My thoughts on this fine Friday morning –

Many Americans are headed off to work, or whatever they have planned for the day, sad because their income is down, discouraged because as a result they can’t go out to eat or go see a movie this weekend. Perhaps there are couples discouraged because they don’t have the funds to send their kids to college, like they had hoped and planned.

Yesterday, I spent quite a bit of time with a dear friend of close to three decades who is losing his business, going bankrupt and has moved back into his parent’s home with his wife and child (in his mid-40’s) – and plans on being there for several years while rebuilding his life.

Well – all of that is happening in America. Even that last sentence is happening on a far larger scale than most recognize, especially those within the beltway region recognize.

In America, people start over financially all the time.

Both poverty and wealth are not respecters of persons. Their laws SHOULD apply to all people, regardless of race, creed or gender, EQUALLY. Individuals go up and down the ladder all the time – and while we are called to be productive – and our founders believed in the pursuit of property / happiness – THIS IS NOT THE MOST IMPORTANT THING – even though many have chosen to make it so. Before moving on to my most important concerns of the morning – I want to reflect for a minute on the difference between the leaders at our founding, and the leaders today as it relates to acquiring wealth.

The men who represented the 13 colonies at the time of The Declaration of Independence thought so highly of the importance of being productive, they referenced it in the very first sentence of the preamble of the Declaration. “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

 

The word Happiness was originally property. In other words – in the first sentence, they encouraged all individuals, to use their GOD GIVEN life and liberty, TO BE PRODUCTIVE and pursue property / happiness. Nowhere did they guarantee property / happiness – but they encouraged all individuals TO BE PRODUCTIVE in their pursuit of such things.

Today’s leaders are prolific with words, (referring to the productive) such as “you didn’t build that,” and we need to ensure those who have acquired the very thing our founders encouraged individuals to pursue, that they “pay their fair share,” to pay for things (birth control for example) which really shouldn’t be paid for out of federal funds. In other worlds – our current leaders are promoting a worldview that is in diametric opposition to the worldview of our founders.

There is so much I could write about this, but let me say this reversal – this breeding of covetousness – has become THE PRIMARY FOCUS of much of our elected leadership today. The focus is on class envy and strife vs. what is best for humanity – ensuring all principles/laws – including the principles/laws of poverty and wealth creation are executed equally among all individuals in the republic.

Because this is where the focus of our leadership is – breeding covetousness – we cannot as a country focus on the truly important thing – specifically the rise of evil in our world. THE RISE OF EVIL IN OUR WORLD, AND ITS IMPACT ON WESTERN CIVILIZATION IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING.

And while the economics hits close to home for me, as it does all Americans at this moment in history – it is this rise of evil in our world that most grips my heart – and infuriates me about the lack of leadership we have – that while they are breeding class warfare, they should be educating Americans on the evil that is transpiring to our friends – and that is inevitably coming our way.

My thoughts this morning are with the Kurdish people, who have been our friends, are staring evil in the face, and are being slaughtered. Not just those who are Christians, but our Muslim friends there too – slaughtered by an evil ideology that is not based on the individual, but is based on the Political System, The Financial System, The Judicial System, The Military System AND THE FAITH System that is called Islam. It is a five part system, and the last, and honestly least ranked of the five that is being used against us here in our country and in the west to undermine our future security.

Whether it is the beheading we saw last month in Oklahoma, the shooting in Ottawa this week, the “workplace violence” we witnessed at Fort Hood by Major Nidal Hasan in 2009, the three American Girls who were en route to fight for Jihad in Syria that were stopped in Germany just this week, the prayer rugs and Quran’s that are being found on our Southern Border, or the dozens and dozens of other examples that could be listed – it should be extremely obvious to our leaders – “Houston, we have a problem!” Yet our leaders choose to refuse to act in a significant way to protect our friends, the Kurds, who are being slaughtered.

Closer to home, the inheritance we desire to leave our children and grandchildren is at risk as the same enemies staring down the Kurds over there are gaining strength inside our borders, and they continue to be inside The Trojan Horse of the 21^st Century, Political Correctness.

Many of “We the People” see the Trojan Horse – and continue to beg our leaders to act – knowing that eventually those inside that Horse will be coming out with their 7^th Century worldview, the five “systems” of Islam and their machetes. Just like the beheading in Oklahoma last month – they will act, not with random solo exhibits like Oklahoma, but with well executed masterpieces, like we witnessed the 19 individuals execute on 9/11/01. Yes, in the event you forgot, 9/11 was executed by simply 19 Individuals.

Just do a study of one Mosque, the Boston Mosque, where the Boston Marathon bombers came out of, and you will see there are thousands of American’s (home grown) who are being radicalized, and yet, it only took 19 on 9/11.

Evil exists. It is not the lack of birth control. It is not the lack of healthcare. It is not the lack of opportunity. It is not the evils of slavery, which still exists in North Africa, as the U.S. fought a war and settled it in our country 150 years ago. It is the slaughter of Christians and Muslim’s in the Middle East who are infidels. It is the silent jihad that is being waged on the west – that is still masked by political correctness. It is a Spiritual war – and now more than ever, we should recognize – those on the side of evil do not subscribe to the “Co-Exist” bumper sticker worldview.

Last week I had the privilege to meet Jay Sekulow at The Crisis Pregnancy Center annual dinner in Augusta, Georgia. He is the author of a new book titled “The Rise of ISIS: A Threat We Can’t Ignore.” He eloquently stated: “The same force involved with abortion is the same force involved with ISIS, a complete disregard for human life.” He went on to say, “We are looking at what could be a 30 year war…..we are in the battle of battles.”

I am praying for new leadership for our country. Leaders who will focus on the evil which truly exists. Leaders who will help lead “We The People” to overcome what is coming our way. Leaders who will stop focusing on covetousness in an effort to control the electorate – which itself is evil.

I am praying for new leadership. Will you join me?

 

 

 

 

My friends, it is quite possible that you did not know that this week marks the 200th anniversary of the writing of The Star Spangled Banner.  200 years ago, we – The United States – were on the brink of losing our newly formed republic.  It seemed all hope was lost – but that generation of American’s rose to the occasion, in spite of the fact Washington DC had been taken over by those who sought the destruction of our republic.

Please take three minutes to watch this trailer –

And consider joining us for a webcast tonight, Sunday September 14th at 7 PM EST for what undoubtedly will be an inspiring evening, recounting our history of Faith, Family and Freedom – and encouraging us to face the challenges in front of us today.  

Please click here for details on why to take part.

Click on “Home Viewing” on the right hand side of THIS PAGE in order to watch at home!

Update 9/16/14 – Well – it’s over – and you can watch it in it’s entirety here!

Blessings!

Scott Cooper

My dog autumn got stuck under the bed this morning. Fortunately I had not left yet, and I could hear her…..

When I first heard her, she was scrambling trying to get herself out. 

After a few minutes of scrambling she started whining and exhibiting traits of more intense scrambling. 

That was followed by barking and even more intense scrambling. 

She grew tired, and then just put her head down. 

When I came in and asked her how she got in that predicament, she sheepishly wouldn’t even look me in the eye. I had to physically bend down and drag her out of the sad state of affairs she had put herself in. 

This is a great picture, in my opinion, of Political Correctness – what I believe to be the Trojan Horse of the 21st century – the tool our enemy – strict adherents to The Quran (and their current, but not permanent allies) are using very, very effectively. 

There are a few who are doing everything they can to wake society as a whole up to the reality that we are stuck in a very flawed state of political correctness (absence of proper worldview training – especially the Truth upon what made Western Civilization great).

The condition Autumn is in, in this picture, is exactly where our enemy wants us. So stuck in our sad state – that only our head and neck remains visible – so that the infidels head will be easily sliced off. 

It is my prayer that there is a generation of leaders currently enroute to positions of influence great enough that they will be able to bend down and drag us out of our stupor and into reality. 

We can’t pray for them by name yet – as their names are yet unknown – but will you join me in praying for them anyway?

Written by:  Scott Cooper 

In 1997 I found this blog, and it has meant a tremendous amount to me during the last 16 years.  Doug Phillips, who wrote it, would re-write it every couple years.  I refer you back to the actual blog, by clicking here; however I am going to post the entire thing here – in the event the blog is removed.  I will explain why it may be removed below.  Its potential removal is FAR LESS IMPORTANT than the impact of the writing could have on your life.

Life moves fast. If we don’t take the time to chronicle the providences of God, we forget them. If we don’t take the time to say thank you to those who have invested in our lives, we actually cultivate a spirit of ingratitude in our own hearts. If we don’t stop and make sure that we have a spirit of forgiveness toward others, we grow bitter, we lose the capacity to move victoriously into the future, and our prayers are hindered.

Here is a little practice that I was taught and would like to share with you. Each year, during the last week of December, I would encourage you to do the following things.

I. Outline and Chronicle the Many Providences of God

Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it. (Hab. 2:2)

First, using simple bullet points, outline the key events for every week of every month of the year. Take the time to do the research which will help jog your memory and allow you to make an accurate record. I find that reviewing bills, blogs, journals, newspaper headlines, letters, and even organizing my photographs chronologically are enormously helpful tools. Those individuals who were faithful to journal or keep a diary will have little problem reconstructing key events. Give yourself a good week to reconstruct your own outline of the year. Also, by making this a family project, you will not only build your list with greater speed and precision, but (in the hands of a loving patriarch) the very act of chronicling the providences of God in your life is a blessed tool for family discipleship.

Every family will have a different set of priorities directing what they should record. In addition to recording the key events and providences of the year chronologically, I try to take the time with my family to record some of the following information on separate bullet lists:

1. Where did I/we travel?
2. What were the most important sermons I heard this year?
3. What books/articles did I write?
4. What significant household projects did we accomplish in 2011?
5. What were the most important meetings of the year?
6. What special friendships were made this year?
7. Which children lost teeth, and how many?
8. Who grew in physical stature, and how much did they grow?
9. Who learned to read this year?
10. What diet and physical exercise regimen did I maintain to honor “my temple”?
11. What books did I read? Did we read as a family? Did my children read?
12. What Scriptures did my family memorize?
13. What loved ones died this year?
14. What were the great personal/ministry/national tragedies and losses of the year?
15. What were the great personal/ministry/national blessings of the year?
16. What were my most significant failures/sins for the year 2011?
17. What commitments have I made to overcome sin in 2011?
18. What significant spiritual and practical victories did I experience?
19. In what tangible ways did I communicate gratitude to those who have blessed me and invested in my life?
20. What are the top ten themes of 2011 for my family?

II. Say ‘Thank You’ to Those Who Have Invested in Your Life

[I] cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers. (Eph. 1:16)

Whatever happened to the man who first opened to you the words of life from the Scripture? Where is the comrade, coach, or instructor who believed in you and helped you to accomplish a great goal? What about the Bible teacher whose careful handling of the Word opened up new vistas of understanding? Where is the friend who stood with you through thick and thin? Most importantly, what have you communicated to the mother who carried you in her womb, loved and nurtured you, or the father who labored to provide for and shepherd you?

When was the last time you responded to their investment in your life with gratitude, blessings, and even money? Jesus reminds us of those ungrateful recipients of blessing who simply went their way without demonstrating gratitude (Luke 17).

Before the year ends, make a list of two types of people: The first list are the names of people whose life, ministry, or personal investment in you have deeply touched you and changed your life. (In my case, the list includes parents, pastors, and even some teachers from the early years of my Christian walk that I did not meet until much later in my life, but whose books and tapes were crucial to my personal discipleship as a young Christian.) The second list should include those people who played the most significant role in your life in 2011.

Write a brief, meaningful letter to each of them. Be specific in your gratitude. Explain what they did for you and why it was important to you. Show them how they were God’s instrument of blessing in your own life. Pray over each letter, asking God to grant you rich insights on the character qualities of each individual and on the way those qualities changed your own life. Where appropriate, include a check or special token of appreciation that reflects your desire to show them, tangibly, that you recognize that you are in their debt. You cannot imagine the joy this will give to someone from your past who may think you have forgotten them. Give generously and without concern for getting a tax deduction. I strongly recommend sending money to your parents. Keep in mind that you will never be able to return their personal and financial investment in your life, except through your testimony of faithfulness, covenant keeping, and honor to the Lord.

Also, your children need to know the people who have blessed their parents. They need to see that Mom and Dad are grateful and generous. Share your letters with them. In our household, we ask our children to write to some of the people who have blessed Mommy and Daddy, because our children are the indirect recipients of these blessings on their parents.

This will take a day or two to complete. You may have twenty letters to write, but you will never regret saying “thank you.”

One last thought: One reason why Christians are often limited in vision, energy, and blessings is that, contrary to the Lord’s command, we are ungrateful, unforgiving, and bitter. Far too many who profess the name of Christ spend more time obsessing on those who have wronged them than rejoicing in those who have blessed them. Letters and tangible expressions of gratitude are not only pleasing to Christ, but an antidote to heart-sickness.

III. Forgive Those Who Have Wronged You

Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good. (Romans 12:19-21)

In the course of a year, it is possible to build up many offenses and personal grievances at others. Left unaddressed, these grievances fester and grow. They turn the heart black and the body weak. They foster a spirit of vengeance and misguided self-righteousness. The short of it is this: Unforgiveness leads to bitterness. Bitterness curdles the mind and the spirit.

Fresh starts and new years should begin with forgiveness for others. Having a genuine spirit of forgiveness towards those who have wronged us is a mark of biblical Christianity. It is an evidence that we have been redeemed, and that we are praying lawfully: “Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors” (Matthew 6:12).

Successful Christians are men and women who are free from bitterness. They have learned the principle modeled by our Lord Jesus Christ who, while suffering death at the hands of people he had never wronged, was able to say, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:24).

I have a dear preacher friend with a sterling reputation who was once grievously slandered. When asked about the wicked actions of the slanderers, he replied something to this effect:  Oh you don’t understand — I am far, far worse than my detractors realize. They may have gotten a lot of the specific facts wrong, but I am just thankful they don’t know how bad my heart truly is. God have mercy on me a sinner.

This man had victory over bitterness.

My father is another man who always appeared to have victory over bitterness. In fact, from my earliest days to the present, I have watched lesser men “twist the truths [he’s] spoken to make a trap for fools.” [i]  Early in my life when I was still in government schools, I would listen to my own teachers criticize before my class the work my father was doing for the President to dismantle a government agency which was at war with the family. I read untruthful articles and saw derogatory comics on the pages of the Washington Post picturing him as a caveman for his “prehistoric” views. When my father was a leader in the Republican Party in Massachusetts, a gangster repeatedly threatened the life of his family. I remember being a boy and having my father shield me from homosexual picketers and protesters that would follow him and our family around at public locations.

Most painful and difficult for many to forgive is betrayal and dishonor. But that is a mistake. Betrayal and dishonor probably exist in the lives of most men. And why should any Christian be denied in their lives what past generations of Christians — and our Lord and Savior Himself — patiently endured? To our shame, most of us have been on both sides of that coin. From a son’s perspective, however, it is highly instructive to watch a father act honorably in the midst of such conflict. It has been a great blessing in my own life to observe my father nobly respond even in the face of barbs from former allies and friends, once loved and nurtured by him.

Eternally optimistic, Dad would always say: “Never be bitter. Life is too short. Thank God for your blessings. Press on!”

Bitterness comes from being unwilling to forgive. Bitter people are small people. They are unsuccessful people. They are people who cannot move forward. They are people who believe that the personal wrongs against them are so great that they — the offended — are entitled to do to their offenders what they pray the Lord Jesus Christ will never do to them: refuse to forgive.

Here is my recommendation: Think through every grief, minor and major, caused by others to you in the year 2011. Now add to the list any other personal offenses that continue to linger from past years. Write these down as bullets on a sheet of paper.

The first thing you will likely realize is just how many offenses are polluting your thought life and, probably, your spirit. This is a sign of latent bitterness. Bitterness will kill you. It renders you completely ineffective.

Now prayerfully walk through the list — bullet, by bullet. With each offense, remind yourself that the most despicable action taken against you by another utterly (and infinitely) pales in comparison to the least of your offenses against the Lord Jesus Christ.

And yet He has forgiven you.

Before 2014 begins, adopt a spirit of forgiveness towards your insensitive friends as well as your hateful enemies. Forgive your imperfect father for whatever it is you need to forgive him for (and pray to the Lord that your own children someday forgive you for your failures). Quit devoting untold precious hours to commiseration, mental replay of the wrongs done, and thoughts about just how badly you were wronged. Stop blaming everybody but you for your problems. Look to yourself. Once you start chronicling your own sinful attitudes and crimes against God and man, you simply won’t have time to worry about the wrongs done to you. You will stop being bitter, and you will start being thankful.

Wipe the slate clean. “Press on.” Forgive.

Conclusion

As 2013 comes to a close, take time to remember and to say “thank you.” Take time to examine yourself for bitterness. Forgive others. Finally, as you love God with all your heart, soul and might, trust Him, too. Really trust him. Trust God with all your heart, your soul and might. You and I cannot solve every problem. What we can do is be kind, forgiving, and patient before the Lord. We can not “fix” everything that is broken. Only God can do that. In His time and His way, the Lord cannot only bring peace, but He can give you the very desires of your heart as you seek Him with integrity. He can redeem the years the locusts have eaten, and He delights in blessing His faithful children. “The blessing of the LORD, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it” (Proverbs 10:22).

It is appropriate that we stop and thank God at the birth of a new year. Remember that God gave man the stars on Day Four in part so that he could order and structure his life based on a clock/calendar system of days, seasons, and years (Genesis 1). He tells us to “remember” acts and to “number” our days. In Scripture, the formal act of remembering providences of God in our life is linked to hope, honor, and generational success (e.g., Psalms 44, 78, etc.). By February 2012, the year 2011 will be a distant memory. Strike now while the iron is hot. The opportunity to remember and to say “thank you” may never come again. And can you afford even one more day in which your prayers are hindered — because you were refusing to forgive? Trust the Lord. He is in charge: “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths” (Proverbs 3:5).

My (Scott Cooper) closing comments:

I sincerely hope you benefit from Doug’s writing, and I hope you will make it a part of your personal annual review as I have!

Doug Phillips and the ministry of Vision Forum Ministries has impacted many families for over 15 years. I dare say his ministry will impact generations. Although I have never been to any of the many conferences put on by Vision Forum, I often dreamt about going!  I have met countless people who have attended and been tremendously impacted by their attendance.

I have personally benefited from the writings of Doug Phillips.  The writing I posted above, which I have returned to year after year for a long time, has helped me tremendously during the last four years as I have engaged in the civic arena and felt the pain of attacks from those who I thought were my friends.  I have since learned that anyone worth their salt in the civic arena will struggle with this – and Doug’s writing in point three above is instrumental in moving forward, in my opinion.

For years, during this time of year, I have read this blog to my Sunday School Class of High School men.  I have also shared it with my extended family on more than one occasion at family gatherings.  I have shared it in Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s greetings, like this one last year!

In mid-2013 Doug resigned from Vision Forum Ministries, as a result of engaging in an emotional, romantic affair that was never consummated.  Shortly afterward, the ministry itself decided to close.  You can read the statements here.  That is why I posted the blog in it’s entirety on my blog – in the event it ever gets removed.

This fall, when I started my annual process, when I Googled to find the blog, I couldn’t find it, but I found countless writings about “the affair,” and criticisms of the man and the ministry.  I can’t describe the grief I felt.  I actually had to go back to an e-mail I sent last year in order to find it.

I have a couple thoughts: 

• Doug’s writing above is valuable, and will continue to be valuable – and I hope Doug’s Blogs remain available and easy to find.  I hope you will benefit from the one I posted above!
• I have nothing but admiration for the way Doug, The Phillips family and Vision Forum Ministries has handled this issue.  I may choose to write more about it at a later time – but for now I simply want to say:
• I am saddened by the fact that when I specifically googled for a writing that has impacted my life for over a decade, I couldn’t find it.  All I could find was writings about one man’s downfall, and the closing of a ministry – and many of the authors of the posts almost gleeful about it.
• But for the Grace of God go each one of us.  Doug was a man of influence – and I believe that as our influence grows, the more susceptible one is to failing.  I Peter 5:8 promises us that the Devil prowls around like a lion seeking someone to devour.  I believe he most wants to devour those who influence others for God’s Kingdom. Doug was effective in that area.
• We should be in prayer for the Phillips family and the lives of those who worked at Vision Forum Ministries as well as those who were impacted by the ministry.  While these are difficult times, and there are consequences for our actions – Romans 8:28 promises “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

My eye’s popped open this morning at 3:50 AM. When I went to sleep last night, I was already reflecting on the 68th anniversary of D-Day, which is this morning. It is the first thing on my mind today.

Before I comment on where we are today, I hope you will take time to listen to two brief speeches from that day:

General Dwight D. Eisenhower’s 1 min 43 second speech to the men of the Allied Expeditionary Force.

President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s 6 min 30 second speech to The American Public the night before.

For me, the most striking element of these brief speeches by our leaders at the time, a mere 68 years ago, was their reliance upon Providence, their willingness to beseech Almighty God and to boldly proclaim the righteousness of the cause the Allied Forces were embarking on.  President Roosevelt asks our people “to devote themselves in a continuance of prayer, invoking thy (God’s) help to our efforts.”

The total military dead from WWII range from 22 – 25 million and civilian dead estimate about 40 million.  Over 9,000 Allied soldiers were killed or wounded in the Normandy invasion.  An extremely heavy price was paid for the liberty that was won for France, for Europe and indeed the entire world a mere 68 years ago.

According to Wikipedia, the length of a generation has risen, being somewhere between 25 and 30 years.  If we use 30 years, we are barely two complete generations removed from the day that 160,000 troops landed on the beaches of Normandy to reclaim a continent from tyranny.  Two generations removed, and we hardly remember that day or reflect on what transpired there and contrast those events to current trends.

I believe this is a day that we should be teaching all children of the western world about, especially here in America.  The reality is most youth do not know very much about it, nor will they reflect on this day and the sacrifices their great grand-parents’ generation made for the cause of liberty and freedom.  We should never forget, yet I fear for the most part as a nation, and the West as a whole, we have already forgotten.

This year (less than 2 months ago) in France, democratic elections took place where an individual whose philosophy and worldview is diametrically opposed to the ideals we fought and died for 68 years ago was elected.  Socialist Francois Hollande was elected President.  What is starker is that it was the socialist partnership with the Muslim population of France that put Mr. Hollande over the top.  Close to 2 million Muslims voted in the election, and 85 – 93 % voted for Mr. Hollande.  Without that vote, the socialist party would not have won.  It is also worthy of noting that as a group, atheists supported Holland.

I mention those two groups because the West is in a conflict of worldviews that no one in political leadership wants to talk about.  Our leadership 68 years ago understood the conflict.  Just 30 years ago, Ronald Reagan in his “Evil Empire Speech” on June 8, 1982 understood it and could articulate it, against the wishes of “his handlers.”

This is not about individuals within a belief system it is about understanding how belief systems behave as blocks of power.  While there is a partnership right now between the socialists, atheists and Muslims, as we are witnessing in Europe, that coalition will only last until they conquer Western Civilization as it has been known in the 20th century, and then they will turn on one another.  Take a look at this picture taken Election Day in France:

There is only one French Flag, I think, in this picture.  They are not unified except in their desire to destroy the belief system which has led to the most productive and prosperous century in human history.  The belief system they are fighting against is the system our grandparents generation fought and died for.

The relevance of our history is rapidly being lost.

It is my prayer to visit the beaches of Normandy one day, and see the graves of the men who died there, in a heroic effort to save France and a continent from Tyranny.

If you enjoyed this, here are some thoughts I wrote almost a year ago about “The Next Greatest Generation.”

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An often quoted verse from Romans – “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”

Ah – but let’s read the context – then please continue below!

Romans 8:26 – 39:

“And in the same way, the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groaning’s too deep for words; and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.  And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.  For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the first born among many brethren; and whom He predestined, these He also called; and whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.

What then shall we say to these things?  If God is for us, who is against us?  He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?  Who will bring a charge against God’s elect?  God is the one who justifies; who is the one who condemns?  Christ Jesus is He who died, yes rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us.  Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?  Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?  Just as it is written,

“For Thy sake we are being put to death all day long.  We were considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”

But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us.  For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

What started my thoughts this morning was the thought, “Nothing shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus.”  So I did a search.  This part of Romans was written to the church that was being persecuted in ways unimaginable to us, yet Paul is writing these words to encourage these believers to stand firm.

Persecution is not new.  It has been prevalent in every civilization since the church was formed.  We have been blessed in America up until this point because we understood that our republic was formed by people who had escaped Europe for religious freedom.  The Colonies in the new world were started in a search for freedom.  People were driven to this continent because they were fleeing religious persecution.  Our forefathers were faithful to educate the history of our founding up until about the 1960’s.  It is true that each State, which had its own religious denomination, bonded to together to fight for complete freedom from a tyrannical government which had oppressive taxes which was stifling their ability to simply exist.  However we must not forget that most of our forefathers were driven to this continent primarily for religious freedom.

Like our beginning, being formed due to religious persecution, the demise of our republic will end, as a result of a tyrannical government that seeks to control everything, through taxes, fees, fines and the controlling of our behavior – and this will ultimately lead back to a loss of religious freedom, unless we stop this trend now and re-educate the American public about our past.  Anyone who is paying attention to the news and the rhetoric, who cannot see this – I believe is simply blinded and incapable of seeing what is happening – but that does not change the fact that religious persecution is coming to America at a rapid pace, and it is being driven by a desire to fund an out of control government.

Many are choosing to work diligently within the system to ensure Conservatives who understand the philosophical principles of Plato, Thomas Moore, Thomas Hobbes and Karl Marx which we are opposed to as well as the principles of John Locke, Charles de Montesquieu and Alexis de Tocqueville to return our republic back to the principles of limited government, the rule of law, individual rights, personal responsibility and private property.  It was these principles of the second set of philosophers that led to the prosperity in America which has been unprecedented in the history of man.  Ultimately, failure to return us to these principles will not only lead to the demise of The United States of America, it will lead to what tyrannical governments have done through the centuries, religious persecution.

You can read from others, as well as my previous blogs to find ideas of what needs to be done in the civic arena.  A great starter would be to attend the one night viewing of “Monumental” on March 27, 2012.

It is my hope that you will not only attend this movie, but that you will organize “your personal sphere of influence” to attend this movie as well.  Talk to your friends, your co-workers, those who attend church with you, and those in any civic organizations you belong to and organize large groups to attend this movie nationwide on Tuesday March 27, 2012.  It will be in theaters one night only.

In order to reclaim our future – we need to start by looking at our past!

Here is a preview of the movie – Monumental:

Click here to follow Monumental The Movie on Facebook!

To learn more about how Kirk Cameron and his team decided to produce this film, I encourage you to watch his interview with Glenn Beck.

To my friends in the Fredericksburg region – stay tuned for details on an organized effort to go as a group – but in the mean time, click here are the lists of current theaters it will be playing near us.

Written by:  Scott Cooper

Ten years ago today, I did not know that I was less than one month away from completing my career in the travel industry.  Twelve days from Thursday August 30, 2001 an event would take place that would put the nails in the coffin of my career in the travel industry.  Of course, the day I am referring to is September 11, 2001.

That was a day that impacted everyone’s life.  I am sure that in the next 12 days I will be writing more about my thoughts of that day, and how its impact has changed our lives. There is no doubt, with my concern about Sharia Law being in opposition to Constitutional Law, I will reflect on the terrorism, and the philosophical views of those who flew planes into buildings that day.  I am sure, since it is the 10^th anniversary of that dreadful day, we will be reading, hearing and viewing a lot about that day, and what has taken place since.   Today I am not writing about September 11^th, but a lesson I learned from a mentor, a very successful entrepreneur, during my final days in the travel industry.

Prior to September 11^th, I had the privilege of working for an entrepreneur who was extremely successful.  Today, he is probably in his mid-70’s, which means he was in his mid-60’s when he invested time with me, a young lad, ages 31 and 32 at the time!

He started his professional life as an engineer; however early in his career decided to pursue his desire to be an entrepreneur, in charge of his own destiny.  During the course of 35 years, by the time I got to know and work for him, he and his wife had built quite an enterprise. He was in charge of multiple businesses, in more than one industry, in several states.  Even though the events of September 11 and declining business took me out of my “mentorship” with him, I remember many things about him.

He was a professional engineer by trade, who had advanced degrees; however he taught me that most of what he learned that had made him successful was dealing with people.  Both he and his wife had a tremendous ability to make everyone feel comfortable and cared about.  They did little things to ensure each of their employees were appreciated – like the time, out of the blue, he mailed my sons “scooters” just because he thought they each needed one!

Although he was extremely successful, if you met him on the street or in public, you would not know it by his lifestyle.  He drove a modest car, and with the exception of when we attended an important meeting – his favorite outfit were jeans and a t-shirt.

I mention him today, because this week I have been thinking about a lesson he taught me.

This week, I have been thinking about the climate where people feel it necessary to tear individuals down, even to the point of telling lies.  This is something that unfortunately is commonplace in the world of politics.  I am thinking of one conservative political candidates run in with supposed “Conservative Bloggers” who attempted to make her look foolish and derail her campaign, with no validity behind their allegations.  They told lies that to date, cannot be substantiated with video or audio, despite our living in a “New Media” digital age.  I am not going to mention the campaign or situation, because I know those who read this and are familiar with the situation will know what I am referring to – and posting links to the situation does no one any good.  But the situation this week has made me think about my old boss and mentor, and some advice he gave me on more than one occasion.

During my relationship with this employer / mentor, we were engaged in development projects that included many individuals and companies.  There were multiple occasions where it was apparent that individuals or companies that were attempting to do business with us were completely crooked, partially dishonest or simply untrustworthy.  I remember on more than one occasion after we had already determined we would not be working with said individual or company, I would attempt to bring up a situation where these individuals or companies had a reputation or tendency to be bad, and the response from my mentor was always – “Now Scott – those who throw dirt, lose ground.”

He never indicated to me that he was unaware of the facts, or that he was willing to do business with folks who did not meet his ethical standard.  He simply indicated that we weren’t going to talk negatively about anyone.  If we knew the facts, we simply moved on to find another individual or company that met his standard.  He was a firm believer in, “we will know them by their fruits” and he left it there.

This man is a doer, someone who liked to accomplish things – and did not waste his energy, time or any other resource in speaking negatively against another human being or company, because at the end of the day, he knew their actions would reveal themselves and would ultimately be manifested in the type of fruit they would harvest.  Investing his energy in tearing someone down would never help him accomplish his goals, so that is not where he placed his effort.

There are a lot of applications to this lesson he taught me.  I thought enough of it, that I remember it to this day.  There is a specific reason it clicked in my mind this week, but perhaps it will have another application for you.  It is worth remembering.

Those who throw dirt, lose ground.

Perhaps one adaptation – “Those who throw dirt, whether the dirt is true or fabricated, lose ground.”