Election 2008

Last night we had a few friends over to watch as the election results come in.  We were disappointed, of course, but so grateful to be living in a country where everyone's voice is heard and every vote counted.  Whether we agree or not, we have the freedom to speak our viewpoints freely.  And we know that power will be transferred peacefully between parties - another rare but wonderful fact about America that so many of us take for granted. 

As Christians, we are called to pray for our leaders and respect our government, and we do.  We pray for them. The Presidential Prayer Team offers its congratulations to President-Elect Barak Obama, and urges Americans to lift him up in prayer as he prepares to take office. 

I offer two morsels of wisdom from two great former presidents, and I hope the new president will take them to heart:

"You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich. You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong. You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift. You cannot lift the wage earner up by pulling the wage payer down. You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatred. You cannot build character and courage by taking away people's initiative and independence. You cannot help people permanently by doing for them, what they could and should do for themselves."   -  Abraham Lincoln

 

"A government big enough to give you everything you want, is big enough to take everything you have."   - Thomas Jefferson