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?

Memorial Day

By Rayma Zugel
     Lead Center Director

We are coming up on Memorial Day. A day set aside to honor all those that died while serving our country, or have died since. But what is the history behind Memorial Day?

Memorial Day was originally called Decoration Day, from the early tradition of decorating graves with flowers, wreaths, and flags. It was first widely observed on May 30, 1868 to commemorate the sacrifices of Civil War soldiers. In 1873, New York was the first state to designate Memorial Day as a legal holiday. By the late 1800’s, many more cities and communities observed Memorial Day, and several states had declared it a legal holiday. After World War I, it became an occasion for honoring those who died in all American wars and then was more widely established as a National holiday.

In 1971, Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act and established that Memorial Day was to be celebrated on the last Monday of May. Memorial Day is celebrated at Arlington Cemetery each year with a ceremony in which a small American flag is placed on each grave.

It is important for Americans to take time to remember the sacrifices that bought their freedom. As of May 1, 2018, 624,031 Americans have died in all the wars that the United States has taken a part in, including Operation Freedom’s Sentinel and Operation Inherent Resolve that continue on in our war against terrorists.

For anyone that knows me, they know I have a special place in my heart for all Armed Services since my husband is a Vietnam Veteran. And I will never take away from the honor that is due to those that willing gave their life, or were willing to do so by going to war, to fight for the freedoms we enjoy today. But I also want us to remember the 45,151,389 lives that were taken by abortion (2014 statistics given by Guttmacher Institute). These lives will never get a chance to celebrate Memorial Day. These lives will never get the chance to experience the freedoms we have.

So this year for Memorial Day, remember those that fought for you and I, but also remember those little lives lost before their time. ❤

What's It Worth?

By Sue Chess
      Executive Director

Janet came into my office with a big happy grin and said happily “that was fun!”  She had just been with a client, so suspecting a great story I said, “Tell me more!”  Janet went on, “My client just told me her time with us is the highlight of her week.”  When I asked her to explain, Janet said that the client described losing her home during Hurricane Irma because the apartment building where she lived was destroyed by floodwater.  All of her things were gone and then she found Care Net.  The connections she needed were reestablished and she began taking parenting classes to rebuild her baby supplies.  Over time she has developed a close mentoring relationship with her volunteer as she has come in each week. This was what she meant by highlight.  But, it was not JUST the much needed stuff, but also the love and acceptance she’s found in “this place.”   Janet and I both had tears in our eyes as we reflected on our grateful client’s gift to us today.  This kind of feedback makes it all worth it.  Knowing the investment of time is not only saving lives but rescuing lives in so many other ways as well.

As we’ve just come through Volunteer Appreciation month, it has been pure joy to focus on the amazing people God has filled our Stuart and Port St. Lucie Centers with.  Trying to describe the hearts of love in our Centers leaves all of us a bit speechless—they really ARE that good!  So, when we came across an article describing the “Value of Volunteers in 2017” of course I read it! 

Did you know that there is a way to put a value on their work?  Until reading this article, we’d been measuring their worth way too low!  According to nonprofit leadership network Independent Sector, the estimated value of an hour of volunteer work rose to $24.69 per hour in 2017. 

Imagine hiring someone to teach, sort donated baby items, lead classes, peer counsel, enter data, solicit donations, provide ultrasounds, schedule medical staff, provide STI testing, and process a bulk-mail.  Now imagine paying them $24.69 per hour/per person for all of these services on a budget that’s already stretched thin! 

Our volunteers sign in and out when they come to Care Net.  This keeps our insurance company happy, but it also gives us how many hours have been donated.  We tracked 4900 hours in our two Centers in 2017.  At $24.69/hour it would have cost us an incredible $120,941.00 just last year to pay our Volunteers.

 

Janet’s story at the beginning measured the “eternal metric” of what the investment into our client’s lives accomplishes.  The Independent Sector has measured the “earthly metric.”  Either way, we’ve managed to show you just how deeply in debt we are to the wonderful men and women who do so much here at Care Net.

The next time someone tells you they volunteer, tell them “thank you,” would you?  They really are “a work of heart!”