December 17th, 2024
Merry Christmas!
The truth is, even if Christ were born in Bethlehem a thousand times but not within you, you would be eternally lost. The Christ who was born into the world must be born in your heart. Religious sentiment, even at Christmastime, without the living Christ is a yellow brick road to darkness.
Kent Hughes
It is my sincere hope and prayer this Christmas season that each and every person who reads this newsletter would come to saving faith in Jesus Christ. When all the trappings of season are stripped away, and the visions of what could be are replaced with the reality of overcooked turkey, mashed potatoes that taste like glue, the same old family disagreements, conflicting schedules that don’t align, and the loneliness that can take hold, whether you are in an empty house, or a crowded party, remember what the holiday is really about. The birth of Christ was a promise fulfilled, and because of His birth and later death and resurrection, we have the hope of salvation in Him, if we will repent and believe. Jesus, even now, knows your name, and the number of hairs on your head, and His Word is true and trustworthy!
May God bless you and yours this Christmas season!
Wasn’t There A Thing That Happened That Time?
Yesterday’s date, December 16th, is a momentous one for Americans. On this day, in the Year of Our Lord 1773, a protest of sorts occurred in Boston, MA, which is now known as the Boston Tea Party. As with all historical events, this did not happen in a bubble, and there were many previous events that led up to this one, such as the British Crown dissolving the Massachusetts legislature, murdering its citizens at the Boston Massacre, giving the East India Company a monopoly on tea trade in the colonies, and, yes, taxing the colonies without representation, which was something no British citizen had experienced up to that point.
The bottom line is that what angered the colonists was not the concept of taxes, nor the amount. It was the fact that a governing body not their own (the British Crown) had the audacity to tax them at all, and not only that, but to issue orders the colonists were simply expected to follow, having no representation anywhere in the British government. This was not how British citizens were treated, and the colonies appealed to the King and parliament for years to address their grievances. In most cases they were ignored, or outright rejected.
Does this behavior sound familiar? It should. The federal government of the United States acts in this way every day. Your elected officials, be they Representatives, Senators, or the President himself, have little input or control over the bloated administrative state that now exists. The federal government is a living tyranny that is self-perpetuating and feeds on the livelihood of the working people of our country. What’s worse is that state governments, including Missouri, are behaving more and more like the federal government every year. Every one of us has a responsibility get involved with the political process to:
Embrace the virtues that made America great
Educate ourselves (history, politics, economics, finance, etc.)
Hold our elected officials accountable to their commitments
Find, encourage, and support good, conservative candidates for office
Educate the next generation about all the things government schools are leaving out or twisting
Remember, the Boston Tea Party was NOT about tea or tax dollars. It was one of many acts of civil disobedience by an educated people, who knew there was an authority above the king, a liberty they were being denied, and an opportunity to do something about it, if they were willing to risk everything they had ever known!
Filing Deadline For Local Elections
The vast majority of the things we talk about week after week are made better or worse by local governing authorities, who have more day-to-day impact on our lives than anyone in Washington D.C. Changing the status quo begins locally, and the filing deadline for the openings listed below is December 21st! Update: Deadline is December 31st. If we want real change it starts NOW, with YOU! If not you, WHO? If not now, WHEN? We need conservatives in each of these positions if we want positive change in Cass county!
Liberty in Law Dinner
The following is an invitation to an event that Liberty Link of Missouri is involved in:
Senior Counsel for the Thomas More Society
Mary Catherine Martin
Amendment 3: A Cautionary Tale
Dear Friend,
Liberty Link Missouri, The Greater St. Louis Area John Birch Society, and TeamPLAY invite you to the Annual Liberty in Law Dinner in Jefferson City, MO.
This year’s guest speaker will be Senior Counsel for the Thomas More Society Mary Catherine Martin. Her subject is Amendment 3: A Cautionary Tale. Mary Catherine Martin appeared before the Missouri Supreme Court to challenge the Amendment 3 ballot initiative. Martin argued the campaign behind Amendment 3 had violated state law during the ballot’s initiative’s petition phase.
Following a split decision allowing the ballot initiative to remain on the Missouri ballot, Thomas More Society attorneys have mobilized to provide public commentary and legal analysis to inform legislators, pastors, and citizens about the obscure text of the Amendment and the hidden effects it is likely to have on the state’s legal landscape.
Catered Dinner
Tickets for the public are $30 each or $50 for a couple. Pastors are invited to attend at a discounted cost of $15 for pastors and $30 for pastors and spouse. Missouri state senators, representatives, and state office holders are invited to attend for free.
Details:
Date: Tuesday, January 14
Time: 6:30 to 9:00 p.m.
Location: The Gold Room, Missouri Baptist Convention Building, 400 E. High Street, Jefferson City, MO.
Tickets:
Register and/or purchase tickets online via the link below, or mail a check to Liberty Link Missouri, P.O. Box 312, Warrenton, MO 63383.
Contact: For additional information call Bev Ehlen at 314-608-0168 or Stephanie Rubach-Marshall at stephrubach@gmail.com.
About Mary Catherine Martin
Mary Catherine Martin is a native of Indianapolis, Ind. She earned three undergraduate degrees from Saint Louis University, graduating in 1999, then her law degree from Harvard Law School in 2003. After law school, she clerked for Judge José A. Cabranes on the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in New York City. After working for four firms in St. Louis for 15 years, specializing in drafting appellate briefs, Mary Catherine joined the Thomas More Society in 2018. She lives in St. Louis with her seven children.
“Missourians have been tragically deceived by a dazzling misinformation campaign funded by out-of-state millionaires and other mega-corporations that will profit from giving abortions and gender ‘care’ to Missouri women and children,” Martin commented. “Thomas More Society will not abandon Missouri in this post-Amendment 3 world. We stand ready to help defend the rights of Missouri’s parents, women, children, and babies, against the assaults that are planned by the proponents of Amendment 3.
The 2025 Liberty in Law Dinner is sponsored by Liberty Link Missouri PAC, the Greater St. Louis Area John Birch Society, and TeamPLAY.
Please invite your pastor and members of the Missouri General Assembly (MOGA). If you do not know who your members of the MOGA are, you can look them up here: https://house.mo.gov/legislatorlookup.aspx
We hope to see you there,
Bev Ehlen, President
Liberty Link Missouri PAC
314-608-0168
bevehlen@libertylinkmissouri.com
“This won't be the last time Missourians vote on so-called ‘reproductive rights,’ which has been co-opted by the Left to include gender-transition surgeries for kids without parental consent, and I will do everything in my power to ensure that vote happens.” Mary Catherine Martin
“Proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof.” Leviticus 25:10