Monthly Prayer Alert from Carol Bauer Saturday, July 24, 2021 To: Friends & Supporters From: Gary Bauer As you know, my wife, Carol, prepares a monthly prayer alert. I hope you will share Carol's thoughts with your friends and fellow worshipers. Thank you for taking an interest in her monthly devotion. --Gary The dog days of summer are upon us. Hotter temperatures, a slower pace, a time to reflect on the last 18 tumultuous months. America took it on the chin with the COVID-19 virus resulting in deaths and a near shutdown of the economy. School-age children and small businesses across the nation paid a steep price. The social fabric of the country has frayed. There were intentional efforts to stoke racial divisions, and there are wildly divergent views of how to get back on track -- if we can even agree on what that track looks like. The leadership of the Trump-Pence Administration led us to multiple effective vaccines at "Warp Speed." At the same time, wrong decisions early on or choices to keep lockdowns in place longer than necessary led to more deaths and social and economic fallout than the COVID-19 facts warranted. Amidst all this personal loss, social upheaval, economic despair and changing voting norms, the country experienced a presidential campaign and election like none before. Big Tech interfered to the advantage of one party by pushing disproven narratives or by refusing to provide open access to all information that could have hurt its preferred candidates. This cannot be disputed. Finally, under the cover of COVID-19 states made unprecedented changes to election procedures outside the legal requirements of the U.S. Constitution, state constitutions and laws. Now, those challenging the legality of these changes are painted as wackos desiring to restrict ballot access. Frankly, if it all was on the up and up, tell me why the winners would not want to prove to the country the validity of their win by welcoming a thorough examination? So, here we are. Six months into an administration we were told would unite the country, and the status quo is unnerving. The country is more divided. We are far deeper in debt. Inflation is rising sharply. Our foreign policy is anything but "America First." The southern border is wide open. There's a continued dislocation of job openings far outpacing willing workers. A new COVID-19 variant is leading to a rise in cases. Energy independence is disappearing. School re-openings are on the horizon with many uncertainties. We now see in real time what Gary and many other conservative leaders have warned about for years. It is no longer a philosophical argument or a prediction of what might happen. It is taking place here and now before our eyes. We can choose to ignore it or we can acknowledge our circumstances and rise to the occasion. Future generations will look back on these days. Will they be moved by leaders and individual citizens who were clear-eyed and bold and rose to the circumstances? Or, will they point to these days as a quick unraveling where we lost our way, at least for a time. No one wants to relive the past 18 months. But for that to be the case we must as a people be willing to acknowledge what was done right and what led us astray. And, we must make fact-based decisions and move away from decisions based on emotion, slogans and incomplete facts. Our Heavenly Father knows our every thought and fear and hears our prayers for ourselves, our families and our country. He is not surprised by any of these circumstances. He is the God of All Comfort. Heavenly Father, we come to you humbled by our circumstances and anxious about the days ahead. We know You are there but sometimes it is hard to discern Your plan. Remind us that our lives this side of eternity are like the reverse side of a beautiful tapestry -- full of knots, mistakes and seemingly without a clear design. You are weaving a stunning tapestry through our lives yet we will not see its finished beauty. Fill us with trust in You. Ease our anxiety and help us to pull back to see the bigger picture. Give us sharp minds to recognize where we can have a positive impact on the lives of those we touch. And, open our eyes to where we can make a positive impact on the issues and decisions roiling our country. Give us boldness, kindness and clarity with our words. Help us to be encouragers of others. Dear Lord, we lift up our country, its leaders and its future to You. May the values lived by your Son here on earth guide our future. MAKE YOUR TAX DEDUCTIBLE CONTRIBUTION NOW As a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, donations to American Values are tax deductible for federal income tax purposes. 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