Healing: Mark Bradley Morrow, Post Abortive Father

Healing:  Mark Bradley Morrow

 Mark's  story includes  4 Abortions in 20 months, 1 Vasectomy, 1 Adoption, 2 Reversals, 1 Miscarriage & 2 Beautiful Babies

Now I would like to introduce you to a friend of mine.  He is a father.  Some of you may have heard of him before.  He is not only a licensed professional counselor; he is also a professional stand-up comedian and was a popular morning drive time radio personality for a Christian radio station in Erie, Pennsylvania.  His name is Mark Bradley Morrow.  His story includes  4 Abortions in 20 months, 1 Vasectomy, 1 Adoption, 2 Reversals, 1 Miscarriage & 2 Beautiful Babies To find out more about Mark please visit his web site www.markbradleymorrow.com

Mark accepted Christ into his life when he was 19 and still a virgin.  During his college years he filled his time with bible study, prayer and fellowship. It was after college that sexual temptation became too much for him.  This temptation led to sexual relationships, four pregnancies and four abortions. It was a secret he kept and struggled with for 18 years fearing that disclosure would ruin his career and family. 

Mark’s first abortion experience came after a lustful night in which he did not use a condom.  His girlfriend informed him of the pregnancy.  He told her he would support the child financially but would not marry her nor would he be a father to the child.  That was unacceptable to her.  He then suggested adoption.  Instead of embracing the adoption alternative she brought up abortion, Mark did not resist.  He even drove her to the clinic, waited in the waiting room and paid for half the abortion.  The middle two abortions he did not learn about until after the fact.  The women knew he did not want to be a father so they went and had abortions on their own and informed him later.  The fourth one he knew what the mother was going through but did not actively participate in the abortion process. 

After the final abortion, he met his future wife.  At the time, she was an unwed mother.  He led her to Christ.  Mark agreed to marry her and adopt her daughter but told her he did not want children of his own.  She reluctantly agreed to this condition and he had a vasectomy before the wedding day.  After several years of being a father to his adopted daughter he realized the joys and rewards fatherhood had to offer.  He decided he wanted to have children of his own.  He went through a painful reversal procedure only to have it fail.  He then went to the Cleveland Clinic for another reversal procedure.  This one was successful.  In a short time, he and his wife announced on his morning radio show that she was pregnant.  A few days later she miscarried.  Mark wondered if he would ever be blessed with biological children.  Eventually, he received the gift of a biological daughter and son.  Mark still grieves for over the loss of his other five children.  He lost four because of abortion and one as a result of a miscarriage.

Eventually, Mark decided to share the story with a friend, his wife, his pastor and finally with his teenage daughter.  The reaction he got from his daughter was exactly the affirmation he needed to tell his story to the world.  She looked at him and said softly “Dad, there is nothing you could have said that would have made me love you any less.”  With that reassurance and support Mark went public with his story and his ministry of reaching out to other dads who have experienced abortion.

This might also be a good time to remind everyone that the sentiments expressed by Mark’s daughter are the same sentiments God expresses to us. No matter what we have done or said God cannot and will not love us any less.  God is a forgiving and loving God.

What God has done with Mark’s life since he shared his past is an example of how God will use our bad decisions for good.   Mark, now counsels’ fathers who have had children aborted, shares his story with others as a keynote speaker for crisis pregnancy center fundraisers, special church services, Right to Life Banquets, abstinence programs, men's events and Christian/Catholic school assemblies.  Mark can be reached at morrow@velocity.net  

Forgiveness: Some Thoughts on Forgiveness

Forgiveness: Some Thoughts on Forgiveness

"The God I loved forgave me of all my mistakes.  I know if God could forgive me I could forgive my mom.  I think the feeling of peace is just a bonus God gives.  A huge burden was lifted off of me.”  Biggest Loser winner, Michelle Aguilar

Faith does teach us that God has a high standard for us, a standard none of us can possibility attain.  In Romans 3:23 Paul reminds us that “…we have all sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”  The good news is that God is full of love, grace and mercy.  He will forgive us if we accept His gift of grace. If God has the grace to forgive us, we should find it in our hearts to forgive each other.  We all require God’s forgiveness.  Throughout our lives we are always making withdrawals from God’s Bank of Grace.  Just as God has generously shared His grace with us we need to extend that same grace to others when they fail us.

Christians are taught that God not only wants us to forgive others, He requires us to.  When Jesus was asked to teach His followers how to pray He gave us a prayer.  This prayer is taught to us in Matthew 6:9-13.  In 6:12 the prayer specifically addresses forgiveness with the words “Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.” 

In Matthew 6:14-15 Jesus expands on how important forgiveness is when he taught us that “If you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.  But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”

Biggest Loser winner, Michelle Aguilar, while explaining how she was able to forgive her mother for leaving her father, provides a great explanation as to why we should forgive and the gift God gives us when we forgive.  “Unforgiveness made me sick on the inside, but when I let go, there was a peace God gave.  The God I loved forgave me of all my mistakes.  I know if God could forgive me I could forgive my mom.  I think the feeling of peace is just a bonus God gives.  A huge burden was lifted off of me.”

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Forgiveness: The Nickle Mines Tragedy

Forgiveness: The Nickle Mines Tragedy

In the days following this tragedy, the Amish people demonstrated the type of grace and love that Jesus taught us about.

In October of 2006 the Amish people demonstrated how forgiving humans can be.  They showed forgiveness to a shooter of ten of their children.  

On October 2, 2006 in Nickle Mines, Pennsylvania, a thirty two year old, non Amish milk man, named Charles Roberts, IV entered a one room school house and shot ten young Amish girls.  Five of the girls died and five were seriously injured.  In the days following this tragedy, the Amish people demonstrated the type of grace and love that Jesus taught us about.  They embraced the shooter’s family.  On the night of the tragedy an Amish neighbor of the assassin’s parents, named Henry, came to their house.  He said to the shooter’s father “Roberts, we love you” and then comforted him for nearly an hour.   The Amish community attended Roberts’ funeral, hugged his wife and family.  They donated money to his widow and three young children. 

The story does not end there.  Terri Roberts, the shooter’s mother has developed a relationship with the surviving victims.  She has invited them to her house and now on most Thursday evenings helps care for the most seriously injured survivor. 

This post demonstrates for us the ultimate in forgiveness and love.  Here a man took the children yet the families of his victims embraced his family.

Forgiveness: Saint John Paul, II

Forgiveness: Saint John Paul II

This is the second post in my short series of forgiveness.  We first discussed how President Ronald Reagan forgave his attacker and now we will discuss how Saint (then Pope) John Paul II forgave his attacker.

“ I am praying for the brother who wounded me and whom I truly forgive.”  Saint John Paul, II

Less than two months after the attempt on President Reagan’s life the world was stunned with another assassination attempt.  This time it occurred across the sea in Europe.  On May 13, 1981 gun shots again rung out, this time not far from St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican.  An attempt was made on the life of the beloved Pope, now Saint John Paul II.

A lone gunman fired shots at Saint John Paul, II causing life threatening injuries to the Pontiff. Many thought he would not live.

On May 18, 1981, five days after the shooting Saint John Paul, II said in a taped message to the faithful “I am praying for the brother who wounded me and whom I truly forgive.”

In 1983, the Saint met with his shooter in prison and kept in touch with his family, meeting with the shooter’s mother in 1987 and his brother ten years later.  His shooter was pardoned by the Italian President in 2001 at the Pope’s request.

We must remember that forgiveness is a tenant of the Christian faith and one that we should follow faithfully.   In my next post we will discuss how the Amish community forgave the attacker of their children after the Nickle Mines tragedy. 

Forgiveness: President Ronald Reagan

FORGIVENESS: RONALD REAGAN FORGAVE HIS ATTACKER

This is a short series on forgiveness.  In this series I will feature short posts on people who forgave people who either tried to take their lives or took the lives of a loved one.  The first profile will be on President Ronald Reagan.

“I didn’t feel I could ask God’s help to heal Jim, the others and myself, and at the same time feel hatred for the man who had shot us, so I silently asked God to help him deal with whatever demons had led him to shoot us.  That day I asked the Lord to heal him, and to this day I still do.”  President Ronald Wilson Reagan

It was March 30, 1981 at 2:27 p.m., outside the Washington Hilton Hotel, only 69 days into his new administration that John Hinckley, Jr. stood less than twenty feet away from the new President and pulled out a 22 caliber pistol and shot President Ronald Reagan.  Also shot by Hinckley was the President’s Press Secretary James Brady, Washington Patrolman Thomas Delahanty and Secret Service Agent Timothy McCarthy.

At the hospital, President Reagan heard that his Press Secretary was probably not going to make it.  He offered a prayer for Jim Brady.  Later, the President was quoted as saying “I didn’t feel I could ask God’s help to heal Jim, the others and myself, and at the same time feel hatred for the man who had shot us, so I silently asked God to help him deal with whatever demons had led him to shoot us.  That day I asked the Lord to heal him, and to this day I still do.”

While the President and Jim Brady were both near death they both survived, although Press Secretary Brady did suffer life altering injuries.  It is worthy to note that President Reagan is the only President to survive being shot in an assassination attempt.  The President attributed his survival to God’s having more work for him to do.

My next post will feature the story of Pope (now Saint) John Paul II.