Wednesday, April 17, 2019

Speaking Truth to Power (Through Letters)

In this post I'm going to drop in a few of the letters I wrote at last Saturday morning's brunch version of Vital Signs Ministries' longstanding series of letter-writing parties. In the next day or two, I'll post a few samples of letters and notes written by others at the gathering. They are all posted, however, in high hopes that you will be inspired to write a few of your own.

Remember, lighting candles is always better than just cursing the darkness!

Dear President Trump,

Wow! What a remarkable job you are doing -- for the cause of freedom, for the national interest, for the hopes to rebuild in America a culture that again respects and protects life. We are profoundly grateful and we thank the Lord for blessing you with special courage, wisdom, and compassion. You are a man for our time; there’s no doubt.  

In particular, we want to again thank you for your efforts to defund Planned Parenthood and for your strategic, vocal support of the pro-life movement.   

However, if I may, I’d like to urge you to reconsider two policy courses: 

1) Could you please increase U.S. offers to legally bring in legal immigrants among those refugees who are fleeing persecution because of their Christian convictions? I agree with your desires to get tougher on illegal immigration and to allow in fewer overall numbers. But way too many persecuted Christians who could become legal and productive members of American society are being left out. Remember, they possess a faith that aligns them with American values, rather than so many of those crossing our southern border who do not share the ideals of democracy, justice, responsibility, family, and respect for law. 

 And 2) Please remove Secretary Acosta. He and his policies are not a good fit for your team and, more important, not a good fit the American economy and workplace.   

Again, we are so grateful for the way you leading the United States and, by strengthening our national defense and our moral fiber, also serving the cause of freedom throughout the world.

Dear Attorney General Barr,  

Oh my! Is it ever time to “drain the swamp” in the nation’s intelligence and law enforcement agencies! And it’s also way past time to move past the false charges, character assassination, and outright lies that were used to try smear the Trump presidency and move instead to the investigation of possible crimes perpetrated by the Clinton campaign and the Obama-era FBI and other agencies.  

Thank you so much.

Dear Senator Sasse,

A quick note of thanks for your superb work on the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act. No matter what happens with this bill in the U.S. Congress (and we still pray fervently it will soon pass), it has already had a huge impact in the cultural battles over the sanctity of life. Really terrific!  

Thank you also for your stirring remarks at the Assure Women’s Center banquet a couple of weeks ago and at the Walk for Life down in Lincoln last January. You are a sterling example of a politician that is pro-life in action and not just at the fish frys!

Again thanks. And please stay the course.

Dear Secretary DeVos,  

Thank you for your principled, wise, and courageous service in behalf of our nation and, specifically, to the cause of improving the education of its youth.

However, I do have some profound concerns about the state of education in the U.S. As a former teacher, for instance, I remain greatly disturbed at the crucial problems of crime, bullying, anti-Christian and anti-American propaganda, the suppression of religious freedom, and what seems to be an ever-increasing failure to teach basic skills in the schools.

And added to these grave problems nowadays are the pressures to promote “sexual nonsense” like shared bathrooms and showers, girls taking their place on boys’ wrestling squads, drag queens leading “story times” at elementary schools, Planned Parenthood’s gross and wildly counter-productive sex ed programs, and political propaganda (always from one direction only) being delivered on a daily basis.

We are praying earnestly that you and the present administration can make serious progress in meeting these problems. 

Thank you.