by Susie Lofton

The kids and I parked on APD-40 the day the troops pulled out to lend our meager support. Why did I go out in the cold rain after being up all night long? I hoped to impress upon them something that mere words could not. After the procession of the troops passed, my grandson, Andrew asked me, "Nanny, do they have to go fight?"

I wanted my answer to be sure and true, something that would forever lodge in his memory. I thought for a second or two and answered, "Yes, they have to go fight." That was all I said for a while. I wanted him to ponder that statement.

After a while I continued in essence, "No one in their right mind wants to go fight and kill or risk being killed. But, there is a darkness about us, an evil so strong that it has become visible. When people are so overtaken by darkness that they kill not only others, but themselves as well. That's evil. If someone doesn't stand against this evil, it soon would overcome us and rob us of our freedom. These aggressors would take control, complete control. They would have it no other way. They would tell us that we could not worship God, that we had to pray to Allah, and if we did not follow their commands they would cut our heads off. That too, we know to be true."

There are those who adamantly insist that there MUST be a separation of church and state. To a degree this is true. It is not good that the two combine into one for they are

two distinct entities. The state or government is to rule or govern man as he interacts with man in civil matters. The church is to help man find acquiesce with God. The government's job is to protect that right. The last time the two came together, resulted in the Roman Catholic Church. Each must respect the others mission and strive for co-existence. The two worlds of politics and religion are often parallel, but they do often meet in direction, "freedom."

This country was founded on the premise that all men are created equal and this God given equality carries with it the innate freedom to worship Him as one pleases. When this wonderful country was founded, the government was patterned after biblical precepts. All our basic laws today can be traced to the Bible whether our present society wants to admit that or not. We (America), was founded on the principle that we could worship God as we please. Our modern interpretation has changed that original meaning to include all manner of corrupt life styles that has nothing to do with religion (the Christian religion, that is). Yes, America, we have strayed and God cannot and will not bless a people that has strayed from His Word and plan., no matter how much we yell, recite or otherwise say "God bless America". His blessings upon us nationally will depend on our measure of repentance toward Him. That is the real and true meaning of freedom and it touches all areas of our private and national life. That is the first and most important reason our servicemen (women) are leaving the safety and security of home to go to a place like Iraq.

Freedom to choose your faith. The desire for this freedom is what brought the early settlers to the new world. And the freedom to live as free people. Free from oppressive rulers and lords who prey upon the weak without thought or care.

Freedom is something that comes with a price, just as our salvation did. Because we could not buy our salvation, Jesus had to pay the debt for us. And are we grateful or