One

Since this campaign is all about birthdays, I figured it would be appropriate to wish a "happy birthday" to someone whom I consider to be an important influential figure.
Can you guess who it is? Here are a few hints...

• He's turning 26 today.
• He was born in the Philippines where his parents were missionaries.
• He raised money to support an orphanage in the Philippines and his foundation is currently working to build a children's hospital there. 
• He is a football star & the first college sophomore to win the Heisman trophy.
• He is most famous, in my opinion, for writing John 3:16 on his eye black for a big game. Because of that bold statement, at least 92 MILLION people looked up that verse and read the gospel in a nutshell.

That last hint probably gave it away, so...

Happy birthday, Tim Tebow!

If you're not a Tebow fan, then just hang with me for a few minutes, okay? I promise there is more to this post than applauding his accomplishments.

Do you realize that by the world's standards and the norm of our culture, he shouldn't even be alive?

Pam Tebow became pregnant with Tim when she and her husband, along with their four older children, were ministering in the Philippines.  She became severely ill with a case of amoebic dysentery. As a result of the sickness and the strong medicine she had been given, the doctor told her that the only way she would survive was to have an abortion. The doctor insisted that it wasn't even a baby anyway- merely a mass of fetal tissue, a tumor. But Pam and her husband, Bob, remained firm in their conviction that "God doesn't make mistakes." They refused to abort, even in the midst of such difficult circumstances. God blessed their faith by giving them a healthy baby who has grown up to share the good news of the gospel with thousands.

And I can't help but wonder...what if she had chosen an abortion? Would the orphanage that he supported in the Philippines have shut down? Would a children's hospital have been built there? Perhaps the greatest implication is that over 92 million people have heard the gospel because of this one man's boldness. What if he hadn't been alive to share it with them?

These are the implications that could have resulted from one child being aborted. ONE.
Oh, I shudder to think of the statistic we have created in the names of  "choice" and "convenience."
To think of the lives that we have cut short. The potential we have wasted. The God-given talent we have thrown away. The miracle of life that we decided should not even exist.

I want you to take a minute and try to wrap your mind around this.

Fifty-five million.
FIFTY-FIVE million.
Fifty-five MILLION.
FIFTY-FIVE MILLION!
55,000,000.
55 MILLION.

No matter how many times and ways I type it, I can't even comprehend a number this great.
Fifty-five million...and that's in the United States alone.
Fifty-five million...and three thousand are added to that number every day.

And I'm not only talking about the children.

That's fifty-five million women who are walking around in darkness.
Fifty-five million women feeling alone and ashamed.
Fifty-five million women who will never know the love of their child.

And I am only one. As I write this, there is a physical pain in my heart. At times, I have stopped and put my head in my hands. I want nothing more than to see this ended, but how? No matter what I do, I can't bring those fifty-five million babies back from the dead. I can't reach every single woman who has ever had an abortion. I'm only one person. How much can I do?

I am so challenged by the simple but profound words of Katie Davis (I wish I could tell you all about her, but I'll save that for another time). I hope that this inspires you to pursue the passion/responsibility God has put on your heart, no matter how impossible it may seem: "I have learned that I will not change the world. Jesus will do that. I can, however, change the world for one person. And if one person sees the love of Christ in me, it is worth every minute. In fact, it is worth spending my life for."


Follow us on twitter- twitter.com/bdays4babies
Follow Tim on twitter- twitter.com/TimTebow
Follow Katie on twitter- twitter.com/katieinuganda
Buy Tim's book- "Through My Eyes" on Amazon
Buy Katie's book- "Kisses from Katie" on Amazon


Information resources

Wikipedia article/Tim Tebow
LifeNews article by Randy Alcorn about Tim Tebow
YouTube interview with Pam & Bob Tebow
"Kisses from Katie" quote

My Heart

It used to be that every once in a while I would post something on social media pertaining to abortion and the pro-life movement.

Now it's basically every day.

There are times when I feel like a broken record.
Like an annoying "like" page on Facebook that no one wants to read.
Like I've said everything there is to say.
Like no matter what clever quote or argument I share, I'm not going to change anyone's mind.

So why can I not quit posting about my pro-life beliefs?

In his book Wild Goose Chase, Mark Batterson talks about how the passion that God places on your heart becomes your responsibility.

He says, "Supernatural sadness and righteous indignation often reveal our God-ordained passions. As in the case of Nehemiah, if something causes you to weep and mourn and fast and pray for days on end, it is a good indication that God wants you to take personal responsibility and do something about it."
"...what makes you cry? What makes you pound your fist on the table?"
"God-ordained passions often break our hearts. And they can seem like an overwhelming burden to bear."
(pg. 22)

The sadness and anger that abortion stirs in my heart is simply overwhelming.
It makes me cry.
It makes me want to pound my fist on the table.
There are nights when I cannot sleep because the burden on my heart is just too heavy.
There is a fire burning in my heart that will not be quenched.
I want to do something about this. I have to.

Dictionary.com defines passion as "any powerful or compelling emotion or feeling, as love or hate."

I hate abortion. I hate what it does to our children. I hate what it does to our women. I hate what it does to our families. I hate what it does to our society. I hate what it does to my country.

So why can't I shut up about abortion?

Because I can't help but wonder how many tiny dancers are missing from the classes that I teach...
how many little servant's hearts are missing from the children's ministry at church...
how many friendships I missed out on because their lives were cut short...
how many women I pass by are weighed down by the guilt of the secret they carry.

I picture two little eyes begging me, pleading with me not to let him die...
I see two little hands outstretched to mine...
I hear one little voice that is about to be silenced forever...
I feel his blood on my hands.

So I keep posting.
And I keep hoping that one day this terrifying practice will not exist.
And I keep praying (though not half as much as I should).
And I keep fighting with the hope that I may save even one life.

Because if I won't be their voice, then who will?