Sept. 4, 2019

What is Sidewalk Counseling?

What is Sidewalk Counseling?

Is standing in front of an abortion clinic Biblical? What is Sidewalk counseling? Daniel and Vicky give scriptural and practical support for Christians being a voice for the voiceless at their local abortion center. 
charlotte.cities4life.org 
www.si...

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Is standing in front of an abortion clinic Biblical? What is Sidewalk counseling? Daniel and Vicky give scriptural and practical support for Christians being a voice for the voiceless at their local abortion center. 

charlotte.cities4life.org 

www.sidewalks4life.com

Transcript
WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.600 --> 00:00:06.440 I Am Yours, I am yours, I am yours. Send Me Lord, 2 00:00:06.919 --> 00:00:11.550 I am yours. Welcome to the Gospel Center prolife podcast and this episode 3 00:00:11.589 --> 00:00:15.390 we're going to ask the question what is sidewalk counseling? We're going to get 4 00:00:15.390 --> 00:00:19.309 into the some of the scriptural support for sidewalk counseling and some of the practical 5 00:00:19.390 --> 00:00:26.260 implications of being in front of an abortion center. I felt show passish, 6 00:00:27.339 --> 00:00:38.130 touch your heart. Use Welcome to the Gospel Center prolife podcast. We appreciate 7 00:00:38.170 --> 00:00:41.850 those who've joined us. We're going to deal with the subject today that's really 8 00:00:41.890 --> 00:00:46.810 near and dear to our hearts, and that sidewalk counseling folks that come into 9 00:00:48.329 --> 00:00:52.240 into prolife ministry and those sort of things. Maybe some of you folks are 10 00:00:52.320 --> 00:00:56.799 new to Pro Life Ministry and you've heard this term sidewalk counseling and maybe you 11 00:00:56.840 --> 00:00:59.159 know what that means, maybe you don't. And so we're going to talk 12 00:00:59.240 --> 00:01:03.679 through what sidewalk counseling is, to some of the real basics of it and 13 00:01:03.920 --> 00:01:08.750 and share some of our experiences and then share some of the scriptures of why 14 00:01:08.989 --> 00:01:15.069 we believe sidewalk counseling is Biblical and and Biblically what sidewalk counseling looks like. 15 00:01:15.989 --> 00:01:22.379 It's not that this podcast is designed to to just equip sidewalk counselors. It 16 00:01:22.459 --> 00:01:25.739 certainly is for that. We really wanted to be more broad than that, 17 00:01:25.900 --> 00:01:29.060 though, and just equip people in general to talk through questions that they have 18 00:01:29.180 --> 00:01:33.730 in general about prolife issues and light of the Gospel. But it's our heart, 19 00:01:33.769 --> 00:01:37.329 it's what we're doing day in and day out sidewalk counseling at the abortion 20 00:01:37.370 --> 00:01:40.890 centers here in Charlotte and it's a lot of you know, a lot of 21 00:01:40.930 --> 00:01:46.010 people look to us with questions about sidewalk counseling and we do trainings and things 22 00:01:46.049 --> 00:01:49.680 like that. And we have the sidewalks for life website, sidewalks the number 23 00:01:49.760 --> 00:01:53.879 four and lifecom and that website is a side won't counseling website. It's a 24 00:01:53.920 --> 00:02:00.200 Gospel centered prolife sidewalk counseling website. But let's talk real quick about sidewalk counseling. 25 00:02:00.239 --> 00:02:02.989 This, hopefully will be a pretty short podcast, but maybe not. 26 00:02:04.069 --> 00:02:07.230 Maybe we'll get in some more depth than we than we thought that we would, 27 00:02:07.030 --> 00:02:13.310 but let's let's talk a real quick just the basic definition of sidewalk counseling. 28 00:02:13.430 --> 00:02:15.020 Thank you. What is that basic definition? Yeah, well, I 29 00:02:15.379 --> 00:02:19.659 know when I when I first heard that word, I had no idea, 30 00:02:19.699 --> 00:02:23.099 I didn't know what it was, but but now I do it. So 31 00:02:23.740 --> 00:02:29.500 I think sidewalk counseling is being on the sidewalk in front of an abortion center 32 00:02:29.659 --> 00:02:36.169 where dozens or more babies are dying every day, and counseling or pleading with 33 00:02:36.569 --> 00:02:42.610 truth, God's truth, to the mom's that this is something they should not 34 00:02:42.810 --> 00:02:46.639 do and that there's hope and help available to yeah, I know some people, 35 00:02:46.639 --> 00:02:50.639 because we talked a little bit about this before we started the podcast, 36 00:02:51.280 --> 00:02:55.919 and even some of our pro bowl portion friends have have kind of wondered why 37 00:02:55.919 --> 00:03:00.629 do you, why do you call yourself counselors? You're not really a counselor. 38 00:03:00.789 --> 00:03:04.110 You know, you have to go through training and go through school in 39 00:03:04.189 --> 00:03:07.349 order to be a counselor. And what they're talking about of courses, they're 40 00:03:07.349 --> 00:03:10.550 talking about like clinical psychologist and these sort of things. So why would we 41 00:03:10.750 --> 00:03:15.780 use a term like counselor when we're talking about the issue of abortion and we're 42 00:03:15.780 --> 00:03:20.620 talking about engaging with women going into an abortion center? Sure, and and 43 00:03:20.740 --> 00:03:23.979 that was another thing when I first read and I saw it on facebook with 44 00:03:24.139 --> 00:03:28.770 one of my friends who called her self sidebought counselor, and I had actually 45 00:03:28.770 --> 00:03:31.129 the same response. I'm like, no, you're not, not a counselor. 46 00:03:31.210 --> 00:03:36.689 I know you don't have a degree in counseling, but but indeed, 47 00:03:36.930 --> 00:03:42.759 really, if you go to the scripture, we are we're counseling with the 48 00:03:42.840 --> 00:03:46.400 word of God, and some scripture really popped out at me as we were 49 00:03:46.479 --> 00:03:51.439 discussing this. One of those is some one hundred and nineteen twenty four, 50 00:03:52.240 --> 00:03:59.509 which says your testimonies are my delight, they are my counselors. So we 51 00:03:59.870 --> 00:04:02.789 have as believers, we have the word of God, the Holy Spirit, 52 00:04:02.949 --> 00:04:08.150 living within us, and it should be our delight, and that is what 53 00:04:08.349 --> 00:04:14.180 counsels us and what we now have that we know is of great value and 54 00:04:14.300 --> 00:04:19.259 probably truly, I believe the only answer to the abortion crisis is is to 55 00:04:19.379 --> 00:04:26.930 then counsel others as we have been counseled by the Holy Spirit. And there's 56 00:04:26.930 --> 00:04:30.850 another one. It's sort of like Jesus is saying to his disciples, freely, 57 00:04:30.930 --> 00:04:36.410 you have received so freely, give so the wonderful counselor Jesus. He's 58 00:04:36.410 --> 00:04:44.160 changed our lives and counseled us into eternal life by his holy spirit. We're 59 00:04:44.240 --> 00:04:46.879 just taken what he's spoken to us and we're trying to speak that to other 60 00:04:46.920 --> 00:04:50.759 people, really speak to that Gospel centered we're here not just as humanitarian effort, 61 00:04:50.879 --> 00:04:56.910 we're here as Gospel proclaimers at the abortion centers come it's that's right. 62 00:04:56.990 --> 00:05:00.750 Yeah, yeah, yeah, and we are not trying to pretend that we 63 00:05:00.870 --> 00:05:06.180 have a degree. Yeah, but we do have knowledge of the Lord and 64 00:05:06.379 --> 00:05:11.939 of and the Holy Spirits, guidance. And it was that. That next 65 00:05:11.939 --> 00:05:18.100 scripture, you can time this is proverbs twenty four six, and remember what's 66 00:05:18.139 --> 00:05:25.970 happening now there on the sidewalk of the abortion center is warfare. It is 67 00:05:26.129 --> 00:05:30.610 spiritual warfare. You, you, you are right there where the battle of 68 00:05:30.730 --> 00:05:35.519 good and evil is happening in the heavenly realms. And and so this verse 69 00:05:35.639 --> 00:05:42.639 says in Verse Six, Again Proverbs Twenty four, for by wise guidance you 70 00:05:42.800 --> 00:05:48.000 can wage your war, and in abundance of counselors there is victory. And 71 00:05:48.319 --> 00:05:56.110 so when we're waging a spiritual war, scripture says that that we are counseling 72 00:05:56.230 --> 00:06:00.709 each other. We are counseling each other towards how to engage in that battle 73 00:06:00.470 --> 00:06:06.060 and and it is in that abundance of counselors that there is victory. So 74 00:06:06.100 --> 00:06:12.500 I think that's the sense that counselor is used in sidewalk. Counselor we are 75 00:06:13.019 --> 00:06:18.930 we are counseling from the the counseling that the Holy Spirit has has given us. 76 00:06:19.129 --> 00:06:21.889 And Yeah, that is that's what we are off. Yeah, I 77 00:06:21.930 --> 00:06:26.810 mean if you think about counselor when we when we talk about, you know, 78 00:06:27.009 --> 00:06:33.040 a clinical psychologist or we talk about a counselor that you sit down with, 79 00:06:33.319 --> 00:06:36.600 you know, in a crisis or a difficult situation, that's really what 80 00:06:36.639 --> 00:06:40.639 we're talking about. Somebody who sits down with you in a crisis or some 81 00:06:40.759 --> 00:06:44.279 of it, that converses with you in a crisis and talks you through that 82 00:06:44.439 --> 00:06:48.670 crisis and helps you to get on your feet and gives you some some things, 83 00:06:48.870 --> 00:06:53.269 some tips, some some to do's and those sort of things to help 84 00:06:53.310 --> 00:06:57.230 you get over that slamp. I guess we get through that crisis and then 85 00:06:57.389 --> 00:07:02.339 thrive in spite of that crisis, and that's exactly what we're doing in that 86 00:07:02.620 --> 00:07:06.259 sense right. As far as counselors? Yeah, I want to read this 87 00:07:06.300 --> 00:07:11.500 scripture ahead. I mentioned again as we were talking through before, this podcast, 88 00:07:11.980 --> 00:07:19.689 which is in Second Timothy and its second Timothy Three starts at sixteen and 89 00:07:19.810 --> 00:07:24.290 goest verse seventeen. It says all scripture is given by inspiration of God. 90 00:07:24.529 --> 00:07:28.490 So it speaks to the scripture that the Bible is our is the key for 91 00:07:28.649 --> 00:07:32.600 our our ministry. Right, I'll scriptures given by inspiration of God and is 92 00:07:32.680 --> 00:07:39.279 profitable for doctrine, for reproof. Doctrine could mean could be teaching. It's 93 00:07:39.319 --> 00:07:44.829 not just it's primarily talking about teaching to do with theology and those sort of 94 00:07:44.870 --> 00:07:47.990 things, but it can mean other teaching as well. Profitable for doctrine, 95 00:07:47.990 --> 00:07:54.230 for reproof, for Correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of 96 00:07:54.310 --> 00:07:58.899 God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. So it's basically 97 00:07:58.980 --> 00:08:03.779 when we have the word of God we're thoroughly equipped for every good work. 98 00:08:03.899 --> 00:08:09.939 So we don't need no one's saying that going to school and getting degrees and 99 00:08:09.019 --> 00:08:13.329 stuff is bad, but if we're trying to reach people in crisis and we 100 00:08:13.410 --> 00:08:16.689 believe the Gospel is the answer, I don't need, you know, an 101 00:08:16.730 --> 00:08:20.449 eight year degree in order to talk to someone in crisis and share with them 102 00:08:20.490 --> 00:08:24.490 what the answer is, because I know the answer is Jesus Christ right. 103 00:08:24.649 --> 00:08:28.160 So that's sort of that. You know. That that aspect of sidewalk counseling. 104 00:08:28.759 --> 00:08:35.000 We even have a few of our sidebot counselors who are counselors literally trained 105 00:08:35.039 --> 00:08:39.960 and degreed in counseling, and they still come to us for training and the 106 00:08:41.080 --> 00:08:48.350 experience Orians of how you approach mom who is there to aboard. So with 107 00:08:48.590 --> 00:08:52.029 all of their training, it's great. There are some things that they have 108 00:08:52.269 --> 00:08:56.340 learned as a counselor that are definitely good, like framework or techniques to use 109 00:08:56.419 --> 00:09:01.139 with those MOMS, asking questions, finding out the situation, being sure that 110 00:09:01.220 --> 00:09:07.340 you're a good listener, those sorts of things. But but, like you 111 00:09:07.500 --> 00:09:11.529 said, we don't need to have a degree and we're not claiming to be 112 00:09:13.090 --> 00:09:18.610 a degreed counselor. We are claiming that we have the power of the Holy 113 00:09:18.690 --> 00:09:22.330 Spirit to counsel others and everyone who has the Holy Spirit in dwelling them has 114 00:09:22.450 --> 00:09:28.480 that that power. Yeah, another aspect of counseling, you know, as 115 00:09:28.559 --> 00:09:33.840 talking earlier about. You know, so we look at counseling and what is 116 00:09:33.840 --> 00:09:39.870 a counselor counselor is someone who who is talking you through an issue and and 117 00:09:39.470 --> 00:09:43.549 helping you to come to certain conclusions. Right, right. But when we 118 00:09:43.629 --> 00:09:48.230 talk about legal counsel, we talk about lawyers. Lawyers are counselors, right, 119 00:09:48.350 --> 00:09:52.820 I mean the judge might address a lawyer as counsel. So, counsel, 120 00:09:52.899 --> 00:09:56.980 what is your what's your motion and that? So that's another aspect of 121 00:09:58.139 --> 00:10:03.340 counseling and it comes right out of proverbs thirty one versus eight nine, which 122 00:10:03.419 --> 00:10:07.330 and these when you read this passage of Scripture and also the proverbs twenty four 123 00:10:07.330 --> 00:10:11.730 passage, we're talking about, you know, rescue those who are being led 124 00:10:11.769 --> 00:10:15.370 away to slaughter. This sort of speaks in that same the same terms, 125 00:10:15.409 --> 00:10:20.129 but it uses really legal terms and it says open your mouth for the speechless 126 00:10:20.169 --> 00:10:22.840 and the cause, or it could be the case like a judicial case, 127 00:10:24.440 --> 00:10:26.519 and the cause of all who are appointed to die. Open your mouth, 128 00:10:26.919 --> 00:10:31.440 judge righteously. That we're talking about making judgments. It's as judge righteously and 129 00:10:31.559 --> 00:10:35.870 plead the cause of the poor and needy. The pleading part is the counseling 130 00:10:35.909 --> 00:10:39.909 part. Like what does a law. You're doing. He is. He 131 00:10:39.110 --> 00:10:46.110 is counsel for those who are potentially going to be condemned to a particular sentence, 132 00:10:46.509 --> 00:10:48.309 and this case we're talking about a baby who's going to be condemned to 133 00:10:48.470 --> 00:10:52.299 death, and we are a counselor on behalf of that baby. That's like 134 00:10:52.379 --> 00:10:56.860 a legal counselor sort of. We're like laying out of thanks that child's like 135 00:10:56.940 --> 00:11:00.659 exact exactly. We are laying out a case and in this case the judge 136 00:11:00.700 --> 00:11:05.210 is actually the mom. The judge who gives the sentence is the MOM, 137 00:11:05.289 --> 00:11:09.850 and we're trying to appeal to the judge. People talk about don't judge. 138 00:11:09.370 --> 00:11:15.169 The reality is that the MOMS that are going into abortion clinics are actually judging 139 00:11:15.210 --> 00:11:20.000 their babies in certain ways, and I don't believe that it's always malicious and 140 00:11:20.080 --> 00:11:24.320 it's alway always thought out in those ways, but practically the way that it 141 00:11:24.440 --> 00:11:28.080 works itself out is she is a judge toward that baby and we're appealing to 142 00:11:28.200 --> 00:11:33.110 her and saying, hey, judge, hey mom, these are the reasons 143 00:11:33.149 --> 00:11:37.750 why your baby doesn't deserve to right. And then there's three sort of points 144 00:11:37.750 --> 00:11:41.669 that we talked about constantly, which are what God says about this, the 145 00:11:41.750 --> 00:11:45.470 humanity of the baby and the resources that are available to the mother, or 146 00:11:45.549 --> 00:11:48.539 sort of like how we lay out a legal case in that way. We 147 00:11:48.700 --> 00:11:50.860 talk about those, you know, in our trainings we talk about those on 148 00:11:50.980 --> 00:11:56.700 the sidewalks for lifesite and what are those, those three points, and how 149 00:11:56.740 --> 00:12:00.500 do you apply them? But that that comes right out of this sort of 150 00:12:00.539 --> 00:12:05.289 mentality of being a counselor legal counselor will be half of that baby. You 151 00:12:05.370 --> 00:12:09.730 know, and I was thinking as you were talking, that we are the 152 00:12:09.210 --> 00:12:13.370 council for the defense, yeah, of the baby. Well, there's another 153 00:12:13.529 --> 00:12:18.240 group that's, in a sense, the council for the other side. Yeah, 154 00:12:18.279 --> 00:12:20.720 but execution. That's right, that are prosecuting that baby, and those 155 00:12:20.759 --> 00:12:26.879 voices are loud and they are powerful because they have access to those moms that 156 00:12:28.039 --> 00:12:31.509 we don't have. They often have the law supporting them, at least in 157 00:12:31.710 --> 00:12:35.750 our city, and ways that so they have access, again, legally, 158 00:12:35.950 --> 00:12:41.230 that that we find we don't have. And and they're arguing the other side. 159 00:12:41.309 --> 00:12:43.899 They're saying that this is so, it's easy, it will solve all 160 00:12:43.980 --> 00:12:48.179 your problems. Those curs are the ones that are making money off of them. 161 00:12:48.259 --> 00:12:54.700 They were, sadly, exactly, and so they there's there's no other 162 00:12:54.820 --> 00:12:58.850 voice if that baby's to get a fair trial. If you're talking about it 163 00:12:58.929 --> 00:13:03.129 kind of in a legal sense and there are people pleading in the case where 164 00:13:03.169 --> 00:13:07.409 there's plenty of voices. But yeah, the case for death and the sidebalt 165 00:13:07.450 --> 00:13:11.690 counselor is pleading the case for life. Yeah, and in one sense, 166 00:13:11.769 --> 00:13:15.480 you know, with the like, in a legal sense, the burden of 167 00:13:15.639 --> 00:13:22.480 proof is on the prosecution and the default is innocent and depriven guilty. Unfortunately, 168 00:13:22.600 --> 00:13:26.190 in the situation that we're dealing with, which is really an uphill battle, 169 00:13:26.230 --> 00:13:31.149 yeah, that baby is assumed guilty and we have to lay out a 170 00:13:31.230 --> 00:13:33.389 case of their of their innocence. Now, again, I'm not saying this 171 00:13:35.230 --> 00:13:37.629 and I'm not saying that on the MOM's part. For the most part, 172 00:13:37.710 --> 00:13:41.539 these women are not thinking it through in this way. They're not maliciously like 173 00:13:41.740 --> 00:13:46.740 laying out this this thing where they want to judge their baby. It's really 174 00:13:46.179 --> 00:13:50.500 there are circumstances are dictating to them and they're there's fear that they're under. 175 00:13:52.500 --> 00:13:56.970 Is really dictating to them that this baby doesn't deserve now it is. It's 176 00:13:56.049 --> 00:14:00.210 sin and we need to come back that with the truth, with the Gospel. 177 00:14:01.049 --> 00:14:05.850 But since we're fighting uphill battle and since our appeal is to the mother, 178 00:14:05.850 --> 00:14:11.039 we, as sidewalk counselors, are have to be careful in our in 179 00:14:11.120 --> 00:14:15.159 our wording, and that's sort of where, you know, when we start 180 00:14:15.200 --> 00:14:18.639 our trainings and we talk about for people who are just brand new to volunteering 181 00:14:18.720 --> 00:14:22.480 with us, when we talk about what sidewalk counseling is, we actually typically 182 00:14:22.519 --> 00:14:26.950 start with what sidewall counseling is, not exactly, which is, you know, 183 00:14:26.029 --> 00:14:31.750 we get accused on a regular basis and if you searched sidewalk counseling, 184 00:14:31.110 --> 00:14:33.789 I don't know if you have on Google, but if you search sidewalk counseling, 185 00:14:35.190 --> 00:14:39.980 you'll find several articles. You'll find some about real sidewalk counseling and what 186 00:14:39.059 --> 00:14:43.860 sidewall counselors are, and some positive, but you also find sidewalk counseling is 187 00:14:43.860 --> 00:14:48.100 sidewalk harassment, you know, and so they paint this picture. I think 188 00:14:48.100 --> 00:14:52.409 there's an article, and I may even actually be in that article on Cosmopolitan 189 00:14:52.490 --> 00:14:56.889 magazine. They talked about thee these sidewalk harassers. They're not sidewall counselors. 190 00:14:56.929 --> 00:15:03.009 They're harassers, and so when we talk about what sidewalk counseling is, we 191 00:15:03.210 --> 00:15:07.919 oftentimes begin with what sidewalk counseling is not in our training and it's not harassment 192 00:15:07.000 --> 00:15:11.240 and it's not just yelling at women and it's not a protest. They are 193 00:15:11.320 --> 00:15:18.000 protests that take place at abortion clinics and those are fine in some context and 194 00:15:18.159 --> 00:15:22.269 as long as they don't overlap what sidewalk counselors you're trying to do. But 195 00:15:22.350 --> 00:15:24.669 that's not what side will counseling is. It's literally pleading with the women, 196 00:15:26.029 --> 00:15:30.029 appealing to them, because then we're sort of beholding to that mother. So 197 00:15:30.190 --> 00:15:33.350 we don't want to be overthetop, we don't want to be yelling just accusatory 198 00:15:33.389 --> 00:15:37.100 statements. Your Amer don't murder your baby. We want them to come to 199 00:15:37.139 --> 00:15:41.139 us. Yeah, right, if you hear that. Yeah, called that 200 00:15:41.179 --> 00:15:43.700 out, and so that's where you know, with it with a counselor. 201 00:15:43.139 --> 00:15:48.259 And I'm you know, I've been in several counseling situations as a pastor and 202 00:15:48.419 --> 00:15:52.769 with friends that have struggles and things like that and had to counsel. You 203 00:15:52.850 --> 00:15:56.450 know, I've had times where I'm counseling with somebody, body and they're shared 204 00:15:56.529 --> 00:16:00.850 with me a story and I want to stand up and say you need to 205 00:16:00.929 --> 00:16:03.960 repent, you're a wicked person. You you, you need to get it 206 00:16:04.039 --> 00:16:08.320 right. But if I'm counseling with someone and I want there to be a 207 00:16:08.480 --> 00:16:15.039 productive taking the information that I'm given in it being received in a productive way, 208 00:16:15.720 --> 00:16:19.029 I want to deliver it in a way that they're actually going to listen 209 00:16:19.029 --> 00:16:23.070 to what I'm saying. If I'm just accusatory, yeah, I'm not necessarily 210 00:16:23.230 --> 00:16:30.230 technically wrong if what I'm saying is biblical, but I might just be practically 211 00:16:30.309 --> 00:16:33.740 missing the mark because I'm not delivering it in a way that they're actually going 212 00:16:33.779 --> 00:16:37.259 to receive it. Yeah, and ultimately they have to come to that conclusion. 213 00:16:37.700 --> 00:16:41.259 If we just say what the conclusion is, which is what you do, 214 00:16:41.340 --> 00:16:44.340 if you say you're a murderer, that's evil, that's in that is 215 00:16:44.379 --> 00:16:48.169 all true. Yeah, but if we say that and they haven't come to 216 00:16:48.769 --> 00:16:52.490 realize that on their own and their own spirit be convicted in their own heart, 217 00:16:53.210 --> 00:16:56.929 they'll just be back. Yeah. So, so part of a good 218 00:16:57.090 --> 00:17:04.279 sidewalk counselor's job is to present the the arguments, the questions in such a 219 00:17:04.400 --> 00:17:08.920 way that that woman will think her heart will be convicted and she will come 220 00:17:10.079 --> 00:17:15.750 to change her mind based on the evidence that we are bringing. Yeah, 221 00:17:15.069 --> 00:17:19.150 to the case. Yeah, which kind of goes into maybe you can talk 222 00:17:19.190 --> 00:17:25.470 about this. The sidewalk counselors are trained, there is training, there are 223 00:17:25.630 --> 00:17:33.579 things that are preparation and necessity for a good sidewalk counselor, and so maybe 224 00:17:34.299 --> 00:17:37.259 you could talk about some of those things, like what are some of the 225 00:17:37.299 --> 00:17:41.980 things we need to know to be able to share with that woman so that 226 00:17:42.099 --> 00:17:45.769 we can effectively plead the case yeah, for that baby. Well, I 227 00:17:45.849 --> 00:17:49.970 mean those three talking points lemented earlier, like key, which is what God 228 00:17:51.130 --> 00:17:55.210 says about this and what God says about abortion. What God says about the 229 00:17:55.329 --> 00:17:57.599 mom that he loves her, the he has good plans for her, he 230 00:17:57.720 --> 00:18:00.720 wants her to trust in him. What God says about that baby, that 231 00:18:00.839 --> 00:18:04.559 that baby is a precious gift from him, that that baby is made in 232 00:18:04.680 --> 00:18:08.079 his image. Of that's kind of what God says about it. Then the 233 00:18:08.160 --> 00:18:12.430 humanity of the baby. It really helps for US sidewall counselors to be informed 234 00:18:12.470 --> 00:18:19.029 about fetal development absolutely and if you don't know about fetal development, listen, 235 00:18:19.230 --> 00:18:22.509 Google it. It's so easy to find in our literature that we hand out 236 00:18:22.549 --> 00:18:27.099 fetal development. It's there. It's from secular sources. You can find fetal 237 00:18:27.099 --> 00:18:30.500 debilt. What was the APP you mentioned the other day? Yes, see 238 00:18:30.619 --> 00:18:34.940 baby and see sees baby. See, see, see with yours. See 239 00:18:36.180 --> 00:18:40.380 baby baby is the name of the APP and it's free. It is not 240 00:18:40.619 --> 00:18:45.250 political, it doesn't take a pro life or a pro abortion stance. It's, 241 00:18:45.450 --> 00:18:49.009 you know, it's just at probably as unbiased. It just says the 242 00:18:49.289 --> 00:18:55.490 fact. Yeah, but it shows videos at every week of development and invariably 243 00:18:55.650 --> 00:18:59.680 and their actual videos there, you know, through ultrasounds. Yeah, babies 244 00:18:59.720 --> 00:19:03.200 at every week of development all the way through to birth. And and so 245 00:19:03.359 --> 00:19:07.680 many times when I show those moms that video, those videos, that APP, 246 00:19:08.680 --> 00:19:15.509 they're astounded because they don't know human development. Most of the pro abortion 247 00:19:15.589 --> 00:19:19.829 people do not know the facts of fetal development. And, yeah, and 248 00:19:21.029 --> 00:19:26.460 most people are shocked at how developed at such a young age that little baby 249 00:19:26.900 --> 00:19:29.660 is. Yeah, so that's you know, that's sort of the second point, 250 00:19:29.660 --> 00:19:33.180 the humanity the baby. And then the third point is the resources that 251 00:19:33.220 --> 00:19:37.700 are available. And you know, locally we have connections with ministries all over 252 00:19:37.740 --> 00:19:41.490 the city of Charlotte and beyond. But you know, in every city there 253 00:19:41.490 --> 00:19:47.250 are organizations, their maternity homes, there are pregnancy centers, there are I 254 00:19:47.369 --> 00:19:48.930 mean we even go for here in Charlotte and I know what it can be 255 00:19:49.049 --> 00:19:52.440 like this across the nation. And sure it is in some cities where we 256 00:19:52.480 --> 00:19:56.440 have photographers that will give free baby pictures and come and take baby picture. 257 00:19:56.440 --> 00:20:00.519 I mean it's not a need, but it's like it just shows how people 258 00:20:00.519 --> 00:20:04.559 are willing to take their skills and help women in need and whatever skill they 259 00:20:04.559 --> 00:20:07.549 might have. We have financial counselors, yeah, that will sit down and 260 00:20:07.589 --> 00:20:11.990 lay out a financial plan. Yeah, and I'm sure again that that kind 261 00:20:11.029 --> 00:20:15.869 of stuff is available nationwide and you know, and digging for those things can 262 00:20:15.869 --> 00:20:18.789 be can be a little bit of a challenge, but anyway. So there's 263 00:20:18.789 --> 00:20:21.900 a sort of the three points that every sidewalk counselor should be informed. You 264 00:20:21.980 --> 00:20:26.460 know. Another thing too, is understanding abortion procedures. Oh Yeah, you 265 00:20:26.579 --> 00:20:30.539 know, one of the things I talk about a lot when I'm talking to 266 00:20:30.259 --> 00:20:34.220 the women that are going into the men and they're going in is in the 267 00:20:34.299 --> 00:20:40.009 reality is the abortion clinic knows itself. The abortion industry knows that the more 268 00:20:40.049 --> 00:20:45.690 information you have about fetal development and about abortion procedures, the less likely you 269 00:20:45.690 --> 00:20:48.529 are to go through with an abortion. Therefore, when we give them that 270 00:20:48.609 --> 00:20:55.359 information that talks about fetal development and talks about abortion procedures and it's not graphic, 271 00:20:55.440 --> 00:20:57.599 it didn't go into you don't have to get an unnecessary graphic details, 272 00:20:57.960 --> 00:21:02.839 but a mom does need to understand what her baby's about to go through and 273 00:21:03.000 --> 00:21:06.789 she does need to understand that because she's going to understand that after it takes 274 00:21:06.829 --> 00:21:10.630 place and she's going to be horrified at what she had done. So that's 275 00:21:10.630 --> 00:21:12.349 why they try to take that information from them, that we get to them 276 00:21:12.349 --> 00:21:18.349 and they try to squelch information. That's why plan parenthood vehemently opposed the videos 277 00:21:18.390 --> 00:21:19.779 that came out back in two thousand and fifteen, I think it was, 278 00:21:21.180 --> 00:21:25.259 when people went behind the scenes and there were videos and they were descriptions of 279 00:21:25.859 --> 00:21:30.059 these abortion doctors talking about, you know, selling the baby parts. They 280 00:21:30.099 --> 00:21:33.849 don't want that information to really get out in the public because they don't want 281 00:21:33.849 --> 00:21:37.490 people to know that would potentially be their customers, that they're actually killing babies. 282 00:21:37.490 --> 00:21:41.250 They want people to still believe that it's a Blob of tissue, clump 283 00:21:41.329 --> 00:21:45.769 of sales and all that. They still use that garbage age old terminology, 284 00:21:45.890 --> 00:21:49.240 Blob of tissue, clump of cells, which no embryologist was going to use 285 00:21:49.559 --> 00:21:52.400 exactly. They don't. And they don't use the word baby. It's product 286 00:21:52.480 --> 00:21:56.200 of conception right, a room where they collect baby parts or pregnancy. They 287 00:21:56.240 --> 00:22:00.119 do not use the word baby. Or in our facility they will be fine. 288 00:22:00.160 --> 00:22:02.150 Yeah. Yeah, so, you know, when we train, our 289 00:22:02.150 --> 00:22:04.309 side will counsels, we training with that sort of stuff. We the information 290 00:22:04.390 --> 00:22:07.069 that we have. You know, I tell new volunteers, if you read 291 00:22:07.109 --> 00:22:11.549 the information that we hand out and you process that information and you memorize that 292 00:22:11.630 --> 00:22:18.420 information, you will probably be more informed a field development and abortion procedures than 293 00:22:18.460 --> 00:22:21.700 the people inside of the building, most of the workers, the worker bees 294 00:22:21.740 --> 00:22:26.019 inside of that building doing the abortions. And that says a lot. But 295 00:22:26.140 --> 00:22:30.250 we've had conversations with a lot of abortion workers right and we know the limited 296 00:22:30.289 --> 00:22:34.289 scope of information that they actually have. So yeah, so as far as 297 00:22:34.289 --> 00:22:40.529 that's concerned, you know we have that practical information, but we always encourage 298 00:22:40.529 --> 00:22:44.289 our volunteers and any anybody. You No matter what context you're going to be 299 00:22:44.359 --> 00:22:48.079 talking about the issue of abortion, you need to understand that this is a 300 00:22:48.119 --> 00:22:52.759 spiritual battle. I mean it really is a spiritual battle. So us being 301 00:22:52.839 --> 00:22:56.359 in the word, US knowing what God's word says, because, you know, 302 00:22:56.400 --> 00:23:00.710 scientific facts are great. I think science is on our side and this 303 00:23:00.910 --> 00:23:07.309 area is no doubt. But our foundation has to be in the word of 304 00:23:07.470 --> 00:23:11.230 God, because science can change its opinion, it can do this and it 305 00:23:11.309 --> 00:23:14.380 can do that. But if our foundation is in God's word and we see 306 00:23:14.380 --> 00:23:18.940 what God's word says about human life, we see what God's word says about 307 00:23:18.019 --> 00:23:22.900 even difficult situations. Right, he is our present help in time of need. 308 00:23:22.500 --> 00:23:26.500 Psalm forty six, verse one. So on our shirts, right, 309 00:23:26.619 --> 00:23:29.849 God, God is a refuge in strength, our present help in time of 310 00:23:29.970 --> 00:23:34.170 need. Then we can speak faith in the situations and we can counsel from 311 00:23:34.170 --> 00:23:41.480 a perspective of truth and a solid foundation, which is God in his word, 312 00:23:41.359 --> 00:23:45.680 to these women that are going into abortion center. So we always will 313 00:23:45.720 --> 00:23:48.880 encourage our volunteers to be in the word, to speak God's truth, speak 314 00:23:48.920 --> 00:23:53.799 God's word graciously, in a way that makes you approachable, but in a 315 00:23:53.880 --> 00:23:59.309 truthful way, and that that man does so much work in a heart of 316 00:23:59.430 --> 00:24:02.509 a mom who's in doubt when them or not she should go through with an 317 00:24:02.549 --> 00:24:06.630 abortion. Yeah, just just the other day there was some mom who made 318 00:24:06.670 --> 00:24:11.180 a hundred eighty degree turn around in her feeling about her child's based on the 319 00:24:11.259 --> 00:24:17.420 council that she received car side. And when she pulled up she was crying. 320 00:24:17.859 --> 00:24:21.140 She said she was frightened. She had a Bible in her car. 321 00:24:21.339 --> 00:24:23.329 She claimed to know you, the counsel she received Carside from, from you, 322 00:24:23.369 --> 00:24:26.529 guess? Yeah, yeah, that exactly from our from our team. 323 00:24:26.609 --> 00:24:33.289 And and and so she was. She she felt trapped and in in the 324 00:24:33.410 --> 00:24:37.529 decision to a board and she was about to pull in, but she was 325 00:24:37.609 --> 00:24:42.599 count soled car side for fifteen minutes. Made a hundred eighty degree turn turn 326 00:24:42.720 --> 00:24:48.640 around to where she actually said she was not going to move from in front 327 00:24:48.680 --> 00:24:52.519 of the driveway because no one should be pulling into that place to abort their 328 00:24:52.599 --> 00:24:56.390 child. So and she said before she pulled away, she said, I 329 00:24:56.710 --> 00:25:00.549 feel so much better now. What is the role of a counselor to lead 330 00:25:00.589 --> 00:25:08.660 you to a mature, right decision and plan for your life and so you'll 331 00:25:08.700 --> 00:25:15.819 feel better about the choices that you make and and o our measure of feeling 332 00:25:15.859 --> 00:25:21.529 better, as if it is peace, contentment, joy what you have when 333 00:25:21.569 --> 00:25:26.970 you are following the plans that God has set set for you. So, 334 00:25:26.049 --> 00:25:30.970 so that was a successful sidewalk counseling session. Yeah, you were able to 335 00:25:32.009 --> 00:25:37.640 counselor from counsel her from death to life and she left feeling a thousand percent 336 00:25:37.720 --> 00:25:41.960 better because she knew she had made the right choice. Yeah, yeah, 337 00:25:41.240 --> 00:25:48.079 so it is, you know, counseling and trying to persuade people to make 338 00:25:48.119 --> 00:25:52.190 a god honoring choice, a choice that would honor there, their baby and 339 00:25:52.269 --> 00:25:56.910 even honor there, there, there, themselves as a child of God, 340 00:25:57.069 --> 00:26:00.309 as a person who's made in the image of God. They may not be 341 00:26:00.390 --> 00:26:03.990 a child of God at that time, right, but we certainly want to 342 00:26:03.190 --> 00:26:07.579 a part of our counseling. That's why, you know, with Gospel Center 343 00:26:07.660 --> 00:26:10.579 pro life, that's over, always point to the Gospel and we're going to 344 00:26:10.619 --> 00:26:15.299 talk in in some future podcasts, maybe just do one in particular about how 345 00:26:15.339 --> 00:26:19.890 to share the gospel with an abortion minded mom. But that's part of our 346 00:26:19.970 --> 00:26:23.730 counseling, as well as bringing the Gospel into the conversation. Yeah, and 347 00:26:23.890 --> 00:26:27.849 showing how God can use the situation. It's not like every you know, 348 00:26:27.890 --> 00:26:30.650 when a mom chooses life, everything in her life is going to be Hunky 349 00:26:30.690 --> 00:26:36.000 Dory. They're struggles, there's battles, but she has that solid foundation if 350 00:26:36.039 --> 00:26:40.519 she surrenders her life to Jesus of God's truth and that relationship with him, 351 00:26:41.240 --> 00:26:44.880 that we can, you know, in counseling, bring those truths to her 352 00:26:44.920 --> 00:26:48.190 and she can, you know, put her give her heart to the Lord 353 00:26:48.349 --> 00:26:52.029 and have that solid founder. Yeah, and I know when when I was 354 00:26:52.230 --> 00:26:56.390 first reading about sidebot counseling them, like I said, I thought I didn't 355 00:26:56.390 --> 00:27:00.390 know what it was and I thought it was presumptuous of them to call themselves 356 00:27:00.549 --> 00:27:04.460 counselors. But the third thought was, do they have a right to be 357 00:27:04.779 --> 00:27:11.740 there? I mean, these are women in crisis and my misconception was that 358 00:27:11.900 --> 00:27:15.769 these women's mind their minds were made up. They had already made a decision, 359 00:27:17.049 --> 00:27:23.329 they had horrific circumstances, they were victims and and who, why would 360 00:27:23.329 --> 00:27:30.480 anyone feel they had a right as a Christian to be on the sidewalk at 361 00:27:30.599 --> 00:27:36.039 this very terrible place in the in these women's lives? But one of the 362 00:27:36.079 --> 00:27:41.319 favorite verses that I think for me, addresses. That is proverbs eleven. 363 00:27:41.440 --> 00:27:47.950 I'm going to going to read that for you. Where is it? Rescue 364 00:27:48.029 --> 00:27:52.150 those? It's eleven and twelve. Actually rescue those who are being taken away 365 00:27:52.190 --> 00:27:56.549 to death, hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter. If you 366 00:27:56.710 --> 00:28:00.099 say, behold, we did not know this. Does not he who weighs 367 00:28:00.180 --> 00:28:03.779 the heart perceive it? Does not he who keeps watch over your soul know 368 00:28:03.980 --> 00:28:10.019 it? And will he not repay man according to his work? So we 369 00:28:10.140 --> 00:28:14.970 are called, we are biblically called, to hold back those that that are 370 00:28:15.170 --> 00:28:18.009 stumbling to the slaughter and we are to rescue those on their way to death. 371 00:28:18.049 --> 00:28:23.930 How perfectly that describes these abortion minded women and their little babies. And 372 00:28:25.609 --> 00:28:30.240 we cannot claim we didn't know. Yeah, and this Bible says that. 373 00:28:30.519 --> 00:28:33.000 Basically, you can't turn a blind of you cannot. Now, does that 374 00:28:33.160 --> 00:28:37.720 mean everyone should be called to be a sidewalk counselor or is called to be 375 00:28:37.759 --> 00:28:41.109 a sidewalk counselor no to I mean there's a whole network of people that that 376 00:28:41.309 --> 00:28:48.190 come together in in helping these these MOMS, maybe once they choose life, 377 00:28:48.230 --> 00:28:52.349 or in helping to prevent them from ever reaching the abortion center in the first 378 00:28:52.430 --> 00:28:57.140 place, but to say we did not know and just to pretend that abortion 379 00:28:57.299 --> 00:29:03.980 is not the crisis that it is. God will judge us because we do 380 00:29:03.180 --> 00:29:07.140 know. We all now. Yeah, yeah, that's a convicting scripture, 381 00:29:07.220 --> 00:29:11.569 but it is you know, it's better for us to know these truths and 382 00:29:11.690 --> 00:29:14.930 to walk in these truths and to be ignorant. You know, there's a 383 00:29:14.930 --> 00:29:18.089 willful ignorance that I think, in this day and age especially that Christians are 384 00:29:18.210 --> 00:29:23.319 in if they're going to deny the slaughter that's taken place in our nation of 385 00:29:23.480 --> 00:29:27.119 you know, sixty million plus babies that have died. And it is our 386 00:29:27.200 --> 00:29:30.720 place, for those who have the word of God, like that Second Timothy 387 00:29:30.839 --> 00:29:37.240 Passage says, it is our place to bring correction and reproof, as it 388 00:29:37.359 --> 00:29:41.109 says, those who have the scriptures. The scriptures are for doctrine, correction, 389 00:29:41.430 --> 00:29:48.869 reproof instruction. So yeah, so it's good that we think we had 390 00:29:48.950 --> 00:29:52.099 this conversation. Hopefully we cleared up some of the misconceptions that people have and 391 00:29:52.859 --> 00:29:56.220 you know, the goal is to have people that are watching and people that 392 00:29:56.259 --> 00:30:03.220 are listening equipped and in power to go and do whatever ministry God has called 393 00:30:03.259 --> 00:30:07.410 you to do, bringing the Gospel, bringing the truth of the Gospel, 394 00:30:07.410 --> 00:30:11.369 and wherever God has called you to in protecting the lives of the unborn. 395 00:30:11.930 --> 00:30:15.930 So we appreciate all those who do listen and those who watch and just pray 396 00:30:15.970 --> 00:30:18.450 that you guys are blessed by these episodes. You can connect with us. 397 00:30:18.569 --> 00:30:22.160 You can connect with me, D parks at cities for Lifecom, as my 398 00:30:22.240 --> 00:30:26.920 email address, Vicky is vicaci Org at cities for lifecom. Go on our 399 00:30:27.000 --> 00:30:30.759 website, CHARLOTTE DOT cities for Life Dot Org, actually, so it's a 400 00:30:30.880 --> 00:30:36.710 dot org. Even there emails addresses orcom and you can connected with us there. 401 00:30:37.269 --> 00:30:41.950 Also our sidewalks for life site, which, again was designed for equipping 402 00:30:41.150 --> 00:30:45.789 and encouraging sidewalk counselors nationwide to just go to your local Abortion Center and be 403 00:30:45.829 --> 00:30:49.140 a Gospel Center presence there. And there's a lot of articles that were written 404 00:30:49.500 --> 00:30:55.259 recently. A routin an article about understanding the mentality of an abortion minded mom. 405 00:30:55.420 --> 00:30:56.539 We're talked about how they're under a spirit of fear. So go and 406 00:30:56.579 --> 00:31:03.819 check that out. And that's sidewalks for subwalks and number four LIFECOM and I 407 00:31:03.980 --> 00:31:07.009 hope you're blessed by the information that we're putting out there. Hope you're blessed 408 00:31:07.009 --> 00:31:10.970 by these episodes. Please you drop us an email, give us some suggestions 409 00:31:11.410 --> 00:31:15.970 of future episodes that we could do, subjects that we could tackle, and 410 00:31:15.170 --> 00:31:19.079 we again, we appreciate you, guys, watching and listening. God bless 411 00:31:22.319 --> 00:31:47.500 use, mel use. Give me. Will cost me my life, but 412 00:31:47.700 --> 00:31:49.299 now things too precious inside