The Difference Two Years Make! Senate Chaplain Speaks at National Prayer Breakfast

"My hope does not rest in the various branches of government...but holy lean on Jesus' name. On Christ, the solid rock I stand. All other ground is sinking sand!" Senate Chaplain, Barry Black's Powerful Speech at National Prayer Breakfast Often times we can miss the overwhelming transformation and shift that has taken place without taking into consideration where we have come from. As our nation’s leadership has just carried out its 65th National Prayer Breakfast, it is vital to understand what took place and transpired only two years ago. When we understand this, then we can fully embrace the excitement and awesome moment of what just happened at this year’s National Prayer Breakfast. In 2015, United States Air Force Major General, Craig Olson, had spoken at the National Day of Prayer. As a Believer in Jesus Christ, he not only is outspoken towards his faith in the Lord, but also very bold for the Lord as well. As a leader in our nation’s military, he points out how an image capturing George Washington, kneeling in prayer, reminds him of how important it is for him to seek God in his life as well. He correlates how this image of George Washington has been an image of where God has placed him in his own journey of life. “God has given me these experiences to drive me further and further beneath, before God, in position.” Having a life of prayer wasn’t always General’s Olson’s approach. After hearing how Jack Hayford began every day on his knees before God, General Olson decided to make a change. “The day I heard that, I started the very next day. Every time the alarm goes off, I’m going to fall on my knees; and I think it’s been twenty years I’ve been doing the same thing.” This “moment” of prayer was not only at his morning bedside, but as he describes, all throughout his day. “So, I found myself doing that, many times a day. Closing the door of the office, finding some closet somewhere, where I can get that way because I just need to. And, I’ll stop many times a day to pause in prayer, for that next meeting, that next phone call, that next decision.” How beautiful and inspiring is it to know that our military leaders place so much importance on each of their decisions and rely on God to carry out each of their decisions and responsibilities? But, surprisingly enough, the response towards these encouraging statements was anything but encouraging. As a response to Major General Olson expressing his faith and dependency upon the Lord, he was threatened with a Court Martial. As the Air Force Times reported, The Military Religious Freedom Foundation, is calling for General Olson to be "aggressively and very visibly brought to justice for his unforgivable crimes and transgressions" by a court-martial, adding that any other service members who helped him should be investigated and punished "to the full extent of military law." The CEO of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, Mikey Weinstein, more specifically says, as reported by the Air Force Times; “Olson's highly publicized, sectarian speech is nothing less than a brutal disgrace to the very uniform he was wearing and the solemn oath he took to support and defend the United States Constitution”. This is how the General was treated for such bold statements. To accept this response is to essentially agree that the General can fight for our freedoms, but he cannot express his own freedoms. The good news is this: today is a new day. There is a new administration in leadership. Not only are our leaders boldly declaring the Gospel of Jesus Christ, but our newly elected President, President Trump, encourages it. This couldn’t be demonstrated more clearly than when Rear Admiral (ret.), now Senate Chaplain, Barry Black spoke at the 65th National Prayer Breakfast. Read More: http://vfntv1.blogspot.com/2017/02/the-difference-year-makes-senate.html?view=magazine