What's at stake...

Make no mistake about it Iowans seem to like their babies dead. At least that is how we continue to vote time and time again. We sit in church on Sunday and give a hearty, “Amen!” to the preacher when he speaks about the importance of life, but our voting record shows we would much rather have dead babies.

We believe the propaganda that organizations like Planned Parenthood are helping women with health services. We allow politicians and the media to lull our brains into thinking that the number one issue facing America is jobs. And all the while, the number of dead babies in the State of Iowa (and America) keeps mounting. Planned Parenthood is a money-making entity and the money they receive is blood money.

Planned Parenthood has one business and it is NOT providing health services to women. The business they are in is a bottom-line, money-making business. And the number one source of money for Planned Parenthood comes from the abortions they perform.

Just as Iowa seems to have devolved into the homosexual version of Mecca, it also happens to be Planned Parenthood’s chief resource as well. According to the Iowa Right to Life’s website, Planned Parenthood has 32 locations in Iowa (23 of which perform abortions). Compared to Illinois which has 18 Planned Parenthood locations (6 of which perform abortions). We have a population of just over 3 million here in Iowa and Illinois has 12.9 million.

Why am I writing about this? Because January 3^rd we are going to Caucus for the President of the United States. And the number one issue we face is not the crisis our economy is in. We are experiencing the economic crisis we are experiencing because we have lost our moral way.

We have churches filled with good Christian people who have learned how to be able to step over the carcasses of the unborn as they cast their vote to save their jobs. This cannot continue. I cannot be quiet about this topic anymore or I might drown in the swelling blood of the babies we choose to ignore.

We have got to begin to align our beliefs with how we vote or we will most certainly face judgment of Almighty God as a nation (if we have not already). Please for the love of God, I beg you to hear the cry of the unborn as you vote. I beg you to not wash their blood away.

We need Christian men and women who are broken and weeping before the Lord on behalf of our lost nation and state. We need Christians to do the right thing…not the practical thing…not the pragmatic thing…but the right thing and vote accordingly.

"Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute." -Proverbs 31:8 (NIV)

Meeting with former Governor Terry Branstad

This morning I had the opportunity to sit in a room with former Governor Terry Branstad along with about a half dozen others and learn his positions on issues. In the room with me were a couple of other pastors as well as Chuck Hurley with the Iowa Family Policy Center, Kim Lehman with the Iowa Right to Life, Jonathan Narcisse, Steve Scheffler with the Iowa Christian Alliance,and my buddy Shane Vanderhart who maintains the blog Caffeinated Thoughts.

What occurred at this meeting is exactly what I thought would occur. Terry Branstad said things we wanted to hear. He made some things clear to us. He is NOT running a campaign on social moral issues. His campaign is going to have one primary focus. Here's the focus: Culver is doing a lousy job, I can do better.

What Branstad hopes to accomplish in these back-room meetings with pastors and other socially conservative Iowans is to appease us in some way by saying something like this: "We're on the same team. I think the same way you do about these issues. Even if you don't hear me talk about them, they are important to me privately."

But that is NOT leadership. Definitely not the leadership we need. Here's Branstad's track record in Iowa with conservatives:

Under his leadership gambling became legal in this state. There really isn't a need to hold him accountable for the havoc this has reaked on the people of Iowa because as he said to us in that room, "What was I supposed to do? Over 70% of the people wanted it even though I was personally opposed to it."

Under his leadership the DHS allowed homosexual couples to adopt and provide foster care for children. He said he simply wasn't aware of that. Kind of like the Griswold's driving to Wally World in the movie Vacation when they fell asleep at the wheel.

Under his leadership he appointed two of the Iowa Supreme Court Justices who voted to redefine marriage in this state...an act of judicial tyranny.

I asked him if he would openly campaign against retaining those justices and speak out against their decision. He bristled at the thought. He said that privately he feels that way but he can not publicly do something like that. WEAK!

I told him that I was concerned about Doug Gross' influence in the campaign and his potential future administration. Doug Gross, in case you aren't aware, spent lots of money polling people in the state to try to prove that social issues need to be put on the back burner if Republicans are going to win elections. You can see an article about that Here.

Branstad just ignored my concerns and didn't even respond to them. All in all, if Branstad wins reelection, he will simply be a Republican version of Culver. He is a politician through and through.

The people in this state need to take a stand and not keep getting force-fed candidates who don't have a backbone. We need leadership. We need someone who will be a true champion of conservative values.

We need a strong stand on moral issues (not back-room meetings)! We need someone to fight those who have brought same-sex marriage to this state. Someone who will not be afraid to speak out against rogue justices who have ignored our state's constitution!

Basically what we need in gubernatorial leadership in Iowa is something that Terry Branstad is not able to deliver.