Thursday, May 07, 2009

National Day of Prayer in Louisville

I'm headed to Louisville for a National Day of Prayer event. Check back for updates later today.

UPDATE: Here is my speech.

"The key function of human wisdom is the ability to see things as they really are. Though we live in times of difficulty and trials and disagreements, my Bible tells me this this is the very purpose of our mortal sojourn, not a temporary circumstance for us to wait out before we act."

"All our pains are growing pains and so we must embrace them and learn from them. We live in a nation conceived in liberty and raised up in freedom. Though we may as Americans and as Kentuckians dispute among ourselves the shapes that liberty and freedom shall take we must persist in inviting the proper spirit to dwell within us as we sharpen the fine points of our public policy and the status of our shared destiny."

"We may among ourselves see differently the nature of prayer and prayers but let us not confuse their purpose -- which is personal growth. We may among ourselves see differently some of the doctrines and details pertaining to the hearer of our prayers, but let us not mistake the attitude we must embrace for our prayers to have and give to us true, unconquerable, and divine power."

"That attitude, of course, is an attitude of gratitude. We can hardly expect to be blessed with greater blessings if we are not sufficiently grateful for the blessings we already have. Indeed, we will lose the freedoms we possess if we take them for granted."

"Expecting a great battle in our time and wearing an armor of gratitude and optimism will prepare us well for the victory that lies ahead."