"DIVIDED WE FALL" - Tony Perkins, Washington Update, October 24, 2018; https://www.frc.org/updatearticle/20181024/divided-fall [AS I SEE IT: I, of course, agree with the writer of this article and with the President that we must be focused on being a united people who treat each other with civility. AND I freely admit that beginning with the President some of our leaders have used very harsh language to attack those who they disagee with, and THAT is never right. HOWEVER, even as the man accused of the recent bombing attempts has been described as "right-wing," I feel the need to point out that -while many of those opposed to the President have clearly advocated violence against their opponents - you have not heard conservative leaders advocating such. While some language may be deemed "violent," it is clearly a whole other level of true violence when actual physical confrontation of opponents is advocated as many liberal voices have recently. - Stan]
For weeks, we've watched tensions on both sides boil over, threatening our way of life and our political process. This is, very honestly, a dangerous time for us as a nation. When people live in fear simply for holding certain beliefs -- we've lost sight of what it means to be American. What happened today is horrifying, but it's also an opportunity -- if we take it -- for some honest soul-searching. We may have our differences and there is certainly room for disagreement and debate in our Republic -- in fact, that ability is what enables our experiment in self-government to work. But what there's no room for and what we can't tolerate is the terrorizing of our political opponents. [italics and colored emphasis mine]
We all need to work to shut the door that leads to violence. And that starts by finding a way to communicate. Not by shouting at each other, but by starting to talk to one another. Obviously, feelings and emotions are running high. But [just] days before an election, we need to look at this from an eternal perspective -- recognizing that the help we're seeking isn't in Washington. It's in the hope and healing offered through faith in God -- the same faith that's sustained our nation for two and a half centuries in days much darker than this one. It's time to turn our attention there, to the One who reconciles -- regardless of color, age, party, or beliefs.
President Trump promised that "The safety of the American people is my highest and absolute priority." But there's a part we all have to play. As he said, "In these times, we have to unify, we have to come together and send one very clear, strong, unmistakable message that acts or threats of political violence of any kind have no place in the United States of America."
The path forward is a civil one. We continue to pray that people on both sides will choose it. Most importantly, we lift up our nation, which desperately needs God's healing touch if we have any hope of rediscovering the mutual respect that makes America great. May the Lord help us to be reflective as a people about what's at stake and seek His hand as we navigate these difficult waters.
[italics and colored emphasis mine]
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"To clasp the hands in prayer is the beginning of an uprising against the disorder of the world." - Karl Barth; "Prayer is inviting God into a seemingly impossible situation and trusting/resting in His love and grace to accomplish His perfect will in His perfect time and for His greatest glory. Intercession is the one of the great privileges AND responsibilities for EVERY believer." - Stan
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Praying Through the Open Doors World Watch List for persecuted believers:To learn more, please go to -https://www.opendoorsusa.org/take-action/pray/monthly-prayer-calendar/
Praying Through the Open Doors World Watch List for persecuted believers:To learn more, please go to -https://www.opendoorsusa.org/take-action/pray/monthly-prayer-calendar/
Praying for North Korea - For the last 17 years, North Korea has been #1 on the World
Watch List as the most dangerous place in the world for Christians. Yet the North Korean church, an estimated 300,000 members strong, continues to persevere. Throughout October, join us we pray for and encourage our persecuted family living in the face of oppression.
*Name has been changed to protect identity.
Watch List as the most dangerous place in the world for Christians. Yet the North Korean church, an estimated 300,000 members strong, continues to persevere. Throughout October, join us we pray for and encourage our persecuted family living in the face of oppression.
October 28 | VIETNAM - Pray for Open Doors field workers and their families—that
they will continue to find rest and comfort in the Lord despite hearing and witnessing traumatic stories of believers in Vietnam.*Name has been changed to protect identity.
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