Church Crisis

I really hate it when non believers quote "judge not lest ye be judged."  They don't understand that scripture and it just sounds good to them to get Christians off their back.  Then again there is some truth to it, sometimes we can be judgmental in a harmful way.  The enemy loves to condemn us, to cause us to feel like our sin is unforgivable, just beyond graces reach, that is a lie.  When we condemn someone we are not extending the mercy we have been shown and we are using that same lie to possibly hold them back from faithfully returning to God.  I began to ponder the path a Christian woman might walk down when faced with an unplanned pregnancy outside of marriage and my heart began to fill with sorrow for the way we sometimes respond to these women.  I don't believe that "the sanctity of life" is the issue for Christian women who choose abortion, they know it is wrong.  I believe the fear of judgement and rejection of their church body or brothers and sisters in Christ may cause them to consider abortion.

We, as the body of Christ, need to be careful not to let these women down.  Sometimes we have rejected people who need to be embraced.  Because the church is made up of imperfect people, sometimes we do not live up to the expectations that are put on us, to be like Christ.  It grieves my heart that one in five women who are having abortions are born again believers.  You would not think this to be the case but it is, and its very sad.  Our system is broken, our women are rejected, and fear wins the war.  Every church in the world should be a crisis pregnancy center, that should be the first place a woman runs when she finds herself faced with a crisis pregnancy.  Many churches avoid these hot topic subjects for fear of offending their congregation, but what really happens is that it leaves no place for the women to turn. How are we supposed to help our sisters if they are too scared of judgment to walk through the doors and seek counsel....

In most cases crisis pregnancies, outside of marriage, result from two acts; pre-marital sex or adultery.  As Christians we know that both of these acts are sinful and we are meant to reject them.  The problem is that sometimes we have made it very hard for those who have stumbled in these sins to come back to church to seek redemption.  Over the years I have listened to amazing pastors so harshly address specific sins, especially adultery, that I cringed at the thought of someone who was struggling to return to the Lord after stumbling in this area.  I could imagine that they would struggle to feel comfortable seeking counsel from that pastor.  The fear of judgement from the body of Christ alone can be enough to drive a woman to abortion just to keep her mistake unknown.  How about murder? It is easy to forget that the taking of life is something that a post abortion woman faces on her conscience daily, and our harsh words do not give her a place of safety to walk into when she is reaching for God.  Our words matter, and it is important to direct the church not to sin, but we need to remember that even good people can fall off the path of righteousness and they deserve to be restored gently and without judgement, if they are returning with a repentant heart.  We have forgotten that our place is to love the sinner, for the church to be a safe place to bring your failures and shame to.  The non believers are watching how we handle the restoration of the body of Christ, if we love like Jesus or condemn.  Of course we must correct those who are on the path to destruction, but the purpose of that correction is to restore them to the body of Christ, not shame them from it.

Galatians 6:1a
Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person onto the right path.

God views all sin the same, he does not select a few and hate them more.  When people in the body of Christ emphasize certain sins being less acceptable than others they alienate anyone who may be trying to turn their lives around from the snare of those sins. The church needs to be an open door for people who have lost their way to seek help and counsel without fear of rejection or judgement.  Sin starts in the mind, so we are wise to remember that although some may have never committed any "serious" sins in the physical sense, we still can be guilty of sinning in our hearts.

Matthew 5:28
But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

We need to take a note from Jesus on how to approach the repentant.  Again, I am not speaking of those who are willfully and fully engaged in sin of their choosing.  They need to be rebuked and redirected so that they can turn from their sin.  I am talking about those with truly repentant hearts who have made the decision to turn from sin and seek a fresh start under the forgiveness and mercy freely given by Christ.

John 8:10-11
Jesus straightened up and asked her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?"  "No one sir," she said.  "Then neither do I condemn you,"  Jesus declared.  "Go now and leave your life of sin."

Jesus didn't require the woman to suffer further shame or public display.  He accepted her repentant heart and gave her clear instructions to leave the life of sin behind!  As a pro-life missionary it is important for me to extend the same mercy that God would extend to those in crisis pregnancy born from a sinful act.  It is my place to be gentle and to correct their direction if need be, but to show them Christs redemptive mercy and love.  We are all sinners and we have all stumbled, not one of us is perfect, the forgiveness of our sins comes from the same place.

I would guess that 90% of Christians have past sin and shame that they don't want the world to know every little detail of.  Can you imagine if a pastor designated a church service where everyone was required to list each and every sin and read it out loud before our brothers and sisters in Christ.  I would guess that very few people would show up that day!  Wouldn't it be beautiful if we could confess our every sin and failure to each other without fear of judgement!

Few sins are worn so visibly then sexual sin that results in an unplanned pregnancy.  These women don't need to be reminded by us that they messed up!  What they need is to be loved and corrected gently so that they can get back on the right path.  They need to feel safe to walk through the doors of our churches and be free to say "I messed up, can you help me?"  We need to do better to be a safe, loving place for them to do so.  A life created out of premarital sex or adultery is no less precious than a planned child, in fact God planned each and every one of us!  If we want to protect women and children from the threat of abortion we need to start by helping the women in our churches feel safe enough to choose life!

We also spend so much time telling our children not to have sex before marriage without really explaining to them why God says to wait.  It isn't any wonder that they then seek a secret abortion instead of facing us and disappointing us.  These young people are not given the firm foundation and understanding of the truth behind abstinence to cause them to adhere to it.  We have simple labeled sex before marriage as a sinful and shameful act and made it hard for them to come to us honestly.  We, as parents, need to spend time explaining why God tells us to wait and establishing and open and safe place for our children to come to for direction and advise.  Only a firm foundation of truth and love can truly give them the resolve to abstain.  If they stumble and it results in a pregnancy the lines of safe and open communication have already been established and will give them greater confidence to come to us for guidance.

We need our churches to be acting out the greatest commandment, LOVE!  We, as the body of Christ, need to stop with judging the repentant.  We need to stop with the gossip and the backstabbing.  We need to rise to new levels of compassion!  It is the purpose of the church to draw the sinner and saint alike into the house of God.  Of course, we don't condone sin, and if a brother or sister refuses to turn from their sin we have clear direction on that also.

Matthew 18:15
If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you.  If they listen to you, you have won them over.

First instruction is to quietly confront them.  The idea is NOT to make a spectacle of them.  Only if they refuse to turn from the sin do you involve the whole church.

Matthew 18:16-17
But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.  If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector.

When dealing with women facing a crisis pregnancy, the fear of being rejected by their church family alone could cause them to abort!  We have to be a safe haven, the place to come as you are and let God do his work.

Romans 5:8
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this; While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Our words matter.  When we project our personal feelings towards specific sin we ostracize those who may be recovering from those sins.  We hate all sin, of course!  We don't accept sin, but we are all sinners.  Jesus didn't walk in a way that made sinners afraid of to come to him, in fact they ran to him!  We need to extend the mercy that has been extended to us.  When we embrace a sinner and focus only on their restoration to redemption we are furthering God's kingdom.  Let us not be like the world, let us not reject people in their failures, let us not be a closed door to those who stumble.  Let us be a place where sinners and the broken hearted run to knowing they will be accepted and given guidance to the correct path.

The church has the power to end abortion.  We need to answer the call.  We need to be the safe haven offering love, real solutions and walking in unity with these pregnant mothers.  Let us end the silence and begin to show the world that we truly are the body of Christ!

Abundant Provision for LIFE

Women don't choose abortion because it empowers them, they choose abortion because they have been defeated by their circumstances.  They have been fed lie after lie, that they are not strong enough to face the crisis in front of them and that abortion is the only choice, but killing an innocent child never solves a problem.  The enemy loves to keep people bound in lies, and this lie has taken over a million lives each year since the legalization of abortion in the US.

Each year Pro-life advocates gather from all over the world and march in cities across the US to stand up and be the voice for the Unborn.  Each year the media ignores the tens of thousands of participants as they try to quiet our voice that is growing louder and harder to ignore.  This year was no different!  The enemy also works hard to destroy these gatherings and to discourage, but I believe that backfires because those of us who are dedicated to serving women in the pro-life movement are not easily turned aside, so when bad weather comes we push forward.  The pro-choice protesters however dwindle in number when the weather gets bad.

I was part of a group of LIFE Runners that had decided to meet at one of the most liberal cities in the US, San Francisco, for the West Coast Walk for Life this year.  As the date for me to fly back to the US neared the enemy attacks began.  First Ryan got sick, and we went through a couple of scary weeks, but trusting in the Lord he was healed.  Just 7 days before Ella Mae and I were to leave she somehow managed to be infected with lice.  Ella Mae’s hair hangs to her bottom so this in itself was a nightmare, but God gave me peace and with one simple prayer I parted her hair and found the one and only live bug in her hair and killed it.  We were able to eliminate the infestation before the first hatch, and that in itself was a miracle!  Then news of overbooked flights started to come down the line making the idea of standby travel a virtual nightmare, but I gave it to God and trusted Him to open seats for us, and I can tell you that He provided above and beyond on the flight out and His hand was all over the flight back!

I only had one short day with my family in LA before heading on to San Francisco, and my awesome sister had offered to keep Ella Mae while I went to this potentially hostile event.  Ella Mae is still much too young to be exposed to the angry and volatile pro-choice crowd.  

As I sat in the airport waiting for my flight I watched the news pour in about a major winter storm moving along the east coast that would directly affect the March for Life in Washington DC.  This storm did not deter the tens of thousands of pro-life advocates as they prepared to stand for life in our Capitol!  The stories that would follow were uplifting and spoke of faith and protection as thousands then found themselves stranded on the turnpike and other roadways for 30 hours.  So many stories all over the Internet about the perseverance.  Its beautiful, when you are truly called to stand for something, nothing will hold you back!  What is even better about the bad weather is that it didn't stop the March for Life in DC but the stories that followed made it impossible for the news to keep the entire event under wraps.  God is so good!  What the enemy meant to destroy God used for His glory.

My flight was delayed 2 hours due to fog in San Francisco, so it seemed that the enemy used weather at both events this year to try to hold us back, but he failed.  Our group of LIFE Runners all made it to San Francisco, a little late, but ready to go.  As I have found from past experience, any time a group of LIFE Runners gather the spiritual growth and team building is outstanding.  This weekend was no different.  We laughed, we prayed, we cried, we encouraged each other forward and we stood united.

The day of the march I was not sure what to expect.  I knew that last year the pro-choice protesters had been very angry  and I wanted to have peace in my heart so I would not respond in a way that was not helpful.  God poured so much peace on me, it was amazing.  As we began to walk in the cold, windy, and sometimes rainy city I did notice that the bad weather had not stopped us, but had kept the protesters home.  There were tens of thousands of us, and maybe 100 of them.  When we did encounter them my heart was so broken for them.  I knew their anger stemmed from a deep hurt, so as each group passed I closed my eyes and cried out in prayer for them.  For them to be delivered, healed and set free.  I could no longer contain the tears and the sorrow I felt for their broken hearts and I continued to let the Holy Spirit guide my prayers.  My sweet sister in Christ, TD, walked along with me, both of us with arms outstretched towards the protesters and joined me in prayer.  I was overcome in my heart for the deep pain these women felt.  What they didn't understand is that they weren't mad at us, they were mad at the lies they had believed that now caused them regret and pain.  I wanted desperately to reach out to them and to love on them, but they would not have received it, so I loved them from afar.

Coming to San Francisco was something that I will try to do every single year from now on, God willing.  We are needed there, our prayers are needed there, we must stand for the women, men and unborn of our nation even if they stand against us.  I know that our purpose there is not just to end abortion but to bring healing to those so destroyed by abortion.  Its not just about the unborn, its about the women, its about the broken families, broken hearts, broken lives.  I am a Pro-Life missionary, and I truly love them both-mother and unborn!

After the Walk we gathered together for our last evening together.  Its always so hard to see these “retreats” end but you walk away feeling energized.  Of course the enemy always tries to attack and he wasted very little time trying to steal my peace.  Ryan text that I would need to fly back to Fiji the next day and not wait until Monday as planned.  That meant I would have 5 hours between my flight to LA and my flight to Fiji.  For me that stole my peace, but only for a moment.  Ryan prayed with me, my teammates prayed with me and God reassured me as I gave it up to Him.  I knew that there was a significant chance I would not be able to get on a flight back that week, as the loads were heavy.

At the airport I checked in and was told that if everyone showed up that we would not get to fly home that night and the next few days didn't look any better.  Instead of freaking out I opened my Bible app and read words that shaped my night.  Its a blessing the way God speaks directly to our specific needs.  Right at that moment I was not having a flight crisis, I was having a faith crisis!  The opening verse that God sent me directly to was;

Matthew 17:20

He replied, “Because you have so little faith.  Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move.  Nothing will be impossible for you.”

After reading this I began to pray with Ella Mae right then and there that God would open two seats for us and get us home.  I told God that I needed Him to move this mountain, and then I did something I don't do often enough in prayer, I believed it done.  No question, no doubt, I told God what I needed and I expected Him to deliver, because He promises to provide for our needs.  Don't get me wrong, I trust God with my requests all the time, but this time I was declaring it done in the name of Jesus.  I wasn't going to take no for an answer.  I had prayed before we left Fiji that God would get us back in time and I was trusting Him to deliver.  Then Ella Mae and I spent the next hour singing praises while we waited.  I want to tell you that God is FAITHFUL!  I was at peace while we waited and then they handed me my tickets!  The gate agent apologized that he couldn't give us the upgrade but he had given us the bulk head to make it more comfortable.  I was just thrilled to have a seat!  I didn't know how amazing and abundantly God had truly provided until mid flight I was speaking to an attendant.  The seat next to Ella Mae was empty so it gave EM the opportunity to get comfortable, which is always nice.  The flight attendant told me that some of the other people on standby almost got bumped but we all made it on and the empty seat next to EM was the only empty seat on the whole plane!  God didn't just give me and EM a seat, he provided an extra seat next to us so that we could see his abundance!  It was powerful and it was a blessing.  God wants to provide, He cares deeply for us.  The same way He cared enough about getting us on this flight, He cares about the women who have found themselves in a crisis pregnancy.  He can, and desires, to make a way.  To provide for her and give her everything she needs to persevere.  He wont just let us fall, He is there waiting to catch us!

Women for Women

If the message of feminism is to empower women, to encourage them to reach for the stars and let nothing hold them back, to never let anyone stand in the way of a dream or ambition, and to always ensure equality amongst all genders then today's pro-choice feminists have completely missed the point!

We don't empower women by telling them that they are not strong enough to face a challenge.  We don't empower women by telling them the only way to get through something tough is to run from it, and we certainly don't help women by telling them the only way to reach their dreams and ambitions is to end the life of their unborn child!  Abortion hurts women, it destroys not only the unborn but breaks something in the women who chooses her own desires over the life of another.  If today's feminists truly stand for women then they should rally around these mothers in peril and help encourage them.  They should show them that they are in fact strong enough, brave enough, and more then capable of choosing life.  That empowers women!  A woman is able to rise above her circumstances and be more then she ever thought she could.  Maybe in the end she will choose adoption for her child, but that act of selflessness empowers a woman far more then ending a precious life.  Its time for the root of feminism to be revisited by women.  The feminism I see represented today is a far cry from those brave women who long ago paved the way for equality.

I am a woman and I can say that 90% of today's feminists do not in any way represent my view on women and the world.  They have lost the point and direction and it makes me sad.  We don't need to emasculate men to be empowered women.  We don't need to prove ourselves to anyone and we certainly need to stop fighting each other!  The nonsense of stay at home moms vs working moms, breast vs bottle, attachment parenting, co sleeping, spanking or not, these are not areas to judge each other and draw lines.  As women we need to be unified, and we aren't!  I am a stay at home mom, that is a gift as far as I am concerned.  I have had a career and for me being a stay at home wife and mother is the best job I have ever had.  I can respect that it is not for every mom and I applaud working women, but for me it is the only way.  We make sacrifices to have me stay home, we had to move to the other side of the world to be able to afford it, but God provided a job and a loving Christian school for my daughter to attend.  There are days where going to work would seem so much easier to me, but I am thankful that I get these 18 years at home with Ella Mae.  I am a wife who respects her husbands role as head of household.  That means that in the end my husband calls the shots, and you know what, that is the way it is supposed to be.  You know why I can submit to him?  Because we live in a marriage of mutual respect and he listens to my opinion and view and takes everything into consideration.  We pray about things, we talk about things, we love and respect each other and I will never apologize for being a wife who loves, honors, and obeys her husband. This is how I teach my daughter to be a strong woman, by being an example of a strong, empowered woman.

The family structure has been attacked over and over again, and its not men who are destroying the family structure, it is women who are so blinded by feminism that they can not see that women and men have different rolls for a reason.  In most cases women are emotionally driven and men are logical.  Sorry ladies, its true.  When push comes to shove men will view a situation in a logical manner while we work it out with our hearts.  The blend is important, it is part of the design.  It is also the reason why God established marriage between a man and a women.  We compliment each other, we accent each other, and when we work as a team with Christ in the middle we are unstoppable.

If women want to stand up for women, it is time to stop telling women that they only way to handle an unplanned pregnancy is to end the life of the unborn.  Its time to remind women just how strong and courageous they are, that nothing can stand in the way of their dreams if they just take a moment to breathe, seek council, and trust in the Lord for guidance.

Philippians 4:13
I can do all things through him who gives me strength.

If we want to help our sisters, then we need to love them in their circumstances.  Instead of a quick fix (although I do not believe there is anything quick fix about abortion), we need to help them face their fears and concerns and give them options they can live with.  Options that empower them and don't harm them.  Women are hurt by abortion, they may hide from that hurt, they may repress that hurt, but sooner or later it will overwhelm them in one way or another.  Post abortion women face major struggles with depression and often times physical problems.  Even worse those who encouraged them to abort often wont help them through their regret or pain because they have worked so hard to convince people that there is nothing immoral about abortion, that they cannot understand the emotional pain a woman may feel after.  When women leave an abortion clinic they are left with little or no support.  You know where those hurting women find solace?  At crisis pregnancy centers, surrounded by those who gently tried to persuade them not to take the life of the unborn.  As pro-life missionaries we welcome those broken by abortion.  We are there to walk them through the destruction and trauma they have experienced.  No judgement awaits the hurting post abortion woman, only encouragement and support.  Its time for women to take a stand for life and stop peddling death!  A woman can overcome her circumstances without taking the life of an innocent.  A woman in an unplanned pregnancy is strong enough, is brave enough, is more than able to choose life and that is a decision everyone can live with!

Limitless

Sometimes you read that one scripture that simply captivates you, a scripture so powerful you wonder how you did not see it before.  You know you have read it in the past but today for whatever reason that scripture screams at you from heaven!

It has become habit for me to take my quiet time at a local coffee shop, mostly because at home its hard for me to not be distracted.  As I read this scripture and sipped my iced coffee I got goosebumps from the words I was reading.  I don't think there is anyone in the Bible who lost more and suffered more than Job.  A truly righteous man whose faith was tested beyond what I could imagine.  He lost everything, or so it seemed.  To say he lost everything would actually be false, he still had something left, his faith!  He shows that if God is all you have you have everything you need.

The scripture starts out with Job describing the incredible works of God.

Job 26:7
He spreads out the northern skies over empty space;  he suspends the earth over nothing.  He wraps up the waters in his clouds;  yet the clouds do not burst under their weight.  He covers the face of the full moon, spreading his clouds over it.  He marks out the horizon on the face of the waters for a boundary between light and darkness.

To me all of these things are incredible.  I cant do any of those things, no one can.  God created the heavens and the earth and he alone controls it.  "He suspends the earth over nothing" that alone provokes thoughts beyond my reasoning!  None of these things Job talks about are small in nature and yet the verse that stopped me right in my tracks, made me put down my coffee and say "whoa" is the next one.

Job 26:14
And these are but the outer fringe of his works; how faint the whisper we hear of him!  Who then can understand the thunder of his power.

WOW, just think about it!  If these are considered by Job to only be a speck of what God can do then his faith far exceeds the level that I can comprehend!  I want his faith, I want to see how big God truly is.  I realized that in some small way I limited God.  I saw those amazing things that He has done and I thought them to be larger than life, and yet Job is right, they are a tiny portion of what God can do, not the peak of his abilities!  If my faith was that big all of my daily worries would simply disappear!  I pray that my faith increases to even a portion of this!  I realize that as much as my faith has grown it can be so much more!  I also know that if I ask God to increase my faith and I am willing to submit to Him that He is faithful and will do just that!

I used to be a big time worrier.  I still worry but nothing compared to what it used to be.  I'm learning to find peace while I trust in the Lord.  Just last week Ryan had a health scare that would have driven me to hysteria only a few years ago.  Pilots health is nothing to mess around with, their career rides on them being healthy.  When something threatens their health it can permanently end their career.  We prayed over Ryan, and we prayed over the situation, and even though it took nearly two weeks to pass, I was left in peace.  God had given me that quiet to wait in.  I just knew that he was healthy, and that this was going to pass without causing harm.  There were also people praying all over the world for him.  I believe without a doubt that God healed him.  In the end Ryan was given a gold star clean bill of health and the situation has passed.  I will hold firm that this was only by the grace of God.  His doctor even asked him if he had "the gift of touch" (healing) and Ryan was able to witness and tell him that he is a Christian and he believes his family does.  When a doctor gives God credit for your miraculous and unexplained turnaround you cant help but be excited by that!

I still cant get over the power in the words of Job.  The message that God has revealed through it all.  It is possible to lose EVERYTHING and still be rich because you refuse to let go of faith and God refuses to let go of you.  God cares intimately about the details of our lives.  That is incredible.  He formed the universe and He cares about me and my fears, doubts, worries, and concerns.  He shares in my joys, my triumphs, my hopes and my dreams.  I have only seen a whisper of what He can do, and that whisper is greater than I could ever imagine.  I hope I never look at trials the same again.  I pray that God gives me that kind of faith.  I believe He will if I will just trust in Him to show me the way!

Colossians 1:17
He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.