What a

speech! I am referring to George W. Bush's acceptance

speech given last Thursday night at the Republican

National Convention. Last week when I wrote that I was

looking forward to quoting George W. Bush in the future I

was not thinking it would be this soon. George W's speech

was more of a message than a speech. It was filled with

passion and compassion, faith and inspiration, goals and

responsibility.

Since

Thursday night I have been reading some other comments

that George W. has made. He has been consistent and

faithful to the themes in his speech which seem to be the

convictions of his life.

In his

speech he spoke of the government supporting "the

heroic work of homeless shelters and hospices, food

pantries and crisis pregnancy centers." Supporting

the "people reclaiming their communities block by

block and heart by heart." He said "Government

cannot do this work. It can feed the body, but it cannot

reach the soul."

In his

book, "A Charge To Keep" he wrote, "For

our culture to change, it must change one heart, one

soul, and one conscience at a time. Government can spend

money, but it cannot put hope in our hearts or a sense of

purpose in our lives..." His book stated

"...government should welcome the active involvement

of people who are following a religious imperative to

love their neighbors through after-school programs, child

care drug treatment, maternity group homes, and a range

of other services. Supporting these men and

women-the soldiers in the armies of

compassion-is the next bold step in welfare reform,

because I know that changing hearts will change our

entire society."

In his

speech he spoke of the importance of values. He said his

generation has discovered that "who we are is more

important than what we have...we must renew our values to

restore our country." He said, "We must give

our children a spirit of moral courage because their

character is our destiny. Our schools must support the

ideals of parents, elevating character and abstinence

from afterthoughts to urgent goals." In his book he

referred to this when he wrote, "We have seen an

unprecedented decay in our American culture, a decay that

has eroded the foundations of our collective values and

moral standards of conduct."

In his

speech the value he emphasized most was the dignity of

human life. He said, "But most of all, we must teach

our children the values that defeat violence. I will lead

our nation toward a culture that values life-the

life of the elderly and sick, the life of the young and

the life of the unborn." He is unashamedly pro-life.

He is also

unashamed of his faith. In his speech he mentioned it in

several ways but he put it concisely when he said,

"I believe in grace because I've seen it, and peace

because I've felt it, and forgiveness because I've needed

it." In his book he wrote, "I was humbled to

learn that God sent His Son to die for a sinner like me.

I was comforted to know that through the Son, I could

find God's amazing grace, a grace that crosses every

border, every barrier and is open to everyone. Through

the love of Christ's life, I could understand the

life-changing powers of faith."

Space does

not allow me to visit all the themes of his speech.

Suffice it to say that whether he is elected President or

not I would still love to hear more of his message.

Chuck Griffith is

pastor of Fayette Assembly of God, 1144 Ga. Highway 92

South in Fayetteville, 770-719-0322.

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