At the weekly meeting of the Columbus Exchange Club Thursday, Major Brad Kimble said the United States should turn to God and urged his audience to pray for the country, its leaders and its people in a time of national division.
In his speech at Lion Hills Center, Kimble referenced the protests that have gathered throughout the country in response to the election of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.
“You saw in the news the rioting,” he said. “You saw what has been going on. I’m begging you, I’m pleading with you, pray for our leaders.”
Kimble, the deputy wing chaplain at Columbus Air Force Base, was the keynote speaker for the Exchange Club’s annual “One Nation Under God” program that celebrates the importance of both religious faith and religious freedom throughout the history of the United States. The National Exchange Club recognizes One Nation Under God month every November. Over the past couple of years, the Columbus Exchange Club has invited speakers who hold military office to talk about the importance of the phrase “one nation under God” from the pledge of allegiance.
“When (president of the Exchange Club) Fred (Kinder) called me up and asked me to be the speaker today, I was extremely excited,” Kimble said. “Then he said the theme of it is ‘one nation under God.’ Now to give that kind of title to a Southern preacher is like saying ‘sic ’em’ to a dog. I said, ‘Oh boy, you don’t know what you just did.'”
A pastor for 27 years, Kimble jokingly warned his audience that he might preach at them a little.
He opened his “sermon” by arguing that, for the nation to be “under God,” Americans should do their best to understand God’s will, follow it and encourage other Americans to do the same.
“I believe it means that we should be a nation that seeks after God’s own heart,” he said.
Throughout his speech, Kimble stayed apolitical, not referencing any controversial cultural issues and urging his audience to pray for both President Barack Obama and Trump.
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