Florida's governor says prayer, family are important

TALLAHASSEE (FBW)–Florida’s governor, Jeb Bush, along with other dignitaries, took time out from the busy 2004 Legislative Session Mar. 18 to pray, read Scripture and share inspirational comments at the Florida Leadership Prayer Breakfast in Tallahassee.

Reiterating the need for a time to "pause and regress" from the ever-present political tensions inherent during the process of making laws, Bush said he did not believe anyone would begrudge the lawmakers the time to meet and pray.

"We are mere specs in the universe compared to the awesome power of God," said Bush. "[I]t’s important for us to pause and reflect on our imperfections and ... on the limits that we have as human beings."

Setting aside political differences for the hour-plus annual trek to Leon County Civic Center, in the shadow of the State Capitol, dozens of lawmakers joined with representatives from sponsors such as the Florida Baptist Convention and other civic and religious groups from around the state.

Nearly 250 bowed their heads to pray for the troops serving in the nation’s military, Florida’s leaders and national leaders–among those President George W. Bush, Jeb’s brother.

Gov. Bush noted that prayer has become increasingly important to him.

"It gives me a chance to realign my thoughts, to focus on the things that are important," he said. He also said though "prayer and solace" is important, so is praying with others.

"I love praying with my wife because her insights and her reflections, as we pray together, strengthen me more than you can ever imagine," Bush said. "I also appreciate the prayers of others."

“–––– If strong, wholesome family life is the dominant feature of our culture and our society, the demands on government will subside very quickly.

––––”

– Gov. Jeb Bush

Bush said not a day goes by without someone who quietly approaches him to tell him they are praying for him and his family.

"I cannot tell you how grateful I am for those prayers," he said.

Surprisingly, even after reading 1 Timothy 2, a passage where Paul tells Timothy to intercede for those in authority, Bush said if he had to choose "the most powerful political entity in our country; the greatest, free-est democracy on the face of this earth," it would not be the presidency."

"I think the single most powerful entity, the single most powerful means of organization in our society today, is the family," said Bush. "Think about it."

"If strong, wholesome family life is the dominant feature of our culture and our society, the demands on government will subside very quickly," Bush asserted. "We only have government, except in the case of national defense and to protect our freedoms, we only have government because the need emerged."

Prompting those gathered to consider praying for Florida’s families, Bush reflected on a litany of their needs:

"Pray for the families that have loved ones overseas protecting our freedoms. Pray for moms and dads to love their children with all their hearts and all their souls. Pray for the caregiver that may have a spouse that is slowly moving towards complete dementia. Pray for that caregiver to continue to have the strength to provide for the love of that person that is moving away from them. Pray for the family members that have people with severe developmental disabilities that worry more about whether they can outlive their son or their daughter who cannot take care of themselves.

"Pray for Florida’s families," Bush concluded.

Delivering the keynote address, Gary Haugen, president and CEO of International Justice Mission, also sharing the text of 1 Timothy 2, showed a graphic multimedia depicting the gruesome 1994 mass killings of Rwandans.

Haugen also told stories about four tragedies of history that are occurring "on our watch," including sex trafficking, modern day slavery, illegal detention and an epidemic of sexual violence.

He said he believes Russian theologian, Alexander Solzhenitsyen, who was interred in a concentration camp, was correct when he said, "there are two standards by which we judge events in the world: Simply whether those events are near or far."

"The Rwanda disaster was of bearable proportions because for so many of us it was far," Haugen admitted. "But for me it’s the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth that have challenged me on the narrowness of my circle of compassion.

"Jesus, as a good rabbi, always tried to keep it simple, whatever he was trying to say," said Haugen. "And he tried to make it clear that the great teaching of the prophets and the law had always been that there were two great commands: To love God with all your heart soul and mind and strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself."

Haugen speculated about what "this great state of Florida and this great nation, this marvelous world would look like if we were to lead with richness of compassion, with grandness of purpose, with abundance of hope."

Believing "the God of history takes attendance" is important in being aware of responding to the world’s great needs and being ready to give an account to future generations.

"I hope we can stand up and say, ‘ We showed up on time," Haugen concluded. " In fact, we heard our God say, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant.’"