Posted in Patriotism

Posted in Patriotism

The pies are made, the bread has been baked, the turkey is thawing, and Thanksgiving is upon us.  It's always such a privilege to host Thanksgiving dinner in our home.

 Thanksgiving is my very favorite holiday.  I love the fact that it simply cannot be commercialized, and that despite how much many people try, it cannot be separated from its religious aspect.  We are thankful to God for what He has done for us.  Even the historical underpinnings of the holiday are connected to this idea.  The pilgrims came to these shores to find freedom to worship God as their consciences dictated.  I also love that it is a quintessentially American holiday.

The following is a poem my sons will recite at our dinner tomorrow.  It beautifully captures the essence of what Thanksgiving honors.

The Landing of the Pilgrims

The breaking waves dashed high on a stern and rock-bound coast
And the woods against a stormy sky their giant branches tossed,
And the heavy night hung dark, the hills and waters o'er
When a band of exiles moored their bark on the wild New England shore.

Not as the conquering come, they the true hearted came.
Not with the roll of the stirring drums, or the trumpet that sings of fame,
Not as the flying come, in silence and in fear,
They shook the depths of the desert gloorm with their hymns of lofty cheer.

What sought they thus afar, bright jewels of the mine?
The wealth of seas, the spoils of war?
They sought a faith's pure shrine!
Ay, call it holy ground--the soil where they first trod.
They have left unstained what there they found; freedom to worship God.

~Felicia D. Hemans

Posted in Patriotism

We've had a day or two to let the election results sink in.  It still hurts just as much as it did when my husband woke me up at 1am Wednesday morning to tell me who had won.  Honestly, though, I wasn't all that surprised.  Now, all that's left is to ride out the next four years and hope there is something left to salvage of the patriot dreams of our forefathers.

There's plenty of "talk" on the internet about politics, so I won't comment too much, other than to say that though one of my greatest present fears has come to pass, I have the comfort of knowing that God is still sovereign.  He will bring His will to pass.  He will be glorified.  In the meantime, we'd all better hang on, because it's going to be a rough ride.

In a blog post entitled "Amerika Goes Socialist", Judy Aron very articulately shares her thoughts:

"It's such a shame really.
Here is what we can look forward to:
Look for amnesty for millions of illegal aliens, the further expansion of government and social programs.
Look for the erosion of free speech through the implementation of "The Fairness Doctrine" and other more subtle forms of speech control including censorship of the Internet.
Look for more government intervention in your life and the government's invasion of your privacy.
Look for more government ownership of private business through government bailout programs etc.
Look for the erosion of private land ownership as more properties are taken through eminent domain.
Look for further destruction of our currency which will drive us to a global currency.
Look for the appointment of more liberal Supreme Court judges.
Look for more restrictive gun laws.
That and so much more.
It won't come all at once though...we'll just be treated to slowly boiled frog.

Yes, we will see change... but it won't be good change at all if you believe in the U.S. Constitution and sovereignty, and the dream that our founders gave to us which includes Life, Liberty and the pursuit of happiness."

I couldn't agree more.

The passage my husband read in family worship the other night really says it all:

"When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn."    Proverbs 29:2

Posted in Patriotism

Although I do not usually discuss politics on the blog (I'll leave that to my husband when he finally starts his blog), we do plenty of talking politics around our house, so my children are well versed in who the candidates are and where they stand on the important issues.  As we were browsing through the books at Sam's Club last evening, my sons spotted a children's book entitled Barak Obama: Son of Promise, Child of Hope.  My oldest son's immediate reaction was to roll his eyes and say something like"Do people really buy this for their chilren?"  Actually, my own reaction was much the same as his.  As you might imagine, the book extols the virtues of Mr. Obama, praising his messiah-like ability to bring hope, peace, and most importantly change to all those around him, an ability he has apparently has since childhood.

A direct quote from the Amazon. com sales page reads:

Ever since Barack Obama was young, Hope has lived inside him. From the beaches of Hawaii to the streets of Chicago, from the jungles of Indonesia to the plains of Kenya, he has held on to Hope. Even as a boy, Barack knew he wasn't quite like anybody else, but through his journeys he found the ability to listen to Hope and become what he was meant to be: a bridge to bring people together.

All I can say is oi.  That, and may the Lord be merciful to us. 

I wonder how much hope he has brought to all the babies he has supported killing?

Posted in Patriotism

The general principles on which the fathers achieved independence were the general principles of Christianity. I will avow that I then believed, and now believe, that those general principles of Christianity are as eternal and immutable as the existence and attributes of God.
John Adams

In the chain of human events, the birthday of the nation is indissolubly linked with the birthday of the Savior. The Declaration of Independence laid the cornerstone of human government upon the first precepts of Christianity.

John Quincy Adams

Posted in Patriotism

Last Friday, my husband and son attended Maine’s TeenPact one-day class.  There, my son had an opportunity to learn a bit about how our government works.  One of the things my husband was tremendously impressed with was that the young people who lead the TeenPact class encouraged the students in attendance to regularly pray for government officials and others in positions of authority.  Although my son wasn’t looking forward to the class beforehand, after it was over he found that it was a wonderful experience.  In fact, he was so excited about his experience that he declared that he wanted to be in politics when he grew up.  To be honest, this completely thrilled his father, and I certainly wasn’t disappointed either.  Who knows what God has planned for our son’s life and how He will use him, but we will definitely not discourage him from any arena he feels he can best glorify God in.

Part of the battle we face as Christians in America today is a result of Christians of the past two or three generations having a hands-off attitude toward politics.  Sure, politics is a dirty business at times, but why?  It is because the influence of Godly people has been too long removed from the public square.  It is time for us to again be involved, to influence the world around us for Christ, to make a difference for Him in all areas of life.  If we do not teach our children of the Godly heritage our founding fathers left for us, if we do not instill in them the importance of preserving that heritage, soon there will be nothing left to preserve.

Couldn’t my son have more influence for the Lord if he went into “full-time Christian service”?  Not necessarily.  My children will have the most influence for God in whatever place God wants to use them the most.  After all, He can see the big picture.  He knows where and how He wants to work, and when He wants to do so.  My job is to glorify God with my life by persevering in the tasks He has given me to do, and to raise my children to know and love Him and be willing to follow His lead and glorify Him in everything they do.  That, after all, is the measure of true success.

I like what David Barton of Wallbuilders has to say about this subject:

“The founders used to teach their young people: ‘Young people, do you want to do something good for God?  Then be a senator, be a judge, be a congressman, a lawyer, a doctor, a missionary, a pastor; but get out there where you can affect people with God’s principles.’  But in the 1940s and 1950s we began to say in America: ‘Young people, do you want to do something for God?  Then be a missionary, be a pastor; but don’t get involved in politics.’

When we started getting out, we handed the system over to ungodly principles.  We’ve got to get involved again.”

--David Barton, America's Godly Heritage

True words indeed, and ones more of God's people should take to heart.