Back at my home church in Blount County, Pine Mountain Community Church, the youth leader, Shane Williams, always says, "Know what you believe, and know why you believe it." I believe that prayer is a vital part of the Christian walk, and without it, my brother might not be here now. When he was nearing his teenage years, he had a cyst on his brain, and thanks to God listening to the prayers of people across the country, when they went to look for it, the cyst was gone.

Recently, the Freedom From Religion Foundation filed a complaint against the Blount County School System for praying over the PA System prior to football games or other athletic events. While many feel that this has been a form of persecution, they also see it as an opportunity to bring about a revival in Blount County.

Christians are persecuted daily for their beliefs. This is especially true in many Middle Eastern countries, where many die for their Christian faith daily. While we are not being persecuted on that level, it is still just as real in the United States today. In American, persecution is often seen through attacks similar to this from nonbelievers. I found this interesting stance on religious freedom in my Apologetics Study Bible while flipping to a passage for my devotional in Our Daily Bread.

Photo courtesy my phone.

In response to the complaint, many in Blount County have taken a stand. Several churches across the county have gotten together and made shirts that say "We Believe" on the front and the Lord's Prayer on the back. These are made on shirts in each of the county schools' respective colors (Southeastern's in maroon, Locust Fork's in green, for example). Locust Fork had one thousand shirts made that were given out the day prior to their game against J.B. Pennington, and within an hour, all of these shirts had been given out to students and members of the community.

Also, at games across the county on September 21, during the moment of silence that replace the prayer on the PA System, many of the fans took part in reciting the Lord's Prayer. This was done at every home game across the county, and at the Hayden and Cleveland games, the visiting teams, which were both out of county teams, joined each of the home teams in reciting the prayer. This is planned to become a new tradition across the county.

Many people I talked to on Facebook said that they wanted it to be clear that they did not do this as a political stunt, but rather, as an act of obedience to our Lord and Savior. They also said that they wanted to bring all glory and honor to God, because, as Paul states in 1 Corinthians 15:58, "Your labor in the Lord is not in vain (CSB)."

I spoke with two people from Blount County about the issue. Gregg Armstrong, the voice of the Locust Fork Hornets on the Hornet Radio Network through WCRL in Oneonta, stated that it felt great to see the entire county come together to turn what could've been a bad thing into a blessing for God. "God has definitely been moving through in this, and it's been truly humbling and awesome to see," Armstrong said.

Another individual I talked to, fellow JSU student and Blount County resident Ashleigh Crouch, stated that she had written about this in her blog, "Saved Without a Doubt," which you can read by following the link (https://savedwithoutadoubt.wordpress.com/2018/09/2...). She said that as Christians, it is important to stand firm in our beliefs.

As a Christian, I agree with Williams's words, "Know what you believe, and know why you believe it." I believe that, as Christians, we must stand firm in our faith, because we will consistently be persecuted. Jesus says in Mark 13:13, "You will be hated by everyone because of my name, but the one who endures to the end will be saved (CSB)." This means, that although we may be persecuted on earth, we will be saved in the end because of the grace God has granted us.

While Christians in Blount County are the current targets for persecution, God is using it to set about a revival in an area that was once on fire for Christ but has smoldered in recent years.

This has reminded me of the verse from This Little Light of Mine that goes, "Hide it under a bushel? No! I'm gonna let it shine." The citizens of Blount County are no longer hiding the light of Christ, but through this, God is setting about a big change in Blount County!