Last Friday Jan and I made our way to Iowa for a double wedding between Curtis and Lauren Bower’s oldest daughters and two sons of the Bontrager family.
Curtis Bowers, many of you will recall, is the producer of the award winning movie “Agenda: Grinding America Down.”
We have had Curtis and his family with us on a number of occasions to show his film(s), speak to youth, lead us in two National Day of Prayer events at Fremont’s local Veteran’s Park, and as a featured speaker at our 2016 Summer Conference.
An extra delight for those attending our events, was the singing of the Bowers family.
So what did God do? God brought together two couples with singing backgrounds as the Bontragers also travel throughout the country singing Gospel songs, ministering in the name of Jesus Christ!
A highlight of the wedding was hearing that Curtis’ daughters wanted their Dad to give the message to the couples just prior to the pastor administering the wedding vows.
As you would expect, if you have heard Curtis, he delivered the message with practical counsel and fatherly love to the young couples! Tears were shed on the stage and in the audience.
REGARDING “PEOPLE”
Jan and I then made our way across the nation with an overnight stay in Muscatine, Iowa; a stopover in Hannibal, Missouri to visit the historic Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens) home and museum (very fun and worthwhile) and then onto Arnold, Missouri where we spent two nights at the Drury Inn (a great place to stay – plus Christian owned and operated).
Our stay there served as the hub to visit precious friends in Ste. Genevieve, Missouri who are/were two of some of American Family Association’s biggest “hands on warriors” back when AFA had hundreds of AFA chapters. We had dinner with Kenny and Donna Williams and renewed our love for one another and rejoiced in their accounts of seeing the hand of God in their lives and the lives around them as they walked by faith. [Kenny will be a featured speaker at one of our future events! Kenny is inspirational and so genuine! Kenny has spoken at AFA headquarters in earlier years.]
AND WRAPPING THINGS UP.
We went on to Branson, Missouri where we enjoyed three overnights while being amazed at all the crazy atmosphere of the busy little city. We arrived on Labor Day just in time to see how popular the town is. The streets were filled with traffic and people as families were taking in the various shows, Silver Dollar City, etc..
By the next day, the summer months were completed and families and the traffic had exited to get back to school, jobs, and home. Jan and I had the opportunity to see the busyness and the hype and to enjoy a couple of days after things had slowed down.
Do you know what?
As we traveled from Michigan, through Indiana, Illinois, Iowa and Missouri through small towns and medium and bigger towns like St. Louis, MO, Springfield, IL and Chicago, we were heartened by the civility, the kindnesses, the politeness and the graciousness of so many people.
Whether in restaurants, rest stops, at stoplights and four way stops, in waiting lines at the movie (we saw Dunkirk in Branson).
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not a glass half-full guy usually. You know that I am usually reporting on negative things, concerning things, upsetting trends that don’t portend good things but rather evil things: Sharia, Antifa, corruption in the government, Obama holdovers in the military and Justice Department, inappropriate, sinful usage of technology and entertainment, etc.
But out there in so many communities there are many kindly, caring people (we see that in Houston, Texas with the self-sacrifice of so many volunteers don’t we).
The call goes out to me – that’s for sure. There is yet much good in the PEOPLE. There is still very much a large number of people who know how to hold a door. Say please and thank you. Smile. Stop appropriately at a four way stop. Let you go first.
Yet, there are those who would do us ill. That is the so-called “elite” – mainstream media, the ruling class (who, when they run for re-election, tell us what they know we want to hear and then when elected, they do the opposite). Sadly, that includes far too many. Think Mitch McConnell and Paul Ryan. What about your elected officials?
Yet, don’t lose hope for America! Let us humble ourselves anew – seek His face – turn from our wicked wicked ways – call upon His mighty Name! Treat others as we desire to be treated. God bless you and God bless America!
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