Rise up, America!

Many times we have honored our men and women in arms for their service to our country and rightfully so. But there is another cost to be paid for the freedom our forefathers have given us. It is only we here in the United States who can pay. The obligation does not rest solely on the shoulders of our brave military men and women. It is an obligation they cannot fulfill alone. It requires the same dedication our troops exhibit, and that obligation lays at the feet of our Christian leadership, our government officials and the citizenry of America.

It takes bravery to be on the frontlines doing what needs to be done. The stakes are high. If soldiers don't perform their obligations when they should, it could mean death or injury to themselves or their squad. They are in constant danger. The stress levels are extremely high. Soldiers are willing to put it all on the line, risking life and limb, to protect the U.S. from foreign invaders, terrorists and people who want to take away our lifestyle and our freedom. But the price borne by the troops of the U.S. is a small part of the price to be paid to keep America free.

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The other price is the selfless service, dedication and sacrifice of the rest of us living in America. No, we don't have to sell war bonds and collect rubber for the war cause, not yet anyway. But we have to stand up for what we believe in. Today, our country is being attacked and invaded. Our freedoms are being taken away with unprecedented speed. To counter this, all those who want America to stay free have to join the battle.

The leadership in the Christian church must come back to a realization that God is real and that He authored the Bible. They need to study the Bible diligently and speak the Word boldly, because only it is the Word of life. It is the truth that sets men and women free. If the leadership doesn't believe the Bible is the Word and will of God, then they should have the decency and honesty to step down. People are starving for the truth of God's deliverance, love, care and understanding. As for the closet ministers, the ones who desire to walk with God and do great things in the name of Jesus Christ but the fires of desire are being extinguished by the sheer weight of the unbelief in the church leadership and the morass of bureaucracy, they must do what needs to be done to change it. We only have a short time here on earth, so why pawn eternal verities for job security? God guarantees He will take care of us and give us the desires of our hearts if we do one thing: Stand for Him!

Christians must demand the leadership in the church know the Bible and teach only that. Then they must endeavor to do what they have been taught. A Christian's walk is not just for Sundays; it is full time, 24/7/365.

The leadership in government has to stop this insanity of greed and avarice that has become the landscape of Washington. Instead, damn the demigods and do what is honest and right. That would start by turning their backs on big business lobbyists and doing what is right for the country. Why can't they be happy with their government salaries? They are higher than most other government employees and a lot more than most of the other workers in the U.S. It is time for our elected officials to close the borders, find a solution to the fiscal crisis we are in and work to make our country energy independent!

The citizens of this county must demand that government officials do what they were elected to do and that is to represent the people in this land, not their self-interests. It is high time for the people of this land to stand up and say, "I have had enough! Do what your constituents want, not what your party tells you to do. And if you don't do it we are going to recall you and get someone that will do our bidding in Washington and not sell out to the lobbyists."

Does this mean we may not be the most popular people around? Maybe. But this is what it is going to take to save our country and keep it free. It takes self-sacrifice and a belief in an authority higher than ourselves. It takes having children of our own and wanting the same freedoms and opportunities we had, and have, for them. It takes honesty, integrity and determination. We may think we are alone, but there are many people with the same concerns and interests as you and I. They are hoping someone might stand up and boldly proclaim, "ENOUGH! I WANT MY COUNTRY BACK!"

ONE MAN AWAKE

One man awake awakens another,
The second awakens his next-door neighbor,
And three awake can rouse the town,
And turn the whole place upside down.
And many awake can raise such a fuss
That it finally awakens the rest of us.
One man up with dawn in his eyes multiplies.

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Author unknown

The way I see it we don't have the dangers our soldiers do, but we have as great an obligation and calling to keep this country free. This is not a time for complacency; it is a time for introspection and commitment. It is a time for bravery and self-sacrifice to keep this country free. Our soldiers are doing their part; it is time we do ours.

(Note: If you have read this and said, "Oh, I couldn't possibly do that," but deep down in your heart you want to do it but are scared, then you have a tiny glimpse of what our young men and women in arms deal with every day.)

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Ed Lenhart is president of a western Colorado construction company, a fifth-degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do and a former missionary. His website is Truth, Justice and the American Way.