What Child Is This?

By Willow Sanders
      Director of Student Services

I think about the Christmas story a lot.

Like A LOT a lot.

Maybe it’s because I’ve heard it for years weaved in and out of my childhood. Maybe it’s because as I entered my young adult years I began to relate to it in a way I never saw before. Or maybe as I am decades in, as an adult in the world of crisis pregnancy, I see SO much more with each pregnancy appointment that points back to a time thousands of years ago that was likely just as scary, unsure, and scandalous as any day here in our center.

The time was between 6 and 4 B.C. and culture in that day wasn’t too different than today.

Okay, there are a few glaring differences, like cell phones and Uber, but the things Mary was facing...I see the same factors happening today.

Go there. She’s a girl about 15 years old. She’s taken the steps to move towards a new life with Joseph. She’s got all the dreams in her head about what life will be like. Then suddenly life changes dramatically.

SCANDALOUSLY.

She is completely freaked out at first, not understanding what is happening. I am sure in those moments with the angel a million thoughts are running through her head. Yet, in the midst of that moment, calm comes to her. She is reassured that this isn’t a bad thing and it will work out for good.

Then comes Joseph, I’m sure she realized she had to tell this guy. This man that she was about to do life with HAD to know what was coming. What would he say? How would he react? All the time, an angel already speaking to Joseph preparing his heart.

ALL these pieces of the story leading up to Jesus’ birth just floor me in reflection of the architecture of many crisis pregnancies and the work that goes on inside centers like Care Net across the country. Do you see it?

Unexpected circumstances.

Seamlessly timed intervention.

Mind-blowing acceptance pre-prepared.

A safe place when there was just no place else to go.

And in the end a child, born into a world so in need of hope, a child with a purpose.

Probably my favorite Christmas song is, “Mary Did You Know?” Like I said, what was maybe only moments must have seemed like an eternity to her. Realizing she was carrying someone so great. Someone who mattered so greatly.

I think about that for our clients too. Do they know? Can we help be that voice of reassurance that this baby matters? Can we help them find hope for his or her future? Can we be a place of safety and refuge in a difficult time? Can we remember the calculated process God used via a crisis pregnancy to explain how precious theirs is to Him? That this is no mere coincidence, but just like every birth before Him and every birth since, theirs begs the question:

What Child is This?

LIFE Hangs in the Balance

It is our prayer at Care Net that you have had a blessed season of Thanksgiving with your family and friends.

Thanks to your belief in LIFE and your commitment to the crucial work of Care Net, we’ve made an incredible impact this year!  The rescues were in abundance impacting 4,626 lives in 12 short months! 138 babies rescued from the choice of abortion, the Gospel shared 323 times, 103 rescued to salvation’s new life, 2,392 students challenged to healthy relationships, 1,610 clients received care and the message of LIFE, 137 opportunities given to embrace healing from past abortions, and 191 dads and men empowered and equipped to stand in the gap for their families.  

We are thankful to you!

However, there is still much to do! Lives hang in the balance every day making our Center motto of A Center in Every City more needed than ever.  We need to be readily available to moms and dads facing unplanned pregnancies.  Babies like Savannah (pictured below) are waiting to be rescued. 

Savannah Rayne - Born February 2018

Care Net’s year-end impact goal is to raise $100,000.00 to reach more families by applying it to the pay-off of this building and following the astounding shift discovered by our demographic analytics.   We believe every baby deserves to be rescued and raised in a confident, equipped God honoring home.  We can do this best by moving toward being debt-free, paying off the remaining mortgage, and freeing finances for a new location.   

As part of your year end giving please join many others in the spirit of the season’s generosity.  To see the Administrative Center we seek to pay off, click here for a virtual tour https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wj0Ogbm5GUo 

Of course, anyone can give to the campaign on our regular donation page https://www.myegiving.com/carenet or by mailing a check to: Care Net Treasure Coast, 6704 S. US Highway 1, Port St. Lucie, FL 34952, or Text to Give at (772) 888-1801.

Joyfully,

Sue Chess

Executive Director

Adopted and Thankful

By Debi Boerckel
      Office Manager

Many may not know, but Saturday, November 17 is National Adoption Day!  To those of us who are adopted, or have placed children for adoption, it is an important day.

When I was 3 months old, a very loving couple adopted me.  I was their second adopted child.  My Mom suffered a stillbirth in her only pregnancy, and after that was unable to have children due to medical complications.  When she and Dad decided to pursue adoption, they went all in!  I have copies of the many letters they sent to adoption agencies.  My brother was adopted first, and then I was adopted through the same agency two years later.  Both of us lived in an orphanage until we were placed with my parents.

As a child, I never thought much about being adopted.  I have known I was adopted for as long as I can remember.  This was never a secret in our family for either my brother or me.  It was pretty much normal.  We were raised as if our parents were our biological parents in every way.
 

When I became a teenager, I often wondered who I looked like, if my bio-parents ever thought about me, did they remember my birthday, etc.  Normal questions for an adoptee.  During my rebellious teenage years, I found myself wishing I could be with my bio-parents because, of course, they would understand me!  LOL!  That’s laughable now as I look back!

I never once remember holding any anger or resentment toward my bio-parents for placing me for adoption.  I was grateful, thankful even, that they did and that I had been given the blessing of my Mom and Dad, and our extended family.  I had everything any child could want – a loving family, beautiful home, close extended family.  My Mom and Dad WANTED us!  Just like other Moms and Dads!  I never felt that I was different, excluded, or “less than” any of my cousins or friends because I was adopted.  In fact, just the opposite!  I told many that I was CHOSEN.  I was proud of the fact that my Mom and Dad chose me to be their daughter!

I understand that not every adoption story is like mine.  I know there are stories of children being abused, used, and discarded after they have been adopted.  HOWEVER, of the hundreds of adoption stories I have personally read or been told, those are the exceptions, not the rule.  Most adoptees have had loving parents and families that have embraced them, and have helped them grow to be amazing adults!

Somehow, adoption has taken on such a negative identity in the eyes of many.  When speaking with women here at Care Net about adoption, our peer counselors will quite often hear this response:  “Oh no, I could never give my baby away for someone else to raise!”  The reality of this is that these same women are contemplating abortion.  So while they are horrified at the suggestion of adoption, or “giving away their baby,” they are not horrified or even apprehensive at the prospect of abortion, which ends that baby’s life.  It is intensely sad that life changing decisions are being made with little to no correct information or education.

I would like to say, “Thank You” to the many Moms and Dads that had the courage to place their children for adoption.  I know that it is not an easy decision to make, and is one of the greatest sacrifices that a parent could make.  I would also like to say, “Thank You” to the many Moms and Dads that have stepped in and given those same children loving, caring, nurturing homes.  In addition, to my personal heroes, my birth parents (who I don’t know) and my Mom and Dad, “Thank You” – I love you all deeply. 

The next time you think of Care Net, say a quick prayer for those that refuse to parent and are contemplating abortion – pray that they will see the beauty of adoption and step out with courage to do that next right thing.

If you would like to see what information we share with our clients, please visit our website, www.CareNetTC.com.

If you are an adoptee, or placed a child for adoption, and would like to make a donation to Care Net in honor of National Adoption Day, please visit our website and click on “Donate” www.CareNetFriends.com.   

God's Perfect Timing

By Rayma Zugel
      Lead Center Director

Have you been waiting for what seems like a long time for God to answer a prayer? Do you sometimes wonder to yourself whether it’s ever going to happen?

Let me encourage you with this:

God has established the perfect moment in time for the fulfillment of His promises. Mark 11:24  “Therefore I tell you. Whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it and it will be yours.” (ESV)

God’s timing is always perfect. He orders everything with perfect synchronicity and symmetry. Nothing escapes your Father’s notice.

Matthew 10:29 – 31: “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.”

God hears every prayer instantly. Before a word passes your lips, God hears, and He always answers. We just need to trust that He is God and that His answer will come at the appointed time.

This was what Cassie (name changed) experienced just recently. Cassie is a single mother of three school aged children. As the summer quickly wound down Cassie was trying to figure out how she was going to buy her children the school supplies they needed. It seems that each year the list gets longer and longer, and Cassie was beginning to stress. But God!

A group of believers from a local church wanted to support the clients of Care Net with a Back to School Drive. The Pastor contacted the Center Director for a list of names. Cassie happened to be one of them. When the Director called Cassie to explain what this local church had in mind she started to cry. She had just shared with someone that she didn’t know how she was going to get any part of the supplies needed for her children. Then, not only did this local church provide supplies for her children, Cassie told us, “They supplied more than I could have even imagined!”

Isn’t that just like our God? Philippians 4:19 “And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.”

We so often forget how short our life is and let the small things get to us and not trust God and His promises. Our lives are in the hands of Almighty God and everything is in His timing, not ours. The next time life tries to get the better of you, remember this, “Show me, Lord, my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting my life is.”

God’s got this and it is all in His perfect timing.

Seasons of Life

By Traci Bolden
      Center Director

Just like the natural seasons change, so do the seasons in our lives.  There are seasons of happiness, seasons of waiting, seasons of growth, seasons of sorrow.  Each one of us will experience these ever changing seasons sooner or later in our personal lives.  It is easy to praise God during the seasons of happiness when everything seems to be going our way, but there are seasons of life that are more difficult than others – seasons of growth and seasons of sorrow.  The season of growth is usually not pain free because you are being stretched beyond your comfort zone, which can be painful.  We see this a lot in our children as we challenge them in their own walk with the Lord.  The season of sorrow is also painful, especially when it involves the death of someone you love.  This can be the most difficult season, because it is final.  My dad passed away almost a year ago and there are still days that I get overwhelmed with how much I miss him.  I miss his hugs and all the things about him that drove me crazy.  The one thing I know for certain is that God is there with me on those days.  God is there in the depths of our sorrows. 

I was sitting in church a few weeks ago when the pastor reminded us that we are always on God’s mind.  I pondered that for a moment and thought to myself, there is never a moment that passes or breath I take when God is not thinking of ME!  Wow!  How powerfully that resonated with me.  Just think about that for a minute.  When God looks at you and me, he sees us as valuable and precious.  He thinks of us with goodness and grace.  That is exactly the sentiment we love to share with our clients that come to Care Net.  If that realization affected me so profoundly, someone who has been a Christ-follower for many seasons of life, how impactful would that be to someone who is meeting Him for the first time.  There are seasons where we forget about God, but HE NEVER forgets about us!

Seasons of waiting can certainly test our patience while waiting on God to answer a prayer or fulfill a  Ecclesiastes 3:1 reminds us that it is His perfect timing not ours….”There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.  Ecclesiastes 3:11 also encourages us to remember that God’s blessing comes through these times of waiting.  “He has made everything beautiful in its time.  He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.”  It makes me smile when I think about all of the wonderful things that God has blessed me with.  God wants to use us and He is perfecting our faith in the process during the seasons of waiting.

dream.

There is a promise in the Bible that tells you not only that God is working but also how God is working, and you need to claim it while you are in your time of waiting:  “I am the LORD, and when it is time, I will make these things happen quickly.” (Isaiah 60:22).  There is the old saying, “God may be slow, but He is NEVER late!”  He promised!

In every season, whether it is a happy season, a season of waiting, or a season filled with grief and heartache, God is teaching us to trust in Him.  Every season of life has a purpose and we must choose to focus on God’s goodness.  It is during the seasons of waiting and being still before God, continuing to pour our hearts out before him, that he does some of his most magnificent work.  It is in the wilderness or the quiet times that God can restore our hope and deepen our character.  It is in the waiting that I get to know God’s heart more intimately and begin to realize that He is my life.

Obedience & Eternal Perspective

By Jane Oliver, Liaison Coordinator

“…I am God and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, “My counsel shall stand, and I WILL accomplish ALL my purpose.”  Isaiah 46:9-10 (emphasis mine)

“God knows what I need.  I do not.  He sees the future.  I cannot.  His perspective is eternal.  Mine is not.” ~Vaneetha Rendall Risner

Praise the Lord for that, but OUCH!  So often we forget that we have such finite minds, don’t we?  “Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.” (Proverbs 19:21) We make all sorts of plans-even ones that include serving God and His people, so we are sometimes confused when we seem to be stuck in the mundane or when we are waiting on God.  We need to be reminded that our Creator is mostly concerned with the posture of our heart; with deepening our relationship with Him; with solidifying our trust in Him; with our obedience so that He can transform us by the renewing of our minds into Christlikeness; to accomplish “all HIS purpose.”  Our greatest opportunity to serve Him is going to be wrapped in obedience just as it was for Noah, Moses, Abraham, David, Joseph, and Jesus. 

The Lord has taught me so much about how my obedience is directly related to discovering His eternal purpose and plan for my life in a mighty way over the past few months.  I have held many jobs and volunteer positions over the years that I saw no obvious eternal value in.  But, “everyone has work to do that honors God” (from Holy Hustle devo), even when it is not in ministry, right?   As a mom, I’ve often quoted this scripture to my kids when tasked with something they did not enjoy doing: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters.” (Colossians 3:23)  Who am I kidding?  I have had to remind myself of this even more often!  I have learned that when the posture of my heart is right, especially in the seemingly mundane, or in the waiting, the Lord is faithful to honor me because I’ve honored Him.  Have you experienced the same?

As a teenager, God placed a burden on my heart to make an impact for the sanctity of human life.  Fifteen years ago, I answered His call to volunteer here at Care Net as the Helpline Coordinator.  I KNEW that held eternal value--you don’t have to be exposed to Care Net very long to see that Care Net is a God-honoring, life-affirming, Gospel-sharing ministry that is near and dear to the heart of our Savior.  I was humbled and thankful for the opportunity to serve at Care Net.

During that time, the Lord began to fuel a desire in me to work full time in this ministry, but there were circumstances in my life that kept me from it.  I felt “stuck” with the job I had as a result; so I remained a Helpline volunteer, and continued working and volunteering where the Lord placed me.  The Lord was always faithful to bless me in that.  I loved the job I was doing, but the desire to be involved more deeply with Care Net remained.  What I didn’t realize was that God had something bigger in mind for His purpose that He was preparing me for with EVERY. SINGLE. TASK. and act of obedience and service during that time. 

In March of this year, an employment opportunity opened up here at Care Net.  God reminded me that I was in a different season of life that would allow me the opportunity to make a career change.  I drafted a new resume for the first time in years.  As I listed each job or volunteer opportunity I had held, along with the responsibilities and skills I had acquired, God clearly showed me how He had used each one to prepare me to better serve Him.  It was a light bulb moment! After much prayer and clear confirmation from the Lord, I applied for the position at Care Net. 

   

I was not offered the position that I applied for, and with that came some soul searching and confusion about whether or not I had actually heard God right.  I began to doubt, but He continued to clearly point me to Care Net.  I was offered the receptionist position.  I prayed and felt the Lord encouraging me to take a leap of faith in obedience to His calling.  I was excited to join the staff at Care Net, but the receptionist position was not what I had in mind…..my prideful, finite, human mind that lacks God’s eternal perspective!  I had lost sight for a moment of God’s Word: “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4:18)  and (Isaiah 55:8), “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.”

 

I accepted the position and thanked God for it daily-- getting to work in this ministry alongside God’s people is an awe-inspiring, and humbling privilege; witnessing firsthand the love of Christ and The Gospel in action with the clients we serve is over the top!  I was overjoyed that I had chosen to obey God in this!  (Little did I know… He was not done moving me yet.)

Because God “…is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,” (Ephesians 3:20), additional staffing needs at Care Net were being met even before any of us knew there would be a need!    Not long after I joined the staff here, our amazing Liaison Coordinator shared that for some time, she had felt God calling her to spend more time at home with her family, and that the Lord had already impressed upon her that I was placed here to assume her role; Sue Chess agreed and offered me the position.  MIND. BLOWN.  God loves Care Net and our Liaison Coordinator so much that He provided her with the peace she needed in knowing that the ministry position she would need to vacate was covered-- a sweet reward for her obedience and a gift of God’s providence for Care Net.  And, of course, God already had the perfect volunteer/intern ready to assume the role of receptionist!

What an incredible blessing and what an AWESOME God we serve!  Care Net belongs to Him, and His purpose WILL be accomplished.  God provides the greatest opportunities to serve Him wrapped in our obedience.

Sinner or Saint?

By Pam Durham,  C.A.R.E. Director

How do you refer to yourself?  If you have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, how do you think of yourself?  Do you think of yourself as a “Sinner saved by grace” or as a “Saint, the righteousness of Christ?”

I quickly put the word “sinner” in as a word search in BibleGateway.com.  The term in the New Testament is not referring to Christians.  Paul’s reference is to his past.  Not once is the term “sinner saved by grace” found.  The closest thing to that is in James 4:8 (“Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.”) James is referring to the double-minded person being directed to purify his heart; the terms grace, holy, redeemed, etc. are not found in the verse or those around it.  Are you thinking that you are a sinner and have been saved by grace?  I mean we all were sinners and once we’ve trusted Christ as our Savior we are saved by grace, but is “a sinner saved by grace” how you see yourself and refer to yourself?  If you do, I must ask if you struggle with your identity in Christ.  Having worked with many women who have struggled with their past, I can tell you that most if not all have felt at some point that they were not as good as those they attend church with.  They saw themselves as unworthy. 

I remember praying about a situation where I had taken responsibility for possibly offending a group and I went to each one and asked for their forgiveness.  Even though they all said they did forgive me, there were one or two whose actions didn’t confirm their words.  While praying I asked why they were rejecting me.  Almost verbally, God said, “They are not rejecting you, they are rejecting me through you.”  How freeing that was to understand rejection from God’s perspective.

Galatians 2:20 states that Christians have been crucified with Christ so that they no longer live but Christ lives in them.  If Christ lives in you, are you still a sinner or a saint?  Again 1 John 3:9 tells us, “No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God.”  And Romans 8:1-2 states, “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.”

Break free from this mentality; don’t mix your old identity with your new identity.

I am set free to be a righteous saint.  I remember when I first became a Christian over 40 years ago.  I thought that you became a saint when you were old and had white hair.  I soon learned that a saint was a person chosen by God.  That included me in my teen years.  In the NIV version, it’s translated as holy people.  Do you think of yourself as being holy and righteous?

Here are some scriptures where righteousness is used to describe Christians. Romans 5:17 & 19, plus Romans 5:21, “… just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Can grace reign when we are filling our mind with being a sinner?  I Corinthians 1:30 “It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.”, Ephesians 6:14,

“Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place…” If you see yourself as a sinner (saved by grace) the breastplate cannot fully protect you from the enemy because of the “half-truth” you are believing.  Philippians 1:9-11,  ^“And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God” and 3:9, “and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith.”

I am not saying we live the rest of our lives sinless.  Until we are taken home to heaven, we will be imperfect.  But, we are what we think and speak.  Have you heard about self-talk?  It is so important to speak the positive.  This is supported with Scripture as well.  2 Corinthians 10:5 says, “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” And Philippians 4:8 says, “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”

I haven’t always walked in this truth.  For many years I was still bound by the shame of my past.  My self-value didn’t change overnight – it was work!  But now, I am the righteousness of Christ Jesus – I am a daughter of the King of Kings.  I stand on this identity.  Where do you stand?

What Does Grace Look Like?

By Traci Bolden

      Center Director - Stuart

Grace is not an easy concept to wrap your mind around.  You can look up grace in the dictionary and you will find words like divine assistance, unmerited favor, or virtue from God.

When we talk about grace and we struggle to define it, we are left to wonder, do we really understand what it is.  Do we even recognize it?   In order to understand what grace is, you need more than a definition.  It requires an experience.

One of the best ways to convey grace is through a story – your story.  There is something that is captured through telling about an experience you have had or what God has done in your life rather than simply just giving an explanation.

Grace is the heart of our relationship with God.  It says that no matter who you are or what you have done, grace can still be part of your story.

Everything that God does through you, he does by grace.  God knew every dirty deed you would ever commit, yet he still chose to create you.  We believe that God is the author of life, but do we live like He is our gracious creator.   When you look at scripture, the concept of God’s grace is woven throughout the pages of both the Old Testament and the New Testament.  He taught us about grace through stories, stories that are still just as relevant to our lives today.  We hear stories of the nameless woman at the well where God’s grace was poured out.  She was a woman who desired to be wanted, to be cared for when no one, not even herself, could see anything of value in her.  Her story is uncomfortable to describe, but it is the epitome of God’s grace and forgiveness.  We also see grace in the story of David, who is the ultimate example of God’s “unmerited favor”.  David lusted, stole, committed adultery, lied, and even killed, and yet, God saw his heart and loved him.

Grace is what rewrites our story.  It is not having to wait to get your life “cleaned up” or “back on track.”  It embraces you in your mess.  Romans 5:20 tells us that “where sin increased, grace abounded all the more.”  Our stories allow grace to spread.

Grace is also seeing people through the eyes of Jesus.  It is not always easy to give grace, especially when it is seemingly undeserved, but when you replace what has happened to you with what God has done for you, you find you have more grace to give.

Grace is what is required for you to live free.  Ephesians 1: 7-8 tells us that “it is the blood of Jesus that gives us grace (sets us free).”  It is not something earned or deserved.  It is the price He paid for us.  Grace is when God gives you what you need, not what you deserve. 

 

What does grace look like in your life?  How has God shown you favor when you did not deserve it?  We do not have to look very far to be able to tell that story.

When you look in the mirror…you are looking back at the very definition of grace.  Your story is where grace is defined.  Allowing God to rewrite your story… that is what grace looks like.

The People of Who-ville Won Today!

By Sue Chess
      Executive Director

June 27, 2018 - Our social medias, emails, and newsfeeds have blown up this morning with the incredible, joyful, and awesome news that life and liberty won today!  To more clearly show you why it was such big news, let me explain.

We live in a “world within a world” here at Care Net. We are a little like Who-ville in “Horton Hears a Who.”  We walk alongside our clients facing crisis after crisis as they face the struggles of meeting the needs of their families.  We are there for them and they know it.  In fact, they tell their friends about us, which is one of the main ways we fill our appointment slots. 

We walk on the “client” side with them but all the while the “admin” lives an alternate reality, a  Who-ville existence where many would rather we’d stay hidden or go away and others would like to destroy completely.   For our clients we work carefully to be medically accurate, to keep our professional processes full of integrity, to run a business that is both legal, honest, and true, and to pay our bills without ever expecting a client to help.  We don’t just do this because it is best practices but also because there is a hostile culture of death which is driven by abortion money trying always to bring us down. Just like the people in Who-ville had enemies in the jungle, so do we.

The admin inner world is not understood by many.  Here we are in a battle.  We work closely with organizations and are deeply grateful to them for arming, preparing, and supporting us.  Good folks like Care Net National https://www.care-net.org/, National Institute of Family and Life Advocates or NIFLA https://nifla.org/ , Heartbeat International https://www.heartbeatinternational.org/  and Alliance Defending Freedom https://www.adflegal.org/.  They give us guidance in what we can and cannot do legally as we walk a tightrope in service to families facing unplanned pregnancies and students involved in risky behavior.  It is a true saying that we care about the whole family.  We are 100% prolife because we know it to be right not just a right.  Abortion hurts women and destroys children.  It is not just that God is pro-life, although that would be enough.  It is also that the ramifications upon humanity go so much further than what a dishonest society shows.   We see that truth every day.

 

With that background of our world you may better understand just how much a certain SCOTUS case ruling on June 26, 2018 on NIFLA v. Becerra affects the ongoing existence of every pregnancy resource center such as Care Net. 

Here is the case summary from NIFLA:

In 2015 California passed AB 775, the so-called "Reproductive FACT Act.” This law mandates that medical pro-life pregnancy centers provide written or digital information to their patients - such as a sign in the waiting room - on how to obtain a state-funded abortion. This means that nonprofit pro-life medical clinics as well as their staff and volunteers are being forced to violate their consciences - an outright violation of their First Amendment rights.

In defense of the 135 California pregnancy centers that it represents, NIFLA filed a lawsuit challenging this legislation. Arguments for this landmark pro-life free speech case were heard by the U.S. Supreme Court on March 20, 2018.

We realize that this law would so infringe and violate our beliefs that if it continued without check, the enemies of the sanctity of human life would see that it swept across the land. Women facing an unplanned pregnancy would no longer have a safe place to explore all options.  Simply stated it was huge!

Today the Supreme Court ruled!  Here was NIFLA’s announcement:

NIFLA has been fighting the good fight in courts and today we are grateful to say that free speech lives! 

In a 5-4 decision, the justices have rightly supported the freedom of speech of over 100 pro-life pregnancy centers and medical clinics in California.

“Today’s decision is a tremendous win not only for free speech but for human life,” said Jor-El Godsey, president of Heartbeat International.  Thanks to today’s ruling, California’s 200 plus pregnancy centers can continue to serve women and children, unburdened by the unconscionable demands of the abortion lobby.  This is an unquestionably major triumph for U.S. pregnancy centers working to save families from the sting of abortion.”

Today’s ruling is the latest—and most significant—court victory for pro-life pregnancy centers which have been the target of similarly onerous free speech restrictions in New York, Connecticut, Maryland, Texas, Hawaii, and Illinois.

Today the little people of Who-ville won in more ways than one.

Life and Death

By Pam Durham
      C.A.R.E. Director

The first definition of life according to the online Merriam-Webster dictionary is: 

a : the quality that distinguishes a vital and functional being from a dead body.
b : a principle or force that is considered to underlie the distinctive quality of animate beings.
c : an organismic state characterized by capacity for metabolism, growth, reaction to stimuli, and reproduction.

The definition of death is:

a : a permanent cessation of all vital functions : the end of life.

b : an instance of dying.

This past week was an eventful one of both life and death for me.  My daughter was due with her third child on June 14^th, but due to some complications she was induced on May 22^nd.  I am now the proud grandmother of 6 grandchildren - five granddaughters and one grandson.  What a joy they all are.  They range in age from 12 to brand new!  The life they represent is far more than that listed in the definitions above.  They are the result of the life of Christ who brings us true life.  I am the proud mother (and mother-in-law) of their parents.  Because of choices I made over 40 years ago, I have children who are bringing up their children in the admonition of the Lord.  It is such a delight to see all they are learning about Jesus and who He is; to watch their character be shaped by their loving parents. What a blessing! 

But, in comes death.  I received a call from my Dad the day after my new granddaughter’s birth to tell me that my uncle had passed away.  Three days earlier he had had a massive heart attack.  Although they had him on life support, there was no sign of life.  They removed the life support May 23^rd.  In the midst of my rejoicing, I now am also grieving.  Being only eight years my senior, my uncle was more like a brother to me since I had spent most of my early childhood living with my grandparents and Mom.  He would have done anything for me, and he named his only child after me.  He smoked heavily and also drank consistently, but when we went to a restaurant, he would go to the non-smoking sections…just for me. 

But sadly, to my knowledge, he is also spiritually dead.  There was a point in his life also 40 years ago where he said he wanted nothing to do with God.  As far as I know, that never changed.  I have the blessed hope of seeing all my children and grandchildren in Heaven some day.  I also will see my Mom and my in-laws there as well.

I am reminded that there is so much more to life than just living here on earth.  Or as some say, just surviving.  Today, more than most, I know how truly blessed I am to have chosen eternal life for myself those many years ago.  My husband and I have chosen to leave an eternal legacy for our children.

What are you choosing?  Life – abundant life…or death – eternal separation from God?