Category Archives: Patriotic

GRIDLOCK or CHECKS and BALANCES???


BLOG POST 2 - Checks and Balances

If I listen to the Main Stream Media, Political Pundits, Activist, and Democrats I would be forced to conclude that what is called “gridlock” in Washington is a very bad thing and a sign of gross inefficiency.  Please understand, I am not saying Washington is not inefficient but is what they are calling “gridlock” a bad thing?  It is, only if you find an impasse to your agenda and are unable to muster enough support or concessions to get your bill passed and your laws or regulations enacted.  You would, naturally, consider that “inefficiency” and call it “gridlock”.  If you are protecting the American Republic, defending the Constitution, and fighting against federal bureaucracy you call it “checks & balances” as designed by the Constitution.  If you are one of the millions who believe what is presented by the leftist media and the Democrats you give Congress increasingly bad marks and seek to oust all Republicans and/or conservatives.  The idea presented by this administration and some previous administrations is that if we have ONE PARTY, RULING in Washington, namely the Democrats things will get done and all will be peachy.  IT WON’T! That is the road to tyranny not triumph and if we don’t realize it we will lose the Republic.

If you are on the freeway or major thoroughfares in our cities and experience “gridlock” that is a bad thing.  Sadly, millions are unable to divorce government from that type of thinking and thereby fail to realize that government’s job is not to make money, produce consumer goods or even make everyone happy.  It is designed to exercise power and the more power it amasses the more power it wants and thereby amasses more power.  That is why this monstrosity we have allowed to be created in this massive overreaching and the overpowering federal government is a bad and incredibly dangerous thing.  Power has the potential to corrupt and usually does to some extent.  We have, or hopefully, we have witnessed the insatiable lust for power among the power brokers and politicians over the past few decades.  It is frightening in the sense that the masses do not understand government or how our current system works or has evolved from what the founders established.  Thus, we have a populace that detests what is called “gridlock” when in fact, it may not be a sign of inefficiency but a sign of the system working as it was designed.

BLOG POST 2 - Federalism

Most, who have studied government, history, and civics understand that the founders worked laboriously to ensure that no individual or group of individuals could have tyrannical control in our federal government.  That is failing for many reasons, not the least of which is the voting public’s willingness to let it happen or the failure to understand we do not have to allow it to continue.  Our system of government is a “three-pronged” system so the powers are divided between the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial branches.  That was designed with purpose and we make a fatal error if we fail to grasp that and if our elected and appointed officials fail to do so.  Our system has what the founders understood as “checks & balances” in which the president has veto power over any bill passed by Congress and then Congress has the ability to override his veto with a two-thirds majority.  Checks & Balances!  The Supreme Court can rule on any law or case but Congress can limit its appellate jurisdiction.  The president nominates appointees and Congress can accept or reject them.  Therefore the system was designed to make it difficult to get a bill passed or nominee confirmed without serious vetting and examination and then if deemed in the best interest of the Republic it would pass or they would be confirmed.  Checks & Balances not Gridlock!  Additionally, the founders specifically spelled out what power would be under the purview of the federal government and all other things not specifically spelled out would belong to the states and local municipalities WITHOUT interference from the federal government.  LIMITED GOVERNMENT with a system of Checks & Balances is what we are supposed to, but no longer have.

The federal government seeks more power and control and has totally violated the 10th Amendment so often that it is almost non-existent.  One candidate and party want more of that usurpation and the other is “pro” limiting the federal government.  Each time Congress passes a law or the president enacts a regulation the more control they have over the citizens, cities, and states in direct violation of the constitution UNLESS we grant them that power via a constitutional amendment.  Thus I would argue that what is being called “gridlock” and the lack of “bipartisanship” is a sign that they system the founders sought could work effectively and is doing so limitedly.

BLOG POST 2 - Moral Obligation

That brings me to my affirmation about this year’s presidential election.  I understand that some feel they cannot vote for the Republican presidential candidate on moral grounds and to do so would violate their conscience.  I would never ask anyone to violate their conscience.  Let me explain why I will do whatever to keep Hillary Clinton from becoming the 45th president of the United States of America.  That is included in my previous paragraphs and the fact that I am 100% certain that her administration would be the Obama administration on steroids and the assault on the constitution and our freedoms and liberties would be vicious.  She could and probably would destroy the republic.  Therefore, I believe that it is my moral obligation to STOP HILLARY CLINTON and the only way I see that being possible is by voting Republican in the presidential election.  You may disagree and that is your right as a human being and I will defend your right to do so.  I only ask that you carefully consider what it would do to America for Hillary Clinton to become president.  Do you truly think we can survive?  I do not from a political and constitutional standpoint.  I am a Christian and know that God will protect His people but as has been the case in history and is revealed in Revelation not all will have their lives spared.  Therefore, for the sake of my nation, my conscience, my children, my grandchildren and future generations I will vote Republican in November for president.

God bless you and God bless America!

LET ME RAISE A QUESTION THAT SOMETIMES CAUSES SPARKS TO FLY…


BLOG POST 4 - Power To Tax

Not that any number of questions do not have the potential of volatility but this question has exposed me to threats of physical violence as much as any question I ask.  “Should the government be allowed to tax churches, places of worship, and religious ministries?”  I am fully aware that there are churches and religious organizations that step over the line of being truly ‘non-profit’ and operate what could only be identified as businesses.  Some of those, so suspected or accused, are funneling the monies into various ministries and charities and some appear to be building a massive financial war-chest which benefits a few without demonstrating a clear path to ministry or charity.  This issue is one that people on both sides of the aisle have incredibly strong opinions and people within each group have wide disagreement among their contemporaries and colleagues.

Our founding fathers adopted the idea and belief that churches and religious institutions should not be taxed and in a measure that is rooted in a biblical directive found in Ezra 7:24, “We also inform you that it is not allowed to impose tax, tribute or toll on any of the priests, Levites, singers, doorkeepers, Nethinim or servants of this house of God.”  In today’s world of secularism and progressivism that idea is offensive to many and for politicians who are truly money-grubbing and power-hungry they see those entities as sources of untapped revenue.  Today, the ‘tax exemption’ of churches is frequently in the cross-hairs of some politicians and activist groups.  I have to wonder if it is truly a desire to achieve ‘fairness’ or is it something more and sinister.  I say that because although the Supreme Court, in times past, has upheld the ‘exemption status’ of churches, places of worship, and religious ministries the assault never ceases.

In one particular case challenging the ‘tax-exempt status’ of churches reached the Supreme Court the court ruled in favor of ‘exemption’ stating:  “All of the 50 states provide for tax exemption of places of worship, most of them doing so by constitutional guarantees.  For so long as federal income taxes have had any potential impact on churches – over 75 years [the time since the federal progressive income tax was originated] – religious organizations have been expressly exempt from the [federal] tax…Few concepts are more deeply embedded in the fabric of our national life, beginning with pre-Revolutionary colonial times.”  Chief Justice John Marshall, one of our founding fathers spoke about taxing, “The power to tax is the power to destroy.”  He knew, as should we, that if the government can tax, including churches, even if that tax was a seemingly minor and insignificant amount it would open Pandora’s box and a path to CONTROL which would ultimate ERADICATE the church and would virtually relegate it to being a Pawn of the State could and likely would occur.  That would be a direct violation of the Constitution and Bill of Rights.  John Dickinson, another of our founders said, “If they have a right to levy a tax of one penny upon us, they have a right to levy a million upon us, for where does their right stop?  If they have any right to tax us, then whether our own money shall continue in our own pockets or not depends no longer on us, but on them.”

I find a ruling by the Supreme Court in 1874 powerfully important regarding the Power to Tax and the evidence of how it has completely destroyed various businesses, individuals and industries are impossible to miss.  The ruling stated:  “The power to tax is therefore, the strongest – the most pervading – of all the powers of government, reaching directly or indirectly to all classes of people.  It was said by Chief Justice John Marshall, in the case of McCULLOCH v. the STATE OF MARYLAND, that the power to tax is the power to destroy.  A striking instance of the truth of the proposition is seen in the fact that the existing tax of ten percent imposed by the United States on the circulation of all other banks than the national banks drove out of existence every state bank of circulation within a year or two after its passage.”  TAXATION is a tool or weapon in the hands of politicians and if we want to maintain our Freedom of Religion and our Freedom as a Republic we must deal with the POWER TO TAX by dealing with those in whom that power is vested.

I hope this warning is sufficient to cause each of us to take note of what is happening in our nation and what can happen if we continue on the path we have embarked politically.  The word I keep hearing in my spirit is “BEWARE and PREPARE!”  So I urge you to take note, earnestly pray and STOP THE LEFTIST from further harming our nation.

God bless you and God bless America!

SECOND AMENDMENT – – The Need or Reason to “Keep and Bear Arms”…


BLOG POST 4 - Second Amendment

I know some sincere lovers of America and our freedom that have difficulty with some aspects of the 2nd Amendment with regard to various types of firearms.  Their concerns and questions are often attacked without hearing their heart, and I believe that a wrong reaction.  I personally am a staunch 2nd Amendment defender and believe that means we have THE RIGHT to have handguns, shotguns, rifles, and semi-automatic firearms called “assault weapons” such as the AK-47 or AR-15.  That I believe!

Back to the issue of NEED.  There are those who question THE NEED for some of those firearms and my feeble attempt to allay the fears or concerns some have regarding those ominous imposing looking rifles of concern is being offered.  The 2nd Amendment was inserted in the Bill of Rights for the specific purpose of DEFENSE.  The founders clearly believed that it was imperative and important to ensure that the citizenry always has the means necessary for SELF-DEFENSE against all threats including a rogue imposing central government.  They said it and adamantly defended the rights of the citizens to “keep and bear arms”.   It is important to remember that the muskets of that day were Military Grade Weapons so please do not attempt to use that argument that we can only have single-shot or super limited shot firearms in keeping with the meaning of the 2nd Amendment, the argument fails.

BLOG POST 4 - Self Defense

The 2nd Amendment had and has nothing to do with HUNTING.  The founding fathers and the colonist considered the freedom, need, and the right to HUNT so part of natural life there was no reason to present an amendment addressing the rights of hunting or hunters.  However, they did consider DEFENSE such an imminent and pressing need they addressed the rights of citizens to “keep and bear arms” and those were arms available and desired by the individual citizen.  They focused on threats to person and property and understood those threats could come from without our borders or within them.  So THE RIGHT to “keep and bear arms” should never be a question.  You have to completely reinterpret, misinterpret and misrepresent the intent of the founders in the 2nd Amendment to question that as a right.  Some do, and that is a problem.

Yet, the legitimate questions and concerns that some supporters of our constitution, rights, and are themselves owners and possessors of firearms need to be addressed and not from a condescending or condemning attitude.  The Leftist such as Hillary Clinton and largely the powers that be in the Democrat Party want to strip us of our 2nd Amendment Rights.  They have expressed that and this president has taken steps to facilitate that.  So, I am not talking about their questions for regardless of their questions, their intent it to reduce or revoke the 2nd Amendment.  My focus is those who are legitimately concerned and confused as to NEED regarding certain types of firearms.  In my mind, this is a simple but complex issue and my response may or may not be satisfactory but I offer it in hope.

BLOG POST 4 - Self Defense Rules

THE NEED to own a so-called “assault rifle” is the question not THE RIGHT to own one.  They actually can be and are used by gun owners to control varmints and the increase in the wild hog population in the South and many areas is certainly one reason to own a high-capacity firearm with a small caliber bullet.  They can be used for hunting other game animals but are not normally the first choice of those hunters.  THE NEED, in my view, is DEFENSE.  If intruders or marauding terrorist sweep through your area the one thing that most defense experts will tell you is, “You need ONE MORE ROUND than they have.”  If there is a threat from forces seeking your destruction and those forces have those types of firearms but you are relegated to having a single-short or low-capacity firearm you are at a disadvantage.  NO, you are doomed!  I would hope the Federal Government would never attempt to impose sweeping martial law, weapons confiscation, and bans, or become so rogue that it would use military force on citizens.  But, should it do so, our Founding Fathers wanted the citizens to be able to DEFEND THEMSELVES and have the firepower to pose a formidable opposition to that type of tyrannical action by the government.  MAY IT NEVER BE! 

THE NEED and THE RIGHT are not always the same and, in some ways, this will become a preference and commitment to DEFENSE.  Some of our forefathers and leaders in other lands considered the well-armed citizenry of America such an imposing deterrent they believed that an Armed-Citizenry was a National Defense benefit.  THE NEED, in my view, is rooted squarely in DEFENSE and that includes personal self-defense as well as defense against tyranny from within or without our borders.  Again, this may or may not alleviate the concerns and even fears some have but hopefully, it will give you a basis upon which to continue your personal evaluation, consideration, and investigation of this issue.  I STAND 100% WITH THE 2ND AMENDMENT!  I believe that means THE RIGHT to address our NEED for DEFENSE and each citizen can and should decide for themselves what ARMS they desire and are6 comfortable with.

God bless you and God bless America.  REMEMBER NOVEMBER for this is one of the issues at stake.

 

 

PRINCIPLE or PREFERENCE???


BLOG POST 5 - Principle

The hate, vitriol, and divisiveness that continues to manifest itself in today’s political scene are troubling.  No, I am not suggesting that anyone abandon their principles for without principles and a strong core belief system places an individual or nation in dire peril.  Therefore, stand by your convictions and adhere to your principles.  The concern I have is are we truly talking about Principles or have we transitioned to Preference?  Immediately, I lost some and the barbs are being hurled or prepared to hurl at me.  No problem, hurl them but as you do I beg that you tap the brakes, take a deep breath and ask yourself a few questions and then hurl your barbs if you still desire.

Some of the things I read, see and hear seem to be more interested in identifying the “Warts on the Frog” than “Saving the Republic.”  No, I am not naïve enough to believe that any political candidate can single-handily save the Republic but an individual politician in the Oval Office can do fatal harm to it.  That, in my view, is the critical issue before us in this year’s electoral cycle.  Donald Trump is the frog with warts, without question.  He is not perfect and some of his ideas resonate with me and some leave me wondering.  There are things about the GOP candidate that are uncertain, in my mind.  However, there are no uncertainties in the Democrat candidate, Hillary Clinton.  Barack Obama has been the most destructive president in history regarding the Republic and its preservation and continuation.  I have NO DOUBT that Hillary Clinton would be even worse and because of the damage that has been done by the current administration would further destroy if not inflict fatal wounds to the Republic.  Her character, as well as her agenda, are incredibly dangerous and troubling.  I would love to give her the benefit of the doubt but she continues to assassinate that desire with her loose use of truth and incredibly leftist proposals.

BLOG POST 5 - Warts

It is one thing to stand on Principle and no principled person would object to a person doing that.  However, when we allow our Preference to so bias and blind us as to the potential and possibilities of good we become “Wart Inspectors.”  In life and politics, there are times when we have to set aside Preference in the interest of standing against something.  There are those who are so adamantly NEVER TRUMP they would accept nothing he said or did and have expressed a willingness to see Hillary win the White House rather than consider any possibility they might not be totally right.  This will make some made and some will say, Amen.  Mr. Trump was not my first choice but he is the choice of the Republican Party.  Almost every politician in this cycle has left me disappointed from time to time and if I could take the things I most like and compile them into one candidate, I would.  That is not possible, therefore, we have to either focus on the “Warts on the Frog” or the “Republic” and the known danger in Hillary Clinton.  Some of the NEVER crowd will argue that both are diabolical and dangerous and if that is what you believe, nothing I can say will change your mind.  I just hope that we do not come to a decision in November based on Preference.  I am concerned that some have a greater interest in being able to say, “I told you so” than saving or salvaging the Republic.  I am not saying that is the case in all or even most NEVER people.  I am simply asking that we all look deep inside and decide if our angst is truly Principle or has a strong element of Preference driving our decision.

I would also like to ask that we consider the Party Platforms of both the Republicans and Democrats.  I would suggest we consider who surrounds each candidate, for that will be quite revealing, I believe.  Barack Obama told us before his first term, “If you want to know who I am, look at those I most closely associate with.”  That was incredibly revealing and yet millions ignored those realities or found them acceptable.  We have endured almost eight years of fundamental transformation, divisiveness, denigration of America and Americans, and policies that have damaged our economy, weakened our national security and rolled back the clock on race relations decades.  Can we continue on this path and survive as a Republic?  My answer is NO!  Your answer may be, I THINK SO or YES!  Each person has to decide what they believe and they are willing to accept.  Each person has to determine what we can afford as a Republic?  Each person has to consider what is at stake in this election and either set-aside Preference and vote their hope for the Republic.

BLOG POST 5 - Party Platform

Some have called all those of us who are so adamantly NEVER HILLARY and even though we see the “Warts on the Frog” we believe that any vote that allows the Democrats to keep the White House is fatal for the Republic, STUPID.  Yep, they boldly and angrily declare that we are deficient in our mental capacity.  When I believe I am right I believe I am right and so do you, but I do not consider everyone disagreeing with me STUPID nor am I willing to call them vile names.  I believe them to be misinformed.  I accept they may see things differently than I see them.  I have learned, as the Bible declares, “…we see in a mirror, dimly…”  None of us have a corner on truth and none of us know all the facts.  When I hear the assertion that anyone disagreeing is STUPID I immediately suspect that the person making that charge has moved from Principle to Preference and Preference and that has become more important than Possibility.  Sorry, you can unfriend me, hate me, and vow to never listen to me again, but AMERICA is my major focus politically and I have had, at times, to move past the “Frogs Warts” and rest my dreams in Hope!  Some will find that idiotic and tell me that Hope is not enough.  I do not disagree that Hope alone is not the answer but Hopelessness and Surrender are not part of my core convictions.  Therefore, if there is a glimmer of hope I will reach for it.  I will not ignore the “Warts on the Frog” and make them serious matters of prayer.  I will also not ignore the KNOWN THREAT to the Republic in the person of Hillary Clinton and the Democrat Party.

It is my prayer that God will turn hearts and help this nation return to our founding principles and become the Constitutional Republic our founders established and envisioned.  It is my prayer that we not allow Preference to be viewed as Principle and do what is needed to salvage the Republic.  How you vote in November is your personal decision and one should be and must be made with deep introspection, careful evaluation, and hopefully much prayer.  We may disagree but I still believe we want the same thing, an America that is restored to the status of being the Constitutional Republic and preserved for posterity.  All I ask of anyone and everyone is PRAY.  

God bless you and God bless America!

WELFARE & ENTITLEMENTS – Whose Responsibility Are the Poor?


BLOG POST 4 - Welfare Nation

I keep hearing from many, including many Christians, that it is the federal government’s responsibility to care for the poor and indigent in our country.  That runs contrary to the writings of many of the founding fathers, our U.S. Constitution, and the Bible.  Please give me a chance to explain in a little more detail what I mean.  I ask that you hear the conclusion of the whole matter before rendering a decision or judgment.  If at the conclusion you still disagree, we will agree to disagree and I will continue to support limited government and you, whatever government you believe is appropriate.

The poor, Jesus said, in Mark 14:7 we will always have.  There is no magic formula to eliminate poverty in the world and the idea that the federal government has the right and obligation to take from one to give to another even in the name of benevolence is wrong, in my view.  Since many will accuse me of lacking compassion for my stance that IT IS NOT the federal government’s responsibility to care for the poor and chide me as being unbiblical let me go to that source for my beginning arguments or explanations.

When Israel was about to enter the Promised Land, the land of Canaan, Moses made a diligent effort to ensure they would always remember from whence they came and who it was that enabled them to succeed in their journey.  One of his first directives was concerning the poor among them or those who would become poor in their midst.  Of course, with the opulence of the land they were entering it is almost unimaginable that there would be any poor among them.  Remember the ten spies brought back such abundance of produce that it took two men to carry a branch of grapes.  But, Moses had insight into life and people and understood that situations could change and people could make errors in judgment which might result in a time of lack in their lives financially.  He said in Deuteronomy 15:11, “For the poor will never cease from the land; therefore I command you, saying, ‘You shall open your hand wide to your brother, to your poor and your needy, in your land.”  But not to leave it as Old Testament principle move forward in time to Paul’s writings in Galatians 2:10 where he said, “Remember the poor.”  In fact, that was one of the key thrusts of the New Testament Church, caring for the Widows, Orphans, and Poor.  However, nowhere in Scripture do we find a government program for welfare or entitlements.  That should be worthy of note.

BLOG POST 4 - Poor

The biblical directive for caring for the poor has numerous prongs but the central element was that it is Individual Responsibility.  In fact in Deuteronomy15:7-8; 10-11 we find a clear direction for individuals in responding to the needs of the poor.  Jesus emphasized that in His preaching as is seen in Matthew 25:34-40 and informs us that if we take care of the poor we are, in fact, ministering to God Himself.  Proverbs 19:17, informs us that if we “give to the poor we are lending to the Lord.”  That is amazing!  Again, it did not mandate the government do so but individuals.  The next emphasis was for local churches to care for the poor. That is demonstrable throughout the Old & New Testaments.

What is government to do with regard to the poor?  They are charged to protect the rights of the poor as they do everyone else.  (Exodus 23:3, 6; Leviticus 19:15; Proverbs 29:1-4).  Our founding fathers recognized the problem of poverty and believed it an individual, congregational and community function and duty to care for the needy.  In fact, Thomas Jefferson said, “I deem it the duty of every man to devote a certain portion of his income for charitable purposes, and that it is his further duty to see it is so applied as to do the most good of which it is capable.  This I believe to be the best insured by keeping within the circle of his own inquiry and information the subjects of distress to whose relief his contributions shall be applied.” Mr. Jefferson was giving some advice, I try to strictly adhere to in my charitable giving.  I want to know WHERE it is going, to WHOM it is going, and WHAT the results are.  If I cannot determine the organizational overhead (how much of each dollar goes to overhead and how much to the cause) I do not give to that charity.    Charitability and accountability were emphasized.  According to all accounts, Jefferson practiced what he preached and was quite charitable as has been documented in numerous writings and research.  George Washington recognized the importance of charity or caring for the poor by directing those charged with oversight of his estate, “Let the hospitality of the house with respect to the poor be kept up.  Let no one go hungry away.  If any of this kind of people should be in want of corn, supply their necessities (provided it does not encourage them in idleness); and I have no objection to your giving my money in charity… What I mean by having no objection is, that it is my desire that it should be done.”  The other founders often expressed this same sentiment.

Their numerous statements on this issue cannot be overlooked.  When Congress appropriated $15,000 for relief of French refugees who had fled the insurrection in Santa Domingo to Baltimore and Philadelphia, James Madison, recognized as the father of our constitution stood on the floor of the House of Representatives and said, “I cannot undertake to lay my finger on that article of the Constitution which granted a right to Congress of expending, on objects of benevolence, the money of their constituents.”    He also said, “If Congress can do whatever in their discretion can be done by money, and will promote the general welfare, the government is no longer a limited one possessing enumerated powers, but an indefinite one subject to particular exceptions.”  Who better to know the intent of the Constitution than the man known as its father?  Thomas Jefferson echoed much the same sentiments saying, “To take from one, because it is thought his own industry and that of his fathers has acquired too much, in order to spare to others, who, or whose fathers, have not exercised equal industry and skill, is to violate the first principle of association, the guarantee to everyone the free exercise of his industry and the fruits acquired by it.”  To adopt the philosophy of Government Entitlements is to violate the Constitution, encourage idleness, and robs the church, community, and individual from the blessings of fulfilling their duties.

BLOG POST 4 - Charity

When the church and individuals allow or transfer responsibility to the federal government for the welfare of the poor and needy we create an unconstitutional bureaucracy and perpetuate a condition of continual poverty.  In light of today’s welfare rolls and the professional idleness of many, we have created and are creating an Entitlement Mentality that encourages sloth and idleness rather than industry and entrepreneurship.  That is foreign to the biblical directive issued by Paul in 2 Thessalonians 3:10, “…If anyone WILL NOT WORK, neither shall he eat.”  The operative words are WILL NOT WORK not COULD NOT WORK.  There is a definitive difference and if we allowed people who would not feel the pinch and hunger of their idleness or laziness we would find many more motivated to WORK.  I fully understand that some would but can find no work.  However, often, they cannot find what they want and decide that being idle is more financially rewarding than doing a lesser job than their pay-grade, training or experience.  My attitude is, GET A JOB even if it is sweeping floors or flipping burgers.  Do something to demonstrate your willingness to work and then a hand up is appropriate for individuals, communities, churches and even companies but it is not the responsibility of government.  I am perfectly willing to see the truly disabled, widows who have no other hope of help and orphans assisted.  I realize that opens the door for other exceptions but if we need to realize that the Government is not constitutionally allowed to take taxpayer funds for welfare.  We can respond by either changing the constitution or returning to the original and biblical intent of caring for the poor by individuals, churches, communities and benevolent businesses not the government and I believe we would see a dramatic improvement in the numbers of poor among us if we did the latter.

We have the Democrat Party which is the Entitlement Party and the Republican Party which, at least claims to be for limited government and reduced spending.  Who we allow to be in charge will determine our future or failure as a nation.  November is an opportunity for us to express our views on this matter.  

God bless you and God bless America is my prayer and desire!

THE CHURCH and THE STATE, America’s Beginning…


BLOG POST 2 - Bible and America

Every time I post something along these lines I lose friends or people on my friend’s list.  Some of them let me know why they are leaving and others do not, they just go.  That is fine, everyone has the absolute right to associate with whoever is chosen and I defend that.  From time to time, I will have professing Christians and even preachers tell me they cannot stay with me because what I’m saying is a violation of both the Constitution and the Bible.  Obviously, I disagree but again, everyone has to decide for themselves what they believe and why they believe it.  In last night’s presentation by the Democrats, their nominee declared that our national motto is “E Pluribus Unum” meaning: “out of many, we are one.”  However, that is not our national motto and never has been.  It is on our official seal.  In 1956, “In God We Trust” became the official national motto of the United States of America.  If you will check you will find that 36 U.S.C. – 302 confirms my assertion.  Our official national motto is “In God We Trust.” Hillary, I do hope we stand by our national motto, the real one and out of that, we will have E Pluribus Unum.

That leads me to today and I will attempt to give you a few examples of what our Founding Fathers, former Presidents, and others have declared that on the subject.  That, in my view, lends credibility and validity to my argument that America was a Bible Nation and the Founders never intended the modern idea of “Separation of Church and State” to mean that the nothing biblical or religious could gain access or involvement in anything government or public.  The idea that religion is to be a private matter is foreign, in my view, to the view our founders and the Bible.  Again, you will have to determine what you believe and why.

Stepping forward to one of our more notable presidents, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who did not ascribe to the modern view of exclusion of the Bible and religion as can be detected in his words, “In the formative days of the republic, the directing influence the Bible exercised upon the Fathers of the Nation is conspicuously evident…This Book continues to hold its unchallenged place as the most loved, the most quoted, and the most universally read and pondered of all the volumes which our libraries contain…We cannot read the history of our rise and development as a Nation without reckoning with the place the Bible has occupied in shaping the advances of the Republic.  I suggest a nationwide reading of the Holy Scriptures… For a renewed and strengthening contact with those eternal truths and majestic principles which have inspired such measure of true greatness as this nation has achieved.” 

President Harry S. Truman echoed those sentiments saying, “The fundamental basis of this Nation’s laws was given to Moses on the mount. The fundamental basis of our Bill of Rights comes from the teachings which we get from Exodus and St. Matthew, from Isaiah to St. Paul.  I don’t think we emphasize that enough these days.”  (He spoke those words before the Attorney General’s Law Enforcement Conference, February 15, 1950).  President Teddy Roosevelt speaking to the American Bible Society in New York said, “The teaching of the Bible are so interwoven and entwined with our whole civic and social life that it would be literally – I do not mean figuratively, I mean literally – impossible for us to figure to ourselves what that life would be if these teachings were removed.  We would lose almost all the standards by which we now judge both public and private morals – all the standards toward which we, with more or less resolution, strive to raise ourselves.  Almost every man who has by his life-work added to the sum of human achievement of which the race is proud – of which our people are proud – almost every such man has based his life-work largely upon the teachings of the Bible.”

Then, one of our founding fathers and a first attorney admitted to the Supreme Court Bar, Elias Boudinot said, “Were you to ask me to recommend the most valuable book in the world, I should fix on the Bible as the most instructive both to the wise and ignorant.  Were you to ask me for one book affording the most rational and pleasing entertainment to the inquiring mind, I should repeat, it is the Bible.  And should you renew the inquiry for the best philosophy, or the most interesting history, I should still urge you to look into your Bible.  I would make it, in short, the alpha and omega of knowledge.” 

President John Adams declared, “Suppose a nation in some distant region should take the Bible for their only law book and every member should regulate his conduct by the precepts there exhibited… What a Utopia – what a Paradise would this region be!  The Bible is the best book in the world.”  

BLOG POST 2- Bible and Schools

But let me add one more tidbit which I believe speaks powerfully against the argument to eliminate the Bible and religion from all things government.  In 1781, there was a plan advanced in the United States Congress to print America’s first English-language Bible.  On September 12, 1782, the full Congress of the United States approved that Bible, and it was printed with a congressional endorsement which reads: “Resolved, that the United States Congress assembled… recommend this edition of the Bible to the inhabitants of the United States.” 

Therefore, I ask how can we ignore these and scores of other quotes, writings, and actions of the founding fathers and former presidents dating back to the inception of this nation and the writing of our Constitution?  How can we somehow conclude that they rejected the Bible as a viable part of our nation, deliberations, and politics?  We do so with disregard to what they said and did.  They were adamantly against the State or Government imposing any religion on the citizenry or taking any actions to hinder or restrict Churches from the free exercise of their religion.  They DID NOT consider the Bible anathema to government and an enemy of the State, nor did they want it eliminated from public proceedings or influencing the directions of our national or personal lives.

I believe that this nation was founded on biblical principles and our founding fathers desired the influence of God and the Bible on American life including politics.  They even had the Bible as a part of the public school curriculum.  Their words and actions cannot be squared with the modern pronouncement of “Separation of Church and State.”  Churches, preachers, Christians I urge you, do not be forced into silence at a time when your nation needs you to STEP UP, STAND UP, and SPEAK UP.   It is time that we return to our founding philosophy and become our national motto, “In God We Trust” and out of that we can become one out of many!

God bless you and God bless America!

MORAL INTEGRITY and GOVERNMENT…


INTEGRITY

I am not so naïve as to suggest that Government has moral integrity but I am bold enough to declare that our founding fathers believed it was a requirement for those who held office.  Sadly, we have evolved as a political society to the point that it is assumed normal and expected that politics and politicians are corrupt.  The image of politicians as corrupt reminds me of the story of a man walking through a cemetery and say a headstone that read:  John Jones “A Lawyer and an honest man.”  He turned to his companion and said, “I wonder who the other person is buried in this grave?  It says a lawyer and an honest man.”  It is a sad indictment that we do not demand moral integrity in our government and elected officials.

John Adams, one of those who signed the Declaration of Independence and the Second President said, “It is religion and morality alone which can establish the principles upon which freedom can securely stand. The only foundation of a free constitution is pure virtue.”  Samuel Adams declared, “Neither the wisest constitution nor the wisest laws will secure the liberty nor happiness of a people whose manners are universally corrupt.”  Fisher Ames, the framer of the First Amendment, said, “Our liberty depends on our education, our laws, and habits… it is founded on morals and religion, whose authority reigns in the heart, and on the influence, all these produce on public opinion before that opinion governs rulers.”  Charles Carroll, signer of the Declaration of Independence said, “Without morals a republic cannot subsist any length of time; they therefore who are decrying the Christian religion, whose morality is so sublime & pure, and which denounce against the wicked eternal misery, and which insured to the good eternal happiness, are undermining the solid foundation of morals, the best security for the duration of free governments.”

With those reflections alone we can readily realize that the founding fathers truly believed that Moral Integrity was not only good for the government it was essential. They expressed their belief that anyone not exhibiting the highest of moral integrity was immediately disqualified from holding office.  It would seem that the general public agreed, unlike our modern condition.  Men like Richard Henry Lee, a signer of the Declaration of Independence spoke prophetically, it would seem, saying, “It is certainly true that a popular government cannot flourish without virtue in the people.”  Jedediah Morse, a patriot and “Father of American Geography” declared, “To the kindly influence of Christianity we owe that degree of civil freedom and political and social happiness which mankind now enjoys…Whenever the pillars of Christianity shall be overthrown, our present republican forms of government and all blessings which flow from them must fall with them.”  That would be considered HATE SPEECH by many today and totally inappropriate.  Our founding fathers understood the value of moral integrity and believed only through people of moral character could the nation be led and preserved.

Benjamin Rush, another signer of the Declaration of Independence spoke on this matter saying, “The only foundation for a useful education in a republic is to be laid in religion.  Without this, there can be no virtue, and without virtue, there can be no liberty, and liberty is the object and life of all republican governments.”  Our first president and the father of the nation, George Washington, said, “The federal government…can never be in danger of degenerating into a monarchy, an oligarchy, an aristocracy, or any other despotic or oppressive form so long as there shall remain any virtue in the body of the people.”  Daniel Webster took it even further saying, “If we and our posterity reject religious instruction and authority, violate the rules of eternal justice, trifle with the injunctions of morality, and recklessly destroy the political constitution which holds us together, no man can tell how sudden a catastrophe may overwhelm us that shall bury all our glory in profound obscurity.”  I realize that I am using a lot of quotes and some tire of reading them but if you listen to what they were saying you realize they valued moral integrity and believe it indispensable for the republic. Their words convey a clear warning to America that if we reach a point where we reject the moral principles taught in the Bible and allow politics and politicians to become corrupt the republic will be lost.  Is that not where we are today?  Are we not living in a time where it is a joke to refer to an Honest Politician or to speak of a Moral Government?

James Wilson, a signer of the Constitution phrased it beautifully saying, “Far from being rivals or enemies, religion and law are twin sisters, friends, and mutual assistants.  Indeed, these two sciences run into each other.  The divine law, as discovered by reason and the moral sense, forms an essential part of both.”  Then Robert Winthrop, speaker of the House of Representatives said, “Men, in a word, must necessarily be controlled either by a power within them or by a power without them; either by the Word of God or by the strong arm of man; either by the Bible or by the bayonet.”  William Penn pulled back the veil and exposed the danger saying, “Those people who will not be governed by God will be ruled by tyrants.”  That my fellow Americans is my fear that America’s political rejection of God will reach the logical conclusion of Tyrannical Rule.

I long for a return to those founding views and principles that demanded Moral Integrity in Government and in Elected Officials.  I long for a return to the principles that established the nation and has kept our liberties intact for 240 years.  Can we continue as the Free Republic our founders established and our Constitution demands?  Only if we return to that which made us strong and has preserved us – Moral Integrity is a must not a wish for a Free America.  

God bless you and God bless America!

THE FOREVER OF “Never” May become Forever…


BLOG POST 1 - Never

My heart is deeply troubled as I reflect, watch, listen, and read what is being said and done on the political, social, relational, and economic scenes of today.  I hear more hate than I’ve heard in a long time coming from almost every spectrum and corner of our society.  I hear hate from people I would have thought should be on the same side of the debate, discussion or effort but are filled with more animosity toward people who are largely like-minded than they are against those who are truly the enemies of freedom.  As I contemplated this and prayed about it the thought that kept ringing in my heart was “The Forever of Never may become Forever…”

America, this Presidential Election cycle has produced more division, angst, trepidation, fear, and hate that I have witnessed in all my years.  I keep hearing NEVER and that is not simply never to losing our liberties and freedoms by allowing Hillary Clinton to ascend to the Oval Office.  I am concerned about the divisiveness among those who all attest to being patriots, lovers of freedom, constitutionalism, and conservatives.  I can only imagine the joy in the leftist camps on the other side, for they have reaped the benefits of a divided GOP and Conservative Movement.  That gave us Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, and Barack Obama and now the danger is giving us one who is possibly an even greater threat to America as the Free Constitutional Republic in the person of Hillary Clinton.  I am heartbroken and stunned at the vitriol that is continuing to flow and divide all efforts to prevent the disaster a Hillary Clinton presidency would be.

BLOG POST 1 - Conscience

I do believe in and will defend everyone right and responsibility to “vote their conscience.”  How can I do otherwise as a Christian, an American, a Patriot and a Lover of Freedom?  That being said, I see this election a CHOICE that is larger than personal preferences and as Ben Carson said, “If I took all that has been said and done as being about me I could not move past it but it is larger than me it is about America.”  That is not just a magnanimous statement it is a reality that I fear we might be overlooking.  If you choose to stay home in November, you have that right, all though I disagree with your decision, I agree you have that right.  If you choose to vote for a third-party, you have that right.  However, my concern about the third-parties is the viability and possibility of winning.  Right now the Libertarian Party’s candidate, Gary Johnson is hovering around 12-13% in the polls and should he reach 15% he will be included on the debate stage with Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton.  Even if that happens, my question is, “Can he actually win States?”  Yes, he may strip votes from the Democrat or Republican and shift the balance but UNLESS he can win States he cannot receive ELECTORAL VOTES and that is required to win the White House or even send the election to the House of Representatives.  If that is not a realistic possibility then a vote for the third-party candidate is a decision to slant the election in one direction or another.  It may not have been intentional but reality is reality. 

Some have declared that it is no big deal if Hillary wins the White House but the ominousness of who occupies the White House should be unmistakeable.  The next president will have the opportunity to pack the Supreme Court with jurist that are aligned with their political philosophy and ideology.  Also, the next president will appoint or nominate lower level federal judges and the Courts will become reflective of the ideology of the candidate or party in power.  THAT IS A BIG DEAL and in the case of the Supreme Court, it will be the difference between America surviving as a Republic or being TOTALLY TRANSFORMED into something foreign to that nation established and governed by the Constitution.  There are so many imposing dangers such as our borders, national security, the economy, healthcare and much much more.  I personally, cannot fathom taking a stance that allows Hillary Clinton to become president.  Castigate and hate me if you choose but that is how I see it.

BLOG POST 1 - Choices

Someone said that this election was like the Game Show, “Let’s Make A Deal” and we have before us two doors in which we have no option but to open one of them.  Behind door number one is a “man-eating lion” and behind door number two there might be a “man-eating lion” or there might be “a solution”.   Which door do you open?  Please don’t tell me that the Republican and Democrat candidates are exactly the same.  We must, in my view, consider the agenda and proposals of the opposing parties and candidates and those are different.  I do not believe that both parties are exactly the same nor do I believe any of the candidates are exactly the same.  I have never been a staunch defender of Donald Trump or a hater that says “NEVER” or “I’d rather endure Hillary than vote for Trump.”  I love America too much to take that stance.  Yes, I believe those who feel that strongly, love America too, we simply disagree and hopefully can fight for Freedom together even in that disagreement.

I am and will remain an adamant NEVER HILLARY person because I have ZERO DOUBT about who she is and what she will do.  I do not know, fully, who Donald Trump is or what he will do but I continue to hope and see signs that suggest he does love America and wants to see her restored to her Constitutional Status.  Could I be wrong?  Of course!  Some of the methods Mr. Trump employs bothers me but as I try to look beyond style I see signs in some of the people and proposals from his camp that give me a reason to hope.  I believe that Governor Pence is a genuine conservative and principled man, and hope he can and will influence Mr. Trump.  I believe that Ben Carson is a godly man and principled and know that, he has, in some ways influenced Mr. Trump.  I am amazed at the intelligence and political knowledge of Newt Gingrich and hope he can have conservative and constitutional influence on Mr. Trump.  A number of Mr. Trump’s proposals are things that I believe in and desire.  There are some UNCERTAINTIES in areas with Mr. Trump but absolutely NO UNCERTAINTIES with Hillary Clinton.

BLOG POST 1 - Never Hillary

To me, this election is about America and I do largely see the election as binary and therefore I, personally, can only take one position – NEVER HILLARY!  After eight years of Barack Obama’s destructive “fundamental transformation” how can I even consider any action that would perpetuate or expand that agenda?  If you believe that withholding your vote is what you must do, that is your personal and hopefully prayerful decision.  If you truly believe the Republican and Democrats are exactly the same, then do what you must.  However, I ask that you attempt to move past any hate and personal bias and consider what is at stake for the Republic.  I am 100% convinced that if Hillary Clinton wins the presidency America cannot survive as the Constitutional Republic.  Hate me or love me for my views, but please respect the fact that I, like you, have the right to my opinion.

God bless you and God bless America!

 

POLITICS OF CORRUPTION or CORRUPTION OF POLITICS…


BLOG POST 7 - Corruption

Is there a difference or is it semantics?  In some ways, yes and in others, no because corruption is corruption and detrimental to America, her citizens, and our future.  It speaks worlds about the condition of our system but possible even more about who we have become as a people and a nation.  I do not want this to be a railing indictment against everyone and on our entire system of government but an unveiling of the reality and destructiveness of the corruption of today in politics and the politics of corruption.

One of the most recent examples of the power of corruption in politics was the decision of the FBI Director James Comey to ignore a plethora of facts and opt to let Hillary Clinton off with only a backdoor reprimand for carelessness.  We know that Hillary Clinton has repeatedly displayed incredible contempt for “rules” in her pursuit of political objectives.  Mr. Comey had to overlook the fact, not theory, that she had her staff set up her private server on the very day she appeared before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in her confirmation hearing to become Secretary of State.  That smacks with intent and most definitely demonstrates contempt for “the rules”, even if she did not know this was in direct violation of many regulations and even laws, her staff most assuredly did.  Were they too fearful of her to address the issue or did they proceed knowing full well that she knew and was determined to have her scheme to hid from the public and congressional eyes enacted?

BLOG POST 7 - Political Corruption

The motto that is on display in the main portico of the Supreme Court is “Equal Justice under Law.”  The saying, “The Law is no respecter of persons” is a mantra and motto that has long existed in our nation and yet, Hillary Clinton and others seem to be exempt for reasons unknown or because of the Politics of Corruption or the Corruption of Politics.  Our founding fathers adamantly fought to ensure that “No one could be the judge in his/her own case.”  Yet, Hillary Clinton repeatedly litigated her case in the media, destroyed records, and lied to congress and the public, as well as the FBI.  But with regard to the latter, the director revealed that Hillary was not formally interviewed and was not under oath.  AMAZING is a word to describe that decision for it would appear that the director made the decision to take perjury off the table and not give Hillary a chance to lie by not placing her under oath.  Why?  Again, if it is not the Politics of Corruption or the Corruption of Politics, what is it?

The New York Post published an article stating that FBI agents who worked on the Hillary Clinton case are privately upset and believe that Loretta Lynch, possibly with instructions from her boss, struck a deal with Bill Clinton in their private meeting about their grandchildren.  How we get from grandchildren to Hillary Clinton’s email illegalities is a leap but if you believe their meeting was just “chit-chat” I have some prime Oceanfront property in the middle of the Arizona desert I’d like to offer you at a very appealing price.  In fact, the agents had to sign “Case Briefing Acknowledgement” forms silencing them unless called to testify under oath.  Again, is this an example of the Politics of Corruption or the Corruption of Politics, whichever you prefer to call it?

BLOG POST 7 - Stop Corruption

Can we ignore the pork in politics?  How many of those elected to political office begin their terms in Washington with meager financial portfolios and leave Washington as multi-millionaires garnering influential and powerful positions in corporations or become powerful lobbyist where millions of dollars flow to their accounts?  Can we ignore the cronyism that the current president has been involved especially with regard to the so-called “green energy” industry?  Can we ignore the activism by justices of the Supreme Court and lower courts?  Can we ignore the backdoor funding of terrorist organizations by this administration or the diabolical and failed efforts of things like “Fast and Furious” where American lives have been lost and the world made more dangerous?  Can we ignore the promise for transparency by this administration and the repeated failure to fully disclose information that is lawfully required by law?  Can we ignore the hefty sums of money contributed to political candidates by foreign governments and nationals who have a demonstrated disrespect if not hatred for America and our way of life?  Can we ignore the blatant disregard for America and Americans in cases like Benghazi where repeated lies were advanced for political purposes and the apparent decision that sacrificing American lives for political purposes was, in their minds, both acceptable and justifiable?  IF WE CAN then that speaks more about our condition than it does about the opportunism of corrupt politicians.  We will be answering those questions in November and what we answer will speak of our condition and be prophetic as to our future.

Alexis de Tocqueville sounded a warning and one we must heed if we are to succeed in protecting, preserving and defending the Republic.  He said: “When the taste for physical pleasures in such a nation grows more speedily than education or the habit of liberty, a time occurs when men are carried away and lose self-control at the sight of the new possessions they are ready to grasp. … There is no need to wrench their rights from such citizens, they let them slip voluntarily through their fingers. The exercise of their political duties seems to them a tiresome nuisance.”

America, when we allow politicians through corruption to pervert our entire system and buy votes we have ceded our Republic to corruption.  Benjamin Franklin made an alarming prediction on the last day of the Constitutional Convention in 1787 saying:  “I agree to this Constitution…and I believe, further, that this is likely to be well administered for a course of years, and can only end in despotism, as other forms have done before it when the people shall become so corrupted as to need despotic government, being incapable of any other.”  He was not promoting despotism but feared it knowing humanity propensity for “self-interest” and susceptibility to “corruption.”  Thomas Jefferson echoed those concerns and advanced his fears saying:  “The great object of my fear is the federal judiciary.  That body, like gravity, ever acting with noiseless foot and unalarming advance, gaining ground step by step and holding what it gains, is engulfing insidiously the governments into the jaws of that which feeds them.”  Then James Madison made a statement that should send chills down the spine of every Freedom Loving Patriot as he said:  “If Congress can employ money indefinitely, for the general welfare, and are the sole and supreme judges of the general welfare, they may take the care of religion into their own hands; they may appoint teachers in every state, county, and parish, and pay them out of the public treasury; they may take into their own hands the education of children, the establishing in like manner schools throughout the union; they may assume the provision of the poor…. Were the power of Congress to be established in the latitude contended for, it would subvert the very foundations, and transmute the very nature of the limited government established by the people of America.”

BLOG POST 7 - Lobbyist

America, we have allowed corrupt people to ascend to the highest elected offices in the land and we have allowed them to use corrupt means to gain and keep power while reducing our rights and privileges as Americans under God and the Constitution.  We have allowed the evolution of this condition and it is up to us to STOP IT and RETURN to the principles and expectations upon which this nation was established.  We can continue to allow the Politics of Corruption or the Corruption of Politics to rule and lose the Republic or we can UNITE, grab our brooms and SWEEP CONGRESS CLEAN of the corruption.  That cannot be done in one election or even one lifetime but if we do not begin now we may relegate our posterity to the slavery of tyranny.  I cannot do that with a clear conscience.                             

God bless you and God bless America is my prayer and desire!

 

 

YOU CAN’T SLEEP THROUGH THIS ONE…


BLOG POST 5 - Sleeping

Everyone who knows me or has read the things I write knows that I openly declare my belief in God and that I am a Christian.  You also know that I am a veteran, a proud American, and a constitutional conservative who believes in interpreting the constitution from an originalist view.  Therefore, as I address the statement in my title know that I will include my biblical perspective in what I say.

I have lived on this planet a long time, in the view of some, and having grown up in the 50’s and 60’s witnessed some incredible changes in our world.  However, someone having grown up in the 80’s and 90’s could say the same thing because the transition has become so rapid it is difficult to stay abreast of what is happening.  The forces at work to “fundamentally transform” or “totally destroy” our republic and “transform” the world into one that embraces their anti-God, anti-capitalism and anti-national sovereignty have become incredibly bold and active.  I have often wondered about this phenomenon and how they are able to advance their agenda so easily and rapidly.  I have even asked God why?  As a result of musing on the matter, talking to scores of people, reading extensively, and praying earnestly I have come to a singular conclusion that, I believe, is at the top of the list of WHY.  What I am going to advance will resonate with some and receive the scorn of others, but it is what I believe.  My prayer and hope are that what I say will cause you to look inward and outward and realize the need as well as the opportunity.

My title should have suggested what I believe to be at the top of the list of causes for the conditions in our nation and world.  I am convinced that one of the major reasons we are in the condition we are in is APATHY or SLUMBER.  I see that on more than one front and would say that “We Have Been Asleep” and while we slept the enemy crept in and has sown tares in our wheat, robbed our chicken coops, and stolen our republic.  For too long, we (Americans) have taken a “live and let live” attitude toward government.  It seems that so long as the “entitlement checks” keep coming, and the politicians do not do anything that “directly” affects us we have been blasé in our attitude which has allowed the fox to raid the hen house without detection or resistance.

BLOG POST 5 - Midnight Cry

There were some significant shifts in political attitude in Washington back in the late 40’s that manifested itself in a much more significant manner in the 60’s and at the turn of this century that train was barreling down the track almost unstoppable.  I don’t know if the strain of WWII moved us to a more individualistic attitude and one where we wanted to just be left alone or if there was more, but that surfaced in a noticeable way in the late 40’s.  In the 60’s the Baby Boomer Generation had become so adamantly “anti-establishment” and determined to throw off restraints that we ignored government and pursued our personal interests which were sometimes simply to get stoned and party.  Without the watchful eye of the public and because many were focused on what the Baby Boomers were doing they ignored the politicians and those who sought to “transform” and “revise” the American republic saw and seized their opportunity.  America was, in a great sense in a deep sleep trying to sleep it off hoping that tomorrow would return us to normal or restore our founding moral moorings.  Tomorrow didn’t come but we slept on.

However, there is an even larger problem, in my view, and that is the Church has been ASLEEP and when the church sleeps evil gains ground.  When evil gains ground it affects every aspect of life especially the political.  In Matthew 25, Jesus followed His discussion of the Last Days in Matthew 24 with the Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins.  The Jewish wedding was not like our Western weddings.  The groom had to build a honeymoon place at his home or father’s home and once it was completed would go get his bride and take her to his house for the ceremony.  That might occur anytime in a seven day period and could occur in the middle of the night.  Jesus spoke of the 10 virgins and described 5 as wise who took the lamps and extra oil and 5 who only had their lamps with the oil in them.  In the middle of the night, the cry or call came, “The Bridegroom is coming!”  All the virgins arose from sleep and went out.  The 5 foolish realized they were not prepared and asked the prepared ones to share their oil, but that was not possible because the oil represent the Spirit of God and I cannot give you my portion of the Spirit you have to receive it directly.  The issue was, they were sleeping and half of them were unprepared and in a real sense caught unaware.  They could have prepared and been ready but they underestimated the need.  I believe the Church, has largely been in a state of slumber, and not been on the job as lights shining in the darkness.  Too many churches have ceased seeking the oil of the Spirit of God and since they lived in relative peace and were doing well financially and numerically they stopped warning and watching.  When the Church or Christians are silent evil expands and grows bold.  When Churches and Christians fall asleep during their watch the enemy sneaks by the sentry post and entrenches itself within the city.  That has happened in America and the result is incredibly bad politically, socially, morally, relationally, and even economically.

The problem or a significant problem that occurs when the Church is silent regarding the evils of government, government moves toward the tyrannical.  When they Church is willingly or forcibly rendered silent, bad government expands and the moral moorings of the nation drift away from those basic principles upon which America was established and have kept us strong for almost two and one-half centuries.  I remember traveling once and another person took the wheel to drive while I caught a few winks.  I woke up an hour later and we were 50 miles off course and headed in the wrong direction.  We missed a critical turn because I was sleeping not navigating.  We have some troubled waters to navigate today, in America, and if we continue to SLEEP THROUGH IT we will wake up and find our nation no longer our nation and our freedom no longer freedom.  GOD HELP US!

What I believe is about to happen is two-fold.  I believe God is about to send the Midnight Cry and many are going to awaken.  The result of that will be a revival and move of God like we have never witnessed.  It will be the End Time Harvest the Bible predicts.  Sadly, if this Parable is reflective of what will happen at least half the Church will be unprepared and that is tragic.  The other thing I believe is that simultaneously there is going to be such a catastrophic event(s) launched from hell that is going to rock the world and make 9/11 look like a small thing.  Evil is going to be loosed on such a scale the world will tremble and at the same time the Church is going to wake up.  Had we not been sleeping we could have prevented much of what has transpired but we know, from the Bible that the Last Days are going to be both treacherous and tremendous.  We are in the condition in America we face today because WE SLEPT and were MUTE when we should have been SOUNDING THE ALARM!

That which is coming, the good and the evil, will not be something we can sleep through and remain disinterested.  It will destroy the idea that embodied in “Separation of Church and State”.  Americans, Christians, Patriots, and lovers of Freedom if we do not awaken now, we may find that our lamps are lacking enough oil and suffer unnecessary consequences and subject others to undue suffering.  The time is now to AWAKEN OUT OF SLEEP!  We need to do that spiritually, politically, morally, socially, and relationally.

REMEMEMBER NOVEMBER!  God bless you and God bless America.  I know and believe that as the last chapter of the book reveals – WE WIN in the END as followers of Christ!  WE CAN SALVAGE THE REPUBLIC if we Wake Up, Stand Up, Speak Up, and Step Up involving ourselves in the process and battle for Freedom!