"But we have forgotten God"

The week of July 4 was fabulous, then awful.

I grew up in Dallas, Texas.  For almost 20 years my dad worked less than 2 miles from where the shootings took place on July 7, 2016.  Because a lot of my personal history was lived in Dallas, that event weighed heavy on my heart and soul.

But as tragedies often do, these events brought something front and center for me—something I have come to realize personally over the past several weeks, and I hope that others are starting to realize, too. 

That something is that these problems are not political anymore and have not been for years, maybe even decades.  What is going on in America, with all due respect, has nothing to do with politics—with #NeverTrump, #NeverHillary, Saul Alinsky, the left, the right, or anything else.

It has to do with God.

To explain what I mean by that, I must share what I have learned over the past few years about Abraham Lincoln.  Lincoln was probably one of our most beloved presidents.  I am one of those people who believes that it was his courage and leadership that saved this country over 150 years ago. 

Well, it turns out that early in his career Pres. Lincoln believed in political solutions, too.  He was actually pretty good at politics.  In truth, his political instincts helped him become president in 1860.

An example of his political approach was on full display in his speeches and debates pre-1861.  They were principled, yes, but also full of compromise and conciliation.  A great summary of his political philosophy can be found in his first inaugural address (March 4, 1861).  In short, his proposed solution to the problems at hand was a political compromise.

Then Lincoln learned, after two years of painful war, that what was going on in America was not political.  

It had to do with God.

Beginning in 1862/63 Lincoln knew, after watching America pay a very, very heavy price, that this was a country who had forgotten God.

[May] we not justly fear that the awful calamity of civil war, which now desolates the land, may be but a punishment, inflicted upon us, for our presumptuous sins, to the needful end of our national reformation as a whole People? We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of Heaven. We have been preserved, these many years, in peace and prosperity. We have grown in numbers, wealth and power, as no other nation has ever grown. But we have forgotten God (Proclamation, March 1863).

Lincoln knew that what America needed more than anything wasn't a better Republican Party, wasn't "the rule of law," but a return to GOD.  At Gettysburg he said:

…we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth (Gettysburg, November 1863, emphasis added).

“This nation, Under God.”

I invite you to read Lincoln’s 2nd inaugural address—it is not very long and it is totally different in tone from his 1st. While reading, count how many times he references Heaven and the Almighty.  Just one example:

With malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right…

I believe that all conservatives, not only as individuals, but also National Review, RedState, The Resurgent, Conservative Review, Heritage, FreedomWorks, Rush, Hannity, Beck, Levin, Shapiro, (Mike) Lee, Cruz, Sasse, Romney, etc etc etc—need to understand this one point—that the REAL "bottom line" is that what America (and the world) needs now, more than anything else, is a return to GOD. Until then, all anyone's political pontificating will be is just wasted breath (and film and print).  

Politics is not going to save us.  Politics is not the answer.  God is.

Lincoln knew this, and he knew it very, very well:

But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace, and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us; and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us!

It behooves us then, to humble ourselves before the offended Power, to confess our national sins, and to pray for clemency and forgiveness (Proclamation, March 1863).

President Lincoln’s solution was to declare a national day of prayer. This day turned out to be a vital turning point in the great Civil War. 

Have we as a nation forgotten God? Do we need to humble ourselves before God and pray for forgiveness?

‪#GodBlessAmerica ‪#GodSaveAmerica ‪#PrayForAmerica ‪#GodWillProvide ‪#ThankGodForAmerica #LookingForLincoln

Firework or Sunbeam? (2016)

This is the almost-annual update and reprint of a blog that was first published 7/21/11.

For a lot of reasons I do not stay up-to-date on the pop music scene and only occasionally listen to pop radio stations. I prefer gospel music, talk radio (when in the mood), light jazz (when I can find it), and sometimes I’m a little bit country (I grew up in Texas, what can I say?) and sometimes a little bit rock and roll.

However, even though pop music is not a #1 priority with me, because it often permeates society (clips of popular songs often show up in commercials and at ball games, etc.) I learn about songs I otherwise would not know about. 

One such song is Firework sung by Katy Perry. Even though it first hit the charts in 2010, I finally paid attention to it a year or so later at Stadium of Fire in Provo, Utah. (That is kind of an appropriate place for a firework song to show up since "Stadium of Fire" is one of the biggest stadium fireworks show in the country, if not the world.) Appropriately, that year a clip of the song was played during the fireworks display.

Eventually my naturally curious mind went into full gear and I decided I needed to learn more about the song Firework. That led me to YouTube for the actual Firework music video by Katy Perry. 

That was an interesting experience. I will admit that it is a fun, energetic song that appears to have a positive message. However, I shut the video off before it even finished because it endorsed homosexual behavior, “parties,” and immodesty.

What “Firework” Taught Me

I eventually learned two things from the song Firework.  The first came when I compared it to a document published by my church called For the Strength of Youth. Here we read:

While much entertainment is good, some of it can lead you away from righteous living. Offensive material is often found in web sites, concerts, movies, music, videocassettes, DVDs, books, magazines, pictures, and other media. Satan uses such entertainment to deceive you by making what is wrong and evil look normal and exciting. It can mislead you into thinking that everyone is doing things that are wrong.

Do not attend, view, or participate in entertainment that is vulgar, immoral, violent, or pornographic in any way. Do not participate in entertainment that in any way presents immorality or violent behavior as acceptable.

While the words of the song Firework are not, on their own, immoral or deceptive, the music video was full of deception. It was clearly making what is wrong and evil look normal, exciting, and good (see Isaiah 5:20). I, therefore, without fully knowing it at the time, took the advice of For the Strength of Youth—I stopped watching it.

Are we Fireworks?

But then I got to thinking about the message of the song—that we are "fireworks." The idea that each of us has a spark of light within us and that we should let that light shine “across the sky.” On the surface, that seems like a fantastic message. However, after a while the philosopher in me kicked in. This led me to my second lesson. 

Think about a firework for just a moment. How long does that light shine? Hours? Minutes? Seconds? Yes, fireworks are exciting and powerful and colorful (and I love fireworks). 

But fireworks are also short-lived. Even the most beautiful firework fizzles out in just seconds. The light created by a firework will not even last a full minute. And, in order to keep the excitement going once the light from one firework fizzles out, another must be fired and then another and then another. Usually, the best fireworks shows last about 30 minutes, go through a few hundred fireworks, and then they are over. The light is gone.

Fireworks are exciting and colorful, yes. But they are also temporary. 

Is that what our Heavenly Father wants for us, really? Temporary light? To be a burst of excitement and then we are over?

I believe the answer to that question is resounding “No.” Heavenly Father wants much more for us—much, much more. He wants permanent light. He wants sunshine. 

…Or are We Sunbeams?

That is when the words to a Christian children’s hymn came to my mind:

Jesus wants me for a sunbeam,

To shine for him each day…

These words may seem trite or even childish next to an exciting song by Katy Perry, but think about it just for a moment.

Sunshine. What are its characteristics? It is warm. It is life-giving and life-sustaining. Most importantly, it is more permanent than a firework—much more permanent. In fact, according to scientists, our sun has been in existence for about 4.57 billion years.

The sun is also more powerful than a firework. In fact, there is no question that the sun is the most powerful force in our solar system.

We also know that even the stars are actually suns from other solar systems whose light has reached our planet after many light-years of travel. Imagine the power of a sun that emits a light that lasts 24,000-26,000 years—the distance our solar system is from the center of the Milky Way galaxy. And that is just our galaxy—there are a multitude of other galaxies beyond the Milky Way!

Does all of this give a deeper, broader meaning to the phrase, “Jesus wants me for a sunbeam?” I say “Yes!” We can be suns! We can be a true light in the lives of everyone around us. We can warm their lives. We can give them lasting life. All we have to do to be this kind of light is be obedient to God’s commandments. 

Truth, Obedience, and the Holy Spirit

As the First Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints also taught in For the Strength of Youth:

Because the Lord loves you, He has given you commandments and the words of prophets to guide you on your journey. Some of the most important guidelines for your life are found in this pamphlet. We testify that these principles are true.

We promise that as you keep these standards and live by the truths in the scriptures, you will be able to do your life’s work with greater wisdom and skill and bear trials with greater courage. You will have the help of the Holy Ghost. You will feel good about yourself and will be a positive influence in the lives of others. You will be worthy to go to the temple to receive holy ordinances. These blessings and many more can be yours (emphasis added).

I truly believe our Father in Heaven wants us to be more than fireworks, which are exciting for a few seconds, but then disappear. Our Father in Heaven wants us to be sunbeams—real, powerful, lasting, life-giving sunbeams. And to have this permanent light in our life, all we need to do is follow Him.

Happy 4th of July everyone! Let true freedom ring!!

Acknowledgement: A special thanks goes to my friend Valerie Dimick who’s lecture on the subject of “sun” versus “light bulbs” helped to inspire this message.