Friends and Family,
First and foremost, the most important thing I'll be praying for in the next 3 weeks is my family. I won't go into details, but we are on the verge of breakthrough. Let God arise in my family, Amen.
Second, I will tell you about
Fojol Brothers! In DC, there are tons and tons of food trucks - unique, fun little trucks that sell unique, fun food all around the city. My second week of school, I heard the song "Ghostwriter" by RJD2 blasting from a colorful, silver truck.
I was like, WHAT IS THIS?!?! Because I loved that song which was super underground at the time. And a bunch of crazy fun and hip kids chilled and talked with me for an hour after giving me a free Lassipop - Indian ice pop from their freezer. We sat on blankets in the awesome weather and spoke of life's treasures. Less than a month later, I become good friends with a British chap, Jeremy, I met on the truck that first day. I love the truck and all the people on it! So after months of them asking me to join their crazy lot, I decide - YES. Now taking on the name Jamboja Fojol, I dress up every time I work in a funky costume and partake in DC's most renowned and media-hogging truck, or should I say TRUCKS since they have built up so much revenue that they now have four different trucks. Check us out at
fojol.com. Oh, and this is the Fojol family dog, Eleanor:
THIRD,
Matt Lockett, the spearheader of
JHOP - Justice House of Prayer - where I spend my Friday nights, challenged us to fast for four specific things. Normally, I don't heed to a challenge to fast and pray unless I feel REALLY REALLY called to. I mean, God has to have me on my knees basically crying like a little lamb. So, that's what happened. He struck us all with an arrow of conviction, that in the charismatic and evangelical church we are always so concerned with our individual selves, our spiritual well-being. It's true, that's my main focus. Me me me. Which we all, Matt included, believe is vital. However, when are we going to stop looking at ourselves and turn to God and allow him to use us for his kingdom? That's the heart behind JHOP, to raise up those who are in hot pursuit of the Father and his work only because he is first and foremost in hot pursuit of us. Not only was I moved by this statement, but I felt a strong stirring in my heart when he started sharing with us the current events going on that he and the house have been in prayer for.
In case you don't know what's going on with Obamacare and birth control, read up. It's very interesting, and hazy enough to make you a little bit unnerved. In fact, Matt Lockett said "It took me a week to finally get enough information about this thing to understand what was really happening!" A couple of sources, liberal, centrist, and conservative will hopefully balance the unavoidable bias in news media. Regardless:
NY TIMES:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/17/us/politics/birth-control-coverage-rule-debated-at-house-hearing.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=birth%20control&st=cse
Washington Post:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/birth-control-compromise-still-presents-grave-moral-concerns-to-catholic-church/2012/02/16/gIQAwpTtHR_story.html
FOX/AP:
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/02/17/states-attack-obamacare-with-birth-control-bills-would-allow-insurance/
Basically, there was a mandate that all institutions have to be able to provide health care for their employers, including birth control coverage. This did not set well with a lot of people, as it infringes on the teaches of the Catholic faith. I mean, think, how many Catholic schools, hospitals, soup kitchens, shelters, thrift stores, etc. do you see on a daily basis? They're everywhere! Their funds must go to health insurance that includes paying for something they deem as a sin. So the compromise was made last week, and it was this: the Catholic institutions must send money to private health insurance companies and those health care plans must include birth control coverage. This way, as Pelosi puts it - Catholic organizations don't have to directly compromise their faith. No, rather, they can just funnel money into something that mandatorily provides something they deem as sinful. Something that goes directly against their faith.
This is not a woman's right issue, Democratic Representative William Lacy Clay shot at his own house leader, Pelosi - "This is a religious rights issue."
This is neither a partisan issue or a woman's health issue. This is a religious rights issue. I personally think there is nothing wrong with birth control. Neither do most Protestants. Matt Lockett jokes - "I'm not about to share with you the benefits of birth control. However, the real issue is...." But when I see the government becoming a stumbling block for the righteous, I am shaken. This is a direct infringement on their First Amendment rights, and a doorway into something much worse. We have already legalized abortion for 39 years. What's next? Not trying to be melodramatic. I know that this is not the end all to the end all, but I will stand with my brothers and sisters in Christ in protecting their right to practice their personal convictions. This is serious. And now that the current issue has been explained, I will explain each of the four prayer points we were challenged to pursue last night at JHOP.
1) President Obama - we are to pray for our authorities, not curse them. So I am committing to pray for this man, my president
2) Amendment to the Bill to pass - there needs to be a breakthrough in this Health Care bill. I don't think that an infringing birth control requirement like that would pass in our country, but we can't just stand by and not pray.
3) Truth, clarity, and transparency in this whole debate until it is decided on March 26th - there's a lot of behind the scenes talk and misguided information.
4) The prophetic voices of women to rise up this year - something Lockett might not have known actually was asked for by a Democrat in the debate after he called us to do this.
Representative Carolyn B. Maloney, Democrat of New York, asked: “Where are the women? It’s outrageous that the Republicans would not allow a single individual representing the tens of millions of women who want and need insurance coverage for basic preventative health care services, including family planning.” - NYTimes
With two bishops, a Lutheran priest, a rabbi, and a few other men being the sole opponents against this, there is a symbolic image of what is going on in issues like this: Where are the women? You and I know that there are PLENTY of women, who are actually more often than not the sole leaders of anti-abortion movements. Although this isn't an abortion issue, there is something to what Maloney said that struck a note in me. We need the women of this nation, pro-life and religious rights women to speak up and contend in Congress.
After all this I should say a few things. I'm not against birth control. I'm also definitely not a Republican either. This is not a partisan issue. I'm more of a liberal than anything as I share many commonalities with the Democratic Party. But I will fight in prayer and fasting to end abortion and protect religious rights as long as God causes me to. How long will we continue to push the boundaries of sin, turn a blind eye to the shedding of innocent blood, and a deaf ear to the crying out of the oppressed? Revival begins with obedience, as Finney put it. Friends if you want revival in your school, work, family, city, country, you need to pray for God's will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. This is his call for us.
In conclusion, I work on a traveling culinary carnival, I'm fasting facebook, and praying for my family and four other seemingly inconsequential things. God moves.
Blessings,
Katrina Doyle
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