This week I continue the theme that most of life’s issues are “non-respecter of person issues.”  In particular, I want to discuss being a dad vs. being a father. This is part-two of a four-part series on Fatherhood.

I believe there is a vast difference between being a dad, and being a father.

There are millions of children growing up in our country today without fathers, but they do have a dad.

Stated differently, the way the human race regenerates itself from one generation to the next is through a man and a woman choosing to engage in sexual activity which creates life.  We can watch almost any sitcom, movie, or music video and see this activity casually taking place.  This activity produces the next generation, upon which the couple may choose to work together to pass their values, goals, desires and dreams to the next generation.  That union obviously does more than simply pro-create; however pro-creating the next generation was the primary purpose of the act.

Several times since I began this column, I have written about my experiences attending an International School where some 90 nationalities were represented with less than 500 pupils.  Having lived with students from Asia, Africa, The Middle East, South America and North America I can assure you that it’s universally true that the proper pressure applied by a loving father, who is seeking the best for not only his next generation, but the generations following the one he is immediately responsible for, can have a tremendous impact on an individual. Stated differently, the absence of having a loving father applying the appropriate pressure that is best applied by a father figure can have a devastating impact on an individual, a family, multiple generations within a family, indeed an entire culture.

I believe we are witnessing in American culture the impact of millions of boys agreeing to the act of becoming dad’s, but lacking the fortitude to become men and take on the role of being fathers.  Sadly, I believe we have allowed government programs exacerbate this trend having a devastating impact on our republic as a whole, and our future. Ultimately, I believe fatherlessness is a national security issue.

I hinted at this in my April 4^th column, “Things Preventing America from Becoming Great Again,” when I shared recollections from both my grandfathers, and asked you to consider joining me in prayer for the issue of fatherlessness and work ethic in our nation.

I want to reiterate that request as we come out of this weekend, dedicated to celebrating fatherhood.

This is a non-respecter of person issue.  One’s creed, race, or socio-economic status is irrelevant when the responsibility of engaging in the act of becoming a dad or demonstrating the fortitude required to become a father is considered.

This issue is so important.  Prior to reading part three next week, I hope you join the discussion when part two is posted online later this week.

To Read Fatherhood, Part One – Click Here

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I have the privilege of sitting on a porch my great-grandfather sat on as our republic prepared for WWI. The same porch my grandfather sat on as he lived through the depression and our republic prepared for WWII.  The same porch my father sat on as he worked through the issues of the Cold War.

Today, I sit on that same porch as my generation, and the generation of my sons try to figure out a way to pay off the existing debt and unfunded liabilities our elected leaders have created for us since WWII.

With the crumbling infrastructure we face at the same time as the out of control and mis-prioritized spending – combined with the global insecurity we face, the road ahead can seem daunting.

I am, however encouraged. My son and his entrepreneurial spirit encourages me. His friends who are also entrepreneurs encourage me. His friends, and other young family members who are serving or have served in the armed services, in addition to the countless others who are serving in the armed services, also encourage me. Technology and the ability / opportunity to self-educate also encourages me. The young man I met this past Saturday in Columbia, SC who will be a junior in high school this year, who is organizing conservative groups in high schools all through-out our state encourages me.

I believe the next greatest generation is being assembled – and with the right mentorship from the middle-aged, of which I consider myself a part, and older generation, my father’s generation – I have great hope for our republic.

I also was with some folks this past weekend who were saying, “God is coming back soon,” almost as if we should take our hands off the steering wheel He charged us to steward. To those folks I say – “Let us live as if He is returning tomorrow, but work as if He isn’t returning for a thousand years!”

This is the first part of a four-part series surrounding the issue of fatherhood, which I believe is one of the most pressing issues of our day, and appropriate since this month we celebrate Fatherhood on June 19^th.

I do find it interesting I wrote this on Saturday night, the night before the terrorist attack in Orlando, Florida.  In this editorial, I referenced both my grandfather and my great-grandfather sitting on the porch thinking through the issues surrounding the World Wars they lived through.  There are some who believe World War III has already begun, we simply have not had our Pearl Harbor moment, yet.

I hope you have a blessed week.

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P.S.  As we reflect on this inter-generational baton race we are in, you may be interested in the article I wrote last week, as we remember the Allied invasion of Normandy.  Click Here to read that!  If you find it interesting, please leave a comment!

I want to continue my theme that most of life’s issues are “non-respecter of person issues.

One afternoon this week I travelled down an incomplete road. Indeed, this time three years ago, this road did not even exist – except in my head!

Back then, when it was still just in my head, the road was about 150 feet to the right, down the slight slope. After speaking with someone more knowledgeable than myself, I altered the plan for the road a bit, then we went to work!

As I observe the foliage coming in, honestly I am a bit discouraged, because I am not as far along in the productive use of this land as I would like to be.

I am however encouraged because God has still provided me breath and strength to press on toward the goal. Press on, I will.

I can’t help but think of the millions of people discouraged right now, for one reason or another. It could be health, finances, concern over a loved one, a business, a marriage – or heaven forbid, civil governance!

Whatever discouragement YOU may face right now; I encourage you to press on. God has a perfect road for each of us. Sometimes it moves a little bit from what WE think it should be, and often HIS pace is not our pace. The point is – keep on keeping on!

Hebrews 12:1 “Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.”

I hope you have a blessed week!

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This week I want to continue the theme that the laws of life are “non-respecter of person issues.”  Last week I wrote about the Laws of Wealth Creation and Poverty, which I felt was an appropriate follow up to writing about Tax Day for two weeks, both Tax Day 1986 and Tax Day 2016 and how both of those days, separated by 30 years, remind me of two critical issues facing our republic, National Security and Economics.  It’s funny how the more things change, the more they really stay the same.

It doesn’t matter who you speak with these days, both issues: National Security and Economics, bring a lot of emotions to the conversation.  Some emotions consist of fear, trepidation, anger and bitterness.  I also mentioned how we have leaders who accentuate covetousness and greed to obtain followers – attitudes which breed discontent as well as other negative emotions and actions.

I believe we are reaching critical mass in our republic on both of these issues. In both of the Tax Day messages I stated that when addressing the problems, we need to be focused on facts, not emotions.

“Facts are stubborn things.” John Adams

However, when it comes to emotions, I believe the most important emotion any individual can have when addressing these, or any other issue is that of attitude.  With the right attitude, any problem or challenge can be overcome.  With a bad attitude, chances are great that things will not only not get better, they will progressively get worse.

One of my favorite authors is John Maxwell.  I am going to share some bullet points from his small book Attitude 101:

1. Attitudes have the power to lift up, or tear down a team.
2. An attitude compounds when exposed to others.
3. Bad attitudes compound faster than good ones.
4. Attitudes are subjective, so Identifying a wrong one can be difficult.
5. Rotten attitudes, left alone, ruin everything.

The question is, if we find ourselves with a rotten attitude, can we change it?  Here are some additional points from Mr. Maxwell:

1. Choice 1: Evaluate Your Present Attitude
2. Choice 2: Realize That Faith Is Stronger Than Fear
3. Choice 3: Write A Statement of Purpose
4. Choice 4: Have The Desire to Change
5. Choice 5: Live One Day at A Time
6. Choice 6: Change Your Thought Patterns
7. Choice 7: Develop Good Habits
8. Choice 8: Continually Choose to Have a Right Attitude.

When it comes to attitude, I am pro-choice.  We each get to choose the emotion that will lift ourselves up, or drag us, and others down.  It is a non-respecter of person issue.  Attending International School in Switzerland, I saw both good and bad attitudes in each of the 90 + nationalities represented at the school.

What are you going to choose?

I hope you have a blessed week!

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I have been thinking – what does IT REALLY MEAN to wish someone a Happy New Year, or that they would be blessed in the coming year? 

At this point, I have decided that true happiness comes from a life centered on something bigger than oneself; therefore, wishing someone a Happy New Year means wishing them a life focused on something bigger than themselves.

The question then, at least in my mind, is raised: when searching for something bigger than oneself, where does one turn?  Some places include, but are not limited to, faith, family, charitable work, activism in civil governance, and some turn to work.  For some, it would be a combination of all this, and possibly even more.

For me, it is a combination of each of those things.  Suzy frequently teases me for saying, “it’s all connected!”

Simply analyzing time usage, the majority of folks will / should invest close to 38 – 40 % of their waking hours at work.

With the labor force participation rate at historic lows, I personally have been thinking a lot about the impact of work on our culture.  Stated another way, about how millions of individuals not being engaged in labor is having a massive negative impact on our country and culture.  With each new year, the effects of this is having a compounded effect on our country and culture, in my opinion. For those who are Christians, this should be of even greater concern.

So this new year, I wanted to share with you a message (linked), which I believe provides us with a paradigm shift on work.  I mentioned this message, by my former pastor Dr. Drew Landry, when I wrote about work as something to be thankful for, during Thanksgiving 2014.  If you choose to listen to it, I hope it blesses you as it has me.

In closing, this year – I wish you a year focused on something bigger than yourself!

Blessings,

Scott

P.S.  The above picture was posted on Facebook one year ago today, on January 1, 2015 with some comments about how God works over time, and how He creates diamonds through great pressure.  If YOU have felt great pressure during the course of 2015, which could be for a wide range of reasons, there is at least a 50 % chance that ultimately a diamond will be formed!  Feel free to add your thoughts.

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As we close out our Thanksgiving Weekend Celebrations this year, I am particularly thankful for the next generation.  You know, often at Thanksgiving time, we look backward – to generations which came before us.  In particular we look to the early colonial era and the Pilgrims.  Their thankfulness was always God-Centered, for the provisions He had provided.

I am not saying we shouldn’t continue to look to the past, or that we shouldn’t be thankful for our current provisions – but I am saying we also need to look forward – to the next generation, and find things in their generation we can be thankful for!  There are great things happening with the next generation, often called millennials and Generations X, Y & Z, which we need to highlight & be thankful for!

I want to share four points.

First, without the next generation, there really is no future.  Everything in our society, whether it is faith based or secular depends upon our following the first commandment, “to be fruitful and multiply” and then successfully passing the baton to the next generation.

Second, when I speak to individuals in this demographic – millennials, Generation X, Y or Z, and ask them open ended questions then take time to listen to them, and their idea’s – most have thought through tough issues.  In all honesty, many in my generation and past generations have made the issues they face tougher!  For many, their idealism may have not yet received the dose of reality older generations already comprehend.  For others, their reality is extremely harsh, and they already have a lot to be negative about.  I have found that if you show a genuine interest in them, actually listen to and try and understand what they have to say – they are happy to talk.  Listening to this generation is rewarding – and I am thankful not only for them, but for the older folks who are willing to invest the time to do so!

Third, I don’t believe the line that the majority of the younger generation doesn’t want to work.  I believe a large percentage of the next generation lack adequate leadership, which has modeled proper behavior for them – helping them to identify their gifts and talents, and how they are best to be utilized in a productive society.  I am thankful for the next generation that is diligently working to find their role of productivity and service in our world – and I am thankful for the older generation which is helping these folks accomplish this task!

Finally, this past weekend I had the privilege of attending a wedding where I have known a large percentage of the wedding party for over a decade, at least on the groom and groomsmen side.  While all of these young men now in their mid-20’s grew up together, they have each taken vastly different paths.  One is getting an advanced degree in higher education, one is in sales, one is in graphic design, one is part of a family small business and another one has started his own small business.  Each one of them is working hard in their chosen field.  While I only personally know one of the ladies in the party – I know each of them are also working, and both the groomsmen and the ladies are striving to serve God in their lives.  This wedding, which was entirely planned by the next generation was God honoring, and forward looking with hope.  It gave me great encouragement and hope – and I am thankful for each of those who helped make it so.

I simply wanted to share these thoughts, because as we get older – often times we look to the past with rose colored glasses, and either are not as optimistic about the future or sometimes are downright fearful of the future.

I believe there is nothing is new under the sun.  Generations have always struggled at times getting along and passing the baton to the next generation.  But I have great hope in the next generation, and I am thankful for them!  May my generation be diligent in working with them, passing the baton to them with a smooth transition!  We, after all, are dependent upon their success!

In an effort to show how important I think looking to the past is, I want to share two Thanksgiving greetings from other organizations, which I believe do an excellent job in their fields, and have highlighted our past.  Both have been updated from the 2015 versions, when this was first posted, to 2018.    The first is from American Minute, written by my friend William J. Federer.  The second is from High Frontier, written by my father, Henry F. Cooper.  I too have written about the importance of understanding our past.

I sincerely hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving Weekend, and are looking forwards to the next year with hope for the future!

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It’s true, this week I travelled through Paradise.

I travelled to Michigan for business, as well as to take time to visit several dear friends along the way.  Midweek I found myself at the very top of the Upper Peninsula, having several hours to myself, which I had not planned.  Initially I thought I would simply go to a library to study, but after thinking I might never make it to that part of the country again, I decided to travel the scenic route to Whitefish Point to visit the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum.  To get there, you travel North Whitefish Point Road, which actually ends at the lighthouse and museum.

My destination was the museum, however I had not adequately studied the map – I had just keyed what I thought was the museum into my GPS.  When my GPS told me I was there, I wasn’t.  I was actually still 11 miles away, but I was in Paradise!  Unsure exactly where the museum was, I pulled into a small driveway of a home, which had a sign by the driveway stating there was a gift shop that was “Open for Business.”

After parking, I followed the cute signs back to a small building beside the adorable small home, which was on the edge of Lake Superior and Whitefish Bay.  When I walked in the woman at the counter said “Welcome to my little piece of Paradise!”

The woman was most pleasant and had a great selection of gifts.  She was extremely helpful in getting me back on the path toward my destination.  She said, which if I had studied a map what would have been obvious, “just keep taking this road to the very end – it dead ends at the lighthouse and the museum.  There is no way you can miss it!”

I spent the rest of the week thinking about that incident, the journey I was on, and today, Independence Day.

That day I was on the road to learn about shipwrecks, and found myself in Paradise.  For some reason my mind took me back several days prior to arriving in Paradise, when I had decided to drive through Detroit to see the devastation which I had read, seen pictures of, and watched videos on YouTube about. (If you click on link, you can see pictures, and once there, you can click on the video button to see videos).  For some reason, I had wanted to see with my own eyes what many claim to be the result of flawed policies.  It’s true, there are blocks and blocks and blocks of devastation, just like the picture below.  I spent time looking at it myself – and I spent a large portion of the week grieving about it, in particular the lives of countless families represented and impacted by the devastation…….a week when I wanted to be thinking about the glories of Independence – and all that we are celebrating today.

The most famous of shipwrecks on the Great Lakes in our lifetime is the Edmund Fitzgerald, made famous by Gordon Lightfoot’s song.  What I did not know prior to this week is that The Edmund Fitzgerald is but one of 240 ships lost in Whitefish Bay alone, and some 6,000 ships and 30,000 lives have been lost on the Great Lakes.  What impressed me about the museum was not only the history of the devastation of the wrecks, but the history of constantly improving not only the industry of shipping, but the technology of recovering and studying shipwrecks.  Later that afternoon I took a boat tour of the Soo Locks, which opened in 1837, and still today some 10,000 ships per year pass through the locks, which connects Lake Superior to the lower Great Lakes.

As I journeyed home yesterday to celebrate Independence Day with family and friends – I reflected on my week.  Not only did I accomplish my business and visit with friends, I witnessed a devastated city, which 100 years ago was the pride of our nation.  I studied shipwrecks.  I travelled country roads and marveled at the number of old farm homes which were in disrepair, with outbuildings surrounding them, which were in extreme disrepair, and quite honestly needed to be razed.

But you know what else I noticed – I passed countless farms which were thriving and had grass which my cows would love!  I saw modern farm buildings sitting beside old farm homes, as well as new farm homes.  I passed numerous old homes which had been restored to the glories of their by-gone era.  I spoke with a man who spends time in Detroit, who shared with me stories of the effort to revitalize Detroit, and families who maintain their little piece of Detroit (their paradise), despite the chaos which surrounds them.

I passed through 9 states this week, and at each stop, I made a point to try and speak with folks, to look in their eyes as I spoke with them or watched them as they went about their business.  Whether it was the individual working in the coffee shop I ate breakfast in, in Wheaton, IL, the good folks I attended church with in downtown Columbus, OH, the truck driver I spoke with at the rest area in Kentucky, the black woman who needed a jump start at a gas station outside of Chicago, or folks on the tour with me in the UP of Michigan and even the individuals who were leaving the baseball stadium in Detroit, headed back to their cars – just a couple blocks from the devastation so many write about in Detroit.

There are things going on in our country which grieve our hearts.  But the potential ingenuity and compassion of the human heart is no different today than at any other point in the history of man.  While I did witness devastation and shipwrecks this week – I truly believe our country is about the closest we can get to paradise.

As we celebrate Independence Day, many may choose to write about the growing dependency in our nation – and how it is the exact opposite of the liberty our founders were brave enough to pledge their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor to bequeath to us.  Many point out that it is going to lead to shipwreck and devastation.  That may be true.

As we celebrate our birthday – I hope each of us will think about the lighthouse our founders provided for us – the tool required to keep our inheritance.  And that is the Constitution.  If we follow that path, we can restore our republic to its founding principles of Liberty and Independence which were birthed this day, 239 years ago.  Kind of’ like the woman at the gift shop told me on Wednesday – it is the dead end, and “there is no way we can miss it!”

#IChooseHope

#HappyBirthdayAmerica

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This weekend I travelled to Charleston, SC to attend The Response: A Call to Prayer for our Nation. Somewhere between 4,000 – 7,000 individuals (my guestimate) from all denominations, all races, all socio-economic status and all age groups gathered to simply petition our heavenly father to work His plan in our nation.

The six hour event was divided into five specific areas, where the crowd individually and corporately prayed for each of these items to take place in our individual lives, the lives of our families, our local communities and our country:

• Repentance
• Reconciliation
• Revival
• Reformation
• Refreshing belief in Jesus Christ

South Carolina is now the third state where such a large, diverse group has gathered specifically for the purpose of prayer and fasting has taken place.  The first was in Texas and the second was in Louisiana.

While there were two Governors who spoke, this event was NOT political.  The event was free to the public and there was no indication of who sponsored this event, which certainly wasn’t inexpensive, as the Charleston Coliseum was rented out for the entire day.  With the exception of the two Governors, I am not sure any names or organizations were even mentioned, and dozens of individuals participated on stage.

At the outset, the leader said (I am paraphrasing), “Heaven is going to look like this – a coat of many colors: all races will be present, all ages will be present, and all socio-economic statuses we experience on earth will be present.  We are asking everyone to come into this place in a spirit of worship – to leave your titles, your accomplishments, your organizations, and your agenda’s outside this place.  Today we are simply here to see what God has for us, as we divide the day up into these five categories (listed above).”

To this point, I have been unable to find many videos of Saturday’s event.  It is possible to see a few short clips, as well as pictures by reviewing The Response Facebook Page.

It should be noted that the audience was 15 – 20 % black, and those who participated on stage were 35 – 40 % Black.  There were numerious hispanics, as well as other ethnic groups present as well.  I simply give that estimation (mine) of the statistics, so you know it was a diverse setting, which is required for the five goals to honestly be attained.  Also, some of the most poignant prayers came from the youth and young adults, ages 15 – 25, who were honoring to the older generations but also recognizing how much work is ahead of their generation.  Out of the mouth of babes often comes the greatest wisdom – as they have not yet been conformed to the things which hold us back.

I am going to try and summarize each point in just a few sentences:

• Repentance: Today our society celebrates that which is evil, and condemns that which is virtuous and we humbly seek forgiveness for allowing this to take place in our culture, on our watch.
• Reconciliation: Today we have allowed our society to become more divided than ever – by age groups, by socio-economic class and by race. We recognize that God created each of us as individuals, with specific gifts and talents to be used to benefit all in society – and we pray for the walls between the generations, between the classes and between the races to be broken.
• Revival: Revival does not happen for unbelievers. It happens within the hearts and communities of those who already call on the name of Jesus Christ.  Our nation is filled with dry bones, and we humbly pray for God to blow a mighty wind on the dry bones of The American Church – to wake us up so that we might be faithful to His calling on our lives, in our families, in our communities, our state and our nation.
• Reformation: We don’t seek the reformation of others – we seek the reformation of our own hearts, families, churches communities, states, and nation – that we might place virtue above all else. Without fixing our own lives, families, and churches first – we cannot have the impact which is required on our culture.
• Refreshing: This was simply a time of praise and worship. Many went to the “mosh pit,” or the front of the room to lift hands, and dance before the Lord.  It truly was a coat of many colors – where the things which divide were not present.

Because of the work I have been engaged in, both through the Social Conservative movement, and specifically helping to put on The National Security Summits, which are being conducted in many of the early primary states, I had the privilege to be asked to participate in the prayers from the stage, specifically to pray for the National Security of our Country.  Honestly, because I had not personally met any of the organizers before, I chose to simply go and participate as an individual.  Observation before participation has become something I have learned, sometimes the hard way, in the last four years.  After attending the event, there is no question in my heart, mind or spirit that this effort is Spirit led, and it gives me great hope – because the numbers of those whose hearts are pure, and are praying for our country – both inside our borders and outside our borders are growing.  I believe the growth is becoming exponential.  When The Response comes to your state – I would highly recommend not only attending, but doing all you can to help promote it, and get people there.

What this means for our future may not be what we expect or even desire.  God’s ways, actions and timetables are generally not ours.  He is however at work, and we have a lot to look forward to in the future.

In closing, I want to share two things:

• Another area of hope I have – but also a sliver of disappointment. I have had the privilege of traveling South Carolina quite a bit in the last 2 years, as a result of both High Frontier, and helping on a U.S. Senate Campaign.  As a result – rarely do I go to such a large event where I do not see several people I already know.  On Saturday, in such a large crowd, I spent the day with a good friend of mine, who also relocated to South Carolina from Virginia.  He drove from Myrtle Beach, where he now resides, to invest his day at The Response.  He was the only other individual who I personally know who I saw there.  In a way, it saddened me that I did not see more of my evangelical brothers and sisters, who I already know, who desire to see these five points achieved in our culture, in our lifetimes, invest a day in this effort.  Obviously, it could be simply because there was an unawareness.  This leads me to think of one of the points of the day – the need for our individual churches to stop being territorial, to get outside of our boxes, and unite with other believers outside of the four walls of our own church.  United, we can impact culture but divided we will not.  On the flip side – it also gives me great hope – because the pool of individuals who The Holy Spirit is working on is far larger than we know, or likely can even imagine!
• Governor Bobby Jindal shared his testimony, and it was phenomenal. I was hoping that I would be able to find it on YouTube, and while I couldn’t find Saturday’s – I did find the testimony he gave at The Response in Baton Rouge.  It is very similar – and I would encourage everyone to invest the time to watch it.  You can watch Bobby Jindal’s testimony by clicking here.

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As we celebrate Memorial Day, a day rightly set aside to honor the fallen from past wars, those men and women from the military services who gave all to provide liberty to us, are on the forefront of my mind.

But the way my mind works – I also can’t help but think about the tests to religious liberty we have experienced in just the last couple years and then reflect on the men and women who fell during the first winter at Plymouth Rock in Massachusetts.  While they were not serving in the military, they laid down their lives to begin a foundation for what 150 years later would become The United States of America.

In history class we learn about Pilgrims who escaped not only the tyranny of high taxes and high government debt, but most importantly came to the new world to start a new life seeking religious liberty, and forming a new government which originated with the Mayflower Compact.

45 of the 102, or 44 %, of those who came on the first ship died that first winter – including the wife of their leader, William Bradford.  Despite that horrific percentage, when given the opportunity to return to The Old World the following spring, not one of the remaining 57 choose to give up on the generational inheritance they had committed in their hearts and minds to provide for us.

On March 2, 2012 I shared with those who follow my blog, and are on my e-mail list about Kirk Cameron’s one night Simulcast of the movie Monumental.

This weekend I shared with a very good friend the importance of that movie – and after spending yesterday evening reflecting on it – I decided I want to encourage you to not only enjoy the BBQ’s, Parades, Beer, Wine and Soda’s as we celebrate those who gave all – but to invest a little time with your family either today or in the coming week to learn about this amazing group, who gave 44 % of their population some 395 years ago, that we may “stand on their backs,” and enjoy the fruit of their investment to the cause of liberty.

For those who subscribe to Amazon Prime, the movie is available via streaming.  To those who do not, you can enjoy a 30 day free trial of Amazon Prime in order to watch this film.

In order to pass the baton of Liberty on to our children and grandchildren, we truly need to understand the lives of those who came before us – and investing the time in this movie, with our families, I believe, will help us understand this inter-generational baton race each of us are a part of.

May God Bless you and you family on this beautiful holiday weekend – and may we both individually and collectively bless God, in order that He may choose to bless our very much loved republic.

Scott Cooper

P.S.  In addition to the encouragement to watch the movie – I want to provide you with three things –

1.  Glenn Beck in February 2012 interviewed Kirk Cameron about Monumental.  It is a good explanation of the “why” behind the movie.  I would encourage you to watch it!

2. One of my favorite video’s from Michael W. Smith – reflecting on our Flag –

3. To those who served – but are still with us – Thank you!

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I trust this finds you well as we prepare for “All Hallowed Eve.”  Whether you will be having your house door open to “Trick or Treaters,” doing “Trunk or Treat” at a church parking lot, going to a fall festival, or not doing anything this evening – I wanted to share with you a great editorial which is now 7 years old, by the late Chuck Colson.  I hope you will take time to read and listen to his 4 minute explanation of “All Hollow’s Eve.”

Click here to read Chuck’s Editorial and Listen to his explanation!

You know – when we look at our culture, it is easy to become cynical about the influence our Christian Faith has on our culture.  For example – just go to the Google IMAGE page and do a search for pictures on “All Hallow’s Eve.” Not much comes up as it relates to the true meaning of this night.

The exciting thing is, WE CAN REVERSE THIS TREND!  Let us take time tonight to share with those who grace our doors, or those we spend the evening with, the hope that is within us!  We have a lot to live for – and as those we celebrate tonight demonstrated – we have a lot to die for as well.  May our salt be salty – and may our light dispel darkness.

Blessings to you and yours.  May WE Bless God – so that HE may CHOOSE to bless US again!

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