New To The Pro-Life Movement - Interview with Justin Reeder of Love Life

WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.600 --> 00:00:05.799 I Am Yours, I am yours, I am yours, s and me, 2 00:00:06.160 --> 00:00:11.029 Lord, I am yours. Welcome to the Gospel Center pro life podcast 3 00:00:11.269 --> 00:00:15.230 and this episode we're going to interview justin reader, founder of Love Life Charlotte. 4 00:00:15.349 --> 00:00:17.710 He's going to share his heart and how he got involved in the pro 5 00:00:17.829 --> 00:00:29.100 life movement. Stay tuned, Lord, I felt show passish touch your heart. 6 00:00:32.140 --> 00:00:36.450 Welcome to the Gospel Center pro life podcast. Justin reader is the founder 7 00:00:36.570 --> 00:00:39.969 of Love Life Charlotte, which is a ministry that does prayer walks at the 8 00:00:40.009 --> 00:00:42.890 local abortion clinics here and then. The Lord is really just open up the 9 00:00:42.969 --> 00:00:49.369 door for for all around our state and Raleigh, now in Greensboro and now 10 00:00:49.609 --> 00:00:52.799 ultimately in New York, and we might talk a little bit about this about 11 00:00:52.840 --> 00:00:57.399 that as we kind of progress. But yeah, just introduce yourself real quick. 12 00:00:57.399 --> 00:01:00.159 Again, I introduce you, but introduce yourself. Sometimes it's better for 13 00:01:00.200 --> 00:01:03.349 people to hear from yeah, sure, just an ordinary guy married to a 14 00:01:03.430 --> 00:01:07.629 beautiful bribe Jennifer reader. Have three kids, five year old, of four 15 00:01:07.670 --> 00:01:11.069 year old and a nine month old. Business guy here in the city's had 16 00:01:11.069 --> 00:01:15.870 a business for about fourteen years, originally from south Florida, but kind of 17 00:01:17.030 --> 00:01:19.659 what started this whole thing was in two thousand and twelve and I had some 18 00:01:19.700 --> 00:01:22.780 people invite me out to the abortion clinic and, yeah, really disrupted my 19 00:01:22.900 --> 00:01:26.620 journey. Then we launched love life in two thousand and sixteen. Yeah, 20 00:01:26.819 --> 00:01:29.099 I'm want to jump right in that because that's sort of why I wanted to 21 00:01:29.180 --> 00:01:33.129 talk with you, not because you're like this big pro life leader, so 22 00:01:33.290 --> 00:01:34.450 to speak, or like you know, you've been in this battle for a 23 00:01:34.569 --> 00:01:38.090 long time. Your Business Guy, right, you're just a business guy, 24 00:01:38.290 --> 00:01:42.090 going about your business, making some money. Yep, sewing into the kingdom, 25 00:01:42.090 --> 00:01:46.609 right, your believer, you love Jesus, and then some guys invite 26 00:01:46.609 --> 00:01:49.000 you out to an abortion clinic, and that's you know, a lot of 27 00:01:49.079 --> 00:01:53.519 people, I think, all Christians. We actually had a podcast last week, 28 00:01:53.519 --> 00:01:56.359 the men Vicki did, about can you be pro choice and a Christian? 29 00:01:56.359 --> 00:01:59.000 Yeah, that's like we came to inclusion that you can't. You can't 30 00:01:59.000 --> 00:02:01.510 be for abortion and a Christian. And so we you know, we know 31 00:02:01.629 --> 00:02:06.950 that Christians just in general would tend to be pro life, at least politically 32 00:02:06.950 --> 00:02:09.750 aligned with prolife things, and so most of us think, yeah, if 33 00:02:09.789 --> 00:02:13.629 somebody asses your pro life, you to said, yeah, right before you 34 00:02:13.710 --> 00:02:15.740 came to an abortion clinic. Yeah, I mean that was a camp I 35 00:02:15.860 --> 00:02:17.939 was in. I mean, I definitely would have told everybody else pro life. 36 00:02:19.099 --> 00:02:22.020 Yeah, you know, but for whatever reason, man, I just 37 00:02:22.180 --> 00:02:24.099 I didn't really think about it that much. I didn't really think, you 38 00:02:24.219 --> 00:02:27.340 know, that it was happening in the scale, in the magnatude, that 39 00:02:27.419 --> 00:02:30.889 was happening in my city. But it's when it I came face to face 40 00:02:30.009 --> 00:02:34.650 with it is when everything change and I related to the story of actually David 41 00:02:34.689 --> 00:02:37.969 and Golife, right, like David was just delivering pizza to his brother's. 42 00:02:38.050 --> 00:02:39.569 Yeah, right, it's what I call. He's bread and cheese. He's 43 00:02:39.610 --> 00:02:43.449 delivering pigs baggie tales, right, yeah, veggietales, right, if watching 44 00:02:43.490 --> 00:02:46.240 all that lately. But he's just delivering pizza to his brother's, being obedient 45 00:02:46.360 --> 00:02:51.479 to his earthly father. And why he's out doing that? He sees a 46 00:02:51.639 --> 00:02:54.439 giant. Yeah, he's a stronghold. It's I was just kind of about 47 00:02:54.520 --> 00:02:59.150 my business, you know, again, growing a business, raising a family, 48 00:03:00.069 --> 00:03:02.750 but my journey got interrupted when I got this invitation to come out here 49 00:03:02.789 --> 00:03:07.110 to the abortion clinic. Yeah, and when I saw this giant in our 50 00:03:07.189 --> 00:03:09.949 city. My heart, of course, broke over my own lack of action. 51 00:03:10.030 --> 00:03:15.180 I was convicted of that. I knew that needed to change. But 52 00:03:15.979 --> 00:03:20.180 my mind is started going to places immediately like and I know there's so many 53 00:03:20.259 --> 00:03:23.219 churches here in the city. I know I belong to a great church. 54 00:03:23.379 --> 00:03:25.419 I believe they would want to be involved with something like this. If they 55 00:03:25.539 --> 00:03:29.490 really saw what I saw, I believe their heart would break. Yeah, 56 00:03:29.930 --> 00:03:34.009 and so you know, the Lord just started seating some things from the very 57 00:03:34.050 --> 00:03:38.330 first time out here. Yeah, so one of the focuses for this podcast 58 00:03:38.409 --> 00:03:39.090 and again, one of the reasons why I want to talk to you is 59 00:03:39.090 --> 00:03:42.800 because you're just like this, you know, the business guy you didn't go 60 00:03:42.960 --> 00:03:46.240 to, you know, formal training, is a pastor or ministry leader, 61 00:03:46.360 --> 00:03:49.520 and neither to die. But you know, God gets us and and and 62 00:03:49.560 --> 00:03:52.879 it's kind of sets us up right and in these situations, that's how the 63 00:03:52.960 --> 00:03:57.069 Lord set me up as I came out to an abortion clinic with a children's 64 00:03:57.069 --> 00:04:00.069 group at the abortion clinic on Hebron streets in the Lord get a hold of 65 00:04:00.069 --> 00:04:02.750 my heart. Yeah, and so you've been in this fight for I mean, 66 00:04:02.909 --> 00:04:05.590 yeah, you've been pro life, but as far as like really in 67 00:04:05.669 --> 00:04:10.060 the thick of this spiritual battle, that is, the the pro life issue, 68 00:04:10.139 --> 00:04:14.699 the the abortion battle, and you got in because someone brought you out 69 00:04:14.699 --> 00:04:17.779 to an abortion that it was actually the Benham so, but to really get 70 00:04:17.819 --> 00:04:23.420 into the thick of this thing and a really jump all in like you've done, 71 00:04:24.019 --> 00:04:26.649 like what does it taken in a person's mind? You shared some of 72 00:04:26.689 --> 00:04:29.250 that how God got a hold of your heart, but where they're like things 73 00:04:29.290 --> 00:04:31.329 in your mind that you're like, I don't know if I mean, you 74 00:04:31.449 --> 00:04:34.649 know, our my heart is always or not always, but I give my 75 00:04:34.730 --> 00:04:39.920 heart to the Lord at the age of Lovin and really began walking deeply with 76 00:04:40.000 --> 00:04:44.160 the Lord and my early s and my prayer for many, many years have 77 00:04:44.240 --> 00:04:46.040 been more break my heart, for what break sures. You know, always 78 00:04:46.079 --> 00:04:50.040 had a heart for missions and for the least of these, and so you 79 00:04:50.160 --> 00:04:54.230 know, that was kind of the where my heart was when I came to 80 00:04:54.310 --> 00:04:58.629 a place like this and I saw such brokenness, I saw such hurt and 81 00:04:58.670 --> 00:05:01.589 I saw such need. Yeah, I was. I was broken, and 82 00:05:01.629 --> 00:05:05.389 I believe that's the reaction that most people experience when they come here again. 83 00:05:05.430 --> 00:05:10.860 Yeah, I think that most Christians are were like me or are like me 84 00:05:10.980 --> 00:05:13.459 where they it's kind of out of sight, out of mind. They're not 85 00:05:13.620 --> 00:05:15.980 really thinking about it. Oh, it's a political issue, which is such 86 00:05:15.980 --> 00:05:20.180 a lie. This is a moral issue. And really the question I had 87 00:05:20.180 --> 00:05:24.889 asked myself, and I know it's so simple that I challenge are people that 88 00:05:24.930 --> 00:05:27.490 are coming out for prayer walks with us all the time, is do you 89 00:05:27.689 --> 00:05:30.769 really believe these are children? Were talking right? Ultimately, that's really what 90 00:05:30.850 --> 00:05:34.009 it comes down to, right, because if we really believe these are children 91 00:05:34.009 --> 00:05:38.199 were talking about, we have to live differently. Yeah, I didn't have 92 00:05:38.199 --> 00:05:42.160 a choice to go back to my office and just go go along with my 93 00:05:42.279 --> 00:05:45.839 life as normal. Yeah, if I really believe these were children and my 94 00:05:46.000 --> 00:05:47.560 heart is for the things of God and for the things of his kingdom, 95 00:05:48.000 --> 00:05:51.910 like I had to live differently. Yeah, and so, and I believe 96 00:05:51.910 --> 00:05:56.750 that's most people's reaction, those that love God, love people. When they 97 00:05:56.790 --> 00:05:59.829 come out here, they see the brokenness, they say, I have to 98 00:05:59.910 --> 00:06:03.860 do something, and something just recently I shared with you, actually yesterday, 99 00:06:03.939 --> 00:06:08.420 that the Lord is really highlighted for me is, you know, I think 100 00:06:08.459 --> 00:06:11.139 we, most Christians, especially those that are pro life, would always say, 101 00:06:11.180 --> 00:06:13.259 yeah, I believe that's a life in the womb, right, but 102 00:06:13.379 --> 00:06:15.860 the reality is most of us don't ever live like that. Yeah, right, 103 00:06:15.139 --> 00:06:19.889 we in some ways we think that there is a difference between a child 104 00:06:19.930 --> 00:06:24.490 and the womb and the child outside of the womb, but the scripture tells 105 00:06:24.529 --> 00:06:28.129 us differently and we got to stand on God's word in this thing. And 106 00:06:28.730 --> 00:06:31.879 one of the scriptures that really has stirred my heart, especially recently, is 107 00:06:32.240 --> 00:06:36.120 in Luke chapter one when it says that the baby leaped in the womb, 108 00:06:36.160 --> 00:06:41.160 talking about Elizabeth and John The meds. Yeah, the baby leaped in the 109 00:06:41.240 --> 00:06:45.360 womb and the Greek word for that is Brefos. And you jump over to 110 00:06:45.680 --> 00:06:49.389 Luke Chapter two, when it's describing Jesus outside of the womb, is Angel 111 00:06:49.509 --> 00:06:55.629 speaking to the shepherd's describing the baby outside of the womb, the same exact 112 00:06:55.629 --> 00:06:59.110 Greek word is it is is to describe the child outside of the room, 113 00:06:59.709 --> 00:07:01.500 the womb. Bre Fos. Yeah, you see it even further along in 114 00:07:01.620 --> 00:07:04.660 Luke, I think it's Luke Eighteen, and even in acts Chapter Seven. 115 00:07:04.740 --> 00:07:10.819 And so we have to stand on the word of God that these are children 116 00:07:11.060 --> 00:07:15.339 that we're talking about and God sees zero difference between a child and the womb 117 00:07:15.379 --> 00:07:17.610 and a child outside of the womb. I believe if we can really come 118 00:07:17.689 --> 00:07:23.089 to that type of revelation in our life, then we will live drastically different, 119 00:07:23.170 --> 00:07:26.170 yeah, from from where we were before. Yeah, yeah, absolutely. 120 00:07:26.290 --> 00:07:30.600 Kind of bring me into you, because I wasn't there that day. 121 00:07:30.800 --> 00:07:32.920 Actually, I wasn't the director of cities for life when you had first come 122 00:07:33.000 --> 00:07:35.759 out. Maybe it's like twelve. Yeah, okay, these two thousand and 123 00:07:35.759 --> 00:07:39.439 twelve. So I came in as direct I was involved. Came in as 124 00:07:39.480 --> 00:07:42.360 a director in two thousand and fifteen. So kind of bring me back to 125 00:07:42.480 --> 00:07:45.430 that day and just a little bit of what you saw. Like, you 126 00:07:45.509 --> 00:07:47.189 know, you're standing in front of an abortion clinic. Yeah, obviously not 127 00:07:47.389 --> 00:07:50.029 just looking at a building and that's what Burns your heart. where? What 128 00:07:50.110 --> 00:07:54.389 were some of the things that you were seeing? Yeah, so you're standing 129 00:07:54.430 --> 00:07:58.660 there right across the street here on the trobe in front of the abortion clinic, 130 00:07:58.860 --> 00:08:03.019 and I saw a packed parking lot. There was a lot of cars 131 00:08:03.060 --> 00:08:07.300 there that day and I was seeing people still coming in, driving in, 132 00:08:07.060 --> 00:08:11.139 and as they were driving in I could just see such brokenness. Yeah, 133 00:08:11.180 --> 00:08:16.250 face, just hurt, hopelessness, driving into this place and it just the 134 00:08:16.410 --> 00:08:18.810 again. The reality is like a fresh revelation. Hit me like and there's 135 00:08:18.850 --> 00:08:22.610 a baby that's in the womb. There's a human being, a child, 136 00:08:22.329 --> 00:08:26.089 that is alive. When they walk in those doors that I'm seeing right there, 137 00:08:26.639 --> 00:08:31.480 and when they exit there, a child is gone, child has been 138 00:08:31.560 --> 00:08:35.399 snatched out of the womb. And it was just for me to see the 139 00:08:35.519 --> 00:08:39.720 faces. And I also saw this intense struggle that took place with one mom 140 00:08:39.159 --> 00:08:43.190 in the parking lot right she gets out of her car and she starts walking 141 00:08:43.269 --> 00:08:46.710 into the abortion center and then she walks back out, and she walks back 142 00:08:46.830 --> 00:08:52.149 in and she walks back out. You could see the struggle of life first 143 00:08:52.269 --> 00:08:54.950 death, and so that notion that when a woman comes to an abortion clinic 144 00:08:54.029 --> 00:08:56.580 her mind's already made up, that was kind of debunked right away. Yeah, 145 00:08:56.620 --> 00:09:00.940 and I could feel an intense spiritual battle, yeah, being there, 146 00:09:00.980 --> 00:09:03.179 I could feel it, I could sense it, but it was literally manifesting 147 00:09:03.220 --> 00:09:07.179 itself in the physical right in front of me. Yeah, and so these 148 00:09:07.299 --> 00:09:11.009 type of things, as I saw these as real lives. There were no 149 00:09:11.129 --> 00:09:15.009 longer just statistics or out of sight, out of mind. I mean these 150 00:09:15.009 --> 00:09:18.370 are human beings. My heart began to break for the MOMS, for the 151 00:09:18.450 --> 00:09:22.330 DAD's of course, for the children, but even for the workers, people 152 00:09:22.370 --> 00:09:26.720 that are, you know, helping perform these abortions like man like, like 153 00:09:26.840 --> 00:09:28.879 they just been duped by the by the Endemy, like this, they're enslaved 154 00:09:28.960 --> 00:09:33.279 in this thing. And so, yeah, it was visually for me, 155 00:09:33.399 --> 00:09:37.039 as I saw it, and then as I saw Christians that were out there 156 00:09:37.200 --> 00:09:41.149 reaching out. Cities for life was there help, pregnancy cure center monroe with 157 00:09:41.190 --> 00:09:43.149 their mobile unit was out there. Okay, they were offering real hope, 158 00:09:43.309 --> 00:09:46.669 offering real resources to families. I was like, man, I got a 159 00:09:46.750 --> 00:09:48.990 team up with that, like yeah, we got to figure out a way 160 00:09:50.509 --> 00:09:52.299 to be a part of, yeah, life in our city. And so, 161 00:09:52.460 --> 00:09:56.019 you know, cities for life, obviously we're involved in sidewall counseling there, 162 00:09:56.179 --> 00:10:00.299 we're involved in regular outreach and that was again the folks that you saw 163 00:10:00.460 --> 00:10:03.940 reaching out there. But the Lord really put a burden in your heart to 164 00:10:03.059 --> 00:10:07.409 to really get so so you have like this handful of people that are there 165 00:10:07.409 --> 00:10:11.090 too, very committed, mostly homeschool moms, that they are reaching out really 166 00:10:11.129 --> 00:10:15.330 in the think of that spiritual battle, but from when I get from you 167 00:10:15.370 --> 00:10:18.769 you're thinking. was like, okay, this is a bigger issue than just 168 00:10:18.889 --> 00:10:22.799 a handful of people doing something about this thing. This is something that we 169 00:10:22.000 --> 00:10:26.440 need to come at as the Church of Jesus Christ. And Yeah, to 170 00:10:26.559 --> 00:10:30.399 me, I mean that's in your heart. Yeah, we just had a 171 00:10:30.440 --> 00:10:33.039 meeting yesterday. You did, you guys hit it up a meeting with some 172 00:10:33.120 --> 00:10:37.750 local pastors, eighteen different churches that had pastors. You guys have been I 173 00:10:37.870 --> 00:10:41.149 mean as a ministry, cities are like. We've had hard time getting churches, 174 00:10:41.190 --> 00:10:43.950 getting pastors to come out and to do sidewalk council. It's a lot 175 00:10:43.990 --> 00:10:46.549 of them have we think, God for him, but getting into the kind 176 00:10:46.590 --> 00:10:50.659 of the the broader church world. You guys have been able to do that 177 00:10:50.899 --> 00:10:54.700 in some ways that I don't think a lot of ministries ever a magic it 178 00:10:54.899 --> 00:10:58.659 would even be possible. Yeah, so talk to me a little bit about 179 00:10:58.700 --> 00:11:03.220 sort of your burden for the Church and and the church being involved in this 180 00:11:03.419 --> 00:11:05.570 thing. Yeah, well, first off, just we were, I was 181 00:11:05.649 --> 00:11:11.809 encouraging inspired to do more by seeing the faithful remnant that was already there. 182 00:11:11.210 --> 00:11:15.649 You know, families like yours, the Benom's Vicky, so many others that 183 00:11:16.129 --> 00:11:20.399 you know, had just jumped in and we're doing everything they could to bring 184 00:11:20.600 --> 00:11:24.080 life to these families. And I really believe that that remnant has plowed a 185 00:11:24.440 --> 00:11:28.519 hard ground. Yeah, and we're really reaping. We're seeing some things that 186 00:11:28.600 --> 00:11:33.269 are happening because of the ground that was plowed by groups like cities for life 187 00:11:33.269 --> 00:11:37.269 and so many faithful families that were out here when nobody else knew, no, 188 00:11:37.549 --> 00:11:41.029 true, nobody else knew about the abortion clinic. You guys were continue 189 00:11:41.110 --> 00:11:43.710 to be faithful day after day. You've been doing this for what, thirteen 190 00:11:43.750 --> 00:11:46.909 years? His sins too, since two thousand and five. Yeah, and 191 00:11:46.029 --> 00:11:50.179 so, man, just honor you, Bro like you've inspired me, my 192 00:11:50.379 --> 00:11:54.340 family so many others. But I knew that you it wasn't just the work 193 00:11:54.460 --> 00:11:56.500 for you guys to do, like, yes, it is for the body 194 00:11:56.580 --> 00:12:00.940 of Christ, right, yeah, and it's too much to shoulder just for 195 00:12:01.059 --> 00:12:03.330 a handful of families. So the Lord you have began doing a work in 196 00:12:03.409 --> 00:12:07.129 me of just, you know, how can we bring in the Church of 197 00:12:07.169 --> 00:12:11.690 Jesus Christ as a whole in this city to activate them, to give them 198 00:12:11.769 --> 00:12:16.360 a vehicle to experience what I experienced, you know, seeing it being yeah, 199 00:12:16.399 --> 00:12:20.879 broken over the issue and then being led with compassion to actually do, 200 00:12:20.360 --> 00:12:24.399 you know, real things that need to be done in our city, hard 201 00:12:24.559 --> 00:12:28.200 things, to lay our lives down so that others can live. And so 202 00:12:28.320 --> 00:12:31.429 that's, you know, another thing that I just remember from that day. 203 00:12:31.029 --> 00:12:35.750 I remember thinking, man, if thirty people were dying in a local elementary 204 00:12:35.750 --> 00:12:39.830 school, or Middle School, whatever you want to put on it, right, 205 00:12:39.429 --> 00:12:43.149 if that was happening, this thing would be national news in a matter 206 00:12:43.149 --> 00:12:46.139 of seconds. The FBI, the SWAT, everybody would be running to the 207 00:12:46.220 --> 00:12:50.100 scene. Yeah, and I didn't believe the local church would be running to 208 00:12:50.220 --> 00:12:54.500 Celia scenarios right, to bring healing, to bring protection in those families. 209 00:12:54.500 --> 00:12:58.259 And so again, as I came to the revelation that this is that these 210 00:12:58.259 --> 00:13:01.009 are children were talking about. God sees zero difference between the kids in the 211 00:13:01.049 --> 00:13:05.090 womb and the kids outside of the womb, I said, how come we're 212 00:13:05.169 --> 00:13:09.210 not running to the scene in greater numbers, because we have people that are 213 00:13:09.250 --> 00:13:13.440 dying in this building six days a week and we don't know where else that's 214 00:13:13.440 --> 00:13:16.639 going to take place. Right we don't know what the next school shooting is 215 00:13:16.720 --> 00:13:20.159 going to take place. We don't know when the next homicide is going to 216 00:13:20.200 --> 00:13:24.080 take place or where it's going to happen, but we do know we're around 217 00:13:24.080 --> 00:13:28.389 twenty to thirty children are going to die every day in our city. So 218 00:13:28.470 --> 00:13:30.990 therefore we should be running to the scene. And so this is just a 219 00:13:31.110 --> 00:13:35.269 burden that the Lord began putting in my heart. And then fast forward a 220 00:13:35.350 --> 00:13:39.429 two thousand and fifteen. Is when the Lord really downloaded the strategy for what 221 00:13:39.590 --> 00:13:43.340 that looks like. Yeah, and a little bit of that strategy. Yeah. 222 00:13:43.700 --> 00:13:46.860 So just again, this was in a season of just seeking the Lord, 223 00:13:46.899 --> 00:13:48.980 and I remember the kind of the first email that came through. I 224 00:13:50.019 --> 00:13:52.620 think you you sent it to David and David sent it to me, or 225 00:13:52.659 --> 00:13:56.730 obviously send it to both both of us, like here's this strategy. Yeah, 226 00:13:56.769 --> 00:14:00.049 and it's like this, this dude like has gotten something from the Lord, 227 00:14:00.129 --> 00:14:01.889 like he's gotten something kind of laid out here. So, yeah, 228 00:14:01.889 --> 00:14:05.330 yeah, I remember. It's August twenty of two thousand and fifteen. I 229 00:14:05.450 --> 00:14:11.159 was on my living room floor and just seeking the face of God and felt 230 00:14:11.200 --> 00:14:13.279 him speak very clearly to me that day. I've called you to the least 231 00:14:13.320 --> 00:14:16.960 of these and I've called you to be a voice for the voiceless. Yeah, 232 00:14:16.279 --> 00:14:20.679 and you know, again, this had already seated, already been planted 233 00:14:20.720 --> 00:14:22.600 in my heart and we had got involved, you know, with some things 234 00:14:22.639 --> 00:14:28.190 here locally. But we actually had plans. We thought we were going to 235 00:14:28.230 --> 00:14:31.029 do international missions. Okay, as a family. We thought that the Lord 236 00:14:31.149 --> 00:14:35.830 was potentially even calling us to sell the business and do some things internationally. 237 00:14:37.029 --> 00:14:41.299 But the Lord had different plans for us. And and again, that's the 238 00:14:41.340 --> 00:14:43.059 word that he spoke to me. And then, following that, about over 239 00:14:43.100 --> 00:14:46.500 the course of a week, God just sort of waken me up in the 240 00:14:46.539 --> 00:14:50.379 middle of the night. I wasn't able to sleep that much and during that 241 00:14:50.500 --> 00:14:52.889 time just started journaling the things that the God was putting in my heart. 242 00:14:54.730 --> 00:14:56.769 And that's what became love life, the things that he was downloading to me 243 00:14:56.850 --> 00:15:01.610 during over that course of the week, and took me into the book of 244 00:15:01.649 --> 00:15:03.970 Nehemiah, and a lot of the strategy came from the Amiah. Yeah, 245 00:15:05.049 --> 00:15:09.840 and so the whole mission is uniting and mobilizing the church. Yeah, we 246 00:15:09.960 --> 00:15:13.240 believe the church is the key element here to create a culture of love and 247 00:15:13.360 --> 00:15:16.080 life. That would result to an end too, abortion and the orphan crisis. 248 00:15:16.679 --> 00:15:20.080 And so what we what we always say is we believe God's called the 249 00:15:20.080 --> 00:15:24.350 church to shape the culture. Politician legislation that's downstream there to follow the culture. 250 00:15:24.789 --> 00:15:28.429 We want to create a culture where family stopped running to local abortion clinics 251 00:15:28.470 --> 00:15:31.470 for the answer. They start running to the local church. Yeah, and 252 00:15:31.710 --> 00:15:35.779 again, just standing on the word of God. Matthew Sixteen Eighteen says the 253 00:15:35.820 --> 00:15:37.860 gates of hell will not prevail against the church. It's the church is so 254 00:15:37.980 --> 00:15:43.179 key here in Matthew Sixteen nineteen that he's given us the keys to the kingdom. 255 00:15:43.220 --> 00:15:45.500 Whatever we bond on earth, we bound in heaven. A we loose 256 00:15:45.580 --> 00:15:48.899 on earth, be loose in heaven, says Co Laboring with the Lord that 257 00:15:48.980 --> 00:15:52.730 he desires. I fully believe God wants to see abortion in more than we 258 00:15:52.850 --> 00:15:54.490 do. Yeah, he's just been waiting for his bride. When waiting for 259 00:15:54.529 --> 00:15:58.169 their church. Yeah, the Colabor with them in this mission is some. 260 00:15:58.370 --> 00:16:02.169 Some flip says, which is like a classic quote, is abortion won't end 261 00:16:02.210 --> 00:16:04.679 in this country until the Church of Jesus Christ ascided that it will. And 262 00:16:04.720 --> 00:16:08.279 I believe that's a true statement. Absolutely. And Flip was there that day 263 00:16:08.279 --> 00:16:11.879 when I first came out in two thousand and twelve and okay, I believe 264 00:16:11.919 --> 00:16:15.559 he shared that with me then and just started seating some things in my heart 265 00:16:15.639 --> 00:16:18.149 of you know, the importance of the local church. Yeah, and getting 266 00:16:18.190 --> 00:16:22.629 involved in this thing. And so that's the mission of Love Life we've we 267 00:16:23.149 --> 00:16:26.590 use a vehicle, it's just a vehicle, to mobilize a church or what 268 00:16:26.629 --> 00:16:30.509 we call all a forty week journey of hope. Yeah, and again this 269 00:16:30.629 --> 00:16:33.779 was part of the strategy that the Lord Download. But the forty weeks is, 270 00:16:34.019 --> 00:16:37.899 you know, the time from conception to birth, and we give each 271 00:16:37.059 --> 00:16:41.460 partnering Church at least we ask them to take at least one week out of 272 00:16:41.500 --> 00:16:44.940 the forty weeks. Many take multiple weeks, but say take at least one 273 00:16:44.980 --> 00:16:49.370 week to mobilize your people through what we call adoption week. And in adoption 274 00:16:49.529 --> 00:16:53.809 week we walker people through four steps. We want them to hear, pray, 275 00:16:55.250 --> 00:16:57.850 go and connect. So the here pieces education. Right, we got 276 00:16:57.970 --> 00:17:00.919 to know really what's happening in our backyard. Most people don't know, as 277 00:17:00.919 --> 00:17:03.960 I didn't know, Oh yeah, that abortion is the leading cause of death 278 00:17:04.039 --> 00:17:07.599 in our city. Most people are completely unaware. When I share that stat 279 00:17:07.680 --> 00:17:11.839 in churches they're like what, yeah, more death is happening through abortion and 280 00:17:12.200 --> 00:17:17.549 cancer or heart disease or anything else. Yeah, at days combine. That's 281 00:17:17.549 --> 00:17:21.710 the reality of what's happening in our cities. These are children that we're talking 282 00:17:21.789 --> 00:17:23.190 about. And then, of course, you know, what does God's words 283 00:17:23.230 --> 00:17:26.549 say about life? And but we don't stop there. That's just step one. 284 00:17:27.390 --> 00:17:30.500 That's typically a lot of times where we have stopped as as a church 285 00:17:30.539 --> 00:17:34.059 right and in the past, and we call the church to prayer and fasting 286 00:17:34.099 --> 00:17:40.420 on their Wednesday of their adoption week, because we believe this is spiritual battle 287 00:17:40.460 --> 00:17:42.700 that must be fought with spiritual weapons. And when we pray and we fast, 288 00:17:42.779 --> 00:17:47.450 it aligns our heart with the father's heart. So it's a critical element. 289 00:17:47.490 --> 00:17:48.849 Mark Nine hundred and twenty nine. This kind can only come out through 290 00:17:48.849 --> 00:17:53.009 prayer and fasting. But then again, we don't stop at step two. 291 00:17:53.049 --> 00:17:56.890 We say we got to go to step three, which is we want a 292 00:17:56.009 --> 00:18:00.039 prayer walk, we want to go to the brokenness in our city and you 293 00:18:00.079 --> 00:18:03.640 know, to do a prayer walk. So we do that for forty weeks. 294 00:18:03.920 --> 00:18:07.000 From nine to eleven in the morning is the prayer walks. When people 295 00:18:07.079 --> 00:18:10.920 come, they we try to make it as turn key as possible. So, 296 00:18:10.960 --> 00:18:12.789 yes, which people show up? You know, they're greeted by volunteers 297 00:18:12.829 --> 00:18:17.349 or help people parking their cars. They come in, they get a free 298 00:18:17.430 --> 00:18:19.470 love life t shirt, they get the wristband, they get our prayer card 299 00:18:19.829 --> 00:18:23.349 that has our code of conduct on it, and then for two hours we 300 00:18:23.549 --> 00:18:27.259 worship, we pray, we use the weapons that God has given us, 301 00:18:27.339 --> 00:18:33.259 those things, the word of God, testimonies, and we allow people to 302 00:18:33.339 --> 00:18:37.779 have that moment that I had right two thousand and twelve, to see it 303 00:18:37.940 --> 00:18:41.210 for themselves, let the Lord break their heart. And then, at the 304 00:18:41.250 --> 00:18:45.970 end of the prayer walk we say it's great that you've heard and you've prayed 305 00:18:47.130 --> 00:18:52.009 and you've come today, but now we're asking you to begin the rebuilding process 306 00:18:52.089 --> 00:18:55.529 here in our city, to get connected beyond the prayer walk, which is 307 00:18:55.529 --> 00:18:57.720 step for rebuilding you means that connection with the Ami am y on the w 308 00:18:57.960 --> 00:19:00.400 on the wall, you know. So what is your place on the wall? 309 00:19:00.640 --> 00:19:03.599 Like you know, are you called to be a sidewalk counselor with cities 310 00:19:03.640 --> 00:19:07.240 for life? Are you called to be a mentor for a mom or dad 311 00:19:07.559 --> 00:19:11.950 that's made the choice for life? Right, I see you know, sidewalk 312 00:19:11.990 --> 00:19:15.390 counseling and frontlines ministry a lot like a rescue system. Yeah, you're open 313 00:19:15.430 --> 00:19:19.069 snatch people out of the fire. It's a critical, critical element. Yeah, 314 00:19:19.069 --> 00:19:22.150 and if you feel called to that, great, get trained up and 315 00:19:22.269 --> 00:19:26.339 get get in the fight. But some might be called more of the rehabilitation 316 00:19:26.740 --> 00:19:30.660 yea process. Right. Then, mentoring element of saying hey, you know, 317 00:19:32.059 --> 00:19:33.700 we're not here just to tell you that there's help available for you, 318 00:19:33.819 --> 00:19:37.769 we want to connect you into a local church with a mentor that's going to 319 00:19:37.849 --> 00:19:41.250 walk with you. So some are called to be mentors, some are called 320 00:19:41.289 --> 00:19:45.210 a sidewalk council, some are called to foster or adopt. We believe this 321 00:19:45.329 --> 00:19:47.769 is a big part of the culture shift. Yeah, I'm going to care 322 00:19:47.769 --> 00:19:49.849 about the orphan in the womb and also the orphonos. One of the dynamics 323 00:19:49.930 --> 00:19:52.359 to you, you know, I just jump in here quick as that. 324 00:19:52.480 --> 00:19:56.400 If you talk to women that come to an abortion clinic, I don't want 325 00:19:56.440 --> 00:19:59.119 a statistic is you might know, but a lot of these women that come 326 00:19:59.160 --> 00:20:02.599 to an abortion clinic are, we're in the foster care system themselves and in 327 00:20:03.400 --> 00:20:06.400 sword I col yeah, it's like there's a cycle that can be broken. 328 00:20:06.440 --> 00:20:08.869 So we can get into the foster care system and bring the Gospel to these 329 00:20:08.950 --> 00:20:11.910 kids when they're young, then they won't end up there. But yeah, 330 00:20:11.950 --> 00:20:15.509 exactly. Mean in North Carolina there's Twelveero kids in the foster care system. 331 00:20:15.509 --> 00:20:18.750 That fluctuates, you know, of course, but around Twelvezero kids in the 332 00:20:18.789 --> 00:20:22.980 foster care system, about Zozo of those kids are clear and free for adoption 333 00:20:23.019 --> 00:20:26.740 immediately. Is Waiting for mom and a dad that will adopt them, and 334 00:20:26.819 --> 00:20:30.660 most people are unaware it, just as I was, that there's zero cost 335 00:20:30.779 --> 00:20:33.819 financially to adopt one of those kids. Yeah, you know when you're when 336 00:20:33.819 --> 00:20:37.529 you're adopting a kid out of the foster care system. So, yeah, 337 00:20:37.569 --> 00:20:40.089 we believe this is the role of the church. Is Not the role of 338 00:20:40.170 --> 00:20:44.650 government. Psalm Sixty eight five tells us that a father to the fatherless, 339 00:20:44.650 --> 00:20:48.849 a defender of widows, is God and is wholly dwelling. He takes the 340 00:20:48.970 --> 00:20:52.160 lonely and he sets some in families. Yeah, so we always challenge a 341 00:20:52.200 --> 00:20:53.839 church. I don't that we say we don't believe. God's calling us to 342 00:20:53.920 --> 00:20:57.759 build more orphanages. He's calling us to adopt more kids. Yeah, and 343 00:20:57.880 --> 00:21:03.279 the church is the answer for that and if, if the light doesn't disciple 344 00:21:03.480 --> 00:21:06.589 these kids, the darkness gladly will. Well, yeah, and so to 345 00:21:06.670 --> 00:21:08.910 your point, as we bring these kids into godly homes, not just any 346 00:21:08.990 --> 00:21:14.150 home, and to godly homes, we can really begin to see the culture 347 00:21:14.269 --> 00:21:18.269 shift. Yeah. So this is again adoption week. Here, pray, 348 00:21:18.430 --> 00:21:22.460 go connect. This is how we mobilize the church. This all comes out 349 00:21:22.500 --> 00:21:25.059 of Neemiah. Yeah, the am I went on the same exact journey. 350 00:21:25.059 --> 00:21:27.940 He heard the tragedy that was happening in Jerusalem. That's where nee my one 351 00:21:29.059 --> 00:21:33.490 begins. His brother comes and shares with him about the brokenness and Jerusalem. 352 00:21:33.970 --> 00:21:37.890 So we educate people. Then he turned a prayer and fasting, which is 353 00:21:37.930 --> 00:21:41.009 stepped to. Yeah, but he didn't stop there and I think a lot 354 00:21:41.049 --> 00:21:44.970 of times again, as Christians, we kind of stopped there. And because, 355 00:21:45.569 --> 00:21:48.240 listen, we believe in the power of prayer. Right, prayer and 356 00:21:48.279 --> 00:21:51.359 fasting is the backbone of our of our campaign. But we also are called 357 00:21:51.440 --> 00:21:53.839 to lay our lives down, as first John Three, sixteen and eighteen tells 358 00:21:53.880 --> 00:22:00.519 us to do. And so we see Nehemiah. He leaves his palace where 359 00:22:00.559 --> 00:22:03.390 he was and he goes to the brokenness, yeah, to Jerusalem, where 360 00:22:03.390 --> 00:22:07.549 the brokenness is, and that's what we're saying to the church. It's time 361 00:22:07.589 --> 00:22:11.750 for us to leave our palaces and to go to the brokenness of our city, 362 00:22:11.069 --> 00:22:14.990 which is the prayer walk. That's the prayer the prayer walk element. 363 00:22:15.029 --> 00:22:18.299 That happens every Saturday's and then the rebuilding begins. Yeah, after that, 364 00:22:18.460 --> 00:22:22.859 in Chapter Three, thee my chapter three, the rebuilding process begins and we 365 00:22:22.940 --> 00:22:27.339 see a beautiful picture of unity. And Chapter Yeah, which is the father's 366 00:22:27.380 --> 00:22:30.930 heart. We know, we see that the Levites stood next to the priest 367 00:22:32.049 --> 00:22:34.809 a priesthood next to the merchant and merchant next to the Goldsmith, and so 368 00:22:34.890 --> 00:22:38.529 we're calling for the church to do the same, for the Baptists, stand 369 00:22:38.569 --> 00:22:42.609 next to the Presbyterians, Presbyterians next to the pentecostle's, pen acostles, next 370 00:22:42.650 --> 00:22:48.160 to non denomination, as well as other parachurch organizations. Because it's united body 371 00:22:48.160 --> 00:22:52.200 of Christ it's going to break the stronghold of abortion. Yes, city, 372 00:22:52.279 --> 00:22:56.079 and so that's the mission, that's the download that the Lord has given us. 373 00:22:56.079 --> 00:22:57.160 We've been doing it for about three and a half years. Yeah, 374 00:22:57.160 --> 00:23:00.269 we're here in Charlotte, Greens grow and Rowley now and we launch a New 375 00:23:00.269 --> 00:23:03.789 York City there, which is which is amazing, that you're going to launched 376 00:23:03.789 --> 00:23:07.630 there in New York. Talk Real quick, if you could, because I 377 00:23:07.710 --> 00:23:08.990 know there's going to be people that will listen to this podcast. You know, 378 00:23:10.029 --> 00:23:12.059 it's called Gospel centered pro life and and what I get from you and 379 00:23:12.740 --> 00:23:17.859 anyone within our ministry, anyone within the prolife movement that I'm connected with, 380 00:23:18.339 --> 00:23:21.019 if you ask them why they're pro life, they're going to go right to 381 00:23:21.099 --> 00:23:23.460 Jesus, the Gospel God change my heart. He got a hold of my 382 00:23:23.539 --> 00:23:26.210 heart for this issue and I'm doing it because of what he's done in my 383 00:23:26.329 --> 00:23:29.609 heart. So that's that's what I'm getting from you, which is which is 384 00:23:29.650 --> 00:23:32.529 awesome. But there's going to be people to listen to this podcast that are 385 00:23:32.609 --> 00:23:34.529 thinking like, okay, I'm out here on the Sidewalker, I'm here in 386 00:23:34.569 --> 00:23:37.730 a pregnancy center and I'm doing this work and I just don't feel like anybody's 387 00:23:37.769 --> 00:23:41.640 coming along. I don't feel like the Church has risen up in my city. 388 00:23:41.960 --> 00:23:44.079 How in the world are they able to do it there? And you 389 00:23:44.119 --> 00:23:45.839 kind of say, well, we get this package thing that we bring to 390 00:23:45.920 --> 00:23:51.000 a pasture, we share it with them and they can get on board and 391 00:23:51.039 --> 00:23:52.000 they get on board and they come out and they do the prayer walks. 392 00:23:52.519 --> 00:23:56.470 But what are some of the things? Because some, you know, people 393 00:23:56.470 --> 00:23:57.869 aren't going to be able. ALL PEOPLE WARN'T gonna be able to do that, 394 00:23:57.990 --> 00:24:00.710 but to get a package thing. But they can still encourage people to 395 00:24:00.789 --> 00:24:04.950 pray. So one of the some of the things that you've learned that you 396 00:24:06.109 --> 00:24:07.869 can say to a pastor to really get his heart. I know some of 397 00:24:07.910 --> 00:24:11.259 US going to be some of the stuff you've already said. But there are 398 00:24:11.299 --> 00:24:15.539 the other barriers. You know. I just share real quick. There's barriers 399 00:24:15.539 --> 00:24:18.220 as far as I'm concerned. When I speak to a pastor and I say 400 00:24:18.220 --> 00:24:19.380 hey, we got to an abortion clinic, we offer help and hope. 401 00:24:19.380 --> 00:24:22.140 In the name of Jesus, they think, Oh, you're those people that 402 00:24:22.220 --> 00:24:25.970 stand in front of an abortion clinic hold up pictures of dead babies and yellow 403 00:24:25.970 --> 00:24:27.369 women right now. So I have to tear that stigma down. I have 404 00:24:27.490 --> 00:24:30.569 to have to come after that thing right away. Are you get some of 405 00:24:30.650 --> 00:24:33.650 that? And for sure? I mean that's definitely kind of the stigma. 406 00:24:33.769 --> 00:24:37.569 The most pro life, you know, ministry is viewed in especially if it's 407 00:24:37.569 --> 00:24:41.839 done out an abortion clinic. Yeah, and so what we we've done. 408 00:24:41.880 --> 00:24:45.640 And when we started small man, our very first prayer walk, we had 409 00:24:45.720 --> 00:24:48.240 twenty two people. You, yeah, remember. Yeah. And and just 410 00:24:48.839 --> 00:24:52.599 we started with, you know, those that were close to us, of 411 00:24:52.720 --> 00:24:56.589 course, my own pastor. Yeah, my pastor Jeff was all in from 412 00:24:56.630 --> 00:24:57.990 the very again it. He's a good brother. Yeah. And so just 413 00:24:59.029 --> 00:25:02.950 I would encourage people to start with your pastor start with your church, start 414 00:25:02.950 --> 00:25:07.099 with people maybe that you know are your friends and their church. But the 415 00:25:07.460 --> 00:25:12.619 easiest way that we have found on board churches to get them involved in pro 416 00:25:12.740 --> 00:25:18.500 life work is say, come with me for one hour to the abortion clinic. 417 00:25:18.579 --> 00:25:21.490 We call it a Onehour journey. Yeah, we call it. And 418 00:25:21.569 --> 00:25:23.849 they come out for one hour and we do something very similar. That was 419 00:25:23.970 --> 00:25:27.529 done with me in two thousand and twelve. Yeah, it's a simple invitation 420 00:25:29.809 --> 00:25:33.690 to for people to come out see it for themselves. So I would bring 421 00:25:33.730 --> 00:25:37.680 people out, we educate them, we let them know how many abortions are 422 00:25:37.680 --> 00:25:41.480 happening every day, how many abortions are happening every week, because most pastors 423 00:25:41.519 --> 00:25:45.880 don't know that. Another staggering thing that most pastors are unaware of is that 424 00:25:45.960 --> 00:25:48.759 these are private businesses for the most part, except for the plan parenthoods and 425 00:25:48.920 --> 00:25:52.630 a few others, but these are privately owned businesses that are bringing in millions 426 00:25:52.670 --> 00:25:56.869 of dollars a year doing nothing but abortions. Yeah, so we educate these 427 00:25:56.950 --> 00:26:00.029 people in this one hour and then we just spend time in prayer together. 428 00:26:00.069 --> 00:26:03.269 Yeah, just say let's let's pray. Man, there's lives on the line. 429 00:26:03.299 --> 00:26:07.619 We're standing between the living and the dead right now, and in that 430 00:26:07.819 --> 00:26:11.619 time, in that moment of education, awareness and prayer, God begins to 431 00:26:11.779 --> 00:26:15.940 break the heart of the shepherds and the pastors in our city. And then 432 00:26:17.019 --> 00:26:18.849 at the end of it, typically they want to know art what I need 433 00:26:18.890 --> 00:26:23.250 to do. Yeah, let's do something. So you basically like the Lord 434 00:26:23.369 --> 00:26:26.690 set you up. Yeah, right, I'm the Lord. Set me up. 435 00:26:26.690 --> 00:26:29.930 In that scenario, you kind of setting them up for the Holy Spirit 436 00:26:30.009 --> 00:26:32.730 to do his words. Right. You know, I mentioned yesterday to you, 437 00:26:32.809 --> 00:26:37.440 and Andre, Andre is the city director here in Charlotte, about how 438 00:26:37.519 --> 00:26:40.920 the prayer walks really, in my mind, are a short term mission trip, 439 00:26:41.039 --> 00:26:45.039 though no one goes on a full term mission like sales everything and goes 440 00:26:45.119 --> 00:26:48.630 out to the Philippines or China or whatever. Without, typically without having first 441 00:26:48.670 --> 00:26:53.309 gone out on a short term mission, get their heart really from the Lord, 442 00:26:53.390 --> 00:26:57.829 get their heart chains for that that city or that that village or that 443 00:26:57.950 --> 00:27:02.660 country or whatever. And so that's kind of what you're doing with these pastors 444 00:27:02.700 --> 00:27:06.059 and with these these individuals, okaylutely exposing them to the thing where it takes 445 00:27:06.099 --> 00:27:08.299 place and let in the Holy Spirit do his work. That's it. Yeah, 446 00:27:08.299 --> 00:27:11.019 I think that's that's right on the money and we hear from pastors all 447 00:27:11.059 --> 00:27:15.849 the time the church that I brought out to the prayer walk is a completely 448 00:27:15.930 --> 00:27:21.490 different congregation that I brought back after the prayer walk. And that's what short 449 00:27:21.529 --> 00:27:25.250 term mission trips do. Yeah, mean stirs up not just for pro life 450 00:27:25.329 --> 00:27:27.410 work, but really anything. I mean just serving in the nursery, you 451 00:27:27.490 --> 00:27:32.880 know. You know, their congregation wants to serve in more ways after, 452 00:27:33.440 --> 00:27:36.240 you know, the short term mission trip. Yeah, that's the same with 453 00:27:36.319 --> 00:27:38.240 the pastors, and so I would encourage people to do that. Just, 454 00:27:38.440 --> 00:27:41.960 you know, a simple invitation. You know, kind of start with the 455 00:27:42.000 --> 00:27:45.230 people that you have, yeah, people in your network ready, you know, 456 00:27:45.390 --> 00:27:49.069 and and be educated. Educate yourself on it first, so as you 457 00:27:49.190 --> 00:27:52.869 stand there, you're able to educate them on what's happening. Abortions are happening 458 00:27:52.990 --> 00:27:56.670 on these days. You know, typically this amount of people are here, 459 00:27:57.309 --> 00:28:00.700 you know, so that you can share that information with these pastors or whoever 460 00:28:00.779 --> 00:28:04.819 you're taking out there, spend time in prayer. And I would say kind 461 00:28:04.819 --> 00:28:08.140 of a next phase of that is, if you decide to go beyond that, 462 00:28:10.460 --> 00:28:14.970 doing the best that you can to really create a vehicle or turnkey package 463 00:28:15.089 --> 00:28:18.690 for people to get involved in this work. One of the pastors yesterday gave 464 00:28:19.450 --> 00:28:22.970 well, we take as an incredible compliment because we work so hard on this 465 00:28:23.089 --> 00:28:26.690 element. He said, man, I just want to just want to say 466 00:28:26.849 --> 00:28:32.000 that what you guys have done to activate us, our body, our church 467 00:28:32.759 --> 00:28:36.039 and pro life ministry, what you have really done for us. You've made 468 00:28:36.039 --> 00:28:38.480 it doable. Yeah, you've made it doable. It just kind of seemed 469 00:28:38.559 --> 00:28:41.190 kind of, you know, like it was going to be such a big 470 00:28:41.230 --> 00:28:45.470 mountain to climb, but the way it's been packaged, you've made it doable 471 00:28:45.589 --> 00:28:52.069 for us and so anythings that you can do to make it a turnkey opportunity 472 00:28:52.109 --> 00:28:55.630 for people to serve, I think you have more success. Yeah, what 473 00:28:55.740 --> 00:28:57.619 are some of the some of the obstacles, though, is you talked to 474 00:28:57.740 --> 00:29:02.339 pastors, you share with, you know, with people who you know you 475 00:29:02.700 --> 00:29:04.420 want to get involved. You know you want them to, you want their 476 00:29:04.500 --> 00:29:08.019 heart for this thing. What are some of the obstacles? You've answered that 477 00:29:08.059 --> 00:29:11.170 a little bit. What are some of the obstacles that maybe you face it? 478 00:29:11.210 --> 00:29:15.450 You hadn't talked about. Yeah, it's good question, man. I 479 00:29:15.529 --> 00:29:19.089 mean I think you know, honestly, most of us, if we just 480 00:29:19.170 --> 00:29:22.690 get down to it, you know, the really boil it down, we're 481 00:29:22.690 --> 00:29:26.519 just really selfish. Yeah, if you're just right, I say how it 482 00:29:26.640 --> 00:29:32.359 is s class of the big obscure and and so. And also, along 483 00:29:32.400 --> 00:29:34.319 with that, I think also we've become numb and a lot of ways to 484 00:29:34.480 --> 00:29:37.319 this. Like, I'm thirty four years old, so I grew up in 485 00:29:37.359 --> 00:29:41.430 a culture of death, yeah, meaning that abortion was always legal on demand. 486 00:29:41.509 --> 00:29:45.630 It's all I ever known. Yeah, and so I think for a 487 00:29:45.710 --> 00:29:49.109 lot of us we just have grown up with this always being the case and 488 00:29:49.190 --> 00:29:52.220 in some ways we kind of just think it always is going to be the 489 00:29:52.380 --> 00:29:56.019 case. Yeah, first, versus understanding the time that we live in and 490 00:29:56.059 --> 00:30:00.460 saying we're going to stand against the cultural tide of our day. But I 491 00:30:00.579 --> 00:30:03.339 think it's, you know, kind of the numbness, the callousmist towards the 492 00:30:03.420 --> 00:30:07.769 issue in a lot of ways, but then also just the selfishness. Yeah, 493 00:30:07.769 --> 00:30:11.289 a lot of US carry so. But I think you break a lot 494 00:30:11.369 --> 00:30:15.170 of that down by doing what I said earlier, getting people out there. 495 00:30:15.250 --> 00:30:17.369 We get them out, they get him out there. Yeah, like God 496 00:30:17.410 --> 00:30:18.970 break their heart. One of the one of the challenges, and I know 497 00:30:19.089 --> 00:30:23.720 you've encountered this as well as you talk to just pastors but also to just 498 00:30:23.839 --> 00:30:26.880 individual Christians, is like, okay, we have this issue called abortion. 499 00:30:26.920 --> 00:30:30.240 Yeah, they're taking innocent lives. You get the political push back, like 500 00:30:30.359 --> 00:30:33.039 this is the political thing. I don't really want to deal with politics. 501 00:30:33.240 --> 00:30:36.109 For sure, I get that. Yeah, it's great. I'm glad he 502 00:30:36.150 --> 00:30:38.430 brought that up. Yeah, we do. Honestly, we don't deal with 503 00:30:38.630 --> 00:30:42.349 it once we get people out to the abortion clinic. Hardly at all. 504 00:30:42.549 --> 00:30:48.029 Right, yeah, it's like that almost erases so many things. But kind 505 00:30:48.029 --> 00:30:51.779 of prior to that you get that more and very seldom will get it after. 506 00:30:51.980 --> 00:30:55.339 But but yeah, I mean I think you know, just hitting that 507 00:30:55.460 --> 00:30:56.660 head on and just, you know, challenging people to say, look, 508 00:30:56.700 --> 00:31:00.740 this is not a political issue. This is a moral issue. Just because 509 00:31:00.859 --> 00:31:07.730 politicians talk about the poor doesn't make poverty political. Yeah, I mean, 510 00:31:07.809 --> 00:31:11.450 politicians talk about the poor all the time, but no pastor would say that 511 00:31:11.650 --> 00:31:15.569 the issue of the poor is political, right, yeah, it's so in 512 00:31:15.690 --> 00:31:18.799 some way Satan has like deceived us. Oh yeah, and if thinking that 513 00:31:19.240 --> 00:31:25.960 this moral issue is political, and and also we see in scripture, and 514 00:31:26.400 --> 00:31:30.240 you know, that John the Baptist spoke to the political leaders of his day 515 00:31:30.279 --> 00:31:32.759 and it cost him his head. Yeah, I mean, I don't know 516 00:31:32.990 --> 00:31:36.990 where we get that we shouldn't speak even to things that are in the political 517 00:31:37.029 --> 00:31:40.789 realm. But just it's a cop out, you know, just a backs 518 00:31:40.789 --> 00:31:42.309 up. I mean, it's not a political issue. These are children that 519 00:31:42.349 --> 00:31:47.460 we're talking about, these are people that are dying in the same way of 520 00:31:48.259 --> 00:31:52.259 when slavery was happening in the mid eighteen hundreds, you know, when black 521 00:31:52.299 --> 00:31:56.180 people were being hung from trees. You know, Yep, politicians were talking 522 00:31:56.259 --> 00:32:00.420 about that all the time. But would we, as the Church today say 523 00:32:00.490 --> 00:32:04.690 that slavery is a political issue? No, we wouldn't. Write. I 524 00:32:04.690 --> 00:32:07.769 mean these are children, these are children of God that we're talking about. 525 00:32:08.690 --> 00:32:13.289 So I just would challenge that, thinking in a loving way. I would 526 00:32:13.289 --> 00:32:16.200 be very graceful about it, point people to scripture and just walcome through it. 527 00:32:16.440 --> 00:32:21.559 Yeah, so just about five more minutes before we wrap up, but 528 00:32:21.599 --> 00:32:23.160 I didn't want to ask you a question because you're again you're new to the 529 00:32:23.240 --> 00:32:27.920 pro life movements. Far As some are concerned, you know, I've been 530 00:32:27.960 --> 00:32:30.829 people like we mentioned flip Beenham earlier, have been in the stank for, 531 00:32:30.990 --> 00:32:34.430 you know, thirty plus years. You have other people even within our ministry, 532 00:32:34.509 --> 00:32:37.309 have been in this thing longer than I have, which is amazing. 533 00:32:37.869 --> 00:32:42.789 But being kind of new on the pro life scene, are there some things 534 00:32:42.910 --> 00:32:46.859 within the pro life movement not not to be critical? Obviously we can't, 535 00:32:47.180 --> 00:32:50.380 you know, I can criticize everybody or you should be doing this, you 536 00:32:50.420 --> 00:32:52.700 should be doing that, and I know you're you. That's just not your 537 00:32:52.779 --> 00:32:54.500 heart. It's not my heart either. But if there're things you think that 538 00:32:54.619 --> 00:32:58.650 we could do better give are there things that you think that the pro life 539 00:32:58.730 --> 00:33:04.650 movement has sort of failed hone or it just ainting constructive? Yeah, criticism. 540 00:33:04.769 --> 00:33:07.970 I mean it again. I just begin with I have seen families like 541 00:33:08.089 --> 00:33:12.880 yourself and the Benom's and flip and the hell dress and so many others that 542 00:33:13.039 --> 00:33:15.319 have really paved the way. I think it's so many ways for this, 543 00:33:16.279 --> 00:33:19.839 you know, till that hard ground, and I really believe we're getting to 544 00:33:19.920 --> 00:33:24.720 stand on your shoulders today in many ways. But you know, the Lord 545 00:33:24.799 --> 00:33:30.029 just gave again. I didn't come in with, you know, like being 546 00:33:30.109 --> 00:33:32.029 raised up in front of an abortion clinic or anything like that, at an 547 00:33:32.069 --> 00:33:37.109 amazing family that always led me and taught me the things of God and lived 548 00:33:37.109 --> 00:33:40.069 it out in the home. But I wasn't raised like your kids been raised 549 00:33:40.069 --> 00:33:43.700 in front of an abortion clinic. Yeah, so I kind of just came 550 00:33:43.779 --> 00:33:47.099 into it with a fresh perspective. Yeah, and again it was a download 551 00:33:47.579 --> 00:33:53.779 from heaven really, but I just believe that as the Church of Jesus Christ, 552 00:33:54.930 --> 00:33:59.849 you know that we have the hope, we have the answers and and 553 00:34:00.009 --> 00:34:05.049 so therefore God is calling us, the church, to do hard things. 554 00:34:06.089 --> 00:34:08.809 If there's one message I can give to the church, it's people in pro 555 00:34:08.969 --> 00:34:14.039 life as well. He's calling us to deny ourselves and pick up our cross 556 00:34:14.119 --> 00:34:16.280 and follow him. That that is the call that he is giving us here 557 00:34:16.320 --> 00:34:20.360 today. And so for those in the pro life movement, maybe you've been 558 00:34:20.400 --> 00:34:22.960 doing it for many, many years. I just want to encourage him to 559 00:34:22.000 --> 00:34:25.070 keep going them. Yeah, just keep going, keep going. We will 560 00:34:25.110 --> 00:34:28.989 see an end to this thing. Yeah, we will, and will look 561 00:34:29.070 --> 00:34:32.190 back on this thing and say, remember when in our children will grow up, 562 00:34:32.190 --> 00:34:37.829 I believe, in a country and in a nation that respects life once 563 00:34:37.949 --> 00:34:40.739 again. So I main encouragement for them is to keep going. The other 564 00:34:40.860 --> 00:34:44.460 piece I would say that I think it's critical. I know I'm not answering 565 00:34:44.460 --> 00:34:46.619 your question directly, but I'm yeah, I feel like I'm giving an overall 566 00:34:46.820 --> 00:34:52.380 understanding of this is that there's many different parts of the body and God is 567 00:34:52.420 --> 00:34:54.369 to design them in all many different ways. Yeah, and I think a 568 00:34:54.489 --> 00:34:59.610 lot of times what we do in the pro life movement, or whatever else 569 00:34:59.650 --> 00:35:01.769 you want to put it, across the body of Christ is we criticize one 570 00:35:01.809 --> 00:35:07.159 another because because we don't match up maybe with that gifting. Yeah, if 571 00:35:07.239 --> 00:35:12.000 my gifting is mercy and your gifting is the prophetic edge, then I'm going 572 00:35:12.039 --> 00:35:17.119 to cast my gifting through my lens upon you right expecting you to operate out 573 00:35:17.119 --> 00:35:21.199 of the gifting of mercy as well. And I think a lot of times 574 00:35:21.320 --> 00:35:23.909 vice verse is always true. The person with the prophetic edge is looking through 575 00:35:23.949 --> 00:35:29.710 their lens and casting their gifting upon the rest of the body of Christ. 576 00:35:29.829 --> 00:35:34.949 Yeah, versus honoring each other's Giftings, respecting each other's giftings and say, 577 00:35:35.030 --> 00:35:37.539 man, I'm thankful that there's many different parts in the body. Again, 578 00:35:37.579 --> 00:35:38.739 he's told us that some are the eyes, some of the ear or some 579 00:35:38.820 --> 00:35:42.940 of the knows, some of their hand. And so I think at the 580 00:35:43.099 --> 00:35:45.219 heart of it, man, that's a really key thing for us to catch 581 00:35:45.460 --> 00:35:49.860 in the pro life movement in the church as a whole, is to honor 582 00:35:49.900 --> 00:35:53.570 each other's giftings recognize them. It's because when they all come together, that's 583 00:35:53.570 --> 00:35:57.530 when we experience the fullness, yeah, the body of yeah, absolutely. 584 00:35:58.329 --> 00:36:01.690 Other than that, man, I just would say that engaging the local church 585 00:36:01.849 --> 00:36:05.679 is a critical thing. Yeah, I know most pro life groups try to 586 00:36:05.760 --> 00:36:10.039 do that, but versus being frustrated by the local church and, yeah, 587 00:36:10.039 --> 00:36:13.679 I'm just going to do it all then forget about it, like we're going 588 00:36:13.719 --> 00:36:15.519 to launch this Paratrich Para Church Organization. We're going to do it all, 589 00:36:16.079 --> 00:36:21.469 find a way to come alongside the local church, to equip the local church, 590 00:36:21.909 --> 00:36:24.670 to give them the tools that are needed to accomplish the mission, yeah, 591 00:36:24.949 --> 00:36:28.670 versus us just kind of carrying ourselves. Yeah, yeah, that's a 592 00:36:28.670 --> 00:36:31.150 good word. Yeah, it's a good word and I think we'll end with 593 00:36:31.230 --> 00:36:35.699 that. I appreciate you shake him, but appreciate what the Lord's doing through 594 00:36:36.500 --> 00:36:38.300 through you guys. I'm actually going to have Andreal and hopefully in a couple 595 00:36:38.340 --> 00:36:40.820 of a couple of weeks, to talk about prayer and worship in front of 596 00:36:40.860 --> 00:36:44.300 an abortion clinic, because a lot of people don't think about praying worship. 597 00:36:44.340 --> 00:36:46.059 He's really got a hard, sordid yeah, so I want to talk about 598 00:36:46.059 --> 00:36:50.130 that with him, but I appreciate you coming. Appreciate all you guys who 599 00:36:50.170 --> 00:36:52.329 watch and who are listening and hope you're encouraged by these episodes. We're going 600 00:36:52.329 --> 00:36:57.449 to keep putting out episodes really centered around pro life issues in light of the 601 00:36:57.489 --> 00:37:00.170 Gospel. If you want to connect with us as a ministry. Again, 602 00:37:00.210 --> 00:37:02.639 this is not to promote cities for life. This is just for us to 603 00:37:04.159 --> 00:37:06.480 help you guys, to help equip you guys. But you can connect with 604 00:37:06.639 --> 00:37:09.360 cities for life with at Charlotte dot cities for Life Dot Org, and then 605 00:37:09.360 --> 00:37:15.320 we also have a website that's really national to encourage people's not, you know, 606 00:37:15.440 --> 00:37:16.550 trying to get people to come under our ban or anything like that. 607 00:37:16.710 --> 00:37:22.550 It's just an equipping website and that is sidewalks for life, sidewalks the number 608 00:37:22.590 --> 00:37:27.710 four and lifecom and there's a lot of stuff on there. Justin their website 609 00:37:27.869 --> 00:37:30.219 is Love Life Dot Org, and you can go into see what God's doing 610 00:37:30.260 --> 00:37:35.460 through them. If you're in Raleigh, Greensboro, CHARLOTTE, if you're in 611 00:37:35.579 --> 00:37:37.739 New York, coming in September, right New York City, they're going to 612 00:37:37.780 --> 00:37:40.340 do start prayer walks there, so you can get on more with those prayer 613 00:37:40.380 --> 00:37:44.329 walks and see what God is doing through that. We just want to encourage 614 00:37:44.329 --> 00:37:45.889 you. Guys. We appreciate all you who are serving the Lord and whatever 615 00:37:46.010 --> 00:37:50.329 capacity has called you to and we pray for God's blessing of you. Yeah, 616 00:37:50.449 --> 00:37:52.650 can I just say one thing? Yeah, I just want to say 617 00:37:52.690 --> 00:37:54.369 that in this is not because you're here. I say this a lot, 618 00:37:54.489 --> 00:38:00.199 but cities for life is one of the greatest front lines ministries in the nation. 619 00:38:00.559 --> 00:38:04.239 If you haven't connected with Front Lines Ministry or sidewalk counseling, I don't 620 00:38:04.239 --> 00:38:07.480 encourage you. Get connected with citiual life and they've done incredible work of putting 621 00:38:07.519 --> 00:38:10.360 together online training, as you mentioned earlier, the sidewalks for life. So 622 00:38:10.880 --> 00:38:14.389 tap into it. These guys have been in it for a long time. 623 00:38:14.429 --> 00:38:16.989 If learned a lot. There's a lot of DOS and don'ts in those trainings. 624 00:38:17.389 --> 00:38:21.150 So thankful for Citiual, I think. Yeah, sure, like God's 625 00:38:21.190 --> 00:38:29.860 Great. Yeah, all right, God bless use Milan, give me, 626 00:38:37.539 --> 00:38:52.929 give me. It will cost me my life, but things two precious inside