Life Before Birth - some good educational resources

"Science Question From A Toddler" - starts out with a beautiful in-the-womb photograph, then shares quite a bit of interesting info about sensory development before birth.

I've also found a few excellent YouTube videos with amazing views of human development from the teeny-tiniest embryo all the way along to adorable toddler. My 3 year old son is obsessed with babies currently and he especially loves seeing the unborn ones, picking out the details of tiny fingers and toes and ears and eyebrows. I hope you'll enjoy these as much as he does!

High-Tech Photos (from Priests For Life)

Fetal Development

Fetal Development (another one)

False Humility

The Following meditation comes from one of the vigil volunteers

There is clearly a false humility. One species in the genus is spite or despite for life itself. We can see where it begins. Dead sand is "clean"; living humus is "dirty." Which would you rather have on your hands, SAE-30 motor oil, purified and dead, or snot? Who among us has escaped the humiliating experience of being pooped on by a bird? Ah! Life! NOT!

Human life can be seen as more of a plague than the occasional avian insult. While cities should be monuments to creativity and civility, yet they too have their excretory functions, and it takes planning and discipline for humans in cities to avoid fouling their nest.

And in this we can see not only our ambivalence, fallen as we are, about the burden and delights of our animal life, but the fell hand of the enemy, and his disastrous thoughts seeping into our minds. "Too many children!" is the cry. Diapers in landfills. Children squalling in restaurants. Babies yowling in church. Parents "punished with a baby," as our president once said -- worried, frustrated, unable fulfill their potential, their dreams.

We must, we are told, prevent fecundity. We must make our beds sterile, while we impose no obstacle to orgasm, however achieved. For the good of life, they tell us, we must adopt the practice of death and snatch, scrape, and tear the pre-nascent human from the place ordained, "appointed" as the Bible charmingly says, for it. Otherwise our lives will be ruined.

But they are not our lives, not OURS, not really. As Lewis says, to pretend this is MY life, MY body is ludicrous. Imagine a prince, the young child of a king. In love the royal father makes him lord of some small principality. He receives the honor, the title, the coronet. But still the principality is really governed by the king and his counsellors.

How foolish would that child be who wanted to exercise for himself the princely power! Before his subjects could hear, laugh, and possibly rebel, the kingly sire would send him to his room without any supper! Yet we claim sovereignty over ourselves, our 'persons' as the old language has it, and seek to extend that sovereignty over the mystery of ensouled life around ourselves, and even in ourselves, all in the name of our dominion.

And the outcome? When we set ourselves against the Lord of Life and Love, what can the outcome be but death and misery? We humans have been given the titles of dominion and many powers. Beguiled by our seeming majesty we exercise this lordship but in pride and disobedience, not in the wonder which Life, mucus, smells, and all, should compel -- does compel when our eyes are open and our hearts alive.

What false charity to destroy our own kind! What false humility to despise the miracle of our life! What sorrow and wrath we bring down on our own heads, and those of our children, when we, as our pagan forebears did, sacrifice our children to ensure our ease!

May we be forgiven. May we be given new hearts. May we bear life-giving Love, the Son of Love, into a world where we are so lost that to many of us the way to joy is through the death of our heirs.

Lord have mercy upon us.
Christ have mercy upon us.
Lord have mercy upon us.

-- Harry

A Ray of Light for Charlottesville

Hello everyone,

40 Days for Life is almost upon us and sometimes it's hard to muster the courage and energy to confront the dark cloud of abortion that hangs over this nation. However, occasionally a ray of light shines through the darkness to remind us that God is still there and His love is triumphant.

When I moved to Charlottesville this summer I met a couple men who had been standing outside of Planned Parenthood for years. In fact, one of them had been standing for so long that he was starting to question his service. He said to me, "It's very rare that I get any positive feedback." I told him that it was a small town, but I knew from my experience in Houston that lives were being changed simply by the presence of men and women outside of the abortion clinic praying and handing out literature.

No sooner had he crossed the street than a woman pulled up into the Planned Parenthood parking lot and started yelling at me. At first I thought she angry with me... but then she told me she wanted to tell me something. She pointed to the backseat of her car and said she had a grandson in a car seat that was alive because people were standing outside of the clinic and she wanted to say "thank you".

I ran across the street to the parking lot where my friend was parked to tell him the good news... but God wasn't done!

A week later a young woman pulled off the side of the road to tell me that she too had changed her mind because people were standing outside of the clinic. This time I was prepared and I asked if I could get pictures of her baby so that we could see with our own eyes why we stand. All the pictures are of her beautiful baby girl.

I'm also including the email she sent me (see below) since it was intended for everyone who stands in the rain and in the hot sun and suffers the slings and arrows of those who wish to persecute the innocent. So when your feet start to hurt and your back begins to ache just remember this sweet baby is alive today because a group of people overcame their fears, anxieties, and personal plans to help others.

And not just the babies... but the mothers and fathers whose lives are forever changed by the miracle of childbirth. And the generations of Americans who we will never meet that will trace their family tree to ancestors who survived abortion because God sent his very best into the battlefield.

-Steve

Hello Steve,

I remember speaking with you that day. I'm not sure why I was so inclined to stop and speak to you but remember feeling like I needed to tell someone my story, someone who changed my thought process when I was trying to decide whether or not I should carry my child to term.

I cannot thank you and others like you enough for standing up for what you believe in, because had it not been for you all I may have made a horrible decision and terminated my pregnancy. My girl is my entire world, and everything I do now is so that I can create a better life for her.

Please, do not stop doing what you are doing. I know it may seem like your messages are falling on deaf eyes and blind eyes, but I can assure you that me and my daughter are proof of the power that you all have. I am attaching some pictures of her, so enjoy! She just turned 4 months old.

”Success is not measured by what you accomplish, but by the opposition you have encountered, and the courage with which you have maintained the struggle against overwhelming odds.” -Orison Swett Marden

40 Days is Coming Soon!

September 22 is the start of the vigil, and it's only two weeks away! It's amazing how quickly it's coming and yet far more amazing how much more the Lord is accomplishing. This is truly His Work and He will provide all that is needed, yet so humble that He chooses to provide by cooperating with us. It seems that whatever skills and items we truly need, He brings forward members of the Body of Christ who can meet those needs.

How is God desiring to cooperate with you to bring about the success of this campaign? There are a several ways ways you can get involved even now:

Start Praying

The work we are doing in preparing for this fall campaign is God's work and the devil seeks to discourage us and stop it. Please pray that the Lord will provide us all with the Graces we need to accomplish His Will in our lives.

Listen to the Radio

On July 29th, Steve appeared on the Shilling Show (1070 WINA) to talk about this upcoming fall campaign. On Wednesday, September 16 at shortly after noon he will be joined by Abigail and myself. Please pray for us as we seek to brings this message of love and healing to those listening and for them that their hearts will be moved by the words the Lord gives us.

To listen to the archived show on the web after the fact, go to the station's website and scroll down to the bottom of the page.

Sign up for the Vigil

The vigil calendar is up and running! This year we will be using a provided calendar that has the added benefit of sending out a reminder email the day before! There are three easy steps to signing up - to learn more check out our vigil sign-up instructions.

Start spreading the Word

The most effective witness for this event is word of mouth. Encourage people to visit our website to learn more about the national and local campaign.

Encourage people to sign up for the national emails by visiting the website and filling out the form in the upper right by the picture. They send out daily devotionals during the campaign that are a wonderful combination of scripture, meditation and prayer. This will also put them on the local list so they will have updates locally. The national team sends out very few emails outside of the campaigns and neither of us will give away your email address.

Donate

Part of the campaign is the educational and local outreach. We will be providing literature and educational materials. If you areinterested in helping us provide these items please contact me at cville40days@gmail.com

Note on donations: There is a 2 for 1 sale until the end of this month for 40 Days for Life materials - so your donation will have a double impact if submitted by the end of the month!

Other Talents?

Is God putting something else on your heart? If you feel called to do something that I've not listed here? Then I ask you to pray and act. If you see a need that you can fill, let us know!

Above all, please continue to pray that we will have the wisdom and courage to continue to do God's work.

God bless,
Christina

Remember who we are praying for

A volunteer sent this reminder of who we are praying for, please continue to pray.

If you are alone, confused and don’t know were to turn, I am praying for you!
If you are contemplating an abortion and looking for help, I am praying for you!
If you believe you do not have any “choices”, I am praying for you!
If you had an abortion and looking for help, I am praying for you!
If you are the father of the person in the womb, I am praying for you!
If you perform abortions, I am praying for you!
If you work in an abortion mill, I am praying for you!
If you are looking for the truth, I am praying for you!

If you are standing beside me praying, I am praying for you!

Selling Abortions

It's all about the Benjamins. It's not a secret. Planned Parenthood sells a product, and that product is abortion. In order for their coropration to be sucessful, they need money. In order to get money, they need "clients," that is, they need women to come to them with crisis pregnancies. For the abortion providers, they are not concerned with choice. There is one choice they care about - the choice to end a child's life. Many women are forced, pushed, pressured to abort - this is not a concern for the money-driven organization.

Just ask Abby Johnson, who got involved with Planned Parenthood because she wanted to help women. As a Planned Parenthood Executive Director for almost a decade, she learned first hand about the blood-money. She was told by her boss that they needed more abortions because they needed more money. Clearly, it's never been about choice, or else the advocates of choice would voice disapproval. It's always been about money. Hear Abby explain.

"Planned Parenthood gets money..." is the sign PP often places on their property as we gather to pray. That is supposed to deter us? We already know this. On top of all the money they make, we know our tax money goes to fund this genocide. We stand and pray, and they rack in the dough for killing off innocent children.

Don't think it's really about money? Don't take my word for it. Just hear all the former Planned Parenthood employees tell you themselves.

Abortion is a false solution. We offer an alternative - HOPE.

PRO-LIFE AMENDMENTS NEEDED FOR STATE BUDGET!

TAKE ACTION to ban state funding of abortion, Planned Parenthood, and life-ending research!: On March 14, the Virginia General Assembly approved a budget to guide state spending for the next two fiscal years. This budget fails to prevent the use of state taxpayers’ money for abortions, Planned Parenthood projects, or research that requires a newly conceived life to be destroyed. Together, the Governor and the General Assembly have a final opportunity to amend the budget on April 21. Between now and then, it is critical for us, as constituents and taxpayers, to let our state leaders know we do not want to be forced to pay for life-ending practices and providers. Virginia currently funds one abortion every two days, and your input is needed to stop this practice! To take timely action, visit the Virginia Catholic Conference website (www.vacatholic.org) and use the alert linked at the top of the page.