Signs of Hope

Posted on June 5, 2014 by Eric Kinnison

While the current state of abortion in our country is unquestionably heartbreaking and abhorrent, there are signs of hope and victories to celebrate.  In 2013, Operation Rescue reported a record number of abortion clinic closures.  87 surgical abortion clinics closed, leaving the total number of surgical abortion clinics left in the U.S. at the end of 2013 at 582.  That represents a drop of 73% from a high of 2,176 surgical abortion clinics in 1991!

There are various reasons for the closures:

  • A decreased demand for abortion reflected in a declining abortion rate.
  • Increased pro-life sentiment.
  • A flood of new state laws that establish abortion standards, such as hospital admitting privileges
  •  Increased enforcement of existing laws.
  • Greater incidents of documenting and reporting of abortion abuses by pro-life activists.
  • Retirement of aging abortionists, most of whom are not being replaced.

We are almost halfway through 2014 (that’s crazy!) and the momentum from last year has continued forward.  On March 7, it was reported that seven surgical abortion clinics and one abortion pill only clinic had closed.  More have closed or have been reported to likely close later in the year.  And just yesterday it was reported that three Planned Parenthood (the largest abortion provider in the U.S.) clinics are closing in Gresham, Oregon, Clackamas, Oregon, and Salmon Creek, Washington.  This news comes just two months
after the closing of the Planned Parenthood clinic in McMinnville, Oregon.  The Gresham and McMinnville centers performed abortions, while the other two offices were abortion referral centers.

Take time to pause and celebrate these exciting victories for babies, women and families across the nation!  May we be encouraged to press on and continue to work hard and do more to protect and love the unborn and women everywhere!

chooseme

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To Fathers

Posted on June 3, 2014 by Michelle Kinnison

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June. Beautiful sunshiny days, the fresh feeling of summer approaching, the end of the school year, and a time to celebrate fathers. It’s one of the best months in my book, although I may have a few too many favorites. I personally have a wonderful father, father-in-law, and husband, who is Daddy to our four children. I know, however, that my situation is not at all as common as I would like to think. I often wrestle with the conflicting notions of celebrating something to honor one person and holding back to protect another’s feelings. But today, let’s encourage those fathers who have done well and hopefully spur on those who are just at the beginning stages of fatherhood. To fathers everywhere: your job is so important. And we see you.

You were the ones who spoke a little too harshly and then chose to painfully learn how to apologize to a two-year-old. And then you taught us to ask for forgiveness. By your actions.

You swung us around and gave piggy-back rides and rough-housed until Mom sent us outside. You made memories of play.

You cooked all the wrong things when Mom was gone, and weren’t nearly as lenient. It took a while before we learned grace and flexibility.

But then you gave us candy and let us stay up late.

You refused to let us wear short shorts or crop tops or bikinis or anything else that was in style or let us date until we turned thirty.

You taught us to drive and stayed relatively calm throughout the whole ordeal…

Then you were the ones who taught us to fill the car with gas, check the oil, and change a tire. You made sure there was a full survival kit in the trunk, complete with shovel for snowy days.

You were very open with our boyfriends about your gun collections.

You were the ones who taught us about responsibility and helped with college applications. Then you secretly celebrated when you found out we were moving out, and you could have your wife all to yourself.

You were the ones who walked us down the aisle and let go…

You’ve made mistakes and felt ashamed, but you’ve stuck around. Even when the stress was too much to bear and the spark had long left your marriage and you didn’t feel appreciated by anyone.

And you were the one who smiled and hugged your love tightly when you saw the little blue plus sign that day way back then, even though you were terrified to be a father. Unsure of yourself, of your ability to provide and protect your budding family. You gave her courage to throw up and glow and grow and pick out crib sheets and hurt and push and love so deeply. Because women are strong…but they can lose heart sometimes. And they need to know they’re not alone.

Thank you. From all of us who noticed.

 

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Answering The Call

Posted on May 30, 2014 by Eric Kinnison

The vast majority of Christians (actually the majority of Americans) today want to cherish and defend innocent human life, but they want to do it sensitively and rationally, while being well-informed.  Yet, most people feel paralyzed when it comes to practical application.  John Ensor’s book, Answering the Call: Saving Innocent Lives, One Woman at a Time, is for them.  Answering the Call is a short and easy read but packed with excellent information and practical application, all the while spoken in strong conviction and exhortation.  If you are a follower of Christ and you aren’t sure if you should be pro-life, or if you consider yourself pro-life but are not sure how to defend your stance, you will definitely want to pick up this book!

The author, John Ensor, is an ordained evangelical minister, current president of PassionLife, and author of several books.  Starting in 1991, John led the Boston area Christian community to establish A Woman’s Concern, a network of six ultrasound-equipped pregnancy help centers. In 2006, he joined Heartbeat International as Executive Director for Urban Initiatives and piloted Heartbeat of Miami, a minority-led, ultrasound-equipped, pregnancy help ministry that is now living out the gospel of life amidst 30 abortion business. Today, through PassionLife, he is working to transform pregnancy help ministry into a true global missions movement.

The overarching theme of the book is to give a biblical and rational basis for cherishing and defending innocent human life while also providing practical applications for individuals and churches.  John’s driving point is that abortion isn’t some abstract, faraway issue but that it is local and is affecting the heart of every person’s neighborhood and community.  That’s why he stresses that “the call to cherish and defend innocent human life always be coupled with direct intervention with those in pregnancy distress,” hence the subtitle, Saving Innocent Lives, One Woman at a Time.  Local crisis pregnancy centers or pregnancy resource centers are the best way to for Christians to actively do something to protect and defend the innocent babies, while serving those in pregnancy distress who need help.  These women aren’t people on the news or from a distant land.  They are right in your community, and they need the love of Christ and a helping hand…they need a Good Samaritan.  Here is a quote John gives from Dr. James Dobson, urging churches and Christians to partner with their local crisis pregnancy centers:

“I consider abortion to be the greatest moral evil of our time, because of the worth of those little babies.  At the end of the year a crisis pregnancy center can point to a baby boy, born January 12th, a baby girl, born February 22nd–real, live human beings who were allowed to live, to be brought into the world, to give love and receive love simply because those organizations exist.  Crisis pregnancy centers serve the community, by serving mothers-to-be caught in the most traumatic time of their life.”

I would love to share much more but I shall refrain because you should simply read the book.  I leave you with some quotes from the book for your enticement:

“The pro-life movement and the Christian faith are synonymous.  Where there is one, there will be the other–for one cannot be had without the other.”

“Humanity and personhood are self-evident.  Legal abortion, like legal slavery in the past, requires us to deny what is self-evident.”

“At conception all of the genetic material that we shall ever have, at all stages of human development (zygote, embryo, fetus, newborn, infant, toddler, child, adolescent, teenager, adult, senior, and so on) is present.  Preborn children are not becoming human; they are…growing into the fullness of humanity that they already possess.”

“Abortion is the greatest moral evil of our age.  It is the social injustice that most inflames the heart of God and for which we, His people, are called to act with profound and persistent moral courage.”

“All human life is valued and worthy of our defense, because everyone, without exception, is created in God’s image.”

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LifeNews.com and Live Action

Posted on May 27, 2014 by elijoshuaproject

Over the past few months, we have been talking about some great pro-life organizations as well as ways to get involved. One of the first things Eric and I did when we became aware of the problem of abortion in our country was to post pro-life news stories on Facebook along with some of our own thoughts. It was such a simple thing, and yet it was effective. It allowed us to open the lines of communication about abortion with both pro-life and pro-choice friends, and we are still seeing the ripple effects. For those of you who want to see abortion end in your lifetime, one of the most important things you can do is to be informed. To know what is happening around the world, in your country, and in your community. So, today we are highlighting two organizations that can help, and then we will offer a few guidelines for sharing stories and videos on social media sites.

LifeNews.com is our primary source for abortion-related news. It covers stories on abortion, euthanasia, assisted suicide, bioethics issues, and much more. Not only is there a myriad of topics but also multiple perspectives. Although all contributors are pro-life, guest bloggers range from Protestant to Catholic to atheist, creating a unique group bound by a single purpose.

Live Action was founded by Lila Rose, a familiar name in the pro-life movement, when she was only fifteen years old. Along with a couple friends, Rose performed undercover investigations at abortion clinics and posted videos of them online. Live Action continues to investigate the abortion industry, and Lila Rose has become a national pro-life figure.

When considering posting an article or video from one of these websites, here are three questions to ask before you post:

1. Is this gracious to both the pro-life and the pro-choice?

2. Is it accurate?

3. How can I encourage respectful conversation around it?

Remember, it is so important to speak up for the unborn, but do so carefully and with tact so that your words can have weight and influence.

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