Lessons from 2 Corinthians

Lessons from 2 Corinthians

2 Corinthians is a book every preacher and teacher needs to read at least once a quarter.  It is interesting to see how God inspired Paul to both encourage and rebuke the church at Corinth in a balanced way.  Paul would acknowledge and show appreciation for the good the Corinthians were doing, continually state and affirm the great love he and God have for them and the love they have for each other, while also repeatedly bringing up in very blunt and sometimes sarcastic ways their shortcomings while admonishing them to repent.

There are many lessons to be learned from 2 Corinthians.

There are many lessons to be learned from 2 Corinthians.

There’s a lesson in this for us, preachers.  Spiritually building up and edifying fellow Christians to help them become closer to God and overcome sin in their life requires more than telling them what they need to work on.  It equally requires open acknowledgment and appreciation of what we are doing right, and encouragement to keep it up.  I encourage my fellow preachers and teachers in the church, especially those of us who regularly post religious articles on social media, to remember that.  As someone who regularly reads the writings of my fellow Christians, I am struck by the higher ratio of critical articles of brethren and the church there are versus the number of articles which openly thank brethren and the church for the good they do and acknowledge it.  Yes, the articles which bring out what Christians and the church need to do better are more times than not correct and they are sure to get numerous “likes” and comments like “Amen!” and “Preach it, brother!”  However, after a while of being regularly saturated with articles that repeatedly say, “We have this problem”, “We’re not doing what we need to here in this area”, and “We could do better here”, a lot of us will get discouraged and begin to wonder if we can do anything right in the sight of God (or the preacher or teacher who regularly blogs and preaches these messages).

Consider the following examples from Paul and his second inspired letter to Corinth:

  1. He starts by openly wishing upon them grace and peace from God and Christ (1:2).  My fellow preaching and teaching bloggers, how often in our writings to Christians do we openly wish God’s grace and peace upon them, even while we “let them have it”?  I know this is something I need to work on.
  2. He then gives them a very uplifting message about comfort (1:3-5).  He also informs them that they are the reason he and his fellow apostles suffer (1:6) and that his hope in them is unshaken (1:7), before requesting their prayers (1:11).  A stark contrast from sermons and articles I and others have written which simply say to Christians, “Shape up!” without also comforting them and telling them, “I care so much about you, and here’s what I’m willing to do to show it.  I hope in you.  I believe in you, so much so that I’m asking you to pray for me.”
  3. Paul then speaks bluntly to them about their need to forgive the penitent among them (1:23-2:11).  Yet, even while doing so he goes out of his way to tell them that he didn’t think he was better than them (1:24a), acknowledge that they stand firm in their faith (1:24b), inform them that it tore him up to have to rebuke them (2:4a), and make sure they knew that he didn’t want to hurt them because he loved them very much (2:4b).  Again, we preachers can learn from this.  Rebuking people requires more than telling them to repent while specifying their errors.  It also requires telling them that you love them while acknowledging what they are doing right.
  4. Even while defending himself and his companions from the accusation of being “peddlers of God’s word” (2:12-3:1), he tells the Corinthians that their walk with Christ is such that he could use them as a “letter of recommendation” (3:2-3).  What a great example for us, brethren!
  5. Paul then speaks positively about the terrible ordeals he and his companions went through rather than complaining about it (4:8-11) before informing the Christians at Corinth that he willingly went through these trials for their sake (4:12-15).  Preachers, let’s be honest.  We tend to complain to each other about the problems brought upon us due to preaching the gospel, problems which are quite small when compared to Paul’s (see 11:23-27).  Why not speak of how God upholds us even in the midst of our sufferings as Paul did, before informing the church that we would go through it all over again if it would help just one soul in that congregation get closer to God?
  6. Notice how Paul says to the church, “We IMPLORE you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God” (5:20b) and “we APPEAL to you not to receive the grace of God in vain” (6:1).  Preachers and fellow teachers and bloggers, let’s try IMPLORING brethren to repent and APPEALING to them rather than beating them up over the head about it.  Pleading rather than lecturing might produce better results.
  7. Before admonishing them to be different from unbelievers rather than unequally yoking themselves to them (6:14-7:1), notice how Paul went out of his way to tell these Christians that his heart was wide open for them while encouraging them to widen their hearts also (6:11-13).  Notice also that while he ends his admonishment for them to cleanse themselves from defilement, he calls them “beloved” (7:1) and urges them again, “Make room in your hearts for us” (7:2a).  Parents who effectively discipline their children know that their children need to be reminded of their love for them both before and after the spanking.  In like manner, Christians need to know how much we care for them and love them while we rebuke them from the pulpit, in articles, and face to face.
  8. Paul then acknowledged that his previous letter brought them grief which led them to repent (7:8-10).  He then went out of his way to let them know that they were doing a great job repenting (7:11), and that their repentance and subsequent encouraging of Titus comforted Paul and his companions (7:13).  Notice how Paul told them that he had been boasting about them, and that their actions proved his boasts to be well-founded (7:14).  See how he told them that Titus’ affection for them was growing and that Titus remembered how obedient they were (7:15).  Paul then told them about his joy over them and that he had “perfect confidence” in them (7:16).  This is the same church 1 Corinthians was written to, remember.  These are the same people who were very divided, suing each other over trivial matters, openly and arrogantly tolerating extreme fornication among them, arguing over where their brethren bought meat, defiling the Lord’s Supper, childishly wanting the “cool” spiritual gifts rather than the ones most profitable for helping the church grow, and even denying that there would be a resurrection of the dead on Judgment Day…and yet look how Paul is speaking positively of them here.  My fellow preachers, the church in America overall has a lot of problems…but she has a lot of good in her too.  We can take a page from Paul’s book here and acknowledge that.  It might just help our brethren to become better.
  9. While talking up the Macedonian brethren, Paul told Corinth – Corinth, of all people! – that they “excel in everything” while encouraging them to excel in their giving also (8:7).  He then acknowledged that they had in fact excelled in helping their needy brethren and others before urging them to keep it up (8:10-11) and thus prove to others that Paul was right to boast about them (8:24).  He then acknowledged their readiness to participate in this good work and informed them that he was boasting about them to others, who in turn were inspired by them (9:2), all before exhorting them to be ready to give more and give in the right way (9:3-11).  He then told them about how others were glorifying God because of their generosity (9:12-15).  What a great example for us in how to stir up brethren to get more involved in church work!
  10. Take note of how Paul, even while defending himself against his detractors at Corinth, again “entreated” and “begged” Corinth to repent (10:1-2).  Notice also how even in the midst of his sarcastic rebuke of them recorded all throughout chapters 10 through 12, he talks of his hope that their faith would increase (10:15), his fear that Satan would lead them astray (11:3), his love for them (11:11), and his anxiety for them and all other churches (11:28), before informing them that he would “most gladly spend and be spent for your souls” (12:15a) that it was “all for your upbuilding, beloved” (12:19b), that he was praying for them (13:7, 9), and that they were more important than him (13:9).  He then ended his letter to them in a very positive note (13:11-14).  What a great example of balance that shows us how to rebuke with love and encourage even while admonishing!

Preachers, teachers, and fellow religious bloggers, we can definitely learn from this.  I know I can.  The brethren need more from us than constant rebukes.  They need expressed love, comfort, concern, and encouragement.  We need to brag on them even though they’re not perfect.  Guess what?  We’re not either.  We need to truly love them, and God shows us how to do so in 2 Corinthians.  May we all work harder to preach the Word like Paul!

Proclaiming God’s truth is a blessing, and those of us who proclaim it from the pulpit and through our writings have the highest privilege bestowed to man other than being a child of God and approaching his throne in prayer. Men of God, thank you for the hard work you put in for the kingdom. I love each of you and keep you in my prayers. We are all imperfect beings made complete by his Son’s blood. Let’s keep striving to do what is right. God bless you for the work you do, preachers.

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Leadership by Power and Control?

Leadership by Power and Control?

Worldly leadership emphasizes power and control. God does not think like that. Just the opposite – God tells us that our ways are not His ways, and we need to make His ways our ways (Isaiah 55:8)! In 1 Corinthians 1:26-29, Paul writes that God chose “foolish,” “weak,” and “low” things that no person should glory in His Presence. Consider David’s statement in Psalm 51:17, “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.” Isaiah 57:15 states, “For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: ‘I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite.’”

The Lord does not lead by power and control.

The Lord does not lead by power and control.

It should not surprise us that God became the Son of a carpenter’s wife, and lived a relatively ordinary life (for the most part). He truly humbled Himself (Philippians 2:7-8). He rebuked His disciples for having the attitude of a world that desired power above all (Mark 10:35-45) concluding that, “the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.” The image of Jesus as a lamb that has been slain comes from the first Passover in Exodus 12:1-13. John uses this image repeatedly in the book of Revelation. It is most striking, however, when he draws upon it in Revelation 7:17 to highlight the fact that Jesus is our Shepherd and fulfilled prophecy in Isaiah 49:9-10. Only God could make a Lamb the Shepherd! This is the leadership that describes who God is—the kind we must practice as His people.

 

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A Bridge Between Two Eternities

A Bridge Between Two Eternities

One of the mistakes we so often make is that we read the Bible too fast. Divine truths are so profound that as we read the Bible we overlook eternal truths which could change our lives. Consider these words from Solomon. “He has made everything beautiful in its times. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end” (Ecc. 3:11). Every phrase in this verse should be considered, but let’s focus on one of them. “He has put eternity in their hearts.” Read it slowly and think about it.

Consider for a moment the breadth of eternity.

Consider for a moment the breadth of eternity.

“Eternity Past” in the heart of mankind. We tend to think of eternity only in the future, but the Bible also indicates the widest aspect of eternity also has to do with its existence forever—both past and present. David spoke of our eternal God in this way. “Before the mountains were brought forth, or every You had formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God” (Psa. 90:1). There it is. Eternity reaches back before the beginning and extends beyond the end.

Consider the fact that in the heart of man is the ability to know that there is a past—an eternal one. It is so logical to conclude that if there ever was a time when there was nothing, there would be nothing now. Something has eternally existed. Thus, in the heart of man there is a burning question, “Where did I come from?” There are only two possibilities—eternal Mind or an eternal blob of matter. God has placed eternity in the heart of mankind, and we seek the answer as to the origin of man. Only a fool could believe we came from “mindless mud” (Psa. 14:1).

“Eternity Future” in the heart of man. As a mortal stands beside the grave of a loved one, one thought comes to his mind. Is this the end? Is there life beyond the grave? Apart from God, he will never find the answer, but He placed in our hearts an awareness of eternity. Hardened hearts may ignore it, but it is there. Have you ever considered that there are few who are truly atheists as they take their last breath?

“Eternity Present” in the heart of man. If there is an eternal past and an eternal future, then the present time is simply the bridge between the two. Three great questions confront us all. Where did I come from? Where am I going? Why am I here? We can easily harden our hearts, but in those quiet private moments we all have, the knowledge of eternity can so readily demand that we seek the reason for our existence.

Now make the application. Based on our knowledge of eternity, all that really matters is how I deal with that which is eternal. Are you doing this?

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Malachi and Robbing God

Malachi and Robbing God

The book of Malachi is written to the Israelites who have returned from captivity in Babylon.  Israel had been taken into captivity around 586 BC by the Babylonians as punishment from God for their disobedience to His law given at Sinai.  As prophesied, after 70 years, the Medo-Persians allowed Israel to return to their homeland and rebuild the temple.  They completed this with God’s blessing and then rebuilt Jerusalem as well.  The writing of Malachi occurs approximately 75-100 years after the initiation of the aforementioned rebuilding.

In chapter one, the prophet Malachi declared God had shown Israel His love by favoring them since the time of their forefather Jacob.  Sadly, Israel did not honor God and could not acknowledge their ungrateful behaviors.  Their sacrifices to God were blind, sick, and lame beasts unacceptable even to earthly officials.  They were weary of properly reverencing the God of heaven who had returned them to the Promised Land.  Perhaps they believed worship and service to God was simply a matter of convenience? They overlooked God’s loving commands and viewed their actions as right in their own eyes.

Does your life show reverence to God?

Does your life show reverence to God?

In chapter 2, Malachi condemned the priests and people of Israel for failing to preserve the word of God, teach the Law, and keep His commandments (vs. 7-9).  The prophet declared they were married to worldliness.  A Godly marriage seeks Godly offspring and this is produced by two Godly parents, not a union of one serving worldliness and the other devoted to holiness. The Bible never speaks well of marriage between believers and unbelievers (Genesis 6, Exodus 34, I Kings 10, Ezra 10, 2 Corinthians 6).  Israel had been commanded to not take foreign wives.  The spiritual understanding is: Do not associate with that in opposition to God.  In the Christian Dispensation, God has sanctified the union of a believer and unbeliever (I Corinthians 7:12-14), but he does not authorize or accept worldliness in service to Him (Colossians 3:17).

Chapter 3 (with the previous atrocities in view) discusses the prophecy of John the immerser, the coming of Christ, the establishment of spiritual Judah and Jerusalem (the Church), and the ultimate destruction of those who were behaving in the manner of physical Israel.  Therefore, God through Malachi called Israel to repent and stop robbing Him.  Israel failed to recognize their sin and questioned a need to return to God.  Of course, the robbing occurred through Israel not giving the Lord what He had commanded in the form of spiritual and physical service as required by the Law of Moses (Deuteronomy 10:12).  It the idea of “robbing God” that we want to now take a moment to consider and apply to our lives today.

While it would be easy to focus upon how the world is robbing God, they are a secondary concern for the moment.  1. They are not as likely to be reading these words, 2. It is improper service by those recognized as God’s people that is in view with the concept of robbery in Malachi.  Are Churches robbing God today?  As with physical Israel it is certain most Christians would respond in the negative.  How could a person be condemned by declaring Christ, assembling, singing, giving, partaking of the Lord’s Supper, praying, and listening to His Word?  The answer is broken up into two aspects:  Spirit and Truth (John 4:24).  God has always desired that worship and service to him be from the heart and according to His command.  Herein is where failure to adhere to God’s authority is found.

Perhaps the “truth” of our service to God is easiest to determine as to whether or not it is seen as robbery.  Regarding assembled worship: Is it occurring when and how God has directed (Acts 20:7)?  Is there reverence or a visible lack of honor that would be frowned upon by even a man expecting something above what is common (I Peter 1:16)?  Is there singing or playing (Ephesians 5:19)?  Is a component of assembly missing altogether (such as intermittent partaking of the Lord’s Supper rather than each first day of the week – I Corinthians 11:26)?  Is prayer focused upon God or upon man (Luke 18:11)?  Is it God’s Word being shared or the teachings and traditions of man (Galatians 1:6-10)?  These behaviors can be keenly addressed and examined against the scriptures to determine if the offering will be considered acceptable or robbery in God’s eyes.

The state of our “spirit” in serving God is more difficult to ascertain.  Man is not God who can read the heart (Jeremiah 17:10).  However, it is true actions and words are a good indicator of what is in the heart (Luke 6:45).  If one finds worship “boring”, then we have a warning sign.  If the individual embraces sinful activities or promotes sinful activity as acceptable, there is likely a heart problem (I Corinthians 15:33).  If the commands of God are suggested to be too restrictive or legalistic, the spirit may likely not be engaged.  If what is good and holy is belittled or mocked, then the soul of that individual is probably not tuned to following God, but instead is seeking out the desires of the flesh.  When a person comes to God and is transformed, it is because there has been a mental change and he desires to follow Christ (Romans 12:1-2).  The old man has died.  The new man is a possession of Christ.  Not being a living sacrifice to Him is robbery.

The final portion of Malachi Chapter 3 and then Chapter 4, affirms that those who have “discerned between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth Him not” will be cared for by God.  However, those who do not turn to God will be tread down.  Extended from physical Israel to the whole world, this is a promise that God, who is faithful, considers those who rob Him and fail to honor him as He is due shall be held accountable.

 

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Interview with “Unplanned” Movie Abby Johnson

Interview with “Unplanned” movie’s Abby Johnson

On September 26, 2009, Abby Johnson held an ultrasound probe as she watched a baby in the womb recoil from a suction cannula while a doctor performed an abortion. That horrific scene caused Abby to leave Planned Parenthood. Her eye-opening journey is recounted in the newly released movie, ‘Unplanned’. We had the privilege of interviewing Abby for Think magazine in 2010.

Planned Parenthood is not an innocent friend.

Planned Parenthood is not an innocent friend.

Brad Harrub: Please share with our readers some of your background and how you became involved in the abortion controversy.

Abby Johnson: I was a student at Texas A&M and went to a volunteer opportunity fair that they had every semester on campus. There was a woman there who was talking about planned parenthood. I really didn’t know anything about Planned Parenthood. I didn’t grow up in a community with Planned Parenthood. She began talking about Planned Parenthood and the services they provided. She did talk about abortion a little bit, but she told us that the primary volunteer duties were to escort women into the clinic whenever they were there for their abortion procedures.

I told her that I grew up in a pro-life household. She told me she understood that, but the reason it was so important for women to have this choice was because if it wasn’t available then women would be having all of these illegal abortions and dying at this incredible rate.

And I just thought this was terrible, so I thought to myself, “This is something I could get behind and it makes sense to me.” So I started volunteering. I was a volunteer for about two years. I then became their campus intern—still a volunteer position—but I became the liaison between Planned Parenthood and Texas A&M. I did that for a year, and right before I graduated with my undergraduate degree from A&M, they asked me if I wanted to become an employee—a paid employee—of Planned Parenthood.

I didn’t have any other job prospects coming up, so I said sure. I knew I wanted to get my master’s degree and they said they would work with me on that. So I went ahead and started working there. I worked there through the time when I got my graduate degree and just kept getting promoted and eventually ended up running that particular health center.

BH: So, you actually grew up in a “pro-life” family environment?

AJ: Yes, absolutely!

BH: Wow. So what do you think it was that helped you make that break and say: “I’m going to volunteer for Planned Parenthood?” Was there a certain phrase or hook she used, or something that she was offering that made it appealing?

AJ: Well, I think it was just the idea that if legalized abortion is not available and if these clinics are not available, then we are basically sending women to these slaughter-houses. And therefore women would be dying at this incredible rate. And for me—I’m a very compassionate person—to hear that was too much. To hear somebody say, “Women are going to be dying if this is not a legal option for women” was new. I’d never really thought about it in that way.

BH: Even though the statistics don’t bear out their scare tactic. So, in a weird, twisted kind of way you viewed yourself as “pro-life” but for older life, so to speak?

AJ: Right. Really that is the way they want to frame the argument. They don’t ever think about the unborn life, and that is intentional. They don’t want to think about the baby. They don’t want the clinic workers to think about the baby. They don’t want the women coming in for the abortions to think about the baby. They only want the women to think about themselves. And they only want the clinic workers to think about the woman sitting in front of them. And that’s very intentional.

BH: Obviously there is a single event that changed your perspective on life. Can you share what took place and how it changed you?

AJ: There were a couple of things. One was how the business model had been changing within the facility. They had really gone from a family planning and prevention model to abortion model. They went to, “Abortion is the most lucrative. It’s how we make the most money. We’re not making any money with the economy, so we see abortion as an opportunity to really up our income and up our revenue. So we need to get in as many women as possible to have these abortions.” So that was very troubling.

BH: Wow, that’s incredible to hear.

AJ: And so that was kind of the first thing. When I questioned that, it was really my fall from grace. That was when my supervisor told me abortion needed to be my number one priority. That I really didn’t need to worry about family planning and that I needed to get my head in the game for abortion. That’s when I told her abortion would never be my priority, and that family planning would always be my priority. That’s when things started to snowball for me.

On September 26 (2009), that’s when I actually saw an ultrasound-guided abortion procedure. Ultrasound-guided abortions are very uncommon. They are particularly uncommon in large abortion facilities like Planned Parenthood. If we are talking about abortion in terms of safe procedures for the woman, ultrasound-guided procedures are the safest procedure. It is the best type of procedure for the woman. There’s less risk of uterine perforation. These big places don’t want to do it because it takes more time.

This particular physician who was coming down that day is a private practice abortion physician. He has his own practice out of town and he was coming in to do abortions as a visiting physician that day. In his practice he only does ultrasound-guided abortions. The patient was a little further along in her pregnancy—about 13 weeks—so the doctor decided that on this patient he was going to do an ultrasound guided procedure. For that procedure he needed an extra person in the room to hold the ultrasound probe, and that was me.

So they called me into the room and told me they would need me to hold the ultrasound probe on her abdomen so that he could see the uterus during the procedure. That was to be my job during the procedure. So we had everything in place, and I saw on the screen a thirteen-week baby. You know at thirteen weeks—even at ten weeks—what you see on the ultrasound is a fully formed baby with arms and legs.

Everything is fully formed. If you can get a good profile view, you can see all of this. Well, this was a good profile view. I could see everything from head to foot. And then I saw the probe—called a cannula, that is hooked up to the suction machine—I saw that go into the woman’s uterus. And then I saw it jab into the side of the baby. Then, in just a few seconds, I saw the baby begin to react to that jabbing. I saw the baby’s arms and legs begin to move. The baby was trying to get away from the probe.

BH: Wow. I have to ask this because I’m sitting here trying to imagine it for myself: What were you going through internally at that point?

AJ: Well, I couldn’t believe what I was looking at. I felt sick to my stomach. I realized what I was about to look at and I realized what I was about to see. And that’s when they turned on the suction. A baby at that age has a perfectly formed backbone. The last thing I saw was the backbone going through the cannula on the ultrasound screen. I’ll never forget what it looked like on the screen. You know how they say with a train wreck you don’t want to watch but you can’t stop looking at it? That’s what it was like for me. I didn’t want to look at it, but I couldn’t stop looking at the screen.

When I saw that baby moving, it was like he was waking up and then trying to get away from the cannula. I immediately thought of all the women I had lied to. You get a lot of questions in the room. As a counselor in the room with women, they ask you questions before they go back for their abortion procedure. One of the things they ask you frequently is, “Is my baby going to feel this?” Every time I had told them no. Because I really didn’t think the baby would feel it. Planned Parenthood had told me they wouldn’t feel it, so I told them no.

I immediately thought about all the women I had lied to. I was thinking to myself, “What if I had told them the truth? What if I had known the truth—would I still be here at this job? Would those women have chosen an abortion?” What kind of difference would it have made if we had all known the truth? Why are they trying to hide this?

BH: So obviously your beliefs have changed. What would you say today, here at the end of 2009, are your beliefs on this controversial topic?

AJ: I’m firmly pro-life. The other day I went out in front of an abortion clinic for the first time on an abortion day. It was a good feeling to be on the other side of the fence. But I have a very unique sense of what is going on inside that clinic and what those women are feeling, because I have sat there and looked in their faces.

BH: So what would you say? Let’s say you have a 15-year-old or a 20-year-old or even a 30-year-old that is currently pregnant and not sure what to do? What would be your words of wisdom at this stage?

AJ: I’ve been asked that a lot. A lot of times women choose abortion out of convenience. In fact, most of the time they think that abortion is going to be a quick fix. They think an abortion is going to make their lives easier, and I know that is not the case. It is not a quick fix. It is not something you just do and it goes away. It will be with you for the rest of your life. If they are a young person or a person of any age and they don’t have children—many women who choose abortion are in their younger years—that memory of the child they aborted comes back to them when they are holding their wanted children.

People have asked me, “What would you have said differently to those women you were counseling with?” I would have said, “Your baby does have a heartbeat. No matter what you’ve been told, your baby does have a heartbeat, and your baby is going to feel what is happening to it during the abortion. Your baby is going to feel that pain.

And, when the abortion is finished, somebody is going to have to go back and reassemble the baby that was in your uterus. And they are going to know if it was a boy or girl. This is very real. This is not just a mass of tissue. This is not just a glob of cells. This is a real baby in your uterus.”

BH: What are the secrets in the abortion industry that many never hear about? Obviously you’ve touched on one that most people know that maybe we don’t admit—and that is a lot of this is about money.

AJ: Oh yeah.

BH: But what are some other things, having “been there and done that,” that you can share?

AJ: It is so much about money. But also, anytime there are any complications they will do anything to keep that woman quiet, including paying her money to keep her quiet.

BH: Now when you say complications, you mean medical injury.

AJ: Yeah. They will pay her off to keep her quiet. Which is sad, because then we never know about those tragedies of abortion. There are so many times that women are injured from an abortion—they’ve had botched abortions—and instead of going to the media so that other women can hear their stories, they are paid off. They are required to sign a statement saying that they will not go public with that information.

In some states, like Texas, there are laws where they will come and ask the woman if she wants to view the ultrasound. If she does choose to view her ultrasound, and let’s say she’s 10, 12 14, weeks pregnant, they will not show her the full profile of her baby. They may only show her…

BH: A leg.

AJ: The leg. If you are a layperson looking at the ultrasound, you don’t know what that is. And they’ll say, “That’s it. See you can’t see anything.” Because they don’t want to give her the truth. They call themselves pro-choice. But it’s not really about giving women honest choices. There are just so many things they are not honest about. For instance, they never go over all of the risks about abortion when a woman comes in. They never talk about all of the options. They don’t normally ask, “Have you considered your other options?”

BH: Have you ever seen someone coming back after an abortion procedure who is emotionally torn up?

AJ: Absolutely. Absolutely. The abortion industry’s answer to that is that the person is weak or that they were emotionally unstable to begin with. They don’t believe in post-abortion syndrome. They believe that for a normal person, you’re going to do fine after the abortion. They really just dismiss women that have regrets after an abortion, and they just think something is wrong with them.

BH: We appreciate more than you know your willingness to talk. And we are so thankful you are speaking out for pro-life. I’ll say this, I think there is a truth out there that is not getting out. I think if more women armed themselves with what you are revealing here, we would have less abortions going on than we have today.

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