Restoring America's Biblical Foundations​ by Pilgrim Institute is a DVD course for high school students and adults on a topic that is dear to my heart: Truth. 

Over the years,  history has been taken out. Godly men are glossed over or their faith is hidden. Many people have only heard revisionist history--they know nothing of the truth of our Christian heritage and biblical foundation. 

I applaud the Pilgrim Institute for speaking out!

This course covers the biblical view of government and a Providential view of history. God gives a plan for government in His Word which the founders respected and tried to follow. The Lord intervenes in the affairs of men. Our Founding Fathers believed both.

​As Christians, I believe it's time to teach the truth to the next generation, starting in our home schools. Restoring America's Biblical Foundations is a great start! 

​Let me tell you about the kit.

​Election Day is a great day to teach your children about the election process.
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Start the day together by praying for our nation.

Take your children with you to vote. Yes, I know it will be hard to drag them along to the polls, but they will see you cast your vote and turn in your ballot. There is no greater lesson than example.

On the way there and on the way home, you can talk about why it’s important to vote.

You see, in American, every citizen has a leadership role. Each vote matters. If we don’t cast our vote, we shirk our responsibility.
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You can find voter guides for every state here: commit2vote2016.com/commit-2-vote-2016-landing-page/ways-to-get-involved-locally/  

During the day, get online and watch some of the campaign speeches and debates with your children. Discuss what was said and how it was said.

Don’t just look at the presidential candidates. Your state will have state and national congress seats open. Some of you may have senate elections too. In our state of Florida, we have a senate election. Our current senator, Rubio is running to hold on to his seat in Washington, D.C.

You can also look at old elections: who won and who lost. 
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After dinner, watch the election results together and fill out a blank outline map as each winner is declared.

Talk about the Electoral College and how it determines the winner of the presidential race. Here is a site that explains the Electoral College: congressforkids.net/Elections_electoralcollege.htm

You can also watch a Schoolhouse Rock video on Youtube to learn more about the Electoral College. youtube.com/watch?v=ZFJ2e82Nvnw

The Bible has something to say about all of life, including government and economics. God is our provider and boss. All authority and power resides with God. We ignore God's authority at our own peril.

"Then Jesus came to them and said,"All authority in Heaven and on earth belongs to me," (Matthew 28:18 NIV (c)1984).

God also owns everything in world and all who live in it.

"The earth is the Lord's and everything in it; the world and all who live in it," (Psalm 24:1 NIV (c)1984).

Stewardship

God then delegates authority, responsibility, and wealth to people and institutions. What? Well, let me explain. God is the owner of everything and we are His stewards. We take care of His property for Him. The best biblical illustration of this is the parable that Jesus told in Matthew 24:45-51 where the master of the household puts a servant in charge of his household, possessions, and other servants while he goes away on a trip. When the master comes home, he will reward or penalize the servant based on the servant's care of others and behavior.

God places us in charge of his people and possessions. We are his stewards, accountable to him for the job we do in caring for what is entrusted to us.

Economic Stewardship

"The American people have spoken," I heard over and over on election night. I wondered just exactly what the American people had said. I realized how polarized our nation was as many states came down to the wire. Of course, Wyoming, Texas, and other staunchly conservative states voted overwhelmingly Republican and more liberal states like Massachusetts and New York were strongly Democratic. Our state, Florida was a close call. 

The election results made me sad. Not just another four years with Obama who has led us straight to socialized medicine, economic ruin, and unfathomable debt, but I grieved over the amendments passed throughout the nation. Socialized medicine was held up here in Florida. Colorado legalized recreational drug use. Surprised these things were on the ballot? No. Surprised at the results? Yes. 

Where is the America Dream?

I grieved all day Wednesday. I don't recognize this nation anymore. I remember a speech my friend, Kathy gave in high school at an Optimist Club oratorical contest. It was on the American Dream. She was amazing and won the night! Like most young people, I didn't pay attention to the message, only the delivery. She looked pretty and spoke well. 

"Like a lamb led to the slaughter," I kept hearing in my mind. People, so foolish, think they can get something for nothing. Promised the moon, they will end up with only an illusion. Voters will lose far more than they will gain. 

National Sovereignty

Socialism is about more than high tax brackets. It is about the loss of national sovereignty, the loss of freedom, the destruction of the Constitution. 

All socialists believe in one world government. Do we really want to cash in national sovereignty. Do we really want to surrender our freedom to the federal government? We are on a path of destruction. Does no one see? This is far more than economic woes and higher taxes (though they will come in full force!). Individual rights will cease to exist. Yes, they will disappear slowly and many will not even notice. 

Corruption of Power

I gave my heart to Christ at the age of sixteen. I love Him and would lay down my life for Him. He is my boss. I trust Him completely to make wise decisions with my best interest at heart. I do not trust the federal government to make decisions with my best interest at heart. I do not want the federal government to be my provider either. I already have one. I do expect the federal government to provide me a justice system and a strong military that will defend the nation should we be attacked by a foreign government. 

Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. We are giving more and more power to the federal government, With that power comes more and more corruption because power is like a drug--you just want more and more. Giving more power to the federal government will mean less freedom for families, businesses, educators, and individuals. 

With great sorrow, I still commit myself to honor our president and do my best to be a responsible American. I trust in God's sovereignty, in His discipline.   

Now, I mourn the loss of the American Dream. There is no Canadian Dream, no Venezuelan Dream, no Dutch Dream. Good-bye American Dream, hello American Nightmare. 

So many things tug at my heart strings and make me open my wallet to donate to a worthy cause. But no matter how desperate a situation is painted, I never vote for a tax increase. Why? Because I have yet to see the government use its money wisely and with integrity. 

The government needs money to exist, to fulfill its role.  I do not have a problem with paying taxes. My problem is with the way the government handles my money and how  much money it wants to take from me. 

Accountability

When our Constitution was written, a system of checks and balances was put into place to keep one section of the government from acquiring too much power. The voice of the American people, through voting, is one way for the American people to say to government at every level, "Enough is enough."

Government officials, and the way those officials spend money, needs to be held up to scrutiny. This is our money folks, money that we have worked hard for. Are you happy with the way the government spends your tax dollars?

Lavish Spending

From my perspective, there is a lot of government waste. People joke about it, but it annoys me. People wasting money the way the government does would be fired in the business world. It doesn't matter whether they are Republicans or Democrats, they are all guilty of spending more than is needed, sending money home to their states or counties whether it is a prudent decision or not. 

Spend It or Lose It

In government work, thriftiness and cutting costs are not rewarded. If you don't spend all the money the government gives you in one year, you receive less the next year. This results in people "spending up their money" in a fiscal year to make sure that there is more next year. I would like to see cutting waste rewarded in some way. 

There is no such thing as a free lunch. Someone pays for every government program that exists. That someone is the hardworking tax-payer. If the government (federal, state, or local) is going to spend money on something, then it should spend that money wisely and as prudently as possible. After all, it is not their own money they are spending. 

Whose Money Is It?

There is a mind-set in many, not all politicians that tax dollars rightfully belong to them. I do not find a tax rate of 5% hard to manage, but I do find it quite upsetting that Washington D.C. takes up to 35% of people's income, as well as taxing their property, clothing, gas, school supplies, etc. How much money is left in an American's pocket after the government has finished taxing it?

I appreciate our "Tax-Free Days" in Florida that help parents save money when getting ready for school. I would like to see more examples of government leaving money in people's pockets. 

I would not buy an alcoholic a drink. Sure, he might get the drink elsewhere, but I don't want to participate in his destructive behavior. Let the government take some steps in the right direction and I may reconsider my stand. But until then, I will give money to private charities, but will always vote against tax increases.

God Bless America!
And God Bless the American Taxpayer!
Merey (Meredith Ludwig Curtis)