What can I DO?!

I received this text from a friend of mine last week:

Hey Phil, how's life? Hope you're all well...I've been meaning to pick your brain about this Planned Parenthood exposing going on.
Mostly I'm tired of just commenting to or sharing other people's posts of outrage, or posting ones of my own, on social media. Spreading awareness like that feels empty. Do you have any thoughts about being more active about this? They're dissecting live babies, Phil! This is pissing me off and breaking my heart. These children need us to DO something for them.

This text ruined my safe little cocoon that I was weaving around myself to shut out the reality of the Planned Parenthood videos. I knew I would be sick if I saw them. I know enough about abortion already to be able to picture the horrific scenes that others have described. I tweeted a little and Google+ a couple articles. But now my friend woke me up to the opportunity I was missing to find passionate people that support life.

This is the email response I sent to my friend:

This is in response to your text: Do whatever you can, remembering God's promises to you. Don't distract yourself with things of less importance. Don't let the passion of injustice fade as is so easy to do in distracted America.

I don't know about you, but I'm going to go to counseling.

There is the pro-life egg challenge response: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBlge4RvztM

More info at: http://www.holyhenhouse.com/

You can contact your representatives, asking to defund PP. I'll forward a separate email.

You can call WLFL and ask what they are doing right now to reach more women (you might want to specifically ask about the sticker shock campaign). 414-727-8176  

Or I have the power to put you on a committee right now. How many things do you want to do?

Your family can stand on the side of the road with a sign asking to take unwanted babies. The Life Chain is coming up on October 4th. http://www.nationallifechain.org/ http://www.milwaukeelifechain.org/

See what's going on...

Large Pro-life organizations:

Care Net

National Institute of Family and Life Advocates (NIFLA)

Heartbeat International

Personhood America

Wisc. Right to Life

Pro-life Events:

Life-a-Thon  (2 mi walk/ 5k run)

Evening for Life banquet

Soul Ride    (motorcycle ride)

Sanctity of Life Day

Wis. Right to Life Legislative Conference

Voting http://blog.wifamilyaction.com/ and http://www.nrlpac.org/endorse-states.htm

Life Chain http://www.milwaukeelifechain.org/

Then I forwarded him 3 emails:
1. from WLFL, calling for monthly donors.
2. from Wisconsin Family Action, urging contact with representatives to support pro-life bills.
3. from Time of Grace, showing that pain makes my sin uncomfortable.

I added a note of encouragement on the last email:
Pray that our society sees the pain that the sin of sexual immorality causes. Talk to your neighbors, and share the truth about God's word and the sanctity of human life. We have eternal souls! Most people don't know this! Go! Tell! (with gentleness and respect)

After sending these emails, I was pretty worked up myself. I was sick with grief and despair. I'm told exercise releases stress, so I took the elevator to the basement of my building and ran up the stairs to the penthouse level, all 9+ stories. Perhaps it was a bit too much stress for my body to relieve through exercise. My heart was racing in a way that was not good. My hands went a little cold. I know I shouldn't work my heart that much, but I just felt like DOING something.

I called my wife, but she didn't answer. I went down to the Employee Assistance Program director. She was out of the office, but I wondered how a secular liberal would handle a Christian grieving over the murder and dissection of unborn babies. I went to a fellow Christian co-worker, and asked if he wanted to take a walk (I didn't tell him I was in a cold sweat to pour out my soul to a fellow Christian). He was busy. I started back down the stairs, not really sure where I was going (I guess to take a walk).

At the 5th floor I almost broke down crying, and prayed, "Lord, God, help us! Please save them!" That felt good. God reminded me of his promise to work things out for good. He also said he punishes the children for the sins of the fathers (sin hurts future generations). I was also reminded that wicked people destroy each other. I made it outside, found a bench on the side of the road, and sat, and thought, and grieved silently.

Thankfully my wife called me back, and I was able to release a tide of frustration and sadness. She said something that really got to the heart of the matter. "You should pray that the supporters of abortion come to know Jesus as their savior." BAM! That's it! Share the good news. Anyone in God's word respects human life. Let Law and Gospel work in their hearts. Bring it back to them. Their incorrect views on life stem from an incorrect view of who God is, what he demands, and what he has done. Let our lives shine his truth into dark places.  

I hope you can find something in this smorgasbord of opportunities to relieve that gnawing drive to DO something. It is the Spirit of God calling you to action. See what's available, and let me know what other opportunities I missed.

But if you find yourself face to face with the opposite view, remember Law and Gospel for their soul. God will take care of the rest.

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes. - Romans 1:16

Despair - Truth - Grace

I had a terrible dream last night. I was all alone, not physically, but emotionally. I was actually surrounded by a lot of people throughout the whole dream. I was trying to find a place to stay for my family. We were trying to get a hotel room, but there was a big event in the area that prevented us from getting one of the last six available rooms. One of my extended family members had gotten the last room so I had to sheepishly ask if we could stay with them. The dream then morphed into a pit of self-pity. 

We were in a large meeting area, a special ceremony was being held within our family. Each person was recognized and praised, but I was overlooked. People looked at me with disdain. They didn’t want to hear from me. I was reminded of all my failures of life, mainly relational (I am not good at conveying my thoughts in an un-argumentative fashion). I kept thinking, “Why are they hurting me so bad? How could I have ever hurt them this bad?”

I was reminded of my failures of performance. All the things I’ve tried, that didn’t pan out, that didn’t amount to much, that seemingly accomplished no good. I was reduced to a pouty child in the corner, playing with one of the gifts that was given to someone else. I was trying to figure out how it worked…really just trying to remove myself emotionally from the ego beat down. When a man came over and stopped me from playing with it, because I was being too loud. He stifled my cry for help, for some positive attention, and belittled me in the process. I felt like jumping out a window. “Maybe they’ll care then! When they see what they’ve lead me to do.” 

I awoke in this despair of heart like a weight on my chest, and a wall of tears held back before my eyes.

Why was I given this dream? Have I caused others to feel this way? At times, have I made my children feel like the child in the corner? I would never commit suicide…why was I compelled to jump? This is the Devil’s work! Accusing sinners of all their mistakes.

At this point I try to conclude my dream, to spin it in a positive light, trying to pull my emotions back from the dregs. With my conscious thoughts I prepared a speech to the people that had been so cold to me.

My first reaction is to condemn them and jump out the window…No, that will never do. I would be despairing and in the danger of hell, and the people that remained probably wouldn’t care. They would think the problem was resolved, the problem was removed. I realized that that option forgets that God still loves me, though the people around me and my thoughts lead me to doubt God could love me. It forgets that Christ saved me. It forgets that Christ saved them.

Their actions were not kind to me in the dream, but I recognized that I must have done something to offend each person. So my unlooked-for speech begins: “I’m sorry.” Then, I give apologies to each party that has specifically made a jab at me during the ceremony. “I know I am utterly hopeless on my own, but I still trust that God loves me, though your actions lead me to doubt this. I feel like jumping out a window, but God would not be happy with me taking my own life, and leaving you here. You can judge for yourselves if you have treated me fairly. If you have disciplined me with love, or if you have avoided me in scorn. If you have spoken rightly of me, or if you have conspired to mount accusations against me. God still has some use for me.”

Then, as I walk out of the hall, someone shouts, “No one cares!” with a half chuckle from the crowd.

I spin and shout, “May God hold you accountable for your words!”

(my subconscious kind of takes over here) 
At that, he begins to choke on something he was eating. My first instinct for a brief second is to let him die accursed. An enemy smote by God. But then I run over to him and give him the Heimlich. In dramatic fashion the room is hushed. 

I realize God has provided my perfect response to this accusing crowd: Love. They realized I am not trying to condemn them, but save them. I had saved the life of someone who I directly opposed, because my God compels me. I am not trying to use my words to tear down, but to bind up.

Maybe I need to work on better actions and less words.

With that insight I headed downstairs. I was still in a depressed mood from being beat down in my dream. I knew I needed to go to God’s word. 

Just an aside: I like to open up the bible and read the first section I see. I believe God is active in our lives, and nothing is by accident. I also know God’s word is living and active, sharper than any double edged sword. God uses events in my life and his word to surgically remove fear, doubt, and rebellion from my heart, mind, and soul. So I try not to let my own presumptions get in the way. 

This was feeling like more of a time to be in the New Testament, so I open more towards the back and landed in First Corinthians, chapter 15. God reminded me of the simple truth of the gospel. Christ saved me. Jesus lived; Jesus died; Jesus rose. Paul, arguably the most powerful tool used to spread God’s word after Christ, almost laments even being called an apostle because of his unworthy nature. The passage that really hit me, and obliterated my despair was verse 10. 

“But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect.”

Thank you LORD! 
Please equip me for your service. Heart, mind, and soul. Completely. Amen.