“Even now,” declares the LORD, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting
and weeping and mourning.” Joel 2:12 The fall campaign of “40 Days for Life” begins tomorrow, Wednesday, September 28 and continues until Sunday, November 6. It is a time for the pro-life community to join together for 40 days of prayer, fasting, vigil, and community outreach. It is a time to return to the Lord with all your heart. One way is through fasting. But what exactly is fasting? Fasting is when we humbly deny something of the flesh to glorify God and go deeper in our prayer life. The purpose of fasting is to take our eyes off the things of this world and instead focus on God. Fasting is a way to demonstrate to God and to ourselves that we are serious about our relationship with Him. Although fasting in Scripture is almost always a fasting from food, there are other ways to fast. Anything you can temporarily give up (TV, radio, Facebook, snacks, chocolate, alcohol) in order to better focus on God can be considered a fast. Fasting is not intended to punish our flesh, but to focus on God. Whenever you are tempted to indulge in whatever it is you have sacrificed, fill that“void” with God by praying and you may find yourself more often in prayer than before you began your fast (depending on how often you are tempted :). Fasting strengthens us for the Christian lifestyle in which we strive to put God and others first. By fasting, you exercise your self-control and grow in self-discipline. Possibly the greatest work of fasting is quieting the body’s wants so we can be more sensitive to the Holy Spirit. Remember during these 40 days that you are fasting to grow closer to God. So if you slip up now and then, do not despair and quit. Just return to our gracious God, pray for strength, and begin anew. Use these next 40 Days to bring about change not only in the world but inside your own heart! “180” A NEW PRO-LIFE FILM: Share with your friends as part of community outreach for 40 Days for Life. There is a new short film (33 min.) available on the internet at http://180movie.com/ . It is a series of “man on the street” interviews where the interviewer changes people’s minds about abortion in a most remarkable way. You will be amazed at the simplicity and effectiveness of his approach. Wednesday, 40 DAYS FOR LIFE BEGINS! Every day until November 6th: Chicago at Albany Medical Surgical Center, 5086 N. Elston, 24 Hour vigil Sign up for an hour at http://40daysforlife.com/chicago/ Downers Grove at Access Health Center, 1700 75th St., 6:00 am – 6:00 pm vigil Sign up for an hour at http://40daysforlife.com/downersgrove/ News from last two Thursdays’ Forest View vigils: ** On September 15th, we estimate that FIVE precious infants were killed at Forest View Medical Center. ** Tempers flared as we approached a young man to offer him information and he began to yell at us. This does not happen as often as you may think at the clinic. More common is complete denial of what they are doing at the clinic. See below. **On Sept. 22nd, THREE couples brought their unborn children to be murdered at Forest View. ** One Filipino married couple was willing to talk with one of our counselors. The husband, however, did most of the talking for them. The woman stood by appearing very uncomfortable. He told us they are Catholic, have two children, and only came to Forest View because his wife “wasn’t feeling well.” When she was asked, she just shrugged. Hours later they exited the facility with the wife in very bad shape as many women are after an abortion. They would not stop on the way out to get a Project Rachel brochure. As they lie to us, they must be also lying to themselves about the truth that abortion kills a human being. ** Special Request: Are you a knitter? No one has yet responded! We are almost out of baby booties to give to mothers entering or leaving the clinic. These small tokens of love are a powerful physical symbol of the life inside which they cannot yet see. Would you be willing to knit some pink or blue booties? Please let us know. Your handiwork could make the difference between life and death. News about your spiritually adopted baby: ** Your spiritually adopted baby is 30 weeks old (32 weeks LMP). The mother is probably feeling VERY pregnant these days and may be uncomfortable. Pray for her to embrace this time of preparation and look forward to the day she will hold her baby in her arms. And, of course, pray every day for your spiritually adopted baby. For more information on Spiritual Adoption see www.spiritualadoption.org. Would your parish, prayer group, Bible study, youth group, etc. consider a group spiritual adoption during Respect Life month this October? Bob Paige will send you everything you need (and more!) to get started. You can email him at [email protected] or check out the website above. See our upcoming events page for more!
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