Minot Right to Life is bringing Trish Short and Michael Bethea to town on April 16.
Short, a former model, actress and pro-choice feminist, found her life shattered when she was in her 20s. She suffered two failed marriages and had lost two children to the "culture of death." When she was in her 30s, a friend introduced her to the Chaplet of Divine Mercy and through it Short found faith, hope and healing in Christ. Her testimony is one of coming back to the Catholic church from the Assemblies of God through Divine Mercy.
"When your life falls apart and there's no faith, no God, everything's a mess," Short said. "I had only one place left to look, and that was up. Everything I knew was a lie and I was on a mission for the truth. The truth came when I found Jesus Christ," she added.
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The vision of the North Dakota Right to Life Association is that all vulnerable persons in our society are protected throughout the span of their lives from conception to natural death. It is our vision that all euthanasia and abortion be ended and that every person’s attitude and commitment changes to a fervent respect for all innocent human life.
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Short, who is an award-winning director, music producer and singer/songwriter, is in full-time media and music ministry. She founded Artists for Life in 2000 to use the arts and media to build a culture of life. Her work has appeared on ABC Family Channel, Fox Network and on Christian Networks, EWTN, TBN and CBN. Their music and media projects have helped to support non-profit ministries around the globe.
She also works as an international conference speaker and singer. Her testimony witnesses to the love, mercy and power of God to change a life. She is probably best known as one of the singers and the producer of the Chaplet of Divine Mercy in Song which airs weekends, worldwide, on ETWN Global Catholic Television Network. Short credits this prayer with truly opening her eyes.
Cries answered
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Spring Right to Life banquet
The Minot Right to Life spring banquet will be April 16 in the Missouri and Metigoshe Room on the third floor of the Student Union at Minot State University. The social hour begins at 6:30 p.m., with dinner, followed by a talk and concert by Trish Short and Michael Bethea scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.
Short will also give a Divine Mercy presentation and concert at 2 p.m. in Little Flower Catholic Church, 800 W. University Ave. There is no charge for the Divine Mercy presentation, but tickets are required by calling the church office, 838-1520. Bethea and Short will lead the group in praying the contemporary Divine Mercy Chaplet in song at 3 p.m.
Tickets for the banquet, which are $15, may be purchased at Gideon's Trumpet or by calling Deb Carroll at 839-2929 or Carol Christianson at 852-8676. Ticket requests may also be left by voicemail at 838-8201. Seating is limited and tickets should be purchased as soon as possible.
The North Dakota Right to Life vision statement follows:
The vision of the North Dakota Right to Life Association is that all vulnerable persons in our society are protected throughout the span of their lives from conception to natural death. It is our vision that all euthanasia and abortion be ended and that every person's attitude and commitment changes to a fervent respect for all innocent human life.
"The mercy of God had never occurred to me," Short said. "I had always thought of abortion as the unforgivable sin. When I finally cried out to God, his graces to rebuild my life were immediate. Married for 18 years now, my home is filled with a joy and peace I had never known before. Yet still, I miss my children; thousands are killed daily and that loss is not going away. It was a trip to the Holocaust Museum years ago that was God's final call to me to speak out. I found out the method used to kill my child was first developed in the death camps of Nazi Germany. Now, I beg God every day to help me to be a voice for my own children and for the millions lost to abortion. Through prayer, music and public speaking, my hope is to prevent others from making the same tragic mistake."
Miraculous recovery
Bethea, a former RCA recording artist, has opened for The Temptations and shared the stage with Keith Urban, CeCe Winans, Bo Diddley and others.
Bethea was stricken with pneumococcal pneumonia, a rare and life-threatening illness a few years ago. As he lay dying, sustained only by life support in a hospital, his family was by his side praying. They never stopped praying, Bethea said. He made a miraculous recovery, defying any medical explanation and the 10 percent survival statistics of that illness.
"When you come that close to dying, everything changes," Bethea said. "Whatever my faith was before, now it's real. God has been so good to me; he has given me another chance to make a difference in this world."
He recently signed with Soulplay Records and is celebrating the release of his gospel album "REAL."
Short produced the album and wrote many of the songs on it.
"At this stage of the game it's not about me; it's about the message," Bethea said. "Every song should have a goal ... to move you beyond yourself, to make you think, to help you become a better person.
"I absolutely know now that singing is my purpose. God has given me a voice which enables me to deliver a powerful message through music. I feel blessed to have been given a voice that supports my love for all genres of music. That love and diverse musical style comes from a desire to touch everyone, a strong belief in coming together as God's people in a spirit of unity."