{"id":34316,"date":"2025-06-18T17:32:56","date_gmt":"2025-06-18T17:32:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cincinnatirighttolife.org\/?p=34316"},"modified":"2025-06-18T17:32:57","modified_gmt":"2025-06-18T17:32:57","slug":"dave-knew-something-was-wrong-in-his-life-he-just-couldnt-put-his-finger-on-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cincinnatirighttolife.org\/dave-knew-something-was-wrong-in-his-life-he-just-couldnt-put-his-finger-on-it\/","title":{"rendered":"Dave knew something was wrong in his life; he just couldn’t put his finger on it"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By: Kevin Burke and Reg Platt, originally published June 10, 2025, Pregnancy Help News<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Life wasn\u2019t going well for Dave.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There were the frequent fights with his wife, and the relationship with his children was rocky. Dave had a short fuse and lashed out at those closest to him.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He drank a lot, not because he enjoyed it, but because it provided a temporary escape from his problems. Dave could sense that something was wrong with his life; he just couldn\u2019t put his finger on it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In quieter moments, when not numb from alcohol or anger, he felt a sense of deep loss, a grief that wouldn\u2019t go away. Dave knew something needed to change in his life, but he had no idea where to start. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

God\u2019s illuminating and transforming grace can be communicated in a Saint-Paul-type mystical conversion. But more often, it is experienced through the ordinary relationships and events of our lives. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dave had a friend from church who was aware that he was involved in two previous abortions before he married. He let Dave know about a speaker coming to the church to talk about the impact of abortion on men.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dave admitted to his friend that the abortions bothered him, but added, \u201cI don\u2019t see how this could be connected to the problems I am experiencing right now.\u201d With encouragement from his friend, Dave reluctantly agreed to come to the men\u2019s group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dave listened as the speaker shared his personal experience of abortion loss and how it impacted his life and relationships. The speaker talked about the healing he experienced in a men\u2019s abortion Bible study called the\u00a0Project Joseph Retreat<\/strong>.<\/a>\u00a0Dave signed up for the next weekend program.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He arrived at the retreat center Friday and met the other six participants in the program. Each man had his own set of problems and sorrows. Yet, as Dave heard their stories, he began to realize they all had a lot in common.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s what Project Joseph does. Since 2014, it has helped men recognize, from their unique, individual perspectives, that the damage done by abortion is universal. Loss, grief and guilt are at the core of every story, regardless of how the man was involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Project Joseph was developed as the fruit of men who had experienced healing in\u00a0Rachel\u2019s Vineyard<\/a><\/strong>, a weekend retreat where women and men can journey together to heal from their abortion experience. While there are great blessings from that shared experience, some male alumni of Rachel\u2019s Vineyard felt called to offer additional healing for men, in a men\u2019s-only context.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Project Joseph creates a space where men can explore issues like damaged fatherhood, marriage relationships, and developing a healthy, holy identity as a man. It allows those men who were passive or actively encouraging of the abortion to honestly look at their role in that tragic event.  They come to see how the shame and guilt that flowed from those abortions fueled their personal and relationship challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the biggest challenge for any men\u2019s abortion outreach is getting fathers to recognize they need help. Most, like Dave, never made the connection to the struggles in their lives. Abortion is \u201clegal,\u201d so it must be OK. There must be something else behind the sorrow, the depression and the lingering sense of guilt. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The path to healing involves\u00a0raising awareness<\/a><\/strong>, and through the healing process, reconnecting in love with one\u2019s aborted children.\u00a0 The relationship shattered by abortion must be repaired, or a man will carry the burden of this loss forever.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The group process provides an opportunity to end the denial and isolation common after abortion. Fathers discover they are not alone in their pain, and healing is possible. In a place of emotional and spiritual safety, they can now grieve and mourn that loss, making room in their father\u2019s heart for the reconciliation, healing and peace of the Lord.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And it\u2019s not just the father of the child who needs healing. The college roommate who drives the mom to the abortion center, the brother who loans money to a family member to have the procedure, or the man who encourages and \u201caffirms\u201d a friend\u2019s decision to abort\u2014all are deeply wounded by their intimate connection to that child\u2019s death.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Men who marry a woman with an abortion in her past may also be wounded by the relational impact of her abortion, especially in the areas of communication, trust and intimacy. All are welcome to experience emotional and spiritual healing in\u00a0Project Joseph<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0Rachel\u2019s Vineyard<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the days and weeks after the Project Joseph retreat, Dave stopped drinking. He began to value his living children and have a deeper love and appreciation for his wife. Dave later felt called to publicly share his experience of abortion and serve on the Project Joseph team, helping other men find healing.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It takes a special kind of courage to confront one\u2019s demons, but it\u2019s the only way to vanquish them. And it can be done with just a phone call for help. If you\u2019re haunted by abortion loss, call 469-720-2273 or email\u00a0\u00a0<\/a>healing@projectjosephdallas.org<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>and speak with\u00a0Project Joseph<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Everything is confidential.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You are not alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kevin Burke, MSS, is a pastoral associate of\u00a0Priests for Life<\/a>\u00a0and co-founder of\u00a0Rachel\u2019s Vineyard<\/a>. An expert on men and abortion loss, he is the author of\u00a0Tears of the Fisherman<\/a>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reg Platt is the coordinator and main facilitator for Project Joseph.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By: Kevin Burke and Reg Platt, originally published June 10, 2025, Pregnancy Help News Life wasn\u2019t going well for Dave. There were the frequent fights with his wife, and the relationship with his children was rocky. Dave had a short fuse and lashed out at those closest to him.    He drank a lot, not…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":34317,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-34316","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nDave knew something was wrong in his life; he just couldn't put his finger on it - Cincinnati Right to Life<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/cincinnatirighttolife.org\/dave-knew-something-was-wrong-in-his-life-he-just-couldnt-put-his-finger-on-it\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Dave knew something was wrong in his life; he just couldn't put his finger on it - Cincinnati Right to Life\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By: Kevin Burke and Reg Platt, originally published June 10, 2025, Pregnancy Help News Life wasn\u2019t going well for Dave. There were the frequent fights with his wife, and the relationship with his children was rocky. Dave had a short fuse and lashed out at those closest to him.    He drank a lot, not…\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/cincinnatirighttolife.org\/dave-knew-something-was-wrong-in-his-life-he-just-couldnt-put-his-finger-on-it\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Cincinnati Right to Life\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-06-18T17:32:56+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-06-18T17:32:57+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/cincinnatirighttolife.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Dave-knew-somthing-was-wrong.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"635\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Melanie Wade\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Melanie Wade\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cincinnatirighttolife.org\/dave-knew-something-was-wrong-in-his-life-he-just-couldnt-put-his-finger-on-it\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cincinnatirighttolife.org\/dave-knew-something-was-wrong-in-his-life-he-just-couldnt-put-his-finger-on-it\/\",\"name\":\"Dave knew something was wrong in his life; he just couldn't put his finger on it - Cincinnati Right to Life\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cincinnatirighttolife.org\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cincinnatirighttolife.org\/dave-knew-something-was-wrong-in-his-life-he-just-couldnt-put-his-finger-on-it\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cincinnatirighttolife.org\/dave-knew-something-was-wrong-in-his-life-he-just-couldnt-put-his-finger-on-it\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/cincinnatirighttolife.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Dave-knew-somthing-was-wrong.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-06-18T17:32:56+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-06-18T17:32:57+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cincinnatirighttolife.org\/#\/schema\/person\/9a5fe1347253fa134f21cdb919caf789\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cincinnatirighttolife.org\/dave-knew-something-was-wrong-in-his-life-he-just-couldnt-put-his-finger-on-it\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/cincinnatirighttolife.org\/dave-knew-something-was-wrong-in-his-life-he-just-couldnt-put-his-finger-on-it\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cincinnatirighttolife.org\/dave-knew-something-was-wrong-in-his-life-he-just-couldnt-put-his-finger-on-it\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cincinnatirighttolife.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Dave-knew-somthing-was-wrong.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/cincinnatirighttolife.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Dave-knew-somthing-was-wrong.jpg\",\"width\":1280,\"height\":635},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cincinnatirighttolife.org\/dave-knew-something-was-wrong-in-his-life-he-just-couldnt-put-his-finger-on-it\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/cincinnatirighttolife.org\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Dave knew something was wrong in his life; he just couldn’t put his finger on it\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cincinnatirighttolife.org\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cincinnatirighttolife.org\/\",\"name\":\"Cincinnati Right to Life\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/cincinnatirighttolife.org\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cincinnatirighttolife.org\/#\/schema\/person\/9a5fe1347253fa134f21cdb919caf789\",\"name\":\"Melanie Wade\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cincinnatirighttolife.org\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7ec3fd7a1977f4be962597ccc3e12001?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7ec3fd7a1977f4be962597ccc3e12001?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Melanie Wade\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/cincinnatirighttolife.org\/author\/mwade\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Dave knew something was wrong in his life; he just couldn't put his finger on it - Cincinnati Right to Life","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/cincinnatirighttolife.org\/dave-knew-something-was-wrong-in-his-life-he-just-couldnt-put-his-finger-on-it\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Dave knew something was wrong in his life; he just couldn't put his finger on it - Cincinnati Right to Life","og_description":"By: Kevin Burke and Reg Platt, originally published June 10, 2025, Pregnancy Help News Life wasn\u2019t going well for Dave. There were the frequent fights with his wife, and the relationship with his children was rocky. Dave had a short fuse and lashed out at those closest to him.    He drank a lot, not…","og_url":"https:\/\/cincinnatirighttolife.org\/dave-knew-something-was-wrong-in-his-life-he-just-couldnt-put-his-finger-on-it\/","og_site_name":"Cincinnati Right to Life","article_published_time":"2025-06-18T17:32:56+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-06-18T17:32:57+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1280,"height":635,"url":"https:\/\/cincinnatirighttolife.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Dave-knew-somthing-was-wrong.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Melanie Wade","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Melanie Wade","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/cincinnatirighttolife.org\/dave-knew-something-was-wrong-in-his-life-he-just-couldnt-put-his-finger-on-it\/","url":"https:\/\/cincinnatirighttolife.org\/dave-knew-something-was-wrong-in-his-life-he-just-couldnt-put-his-finger-on-it\/","name":"Dave knew something was wrong in his life; he just couldn't put his finger on it - Cincinnati Right to Life","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/cincinnatirighttolife.org\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/cincinnatirighttolife.org\/dave-knew-something-was-wrong-in-his-life-he-just-couldnt-put-his-finger-on-it\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/cincinnatirighttolife.org\/dave-knew-something-was-wrong-in-his-life-he-just-couldnt-put-his-finger-on-it\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/cincinnatirighttolife.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Dave-knew-somthing-was-wrong.jpg","datePublished":"2025-06-18T17:32:56+00:00","dateModified":"2025-06-18T17:32:57+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/cincinnatirighttolife.org\/#\/schema\/person\/9a5fe1347253fa134f21cdb919caf789"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/cincinnatirighttolife.org\/dave-knew-something-was-wrong-in-his-life-he-just-couldnt-put-his-finger-on-it\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/cincinnatirighttolife.org\/dave-knew-something-was-wrong-in-his-life-he-just-couldnt-put-his-finger-on-it\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/cincinnatirighttolife.org\/dave-knew-something-was-wrong-in-his-life-he-just-couldnt-put-his-finger-on-it\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/cincinnatirighttolife.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Dave-knew-somthing-was-wrong.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/cincinnatirighttolife.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Dave-knew-somthing-was-wrong.jpg","width":1280,"height":635},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/cincinnatirighttolife.org\/dave-knew-something-was-wrong-in-his-life-he-just-couldnt-put-his-finger-on-it\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/cincinnatirighttolife.org\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Dave knew something was wrong in his life; he just couldn’t put his finger on it"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/cincinnatirighttolife.org\/#website","url":"https:\/\/cincinnatirighttolife.org\/","name":"Cincinnati Right to Life","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/cincinnatirighttolife.org\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/cincinnatirighttolife.org\/#\/schema\/person\/9a5fe1347253fa134f21cdb919caf789","name":"Melanie Wade","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/cincinnatirighttolife.org\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7ec3fd7a1977f4be962597ccc3e12001?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7ec3fd7a1977f4be962597ccc3e12001?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Melanie Wade"},"url":"https:\/\/cincinnatirighttolife.org\/author\/mwade\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cincinnatirighttolife.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34316","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cincinnatirighttolife.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cincinnatirighttolife.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cincinnatirighttolife.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cincinnatirighttolife.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34316"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cincinnatirighttolife.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34316\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":34318,"href":"https:\/\/cincinnatirighttolife.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34316\/revisions\/34318"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cincinnatirighttolife.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/34317"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cincinnatirighttolife.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34316"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cincinnatirighttolife.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34316"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cincinnatirighttolife.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34316"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}