I am strong in the Lord...

Psalms 18:1,2  I love you, O LORD, my strength. The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.  
 
Psalms 27:1 The LORD is my light and my salvation--whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life--of whom shall I be afraid?  

Ephesians 6:10  Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power.  

Isaiah 40:29-31 He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.  Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall;  but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.  

Joni and Friends Daily Devotional
August 6, 2009
Pressing On

“Gideon and his three hundred men, exhausted yet keeping up the pursuit, came to the Jordan and crossed it.”  Judges 8:4

“Press on, friend. The Bible is full of exhortations to press on no matter what the circumstances.  Judy Rice presses on. She wrote me recently, ‘Joni, your daily devotional Diamonds in the Dust, has become my constant companion as I sit in my nursing home and wait for breakfast. I have been in a wheelchair since 1965, having found myself with multiple sclerosis as a very young adult.’

“This young woman lives in a nursing home, sits in a wheelchair, waits for her breakfast, and remains faithful in her daily devotions despite facing an uncertain future. Doesn't her example strengthen your resolve to press on? The Bible makes much of sticking to it when it comes to living with unpleasant circumstances.

“In Judges 8:4, Gideon's troops were exhausted.  They were completely worn out, but they kept pursuing the goal. They ended up victorious in battle. The result? Greater glory to the Father.  Then there's Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. Talk about someone facing unpleasant circumstances! The Lord says in Matthew 25, ‘My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow, even to the point of death...My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me.’ But Jesus presses on in the next verse, saying, ‘Yet not as I will, but as you will.’  The Lord persevered and obtained salvation for the world. The result? Greater glory to the Father.

“Judy Rice is fighting her own battles, and praying her own prayers about cups of suffering passing her lips. Because she presses on by God's grace, she's in a class with Gideon; yes, even with the Lord Jesus, who welcomes her at His side.

* * * * * 
“What battles are you facing? Whatever they are, draw encouragement from Gideon, the Lord Jesus, and Judy Rice and...press on!

Jesus – “If today I feel as though I can't go on, help me to press forward.  Thank you for the examples of Gideon and Judy Rice.  Most of all, I'm grateful that in you, I find more than an example... I find strength!”

Taken from More Precious Than Silver.  Copyright © 1998 by Joni Eareckson Tada

What a timely message for me – I am SO tired, and in so much pain that it would be really easy to just give up – and stay in bed.  I need this reminder every morning – as I open my eyes and face another day, I can either do it in my own strength (which is pretty puny) – or I can face it with the LORD’S strength (which will never fail me).  It’s a choice – I can let the pain and the fatigue claim the day – or I can claim the day for Jesus!  It’s not easy – not saying it is – getting up and moving when all I want to do is pull the covers over my head takes every ounce of willpower I can muster – then I have to choose to surrender the day to God to be used by Him in a way that honors Him.  So, friend – can you relate?  If so, remember that God never calls us to do anything in our own strength – we will only have the victory if we rest in HIS strength. Put your hope in HIM – let Him carry you on “wings like eagles” – and soar above your circumstances in HIS power!  How?  Start your day in the Word – let His words filter down into your heart!  Make the Bible your “Breakfast of Champions!”  And – when the day ends, take a few more minutes to be in the Word.  Keep your mind set on Him – morning, noon and night!

Thirty one years ago God called me to become involved in the pro-life work.  I was terrified - because abortion had almost destroyed my life.  I know that many of you have heard my testimony - for those of you who haven’t, here’s the condensed version -

When I was 15½ I traded in my candy striper uniform at a local hospital for a white smock, and I took a job in the histology department of that hospital.  I was trained to assist the pathologist with the gross examination of the specimens that came in that day - including the abortions.  I learned to identify fetal and placental tissue - and I learned how to suppress all of the feelings I had about what I was doing.

After 7 years of this job, I had a breakdown and spent 3 months in a mental health unit.  My life was a mess - and no one understood what was happening to me - because I rarely talked about it.  I told a small home Bible study my testimony, and one of the pastors remembered it when the church was approached about helping a crisis pregnancy center open in El Cajon - he thought I’d be perfect as a liaison - and I thought he was crazy!  BUT - God spoke clearly to me through Isaiah 54 - 

“Sing, O barren, You who have not borne! Break forth into singing, and cry aloud,You who have not labored with child! For more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married woman,” says the Lord. Enlarge the place of your tent, and let them stretch out the curtains of your dwellings; do not spare; lengthen your cords, and strengthen your stakes. For you shall expand to the right and to the left, and your descendants will inherit the nations, and make the desolate cities inhabited. Do not fear, for you will not be ashamed; neither be disgraced, for you will not be put to shame; for you will forget the shame of your youth, and will not remember the reproach of your widowhood anymore. For your Maker is your husband, the Lord of hosts is His name; and your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel; He is called the God of the whole earth. For the Lord has called you like a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, like a youthful wife when you were refused, says your God.”

After reading this I KNEW what God wanted from me - and I chose to follow Him into unchartered and terrifying territory.  I went out to the center in El Cajon and felt that God was saying that the CHURCH needed to be the place of refuge for women - that the CHURCH needed to take a stand on abortion and stop treating it like it was a political issue.  Fortunately, this church - Horizon Christian Fellowship - took up that challenge and allowed us to have an office on campus, and we built the ministry from the ground up.  

It was ground breaking work - we were the only center in a church in the County - and one of only a few in the Country.  We were at the very beginning of the crisis pregnancy center movement.  There were no training manuals - we had to rely on the LORD for guidance and direction - and He has been faithful!  Since that time we have grown tremendously - we offer free pregnancy test, abortion education, parenting classes, post abortion counseling, and natural family planning instruction.  We have helped train leaders in Romania, Israel and India, and we currently have centers in Russia and Zambia.

I have to be honest and tell you that I was pretty naive at the time - I really thought that we would win the battle - that people would see the truth about abortion - and that Roe v Wade would be overturned.  I had no idea that 31 years later we would still be fighting that battle. When the first Planned Parenthood videos were released this summer, I had hope that THIS would be the time - this would certainly wake up the church - that we would have people standing in line to volunteer and support us in our fight to preserve life and protect women from abortion - but that hasn’t happened. 

At the same time Planned Parenthood is being exposed, Pregnancy Centers in California are facing the implementation of AB775 - the bill that would require us to provide a referral to every client to Social Services for a free abortion.

While we’re winning small victories across the country, there are still over 1.2 million abortions performed annually - over 15,000 of them are performed in San Diego County. That is simply unacceptable!

To that end, Silent Voices wants to provide even more services to women - to meet them where they are, and not wait for them to find us!  Hopefully you all had the opportunity to see the Save the Stork van out front - isn’t it amazing?  We want to purchase and license one of these vans.  This would allow us to provide ultrasounds to women who are abortion vulnerable - and it will expand our reach in the County.  In order to do this we have to raise our income substantially - AND we have to have more volunteers!  We need a doctor and nurses to volunteer.  We need people to serve in the office so that Steph and I are freed up to go out with the van.  We need help - we need YOUR help.  There’s a postcard for each of you on the table - we hope you’ll take it and share it with someone. Maybe you know someone who is a doctor - or you know a nurse - or you know someone who might want to help underwrite the cost of the purchase.  

Deitrich Bonhoeffer said “Silence in the face of evil is itself evil: God will not hold us guiltless.  Not to speak is to speak.  Not to act is to act.”  Proverbs 24:11 says “Deliver those who are drawn toward death, and hold back those stumbling to the slaughter.”  What will YOU do to save a life?

Power Plan
 
BEFORE AN EMERGENCY

• Update your contact information in My Account & enroll in alerts to be contacted if your power is out
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DURING

• Use SDG&E’s outage map, available online and via the mobile app, to get information on power restoration times.
• If you choose to use a portable generator, make sure you know how to operate it safely.
• Opt for flameless candles and flashlights during a power outage.

 OPINION   CORA SHERLOCK   OCT 12, 2015   |   12:02PM    DUBLIN, IRELAND

​Sunday, 11th October 2015 marked the International Day of the Girl Child.  Perhaps the saddest aspect of this day is the fact that it’s still needed.  When the United Nations General Assembly first designated the Day in December, 2011, the plan was to recognise the rights of girls around the world, and the unique challenges that they face.

Each year, the observance Day is given a theme.  In previous years, the need to end child marriage and secure proper education were prevalent.  The theme for 2015 is the Power of the Adolescent Girl.  But while the UN comments on this year’s Day are commendable – acknowledging that girls have the right to a safe, educated and healthy life both during adolescence and as they mature.
Unfortunately, the rights that girls acquire in adolescence and beyond are only relevant if another, far more fundamental right has been protected previously – namely, the right to life itself.  As the basic human right, there is no other right that is more important.  Indeed, no other right can be availed of the right to life is denied but this simple fact is lost on many people, even an organisation as powerful as the UN.

Back in March 2010, the Economist magazine ran a cover story that talked about “the war on baby girls”.  It spoke about a horrifying new reality – how, according to official estimates, over 100 million girls were missing from the world due to gendercide, abortion and infanticide.  Later surveys estimated that the figure had risen even further.  The trickle-down effect of such blunt gender imbalancing has resulted in the phenomenon of “bare branches”, where millions of young men are literally left with no chance whatsoever of marriage.  This leads to sex trafficking, and a vicious cycle of human rights abuses.
 
It would seem then that the proper place to start when addressing something as important as the rights of girls throughout the world would be to look at those situations where girls are most targeted.  If we were to do that, abortion would have to be high on the list.  Human rights campaigners like Reggie Littlejohn of Womens’ Rights Without Frontiers have specifically targeted China’s One Child Policy not only because of the horrific abuse it inflicts on pregnant women in China, but also because baby girls are most at risk of abortion because of its restrictions.  In countries like China, where baby boys are considered far more valuable than girls, many families will opt to abort baby girls – particularly if they live in a restrictive regime that doesn’t allow or encourage them to have more than one child.
There are many who would like to think that this phenomenon is only prevalent in underdeveloped countries, or cultures subject to restrictive regimes like the One Child Policy. Unfortunately, this is not the case and when the truth comes to the fore, the proper action isn’t always taken.

When an undercover investigation revealed sex selective abortions were taking place in the UK, one would have hoped that a radical overhaul of the UK abortion laws (which don’t allow abortion on grounds of gender) would have taken place. Instead, when a vote was finally held in the British Houses of Parliament to determine that the practice was illegal under the Abortion Act 1967, it was defeated. Various reasons were offered – there was no need because the Act clearly outlaws sex-selective abortions; it would send a bad message to some members of British society, making them feel that their cultures were exclusionary; and perhaps the most telling of all – if the vote was successful, there was the danger that the status of “personhood” might be conferred on the unborn child.

​Perhaps that’s the real reason why we still have so far to go as a global society before we can truly say that girls in every country around the world have all the rights and opportunities  that they deserve. Whether we like it or not, abortion plays a big part in discriminating against girls. What we need most of all now are policy makers who have the courage, vision and determination to put the right to life of the world’s girls above the so-called “right to abortion”. When that happens, we might start to make some real progress.

09 October, 2015
Written by  Kirk Walden
Published in COMMENTARY
The word “choice” gets more than its share of ink in the abortion debate, certainly. The abortion lobby loves this word; it allows them to avoid talking about abortion, and they don’t have to explain why they truly offer no other choices.

In addition, using the false narrative of “choice” dumbs down the entire issue, as if the ability to choose anythingis somehow an inherent, inalienable right. That’s silly, and anyone with any depth of thought understands this.

We have limited “choice” regarding our driving speed, the use of our property (in my neighborhood I can’t turn my house into a retail store), the pharmaceuticals we purchase (prescriptions), where we can legally discharge a weapon, and so much more.

“It is my body” is not a defense for illegal drug use, using my fist on another person, or for using my fingers to text while driving.

Yet still, those in the abortion industry tout the word as if it is the answer to all questions, the final word on any and all arguments.

It is not. But as long as the word keeps coming up, let’s focus in on the choices made by both the abortion lobby and the pregnancy help community. If this is about “choice,” what choices are each side making?

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First, the abortion lobby. Right now, they are making the choice to double down on defending Planned Parenthood. No matter the conduct of Planned Parenthood officials, the choice is clear: Deflect the accusations through distraction (“The videos are edited; they left out the bathroom breaks!” “Pro-Life individuals made these videos, so they have to be suspect!”).

Another choice? Defend the indefensible. Yawn while others look at the horror of selling the bodies of deceased children, saying casually this this practice, while gruesome, is all about helping people.

The abortion lobby—which includes Planned Parenthood--chooses not to be involved in something else: Parenthood. It isn’t a numbers game to note that in its last annual report, Planned Parenthood brags of 3,905,001 services involving contraception, sterilization and abortion. That’s 3.9 million, folks.

Do you know how many prenatal care services were offered by all Planned Parenthood centers throughout the entire United States? Just 16,684.

Tweet This: 99.5 % of the time, #PPact pregnancy services prevent or end a pregnancy @KirkWalden

So when it comes to pregnancy-related services, 99.5% of the time, those services were related to ending or preventing a pregnancy. That’s the choice they’ve made.

What about us, the pregnancy help community? We make choices, too. I don’t have all of our statistics, but I wish I did. Wouldn’t it be powerful to see all of us reporting—pregnancy help medical clinics, pregnancy resource centers, adoption agencies, maternity homes—and to tell the world what we are accomplishing?

Can you imagine the numbers? Pregnancy tests? STI or STD tests? Ultrasounds? Prenatal care? Mentoring services through Earn While You Learn and other initiatives? Post abortion recovery sessions? Fatherhood connections? Character education initiatives in schools and churches?

[Click here to subscribe to Pregnancy Help News!]

If we added up all that more than 2,500 of our organizations are actually accomplishing, the results would be jaw dropping.

Those results would reflect our choices, which are life-changing. And what are our choices?

We choose to support and encourage those facing unplanned pregnancies, rather than offering a defeatist option.

We choose to believe in those who are struggling, offering new pathways that lead to victories.

We choose to build families, to assist in breaking cycles of dependency and to walk alongside those who opt for new, empowering life decisions.

We choose to reach out to those who chose abortion, without dismissing their heartfelt pain.

We choose to see every human life as carrying intrinsic value and as an opportunity to build a better future for our society.  

In the end, while those who champion ending pregnancies shout and scream, we quietly wake up each day, determined to help others as they make positive decisions for themselves, and for those they carry.

Choice? I like the ones we make.

Tweet This: We choose to support those facing #UnplannedParenthood @KirkWalden #DefundPP