OCTOBER 15, 2008
VOL. 1, ISSUE 9
P.R.A.Y. FOR YOUR GOVERNMENT
PRAISE - We are the greatest nation on earth in terms of religious, economic and personal freedoms. That is
because of our Founding Fathers vision of a nation birthed from the ideal of "We hold these truths to be selfevident 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." Those freedoms were paid for with blood. We must
praise God for those patriots who have gone before us paying for the freedoms we enjoy today. We praise God
that we were born in the United States of America and that we have been placed where we have the opportunity
and responsibility to participate in choosing those who will be in authority over us. We praise God because the
government we live under is not the best thing in the world, it is just better than all the other models instituted
elsewhere.
REPENT - We repent for asking too much from and giving too little to our government. We repent that we do
not cover our government in prayer. There are two major assaults on government. The first is the entitlement
attitude which results in a constituency asking Government (rather than God) to be their provider. It is idolatry.
The second is the apathy that makes people believe that they cannot change government. Government is run by
those who show up and participate. Will it be easy? No. Will it be fun? Not always. Can it be exhausting? Oh,
yeah. Will it be worth it? Not unless we all get behind the cause and help.
ASK - We need to ask God for mercy for our government. We need to ask him to give us the leader we need, not
the one we deserve. We must ask for Him to raise up godly men and women to serve in leadership positions.
And, we need to ask Him to raise up supporters for those He has called into leadership. Nobody can do
everything, but everybody can do something. Your contribution to the cause can not be underestimated. Ask God
to shine His light in the dark spots in government.
YIELD - Governance is a process. While the process means it takes a long time to make things better, it also
means it took a long time for them to get bad. Yield to the process. Yield to the authority the Lord places over
you. We may not like who wins the election, but we are never absolved from the responsibility to respect the
office the person holds and to pray for that person and that position. For the good of our nation, after the election
is held and the ballots are counted, we have to put away our attacks and rhetoric and pray for the good of the
nation. From that point on, all differences of opinions should center on policies and principles and stay away
from personal and character attacks.
Almighty God, we make our earnest prayer that Thou wilt keep the United States in Thy holy protection; that
Thou wilt incline the hearts of the citizens to cultivate a spirit of subordination and obedience to government.
- George Washington
UPCOMING ELECTION
There are nineteen days left until the 2008
general election. That means there are nineteen
days left to gather information and make your
decision on which candidates you will vote for.
Keep something in mind as you process the
assault of information that comes your way in
this political season.
Each candidate will spend hundreds of
thousands (or millions) of dollars to pull in your
vote. No matter what party they are members of
or what beliefs they hold, unless they are true
statesmen (who don’t necessarily want to win
their election), a candidate’s priority is getting
into office. Utilizing television, newspaper,
signage, buttons and numerous other outlets
each candidate will work to get their own name
recognized and will work to make their name
synonymous with victory.
Remember that the ads and articles you see and
read may not always be the truth, the whole
truth, and nothing but the truth. The candidates'
goal is to get elected, not to play a game of
"Truth or Dare." You must put all the
information you receive through the filter of
your own beliefs. You must take the time to
research and see if what is said is accurate, or
just a ploy to tickle the ears of the public to
gain votes.
Being proactive in your research of a candidate,
versus receiving your information passively
through campaign will assist you in choosing
the best person for each position in our
government. In assuring that you are not simply
swayed by the effusive propaganda that comes
flying from every direction, you help to ensure
that qualified people are in positions of power.
RECOMMENDATIONS
FROM THE BOARD
In the last issue Mama Seay recommended
A Message to Garcia by Elbert Hubbard. It
was a newspaper article written in 1899. It
is about a messenger who knew where he
was going and would do anything to get
there.
Rowan was singled out to the President as
the man who would find Garcia, the leader
of the insurgents, who was in the
mountains. He spent three weeks traveling
in hostile territory to deliver the message.
The point Hubbard wanted to emphasize
was the manner in which Rowan behaved.
When given the message, he did not ask
questions or state that he had doubts. He
placed the message in a bag over his heart
and went to Garcia.
The article extols each person to be like
Rowan in every day of our lives. In
Hubbard’s opinion, a worker who does
what he is asked with no hesitation or
questions is to be commended and will be in
demand. Someone who can carry the
message to Garcia is badly needed.
Our next assignment again comes from
Mama Seay. She is recommending
Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift. Join
Lemuel Gulliver’s sojourn through human
behavior. Enjoy!
Please feel free to send your comments,
thoughts, suggestions, or opinions to
[email protected].
PERSEVERANCE
FOUNDING FATHERS
Samuel Johnson once said, ‘Great works are
performed not by strength, but by perseverance.’ His
words were true in the 1700s and they are just as
true today. Perseverance is the persistence in
something undertaken in spite of difficulty or
obstacles.
On June 28, 1742 William Hooper was born to
a Congregationalist minister. At a young age,
the family moved to Boston. Despite his
father’s desire for him to follow his footsteps
into the ministry, Hooper chose to study the
law. He graduated from Harvard in 1760 at the
age of 18. After passing the bar exam, he
moved to Wilmington, North Carolina where
he became a successful lawyer and took a wife.
Observe the world around you to find examples of
perseverance. How many times did Edison fail
before he managed to create the electric light bulb?
How long did Dante work to create the Divine
Comedy? What effort did Henry Ford put into
creating the Model T and the assembly line?
Through time, effort, and hard work these men
created things that have influenced and changed the
world from what it was to what it is.
While things are important, beliefs and ideas bear
even greater importance. One example of a man’s
perseverance in his beliefs is William Wilberforce.
In 1787 he became involved in the movement for the
abolishment of slavery. Three days before he died in
1833 he learned that the Slavery Abolition Act
would be passed in Parliament. It took 46 years for
his vision to become a reality. However, he died
before the Act could be enacted.
Despite the difficulties and the odds stacked against
beliefs and ideas, each person must be willing to
persevere for what they want to see happen. This is
how change is affected in the world around us.
Life is not easy for any of us. But what of that? We
must have perseverance and above all confidence in
ourselves. We must believe that we are gifted for
something, and that this thing, at whatever cost,
must be attained.
-Marie Curie
In 1773 Hooper was elected to the colonial
legislature. This was followed by election to
the Continental Congress in 1774. He served
until 1777 when he resigned his seat due to his
need to be home in North Carolina. During his
time in Philadelphia, his law practice suffered.
Once he returned home, he resumed his work
and continued to serve in the state Legislature.
Because he was one of the signers of the
Declaration of Independence, William Hooper
became a target of the British during the
Revolutionary War. His home, Finian, and his
property were destroyed. His wife and three
children found sanctuary in the home of a
relative. He went on the move, traveling from
home to home of friends, staying only a short
time in each place. His health took a sharp
downward turn at one point; he survived but
never fully recovered.
In Hillsboro, he resumed his legal practice and
his life. He was appointed to the federal
judiciary but served only a year due to his poor
health. He withdrew from his public works and
retired, something that he had wanted to do.
William Hooper: father, lawyer, congressman,
husband, patriot; died at forty-eight years of
age on October 14, 1790.
KATHI’S QUOTES
Right is right, even if everyone is against it; and
wrong is wrong, even if everyone is for it.
IMPORTANT THINGS TO
REMEMBER
•
Applications are now available on the
Patriot Academy Blog. The deadline
for the Senate is January 1, 2009.
Please contact Mama Seay at
[email protected] with any
questions. Remember, the sooner the
better.
•
Keep Juan and Laura Ciscomani in
your prayers with the upcoming
election and the anticipated arrival of
Baby Zoë.
- William Penn
CONTACT INFORMATION
If there is any information you would like to see in
the Patriot Press, contact us at
[email protected].
We would love to hear your suggestion, stories,
opinions, and notable achievements throughout the
year.