Friday feature: Relevant resources

I want to highlight a couple ministries that came to my attention this week. They offer resources that can help the body of Christ live out its pro-life mandate.

First, an email from Stuart Carver of Family Enterprising landed in my inbox. This ministry "promotes the foundation and strong growth of biblical households." They do this through Birth of a Family, which works alongside pregnancy resource centers to convert the opportunities they have with clients into "lasting nuclear families where fathers, mothers, and children live, grow, and play together in one home." A worthy and much-needed goal.

Stuart and his team are making an impact at one end of the pro-life spectrum while Ron Panzer, a hospice nurse, is having an effect on the other end.

Through the Hospice Patients Alliance and the Pro-Life Healthcare Alliance, he and others are working to maintain respect for the lives of dying people. They've documented some alarming trends in healthcare and offer resources for families to help them protect their loved ones. I asked to be placed on his e-newsletter list and received a nice email in response.

One of those resources is Stealth Euthanasia: Health Care Tyranny in America (a book available online). Another is The Hospice Patients Alliance Family Guide to Hospice Care, billed as "the most complete guide to hospice care available." It's available for download for a small fee.

Why are such resources needed? Because of atrocities like those described in a recent British Medical Journal (BMJ 2012;345:e7319). An anonymous doctor wrote of his/her anguish over having been forced to care for children after a decision was made to forgo medically provided feeding:

[The parents] wish for their child to die quickly once the feeding and fluids are stopped. They wish for pneumonia. They wish for no suffering. They wish for no visible changes to their precious baby. Their wishes, however, are not consistent with my experience. Survival is often much longer than most physicians think; reflecting on my previous patients, the median time from withdrawal of hydration to death was 10 days.

Parents and care teams are unprepared for the sometimes severe changes that they will witness in the child’s physical appearance as severe dehydration ensues. I try to make these matters clear from the outset so that these parents do not make a decision that they will come to regret. I try to prepare them for the coming collective agony that we will undoubtedly share, regardless of their certainty about their decision. I know, as they cannot, the unique horror of witnessing a child become smaller and shrunken, as the only route out of a life that has become excruciating to the patient or to the parents who love their baby. I reflect on how sanitised this experience seems within the literature about making this decision.

. . . It is draining to be the most responsible physician. Everyone is looking to me to preside over and support this process. I am honest with the nurse when I say that it is getting more and more difficult to make my legs walk me on to this unit as the days elapse, that examining the baby is an indescribable mixture of compassion, revulsion, and pain.

Some say withdrawing medically provided hydration and nutrition is akin to withdrawing any other form of life support. Maybe, but that is not how it feels. . . . As I am embroiled in this situation once again, the one thing that helps me a little is the realisation that this process is necessarily difficult. It needs to be. To acknowledge that a child’s prospects are so dire, so limited, that we will not or cannot provide artificial nutrition is self selecting for the rarity of the situations in which parents and care teams would ever consider it.

Related: Dehydrating Disabled Babies in UK Hospitals

Thankful Thursday: Inspiring thanksgiving in Togo

So many blessings . . . so little time. One day isn't enough to express thanksgiving, but at least our country sets aside a holiday to consider what we're grateful for. It's in danger, however, of being co-opted by football and shopping.

Meanwhile, over in Africa, one of  partners wrote this reflection:

Not in Africa, but only in the U.S. . . . [There is] no Thanksgiving Day as a holiday in any of the 54 countries in Africa nor in Togo, my home country. . . . I do not know about other continents like, Asia, Europe, South America and Australia.

Joseph Akakpo of Togo went on to tell about how it "just happened" he had scheduled a day for thanksgiving and testimonies at the LomNava church on November 25, "not knowing November 22nd is a BIG holiday of thanksgiving in the U.S." Here's how it went:

I want to tell you that, we had a wonderful Sunday morning worship with thanksgiving. After the Holy Spirit led me to preach on the attitude of giving thanks taken from Luke 17:11-19, the saints in the church felt guilty of being ingratitude to the Lord. In fact a lady and a man were crying while they shared their ungrateful hearts. There were lot of inspiring testimonies I have not heard from the brethren before after being with them for three years now. They really poured their hearts this morning and said all to free themselves after the conviction of the Holy Spirit to be grateful to the Lord. . . . 

They even shared a meal -- "not finger food but the real one. Yes, we eat to our satisfaction and we praise God for that." Maybe our brothers and sisters in Africa will lead us back to the real purpose of Thanksgiving Day.

For even though they knew God, 

they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, 

but they became futile in their speculations, 

and their foolish heart was darkened. 

Professing to be wise, they became fools. 

(Romans 1:21-22)

Working Wednesday: Prayer calendar

This is Sue Ellen Doenier, working on the prayer calendar for January and February. It involves retrieving prayer requests from our pro-life ministry partners and arranging them in the grid. Sue also finds appropriate clip-art to embellish the calendar and writes an accompanying letter that helps our Prayer Partners appreciate their role.

That role is significant, and close to 1200 people have stepped up to fill it. Most receive calendars by email, the rest by post. Some are true prayer warriors, never wanting to miss a single day! It certainly is heartening to know they're with us in a spiritual battle that never gets a day off. We also enjoy hearing how God has answered requests that were highlighted in the calendar.

Would you like to join the ranks as a Prayer Partner? Please go to the sign-up page and fill out a brief form. You can access the current calendar here.

From time to time we post urgent requests on Facebook. "Like" us @ www.facebook.com/lifemattersworldwide to receive those updates. You'll also receive them by following us on Twitter.

Tuesday prayer: For our opponents

Yesterday's musing was about appealing to our opposition along the lines of 2 Timothy 24-26. We're exhorted to do so in such a way that "perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth." Not that they'll "come around to our point of view," but that they'll be saved!

It's a given we will have opponents (John 15:18-25). And Jesus said we should pray for them (Luke 6:28). Here's why we need to pray for them -- they're in a pitiable position, being held captive by Satan to do his will. And here are specifics of what we should pray for on their behalf:

• That God, in His mercy, will grant them repentance
• That He will lead them to know the truth
• That they may come to their senses
• That they escape the snare of the devil

Related: Tuesday prayer for our leaders

Monday musing: Calling all patient persuaders!

While some people are critical of social networking (and the Internet in general) as being a time-waster and a dangerous source of filth and misinformation, I'm a fan. Unlike mainstream media, it's a form of communication that we can turn to our advantage.

I wouldn't be blogging if I didn't think so, but I do acknowledge the truth of what the critics say. As with any good thing, moderation and discipline are advised. I want to add another misuse to the list: Social media such as Facebook and Twitter give occasion for people to spout off in ways they probably would not in polite company.

I can't count the number of times I've cringed at the response of someone who claims to be a Christian because what he or she has said is disrespectful or hateful. Mom was right: We should think before we post.

And we should apply Paul's words to Timothy about communication with or about opponents:

The Lord’s bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will. (2 Timothy 24-26)

I apply these words this way:

• The Lord's bond-servant must not be quarrelsome . . . on Facebook or in comments posted elsewhere online. I don't think this means we shouldn't respond, but we mustn't be argumentative. Any reply should be for the reader's benefit and not for me to "score points."

• The Lord's bond-servant must be kind to all . . . on Facebook or in comments posted elsewhere online. I take this to mean there ought not be any name-calling, verbal abuse, or harshness.

• The Lord's bond-servant must be able to teach . . . on Facebook or in comments posted elsewhere online. Teaching is something other than the clever jab or sound byte. It requires time and patience. More on this below.

• The Lord's bond-servant must be patient when wronged . . . on Facebook or in comments posted elsewhere online. Oh, it's so tempting to retaliate when the other side calls us a name or is harsh and abusive about an idea or person we admire -- abundant evidence of that online -- but their behavior doesn't excuse our responding in kind. "Love keeps no record of wrongs." We also don't have to rebut every charge made against our side.

• The Lord's bond-servant must with gentleness correct those who are in opposition . . . on Facebook or in comments posted elsewhere online. If repentance is the goal-- and it always is -- then gentleness is the key for dealing with opponents.

It's tempting to say nothing when we can't think of something nice to say, but the unborn can't afford our silence. I'd like to take this opportunity to challenge all of us to become an army of patient persuaders as described by Paul. If we can't learn to articulate our beliefs in ways that appeal to others, then can we at least point them to resources that can be counted on to not bash them over the head? Here are a couple good ones:

Stand to Reason - basic Christian apologetics
Life Training Institute - pro-life apologetics (see related The Case for Life)

One last thought: Our opponents are not exempt from kind treatment because they advocate the killing of innocent unborn human babies. At the time of writing 2 Timothy, Paul was in prison awaiting execution by Nero. He didn't allow fear or hatred to deter him from attempting to persuade guards and soldiers -- who had participated in the deaths of other Christians -- to accept Christ as Savior. He took great delight in the Gospel going forth, even though it might have been done out of spite (Phil. 1:12-17). And, while he acknowledged the harm some Christians had done to him, he prayed God wouldn't hold it against them (2 Tim. 4:16). That's something to remember the next time we're attacked.

Related: 
Should pro-lifers verbally "bash" anyone? (on Facebook)
Monday Musing for October 5: Love the enemy
Monday Musing for September 17: Christians in an age of aggression

Postscript: The reason we often lack graceful speech is we fail to rely on the Holy Spirit. Jesus said, in Luke 12:11-12, "When they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not worry about how or what you are to speak in your defense, or what you are to say; for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.” Thus it might be advantageous to learn to cite Scripture and not certain radio talk show hosts who may or may not always speak from a biblical point of view.

Working Wednesday: Join the campaign against bullying!

A child knows it's wrong to be mean or call others names. It's good to see society rising up to fight bullying. There's even a growing campaign to eliminate use of the r-word.

No abuse is more severe than abortion, and none are as vulnerable as unborn babies. Powerful interests with lots of money refuse to stop "bullying" them, despite our best efforts.

It's time we called everyone to stand against the "non-person" label and resist killing people in the name of problem-solving.

That's the theme of our bulletin insert for Sanctity of Human Life Sunday 2013. We're busy taking orders and sending them out. Can we send some to your church?

Here's how to order: Shop our online store for bulletin inserts and other items to help your church fight for life, and to help Life Matters Worldwide in the process! (Click 'Church Items' from the left-hand column.) To order by mail: Download an order form here. Or phone: Call 1-800-968-6086, (616) 257-6800.

How do your orders help Life Matters Worldwide? All the proceeds go directly into our pro-life work. Here are a few things that such support enabled us to accomplish this past year:

• Send vital ultrasound equipment to India
• Revise a 322-page manual for pregnancy care centers
• Host our annual conference for pregnancy care center staff
• Consult with pregnancy care centers around the country

Friday feature: A question that makes all the difference

I've written about Metro Women's Center of Crystal, MN, in the past, but Director Colleen Tronson keeps writing such good reports that I want to share them with you.

(Hint to other PCCs that want to be featured in this space: Send frequent updates and make sure we're on your email list. It doesn't hurt if you also know how to write in a dynamic, compelling style.)

In her latest e-newsletter, she writes something that any PCC director could write:

The woman came into the office with downcast eyes and and a heavy heart. I prayed silently that I would be able to make a connection with her. My initial questions were met with one-word answers -- yes or no. Since her head was bent in discouragement, I longed to say, "Look up; there is help and hope for you here!" But I knew that this dear one needed me to go slowly and to use gentle words to help her. She gradually opened up and looked up. She shared her fear of a possible pregnancy. She was already struggling to raise her young daughter. My heart went out to her; there was so much to plow through.

Her test was positive. She was resolute. Abortion was her plan, and that was all there was to it! I asked, "What would have to change in order for you to choose life for your child?" She shared that her rent was behind due to unexpected car repairs. Even with working 50 hours a week, she was still overwhelmed. She stated that she knew abortion was wrong but it represented a way out for her. She needed $300 to catch up on the rent. I told her we could help with that amount through our aid programs. "Really, you would help me?" was her shocked response. I told her that if $300 would save her baby's life, we would be happy to help!

She began to cry and and to thank me for giving her a way out. We talked further, and I had the opportunity to share Scripture with her. She said she knew the Lord but had not chosen to obey Him. I John 1:9 was shared, and through prayer this dear one was restored.

$300 and compassionate words saved a baby's life -- amazing! This is why we are here.

It's a story true of any pregnancy care center. Of course, centers can't help women this way without the support and volunteers to make such offers.

They need prayer support too. I love how Colleen remembered to "go slowly and to use gentle words" to help the woman. This takes training and proper attitudes, but also prompting by the Holy Spirit in the moment to apply the appropriate response. 

In that same vein, we just received a prayer request from another pro-life ministry that's also been featured previously (which also sends frequent, compelling updates):

Please pray for a Garden of Hope caller who, even after finding out she is carrying twins, is seeking a place for an abortion. This young mother already has two small children and we believe is being pushed into this abortion by a very difficult boyfriend who seems very agitated that this decision is so hard for her. 

In talking with him he tells us she wants the abortion. His angry, hostile attitude in our conversations with him and her brokenness and tears and confusion in our conversations with her lead us to believe she is being pushed. Please pray that God would give her the courage to step away from this man and flee to the ones who have offered her help, love and care for all areas of her life. 

We pray that our words about the option of adoption would prick her heart, as well, and that she would turn from what she is about to do. Please seek God's intervention in the life of "B" and protect her and her precious little ones from Satan's snare.

You see how crucial prayer is to pro-life ministry? Lives are at stake!

Working Wednesday: Overseas partnerships

We've been talking about our partnerships with pregnancy care centers the past two Working Wednesdays (here and here). The focus has been our U.S. partnerships, but we also have them overseas.

When we began back in 1984, we never imagined we'd become an international ministry, but when the Internet put us on the "world wide web," people in other countries began emailing pleas for help.

Some of those requests involved sponsoring their visits to the U.S. so they could attend a Summit. In 1997, we hosted people from Romania, South Africa, and South Korea. Later that year, we made our first trip outside the country to help a group of centers in Romania open. These experiences opened our eyes to the great needs abroad and to the potential for expanded ministry.

A few years later we met Evelyn Stone, a missionary in Peru who had started a PCC. New Life Prenatal Center in Lima was staffed by people from local churches and, as they witnessed to clients, new believers were added to church membership roles and new churches started. The PCC was proving to be an effective church planting tool.

Evelyn eventually became our International Training Consultant and has traveled to India, Liberia, Kenya, and the Philippines representing us. She has also seen the Lima center sprout several satellites, and hosts regular "summits" for South American pro-life ministries. Recently, we worked with her to publish training materials in Spanish.

Over time, we've learned together that pro-life ministries in other countries can differ greatly from those in the U.S. The physical needs are often much greater, and sometimes cultures are missing a historical respect for human life. Often, even Christians need to be taught that abortion is wrong -- what it is, how human life begins, and what the Bible says about the sanctity of human life.

Our primary model for international ministry is to work with missionaries going out from the U.S. We encourage them to consider using pro-life ministry their church planting efforts -- whether through pregnancy care centers or LIFT -- in because it's an effective way to meet people and offers openings for sharing the Gospel. While they're still in the U.S., we train or help them find training in a local PCC. We'll also provide our materials at no charge.

Sometimes we'll visit their fields of service to help them share the vision of pro-life ministry with other missionaries and nationals, or to help them troubleshoot difficulties. At times we'll help them financially with a special project, such as the purchase of ultrasound equipment.

• Read more in past ministry reports.
• "Like" us on Facebook to keep up with current overseas partnerships.
• Learn more about how the pro-life message is part of the Gospel.

Tuesday prayer: Our leaders

Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart, saying, “In a certain city there was a judge who did not fear God and did not respect man. There was a widow in that city, and she kept coming to him, saying, ‘Give me legal protection from my opponent.’ For a while he was unwilling; but afterward he said to himself, ‘Even though I do not fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow bothers me, I will give her legal protection, otherwise by continually coming she will wear me out.’” And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge said; now, will not God bring about justice for His elect who cry to Him day and night, and will He delay long over them? I tell you that He will bring about justice for them quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:1-8)

As we mused yesterday, political leaders are often less than what are to be desired. The question before us today is, will Jesus find us praying for them when He returns (1 Timothy 2:1-4)? "This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth." 

So let's pray for President Obama and his cabinet. For Senators and Congressmen. 

For state legislators and assemblymen. City councilmen and mayors. 

Supreme Court Justices and judges of the appellate courts. 

For those who fear God and those who do not. 

For those who respect the sanctity of human life and those who are "pro-choice." 

May God turn their hearts to rule justly for the unborn. Whether they want to or not.

Related article by Russell Moore: Christians, let's honor the president

Monday musing: The Proverbs 31 Man

We're all familiar with -- and intimidated by -- the model woman depicted at the end of Proverbs 31, but have you ever heard a sermon or read an article about man in the first 9 verses?

The sayings of King Lemuel—an inspired utterance his mother taught him.
Listen, my son! Listen, son of my womb!
Listen, my son, the answer to my prayers!
Do not spend your strength on women,
your vigor on those who ruin kings.
It is not for kings, Lemuel—
it is not for kings to drink wine,
not for rulers to crave beer,
lest they drink and forget what has been decreed,
and deprive all the oppressed of their rights.
Let beer be for those who are perishing,
wine for those who are in anguish!
Let them drink and forget their poverty
and remember their misery no more.
Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves,
for the rights of all who are destitute.
Speak up and judge fairly;
defend the rights of the poor and needy.

Scholars note this king is unknown in the annals of biblical history and agree Lemuel may be a euphemism for Solomon. The name means "to God," as in "belonging to God." If the "Proverbs 31 woman" is God's ideal for womanhood, then verses 1-9 could be said to describe the ideal leader -- the one owned by God.

One reason we don't hear much about this passage is likely all the dangerous reference to strong drink, as though drunkenness is allowed the common man if not the king. Plenty of passages -- including Prov. 20:1 and 23:19-21 -- clear up any misconception. (See Luke 21:34, Romans 13:13, 1 Cor. 6:10, Gal. 5:21, Eph. 5:18). Basically, good leaders are those who don't indulge themselves, or let their pleasures overcome good judgment. Ecclesiastes 10:16-17 serves as a parallel:

Woe to you, O land, whose king is a lad and whose princes feast in the morning. Blessed are you, O land, whose king is of nobility and whose princes eat at the appropriate time—for strength and not for drunkenness.

The point of sober leadership is the just use of power. The good leader doesn't allow his friends to ply him with anything, including wine, to the neglect of justice.

In a crowded throne room (or courtroom) a king could be dazzled by the pomp and ceremony, the wealth and influence of powerful advisers. He could overlook the poor man in ragged clothing standing at the end of the line, or forget the wretches outside who never gain entrance because they're too ashamed, or disabled, or must work all day to survive. After all, they're not the king's drinking buddies.

In all the competing interests, the king must keep the "little people" and their concerns in mind. The wealthy, the powerful, the beautiful have their own voices. But who speaks up for the little ones, the "non-persons" who have no voice?

Not only should the godly leader avoid perverting justice by condemning the innocent (Exodus 23:1-9, Dt. 16:18-20), but he should also be their advocate. "Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves. . . . Speak up!"

What if we don't have that kind of leader? What if they're under the influence of Planned Parenthood? What if they not only disregard the unborn, but advocate on behalf of their enemies?

It falls to us to do the speaking up -- petitioning to and about our leaders. Supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks should be made to God for kings and all who are in authority (1 Tim. 2:1-4). And, while the parable in Luke 18:1-8 is about demonstrating faith through persistent prayer, it also shows the propriety of petitioning "unjust judges." Through our diligence, perhaps one day they'll do the good they're reluctant to do, despite their prejudices. (Note that the parable also diagnoses the root of injustice -- no fear of God or respect for the sanctity of human life.)

Men -- whether they're leaders in government or at home -- must speak up about abortion. Despite what feminist's say, men shouldn't be silenced because they lack female reproductive equipment or the experience of bearing children. Many women have abortions because their men are either coercive or weak. Since all human life in the womb is valuable to God -- male and female -- male voices are crucial to the pro-life movement. Abortion is not just a "woman's issue."

Related post-election reading:
Exit Polling Data Shows Pro-Lifers Failed to Vote Pro-Life
Why Romney lost
Do Pro-Life Policies Even Matter? by Kevin DeYoung
Few get political messages at church
Exit polling data suggest breakdown of the family favors the rise of liberal politics

Friday feature: Alpha Women's Center of Grand Rapids

This pregnancy care center will always hold a special place in our hearts. It was our first project, way back in 1985. We hoped it would become a model for other communities, and it did. Within a few years, we had helped centers open in other parts of Michigan (Flint and Pontiac) and the Midwest (Des Moines, Milwaukee, and Crystal, Minnesota) -- to name a few off the top of my head.

Eventually, Alpha Women's Center also expanded into other nearby communities, forming satellite centers in  Cedar Springs, Greenville, Hastings, Lowell, Newaygo, Wayland, and Delton. Then, as AWC-Grand Rapids had gained independence from what was then Baptists for Life in 1988, so these satellites "took flight" from the "mother ship" a few years ago.

Young people from Chapel Point Church pose at the front door.

Locations for AWC-GR have also changed over the years. It began in a suite of rooms at 920 Cherry SE, moved to a building on Michigan Ave., then next to the abortion clinic on E. Fulton. From there it located farther east on Fulton for a spell, and now occupies a former funeral parlor on S. Division (a more beautiful space than you'd think!).

With the most recent move, Executive Director Carolyn Koole has expanded the vision of the center from a focus on pregnant women to helping moms beyond pregnancy. They still offer free pregnancy tests with ultrasound verification, but have added group and individual studies (Bible studies, home economics, and more), GED-prep classes, and something called Community at Heart. This is "a daytime respite for moms with children under the age of six who are without homes or a secure living environment."

How can you help? In addition to financial support and participation in events like their upcoming Open House, there are many volunteer opportunities at Alpha. Visit the website to learn more about their need for mentors, church liaisons, behind-the-scenes assistance, and more.

Know someone who needs Alpha's help? Refer them to their client website, OptionsForYou.org.

Find Alpha on Facebook.

Thankful Thursday: God is still God

This post-election Thursday, I'm thankful my trust is in a never-changing God. From Psalm 46:

God is our refuge and strength,
A very present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change
And though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea;
Though its waters roar and foam,
Though the mountains quake at its swelling pride. Selah.

There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
The holy dwelling places of the Most High.
God is in the midst of her, she will not be moved;
God will help her when morning dawns.
The nations made an uproar, the kingdoms tottered;
He raised His voice, the earth melted.
The Lord of hosts is with us;
The God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah.

Come, behold the works of the Lord,
Who has wrought desolations in the earth.
He makes wars to cease to the end of the earth;
He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two;
He burns the chariots with fire.
“Cease striving and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”
The Lord of hosts is with us;
The God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah.

What a comfort!

What are we to make, however, of election analysis by the Pew Forum that shows many who would claim "the Lord is with us" were not with Him in the way they voted?
 

Working Wednesday: Maintaining quality and integrity

One aspect of Life Matters Worldwide is our ministry to pregnancy care centers. Last week we talked about  the nature of our partnership with them. In passing, we referred to the list of centers on our website as ones we can recommend as having "quality and integrity." That's important, because our goal in partnership is "to establish and sustain PCCs as effective Gospel outreaches."

As our Standards for Excellence manual for PCCs states:

A commitment to excellence is the basic standard by which any successful organization operates. This is especially true for organizations claiming Jesus Christ as their Head. As ministries dedicated to serving others in the name of Jesus Christ, it is vital for pregnancy care centers to operate at the highest level of integrity and effectiveness.

This week I want to highlight some of the things Life Matters does to fulfill such lofty goals. I've already mentioned our Standards for Excellence manual. This is a 300+ page manual that helps centers evaluate their practices and implement procedures that will enhance their outreach.

Our PCC Summit is another way we strengthen centers. The Summit is a two-day conference for PCC directors, staff and board member, and volunteers. We bring in speakers that will inspire, challenge, and educate them, and offer time for prayer, fellowship, and networking.

In 2013, we'll begin offering webinars to supplement the training our associates can receive at the Summit. Topics will include reaching more abortion-minded women and board governance.

Speaking of board governance, our president Tom Lothamer writes a regular column for boards in At the Center magazine. (Links to all his articles are on our website.) Tom also trains PCC boards and helps them draft strategic plans; he and other Life Matters staff members regularly consult with directors on a variety of issues.

PCCs are something all of us on staff feel strongly about. Next week I'll talk about our partnerships with pro-life ministries overseas. But before I go, I have to mention one other thing we do for centers: highlighting one or two of our partners everyday on the prayer calendar. Quality and integrity aren't sufficient without the Holy Spirit's moving. Will you join us in praying for our partners?

Tuesday prayer: Awaiting the outcome

If you've voted, you can now rest in God's sovereignty. Ponder (and pray) Psalm 33:

Sing for joy in the Lord, O you righteous ones;
Praise is becoming to the upright.
Give thanks to the Lord with the lyre;
Sing praises to Him with a harp of ten strings.
Sing to Him a new song;
Play skillfully with a shout of joy.
For the word of the Lord is upright,
And all His work is done in faithfulness.
He loves righteousness and justice;
The earth is full of the lovingkindness of the Lord.

By the word of the Lord the heavens were made,
And by the breath of His mouth all their host.
He gathers the waters of the sea together as a heap;
He lays up the deeps in storehouses.
Let all the earth fear the Lord;
Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him.
For He spoke, and it was done;
He commanded, and it stood fast.
The Lord nullifies the counsel of the nations;
He frustrates the plans of the peoples.
The counsel of the Lord stands forever,
The plans of His heart from generation to generation.
Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord,
The people whom He has chosen for His own inheritance.

The Lord looks from heaven;
He sees all the sons of men;
From His dwelling place He looks out
On all the inhabitants of the earth,
He who fashions the hearts of them all,
He who understands all their works.
The king is not saved by a mighty army;
A warrior is not delivered by great strength.
A horse is a false hope for victory;
Nor does it deliver anyone by its great strength.

Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him,
On those who hope for His lovingkindness,
To deliver their soul from death
And to keep them alive in famine.
Our soul waits for the Lord;
He is our help and our shield.
For our heart rejoices in Him,
Because we trust in His holy name.
Let Your lovingkindness, O Lord, be upon us,
According as we have hoped in You.

Here's more on God's sovereignty and voting. And a prayer for election week.

Monday musing: The other pro-life election issue

As you pray over tomorrow's momentous election, remember Massachusetts. Voters there are deciding on a proposal to legalize physician-assisted suicide. They would be the third state to do so (behind Oregon and Washington).

But there are a chorus of influential voices in opposition:

• Boston Globe: No on Proposal 2
• Ted Kennedy's wife: Vote no on assisted suicide in MA
• American Nurses Association: Draft statement opposing assisted suicide/euthanasia
• Providence Journal blog: Why to vote no on Mass. Question 2
• E. J. Dionne: Liberals should be wary of assisted suicide
• NY Times opinion: Suicide by choice? Not so fast
• Ira Byock: Assisted suicide is not progressive
• Choice is an Illusion blog: Users of assisted suicide are senior with money
• Dr. Barbara Rockett: Physician-assisted suicide “in direct conflict” with doctor’s role
• Wesley J. Smith: Our dangerous obsession with 'health'
• Ezekiel Emanuel: Four myths about doctor-assisted suicide

Don't, however, be lulled into complacency! Advocates of euthanasia are persistent and will, no doubt, bring it up for a a vote again. And again and again. So pray!

This might also be a good time for more churches to look into offering LIFT, our program of respite care for people with chronic or terminal illnesses and their families. If we can help your church get started, email or give us a call: 1-800-968-6086.

Finally, a few words from Hosea 10 this election-eve:

          Sow with a view to righteousness,
                Reap in accordance with kindness;
                        Break up your fallow ground,
                              For it is time to seek the Lord
                        Until He comes to rain righteousness on you.
                You have plowed wickedness, you have reaped injustice,
          You have eaten the fruit of lies.

Postscript: A couple other last minute pre-election reads:

• Albert Mohler: A prayer for America on Election Day
• Joe Carter: 5 ways presidents affect the pro-life cause

Post-postscript: The assisted suicide proposal was narrowly defeated Tuesday.

Friday feature: The Farrans

Notice anything menacing about this photo?

Kyle and Heather Farran and their daughters just landed in the U.S. for a three-month furlough, dodging Hurricane Sandy. They are missionaries to South Africa and one of our foreign field pro-life ministry partners.

During this last term they established the Calvary Care Home, an AIDS hospice. It's a four-bed hospice facility on church grounds. Here people dying of AIDS receive spiritual care while having basic physical needs met – as they would at home if there was someone to care for them. The dream is to be able to “love them to the last breath.”

Did you know?

. . . Two-thirds of all people with HIV/AIDS (22.5 million) live south of Africa’s Sahara Desert, a region home to only 10% of the world’s population?

. . . In 2009, an estimated 1.3 million adults and children died of AIDS in that part of the world?

. . . Within that region, South Africa has one of the highest rates of infection, with 5.6 million people living with HIV/AIDS?

. . . Roughly 310,000 South Africans died of AIDS in 2009?

. . . Since the epidemic began, about 1.9 million South African children have lost one or both parents to AIDS?

This the kind of data that led Kyle and Heather to pursue such ministry. Before leaving for Africa on their first term, they participated in a LIFT training in our offices. It was their introduction to respite care ministry as used by churches to counter the pull of euthanasia and assisted suicide. They use the material to train church members for involvement with Calvary Care Home.

Since completing construction last fall, the home has ministered to several patients. Right before furlough, the Farrans posted this report:

Phile arrived at Calvary Care Home two weeks ago. HIV+ and suffering from blackouts, she recently lost her husband and only child and now lives alone. She claimed to be born again, but was paralyzed by fear of the future. The care home was to her a place of rest for the body and peace for the soul. During daily Bible studies we focused on the security and peace that Christians can have by resting in the finished work of Christ. She left a week later, blackouts gone and resting in her savior. God is so good.

Learn more about the Farrans' ministry:

• Compassion Within a Yard of Hell
• Farran Family website
• Kyle and Heather on Facebook

How you can pray:

• Provision of personal support needs - to reach 100%, they need an additional $575 per month
• Funds to support the care home - $62,200 for three years of operation (or $1,700/month)

Thankful Thursday: Free and fair elections

As difficult as this election season has been, we still have a lot to be thankful for. That point was brought home to me earlier this week in a Facebook chat with a friend in Kenya.

I'd asked him to pray for our country as we undertake the election next week. He replied, "I fervently pray for your nation. May God give you a leader after his heart and give all of you wisdom as you elect."

And then he said something that put everything we endure -- endless robo-calls and attack ads -- in perspective: "Pray for us also as we come to elections. Civil wars arise and many kill each other."

As brutal as our election campaigns can be, we don't worry about them erupting into violence or war. Thank the Lord with us that we have the privilege of voting (many nations do not), and that our system works relatively smoothly.

Resources --

• Earlier this week we highlighted a video that your church might want to use this weekend to encourage people to vote according to biblical values. 
• Here's a link to a powerful sermon by John MacArthur: Abortion and the Campaign for Immorality.
• Here's an article by Randy Alcorn: Do the Candidates Have Different Positions on Abortion and Does it Matter?