5:02 pm Bob Vander Plaats speaks: “We the people are not going away”. We stood up for liberty. The body of Christ stayed together and played well in the sand box together. There is no “I” in team. We must die to ourselves daily. Even the “i” in family will be in small caps. For Bob, it’s personal. His dad passed the gospel to him, from “generation to generation”. He called on the crowd to be champions for unborn children, the sancticty of marriage. When we get knocked down we need to stand, stand, stand, for freedom.
4:49 pm WHO talk show host Steve Deace told the story of a young wife who aborted her own baby against the father’s wishes because she said they couldn’t afford it. Within weeks she called her husband to ask if they could buy some jet-skis. We need examples for men like Peter who preached the gospel after being threatened to stop. “These men had been with Jesus”. We need to choose time with our wives and families over more time with our jobs and our other committments.
4:34 pm – Two couples from the Marriage Matters Initiative were introduced: Tim & Kris Boettger, and Gary & Lynn Nelson. Boettger brought a powerful metaphor of the Glory of God in marriage. Mrs. Nelson read a letter from a woman named “Sue” who testified how MMI helped restore her marriage. But Nelson gave glory to God and the work of Christ.
4:21 pm: Chuck Hurley quoted Webster the Stateman that candidates need to be men of character. He is also suggesting that light be shown on the candidates for the judicial spots opened by the ouster of the anti-family justices. Another matter is passing another Defense of Marriage Act in Iowa.
1500 in attendance heard the following speech by Governor Mike Huckabee:
There is no one person more valuable than another in this country: We are all created equal, endowed by our Creator with unalienable rights. We are not made better or worse by our bank account, our IQ, the name we inherited, our family tree.
We ought not value some lives more than others, the 12-year old rather than the child 3 months in the womb. We cannot live in a culture where people are terminated because they are financial burden. These are not extraneous issues. Life is valuable because God created us. It is at the heart of our democracy. You will never see me apologize for my stand on life.
If we choose our own comforts on the backs of its weakest, terminating them at will we will face God’s judgements. There will be no strong economy without protecting each other
Sgt Salvatore Guinta io Iowa received the Congressional Medal of Honor for running into a wall of bullets to try and save the life of one of his comrades, Sgt Josh Brennan, who lost his life. When he received the award Guinta stated, “”I would give this back in a second to have my friends with me right now.”
It takes a great deal more depth to understand the issues from eternal values that cannot be changed. Christians are not intellectually inferior. They are wrong who say we should not talk about”social” issues of life or think that a manipulation of the tax code by the elected class. If 2/3 of the women in poverty were married to the father of her children they would not be in poverty. We need mothers and fathers who raise their own kids. The government continues to spend us into great debt. Charlies Rangel got by 17 years without paying taxes, because he didn’t understand the tax code which he helped write. And a box of Kleenex was the only price he’ll pay.
We have a dad deficit. We could save $300 billion a year by having fathers take care of their own children. Huckabee has great respect for single mothers doing the best they can. But if we can’t fix the family we won’t be able to fix things in Washington. The most important unit of government is the family. There we learn values, structures and manners. We learn there to work hard rather than be lazy. We’re getting a nation full of spoiled brats thinking it is government’s job to bail us out, and clean up our messes.
Video clip of Mike Huckabee from the 2007-2008 campaign. Governor Huckabee introduced by Mike Wells.
SPEECH/SERMON: “I’m not here to announce any plans, or deny any plans” He congratulated the people of Iowa for ousting the judges who thought they could do anything they want. Those who govern are ultimately accountable to the governed. He thanked every mom, every dad, and every pastor who stood up.
Draw bridges were added to castles to keep out that which is harmful or evil. The family is a castle of protection. Castles are not a sign opulence but strength and safety. We answer to a holy God whether or not we will hold to his eternal standards which outlast those voted in.
II Tim 4:21 reminds of him Iowa: “If you are going to come, come before winter.”
Bob Vander Plaats introduced as new president and CEO of The Family Leader.
Update #3 3:24 pm. David Bush sings “Jesus I need your more than ever, today
Update #2 3:18 pm, Danny Carroll introduces 60 to 70 pastors and their wives from around the state who came on stage as a group. Most of the pastors appear to be over 50 years old.
Update #1: 3:14 pm, Governor Huckabee takes over on bass guitar.
New name for this organization introduced: “The Family Leader” distinctly Christian group that will not be beholden to any one party or candidate.
This will be the spot for a live blog all afternoon where former Governor Mike Huckabee will be speaking today at First Federated Church in Des Moines, Iowa at the Iowa Family Policy Center fundraiser called “Celebrate the Family”.
Among other speakers will be Danny Carroll, Mike Wells, Chuck Hurley, Tim Boettger, Lynn Nelson, Steve Deace, Bob Vander Plaats, and Matt Reisetter.
3:00 pm – “I’m Reaching For You” – Gospel Rock Band, David Bush from First Federated leads music. Governor Huckabee is scheduled to speak third.
Shane Vander Hart will be tweeting the event, and you can follow him at @shanevanderhart, the hashtag for the event is #IFPC.