New Citizens

What a great time we had last week! Two of our dear friends became United States citizens. It was exciting. It was emotional. It was joyous.

Just think. WE are here because of birth, taking this wonderful place for granted, since we've never known anything different, but not so with Lanre and Sumbo Omonaiye. They are from Nigeria and speak of so many others who desire - who long - to come to America, not for the prosperity, but for the freedom - the goodness that is here.

Blessed with the new rights and privileges, Lanre Omonaiye spoke more of the duties and responsibilities that ensure these blessings. Do you know the FIRST thing he did, after thanking God for this great blessing? He registered to VOTE! Ahhh, a man after my own heart.

Tuesday, July 18th is the date for the Primary election. Lanre is taking seriously this opportunity to be a part of government of the people and by the people! Are you? Have you sifted through all the information and come up with your choices?

President James A. Garfield said: "Now more than ever before the people are responsible for the character of their congress (or any level of government).If that body be ignorant, reckless and corrupt, it is because the people tolerate ignorance, recklessness and corruption."

I know the Omonaiyes won't tolerate these things. And, neither should we.

PRAY! MAKE WISE CHOICES! VOTE!

It's our government. It is what WE make of it.

Congratulations Lanre & Sombo Omonaiye!!! We are glad you are American citizens.

Immigration!

Immigration! Everyone is talking about it. Without saying "yea or nay," "right or wrong," "good or bad," let us use it as a starting point for another discussion.

When people come to America, for what do they come? Or, why do they come?

The first immigrants came mostly for freedom- both religious and personal. They came through great hardship and struggles so that they could worship God freely, and, without oppression, be able to live the life that was brought forth out of that worship. Then, after more years of struggles and battles to maintain what they had, the people advanced to Union under the Constitution and our republic form of government. Do the immigrants realize the value of this? Do we? Do our children?

Our history is very important, all the good, the bad and even the ugly.

"History, by apprising the people of the past, will enable them to judge the future." Thomas Jefferson.

A true study of it can show us the mistakes that we do not want to make again. And, it

can also show us what is important and the good things that need to be re-instituted or reinforced.

Our history is our heritage. Our heritage connects us in a common bond.

Karl Marx said, "Take away the heritage of a people and they are easily persuaded."

Ominous words! Sure, a while back the Communists would have liked, by force, to take away our heritage so they could control us and all of our wealth. However, we would have immediately risen up and stopped that theft.

The more subtle way of which Marx was speaking consists of slowly but surely diluting our heritage—the history, by focusing on the mundane, obscuring the vital and adding little bits and pieces from here and there to separate rather than maintain the common bond. After a while it is all a jumble and of no value to protect us.

In 1913, Woodrow Wilson said, "A nation which does not remember what it was yesterday, does not know what it is today, nor what it is trying to do. We are trying to do a futile thing if we do not know where we came from or what we have been about."…

America has always been about FREEDOM - freedom to worship, freedom to live, freedom to work, grow and prosper. Now this freedom is not to do and get just anything and everything we want. But, this FREEDOM is to live responsibly to and through the very principles on which we were founded.

According to an 1892 Supreme Court decision, "Our laws and our institutions must necessarily be BASED upon and EMBODY the teachings of the Redeemer of mankind. It is impossible that it should be otherwise: and in this sense and to the extent our civilization and our institutions are emphatically Christian. This is a religious people. This is historically true. From the discovery of this continent to the present hour, there is a single voice making this affirmation we find everywhere a clear recounting of this same truth that this is a Christian nation."

Our faith must be our passion, and responsibility to God and our civil government must be our purpose.

So, if the foreigners come to live here and partake of the blessings, let them learn of this heritage—our heritage -- the very struggles and high cost to found, to build and

to continue this land of opportunity. May we, too, be reminded of our precious privilege.

GoodMen/Good Government

         

 

          "Governments, like clocks, go from the

           motion men give them; and as   

           governments are made and moved

           by men, so by them they are ruined too.

           Wherefore governments rather depend

           upon men, than men upon   

           governments.  Let men be good, and  

           the government cannot be bad.

                                                 William Penn

 

It really is good men and women that make a good

government.  More than you know, it is not only the leaders that must be good, but us, also, in our decisions.

 

Today (Monday, 4/24/06) down at the Capital in Atlanta there is a flurry of activity.  This is the beginning of qualifying week for the elections in November; and, everyone wants to be first to sign up for the office for which they wish to run.  It's too bad that we, the electorate, are not as excited and in a flurry of activity to find out about who these folks are and for what they stand.

 

Promise me--oh well, just PLEASE try this:  next Monday (May 1st) go "on-line" to the Secretary of State (or call) and get a list of candidates and the offices for which they are running.  For city and county candidates, you can call the county commission office.  Then start checking the people out.  The candidates will have contact numbers, e-mail addresses and web sights.  See if you can meet them personally.  Talk to others that know them first hand--are they really as good as their literature says? 

 

NOW-PRAY for wisdom and discernment.

Who, Lord are the ones You have called and equipped with knowledge, understanding and ability to bring forth good for the people?

 

After having made your informed decisions, give your choices your support-- in time, finances and your vote!  That's called government "of the people, for the people and by the people"

 

While I write this, I am remembering my meeting last week at the Capital with a dear friend.  She is running for re-election as senator from a mountain district.  This state senator knows good government from bad, is full of honesty and integrity, is hard working and persevering, and she's very kind.  I say:  "Oh Lord, more like her.

PLEASE!!!

What is GOOD government?
Do we really want GOOD government?
Are we willing to do what it takes to get it?

Well, let's see what eighty-one year old Benjamin Franklin said when representatives were struggling for weeks to write the Constitution of the United States in 1787. He said:
"I have lived, Sir, a long time, and the longer
I live, the more convincing proofs I see of
this truth: God governs in the affairs of
man. 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 the
house, they labor in vain that build it. I firmly
believe this... I therefore beg leave to move
that, henceforth, prayers imploring the
assistance of Heaven and its blessing on
our deliberation be held on this assembly
every morning."
Our forefathers prayed for wisdom, understanding and help to form the best government. Should we do any less?

Most people might realize that we will be electing a governor, senators, representatives and a whole slew of other officials on November 7th. These winners will be the ones to run the government (good or bad) starting in January, 2007. Some people may even know that we will have a primary in the summer to whittle the number of candidates to one from each party for each office. BUT, if we wait for those times to choose who we wish to represent us at every level of government, we have lost our opportunity to make a difference for Good Government!

Let me explain. Starting Monday,April 24th and running through 12 noon on Friday, April 28th people will be qualifying to run for each office. After the stroke of 12o'clock on Friday, no one else, other than those who qualified, may run for the elections in November.

Good or bad, statesman or crook, those will be the only choices we have. Why don't we do right now what our forefathers did in "imploring the assistance of Heaven and its blessing..." for good in our government?

Lord God, Holy One, build our house of
government for the good of the people,
not only on thecounty level, but the
state and nation as well.
We ask You, Lord to
raise up men and women of integrity,
honesty , and wisdom to hear godly
counsel--those that will do that which is
right in Your sight. Let the upright rise
up to dwell in the government, but let
not the wicked have any place in it.
Lord, give courage and provision to
those that hear Your call, and say,
'Yes, here I am, send me."
So be it, Lord, in Jesus'name.