We Can Have Peace in the Holy Land by Jimmy Carter

I saw the presidency as a way to accomplish specific goals that I considered important. We can choose to work together for peace. Jimmy Carter, Sources of Strength: Meditations on Scripture for a Living Faith Like other Christians, our family needed spiritual fellowship, not special recognition or honors, so as much as possible we were treated the same as any other members of the church. None of us can know where our journeys with God will take us even tomorrow – let alone a decade from now – so it’s a good idea to spend a few moments each day to connect with God and ask, “Well, where do you want to take me today?” Yet how often do we give God the credit? We don’t see all our blessings – freedom, good health, security, and prosperity – as coming from the good hand of God. God also has blessed us, through Jesus Christ, in countless ways. We tend to think that money and fame and the adulation of others will make us happy – but we come to realize that those things are not foundations for real success. If we’re looking for a repository of confidence – someone in whom to put our faith – then we must look to God, the Creator of the universe and the one who gave us life. We must adjust to changing times and still hold to unchanging principles. Jimmy Carter, We Can Have Peace in the Holy Land: A Plan That Will Work

My father and others taught me every Sunday about the other great prophets who relayed God’s word to his chosen people, mostly during the period of their exile, and who Christians believe were preparing for the coming of the Messiah, Jesus Christ, a descendant of David. We have learned that “more” is not necessarily “better,” that even our great nation has its recognized limits, and that we can neither answer all questions nor solve all problems. Jimmy Carter, Keeping Faith: Memoirs of a President Our commitment to human rights must be absolute, our laws fair, our national beauty preserved the powerful must not persecute the weak, and human dignity must be enhanced. Jimmy Carter, Through the Year with Jimmy Carter: 366 Daily Meditations from the 39th President While all else may change, God’s promises remain firm. This is not based on measuring success by human competitiveness for wealth, possessions, influence, and fame, but adhering to God’s standards of truth, justice, humility, service, compassion, forgiveness, and love. I believe that anyone can be successful in life, regardless of natural talent or the environment within which we live.

People have the right to expect that these wants will be provided for by this wisdom. Government is a contrivance of human wisdom to provide for human wants.

We Can Have Peace in the Holy Land by Jimmy Carter