Friday, May 22, 2009

Memorial Day: More than B-B-Q's, Parades and Ball Games

"We have come to dedicate a portion of that field as a final resting-place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this. But in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate, we cannot consecrate, we cannot hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead who struggled here have consecrated it far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here."

Those are words from Lincoln's Gettysburg address in 1863 on the heels of that bloodly Civil War battle.

Unfortunately, most Americans are at best hazy about the meaning of Memorial Day. For most, its a day off from work to enjoy around the b-b-q or at a ballpark. But there's a higher purpose which is memorialized: devoted, simple, sacrificial service by millions of Americans for their nation.

Some of these servants bled on battle fields will others came home and died in their beds. Yet they all share a common fibre, a thread of connectivity. They wore the cloth of their nation.

This weekend, pause a moment and consider the work of our heroes and the values many died for. Let your children know about this rich heritage of service and sacrifice.

For without it, our nation would not exist.

Thursday, May 21, 2009

Governor Ritter Approves Special Rights for Homosexuals

In what's becoming an annual event, Colorado's Demnocrat-controlled legislature approved more special rights for homosexuals.

This year's addition was Senate bill 88, which will provide health and employment benefits to state employees with homosexual partners.

This week, Ritter went along with it and signed it under the darkness of night.

The tragedy about this whole episode is that in 2006, Colorado voters resoundingly defeated these benefits when they rejected Referendum I.

In the subsequent years, Democrats have attempted to quietly end-run the will of the voters and legislative these benefits.

Here's the latest episode.

Pastors, Are You Paying Attention?

Recent lawmaking in New Hampshire should send a chill down your spine if you are a pastor.

As you probably know, gay marriage is sweeping the Northeast states of our nation. However, this misguided process took a dark turn earlier this week in New Hampshire. The state legislature okayed a bill legalizing homosexual marriage and sent it to Governor John Lynch for approval. Surprisingly, Lynch sent it back instructing the legislature to include a provision for clergy who did not want to marry homosexual couples.

Guess what happened? State legislators voted against the Governor's recommendation for clergy protections.

If you are a pastor, I hope you understand the toxic winds of our culture. In Canada, if you use your pulpit to declare that homosexuality is a sin, you could be prosecuted for a hate crime. This same concept is just around the corner in America.

Homosexual activists will not be content to just get "married." They want to force you to perform the ceremony.

Click here for the story.

Thursday, May 07, 2009

The Value of Prayer-Its More than Just One Day in May

Each year on May 7th, the National Day of Prayer is celebrated by millions of Americans.

This event gathered annual steam thanks in part to the support of President George W. Bush, who held a formal White House event each year during his presidency. This year, President Barack Obama will not continue this tradition. I think that this is an unfortunate decision by Obama. Millions of Americans pray and believe in its power to change and transform lives. And, many would like to see the President of the United States take the lead.

But prayer is more than just an annual event. Prayer strikes close to home for many Americans. Its always been that way.

On April 30, 1863, at the apex of the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln established a Day of National Humiliation, Fasting and Prayer. See his proclamation here

On March 3, 1801, President Thomas Jefferson penned this prayer .

These American presidents had a deep value of prayer. They saw its value to their countrymen and their nation. Apparently, Obama does not share this view. Neither did Bill Clinton. Obama and Clinton would do well taking a page from our founders who valued the importance of prayer and value of publicly leading the nation in this endeavor.

Monday, May 04, 2009

Measuring the King-Obama's 100 Days

Much was made the media last week about President Obama's first 100 days in office. While its often seen as a measurement of a President's style and substance, let's not forget that Obama still has approximately 1,360 days left in this term.

I thought it might be helpful to measure Obama's first 100 days from a pro-family point of view. I understand that often a President's policies cannot be segmented out specifically because they affect many aspects of our nation. However, marriage and family values are vital to the collective health of our nation. Here is a list of the marriage and family values President Obama has put forth so far. See if you agree with them:

-Increased funding for Planned Parenthood under the guise of promoting "health services." This is akin to inviting the fox to the hen house.

-Advocating the repeal of the Federal Defense of Marriage Act. You can't have it both ways. Either marriage is defined as being between a man and a woman or its defined to the whims of populist ideas.

-Broadening the definition of hate crimes to include anti-homosexual advocates like clergy. We are quickly heading down the flawed Canadian path where dissent is punished by jail terms for those who morally disagree.

-Attempting to implement new rules to gut conscience clause protections for pro-life medical providers who morally disagree with abortion. So much for freedom of expression particularly if your speech runs afoul of powerful government sanctioned groups.

-Repealing limitations on tax-payer funded embryonic stem cell research and abortions overseas. The best option right now for medical cures are adult stem cells. Embryonic cells have been very resistant to research.

The list goes on. To see more, go to this link.

These are not the values that the Rocky Mountain Family Council believes in nor do we believe that the majority of Americans hold to. The Obama presidency, despite its style and sizzle, could prove to be very damaging to the concept of and the definitions of marriage and family.

Giving Away Colorado's Election Influence

Colorado is not a large state and our ability to sway national public policy is limited.

Unfortunately, state Democrats want to give more of it away when it comes to national elections.

If House Bill 1299 becomes law, Colorado will join a pool of five other states who will award our electoral college votes (9 current votes/7 US House Reps and 2 US Senators)to the popular vote winner of a presidential election.

Our good friend, State Senator Ted Harvey wrote the following regarding this issue:

The Senate will soon debate HB 1299, a proposal to replace the Electoral College with a popular vote system for Presidential elections. This violates the spirit and the letter of the U.S. Constitution, as the founders designed our electoral system as a republic, not a pure democracy.

This bill will shift Presidential campaigns and policy towards the leftist population centers on the coasts: New York, Florida, California, and possibly Michigan. Presidential candidates will no longer have any reason to campaign in Colorado, let alone listen to the concerns particular to our state.

If House Bill 1299 passes, Colorado will become a fly-over state in Presidential elections. Our Western principles of individual liberty and responsibility will be ignored in favor of the socialist ideas popular in the liberal coastal enclaves: high taxes, unchecked government intervention, and a complete re-write of our country's basic moral values and constitutional principles.

The Democrats argue that a popular vote system will prevent another "stolen" election such as the 2000 Presidential election. What they mean is that a popular vote will give them a distinct partisan advantage in campaign season.

They ignore the fact that a popular vote will indeed repeat the 2000 election, but not in the way they imply: Americans will suffer through recounts not just in Florida, but in hundreds of counties across the nation. The results of the Presidential election will hinge not on the will of the people, but on the skill of attorneys and the partisan leanings of "nonpartisan" election judges.

If you want your Presidential vote to count, write the Senate and urge them to vote "no" on House Bill 1299, the Popular Vote bill.