Faith and Freedom Network

Faith and Freedom conducted our first in a series of Change Your Culture Youth Leadership Retreats this past weekend. The high school students from around the Northwest were involved in sessions dealing with career choices that can make a difference in our world to an in-depth look at defining a personal, biblical worldview philosophy.

The kids heard a powerful presentation from Discovery Institute on intelligent design, were involved in producing a television program that will air on television, given specific information on the music industry by a music industry executive, including collaborating in writing a song and were taught critical thinking skills in relation to the secular relativism that is pervasive in public school textbooks and lesson plans.

Parents who were involved as counselors, kids who participated, and some who drove out to the Conference Center on Saturday to stand in the back and watch, all said it was overwhelming to see what was happening. A lady and her husband, who drove out from Olympia, told me they had never seen anything like this and asked to help as we plan more of these events around the state. Obviously her offer was accepted. We hope for many more who will step up and stand with us in support of this effort as we move forward.

It was Dino Rossi, however, who moved some to tears with the story of how he overcame the "nay-sayers" in moving beyond the circumstances of his childhood and succeeding in his chosen fields. He then shared an incident of several years ago where people, who he thought were supportive, turned on him in slanderous and malicious ways, defeating his bid for Washington State Legislature.

He gave a moving account of how he dealt with that duplicity. He shared with those present that he didn't focus on the lies that were spread around the state about him, but rather on his personal response to the incident. He told the kids that after he had withdrawn to his home for a few days, feeling sorry for himself and hurt, if not bitter, toward those who had attacked him, his wife announced to him that it was time to move on. She gave him several suggestions. One, it seemed, would be nearly impossible. She told him the Bible teaches us to pray for our enemies and that she wanted him to begin to pray for those folks.

Dino told her he didn't know if he could, but would try. He told the kids that as he practiced that principle, he was able to release the incident and those who were involved and through praying for his enemies he himself was released and was able to move forward.

His point was lost to no one in the room, including me.

Ironically, with more than eleven months remaining before the general election, there are those who are gearing up to "get Rossi." Today's Seattle P.I. carries a great example of "unbiased" reporting and the media's unwavering commitment to "expose" the truth. (Read article.)

No one knows how far some will go to defeat this man, but I think we have a pretty good idea of how Rossi will respond.

Rossi's response will probably go something like this; "Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven... forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who have trespassed against us..."

If you have not read Rossi's book entitled, "Lessons in Leadership, Business, Politics and Life--12 Inspirational Lessons You Can Apply to Your Business and Family Life," we strongly recommend it.

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Gary Randall
President
Faith & Freedom

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