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To the Editor:
This week, I was the recipient and participant of an amazing event in our community. Monday night, my granddaughter invited us to her Cyclone High School softball game to be honored and recognized on the field as United States Military Veterans by her team as a community event. My husband and I are both military Veterans.
And for a little while, I saw the patriotic, proud, united crowd of people that honored our flag, our country, our anthem and those that have served, fought and died to give its citizens the freedoms laid out in our constitution. There was gratitude in the air. There was honor and pride for our country. The atmosphere was electric and caused me to stand a little taller while my heart swelled with pride. The blessings in our freedom, far exceeds any country and I believe many have lost sight of its preciousness. Attempts to cancel our history only encourages past mistakes to be repeated. Our country has always fought for equal opportunity for all of its citizens, liberty and justice for all of its citizens. We are the United States of America; we are and always have been the best of the best.
Our forefathers entered into a covenant with the Creator God, asking blessings for the creation of One Nation, Under God, trusting in HIM as we forged our way into freedom. However, people have neglected our Creator God, His commands, and His statues. God made provision for a perfect eternity, for this species, and paid a high price for us, in the completed work of Christ on the cross. Payment for Sin is Not Cheap and Freedom is not Free. But instead of freedom, many choose convenience, and entitlements and handouts. As a people we have become so consumed with ourselves and our wants that we’ve forgotten the Creator and His instructions. He said that we should treat others with love, our enemies as well as our friends. He said that we will have NO Other Gods before HIM as He is a jealous God. He said that no one comes to the Father except by way of the Son. Our Creator also said, Who are we (the clay) to tell the potter (creator) what to do? Our current culture exalts self above all, and that corrupt philosophy has been exploited by other corrupt individuals. Our nation has allowed those with deep pockets to bribe and manipulate our allegiances causing us to look to government for solutions instead of depending on our Creator God for provisions. And we are watching where that is taking us.
Our nation has become broken. The integrity and pride and ambition that America had just a few months ago is dwindling. Our love has been replaced with fear. Fear manifests as mistrust and hate. It is NOT FROM GOD. We’ve had the wind knocked out of our sails and we are in shock at our government’s deceptions and power hunger. Choices are being made to destroy the America that we know and love. God’s been mocked and we’ve become complacent. We’ve taken our freedoms for granted. This blessed life was not free. It was fought and died for. There are those that see American’s freedoms as an obstacle to their prosperity and power. They are trying to cancel God. Their plans do not consider our well-being. We are daily knocked off balance with yet another catastrophically bad decision for our America. We must wake up or our freedoms will be a casualty of war. Freedom in America will cease to be, and true Believers will be pushed underground and the sheep will be led to the slaughter. America, we need to pray for deliverance. PRAY PRAY PRAY for grace for America.
Yesterday, I saw a glimmer of my America. I saw unity and camaraderie and dare I say, fellowship in our community. If even for only a little while, what a blessing it was. Thank you Elizabethton Cyclones. Thank you Elizabethton community. For honoring our Veterans, for having the courage to stand for freedom, for small town values and for honoring the America I served. May God continue to Bless the U.S.A.

Gayla Jensen, USAF Veteran
Elizabethton