OCTOBER BABY accomplishes what it intends!

OCTOBER BABY exposes the horrific reality of a late term and incomplete abortion.  It forces us to face what a real life scenario of an abortion survivor would look like.

I think this film strikes a beautiful balance between presenting this hard and hidden practice of killing our children, (with all its painful ramifications), but also by giving us the hope of God’s amazing grace and gentle redemption that can only come through the price Jesus paid with His blood.

The story line gives us at least a half a dozen perspectives from the different characters whose lives were affected by one woman’s choice to abort her child.  I also appreciated that even though the script writers allowed the honest and negative emotions to surface, there was still a “purity of heart” and a respect in the characters that allowed grace to flow.

This film will surely surface abortion wounded hearts.  My prayer is that the Lord will use this film to bring conviction to His church that we must engage in this battle for life and death and that we must become the “first responders” who will bring healing and lasting freedom to the abortion wounded.

Please support the success and longevity of this movie by attending its debut weekend, March 23^rd, 2012

Karen A. Ellison, Deeper Still

Founder & President

http://octoberbabymovie.net/

Dear Sister,

You made it through the retreat, and came out a new Creation. You ripped open wounds and poured salt on them by discussing them and sharing them with strangers…but now you feel clean and restored. The hardest part is over….right? Maybe, but you may find yourself in another kind of spiritual battle right now. The enemy may be whispering things to you like, “that wasn’t real” or “you aren’t REALLY forgiven” or any number of things like this.

Before I began my retreat I was really interested in being a part of the Deeper Still ministry, So I sort of felt like I was at an audition of sorts; no one made me feel this way except me and the enemy. So I found myself being guarded in certain emotional situations and even more scared to share my secrets for fear that the whole team would reject me forever. I was really struggling with acceptance the whole time. All of the women there were pouring out unconditional love to me, and yet I was still second guessing my responses and not really letting go. I really tried to fight this, on my own and with prayer. I know that people on site were praying for me as well as prayer warriors outside the retreat, and because of this, I was able to open up enough to receive great healing and restoration! Hallelujah!!

Now that I am home, and my retreat has been over for a year, sometimes I hear that familiar whisper of the enemy. Sometimes I think that I wasn’t REALLY healed because I couldn’t let go enough, or that I could’ve received more restoration if I had of been more open….But thenI remember feeling Christ right there with me as I lay on my face sobbing on the floor in front of the big wooden cross at the retreat; I remember the presence of God as a mother held me in her arms and let me cry, body wracked with sobs, healing a wound of abandonment that I didn’t even know existed….God is so big, He is so great, He is so loving!

If I ever begin to doubt the authenticity of my healing and forgiveness, I need only to look at the manifestations of God’s Grace in my life: I am not proud of my abortion, but neither am I ashamed. I am able to share my story without overwhelming guilt and sobs. It still saddens me, yes, but not I see the glorified image of my baby girl with Jesus. I KNOW that I am forgiven and redeemed, set free and set apart!

Don’t let the enemy fool you with his lies; he will try to put a destructive spin on events in your life. Keep you eyes and heart open to God’s Truth! I pray that God would continue to give you wisdom to differentiate between the enemy’s lies and God’s truth. Hold fast to the promise of God. The things that you experience with Him are real, and no one can take those from you, not even the enemy!

What God has given us no one can take away.

Thank you, Ryann, for your precious words of Truth and encouragement to us all. Blessings in return! 

My name is Debbie Picarello and I am a native New Yorker who came to Sevier County, Tennessee via Pennsylvania in 1995.

My journey with Deeper Still has been a several year one. I have had the privilege of walking alongside many women who have come to the place where they were not

only ready for the Lord to touch those places their abortion wounded so deeply, but they were also genuinely desperate to experience the freedom only Jesus can bring.

Witnessing the transformation from being so deeply broken and heavy laden to being restored and made whole during our retreat weekends, is truly a joy for me.

Supporting and assisting these precious women has been an opportunity for me to give back what I myself have received from the Lord. Nearly four years ago, I was in

their shoes; I too have experienced the agonizing results of having an abortion. Like so many retreat participants who show up to the retreats fearful and anxious, not

knowing anyone, I too, quickly began to have my fears quelled the moment I walked through the door. I was met by the most loving, accepting group of women I had

ever met; experiencing the love of God through them throughout the weekend truly showed me what it means to be loved by people who truly are like “Jesus with skin

on”. The Lord met me in such a powerful and tangible way, and nearly 20 years of stuffed pain, grief, shame and so much more was gloriously washed away that

weekend. Having been a Christian for 17 years, this weekend retreat experience left me feeling as if I were born again, again, if that were possible! So, with the comfort

that He has comforted me with, I can now share that with other post-abortive women who wonder, “Will I ever feel better about this?” I can now give a confident

resounding “Yes!”  The same Jesus that did this for me, will do it for you. Just take that courageous leap of faith and trust me, you’re in good hands with this amazing Deeper Still team.

My name is Eileen Sommi and I am a native New Yorker who came to Knoxville, Tennessee in 2008.

I heard about Deeper Still from members of the leadership team who also attend my church, Two Rivers.  I knew nothing about the ministry, but was impressed with the leaders’ passion, love, sincerity, and faith.  So, I decided to take a closer look.

After attending Deeper Still’s annual fundraising banquet and training sessions, I knew God’s heart and desire to heal those affected by abortion was represented and being realized. Even though I had never had an abortion myself, I knew the healing power of God.

His command from the book of Isaiah to bring good news to the afflicted and bind up the brokenhearted is something we are all called to do.  I am grateful for those who have been able to bring me good news and help bind my broken heart in times of need or grief.  I was humbled by the chance to do the same – to stand side by side with other women desperately wanting freedom.

So, I signed up – to help – in anyway I could to tell those wounded by their decision to end a life that God’s love is abounding in grace and that He will mend their broken hearts in ways we can’t even imagine.

The work that God is doing through Deeper Still is real and deep. I would suggest you take a closer look, like I did.

If you have had an abortion, know there is healing to be found.  If you have a desire to walk with others through the process, help is always needed.

For all involved, myself included, Deeper Still’s ministry has been an opportunity to see God work by the power of His love and through the truth of His Word to bring life – life to the full to all who ask.

Welcome to our Deeper Still blog.  We’re excited to launch our new blog communications community.  We want to provide a venue for ongoing sharing about what God is teaching you, or maybe you need a place to share what your struggles are and where you need prayer and encouragement.

This blog is open to anyone who wants to participate in a discussion about our ministry or about the issues surrounding an abortion wounded heart and the healing journey.

You may be one of our past participants and would like to share about your healing journey.  I know you ladies are full of refined wisdom and a healthy compassion for other women on this journey.

Or, you may be one of our ministry team members or one of our intercessors.  If you have any insights to share with us, we welcome them.

I also want to open this blog up to any men out there who may be struggling with an abortion wounded heart and you need a place to start to talk about it.  We can learn from you and you can learn from us.

We just ask that all entries be respectful and would come from an honest heart that desires to grow.  Fly-by venting doesn’t help anyone.

So welcome! I’m going to start by sharing some of my recent ponderings…

TRUTH – why is it that we often see truth as the enemy?  We know that the Bible teaches that Truth is what will make us free (John 8:32).  We also know that Jesus Himself is the Truth (John 14:6), and that He is only good.  So Truth is simply the honest, objective standard of reality, and therefore “it” does not have a personal vendetta against us…right?

Truth only becomes something we fear or resist when it confronts a lie in our heart that we don’t want to see, admit, or deal with.  The Bible also teaches that when we don’t like the Truth, we will suppress it (Rom. 1:18), and even exchange it for a lie (Rom. 1:18).  And sadly, we read in (II Thess.2:10), that those who do not love the Truth will perish.

As I think about all the stories that are shared at our Deeper Still retreats, one of the issues that are true for every woman who receives healing is that at some point she has to surrender to the “Truth” about herself, about her choices, and about her baby.  She must acknowledge and repent of the lies that she once held onto (thinking that they would set her free), and she comes to realize that only a Savior can save her from herself.  At that point she can finally take all those lies that robbed her of so much, and exchange them for the Truth – that glorious Truth that can finally set her free.

I can certainly remember times when I thought the Truth was my enemy.  But I am so thankful that I no longer have to be threatened by the Truth, in fact quite the contraire – the Truth was my ticket to true and lasting freedom.  Thank you Jesus!

Karen Ellison~ founder, Deeper Still