Inauguration Day

To be honest, I don't like hearing our Presidents using foul language or bashing the opposition or anyone who says anything against them, but  I'm old enough to remember another President who's mouth was even worse than Donald J. Trump's.  He bashed and dissed everyone from Joseph Stalin to Martin Luther King. If I'm not mistaken, he even said some nastiness about Winston Churchill, although I could be wrong about that.






In fact, it was reported more than once that when a reporter asked the President when he thought of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., it wasn't pretty. Aghast, the reporter shot back that Rev. King had won the Nobel Peace Prize.  "I didn't give it to him," was the response.







That President was Harry S. Truman, Democrat. His nickname was "Give 'em hell, Harry."  The man was notorious for speaking his mind, regardless of the consequences.  Republicans hated it and had no time for him.  Democrats loved it and applauded him for it. I've read that when his wife, Bess, was entertaining a guest and Harry walked into the room, he announced that it was time to put manure on the roses.  In the late 1940's or early 1950's, even the word "manure" in public was shocking.  How far we've fallen!  Mrs. Truman calmly told her shocked guest that she couldn't begin to tell her how long it took her to get her husband to use that word!

I vaguely remember seeing President Truman inaugurated.  His first term began in April of 1945, due to the death of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and I was too young to remember that one, if he even had an inauguration. He may have just been sworn into office because the country was mourning Roosevelt's death.  His inauguration on January 20, 1949, is the one I saw.  Since his first years in the White House Oval Office began in a mid term, it meant that technically, 1949, was his first term.  In fact, he could have run again in 1952, but chose not to. That was a very long time ago. In those days, televisions were extremely rare.  I doubt there were five TV's in our entire town.  One of those television owners happened to live across the street from Grandma and was her best friend. So, at the tender age of five, I saw my first inauguration.



The second one I saw was Dwight David Eisenhower.  By January 20, 1953, the school had a television and we were able to watch history in the making. When he left office, he was quoted as saying the title of EX-President was the best title. He told press to not call him Mr. President, but General.



 Today, history begins again.  A new chapter has begun.  Only God knows what His plans are, but I firmly believe Donald Trump was God's choice. Isiah 55:8 says, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, declares the LORD.  He also said in the next verse, "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways." It's often been said that God uses flawed people to bring about His perfect will.  Even people with foul mouths and harsh rhetoric.  If Harry Truman did nothing else right, he made it possible for Israel to exist as a nation for the first time since 70 AD.  God used him for His purpose.

As I watch another historic event, I am grateful for the privilege of being an American.  I'm grateful that God has given us another chance to get it right. Every former President has made major mistakes, but God brought us through. Psalm 118:8 says, "It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in men." Words America needs to hear.

Supposedly, Donald John Trump will use II Chronicles 7:14 is his speech. "If My people, who are called by My Name, will humble themselves and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and forgive their sin and heal their land." It was God's response to Solomon's prayer as he began to lead Israel. Franklin Graham has led the nation in prayer in 2016, stating that there was much confession of sin.  I pray for President Trump as I have for former Presidents, but most of all, I pray for America.  I pray we have been sincere in our repentance and will turn from our wicked ways.

Detoxing

It hasn't been mentioned on the news, but multiple media sites and friends have posted that California has passed a law legalizing child prostitution.  I can't get it off my mind, especially since some people on Facebook think it's a good choice. Talk about giving a drowning child an anchor! They don't think children should be in jail.  Neither do I, but legalizing child prostitution is far more destructive to the child.  When I mentioned my distress to my pastor, he suggested I follow Pastor Erwin Lutzer's advice and take a three day detox from media.  Excellent idea.  I cannot change California.  I cannot stop this law.  I find it reprehensible and worse, to me, are those who see good in it.



My husband grew up very close to the California - Mexico border and was able to spend a great deal of time in Mexico. Back then, it was common for children to be sent to the streets to make money for the family.  Isn't that special? Don't think it will happen here? Don't kid yourself. Evil is evil, no matter where it happens and no matter who does it. And it feeds on weakness disguised as compassion.

There was a time when we protected out children. I happen to have two of the finest sons I could ever have asked for.  Yes, I protected them when I felt it was necessary, but I also prepared them for a world that would do anything to destroy them.  I would tell them they were too good looking and too smart to every expect anyone to feel sorry for them, but they weren't born with a silver spoon in their mouths, so anything they wanted in life, they'd have to earn.  Earn they have.  They also paid penalties for wrong doing.  Even when they thought they had a good excuse. So, what's my point about protection and prostitution? So many parents have gone far beyond protecting their children to pampering them and they really aren't prepared for the harsh realities of the world.  Hence snowflakes.

Now the pendulum has swung the other direction. Now we want our children to be rich and we don't care how they get that way.  Unfortunately, there's an even darker side.  Just this morning, I said that the law was passed because guilty people don't want to go to jail for such a heinous crime.  Stories are rife about twelve year old girls being given to directors and producers just to make sure they'd be hired.  Perverts and degenerates seem to be more rampant in Hollywood, but they're everywhere. Roman Polanski fled this country many years ago because he faced charges of molesting a twelve year old.

I'm not saying all child prostitutes in Hollywood were sent to those mean streets or casting couches by their parents. Many do it to pay for the drugs they're hooked on.  Some are runaways.  All are abused no matter the reason they're there. Legitimizing that abuse is despicable.

A favorite historian of mine has written about the early church after the ascension of Jesus.  The Apostle John lived in Ephesus, the most immoral city of that day. In the book, the author claims that young boys wore shirts that barely covered the buttocks, for the sole purpose of servicing men on the streets!  Get ready.  It's coming. As a Christian, I'm appalled and revolted by the very thought of such things going on and I certainly don't want to witness it. But, God put me on this earth at this time. If He gave the Apostle John the grace to not only endure but be a witness to a degenerate city, then He'll provide the grace I need to do the same.  I just need to seek Him and obey Him.  Hence, the detoxing.

By the way, when the homosexual law was passed some time back, a black pastor was interviewed on the Glen Beck show by Beck's associates.  He mentioned "bottomless pants" and the associates made jokes about that statement for the rest of the program.  Little did they know the pastor knew what he was talking about.  They did not.  It's no laughing matter.

Now, to the detoxing.  As of tomorrow morning, my TV, my laptop, and anything else to do with electronic media will be off for three days.  I need to restore and refresh my spirit to sanity.  As I said, I have no clout.  Nothing I do or say will change anyone's mind.  That would be about like me convincing Chuck Schumer et.al. that their scorched earth policy is about as helpful to solving America's problems as making it legal for a grown man to molest a child.

How far we've fallen.  It's been less than three years since the public outcry against the oldest Dugger boy fondling his sisters while they slept was so loud, so long, the family has been in tatters ever since.  I'm not applauding Dugger in any way.  What he did then and later as an adult was despicable. The way things are going, in ten years, he'll get a medal.  Scratch that.  He claims to be a Christian.

What I am saying America is no longer on a downward spiral.  It's a rapid, willful descent into hell. Genesis 6:5 says, "And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually." Sound familiar?

When Trump won the election, I honestly believed God was merciful and giving America another chance to repent of our sin and perhaps have a reprieve from the destruction that is headed our way. Now, I have to wonder if America is going down because of the divisiveness.  Obama is staying in Washington to protect his legacy.  Schumer has promised to fight Trump every step of the way.  Harry Reid brags about being a liar. The media continues to promote their rhetoric.  I have no doubt America is going down.  I just don't know when.

I say again, I can't do a thing about it.  Except detox.  Several years ago a church we attended had several prayer vigils for a building project.  One of them was to do a lenten fast of something.  I gave up TV for 6 weeks.  It was fabulous.  About the only night time TV program I watch anymore is NCIS.  I gave them up for 5 months.  Again, it was a wonderful experience.  Therefore, I'm looking forward to 3 days unplugged.  Obama, Schumer, California, or any news making degenerate will not be on my mind.  It will be 3 days with Jesus and Jesus only.

Till then.