My Dear American Friends,
Soon you will go to the polls and select your leader for the next four years. As a Canadian, I have had the privilege of watching you closely for more than fifty years. Even before the internet or CNN or the ability for a broadcast to reach into Europe and the rest of the world I watched what you were doing. It may have been through your TV shows or from my neighbours who had come here to escape going to Vietnam but I have seen you. So I can't help but look on you fondly and with concern. But at the same time I have the perspective of an outsider, because Canadians are very different in the way we view things and do things, although we may look and sound alike.
Before you stands the most important election you have faced in your lifetimes and I have been wondering what I can say to you that will help without being just another yelling voice. I found it in the words of your former president, Ronald Reagan.
If you fear something someone says you have two choices. You either silence them or you depict them as a fool or lunatic. I have seen Reagan's memory so trampled that he has become nothing more than someone to do an impression of in order to get a laugh at a party. But he was a clever and wise man who loved his country, sought to make a difference, and was able to look into the future to see what the consequences of actions would be.
In a person's final words, whether from a deathbed or the oval office, a person realizes what truly matters, puts aside debates and arguments, and cuts to the chase. In President Reagan's farewell address to the nation after two terms in office (almost the entire decade of the 1980s), he hits on two points I also wish to emphasize as I myself look upon my last days on this dark and troubled planet.
Firstly, it is found in the phrase, "informed patriotism". As you make your choice in November make SURE you know the facts. Don't simply accept what someone says or what you hear in a video, even if it is masquerading as an independent news broadcast.
Secondly, in the phrase, "We the people ...". It's not only what the United States was built on but is the entire foundation of democracy. It is when the PEOPLE tell the Government what to do not the Government telling the people. It's not enough to put someone into power and then leave it to them. You must make sure you hold them accountable every step of the way.
Now I want to share with you a twenty-minute video that you need to hear before you vote. It is from a man who was nobody's fool. He knew that "as long as America is good, America will be great" and that America cannot be good unless it is a "nation under God."
And from me personally, I'd like to add ...
You may feel very afraid and alone right now because you are isolated and surrounded by hatred, chaos, and madness, but you're not. Not only are you connected to millions of other Americans who are faced with the hardships and decisions that you are, but also the love and prayers of your Brothers and Sisters in Jesus in your own country and those of us from around the world. But most importantly you are cared for and watched over by Almighty God who has made you this promise,
"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you." (Deuteronomy 31:6)
So love your country and your God by taking the time to discover what each candidate stands for, use your gifts of reason and common sense to see where their beliefs will lead and take the time to ask God who HE would have you vote for. I know He will answer you if you take the time to listen. And always remember that nothing comes as a surprise to God. Though the world may crumble and fall around you, His love and word stands firm forever.
"But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever,
the purposes of his heart through all generations.
Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord,
the people he chose for his inheritance."
Psalm 33:11-12
LINK Reagan's Farewell Address
Speaking the truth with love,
