1 Thes 4:9 (baby Samuel, Sen Kennedy)

Let's welcome God this morning by reflecting on this short Living In Faith Exchange (LIFE) Group devotion (life-devotions.blogspot.com), which is based on Living Faith. All whatsoever you do in word or in work, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Col. 3:17

...for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another. 1 Thessalonians 4:9 (full readings)

Living Faith snippets: "Scripture constantly reminds us that God is love, that we have been created by the Compassionate Essence, and that Jesus has taught us how to share this love. The human brain is wired to be loving. The problem, of course, is that humans do not always activate this innate gift. Life experiences wound people so deeply that the power to love becomes inaccessible. Drugs numb the response to love. Apathy shrivels it. Deliberate choices toward self-centeredness limit the ability to care for one another. Continual images of violence dull the brain's capacity to love. We have been taught how to love. Now, it is up to us to do it."

Pat nuggets:

* Today's image (more info): In 1999, "Mr. Clancy took the picture of the baby (named Samuel) who, from the womb, reached out and grasped the surgeon’s finger during surgery. Little Samuel's mother said they "wept for days" when they saw the picture. She shared, "The photo reminds us my pregnancy isn't about disability or illness, it's about a little person."" Raul Reyes

* Sen Ted Kennedy: "In the years before the abortion industry took hold of the Democrat party, Kennedy, like many of his fellow abortion-promoting Democrats, was pro-life. "Wanted or unwanted, I believe that human life, even at its earliest stages, has certain rights which must be recognized - the right to be born, the right to love, the right to grow old," wrote Kennedy in a letter to Catholic League member Tom Dennelly in 1971. "When history looks back to this era it should recognize this generation as one which cared about human beings enough to... fulfill its responsibility to its children from the very moment of conception." Though the pro-life movement considered Kennedy one of the great enemies to the pro-life cause after his change of heart, pro-life leaders nonetheless offered Kennedy their prayers after learning of the cancer diagnosis. " full article

Faith Challenge: Let's invite others to join our LIFE Group (>215 Christians).
* NEW: Let's use daily prayer to resist the world's perversion of Truth and normalization of sin. What are we doing to stop the killing of babies in "abortuaries"?

Counter-Culture News: LifeSiteNews, American Family Association, Priests for Life
* Let's never forget the horrific reality of abortion (images)...#1 cause of death in America. Let's courageously share ProLife Truth (John 14:6) to create social tension for exposing abortion's unjust peace...rebuilding a Culture of Life (Matt 5:16) and setting the unborn free!

* NEW: Women in SD Must be Told Unborn Child is a Human Being: Federal Judge.

Our Prayers: Those who pray together stay together. Fasting ideas in footnote below.
* Prayer to end abortion, abused children, chastity, peace, our enemies, our troops, depression/ despair, prisoners, ProLife politicians, illnesses/injuries, jobs, natural disasters, refugees, addictions, persecuted believers, Rich Reich (friend Carolyn battling cancer), Peters family (JP in hospital), Stephanie Spader (healthy pregnancy), Steve/Tina Castle (sell their home)

* NEW: Kay Castle (Sr. Joan Luke, breast cancer)

Feast Day for St. Augustine of Hippo : "His complete turnaround and conversion has been an inspiration to many who struggle with a particular vice or habit they long to break."

Faith Quote: "Prayer changes things!"

Through Christ our Lord,
Pat

Phil 4:13

* Prayer: Prayer connects us with God's will & His miracles, changing us & helping others. 'If you pray that God will move a mountain and He doesn’t, assume Christ wants you to climb it instead.'

* Fasting: Let's fast from things that take our eyes off Jesus (selfishness, bitterness, being so critical, impatience, gossip, excessive video games, etc) and take on things that fix our eyes on Jesus (selflessness, kindness, compassion, forgiveness, patience, understanding, caring, helping, listening).

* Defend the unborn: 'Rescue those who are unjustly sentenced to death; don’t stand back and let them die' (Prov 24:11). 'Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you' (Jer 1:5). 'It is a great poverty that a child must die that you might live as you wish' (Blessed Mother Teresa).

* Evangelization: Let's make room for unbelievers (be a friend, make a friend, lead friend to Christ) and perpetual re-evangelization of self and those near us, by way of daily prayer (relationship) and following Christ's example of selfless love, mercy, and service.