In the last

three weeks, I have been a passenger in planes which have landed on various

runways in Africa, Europe, and the United States. The landing, for the

most part, was uneventful except the one time we landed at the John F.

Kennedy Airport, having made our way over the big drink (Atlantic Ocean).

With the airplane filled mostly with Europeans, as the airplane landed

in New York City a la U.S.A. the passengers broke out in applause. It

made sense; they had landed many for the first time in the greatest country

on the planet. Why not applause!

As we watch

news reports from around the world, we get a skewed impression of what

others think of our great country. We see their demonstrations against

our President and often times against our way of life. But, when it all

comes down to a landing on our soil, they get very excited and reveal

that they deeply admire the United States.

And why not?

We have the greatest country in the world. We are, alone, the only remaining

world power. Not because of our strength but because of our virtue. We

are the world's greatest economic power. Not because of our greed but

because of our generosity. We are the world's oldest ever democracy. Not

because the majority rules, but because we listen to the minorities.

I visited a

country Uganda that was granted its independence in 1961. Most Ugandans

who remember that year recall it as the day everything started going down.

When Great Britain took its hands off Uganda and similarly other African

nations ruthless dictators came in and took control and raped the countries,

crippling infrastructures and a people's desire to achieve. Only in the

last several years under elections-friendly leaders has Uganda begun to

recover with a sense of hope.

But, my point

is that when you and others want to run down our country, I suggest you

buy a ticket to a third world country, even a second world country. I

suggest you drive up and buy a tank of gas and learn how inexpensive gas

is in the United States of America. I suggest you try to find the diversity

on foreign soil that is available to us here in America. A diversity we

take for granted.

My daughter

learned the cuisine situation is markedly different in a foreign country.

No longer could she find a variety of Chinese, Mexican, and Italian restaurants.

She discovered fast food really isn't fast over there. She discovered

more than anything else that she has no room to complain about most anything

as she lives out her life in the United States of America.

My daughter,

Anna, and I celebrated July 4 in Uganda. Only the American Embassy threw

a party that night. However, there, some 8,000 miles from home, we realized

how blessed we are in our great land. We have a church and bank on every

block. No lines forming at either. There, you have to stand in line at

length to see a bank teller and many churches are packed to capacity.

I suppose that's good news. The truth is that they need more churches.

Why? Why is

America so great? Not the economy, stupid! No, America is great because

God has smiled us and many undeserving ways. Our question should be: how

should we behave to continue receiving God's manifold blessings?

The Rev. Dr. John Hatcher

is pastor of

River's Edge Community

Church

1091 South Jeff Davis Drive

Fayetteville, Georgia 30215

770-719-0303

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