A Message From AUL

AUL_Action

Dear Mike,

Thank you for recently taking action by contacting your Member of Congress and asking them to sign onto a letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi defending pro-life riders.

Yesterday, the Jordan/Shuler letter was sent to Speaker Pelosi and released to the public with 180 Congressional signers — 157 Republicans and 23 Democrats.

Thank you for contacting your Representative. Because you took action with us, a broad coalition of Members of Congress made a public stand to defend our pro-life principles.

As we've mentioned before, the attacks on pro-life riders is the first attempt by the pro-abortion movement to pass the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA) "by stealth".

It is so vital we do whatever we can to defend these vital amendments to federal budget bills and keep our tax dollars from being used to pay for abortion here in the United States and on our military bases worldwide. Repealing these laws is the first target of Planned Parenthood and their allies — and their first step toward pushing the FOCA agenda.

The full text of the letter with all of the signatures is available on the AUL Action blog (PDF).

We look forward to keeping you informed as things progress on Capitol Hill and in state legislatures across the country.

Yours for Life,

Charmaine

Charmaine Yoest, Ph.D.
President & CEO
AUL Action The Legislative Arm of Americans United for Life
FightFOCA.com

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Today's 40 Days For Life Devotional

Baby Saved!

I told you yesterday that I had some exciting news... a hispanic couple came to the local abortion facility, the one where I've been to pray at, with the intention to abort their child, but a lone prayer warrior was able to convince them to keep their child. A baby was saved! This is the second baby saved at this location in the last couple months. People are doing good work, and our prayers and presence at the abortion facility is making a difference. Today is the beginning of Lent, but it is also the start of 40 Days for Life, where people pray, fast and do community outreach. Over 135 cities are participating, but even if there isn't a city near you that is participating officially, you can still participate.

I told you that I'd post the daily devotionals, but instead of posting the entire devotional on this site, I'll just copy the link to the devotional.
http://40daysforlife.com/docs/spring2009day01print.pdf

Below is the email I received about the baby that was saved from abortion. I hope it inspires you as much as it inspires me. Hope you all are having a good Ash Wednesday. If you're hungry, just think about how much good food you can and will be eating tomorrow. Yum, food. I think I'm just making my stomach hurt worse... that's ok, this small suffering is all for the glory of God. God bless!
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Saturday, February 21st, Day of Victory

In the "nick of time"

At 5:50am a Hispanic couple sat at the light, waiting to turn into Governor's Ridge and make their way in the darkness to the Gates of Death, Dr. McBrayer's abortion clinic. Only one prayer warrior had arrived at that hour, just five minutes before, but she ran to the median and began to beg them not to end their baby's life. The Holy Spirit persuaded them to be willing to park just inside the complex, where the prayer warrior proceeded to give them a Spanish copy of a beautiful book, in which the guardian angel of a preborn baby talks to the baby for the nine months in which the womb is his home.

The couple listened to the arguments against killing their child. The mother, Hilda, obviously was having second thoughts, but she was afraid to make the decision against her partner Juan's wishes. The Holy Spirit continued His work. Juan finally spoke, in a firm voice, "No lo vamos a hacer". ("We are not going to do it.")

What joy! The prayer warrior praised God, and began to pray with the couple. Hilda wiped away a tear. They all exchanged phone numbers. God had won! Please pray for Hilda and Juan to persevere in their decision to welcome their child into the world.

During all this time, the prayer warrior could see, out of the corner of her eye, car after car driving into the complex. Before daylight, on a Saturday, there was only one place they could be going. How badly more prayer warriors/sidewalk counselors were needed! If only there had been more volunteers, maybe these other mothers might have also decided to let their babies live!

Soon she was consoled by the fact that three new volunteers showed up, each one from a different place, all ready to help wage the battle against the angels of death, through the power of prayer. After sunrise, they were joined by a sister who is in the process of making a video to be used in local churches to inspire others to join in this battle, on the sidewalk, where the mothers have their last opportunity to choose Life. Our sister filmed each of their testimonies. Just after she left, seven Georgia Tech students arrived, eager to participate in the vigil. The sister was called to return and film their testimonies also. How we hope the words of these prayer warriors will reach out and tug at the hearts of our brothers and sisters in our home churches, and that they will be drawn to participate in the saving of lives!

Those who go through with their abortion

Later that morning, the Holy Spirit continued to work, softening hearts. As the couples began to exit the complex, having just paid for the murder of their child, the Lord touched the hearts of three Hispanic couples and one African American couple, making them willing to listen to the hard truth about the decision they had just made. As the three Hispanic couples were Catholic, they were all encouraged to seek out a Priest and confess their sin, which they agreed to do. The African American couple was encouraged to ask Jesus to forgive them, and was promised that they would be remembered in our prayers. Again the Lord won, since the babies' souls were now safe with Him, and the parents—whose souls Satan had hoped to steal—were now repentant and in the process of seeking Jesus, who would receive them back into His arms.

To help them not falter in their decision to confess their sin of abortion, we are asking you to pray for the couples by name:

Abby and Juan

Alma and Marcos

Maida and Roberto

Shareesa and Marquisse

Also please pray that the Lord will send forth more volunteers, as the harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few.

Follow-up with mothers who chose Life

Sulman, our Hispanic mother from Honduras, has developed gestational diabetes at the end of her pregnancy. Through careful monitoring of her diet, she has been able to bring her blood sugar count down from 240 to 96. We are so proud of her conscientious efforts, knowing it is really hard to have to prick her finger four times an hour and also count the number of times her baby kicks after each meal she eats, to be sure her baby is alive. It is a scary time, but Sulman is holding up well, and she has been faithfully attending Mass at St. Thomas ever since her baby shower, with her daughter and cousin, even though she has to drive all the way from Laurenceville. She and her cousin have both decided they want to attend classes to receive their First Communion and Confirmation.

Sylvia, our African mother from Ghana, was given a baby shower by our ProLife community on Saturday afternoon. She received lovely gifts, as well as money for any needs she might have. One of the African parishioners from St. Thomas came, with her three daughters, to welcome Sylvia in the name of the African Community, and on Sunday Sylvia and her children, along with her sister-in-law and a friend and her child, attended Mass at St. Thomas for the first time, after which they were all greeted warmly by members of the African choir.

Both of these mothers will be delivering their babies by cesarian section in the next few weeks. Please pray for a safe delivery.

In Christ for Life…..Sarita

Lenten Sacrifice

Tomorrow, Ash Wednesday, is the start of the Lent Season. Lent is a season of prayer and sacrifice. It should not be viewed as a season of restriction. We should view Lent as a positive time in our lives when we can focus more deeply on what it means to live a truly Christian life. Lent is a time of preparation for Easter, the great day when we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord. We can take an active roll in remembering our Lord’s great sacrifice by participating in the Stations of the Cross. During Lent we should detach ourselves from what keeps us from God and attach ourselves more closely to what brings us closer to Him. This can mean different things for different people, but everyone should intensify their prayers, sacrifice, and charitable deeds. The purpose of Lent is not simply to temporarily deny ourselves of something, but hopefully it is a time when we can and will change our lifestyle forever. The purpose of sacrifice is to become closer to God. If our sacrifice does not bring us closer to God or if our sacrifice is meant only to be observed during the 40 days of Lent, what long term good does that accomplish? We should not set a deadline for living a holy life. If we go back to our sinful ways after Lent, what good have we learned during this time of sacrifice? Lent can transform our lives if we allow ourselves to be transformed. I hope that this Lenten Season transforms my life and does the same for you, my dear readers. Below are my Lenten sacrifices. I share them with you not to boast, but so that I might be held accountable to keep my Lenten promises. I’ve found that it helps when others know your sacrifices so that they might be able to help you keep your sacrificial promises. I’ll explain briefly why I chose these specific sacrifices and how I hope it changes my life. As you read my Lenten sacrifices I encourage you to think about what you will do this Lenten season to bring yourself closer to God now and in the future. God bless!

* In conjunction with 40 days for life, I will read the daily devotional that is emailed out to me daily. I will post these devotionals on my blog so that you all can participate with me.
* Also in conjunction with 40 days for life, I will pray the rosary daily for the unborn and all those that endanger their lives whether intentionally or unintentionally. (I have been praying the rosary every weekday for a while now, but I will make sure to do the same on the weekends and focus on the special intention of the unborn.)
* Also in conjunction with 40 days for life, I will fast. I do not intend to eat just one meal a day for 40 days, but I intend to avoid snacks and refrain from drinking anything but water at work (that can be difficult when drinks are free and easily accessible). My hope is that some of my coworkers will take notice and I can have an opportunity to share my faith with them.
* Also in conjunction with 40 days for life, I will pray at a local abortion facility at least once during this Lenten Season.
* I will spend at least 1 Hour a week in adoration of the Most Blessed Sacrament.
* I will spend at least 1 Hour a day doing spiritual reading.
* I will refrain from watching TV on weekdays.
* I will not surf the internet on the weekdays. (I will continue to check email and write posts in my blog – I feel like writing in my blog has been a good thing for me and brought me closer to God. My intention with giving up surfing the internet is to limit the time I waste on the internet that could be put to better use.)

Although tomorrow is not a Holy Day of Obligation, I encourage you all to go to mass tomorrow. Go in the morning and leave your ashes on your head all day – use it as a way to be a witness. I have received some exciting news from our Respect Life Committee leader and I will share it with you all tomorrow. Make sure to check back tomorrow, because you do not want to miss this inspiring story I will share with you! God bless!

Focus on the Family Action

Thanks to my sister-in-law Erin for bringing this petition to my attention. Please take the short minute to sign this petition. Thanks and God bless!

I just signed a petition from Focus on the Family Action
to stop the new effort to funnel our tax dollars to fund
abortions and organizations that provide abortion, both
in the United States and abroad.

Focus Action wants to deliver petitions to Congress before
the upcoming votes on the appropriations bills. Please go
here to sign and be represented in this important effort:

Focus on the Family Petition

Virtue Media

I am really excited and happy to tell you about Roswell, GA based non-profit organization Virtue Media! Virtue Media is "a Christian values-based not-for-profit that creates and broadcasts effective, compassionate, and educational Sanctity of Life media messages, to bring about a positive change in hearts and minds." They are doing great work to promote life through the use of media and they are giving hope to thousands of women and children. Virtue Media has my full support. Please consider making a donation to this great organization (They have my financial and prayerful support) - 100% of your donation goes to the production of new commercial ads that will be advertised nationally. Even if you are not from the Atlanta area, you may be able to see one of these commercials in your local community. The ads are shown on BET and MTV and similar stations that are popular among the younger and minority crowd (those most likely to consider abortion). Please visit their website Virtue Media.

Make donations out to:
VirtueMedia
PO Box 1802
Roswell, GA 30077-1802

I will keep the website posted on my links list. Please consider making a donation. Every little bit helps. As you consider making a donation, keep the following two quotes in mind. "It is not enough to know Christ, You must introduce Him to others" Pope John Paul II. "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." - Edmund Burke (1729-1797)

Lent begins this wednesday. Are you excited? I am! God bless!

The Book of Tobit

In addition to reading Theology of the Body, I am still trying to read through the entire bible. Over the weekend I found some time to read the Book of Tobit. I know that several of my readers aren't Catholic, so some of you may be unfamiliar with this book since it is not in the protestant bible - many Catholics might not be familiar with it either. I found it to be one of the most enjoyable and easy to read books in the bible. It reads like a novel. Every book in the bible can teach us something, but I thought this one in particular did a good job of teaching how we should live our lives (I especially liked Tobiah's prayer). I wanted to expose this book so that those of you who have never read it might get the chance to read it. The book is short and does not take long at all to read. Please take the half hour or so to read through this book - I think you'll be glad you did. Below is a link where you can read the book if it isn't in your bible. God bless, enjoy the story, and watch out for bird droppings! Read and you'll know what I'm talking about haha. Book of Tobit

Pope Sends Strong Message To Pelosi

Nancy Pelosi went to the Vatican to meet the pope and hoped to be welcomed with open arms, but that was not the case. Pelosi calls herself an "ardent catholic," but she has consistently been pro-abortion, something that goes against church teaching. Pelosi is desperately trying to gain favor with the church, but the pope reaffirmed the church's position on abortion and politicians who promote and support abortion. There was no photo of the meeting - something she was hoping for and could use for political gain - and the pope made it clear what was said in the meeting. Abortion goes against the natural moral law, which means that it is a moral truth that we can know by thinking about what is right and wrong. You don't have to be a catholic to know and follow natural moral law, it should be ingrained in every one of us. It should be pretty obvious. I hope this sends a strong message to those who think that they can justify going against serious moral teachings and still be in full communion with the church. Read more about the meeting in an article written by George Weigel.
Were They At the Same Meeting?

Come What May

From the same people who made Facing the Giants and Fireproof comes a new movie Come What May is coming out on DVD in March. It is extremely rare to find movies these days that have a good Christian moral message. Come What May focuses on the issue of abortion and life. These movies might not win any academy awards, but they have a great message and they are movies you should not miss - movies you can and should watch with the whole family. Please support these people who are trying to spread the Christian message through the use of entertainment. Watch Come What May when it comes out in March and check out the other two movies if you have not yet seen them.

Theology of the Body Reflections - Part II

A Study of Immanuel Kant


Pope John Paul II studied the philosophies of Kant. There is much discussion about the Kant's philosophy and how it influenced JPII. I was having a hard time gathering all my thoughts about Kant and his philosophy until I found an excellent article written by a great Catholic author and Professor Peter Kreeft. The article is here. After reading his article on Kant and doing some research on some of his works, I really want to read more of Kreeft's works. His defense of the Catholic faith is strong and very persuasive. The key to this article on Kant is that Truth is objective, not subjective as Kant believed. Unfortunately, many in today's culture have accepted Kant's belief that truth is subjective. This has led many away from the church because if truth is subjective to each individual what need is there for the church? If an individual's values are basically "good" and they live by their personal understanding of truth, why should they become Christian and become subject to a number of moral guidelines? Unfortunately, this sort of thinking is very prevalent in our day. Ironically, Kant's philosophy can be used as an argument against both atheism and organized religion. Despite the harm that his thought has caused, it has also done some good. Read the article written by another good Catholic author, Dinesh D'Souza, here. In summary, although Kant had some good thoughts that helped make the case against atheism, the overall effect of his philosophy has been negative. However, John Paul II learned much from Kant and in that way we can be grateful. Maybe one day the world will fully embrace the great philosophies of Pope John Paul II.

Should We Try to Please Everyone?

Sixth Sunday of Ordinary Time

Reading II
1 Cor 10:31-11:1

Brothers and sisters,
Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do,
do everything for the glory of God.
Avoid giving offense, whether to the Jews or Greeks or
the church of God,
just as I try to please everyone in every way,
not seeking my own benefit but that of the many,
that they may be saved.
Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.

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I would like to reflect on today's second reading because I think it can easily be misinterpreted. I used to live by the same basic principle, try not to offend anyone. On the surface this sounds like a perfect way to live your life, but I've found out that it is impossible to accomplish. No matter what we do, every action we take will be offensive to someone. As I sit on the toilet this morning, I'm sure that I've offended someone because I used too much toilet paper. This is a silly example, but in a very real way it is true. When we get too caught up in not offending anyone, it will often cause us to sin. How so? I think a perfect example is my blog you are reading now. I've had several people come on my blog and post very angry comments on my site. Should I change my language so that those readers are happy? Absolutely not. If I start writing to those folks, I'll abandon some of my other readers and in the process not be true to myself. If we see someone do wrong, should we ignore it so as not to offend them with confrontation? That's not what Jesus taught us. Now that I'm on the topic of Jesus, did he not offend many? How many people hated Jesus? Did he ever change the way he lovingly proclaimed the gospel? NO! Love the sinner, hate the sin. That is how we must live. Does this mean that St. Paul, a great convert and evangelizer, is wrong when he writes to Corinthians? No, but we must read his words carefully.

We must not conclude that we are to accept the actions of all others and continue our lives accepting each individual as they are. As I said earlier, St. Paul was a great evangelizer. He spent much of his adult life on a mission to convert people to Christianity. His words are actually a great guide on how we too can evangelize people. Everything we do should be for the glory of God. All our actions should glorify him. Before we eat, we should always say a prayer of thanksgiving. Before we sleep we should say a prayer of contrition and thanksgiving. By living a life that glorifies God, we become a great example for others. When he says avoid giving offense to others including those who are not like you, he is telling us to be sensitive to their needs. This is a good thing. When we encounter people, we should try to "put ourself in their shoes" and in this way we can touch their hearts. If we beat a bible over someone's head, we will only push them away from Christ. If we talk with them and share a meal with them and listen to them and their needs we can gain their trust and we might be able to share with them the good news of God. St. Paul tells us to be humble and to do good works not for the benefit of our own name, but for the benefit of others. The goal of evangelizing is helping others to become saved, not to make ourselves feel better (although that is often the result of doing good deeds).

We can not please everyone. Jesus did not please everyone. He was humble and he spoke the truth. He did not compromise the truth for the sake of those who did not want to accept the truth, but even as he died on the cross he forgave them for "they knew not what they were doing." Not everyone wanted to accept his teaching, but his words and actions were fully intended to benefit us, to save us. Be sensitive to all you encounter. Do not abandon your faith in the process, but be compassionate and loving to all you encounter. In this way, you can evangelize. By your good actions you can influence people and change lives. You may never know the effect you have on a person, but every action we take can and will be noticed. Love God, Love your neighbor and you will move hearts. God bless!

Book Reflections: Theology of the Body - Part I

I have started reading Man and Woman He Created Them - A Theology of the Body written by Pope John Paul II. This book is a very powerful and thought provoking look at the meaning of the human body. It is not an easy read, but if one takes the time to read this and reflect on the meaning and words it is very rewarding. Pope John Paul II was one of the greatest (if not the greatest) and influential man of the 20th century. As I read through this great book, I'd like to take the time to reflect and post my thoughts on this blog. I recommend picking up a copy of this great book yourself and reading along with me as we discover the greatness of this work.

Freedom and Love

Before I get to the actual speeches and writings of John Paul II, I am reading the excellent introduction to the book written by Michael Waldstein. I've read the first 40 pages and there were several very interesting things that I could write about and reflect on, but I just got the idea of really studying this book when I got to page 30. Immediately I began to take notes and I've found some great items of reflection. This first part I'd like to reflect on is about freedom (freewill) and Love. First let me post two quotes and then let's analyze what is being said.

"Freewill is in itself the noblest thing we can have because it makes us in a certain manner equal to God and exempts us from being his subjects." - Rene Descartes (16th century philosopher and scientist)

"Love consists of a commitment which limits one's freedom - it is a giving of the self, and to give oneself means just that: to limit one's freedom on behalf of another. Limitation of one's freedom might seem to be something negative and unpleasant, but love makes it a positive, joyful, and creative thing. FREEDOM EXISTS FOR THE SAKE OF LOVE… Man longs for love more than for freedom - freedom is the means and love the end," Pope John Paul II.

Descartes has been called the father of modern philosophy. He had a deep religious faith as a Catholic until the day he died. He had a passionate desire to discover the truth. He is credited with the famous line, "I think therefore I am." The existence of God was also central to his philosophy and he really wanted to see his philosophy accepted as the standard for Catholic teaching but the Church was very cautious about accepting new scientific thoughts at that time. The Church eventual came to realize that much of what the scientists discovered during that time was actually true and did not conflict with Church teaching. Instead, it helped us discover a new way of understanding the bible and Church teaching. Descartes was a key figure in the development of scientific methodology, which became a widely accepted method to discover truth. I believe that he greatly advanced human knowledge despite the fact that some of his philosophies have been misinterpreted. It is very important to remember that he did not separate the existence of God and the scientific method of discovering truth. He accepted God as a reality and this is essential as Christian believers. There is a God, he is the truth, and we as humans will never know the full truth until we reside in heaven. We can however come to discover many truths with the spiritual guidance of the Holy Spirit along with deductive reasoning and human thought. We have a brain, we can think for ourselves, but that does not mean that each individual can discover his or her own truths. There is but one truth and that truth can only be found in Jesus Christ our Lord. Let's take a closer look at Descartes quote above.

Descartes argues that freewill is the greatest and most noble thing we as humans possess because in his mind it makes us "in a certain manner equal to God." First of all, Christian teaching accepts freewill as a power of great dignity, but it's power is subordinate to love. In other words, free choice without moral clarity creates anarchy. We must use our freewill to discover love. Freewill is a great gift from God and it distinguishes us from other creatures of the earth. God gave each of us a brain and the freewill to make our own choices both good and bad. Our freedom does, in a way, make us like God. We are also made in the image and likeness of God. Descartes was not wrong in this way, but he is not completely right either. According to Descartes, a person is not bound by any preexisting purposes of nature, but sets his own purposes. As we all know, our knowledge is limited whereas God is all knowing. Just because we have freewill does not mean that we can create or discover truth. Certain truths must first be accepted or else we really can not know any truths. If our own minds are the basis for truth, each of us has a different meaning of truth. This can be very dangerous. In our current culture, I think many think and live what I call a Religion of Freedom (Not to be confused with Freedom of Religion). This is putting faith in our own freedom and reasoning as opposed to putting our faith in God. Our thoughts are never equal to or greater than God. He has given us the freedom and signs to help us discover the truth, but our freedom also allows us to rationalize everything if we so chose. We can tell ourselves that everything we think or do is good no matter how wrong it really is and justify in our mind any action. When we die we will receive our final judgment and our justifications and rationalizations will not save us from the truth and ultimately our salvation. We must put our trust in God. Our freedom is a great gift, but as we read the quote from John Paul II, I think we get a greater understanding of the relationship between freedom and love. Love is the greatest of all virtues and our freedom is really of little value if it is not based on the desire for love.

The key line in John Paul's quote above is the line he himself emphasized, "Freedom exists for the sake of love." The entire quote is one of the best quotes I've ever read. I'd like to repost the quote in it's entirety. "Love consists of a commitment which limits one's freedom - it is a giving of the self, and to give oneself means just that: to limit one's freedom on behalf of another. Limitation of one's freedom might seem to be something negative and unpleasant, but love makes it a positive, joyful, and creative thing. FREEDOM EXISTS FOR THE SAKE OF LOVE… Man longs for love more than for freedom - freedom is the means and love the end," Pope John Paul II.

Pope John Paul II's quote disputes Descartes comment that freewill is our greatest and most noble possession and replaces freewill with love. Love is our greatest possession and it is only possible with an acceptance of God and the freedom to accept His love. I relate John Paul II's quote to today's culture. Our culture often rejects this notion of love because it does not understand love. Our culture thinks that love is simply an emotion of passion. Love is not infatuation. Love is more than a feeling. Love is much more than that, it is what John Paul II so eloquently states a "limitation of one's freedom on behalf of another." Think about Jesus. He possessed freedom but he chose to die on a cross so that we might all have life. He showed us how to love, and yet this love is so foreign to most of our culture. Read the entire quote one more time; now think about what our culture tells us about children. Our culture tells us that children are a burden. They are a burden on parents and society in general. Our culture tells us that having more than two children is irresponsible and harmful to society. Our culture tells us this, but what is the basis for the thinking? Our culture fears over population but yet we still see poverty. How can this be? Our culture is so focused on money and financial wellbeing that we have all but abandoned that which is most important. We have put our faith in things and lost our spiritual direction. Our culture has lost the meaning of love. Our culture places so much emphasis on individual freedom that we have forgotten how to love. Without love, we see family broken and a lack of desire to share our possessions and do good works to support the poor and unfortunate. Our emphasis on individual freedom has distorted our understanding of life in general and we are seeing great attacks on life itself. We are aborting children and not surprisingly we see people rationalizing this action as good. As I said earlier, we can rationalize any action no matter how gravely evil. Our culture needs to emphasize love. This is not a rejection of freedom, but rather an acceptance of freedom to produce the great outcome of love. If our culture became a culture of love, we would embrace new life and not restrict life. We would create an environment that not only respects the lives of the unborn, but also the lives of all people. We would share our possessions and we would be a happier society. Divorce rates would drop drastically and crime in general would decline. Children are a gift from God, not a burden. The hardships we encounter in life and in bringing new life into this world only help us to grow in love if we accept the hardships as a gift. With every difficulty and struggle presents us with an opportunity to grow in love. Without love, our culture will die. Without a faith in God, our culture will die. We are killing innocent lives and in the process we are killing ourselves. God is our Lord. It is in Him I trust and it is through him that I can come to discover love and pass that love on to you. I love you. Now, go teach others how to love, our salvation depends on it. God bless you!

The Red Envelope Project

What is the RED ENVELOPE PROJECT? Find out HERE!

This is just one more small thing that each of us can do to make our voices heard. I will save the link in the Recommended Links List on the side bar of my blog. Thanks for checking out this great cause and please consider participating. Thanks and God Bless!

FOCA By Stealth

Below is an email I received. Our efforts to speak out against FOCA appear to have made a difference, but don't think we've won just yet. Abortion supporters will try to find sneaky ways to get laws they want passed, but we must not let them. Sign the petition mentioned in the article below if you support life.
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Dear Michael,

As you may have heard, Congress has not yet introduced the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA). That's because the pro-abortion forces have heard your voice. Planned Parenhood President Cecile Richards told the Wall Street Journal:

We're going to be smart and strategic about our policy agenda to bring people together to make progress for women's health. The Freedom of Choice Act is very important . . . but we have a long list of things to get done that I think can address problems immediately that women are facing, that are really immediate concerns.

In other words, because of the more than 650,000 people like you who have stood up to Fight FOCA, pro-abortion forces are focusing on another tactic for now -- FOCA-by-Stealth.

They want to try to pass pieces of FOCA under your nose. The first target is your pocketbook.

The top priority for Planned Parenthood and their pro-abortion allies is to repeal the laws that prohibit federal funding of abortion. Often called pro-life "riders," the pro-abortion forces want House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to eliminate them and start using our tax dollars to pay for abortion-on-demand . . . nationwide.

Thankfully, a bi-partisan group of Members of Congress are standing up to Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Cecile Richards of Planned Parenthood (who used to work for Speaker Pelosi). A letter to Speaker Pelosi written by Republican Congressman Jim Jordan of Ohio and Democrat Congressman Heath Schuler of North Carolina is being circulated for signatures by Members of Congress.

Please ask your member of Congress to sign the Jordan/Schuler letter.

Just click this link.

The deadline is this Friday, February 13.

Yours for Life,

Charmaine Yoest, Ph.D.
President & CEO
AUL Action The Legislative Arm of Americans United for Life
FightFOCA.com
FightFOCA@FightFOCA.com

P.S. -- A PDF of the letter is available at the AUL Action blog. Please ask your member of Congress to sign it before Friday!

Daily Prayers - Short But Sweet

I wanted to share with you some short prayers I pray daily. Sometimes the best prayers are just a few words and sometimes we don't even need to say anything at all. Sometimes just a moment of silence and reflection can be a form of prayer. Anyway, below are some of my daily prayers.

Morning
-Lord give me strength
-Jesus I trust in you
-Lord guide me on this day
-Rosary with the following intentions
-- I pray this rosary for the health, safety and well being of my wife Shelly and our baby Julie
-- For the physical, mental, and spiritual well being of all my family and friends
-- For our religious and civil leaders, that you will guide them as they make important and influential decisions
-- For all the unborn, young parents and parents to be, and all those who have been effected or may become effected from an abortion. Help them find healing and recognize your love and forgiveness

Lunch
-Lord give me strength
-Jesus I trust in you
Prayer Before meals
--Bless us oh Lord and these thy gifts which we are about to receive from thy bounty through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Night
-Dear Lord thank you for this day. Thank you for all the wonderful blessings you have given me on this day. Forgive me my sins and help me to be a better person tomorrow. Watch over me and my family tonight. Lord I love you.
--St. Michael the Archangel prayer

These are just a couple of good prayers that I say daily. It is also very helpful to do some spiritual reading daily. I try to read some scripture or a couple pages in whatever book I'm reading at the time (currently: Living the Catholic Faith by bishop Chaput). These prayers might not be the same prayers you pray, but it is important to pray often. Prayer is very powerful. God bless!

We Believe - Chicago and its Cubs

Below is information pulled from the movie website...


(*Mike's note - And help kids at the same time)

Be a part of the first film authorized by the Cubs in over 30 years and supported by Major League Baseball.

Chicago Cubs fans and admirers of the city of Chicago from around the world are being offered a once in a lifetime opportunity to include their own name or a family member's name in the closing credits of the upcoming theatrical documentary "We Believe - Chicago and its Cubs" to be released in the spring of 2009. Half of all proceeds will go to benefit support Project 3000 and Little Cubs Field. All name credits in the film will be displayed alphabetically in the closing minutes of the documentary.

We only have a limited number of spaces in the theatrical credits, so act fast!

You can also have your name in the credits of the DVD, which will include Directors cut, additional footage and stories and some behind the scenes action! Both are equally exciting, just differing prices.

To be included in the documentary film closing credits simply make chose from one of our two options. A certificate of authentication will be provided with each credit ordered.

	$100.00 - Theatrical Release (theaters) Your name or the name of a family member or friend in the credits Personalized Certificate of Authenticity We Believe T-shirt (S&H not included)
	$50.00 - DVD only Your name or the name of a family member or friend in the credits Personalized Certificate of Authenticity We Believe T-shirt (S&H not included)

Thank you for your interest in our film and Go Cubs!

A Leader With A Vision - David Bereit

40 Days for Life at the Students for Life conference from David on Vimeo.

An interesting Gallop Poll

The majority of people are against abortion. Obama did not win this past election because he was pro-choice. It is important to realize this fact. Below is an interesting poll I found on a blog I subscribe to: A Concord Paster Comments

Fight FOCA - Email or Write Your Congressperson

National Committee for a Human Life Amendment