Bridge the Blue rally in La Mirada, California. July 18, 2020, City Hall. Thank you for sharing this post after you read! Let’s get the word out!
“I stand before you today because faithful men and women came before me and stood for me and for all of us.
I stand today thankful as I look out not only on you here but because I know that around this country there are hundreds of thousands who are coming together in thankfulness and hope, resolved to unite and remain silent no more.
I stand before you today because I know – as difficult as these times are, as challenging as this has been, I know in my heart that we are great because we stand together for a cause that is greater than us. I know many of us are discouraged seeing our law enforcement defunded, seeing good men and women lose their jobs. But we are here today to unite and encourage and share hope!
We come together today united and reminded that we will be ok…but we cannot remain silent.
We are not here today to tear down. We are not here to point fingers. We are not here today in protest. No, we are not here to tear down…
We are here instead to lift up – to lift up our eyes and see that flag and we know it is not just fabric waving in the wind – it is the symbol of sacrifice, of heroism, of duty, of order and liberty and peace. We get it. We know.
We are aware of our failings – failings that have been done under the banner of that very flag – but we are not defined by our failings unless we wallow in them and repeat them defiantly. We are defined by how we continue to get up, do better, remain true and act in unity to do justly, love mercy and walk humbly with God because as we lift our eyes up to that flag we really see beyond it to the banner over all – the banner of love that God alone can give.
The banner of peace that God alone can bring. The banner of grace and hope that can only be found in the saving name of Jesus Christ. So we do not come to tear down anything but our own egos and to lift up in humility the causes which God will honor – no politics, no ideologies, no single cause outside the cause of Jesus Christ – to love God with heart, soul, mind, and strength and to love our neighbors – all of them!
we do not come to tear down anything but our own egos and to lift up in humility the causes which God will honor – no politics, no ideologies, no single cause outside the cause of Jesus Christ
We are not here today to point fingers…
We are here to point the way. We gather to direct one another to the bridge that brings people together. The way that unites. To point out the greatness that we have when we lay down our lives for one another instead of pointing out one another’s faults.
We are here to point out the brave and faithful, the honorable and self-sacrificing men and women who wear the badge, put on the blue, and walk our streets with us and for us and even in spite of us.
We could point and point and point to the weakest, most inept, the truly evil and get swallowed up with indignation at the horrors some are capable of committing – but we are not here today to point at the horror but to point out the hope!
Look around you – see it in the eyes of the people next to you. We have been fearful. We have been uncertain. But there is still hope.
We could point and point and point to the weakest, most inept, the truly evil and get swallowed up with indignation at the horrors some are capable of committing – but we are not here today to point at the horror but to point out the hope!
We will be here today and tomorrow and we will stand and pray and speak out and remain united for as long as God gives us strength to continue to point to the hope that we have.
And We are not here today in protest…
No. We are here to promote! To promote a united front for our law enforcement. We are not here in impotent frustration yelling our cause or screaming down those who don’t yet grasp it – we are here to proudly stand and peaceably state: that we will remain silent no more.
We have been silent for. Too. Long. It is time to speak up and to speak out and to speak not in protest but in peace – a peace that is found first in humility before God and before one another – that we are not perfect but we are progressing. A peace that is empowered by our training and moves in where others cannot or will not and brings order and safety. We are here today to promote peace through strength – not force – but strength of resolve and strength of character.
we are not defined by our failings unless we wallow in them and repeat them defiantly. We are defined by how we continue to get up, do better, remain true and act in unity to do justly, love mercy and walk humbly with God
Today we come together here and across this nation with one voice and we say – no more. No more disrespect. No more sitting in silence and gathering fearfully in the imagined safety of our homes or churches or even right here in this group. No. More.
We will get up. We will go out. We will get equipped. We will think better. Try again. Work together. Be honest, do the hard things, and have the difficult conversations. Own our sins and repent. Forgive and receive forgiveness.
We are here to walk together across a bridge into a future that elevates the best in one another and points the way through the darkness.
This is no theory. This is no ideology. This is no political platform. This is reality – there is a way. There is truth. And just as there are physical laws that govern our universe – just as the seasons change and the sun rises and the planets revolve – there is a spiritual law above that and we can no more break the physical without consequence than we can break the spiritual.
And in that spiritual law lies our true lasting hope and true peace. That law is the love of God and the forgiveness only He can give through Jesus Christ.
Because we can rally, and we can march, and we can vote, and we can walk that bridge and speak up every day but until we humble ourselves and pray and turn from our sins we will not have healing in our own hearts much less our great land.
So, my call today is for repentance.
until we humble ourselves and pray and turn from our sins we will not have healing in our own hearts much less our great land.
My challenge today is that you leave here empowered and ready to speak up. You are not alone. You are not out of touch. You are part of a great, powerful, positive movement ready to go forward in peace and strength.
My encouragement today is proclaiming hope.
My prayer today is for each of us to not only Bridge the Blue – connecting communities and law enforcement and speaking up for what is right – but to accept the ultimate bridge that was provided for every single one of us – the bridge that crosses the divide between God and man and that bridge is Jesus Christ.
Thank you for reading. Please share this post and click the “Like” button below. Leave a comment here on the blog page too! All those actions really help this blog grow and reach more people. Thank you again! It’s always great to hear from you! ~Jennifer
About Bridge the Blue: https://bridgetheblue.com/
Getting ready for Bridge the Blue rally in La Mirada. Excitement is growing! 
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