Featured Resource - "See Baby Pregnancy Guide" App

Last month, we encouraged our readers to download the “See Baby Pregnancy Guide” app by the Endowment for Human Development (EHD). We’d like to feature the app again, but this time, let’s focus on the heartbeat counter built into the app. Consider Jesus as a 7-week embryo. How many times had his heart beaten by this point? We’re not going to tell you. Find the answer by downloading the app and scrolling to 7 weeks. In addition to the heartbeat count, the app features stunning video of unborn children throughout development. Please use the app and consider giving a gift to EHD to make sure the app continues to be available as a valuable resource for conversations.

Featured Resource - "See Baby Pregnancy Guide" App

Most people don’t identify with very young unborn children, and consequently, they lack the affection and empathy that would cause them to suffer ridicule or discomfort in order to speak up for them. One of the best ways to help ourselves and others identify with the unborn child, that we might develop affection and empathy for her, is to see the child. There is no better tool for seeing the unborn child than the free “See Baby Pregnancy Guide” app from the Endowment for Human Development (EHD). The app allows you to see clear video images of very young children in the womb. Please use the app and consider giving a gift to EHD to make sure the app continues to be available as a valuable resource for conversations.

Featured Resource - Trot Out the Toddler

JFA Intern Susanna Buckley (right), at JFA’s University of Minnesota (UMN) outreach in October.

When you discuss abortion with others, you’re almost certainly going to hear concerns about suffering — the suffering the pregnant woman is experiencing now and the suffering she and the unborn child will experience soon if she doesn’t get an abortion.  Intern Susanna Buckley described an amazing conversation in JFA’s October 2017 Impact Report in which she helped a young woman see a different perspective on suffering.  You can learn another approach from the example of JFA trainers in actual conversations featured in our “Trot Out the Toddler” Newsletter Collection.  Then use what you’ve learned in a conversation (see below).

 

Featured Resource - "Why I Love Siberians"

In his letter this month entitled "Why I Love Siberians," JFA’s Director, Steve Wagner, shares three things that you can use to prepare for conversations:  (1) In the third paragraph, he summarizes the case for the pro-life position in a memorable way.  (2) He then shares an analogy that builds common ground about the difficulty of seeing early embryos as valuable, but also challenges listeners to let facts determine how they act towards the embryo.  (3) Finally, he gives some perspective on how to judge whether or not a conversation is worthwhile.

Featured Resource: Stephanie Gray Featured on Talks at Google

Can you imagine a skilled pro-life dialogue artist speaking at Google headquarters?  What if that presentation then was posted by Talks at Google on its YouTube channel?  This is exactly what’s just happened.  We’re ecstatic that our friend Stephanie Gray has recently been featured by Google.  By watching, you can both learn from her moving presentation and help it surpass 100,000 views (as of this post, it has over 98,200 views).  In her talk, “Abortion: From Controversy to Civility,” Stephanie modeled powerfully how sharing stories, questions, and thought experiments can transform your conversations about abortion.  The whole talk is just over an hour long and is certainly worth watching.  If you’d like to start with a short segment, however, we’ve highlighted two minutes from the Q&A portion (53:26 - 55:26).  Listen for Stephanie's great advice on starting conversations in a pro-choice environment.  (Steve Wagner notes that he and Stephanie both look back to a support-raising retreat they attended in 2001, led by Scott Klusendorf, as formative in the pro-life work they went on to do and continue to this day.) 

Featured Resource to Equip Yourself - June

Last month we shared Rebecca Haschke’s letter, “A Lesson in Love — Part 1,” in which a young man named “Sam” was so rude at the start of the conversation that Rebecca nearly gave up talking to Sam altogether.  Despite her inner frustration, Rebecca repeatedly made a choice to love him and was surprised by the conversation that followed.  This month, we are sharing the rest of the story, “A Lesson in Love — Part 2.”  Because of Rebecca’s humility and her willingness to find common ground, Sam opened up about his past.  As you read, notice how choosing to love, even when it was difficult, provided an unexpected opportunity for healing to begin.

Read the Full Story or Download a Printable Version.

Resources for Friends with Abortion in Their Past.

Featured Resource to Equip Yourself - May

“Sam” was so rude at the start of his conversation with JFA trainer Rebecca Haschke that she nearly gave up talking to him altogether.  Despite her inner frustration, she repeatedly made a choice to love him and was surprised by the conversation that followed.  Rebecca shared the story in her letter, “A Lesson in Love — Part 1.”  As you read, notice how Rebecca sought to understand Sam, find common ground with him, and humbly share aspects of her own experience.  As pro-life advocates seeking to create good conversations, we should work to master these skills.  (Want to read the rest of the story?  We’ll feature Part 2 of the letter as next month’s free resource.)

Read Part 1 or Download a Printable Version here.

See More Dialogue Examples. 

Featured Resource to Equip Yourself - April

“What Are the Facts?” is JFA’s easy-to-use resource for answering common questions about how many abortions happen at which stages of pregnancy for which reasons, as well as questions about abortion procedures and the legality of abortion.  This handy summary will both increase your knowledge of the facts and help you find common ground early in your conversations with pro-choice advocates.  JFA intentionally cites neutral or pro-choice sources for the claims made in “What Are the Facts?” to help you share information without putting unnecessary stumbling blocks into the conversation. 

Read or Download a Printable Version here.

Explore More Facts.

Featured Resource: "What Do You Mean?" (Sept. 2016)

In “What Do You Mean?” (Sept. 2016), Rebecca Haschke described in word-for-word detail how the success of a conversation hinged on one clarification question — a clarification question you can easily learn to use yourself!  Both this one question and Rebecca’s presentation of the Equal Rights Argument throughout the conversation will help prepare you for starting your own conversation using JFA’s “MIA” exhibit panel (below)!

Read online or get a copy by mail (JFA Office: 316-683-6426).

Note: This post is the "Prepare for Conversations" portion of JFA's March 2017 Resource Bulletin.  Click here to see all of JFA's Resource Bulletins.