To my blogger friends. Today I am particularly addressing the people who make up Jesus’ church, all of us who meet in our separate groups with various names, here and there across the nation. Others are welcome to see my heart for my church and my nation.

So, I fear, we Christians slept through it again. I was blindsided by the seriousness and timing of the SCOTUS decision. Yet I probably spend as much time as anyone on news, internet, Bible reading, attending church, etc. because of having time that many others do not have. I feel like Peter must have felt when Jesus said, “Could you not watch with me one hour?” As I reel in the aftermath of their decision, I take in mind the place and responsibility of the church – Jesus’ arm regarding spiritual/political/social decisions. Why do I say that? Jesus said to Peter, “Truly I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” (Matt. 18:18) I’m not sure I know all the issues involved in that scripture but I have been amazed at how the church is in the vanguard of social issues discerning danger in social mores before secular catches up. The thing which most readily comes to mind is smoking. For years the church said no; then they gave up and science/secular caught up and said we ought not do that. Everything seems to start out so harmless but grows more and more intense and extreme until it erupts into sickness or sorrow. Even things as “unimportant” as make-up. When we do all we can with make-up, we move on to tattoos, and piercings. We have yet to see the result of that chemical/ink or whatever in the body. Church says no to immodest dress, drugs, drinking, sexual perversions, pleasure loving, materialism…They let down, quit preaching a “no-no” doctrine, social mores drop to an embarrassing state. We finally admit that our nation needs healing; some even admit the church needs healing.

And, don’t you know, God told us what to do. (refer II Chron. 7:14) Can we individually or as a whole charge God with failure to keep that promise based on our dedication to following that command?

Now I am thinking of the judgment/wrath that God might mete out to our nation. And even in that I remember Peter said that judgment will begin at the house of God (I Peter 4:17). We point fingers at the evil power wielders, media, entertainment, judges, POTUS, etc. But I feel, “It’s me, it’s me, it’s me, Oh Lord…; I, a member of the Church, am the one who slept while you asked, “Can’t you pray for an hour?”