio of offerings garnered many curious looks as we stood in the cold praying and talking across from the abortion clinic. 
A truck slowed as it passed us, and i could see a woman in the front seat - her lips moving as she read our signs.  They circled around and pulled up to the curb next to us... Nervously, i approached their window. i was prepared for whatever might come, because i believe so deeply in what we're doing, and i know that even the harsh conversations often bring about the seeds of doubt that flower into a change of heart... 
"What's this all about?" They asked mildly.
"We're here praying for an end to abortion." i responded.
"Well..." The man said slowly, "That would be a good thing..."
"Can we come pray too?" The woman asked. 
i was startled by their response and invited them to come.  One of my friends, needing to leave anyway, left the sidewalk so that we wouldn't break the 'no more than 4 people on the sidewalk' rule, and we got the chance to talk some more before we had to leave to get home to little ones, dinner, violin lessons...
They had both seen the devastation of abortion in friends and family; the affects both physical and psychological.  They both agreed fervently that the killing needs to come to an end, and that prayer is a powerful tool to bring that about. 
As Alissa & i drove away, we left them on the sidewalk... heads bowed in prayer... and i laughed to God that i had expected anger when that truck pulled over, but instead was witnessing two unexpected blessings.  They had stopped what they were doing, where they were going - and pulled over on a busy street to climb out in the cold, and cry out to a compassionate God for the sake of the unborn. 

i made this little movie to celebrate all that has been accomplished worldwide in the past 40 days of prayer, fasting and community outreach. i hope we can use this teeny clip - to inspire others to join us on our knees as we plead with God to change our nation.  Feel free to share it, to bring it to your church group or prolife friends.
Prayer changes everything...

Day 27 - baby makes 5

i forget to sign up for the vigil yet again. 
(see vigil schedule HERE)
We arrive and see two women.  They're carrying a sing that reads: "It stops a beating heart". 

When Harold arrives, we make 5.  We hear that there has already been trouble earlier on in the day because 4 adults were accompanied by a tiny baby - and baby made 5. The police were called and the people who had come to pray, realizing the error, moved into the field (where we are allowed to pray if the sidewalk already has 4 people on it). 

i pass my sign on to my friend (we are not allowed to carry signs in the park), and make my way across the green grass to pass the power poles that mark the line we are not allowed to cross. 

So many rules. 

This is the view from the power poles in the park.  God is not bound by a court injunction - and He hears me - whether i am on the street corner, or in a field where no one can see me. 

We juggle those coming and those going.  We try to be careful - to respect the injunction that prevents us from speaking out.   When we are down to four again, i stand on the sidewalk...  i pray aloud... After all these months, i find i am no longer self-conscious of pedestrians and people watching - i look up at the blue-grey clouds and beg for this injustice to end. 
Silent again... bereft of words, my friend begins to pray. 

Her warm voice floats over the chill in the air and i look across the street to the couple standing at the door.  If they look at me, i promise myself, i will wave my sign in the air, O God, let them see me and know my heart.  A car drives past and the driver holds his middle finger out the window and glares at me.  My eyes flit back to the couple standing and stamping their feet in the cold at that door.  Still my friend, eyes closed, continues to petition the Father.  The door must be coded - and finally it opens to let in the tiny family that never once turns their heads in my direction - and the door closes behind them.

Day 26 - Shekinah Grace

by kalli - of knitsprout

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I have often picked a necklace or pendant to represent something meaningful that is going on in my life at that time. These ones were chosen for me. The two flowers in bud are me & my sister, journeying together through a new season of wonder and life through Christ. Lisa gave it to me last spring, when God took me through a new season of mourning.

I was struck with a sense of loss and sadness one Sunday morning last May. A ministry team of 18-23 year olds were visiting our church, sharing their passionate vision for the love of God to be communicated to the world as they themselves came to an understanding of what it means to be loved and nurtured into their destinies in Christ. God brought to mind one missing member of this generation- a little one whose life I had chosen to end back at age 17, through the quiet and secretive, yet devastating choice of abortion.

Though gratefully I have known for a long time that I've been forgiven, redeemed and healed of this horrible choice for many years now, I grieved afresh the loss of what would have been my 20 year old child as I realized the timing of a missed birthday. My loving Father reminded me In His tender way that the choice I made, in my fearful and unknowing state, would not be wasted.

A couple days later, I asked Him for a name, and He gave me "Shekinah Grace". Grace that comes with His "indwelling glory." Christ in me- love & grace.

I also was given the image of a dove, which spoke to me of His grace & freedom- a release of burdens and sadness, and an assurance of the covering of His wings over me and my family. I added this dove pendant to my chain, one that my dear friend Chloe gave to me many years ago. "In the shadow of His wings" is where I choose to abide, choose to rest, choose to remember and choose to be thankful. And as Al & I continue to embrace the abundant life Christ has given us, we give thanks that He brings us more. And we joyfully welcome another sweet blessing to our family, due to join us fully April 26, 2010.  

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This was a post I wrote just over two years ago.  It was the first time I went "fully public" with my own story of abortion.  It remains a tender place, for sure.  A story I have desired that God would fully use for His purposes, for His glory.  As I remain in that abiding place of the shadow of His wing, He directs my paths...and here I am.  Sharing my story as He leads, with the gifts of an amazing husband who shows me grace everyday, and 7 beautiful kids.

For today- I feel like what I want to give full testimony to is the unrelenting, tender, faithful love of God.  I feel the tears fill my eyes as I write that.  Who am *I* to deserve such love?  I am completely unworthy.  I have NOT got what I deserved...in fact, I have had the blessings of abundant life & health poured out upon me.  And that helpless feeling of "HOW do I possibly receive this?" is the absolute joy that comes from the bewildering, crazy, upside-down pursuit of God towards us.

Do you know that YOU are His favorite one?   Do you know that there is nothing you can do to escape his love? 

Today, as we offer up our prayers as part of 40 Days, I am reminded again and again to remain in that place of abiding rest.  The peace that comes from remaining in Him, the joy that comes from carrying a yoke that is easy and a burden that is light.  As we lean harder into Him and enjoy the depth of His love for us,  our prayers will pierce the darkness and allow the light of His glory to shine fully into this dark place.  Our faces will shine with His love.  The enemy can not dwell in this place and must flee!

Today I pray that the indwelling presence of God- His Shekinah Glory- leaks all over the the sidewalks of the prayer vigils across the nations!  Christ in us!  The HOPE of glory! Share a smile, do not despair.  We know what's on the other side.  As we are willing to get our hands dirty in the messiness of our world,  remain in that place of rest, by the power of His Spirit.  He makes all things beautiful...in His time.

Day 25 - teach me

We got to the vigil in the afternoon... i brought some girls to play at the park, and i brought my heart, heavy with questions to that street corner where i have learned that He is faithful to meet with me. 
i ache for all involved.  For that poor man i saw carrying garbage bags from the back of the facility, for the taxi drivers who come to pick up those women who have come here alone, for the ones who stepped out in faith to organize a vigil in our city - and sustain negativity from without - and even from within. 
Oh, Father - i'm so weak and ignorant.  i have so much to learn.  It's bigger than i thought it was, and the battle - that wages not against flesh and blood - is so much more sophisticated than this 35 year old stay at home mom. 
My understanding comes so slowly.  Teach me, teach me, teach me...
i get home, and i hide in my husband's office.  i bow my head and let the tears fall. 
In my honesty, i look at the ugliness that abounds, and give words to the things that try to make me run. 
i want to be liked.  But what i have to say... it's so hard to hear.  There will be persecution for speaking truth. 
i'm so ignorant.  But i refuse to stay there.  i want to learn, i want to grow - and i'm willing to do whatever it takes to hear His voice. 
i'm such a coward.  But now that i see it, i can't hide behind it any longer.  God is faithful - and He will help me to obey, even when my flesh wants to shush truth - He'll help me proclaim it. 
My husband looks at me questioningly. 
"i'm so tired, babe..." i say wiping the tears from my eyes. 
"But it's not over."

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There has been an interesting conversation taking place in the comments section of yesterday's post.  Well worth reading through.  You can do that HERE.
We started a facebook page for those interested in following along that way - there will be daily updates and encouragement.  We could use as many 'likes' and 'shares' as we can get.  Would you consider passing it along to your Christian friends?  You can access it through the facebook link in the sidebar or by clicking HERE.