Justice Ride, Part II

     Continuing from Part I, we are in the van and on the way to University of Florida. I was so looking forward to this day. Our second day of outreach and I was excited about the opportunities that the day might offer me and the rest of us. These are the lives of the unborn we are fighting for. This is a big cause. It is a worthy cause.

The church across from the greens at UF

It was a cool morning. The sun still low and tall trees all around us so we were in the shade as we sorted through our material, supplies, and posters. Before setting it all up, we would gather as a group in a circle and Mark, our director or someone would read Scripture. He would give a refresher to our day reminding us what we were doing and that we should be doing it for the glory of God and with compassion, lovingkindness, and concern. Short devotions and prayer before our day began was always a great help and God was with us. After prayer, we decided where to place the posters and which would alternate showing abortion and pre-born photos. The team took their places around the area, ready to start. Brochures in hand, we were ready to stand for the unborn. At least, I was. I am talking to a teammate, Summer, in the photo below.The teammates usually would share their experiences daily and help each other out by giving different perspectives or new ideas of how to thwart any arguments or comparisons in support of the "choice."

 I was nervous again. Of course. Even the best speakers are nervous before they speak. I said a quick prayer asking the Lord to work through me and to speak through me. I was His and all I do is for His glory. The students start to pour out of the building and walk past us every hour when the students go from one class to the next or to break or lunch. While at Florida State, I stood behind the posters. This time, I stood in front of them or by them. I stood on the edge of the sidewalk and started thrusting the brochures to students and some staff asking, "What do you think about abortion?" Students would walk by and not even glance in my direction or at the brochure I was holding. Some students would glance, catch my eye, but I could tell they were not interested or in a hurry. I would respond, "Have a good morning!" Some smile. That is good, isn't it? At least they are being polite. Some would slow down and ask quickly, "Who are you guys?" Some would just say, "What?" absentmindedly and I'd repeat, "What do you think about abortion? We're pro-life." A couple of students responded with crude expletives and walked away quickly. A few did stop and stand for a second before responding with an answer and a conversation would begin. I did have a good conversations with a few today and the next day. We were at University of Florida for two days.

This young woman was pro-choice, though she wouldn't do it herself. I tried all I could to convince her on the spot, but I wasn't successful. I do believe, though, that I did plant a seed and that she may have checked out the information on the brochure. I shall pray for this young woman.

 Some of them were pro-life all the way, especially the young men. Almost every woman I got into a conversation with were "pro-life except when...". In other words, pro-choice. But I find it weird to use "pro-choice". I am pro-choice as well. I support ourselves making our own choices. We all make choices everyday. "Pro-abortion" is what I'd prefer to use. The pro-abortion advocates are using "pro-choice" in the name of women's rights and allowing women to make a choice for their child's life. It is not theirs to make but the child's. Just look up Tim TeBow and Andrea Bocelli. Their mothers refused to abort them. Look at their lives now and how they've impacted people in one way or another. The 56 million babies aborted since 1973 could have been special people!!

I had a rather pleasant conversation with this student. He is pro-life and I asked him if he would be able to tell someone else why he is. He said he really couldn't. I explained to him how he could support his beliefs as a pro-lifer. Equal rights. Human beings. Life at conception. Ways to help troubled women. Ways to help post-abortive women. How to produce good arguments (hey, I was still learning and he did help me with a few pointers he brought up himself). I hope he can join the fight and fight effectively!

Some students were very pleasant to speak to. They listened intently. I asked them questions and they answered. They questioned me and I tried my best to answer them. One man, perhaps a staff of the college, came to me and said that he is going to make a statement. His statement was, "If abortion was made illegal, the rich women can travel to another country and abort their child. The poor women couldn't do that and thus have to carry child to term." He wanted me to tell him how much I agreed with that statement. I said that I agreed with it strongly. It is possible that the wealthy women can just hop on a plane and travel to another country where it's legal or not an issue and have the "surgery." The poor women couldn't do that and so we will, by all means possible, help them with their pregnancies, aid them with finances, and guide them in readying for the raising of their child or if they chose not to, to help them consider adoption. It is also possible, though I hate to say that I know it is certain, that some women here in the U.S. will have abortions illegally. This man then asked me why I cared. He went on to explain that he only cared for himself above all. Then his family almost as much as himself. Then others, like me. Then these babies on the posters. Then the animals. He gestured with his hand a tier of how much he cared for each of these from most to least. He asked me why I cared so much about these babies. I said it's because they deserve to live and that they were equal with us in value. They are HUMAN and have as much value as a human that has lived a full life to old age. I told him that I cared about him too. He was a bit surprised. "Really?" he said. I replied, "Yes." He admitted to being selfish and complimented my selflessness. I had to tell him that I once was pretty selfish myself, though I cared about others more than this man did. I was selfish in pleasurable and worldly pursuits and didn't consider the consequences of my actions upon others. I said that I now have a good relationship with Jesus and relying on the Holy Spirit in my Christian walk to be more and more selfless and to rid myself of pride. After a few more minutes of explaining how I care about people, even people I do not see, people in other countries, suffering, people who need to hear the Gospel, and even the unborn, this man told that that I was a rare case. He said that he hasn't met someone so caring of others as I was and that I had given him something to think about about his own soul. He left. I prayed that I had planted a seed and that he would seek Jesus as his personal Savior. What joy. Simple joy. I ended my days at UF with peace in my heart.

After standing in the hot sun for four hours, I was still waiting for more opportunities to expose abortion. But it was time to pack up and go. I can't deny I was looking forward to returning to the Redmonds and to a filling supper. I loved that family and loved their hospitality. The late afternoon and evening was relaxing and some of the guys played with frisbees and played frisbee football. I was so out of breath and told myself that I should really get back in shape. Ha! Here are a couple of pictures of the Redmond's property.

 It was spacious and as I've mentioned in last post, there are other homes on the same acerage and several of Mr. & Mrs. Redmond's children's families live in these homes.

The front yard where the guys played frisbee. Spanish moss hanging from the trees was beautiful.

Once again the Redmonds outdid themselves and we all appreciated their hospitality. Mrs. Redmond offered to do our laundry and I was thankful! I don't like stuffing dirty clothes back into my bag. I slept great and a breeze came in the window all night. We prepared sack lunches in the morning and headed off to UF for another day of outreach. The description above applies to both days of outreach at UF. I can't remember what day each of the conversations were, but this is my experience at UF and I was even more encouraged and ready as we headed towards Orlando, FL where we would have outreach at University of Central Florida. We left UF at around 3:30 pm and headed to the Schrimsers, a family who offered to feed us a wonderful chili supper and their home for fellowship & relaxation. Their homes (Mr. Schrimser's father's [who was in assisted living and who's wife had died 2 years earlier] home was next door, but it was empty and the guys and Mr. & Mrs. Raker stayed there) were on a beautiful lake that offered  wonderful views of the sunset. The lush grass felt good to my feet and I spared no time to hop on a swing and have fun. Mr. Schrimser cleaned out the pool at his father's house and we guys pulled on our trunks and jumped in the...ah! it was chilly!...pool. It felt good though. The women and the Drayers left for The House of Hope and stayed there overnight.

 Mr. Schrimser's father's home with pool. A chilly dip.

 Our area of relaxation, the Schrimser's back porch

 First thing we did upon arriving, dip our feet in the lake!

 The view of both houses and the lush yard.

Both of our nights at the Schrimser's were peaceful

Well, this is the end of Part II. I didn't know that there would be a Part III, but there will be one. I didn't want to make this too long. So, I'll wrap things up in the next post and I will have several more coming. I already have drafts waiting to be edited and posted, but I'll wait til after Justice Ride, Part III is published.

By now, God is nudging me constantly and a woman who volunteered to bring us lunch on campus the second day of outreach at UF told me, within five minutes of getting to know her, that I should be a preacher. What? I don't think I could do that, but I remind myself of Moses and Jeremiah. They also doubted fulfilling God's calling or command, but they did it. God was with them. He is faithful. I believe that. I know He will be with me and I know He will never fail me. So I am ready.

Until next post. God bless.

Justice Ride - Part 1

     I returned from Justice Ride last Saturday, March 17th. Today is Friday (Edit: Sunday, March 25th: I ran into a few technical issues and couldn't publish til today)...I cannot tell you how much this trip has impacted me. I cannot stop thinking about abortion. I cannot stop thinking about the brutality. I cannot stop thinking about the video of an abortion of a 20 week old I watched at www.abortioninstruments.com. I cannot stop thinking about how much people, especially Christians, are doing to fight this evil, among others. Not very much. Prayer is great, but it isn't enough. We, as followers of Christ, must reach out to these people. What we do to the least of these people, we do to Jesus too. These are a people who are lied to about the facts of abortion. We must be proactive. People see more in our actions than in our words or the facts, such as knowing that we are praying for them. We have a command, the Great Commission. Take a moment to read Ezekiel 3:17-21 NLT:

17 "Son of man, I have appointed you as a watchman for Israel. Whenever you receive a message from me, warn people immediately.18 If I warn the wicked, saying, 'You are under the penalty of death,' but you fail to deliver the warning, they will die in their sins. And I will hold you responsible for their deaths.19 If you warn them and they refuse to repent and keep on sinning, they will die in their sins. But you will have saved yourself because you obeyed me.
  20 "If righteous people turn away from their righteous behavior and ignore the obstacles I put in their way, they will die. And if you do not warn them, they will die in their sins. None of their righteous acts will be remembered, and I will hold you responsible for their deaths.21 But if you warn righteous people not to sin and they listen to you and do not sin, they will live, and you will have saved yourself, too."

     The italics above are my emphasis. With that being said, I can see why it's so important as a Christian for me to join Justice Ride. We are exposing the truth about abortion and the truth will set one free. It is an evil and we must let others know that they have committed a wicked act or are allowing the wickedness of brutal murder to happen. We will have blood on our hands if we do not go out and save the lives of the unborn from this brutality.

     Last October, I think it was, is when I decided to join Justice Ride. I had already been supporting Created Equal financially. I had already met Seth Drayer, the Director of Training and his wife, Aubrie and I had not met Mark Harrington, the Director. I did not think much about it; I just wanted to do something and join the fight against abortion. It was more of a leap of faith because I was scared. I didn't know how I'd do with communication with complete strangers, especially college students. I didn't know if I'd reach out very much or if I'd just wait until someone came up to me and I would have to answer them. I did not know what to expect. I had no training or any skills or much knowledge about how to answer questions or arguments. I later learned many things on the trip where I gained experience. That's where most learning occurs, at least for me.Hands on or on the field.

     I left Friday, March 9th. The Drayers were generous enough to let me stay the night at their home so I wouldn't have the make the very early morning drive from Indianapolis to Columbus, OH. I met their baby girl, Adia, the next morning. She was adorable! I got to hold her for a while and my anxiety for my nephew, Nicholas, to arrive, grew. His due date is March 25. Here are Adia and I. Check our her cheeks!:

     The team gathered at Mark Harrington's home. We all met each other and talked in a group about our expectations and what we look forward to. We also spent time in earnest prayer. Then it was time to go! We were all excited. Jan, Summer, Ian, Preston, Dale, Sheila, Collin, Brandon, Seth, Aubrie, Adia, Mark, and me. Here we are, but not in the order of the names above (minus Adia and Seth, who took the photo):

     A few stops along the way for fill-ups and snacks. We finally arrived in Birmingham, AL. We went to Terry Gensemeer's house for a great time. We met the other team with which we would be working alongside, the Survivors. Kristina, Sarah M., Sarah D., Jayne, Brianna, Vince, and Mary Rose. Check out their Facebook page. Burgers and hotdogs and conversations around the fire pit. Terry is the pastor of the Episcopal church and they let us stay in the gymnasium/school they had. It was a few miles away in Fairfield, AL. Sleeping on the gym floor was a bit hard, but I slept well, nevertheless.

     The next morning, we all went to the Episcopal church, also in Fairfield, AL. It was new to me and different. Very charismatic. Communion was given. The kids have flags of all sorts and were waving them all around. Quite an interesting crowd. Afterwards, we had lunch at the King's house, aka, Burger King. The guys just had to goof off and wear the crowns. I did. Here we are with the Survivors and the pastor at the church:

     After lunch, we headed to Birmingham to the Civil Rights Institute. It is highly recommended to anyone. It offers a great tour into the past when the blacks fought for their civil rights in the 50s and 60s. The tour begins with a movie of how Birmingham came into existence and continues into a museum filled with models and information explaining the progress of the civil rights war. Included is Martin Luther King's letter he wrote from his jail cell stating specifically his purpose for fighting for the rights of the blacks. Go there when you have a chance.

Created Equal and Survivors

     Once the tour was over (We didn't get to see everything and our time was limited), we headed out to Tallahassee, FL. We arrived in DeFuniak Springs, FL to stay at Tri State Campgrounds for the night. The people who hosted us were wonderful! Great food and time of fellowship. It didn't last very long though because we had to hit the sack quite early so we could rise and shine early at 5 am. We lost an hour of sleep...we had sprung forward in time. 

     Arriving at Florida State University in Tallahassee, FL, we began to set up the signs around the area we were to practice our right to free speech and defend the lives of the unborn. Note that for some places, there is a limitation in which one or a group could practice free speech. This is a violation of our rights. This was the case at Valencia College in Orlando, FL, where an allowance of one hour on Tuesdays and Thursdays was given. I didn't go there, but Seth, the Survivors, and Resound (another team we met at University of Central Florida) went there.

     I was nervous!! I got some signs and set them up and stood behind them. With tracts in my hands, I watched the students walk by. Some looking at the graphic images and some women covering their faces as they walked by. I observed the students very closely and tried to muster up the courage to call out and ask them what they thought about abortion. I didn't. I just waited and watched the students, observing everything about them, their reactions and whispers to their friends as they walked by. I didn't get any curse words thrown at me while at FSU. I cannot remember everyone I talked to, but I will try to recall some of them and the conversations. A young man was the first person I talked to. I think that he thought it was wrong, but the woman should have the choice. I told him that we didn't stand for that and that all abortions are wrong, that it was brutal murder of a people. These babies are equal with newborns, toddlers, children and adults. Just as we don't allow murder of those living outside the womb, we shouldn't allow the murder of those in the womb.

 
     Then arrives the issue of whether the fetus in the womb is a life, a person, a human being. I shared conversations with a few others, including a young woman who was adamant that a woman should have a choice to get rid of the fetus in the cases of rape, incest, or with the chance that the child would be born into unfortunate conditions. She would say the same thing over and over and never let any of us (yes, three others talked to her in attempts to get her to see our point of view) respond. Anything, ANYTHING, to justify abortion. She believed that even if abortions were banned, there would be criminal investigations of miscarriages because the woman may possibly have had an illegal abortion. She also mentioned a 9 year old girl getting pregnant and that the child shouldn't have to go through with it. Whereas it may be difficult for a 9 year old girl to carry to term, we still do not have the right to "medically" kill and remove the child within her. I explained to her that we should do our best to provide medical care for the girl and her baby. It is possible to remove the baby at around 6 months and put the baby under intensive care and try our best to keep it alive. If there are difficulties, the girl may die or the baby may die, or both may die, but we didn't intentionally kill the baby to save another life. We do not kill so others may live. Even in dire conditions of the second and third world countries.We let life live and let life die, even when we do our best to save them. All is in God's control.

     All the while, there were protesters. Pro-choice protesters gathered across from us. They were very weak in their presentation and looked as if they gathered what they could in a few minutes. Here are a few shots:

 This only one man that protests with this sign, but each man who protests here obviously have an opinion. Very contradictory.

 If you're pro-choice, you get a "free" hi-5. We try to free them by exposing the truth. "And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." John 8:32 NLT

  As you can see, their presentation is poorly organized, but they probably did it at the last minute when they saw us. I cannot wrap my mind around the fact that they cannot see the truth and what the truth really is. I tell them that I have no right nor is it legal to kill them on the spot, but yet they support the legal killing these babies.

     A friend of the young woman mentioned earlier came along and joined the discussion. She sided with her friend, of course. I had talked to this friend earlier and she had told me that she wouldn't have an abortion herself, but she believed that it should be a choice other women should be able to make. So, I asked her if she would permit these other women to kill. Once again, justification. It's not killing, but for the sake of the mother and that the mother is not ready for child or complications, rape, incest, or health of mother. It can be frustrating at times to try to refute these justifications for murder. Here is the photo of us in discussion with the two young women. One has the purse and shawl and the other has the black hair, who was the one who kept repeating over and over about "social injustice" that can occur if abortion were to be banned.

     These are the cases while at FSU that I can remember. I was beginning to lose my nervousness and to gain courage to speak out for the unborn and to speak out against the mass murder, genocide, the American Holocaust. I understand that there is a plethora of other sins and wickedness we can fight against, but this is murder. Taking the lives of those God created with a purpose. These babies will grow into children and adults who will make the choice whether to love God or reject Him and serve eternity in heaven or hell. They have the right to choose life and to choose, through their free moral agent, to choose to serve God or mammon. Someone, a conservative Christian for a good many years, told me that these babies are better off aborted because they are unwanted, unloved, would suffer or came from illicit sex. I was surprised and wondered if his wife should have been killed so she wouldn't have to suffer the last few years before her death. I believed that he was indeed against abortion but I had to confront him and told him that he shouldn't tell another pro-abortionist this because it comes across as being supportive of legal abortion. Abortion kills many that are unwanted, most likely unloved, most likely to suffer, or have been conceived from illicit sex. In other words, the pro-abortionist agrees that these babies, or fetuses, are better off aborted (murdered), just like this Christian thinker.

     That was my day at Florida State and it was a little exhausting. I was learning and I was starting to get the hang of it. I was surprised at the courage I was beginning to gain and was ready for the outreach at U of Florida the next day. We loaded the trailer and van and left for Gainesville, FL. The hosts there were wonderful and hospitable people! They are a large family and several of the children and their spouses and children lived together on the same acreage. They loved to spend time together and feed us all. Food was plenteous and there was no lack of generosity. I slept in a comfortable bed and my laundry was done by Mrs. Redmond, a very motherly lady who loves people. Mr. Redmond also had devotions with us and read the 3rd chapter of John. We had prayer. I was looking forward to the next day, for our second outreach and I felt very comforted by our time in devotions and prayer.

     I miss them and I hope to see them again someday. They have told me that I am welcome back.I look forward to that! Mrs. Redmond told me that I could take one of the goats if I wanted to! Haha. She said that neither one have had a kid for three years and she cannot dry up their milk! I told her about my experience of working with a lady in making goat's milk soap and lotion. She was delighted. Here are the goats I petted quite a bit:

     We awoke early the next morning and grabbed a bit of breakfast and headed to Tallhassee, FL to the University of Florida. The ride was short and that gave some time to have my devotionals on my YouVersion Bible. I love that app! I follow several plans and it covers a few things at once. I prayed that I would be ready for the outreach at UF because I felt I was a little more prepared from what little experience I gained from the outreach at FSU. I had more courage and more determination to get the truth out there and to fight for the lives of the unborn. Part II will be coming soon.

God bless.

What I realized about myself after Justice Ride

In my previous post, I mentioned that I hoped that my life will be changed after I completed my trip with Created Equal, a pro-life activist group. I can attest to this. I did not realize the impact this trip would have on me until I had been home for a few hours. It was overwhelming. I communicated with God for a while and I felt a sense of peace wash over me. I cried. I prayed. I praised God from my heart. I totally opened up and let God have me. I am His. I am not my own.

I’ve had to admit a few things to God and make confessions. I had to take complete responsibility for my wrong choices and actions. I have been blaming, either directly or in my mind, people in my life for the wrong choices I’ve made. This has to stop. It is affecting my relationships with people I love and the creation of new relationships.

 I will never be whole and I will never reach the complete manhood every man so desires if I continue to live in “adolescence”. This adolescence I speak of is the fantasy world a man lives in where he does not take responsibility for his actions and continues to chase after things that may only temporarily please himself and where he thinks he knows everything and is right about everything, never taking advice or constructive criticism from elders, children, (Yes, children. We fail so many times to see through the eyes of children), wives, best friends, co-workers, and our bosses and ultimately, God. I draw a few of these facts from a book I am currently reading, Fatherhood Aborted, written by Guy Condon and co-author David Hazard, pages 25-26 (?). I recommend this book to men, whether post-abortive or not.

Man was created to have intimate relationship with God. Man was also created to have intimate relationships with our fellow beings, women and men both. Man, for the most part, has failed in this area. Man in America and other developed countries has been taught to hold emotions in a sealed package, to carry secrets and burdens on his shoulders, to prevent others from seeing into himself, to not share any of these feelings, burdens and secrets with others. Man is taught to just be the stereotypical (emotionless and adventure-less) man, to tough it out, to not cry, to not share, to pursue only the things in life that will make him a better man in the eyes of the world and other men. Man is either tyrannical (sense of control) over his family or intimidated (sense of failure) by his wife and children, failing to set his foot down and taking up his Biblical responsibility to be a leader who is a servant as well. Bottom line, man thinks he has failed God and that he can never restore his relationship with the people in his life and with God. The devil works diligently to discourage man and to make him think he is nothing more than a stumbling block to himself and others, destined to fail again and again.

Last month, I posted that I prayed to Jesus that he would come into my heart and go straight into the wounds I have in there and I will meet him there. I asked for a new beginning, for healing, for divine inspiration to a path to wholeness, to manhood. No, our sexuality and associated endowment or the lack of or sexual prowess do not define our true manhood, though our sexuality is powerful & potent and affects many areas of our lives. I wanted to be the man Jesus himself was. He was lowly, humble, lived a life of compassion, and was a servant to the people he lead. Yes, a leader is one who is a servant, the one and the same. I do not see myself as a leader (a huge leap of faith here), but I know I can become a better servant. My pride prevents many of these things. I hate it so much. I hate my pride. I hate it. It prevents me from complete humility. I have to get rid of it and it will take a conscious effort to do it. Many negative thoughts, such as anger, envy, jealousy, and pride come into my mind involuntarily and I must make a habit of thinking on the good thoughts of forgiveness, generosity, compassion, and humility at ALL times to counter these negative thoughts. They are the work of the devil. I ask for the grace of God and power to help me with this.

Now, having said this, I have a burden lifted off of my shoulders. I basically got rid of more of my pride when two different people, a man and a young woman came to me last week during my trip. As I was talking to them, the subject shifted to my faith and my walk with God. The young man at the University of Florida questioned me about my faith and my belief that God existed. The young woman at the University of Central Florida, Grace was her name, questioned me about what I defined as true repentance and whether I knew and practiced the Great Commission (Ezekiel 3:18-21). I had to admit that I did not know the Great Commission, though I had heard of it and that I did not practice this. I had only merely tried to be a witness through my actions and I have failed in this area. My actions have not very often been void of carnal reactions to situations. I was quick to anger, quick to blame others, quick to sulk when I did not get my way, and quick to negative thoughts that affected every area of my life. Realization began to dawn on me as I was reading Fatherhood Aborted (I have never participated in an abortion of a child. I read this book to understand so I can help others.), that I must take responsibility and to stop letting my carnal flesh control me. I must turn my carnality over to God and be accountable to God. I know full well that He can restore me and make me whole again. I know He will make me a man, His son.   

My faith in God has increased. My prayers were answered last week. He never fails me. I want to get closer to Him through dedication to daily devotion and prayer. I understand the risks of following Jesus, but I am willing to take the risks!!

I need to go. I am going to work on my journal this week and will transfer everything to the blog about the Justice Ride. Check back later this week, if you will.

God bless! Have a wonderful Sunday and week!

Sen. Mark Rubio's quote on Life

"There is nothing that America can give this world right now more important than to show that all life -- irrespective of the circumstances of its creation, irrespective of the circumstances of its birth, irrespective of the conditions of that they find themselves in -- all life, in a planet where life is increasingly not valued, in a planet where people are summarily discarded, all life is worthy of protection. All life enjoys God's love."

-as quoted by Sen. Mark Rubio on "The Left's War on Babies". It received standing ovation.

Now the Left has called Rubio's quote his "war on women".

Here is the article the quote came from: The Left's War on Babies

It's sick. For those of you who think Obama is stupid or faltering as President, he isn't. He knows exactly what he is doing. He simply wants Socialism in this country and he's doing a great job at it. We aren't fighting it hard enough or are simpley ignorant and allowing it to happen. People need to wake up and smell the sewage, but then again, don't you think we deserve it? For the evils we have committed as a country? We've shoved God out of the picture and this is what happens. Need proof? It is written again and again in the Old Testament. Israel turned her back on the Lord and they received the wrath as punishment. When she turned to God, He blessed her and prospered her. He will do likewise here in America if we turn back to Him and follow Him in obedience. We need REVIVAL! In the meantime, let's pray for those who aren't able to stand up for themselves and let's stand up for them!

Then Asa cried out to the Lord his God, "O LORD, no one but you can help the powerless against the mighty! Help us, O LORD our God, for we trust in you alone. It is in your name that we have come against this vast horde, O LORD, you are our God; do not let mere mortals prevail against you!"

~2 Chronicles 14:11 NLT

This is one of the Scriptures in a long list of Scriptures I was emailed by Paula Harrington, wife of Mark Harrington, director of Created Equal. She advised us Justice Riders to go over the Scripture and pray over each of one in preparation of the trip we are making. The Scripture she listed provides reminders and encouragement that God is in control and that He will be with us. I remind myself of Jeremiah who doubted his ability to send the message to his people. The Lord asked Jeremiah who made his mouth and the Lord reminded Jeremiah that He himself made his mouth and will put the words in his mouth. I have asked the Lord to work through me and to speak through me and that I am His.

God bless.

Love you all.

Abortion and Justice Ride, my trip.

     In a few days, I will be embarking on a trip that will probably change my life. Hopefully for the better. I will be going on "Justice Ride", a trip made by a team of dedicated members fighting for the lives of the unborn. It is organized by Mark Harrington and Seth Drayer of Created Equal (link). Here is the flyer for Justice Ride: Justice Ride Flyer (.pdf)

     Pretty neat, isn't it? It's also pretty serious. It's not to be taken lightly. We realize that the wry devil will fight us from all sides and that we will definitely need to lean on the power of prayer. Not only on our own but also on the prayers of many supporting us, so please pray for me and my team this weekend and next week. Take a moment to pray. It may seem a trivial matter, but considering that 53 millions lives were ended abruptly in this manner, it is a big deal. In Germany, if you were to deny the Holocaust, you most likely *WILL* be thrown in jail. Here, it's just mosey along past the abortion clinic, no big deal; it's just a choice. This is the modern day American Holocaust on the soil of the greatest country in the history of the world.

     Abortion is an abhorrent sin, an evil that is unknowingly tolerated by a majority who don't realize the seriousness of this issue. It is murder. In the daily news, we hear about suspects and murderers being arrested and sent to jail or going to trial for possible conviction. Likewise should be done to you if you were to support, in any way, abortion, or "choice". Likewise also, if you were to commit the sin of omission; that is, to not pray, to not take action, or to not support the fight against abortion. There is so much detail I could go into, but the post then would be too long. I will just post a video that I VERY HIGHLY recommend you watch. It is only 33 minutes long (hey, we have no problem watching a 2 hour movie riddled with sinful acts highly praised by Hollywood and the world). It is from the website www.180movie.com and this is similar to what we will be doing. We will encounter these kind of people and we pray that we can change their minds about abortion, or rather, simply, the MURDER of a people. Yes, the live fetuses in the wombs are a PEOPLE, just like us adults! You can also "Like" their Facebook page: 180Movie. Here is the video:

     I am going to do my best to keep you updated on my trip. You may see more updates and more photos uploaded via my Facebook or via Twitter @Caffieecionado. In the meantime, I ask you to pray fervently for all causes you can think of, including this one. We will be traveling over 2,000 miles in vans and staying at multiple homes and provided housing on college campuses and churches. We will have God with us and He will keep His hand on all of us and keep us safe. I have faith and I trust Him. 

Until next post. God bless. 

Amazing Grace!!

I've learned so much about grace and I still don't understand it all and I still don't deserve it. But God gives it freely as He always has done, still gives it today, and will always give it! I am so undeserving of it and mercy. Here are the lyrics, even if you know it, it's still nice to read it. This shall be my song for today. 

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me....
I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind, but now, I see.

T'was Grace that taught...
my heart to fear.
And Grace, my fears relieved.
How precious did that Grace appear...
the hour I first believed.

Through many dangers, toils and snares...
we have already come.
T'was Grace that brought us safe thus far...
and Grace will lead us home.

The Lord has promised good to me...
His word my hope secures.
He will my shield and portion be...
as long as life endures.

When we've been here ten thousand years...
bright shining as the sun.
We've no less days to sing God's praise...
then when we've first begun.

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me....
I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind, but now, I see.

Note: HIS PROMISES ARE ALWAYS FULFILLED! I rest in this blessed assurance!
Double note: There's even a song called "Blessed Assurance"
One can never write enough songs about praising God and what He has done for us. Yes, even you, even if you don't believe. Today is the day to believe and accept Him! 

God Bless and have a great Sunday!