August 25, 1995
HALLELUJAH! JESUS IS ALIVE!
Precious brothers and sisters,
We are rejoicing over the mighty work our heavenly Father has done in these days. Who would have thought just a few weeks ago that the abortion industry would be rattled to its very foundations? Who would have ever dreamed that Ross Perot's "Presidential Forum" would serve as a platform to lift up the Gospel of Christ and allow Congressman Dornan to publicly invite Mr. Perot to be touched by the Savior? Who could possibly have imagined that the poster child of the pro-abortion movement would jump off the poster into the arms of Jesus?
"How can this be, you ask?" A young virgin asked the same question of an angel almost 2,000 years ago. The answer is the same. "Nothing is impossible with God." (LK 1:37)
We are engaged in a battle that has been raging since the Garden of Eden. The Bible calls this the war between two seeds - the seed of the serpent and the seed of the woman (Gen 3:15). Today we see it as a battle between two worldviews. The flash point of this battle, in our nation, is abortion -- the killing of little baby boys and girls. Where will you stand?
Norma McCorvey (Jane Roe) took her stand and gave her heart to Christ on July 22, 1995, at the Hillcrest Church in Dallas, Texas. Pastor Morris Sheets' text that evening was John 3:16. Miss Norma couldn't wait to get to the altar. The heartache of 47 years of being used and abused, making wrong decisions, drug and alcohol abuse, attempts to take her own life, lesbianism - all washed away in one divine moment. Miss Norma had finally come home and the angels in heaven rejoiced - so did we.
She followed her Lord in public baptism on Tuesday evening, August 8th. You saw it on Peter Jennings' ABC News. Peggy Weymeyer of ABC is a good friend of ours and a born again Christian. She promised that she would tell the real story of Norma's conversion and not allow it to become simply a pro-life / pro-choice political football. Peggy accomplished her God given task. We saw Miss Norma kneeling, praying and weeping at an empty playground - empty because of the children killed by abortion. Something she helped usher in. We saw her baptized in the name of Christ and, on Ted Koppel's Nightline, we watched her give public testimony that she belonged to Jesus. The very foundations of hell shook as she dared speak, on national television, that five letter word - J E S U S.
It was an amazing evening, but the excitement was heightened by the fact that twenty-five OR leaders from around the country were with us in Dallas to confront Ross Perot's "Presidential Forum" with the Gospel of Christ. Miss Norma dined with us, in the presence of our Lord, after she bore His testimony on "Nightline." It was a joyous evening as we all stood in awe of what our loving God had done.
Thursday evening was to be the end of Miss Norma's public appearances because she had agreed that it was now time for her to be pulled back and grow in Christ. Unfortunately the media surrounded her house on Friday morning, weaseled its way in, and asked her baited questions. The enemy is always busy attempting to discredit the work of God. She made some statements concerning Connie Gonzales, her live-in partner for twenty-six years, that really hurt all of our hearts. She said she would deny Jesus before she would leave Connie.
We spoke with her afterward and she explained that she did not mean to put Connie before Jesus. Connie has pulled Norma through some very difficult times when nobody else cared whether she lived or died. She was not going to discard Connie like some piece of trash. This is how the media posed the question. God has already, and is even now, purifying this relationship and making Norma a true friend to Connie.
What impact has Miss Norma's conversion had in the ongoing battle between the two seeds? According to most in the pro-abortion movement this change in Norma is simply a little blip on the radar screen. Sarah Weddington, the lead attorney who argued Roe vs. Wade in the Supreme Count, said, "All Norma McCorvey did was sign an affidavit. She was a bit player in a class action suit that gave all women the right to choose, the right to control their own bodies. This is a case about Jane Roe, not about Norma McCorvey."
Sarah Weddington's comments are revealing. Weddington, Michelman, Yard, Ireland, et. al. were always embarrassed of their drug addicted, uneducated, alcoholic, lesbian, carnival barker from the wrong side of the tracks. The Vassar girls always had their snoots so high in the air, they never had time to look down and see the huddled masses or a precious young lady like Norma. Like their predecessor Margaret Sanger, they saw only a cause and never a person. People have never have mattered to the enemy. It is only the cause that is important - his cause
We see Norma's commitment to Christ differently. Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote a little book entitled "Uncle Tom's Cabin". This book shed light on the horrors of slavery and give credence to the humanity of our black brothers and sisters and move the heart of this nation more than anything else. So Norma McCorvey's conversion sheds light on the horrors of the abortion industry and the intolerance, duplicity, and manipulation in the politics of the "pro-choice" movement. Those who have been screaming intolerance the most have been found to be the most intolerant of all.
Now the poster girl for "Choice" has abandoned their sinking ship. They always felt Norma was a loose cannon. She dared to tell the truth on national television that she had never been raped. She told the whole world she was a lesbian. The Vassar girls and the media did their best to cover up Norma's past. Interesting that the media is now trying to uncover what it had previously tried so hard to cover up. Perhaps it is to embarrass the Church of Jesus Christ. But Norma's past is part and parcel of what brought her to Christ in the first place. Norma has nothing to fear from her past, but her former friends in the "pro-choice" movement have everything to fear. They are being found out.
Inside of Miss Norma there has always been a desperate desire to tell the truth no matter how sordid or how embarrassing. What a remarkable virtue. The Vassar girls are absolutely intolerant of this. There is nothing more dangerous to their cause than THE TRUTH!
The "pro-choice" movement is more concerned about its cause and the mythical Jane Roe, but our God is concerned about the person and the flesh and bones of Norma McCorvey. This is what Norma found so attractive about Christianity. Somebody really cared about her no matter how sordid her past. Jesus is truly the friend of sinners!
Norma's conversion to Christ did not happen in an instant. Our God has been dealing with her for years. Twenty-five years ago she chose death when she met with Sarah Weddington and Linda Coffee at Columbo's Pizza in Dallas, Texas. What began in that pizza parlor in 1970 and ultimately became Roe vs. Wade on January 22, 1973, has now swung full circle back to Dallas. Norma was once again faced with a choice. This time she chose life and is safely in the arms of her Savior, Jesus Christ.
Miss Norma has met our Lord in the year of His favor and now he will:
"... bestow on her a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. She will be called an oak of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of His splendor. She will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long desolated." Isa 61:3-4
It is our prayer that Miss Norma's conversion will inspire the people of God to see that abortion is a symptom of a far deeper problem which has no political solution. Abortion is preeminently a Gospel issue. It is a battle between two seeds or two worldviews. One says that man is the center of his universe and determines for himself what is right and what is wrong, who lives and who dies. The other worldview says that God is the creator of the universe. He tells us what is right and what is wrong, who lives and who dies.
One world view emphasizes personal rights, the other personal responsibility. One demands, "my rights, my body, my choice", the other, "... not my will but thine be done."
The question is, whose laws will reign .... mans or Gods?
All ethical, moral, political, and religious battles fought this century and throughout the gamut of human history can be traced to this battle raging between two seeds.
In the 19th century this battle most clearly manifested itself in our country over the issue of slavery. In the 20th century it is most vividly manifesting itself over the issue of abortion.
Where one stands on this issue will determine where he stands on every other issue.
It is incumbent upon all of us as Christians to press those running for office and cause them to stand on the paramount issue of our day - LIFE! Ross Perot tried to tiptoe around it and got caught. He would not allow the abortion issue to be discussed on the convention floor. He removed Dr. Alan Keys' booth from his hallowed hall because Dr. Keys and his people dared show the truth about what abortion does to children. We took the battle to the streets lifting up "Jesus as our standard."
Over 500 Christians gathered at a local abortion mill in Dallas where we heard Bishop Charles Grahmann of the Catholic Diocese and Dr. Alan Keys proclaim life at the very gates of Hell.
Later in the morning we gathered at City Hall where Bay Buchannan, Congressman Dornan, and Dr. Alan Keys exhorted us to continue standing for JESUS and His children. We thank God for true statesmen like these.
The very issue that Mr. Perot attempted to dodge became "the issue" of his entire "Presidential Forum." Mr. Perot was a pawn used by Almighty God to prepare the way for God's children to lift up Jesus as the Standard at the upcoming Republican National Convention in San Diego, California.
"The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord; He directs it like a watercourse wherever He pleases." Pr 21:1
Are we having an effect in this battle? You know we are. We will tell you more about it next month.
UPCOMING EVENTS:
-Sidewalk Counselors Retreat: October 20-22, 1995 at Saddle Rock Camp in Mentone, Alabama. We are encouraging all sidewalk counselors from everywhere to join us for a time of refreshing in our Lord's presence. Please call Patty or Terry Gensmer (205) 798-8209.
-HLI Regional Conference September 15-17, 1995 in Richardson, TX. Please call (214) 296-8608 for more information.
-We are presently being evicted from our office. God brought us here for a purpose, a portion of which we have already seen fulfilled. This is just one of the upcoming events we thought might capture your interest. Please keep us in your prayers.
Praise the Living God,
Flip