October 17, 2024 • 21 mins
Join us for a thought-provoking episode of the Behind The Mike Podcast with Mike Stone as he sits down with author and speaker John DiGirolamo.
In this episode, they jump into the powerful themes of John's new book, "It's Not About the Devil," focusing on the unsettling topic of "The Culture of Death" in our society.
Discover the profound insights from a doctor who experienced both sides of abortion and how her journey led her to recognize the sanctity of life. John sheds light on the often-unspoken emotional, physical, and spiritual scars that linger long after the decision is made.
This episode goes beyond the politics of abortion, focusing on the emotional, spiritual, and physical impacts it has on women, men, and families. John shares insights into the importance of forgiveness, healing, and resources for those affected by abortion. If you're seeking hope and understanding in the midst of tough decisions, this episode offers a message of redemption, grace, and support.
Tune in for a conversation that challenges perceptions and encourages deeper understanding.
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📚 Get John’s book It’s Not About the Devil:
https://bit.ly/3YkRksz
National Center for Missing & Exploited Children:
https://www.missingkids.org/home
National Center on Sexual Exploitation:
https://endsexualexploitation.org/
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KEY TOPICS:
⚠️ The dangerous rise of teen sexting and its emotional consequences
🎯 How online predators target teens within 24 hours
👮. Insights from an undercover officer who posed as a 13-year-old girl
ℹ️ Why it’s crucial for parents to stay informed and involved
📚. John’s latest book and its exploration of evil in today’s society
___________________________________________
🔔 Subscribe for more episodes on faith, family, and protecting our youth.
👍 Like, share, and comment if you found this episode helpful!
___________________________________________
PRO-LIFE RESOURCES
Crisis Pregnancy Center Map:
https://crisispregnancycentermap.com/
Get The Facts: Pro-Life Across America
https://prolifeacrossamerica.org/learn/
Alternatives to Abortion: Pregnancy Resource Centers
https://www.focusonthefamily.com/pro-life/alternatives-to-abortion-pregnancy-resource-centers
____________________________________________
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https://behindthemike.net
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https://buymeacoffee.com/TheMikePodcast
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CHAPTERS:
00:00 - Introduction of John DiGirolamo and today's topic of abortion, healing, and redemption.
03:12 - John's New Book: It's Not About the Devil
07:35 - The Doctor's Story: A doctor’s spiritual awakening
12:10 - The Emotional Impact of Abortion on Women and Families
18:45 - The Role of Faith in Healing and Forgiveness of Abortion
23:50 - Resources for Those Struggling with Abortion Decisions
Watch these podcasts on YouTube!
Follow Us!
YouTube: @behindthemikepodcast
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grateful for John, who is backagain today.
For John, who is back againtoday talking about all those
issues that he learned firsthandabout through his writing in
his new book.
We'll let John introducehimself and talk about that in
(00:33):
just a second, but today we'regoing to be talking about the
culture of death.
Yeah, share a little bit aboutwho you are and what your
current project is and whatwe're going to talk about today.
Speaker 2 (00:43):
Yeah, so I've written four books.
The latest is called it's NotAbout the Devil, and I feature
people who are fighting modernevil, and if you think about who
is the most vulnerable in oursociety, it's the unborn, and so
youborn.
Targeting the vulnerable to meis evil behavior, and I wanted
(01:07):
to feature a doctor who came tothe realization that all human
life, including the unborn, hasvalue, and the transformational
journey that she had in comingto that conclusion, and so
that's what I wanted to featurein this book, and we could talk
(01:31):
about that in some of thedetails of why I think it's a
compelling story.
Speaker 1 (01:37):
Yeah, absolutely.
I think abortion is such a hottopic right now.
It has been for a number ofyears, going back to Roe v Wade
and then that being overturned,and now in the states, and
certainly with the election thisyear, it is a very hot topic.
I want to be clear to those whoare listening and watching,
though, that this is not apolitical issue.
(02:02):
I think it's become a politicalissue, and that's really a
shame, because we're talkingabout the value, as you said,
the value of human life, andthat's really what it comes down
to.
It's not a pro-choice or anykind of issue in that sense.
It's really about bringing achild into this world, whether
(02:26):
it's wanted or unwanted, whetherit's planned or unplanned.
There is value to that life.
Each of us who are alive tolisten and watch this value life
, and I think that that's thepoint that we want to try to
make today is that there isvalue in life.
I believe it was a year or twoago that we had Dr Abby Johnson
(02:49):
on talking about this very issueand very similar story, I think
, as to what you're going toshare with us, and how she
witnessed an abortion that didnot go well, and it really got
her to thinking again, comesdown to way past the political
issues.
It comes down to the core ofwhy we value life.
(03:11):
So, john, tell us about thisdoctor and her story.
Speaker 2 (03:17):
Yeah, it's not a political book.
It is the story of thisdoctor's experience and her life
journey.
The story of this doctor'sexperience and her life journey.
So to me it's more than anabortion story.
Why?
Well, because it includes somuch more than that.
So the story starts out withgetting an introduction to the
(03:39):
doctor.
She doesn't do a lot ofabortions but does some.
She doesn't do a lot ofabortions but does some, gets
essentially begged by one of herpatients to do an abortion,
(03:59):
first trimester on a teenager.
This dramatic moment where shesenses evil in the room.
And I won't give away the plotline on exactly how that happens
and what she does afterwards,but it was this big dramatic
moment.
But that's the beginning of thestory, not the end.
(04:20):
So afterwards there's thisdecades long journey of gentle
nudging exposing things to thisdoctor to not just not want to
do an abortion, but why?
What's the real basic,fundamental foundation for that?
And so there's two parallelstories.
(04:43):
There's her coming to theconclusion about the value of
human life, and it parallels herjourney back to the church, her
back walking with Christ, andall this what I would call and
she called gentle nudging andthe people she met along the way
(05:05):
, and it's important becausesome of those people exposed her
to things that she didn'treally think about, such as the
healing that needs to come fromsomebody who's had an abortion
and how it affects your life.
You know, secular society wantsto tell you it's no big deal,
(05:26):
it's a real quick procedure.
Then you forget all about it.
But that's not the reality.
The reality is is that itaffects that person.
It affects their marriage yearslater, how they view when they
do decide to have children.
What about the men involved?
What say, do they get about allthis?
(05:46):
So she meets somebody who has a,has an experience with that and
also miscarriage that happens.
You know it's kind of the storyno one wants to talk about, but
this doctor had a miscarriage.
She meets people who had that,who had that, and so there was.
(06:14):
You know, she deals with theguilt of that, the healing
journey of that and her part inthe abortions that she performed
, and so to me it's a reallybroader picture of what's going
on and how.
You know she's just making thesetransformations year after year
until finally she really hasthat bond with Christ and really
(06:38):
sees that value and has toreconcile to her past, to what
she's done lands up volunteeringat a crisis pregnancy center,
meeting some more people thereand what's important about this
particular chapter is it's toldin the first person point of
(06:58):
view.
So what I mean by that is DrCatherine Wheeler is like she's
in your living room having aconversation with you directly.
She's talking to you, thereader, directly about what
she's doing, what she's feeling.
You know the emotions, thefailures, the successes and how
(07:21):
she, you know, talks to God andprays to God, and I think the
reader is going to resonate witha lot of the things that she's
going through.
So many people fall away fromthe church, come back, and I
think hearing her story is goingto resonate with a lot of the
readers and, I hope, a lot ofyour audience as well.
Speaker 1 (07:44):
Yeah, so much.
I've done so much research onthis topic.
But I guess my question andprobably a question for those
who are watching and listening,especially if they didn't watch
the last episode is your book iscalled it's Not About the Devil
.
Why in the world would you putthis story about this doctor in
(08:05):
a book called it's Not About theDevil?
This story about this doctor ina book?
Speaker 2 (08:09):
called.
It's Not About the Devil, yeah,so the devil delights in
abortion.
The devil wants to bring usdown, he wants to corrupt our
souls, and when we ignore theunborn, when we ignore the value
of the unborn, the devildelights in that, and coupled
(08:31):
with this dramatic moment whenthe doctor senses evil in the
room, I think it really fit intothe theme of the book, and so
that's why I wanted to includethis story.
Speaker 1 (08:48):
And so that's why I wanted to include this story.
I'm going to follow kind ofwhat I did on this last episode
that we did, and I want to askyou for those who are listening,
and I have to step back and saythat I'm involved in our local
women's resource center herewhere I live.
Here where I live, and I'vebeen able to, uh, through media
(09:08):
productions that I've done forthem, I've been able to talk to
these women who decided to keeptheir child when it would have
been so much easier in thatmoment to say let's just quietly
take care of this.
Speaker 2 (09:23):
Right.
Speaker 1 (09:23):
Let's quietly get the abortion and then I can move on
with my life and nobody willknow.
I've talked to these women whohave decided the opposite, that
I'm going to go through whateverI have to go through, because I
made some decisions that maybeweren't the greatest.
The result is this child thatis inside of me now, who is
(09:44):
growing, who has a father insideof me now, who is growing, who
has a father.
And they made that decision andthey they afterwards, when they
have given birth and I've seenthat child, them holding that
child, through these interviewshave are so delighted and so
blessed by the fact that theyhad someone there who wasn't
telling them what to do, butthey could be a sounding board
and say here's what I'm facing.
(10:05):
I don't want to tell my parents,I don't want them what to do,
but they could be a soundingboard and say here's what I'm
facing.
I don't want to tell my parentsI don't want to have to
continue going to high school orI'm too young to have a child.
I want a career, um, to be ableto listen to those concerns and
they're valid concerns but topoint them in the right
direction and give them a bit ofwisdom for down the road
(10:26):
because you mentioned, there's alot of hurt, a lot of scars
emotional, spiritual and evenphysical when that abortion
happens and you can't undo that.
So, given all of that, john, doyou have any insights as to for
(10:47):
the woman and the man who maybe dealing with the other
decision to go ahead with theabortion?
You've been hanging around withthis doctor getting her story.
Do you have any insight to thatand what those the husband and
wife may be feeling at this timeor couple Sure.
Speaker 2 (11:10):
So you know it.
An unplanned pregnancy isalways complicated, for sure.
And you know, unfortunately,what.
What a lot of the abortionadvocates want to promote is
that, um one, it's no big deal.
Uh two, it's quick and easy andyou'll forget all about it, and
(11:32):
it's super safe, no matter howyou do it or when you do it.
And that's just not true.
And they want to downplay theresources that a lot of these
crisis pregnancy centers canprovide, and you know.
The other topic is adoption.
You know there's lots of peoplewho would love to bring a child
(11:57):
into their family and love thatkid.
There's ways that families cansupport you know a newborn, that
maybe you're 16 or 17.
You can't do it now, but maybeyou can in the future.
And there's other women whohave gone through this situation
(12:18):
that came out the other side,kept their child and really got
everything that they wanted outof life.
They didn't buy the lie thatthis is going to solve your
problem, but it really is traumato the body and trauma to the
(12:40):
emotions and to the spirit.
And the people that Iinterviewed talked about how it
affected their marriage.
They looked at their kid whenthey had children years later
and were really in conflict,worrying about why ended this
other pregnancy.
Am I going to get punished nowfor, with my current child, for
(13:04):
something sins of the past, soto speak.
You know abortion, healing andrecovery resources and programs
out there to help them, you know, deal with the effects of this
(13:28):
on their life and on theirmarriage and et cetera.
And so you know, my advice isto you know, if you've got
unresolved issues like that,you've got to.
You've got unresolved issueslike that, you've got to.
Um, you've got to be able toopen your heart and seek out
these resources?
Speaker 1 (13:44):
Yeah, absolutely.
That was well said, john.
Um, I know that there are thosewho are listening and watching
right now who deeply feel whatyou're saying the sense of
regret.
We want to tell you that youcan never walk too far away from
God.
Nothing that we've done isbeyond his grace and forgiveness
(14:13):
, and there is healing.
John mentioned that there areorganizations out there who deal
with this on a regular basis.
There's hope and there ishealing and you can move on.
Obviously, you can't change thepast, but by setting your mind
on the future and getting thehelp you need now, god can
(14:35):
forgive you.
God has forgiven you.
We all make mistakes.
Some mistakes are bigger thanothers, and that's really what
it comes down to.
Yeah, god's there for you.
Find a pastor, find a counselor, find a trusted friend who you
can share this with and beginthat process of healing.
Speaker 2 (14:55):
Yeah, the unforgivable sin isn't what you
did in the past.
The unforgivable sin is isessentially rejecting God's
grace and forgiveness of you andand reconciling your
relationship with God.
If you do that, you you willfind peace.
Then that's, that's what I've.
You know, the people that Iinterviewed I mean, let's face
(15:18):
it, in this modern societythere's people you know who have
had an abortion, or a listenermay have had one themselves.
It's not an isolated case andso those sins are not
unforgivable.
But you have to open up yourheart to receive the grace from
(15:43):
Jesus.
Speaker 1 (15:45):
Amen, amen.
And I'm sure that there arethose who are in the situation
right now where they have tomake this decision.
I want to tell you, I know thepeople in my neighborhood here
who work with men and women whoare going through this situation
and I mentioned I think Imentioned that they're not there
to pressure you.
They're not there to talk youinto something.
(16:06):
They're there for you to justshare your thoughts, your
feelings, your concerns andthey're to help you to weed
through all of that and make thedecision that you need to make
based on the real information.
And I also want to say one ofthe things I love about the
local Women's Resource Centerand I know all over the country
(16:26):
are that if you make thatdecision to continue on and not
abort that child, they're notjust going to cut things off and
say, okay, our job is done,child.
They're not just going to cutthings off and say, okay, our
job is done.
Our center here walks with youthrough that whole pregnancy and
even after.
They provide all kinds ofresources, diapers and formula
and clothes, all kinds of thingsthat you can get in your local
(16:50):
community, so that's not goingto be an issue and know that
that healing process is a long,lifelong thing.
Making that decision to keepyour baby is going to be
short-term.
It's going to be hard tellingpeople and it's going to be hard
walking through that, but whenit's done, you've got this
beautiful baby and God willbless that.
Speaker 2 (17:14):
Yeah, there's definitely resources out there.
Yeah, there's definitelyresources out there, and and and
people just you need to opentheir heart to, to accept those,
and it's just.
You know it's not easy.
I don't want to downplay thatat all.
It is not an easy decision tofind yourself in that situation,
(17:35):
especially as a teenager.
Um, but, um, but this is wherewhere you've got to build that
relationship with your family,your, your support network, um
with God, et cetera, and and youneed all the above Um, and so I
just encourage your listenersto you know, have that prayerful
consideration.
Speaker 1 (17:56):
Yeah, absolutely.
Well, john, we're going to wrapup.
I want to mention, as we didlast time, we're going to put a
lot of resources in the shownotes and in the description of
the video here so that you canturn to someplace there in your
community.
If you don't know, check with apastor, check with someone in
your community about resourcesthat are available to you.
(18:19):
You'll be glad you did.
But, john, I want to give you afinal word.
Anything else you want to wrapup here as we wrap up here, any
final word that you want toshare?
Speaker 2 (18:30):
Yeah, I think the story of Dr Catherine Wheeler is
a compelling one.
It was not just an epiphany andwe're done, and now she becomes
an advocate.
It's a struggle, there's backand forth, there's a long and
winding road, so to speak, and Ithink the readers will really
(18:52):
resonate in walking this journeywith the doctor and will
definitely get some inspirationfrom that, whether or not you
find yourself in that situationor not.
Church and how that reallycoupled with her seeing the
(19:17):
value of human life and how shebecame somebody who had the
strength to talk about it,because at the beginning and for
most of her adult life sheavoided conflict, didn't want to
talk about it, didn't want todeal with it.
How many of us are like that?
But at the end she had thewherewithal to stand up and
(19:39):
speak the truth and that journeyto get to that point is really
a big part of the book and Ithink the readers will really
enjoy walking that journey withDr Wheeler.
Speaker 1 (19:53):
Amen, john.
Tell us where we can go to findyou online and also where they
can get a hold of that book.
It's Not About the Devil.
Speaker 2 (20:03):
Yeah, all my books are available on Amazon as well
as Barnes Noble the online store.
I do have a website that'swwwitisnotaboutcom where you can
find out more about the booksand you can contact me directly.
I love to hear from readers, soI encourage everyone to go and
(20:24):
check those out.
Speaker 1 (20:27):
John D Gerolamo, thank you for being with us
again, and if you're followingthis series, there's one left.
We're going to be talking aboutexorcism next, so join us for
that, john.
Thanks again for joining us andfor all of you who are watching
and listening.
We appreciate your support.
Remember to subscribe and clickthat notification bell.
(20:49):
We appreciate your support,thank you.
Speaker 2 (20:53):
Thanks for having me.
Follow Us!
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grateful for John, who is backagain today.
For John, who is back againtoday talking about all those
issues that he learned firsthandabout through his writing in
his new book.
We'll let John introducehimself and talk about that in
(00:33):
just a second, but today we'regoing to be talking about the
culture of death.
Yeah, share a little bit aboutwho you are and what your
current project is and whatwe're going to talk about today.
Speaker 2 (00:43):
Yeah, so I've written four books.
The latest is called it's NotAbout the Devil, and I feature
people who are fighting modernevil, and if you think about who
is the most vulnerable in oursociety, it's the unborn, and so
youborn.
Targeting the vulnerable to meis evil behavior, and I wanted
(01:07):
to feature a doctor who came tothe realization that all human
life, including the unborn, hasvalue, and the transformational
journey that she had in comingto that conclusion, and so
that's what I wanted to featurein this book, and we could talk
(01:31):
about that in some of thedetails of why I think it's a
compelling story.
Speaker 1 (01:37):
Yeah, absolutely.
I think abortion is such a hottopic right now.
It has been for a number ofyears, going back to Roe v Wade
and then that being overturned,and now in the states, and
certainly with the election thisyear, it is a very hot topic.
I want to be clear to those whoare listening and watching,
though, that this is not apolitical issue.
(02:02):
I think it's become a politicalissue, and that's really a
shame, because we're talkingabout the value, as you said,
the value of human life, andthat's really what it comes down
to.
It's not a pro-choice or anykind of issue in that sense.
It's really about bringing achild into this world, whether
(02:26):
it's wanted or unwanted, whetherit's planned or unplanned.
There is value to that life.
Each of us who are alive tolisten and watch this value life
, and I think that that's thepoint that we want to try to
make today is that there isvalue in life.
I believe it was a year or twoago that we had Dr Abby Johnson
(02:49):
on talking about this very issueand very similar story, I think
, as to what you're going toshare with us, and how she
witnessed an abortion that didnot go well, and it really got
her to thinking again, comesdown to way past the political
issues.
It comes down to the core ofwhy we value life.
(03:11):
So, john, tell us about thisdoctor and her story.
Speaker 2 (03:17):
Yeah, it's not a political book.
It is the story of thisdoctor's experience and her life
journey.
The story of this doctor'sexperience and her life journey.
So to me it's more than anabortion story.
Why?
Well, because it includes somuch more than that.
So the story starts out withgetting an introduction to the
(03:39):
doctor.
She doesn't do a lot ofabortions but does some.
She doesn't do a lot ofabortions but does some, gets
essentially begged by one of herpatients to do an abortion,
(03:59):
first trimester on a teenager.
This dramatic moment where shesenses evil in the room.
And I won't give away the plotline on exactly how that happens
and what she does afterwards,but it was this big dramatic
moment.
But that's the beginning of thestory, not the end.
(04:20):
So afterwards there's thisdecades long journey of gentle
nudging exposing things to thisdoctor to not just not want to
do an abortion, but why?
What's the real basic,fundamental foundation for that?
And so there's two parallelstories.
(04:43):
There's her coming to theconclusion about the value of
human life, and it parallels herjourney back to the church, her
back walking with Christ, andall this what I would call and
she called gentle nudging andthe people she met along the way
(05:05):
, and it's important becausesome of those people exposed her
to things that she didn'treally think about, such as the
healing that needs to come fromsomebody who's had an abortion
and how it affects your life.
You know, secular society wantsto tell you it's no big deal,
(05:26):
it's a real quick procedure.
Then you forget all about it.
But that's not the reality.
The reality is is that itaffects that person.
It affects their marriage yearslater, how they view when they
do decide to have children.
What about the men involved?
What say, do they get about allthis?
(05:46):
So she meets somebody who has a,has an experience with that and
also miscarriage that happens.
You know it's kind of the storyno one wants to talk about, but
this doctor had a miscarriage.
She meets people who had that,who had that, and so there was.
(06:14):
You know, she deals with theguilt of that, the healing
journey of that and her part inthe abortions that she performed
, and so to me it's a reallybroader picture of what's going
on and how.
You know she's just making thesetransformations year after year
until finally she really hasthat bond with Christ and really
(06:38):
sees that value and has toreconcile to her past, to what
she's done lands up volunteeringat a crisis pregnancy center,
meeting some more people thereand what's important about this
particular chapter is it's toldin the first person point of
(06:58):
view.
So what I mean by that is DrCatherine Wheeler is like she's
in your living room having aconversation with you directly.
She's talking to you, thereader, directly about what
she's doing, what she's feeling.
You know the emotions, thefailures, the successes and how
(07:21):
she, you know, talks to God andprays to God, and I think the
reader is going to resonate witha lot of the things that she's
going through.
So many people fall away fromthe church, come back, and I
think hearing her story is goingto resonate with a lot of the
readers and, I hope, a lot ofyour audience as well.
Speaker 1 (07:44):
Yeah, so much.
I've done so much research onthis topic.
But I guess my question andprobably a question for those
who are watching and listening,especially if they didn't watch
the last episode is your book iscalled it's Not About the Devil
.
Why in the world would you putthis story about this doctor in
(08:05):
a book called it's Not About theDevil?
This story about this doctor ina book?
Speaker 2 (08:09):
called.
It's Not About the Devil, yeah,so the devil delights in
abortion.
The devil wants to bring usdown, he wants to corrupt our
souls, and when we ignore theunborn, when we ignore the value
of the unborn, the devildelights in that, and coupled
(08:31):
with this dramatic moment whenthe doctor senses evil in the
room, I think it really fit intothe theme of the book, and so
that's why I wanted to includethis story.
Speaker 1 (08:48):
And so that's why I wanted to include this story.
I'm going to follow kind ofwhat I did on this last episode
that we did, and I want to askyou for those who are listening,
and I have to step back and saythat I'm involved in our local
women's resource center herewhere I live.
Here where I live, and I'vebeen able to, uh, through media
(09:08):
productions that I've done forthem, I've been able to talk to
these women who decided to keeptheir child when it would have
been so much easier in thatmoment to say let's just quietly
take care of this.
Speaker 2 (09:23):
Right.
Speaker 1 (09:23):
Let's quietly get the abortion and then I can move on
with my life and nobody willknow.
I've talked to these women whohave decided the opposite, that
I'm going to go through whateverI have to go through, because I
made some decisions that maybeweren't the greatest.
The result is this child thatis inside of me now, who is
(09:44):
growing, who has a father insideof me now, who is growing, who
has a father.
And they made that decision andthey they afterwards, when they
have given birth and I've seenthat child, them holding that
child, through these interviewshave are so delighted and so
blessed by the fact that theyhad someone there who wasn't
telling them what to do, butthey could be a sounding board
and say here's what I'm facing.
(10:05):
I don't want to tell my parents,I don't want them what to do,
but they could be a soundingboard and say here's what I'm
facing.
I don't want to tell my parentsI don't want to have to
continue going to high school orI'm too young to have a child.
I want a career, um, to be ableto listen to those concerns and
they're valid concerns but topoint them in the right
direction and give them a bit ofwisdom for down the road
(10:26):
because you mentioned, there's alot of hurt, a lot of scars
emotional, spiritual and evenphysical when that abortion
happens and you can't undo that.
So, given all of that, john, doyou have any insights as to for
(10:47):
the woman and the man who maybe dealing with the other
decision to go ahead with theabortion?
You've been hanging around withthis doctor getting her story.
Do you have any insight to thatand what those the husband and
wife may be feeling at this timeor couple Sure.
Speaker 2 (11:10):
So you know it.
An unplanned pregnancy isalways complicated, for sure.
And you know, unfortunately,what.
What a lot of the abortionadvocates want to promote is
that, um one, it's no big deal.
Uh two, it's quick and easy andyou'll forget all about it, and
(11:32):
it's super safe, no matter howyou do it or when you do it.
And that's just not true.
And they want to downplay theresources that a lot of these
crisis pregnancy centers canprovide, and you know.
The other topic is adoption.
You know there's lots of peoplewho would love to bring a child
(11:57):
into their family and love thatkid.
There's ways that families cansupport you know a newborn, that
maybe you're 16 or 17.
You can't do it now, but maybeyou can in the future.
And there's other women whohave gone through this situation
(12:18):
that came out the other side,kept their child and really got
everything that they wanted outof life.
They didn't buy the lie thatthis is going to solve your
problem, but it really is traumato the body and trauma to the
(12:40):
emotions and to the spirit.
And the people that Iinterviewed talked about how it
affected their marriage.
They looked at their kid whenthey had children years later
and were really in conflict,worrying about why ended this
other pregnancy.
Am I going to get punished nowfor, with my current child, for
(13:04):
something sins of the past, soto speak.
You know abortion, healing andrecovery resources and programs
out there to help them, you know, deal with the effects of this
(13:28):
on their life and on theirmarriage and et cetera.
And so you know, my advice isto you know, if you've got
unresolved issues like that,you've got to.
You've got unresolved issueslike that, you've got to.
Um, you've got to be able toopen your heart and seek out
these resources?
Speaker 1 (13:44):
Yeah, absolutely.
That was well said, john.
Um, I know that there are thosewho are listening and watching
right now who deeply feel whatyou're saying the sense of
regret.
We want to tell you that youcan never walk too far away from
God.
Nothing that we've done isbeyond his grace and forgiveness
(14:13):
, and there is healing.
John mentioned that there areorganizations out there who deal
with this on a regular basis.
There's hope and there ishealing and you can move on.
Obviously, you can't change thepast, but by setting your mind
on the future and getting thehelp you need now, god can
(14:35):
forgive you.
God has forgiven you.
We all make mistakes.
Some mistakes are bigger thanothers, and that's really what
it comes down to.
Yeah, god's there for you.
Find a pastor, find a counselor, find a trusted friend who you
can share this with and beginthat process of healing.
Speaker 2 (14:55):
Yeah, the unforgivable sin isn't what you
did in the past.
The unforgivable sin is isessentially rejecting God's
grace and forgiveness of you andand reconciling your
relationship with God.
If you do that, you you willfind peace.
Then that's, that's what I've.
You know, the people that Iinterviewed I mean, let's face
(15:18):
it, in this modern societythere's people you know who have
had an abortion, or a listenermay have had one themselves.
It's not an isolated case andso those sins are not
unforgivable.
But you have to open up yourheart to receive the grace from
(15:43):
Jesus.
Speaker 1 (15:45):
Amen, amen.
And I'm sure that there arethose who are in the situation
right now where they have tomake this decision.
I want to tell you, I know thepeople in my neighborhood here
who work with men and women whoare going through this situation
and I mentioned I think Imentioned that they're not there
to pressure you.
They're not there to talk youinto something.
(16:06):
They're there for you to justshare your thoughts, your
feelings, your concerns andthey're to help you to weed
through all of that and make thedecision that you need to make
based on the real information.
And I also want to say one ofthe things I love about the
local Women's Resource Centerand I know all over the country
(16:26):
are that if you make thatdecision to continue on and not
abort that child, they're notjust going to cut things off and
say, okay, our job is done,child.
They're not just going to cutthings off and say, okay, our
job is done.
Our center here walks with youthrough that whole pregnancy and
even after.
They provide all kinds ofresources, diapers and formula
and clothes, all kinds of thingsthat you can get in your local
(16:50):
community, so that's not goingto be an issue and know that
that healing process is a long,lifelong thing.
Making that decision to keepyour baby is going to be
short-term.
It's going to be hard tellingpeople and it's going to be hard
walking through that, but whenit's done, you've got this
beautiful baby and God willbless that.
Speaker 2 (17:14):
Yeah, there's definitely resources out there.
Yeah, there's definitelyresources out there, and and and
people just you need to opentheir heart to, to accept those,
and it's just.
You know it's not easy.
I don't want to downplay thatat all.
It is not an easy decision tofind yourself in that situation,
(17:35):
especially as a teenager.
Um, but, um, but this is wherewhere you've got to build that
relationship with your family,your, your support network, um
with God, et cetera, and and youneed all the above Um, and so I
just encourage your listenersto you know, have that prayerful
consideration.
Speaker 1 (17:56):
Yeah, absolutely.
Well, john, we're going to wrapup.
I want to mention, as we didlast time, we're going to put a
lot of resources in the shownotes and in the description of
the video here so that you canturn to someplace there in your
community.
If you don't know, check with apastor, check with someone in
your community about resourcesthat are available to you.
(18:19):
You'll be glad you did.
But, john, I want to give you afinal word.
Anything else you want to wrapup here as we wrap up here, any
final word that you want toshare?
Speaker 2 (18:30):
Yeah, I think the story of Dr Catherine Wheeler is
a compelling one.
It was not just an epiphany andwe're done, and now she becomes
an advocate.
It's a struggle, there's backand forth, there's a long and
winding road, so to speak, and Ithink the readers will really
(18:52):
resonate in walking this journeywith the doctor and will
definitely get some inspirationfrom that, whether or not you
find yourself in that situationor not.
Church and how that reallycoupled with her seeing the
(19:17):
value of human life and how shebecame somebody who had the
strength to talk about it,because at the beginning and for
most of her adult life sheavoided conflict, didn't want to
talk about it, didn't want todeal with it.
How many of us are like that?
But at the end she had thewherewithal to stand up and
(19:39):
speak the truth and that journeyto get to that point is really
a big part of the book and Ithink the readers will really
enjoy walking that journey withDr Wheeler.
Speaker 1 (19:53):
Amen, john.
Tell us where we can go to findyou online and also where they
can get a hold of that book.
It's Not About the Devil.
Speaker 2 (20:03):
Yeah, all my books are available on Amazon as well
as Barnes Noble the online store.
I do have a website that'swwwitisnotaboutcom where you can
find out more about the booksand you can contact me directly.
I love to hear from readers, soI encourage everyone to go and
(20:24):
check those out.
Speaker 1 (20:27):
John D Gerolamo, thank you for being with us
again, and if you're followingthis series, there's one left.
We're going to be talking aboutexorcism next, so join us for
that, john.
Thanks again for joining us andfor all of you who are watching
and listening.
We appreciate your support.
Remember to subscribe and clickthat notification bell.
(20:49):
We appreciate your support,thank you.
Speaker 2 (20:53):
Thanks for having me.
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