Life Defenders

The Easter story has three different types of “ friendships”. It’s Palm Sunday and the whole day I’ve been reflecting on and pondering the stark difference between that day compared to Jesus’ scourging and crucifixion not even a week later. Maybe it’s because , lately, I’ve had a fair amount of hurt from people I looked up to and were close with.  Amongst the crowd of those paying their respects to the Messiah were the jealous and scheming Pharisees. If you looked into the crowd, you probably wouldn’t be able to identify them because they blended in like foundation to a blemish.  John 12:12-19  The next day the great crowd that had come for the festival heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, “ Hosanna![a]” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”[b] “Blessed is the king of Israel!” Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, as it is written:   “Do not be afraid, Daughter ...

Published by Secular Pro-Life  Written by Feleica Langdon, President of Life Defenders  Crisis pregnancies do not discriminate; people from all walks of life bear the weight of their uncertain circumstances. It can challenge the strongest of wills, and through wearing, lead that vulnerable person to a decision they would have not have made otherwise.  We want to make sure we are able to reach as many people as possible, and the secular approach reaches everyone, regardless of religious affiliation - or lack thereof. It shifts the focus from  “saving souls” , to saving lives. Regardless if you believe these women  “need Jesus” , that will not reach those who are currently at a point in their lives where they can’t relate. It also will not reach unwed, pregnant women who we are already terrified of being shunned by their church peers, then are being told by you to  “Repent”  of their wicked ways - left in the limbo of a weighted decision in...

    Written by Rosa Hopkins , Vice President at Life Defenders Also find her at Rosa A. Hopkins  As the soap suds circled before going down the drain, I wondered if any of this was clean.  Soap, an agent of cleaning did not feel clean, as I felt so incredibly stained by living in a homeless shelter.  The stigma could be felt, as the workers' obvious bias pervaded every interaction. I did not feel served; I perceived judgment. The shower was a hiding place, but being wet exposed my heart to fears over cleanliness that I didn't realize I had had.  I had never before felt sullied by a shower. I had a need for space that was more than just a physical separation from the others. I needed mental distance from what was happening in my life and who I considered myself to be. A great chasm had opened up and swallowed me whole. This substrata neither accepted me nor knew what to do with me, and when I had to leave to go to work, the eyes o...