Category dialogue
Can Ten Seconds Change Minds?
It all started at 1:40 AM at a stoplight on Pacific Coast Highway in Hermosa Beach, California. My July newsletter tells what happened there and how one good thing that came of it was a sound bite that is still making an impact on how people think about abortion 13 years later. The short letter, Ten […]
Comments on a Virtual Life
Sometimes I find myself so stuck to email — sending people links, suggesting discussions, engaging in dialogue in a sort of virtual world — that I stop and wonder, “What in the world am I doing?” And I’m not even meaning to. I find it sad. There is something about the eyes-glued-to-a-screen-while-typing environment that is very […]
A Slice in Time
When I reviewed the photos from JFA’s recent outreach event at the University of Kansas, I was especially encouraged and struck by the photo above. My brief May newsletter decodes the photo, discusses why it’s special, and explains JFA’s passion for…More Conversations.
A Job for…Common Ground Man
My March letter tells the true story of a pro-life woman, a pro-choice woman, a bitter argument, and … Common Ground Man. Here’s a short excerpt: This dear pro-life woman had crystal clarity about the unborn and abortion, so I surely did not want to discourage her. I wanted her to feel affirmed, but I also […]
Seeking “Justice For All” by Ministering to Outsiders
I delivered the sermon to both Sunday services at Christ Community Church in Tucson, Arizona earlier this month. Approximately 1700 heard the message. In a section describing Biblical reasons for showing respect to both the unborn and to pro-choice advocates, I said essentially this: Think about it. I can defend the unborn with such anger […]
On Scribbles and False Beliefs: Are They Beautiful?
In my Christmas letter, I made the point that we should value a person’s false beliefs in much the same way I appreciate the scribbled art my kids offer to me. I am not saying that false ideas are beautiful or intrinsically valuable when abstracted from their owner. Surely not. The woman’s claim that her […]
My "Don’t Be Like Me" Story(s) – Lest We Get Cocky
It’s important to note when you read my Christmas letter, A Tale of Two Gifts, that Adam is not alone in making the mistake he made. I’ve made very similar mistakes, if not precisely the same mistake. My October 2003 letter, She Had Concerns, But I Wasn’t Listening, tells one such story, and then relates […]
What Adam Was Doing Right
When you read the story of JFA’s volunteer “Adam” in my Christmas letter, you may be tempted to heap scorn on him for missing an important opportunity to minister to a woman in need. That’s the opposite of the right response, in my view. I think Adam was doing exactly the right thing, at least […]
A Tale of Two Gifts (Christmas Letter + Extras)
One woman’s tears began to fall near our poll table. The other’s fell all over the feet of an extraordinary man. Only one of the women received the care she needed. And one of our volunteers got a gift he’ll never forget. In my Christmas letter, A Tale of Two Gifts, I share these […]
Abortion at the Gas Pump (w/Links to Extras)
What takes the most courage regarding discussing abortion? Perhaps you resonate with this: The hardest part of the conversation, the beginning, was behind me. Even if Alex’s response had been the opposite, that “abortion is a woman’s choice,” I would have already landed myself squarely in the middle of the abortion conversation. This is an […]
Human Beings Matter More 