Be Bold. Be Balanced. But Above All, Be With Jesus.
"Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus." -Acts 4:13, NKJV Excuses...Excuses...
It has been two months since I last posted and trust me, I have incredible excuses... Haha! Hmm let's see, well, we bought a freaking house! Say what?! Yes, by the grace and incredible favor of all-mighty God, we bought our first home. And let me tell you, we finally feel at home. Of course, moving with a one and two year old has been an adventure; but all-in-all, it has been a smooth transition.
Excuse #2: In the midst of buying our first home, there was also quite a bit of insanely-big news that came out in our nation. In light of the recent, yet not surprising findings of Planned Parenthood harvesting and selling baby body parts, I have been at work more than ever. The ultimate time to rise presented itself—a truly defining moment in our nation's history.
Excuse #3: My amazing sister returned from her first medical mission trip to Honduras. We savored our short time with her, but we are so thankful for any time we get! She did amazing things and you can read all about it on her blog here. 
A Balanced Boldness
As you can imagine, my stomach was swarmed with almost every type of feeling with each undercover video release—anger, sadness, anxiousness, excitement (to end abortion), and the like. Such a mix was difficult to digest and sort through, so I took some time to be at the feet of Jesus instead of blogging-out every one of them. Through that time, I was led to be thoughtful and intentional in this situation, moving forward in action. The Lord constantly reminded me of every life affected by this atrocity—mothers, babies, fathers... All we must acknowledge and be compassionate towards. Connecting with Jesus on how to be BALANCED was my focus. "Lord teach me to be bold and loving..." was my prayer.
With that, I had the incredible and simple opportunity to help raise awareness and call upon congress to investigate and defund Planned Parenthood by rallying on our state capital steps. I say simple because truly, it's simple to get involved and do something. The only person that holds us back in these times are ourselves; and in my case (I was going alone), I was definitely battling insecurity. I remember the night before the rally, I was sitting on our living room floor making two signs. Philip was giving me ideas on what messages to put on them and I looked up at him and said, "I wonder if this will even do anything? Regardless, I must try. I've got stand for what's right." He was extremely encouraging and pumped me up as he always does. The next day, the signs sent a message, the waters were stirred just a little. Google 'Erica Canaut'. Yup, the Associated Press misspelled my last name. Haha! Nevertheless, the stirring occurred. And as Philip and I expected, I've been called some pretty awful things, including a "terrorist" believe it or not. I press forward though, knowing that my Savior has called me for such a time as this (Esther 4:14). We have chosen which side of history we will stand on. Have you?
But Above All, Be With Jesus.
As I mentioned earlier, being with Jesus every single step of the way has been the most important part. Seeking Him constantly brought love, understanding, wisdom, and hope. When others try to silence, He lends a voice. When doubts try to creep in, He gives confidence. He leads through His powerful word and by His Holy Spirit. Being with Jesus brings about marvel—marvelous acts, marvelous love, and marvelous movement!
Be with Him today. Ask Him what He'll have you do and then do it.
On that final note, tomorrow (August 22nd), the largest Planned Parenthood protest our nation's ever seen will take place. More than 300 cities and locations have signed up! Click here to find yours and get involved. Make a sign, show up, pray, and let's witness and be a part of the marvelous movement.
My Generation Will End Abortion,
Erica