State Of The Union Response

Over the last year The People in this nation have been standing up and speaking out to defend the Constitution and our freedoms in this nation. Now we have an opportunity to become proactive in setting up additional protections to limit government in the area of government controlled health care, and upholding fiscal responsibility.

In February of 2009, the Tea Party Patriots formed to speak out against the fiscal irresponsibility in government. That movement swept the nation as The People joined in speaking out and led to a march on Washington in September where over a million citizens from all over this nation participated.

The Tea Party Patriots have now proposed a State Of The Union Response which consists of the following two initiatives. Please read these initiatives and go to the Tea Party Patriots State Of The Union Response website to show your support by signing the pledge and please pray for our nation. Thank you!

These are the proposed initiatives

Fiscal Responsibility Amendment
The debt ceiling has increased from approximately $10.62 trillion to $12.33 trillion in the last year. Now Congress is considering raising the limit to $14.3 trillion!

Instead of increasing the debt ceiling, Senator Tom Coburn has the novel idea to cut spending and leave the debt ceiling alone. The government has gotten fat for years off the American taxpayer by creating more and more programs that do exactly the same thing. For example, there are more than 14 programs administered by the U.S. Department of Education related to foreign exchanges and designed to increase opportunities for students to study abroad.

This amendment to the currently proposed federal debt increase will put the federal government on a massive diet by reducing redundant programs, releasing unspent funds to pay down the debt, thereby saving the taxpayers billions of dollars each year. It will cut spending by $120 billion, consolidate 640 duplicative government programs, and prevents politicians from pursuing the fiscal obesity plaguing our nation.

Declaration of Health Care Independence
In order to retain the Blessings of Liberty as secured to us by our Founding Fathers and as expressed in our Constitution, We the People reject the imposition upon us of a new, Washington-controlled system of government-run health care. We demand Constitutional protection of the right to make our own health decisions and our own health care choices free of government denials, bureaucratic red-tape, and greater intergenerational debt. A Washington takeover of American health care will ___Deny fundamental personal and economic liberties and indisputably violate the Principle of Limited Government as established by the Constitution; ___Impose increased costs and taxes upon individuals, families, and businesses, as well as taxpayers at the federal, state, and local levels; ____Irreparably cripple the American economy, at the cost of jobs, businesses, productivity, and quality of life; ~Create an inescapable new tax by imposing individual and employer mandates; ____Institutionalize a massive, ever-expanding federal bureaucracy that is impersonal and impractical; ___Empower bureaucrats to interfere in the doctor-patient relationship, undermine the quality of care, limit choice, and increase the cost of health care.

We have appealed to the decency of the elected majority to respect the rights of all Americans, but their leaders have been deaf to the Voice of the People. We are appalled by their cavalier disregard of the Constitution and of the demands of the People. We are repulsed by their blatant political bribes and kickbacks.

We, therefore, the People and Representatives of the United States of America, do solemnly Publish and Declare that health care reform, as a matter of principle must ___Protect as inviolate the vital doctor-patient relationship; ___Reject any addition to the crushing national debt heaped upon all Americans; ___Improve, rather than diminish, the quality of care that Americans enjoy; ___Be negotiated publically, transparently, with genuine accountability and oversight, and be free from political favoritism; ___Treat private citizens at least as well as political officials; ___Protect taxpayers from compulsory funding of abortion; ___Reject all new mandates on patients, employers, individuals, or states; ___Prohibit expansion of taxpayer funded health care to those unlawfully present in the United States; ___Guarantee Equal Protection under the law and the Constitution; ___Empower, rather than limit, an open and accessible marketplace of health care choice and opportunity.




"A girl needs to be so lost in God, that the guy is going to have to seek HIM to find her!" ...Maya Angelou

El Roi - The God Who Sees

Yolanda at Joy Comes in the Morning is doing a study of God's Names from the book by Kay Arthur, Lord I Want to Know You. For some reason I have been calling this book "The Names of God" but that is not the title. I will go back to my previous posts and correct my error. This has been a wonderful study and I am learning so much more about God's character and drawing nearer to Him as I study His Names. Thank you Yolanda for doing this!

Since I also have the book by Ann Spangler, Praying the Names of God, I have decided to combine the two studies to glean more of God through my study of His Names. What I share here is only what I learn, it is not an in-depth lesson on His Name. I would so encourage you to do your own study and allow God to reveal Himself in ways that will speak intimately to you.

Hagar was Sarai's (Sarah) maidservant. Sarai had given Hagar to her husband Abram (Abraham) to conceive a child since she, Sarai, had not been able to conceive. By law the child would be considered Sarai's offspring. After Hagar was pregnant with child, the bible says she despised her mistress Sarai. The NLT says "she began to treat her mistress, Sarai, with contempt."

He slept with Hagar, and she conceived. When she knew she was pregnant, she began to despise her mistress. Genesis 16:4

Because of Hagar's behavior, Sarai began to mistreat her until Hagar couldn't take it any longer and she ran away. While she was sitting near a spring in the desert, God came to her, told her to go back and submit to her mistress, and He blessed her with a promise for her descendents. In response, she called Him El Roi.

Thereafter, Hagar used another name to refer to the Lord, who had spoken to her. She said, “You are the God who sees me.” She also said, “Have I truly seen the One who sees me?” Genesis 16:13

This is the only time in the bible that the Name El Roi is used. I can just imagine Hagar sitting there wondering what in the world she was going to do now. She had blown it. Yes Sarai had mistreated her and that was wrong, but if she hadn't gotten out of line in the first place, she wouldn't be in this predicament. Now what? These are some of the thoughts I can imagine might be running through Hagar's mind.

Have you ever felt like that? Like you've blown it because of a wrong choice or behavior? I have. More times than I would care to admit. At those times I still fall prey to the thought that God might decide to look away or overlook me. I beat myself up for saying the wrong thing, offending another person, falling back into that sin that won't let go.

Whether it is an intentional act on our part or just carelessness that lands us in a bad spot, El Roi still sees us. He does not overlook anyone, ever, for any reason. He looks on us with love and mercy. He comes to us, picks us up, corrects us, forgives us, loves us, blesses us, and continues to use us.

He will not let your foot slip— He who watches over you will not slumber. Psalm 121:3

How does El Roi, The God Who Sees, speak to your heart or impact your life?








"A girl needs to be so lost in God, that the guy is going to have to seek HIM to find her!" ...Maya Angelou

Longings

Have you ever noticed how easy it is to shop for a child? Give a gift to a toddler and chances are good that they will be more interested in the box than the pricey toy. When that happens you may redirect the child's attention to the toy. This may require persistence on your part, and even removal of the box but eventually the child is focused on the toy. It becomes one of their favorite toys for a while, then they lose interest in it all together. That toy gets pushed aside while they make way for new toys that peak their interest for a little while until they become bored with those as well. Before you know it the child has a room full of toys that they never play with. Does that sound familiar to you?

In the eyes of that little toddler, the box brought more interest and joy than the pricey toy. The box is the thing that invites the imagination of the child to soar. In a sense, redirecting their focus to the toy is like teaching them to focus on material value rather than on the simple joy. Between a parent's, grandparent's, or other family members' desire to bring happiness to a child, and a retailers desire to sell more stuff, it is easy for a child to have too much.

He who is full loathes honey, but to the hungry even what is bitter tastes sweet. Proverbs 27:7

We have all had to shop for someone who seems to already have everything they need or want, except for things that are not in our allotted budget for their gift. While the gift may be appreciated, it most likely won't bring that sense of enjoyment that the we would like it to. The same can be true of our children if they have all the latest and greatest toys and gadgets on the market we may be depriving them of the delight that comes with receiving something that has been longed for.

That is the way God works in our lives. He doesn't hand us everything we want but when it is His plan to give it, He often has us wait and allows us to long for it so that when He does give us that gift, our joy will be much greater than when we first asked for it. Whatever the longing is, whether necessity, ministry, companionship, or enjoyment, His perfect timing will bring the most joy to His child.

My soul, wait silently for God alone,For my expectation is from Him. Psalm 62:5

If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask Him! Matthew 7:11

Join me at Titus 2 in Action today...







"A girl needs to be so lost in God, that the guy is going to have to seek HIM to find her!" ...Maya Angelou