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| What you need to know |
in light of His coming
| September 11, 2009 |
| O! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand Between their loved home and the war's desolation! Blest with victory and peace, may the heav'n rescued land Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation. Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just, And this be our motto: 'In God is our trust.' And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave! |
Imagine, if you will, the first Black President of the United States addressing students from one of the historic one-room
schoolhouses in Colonial Williamsburg. That's also in Virginia, by the way, and not that far from Washington. Flanked by history,
he could have given much the same advice, and included references to God, Whom the early settlers and our Founding Fathers
deemed vital to the survival of the United States of America. He could have referred to the history of the early settlers, our fore
bearers, and the cameras would have been right there to present the evidence to a nation of students. He could have cited evidence
of the old Negro Spirituals which got many a slave through a tough day. And once he mentioned Negro slaves, he need not do any
more than stand there to dramatically demonstrate just how far this nation has come with God's help. Incidentally, those old Negro
Spirituals were the forerunner of what we call Gospel music today.
He could have weaved an unbroken chain from our forefathers to the present day which would have proved a common
denominator: trust in God.
Mr. President, the tragedy of that speech is not what it was, but what it could have been.
schoolhouses in Colonial Williamsburg. That's also in Virginia, by the way, and not that far from Washington. Flanked by history,
he could have given much the same advice, and included references to God, Whom the early settlers and our Founding Fathers
deemed vital to the survival of the United States of America. He could have referred to the history of the early settlers, our fore
bearers, and the cameras would have been right there to present the evidence to a nation of students. He could have cited evidence
of the old Negro Spirituals which got many a slave through a tough day. And once he mentioned Negro slaves, he need not do any
more than stand there to dramatically demonstrate just how far this nation has come with God's help. Incidentally, those old Negro
Spirituals were the forerunner of what we call Gospel music today.
He could have weaved an unbroken chain from our forefathers to the present day which would have proved a common
denominator: trust in God.
Mr. President, the tragedy of that speech is not what it was, but what it could have been.
| Fork in the Road |
Mr. President, we have come to a fork in the road.
After your speech to a joint session of Congress, it appears your presidency has come to a fork in the road. While you seem to
think this fork depends upon whether or not some version of health care reform is enacted, the truth is much deeper than that.
You began your speech acknowledging Vice President Biden and Speaker Pelosi, and, the American people. Every other president
before you referred to the American People as, “My fellow Americans". I have never heard you use that phrase. Why?
It seems obvious that nothing less than your presidency is at stake depending upon which fork you decide to take.
Some of your advisers suggest that you take the left fork. This would be consistent with your previous actions as president. You
have taken over auto companies, banks, and now threaten the health care industry with a mountain of regulation which will place a
bureaucrat of your choosing between each and every American and his or her physician.
While you say that nothing in the bill now pending prevents us from keeping our present coverage, the bill itself will change the
landscape dramatically. That changed landscape, according to some experts, might just force some employers to drop the coverage
they offer their employees to go with the cheaper “public” option.
This debate has been filled with mass confusion largely because the bill on the table is nothing more than enabling legislation. The
new bureaucracy will write the specific rules. This gives you and your gang political cover. For example, while you say that the
bill will not cover illegal aliens, no lesser authority than the Constitution demands that whenever the government offers citizens a
benefit, it cannot be withheld from non-citizens.
Take this fork in the road and your administration will continue on its present path. Your words will not be trusted and you will go
down in history more as a divider than a uniter.
You might consider the right fork. This path would first acknowledge God’s important role in the founding of this nation. Even a
quick glance of the writing of our Founders will reveal they reveared God and viewed Him as the crucial lynch pin that binds this
country together.
And He has been systematically expelled from the public square. He was removed from the public school classroom, first in 1962,
and the Ten Commandments came off the wall in 1980. It didn't take much longer for metal detectors to take His place. You
might ask how many students were killed by gunfire in their school before 1962. The answer: Zero.
I would suggest you consider issuing a proclamation for a national day of prayer and humiliation asking the forgiveness of the God
we have spurned. What have you got to lose? Our national debate on health care has degenerated into shouting and name calling
and it looks as though the whole house of cards may collapse.
We encountered such a situation before. During the Constitutional Convention, delegates became so embroiled in controversy that
the entire project ground to a halt. Nothing could get done and it appeared that the whole project might have to be scrapped. Then,
Benjamin Franklin stood and addressed the delegates:
"I have lived, Sir, a long time and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth -- that God governs in the
affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without his notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without his aid?
We have been assured, Sir, in the sacred writings that "except the Lord build they labor in vain that build it." I firmly believe this;
and I also believe that without his concurring aid we shall succeed in this political building no better than the Builders of Babel
General Dayton recalls the reaction at the conclusion of Franklin’s remarks:
The doctor sat down, and never did I [General Dayton] behold a countenance at once so dignified and delighted as was that of
Washington, at the close of the address! Nor were the members of the Convention, generally less affected. The words of the
venerable Franklin fell upon our ears with a weight and authority, even greater than we may suppose an oracle to have had in a
Roman Senate! A silent admiration superseded, for a moment, the expression of that assent and approbation which was strongly
marked on almost every countenance.
The prayers made all the difference. History records that the delegates were more united and open to work together to frame the
Constitution. Two hundred thirty-three years later, the first African-American president placed his hand on the Bible used by
Abraham Lincoln and swore to preserve, protect, and defend that Constitution, that founding document which is considered by
some to be divinely inspired. What a difference God makes!
So, you see, Mr. President, we have come this way before.
I am submitting a suggested proclamation calling for a national day of humiliation and prayer for your consideration. Click here to
read it. I believe Scripture says that the heart of the King is in the Hand of the Lord. He wants to guide you in fulfilling your
awesome responsibilities if you but open your ear and your heart to listen. Avail yourself of the "divine option" and you could go
down in history as one of our greatest presidents.
After your speech to a joint session of Congress, it appears your presidency has come to a fork in the road. While you seem to
think this fork depends upon whether or not some version of health care reform is enacted, the truth is much deeper than that.
You began your speech acknowledging Vice President Biden and Speaker Pelosi, and, the American people. Every other president
before you referred to the American People as, “My fellow Americans". I have never heard you use that phrase. Why?
It seems obvious that nothing less than your presidency is at stake depending upon which fork you decide to take.
Some of your advisers suggest that you take the left fork. This would be consistent with your previous actions as president. You
have taken over auto companies, banks, and now threaten the health care industry with a mountain of regulation which will place a
bureaucrat of your choosing between each and every American and his or her physician.
While you say that nothing in the bill now pending prevents us from keeping our present coverage, the bill itself will change the
landscape dramatically. That changed landscape, according to some experts, might just force some employers to drop the coverage
they offer their employees to go with the cheaper “public” option.
This debate has been filled with mass confusion largely because the bill on the table is nothing more than enabling legislation. The
new bureaucracy will write the specific rules. This gives you and your gang political cover. For example, while you say that the
bill will not cover illegal aliens, no lesser authority than the Constitution demands that whenever the government offers citizens a
benefit, it cannot be withheld from non-citizens.
Take this fork in the road and your administration will continue on its present path. Your words will not be trusted and you will go
down in history more as a divider than a uniter.
You might consider the right fork. This path would first acknowledge God’s important role in the founding of this nation. Even a
quick glance of the writing of our Founders will reveal they reveared God and viewed Him as the crucial lynch pin that binds this
country together.
And He has been systematically expelled from the public square. He was removed from the public school classroom, first in 1962,
and the Ten Commandments came off the wall in 1980. It didn't take much longer for metal detectors to take His place. You
might ask how many students were killed by gunfire in their school before 1962. The answer: Zero.
I would suggest you consider issuing a proclamation for a national day of prayer and humiliation asking the forgiveness of the God
we have spurned. What have you got to lose? Our national debate on health care has degenerated into shouting and name calling
and it looks as though the whole house of cards may collapse.
We encountered such a situation before. During the Constitutional Convention, delegates became so embroiled in controversy that
the entire project ground to a halt. Nothing could get done and it appeared that the whole project might have to be scrapped. Then,
Benjamin Franklin stood and addressed the delegates:
"I have lived, Sir, a long time and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth -- that God governs in the
affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without his notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without his aid?
We have been assured, Sir, in the sacred writings that "except the Lord build they labor in vain that build it." I firmly believe this;
and I also believe that without his concurring aid we shall succeed in this political building no better than the Builders of Babel
General Dayton recalls the reaction at the conclusion of Franklin’s remarks:
The doctor sat down, and never did I [General Dayton] behold a countenance at once so dignified and delighted as was that of
Washington, at the close of the address! Nor were the members of the Convention, generally less affected. The words of the
venerable Franklin fell upon our ears with a weight and authority, even greater than we may suppose an oracle to have had in a
Roman Senate! A silent admiration superseded, for a moment, the expression of that assent and approbation which was strongly
marked on almost every countenance.
The prayers made all the difference. History records that the delegates were more united and open to work together to frame the
Constitution. Two hundred thirty-three years later, the first African-American president placed his hand on the Bible used by
Abraham Lincoln and swore to preserve, protect, and defend that Constitution, that founding document which is considered by
some to be divinely inspired. What a difference God makes!
So, you see, Mr. President, we have come this way before.
I am submitting a suggested proclamation calling for a national day of humiliation and prayer for your consideration. Click here to
read it. I believe Scripture says that the heart of the King is in the Hand of the Lord. He wants to guide you in fulfilling your
awesome responsibilities if you but open your ear and your heart to listen. Avail yourself of the "divine option" and you could go
down in history as one of our greatest presidents.