On Tuesday night, Ryan, some friends, and I joined thousands of people to cheer, clap, and encourage Sarah Palin to “keep on!”
Ryan and I highly support McCain and Palin in this election even though we don’t agree with everything that they say or do (we couldn’t expect to); nor do we think that they are perfect (we couldn’t expect them to be).
But when it comes to being a light that glorifies God, we think that we see the flickers of this desire in them; and, of the possible candidates, we think that we would be most free and most encouraged to shine for Him under their office.
As you know, there is much to pray about. Today, we will join Shirley Dobson and the National Day of Prayer to talk to God about our country and our hearts. Join the nation in prayer from 12 – 12:30 today. I appreciate Billy Graham’s recent prayer about this election:
‘Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask your forgiveness and to
seek your direction and guidance. We know Your Word says, ‘Woe to those who
call evil good,’ but that is exactly what we have done. We have lost our
spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values. We have exploited the poor and
called it the lottery. We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare. We
have killed our unborn and called it choice. We have shot abortionists and
called it justifiable. We have neglected to discipline our children and called
it building self esteem. We have abused power and called it politics. We have coveted our neighbor’s possessions and called it ambition. We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression. We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment.
Search us, Oh God, and know our hearts today; cleanse us from every sin and set us free.
Amen!’
2 Comments to "This Little Light of Mine: Day 8"
Laura – I REALLY wanted to be at the rally in Quakertown on Tuesday, but we were babysitting for a friend that day – so awesome that you got to be a part of the excitement!
Pertaining to our recent conversation on your blog…did you see Dobson’s October newsletter?
Turning the corner, the significance of Governor Palin to the 2008 presidential race is also worthy of further consideration. Here is a woman who is a deeply committed Christian, and who is pro-life not only with regard to her policies, but in her personal life. She and her husband welcomed their latest child, Trig, into the world even though he was diagnosed with Down syndrome while still in the womb. Approximately 90 percent of babies with Down syndrome are aborted,13 but Governor Palin carried her precious child to term and now loves and cares for him despite the challenges associated with a special needs child. Similarly, her teenage daughter, Bristol, who became pregnant out of wedlock, could have bowed to cultural pressure to seek an abortion. Instead, she and the father plan to get married and raise their child together. Governor Palin has been married for 20 years, and by all accounts, she is a portrait of Christian motherhood and womanhood.
As for Governor Palin’s qualifications to be Vice President of the United States and to assume the mantle of President, should that ever become necessary, she is much better suited for the job than the talking heads on the liberal Left would have you believe. She came out of nowhere to win the Alaskan gubernatorial race against a powerful incumbent. While in office, she bravely fought widespread corruption–including that within her own party–in the face of great opposition. Govenor Palin’s critics suggest that her experience as mayor of a “small town” is somehow a liability, but it is an asset. In fact, her time as Mayor of Wasilla and then as Governor of Alaska gives her a greater degree of executive experience than Senator Barack Obama can claim. Her qualifications to be Vice President, I would submit, exceed those of Senator Barack Obama, who spent only 143 working days in the U.S. Senate prior to announcing his run for President.14 He authored no significant legislation during that time.
I’m sure you have heard the shrill voices from the political Left decrying Mrs. Palin for any and every reason under the sun. They gloat over the pregnancy of her daughter Bristol and claim it as “evidence” that abstinence education, which Sarah Palin strongly supports, is somehow a sham. They criticize Governor Palin for daring to hold political office and run for Vice President while having a baby at home, even though the Left has for decades supported a woman’s right to do just that. The attacks on Governor Palin and her family in recent weeks have been astonishingly unfair and mean-spirited. If she were a liberal Democrat, she would be praised and lauded for making the same decisions for which she is now being criticized. The double standard is obvious.
Governor Palin’s decision to run for Vice President while raising a baby with special needs has given pause to some conservative voices as well. Some have even questioned my enthusiasm over Governor Palin’s candidacy in light of these circumstances. It’s important to note that although I have often said stay-at-home moms are vitally important to raising the next generation, I have never suggested that it is wrong for mothers to work outside the home. Indeed, Focus on the Family® has hired thousands of mothers over the years. I have said, however, that if a mother is going to enter the workplace, she and her husband must first find a way to meet the needs of their children. Sarah Palin appears to have done that. Todd, her husband, is actively involved in the raising of their children, and it seems obvious that Sarah will continue to be a positive force in her children’s lives even as she carries out her duties in the political arena. Regardless of your political views, may I suggest that the Palins need our prayers, not our disdain, at this critical moment in our nation’s history.
Oh Laura, how exciting!!! There have been a few rallies right in our backyard, but we haven’t made it to them – I bet you had a blast!
I am totally with you – we are voting for them as well, even though, of course, there are things we disagree with.
I’m going to put that prayer on my blog as well – it’s a good one!