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2015
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January
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- Putting A Face to the Issue Through Ads by Mary Ra...
- The ULTIMATE Medical Cure Is Now.....DEATH??? by ...
- I Have a Fire in My Belly After The March For Life...
- Let's Have a Conversation ~By Darlene Pawlik
- You Want Us To Compromise Our Pro-Life Values MORE...
- There's a Person in There by Darlene Pawlik
- Speaking of Pro-Life Exceptions, My Son is Excepti...
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January
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Save the 1 Speaker Websites
Sunday, January 25, 2015
I Have a Fire in My Belly After The March For Life by Patti Smith
Now I'm home from the
LCMS conference and the 2015 March for Life. My heart and mind is just
overflowing -- what I heard and learned, and the people I spoke with, the
worship services, the fire in my belly rekindled for Life and most of all for
service to the Lord.
I was very humbled and
kind of blown away when a Pastor from Montana and his teen daughter pulled me aside
and asked me for 5 minutes of my time. He said he heard me speak about
rape and incest exceptions during the Q and A time with Carol Tobias from National
Right to Life Conference - NRLC, and he was very challenged and impressed.
He asked me how we can bridge the divide and the conflict within the pro-life
movement. How can we create an atmosphere of mutual cooperation with such
differing views of HOW to be an advocate both in our own lives, in our
communities, churches and in our government? That was a huge question,
and having no real answer at the time, I asked HIM what his thoughts
were. I want to hear from other people because, honestly, I felt I really
am not the one to give these answers!
He was insightful and
very informative, suggesting books and other works for me to read. His daughter
who was maybe 20, was so knowledgeable about government, history of abortion,
and legislation, and like so many millennials, has grasped and embraced on to
this present Social Injustice - the right to life for all with a zeal which
inspires me. And I saw that same zeal and conviction in the youth with
whom I spoke and heard from at the convention. Hope arises!!!
So -- what do I do with
all this? What is my action plan moving forward? I've been up all
night (jet lag and Charlie horse in my leg,) my mind filled with thoughts like:
how ARE we going to reverse Roe v. Wade? How ARE we going to present
legislation that is 100% pro-life with no exceptions? And how on earth
will that ever get passed? Then I thought, what do I know about how our
government works? What do I really know about abortion? What do I
know about who the movers and shakers are and HOW do they do what they do?
Beyond my known calling
for pro-life work as an adoptee conceived in rape and as a Lutheran, what is MY
role in all of this? What is MY "assignment from God," as it
were? How does my voice, my life and my convictions fit within this massive
puzzle of being an advocate for life?
I always tend to see the
Big Picture, and then I get overwhelmed. I fail to stop and roll it back a bit
and look at the details and breaking issues down to "doable" chunks
of time and effort. I think, I'm just one person, what can I possibly
do? I'm not a lawyer, I'm not a
politician, I have not even gone to college. I am one person, with a heart that
is bursting with zeal for my country, for freedom and for protecting and
honoring that very basic freedom -- the right to life for all -- with no
exceptions.
After spending the night
thinking, taking notes on my thoughts, one thing is clear: I need to get
that "education." In order to be a responsible advocate for
life, to speak to life issues, to educate others, I must educate myself --
learn the basics, learn more. What is abortion, how is abortion
performed, what are the "complications" of abortion? I bought the book
"Complications" at the conference. I need to learn about
bioethics, about how our government works, about what rights we have and what
rights are incrementally being taken away,and about how to be an advocate. I
need to learn from those who have gone before me, and to learn from those movers
and shakers we have in the pro-life arena right now. I need to learn who
my legislators are and what their stand on life issues are. I need to learn
from history, from heroes of the faith, and from those who have declared war on
humanity. I need to learn from current events to those from antiquity,
and how to gather support from constituents and lawmakers. I need to learn how
to communicate in rational, convincing ways. I need to learn how to bridge the
divide opening doors for dialogue and exchange of ideas, respecting other
views, while not being shaken in my own moral stand. Then when I am myself
educated, then I can best educate others. I can go and be a stronger voice.
I have not completed my
training with Lutherans For Life -- but will commit to doing that, which is one
of my first steps in my learning commitment.
It has become clear to
me that having a life team at my own church may not become a reality -- agreeing
with my pastor that we already have "life teams.” He says every ministry
IS a life team, and that is true. I want to support in every way the
"life teams" which exist in my church -- the quilting crafters who make
projects that support the crisis pregnancy shelter and center which our church
supports, our youth group who does many of the outreach projects that I read
about in the LFL materials detailing life group activities, our grief group
which reaches out to those struggling with loss, our community life group which
runs the food pantry for the homeless – etc, etc.. They are all essentially life groups.
So perhaps forming a Lutherans for Life Chapter in Southern California --
Orange County would be prudent.
But first things first.
I'm getting my own house in order -- preparing the way of the Lord by educating
myself, listening and learning from others, reading, studying, grounding myself
in God's word which is a lamp unto my path and praying more than I have ever
prayed before. I am continuing to sidewalk counsel at Planned Parenthood for
that is one place where I learn life lessons on advocacy the most. I
partner with other organizations, always learning, always listening, always
asking questions -- opening my mind to new ways of being that voice for life
and freedom, and surrendering my life, my talents, my resources and my
convictions to the Lord of Life - through with His strength, I can do all
things.
Please pray for me as I
resume this journey, one step at a time, with renewed conviction and this Holy
Fire in my belly to go forth and be the light and voice for the "least of
these." I don't know what God has in store for the rest of my life,
but I know that if I stay in His light and in his precepts, and guided by the
Holy Spirit, God can use me in amazing ways for His kingdom of life and to His
glory.
So -- on to step one.
Learn. Complete my LFL training. Learn more. And pray without ceasing. God
is going to do amazing things because He is an amazing GOD!!!
BIO: Patti Smith is an adoptee who was conceived in rape, and a worship leader for a Lutheran church in Huntington Beach, California. She's active with Lutherans For Life, a sidewalk counselor, as well as a pro-life speaker and blogger for Save The 1.
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