New Beginnings

Every sunset brings the promise of a new dawn. 

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson 

As we get ready to say goodbye to 2011 and hello to 2012, I remember that I love new beginnings. I love starting a new week, a new day, you name it. I happen to love Mondays because it's the beginning of a new week, and another opportunity to grow and become a better person.

We're just about to ring in a new year, and I am looking forward to watching the countdown and starting the year with my family. There is so much I'm looking forward to this coming year, and I can't wait to begin. 

Many people make resolutions on new years. Personally, I've never really done resolutions because I just break them or forget about them :-) I've heard that that happens to many people, so this year I'm going to set a few realistic goals for myself, and not forget about them. I'm going to take the next couple days to decide exactly what those goals are, and when I decide, I'll write about them, and why I chose them. 

Do you make new year's resolutions? Why or why not? What are your plans for this year?

Christmas Blessings

"God grant you the light in Christmas, which is faith; the warmth of Christmas, which is love; the radiance of Christmas, which is purity; the righteousness of Christmas, which is justice; the belief in Christmas, which is truth; the all of Christmas, which is Christ."

Wishing you and yours a Merry Christmas!


May your day be filled with the hope and love of Christ's birth, and may the blessings of this Christmas season overflow into the coming year. 

More than anything, Christmas is a time of gratitude. It's a time to reflect on, and appreciate how blessed we are that Christ became man to save us from our sins. Jesus, the Son of God and Prince of Peace, is the King of heaven and earth, and yet, he became the most innocent and helpless among us - a tiny baby. May we truly take the time this year to reflect on the mystery of Christ's birth, and remember that Jesus IS the reason for the season.

"Best of all, Christmas means a spirit of love, a time when the love of God and the love of our fellow men should prevail over all hatred and bitterness, a time when our thoughts and deeds and the spirit of our lives manifest the presence of God."

Guest Post

Hey All!

If you haven't already, check out my guest blog post on Timmerie's Blog. It's about reaching out to abortion-bound women in cyberspace!!

Click here to see the post :-)

Activism: Literature Distribution

Photo courtesy of the Survivors Facebook Page

I recently joined Survivors for pro-life activism at SJSU. It went really well! We passed out literature from Human Live Alliance, and Advocate magazines from Live Action. This kind of activism is easy because all you have to do is hand out paper!!! Anyone can do it!

The great thing about passing out this literature is that you can do it for free, and there is no telling how many people's lives will be touched by that one piece of paper. I've heard about many people getting involved in the pro-life movement after being handed a piece of literature.

Before you go out, make sure to be prepared to answer questions people might ask you. Read through the material you're handing out so you know what people are getting. Be prepared to explain your point of view, and be ready to share the hope and love the pro-life position.

To order your free copies of Live Action's The Advocate or HLA's most recent publication, visit those links. I highly recommend this literature, but realize that the content is not geared towards young children. It's aimed toward the high school and college crowd, but anyone can benefit from the AWESOME information.

If you have a story you'd like to share about your pro-life activism, feel free to share in the comments section below. I would LOVE to hear it! Also feel free to ask questions about how my activism went, and how you can best reach out to others through activism.

Now get out there and change the world, one piece of paper at a time!!

Are You Ready?

Sometimes it's hard to accept God's love and forgiveness. Face it - we've probably all been there. We think we can do it on our own. I'm so strong, after all, and independent. Why would I need God to help me? Gosh, I'm a perfectly capable person!


Riiiiight. (Sense the sarcasm?)


We all need God - whether we choose to accept that fact or not is up to our free will. Why, then, do so many people choose to not accept God's love?

It's actually quite simple: Accepting God's love means we have to love Him in return.

Love is never one-sided (at least it shouldn't be). Love is reciprocal. You have to give to receive, and by receiving you give. We're afraid of this because we're scared of what God will ask us to do in return. We're afraid that following God will be too hard. Well, NEWS FLASH: God didn't tell us that loving Him and following His will would be easy. Ha! Doing the right thing rarely is. But when we are faced with challenges, God gives us the grace we need to get through the task at hand. He never gives us more than we can handle.

This wonderful season of Advent is a perfect time to examine our lives, and ask ourselves: Am I really loving God and following His will? Am I willing to love God, and do whatever He asks me to, no matter how hard it is?

Let's take a few moments to pray about this, and ask God to show us how we can better know, love and serve Him. Let us always keep in mind that God is all-loving and all-forgiving, and that we are here to show His light to those in our darkened world.

"If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me."

Are you in?

Really, America?

In America, minors cannot legally...

• Get a fake tan
• Drink alcohol 
• Vote
• Buy a lottery ticket
• Rent a car, or
• Open a library card (in some areas)                                

...Without their parents consenting, or until they are 18. BUT any girl under 18 can get an abortion without her parents knowing. I could abort my parent's grandchild without them knowing, but they have to be there for me to open a library card. Huh?

America has an issue figuring out what's really important here. Should it REALLY be more important for a girls parents to help her open a library account, or for them to know about her bearing their grandchild and choosing to abort that baby? What are your thoughts on it?

Human Rights Day

If you didn't know already, Planned Parenthood is the largest abortion provider in America, and has no problem with the murder of innocent babies. They also have no problem hiding abuse, and giving women false medical information. Don't believe me? Check out these undercover videos which show them doing just that.

Anyway, Planned Parenthood posted on their facebook page yesterday about "Human Rights Day". The page their post links to says:

"Human rights belong equally to each of us and bind us together as a global community"

Really?!?! 'Cause last I heard, Planned Parenthood still supports abortion. Did they suddenly have a change of heart? Well, I'm pretty sure they didn't change their mind, unless they were brainwashed by aliens. I haven't heard of any alien sightings recently, but I like the idea! I rest my case - they're just a little confused about human rights. If they really thought we all had equal human rights, then they would not be okay with killing babies.

"On Human Rights Day 2011, we pay tribute to all human rights defenders" 

Well, gee, thanks! I guess they must be paying tribute those involved in the pro-life movement, since we are the ones defending human rights. We defend the right of babies to be born, and the right of women to be told the truth about abortion. What rights does PP support? Hmmm, the "right" to kill your baby, and the "right" to live irresponsible lives that lead to abortion.

So, Happy Belated Human Rights Day from a person who believes we all have the right to live to everyone who really supports human rights - the right to be born and be given the truth. Carpe diem!

Rejoice!

Happy Gaudete Sunday!

Gaudete in Domino sepmer - Rejoice in the Lord always

~ Philippians 4:4-5

The season of advent was first celebrated as a 40 day fast in preparation for Jesus coming on Christmas day. Today, the four Sundays of advent are still a penitential time, but we take a break from the somber themes of advent on Gaudete Sunday. With grateful hearts, we rejoice today, and celebrate the hope of Jesus' coming birth! 

As you light the three candles on your advent wreath today, remember that the pink one symbolizes the hope Jesus brought into the world when he was born over 2,000 years ago. 

Rejoice, Rejoice, Emmanuel!

Shall come to thee, O Israel 

IPYC - Day 3

International Pro-Life Youth Conference
November 11 - 13, 2011

After learning more about the injustice of abortion on Friday and Saturday, it was time to put our beliefs into action on Sunday afternoon! We headed down to the Santa Monica Promenade for our die-in after attending mass on Sunday morning.

Wondering what a die-in is? Well, a die-in is a form of pro-life activism, and a great way to get people involved in the revolution!!

We first spread out in a public area. When the leader shouts "die" the participants drop to the ground. Others quickly come and use chalk to outline the bodies, like a murder scene. The people on the ground are covered with long red cloths symbolizing the blood of abortion. While all that is happening, someone announces to the public what's happening and others pass out literature to passerby. The great thing about die-ins is that there are many ways you can participate - definitely a way for everyone to be involved!

                      

                          Getting everyone organized

The supplies!

As my first die-in experience, this went pretty well. I passed out literature, and was greeted with countless sour facial expressions and people who were too busy to give a care about those being affected by abortion. I got plenty of exercise darting around the sidewalks, keeping a big smile on while handing out the literature, and praying for the people who swore at us and made false claims about what we were doing. 

Like I said earlier, this was my first experience with this kind of pro-life activism. It was incredible how many people were disgusted by our non-violent presence that day. I mean, what's so offensive about random teenagers laying on the ground? I was left a bit incredulous at some of the responses to the activism, but I guess I shouldn't have been. When you do not have truth on your side, how could you possibly respond with anything but empty lies and false claims based on more lies?

I was told throughout the day that I was stupid, and too young to know anything. A father walking with his about 7 year old daughter told her "They're not making a difference". Many expressed how disgusting we were, and that it was so ridiculous because you can't even get an abortion until you're 18. One person took the literature and tore it, throwing it at my feet. I could write a whole novel about just these reactions, and the people at the promenade! 

These responses were rather hateful, but it made me realize that when you do not have truth on your side, you do not have any other way to respond. When scientific facts and not so common sense do not agree with your point of view, you are left with lies, and nothing logical to back your point of view. I am not discouraged by these responses, and I know I'll hear a lot more and more hateful comments in the future. They motivate me to continue working to expose the lies of the culture of death, and bring light to our darkened world. 

Are you ready to stand up and bring light to our world even if it is uncomfortable and you are ridiculed? 

Are these babies worth it? 

      

A Note From Laura

Dear Readers,

I've been so busy lately that I haven't blogged about many recent adventures I've had. I have so many exciting escapades to write about, and information to give you! This next week I'm finishing up school, so look on Saturday (the 10th) for my next post. I'm looking forward to writing regularly after that! As always, thanks for checking in.

For the Respect of All Human Life,

Laura Marie :-)