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Dear VSM LifeSharers,                                                                            June 2010

            As I was standing along Mission Boulevard next to that despicable abortion clinic last Monday morning with my big pro-life sign facing east (the beautiful baby picture with the simple caption, “Life”) and the pink banner facing west (“Mom, We Care About You and Your Baby”), I found myself thinking about the Normandy invasion.

            It’s not really much of surprise that I was. After all, the day before was June 6th and much of our weekend had been concerned with reflecting on the world-changing event that was D-Day. I had spent most of Saturday reading The Steel Wave, the second in Jeff Shaara’s superb WWII trilogy and it is the volume which concentrates on Operation Overlord.

            It’s a thrilling but deeply somber read for, though the Herculean effort was ultimately successful, the invasion of France and the creation of a second front on European soil cost thousandsof lives. Yes, there will always be sacrifices required in the cause of justice but reading Shaara’s brilliant novel reminded me of the debt the free world owes to these brave soldiers, sailors and airmen of D-Day AND of the responsibility I myself bear to insure their sacrifices were not in vain.

            But we weren’t done with D-Day just yet. For the next day was the anniversary itself. Claire and I talked more about the Shaara book as well as things we have learned from others: the war memoirs of Omar Bradley and Winston Churchill, and histories by such able writers as Cornelius Ryan, Samuel Eliot Morison, Stephen Ambrose, David Howarth, William Shirer, and so on.

            I also shared a few reflections about the anniversary before my sermon at Faith Bible Church that morning. And then that night, after a day spent with church friends and then at my Mom’s, Claire and I watched the monumental 3-hour Hollywood production from 1962, "The Longest Day." It’s quite a movie and it had been a long time since we had seen it.

            "The Longest Day" is a remarkable film on many levels, not the least of which is its cast.  The film boasts 42 international stars -- and yet they all play relatively small roles, some no more than a cameo appearance. This approach makes D-Day itself the star. Thus, the viewer is pleased to see John Wayne, Robert Mitchum, Richard Burton, Robert Ryan, Eddie Albert, Richard Todd, Henry Fonda, Stuart Whitman, Kenneth More, Edmund O'Brien, Rod Steiger, Sean Connery, Jeffrey Hunter and those who were teen heartthrobs of the day (Robert Wagner, Tommy Sands, Fabian, Sal Mineo, Paul Anka and Richard Beymer) – but none of them are on screen long enough to steal the spotlight. The viewer is therefore always drawn back to the fact that the invasion was an awesome and huge event, one that involved the hard work, bravery and sacrifice of thousands upon thousands of brave men.

            It was a very moving conclusion to the weekend.

            So, it was quite natural that I was still thinking of D-Day when early on the morning of June 7th, I was standing on that sidewalk outside the abortion mill to do sidewalk counseling along with the regulars in our team. I couldn’t help but notice too the U.S. flags that the city of Bellevue has hanging from most of the light poles on each side of the street. There are two more stars on those flags than the ones which accompanied those heroes who stormed Omaha and Utah beaches on that fateful day in 1944. But the ideals the U.S. flag represents remain the same.

            Or do they?

            I couldn’t help but wonder at that question as I recalled the things I’d been pondering over D-Day weekend. My eyes shifted from those waving flags to the ugly and abhorrent structure on my left – that abortion chamber where Leroy Carhart and his minions cruelly destroy babies for profit.  In his grisly career, this single thug has killed more people than all who died in the D-Day invasion!  For the number killed on D-Day is around 2,500. Carhart has many, many more than that number on his soul. And not a single death is justified – all were innocent, helpless unborn babies.

            What a thing to bear when he faces a holy God in judgment!

            And what a thing for our country to bear as well.

            For it is the U.S. courts that have legalized this holocaust. It is American politicians that have protected abortion, promoted it, peddled it as a constitutional right. It is American businesses that share in the blood money abortion yields. It is American journalists who have protected the abortion industry from hard scrutiny. It is American teachers who have distorted history as well as morality to propagate the myths of “safe sex” and “freedom of choice.”

            And it is American churches that, if they haven’t championed abortion themselves, have learned to co-exist with it, finding more to publicly criticize in pro-lifers’ methods than even in the barbarity of the abortionists.

            Is this what the heroes of D-Day fought for, bled for, lost limbs for, died for –  to defend such a freedom as that which lets abortionists wield their weapons against our own offspring?

            Of course not!

            Those that gave their all at Bunker Hill and Shiloh and Belleau Wood and Normandy -- and so many other hallowed places where Americans died -- did so for a freedom companionable with justice and faith and truth. Their noble sacrifices were not for the licentiousness, hedonism and godlessness that modern liberals have so malevolently stuffed into the Constitution.

            It is therefore up to we the living to fight on for the ideals that motivated them, to keep them from being completely overwhelmed by the socialists, the secularists and all others who seek to destroy the values of our nation's founding fathers.

            Therefore, as I stood on that Bellevue street last Monday, I decided to make it a D-Day of my own. I prayed and re-dedicated myself to serve God with a heart of gladness and hope as I “invade” the paganism of the culture that has stolen America from under my feet. I promised the Lord anew to serve Him with boldness, with a willingness to sacrifice, with a keen sense of my dependence upon my fellow warriors, with a humility that uses technology and strategies developed by others…and with confidence that God will reward my every effort tenfold. In my gospel proclamations, in my pro-life ministries, in my praying and preaching, in my writing and blogging, and in every other duty My King sets before me, I will give it all I can.

            The inspiration of that D-Day weekend was powerful indeed -- yet another blessing which came from the heroic efforts expended those long decades ago. Thank you, guys. 

            Now , before I close, let me share just a couple of quick updates on what’s been happening with Vital Signs Ministries since the LifeSharer letter of last month.

            * We had a very successful P.A.L. Night in which 66 letters were prayerfully launched.  That's right; just a couple of hours with a handful of letter-writers but we produced 66 letters! Those letters went to politicians, diplomats, businessmen, TV producers, and others – but all dealt with important and relevant issues for Christians who want to “shine” instead of just “whine.”  We have another coming up on Monday, July 12th and we urge you to be a part. It's fun; it's a lot easier than you think; and it does make a difference!

            * Claire and I spent an exciting morning catching up with Dr. Paul Byrne when he was in Omaha a couple of weeks ago.  Dr. Byrne has been a good friend and inspirational leader to us ever since we first became involved in pro-life advocacy.  He is one of the world’s experts in exposing the various myths of “brain death” and how those myths have fueled the euthanasia movement.  He is also one of pioneers in neo-natalogy with several groundbreaking treatments and technologies to his credit.  During our talk, I was moved to ask him if we could do some film work with him for use on the internet, in pro-life circles, etc.  He was more than willing!  So, are you listening, Patrice?  Looks like we’ve got some new work ahead of us!

            * Even with the general summer slump that affects internet use, the number of page loads on Vital Signs Blog continues to remain high.  We are very pleased at how this aspect of the ministry, completely unknown to us just a few years ago, has taken off.  We have recently given the blog a new look AND Steve Young's renovation of the official Vital Signs Ministries web site has just been completed too. Great job, Steve! Go check it out at www.vitalsignsministries.org.

            * I’ve finished my series of sermons on the book of Colossians at Faith Bible Church. This Sunday we start in on what I hope to be a “special attraction” for those summer months when it seems easier to dodge church.  The series is titled “Bible Beasts” and we'll be exploring Balaam’s donkey, Jonah’s great fish, the bears called by the prophet Elisha, the four horses of the Apocalypse, and various other passages dealing with sheep, lambs, dogs, donkeys, oxen, camels, birds, the Leviathan of Job 41 and more.

            * Finally, the Mercy Ministries which we’ve seen “resurrected” since my Mom became a resident of Life Care Center are expanding.  Now, besides our visits with residents and staff, we’re adding to our repertoire, bird feeders and big band music!

            Okay, I’d better go; I’ve still got some bird feeders to fill before I can go home. But at least I can cross the LifeSharer letter off my “To Do” list and move on.  Thanks for reading it!

            And thanks too for your generous and loyal help in keeping Vital Signs in the fight.  Your prayers, encouragement and financial donations are greatly appreciated! Thank you so much!

            Much love,

Dear Vital Signs LifeSharers,                                                          April/May 2010

            My apologies for not getting an April LifeSharer letter out but many things conspired to delay my writing it until the month was almost over.  And even this “double month” edition is being sent out later than I wanted.  Time has always been in short supply around here.  But in these last few years, the new duties of daily blogging, studying for and writing a sermon every week plus the extra hours needed to help take care of Mom – well, it’s made for a really tight and frequently stressful schedule.

            Add to all these things three visits from family (Sherry from Wichita, Linda & Jon from San Jose, and last weekend's adventure with James and Tenna from Daytona Beach and Ric and Ellen from Denver) and viola --  you get a missed month for the LifeSharer letter!

            Let me begin with a quick recap of the last several weeks. 1) The Omaha World Herald published a pro-life op/ed piece of mine which drew a lot of attention. Historically, the newspaper has been anything but positive to my entries but there has been a few changes at the top there. This was the second op/ed of mine they published in the last couple of years.  

            2) Several posts from Vital Signs Blog have been picked up by “big blogs” like Lucianne.com, Blogs Lucianne Loves, The Point and others which have not only driven our daily average to over 400 page loads but have created extra “spikes” in traffic that have gone as high as 1900 in one day! Wow.

            3) We have begun a new series of P.A.L. Nights where we take advantage of the special punches that a handwritten letter creates.  Always fun, always encouraging, and always helpful, these P.A.L. Nights really do make a difference.  The next one will be Monday, May 24^th at 7:00 P.M. at our place.  Please consider joining us.

            4) The sidewalk counseling on Monday mornings now involves two shifts: one from  7:30 to 9:15 and the other from 9 to 10:30.  That usually allows 4 of us to be present at any time.  However, in the summer, we lose two of our regulars. Therefore, any additions to the team would be most welcome.

            5) The latest Book It! discussion covered Amity Schlaes’ The Forgotten Man and it was (both the book and the conversation) superb!  Next in line is Randy Alcorn’s Money, Possessions and Eternity with the evening discussion scheduled for Monday, June 28^th. Give us a call if you’re interested.

            6) Our ministry of one-on-one and small group discipleship goes on as usual.  For example, since the last LifeSharer, we have hosted nearly a dozen lunches or dinner meetings. And that doesn't count those involving visiting family, the Board meeting, the literary club, etc.

            7) As I’ve mentioned before, we have seen a revitalization of our Mercy Ministries with our frequent visits to the nursing home where my Mom lives.  We’ve made many friends with both residents and staff and we’ve really enjoyed developing those relationships.  Whenever I’m there, I  “work the rooms” a while which seems to be warmly appreciated by all though not as much, I must confess, as Claire’s frequent donation of cookies are! Other Vital Signs team members engaged in regular nursing home visits (that we know of) are Keith and Carol Moran, Quint Coppi, and Ruth Denzler. 

            8) I was honored to fill in for a friend when he needed a “substitute teacher” for a couple of his Old Testament classes at Grace University.  But I had to hit the books for a few hours to be ready for whatever they might throw at me.  It went very well.

            9) We’ve had some intriguing correspondence in recent weeks from all over the country and from a few more far-flung places like Norway, Belarus, England and the Philippines.

            10) Steve Young is nearing completion of his renovations of the official Vital Signs Ministries web site.  It looks cool now but it will be even better when he launches the new one.  Moreover, the site will also be more comprehensive (incorporating much of what is now on individual blogs), more interactive, more user-friendly and, probably most important of all, more Claire-friendly! That last bit means that Claire will be better able to add, subtract and otherwise regularly maintain the site.

            And now, in reply to several requests from LifeSharers who don't make it to Vital Signs Blog as often as they'd like, I finish off this “double-month” LifeSharer by printing off a few recent examples – I usually put on 25-30 posts every week – of what has become such a key part of the Vital Signs outreach.

----- Govt Workers Take 16-Year Old Across State Lines for Late-Term Abortion -----

You don't mess with the government. It will bite back -- and hard.

That's the lesson now being learned by a Philadelphia foster mom who blew the whistle on a Department of Human Services bureaucrat who talked a 16-year old girl into a late term abortion and then drove her into another state to have the inhumane operation performed. But it's not the social worker who got in trouble. Certainly not. Government workers are the experts who can do no wrong. But they can get even.

Citing the breaking of a confidentiality agreement, the government quickly moved in to take away the other children in the foster mom's care. Her home has already been designated as unfit as a foster facility.

And that's just the beginning. The woman has been threatened by a government worker who told her "that trouble was in her future." She was further informed she would be sued. "Find yourself lots of money because you're not going to come out from this one very well."

Note too that this ugly bullying isn't just a matter of a single bullying bureaucrat. It goes all the way up to the Philadelphia mayor's office. A spokesman of that office said, "It's now become clear that the foster mother has violated Pennsylvania state law regarding confidentiality, therefore potentially compromising the safety and well-being of the children in her care."

Wow. Government workers have, in this sad case, cooperated with an abortionist to kill a late-term unborn child and yet they shamelessly talk about a child's "safety and well-being?"

I think I'm gonna' be sick.

----- Russian Tourists "Nostalgic" for Cuba -----

Regarding the expectation of some 45,000 Russian tourists this year, Agence France-Presse reports "Havana's secret weapon for Russian tourists is nostalgia, officials said, playing off a 30-year relationship between the countries due to a once strong political and economic alliance between them."

Ah, yes. Remember the good old days when both our countries tortured and imprisoned innocents, when we both enacted severe controls on information, when we both held on to the corrosive creeds of Communism? Well, come to Cuba, comrades, where we still have these things! Bask on our beaches and dream of the good old days of tyranny, show trials and the Gulag...the days before things went sour on the great Soviet schemes of world domination...the days before you lost the Space Race and the Arms Race and Eastern Europe...the days before Solzhenitsyn and Walesa and, especially, Ronald Reagan.

No, come to the worker's paradise in the Caribbean where the Wall still hasn't come down, where a corrupt dictatorship still enslaves its people. You who yearn for the old ways, be assured you are among friends. So, by all means, relax here. Reminisce here. And, above all, please run through your rubles here!

Because (most unfortunately for the cause) that hasn't changed either. Cuba's economy is still a complete disaster and the old man desperately needs your cash. Please come soon.

----- Push Button Abortion -----

At least a dozen Planned Parenthood offices in Iowa have been "administering" to women who believe they are pregnant the extremely dangerous abortion drug RU-486 -- without the physician even seeing the woman! That's right. You watch a teleconferencing screen and hear from abortionist Susan Haskell up in Des Moines. Then you push a button and and whoosh! A drawer opens up with the RU-486 inside.

Wham. Bam. Thank you, ma'am. And good luck with that abortion because you'll need it. After all, even FDA figures show mifepristone had seriously injured over 1,000 women by 2006 alone. And that includes women dying.

You say you can't believe it, that such a powerful abortifacient could be given to women without a doctor even checking them out? Well then, you don't understand the motives (both ideological and greed-driven) of Planned Parenthood.

And yet this wicked organization just keeps getting protection from local officials, huge donations from corporations and charitable groups like the United Way, and big chunks of your tax payer dollars as well.

Lord have mercy.

----- American Idol Gives Big Bucks to Abortion Groups -----

Of course, the American Idol TV program doesn't let it's viewers know about this, but it has once again decided to funnel large amounts of money to organizations that aggressively promote abortion.

Indeed, one of the organizations that will receive money from the annual "Idol Gives Back" fund raising campaign is Save the Children which partners with Planned Parenthood. And Planned Parenthood not only promotes abortion but is, by far, the largest abortion provider in America.

The program, which aired last night, sent viewer donations to, among others, Save the Children and the United Nations Foundation. But the fact that both of these organizations support abortion was withheld from the public. Why? Because the producers of American Idol well knew that the money gathered would be dramatically less if viewers were aware, for instance, that Save the Children partners with the Center for Reproductive Rights legal group, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Population Action International, and the U.S. Committee for UNICEF.

Pass the word. Contact Fox and let them know your opinions about this matter. And carefully consider doing something else with your time when American Idol is on.

-----  -----  -----                               -----  -----  -----

            Well, that's it for this catch-up LifeSharer letter and I do so appreciate you cutting me a bit of slack for missing April. Like I said, things can get a bit chaotic around here but it is because we're trying to get as much done as possible. Thank you so much for your  understanding and your ongoing support. Whereas so many pro-life agencies have gone the way of history, your generous backing has kept Vital Signs Ministries alive, kicking and making a difference: on the streets, in cyberspace, in the public square, and in the heavenlies. Thank you. 

Dear VSM LifeSharers,

            We had one of those days last week, unusual and interesting enough that I made it the topic of a Vital Signs Blog post that ended up getting a lot of attention.  It was even listed on the front page of Lucianne.com, one of the most popular conservative sites on the internet.  And unusual enough that several have suggested I make it the subject of this month's LifeSharer.  I've acceded to that request – even though it seems to imply that not all on our Vital Signs LifeSharer list are regular visitors to the blog!  Could that possibly be?

            Before that unusual day occurred, I had thought of a few other subjects for this month's letter.  Among them was the inspiration and encouragement we experienced when hearing young pro-life heroine Lila Rose speak in Lincoln a couple of weeks ago...or the purposes behind my presentation on “Omaha's Christian History” which I've now delivered 3 times in the space of a few weeks...or such other items as sidewalk counseling, President Obama's “health care” boondoggle, important letter writing projects...or perhaps the remarkable blessing it is to be the teaching pastor of an evangelical church that turns out more than a third of their congregation for the Walk for Life in Lincoln.  Good subjects all – but I'll go ahead and describe that unusual Thursday from last week.

            There were some things pretty normal about the day really.  I had my routine breakfast (peanut butter on toast with a cup or two of Early Grey tea) and there was the morning blogging, the correspondence, and checking in with Mom. But we rarely get a chance to have lunch with Sister Rita Jane and other friends (Karin Coker, Quint and Carol Coppi) from our GK Chesterton group over at the Lithuanian Cafe. That was the first unusual item in our day – and it was delightful.  Sister Rita Jane is now in a wheelchair mostly and so the nurse in charge where she lives thought it best to send her along by a special van.  Great. We therefore invited Sister's van driver (one of the staff at the facility) to join us and we all had a wonderful time catching up and talking about literature and life, families and faith history and heaven.  And, oh yes, there was the goulash, the pastrami & Swiss cheese sandwiches, the cabbage soup...and that incomparable apricot torte that Claire and I agree is the best dessert in Omaha.

            Later that evening Claire and I experienced another rare social treat and that was having dinner out at Ralph and Carol Kramper's lovely house north of Omaha.  Ralph is our physician and both of the Krampers are our very dear and longtime friends.  They are also two of our earliest and most enduring heroes.  We had a sweet time with plenty of stimulating conversation, good food and  laughter.

            And then, in between these two fellowship meals, was yet another unusual part of our day for, until that particular Thursday, we had never had a Norwegian television crew come to our house to conduct an interview. Imagine that.

            Jan, Pavel and Leif (the lone Swede in the group) were in town from NRK, Norway's public (and most popular) TV network to do a story on abortion in America, a story in which Omaha's infamous late-term abortionist Leroy Carhart would be featured. I was to provide "the other view."  It was but the latest opportunity that came my way from Julie Schmit-Albin's recommendation.

            The guys were professional and friendly. We served coffee and spent almost an hour and a half talking and then doing the interview itself. We covered a lot of ground in the on-camera interview but they were particularly interested in our sidewalk counseling (both motives and methods), the pro-life movement's emphasis on pregnancy center ministry, the controversy over sex education, my opinions of Leroy Carhart, my work abroad, the history of the pro-life movement, and my religious motivations to engage in such work.

            The one question that most perplexed them, however, was "Why, after so long a time, is abortion still such a desperate controversy here in the United States?" Their experience in Europe gave them few clues. After all, abortion had come to most Western European countries, been rapidly accepted and was now off the political agenda altogether. So they were sincerely trying to figure out why four decades had elapsed since abortion had begun to be legalized in the U.S. and yet abortion was still, as Jan described, "issue number one for America's people."

            My answer, given in 20-30 second bursts as we explored this issue, centered on three things: 1) The deep religious faith of a large section of the American people. I explained that for these Christians (Catholic, evangelical, Orthodox), defending the sanctity of life is a biblical command. It is our Christian obligation. Therefore, no matter what politicians or judges or celebrities or the opinion polls may say, we have a motivation for our pro-life activity that is transcendent. They seemed to like my biological illustration in which I explained that though secularists tend to be like amphibians, that is, cold-blooded animals whose body temperature adapts to that of their surroundings, genuine Christians exemplify quite human qualities; namely, their blood runs warm until it ceases to run at all. Christians seek a higher goal, accept the fact of a higher judgment and depend upon a higher power. Thus, the pro-life movement in America remains strong, vibrant and uncompromising because of its starkly religious nature.

            2) Technology has proven to be a tremendous ally of our movement. No one with any sense of responsibility or honesty (make that any sense, period) still tries to say that the unborn child is just a clump of cells or mass of undifferentiated tissue. And the stubborn fools who still do talk like this have been marginalized to the nutty fringe of the debate. Fetal photography, fetal surgery, techniques and equipment which are used to help earlier and earlier "preemie" babies and, most of all, the development of ultrasound has given the pro-life movement, which always held the higher moral ground (i.e., justice, compassion, opposition to barbaric violence) the higher scientific ground as well.

            And 3) I told the interviewers that though Europeans might have a harder time identifying with this third foundation, it was of critical importance to their question. It was simply this -- Americans have always held as ideals the right of self-determination, liberty, equality, democracy. It is why most Americans still treasure the Declaration of Independence with its heralding of the God-given, unalienable right to life and the Constitution with its separation of powers. Thus when an unscientific, unjust, wildly unpopular law is forced upon all Americans by a mere 7 people in black robes (which thus, in one swipe, uprooted every abortion restriction ever passed by any of the 50 states), it is bound to generate enormous and long-lasting antipathy. Tyranny doesn't set well with us.

            No, I confirmed to the TV crew, because of these three things (the depth of our religious faith, the ever-advancing power of technology, and the incontrovertibly unconstitutional nature of legalized abortion), the pro-life movement will only become stronger in the years to come.

            The interview went well and we were confident that God had answered our prayers. But I've learned a few things from 3 decades of doing media interviews besides technique -- and one of the most important is that the ultimate fate of the on-air presentation rests with those doing the editing. So our prayers (and yours) are still very much in order.

            Like I said, it was an unusual day.

            Now, before I close this month's letter, let me also drop in here that the two days after our time with the Norway TV crew  were also rather unusual days for us.  How?  Well, as you know the traffic to Vital Signs Blog has continued to grow and as the year began, we were averaging 350-420 “hits” per day.  But with a few very recent developments (especially becoming one of the blogs featured in Blogs Lucianne Loves, a very hot spot on the web) that traffic has increased still further.  For instance, on the Friday previous to the unusual day that I've just described, we had gone over 700 “hits” in one day. Quite a jump. But in the two days after the NRK interview, that record was really smashed. With the Norwegian interview post being chosen for Lucianne's front page and another post making an even “hotter” conservative web site, Vital Signs Blog went over 1800 “hits” on Friday and then stayed over 1000 the next day. Wow.

            We are so grateful for your prayers and support that are making these things possible and for keeping Vital Signs Ministries a “vital” force in re-building a culture of life. Thank you so much.

            P.S. A special word of thanks to all those who passed along your appreciation for last month's LifeSharer letter and its imaginative descriptions of how people respond to the presence of Christians outside abortion clinics. It meant a great deal to know you found it of value.

            See you on Vital Signs Blog.

Dear VSM LifeSharers,                                                                   February 2010

            Can you imagine what goes through the minds of people driving by an abortion clinic, an abortion clinic where a pro-lifer is standing with a smiling baby sign and a banner that reads, “Mom, We Care for You and Your Baby”?  

            I can.

            And if you’ll indulge my imagination for a bit, I’ll share with you a few possibilities.  Yes, these are fictional wanderings but after 30 years of pro-life activist experience, (including thousands of testimonies read and personal conversations engaged in), I don’t think they are far off the mark. You see, when I am in front of an abortion clinic, it is to serve two purposes: 1) to help sidewalk counsel as needed and 2) to present a pro-life witness to the public passing by. My signs and banners, therefore, are of most immediate importance to the incoming clients, but I'm also very serious about showing them clearly to those hundreds of people driving by during the time I’m there.  I smile, give a gentle wave, try and ensure that both directions of traffic can easily see either my sign and/or my banner...and I pray. I'm well aware that many of those driving by don’t want to notice me (or “us” if I'm with colleagues), but the clear fact is – they do!  And I am quite confident that God is speaking to them. After all, by His very nature, He is a revealing God Who constantly tugs at men’s heartstrings.  He does so through conscience and memory, through creation, through the written and verbal word, through examples, and through the “still, small” voice of conviction.

            What does God want to say to those people driving by an abortion mill and how will they respond to His entreaties?  The answers to those questions are as many, as varied, and as complex as the people involved.  But we can be sure of this – God knows each person intimately. He is “in on” every detail of their history, their beliefs, their hopes, their fears, their secrets, and their future. And so God can use any tool available to reach out to them, not the least valuable of which are courteous, prayerful Christians who conscientiously present the winsome pro-life messages of their signs, banners, demeanor, and conversation -- and who then pray for the Holy Spirit to use them as He wills in the individual’s life. Again, what goes on in those minds and hearts? 

            We can only imagine...

            Car #81.  Inside this green SUV were three nurses car-pooling to work at a nearby hospital.  The two in the front seat were both very uncomfortable when thinking about abortion.  One had gone through that tragedy when she was 19 and had never forgiven herself. She shuddered at the memory and tried to think of something else – anything else. The other nurse, the one driving, was once married to a security guard whose duties included escorting women into an abortion clinic.  He had hated the assignment at first and felt very guilty about it. He had been raised in church and believed abortion was a grievous sin. To make it worse, he saw how dirty the place was, how arrogant and coarse the abortionist was, and how the staff lied to women, scared them, and (behind their backs, of course) made fun of the girls that came there for abortions. But her husband had been afraid to tell his boss that he wouldn't work there and was too lazy (she believed) to go get another job. And so he stayed – and grew hardened and profane and then even brutal himself. He finally was reassigned but it was too late. She no longer loved or respected him and the marriage was broken.

            That nurse would have described herself as pro-choice before her husband started working at that place. But not any longer. Not after she saw what prolonged involvement with abortion led to. It wasn't that she knew much about it or that she was ever moved to speak against it; all she thought about when she heard the word “abortion” was the shame and emasculation it had brought to her husband, a man who she once thought was a fantastic guy. But seeing the man with that banner that read, “Mom, We Care About You and Your Baby,” gave her a couple of new things to think about...like babies and people who were willing to stand in the snow to try and protect them.

            But the third nurse, the one sitting in the back, had a much different reaction when she saw the pro-lifer on the sidewalk. In fact, she gave him a big smile and actually applauded when she saw him lifting his hand as a greeting.  The reason for her strong show of support was because she worked in the neo-natal unit of the hospital and was very much aware of the beauty and mystery and value of each baby that God sent to earth.  After they had gone by, the nurse at the wheel asked if she knew that man. “No,” she said. “I just wanted him to know I appreciated the stand he's taking. I think that's really cool.” And then she talked for several minutes about why she believed as she did. It even gave her an opportunity of referring to her Christian faith. As she did so, it prompted an intense longing inside the nurse on the passenger side, the one who had opted for that abortion when she was a teenager. She was sick and tired of trying to bury something that wouldn't stay buried. She didn't want any more excuses or distractions; no more coping mechanisms or escape hatches. She needed to get rid of this guilt.  And Christianity was about forgiveness, wasn't it? She made a resolution then and there that she would have a long talk with this gal sometime when they were alone. And that sometime couldn't come too soon.

            God had used that pro-life witness there on the sidewalk to plant a couple of seeds. And now God was carefully, lovingly watering them.

            Car #214 was actually a pickup truck and in response to the pro-lifer’s smile and nod, the driver leaned across his passenger to yell out an obscene phrase.  In doing so, he momentarily lost control of the truck and almost hit the school bus coming up alongside.  When the pro-lifer didn’t respond (except for a wry smile and a little shake of his head), the pickup driver screamed out again, “Why don’t you get a life, you @&*#%.”  By this time, they were far down the street. Still, the driver kept shouting things out the window for another block.

             The other young man in the truck was embarrassed by the actions of his co-worker but what troubled him most was the phrase, “Get a life.” That was a joke.  After all, what kind of life did the two of them have?  They were doing dirty jobs for a jerk who was constantly on their case. And the meager paychecks they got were then spent mostly on cheap weed.  They lived in a noisy, filthy apartment where the plumbing was a nasty mess. No, there was no other way to slice it; they were losers with no future and no hope. And yet here was his blockhead friend yelling at that man to “get a life.” And why? Because he’s a decent man trying to save babies from being torn to pieces? For crying out loud!

            The young man would go on to stew on that irony throughout that day and most of the next week. And with his intensified sense of failure and desperation, he even began to entertain thoughts of a “way out” that he hadn't considered for years; namely, taking his next paycheck and buying a bus ticket back to Mills Creek. Back to family. Back to memories of a better time. Back even to that little church where the people had made him feel so welcome. Maybe it didn't have to be a dead end for him after all.  Maybe he could get rid of the dope, get a new way of thinking and “get a life” once again.

            God had used that pro-life witness there on the sidewalk to plant a seed. And now God was carefully, lovingly watering it.

            Car #239 was an old but newly-washed Ford Fiesta with a young woman driving.  She honked and waved at the man with the banner even before she got to him.  She did that every morning she saw him.  And a couple of times when the traffic allowed she had slowed down and yelled out to him that she would pray for him and the other pro-lifers there.  And that she did.  Polls indicate that young Americans are even more pro-life than the generation before them but, believe me, this young woman still didn’t come anything close to the stereotype of a pro-life citizen.  In fashion, attitude and the music on her MP3, she was 1968 and Flower Power all over again. But she worked as a chemical engineer for the FDA and her hobbies included writing poetry, skeet-shooting, and skydiving. And one more thing,  she frequently helped out at a crisis pregnancy center.  The motivation for that latter activity was because her birth mother was once going into an abortion clinic in Georgia when she got involved in a conversation with the pro-life sidewalk counselors who were outside. They convinced her to choose life instead of death for her baby and then introduced her to a pregnancy center who, in turn, introduced her to a couple who very much wanted to adopt her baby. Et Voila'! 28  years later that baby crossed the stage to receive her Ph. D with her parents and her birth mother in the audience applauding. Oh yes, this young scientist knew firsthand the crucial importance of sidewalk counseling.  And that’s why she so diligently prayed every time she saw these pro-lifers:

            “Lord Jesus, please use their witness there on the sidewalk to save lives like mine and also to plant many seeds of truth in the hearts of people driving by.  And thank You for Your care in watering those seeds in the days to come. Bring in a rich harvest from their devoted service in Your behalf.  I pray in Jesus' Name. Amen.”

            The cars continued to speed by in waves that morning.  Many of the drivers smiled back when the pro-lifer smiled and waved to them.  Some also waved, or honked, or gave a thumbs up. One little kid saluted.  One of the honks was given by a man whose mother was a strong pro-life voice in her community back in Nevada.  Another came from a grandmother who had recently lost a granddaughter to a terrible illness and, through the ordeal, had learned anew the preciousness of human life.  And one women gave a thumbs up (she had done so frequently in recent weeks) just to emphasize to herself that there were still men of principle in the world.  Unfortunately, her life had been messed up pretty thoroughly by men who were anything but.

            And there were, of course, a few shaking heads too and a few obscene gestures. There was one more “get a life” yell (besides the pickup driver) and two urging the pro-life activist to “get a job.” The most enigmatic outcry came from an older woman in a new Volkswagen who shook her fist out the window and bellowed, “Why did Nixon go to China? Answer me that!”

            From the perspective of the sidewalk counselor, it was just another sad morning. None of the abortion clients had turned away. That meant 7 babies, infinitely precious in the sight of God, had been aborted. But he kept up his vigil there by the abortion clinic parking lot. And he kept showing his sign to the eastern flow of street traffic and his banner to the west. And he kept praying that God would plant seeds of truth in the hearts of all who passed by. 

            Finally, there was Car #433 which came by just a few minutes before the pro-lifer had to leave the abortion clinic.  The young couple inside didn’t wave at him nor did they smile.  In fact, they each tried hard to make it seem that they hadn’t noticed him at all...even to each other. Because, you see, there was tremendous tension inside Car #433 because the couple had gone through a long, exasperating, even violent argument the night before over abortion.  And the topic was not raised in any political or sociological sense, but in an extremely personal application.

            For this young woman had discovered she was pregnant and, with no small amount of trepidation, had told the young man with whom she had moved in five months before.  He had been bitterly angry with her and when she had balked at his insistence that an abortion was necessary, he became enraged.  To calm the storm (and because she was trying to convince herself that she loved him and needed him), she had finally relented and said “yes” to an abortion.  But, at breakfast the next day, the young father had new doubts about his girlfriend's compliance. She was distant and cold, like a robot going through programmed actions. Still, there was just no way he was going to be saddled with a kid right now.  So, even if it took heavy pressure to get her to the abortion clinic; he would definitely turn the screws. It might not be quite as sweet a setup as before – for awhile anyhow. However, he was confident she'd give in.

            But that assurance was taken away the moment they had driven by that guy with the banner, “Mom, We Care About You and Your Baby” for, in the icy silence that followed during the next several miles, he began to realize that something, maybe everything, had changed inside her. She hadn’t said a word.  She never acknowledged seeing the banner or the smiling baby on the sign that he knew she'd peeked at through the sideview mirror. But she had changed. He knew she had decided against the abortion.  If he had her to himself, he could have insisted she get an abortion before the holidays. But it was too late now. She had seen that banner. She had seen the eyes of that baby.

            God had used that pro-life witness there on that sidewalk to plant a seed. And now God was carefully, lovingly watering it.

            As I said when I began this exercise, I know I’ve used my imagination in constructing these scenarios.  But, based on my experience, I submit that they are true-to-life and certainly reflect the directions of my prayers as I ask God to use my pro-life witness outside abortion clinics to teach, warn, comfort, encourage, rebuke and inspire according to the specific needs of the people driving by.  And yes, indeed; I believe that dramatic, life-changing stories like these do occur…more often than we dare to dream.  When we get to heaven, we'll hear them firsthand.

            As always, I'd like to conclude this letter with a sincere thank-you from both Claire and I for all of the financial support, the encouragement, and the prayers that you invest in the work of Vital Signs Ministries. Whether it involves our sidewalk counseling, our public advocacy, our cyberspace outreaches (including the ever-increasing impact of Vital Signs Blog), speaking, “Mercy Ministries,” networking, and so on, we will endeavor to hold high His banners for the Faith, the family and the sanctity of life. God bless you for your part in this great team effort.

Dear VSM LifeSharers,                                                January 2010

            I write this month’s letter in a very jovial mood because it’s 40 degrees outside and snow, for the first time in about a month, is melting!  Sure, it will be messy for a long time and I’ll be buying a lot of windshield wiper fluid as Omaha’s massive snowfall melts – but at least it's started!

            Of course, I realize that it’s only mid-January and I shouldn’t exactly be getting ready for lawn work yet.  In fact, Claire just informed me that there’s snow in the forecast for next week.  Still, I can’t help myself.  Feeling the sun on my face, watching water flow from the house drain pipes, and knowing that any hour now I will be able to see the top of my mailbox again has put me in a great mood today.  So, as soon as I finish writing this LifeSharer and complete a few other tasks, Claire and I are going out for a walk.  Yes, a walk outside!  I can hardly believe it.

            With the break in snowstorms and the Arctic temperatures that have assailed us these last several weeks, we’ve returned to some of our normal activities.  For instance, after missing two Mondays of sidewalk counseling at the Bellevue abortion clinic because of sub-zero temperatures, we started again last Monday.  To try and deal with an extended schedule on the part of that barbaric business, we have divided our little sidewalk counseling corps into two shifts that puts at least three Christians at the site from 7:45-11:15 AM.  It was only 18 degrees last Monday but, after what we’ve been experiencing, we almost went out in shirt sleeves!  We’ll see how this new schedule goes.  And, of course, if you believe the Lord would have you join us (even on occasion) we would sure be overjoyed.  Just give us a call.

            The bright sunshine today also motivated us to get out and enjoy a wonderful working lunch down at the Kona Grill.  (Claire had the white pizza; I had the Asian pan noodles.  Delicious)  We had a great time planning our trip next week to Washington, D.C. for the March for Life, discussing time schedules for two upcoming writing projects, looking at changes in a few of our web ministries, and carefully evaluating our various Christmas activities.  We hung around talking and just reveling in each other's company until nearly everyone else had left the place.  It was an enlightening, productive and fun time.  How blessed we are to be more in love than ever after all these years and, I hope, more effective as a ministry team too.  Thank You, Lord.

            Despite the snow, despite the frigid cold, and despite being hit hard by a computer virus (targeted or arbitrary, we don't know) which severely limited my blogging for awhile (even shutting us down completely for a few days), we managed to still have one our most productive Christmas seasons ever.  We had to postpone three of our major events but they proved even more successful when they came off on re-scheduled dates. 

            Here’s the rundown of the Hartford Yuletide. There was a Christmas dinner where we hosted 16 guests; a Christmas Eve breakfast where we hosted 21 guests; our traditional Epiphany evening with three couples; a Christmas Tea at my Mom’s nursing home and three separate “Santa runs.” Also we hosted a breakfast at our December Vital Signs Board meeting; enjoyed a Christmas-themed meeting of our book club; prepared and preached 4 Advent sermons for Faith Bible Church; did several Christmas-themed blog posts; shared a “Making the Most of Christmas” presentation at our church and, more informally, for my Mom and several other residents of the Life Care Center.

            And, oh yes; there were 6 other dinner parties held here at the house during the Christmas season and, if my math is right, those 6 parties involved another 29 people. We are most certainly serious about Christmas!

            There were some other highlights for us in the last few weeks including helping out with Chet Thomas’ 80^th birthday party, being nominated for the 2010 National Pro-Life Blog Awards, attending Sandy Schoville’s birthday party, and participating in a mortgage burning ceremony at Faith Bible Church.

            But there have also been some lowlights: feeling the same old helplessness when women walk in the abortion mill; the computer crash I mentioned; sad news from several friends about serious moral failures in their children; and the end of year financial totals for Vital Signs Ministries which saw us down quite a bit (about $10,000) from last year’s income. When you operate on the scale that we do, that’s a pretty tough drop.  We knew the state of the economy would probably give us a serious jolt – we just didn’t anticipate how sharp a jolt it would be!

            But, of course, we'll carry on. And we are more grateful than ever to all of you who have supported Vital Signs over these many years of struggle. God has used this work in mighty ways and we're honored beyond words to have partnered with you. You’ve been terrific.  We’re grateful for your prayers.  We’re grateful for your encouragement and involvement and example.  And we’re grateful for your financial support whenever you’re able to help.  Like I said, we’ll keep carrying on.

            Now, to conclude this edition of the LifeSharer letter, I thought I'd give those of you who are not regular visitors to Vital Signs Blog a little illumination about what’s happening over there.  Every day we are getting several hundred “hits” where internet surfers encounter 5 to 8 posts dealing with religious, political and cultural issues from a distinctly Christian point of view.  Here are a few titles to show you what I mean:

Count the Reasons: Why Pro-Lifers Must Oppose the Senate "Health Care" Bill

A Sinister Search for Minority Embryos

How Much Does Drunk Driving Cost America?

2009 Has Been a Bad, Bad Year for Global Warming

Insurance Companies & Abortion: Ethics Have No Cash Value

Pantheism is Everywhere (Pun Intended)

Nickelodeon Is Promoting Some Pretty Sick Games to Your Preschoolers

Early Sex Experiences Linked to Greater Cancer Risk

The Religion of Planned Parenthood

An Indispensable Part of the Pro-Life Case? The Science of Embryology.

Modern Day Scrooges Want to "Reduce the Surplus Population."

            To illustrate further the kind of things going on over at Vital Signs Blog, I'll print  on the next pages two of the posts that have drawn considerable attention.

  Christians Falling for Hollywood's Bad Bill of Goods

Has the church militant become the church milquetoast?

I'm hearing more and more Christians give movie recommendations that sound like this...

"Well, yes, there a few scenes that you should probably close your eyes to and there's

the usual problem of some pretty gritty language. Of course, there's going to be some toilet humor and probably more sexual references than they needed.

And there are a few attacks on conservative political values that I didn't like either

 but, hey, that's Hollywood for you."

"Also, they've got to throw in a homosexual character who gets kinda' gross at times

but then he's the one in the end who really ends up showing compassion and common sense. Oh yeah, there is quite a bit of religion bashing; well, except for pantheism.

And they did get carried away a bit in making fun of creationists, pro-lifers

and people who want to protect marriage."

"But overall the story was pretty neat and it sure made me laugh a few times.

It wasn't Shakespeare or anything, just a couple of hours

of nice, escapist entertainment. I think you might like it."

Really? Then think again. For the sake of everything that's sacred, please think again.

For such mindless movie recommendations are but one example of how Christians are willingly surrendering to an ungodly culture their values, their heritage,

their consciences and the commands given them by Jesus to remain pure in heart,

to shine the light in the darkness, to overcome evil with good, and so on.

We aren't actually losing the contest; we're simply forfeiting it away.

               Ben Nelson Wants Nebraskans to Trust Him Again

Democrat Senator Ben Nelson will introduce a 30-second TV commercial

during the Nebraska/Arizona football game tonight in which he defends his vote

for the Obama/Reid "health care" bill. The spot will then run on other Nebraska TV stations for at least a few days.

He's doing this in an effort to keep his reputation from falling

even farther than it already has.

The spot is only 30-seconds because the Senator has no substantial basis

for his support of the bill nor any reasonable arguments for so cravenly forsaking his pro-life principles and concerns for the Constitution.

Therefore, his ad is a quick, folksy appearance in which he can mouth

a few generalities and not have to explain further his catastrophic cave-in.

So how should Nebraskans respond to Nelson's little ploy? Simple.

1) Keep doing what you've been doing; namely, calling, writing and e-mailing the Senator and expressing your opinions about this and the many other budget-busting, boneheaded, boondoggle bills he has supported.

2) Follow up by sending similar letters to editors. Keep the dissonance public.

And realize that with the left-leaning bias of the press (yes, even here in Nebraska),

there will have to be a large and steady stream of such letters

to insure that a few are actually published.

And finally 3) Make it clear to family and friends that this is what happens

when you vote Democrats into office. For no matter what they claim when back home, their "conservative" or "moderate" positions melt when they get to Washington

and they end up toeing the party line.

And the line of the modern Democrat Party (led by the likes of Obama, Reid, Pelosi, Baucus, Rangel, Boxer, Clinton, and Franken) is marked by an aggressive support of abortion and embryonic stem cell experimentation, an expansion of the homosexual agenda, intolerance of Christianity, antagonism to freedoms of speech and assembly (when they involve conservatives, that is), an expansion of the welfare state, support of judicial activism, a dedication to an ever-burgeoning government spending spree (except for national defense), ongoing assaults on the free market, and so on.

So, turn Ben Nelson's greedy, perfidious ways with this misnamed "health care reform" bill into an opportunity to educate your fellow Nebraskans about the dangers unavoidably inherent in voting Democrat these days.

            Okay, that concludes this month's letter. I hope it has helped bring you up to speed a bit about Vital Signs Blog, about how we ended 2009, and how we're starting 2010. Like we've done for all these many years, we'll keep lifting His banner high with your help and His awesome mercy.

            Claire joins me in sending you all all our love, our appreciation and our prayers for a spiritually prosperous New Year.