HUMILITY LOOKS LIKE BOLDNESS: A TRIBUTE

Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me;

for I am gentle and humble in heart,

and you will find rest for your souls.  Mt 11:29

Meek rhymes with weak, and antelope rhymes with cantaloupe. How easy to mix our words and meanings! There is no correlation between meekness and weakness. A well-trained horse is a “meeked horse.” The horse still has its great power but its frame is under control. When released to charge a war-horse is a picture of power.

Let there be no confusion of the meaning of humility. There is a fallacious image of humility which looks like a cowering, subjected weakling in the face of intimidation. Humiliation might look like that but not Humility. Humiliation is when one more powerful takes a weaker person by the back of the neck and forces them to the ground. Humiliation is forced on the vanquished. Humility is always a voluntary state of meekness.

The humble do not show off their wisdom, strength, authority or winning plan unless it is essential to accomplish good. The person who has no accomplishments has no need for humility. The gifted and accomplished may use humility put people at ease and honor others as worthy of credit and admiration.

The fierce warrior in battle is admired as humble when he speak in respectful and honoring tones. The celebrated scientist, actor or business person is considered humble when they speak to others as equals, even as superiors.

WHO ARE THE HUMBLE?

Suppose an army commander said, “We are going to rescue the prisoners held by the enemy in that fortress.” Would one answer, “I’m far too humble to run against a hail of bullets and rescue people I don’t know?” To boldly go into a righteous fight is a sign of humility toward higher values and noble commanders.

If the Lord tells us be salt and light, and go disciple nations, dare we answer, “I’m too humble to obey You, Lord?” Would not the Lord reply, “Your ‘humility’ is a charade. You are cowardly and disobedient.”

I’ve come to see that audacious boldness is one of the true signs of humility.

Donald J Trump may be the most hated and loved President we have ever had.

Some see Trump as a vain, narcissistic man who talks too bold, swaggers too big and accomplishes too much. They cannot pair his brash confidence with humility.

I see him as one of the humblest leaders our land has known.  

Consider what a high-rolling, luxurious life he gave up in order to receive daily harassment from the press and political enemies.

Some money-grubbers go into politics to become millionaires. Donald Trump has forfeited millions to be president. He did not take a salary. His enemies are incensed that he cannot be bought.

He doesn’t host cocktail parties like other Presidents because he doesn’t drink. This is galling to those who like to lubricate others to their advantage. I wonder if President Trump knows Proverbs 31: 4-5.

It is not for kings, O Lemuel, 

it is not for kings to drink wine, 

or for rulers to crave strong drink,

lest they drink and forget what is decreed, 

depriving all the oppressed of justice.

President trump puts in 18-hour days. Those are volunteer hours! Most of us think we are doing well when we volunteer a few hours a month. If most of us were to copy President Trump we would put in eight hours at work, then volunteer ten hours to the nation, daily. The President’s volunteer hours are distressing to those who have great salaries but serve themselves not the people.

Many have said, “Trump should be humbler.” Perhaps they are right. But when saying, “Trump should be humbler” are they saying “Trump should have my level of humility?” How is it that many are aware of the bad breath of others but insensitive to their own body odor and passed gas?

I’ve never heard someone say, “President Trump should be less bold and courageous.”  Some mistakenly think, “A truly humble man cannot be courageous, and a truly courageous woman cannot be humble.” Humility is not opposed to courage! What thinkest thou?

If someone were evaluating your life would they say,

“You need to humbler?”

Would they say,

“You need to be more courageous?”

 

While President Trump steps off the stage for a few moments I urge you to realize that boldness will be your truest sign of humility.

Today I was connecting with people at our city hall. What kind of grass-root action plans are you working on?

 

Donald J Trump has spoken of “our” accomplishments over the past four years. There has been media silence on this point. There will be no “credit due” granted, The American people deserve to know that great good has been accomplished by this president. Our President’s accomplishments have magnitude as well as numbers!! Note a list of them below.

Steven C Johnson

LandingStripEnterprises.Com

 

THE PRESIDENT’S ACCOMPLISHMENTS

One Hundred And Twenty One Accomplishments By President Trump And His Cabinet.

Here you go. Easy to Google and double check. Checking for yourself is always best. This list is not all inclusive.  There are more to add to this list every week.

1. Trump recently signed 3 bills to benefit Native people. One gives compensation to the Spokane tribe for loss of their lands in the mid-1900s, one funds Native language programs, and the third gives federal recognition to the Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians in Montana.
2. Trump finalized the creation of Space Force as our 6th Military branch.
3. Trump signed a law to make cruelty to animals a federal felony so that animal abusers face tougher consequences.
4. Prior to the recent violent Antifa protests, violent crime has fallen every year he’s been in office after rising during the 2 years before he was elected.
5. Trump signed a bill making CBD and Hemp legal.
6. Trump’s EPA gave $100 million to fix the water infrastructure problem in Flint, Michigan.
7. Under Trump’s leadership, in 2018 the U.S. surpassed Russia and Saudi Arabia to become the world’s largest producer of crude oil.
8. Trump signed a law ending the gag orders on Pharmacists that prevented them from sharing money-saving information.
9. Trump signed the “Allow States and Victims to Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act” (FOSTA), which includes the “Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers Act” (SESTA) which both give law enforcement and victims new tools to fight sex trafficking.
10. Trump signed a bill to require airports to provide spaces for breastfeeding Moms.
11. The 25% lowest-paid Americans enjoyed a 4.5% income boost in November 2019, which outpaces a 2.9% gain in earnings for the country’s highest-paid workers.
12. Low-wage workers are benefiting from higher minimum wages and from corporations that are increasing entry-level pay.
13. Trump signed the biggest wilderness protection & conservation bill in a decade and designated 375,000 acres as protected land.
14. Trump signed the Save our Seas Act which funds $10 million per year to clean tons of plastic & garbage from the ocean.
15. He signed a bill this year allowing some drug imports from Canada so that prescription prices would go down.
16. Trump signed an executive order this year that forces all healthcare providers to disclose the cost of their services so that Americans can comparison shop and know how much less providers charge insurance companies. When signing that bill, he said no American should be blindsided by bills for medical services they never agreed to in advance.
17. Hospitals will now be required to post their standard charges for services, which include the discounted price a hospital is willing to accept.
18. In the eight years prior to President Trump’s inauguration, prescription drug prices increased by an average of 3.6% per year. Under Trump, drug prices have seen year-over-year declines in nine of the last ten months, with a 1.1% drop as of the most recent month.
19. He created a White House VA Hotline to help veterans and principally staffed it with veterans and direct family members of veterans. VA employees are being held accountable for poor performance, with more than 4,000 VA employees removed, demoted, and suspended so far.
20. Issued an executive order requiring the Secretaries of Defense, Homeland Security, and Veterans Affairs to submit a joint plan to provide veterans access to access to mental health treatment as they transition to civilian life.
21. Because of a bill signed and championed by Trump, In 2020, most federal employees will see their pay increase by an average of 3.1% — the largest raise in more than 10 years.
22. Trump signed into a law up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave for millions of federal workers.
23. Trump administration will provide HIV prevention drugs for free to 200,000 uninsured patients per year for 11 years.
24. All-time record sales during the 2019 holidays.
25. Trump signed an order allowing small businesses to group together when buying insurance to get a better price.
26. President Trump signed the Preventing Maternal Deaths Act that provides funding for states to develop maternal mortality reviews to better understand maternal complications and identify solutions & largely focuses on reducing the higher mortality rates for Black Americans.
27. In 2018, President Trump signed the groundbreaking First Step Act, a criminal justice bill which enacted reforms that make our justice system fairer and help former inmates successfully return to society.
28. The First Step Act’s reforms addressed inequities in sentencing laws that disproportionately harmed Black Americans and reformed mandatory minimums that created unfair outcomes.
29. The First Step Act expanded judicial discretion in sentencing of non-violent crimes.
30. Over 90% of those benefitting from the retroactive sentencing reductions in the First Step Act are Black Americans.
31. The First Step Act provides rehabilitative programs to inmates, helping them successfully rejoin society and not return to crime.
32. Trump increased funding for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) by more than 14%.
33. Trump signed legislation forgiving Hurricane Katrina debt that threatened HBCUs.
34. New single-family home sales are up 31.6% in October 2019 compared to just one year ago.
35. Made HBCUs a priority by creating the position of executive director of the White House Initiative on HBCUs.
36. Trump received the Bipartisan Justice Award at a historically black college for his criminal justice reform accomplishments.
37. The poverty rate fell to a 17-year low of 11.8% under the Trump administration as a result of a jobs-rich environment.
38. Poverty rates for African Americans and Hispanic-Americans have reached their lowest levels since the U.S. began collecting such data.
39. President Trump signed a bill that creates five national monuments, expands several national parks, adds 1.3 million acres of wilderness, and permanently reauthorizes the Land and Water Conservation Fund.
40. Trump’s USDA committed $124 Million to rebuild rural water infrastructure.
41. Consumer confidence & small business confidence is at an all-time high.
42. Prior to the COVID shut down more than 7 million jobs created since election.
43. More Americans are now employed than ever recorded before in our history.
44. More than 400,000 manufacturing jobs created since his election.
45. Trump appointed 5 openly gay ambassadors.
46. Trump ordered Ric Grenell, his openly gay ambassador to Germany, to lead a global initiative to decriminalize homosexuality across the globe.
47. Through Trump’s Anti-Trafficking Coordination Team (ACTeam) initiative, Federal law enforcement more than doubled convictions of human traffickers and increased the number of defendants charged by 75% in ACTeam districts.
48. In 2018, the Department of Justice (DOJ) dismantled an organization that was the internet’s leading source of prostitution-related advertisements resulting in sex trafficking.
49. Trump’s OMB published new anti-trafficking guidance for government procurement officials to combat human trafficking more effectively.
50. Trump’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations arrested 1,588 criminals associated with Human Trafficking.
51. Trump’s Department of Health and Human Services provided funding to support the National Human Trafficking Hotline to identify perpetrators and give victims the help they need.
52. The hotline identified 16,862 potential human trafficking cases.
53. Trump’s DOJ provided grants to organizations that support human trafficking victims – serving nearly 9,000 cases from July 1, 2017, to June 30, 2018.
54. The Department of Homeland Security has hired more victim assistance specialists, helping victims get resources and support.
55. President Trump has called on Congress to pass school choice legislation so that no child is trapped in a failing school because of his or her zip code.
56. The President signed funding legislation in September 2018 that increased funding for school choice by $42 million.
57. The tax cuts signed into law by President Trump promote school choice by allowing families to use 529 college savings plans for elementary and secondary education.
58. Under his leadership ISIS has lost most of their territory and been largely dismantled.
59. ISIS leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi was killed.
60. Signed the first Perkins CTE reauthorization since 2006, authorizing more than $1 billion for states each year to fund vocational and career education programs.
61. Executive order expanding apprenticeship opportunities for students and workers.
62. Trump issued an Executive Order prohibiting the U.S. government from discriminating against Christians or punishing expressions of faith.
63. Signed an executive order that allows the government to withhold money from college campuses deemed to be anti-Semitic and who fail to combat anti-Semitism.
64. President Trump ordered a halt to U.S. tax money going to international organizations that fund or perform abortions.
65. Trump imposed sanctions on the socialists in Venezuela who have killed their citizens.
66. Finalized new trade agreement with South Korea.
67. Made a deal with the European Union to increase U.S. energy exports to Europe.
68. Withdrew the U.S. from the job killing TPP deal.
69. Secured $250 billion in new trade and investment deals in China and $12 billion in Vietnam.
70. Approved up to $12 billion in aid for farmers affected by unfair trade retaliation.
71. Has had over a dozen US hostages freed, including those Obama could not get freed.
72. Trump signed the Music Modernization Act, the biggest change to copyright law in decades.
73. Trump secured Billions that will fund the building of a wall at our southern border.
74. The Trump Administration is promoting second chance hiring to give former inmates the opportunity to live crime-free lives and find meaningful employment.
75. Trump’s DOJ and the Board Of Prisons launched a new “Ready to Work Initiative” to help connect employers directly with former prisoners.
76. President Trump’s historic tax cut legislation included new Opportunity Zone Incentives to promote investment in low-income communities across the country.
77. 8,764 communities across the country have been designated as Opportunity Zones.
78. Opportunity Zones are expected to spur $100 billion in long-term private capital investment in economically distressed communities across the country.
79. Trump directed the Education Secretary to end Common Core.
80. Trump signed the 9/11 Victims Compensation Fund into law.
81. Trump signed measure funding prevention programs for Veteran suicide.
82. Companies have brought back over a TRILLION dollars from overseas because of the TCJA bill that Trump signed.
83. Manufacturing jobs are growing at the fastest rate in more than 30 years.
84. Stock Market has reached record highs.
85. Median household income has hit highest level ever recorded.
86. African American unemployment is at an all-time low.
87. Hispanic-American unemployment is at an all-time low.
88. Asian-American unemployment is at an all-time low.
89. Women’s unemployment rate is at a 65-year low.
90. Youth unemployment is at a 50-year low.
91. Prior to the COVID shutdown we have the lowest unemployment rate ever recorded.
92. The Pledge to America’s Workers has resulted in employers committing to train more than 4 million Americans.
93. 95 percent of U.S. manufacturers are optimistic about the future— the highest ever.
94. As a result of the Republican tax bill, small businesses will have the lowest top marginal tax rate in more than 80 years.
95. Record number of regulations eliminated that hurt small businesses.
96. Signed welfare reform requiring able-bodied adults who don’t have children to work or look for work if they’re on welfare.
97. Under Trump, the FDA approved more affordable generic drugs than ever before in history.
98. Reformed Medicare program to stop hospitals from overcharging low-income seniors on their drugs—saving seniors 100’s of millions of $$$ this year alone.
99. Signed Right-To-Try legislation allowing terminally ill patients to try experimental treatment that wasn’t allowed before.
100. Secured $6 billion in new funding to fight the opioid epidemic.
101. Signed VA Choice Act and VA Accountability Act, expanded VA telehealth services, walk-in-clinics, and same-day urgent primary and mental health care.
102. S. oil production recently reached all-time high so we are less dependent on oil from the Middle East.
103. The U.S. is a net natural gas exporter for the first time since 1957.
104. NATO allies increased their defense spending because of his pressure campaign.
105. Withdrew the United States from the job-killing Paris Climate Accord in 2017 and that same year the U.S. still led the world by having the largest reduction in Carbon emissions.
106. Has his circuit court judge nominees being confirmed faster than any other new administration.
107. Had his Supreme Court Justice’s Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh confirmed.
108. Moved U.S. Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem.
109. Agreed to a new trade deal with Mexico & Canada that will increase jobs here and $$$ coming in.
110. Reached a breakthrough agreement with the E.U. to increase U.S. exports.
111. Imposed tariffs on China in response to China’s forced technology transfer, intellectual property theft, and their chronically abusive trade practices, has agreed to a Part One trade deal with China.
112. Signed legislation to improve the National Suicide Hotline.
113. Signed the most comprehensive childhood cancer legislation ever into law, which will advance childhood cancer research and improve treatments.
114. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act signed into law by Trump doubled the maximum amount of the child tax credit available to parents and lifted the income limits so more people could claim it.
115. It also created a new tax credit for other dependents.
116. In 2018, President Trump signed into law a $2.4 billion funding increase for the Child Care and Development Fund, providing a total of $8.1 billion to States to fund childcare for low-income families.
117. The Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit (CDCTC) signed into law by Trump provides a tax credit equal to 20-35% of child care expenses, $3,000 per child & $6,000 per family + Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs) allow you to set aside up to $5,000 in pre-tax $ to use for child care.
118. In 2019 President Donald Trump signed the Autism Collaboration, Accountability, Research, Education and Support Act (CARES) into law which allocates $1.8 billion in funding over the next five years to help people with autism spectrum disorder and to help their families.
119. In 2019 President Trump signed into law two funding packages providing nearly $19 million in new funding for Lupus specific research and education programs, as well an additional $41.7 billion in funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the most Lupus funding EVER.
120. Another upcoming accomplishment to add: Trump signed the first major anti-robocall law in decades called the TRACED Act (Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence.) TRACED Act will extend the period of time the FCC has to catch & punish those who intentionally break telemarketing restrictions. The bill also requires voice service providers to develop a framework to verify calls are legitimate before they reach your phone.
121. US stock market continually hits record highs.

*Trump did all of this while fighting flagrant abuse and impeachment charges and a 97% negativity reporting by major media.