My Perspective On The State of the Union

Feb 2, 2006

I am back…slept in my bed last night. It sure is fun to travel; however, there is nothing like sleeping in your own bed and taking a shower in your own shower.

The trip to DC was good for me—very good. It allowed me to see some things I have never seen…and it allowed me to gain some perspective on some things I have never really thought about.

I was sitting there waiting on the thing to start…I got there an hour and fifteen minutes early because I didn’t want to miss anything. It was pretty cool just sitting there and looking around the room and thinking about all of the important decisions that had been made there…all the people that had passed through those doors.

Then people started coming in the doors—the Supreme Court justices, the senate, Bush’s cabinet, everyone! I thought, “This is literally a gathering of some of the most powerful people in the world.” I was in awe—for about a second or two…until God rocked my world.

I began to think about Rome—that’s right, Rome. For some reason I could not get that country out of my mind…I’ve read so much about the senate meetings in ancient Rome. I am sure that someone like me probably had the opportunity to sit in some of those very meetings and thought the same thing I did, “Here are some of the most powerful people in the world.”

And then I had this thought, “So where are all of those policies that the senate of Rome passed today? How did the decisions made there affect me here today?” What once was perceived as the most important meeting on the planet MAY actually get some history books to dedicate a paragraph to it today—funny how things change.

And that’s the way it is going to be with our government. Don’t get me wrong—Scripture clearly says to support the leaders, to pray for them…and I do. However, one day the politicians and policies will be an after thought…

BUT…

The church—wow, I am getting emotional as I write this…THE CHURCH will live on. At the same time the politicians were meeting in Rome there was also a group of people who were just popping on the radar screen…they were called Christians…and the decisions THEY were making, well, they are having a MAJOR impact on all of us today. If they would not have done what they did—then we would not be what we are doing.

It’s the church—NOT the government—that is the most powerful institution on the planet. I felt as if God were saying to me in the gallery, “Perry, what you guys are doing at NewSpring will last for thousands of years…it’s even more important than what is happening here.”

The church—she’s beautiful…and through her God wants to change the world. The government can pass programs that will assist in times of need—however, they cannot powerwash a soul or give an eternal hope for the future…but the church can.

I am so glad that the people who serve in Washington do what they do. I was able to meet a lot of those men and women…and the ones I met really did seem to care about their duty to represent their country. However, I would not exchange places with any of them—EVER. What they do will last for a few hundred years…what the church does will last for eternity.

I will post some pictures next week…right now I am busier that I have ever been!