Dear Partners & Friends,
I've already sent out one Independence Day greeting and celebration of this glorious day that has literally changed the destiny of the world. But this Independence Day has extra meaning for me.
We were served a cease and desist warning by our state attorney general on July 2. This was right in the middle of our Summer Family Bible Conference, which went from June 29 - July 3. We had been in contact with our city and county officials and complied with everything they asked except the requirement to limit our attendance to 175. We had around 1,000 present, including the children.
In light of the fact that protests with thousands had been permitted and even encouraged, and retail stores were allowed unlimited numbers in their stores without near the safety measures we employed, I felt completely justified in what I was doing. But the bottom line is that we have the constitutional right to freely exercise our faith and to peaceably assemble together.
We voluntarily complied for three months with all the instructions of our state government in an effort to do our part in fighting this plague. But I totally disagreed with the evaluation of our officials that the church and religious meetings were not essential. I sent a letter to the Colorado state governor toward the end of May that our voluntarily compliance with the restrictive laws that were being applied in a discriminatory way against religious organizations was over on Pentecost Sunday.
The Truth and Liberty Coalition Conference was held at Charis Bible College on June 5 -- 6 with about 500 in attendance. There were no problems and the city and county cooperated with us in taking steps to ensure everyone's safety. But at our Summer Family Bible Conference on July 1, I led a panel with William Federer, General Jerry Boykin, Tony Perkins, E. W. Jackson, and Janet Boynes, which must have made the devil mad. We discussed all the current issues of the day in light of what the Bible teaches and made a strong appeal for Christians to get out and vote according to godly principles. Truth and Liberty Coalition will be airing this on the Gospel Truth television program just before the elections.
The next morning we received this cease and desist order. I have respectfully refused to comply with the artificial limit on the number of people who can attend. We are firmly in the "crosshairs" of our liberal state government. Liberty Counsel has agreed to represent us, and we are fighting back. I believe it is not only our constitutional right but our duty to stop this extreme overreach of government that allows people to riot and pillage but not assemble to worship the Lord.
We have our In God We Trust musical scheduled to be performed at 6 p.m. (Mountain time) this evening, and we aren't sure what is going to happen. This musical is one of the most patriotic things you will ever witness. It would be beyond ironic if we are shut down as we are praising God for the freedoms in this nation and proclaiming liberty for all.
And please be in prayer for us. I'm convinced I'm doing what the Lord would have me do, but I don't relish the battle we find ourselves in. Jamie and I--along with all of my staff members that are having to deal with this--really need God's wisdom and guidance to navigate these waters we have never sailed through before. There are hidden mines everywhere but we will make it to the other side.
Thanks for standing with us.
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