Lou Engle
Hope, Change for the Unborn

Two days ago our nation’s first African American president, Barak Obama, was escorted onto a regal platform before the masses of America. He put his hand on the Bible (the actual Bible Abraham Lincoln used for his oath) and then briefly made his inaugural oath to protect the Constitution.

Borrowing from the theme of President Obama’s inauguration, it seems that today we have a new Abraham Lincoln and are on the brink of witnessing, in all its glory, “A New Birth of Freedom” for America. It is amazing how we can honor the heroes of justice in our past and stand in the very shadows of their memorials but not learn the lessons that history taught.

Engraved on the walls of Lincoln’s monument are the words of his second inaugural address, “Fondly do we hope, fervently do we pray, that this mighty scourge of war may speedily pass away. Yet, if God wills that it continue until all the wealth piled by the bondsman’s two hundred and fifty years of unrequited toil shall be sunk, and until every drop of blood drawn with the lash shall be paid by another drawn with the sword, as was said three thousand years ago, so still it must be said ‘the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.’”

Abraham Lincoln most certainly drew his inspiration from Numbers 35:33 (“So you shall not pollute the land where you are, for blood defiles the land and no atonement can be made for the land, for the blood that is shed on it except by the blood of him who shed it”) as well as Genesis 9:5-6 (“Surely for your life blood I will demand a reckoning… Whoever sheds mans blood, by man his blood shall be shed, for in the image of God he made man.”)

Lincoln came to understand that the Civil War was God’s divine discipline upon a people and a nation who refused to live according to God’s laws. Lincoln was aware that the Civil War was a day of reckoning for the horrific injustice of slavery and the shedding of innocent blood done in the name of economic gain and racial oppression. If what Lincoln came to conclude was true, and if 600,000 men died on the battlefields of the Civil War for the blood of slavery, what will it mean if God brings a day of reckoning for the shed blood of conservatively 48 million aborted babies since Roe v. Wade 1973?

If Abraham Lincoln was right in his assessment of the Civil War, then the shedding of innocent blood is a most serious offense against the One who creates, sustains, and loves life. Anyone who has seen the graphic pictures of abortion know that this is a shedding of blood and blood does not make a distinction between an unborn person and a born person. This issue of blood takes abortion way out of the realm of choice.

So now, while proclaiming a new day of freedom, President Obama has promised to sign the Freedom of Choice Act, and in so doing would be ruling exactly for that which President Lincoln stood against, the lifeblood of the slave. This is a harrowing moment in American history. While Obama has promised to make abortion rare, the FOCA will remove every restriction of abortion from conception to possibly born alive infants. To remove law is to remove restraint. Law restrains evildoing. It can’t change hearts but it can prevent many from shedding innocent blood.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said that he couldn’t keep a person from hating him but through legislation could keep him from beating him. The laws of God are good for society and for the well being of its people. The passing of FOCA would be an act of lawlessness in the highest degree and will only increase and magnify the tragedy of abortion to children, to mothers and society.

The Constitution that governs this nation was founded on the belief that no man’s freedom can come at the cost of another and all men deserve to live free of repressive edicts, fear of death, and tyrannical oppression.

And so we go on refusing to learn from history demanding our own choice and our own freedoms at the cost of the most innocent of all, the unborn child. We call on President Obama to listen to the voice of thousands of Christians who voted for him under the impression that he would make abortion rare. Live up to your word for the sake of America.

Lou Engle is co-founder of The Call, an evangelical effort to gather young adults to pray and fast for revival. In 2004, Engle planted the first Justice House of Prayer in Washington, D.C. JHOPs have emerged in San Francisco, Boston, New York and San Diego.

Hello Friends,
I want to share something with you something that happened this past friday night November 14, 2008. I have some very dear friends who live San Francisco. They are there for the purpose of fueling a Justice House of Prayer, contending with the spirit of this age that is manifesting through the ideology of Homosexuality. And crying out for God to break into the life of the Homosexual with His love.

Here is the account of what happened last Friday night, written by one of the JHOPSF Team members, and then below that is some video footage of the aftermath. WARNING: The footage could be consider offensive to some. There is some language in it:
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Statement concerning Friday November 14, 2008 in the Castro District of San Francisco

Last Friday night our team of thirteen people, mostly ranging from eighteen to twenty-two years old, left the house around 5:30pm to head to the Castro District as we have done for the majority of Friday nights for the past three years. Over the course of the week we had actually been out in the Castro every night, singing and worshiping in the neighborhood. This night we arrived at Castro and 18th Street, with one guitar to simply worship and bring the presence of God to the Castro District. We understood that since Proposition 8 had passed it would seem instigating to talk with people, so we decided to only play the guitar and sing rather than to engage with anyone on the streets.

Our intention was not to stir up anger, but to worship Jesus on the streets the way we had worshipped there for the past three years. As we were worshiping a man approached us and began yelling “You are haters! Get out of here!” A girl on our team simply told him “We are only here to worship God. We love you.” This man became angrier and was screaming at her using profanity and obscene language. When he noticed that we were standing in front of a memorial that had been dedicated to an AIDS/HIV activist he became even more enraged. We had stood on that particular street corner numerous times when there had been a memorial and it had never been an issue before this night. She continued to answer him “We are only here to worship God. We love you and Jesus loves you,” and eventually he left the street corner. A police officer then came and asked us how long we would be out there. We told him until nine o clock and he said “ok” and left.

Our team continued to sing as a young man approached us. He stood near by until another man joined him. He was wearing a headdress, which led us to believe that he was affiliated with the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. This man in the headdress began to surround us with a cloth and shoving us to encircle us fully with the cloth. He wanted to do this so that people on the outside could not see us. While this was happening the other man instigated to people walking by that we were the “Yes on 8 people”. When in reality, we were only doing what we had always done at the Castro since before proposition 8 was even in sight. This was not a proposition 8 event.

At this point our team was standing in a circle holding hands singing “Amazing Grace.”

While they were holding the cloth around us someone from the crowd threw hot coffee over the cloth and it hit our team, including splashing two of our girls in the face and one on her head going down her back. At first the girls thought it was boiling water until they smelled that it was coffee. During the event people lunging through the crowd to get at us hit a couple of our girls in the face. We also had alcohol and soda thrown on some of those on our team.

Then a man picked up one of our Bibles and started to walk away with it. A girl from our team walked out of the circle after him and said, “Excuse me that is our Bible. Could I have that back please?” He turned to her and said “no” then hit her on the head with the Bible knocking her to the ground, then began kicking her legs. A man from the crowd pulled him off of her. A police officer then came and detained the man who hit her. One officer asked the girl on our team if she would like to press charges. She said “No. Tell him I forgive him.”

A couple of the people who were holding the cloth around our team walk up to her and said “We are sorry that happened to you.” and “He is not with us.” referring to the man that hit her. Then the man who had been responsible for making the crowd think we were there concerning Proposition 8 said to her “I’m glad to see that you’re feeling better, but let that be a lesson to you not to come here.”

At different points throughout the night one girl on our team had her camera and was able to film some of what was happening.

The crowd around began to grow as people started to scream “Shame on you! Shame on you!” over and over. They were yelling all kinds of obscenities and cursing us. That is when one of the young men who was with us called the police department to let them know what was happening. It was difficult to say how many people were surrounding us due to the chaos of the situation. We were trying to focus on worshiping rather than the masses, but we would guess anywhere from 200 to 500 people. One of the girls then stepped out to see how the girl who got hit was doing. And as she rejoined the team singing, she overheard a few men saying things like “we should grab them.” As well as “yeah we should grab their butts.” At that point we realized that it was climaxing into a really hostile situation.

Then it seemed like out of nowhere hundreds of whistles were being blown in our ears. Around that time someone removed the cloth which enabled the crowd to enclose around us turning the situation into what resembled a mob frenzy. The people in the crowd were shoving us against the wall blowing the whistles in our ears so close that we could feel the spit from the whistles hitting our faces. Around that time we began to sing “Oh the Blood of Jesus.” Things grew more intense and the crowd came in closer around us shoving and pushing us. Some men from the crowd began grabbing a few of the young men on our team inappropriately, sexually assaulting them and trying to take down the pants of one of them. When that began the young men with us quickly pulled all the girls into the middle so that no one could get to them.

The intensity of the mob around us grew until finally the police had to shove the crowd off of us and they made a wall between the crowd and our group. There was one moment when a man from the crowd around us pointed out Roger, the leader of our team, and said, “I’m going to kill you!” An officer overheard and said to him “What did you say!?” The man said “nothing.” And the officer replied, “I heard what you said.” Then one officer said to Roger “Do you want to leave?” and he replied, “We would like to stay” because we knew we had the freedom to be there. A few minutes later as the crowd was growing quickly the officer said to Roger “I am sorry, but we need to get you out of here because we fear for your life, you no longer have a choice.” Roger turned to our team and explained that we were going to honor the police and follow them. The officer came back, asked us where we were parked and told us we would be moving out in five minutes. At that point there was somewhere between 15 and 25 police officers. They surrounded our team and escorted us to 20th and Eureka Street where our van was parked. As they were escorting us to our van the crowd followed our team and continued to scream and threaten us. They even threatened to follow us all the way home. As we were being escorted out a man with a news camera showed up and began filming us. (Later we found the footage on KTVU, a local news station in the Bay Area) They had reported that we were doing a religious march regarding Proposition 8, when in all actuality we were being escorted out of the Castro. Realizing the hostility of the people who were still following us, and their threats to “follow us all the way home” we covered our license plate with post-it notes that a guy on our team had in his wallet. We did this so that they could not identify our vehicle later. We then loaded our entire team into the van and drove home. The time when we left was 8:30.

In closing, though this event was one of the scariest moments in our individual lives, because of those who have died in America to purchase freedom, we felt in this situation we were to stand firm and not be intimidated out of our rights. Furthermore our faith in Christ calls us to be willing to die for the sake of the gospel, and we are not to sacrifice for the sake of comfort or a false peace. Though the American church has not often been tested in this, these days seem to be upon us. We love the LGBT community and we do not believe that everyone in this community is filled with hate or anger. What happened on Friday night was different than what we have ever encountered. We forgive those who assaulted us physically and sexually. We forgive the anger and threats of violence against us. Our desire has always been to be a bridge to bring the love of Jesus.

Thank you,
JHOPSF team.

When principles that run against your deepest convictions begin to win the day, then battle is your calling, and peace has become sin; you must, at the price of dearest peace, lay your convictions bare before friend and enemy, with all the fire of your faith.”

~ Abraham Kuyper

Many in America, including some of my best friends, would probably not agree with what I’m about to say. Most have been very conciliatory over the election results and have counseled unity and peace. But I have not been afforded the option to debate politics and reason around election results. Five years ago, while reading the biography of William Wilberforce, God supernaturally apprehended me and called me to raise up a prayer movement for the ending of abortion, and I believe I am under divine restraint to obey this commission. I understand my friend’s conciliatory responses but when 50-million babies have been killed since Roe v. Wade, and these elections basically ensure the ongoing legality of this march of death, then I cannot live in pseudo peaceful coexistence for 40 more years of death. For me peace has become sin and battle is my calling. It’s easy to counsel peace when you’re not the object of the abortionist forceps and scalpel. Hundreds of years of equivocation over the issue of slavery brought us into a divine collision with heaven’s justice in the civil war, and I believe that this nation is headed for another divine collision as a result of the indifference within church over the issue of abortion and her lethargic “halting between two opinions.” In this election we have bowed the knee to Baal and chosen prosperity over posterity.

Wilberforce argued concerning the murderous slave trade of his time, “There is a principle above everything that is political, and when I reflect on the command that says, “thou shall do no murder” believing the authority to be divine, how can I dare to set out any reasoning of my own against it. And when we think of eternity and of the future consequences of all human conduct what is their in this life that could make any man contradict the dictates of his conscience, the principles of justice, the laws of religion, and of God.”

I believe we have reasoned around God’s command “thou shall not murder” in this election. And I believe there are eternal, individual, and national consequences that rest upon us all because of it. None of us can point the finger; the cry for mercy must sound louder now than the cry for change.

Click here to read the rest of this post…

Dear Friends,

One of the couples I work closely with are Randy and Kelsey Bohlender.  Just in the last couple of days, they received word of a young girl in Pensacola, FL who wanted to give up her two newborn twin girls for adoption. Having already rescued and adopted one little girl, Randy and Kelsey responded and within a few hours, those two baby twin girls were signed over to them.

This is an amazing story that is worthy of reading and being a part of. As they have stepped out with a compassionate heart, they are believing God to meet the financial needs that are required. Please take the time to read their blogs about the details of what transpired over the last couple of days and if the Lord speaks to you to send a financial gift to help, please be obedient. They are going to need around $15,000 for all the expenses of this adoption process.

Here is the link: Randy & Kelsey’s Adoption Story

Note: You can also check out their ministry website that tells about their mission in Kansas City and with “TheCall” at: www.randyandkelsey.com

Hi friends..

Last Monday we returned from DC, where we spent a week getting ready for TheCall DC on Aug 16th. Around 50,000 came to the national mall for a day of prayer, fasting, and repentance. It was amazing..

Brandon worked so hard on the slides for the whole day, He did an awesome job. The whole Call team really worked hard and pulled it all off…

I got to shoot photography with a friend of mine  (www.shelleypaulson.com) the whole day of TheCall. I learned so much.

The day was incredible. It was one of thee best Calls we ever had. Prob my 3rd favorite!

I want to share a few pictures from the day that I took… I’m posting more from the day of TheCall as well as the pre call gatherings on my www.flickr.com/tirzahphotography

TheCall CA is on Nov 1st – Join us for 40 days of prayer and fasting before the elections..We need a shift.

This is the video for TheCall Cali..

This was sent to me, and I have been aware of this issue that Sen Obama votes yes on live birth abortions. And this sickens me to no end. I have dear friends that are voting for Obama, and at the core of it… I ask this.. can we see?

Yes, he’s a gifted speaker, but the American people are not seeing the reality of what is happening, and who he really is. Its not what the media has made him to be, it is honest raw truth… He will change American in a way that will scare us and we will stand before the Lord and be judged for bringing this man in office by our votes. This is not to scare you, but to make you aware of the importance of these elections.

It is not a republican or democrat issue. Its not even an Obama, McCain issue… its a righteousness and justice issue. We can not be deceived by “Change”. This man will cause our nation to die.

This weekend we are gathering thousands on the mall in DC to pray for the condition of our nation. We are praying and fasting for the elections. Again it is NOT an Obama, vs McCain issue.. it is a matter of Justice. The shedding of the innocent blood has gone on too long, and God will avenge those who cry out to him night and day.

We are asking for speedy justice over Capital Hill.  We must pray for a moral outcry to irrupt all over America.

watch this video..