Who Are They Trying To Keep Out? - Day 16 of 40 Days For Life

For me the hardest part of the prayer vigil is watching those who have just had an abortion exit the facility.

Today, after I had been there for a while, a man who looked to be in his mid thirties drove his late model 3.5L high output muscle car into the parking lot and entered the clinic alone. About fifteen minutes later he came out accompanied by a woman with a troubled look on her face. After helping her into the car, the African American couple drove away.

As they pulled out onto Commercial Boulevard, I was overcome with emotion, tears came, then loud sobbing as I thought of what I had just witnessed. Two apparently successful people had just terminated the life of their child.

It's painful to think of their loss - they would never look into the eyes of that child, never hold him/her in those early months of infancy, never hear their first words, take their first steps...
And then there's the thought of what lies ahead for these two parents as they face life changing and often life-long post-abortive problems.

Just before they pulled out, another car pulled into the parking lot, a couple in their early twenties, also African American, with a silver fish emblem on the back of their SUV. The young girl got out and entered the clinic and the young man began to pull out of the parking lot. His window was down, so I asked, "Which one of you is a follower of Jesus?" He was amiable but I could not hear his response due to the traffic noise. I said, "You have a Jesus sticker on your car." In our brief exchange, he said he had never killed any children and I understood him to say that the young woman he had just dropped off at the clinic was not there for an abortion.

I had been there going on two hours when another African American couple, perhaps in their mid twenties, came out of the clinic and walked passed me to the parking lot to the west.

Could all of this been prevented? Earlier, after the man in the muscle car pulled in, I had wondered if he and his companion had ever heard their pastor preach about abortion? Then the SUV with the Jesus symbol pulled in.

What's troubling is that most pastors avoid speaking about abortion from the pulpit. Perhaps the greatest danger to America's unborn will prove to be the silence of the American pulpit. So I pray for pastors while I'm at the vigil.

For the past five years, I have spent most of my time as a pro-life advocate, working in the local African American community.

During the two hours I was at the clinic today, everyone that entered or exited the clinic were African American. Most of the other days I have been at the vigil, I have noticed that about half of the clients are Black. Today I realize I had a front row seat witnessing what Black pro-life leaders call Black Genocide.*
Here's why they use of that term:
- 16 million black babies killed since Roe v. Wade (1973)
- 452,00 per year (2005)**
- 1,238 killed per day**
- Black women are 06% of the population
- Black women have 30% of all abortions
  (Allen Guttmacher Institute 2011)
  (**National Vital Statistics Report, October 2009)

The result of these starling numbers is that in Black America, death outpaces life, in other words there is an annual Black life deficit. The African American birthrate is now below replacement level. Blacks are the only minority in America declining in population. I wish pastors would come and see with their own eyes what I witnessed today.

As I stood and paced back and forth in front of the ten foot black steel spiked fence that surrounds the parking lot of the clinic, I wondered, "Who are they trying to keep out?" After all, the killing is going on inside.

Jesus said of the devil,
"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy;
I have come that they may have life,
and have it to the full."
(John 10:10 NIV)

Today, as every day since 1973, the Architect of Abortion is having his way and equally tragic is the fact hat I was standing alone for most of those two hours.

James 1:27 came to mind.

"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this:
to look after orphans and widows in their distress
and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."  (NIV)

There are no greater orphans than the unborn who are abandoned by their mother and father to a gruesome death. Equally tragic is the "religion" of the American church that remains absent and largely silent in the face of America's greatest holocaust.

(You can join the prayer vigil by going to www.40daysforlife.com/fortlauderdale to register and sign up on the vigil schedule.)

* For documentation on Planned Parenthood and the abortion industry's targeting of Black America,
see "Maafa 21 Black Genocide in 21st Century American" free online at www.maafa21.com and visit www.toomanyaborted.org, my friend Rev. Clenard Childress' www.blackgenocide.org or my friend Rev. Arnold Culbreath's www.protectingblacklife.org

"Do You Understand This?"

It was busy Monday at the All Women's Clinic (AWC) during the two and a half hours that I was there to pray. During my vigil I watched as two women, accompanied by individuals who had been waiting for them, exited the clinic after having, to use the words of AWC's website, "the contents of the uterus" removed.

AWC is where Theodor Lehrer, M.D. plies his trade. According to his website (http://www.allwomensclinic.com) he runs a "full service OBG practice" that is "licensed by the State of Florida and is also accredited by the National Abortion Federation (NAF), the Women's Emergency Network (WEN) and by other women's networks."

Dr. Lehrer is "...a Board Certified M.D., Diplomate of the American Board of Obstetrics and  Gynecology and is a recognized expert in his field." But that is not all. His impressive credentials include membership in the Florida Medical Association, the Broward County Medical Association, the William Little Obstetrical and Gynecologic Society, the American Association of Gynecologic Laparoscopists, the Society of Laparo-Endoscopic Surgeons, the Association of Reproductive Health Professionals, and "other medical organizations." In addition he has "unlimited active hospital privileges in major Obstetrics and Gynecology" at Broward General Medical Center.

Impressive credentials for a professional abortionist, considered by the state and medical community to be  well qualified to remove "the contents of the uterus" from those seeking to benefit from his 38 years of medical experience and expertise.

A young African American woman, perhaps still in her teens, walked down the sidewalk approaching the AWC from the west. She walked right by me as I held a sign that read,

"Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you"- God

Ten stunning words from God, defining a relationship between the Creator and the prophet Jeremiah even before there was any physical manifestation of the prophet in the womb. A bold statement affirming the unique and distinct personhood of the unborn.

She took a few steps past me, and then just before walking through the gate of the clinic, turned and took another look at the ten words on the sign accompanied by a photo of a first trimester fetus (Latin for "young one").

I found myself asking her, "Do you understand this?"

She said yes, and proceeded to enter the AWC.

Ten or fifteen minutes later she left the clinic and walked past me heading west down the sidewalk.

I pray Scripture at the vigil. One appropriate to this encounter is printed on the Prayer Guide I prepared and made available to the prayer vigil volunteers, Hebrews 4:11-12 (NIV)

^"For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account."

According to their website, the AWC recognizes that it "...has the ethical and legal responsibility to ensure that...patients receive true and accurate information and make their decision voluntarily and without manipulation, coercion or misinformation."

I have yet to find any information on their website that identifies exactly what "the contents of the uterus" is. That is one reason, as the Church, we pray and bear public witness to God's truth regarding life in the womb in front of this facility where human life is routinely eliminated by a well credentialed abortionist.

"Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them." James 5:11 (NIV)

Prayer Before Politics

Today was day 7 of 40 Days for Life Fort Lauderdale. Based on statistics provided by the Florida Agency For Health Care Administration, 6,480 unborn children lost their lives to abortion in Broward County in the first six months of 2012.

That translates to the loss of 243 unborn babies in Broward County since the 40 Days for Life campaign began seven days ago and 243 mothers and fathers that will live the rest of their lives bearing the guilt, shame, sorrow, regrets, and any number of other emotional, psychological and spiritual problems traced back to the decision to kill their own young.

When you stand in front of these "death houses" praying and watching the clients coming and going, it puts a "face" on the statistics.

Today, again, I prayed alone for almost an hour until the two other volunteers (pictured) came to pray around noon. The first client I saw was a young woman - perhaps college age - who exited the clinic and walked to a car parked next door where an older woman (her mother?) was waiting. The face of the young woman was conflicted. I saw at least three other women, two accompanied by men, enter the clinic during my vigil.

In speaking to someone about the prospects of his pastor supporting the 40 Days for Life campaign, I was told his pastor would not deal with abortion because it was too "political."

While acknowledging there is a political side to abortion, since it was legalized by  U. S. Supreme Court in 1973, and a political fight to be fought, I wish pastors using that excuse to sidestep the issue, would stand in front of a clinic for an hour and look into the eyes of those who become the victims of this "political" issue. Perhaps then their pastoral (shepherding) instinct would kick in as they witness the human tragedy that is endemic to abortion.

Taking the liberty to speak plainly here, I can't think of any "issue" that is more spiritual than abortion. The transforming power of the gospel is what will end abortion and if pastors don't get it, we have a problem. The delay and difficulty pastors and the Church have had in coming to terms with abortion for the last 40 years, is the reason abortion is still alive and well, continuing to take the lives of over 3,300 unborn children every day in the USA.

We believe through prayer and fasting we can access God's power to end abortion. Can you imagine how God would respond to the church lining the street, in humility, compassion and faith, fasting and praying for the end of abortion, the salvation of abortion providers and forgiveness, healing and restoration of those who have been touched by an abortion?

Jesus exposes the devil's role in abortion, contrasting it with his mission,

"The thief comes only to steal, kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full."   (John 10:10  NIV)

And the words of John declare the ultimate outcome,

"The one who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work." 1 John 3:8  (NIV)

No mention of politics, only a spiritual battle with sin and the devil, a battle that 

has been won through the gospel,

"...having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross." 

(Colossians 2:15 NIV)

You can go to www.40daysforlife.com/fortlauderdale to register and sign up to join the prayer vigil. Put prayer before politics and see what God does.

(You can find information regarding 40 Days for Life campaigns in over 300 other cities by going to www.40daysforlife.com)

I'm Hoping History Repeats Itself

"In the 1830s, American abolitionists, led by Evangelical Protestants, gained momentum in their battle to end slavery. Abolitionists believed that slavery was a national sin, and that it was the moral obligation of every American to help eradicate it from the American landscape by gradually freeing the slaves and returning them to Africa."

("I Will Be Heard!" Abolitionism in America, Cornell University Library)

According to the historical accounts, a spiritual revival, the Second Great Awakening of the 1820's, had a great impact the efforts of Christians to end slavery.

"Although antislavery sentiment had existed during the American Revolution, and abolitionist Benjamin Lundy began his work early in the 19th century, the abolition movement did not reach crusading proportions until the 1830s. One of its mainsprings was the growing influence of evangelical religion, with its religious fervor, its moral urgency to end sinful practices, and its vision of human perfection. The preaching of Lyman Beecher and Nathaniel Taylor in New England and the religious revivals that began in W New York state in 1824 under Charles G. Finney and swept much of the North, created a powerful impulse toward social reform—emancipation of the slaves as well as temperance, foreign missions, and women's rights. Outstanding among Charles Finney's converts were Theodore D. Weld and the brothers Arthur Tappan and Lewis Tappan." (http://www.us-civilwar.com/abolitionist.htm) 

In other words, spiritual regeneration through the gospel of Jesus Christ transformed lives in such a way that their faith drove them to not only oppose slavery but led to efforts to abolish slavery.

According to History.com,

"...the abolitionist movement did not coalesce into a militant crusade until the 1830s. In the previous decade, as much of the North underwent the social disruption associated with the spread of manufacturing and commerce, powerful evangelical religious movements arose to impart spiritual direction to society. By stressing the moral imperative to end sinful practices and each person's responsibility to uphold God's will in society, preachers like Lyman Beecher, Nathaniel Taylor, and Charles G. Finney in what came to be called the Second Great Awakening led massive religious revivals in the 1820s that gave a major impetus to the later emergence of abolitionism as well as to such other reforming crusades as temperance, pacifism, and women's rights. By the early 1830s, Theodore D. Weld, William Lloyd Garrison, Arthur and Lewis Tappan, and Elizur Wright, Jr., all spiritually nourished by revivalism, had taken up the cause of 'immediate emancipation.'"

(Abolitionist Movement, History.com)

History shows that the end of slavery was linked to this spiritual revival that impacted our nation in a profound way and "nourished" Christian leaders to respond to the morally repugnant institution of slavery.

Could there be a lesson here for 21st century America? Perhaps America will not get serious about ending abortion until there is another spiritual awakening.

Maybe it will take another spiritual awakening for the church to end it's preoccupation with entertainment and "cultural relevance" and apply the gospel in its response to state sanctioned killing of unborn children.

Maybe it will take another spiritual revival to awaken the conscience of America's clergy to the impunity with which the unborn are routinely slaughtered in the communities where they live and minister.

Maybe it will take another Great Awakening to prompt the church to respond in practical compassion to those at risk for abortion and to offer the gospel message of forgiveness, healing and restoration to the millions of post-abortive in and out of the church.

I'm hoping history will repeat itself. That is one reason I am participating in 40 Days for Life Fort Lauderdale prayer and fasting campaign to end abortion. God can end abortion in America. We are calling out to Him for His intervention.

Join us by going to www.40daysforlife.com to locate one of the 315 cities across this nation where prayer vigils are in progress. 40 Days for Life goes through November 4.

This Really Matters!

On average, 1,200 African American unborn babies are aborted every day in America - 16 million since abortion was legalized in 1973.
As a result, African Americans are the only minority in America that are declining in population because their birthrate is now below the replacement level.

If this trend continues, it is only a matter of time before there are no more Blacks in America.

This is the goal of the eugenists behind the abortion cartel. Before you dismiss this as another conspiracy theory, watch the documentary, "Maafa21 Black Genocide in 21st Century America" free online at www.maafa21.com.

You owe it to America's future.

Why We Pray - Day 3 of 40 Days for Life Fort Lauderdale

According to the Florida Agency For Health Care Administration, 12,001 unborn children were aborted in Broward County in 2012.

That is an average of 33 children a day. AHCA reports that 6,480 unborn have been aborted in the first six months of 2012. That is why we are holding a prayer vigil in front of the All Women's Medical Center located at 2100 E. Commercial Blvd. in Fort Lauderdale. Pastor Randy Alcorn has written,

“According to the Scriptures, there are spiritual beings present here, righteous angels and fallen angels, and we are under attack. There is a battle for our minds, and a battle for our souls: It’s not fiction, it’s not imagination; it’s revealed reality. There is great spiritual warfare associated with the issue of abortion.”  (Pro-life Answers to Pro-Choice Arguments, pg. 353)

He's right. The struggle between light and darkness, life and death, the devil and the church began thousands of years ago, as recorded by Moses,

"And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel." (Genesis 3:15 NIV)

As Eric Holmberg has said,  

“In the battle for life against child sacrifice in all its many permutations, the enmity that is between the seed of the woman, the church, and the seed of the serpent, the Devil, finds perhaps its greatest expression. This is where heaven and hell meet.”

("The Abortion Matrix" DVD (www.forerunner.com)

Jesus was explicit in identifying who was behind murder when he exposed the apostasy of the religious leaders who opposed his claim to Deity.

"You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies."

(John 8:44 NIV)

Here is the devil's job description according to Jesus. It fits the abortion industry like a custom fit glove - deception and murder. 

So we pray, recognizing that,

"The on who does what is sinful is of the devil because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work." (1 John 3:8 NIV)

Ending abortion is Church business. When I arrived at the clinic this afternoon, there was one lone prayer vigil volunteer standing in front of the ten foot high black fence. After he left, again as on day one, I stood alone until another volunteer joined me. I shared this thought with him - what would God do if there were hundreds of believers lining the boulevard for blocks - pouring out their hearts to God to end abortion?

Join with us in interceeding for the protection of the unborn; that mothers and fathers would choose life; for the conversion of Dr. Lehrer and the abortion clinic workers; for healing and forgiveness for those who have been involved in abortion; and that abortion will come to an end in Fort Lauderdale and America.

Read over those requests again. This will not happen without the intervention of God. Come Church, join the struggle against "the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." (Ephesians 6:12)

Pastors - lead your congregation into the spiritual blessing America desperately needs. Wrap abortion in the gospel, proclaiming liberty and freedom to those bound by the deception of the devil and extend healing and restoration to the post-abortive throgh the gospel.

40 Days for Life prayer and fasting campaigns are taking place in 315 cities across America. You can go to www.40daysforlife.com to locate a campaign near you and register to participate in prayer to end abortion in America.

Day One of 40 Days for Life - A Day of Atonement message - to the All Women's Medical Clinic

Yesterday was the first day of the Fort Lauderdale 40 Days for Life's prayer vigil at the All Women's Medical Center located at 2100 E. Commercial Blvd. I signed up for the twelve noon hour and upon arrival, found only one other 40 Days for Life (40DL) volunteer at the clinic.

Unfortunately, when she left, I was the only 40DL volunteer for the next hour and a half. (Please go to the prayer vigil website, www.40daysforlife.com/fortlauderdale and sign up to join the vigil. We need more intercessors!)

The imposing black metal gate remained shut today as the clinic was closed, presumably in observance of Yom Kippur, or the Day of Atonement. The Day of Atonement is the holiest day of the year for those of the Jewish faith, a day of fasting, prayer and repentance.

It is ironic that a business that majors in shedding innocent blood of unborn children (abortion) would be closed on the Day of Atonement. 

The shedding of blood was central to the Day of Atonement. (See Leviticus 16.) As J. Barton Paine has written,

"An atonement is, literally a 'covering,' a ransom that averts one's punishment...  atonement furnished a covering over the sin, provides an intervening sacrifice to bear the punishment that would otherwise fall upon us, should God 'see through to our sin.'"

Of course, Jesus Christ was the fulfillment of what was foreshadowed by the Day of Atonement. As the writer to the Hebrews says of Christ,

He did not enter [the Holy of Holies] by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption...the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, [will] cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!   (Hebrews 9:11-14 NIV)

That is why we pray in front of the All Womens Center. Abortion is a gospel issue. The gospel can change the heart of an abortion minded mother to make a life affirming decision. The gospel can change the heart of those who participate and are invested in the abortion industry. The gospel alone provides the hope of forgiveness, healing and restoration for the post-abortive.

Only God can bring this about. That is why we fast and pray. The words of the prophet Azariah to King Asa of Judah, (2 Chronicles 15:2)

“The Lord is with you when you are with him.

If you seek him, he will be found by you.”

The ten foot high black fence that surrounds the entrance and parking lot of this abortion facility is intimidating. Apparently designed to secure the privacy of those at work inside. But I prayed, alone, out loud, very loud, to an empty building - knowing that a ten foot high black metal fence, as impregnable as it looks, cannot keep out the Spirit of God, and the building, though closed for business, might not be empty. After all, abortion is a satanic enterprise (John 8:44), so should any of his legions be within hearing of my voice, I shouted, among others Scriptures, these words from the Apostle Paul,

For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority...having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.

(Colossians 2:9,15  (NIV)

A Day of Atonement message to the All Women's Medical Clinic.