Summertime and the living is easy.

Unless you’ve made your way to America’s southern border seeking asylum or citizenship and found yourself imprisoned and your children ripped from your arms.

For the last two months, this has been happening in alarming numbers at border crossings.

We as followers of Christ cannot stay silent in the face of this abuse.

Especially when people use God’s own Word to commit vile acts He would condemn.

God tells us to welcome children, to care for them, protect them and nurture them. We are to do so in His name.

We find His instructions and admonitions to care for the weak and needy in our society throughout His Word.

We are to care for children – not rip them from their parents’ arms.

Jesus very clearly tells us that we are to receive children in His name – but if we cause them to stumble, we are sinning against God and man and will be punished for such evil behavior.

“”And whoever receives one such child in My name receives Me; but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a heavy millstone hung around his neck, and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.” (Matt. 18:5-6)

You cannot claim to be for family values and then destroy families.

Some are saying that this may be an attempt to create bargaining power in border wall negotiations.

These are not pawns. These are not bargaining tools.

These are human lives.

These are little boys and girls, far from home through no decision of their own.

Jesus died for these children. He loves these children. These are the children of God.

Watch this video at about 1:24 and see the little girl, overwhelmed with stage fright, crying on stage, afraid to sing. See who comes to her aid with love and tenderness.

Who is coming to the aid of the children in these shelters across the southwestern United States? Is anyone drying their tears, listening to them, comforting them, loving them through the most terrifying experience of their lives?

They are helpless, desperate, afraid and alone.

They must not be manipulated or used for political positioning.

Sociologists, pediatricians and psychologists have all said that these children may have been permanently damaged by the fear, anxiety and depression they are experiencing as a result of being separated from their parents at the border. Here is an article with perspective and analysis from a pediatrician and the president of the American Academy of Pediatrics. The article also states that shelter workers aren’t allowed to hug, hold or even touch the children as they wail and cry for their parents.

Apparently the children sit on the floor crying with no comfort or relief.

This is untenable, it is unconscionable and it is inhumane.

Can you imagine your own child alone in a strange place without a single familiar face or voice, nobody to comfort or console them, unheld, unloved and undone.

This is intolerable and every single one of us knows that.

Some of us know it viscerally, intuitively and instinctively.

Others perhaps may need to be cajoled or challenged before they would admit that this is wrong and unacceptable.

It is sad to think someone can call this practice humane or acceptable — this practice of separating families and ripping children from their parents’ arms and leaving them without anyone to comfort, hug or hold them while the children cry and suffer, perhaps wondering if their parents have abandoned them and both parent and child questioning if they will ever see each other again – or that anyone could justify this behavior using God’s Word.

For churchgoers, think of your friendly nursery and preschool area.

Children are away from their parents for about an hour, more or less. There are gentle rocking chairs for babies to be held and rocked, toys and games for playing on the floor, snacks of goldfish crackers or cheerios with little cups of water served at kid-friendly tables. A Bible story, perhaps a puppet show or children’s Bible songs sung, a brief lesson, time learning how to pray and games. There are familiar faces from week-to-week, folks mom and dad have introduced them to and declared them safe and friendly. Mom and dad take a few minutes saying goodbye and their little one knows they will be back before too long.

Even with all the comforts and activities, children still miss Mom and Dad, so it’s not unusual for a nursery volunteer to page Mom and Dad to return to the nursery, perhaps to bring their child to the service or just to offer an encouraging word to sustain them until the end of the service.

But this treatment at our southern borders – there just are no words for what these babies and toddlers, preschoolers and elementary aged kids – even middle and high schoolers – are being subjected to, all apparently for the sake of using their lives as a negotiating tactic.

The Art of the Deal?

Sorry. Not with Children.

More like the Heart of the Deal.

Or Heartless, as the case appears to be.

Think of your own children and how you have comforted them when they are scared, discouraged, worried or disappointed.

Consider how your own parents once tended to you, held your hand, dried your tears, comforted you with words and tender kindness, prepared a favorite treat for you when you were discouraged or following a particularly difficult day.

It appears that these children may become – or temporarily have become – orphans through the actions of the United States government. Some child welfare and immigration experts have warned that it may be extremely difficult to reunite all families with their children and that some children may remain in the United States after their parents are deported – potentially making reunification difficult if not impossible.

If someone did this to your children – tore them away from you – would they be charged with a crime?

Would it be kidnapping?

Would it be abuse?

Would you allow it and stand idly by, hoping somebody else said or did something about it?

This is every parent’s worst nightmare – to have your children taken from you, ripped from your arms, or even worse, a promise to return the child in a few minutes, only to spirit them away without a chance to say goodbye.

This is every child’s fear – separated from your parents, unable to see or talk with them.

This is the very definition of cruel and unusual punishment, and often for a crime no greater than seeking asylum from a repressive or abusive situation in their home country.

And now, people are trying to use God’s Word to justify their actions. Some have cited Romans 13, telling us that we are to obey the authorities, no matter what.

Perhaps some folks need a refresher American History class. They might want to familiarize themselves with a war fought on America’s eastern seaboard that had to do with liberty and justice for all.

Yeah. That one.

A war about freedom from an oppressive authoritarian government that was abusive, unjust, controlling, manipulative and which demanded absolute submission and total obedience to laws that were capricious and self-serving.

A few words from our own Declaration of Independence…

“When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.”

and this…

“That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.”

If not for people standing up against tyranny and refusing to abide by unjust laws, there would be no United States of America.

Our nation is literally built on the foundation of a people who demanded freedom and who defied and fought against unequal and unjust laws, ultimately claiming victory and bequeathing to us – and to all who have come to these shores – a land of hope, liberty, opportunity and promise.

Lady Liberty stands as a symbol of freedom, raising her torch as a beacon of hope to welcome immigrants to our country with these words:

“Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
“Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries she
With silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

–The New Colossus, Emma Lazarus

Perhaps some in our nation are like David Copperfield and would like to make the Statue of Liberty (and all that she stands for) disappear.

Thankfully, it was just an illusion and David Copperfield “returned” Lady Liberty to her rightful place to continue welcoming the huddled masses.

Illusions are funny things. You can act one way, but live another. Jesus called those people hypocrites. They were the Pharisees and Sadducees of their time.

Today, there are people who call themselves Christians but don’t follow – or perhaps even believe – the teachings of Christ.

They preach a gospel of hate, greed, anger, nationalism, bias, violence, cruelty, selfishness, bigotry and abuse.

And they do it while proclaiming to love God and declaring themselves Christians.

The Bible tells us that there will be a time when God will separate the sheep and the goats, He will divide the wheat and the chaff.

That not everything is at it appears.

That God will ultimately judge our behavior and He unequivocally knows who loves and serves Him and His people and who is just a great pretender.

In Matthew 25, Jesus was teaching a final sermon before His betrayal by Judas Iscariot, which led to His wrongful conviction, brutal crucifixion, His death as payment for our sins and in three days, His resurrection and our eternal hope.

Jesus taught of being ready for His return and offered practical guidance for how we can use our gifts and talents wisely to glorify Him and serve Him and others – and then He taught about love, charity and service.

You can find the verses here.

Here is an excerpt:

^”“But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left.” (Matt. 25:31-33)

He goes on to articulate who the sheep are and what their conduct is like.

““Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’ Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’” (Matt. 25:34-40)

Finally, He contrasts the love of the sheep with the apathy and indifference to suffering of the goats.

He provides an account of their lives and of all the times they had not fed Him, offered Him water, invited Him in, clothed Him, visited Him, came to Him in prison.

He explains that the goats will protest and ask when they had seen Him in such condition and not cared for Him, defending their innocence and arguing that they had never not cared for Jesus.

And then Jesus — the Suffering Servant, the One who left the glory of heaven on a rescue mission bound for the sordid soil of earth, who came to lay down His life to redeem us and reconcile us to our Heavenly Father — said this:

“Then He will answer them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’” (Matt. 25:45)

Words that cut to the heart of the matter. Words that reveal the condition of our heart.

Knowing and revealing the condition of the heart is something Jesus did over and over again as He lived among men and women – and something He continues to do today.

When a scribe tried to test Jesus with a question as they were wont to do, Jesus knew the condition of the man’s heart and his intent. He knew the scribe was seeking to trip Him up and provoke Him. The Pharisees and Sadducees couldn’t agree on much – but they shared a distrust and dislike for Jesus.

When Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, perhaps the Pharisees wanted to see if they could trump Him and be able to silence the Teacher who was drawing crowds with miracles, healings, wise teachings and great love.

One of them decided to see if he could stump Jesus and asked Him which was the greatest of God’s commandments.

Jesus silenced the man with His wisdom.

We should love God and love our neighbor.

“But when the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered themselves together. One of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.”” (Matt. 22:34-40)

That’s it.

Love God
Love Your Neighbor as Yourself

It’s as simple and difficult as that.

What kind of message are we sending to the world and to each other about the kind of people we are as Americans if we allow children to be ripped from their parents’ arms?

How is this loving? How is it Christlike? How is it American? How is it humane?

How can we tell our children to trust if that trust is broken by representatives of our government in our own backyards?

How can people look for the helpers in uniform if the helpers in uniform prove themselves not to be safe?

In a matter of weeks, actions have been taken that have literally undone and destroyed our reputation in the world and in our own nation.

Questions are being asked by many – how can we trust our own government? How can we trust our neighbor?

That appears to be the end game of all of this. And it appears that some people in power are playing games with human life.

With the innocent lives of young children.

Chaos. Confusion. Disruption. Hate. Anger. Evil.

Violence. Bitterness. Destruction.

People are intentionally breaking up families – apparently as it is now being reported, because they believe it will give them greater bargaining power to enable them to build a wall at our southern border.

How is that OK to any of us?

Would you allow that to happen to your family or to someone you love?

I don’t have to ask the question. I know the answer.

None of us would be OK with this happening to our family.

So it begs the question of why we’re allowing it to happen to others.

Jesus’s teachings give us the Golden Rule.

“Do to others as you would have them do to you.” Luke 6:31

Not a single one of us would want this done to us.

And we cannot turn a blind eye to the fact that this is being done to our brothers and sisters at our border.

And yes. They are our brothers and sisters.

We are a human race. We are all human beings.

We are all Dreamers.

And we are all sojourners and travelers upon this earth God has given to us.

God gave us clear instructions on how to treat sojourners and strangers in His words to Moses in Exodus.

^““You shall not wrong a stranger or oppress him, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt. You shall not afflict any widow or orphan. If you afflict him at all, and if he does cry out to Me, I will surely hear his cry;” (Exodus 22:21-23)

Consider for a moment these sojourners of our faith…

Adam and Eve, exiled from the Garden of Eden

Noah and his family, afloat on an ark before landing on the mountains of Ararat, a remnant of humanity, a people of righteousness in the midst of depravity and evil, preserved and protected by God

Abraham and Sarah (nee Abram and Sarai), leaving Ur and setting out for Canaan, determined to obey God and trust His will, plans and promises.

Jacob and his family, first fleeing to Laban in search of a wife and then fleeing from him after years of Laban’s trickery and skulduggery.

Joseph, sojourner taken to Egypt after he was betrayed by his own brothers and sold into slavery, found himself accepted by Pharaoh after proving himself able to interpret dreams through God’s grace. He would welcome and be reunited with his brothers when they came in search of food during a famine in Israel. They would bring Jacob to Egypt to be reunited with his beloved son and the 12 tribes would remain there for 400 years before another sojourner would seek to lead them back to Israel.

which brings us to…

Moses, Israelite by birth, raised in Egypt, on the run to Midian where he married and raised a family, then back to Egypt before spending 40 years in the desert while searching for the Promised Land. It should be noted that Moses’s very life is the result of rebellion against the Egyptian government which demanded the death of all Jewish baby boys. It was the Jewish midwives who protected the lives of the Jewish baby boys and refused to follow the evil and sinful laws of Pharaoh.

Ruth, a Moabitess widow who returned to Israel with her widowed mother-in-law Naomi when the famine had subsided there. She married Boaz, an Israelite, and together they had Obed, who begat Jesse, who begat David, which is the very line through which our Savior was born. Ruth was an immigrant, received lovingly and graciously by Israelites and she embraced and loved their culture and people.

David, on the lam twice, once running from a jealous and mentally unstable King Saul, then later facing a coup d’etat at the hands of his own son.

The Israelites, conquered and exiled after years of rebellion and sinning against God, desperate to return home to Jerusalem.

Joseph and Mary fleeing to Egypt when they learned that King Herod was seeking the life of their child, Jesus.

The apostles, fulfilling the Great Commission and traversing the land and sea in journeys across the world, often persecuted and scattered throughout their homeland into lands unknown.

Sojourners, Immigrants all.

Citizens of Heaven, Sojourners on Earth.

“For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ;” (Phil. 3:20)

On Election Day 2016, I played this song for my kids on the drive to school that morning. I get goosebumps every time I hear it. I love this song. It reminds me how blessed I am to live in America and how amazing our nation is.

And I love Election Day and all that it represents – the right and responsibility to vote, the power and privilege to be governed by those we elect and select. As a parent, one of the lessons I want to impart to my children is that we have a civic duty and a moral obligation to be involved in our government – to pray for our leaders and our cities, states and nation but also to speak up, get involved, volunteer, make your voice heard, take a stand when you see wrongdoing and above all, remember that we are ambassadors for God and Christ here on earth.

We must live out our faith in a way that honors God and respects those who are our elected representatives, whether or not we chose to vote for them. As Christ taught us when a group of scribes tried to trick Him with a question regarding whether or not they were to pay taxes to Caesar, we are to render to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and render to God’s what is God’s. (Lk. 20:19-26)

The denarius reflected the image of Caesar, so they were to pay taxes to Caesar. Yet we bear the image of God – His Word declares that He created us in His image. (Gen. 1:26-27)

Our lives are to be a sacrifice and a rendering to God, giving to Him all of ourselves, and submitting to His will.

We are to obey the laws of our government. And, if we find that those laws violate God’s laws, then we are to speak up and challenge those laws in a respectful, wise and appropriate manner. We are to debate policies and practices, discuss issues and ideas and live out our faith with grace, mercy and respect for our fellow man.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is one of the best examples we have of an American living out their faith while challenging their government to do the right thing.

I love our country and I am so proud to be an American. We are, admittedly, an imperfect union made up of imperfect people, but this is still the best nation in the world, a beacon of hope and light, where we enjoy freedom, justice, liberty, opportunity and community. I count it an awesome and amazing blessing to have been born in America – and I remind myself that it is a privilege and a joy — and that millions around the world long for the freedoms and opportunities we enjoy so richly and abundantly here in the US.

I love this land from sea to shining sea and I love that so many people want to live here too. What kind of nation would we live in if people didn’t want to come here? I cherish our freedoms, our ideals and our practices. I don’t fault people for wanting to be Americans – we live in a beautiful and wonderful country and it is no surprise that many around the world want to call our home their home too.

Obviously, they have to follow the laws and procedures of our government in order to become citizens, and I completely understand and respect that protocol and process. We are a nation of law and order, and that is one of our greatest strengths.

I respect, honor and obey our laws, I pray for our leaders and I am so incredibly proud and grateful to be an American.

It is amazing to think how people have dreamed of America, longed for the freedoms and conveniences we take for granted all too often, risked their lives to get here and they have for hundreds of years.

My own family hails from all over the world. We are a people of immigrants who have been blessed to call the United States of America home for many generations, but we still cherish the roots and traditions of those who came before us while celebrating the opportunities of the present and future.

And it is because of my deep and abiding love for America that I will stand up, speak out and ask questions when I see something that doesn’t look right.

As the expression goes,

See something, say something.

I respect the rule of law and I obey our laws and statutes.

But I will peacefully protest when I believe that our government is acting in a way that is contrary to God’s Law and to human rights laws. I will respectfully disagree and express my opinion and views when I believe our government is causing irreparable harm to innocent children who need and deserve our love, protection and care.

Jesus’s brother James was the leader of the church in Jerusalem when the church had been scattered due to persecution of the followers of The Way.

He counseled the people in the midst of their own struggles and trials to be faithful to Christ’s teachings, to endure, persevere and not to lose hope. Reading through James is often recommended when a person is going through a challenging time.

Here are two of my favorite verses from James. I pray that they may offer guidance and wisdom to us and to our leaders as we wrestle with this issue of the practice of removing children from their parents at our border crossings.

^“Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.” (Jas. 1:27)

Let us consider the possibility that this government policy may effectively be turning these children into orphans and wreaking unknown havoc in these children’s lives, potentially harming them in unintended ways.

What if a child is so distraught by this treatment that they lose faith and harbor anger, resentment and hatred?

What if this treatment forever separates some parents and children, potentially subjecting them to a life without their parents and in the child welfare system if their parents are deported without them?

What if even a single child is subjected to abuse or mistreatment in one of these detention centers, their lives eternally changed if they suffer violence and abuse at the hands of the people who were supposed to help them?

God forbid.

Jesus clearly admonished us that we must not cause a child – His children – to stumble.

The second verse from James is this:

“Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin.” (James 4:17)

God’s Word teaches us very clearly that if we know the right thing to do and we do not do it, it is sin.

There is no gray area there.

The pediatricians and psychologists have told us that this is wrong and damaging to the health and well-being of these children.

We cannot deny that we know it is wrong.

We must ask our government to tell us how it plans to return these children to their parents.

We must ask our government to explain and justify its policy of separating children from their parents at border crossings – and then we must ask our government to protect the lives of these children and to protect the sanctity of families.

We must reject this type of inhumane treatment of these innocent young lives.

We must take a stand and protect and defend those who cannot protect themselves.

God is calling us to a higher place, a better life, a more just way.

Hear the words of the prophet Micah, a clarion call to us even today:

“He has told you, O man, what is good;
And what does the Lord require of you
But to do justice, to love kindness,
And to walk humbly with your God?” (Mic. 6:8)

It’s summertime across America. Children are splashing in pools, riding bikes, going to camp, taking vacations with their families, sleeping in a little later than usual, taking trips to the library for loads of books, going on day trips to amusement parks and museums and enjoying the lazy longer days of summer.

Last week was our first week of summer vacation and we found ourselves watching a movie one afternoon – The Hunchback of Notre Dame. There are some theological issues about sorcery and prayer that need a parent’s explanation and guidance with regard to what the Bible teaches us and offering clear biblical teaching, but the movie proved to be a useful backdrop for a discussion in our home on immigration policy, hypocrisy in the church, people declaring themselves to be one thing but acting contrary to their own statements, and caring for those in need.

And then, a scene in the movie that I had forgotten since the time I first saw the movie some twenty years ago.

This song that brought tears to my eyes as I considered its relevance in light of the news recently.

Many of the people coming to America are doing so seeking asylum because of violence, abuse and unrest in their nations.

America has always been a city on a hill, a light for the world.

Many fear the light could be snuffed out by policies, practices and people who have lost their way and who may have lost – or maybe never had – a moral compass to guide them.

God help the outcasts arriving on our borders. God help the children who have been separated from their families. God keep them and protect them, and care for them. Reunite these families and let not a single child fall through the cracks of bureaucracy, lost in an abyss of confusion and separation from their family.

And God forbid that we should accept this as normal or turn a blind eye to this abuse. God forbid that we become numb or apathetic to this type of evil and wrongdoing. God forbid that we allow our government to treat children in a way we wouldn’t dare abide our own children be treated.

May God’s mercy, love and wisdom be with us all.

May we remember that there but for God’s grace goes each and every one of us. We are blessed to live in the United States of America – and with great blessing comes great responsibility.

“From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more.” (Lk. 12:48)

We have been given much and our people have fought for and defended our freedoms and liberties. Much is being asked of us and I have no doubt that we as a people are up to the challenge to protect the lives of these innocent and precious children.

Enforce the law with regard to immigration. Follow the procedures for asylum seekers.

And protect the sanctity of the family in the process.

The world is watching. Watching and waiting to see who we are, how we live.

Children are watching. Sitting in shelters, praying for a miracle, hoping to see their moms and dads.

Moms and dads are watching. Held in detention centers, praying for a miracle, sobbing and hurting, grieving and aching, wanting only to hug their sons and daughters.

The American people are watching. Wondering if the government takes these actions against strangers, could they do the very same things to citizens? We are aware of a nagging and uncomfortable feeling that this just isn’t right. Americans are questioning their leaders’ wisdom and humanity, wondering and worrying.

And.

Someone else is watching.

God is watching.

He always has been and He always will be. These are His children, after all.

We are all His children.

God is watching to see if the people who claim to know, love and serve Him and His people really do.

Or if that’s all just a show they put on for votes, for power, for riches, for attention.

United States of America, we’re on the clock.

The next move is ours.

Questions:

1. What is your view of the practice of separating children from their families at border crossings in the United States?

2. Do you believe that this is a just and moral practice? How does this practice align (or not align) with your faith and values?

3. Do you think that it is ethical or just for an administration to use the separation of children from their parents at border crossings as a potential bargaining chip in future negotiations to build a border wall or for other immigration policy goals?

4. If you have children, how would you feel if something like this happened to your family? What if the government tried to seize your children? How would you respond? What would you want strangers and friends to do on your behalf to help your family?

5. As Christians, what is our moral and ethical obligation regarding the issue of separating children from their families at border crossings?

Do you believe we have a duty to raise our concerns about these policies? Do we have a duty to help these children and their families?

Do you think we will answer to God for things we failed to do when we knew we should have said something, done something?

6. Put yourself in the bare feet of one of these children. Imagine the fear, sorrow, grief and desperation they are feeling. Picture yourself ripped from your parents’ loving arms after a terrifying and arduous journey. In a shelter with strange noises, foods and people. There is potential for abuse and neglect. Children apparently aren’t comforted and nobody can even hug you or hold your hand while you are crying for your mom and dad. How would you feel if this happened to you?

Is this ethical? Is this moral? Is it Christlike? Loving? Acceptable?

7. If this issue concerns you, please make your voice heard and share your views about this practice of separating children from their families at our southern border.

Contact your congressional representative and your senators. Contact the White House. Contact the Department of Justice. Contact the United States Citizen and Immigration Services.

Share your concerns with your elected representatives and the agencies with oversight on this issue.

Participate in a rally or discussion on the issue.

If you can, please consider donating money to the lawyers representing the children in these immigration cases.

And above all, pray.

Thoughts, Prayers AND Actions.

Let us be a people on our knees before Almighty God in the days ahead, asking for His wisdom, clarity and guidance so He would be able to use us as His hands and feet on earth.