Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Vote!

The Following is a letter sent to me from my friend, Ralph Reed, of the Faith and Freedom Coalition (whose Executive Director, Gary Marx, has ties to First Free--his mother attended our church years ago). I've modified some of it into my own words, but want to recommend it to you as a reminder of the importance of voting. I also encourage you to check out their website as a source of very helpful information regarding the election.

Dear Christian:

America is just weeks away from one of the most important elections of our lifetimes.
Christians are citizens too, and we should play a vital role in the civic life of our nation. Sadly, in 2008 there were 17 million Evangelical Christians who did not even bother to vote. You and I simply must not allow this to happen in 2012 through our collective inaction. As Christians, we are called to be “salt and light,” including in the civic arena, and the Bible teaches that our earthly citizenship carries certain rights and responsibilities. (Romans 13)
We know you have many competing obligations and opportunities. But with the stakes in this election so high, we urge you to make a priority of educating and informing yourself on where candidates stand.
God bless you for all you do to transform lives by sharing the Gospel message with others.

In His Service.

Faith and Freedom Coalition
www.FFCoalition.com

Friday, August 3, 2012

Gabby Douglas: God's Gymnast

God seems to be displaying Himself lately through a number of remarkable athletes. Tim Tebow, Jeremy Lin, and now Gabby Douglas. The following link is an interview of Gabby from her Pastor, Quintin Stieff. I've been to a number of retreats with Pastor Quinton as he serves at a one of our sister churches, Valley Church in West Des Moines, IA. He's a great pastor and Valley is a wonderful church. This also happens to be the church where our own Pastor Brandon Early has now accepted a call to be their Student Pastor. Please pray for these high profile athletes as they share the message of Christ. And pray that our nation will listen!

 http://youtu.be/P4kEwgS93Vg