Women on Busses

God is calling us, I believe, to move with Him, to allow Him to empower us and to show us what He 
wants us to do and where to do it. Isaiah 43 highlights the direction of God's Spirit:
16 Thus says the Lord, who makes a way in the sea And a path through the mighty waters,
17 Who brings forth the chariot and horse, The army and the power (They shall lie down together, they shall not rise; They are extinguished, they are quenched like a wick):
18 "Do not remember the former things, Nor consider the things of old.
19 Behold, I will do a new thing, Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness And rivers in the desert.

God hasn't placed us here on earth to merely exist or to fend for ourselves, to fend for ourselves. No, I believe He desires for each person to accept Christ as Savior and embark on an adventure of pursuing Him - obeying His Word and submitting to His call.  He has provided a "way," a "path," and as the Psalmist says, He leads us in the paths of righteousness.  We just have to make sure that we are on the right road and make a course correction if necessary.

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We are not called to stand still regarding Godly pursuits; He desires for us to move forward, to follow the leadership of His Spirit, and to flow with His motion. Philippians 3 states:
12 Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.
13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead,
14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

I hope you heard and were encouraged by my interview with Kimberly Fletcher of Moms for America yesterday - she leads an organization made up of women who are determined to be salt and light and do not shy away from engaging on the issues.  They are present this week in the nation's capital to show support for U.S. Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett, who gives every indication of being a justice who will follow the law and uphold the Constitution and not try to rewrite it.

We are living in an unprecedented age in which Christian women's organizations are not listening to the dominant culture and even some so-called Christian leaders and engage in politics, which Kimberly regards as "civic responsibility," consistent with the "civics" lesson that Sen. Sasse presented in Monday's Supreme Court hearings.  Unfortunately, those who take a stand for truth because they believe they should integrate their faith in Christ into the political realm are being accused of idolatry, misplaced priorities, and more.  I, like they, believe that our faith should inform every area of life, and that we should be seeking out ways to engage and influence the culture.

So, I am thankful for organizations who are leveraging their influence.  One of the relevant questions is: who is determining the direction for our nation?  Who is fighting for what has been called the "soul of America?"  Do we want the teachings of Scripture to determine our values, or for those who do not hold to Biblical principles to determine them?

For this reason, another Christian women's organization has been traveling the country, making stops in various states in the "Heal Our Land" bus tour, which takes its name from the familiar phrase in 2nd Chronicles 7:14.  Christie Hutcherson is the founder of Women Fighting for America, which she describes to The Christian Post as a “new movement that’s on the rise across this nation to bring back morality, biblical foundation, Constitution, and freedom into this nation.”  The article says:

Hutcherson stressed that the endorsement of political candidates is “not what this movement’s about.” She said that her movement's primary goal is to illustrate the “two different visions our country is headed for.”

“America’s at a crossroads,” she said. “We’re either going to go down the line of Marxism, communism, chaos, destruction, defunding the police, or we are going to go down a road where we are founded in the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, safety and security, pro-police, pro-gun, pro-Christianity (and) pro-God back in schools.”

Christie says, “America needs a mother right now because we’ve lost our moral compass,” adding, “We’re trying to be the new women’s movement. The pink hat ladies, the NOW ladies, the feminist movement, they don’t speak for most women in America. But they’ve had the bullhorn and they’ve hijacked our voice.”

It's true - we are staring at two distinct visions for America, and the tug-of-war has been lived out in our institutions, our communities, and unfortunately, even our churches. You have those who acknowledge a Biblical worldview and embrace the sanctity of life, marriage, religious freedom, and the character of Christ.  It stands opposed to the humanistic worldview, which is devoted to socialism, abortion on demand, acceptance of homosexuality and transgenderism, and a hostility to religion.  

So, we have to pick a side.  For years, Concerned Women for America has done that, and they have been involved in a bus tour of their own - they are in Washington this week to show support to Judge Barrett. Their bus says, "Women for Amy" on one side and "She Prays She Votes" on the other, according to another Christian Post article, which says:

Concerned Women for America President and CEO Penny Young Nance explained that her organization wanted to bring together conservative women from across the county to “voice their support on behalf of Amy Coney Barrett as she went into her hearing.”

“We were lining the streets on Constitution Avenue and welcoming her so that she knew there was support for her and women of faith in support of her nomination,” Nance explained.

“The second thing is we were praying. We’re praying for our nation, we’re praying for the Supreme Court, we’re praying for the Barrett family. We learned from the [Brett] Kavanaugh nomination that these can be very chaotic hearings and that there is true spiritual warfare around these nominations.”

First, with regard to the election, you have to make your choice Biblically, whenever possible and when you have good information.  Faith Radio has an Election Prayer Guide you can download from our website and links to sources of information about the candidates and the party platforms. I believe you are responsible before God for the vote that you are casting.  Can you or have you tried to make a Biblical case for the candidates for whom you plan to vote?

Now, let's speak figuratively for just a moment.  These women's organizations have been traveling the country bringing a message of participation in the process, for that civic engagement that is possible within this great country.  We do have the right to free speech, freedom of religion, and other freedoms, and we can exercise a wonderful responsibility when we vote.  You have groups that are on bus tours, and we can examine the road on which we are traveling.  A valid question has to do with what our love for Christ is motivating us to do - are we following His direction?  Does our passion and adoration for our Savior, as well as for our country, cause us to do more than be passive observers?  Sometimes, in pursuit of a righteous cause, we have to get on the bus and follow the road, the path to which God has called us.  We know that God is moving, and He calls us to move with Him, according to His direction.