Sure, we all know the old maxim that it’s far better to light a candle than merely curse the darkness. But both the state of the culture and the compromising mediocrity of the modern Church suggest we haven't been very diligent in applying the exhortation.However, Vital Signs Ministries still takes this charge quite seriously. And though we do so with seriousness of purpose, we also do so with lightness of heart for it is in the Lord’s Name and in the power of His spirit that we act.
Our candle-lighting ministries include our pro-life witness and sidewalk counseling outside the abortion mill; visitation and entertainment in the nursing homes; information and exhortation via speaking, writing, and the internet; and a variety of other evangelistic and discipleship activities. We also light candles by encouraging citizen advocacy -- a practice that includes quarterly letter-writing parties like the one we hosted last night.
Our letter targets last night included, as one would expect, the defunding of Planned Parenthood and principled, courteous protests of anti-life and anti-family actions recently committed by businesses, television programs, and publications. Also on the table were such issues as corruption, vote fraud, education and welfare reform, religious freedom, and a few more. And, as always, there were also several thank you cards sent along to people who are lighting candles themselves.
We invite you think about the topics mentioned and to scan through a few sample letters (taken from the 65 written last night) which I post below as inspiration for you to write a couple of letters yourself. Also, think about joining us for our next party and even to imagine the profound light that could illuminate the cultural darkness were you to organize a letter-writing party for your own church, small group, Sunday School class, whatever.
Here's the promised sampling.
1) Dear Mr. President,
Stay the course!
Drain the swamp!
And please keep as priorities the need to expand religious freedom, to protect the sanctity of life, and to reduce the coercive power of government.
Thank you.
2) Dear General Mattis,
I’ve been keeping my attention on this transgender debate with amazement. I have 2 grandsons in the Marines and 1 granddaughter in the Air Force, and they do not want to be taking showers with the opposite sex no matter what gender those persons, at that particular moment, “identify with.”
It’s hard for me to grasp that this is actually something that needs debating in our military. I am asking you as a brave soldier to nix this folly of counter-productive political-correctness.
Praying you will stop the madness and not allow transgenderism to weaken yet further our military’s readiness.
Sincerely,
3) Dear Ms Grossman,
Because of Weight Watchers’ continued sponsorship of the disgusting Fox TV show “The Mick,” I will not be buying your products or utilizing your services. When even a particularly irresponsible and offensive episode (one in which Planned Parenthood was promoted and the outrageous lie touted that the mega-abortion business provides health care to 3,000,000 women) doesn’t bother your company, it’s time for the public to spend their money elsewhere.
Please reconsider and drop “The Mick.” Give your advertising dollars instead to more family-friendly, wholesome, culturally enriching programs. That would be better for the culture…and better for Weight Watchers too.
4) Dear Governor Ricketts,
A couple of quick but very fervent questions: 1) Why haven’t Nebraska’s conservative officeholders yet gone after defunding Planned Parenthood…as other states have effectively done?
And 2) Why haven’t Nebraska’s conservative officeholders boldly promoted welfare reform that includes work requirements as other states have effectively done — work requirements that help the economy as well as those needy individuals who get forever stuck in the welfare cycle?
These are questions that are not only on my mind a lot, but that come up frequently in conversations. So, what are the answers?
Crucially curious,
5) Mr. President,
I recently read a description of several of the winners of the National Endowment for the Humanities latest history scholarships for youth. Projects extolling Margaret Sanger. Rachel Carson. Mother Jones. And so on. As the opening line of the article stated, “Well, we’ve had our first glimpse of Trump’s NEH and it looks a lot like Obama’s NEH.”
Could you please redouble your efforts to drain this particular part of the swamp by eliminating this largely useless, wasteful, and counter-productive agency.
And then do likewise with the NEA.
Thank you so much, Mr. President. Stay the course. You’re in our daily prayers.
6) Dear John Bryant,
I am writing to express my disappointment in your company’s decision to pull advertising from the conservative website Breitbart. I have 4 children and we would prefer not to boycott Kellogg’s. Please don’t choose sides in the culture wars.
Thank you.
7) Dear Mr. Legere, (T-Mobile)
I recently learned that your company was one of those sponsoring Fox Television’s remarkably insensitive, offensive, and deliberately misleading episode of “The Mick” in which the show’s characters promote Planned Parenthood by claiming (quite falsely) that the mega-abortion business provides health care for 3 million women. Of course, that’s a canard that has been proven to be grossly wrong….over and over. But then supporters of Planned Parenthood, the gigantic business whose main business and primary profits are the violent destruction of preborn boys and girls, have forever suppressed the truth about Planned Parenthood’s origins, business practices, profits, and criminal actions.
But your company doesn’t have to play that game.
Therefore, I write to urge you to use your influence as a major sponsor to dissuade the program’s blatant misleading of their audience. For if your business continues to promote such offensive, untrue, and socially damaging programming, the public has little recourse except to 1) turn off the program, and 2) turn off its advertisers.
Thank you for your consideration of this matter.
8) Dear General Mattis,
Enough please of the political correctness and gender experimentation and the use of the American military as a sophomore social project. Please. Let’s get back to a strong, wise, and on target approach to defending America and her historic ideals.
Thanks.
