Welcome to the October newsletter. Even if something is left undone, everyone must take time to sit still and watch the leaves turn. It's a beautiful sight and beauty is one of the rare things that do not lead to doubt of God.

CAN YOU READ THE BIBLE?

A dear friend sent an email with a lot of one line jokes and in the thick of it was a question:

Why is it that our children can't read a Bible in school, but they can in prison?

I'm glad that they allow it in prison. My friend, Saul might not have found his path to the Lord if he wasn't allowed to read his Bible. His Bible has been so well used that I'm not sure what's keeping it together the way he talks about it. He has lead many others to a righteous path behind bars and they have more freedom inside than we do on the outside.

The Bible historically was used by schools to teach kids to read and now they can't even talk about it. The Good Book has been banned because of frivolous law suits backed by the ACLU.

When your kids face a gang banger on school property at the barrel of his gun, ask how not reading the Bible is working out. When they are forced to do drugs or hide drugs for someone else in school or when they are beaten or killed at school by some kid with no IQ, ask the school how things are working out without the Bible.

Christian children can't pray in school but in many schools, Muslim children are given time to kneel on their prayer rugs and pray to their hearts content. Christian kids aren't even allowed to say Grace at a school lunch, even if they sit alone.

People will say that it's for separation of Church and State but since when has the Church ruled our country? Our country was founded on Christian values and we've been strong for over 200 years. When our country started, every session of Congress was started with prayer and the Capitol building had a chapel. Even Thomas Jefferson attended those early services. However, laws were written with Christian values but Christianity was not forced on anyone. We have freedom of religion because our founding fathers read the Bible and lived by the morals they derived from it.

When you turn your back on the Lord and walk away from the Covenant this country was started on, you just have to hand your faith over to the courts. Bit by bit we are being told when and where to pray and we better be quiet or the ACLU will knock on our doors.

I have seen some revival among high school kids such as a program called, "See You at the Pole". They actually meet by the flagpole at their school in a yearly event and pray and talk about their faith. Oddly, there has been no resistance in some cases and their numbers are growing with each meeting. Kids know how to "just do it" when it counts.

I've been praying for a revival of global proportions that would shut down all resistance and I may see it in my life time. Until it happens, give your children a teen Bible or a study Bible and read with them.

Watch movies that pertain to certain books of the Bible to illustrate the story, such as, One Night with the King, which tells the book of Ruth. Make it fun and soon your children will be putting Bibles in their book bags with their ipods and do a little reading at lunch. It's better than waiting to read it in prison.

The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.
Isaiah 40:8

Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children;
Ephesians 5:1

Hold faithfulness and sincerity as first principles.
Confucius, (551 BC - 479 BC)