The Child I Would Have Killed Saved Me
When I went to see her, she said truthful that she did not abort the child. We then went to get an ultrasound and was told she is too far gone into her pregnancy to abort. I accepted that and told her to come home. My husband and I eventually became guardians of Kathy, the child that was not aborted, and her brother, Marcus.
When Kathy was three, I was reading her a bedtime story and I began to weep, as I was very sad over my daughter's life. Kathy said, "Grandma, don't cry. Jesus is in your heart and he will protect you!" She learned this from her Wednesday devotionals at her Baptist preschool. Here were profound words from the mouth of a babe.
The very next day was Sunday, so I decided to take Kathy to church. It has been a love affair with Christ ever since.
Here was a child, thru abortion I would have KILLED, has instead LIVED and SAVED me.
Kathy today is a bright 12 year old, gifted in music, following the covenants of the Lord the best she can. I have found the Lord leading me to help the homeless and poor, and have formed Jesus Center, a non profit, to help strengthen the homeless and poor in Jesus through Bible Study and an Earning Money Workshop, where we make quilts and crafts (to sell) along with informal counseling. My husband and I have also adopted Kathy and her two siblings, Marcus and Kara. We are raising three children all over again as we near seventy.
Everything we do is to the GLORY of GOD. Every child in the womb has been created special by the Lord. We have no right to kill it through worldly decisions.
Karen Otaka
Lessons of a Life Well Lived
“…he lives with you, and will be in you.” John 14:17
In the summer of 1952, a young lady of sixteen gave birth to a little girl and named her Iris. Iris grew up in the small town of Westville, Indiana where a single yellow light flashes on Main Street even today and basketball reigns supreme. As an adult, Iris moved away from her tiny town as soon as possible and made a different life. She had three children, earned a degree in fashion design and served actively in her church.
In 1994 my mother, Iris Dee Johnson, went home to be with the Lord at the age of 43. Though I miss her greatly, the lessons she taught me by a life well lived, continue to echo through me. I never heard gossip pass her lips. She included everyone in her life regardless of income, race, or religion. I saw her sin, repent and ask for forgiveness even if it meant humbling herself to her children. Most importantly I observed her faith in action when I caught her praying before the sun rose, teaching Sunday school to two year olds, or learning God’s word through Bible Study Fellowship. She served the Lord by serving those He placed in her path. I knew that the Spirit lived in her by her profession of faith, but also by her daily walk.
God has asked us not only to encourage women in their daily tasks, but to go one step further and share with you the good news of His Son. The Lord has already blessed our prayer to be used by Him to further His kingdom. It seems like a daunting task even now, but I am reminded that nothing is impossible when, “he (the Holy Spirit) lives with you, and will be in you.” God did not intend for every child to have a mother exactly like Iris Johnson, but He does desire for every person to be like His Son. Would you join with our team in praying that we serve every woman who comes to us as the hands and feet of Jesus? We covet your prayers for our ministry.
by M.E. Brown
Guest Blogger
Prayer is a Pro-Life Weapon
We as women who pray have two choices at that moment. We can stop what we are doing and pray with her or say I will pray with you later.
Just recently, I had this very opportunity be asked of me to pray with a lovely lady who was setting up for the young girls Wonderfully Made conference. We were both overwhelmed with our bins of products and decorations. She came over to me and said, “I need prayer, and will you pray for me?”
I stopped everything and invited her to a private area down the hallway, away from all the commotion. Then I proceeded to listen to her request. Her daughter lives in Nevada with a husband who is going to prison and leaving her with their 5 children to raise by herself. To make it more interesting, she just found out that she is pregnant with their 6th child. She was so overwhelmed by her circumstances that she scheduled for an abortion the day of our conference. So we had 24 hours to reach her heart and save her baby. We got on our knees weeping and pleading that God Almighty would rescue this precious grandchild and give a heart change of courage to her daughter.
After prayer, we got up and kept getting ready for the conference. I rallied all the ladies there and we prayed together and promised to be interceding all night. We all went home filled with heavy burden for this baby in the balance and the mother feeling so hopeless.
Next morning during conference, we had no word. I was going to share about A Place for Women to the young girls at 10:20. At 10:05 the woman vender came in with tears on her face. I was holding my breath and waiting to hear what she was going to say.
She said, “She is keeping the baby, she can’t do it” (meaning the abortion). I just started crying and all who knew did too.
So back into the hallway on our knees we gave thanks and praise for God’s rescuing power! This new baby growing inside of his mother’s womb has already begun writing his powerful testimony of how great our God is at rescue.
As women who pray, God has invited us to bring others into His presence and experience together His saving power. Please don’t miss His invitation.
Prayer is a Pro-Life weapon,
Sue Skinner
The Power of Words
“Words can build you up
Words can break you down
Start a fire in your heart or
Put it out”
For me, “Words” is always a reminder of the power speech has over our lives. Proverbs 15:4, one of the many verses in the Bible that addresses our speech patterns, says, “A soothing tongue is a tree of life, But perversion in it crushes the spirit.” (NASB) How many ever stop and think that what is considered a “joke” or a clever comeback has the potential to crush the spirit of another? Judging by the dialogue on many sitcoms and comedies, American society doesn’t. Often, what passes for humor nowadays is little more than witty insults and retorts meant to put another down.
Every rude word has the potential to wound, no matter how many people laugh or how lightly it appears to be taken. I believe that many people, including those in the Church, indulge in what could rightly be called “perverted words”. Whether through gossip, cruel jokes, or put-downs, words have the potential to inflict harm in another’s life, sometimes creating lasting emotional wounds.
This is not what God wants for His people. For those of us who know that we should not harm with words, it is not enough to simply withhold poison from our tongue. Instead, we need to replace criticism with encouragement and love. Tongues are like gardens. To flourish, weeds and harmful insects must be diligently removed. However, can it be called a garden if it is carefully weeded and tended, but devoid of any nutritious plant? If it does not provide food, it is nothing more than a useless plot of dirt.
We need to “weed” out bitterness, gossip, malice, and any other shameful speech. But if we do so without being gracious, encouraging others to grow closer to God, and giving comfort, we are simply an empty plot of dirt devoid of everything good. It is of such vital importance to learn the art of “feeding” others that Paul writes in Hebrews 3:13 : ‘But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called "Today," so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.’
God has given Christians a double duty when it comes to words: First, take care that we do not crush others with them. Secondly, do not withhold words that will bring encouragement and renew the faith of those around us. “Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear.” (Ephesians 4:29, NASB)
Tend the garden of your speech; pull the weeds and plant edification.
by K. Poulos
Guest Blogger