signs of life

7:45am: sitting here before bridge comes to get me… there was a battle, a small one this morning. just to get up - to go.. why not push it back some?… as i was about to reset my alarm. bridgette texted me for my address, even though we agreed id email it. thank you, Jesus.

4:26pm: mentally and physically exhausted, but still standing. “Will you stand for me? It doesn’t matter if anyone is standing with you - will YOU stand? I just need one. I am calling you…will you go?”

8:30am to 1:30pm: the Planned Parenthood Administrative Headquarters for Indiana, on Meridian and 38th, provides gynelogical services, access to birth control, std screenings, pregnancy tests, and “options for pregnant women”; because ” only you can determine which one [choice] is right for you. However, you don’t have to make the decision alone—talking to your partner, family, trusted friends, your clergy member and/or health care provider can help.”

the weather: ranged from -5 with the windchill to 10 degrees in the 5 hour span we stood in front of the building. the multiple layers that were causing us to sweat on the way over, were barely doing justice in the cold/wind.

petition in the form of: red duct tape covered each petitioners mouth, with the word, “LIFE” written on it in black sharpie. the way it went down - will, bridgette, JT and I were the ones out there for the first 2.5 hours with mollie and one of jt’s friends, lawrence who were there for a half hour or so. for about an hour there were 10 of us lining the building. it was awesome.

petition: is done through prayer- phil 4:6 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” Luke 18, the persistent widow, calls out to the Lord. “Grant me justice against my adversary.” (v7-8)And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”

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protest is horizontal (man to man). petition is parallel (man to God).

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Grant us justice against our adversary. We are your faithful, crying out on the behalf of those who can’t and those who don’t know any different. Hear our petition. Put an end to this destruction. Begin to speak truth to the youth.

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the idea of this stand: Not to earn the attention of man, but to call the Lord’s ear to the bloodshed happening in Indiana as a result of this organization’s services. it goes deeper than the bloodshed, the services PP provides foster sexual immorality, insecurity, fear, murder.. they foster illness. Illness in the form of evil. An evil that has been tradition in Indiana since Feb 4, 1932. the first abortion being done in Merriville in 1978. so many innocent deaths.

the facts: While we were standing, praying, singing, silently with tape inhibiting our main communication and rendering us an art form as opposed to protestors. silence. makes people feel uneasy. makes them wonder. 2 cars circled the block multiple times, both on the last time taking pictures of the “sight”. the first 3 hours, no one took notice to the bundled males and females, black and white, standing silently in front of the PP building. A cop showed up for a 30 minute window. I took his presence as that of an angel, even though he was there probably by request of a neighboring apartment complex renter. “Make sure those crazy people dont attack anyone.” We handed nothing out and said nothing to anyone unless they inquired. One man, round, seeminly spirit filled, walked the stretch of street nearest the PP, praying from what I could tell. At one point he placed his hand on my shoulder, looked me straight in the eye and said, “God bless you.” He proceeded to do the same to the other 3 that were out there at the time. A funeral procession passed. Ironic in the presence of us fervently asking, agreeing with one another, the Lord to bring life back to that area.

what i took away from silence in the presence of the Lord: there are 3 things i am walking away with from this awesome encounter.

1] you cant pay attention to whats happening around you if youre driving. as the cars passed us, the passengers were the ones who first noticed the abnormality on the side walk, then telling the driver. many drivers attempted to see what the difference was. the persistent ones circled the block and slowed down the second time, one a third time.

moral of the point: let God drive so you can see what is along the path hes taking you.

2] stand in the gap. how many will follow? there is room for millions, trillions… but it only takes one.

moral of the point: stand even when no one is standing with you. to know the Lord’s heart of an issue is INCREDIBLY eye opening. when that occurs - letting those issues continue without opposition, makes you an enabler. the world will tell you you’re wasting your time. satan uses christians sometimes even to discourage and inset doubt…STAND.

3] the girl exiting PP fighting back tears in fear filled eyes. a young girl, maybe senior in high school, drove herself to PP. she briskly walked past us with her roxy-esque canvas purse pulled tightly to her ribs. jeans and a hoodie, hair pulled back, nothing about her said she took the time to prep her appearance that morning. The creak and sealing of the door signified she did actually enter PP. About 20 minutes later, the suction on the closed door released and i was expecting to hear the swaggered scrapping of shoe soles on the pavement, similiar to what had been happening in the last 4 hours. This time the soles barely made the expected scrape. Many people had entered the building in the last 20, it could have been anyone exiting. I lifted my head to see it was the young girl. The canvas bag still clutched tightly, but this time her eyes were sternly focused on the drive way which would lead her to her car. I’d examined the expressions of most of the women and men who entered the building, comparing it each time to their exit expression. we were positioned between the parking lot and the building, so everyone passed us on their way in and out. All had an attitude, with a hint of renewed freedom.. because they were refilled on the birth control that enabled their lifestyle. The canvas purse girl had a completely different demeanor than the rest. fear was ridden through her thin, 5′8 frame. locked eyes, fighting back tears. it almost seemed she wasnt able to cry because she was so scared, of something. a car started, and an explorer pulled out onto meridian going south. It was like slow motion as she drove away. traffic was clear. she began to accelerate, then her sight slowly turned upward in line with the PP sign and office windows to her right. Her eyes trailed the front of the building with complete distress, almost saying, “I cant believe my actions landed me in this prision - and thats my option….” A cry for help …

I turned to see if anyone had seen that either - no one did… it’s my experience to hold on to. thats the reality of abortion. that is the fear that has become the “only truly freeing option”. I want these women to know there is freedom in Christ - pre or post abortion. There is forgiveness, love, acceptance. He is the true meaning of “full”.

amazing grace, how sweet the sound…