Presidential election

This is long but worthwhile to read. I hope that everyone will not only vote for George Bush this year, but also join me and actively work to elect this man. We need to restore some semblance of decency and character to the White house.


Subject: GEORGE W. BUSH

>>>>>If any of you are interested in what George Bush says about his
faith
> > > >here it is.
> > > >
> > > >Mike Clark wrote: From George Bush:
> > > >
> > > >”Actually, the seeds of my decision had been planted the year
before,
> > > >by the Reverend Billy Graham. He visited my family for a summer
> > > >weekend in Maine. I saw him preach at the small summer church,
St.
> > > >Ann’s by the Sea. We all had lunch on the patio overlooking the
> > > >ocean. One evening my dad asked Billy to answer questions from a
big
> > > >group of family gathered for the weekend. He sat by the fire and
> > > >talked. And what he said sparked a change in my heart. I don’t
> > > >remember the exact words. It was more the power of his example.
The
> > > >Lord was so clearly reflected in his gentle and loving demeanor.
The
> > > >next day we walked and talked at Walker’s Point, and I knew I was
in
> > > >the presence of a great man. He was like a magnet; I felt drawn
to
> > > >seek something different. He didn’t lecture or admonish; he
shared
> > > >warmth and concern. Billy Graham didn’t make you feel guilty; he
made
> > > >you feel loved. Over the course of that weekend, Reverend Graham
> > > >planted a mustard seed in my soul, a seed that grew over the next
> > > >year. He led me to the path, and I began walking. It was the
> > > >beginning of a change in my life. I had always been a
“religious”
> > > >person, had regularly attended church, even taught Sunday School
and
> > > >served as an altar boy. But that weekend my faith took on a new
> > > >meaning. It was the beginning of a new walk where I would commit
my
> > > >heart to Jesus Christ. I was humbled to learn that God sent His
Son to
> > > >
> > > >die for a sinner like me. I was comforted to know that through
the
> > > >Son, I could find God’s amazing grace, a grace that crosses
every
> > > >border, every barrier and is open to everyone. Through the love
of
> > > >Christ’s life, I could understand the life changing powers of
faith.
> > > >When I returned to Midland, I began reading the Bible regularly.
Don
> > > >Evans talked me into joining him and another friend, Don Jones,
at a
> > > >men’s community Bible study. The group had first assembled the
year
> > > >before, in Spring of 1984, at the beginning of the downturn in
the
> > > >energy industry. Midland was hurting. A lot of people were
looking
> > > >for comfort and strength and direction. A couple of men started
the
> > > >Bible study as a support group, and it grew. By the time I began
> > > >attending, in the fall of 1985, almost 120 men would gather. We
met in
> > > >small discussion groups of ten or twelve, then joined the larger
group
> > > >for full meetings. Don Jones picked me up every week for the
> > > >meetings. I remember looking forward to them. My interest in
reading
> > > >the Bible grew stronger and stronger, and the words became
clearer
> > > >and more meaningful. We studied Acts, the story of the Apostles
> > > >building the Christian Church, and next year, the Gospel of Luke.
The
> > > >preparation for each meeting took several hours, reading the
Scripture
> > > >passages and thinking through responses to discussion questions.
I
> > > >took it seriously, with my usual touch of humor….
> > > >
> > > >Laura and I were active members of the First Methodist Church of
> > > >Midland, and we participated in many family programs, including
James
> > > >Dobson’s Focus on the Family series on raising children. As I
studied
> > > >and learned, Scripture took on greater meaning, and gained
confidence
> > > >and understanding in my faith. I read the Bible regularly. Don
Evans
> > > >gave me the “one-year” Bible, a Bible divided into 365 daily
readings,
> > > >
> > > >each one including a section from the New Testament, the Old
> > > >Testament, Psalms, and Proverbs. I read through that Bible every
> > > >other year. During the years in between, I pick different
chapters to
> > > >study at different times.
> > > >
> > > >I have also learned the power of prayer. I pray for guidance. I
do not
> > > >pray for earthly things, but for heavenly things, for wisdom and
> > > >patience and understanding. My faith gives me focus and
perspective.
> > > >It teaches humility. But I also recognize that faith can be
> > > >misinterpreted in the political process. Faith is an important
part of
> > > >my life. I believe it is important to live my faith, not flaunt
it.
> > > >
> > > >America is a great country because of our religious freedoms. It
is
> > > >important for any leader to respect the faith of others. That
point
> > > >was driven home when Laura and I visited Israel in 1998. We had
> > > >traveled to Rome to spend Thanksgiving with our daughter, who was
> > > >attending a school program there, and spent three days in Israel
on
> > > >the way home. It was an incredible experience. I remember waking
up
> > > >at the Jerusalem Hilton and opening the curtains and seeing the
Old
> > > >City before us, the Jerusalem stone glowing gold. We visited the
> > > >Western Wall and the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. And we went to
the
> > > >Sea of Galilee and stood atop the hill where Jesus delivered the
> > > >Sermon on the Mount. It was an overwhelming feeling to stand in
the
> > > >spot where the most famous speech in the history of the world
was
> > > >delivered, the spot where Jesus outlined the character and
conduct of
> > > >a believer and gave his disciples and the world the beatitudes,
the
> > > >golden rule, and the Lord’s Prayer.
> > > >Our delegation included four gentile governors-one Methodist, two
> > > >Catholics, and a Mormon, and several Jewish-American friends.
Someone
> > > >suggested we read Scripture. I chose to read “Amazing Grace,” my
> > > >favorite hymn. Later that night we all gathered at a restaurant
in Tel
> > > >Aviv for dinner before we boarded our middle-of-night flight back
to
> > > >America. We talked about the wonderful experiences and thanked
the
> > > >guides and government officials who had introduced us to their
> > > >country. And toward the end of the meal, one of our friends
rose to
> > > >share a story, to tell us how he, a gentile, and his friend, a
Jew,
> > > >had (unbeknownst to the rest of us) walked down to the Sea of
> > > >Galilee, joined hands underwater, and prayed together, on bended
> > > >knee. Then out of his mouth came a hymn he had known as a child,
a
> > > >hymn he hadn’t thought about in years. He got every word right:
Now is
> > > >the time approaching, by prophets long foretold, when all shall
dwell
> > > >together, One Shepherd and one fold. Now Jew and gentile,
meeting,
> > > >from many a distant shore, around an altar kneeling, one common
Lord
> > > >adore. Faith changes lives. I know, because faith has changed
mine.”
> > > >
> > > >”I could not be governor if I did not believe in a divine plan
that
> > > >supersedes all human plans. Politics is a fickle business. Polls
> > > >change. Today’s friend is tomorrow’s adversary. People lavish
praise
> > > >and attention. Many times it is genuine; sometimes it is not.
Yet I
> > > >build my life on a foundation that will not shift. My faith frees
me.
> > > >Frees me to put the problem of the moment in proper perspective.
Frees
> > > >me to make decisions that others might not like. Frees me to try
to do
> > > >the right thing, even though it may not poll well… The death
penalty
> > > >is a difficult issue for supporters as well as its opponents. I
have a
> > > >reverence for life; my faith teaches that life is a gift from our
> > > >Creator. In a perfect world, life is given by God and only
taken by
> > > >God. I hope someday our society will respect life, the full
spectrum
> > > >of life, from the unborn to the elderly. I hope someday unborn
> > > >children will be protected by law and welcomed in life. I support
the
> > > >death penalty because I believe, if administered swiftly and
justly,
> > > >capital punishment is a deterrent against future violence and
will
> > > >save other innocent lives. Some advocates of life will challenge
why
> > > >I oppose abortion yet support the death penalty. To me, it’s the
> > > >difference between innocence and guilt. Today, two weeks after
Jeb’s
> > > >inauguration, in my church in downtown Austin, Pastor Mark Craig,
was
> > > >telling me that my re-election was the first Governor to win
> > > >back-to-back, four-year terms in the history of the State of
Texas. It
> > > >was a beginning, not an end…. People are starved for
faithfulness.
> > > >He talked of the need for honesty in government. He warned that
> > > >leaders who cheat on their wives will cheat their country, will
cheat
> > > >their colleagues, will cheat themselves. Pastor Craig said that
> > > >America is starved for honest leaders. He told the story of
Moses,
> > > >asked by God to lead his people to a land of milk and honey.
Moses had
> > > >a lot of reasons to shirk the task. As the Pastor told it, Moses’
> > > >basic reaction was, “Sorry, God, I’m busy. I’ve got a family.
I’ve got
> > > >sheep to tend. I’ve got a life. “Who am I that I should go to
> > > >Pharaoh, and bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt? The people
won’t
> > > >believe me, he protested. I’m not a very good speaker. Oh, my
Lord,
> > > >send, I pray, some other person,” Moses pleaded. But God did
not,
> > > >and Moses ultimately did His bidding, leading his people through
forty
> > > >years of wilderness and wandering, relying on God for strength
and
> > > >direction and inspiration. “People are starved for leadership,”
Pastor
> > > >Craig said, “starved for leaders who have ethical and moral
courage.”
> > > >”It is not enough to have an ethical compass to know right from
> > > >wrong,” he argued. “America needs leaders who have the
moral
> > > >courage to do what is right for the right reason. It’s not always
easy
> > > >or convenient for leaders to step forward,” he acknowledged.
> > > >”Remember, even Moses had doubts.” “He was talking to you,” my
> > > >mother later said. The pastor was, of course, talking to all of
us,
> > > >challenging each one of us to make the most of our lives, to
assume
> > > >the mantle of leadership and responsibility wherever we find it.
He
> > > >was calling on us to use whatever power we have, in business, in
> > > >politics, in our communities, and in our families, to do good for
the
> > > >right reason. And his sermon spoke directly to my heart and my
> > > >life…. There was no magic moment of decision. After talking
with my
> > > >family during the Christmas holidays, then hearing this rousing
> > > >sermon, to make most of every moment, during my inaugural church
> > > >service, I gradually felt more comfortable with the
prospect
> > > >of a presidential campaign. My family would love me, my faith
would
> > > >sustain me, no matter what. “During the more than half century
of my
> > > >life, we have seen an unprecedented decay in our American
culture, a
> > > >decay that has eroded the foundations of our collective values
and
> > > >moral standards of conduct. Our sense of personal responsibility
has
> > > >declined dramatically, just as the role and responsibility of the
> > > >federal government have increased. The changing culture blurred
the
> > > >sharp contrast between right and wrong and created a new standard
of
> > > >conduct: ‘If it feels good, do it.’ and ‘If you’ve got a problem,
> > > >blame somebody else’.” “Individuals are not responsible for
their
> > > >actions,” the new culture has said. “We are all victims of forces
> > > >beyond our control.” We have gone from a culture of sacrifice and
> > > >saving to a culture obsessed with grabbing all the gusto. We went
from
> > > >accepting responsibility to assigning blame. As government did
more
> > > >and more, individuals were required to do less and less. The new
> > > >culture said: if people were poor, the government should feed
them. If
> > > >someone had no house, the government should provide one. If
criminals
> > > >are not responsible for their acts, then the answers are not
prisons,
> > > >but social programs…. “For our culture to change, it must
change
> > > >one heart, one soul, and one conscience at a time. Government
can
> > > >spend money, but it cannot put hope in our hearts or a sense of
> > > >purpose in our lives.”… “But government should welcome the
active
> > > >involvement of people who are following a religious imperative to
love
> > > >their neighbors through after school programs, child care, drug
> > > >treatment, maternity group homes, and a range of other services.
> > > >Supporting these men and women – the soldiers in the armies of
> > > >compassion – is the next bold step of welfare reform, because I
know
> > > >that changing hearts will change our entire society.”
> > > >
> > > >”During the opening months of my presidential campaign, I have
> > > >traveled our country and my heart has been warmed. My experiences
have
> > > >reinvigorated my faith in the greatness of Americans. They have
> > > >reminded me that societies are renewed from the bottom up, not
the top
> > > >down. Everywhere I go, I see people of love and faith, taking
time to
> > > >help a neighbor in need… These people and thousands like them
are
> > > >the heart and soul and greatness of America. And I want to do my
part.
> > > >I am running for President because I believe America must seize
this
> > > >moment, America must lead. We must give our prosperity a greater
> > > >purpose, a purpose of peace and freedom and hope. We are a great
> > > >nation of good and loving people. And together, we have a charge
to
> > > >keep.”
> > > >
> > > >(Please Spread this around on the Internet . . .it will never be
> > > >published by the biased news media. The Internet serves notice
that
> > > >the fourth estate no longer has an exclusive control over what is
> > > >published for the people to see and hear.)

————————
Psalms 33:12
Blessed is the nation whose
God is the Lord.


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