Brothers and sisters, I invite you to join 40 Days for Life, as it kicks off the first international campaign tomorrow...

You and I are on the eve of the first coordinated, simultaneous, international 40 Days for Life campaign of 2009.

When I look at what's about to happen, I'm almost speechless! What started as a one-time event -- or so we thought -- four years ago in Texas has grown right before our eyes to become an international movement.

There are 135 cities that will be participating (see 40 Days for Life ) from February 25 to April 5. Most are in the United States, five are in Canada, two are in Northern Ireland and one is in Australia.

In addition, there are similar prayer campaigns going on in Central and South America. And just last week, someone contacted us with interest in bringing 40 Days for Life to France!

It boggles my mind that so many people have answered what is -- at its heart -- a call to sacrifice.

To me, that's proof that this is God's work, not ours. He is the leader; we are merely cooperating with Him in carrying out His work.

Through the previous 40 Days for Life campaigns, we have seen how God keeps His word. Where people have faithfully answered God's call to pray and fast, miracles have happened. We've often reported on that list of miracles, including the 1,128 babies saved from abortion during 40 Days for Life campaigns.

You may not personally see a miracle, but know that you are part of one...

so often, we hear that the real change has come in the vigil participants themselves -- growing closer in their relationship to God...

Not unlike God's chosen people of Israel, we must humble ourselves, pray, seek His face, and turn from our wicked ways, if we expect God to hear from heaven, forgive our sin, and heal our land. The need for repentance has not been greater since the Supreme Court decision of Roe vs. Wade in 1973.

The number one cause of death in America is the needless sacrifice of our children at the altar of convenience called abortion. Conservative estimates
put the number of deaths at nearly 48 million.

And lest we think this is an issue outside the church walls, 43 percent of women obtaining abortions identify themselves as Protestant, and 27 percent identify themselves as Catholic. One in four women has at least one abortion by the age of 45 -- both non-Christian and Christian alike. Where was the voice of Truth -- the church?

Mary Comm of In Our Midst Ministries, Inc. sums up the issue best as she writes, "We (the church) have been an unintentional accomplice to the millions of lives lost and to the multiplied millions of lives devastated by abortion. We didn't want them to abort. We didn't mean for them to abort. But, because of our lack of knowledge, because of our fear, we have continued to stand by and do nothing."

"We, God's hands and feet in this dark and hurting world, have been unintentional, unknowledgeable accomplice, but an accomplice nonetheless."

May today mark the beginning of change within the church, as God's people, in unity, seek His forgiveness.

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PRAYER
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Heavenly Father, we have turned our backs on you and
your principles in your Word. We have allowed man to
usurp Your role as God over life and the number of our
days. But we come to you in brokenness and repentance
over our sin.

We cry out for Your mercy and ask you to remove the
scourge of abortion from our land.

Use us as your vessels, Lord, to bring the light of
Your Truth to our nation once again. Because of Christ
we pray, Amen.

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PRINTABLE DEVOTIONAL
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To download today's devotional as a formatted,
printable PDF to share with friends:

http://40daysforlife.com/docs/spring2009day00print.pdf

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Let's pray, fast, and shape history together starting
tomorrow!

Yours for Life,

Shawn Carney
Spring Campaign Director
40 Days for Life

Pro-Life Action League Deploys Secret Weapon in Abortion Battle

CHICAGO, Feb. 24 /Christian Newswire/ -- A new resource offered by the Chicago-based Pro-Life Action League is designed to change the hearts and minds of those who support abortion, one by one.

The League has published a free, pocket-sized, 96- page handbook, "Sharing the Pro-Life Message," that arms pro-lifers with facts, figures and reasoned arguments they need to share the truth about abortion with compassion and conviction.

"If you've ever had to explain or defend the pro-life message to a friend, family member, co-worker or even a complete stranger, you need this handbook," League communications director Eric Scheidler says. "We're giving it away for free because we're convinced it will help save lives."

The timing of the handbook is no coincidence.

"Now that the most pro-abortion administration in U.S. history has taken office, it's more crucial than ever before that every pro-life American work to change American hearts and minds on abortion," Scheidler says. "We may not have access to the White House or the big media outlets, but we've got the truth."

Any pro-lifer in the U.S. or Canada can order a copy of "Sharing the Pro-Life Message" at Free Pro-Life Handbook—Sharing the Pro-Life Message. Bulk orders for church, school, or pro-life groups also are available.

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Thank you for supporting our sponsors!

To quote Ronald Reagan: "I've noticed that everybody that is for abortion has already been born."

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Let him go hungry long enough, and even the wisest of men will trade everything he has for a bag of beets.

"According to a survey by the Pew Research Center, 46 percent of Americans say abortion should be legal in most or all cases, a drop from 54 percent in August. Among 18- to 29-year-olds, there was a 5-point drop in support for abortion"
CitizenLink: Fewer Americans Support Abortion

Keep in mind that this is the same group of voters who, by in large, gave their support to the most pro-abortion politician this country has ever seen (I understand the my pro-choice friends don't like the term pro-abortion, but for all intensive purposes, Barack Obama- who has FORCED tax payers to fund abortions overseas, so that foreign governments may continue to FORCE women to abort, against their will; who has begun to eliminate conscience protection so that doctors will be FORCE, against their will, to recommend and perform abortions and patients will be FORCED into the care of pro-abortion doctors; and has yet to support a single bill that promises to give women an informed choice- is by no means an advocate for CHOICE)

So why the sudden CHANGE of heart, even among moderate and independant voters? Well, it could be that the newly elected president's radical pro-abortion policies, mentioned above, are doing the pro-choice movement more harm than good, causing Americans to reevalute their position on legal abortion, but my assurance rests elsewhere.

After America elected the first and only presidential candidate to promise the reversal of all state restrictions on abortion, including parental consent and the Born Alive Infants Protection Act, the pro-life community arose to the challagne- answering the call to action- to work towards and pray for an end to abortion (for more information... 40 Days for Life) Never before have I personally seen such determination, such inspiration, and above all else... hope, inspite of having been called "terrorists" by the news media and a threat to national security by the federal government and even at the risk of being thrown in jail (google Walter Hoye)

This kind of 1st century church resilience is a miracle in and of itself, but perhaps even more exciting is that the pro-life message is succeeding among the largest group of abortion minded women (according to the CDC, women between the ages of 20-29 account for nearly 60% of all abortions) and a social transformation of this magnitude- particularly in the absence of pro-life leadership- tells of two things...
1. There IS a God and
2. He is on the move- touching, saving, healing, empowering, and changing lives!
"See, I am doing a new thing!... do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland." Isaiah 43:19

- Receive healing for an abortion...
Love and Sex: Post-Abortion Syndrome

- Give your aborted child (sibling or grandchild) a voice...
Speak Up
Silent No More Awareness Campaign - Regional Coordinators

- Help to make sure that other women considering an abortion have an informed choice...
Feminists for Life - Women Deserve Better
Be A Voice

"Ultimately, our message is a message of hope. We believe that working together, we can transform our society into a place in which no mother will ever resort to abortion, and where every child, regardless of the circumstances of his or her conception will be welcomed and loved." Sharing the Pro-Life Message. To recieve your own FREE copy of Sharing the Pro-Life Message...
Free Pro-Life Handbook—Sharing the Pro-Life Message