Please, help me out here. Our first parents – was it Adam and Eve or Adam and Steve? I've always thought that it was Adam and Eve who produced Cain, Abel, and eventually Seth among other sons and daughters. But, I want to make sure.

And, in the animal kingdom. Doesn't it require a tiger and tigress to have an ambush, or a lion and lioness to have a pride, or a papa bear and mama bear to have a sloth? Yes, it is the proper name for a bear family. None of these ever work with two tigers or two mama bears, right?

Ok, because in California they recently let the people vote to determine the legality of this concept. Proposition 8, a ballot initiative which passed with a vote of 52% to 48%, restricts marriage to one man and one woman. Not a man and another man. Not a woman and another woman. Not even a man and two women.

One doesn't have to have a university degree in political science or pour over electoral maps from the last few elections to realize that the name of our great nation is quickly becoming a misnomer. There are, and have been for several years undercurrents of globalism that dare to chip away at our sovereignty as a nation. Cries for the demise of unilateral action ring from many quarters. From the United Nations Headquarters in our own nation, lectures abound from our enemies about the need for diplomacy and cooperation.

From this, one thing is clear: Everyday we inch closer to new doors of division. Our enemies know that a divided house cannot stand. Therefore, I posit, that we now more resemble the Polarized States of America, rather than the United States of America. With the northeast and west coast as blue as the sky and the center and heart of our republic as red as the blood shed that forged her over two hundred years ago. There no longer exists a common goal or direction, but rather a series of cyclical battles over control of the White House, courts, and legislature.

Alexis de Tocqueville, a French statesmen, came to America in the 1830's. His purpose in coming to America was to discover the reasons behind the rapid growth and development of this new, infant nation. After much traveling, studying, and interviewing, this was the conclusion of his research.

"I sought for the key to the greatness and genius of America in her harbors...; in her fertile fields and boundless forests; in her rich mines and vast world commerce; in her public school system and institutions of learning. I sought for it in her democratic Congress and in her matchless Constitution.  Not until I went into the churches of America and heard her pulpits flame with righteousness did I understand the secret of her genius and power.  America is great because America is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great."  ~ Alexis De Tocqueville

Friends, if Alexis De Tocqueville was right (and I believe he was) that the greatness of America rested in the churches of America, then the decline of America can also be traced to the decline of America's churches.

Recently, Nina drove to the airport to pick up our co-worker who had gone to a missionary retreat in England, and while she was gone I helped the first graders with some school work. Faith was in the middle of a history lesson that covered things distinctly American - flag, pledge of allegiance, national anthem...that kind of thing. Things we take for granted living on the opposite side of the Atlantic.

Part of her assignment entailed singing the national anthem, and she wasn't quite sure how the tune went. Since she's never been to public school in the States and didn't play organized sports while we were there, I don't recall hearing her sing our country's greatest song. The aforementioned revelation may sound more like an excuse, but it is really an admission, of guilt on my part.

I very seldom pass along emails that I receive.  More often than not, I throw out forwarded emails as I consider them to be a nuisance.  Usually they are nothing more than spam clogging the storage available in my email account.  When I received the following message, however, I decided that it was relevant enough to share with everyone that I knew.  I encourage you to please join with me in prayer for our nation along with the spirit of this message.

This is the scariest election we as Christians have ever faced.   From the looks of the polls, the Christians aren't voting Christian values.  We all need to be on our knees. Do you believe we can take God at His word?  Call upon His name, then stand  back and watch His wonders to behold.  His scripture  gives us, as Christians, ownership of this land and  the ability to call upon God to heal it.  I  challenge you to do so.  We have never been more  desperate than now for God to heal our land.

Just a few short months ago, John McCain's presidential campaign was sidelined in the news media by the more prominently displayed political battle taking place between Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. Hilary Clinton.  Each day found these two political pundits trashing each other and boasting of their own goodness or what little goodness they have.  And then the day arrived that Sen. Clinton threw in the towel and handed the presumptive Democratic nomination over to her extreme liberal competitor.  The news media went wild.  In their eyes, Barack Hussein Obama had already stepped into the presidency.

As I stand by the sideline and watch the political zoo that is our 2008 election, I stand in awe at the stark contrast between the principles in the Word of God and the positions of our extremely liberal presidential candidate, Barack Obama.