Back in January, I gave my first Sunday sermon at Hope Chapel. Many of you came out to hear my “first real sermon” and I really appreciate your support. Even though that was the Sunday all the church leaders were out on a retreat, the sanctuary was full. Thank you.

The sermon was about the most mysterious woman in the old testament. We don’t even know her name but she wrote one of the most famous passages in the Bible. Curious? You will have to listen to the sermon to find out who she was. Or read Jim Davis’ notes below.

The first service I completely fell on my face technologically. I forgot my VGA adapter and even when someone in the congregation had one the projector completely failed to work. I have never in my life had a technical failure so catastrophic in front of so many people. The sound guy gracefully cut the first few frantic minutes of the sermon from the recording.

Listen/Watch

• Listen to the recording of the first service (right click and then click save as).
• Watch the video from the second service (right click and then click save as).

Here are the notes put together by Jim Davis. He created the notes for small group discussion.

Lesson

Satan intends to kill the current generation of God’s people and destroy the mission God has given them, but God heals and protects His children.

Text(s)/Resources

• Proverbs 31:1-9, Matthew 28:19-20, and Psalms 139
• AlmightyMusicVideo.com

Ice-Breaker:

1. Have you experienced an interest/hobby consuming large amounts of your time? Dominating your interests and thinking?
2. Have you felt an “adventure-shaped” hole in your heart, your thinking? Do you long for a more interesting/exciting life?

Background:

Proverbs 31 is famous for its description of a competent woman, but the first 9 verses are the words of a mysterious (unnamed) woman, the mother of King Lemuel. She speaks to her son, who is (or will be) a king. Notice that she has advice, feedback for him, but she speaks from the perspective of her listener. She speaks to his identify, before she speaks about what she thinks he should do. Rather than admonishing him to avoid a failure she anticipates, she speaks to his identify and encourages him to live up to the level of who he is.

Satan is the opposite. He would have his hearers forget who they are: children of God Almighty. Rather than encourage, Satan seeks to steal, kill and destroy.

Point 1 of 3: Steal. Thomas shared that as a child he loved computer games. They consumed his interests and time. Near the time he was finishing high school, an older brother (Lester Haines) spoke a word to him: “It is time for you to be about your Father’s business.” Thomas knew (though perhaps Lester did not) that his life was oriented in large degree around gaming, to near-addictive levels. The addition to activities can be very similar to drug and other addictions. So Thomas understood God to be telling him to  give up gaming.

Thomas further understood that he wanted adventure and that gaming attempted to fill the “adventure-shaped” hole in his heart. Soon after this word was given him, Thomas began to experience the adventure of evangelism. Sharing the gospel with others was scary. But riding a roller coaster is scary. That is why one rides them. The scariness is an adventure, the ride is exhilarating. The enemy would steal true adventure from us. Don’t let him.

Point 2 of 3: Kill. The mysterious woman of Proverbs 31:1-9 told her son to avoid drinking, a metaphor for forgetting one’s role. She told him to live up to the levels required/expected of a king and to protect and speak for those who are helpless. Today, the mute and helpless are the unborn. 1 in 3 Christian woman have an abortion. These women are much more likely to suffer psychological disorders later and experience shame, guilt, and brokenness because they are unable to seek forgiveness and healing.  Babies are killed and mother’s souls are grievously wounded.

Point 3 of 3: Destroy our mission. God intends this generation to make a difference, to carry out His purposes. To take actions and/or speak out. Failure to do so results from apathy. Apathy means “hard heart.” In this generation there is a word “meh.” Meh can be defined as a verbal shrugging of the shoulders and it is growing more widespread. At a time when we should be embracing the mission of going into the entire earth to share good news, the enemy promotes the response of meh — because he wants to destroy this generation’s mission.

Digging Deeper:

• What has been stolen from you? What are you now missing that you believe you previously possessed and used?
• What is your current identity? Who are you?
• What adventure calls to you? What stops you from pursuing it?
• What can others you trust do for you to help you recover your identify and mission?

Wrap-Up:

• Pray for each other to encourage recovery of identify in Christ
• Pray for each other for forgiveness and healing of secret shames and guilt.
• Prayerfully remind each other that all need saving and as we are able to give Jesus our guilt and shame, He is faithful to give us joy and life, healing and wholeness.

Outreach/Mission:

• We are not all called to be involved in every area of outreach. Some may seek to help the homeless, some others seek to help the unborn. What jazzes you? Think of a person whom you really hope will recover what has been stolen from them. What could you say to, or do for, that person this week?
• Do you want more information, or training, in the area of sharing good news? Who can you ask to teach you, or partner with you? Plan to speak with that person.

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My dad woke up one day and decided to make a Pro-Life music video. Little did I know the inescapable whirlwind his decision would produce.

More than 40 people worked for over two months to create what you can watch here. A Pro-Life video that I feel is a true representation of what really happens.

There are a few cameos by yours truly. My favorite is the coffee shop scene (1:45 in the video). In that scene you can see me in the background building the website the video is now embedded on. We almost broke the space time continuum I think

My dad, Tom Umstattd, wrote the song and played the guitars. The actors all came from the Austin Rhetoric Club. I tried out for the boyfriend but did not make the cut. The director, Alex Lerma, said I wasn’t be mean enough.

Our hope is that this video will re-energize the church to be actively pro-life. If it saves even one baby it will be a successes. The more it spreads the more impact it can have. Would you share  a link to the video on Facebook? Would you be willing to forward it to a friend?

What did you think when you first saw it? Was it what you were expecting? Leave a comment and let us know.

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It’s that time of year again. Here is a recap of what happened to me in 2010, plus a scoring of my new years predictions.

2010 Predictions

Here are the predictions I made a year ago, along with a score of how I did.

1. Republicans will gain control of the house of representatives. (I nailed this one)
2. Democrats will hold on to the Senate. (Got this one too)
3. Rick Perry will be reelected Governor (Three out of three so far)
4. Debra Medina will get over 15% of the vote. (Despite Glen Becks’ ambush, Medina got 18% of the vote.)
5. Old fashioned publishers will start to get gobbled by trendier conglomerates. And for an extra point I am predicting that Thomas Nelson will by Harvest House. (I don’t know of this happening.)
6. The Apple Tablet will actually ship. It will be amazing and I will buy one  (It shipped, it was awesome and I bought one. I just missed the name.)
7. The Google Andriod platform will gain 20% market share. (As of October Android had 23% of the smartphone market according to ComScore)
8. The big product for 2010 will be the Kindle and the price will drop to $99 and sales of digital books will soar to over 70% of Amazon’s book sales. (The Kindle dropped from $259 to $139 so I almost got this one. )
9. Google Chrome will gain 25% market shake but the mac version will still be in Beta. (Didn’t’ quite get this one. Chrome only has 20% market share.)
10. The Tea party will start to emerge as an actual party but will not put any candidates on the 2010 ballot. Look for tea party candidates in 2012. (I think I got this one. What do you think?)

My score for 2010 is 7.5 out of 10 which is an improvement over last year.  My score for 2009 was 4 out of 9.

Rick Green

I spent the beginning of 2010 working to get Rick Green elected to the Texas Supreme Court. While he won the primary he lost in the runoff. Dave Lieber, a journalist from the Fort Worth Star Telegram, interviewed me about the election.

You can read the interview here.

Umstattd Media

Shortly after the campaign ended, I hired Hannah Hill to come work with me at Umstattd Media. Recently Cynthia Umstattd and Samantha Fagan have also joined the Umstattd Media team. Paul Hastings also jumps in when we need his special brand of awesome.

Umstattd Media has grown to over 100 clients. We have had the honor of building websites for some national figures like Claire Culwell, Abby Johnson and Mary DeMuth.

Austin Coalition for Life

My main focus for 2010 has been the pro-life movement. I was blessed to have a position on the Austin Coalition for Life Leadership Team. I got to help them with strategy, online marketing and even got to speak at several churches encouraging folks to participate in the 40 Days for Life.

I also worked with the Austin Rhetoric Club to fight Travis County Tax Funded Abortions. The photo above is my sister Cynthia testifying before the Central Health Board. You can watch the video of her speech here.

I worked with the Texas Alliance for Life to help them boost their Facebook page from 2500 fans to over 10,000 fans. The now have one of the biggest pro-life pages on Facebook.

Speaking

I feel that my mission in life is to “Help the Church use technology to advance the Kingdom. Until the seasons change.” This is my calling and my passion.

I love teaching. I speak for pay and I speak for free. Any chance to help the church use technology is a win for me. This year I have spoken between 30 and 40 times around the country. This photo is of a talk I gave at the C.S. Lewis Conference. I have also been on the radio four or five times mostly for pro-life stuff.

Almighty Music Video

My dad woke up one morning and decided to make a music video. At first I did not take him seriously but now I have been swept into the whirlwind.

What at first appeared to be a small project has become a massive undertaking involving dozens of people and thousands of hours of work. I hope to be able to share more with you about this project soon.

Advent Conspiracy

The Umstattd Family Advent Conspiracy went very well. I was a bit nervous leading into it, but it ended up being much more joyful and fun than Christmases in the past. We were able to throw a Christmas party which we had not been able to do in past years.

• John, my youngest brother, said that it was, “the best Christmas ever.”
• William said,  ”It was fun. We got/had to sleep in. We got less but better presents. I got a guitar and this blog.”
• My mom said, “The changes we made this year really were great. Everyone seems happier, less stressed, and able to enjoy one another more. We have been able to reach out to others more as well.”

Single

The most frequent question I get from older folks is “Are you seeing anyone.” I find it amusing how many different ways they ask without asking. The older I get the more I hear this question. The answer is “no.”  I have spent all of 2010 as a bachelor. The rumors of me getting engaged, while flattering, are untrue.

I realize my singleness is mostly my fault. I have spent most of my time working either on Umstattd Media or Pro-Life stuff. I haven’t spent the time taking care of myself like I should. I also have not spent much time with evangelical singles. I am fishing in a small pond.

God is teaching me contentment. I have learned that I don’t mind living on my own and that I don’t know as much as I think I do about relationships. Or about women for that matter

Looking Forward to 2011

I am optimistic about the new year. I hope to spend more time on my book Digital Cancer and actually ship it this year. I’m encouraged that Umstattd Media is starting to grow. I would like to thank all of you for standing with me and praying for me during this last season.

Tune in next week for my new years predictions for 2011.

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For those of you who follow this blog you know that I endorsed Rick Perry back in September. So why would I now vote for Medina?

Enough people have asked me this question that I have decided to answer it here.

The strategic reason to back Medina.

In the political world there are two types of people: pragmatists and idealists.

Idealists are true believers.

Idealists have a political philosophy and their first loyalty is to that philosophy. They don’t compromise often and you can find them on the far ends of the isle. Public opinion does not sway them. Writing them does little good for their minds are made up.

Pragmatists want to get things done.

Pragmatists are drawn to power like a fat man to a Chinese buffet. They generally pick whatever party has the majority. If the party in power switches look for them to change parties as well.

You can get a pragmatist to make good policy but you generally have to pressure him first. He has to know enacting good policy will increase his power.

Right now Kay Bailey Hutchinson is one of the last of the Pro-Roe v Wade Republicans. Her existence makes pragmatic republicans feel safe waffling on abortion just like Kay does. The dance is always the same: Talk pro-life in the primary… avoid the issue after that.

If Medina gets more votes than Hutchinson it marks the end of Pro-Roe republicans in Texas. Kay Bailey Hutchinson is one of the best known Texas politicians ever. Medina is a no name from a small Texas town no one has heard of. A big reason Kay is falling behind is because she is Pro-Roe.

This has happened before.

When William Wilberforce’s bill to abolish the slave trade finally passed, it was by a 283 to 16 landslide. Why after 20 years of failure would the bill pass by so much? Wilberforce, the idealists finally got enough weight on his side. The pragmatist politicians realized they would get more power by voting for abolition. They all flopped over to his side all at once.

What will happen if Medina makes the run off? The pragmatists will see they can get more power when they are pro-life. They will flop over to the life side of the teeter totter. This may give us the weight we need to see real change.

We are talking state and nation wide implications here.

What I like about Medina.

I like how:

• Medina is a true believer in life, liberty & property.
• Medina has breathed new life into the Republican Party.
• Medina answered the questions in the debates.
• Medina is well studied. People criticize her lack of experience but never her lack of knowledge. She knows her stuff.
• Medina is an idealist.

I still like Perry.

While the cronyism and forcing STD vaccinations on 12 year old girls makes me squeamish, I generally like Rick Perry.

Every year however cold or empty he always speaks at the Texas Rally for Life. Perry is a true believer in life, regardless of his other shortcomings. Rick is also a family friend and a great guy. I fully intend to vote for him in November, assuming he wins the primary which I expect he will.

What do you think?

• Who do you plan to vote for?
• Why?
• Do you think a Medina/Perry run off will tip the balance of power pro-life?

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Someone recently asked me what the point was to all these pro-life marches. We have marched a lot in recent weeks so the question is valid. I would like to submit the following 5 reasons why we should march and rumble for life.

Marching Encourages our Leaders

One of the challenges of leadership is that the higher you rise the more out of touch you become. Leaders rely on the media to clue them in on what the people think. The media makes it look like no one cares about life but a handful of cooks.

When we march we remind our leaders we stand behind them when they stand for life. We give them the courage to push for change.

Marching Changes Hearts

You should have seen the faces of those who watch pro-life marches and rumbles. 40 Days for Life has seen hearts changed and lives saved all over the world through marches and vigils.

Marching Inspires Prayer

There is something powerful that happens to your heart when you put life tape on. Somehow it makes prayer easier and it breaks your heart. I am a big advocate for praying out loud but sometimes silent prayer is powerful too.

The more we march, the more we will pray.

Marching Inspires Action

Inviting friends to a march is a great way to move them from apathy to action. From doing nothing to to doing something. Without a march it would be harder to get people to care enough about life to do something other than harden their hearts.

Marching Earns Attention

The media loves to cover events like marches and rumbles. The more we focus the attention of the nation on this atrocity the more they will be forced to take action. Martin Luther King Jr. knew this.

We must march if we want to see a change. You can’t change the world from your couch.

What do you think?

• Do you come to Pro-life marches? Why or why not?
• What would need to happen to get you to show up?
• Are you afraid to take a stand for life?
• What have the pro-life events that you have attended been like? Would they encourage you to come again?

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There are some issues that define a generation. For our grandfathers that issue was the Nazi slaughter of the Jews. For their grandfathers the issue was slavery. Our generation faces a similar defining issue. Will you be remembered as those who stood up or vegged out?

Please watch this 2 minute video:

Because of abortion there are 100,000 fewer black Americans each year than the year before. This must stop. Their blood cries out from the ground for justice. God’s wrath will not wait forever. If we do not stand in the gap and intercede for our nation who will?

This morning I heard Lue Engle speak here in Austin for the first time. I wept.

If you know me you know I don’t often cry. But, my heart broke this morning. If you have a few minutes it would bless me  if you would take the time to listen to the message he gave this morning. You can download it here. To copy the mp3 to your computer or iPod download the zip here.

The following information is from an email Jana sent me about the march next week. I will be there. I hope you will come too.

The Crisis

The Second largest abortion clinic in the world is being built at this present moment in Houston, Texas. This six-story Planned Parenthood abortion “super center” is right in the middle of four (4) “super neighborhoods.” Three average to 85% Latino in population and the other is 85% African American.

Planned Parenthood is targeting these minority pro-family communities, both for their finances and the restriction of their populations. But, there is a voice rising out of Houston and out of Texas, declaring, “We don’t want this death camp specializing in late-term abortions in our neighborhoods!”

On Martin Luther King Jr.’s holiday, January 18th, 2010, thousands are gathering to march against this Goliath to pray, fast, and peacefully siege this massive injustice in the spirit of that great liberator Martin Luther King Jr. Key African American, Latino, and political leaders are coming to speak and hold a nationwide press conference challenging this “super center.”

This is a great hour for the Hispanic pro-LIFE people, Catholic and Evangelical, to raise their voices against abortion and for adoption. Public opinion over abortion is shifting radically in America to pro-LIFE at the same time this facility is exalting itself above the humble and oppressed.

We are entering into the 37th anniversary of the “Roe V. Wade” abortion decree of 1973 on January 22, 2010. We are in a ’73/’37 window to reverse that decree. It started in Texas, now let it begin to reverse there.

The Call

We are calling for the pro-LIFE people of Houston, Texas, and America to gather Sunday night, January 17th, 2010 for four hours of prayer for spiritual awakening and justice, from 6:00pm to 10:00pm at Grace Community Church.

On this evening, 1/17, we will be unifying with one voice before God to pray for the Luke 1:17 answer to the killing of our babies and the wounding of our women – “And he will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and the rebellious to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

The Call Info:

• When: Sunday, January 17th Location @ 6:00PM:
• Where: Grace Community Church South Campus
  • 14505 Gulf Freeway
  • Houston, TX 77034 (map)

Parking on Sunday is limited. Please carpool.

The Siege

On January 18th, at 9:00am on Martin Luther King Jr.’s holiday, we will gather by the thousands to launch a silent prayer march through the streets to the abortion “super center” for the nationwide press conference and prayer stand.

As Martin Luther King Jr. would proclaim it – It is time to “subpoena the conscience” of the nation from the flashpoint of Houston, Texas. Maybe Houston could become the Birmingham of our day to let the unborn go free and spare the pregnant mother the agony of guilt. Maybe out of Houston a great demonstration of compassion could be launched through pregnant mother care with a mass movement of adoption.

Martin Luther King Jr. cried, “I have a dream”. Alveda King, the niece of Martin Luther King Jr., has eloquently stated, “How can the dream live as long as we kill our children?” God has a dream. He has a dream for America and He has a dream for every mother and every child and a six-story massive abortion facility has never been a part of that dream. Lets end the nightmare and let the dream live.

March on Planned Parenthood

• When: Monday, January 18th Location @ 9:30 AM:
• Where: Catholic Charismatic Center
  • 1949 Cullen Blvd.
  • Houston, TX 77023 (Map)

Parking on Monday is limited. Please carpool.

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My Sister and friends praying after the vote. Photo by Austin American Statesman.

We felt and still feel that this was a battle we could win. Harris County recently stopped funding abortions and we are sure Travis County will follow suit.

What Happened

About a dozen folks from ARC and half a dozen from my Monday Night Prayer group came to speak and pray for life. Of the 18 of us who registered to speak only Minda got the chance.  Of the 49 who registered to speak they council only let 12 speak.

Of the people who testified many of the Pro-Lifers shared stories of how abortion had devastated their lives. Minda shared how Abortion is very much like slavery because of the depersonification of human persons that is used to justify it.

Most of the Pro-Choice speakers were middle aged women many of whom would receive a cut of the $450,000 that the counsel was about to dull out. Generation Y, my generation, is fed up with getting killed off by greedy, self centered Baby Boomers.

In the end the vote was unanimous to approve the abortion funding for one more year.

Why I’m Encouraged

The people on the left are pro-choice. The people on the right are in line to speak for life.

We will be back. If the enemy thinks he can discourage us into inaction he has grossly underestimated the power of the Holy Spirit and the persistence of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ.

The left is used to us going away when we loose (or win for that matter). This trend is over. We are not going anywhere.  We are already starting to organize for next year and we will get so many more people involved that they can’t help but hear us.

Also, we are going to start engaging in the small local elections that impact this board. So few people vote for City Council and County Commissioners Court that it will not be hard to impact the vote.

We are going to find pro-life candidates, fund those candidates and elect those candidates.

10 Ways You Can Fight Tax Funded Abortions in Austin

There is a lot we can do to fight this.

1. Sign up for the Texas Alliance for Life newsletter.This will keep you up to date.
2. Get your friends registered to vote. I was able to get 10 people in my prayer group registered to vote. Just got by the library and get some voters registration cards and get your friends to register where they live.
3. Become a fan of TAL on Facebook. This will keep you in the loop.
4. Pray & Fast. The battle is a spiritual one as much as anything else.
5. Suggest the TAL page to your friends. Important! Texas Alliance for Life is the organization that helps get the word out. When you sign up you will get location specific instructions and updates.
6. Read the Strategy for the abolition of abortion. It will give you more details for how you can get involved.
7. Vote in Pro-Life county commissioners and city council members. These elections have tiny turnouts and it wont be hard for us to sway the numbers.
8. Move to Austin. One challenge is the pro-life people have moved out of the town to be around people like them. This has given the land to the pro-aborts. I live in Austin for a reason.
9. Donate to Texas Alliance for Life. They need money to fight for the unborn. The City gives Abortion Providers more $ than TALs entire budget. Where you money is your heart will be also. If each of my blog readers gave $50 we could raise $50,000.
10. Find pro-life videos on YouTube and share them on Facebook. Get the word out. Don’t let people ignore the problem.

We will be back!

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Every election cycle people ask me who I support for for various positions. I haven’t decidided on many of the offices yet but one Gov has one clear choice: Rick Perry. I have met him several times and while we don’t agree on everything one thing is for sure: he is Pro-Life and Pro Homeschooling and Pro Technology. Unlike the pretend republicans (cough Key Bailout Hutchison cough) running against him.

Perry is one of the few conservatives who “gets” Twitter. He doesn’t just outsource it to young staffers. He uses it well and other technologies too. If we want to continue to thrive as a state we need leaders who are forward thinking without compromising their principles. I am thankful to have a governor with such a rare and special mix.

Perry is not a perfect candidate but he is by far the best pick. The perfect candidate does not exist so if you hold off for perfection you will never accomplish anything.

Kay Bailout Hutchison

Kay Bailout is a Pro-Choice and Big Government Rino (Republican in Name Only).

• She talks like she’s fiscally conservative but she’s not.
• She talks like she’s pro life, but she’s not.
• She brings home as much bacon for Texas as she can. Which might seem nice for Texas but it is bad for America. Pork for us is still pork and pork is bad. I am glad she is running for Governor but only because it will bring her home from Washington.

Debra Medina is another conservative running but she lacks the experience to do a good job. You must be faithful in little before you can be given more and she has yet to serve even as a State Representative. Perry has the experience and is clearly the best person for the job.

I would like to ask you to support Perry. I’m not just asking for your vote. I’m asking you for $5. Below is a form where you can contribute to his campaign. If I raise the most money I get to have lunch with him which would be cool. But raising money for him is a win for Texas even if I don’t win this competition.

Most of you have probably never contributed to a campaign before. This is a great time to start. $5 is not a lot of money but it can add up when we all pitch in.

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Generation Y, my generation, is much more pro life than Generation X and the Baby Boomer generation. I can’t wait for the male baby boomer pro-life establishment to be augmented and replaced by young women.

From a public speaking standpoint I want to point out some observations.

• Lia has a great original introduction that grabs your attention and sets up the rest of the talk.
• Lia uses short stories to impact her argument.
• Lia doesn’t get bogged down in citing sources although she could briefly mention a few more particularly right before her statistical barrage towards the end.
• Lia kept her message short.  If this talk were 10 minutes long she may have only received a few thousand views. As it is it has already received over 500k views.
• Lia could have impacted the numbers a bit more. She shares a few statistics and the millions tend to get lost.What is the difference between 10 million and 45 million. Without impact they are both just big numbers.
• Lia is authentic. This video would not have been as powerful if delivered by a 12 year old boy.
• Lia is passionate without sounding extreme.
• Lia is cute. Her attractiveness fosters attention.  Conservatives often overlook the importance of physical appearance in the arena of ideas. We prefer hard facts and cold reason. We get defeated by good looking actors who tell stories. Is it stupid? Sure. But its how the world works.
• Lia stays focused on the main point and does not get distracted on side issues.

Those are my thoughts on the video. What do you think?

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Everyone once in a while a short film like this comes along. Volition is short, well made and powerful. If you havent seen it yet stop whatever you are doing and watch it right now. Its that good.

For those of you who have already watched it what did you think?

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People like the Public Figure . She is attractive, eloquent and convincing. She looks good on camera and people like to listen to her even when they disagree. The agitator on the other hand is that person people love to hate but can’t ignore.

Let me explain before you pass judgment.

The default state for most people is apathy. They need to feel uncomfortable before they will act. Agitators make people uncomfortable. They incite action. Effective movements know how to offend people into action. The Sons of Liberty did this when they dumped tea into Boston Harbor. They offended all of England and it worked.

Strangely, people like getting offended. Rap music is popular partly because it is so offensive. Why else would Howard Stern be so popular if he were not so offensive? Offensive people make the news because they are interesting. Offending people can be effective but it can also be disastrous. The pro-life movement must learn to harness this powerful tool without misusing it.

The key to effective agitation is to manage and focus the offense on the injustice, not the campaign to alleviate the injustice. This is an art we have yet to learn.

Our Founding Fathers used a one-two punch agitation tactic. Benjamin Franklin, a Public Figure and a later Floor Champion, condemned the Boston Tea Party and said that the tea should be repaid. This sort of talk redirected the agitation away from patriotism and towards the British. The Boston Tea Party forced the British hand and ultimately solidified the revolutionary cause among the colonies.

Another key with public agitation is to agitate the right people. The Boston Tea Party caused the British to blockade Boston Harbor, which magnified and exemplified British oppression. This agitated the other colonies who had to give up their food to keep Boston from starving.

In the movie Amazing Grace, William Wilberforce didn’t take his opponents to go smell the slave ships. He took his supporters. If we want the pro-life base to act we must make them uncomfortable.  Instead of showing bloody fetus pictures to pro-choice people, we should show those pictures at church. The goal of the agitator is simple: keep the base from apathy.

We are talking about pastors who put an aborted fetus in a glass jar on the pulpit and then preach a sermon about what it really means to be pro-life.

Agitators must communicate with the Architect so that their actions fit within the overall strategy. Otherwise, their actions could cause more harm than good. And most of all he must listen to the Heavenly Architect. God is the ultimate strategist.

I don’t think it would be a good idea for the Public Agitator and the Public Figure to be officially associated. In fact, a certain amount of animosity may be helpful, though it wouldn’t be necessary. Our bodies work together even though if you were to put a brain cell in your stomach the stomach would destroy it. There is a difference between getting along and working together.

What do you think?

If you have any questions or comments, we would love to hear from you. Leave me a comment or send me an email. If you would like to comment on any post in particular here they are:

• Introduction
• Public Figure
• Floor Champion
• Hill Agitator
• Public Agitator
• Financial Backer
• Denominational Coordinator
• The Architect & Baby Steps
• Minutemen
• Conclusion
• Full PDF

Related posts:

1. Public Figure (Abolition of Abortion) Successful movements often have a Public Figure who represents the...
2. Hill Agitator (Abolition of Abortion) The agitator is the tireless force for change. This person,...
3. A Strategy for the Abolition of Abortion (Introduction) What would the pro-life movement look life if William Wilberforce...

If all of these characters have one thing in common, it is devotion. We know little of true devotion today. Many of our founders suffered financial loss and even death in the pursuit of liberty. William Wilberforce gave up his life for the cause of Abolition. Those devoted to abolishing abortion must be willing to do the same.

Devotion means full commitment: money, time, energy, everything. God is not calling everyone to devote their lives to the pro-life movement. There are other noble causes. But, He is calling a special few. If you are still reading this pamphlet you may be among that number.

If you don’t feel called to devote your life to this cause, please do something. Become a minuteman. It is unthinkable to stand by and do nothing while a generation is murdered.

The most important thing you can do is to pray. Scripture makes it clear that this is a spiritual battle that we face. It will be won – or lost – in the heavenlies as the forces of darkness contend with the forces of light. The prayers of God’s people are vital.

Ask yourself if you are willing to devote your life to this cause. More importantly, ask the Lord if he is calling you to devote your life speaking for the defenseless. If He is, get your bow and let’s kill this dragon.

What do you think?

If you have any questions or comments, we would love to hear from you. Leave me a comment or send me an email. If you would like to comment on any post in particular here they are:

• Introduction
• Public Figure
• Floor Champion
• Hill Agitator
• Public Agitator
• Financial Backer
• Denominational Coordinator
• The Architect & Baby Steps
• Minutemen
• Conclusion
• Full PDF

Related posts:

1. Minutemen (Abolition of Abortion) Not everyone is called to advance the cause of the...
2. Public Figure (Abolition of Abortion) Successful movements often have a Public Figure who represents the...
3. Public Agitator (Abolition of Abortion) The Hill Agitator is agitating on Capital Hill, influencing elected...

Not everyone is called to advance the cause of the unborn full time. Nor does everyone need to. One of the things that most helped the war for independence was the host of part time volunteers called minutemen. These men were ready at a moments notice to show up where they were needed. They were willing to do anything even lay down their lives if need be.

If you are not called to serve full time here are some part time things you can do:

1. Pray for the Pro Life movement. Pray that it will make headway soon. Pray for its leadership.
2. Vote for and support Pro Life candidates at all levels of government. Often elected officials move up the political ladder. So even though they cannot enact change at present, they might at some point in the future. The more elected officials we have on our side, the greater the possibility of getting legislation favorable to the Pro Life cause passed, signed, enacted and upheld.
3. Donate to Pro Life causes.
4. Support pro-life businesses whose proceeds fund (at least in part) a Pro Life organization.
5. Request or donate Pro Life books and videos to local, libraries.
6. Befriend a woman who has had an abortion. Many women regret their decision to abort. Even if they don’t, abortion leaves deep scars on the mothers. It seems that we will get further in our cause, if we can compassionately win over as many as possible. A number of abortion-turned-life-advocates would definitely make people (including elected officials) sit up and take notice.
7. Contact elected officials about pro-life legislation and sign pro-life petitions. Imagine what would happen if we had a host of part time pro-life lobbyists. There are a number of pro-life organizations that can keep you informed about what is going on politically and who to contact when.
8. Write a thank you note to pro-life leaders. It will encourage them to keep up the good work and encourage them to vote that way again.
9. Encourage your church to observe Sanctity of Human Life Sunday which is the third Sunday in January.
10. Write regarding pro-life issues either as a letter to the editor, an email forward or a blog post.

No one can do everything. But everyone can do something. No contribution is too small.

What do you think?

If you have any questions or comments, we would love to hear from you. Leave me a comment or send me an email. If you would like to comment on any post in particular here they are:

• Introduction
• Public Figure
• Floor Champion
• Hill Agitator
• Public Agitator
• Financial Backer
• Denominational Coordinator
• The Architect & Baby Steps
• Minutemen
• Conclusion
• Full PDF

Related posts:

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2. Public Figure (Abolition of Abortion) Successful movements often have a Public Figure who represents the...
3. Public Agitator (Abolition of Abortion) The Hill Agitator is agitating on Capital Hill, influencing elected...

The Architect is the one that works behind the scenes, strategizing and keeping everyone working together. Not being in the middle of the fray helps the Architect keep a healthy perspective. For the Abolition Movement one of the Architects was James Stephen .

In 1806, roughly 20 years after Wilberforce started his floor fight, the abolition movement had made little to no progress. Stephen came up with some great ideas about how to limit slavery without abolishing it.

As these ideas slowly turned into law, they weakened the pro-slavery position by draining money from their cause and morale from their hearts. The weakened slave traders had less political capital to give to pro-slavery Members of Parliament.

Is any of this sounding familiar? The pro-life movement is just beginning to learn these tactics. God gave bits and pieces of insight and strategic vision to different people in both movements acting as the chief architect.

The more the other figures work with the architect the more effective everyone will be. The Architect functions as brain of the movement, the Agitator the heart, and the Public Figure the face. We all need each other if we want to see real change.

Baby Steps

When it comes to strategy here are some intermediary steps we can take while we wait for the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade.

1. Funding ban – The Government should never give money to Planned Parenthood or any other abortion provider. Period. Planned Parenthood admits to receiving more than $336 million in government grants and contracts from the state and federal levels. This is unthinkable. Of all the places to cut government spending this is an easy place to start. We need to hit PP in the pocketbook by removing tax dollars from their war arsenal. Using federal funds to kill fetuses does not secure the blessings of liberty to our posterity. It impoverishes the nation, kills our children and breaks the hearts of mothers.
2. Abortion tax – Abortion hurts women emotionally and physically. The state has to pay many of the costs that stem from abortion and so it only makes sense for reproductive clinics to pay taxes to compensate the state for the costs incurred by their actions. An abortion tax would cause the cost of conducting an abortion to go up.  The golden rule of politics is: taxes discourage, subsidies encourage.
3. School Ban – Abortion clinic workers should not teach special sexual education classes. Ever. In her book Blood Money former abortion provider Carol Everett talks about how she would guest lecture to sex ed classes and then have a box of free condoms for the students to take. She knew they would stuff the condoms into pockets and purses harming their effectiveness and then become sexually active. It got to the point where she knew about how many girls would get pregnant after each talk and how many would come to her for an abortion. This is one of the ways abortion providers market themselves. It needs to stop now.
4. Health Regulation – Many abortion clinics have horrible sanitation when it comes to the tools that they use. Heavy regulations regarding cleaning, training and facilities could add to the cost of abortion and give reason for governmental agencies to close down offending clinics. This will also make the abortion providers look even more barbaric as they defend their right to provide “dirty abortions.”
5. Advertising Regulation – Cigarettes were deemed dangerous for society and so we do not allow tobacco companies to advertise them to children. I think we should do the same to abortion providers. They should not be allowed to put up billboards where minors are allowed to see them.
6. Lawsuits – We should open up laws for women to sue abortion clinics for emotional and physical harm. Abortion providers should have to pay for the effects of Post Abortive Trauma. They manipulate women into making decision that they regret for the rest of their lives. These lawsuits would drain money from the pro-choice movement and raise public awareness about the side effects of abortion. If we can sue tobacco companies, we should be able to sue Planned Parenthood.

If you have any questions or comments, we would love to hear from you. Leave me a comment or send me an email.

What do you think?

If you have any questions or comments, we would love to hear from you. Leave me a comment or send me an email. If you would like to comment on any post in particular here they are:

• Introduction
• Public Figure
• Floor Champion
• Hill Agitator
• Public Agitator
• Financial Backer
• Denominational Coordinator
• The Architect & Baby Steps
• Minutemen
• Conclusion
• Full PDF

Related posts:

1. Public Figure (Abolition of Abortion) Successful movements often have a Public Figure who represents the...
2. Conclusion & Full Abolition of Abortion PDF Download the PDF If all of these characters have one...
3. Floor Champion (Abolition of Abortion) The Floor Champion fights on the congressional floor for the...

The Left has some significant financial backers. Ted Turner gives millions if not billions to progressive causes and he leverages his multi billion-dollar media empire to advance a liberal worldview via movies, news, TV and the internet. But we are not unfunded. Our Leader owns the cattle on a thousand hills and He speaks to millions of people in His heavenly empire.

As a pro-life movement, we need people who are willing to acquire and leverage fast fortunes to advance the pro-life cause. Like the other positions, this takes true devotion.

We need elderly people to will their fortunes to protect the next generation. We need churches to contribute to pregnancy care centers. We need people to buy or build media empires that can offer free publicity to pro-life organizations.  We need to use the financial resources that God has given us to advance His purposes. The pro-life movement always seems to be hurting for money and this should not be. God has blessed us with great wealth. We need to put it to good use.

Denominational Coordinator

Almost every denomination, with the exception of the Quakers, and the Church of England, backed the war for independence. Pastors preached on liberty and the whole nation fasted and prayed that God would bring victory.

The Denominational Coordinator works within a system of churches to get the members of those churches motivated around the pro-life cause. Lou Engle does that for some charismatic churches.

We pray that God will raise up Baptist, Methodist, Lutheran and Nondenominational versions of him. We need people from every denomination to spearhead prayer and action. If we want to win this battle we must win it in the heavenlies first. Denominational Liaisons need to work together. This would take an act of God and is be a good point for prayer.

What do you think?

If you have any questions or comments, we would love to hear from you. Leave me a comment or send me an email. If you would like to comment on any post in particular here they are:

• Introduction
• Public Figure
• Floor Champion
• Hill Agitator
• Public Agitator
• Financial Backer
• Denominational Coordinator
• The Architect & Baby Steps
• Minutemen
• Conclusion
• Full PDF

Related posts:

1. A Strategy for the Abolition of Abortion (Introduction) What would the pro-life movement look life if William Wilberforce...
2. Conclusion & Full Abolition of Abortion PDF Download the PDF If all of these characters have one...
3. Public Agitator (Abolition of Abortion) The Hill Agitator is agitating on Capital Hill, influencing elected...

Unlike the Public Figure, the hill agitator is not necessarily well liked. John Adams, the tireless fighter for colonial independence, was said to be “obnoxious and disliked” even by his friends. He sacrificed his popularity to keep the topic of independence in front of the Continental Congress. He forced them to make a decision. And they did.

John Adams pushed the car of liberty, refusing to give up. He knew that others would eventually come help push. He was the energy behind the Declaration of Independence. Alone he couldn’t do it. But, once a Floor Champion sat in the driver’s seat and popped the clutch, the car jolted into action.

You can tell the difference between these roles by the language they use. The Public Figure and Floor Champion diplomatically use the phrase “pro-choice” when referring to the opposition whereas the agitator passionately uses the term “pro-abortion” or even “pro-death” if the situation warrants.

We have a lot of candidates willing to check the pro-life box on a voters guide but few who are willing to make it their top priority and make waves. We need to elect candidates who have devoted their lives to this issue.  We need people to wisely rock the boat.

If you have any questions or comments, we would love to hear from you. Leave me a comment or send me an email.

What do you think?

If you have any questions or comments, we would love to hear from you. Leave me a comment or send me an email. If you would like to comment on any post in particular here they are:

• Introduction
• Public Figure
• Floor Champion
• Hill Agitator
• Public Agitator
• Financial Backer
• Denominational Coordinator
• The Architect & Baby Steps
• Minutemen
• Conclusion
• Full PDF

Related posts:

1. Public Agitator (Abolition of Abortion) The Hill Agitator is agitating on Capital Hill, influencing elected...
2. A Strategy for the Abolition of Abortion (Introduction) What would the pro-life movement look life if William Wilberforce...
3. Public Figure (Abolition of Abortion) Successful movements often have a Public Figure who represents the...

The revolutionary war had Floor Champions in every state. Richard Henry Lee served as a Floor Champion in the Virginia House of Commons. He and Patrick Henry played good cop/bad cop as Lee’s calm and eloquent oratories supplemented Henry’s passion and zeal. Henry activated the action via agitation. Lee directed that energy to positive change. Together they were unstoppable.

As for the British abolition movement, the Floor Champion was Lord Grenville . You are probably thinking, “What about William Wilberforce ? I saw an entire movie that depicted him operating as the Floor Champion.” Wilberforce was the Floor Champion in the House of Commons. Wilberforce agitated for change for 30 years but it was Lord Grenville’s eloquent speech before the House of Lords that resulted in a 41 to 20 vote eliminating the slave trade.

President Bush signing the Partial Birth Abortion Ban. There are no women in this photo.

Once Grenville’s abolition bill came before the House of Commons, it passed in a 283 to 16 landslide. Wilberforce provided the energy. Grenville breached the wall of opposition. What the Abolitionist movement needed was an articulate member of the Nobility to back up the movement. Once the aristocracy came onboard the opposition dwindled away.

So far, men have implemented most of the pro-life action and provided much of the energy behind the movement. Men are right and their arguments are good, but this is not enough. We need someone from the House of Lords to pop the bubble. We need to elect female Floor Champions .

If you have any questions or comments, we would love to hear from you. Leave me a comment or send me an email.

What do you think?

If you have any questions or comments, we would love to hear from you. Leave me a comment or send me an email. If you would like to comment on any post in particular here they are:

• Introduction
• Public Figure
• Floor Champion
• Hill Agitator
• Public Agitator
• Financial Backer
• Denominational Coordinator
• The Architect & Baby Steps
• Minutemen
• Conclusion
• Full PDF

Related posts:

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2. Conclusion & Full Abolition of Abortion PDF Download the PDF If all of these characters have one...
3. Public Agitator (Abolition of Abortion) The Hill Agitator is agitating on Capital Hill, influencing elected...

Successful movements often have a Public Figure who represents the movement as a whole. For example, Dr. Martin Luther King served as the public figure for Civil Rights.

Olaudah Equiano acted as the Public Figure for the British abolition movement. After attaining his freedom, Equiano devoted his life to traveling around England speaking about the realities of the slave trade. His autobiography, which depicted the horrors of slavery, sold thousands of copies. When the British thought about slavery, they thought of this eloquent man who stayed out of politics.

The Public Figure operates in the arena of ideas convincing the people to change their minds. The problem with the pro-life movement is that we have no Dr. Martin Luther King Jr . to represent our cause. Instead we have dozens of somewhat influential people who have only a mediocre following.

Ideally this public figure would be an attractive, eloquent and diplomatic woman. She is the type of person people listen to even when they disagree with her because she is so engaging. When she is on CNN, viewers stop changing the channels to listen to her speak.

I am convinced that a man cannot serve as an effective public figure. Could MLK have led his movement if he were white? Men have less authority to speak about abortion because the ramifications only affect them indirectly. Part of what has hurt the Pro-Life movement is that its primary leaders have been mostly men. I don’t want to discount their heroic accomplishments, but they need to allow a woman to surpass them if we want to reach new heights.

What do you think?

If you have any questions or comments, we would love to hear from you. Leave me a comment or send me an email. If you would like to comment on any post in particular here they are:

• Introduction
• Public Figure
• Floor Champion
• Hill Agitator
• Public Agitator
• Financial Backer
• Denominational Coordinator
• The Architect & Baby Steps
• Minutemen
• Conclusion
• Full PDF

Related posts:

1. Public Agitator (Abolition of Abortion) The Hill Agitator is agitating on Capital Hill, influencing elected...
2. Floor Champion (Abolition of Abortion) The Floor Champion fights on the congressional floor for the...
3. Conclusion & Full Abolition of Abortion PDF Download the PDF If all of these characters have one...

What would the pro-life movement look life if William Wilberforce were still alive? History tells of times when radical and sudden political reform rocked the world. If we study world changers we can learn to imitate them.  This is their story. We hope it will be our story too. Several Patriot Academy alumni have worked with me on this strategy including Sarah Coburn, Hannah Hill, Jennifer Lackey and 
Jacque Otto. Download the Full PDF of the Strategy .

This is a character based strategy that answers the question “who do we need where?” instead of the question “what do we need to do when?” If you are interested in the pro-life cause you will like this strategy.

Introduction

“There is nothing more difficult to take in hand, more perilous to conduct, or more uncertain in its success, then to take the lead in the introduction of a new order of things. Because the innovator has for enemies all those who have done well under the old conditions, and lukewarm defenders in those who may do well under the new.”

Nicolò Machiavelli The Prince

Everyone wants to be the Knight who slays the dragon. Only a few want to be the archers who back him up. You can not single out one man who brought us independence. You can not isolate one person who abolished slavery. We may cut out the archers from history but their contribution made the difference. They changed the world.

If we want to slay the dragon of abortion we need a host of archers. We need to work together. Working together does not mean doing the same thing. In the past God has used different people differently. By His hand these people worked together even though they sometimes disagreed.

This pamphlet will introduce you to the different types of people that God has used in the past to enact change. They are the Public Figure , Floor Champion , Hill Agitator , Public Agitator , Financial Backer , Denominational Coordinator , Architect and Minutemen .

What do you think?

If you have any questions or comments, we would love to hear from you. Leave me a comment or send me an email. If you would like to comment on any post in particular here they are:

• Introduction
• Public Figure
• Floor Champion
• Hill Agitator
• Public Agitator
• Financial Backer
• Denominational Coordinator
• The Architect & Baby Steps
• Minutemen
• Conclusion
• Full PDF

Related posts:

1. Public Agitator (Abolition of Abortion) The Hill Agitator is agitating on Capital Hill, influencing elected...
2. Public Figure (Abolition of Abortion) Successful movements often have a Public Figure who represents the...
3. Conclusion & Full Abolition of Abortion PDF Download the PDF If all of these characters have one...

I had a hard time capturing the thousands of people there in one photo.

Killing an innocent person is unjust. A fetus is an innocent person. Therefore killing the unborn is unjust.

“A threat to justice anywhere, is a threat to justice everywhere.”
- Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Many of the women at the rally have had abortions and are struggling with the consequences of that decision.

I thought the people with red tape over their mouths were some of the loudest people at the march. If you ever see someone with Red Tape with the word “Life” over their mouth it means they are praying silently – crying out for our unborn children. If we do not speak for those who cannot, who will?

Note the girls sticker. Democrats for life. I believe that the end of abortion will come from the Democratic Party. Some of the Republican establishment doesn’t want to end abortion lest they loose their pro-life base. That doesn’t mean we should start voting democrat but we should hold our supposedly pro-life republican officials to a high standard to prove they are truly on our side and not just playing us.

I would guess that 7 out of 10 of the people there were catholic. I wish evangelicals would care more, but they just don’t. We will have to answer to God for our deeds done in the body. We will have to give an account of how we spent our time and our money.

An interesting change this year from the previous years I have gone was the lack of chanting. I led a few chants but mostly everyone prayed. Many of the Catholics spent the whole time reciting the Lord Prayer or doing Hail Marys. There seemed to be a growing sense that Abortion was our sin and that we needed God’s forgiveness and His mercy.

The only candidates who had any supporters at the rally, that I could see, were Ron Paul and Alan Keys. The overall lack of Pro-Life presidential candidates saddens me.

Children are not the only ones hurt by abortion. Men, Women and our economy suffer as well.

Hannah Malone, Charity Chambers and Grace Chambers marching for life.

Again I had a hard time capturing the enormity of the crowd on my iPhone. So I’ll just tell you. There were a lot of people there.

This is a booth of the New Wave Femmes a Pro-Life, Pro-Women, Pro Jesus, Pink Haired Feminists group. I don’t know much about them but they seem to be doing a great job reaching the unborn and the mother.

The sign she is holding is referring to Norma McCorvey the “Jane Roe” in Roe v Wade. She was once an abortion champion but since the trial God has captured her heart. She is now a Catholic Pro-Life advocate and leader of the Roe no More.

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