As I was meditating on the state of the nation, the church, and the world one word kept coming to mind. I sensed that this was the root of destruction in the nation, the church, and the world.  It is not a bad word in many venues of life but in some, it is anathema to the core reason for those venues or activities.  Do I have your attention yet? 

What is the word that kept arising in my heart?  Why do I call it the root of destruction?  That word is “Professional.”  If you consider yourself a professional do not become prematurely angry with me.  I am not railing against the professional in many areas of life or professions but in some areas, it is the root of destruction.

As I prayed and meditated regarding where we are as a people, a nation, a church, and a world I heard, “The single most destructive thing in some areas of life is the professional or the mentality of some things being a profession.”  I will list several and give my reasons for making this allegation.  This is not an exhaustive list but touches on several areas that I believe can easily be documented over time as being detrimental to the purported objective of those ventures or arenas.

One of the greatest areas of destruction in our nation is the Professional Politician.  The Founding Fathers never envisioned or intended there to be a permanent political class who have never been exposed to the workplace that most of us have navigated.  That makes them unqualified to legislate for they have no real connection to the needs or concerns of the average citizen.  They tend to become oligarchical elitists who amass fortunes, establish networks of influence and power, and view themselves as our Lords or Ladies with the right to rule over us.  That is diametrically opposite of the view of the Founders of this Great Nation.

When the Constitution was adopted on September 17, 1787, America was emerging from a war with the most powerful empire on the planet. It was operating under the Articles of Confederation that was too weak to sustain itself.  That placed before the Founding Fathers the task to find a comprehensive, strong system of government yet maintain our individual liberties and keep us a government of the people, for the people, and by the people.  That was no small undertaking.

The Founders did not include term limits for Congress as did the Articles of Confederation. They believed that those serving in Congress would serve a term or two and return to private life.  They did not establish a salary that was lucrative enough to lure people into that arena permanently as professionals.  That is certainly not the case today with the salary of almost $200,000 per year and the lucrative side benefits that come with the office draws those seeking to make politics a profession.  What was lost in that equation is the needs of the people, the republic, and the ability to pass laws that they knew they too would live under. 

The Founders made a mistake and visionaries like George Mason, Thomas Jefferson, and Mercy Otis Warren recognized the flaw and warned.  “Nothing is so essential to the preservation of a Republican government as a periodic rotation,” said Mason.  Warren elaborated, “there is no provision for a rotation, nor anything to prevent the perpetuity of the office in the same hands for life; which by a little well-timed bribery, will probably be done.”

We have paid dearly at the hands of Professional Politicians including those like Joe Biden who have spent their entire adult life in politics never holding jobs in the private sector.  Their fortunes and interests are their own, not the republic yet we keep electing them and giving them the keys to the kingdom.  We have done this to our own hurt.  Professional Politicians have destroyed the Republic.

The second area of destruction is Professional Preacher or Minister.  That may anger some but hear my argument. Those have, in my view, destroyed or damaged the Church its mission and message.  Frequently they seek to build their little kingdoms, amass their fortunes, and promote themselves as the end all and be all of their worlds.  God spoke through Ezekiel in Ezekiel 34 regarding shepherds who had more interest in their profession than the people.  God made it clear that He opposed those ministers and rejected them. 

If you are a minister and view yourself a professional, I urge you to either rethink your calling. I won’t say you need to resign and find a profession to become a professional, but… I believe it is needful that a man or woman of God find it impossible to do anything but follow the call of God on their lives to proclaim the Good News, the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I believe that it must be a compelling desire and drive to attend to the needs of the flock of God.  If God and people are not the focus and being a servant is not the heart, then please step aside.  I asked when I acknowledged the call to preach, “Can you do anything else?”  The question was not if I was capable but would the fire in my heart allow me to pursue other interests.  The answer then and now was NO!

Professional Doctors have done incredible damage to healthcare.  If medicine is just a job, then please walk away.  We need doctors who consider it a calling and have a fire burning in their hearts to heal the sick and find ways to make the quality of life as good as possible for those they treat.  Before you argue that a professional can do that, I say, Balderdash!  If it is a profession the at some point you look at the bottom line not the need of the patient.  Healing must be more important than money or you will fail to be the provider of care the patient needs.  Decisions in healthcare must never be about profit but cure.

A final area that has provided a root of destruction is the Professional Educator.  Professional teachers have ruined education and lost sight of the real purpose of education.  Teaching like preaching must be a calling not simply a job or a profession to advance a career.  You have been entrusted with the responsibility and privilege of shaping pliable minds to think and function in life.  Anything less is harmful.  You are not commissioned to instill your views in their hearts but to open their minds to truth and give them the tools to think critically with deductive reasoning.  You are charged with opening the vast world of knowledge to them and equipping them to study, learn, and research. 

Being a professional is not a bad thing in many areas of life but there are some places it has produced harm not good.  Politics and the condition of our republic are reflective of that reality.  The worldliness of the church and the absence of servanthood ministry is the result of professional preachers.  The damage in medicine and education is easily traceable.

You may disagree with my assertions and that is your privilege.  I long for a world where politics is handled by citizen representatives who consider it a temporary investment in our republic to serve in congress.  I long for a world where preachers have the fire of being called of God rather than pursuing a profession.  I long for medical doctors who consider it their calling to heal the sick and provide quality of life mentally, emotionally, and physically.  I long for teachers who realize the incredible task before them and rather than pursuing a career they pursue a calling to shape the future through true educational principles.  Is that a utopian view?  Probably, but the professional in some areas has been detrimental to our nation, our family, our churches, and our world.

God bless you and God bless America!

There are a growing number of anti-Trump, Never Trump, Globalist, Socialist, and anarchists that consider any of us that hold to the Constitution and support President Donald Trump as diabolical or deceived souls needing deliverance or extermination.  The question is, “Are we deceived, or do we perceive what is really happening?”  The question is, “Is it we or they that are deceived?”  Your answer to those questions will depend upon your political, religious, and worldview.  Only you can answer, and no amount of data or factual presentation will likely change that.

The other morning, I was sitting on my patio watching our puppy play in the yard and get in her morning exercise and an old country song came to mind.  It was a song by Porter Wagoner entitled, “I Dreamed I Saw America on Her Knees.”  As I began to think about that song and the lyrics, I heard the Holy Spirit in my heart say, “That is not going to happen.”

Before I continue let me say, if you are one who does not believe that God speaks to us any longer, then add that to your list of things you believe I am deceived about.  I believe that He does because the Bible says that His Word is eternal, Jesus is called the Word of God, and Hebrews 13:8 tells us that Jesus is the same past, present, and future.  

I do not believe that the speaking of the Spirit of God to our hearts is the writing of another canon of scripture or will it ever contradict the Bible, but I do believe He speaks and guides today.  In fact, the Bible tells us, “Man does not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.”  If you are alive you are hearing something.

Now, back to what I heard in my heart regarding the idea of America being on her knees and the word I heard in my heart that it would not happen.  I was reminded of 2 Chronicles 7:14 and that that passage does not refer to the entire world but those who are called by God’s name or believers and members of the family of God through faith.  I was reminded of the passages in the New Testament regarding the condition of hearts during the Last Days where evil grows prolifically, and many are deceived.  I wondered about what I had just heard.

As I prayed and questioned the LORD about what I heard in my heart I felt that He gave me understanding that the Last Days’ Harvest and the Rise of Evil would transpire simultaneously. I have long believed and proclaimed that there would be two streams flowing in the latter days of humanity.  There would be a new awakening and revival with a return to God and His principles, person, and purposes.  There would, at the same time, be a rise in unimaginable evil and corruption and it would touch every segment of society including the Church.

In the song, the lyrics speak of the news reporting trouble on every hand and evil spreading through the nation like a dark cloud with crime and corruption increasing.  Is that not what we are witnessing today?  Then, it spoke of a great revival spreading like a mighty wind from every city, town, and village starting first in the hearts of men.  That is where revival always begins and where evil always takes root, in individual hearts.  We infect and affect others with our heart condition.  We are to bring the Kingdom of God into this present world through our commitment to God and if we rebel and resist, we bring the kingdom of darkness to the fore.

The song spoke of people learning to love each other again.  That is the mark of a move of God and a true relationship with God, LOVE!  The absence of love and the presence of hate is revealing that God is absent from that heart.  I do not care what we call ourselves or how many times we attend religious gatherings if we hate we are not followers of the LORD Jesus Christ.  Hate me if you please, but that is what the Bible says. I ask that you read 1 John 3:15 before you attack me. 

In 1 John 4:19-20, the Bible is incredibly clear regarding love and hate.  It declares, “Whoever says, ‘I love God,’ but hates his brother is a liar.  The one who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love the God whom he has not seen.”  In 1 John 2:8-11 we read, “Again, a new commandment I write unto you, which thing is true in Him and in you; because the darkness is past, and the true light now shineth.  He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now.  He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him.  But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes.”  Could that be any clearer?

I felt that the Holy Spirit was telling me that we need to shift our prayers from spiritual warfare over the presidential election and begin interceding for the mercy of God.  The spiritual warfare focus needs to be on the runoffs in Georgia and the massive voter fraud that is likely to transpire. If there is no intervention and careful watchfulness by all concerned we will watch America go down the toilet drain.  This is a war for Freedom, Liberty, and the Republic.  It is not about Republican vs Democrat or Biden vs Trump but God vs evil.  It is a fight for survival.  Hate me if you please and call me deceived if you desire, that is what I see.  Am I deceived or do I perceive the reality of what is happening?

Can America survive if Biden occupies the White House, the Democrats gain control of the Congress with both the House of Representatives and the Senate?  I do not think we can.  The reason I say that is because we would likely see at least two new states added.  There is the desire to add Washington, DC, and Puerto Rico which would give the Democrats 4 more Senators and afford them total control of the Senate into the foreseeable future.  That would be disastrous to the Constitution and our inalienable rights including our 1^st and 2^nd Amendment Rights.

Can we survive the massive reinstitution of regulations, the destruction of the oil and gas industry, the complete takeover of healthcare, and the massive taxation that would transpire?  I don’t think our economy, small businesses, or even the health and education elements could survive.  We would witness the erosion of our system of economy, a total overhaul of our electoral process including the elimination of the electoral college, and America would become a direct democracy to our destruction. 

But, about America being on her knees, why will that never happen.  It won’t happen because there has been such a descent into decadence and depravity. It has been reported that the National Democratic Party has adopted Atheism as their Religion. Their willingness to violate basic human rights to life and liberty suggests that a large portion of America has rejected God.  America will not be on her knees because many who call themselves Christians no longer believe the Bible is the Word of God and Inspired. They have adopted the modern view that it is a mere collection of ideas, myths, and superstitions.  Too many in Christendom are pursuing man’s agenda not God’s and seeking to ‘feel good’ not ‘be good.’

God help us and I pray that the believers will recommit themselves to God and the Lovers of Freedom will unite to resist the massive push to advance an agenda that is destructive to the America of our Founding. 

God bless you and God bless America!

When did what begin?  When did the move toward Socialism and the gravitation away from Republicanism and Free Market Capitalism begin in America? Intricately interlaced in the gravitation toward Socialism are the tendencies of anarchists, communists, democratic socialists, Marxists, Marxist-Leninists, social democrats, Trotskyists, and utopian socialists.  This flawed philosophy needs the views of many varied anti-republic views to survive and America is not immune.

Our founders understood the dangers and attempted to provide us with a system of government that would prevent the rise of any system that would erode our sound foundations.  Sadly, we have allowed politicians to become drunk on power and the desire for power and usurp our constitutional guidelines and protections.  They, like the proverbial drip on a rock, have slowly weakened our constitutional fabric and the apathy and/or resolve of many has facilitated that erosion.  In short, we did it to ourselves.

Many believe that this rise of the embracing of socialism has its roots in the utopian communities of the early 19^th century.  That causes me to believe that our founders were acutely aware of the dangers and sought to place roadblocks to destruction in the Constitution and the system they devised.  Their efforts would be adequate were it not for judicial activism and the public was content to allow the politicians to watch over the politics of the nation.  We enjoyed the prosperity and success too much to be bothered with our responsibilities as the owners and overseers of government.  In short, we did it to ourselves.

A name that most are unfamiliar with includes Josiah Warren, an activist visionary whose inspiration was Charles Fourier was a prominent figure in the movement.  Labor activists largely British, German, or Jewish immigrants founded the Socialist Labor Party in 1877.  The Socialist Party of America was birthed in 1901.  The Socialist Party declined in the 1920s and was largely replaced by the Communist Party USA in the 1930s.  That element merged with the Trotskyist who comprised the Socialist Workers Party in the 1950s.

The Democratic Party began their link to the Socialists in the Kennedy administration and expanded under Johnson and the ‘War on Poverty’ and ‘Great Society.’  The Civil Rights Movement embraced the socialists, or the socialists embraced the Civil Rights Movement for political purposes, and it has expanded and grown in strength since.

Utopian Socialism was the first definable attempt to advance socialism in America.  They attempted to create and develop socialist communities hoping to demonstrate that their views were superior to capitalism.  They all failed, but the philosophy lingered and over time has become stronger than ever.  They have found a willing partner to become their vehicle to prominence in the Democratic Party of America.  Most of the efforts can be traced to the Fabian Socialist.

These movements were visible as early as 1825 when Robert Owen, a wealthy Welsh Industrialist embraced socialism.  He created a communitarian colony called New Harmony in Indiana.  The group disintegrated around 1829 due to conflict between utopian ideologues and non-ideological participants.  They were followed by transcendentalist utopians in 1841 and erected Brook Farm based on Charles Fourier’s brand of socialism.  Nathaniel Hawthorne was a member, but socialist Ralph Waldo Emerson declined to join the movement.  They lasted until about 1856 when a fire ravaged the complex and with the already visible decline of the community it could not survive.

Marxism also made inroads in the 1840s fueled by German Marxist immigrants.  John Weydemeyer, a colleague of Karl Marx established the first Marxist journal in America.  It was called the ‘Die Revolution’ but could not survive beyond two issues.  In 1852, not to be deterred, he established the ‘Proletarierbund’, which became the American Workers’ League notably the first Marxist organization in America.  The National Labor Union, the Socialist Labor Party of America, and the American Federation of Labor were birthed to advance the ideas of communism, socialism, and Marxism.

The ties to labor are unmistakable and sadly for the laborers what they embraced was extremely detrimental to their freedom and future. However, deception and proper packaging of utopian ideas always find an audience.  We see that on the college and university campuses in America.  We see that in the Labor Unions, and we are seeing it prolifically in the Democratic Party and their political platform. 

As has been the history of many flawed philosophies, a panic of economic disaster opened the door for the Socialists and Marxists to find sympathetic ears in labor.  That occurred in 1907.  That produced a virtual war between corporations and labor and America endured some incredibly violent and brutal situations in strikes and strike-breaking efforts.

Anarchism is not new to America and one of the prominent leaders and proponents of that view was Benjamin Tucker who advocated “Anarchistic-Socialism.”  We had the Haymarket anarchists who were incredibly violent.  Joseph Labadie, an American labor organizer, and individualist anarchist forged an alliance with Samuel Gompers in Michigan. 

From 1900 to 1920 we saw a renewed rise in this view.  In 1910 Victor L. Berger ran for Congress in Wisconsin’s 5^th District and became the first Socialist to serve in the U.S. Congress.  He sought to eliminate the presidential veto and advocated the socialization of major industries.  He introduced the ‘old-age pension bill’.

In 1920, the Anarchists bombed Wall Street and sent mail-bombs to prominent businessmen and government officials.  Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer, a Wilsonian Democrat had a bomb explode outside his house and created a new division of the Justice Department The General Intelligence Division led by J. Edgar Hoover.

In the 1930s and 1940’s it gained a major foothold in the New Deal.  In the 1950’s we had the second Red Scare and Americans resisted Socialism and Marxism.  Then in the 1960s and 1970’s the New Left produced the Progressive Labor Party and the Communist Party USA and the Socialist Workers Party.  In the 1980s and 1990s, we saw the New Communist Movement.  Today we have Occupy and Occupy Wall Street along with ANTIFA and BLM whose leaders embrace Marxism.  Bernie Sanders and a growing cadre of people in Congress have embraced this view.

Today it is difficult to distinguish the Democratic Party from the Marxists, Socialists, Communists Movements. Those movements have been attempting to gain a foothold in America almost since our inception as a nation.  I realize that I have given a long treatise on the evolution of the Democratic Party and America’s gravitation toward Socialism.  Sadly, America, we have done this to ourselves and we will discover as have every other nation and culture that those failed philosophies will continue to fail.  I keep praying for God to cause us to awaken and take the definitive actions required to nip this plague in the bud. 

God bless you and God bless America!

Yes, that is my title and topic, and if it causes you such angst and animus toward me that you feel you must attack, call me vile names, question my humanity, and disassociate with me, go ahead.  I do not say that with any anger or desire that you do so. But if that is where your heart is, from the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.  I am 100% confident I am on solid biblical and moral ground in my argument and have the right to my view.  I do not have a right to my own facts, as is often the case when people debate controversial issues.  I desire to be solidly on the side of the Bible, science, and morality. 

I will begin with citations from the Bible and include scientific and historic documentation to my arguments.  In Psalms 139 we have a most enlightening declaration beginning at verse 13: “For Thou didst form my inward parts; Thou didst weave me in my mother’s womb. 14 I will give thanks to Thee, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Thy works, and my soul knows it very well. 15 My frame was not hidden from Thee when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth.  16 Thine eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Thy book, they were all written, The days that were ordained for me, when as yet there was not one of them.”  NASB

Let me remind everyone that David made that declaration without the benefit of our modern marvels in medicine and science (ultrasounds, dating methods, OBGYN’s, et al).  He declared what every rational and reasonable human knows and believes deep in their heart of hearts.  That life in the womb is a baby!  It is only in recent years that we morphed away from that distinction and found the term ‘fetus’ to be more conducive to the idea of lifelessness and meaningless until viable birth had occurred.  I do not believe the shift in terms was benign but had a deep-rooted purpose that erodes our foundation moral principles and values as human beings.

David was not alone in his declarations about life, conception, and the value God places on EVERY LIFE!  In the Book of Job 10:8-12, we read, “Thy hands fashioned and made me altogether, and wouldst Thou destroy me?  9 ‘Remember now, that Thou hast made me as clay; And wouldst Thou turn me into dust again?  10 ‘Didst Thou not pour me out like milk, and curdle me like cheese; 11 Clothe me with skin and flesh, and knit me together with bones and sinews? 12 ‘Thou hast granted me life and lovingkindness; and Thy care has preserved my spirit.”  NASB 

We cannot overlook the declaration of the prophet Jeremiah. It could and should be viewed as God’s view of abortion.  In Jeremiah 20:17 we read, “Because He did not kill me from the womb, that my mother might have been my grave.”  If that being in the womb is nothing more than tissue, the words of Jeremiah are meaningless.  A lifeless form cannot have a grave, you don’t bury lifeless tissue.  You bury things that were alive and that ‘thing’ in the womb is a human being yet unborn.

I was arrested by the Holy Spirit as I read Ecclesiastes 11:5, “Just as you do not know the path of the wind and how bones are formed in the womb of the pregnant woman, so you do not know the activity of God who makes all things.”  God makes all things and that thing in the womb is a life that God has and is creating therefore to abort it is to engage in genocide and/or infanticide.  I’m sorry, but how do we defend taking a defenseless life that has not yet had the opportunity to live?

Let me offer a few pertinent and interesting notations from Scripture about life in the womb and you determine if that blob of tissue, that fetus, that embryo, is a living being. 

• Jacob and Esau: (Genesis 25:22-24) – “The babies jostled each other within her, and she said, “Why is this happening to me?” So, she went to inquire of the Lord. The Lord said to her, ‘Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you will be separated; one people will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger.’ When the time came for her to give birth, there were twin boys in her womb” 
• Jeremiah: (Jeremiah 1:5) – “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you, before you were born, I set you apart; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”  How can anyone view that as God being ambivalent about that ‘thing’ in the womb?  He was creating a life, a living human being, that has a divine purpose, as do all of us.
• David: (Psalms 139:16) – “Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” 
• Paul: (Galatians 1:15) – “God, who set me apart from my mother’s womb and called me by His grace.”
• John the Baptist: (Luke 1:15) – “He will be great in the sight of the Lord…and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit before he is born.”
• Jesus: (Matthew 1:20) – “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.”

We are instructed in the Ten Commandments “Thou shalt not murder.”  We are warned in Proverbs 6, one of the six things God is listed as hating are hands that shed innocent blood.  In Psalms 68:5 we discover that God has promised to be a “Father to the fatherless” and a “defender of widows.”  We are instructed to “Love our neighbor as ourselves.”  Who is our neighbor?  Anyone and everyone who needs my help is my neighbor.  We are to love life, ALL LIFE as God does and that includes that baby in the womb!

Let me go to Law and Science in my conclusion regarding abortion and that life in the womb, a human baby yet unborn.  Science informs us that within 24 hours of conception, the egg begins to rapidly divide into many cells.  It remains in the fallopian tube for about three days, then the fertilized egg moves to the uterus for implantation.  In the first few weeks, there is the development of primitive facial features with the mouth, lower jaw, and throat developing.  The tiny heart tube will beat 65 times a minute until the end of the 4^th week.  Wait, a heartbeat?  How is that just a blob of tissue and not a life?

In the 2^nd month, there is the rapid development of more features and in the 3^rd month the arms, hands, fingers, feet, and toes are FULLY formed!  By the 4^th month, the heartbeat is audible, eyelids, eyebrows, eyelashes, fingers, and toenails developed, hair, and the teeth and bones become denser.  The BABY can suck her or her thumb, yawn, stretch, and make faces.  Blobs of tissue do not do that!  For the sake of time, I won’t continue that detailing of development, but you see that very early, almost from the moment of conception there is demonstratable evidence of life!  That being in the womb is a LIFE, a BABY!

Let’s look at some laws and see the incredibly hypocritical stances of the pro-choice movement or pro-abortion advocates.  I won’t take the many that are available but 18 U.S. Code 1841. Protection of unborn children.  That’s right our federal law refers to protecting UNBORN children!  In Section (a) (1) it reads: “Whoever engages in conduct that violate any provision of law listed in subsection (b) and thereby causes the death of, or bodily injury (as defined in section 1365) to, a child, who is in utero at the time the conduct takes place, is guilty of a separate offense under this section.”  Wow!

Let’s continue to (2) (A) “Except as otherwise provided in this paragraph, the punishment for that separate offense is the same as the punishment provided under Federal law for that conduct had that injury or death occurred to the unborn child’s mother. (B)An offense under this section does not require proof that— (i) the person engaging in the conduct had knowledge or should have had knowledge that the victim of the underlying offense was pregnant; or (ii) the defendant intended to cause the death of, or bodily injury to, the unborn child. (C) If the person engaging in the conduct thereby intentionally kills or attempts to kill the unborn child, that person shall instead of being punished under subparagraph (A), be punished as provided under sections 1111, 1112, and 1113 of this title for intentionally killing or attempting to kill a human being. (D) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the death penalty shall not be imposed for an offense under this section.”

I stand staunchly against abortion and when I see laws passed by Congress and signed into law by the president which are incorporated into our Code of Laws that defend and define that being in the womb as a LIFE and a BABY I find it incomprehensible that the Supreme Court would deem abortion justifiable under any constitutional provision.

I am and will continue to be on the side of LIFE, “All Life” including the life of that unborn baby in the womb.  I stand firmly for Faith, Family, and Freedom. 

God bless you and God bless America!

I wish I could say, “A Republic We Are and Will Always Be” but the handwriting appears to be on the wall, and it does not look good.  I wish I could say, “Now that the elections are over everything will settle down and we will return to normal” but it does not appear that is likely or possible.  I would love to say, “America’s status as the Constitutional Republic is solidly intact” but with the myriad of people in the public and politics that keep calling us a Democracy, it appears to be in danger.  I have many more concerns but could not possibly address them all in one short article.  However, I want to address one thing in particular and sound the alarm as loudly as possible.

As a Republic, our Founders and the Framers of our Constitution were devoted to creating a Republic rather than a Democracy.  Some could argue and there is some legitimacy in calling us a Republican Democracy if we understand the definition and application of those terms.  A Direct Democracy with majority rule places everything and everyone subject to the whim of the masses at any given moment and knee-jerk reactions rule the day.  Whims change, but republican principles of government do not.  The safeguards and protections we were afforded must never be lost nor lost sight of.

As a Christian, a former pastor, and a follower of Jesus Christ, I am deeply concerned with the decades-long assault on our religious liberties largely by the Left.  I have endured the diatribe over “A Wall of Separation between Church and State” until I want to scream.  The basis of that argument omits the documented reality that our Founding Fathers and the Framers of the Constitution desired to protect religious liberty not to infringe upon it.  They sought to keep the state out of the church not to keep the church from influencing the state. 

They appear to have understood a biblical concept that many in religious and secular communities seem to be oblivious to.  That is rooted in the words of the Lord Jesus Christ in Matthew 5:13. He said, “You are the salt of the earth.  But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again?  It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.”  Salt seasons and flavors not just preserves.  If the church is to be ‘salt’ then it must have a flavoring effect on the world, otherwise, it loses its purpose and power. 

The Founding Fathers and the Framers never sought to eliminate the influence of religion upon government but diligently included it.  The argument is often made that most of them were deist and that has been challenged many times quite successfully.  But, if a person forms an opinion and believes it to be the truth, they are reluctant to embrace facts that would challenge their position.  As I was told early in my Christian and ministerial walk, “A man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still.”  Everyone has a right to their opinion but not their own set of facts. 

Thomas Jefferson, one of our Founders and early President was not, as many argue, opposed to Christianity.  Let me offer an except from David Barton’s work that indicates Jefferson was the opposite of what many have painted him regarding religion.

I’ll give you a great example. We moved into the US Capitol in November of 1800. When we moved in, one of the first acts of Congress was to approve the use of the Capitol as a church building. You can find that in the records of Congress, Dec 4, 1800. Now, who did that? The head of the Senate and the head of the House. The speaker of the House was John Trumbull, the president of the Senate who approved that was Thomas Jefferson.

Thomas Jefferson approved church in the Capitol. Yep, he went there as Vice President, he went to the church at the Capitol for 8 years as President, and as President of the US. He went to church. This is recorded by a myriad of members of Congress in their records and their diaries. They went to church at the Capitol too.

Thomas Jefferson, President of the United States, expressed that he believed his presence would help the worship services at this new church at the Capitol. They met in the Hall of the House of Representatives. Jefferson ordered the Marine Corp band to come to play for the worship services, in the church services at the US Capitol.

The worship band is the Marine Corp Band? That is a pretty good worship band, don’t you think? Thomas Jefferson did that! Wait, I thought he wanted the separation of church and state. If you read his letter on the separation of church and state, he said the separation of church and state, he makes it very clear, separation of church and state will keep the government from stopping a public religious activity.

I don’t know about you but that does not sound like a man that wanted an impenetrable Wall to keep the Church out of governmental affairs and relegate its influence to remain inside the four walls of the local congregational building. 

Thomas Jefferson was not involved in the 1^st Amendment and it was written almost exclusively by James Madison.  The Reverend John Leland, one of the fiercest proponents of religious freedom personally lobbied Madison for a religious liberty clause in the Bill of Rights. 

Jefferson acted in the interest of ensuring worship and the right to worship.  It is reported that during Jefferson’s first winter as president he regularly attended services in the small frame building owned by the Episcopalians.  He had no visible motive for attending those services but for his respect for public worship.  He was the one who opened the door for religious services to be held in the Hall of the House of Representatives.  He brought the Marine Corps band to play for worship services.  If he wanted an impenetrable wall, that would make no sense, would it?

We have witnessed the implementation of Roe v Wade that has resulted in the death or slaughter of over 61 million unborn babies.  Then more recently we had the Obergefell v Hodges decision that allowed homosexual marriages.  Those were not done in a vacuum and we are facing ever-increasing infringements upon our religious liberties.  During the COVID-19 pandemic and pandemonium, there have been civic leaders who openly avowed their desire to permanently shut down or restrict church services. 

I do not believe that the government should promote religion in the public square, but I am equally committed to the idea that it should NEVER scrub or restrict it either.  I believe that the government, as did our Founding Fathers treat religion as a natural part of the public square.  I would argue that we live in a society where we are deeply divided on matters of religion, human sexuality, and other areas.  Abortion is a volatile issue and freedom of expression, speech, assembly, and the right to keep and bear arms are all in the mix and targets of those who want to ‘transform us.’ 

I believe that it would be prudent to insist that the government not attempt to force either side to violate their deeply held beliefs.  The repeated argument I hear is that our Founders would have sought to protect each of the minorities in the sexual argument and abortion positions. 

I ask, “What about protecting religious liberties?”  Is it not a recognized and inalienable right, recognized in our Declaration, Constitution, and Bill of Rights to have Religious Freedom?  The moment we engage in picking and choosing which convicts to protect and which to assail we destroy our Republican System of Government and endanger the liberties of everyone.

America, our Republic is endangered, and only as we the people become engaged and involved in the politics of the politicians can we assure that we protect our liberties for everyone.  Someone said, “no one is free until we are all free.”  Benjamin Franklin said it eloquently and rightly, “Freedom of speech is a principal pillar of a free government: When this support is taken away, the constitution of a free society is dissolved, and tyranny is erected on its ruins.  Republics and limited monarchies derive their strength and vigor from a popular examination of the actions of the magistrates.”

We must never forget these words:  “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.”  — U.S. Constitution

God bless you and God bless America!

I ascribe to the philosophy and view that was embraced in the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution.  I embrace the view stated in our Pledge of Allegiance to the American flag.  I fully believe the declaration of the Word of God, the Bible, that God loves everyone.  He does not endorse the behavior of everyone, nor does He excuse sin and wrong attitudes, but His Love is unconditional, unlike ours.

That means that I believe that if everyone is not afforded Freedom including, Freedom of Speech, Religion, and the Right to Self-Defense none of us have freedom.  I believe that “all were created equal and endowed with inalienable rights from our Creator, Jehovah God.” 

I believe that everyone has the right to life unimpeded by the federal government or nefarious political power brokers.  I believe that everyone, including the unborn in the womb, has the constitutionally protected right to L-I-F-E and that means they must be allowed to be birthed and either raised by loving parents or allowed to be adopted by those desiring children.  Murdering them is not an option!  I believe that everyone has the right to pursue Happiness and that the government must be kept limited.

We are light-years from that position and condition and therefore I say, “Either it is Freedom for All or it is Freedom from None!”  We have voted and now we must await the decisions of those elected as to what ideology they are going to pursue as they strive to offer their governmental edicts, they expect us to follow.  We now have limited options as to how we are going to combat any nefarious infringements upon our liberties, freedoms, and inalienable rights.

Our 3^rd President, Thomas Jefferson’s view is one that I hold.  He said in a letter to James Madison in 1787, “I own that I am not a friend of a very energetic government. It is always oppressive.”   I deeply appreciate the sentiments of Benjamin Franklin as published in Emblematical Representations in 1774.  He said, “The ordaining laws in favor of one part of the nation, to the prejudice and oppression of another, is certainly the most erroneous and mistaken policy.  An equal dispensation of protection, rights, privileges, and advantages, is what every part is entitled to, and ought to enjoy.”

I also acknowledge the wisdom and warning in the words of James Madison in Federalist 48, 1788.  He said, “It will not be denied that power is an encroaching nature and that it ought to be effectually restrained from passing the limits assigned to it.”  Then, the incredibly wise words of James Wilson, published in ‘Of the Study of the Law of the United States, 1790.’  He said, “Without liberty, law loses its nature and its name, and becomes oppression.  Without law, liberty also loses its nature and its name, and become licentiousness.”  There must be a balance and reason for us to maintain the balance of power in our federal government. 

The world we now live in is a politically charged world that has gravitated toward a climate of political correctness that stifles freedom of speech, thought, and beliefs.  The censorship that is being engaged in or attempted by major internet players, social media outlets, and even Congress and the Courts is destroying the American spirit that propelled us to the greatness that produced one of if not the greatest republic on the planet.  Barack Obama the 44^th President declared that American exceptionalism was a myth and proceeded to voice his anti-American worldview and sentiments in an apology tour of the world.  America was deemed to be founded on faulty principles and had become great on the backs of the oppressed. 

The demand for Freedom of expression and activity by various segments of society but the repression and censorship of those holding conservative, Christian, and Constitutional Originalist views are destroying us.  Freedom must be granted to all citizens or none can be free!  The objective view and desire of our founders were that everyone would enjoy those rights that were deemed God-given and therefore inalienable and untouchable by the federal government.  Politicians over the past 100 years have demonstrated a political view that government is paramount and we the people are secondary.  That limits freedom for some and ultimately endangers freedom for all.

If we want to maintain our freedom and constitutional guarantees it is imperative that we actively engage in a measure of political activism.  What I mean is we must regularly, thoughtfully, factually, and consistently apply pressure on all elected officials to follow the Constitution not the preferences of any group of citizens. 

The Framers of our American Constitution exhibited incredible restraint and foresight.  They understood that for America to thrive and survive as a republic she must have more than a powerful central government.  They understood that an elected official was not immune from the embracing tyrannical desires and views.  They understood that those individuals were mere human beings, not angels, and therefore subject to corruption and were not infallible. 

Those wise men attempted to hem in the political ruling class and divide governmental authority.  They gave Congress 19 and only 19 specific powers that largely concerned taxation, coining money, and spending it on “the common Defense and general Welfare of the United States.”  Simply, Congress’s job was to keep America safe not become a totalitarian oligarchy that envisioned itself as a virtual god with unlimited powers.

The Constitution specifies that any powers not enumerated for the federal government were to be understood as belonging to the individual states and the citizens.  They sought to ensure that the republic would never be converted from “a limited government into an unlimited one.” 

Few politicians in Washington believe that or even understand that.  They demonstrate by their actions, legislation, and regulations that they believe their powers are unlimited.  They seem to believe that we the people should be eternally grateful for the tidbits they throw our way.  They have failed to remember that the United States of America is a republic established to operate as a Limited Government.  It is time that we remind them, all of them, Republicans, Democrats, Libertarians, and any other segment of that fact.

The election is over, but the republic still needs her patriots to rise and engage in a measure of political activism to counter the activism of the toxic liberal worldview that desires the fundamental transformation of this nation.  The only questions are can we do that without formal organization and delegated activities?  Can we achieve that as individual citizens or will we be forced to form a coalition of Freedom Loving Patriots who are willing to die for Freedom if required?  Can we pressure the elected oligarchs enough to cause them to fear losing the next election to elicit a change in their mindset and proper governance?  Time will tell and our efforts will dictate the outcome.

I am committed to praying for the nation as much as I was and maybe even more than before the election.  America needs the guidance of the Almighty and we need to return to our moral moorings as a people.  We have been a great nation and still are, but we can be greater only if we will draw a line in the sand and demand Constitutional governance.  Will you join me?

God bless you and God bless America!

I wonder how many of those who were so filled with vitriolic animus toward Donald J. Trump the 45^th President of these United States will admit their error if Biden prevails and is inaugurated?  Let me suggest that the number might be less than zero.  What I mean is that they are so filled with self-importance and self-righteousness that they would have to acknowledge the possibility of being mere mortals to do so.  Therefore, I do not believe that even in the pain we will all endure, they will ever acknowledge they made a mistake. 

Some voted for Barack Hussein Obama the 44^th President of the United States who admitted they made a mistake.  They were not voting for him out of hatred for the other candidate but out of a sense that he was who he claimed or out of a sense of guilt if they failed to vote for ethnicity.  Many realized they had made a mistake, and some have acknowledged to me after the four-years of Trump that Obama was a disaster. 

Hello! How did anyone lose sight of the reality that Joe Biden was the Vice President and part of the package in the Obama administration?  The claims that Trump is guilty of sexual harassment but ignore the charges against Biden is beyond hypocritical it is delusional.  The claims that foreign governments helped Trump and as Juan Williams proclaimed on Fox News, there were proven allegations that Russia interfered in the 2016 election to help Trump is ludicrous.  Mr. Williams, not that you would listen, but you are far too full of yourself for your own good, and your hypocrisy and factual ignorance is shocking.  No, it is expected from a person that is so Left Wing and who has engaged in playing the race card while exhibiting racism.

Joe Biden said to NPR’s Lulu Garcia-Navarro, “There will not be another foot of wall constructed on my administration, No. 1.”   Joe Biden said that he would reverse President Trump’s tariffs with China.  Joe Biden and Kamala Harris have vowed to do a great many things on ‘Day One’ of their administration which amounts to repealing and rolling back everything President Trump has done.  He wants to take us back to the Obama era and beyond into governmental control and taxation.  Hey folks, the past is not the future and if we dwell in the past, we lose sight of the opportunities of the future.

What has Biden promised, hinted, and suggested that he would do ‘Day One’ via executive order?  Let’s consider some of them and you tell me if you think that will be good for America, our Republic, Inalienable Rights, and Liberty. 

• A Coronavirus Task Force led by former Democratic administration doctors and advisers.  He will push for immediate coronavirus legislation with no specifics but arm the government with more power to infringe upon our liberties.  He would release a vaccine distribution plan.  Hey, Joe, why could you not tell us during the campaign what you planned to do other than say “other than what Trump has done?”  Rejoin WHO (World Health Organization) that was complicit in China’s deception and endangering the world.  Nice move, Joe, nice move.  He wants a national mask mandate.
• He will immediately reverse Trump’s Corporate Tax Cut.  For everyone that hates corporations, we need to remember that as they prosper the economy grows and we all benefit.  But alas, if hate is your food you forget to look for healthy nourishment only satisfaction of your desire for punishment of those you hate.
• He will make America an International Leader on Climate Change.  Welcome to AOC’s Green New Deal and the destruction of the Fossil Fuel Industry.  That will destroy the economy and make the cost of energy 4-6 times higher.  I hope you have a stash of cash laid back to buy gas and electricity.  Many of us do not.
• He will Extend the Voting Rights Act.  What does that mean other than opening the door for Illegals to participate in our elections?
• He will immediately issue an Executive Order for Comprehensive Immigration Changes.  He wants a pathway to citizenship for the assumed 11 million in the U.S. illegally.  I think the number is more like 40 million but 11 million is still too many to give blanket amnesty to.  He will make DACA permanent on his first day. He will stop family separation at the U.S.-Mexico border.  (Has anyone considered the reality that many of those “children” were pawns of coyotes and human traffickers as well as adults hoping to gain sympathy and entry?)  Do I need to mention the commission of a felony with a child in your possession?  Do those children join their parents in jail?
• Open the flood gates for travelers from Muslim-majority countries to have free entry. 
• He would rejoin the Paris Climate Accord and keep fossil fuels in the ground.
• He has promised to expand and codify ethics standards as if he and they had any.
• He promised to restore transgender students’ rights.
• He promised to eliminate restrictions on Union Workers.
• He will repeal the Trump Tax Cuts that benefitted millions of middle and even lower-class citizens not just the wealthy.
• He would push for extensive gun control.

He has promised that in his first 100-days he will seek to forever change our immigration policy and basically erase our Southern Borders. He has sided with BLM, ANTIFA, and other activist groups to ‘Reform’ the Police.  He wants more ‘community policing’ not ‘police protection.’  I can promise you that will not end well, and many neighborhoods will become unlivable hell holes.

Biden claims that Trump has broken our foreign relations and he will repair it and organize a ‘climate world summit’ to save the planet.  He claims it is settled science and like Al Gore has suggested we have less than a decade for Mighty Mouse to Save the Day!  His Climate Change plan will immediately cost $2 Trillion and will soar to upwards of $10 trillion in a decade or so.  He will make Obamacare permanent and move far beyond the scope of that plan ultimately leading to the Bernie Sanders desired National Healthcare. 

Biden has promised to make ‘college free’ and has signed on to the Bernie Sanders plan for College for All Act proposed in 2017.  He plans to eliminate tuition at public colleges and universities for families making up to $125,000 per annum.  His plan would demand that private historically Black colleges and universities and minority-serving institutions be tuition-free.  Hey, Joe, who pays for that?  What do you mean, the government?  Where does the government get its money?  That’s right, from you and me, those who pay taxes.

Those are just a few of the many disasters promised by Biden and do not scratch the surface.  We would have Obama’s ‘non-economy’ as the new normal and the advances made by Trump would be relegated to fond memories.  We will have less freedom, less money, less national security, and less hope but hey, he is not Trump, right?  Abortion will become easier.  Political correctness will become enforced via ‘hate speech’ regulations and laws.  America’s future will be dialed back years if not decades, but hey, he is not Trump, so it is all good, right?  NOT FOR ME!

I could go on but will pause here and remind everyone that no matter how much we dislike that will transpire, we must never lose sight of the reality that God is still God and our confidence and trust must not be man or government but GOD!  I expect a massive shift in Congress in 2022 providing we have a country still intact by that date.

God bless you and God bless America!