Praying for America During Lent

If you would like to join me in praying for our country during this season of Lent, this is a list of things I have come up with to pray for day by day.  I believe these are things God wants for us and have included a scripture for each.  These are just suggestions and are by no means exclusive; feel free to pray in any way the Holy Spirit may lead you.

Wed, 3/5 – Praise God for His sovereignty (Acts 4:24)

Thu, 3/6 - Praise God that He is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love (Psalm 103:8)

Fri, 3/7 - Ask God what areas in your own life you need to be cleansed of and confess those to Him (Psalm 51:10)

Sat, 3/8 - Pray for the theory of evolution to fall to the ground and die (Genesis 1:1)

Sun, 3/9 - For marriages and families to be strengthened and the divorce rate to fall dramatically (Matthew 19:6)

Mon, 3/10 - For children to be taught to respect their parents (Ephesians 6:1)

Tue, 3/11 - For any sexual activity outside of the marriage between a man and a woman to be regarded as sin (Hebrews 13:4)

Wed, 3/12 - For our leaders to fear God and seek His will in leading our country (Psalm 2:10-11)

Thu, 3/13 - For the people of our country to honor God and His word (Romans 1:21)

Fri, 3/14 - For same-sex marriage not to be acknowledged in any state (I Corinthians 6:9-10)

Sat, 3/15 - For God’s protection from our enemies (II Samuel 22:4)

Sun, 3/16 - For us to honor the Sabbath as a country (Isaiah 56:2)

Mon, 3/17 - For our welfare system to not support those who are capable of working (II Thessalonians 3:10)

Tue, 3/18 - For the word of God to go out in our country and not return void (Isaiah 55:11)

Wed, 3/19 - For Christians to band together and stand up against the evil (Romans 1:32)

Thu, 3/20 - For the Ten Commandments and other scripture to not be banned in any public buildings (Isaiah 59:14)

Fri, 3/21 - For the worship of idols to be replaced with a fear of God (I Thessalonians 1:9)

Sat, 3/22 - For the truth about God’s role in our nation’s heritage to be taught in our history books (Psalm 77:11)

Sun, 3/23 - For our children to be taught God’s truth so they can share it with the next generation (Psalm 78:5-7)

Mon, 3/24 - For our judges to use God’s commandments as their standard (Leviticus 22:31)

Tue, 3/25 - For God to have mercy on our nation (Psalm 143:1)

Wed, 3/26 - For courage for Christians for stand up against evil (Ephesians 6:13)

Thu, 3/27 - For unity among believers (Psalm 133:1)

Fri, 3/28 - For spiritual revival in this country (Psalm 85:6)

Sat, 3/29 - For many to repent and be saved (Romans 2:4)

Sun, 3/30 - For our president and other leaders to acknowledge God and allow Him to direct their paths (Proverbs 3:6)

Mon, 3/31 - For churches to grow and be strengthened (Acts 16:5)

Tue, 4/1 - That the fear of offending God would be greater than the fear of offending man (Ecclesiastes 5:7)

Wed, 4/2 - For our news media to focus on what is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy (Philippians 4:8)

Thu, 4/3 - For our country to seek God’s solutions to our problems rather than man’s (Isaiah 55:9)

Fri, 4/4 - For children to be cherished as gifts from God (Psalm 127:3)

Sat, 4/5 - For God’s definition of marriage, between a man and a woman, to be the only definition (Genesis 2:24)

Sun, 4/6 - For truth to be taught in public schools (Matthew 18:6)

Mon, 4/7 - For our leaders to have wisdom that comes from God (James 3:13)

Tue, 4/8 - For abortion to become illegal (Psalm 106:37-40)

Wed, 4/9 - That Christians can band together across denominational lines and work together for God’s glory (Romans 15:5-6)

Thu, 4/10 - For parents to be diligent to teach their children God’s ways (Deuteronomy 6:7)

Fri, 4/11 - For believers to be empowered by the Holy Spirit to spread God’s word (Acts 1:8)

Sat, 4/12 - For believers to hold on to God’s truth and not believe the lies of the world (II Timothy 4:3)

Sun, 4/13 - For believers to demonstrate kindness and gentleness in correcting others (II Timothy 2:24-26)

Mon, 4/14 - For our country to view all forms of sexual immorality as wrong (I Corinthians 6:18)

Tue, 4/15 - That we will not seek to do what is right in our own eyes, but in God’s eyes (Proverbs 14:12)

Wed, 4/16 - That those who walk in darkness will know the light of Christ (Isaiah 9:2)

Thu, 4/17 - That God will turn the hearts of our leaders to Himself (Proverbs 21:1)

Fri, 4/18 – Thank God that by the blood of Jesus, we are saved eternally from our sin (I John 1:7)

Sat, 4/19 - That our rulers will acknowledge that their power comes from God (Romans 13:1)

Sun, 4/20 – Praise God for offering eternal salvation through Jesus’ death and resurrection for those who believe (Romans 10:9)

“And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.” Colossians 3:15

Oklahoma City Memorial

I took sort of an unexpected trip this week, to a place I had never been before.  I only wish it had been for a better reason.  My mom's sister died, and my brother and I, along with Cooper and my niece, accompanied my mom to Oklahoma City for her funeral.
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While we were there we visited the memorial site for the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, bombed by terrorist Timothy McVeigh on April 19, 1995.  It was a very moving experience. 
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This is the group of my family members who went with me.

There were two gates, one at each end of the site, with a reflective pool between them, where the building once stood.  The gate at one end is labeled 9:01, representing the minute just before the bombing and the innocence that America still had at that time.  The other gate is labeled 9:03, the minute after the bombing, when America's healing began.

There are chairs representing each of the 168 victims who was killed, arranged in rows by the floors of the building they were on, plus a few others for people who were killed outside of the building.  The smaller chairs represent children. 

A few represented both -- women who were pregnant at the time they were killed.

A piece of the old building that still stands holds plaques with the names of those in the building who survived the bombing.

Besides the victims and the survivors, a third group of people was also affected by the tragedy: all of us.  The reflective pool represents that group, as we can stand over it and look in and see ourselves.

Here is my niece Abbie standing in front of the Survivor's tree, which was in the parking lot of the building.  It caught fire at the time of the bombing, but lived, and now shades a section of the memorial.

An outer wall of a museum across the street (which we didn't go in) displays a saying written by one of the rescue workers just after the bombing.

Many children around the country were deeply affected by the tragedy.  These tiles in the children's area were painted by some of them. 

There are also some chalkboards for visiting children to write messages, as Abbie is doing here.

This fence is part of the original fence constructed around the building after the bombing.  People began placing tokens on it as soon as it was put up and continue to do so.  They are periodically removed and preserved in archives.

This is a beautiful memorial representing a tragedy which probably affected all of us who are old enough to remember it.  If you ever have a chance, I would encourage you to visit it.
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This blog is dedicated to the memory of my Aunt Gloria, 1931-2012.

Church and Patriotism

I come from a very patriotic family. My dad is an Army veteran, and we grew up loving and taking pride in our country. The 4th of July has always been one of my favorite holidays.

It seemed natural to me that, since the 4th fell on a Sunday this year, our church (a "frozen chosen" Presbyterian Church of America) would be celebrating. My brother, my dad, Don (at my prompting) and I all arrived decked out in our red, white and blue. I was shocked to see that we were part of a very small minority. There were no patriotic songs scheduled to be sung during the service. The 4th was hardly even mentioned by anyone.

Finally, my dad stood up during "testimony time" and asked if we could sing "God Bless America," a song which I consider to be very appropriate for a church service. There were whispers and some general discomfort evident throughout the room, but finally the leader did agree to sing 1 verse. It wasn't in our hymnal, and a rather pitiful rendition was sung. It seemed most people there didn't even know all the words.

Apparently this sparked a major discussion in the adult Sunday School class which lasted the whole hour (I wasn't there, as I teach children). Everyone seemed to have an opinion on the place of patriotism in church.

I found it all a bit unsettling. I don't understand what the problem is. Don says church is for worshipping and honoring God, not our country. I don't disagree, but I hardly think singing "God Bless America," which is basically a prayer asking God to bless our country, is dishonoring to God. If my dad had simply asked that a prayer be said along those lines, it probably wouldn't have generated such controversy.

My mom, meanwhile, attended the service at her Baptist church. She said they had a special, extra-long service in which they sang patriotic songs, honored the military and veterans and prayed for our country.

What do you think? Does patriotism belong in the church? Where do we cross the line of taking the focus off of God if we do choose to celebrate in such a way? I'm curious to know how other people feel about this.

God's Blessing at the Pole

I didn't make it to See You at the Pole yesterday, but I heard a couple of really cool stories about it that warmed my heart and reminded me that God is still here in our country, hearing our prayers and blessing us. See You at the Pole is an annual event where schoolchildren around the country gather around their school's flagpole to pray.

Lakeview Elementary School has been a spiritual battleground in recent years, beginning when a group of parents who regularly gathered in the cafeteria to pray for the school was sued by the ACLU. In the end the judge ruled mostly in their favor, giving Christians the same rights as any other group that may meet there. Just before last year's SYATP, they were again forced to fight for their rights when the principal made the children cover up the words "God" and "pray" on the posters they had made to promote the event. Another lawsuit was filed, and just a few days ago, the judge ruled that the principal had erred and the children could make posters using these words.

I have several friends who were involved in all this, and yesterday morning, one of them (Stacey) told me what had happened as they gathered to pray at the flag pole:

I also heard of a school in North Carolina who had their SYATP gathering later in the day yesterday. They were crowned with a rainbow as well.

God is good!

Remembering 9/11

I put a flag in my window this morning in hopes people would see it and remember. Remember that horrible day eight years ago. The helpless feeling of wondering if that day would be your last, wondering if you would ever see those you loved again, if our country would ever recover from this tragedy.

How many of us cried out to God for mercy that day? How many of us realized just how blessed we were when we felt the threat that all we had could be taken away?

If you’re reading this, you survived 9/11, but it is still true: none of us knows which day could be our last, which goodbye to a loved one could be the last, or when anything or everything we have could be taken away from us.

Everything, that is, except God. If you have Him, you have something that cannot be taken away from you. You could be forbidden from reading the Bible or praying, but God will still be there. You could even be killed for what you believe, but you will spend eternity with Him. If you know Him. If Jesus is your Savior, you have the greatest possession of all, and you will never lose Him.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16

What Really Happened on July 4th?

Independence Day. Why do we call it that? Is that the day we became independent?

Not really. On July 2, 1776, the Second Continental Congress voted to approve a resolution of independence from Great Britain. Thomas Jefferson had drafted the Declaration of Independence in the preceding days. Congress re-worked it and finally approved it on July 4. Most of the delegates didn’t actually sign it until August 2 of that year. But Great Britain still didn’t agree, and the American Revolution went on until 1781. It wasn’t until September 3, 1783, that the Treaty of Paris was signed, and Britain recognized that the 13 colonies were free and independent.

An interesting tidbit -- there were two signers of the Declaration of Independence who later became president: John Adams and Thomas Jefferson. They both died on the same day: July 4, 1826, the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. President James Monroe died exactly five years later, on July 4, 1831.

So what are we celebrating? Our independence from Great Britain, though it didn’t actually happen that day. We celebrate our founding fathers, who had a vision to build a country where people could worship God as they pleased and who were willing to fight for what they believed. They used the Bible as a guideline and sought God’s guidance in writing the Constitution, the law to govern this great land.

May we never forget what our founding fathers fought and died for. May we thank God for the freedom we have and fight for it ourselves, if necessary. May our country’s leaders always seek God’s principles in governing us, and its citizens gladly follow them. I believe these things are what made our country great, and are the reason God has blessed us. I pray that it will always be so.

4th of July Concert

The Cedar Creek Community Band that I play in will have a concert featuring patriotic music on the 4th of July at 3:00 p.m. at Providence Place. There will be a stage set up outside near the movie theater. Admission is free.

Flag Day Quiz

Today is Flag Day. How much do you know about Flag Day and the American flag? Just for fun, I've designed a little quiz to test your knowledge:

1) Who is credited with designing the first flag?

2) What U.S. state celebrates Flag Day as a state holiday?

3) Our flag was made official on June 14 of what year?

4) What U.S. president signed into an Act of Congress that National Flag Day be observed every June 14th?

5) The 50 stars on the flag represent what?

6) The 13 stripes represent what?

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ANSWERS:

1) Betsy Ross.
2) Pennsylvania.
3) 1777.
4) Harry S. Truman, in 1949. You get half credit if you said Woodrow Wilson, who issued a proclamation to establish it in 1916.
5) The 50 states that are bound together into one country.
6) The 13 original colonies.

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How did you do?

What Can You Do?

I heard on the radio the other day that there was a study done recently among a group of young voters, asking them what their biggest concerns were about the election. It turned out that the overwhelming answer was, "What can my country do for me?"
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We have come a long way from John F. Kennedy’s inaugural speech with its famous quote, "Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country." It seems we’ve since raised a generation of Americans who have their hands out and think their country owes them something.
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I personally think this is the wrong attitude, and I have been pondering Kennedy’s quote over the last few days. What can we, average American citizens, do for our country? Here are a few answers I have come up with:
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Vote. Take your children with you when you go so they can learn from your example. This is a freedom we shouldn’t take for granted. We need to put a lot of thought into who we elect to lead our country and make our voices heard.
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Write your congressmen. Another way to make your opinions known. How can they represent you if they don’t know what you think?
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Spend responsibly. Live within your means. Most of our current economic problems are caused by people who don’t do this.
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Support our military. If you know a soldier, show your appreciation for the sacrifices they’ve made. Write them. Be supportive of families who may have loved ones away fighting for us. Remember, freedom isn’t free, and our soldiers are paying a price so we can keep the freedom we have.
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Volunteer. Help out at a local school, work at election sites, pick up litter or help a friend or even a stranger in need. This seems to be a dying practice, but I believe people helping each other is one of the things that made our country great.
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Be patriotic. Teach your children the pledge of allegiance. Put your flag out, especially on patriotic holidays. Show your colors!
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Lastly and most importantly,
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Pray. Pray for our leaders, for our military and for God to have mercy on our country. Right now we need to be praying for the upcoming election, that God will put Godly people in office. Pray for security and peace. Our country’s future is in God’s hands.
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What other ways can you think of to serve our country?

An American Carol

Don and I went to see the movie An American Carol this weekend. Hmmm . . .

It was a takeoff on Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. "Scrooge" was Michael Malone, who was a parody of liberal filmmaker Michael Moore. He was played by Kevin Farley. He is campaigning to banish the 4th of July because he hates America. He is visited by 3 spirits: John F. Kennedy, General Patton and George Washington, who basically whip him into shape.

Produced by the same person who produced The Naked Gun, it contains much of the same stupid humor, but unlike that movie (in my opinion), it actually makes some good points. The spirits show Michael Malone why war is necessary, both now and in the past, and what the consequences could be if we didn’t fight. They help him see that America really is a great country, and our freedom is worth fighting for. It takes jabs at Rosie O’Donnell, the ACLU, liberal universities, war protestors, universal healthcare, Jimmy Carter, homosexuality, higher taxes, and other liberal people and issues. (I’m sure there were some that went over my head.)

There were a number of celebrity appearances: Gary Coleman, Jon Voigt, Dennis Hopper, Bill O’Reilly, Kelsey Grammar, Trace Adkins and Paris Hilton, to name a few. This movie is endorsed by Rush Limbaugh. He suggests going to see it if, for no other reason, to support this kind of movie over the many liberal ones that are coming out.

Rated PG-13, there was quite a bit of vulgarity, mostly language, but if you can get past this and enjoy warped humor, I think the movie is entertaining, has a good message and is worth seeing. I left it feeling very patriotic and thankful for our country and the freedom we have.

SYATP – Reporting Back

I attended the See You at the Pole rally at Lakeview Elementary School yesterday. This is a school where Christians have truly had to fight for their rights as American citizens, even being taken to court by the ACLU (the judge said they could have the same privileges as any other group that meets on school grounds). Thankfully, the event yesterday was peaceful, and it was a blessing for me to be there.
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It was led by students who welcomed us and asked everyone to gather into small groups to pray as prayer requests were read aloud: for the school, the principal, teachers and other staff, the superintendent, our military, and others. Then we all sang “God Bless America” together. It was a beautiful thing to see these children, their parents and others gathered together with their heads bowed, praying for these things, and it made me so thankful for the freedoms that we have.

See You at the Pole

See You at the Pole is held the 4th Wednesday in September of each year. This year it will be on September 24, and the theme is: "Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening!" 1 Samuel 3:9b. Students from schools around the nation gather at their schools’ flagpoles in the morning before school begins and pray together for their school, their communities, their country, or whatever is on their hearts. I think this is a great opportunity for students to take a stand for God, band together as Christians, and pray for important issues. It is entirely legal, even in public schools; any attempt to prohibit it by school officials is against the law.

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It was started in 1990 by a group of high school students in Burleson, Texas and has grown each year. Even if you are not a student or parent, you can support a school of your choice in your community by attending this event. What a wonderful thing to be a part of: students around our country, and even in other countries like Canada and Australia, uniting together in prayer around the flagpoles of their schools.

September 11: I Remember

"If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land." II Chronicles 7:14
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If you are an American over about age 13, you probably remember vividly what you were doing on September 11, 2001.
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It was the scariest day of my life. Reports of attacks kept coming in, and I didn’t know when they would end. I feared I would never see my family again or know life as it was before.
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I’m sure most of you had similar feelings. That day was followed by a surge of patriotism and by a brief period of people turning to God as they were reminded of their own helplessness: Bible sales and church attendance went up, and even the media carried prayers for our nation and other references to God.
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I think our president and those under him, particularly our military, have done an excellent job in warding off further attacks; so good in fact that many people have seemingly forgotten that we ever had one. Liberals are shouting that the war is useless and needs to be ended, and our need for God has been forgotten.
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What happened? Now it seems we are back where we started, if not worse. The hostility toward God may be greater than ever before.
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We were founded as a Christian nation, and God blessed us with strength and prosperity, such that we have become the greatest nation in the world. But now we are turning away from Him, going against His principles and even denying His existence. We are really not very different from Sodom and Gomorrah, and if you want to know how God handled them, you can read about it in Genesis 19.
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What will it take to bring us back to Him? Will it take another day like September 11 or something much worse? Those of us who do seek first the kingdom of God should be on our knees regularly praying for revival in our country and for God’s mercy upon us.