March 31, 2020 – Click here to listen
So the President had My Pillow founder speak at his press conference yesterday and at the end he went off script and made the following statement: “God gave us grace on Nov. 8, 2016 to change the course we were on. God had been taken out of our schools and lives; a nation had turned its back on God.”
He then went on to emphasize what a good job the President had done to turn the economy around, bolster our defense, and reduce unemployment. He asked people to pray saying: “I encourage you to use this time at home to get back in the word, read our Bibles, and spend time with our families,” he continued. “Our president gave us so much hope where, just a few short months ago, we had the best economy, the lowest unemployment, and wages going up. It was amazing. With our great president, vice president, and this administration, the other great people in this country, and praying daily, we will get through this and get back to a place that is stronger and safer than ever.”
As you might expect CNN cutaway from broadcasting it and this morning liberals are howling about it. How dare he mention that our nation needs to pray and return to reading Scripture and enjoy time spent with family.
Yesterday Pastor Rodney Browne, who has visited my home, was arrested for defying Hillsborough county’s order not to conduct church services. A good friend famed constitutional attorney, Liberty Council’s Mat Staver, is defending him. The church has taken extraordinary measures to provide protection for the membership including installing a $100,000 system to purify the air, handing out sanitizer to each person attending, and all ushers wearing gloves. His services have been full as people seek help from God in their time of trouble and Staver is hopping mad that freedom of religion is being trounced on.
Initially when I read this, I thought that he shouldn’t be opening, but Staver explained that other essential businesses remain open such as Amazon, grocery stores, etc. and even Planned Parenthood has been granted an exception for continuing its daily slaughter of babies. He says church is essential at times like this. I believe what is needed most is prayer, and a nationwide return to God to the church. He made a good argument and if social distancing and other measures are used why wouldn’t it be feasible to open church to those seeking spiritual help?
I have been staying home except to buy groceries and medications and I go fishing a couple of times a week with a friend who has been social distancing too. We don’t run a risk of infecting anyone or ourselves out on the ocean. I also ride my bike and exercise in my back yard, and I see little chance of being infected or spreading an infection and yet the state is ordering me not to go outside my home. The small group at the church I attend has resumed meeting at a home in West Palm Beach but so far anyway I have refrained from going. I’m having problems with missing my brothers and sisters in Christ and the online services are not a good substitute for our Lord’s command not to forego the gathering together of ourselves and it is perhaps the ultimate sacrifice not to go.
It’s kind of spooky that elected officials have such power, especially when some are using it in cases that have nothing to do with preventing the virus, such as closing all gun and ammo dealers. I have a friend who told me that he has the power to set curfews in his county and he ultimately did so. Personally that seems overboard to me and almost Gestapo in nature. He reasons that I and others are not as informed as him and thus should be excluded from the conversation saying it is his constitutional right to issue a curfew.
I hope this doesn’t set the precedent for another administration in the future shutting down churches, seizing guns, forbidding gathering together to protest, ending free speech and so on. Sound crazy? The mayor of New York City just warned synagogues that if they didn’t shut them down that he would close them PERMANENTLY. In the UK they are using drones to spy on people leaving their homes. In Serbia they are using guards with machine guns to patrol. My daughter-in-law was stopped at a roadblock in North Carolina where they own a home and questioned about why she was in North Carolina.
Before you send letters, I realize we are in a crisis. I agree that people should avoid other people and social distancing is the best way we know to do it. I am as well-read as most anyone on the dangers of the virus and even get White House briefings on a daily basis. I understand how serious it is. I just think that some in the government are taking things too far. If we as a nation so willingly give up our freedom and basic rights what might happen in the future? If there is a mass shooting will they confiscate our guns? If we have a President that doesn’t like religion would it be acceptable just to ban it altogether as they have done in China, Cuba, Venezuela, Iran, Pakistan? It’s something to think and pray about… Ahh we are in troubling times. I suppose before we get too excited we should just remember where we are from and keep in mind that sooner or later we will leave this place and go home.
Phil. 3:20
But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ,