< Previous www.TerryLowry.com February 2020 6 The Secret Power of Prayer to Make a Difference GUEST EDITORIAL [EDITED FOR SPACE] By Tony Perkins President Family Research Council Are you keenly aware that 2020 is an e xtremely important year for our values? It's cr unch time for America's future. Monumental battles will rage in the coming months. Currently, the Left is relentlessly pursuing the removal of President Trump... a thinly-veiled attempt to stop the advance of the conservative agenda. I believe America will rise or fall based on the actions and engagement of Americans like you and me -- those who believe faith, family, and freedom must be preserved. Is spending more time on our knees in prayer a good idea for all of us? One Scripture passage describes how believers should begin every day: “First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life , godl y and dignified in every way.” - 1 Timothy 2:1-2 It's a convicting message each of us should take to heart. Before we pray over meals or bring our other petitions before God, the Bible says “f irst of all” to pray for those in authority. Let’s Stand in the Gap Today: that means praying for our city council members, mayors, state representatives, members of Congress, Governors, Supreme Court Justices... and certainly for President Trump and his administration. I am asking you to pledge to pray for our nation. "Intercession" means to intervene on behalf of another -- or, put another way, to stand in the gap. David Went Forth and Faced Goliath. Now: Go Forth and Vote. One intercessor in the biblical history of Israel was young David, who stood for the people of God against the giant Goliath. In 1 Samuel 17, we see how he fought the powerful foes gathered against them, armed with just his sling and five smooth stones. Enemies of Life It's clear who the special-interest Goliaths are today -- those who are enemies of innocent life. Planned Parenthood Action Fund has pledged to spend $45 million in this year's elections. In 2018, the pro-abortion group Emily's List raised and spent more than $110 million. Abortion Up to Birth Those are the same groups who last year coordinated a wave of state laws intended to legalize abortion up to the point of birth. Tragically, New York and Illinois passed the barbaric laws. Other states are on these groups' 2020 target list. [like Texas] When we look at biblical examples of intercessors, they were not armed with the most powerful earthly resources. Young David rejected the heavy armor and sword of King Saul in favor of the simple defensive tools of a shepherd -- the tools he knew best. Tony Perkins7 February 2020 www.TerryLowry.com David Was Not Perfect: God Still Used Him Israelite worship leader Asaph concludes Psalm 78 by praising God for how He used David as an instrument of deliverance, saying, "David shepherded [his people] with integrity of heart; with skillful hands he led them." Willingness to Fight and Skillful Hands God Still Used Him Working through young David, willingness to fight and skillful hands were the only tools God needed to bring down the giant Goliath and the Philistines' reign of terror over the Israelite people. More Than 60 Million With more than 60 million defenseless American lives in the womb lost to abortion-on-demand since 1973, it's an alarming indicator of our depraved culture that pro-abor- tion forces continue raising funds for their wicked cause. FRC has "slingshot strategies" for impacting culture and policy with truth -- and we've learned to skillfully wield them. FRC Experts Often on the What’s UP Radio Program Our daily radio show Washington Watch engages and equips believers like you, and no w reaches 336 stations nationally. Thousands of pastors nationwide receive updates that help them inform and activate their congregations with the tr uth in these deceptive times. FRC is increasing our training efforts, so parents and leaders at local school boards are equipped to stand up for what is right. Commit to Pray Starting Today I thank you for joining me in the pledge to pray. Discernment, wisdom, and, most of all, prayer are needed for Christians seeking to apply biblical principles to the issues facing our nation. Yes, let's stay informed of events happening right now and be wise as we seek out truth. But let us never neglect to start and end the day on our knees, interceding for our nation by crying out to God for truth to prevail, for innocent lives to be saved, and for the Kingdom of God to advance. Jesus is NOT on the Ballot. www.TerryLowry.com February 2020 8 How A Russian’s Grocery Store Trip In 1989 Exposed The Lie Of Socialism GUEST EDITORIAL [EDITED FOR SPACE] By Jon Miltimore T he fall of the Soviet Union is sometimes remem- bered as Nov. 9, 1989, the day the Berlin Wall sym- bolically collapsed. While the physical barrier endured for some two more years, on that day, East German Communist Party officials announced they would no longer stop citizens from cross- ing the border. The fall of the barrier was indeed a watershed in the collapse of the Soviet Empire, yet one could argue the true death knell came two months before at a small grocery store in Clear Lake, Texas. An Unexpected Trip On Sept. 16, 1989, Boris Yeltsin was a newly elected member of the Soviet Parliament visiting the United States. Following a visit to Johnson Space Center, Yeltsin and a small entourage made an unscheduled stop at a Randalls grocery store in Clear Lake, a suburb of Houston. He was amazed by the aisles of food and stocked shelves, a sharp contrast to the breadlines and empty columns he was accustomed to in Russia. Yeltsin “roamed the aisles of Randall’s nodding his head in amazement,” wrote Stefanie Asin, a Houston Chronicle reporter. He marveled at free cheese samples, fresh fish and produce, and freezers packed full of pudding pops. Along the way, Yeltsin chatted up customers and store workers: “How much does this cost? Do you need special education to manage a supermarket? Are all American stores like this?” Yeltsin was a member of the Politburo and Russia’s upper political crust, yet he’d never seen anything like the offerings of this little American grocery store. “Even the Politburo doesn’t have this choice. Not even Mr. Gorbachev,” Yeltsin said. A Sickening Revelation It’s difficult for Americans to grasp Yeltsin’s astonish- ment. Our market economy has evolved from grocery stores to companies such as Walmart and Amazon that compete to deliver food right to our homes. Yeltsin’s experience that day ran contrary to everything he knew. A longtime member of the Communist Party who had lived his entire life in a one-party system that punished dissent harshly, Yeltsin had been taught over and over that socialism wasn’t just more equitable, but more efficient. Socialism Not More Equitable nor Efficient His eyes were opened that day, and the revelation left the future Russian president feeling sick. “When I saw those shelves crammed with hundreds, thousands of cans, cartons and goods of every possible sort, for the first time I felt quite frankly sick with despair for the Soviet people,” Yeltsin later wrote in his autobiography, “Against the Grain.” “That such a potentially super-rich country as ours has been brought to a state of such poverty! It is terrible to think of it.” Weekdays 2:00 to 3:00 PM on FM 100.7 The Word. Visit www.TerryLowry.com The fall of the Berlin Wall was indeed a watershed in the collapse of the Soviet Empire, yet one could argue the true death knell came two months before at a small grocery store in Clear Lake, Texas.9 February 2020 www.TerryLowry.com Yeltsin was not the only person fooled, of course. There is copious documentation of Western intellectuals beguiled by the Soviet system. These individuals, who unlike Yeltsin did not live in a state-controlled media envi- ronment, saw the Soviet system as both economically and morally superior to American capitalism despite the brutal methods employed in the workers’ paradise. Using Fake Data Paul Samuelson, the f irst American to win the Nobel Prize in economics and one of the most influential econo- mists of the 20th century, was a longtime enthusiast of Soviet central planning and predicted it would lead to a higher standard of living. “Who could know that [the data] was all fake?” Samuelson asked a fellow economist following the empire’s collapse. The Truth About Socialism Revealed Despite decades of propaganda and obfus- cation, the great fiction of socialism was eventu- ally fully exposed with the f all of the Soviet Union and the publica- tion of its archives in the 1990s. No longer could academics deny the truth that the people of the Soviet Union endured a painfully low standard of living despite the vast wealth of its empire. “Their standard of living was low, not only by compari- son with that in the United States, but also compared to the standard of living in countries with far fewer natural resources, such as Japan and Switzerland,” the economist Thomas Sowell observed in “Basic Economics.” Yeltsin deserves credit for laying bare the lie of socialism that so many others had refused to see. “[T]here would be a revolution,” Yeltsin told his entourage that fateful September day in 1989, if the people in the Soviet Union ever saw the prosperity in American grocery stores. Yeltsin was more right than he knew. www.TerryLowry.com February 2020 10 What Happens When Apathy Rules? GUEST EDITORIAL By Don Wildmon Originally published in the August 1999 issue of AFA Journal. Used with Permision. In 1973 the Supreme Court said it was OK to kill unborn babies. Since then, we have killed more than the entire pop- ulation of Canada. And it continues. A woman's choice? Half of those who have died in their mothers' wombs have been women. They didn't have a choice. It is called abortion. Me? I go to church, the minister preaches, I go home. That's what Christians do now. First it was in dingy, dirty theaters. Then, convenience stores. Then, grocery stores. Then on television. Now it is in the homes of millions via the Internet. It is called pornography. Me? I go to church, the minister preaches, I go home. That's what Christians do now. They called it no-fault. Why should we blame anyone when something so tragic happens. Haven't they already suffered enough? Half of the marriages in America end this way. The children suffered. The family broke down. It is called divorce. Me? I go to church, the minister preaches, I go home. That's what Christians do now. At one time it was a perversion. We kept it secret. We secured help and hope for those who practiced it. Now it is praised. We have parades celebrating it and elected off icials give it their blessing. Now it is endowed with special privileges and protected by special laws. Even some Christian leaders and denominations praise it. It is called homosexuality. Me? I go to church, the minister preaches, I go home. That's what Christians do now. It used to be an embarrassment. A shame. Now a third of all births are to mothers who aren't married. Two-thirds of all African-American children are born into a home without a father. The state usually pays the tab. That is why we pay our taxes, so that government can take the place of parents. After all, government bureaucrats know much better how to raise children than parents do. It is called illegitimacy. [In 1999] Me? I go to church, the minister preaches, I go home. That's what Christians do now. At one time it was wrong. But then the state decided to legalize it, promote it, and tax it. It has ripped apart families and destroyed lives. But just look at all the money the state has raised. No longer do we have to teach our children to study and work hard. Now we teach them they can get something for nothing. We spend millions encouraging people to join the fun and excitement. Just look at the big sums that people are winning. They will never have to work again! It is called gambling. Me? I go to church, the minister preaches, I go home. That's what Christians do now. Not long ago, Christians were the good guys. But now any positiv e image of Christians Don Wildmon 11 February 2020 www.TerryLowry.com in movies or on TV is gone. We are now depicted as the bad guys – greedy, narrow- minded hypocrites. The teacher can't have a Bible on her desk, but can have Playboy. We don't have Christmas and Easter holidays – just winter and spring break. We can't pray in school, but can use foul language. It's called being tolerant. Me? I go to church, the minister preaches, I go home. That's what Christians do now. Yes, all these things came to pass within 30 years. Where were the Christians? Why, they were in church. All these things are for someone else to deal with. Times hav e changed. Involvement has been replaced with apathy. But don’t blame me. I didn’t do anything. I go to church, the minister preaches, I go home. That’s what Christians do now.www.TerryLowry.com February 2019 1213 February 2020 www.TerryLowry.com www.TerryLowry.com February 2020 1415 February 2020 www.TerryLowry.comNext >