Of the five rights listed in the First Amendment. - religion, speech, press, assembly, petition - the very first right protected is freely exercising our religion.

Im very proud that our country still produces people like my son, who choose the path less traveled; that knowingly step up to serve, even though our country is tearing itself apart with things like political machinations.

There is not enough time in the day to address all these challenges we face. I pray for wisdom in prioritizing issues and working on the things God would intend, so one day we too will hear those words: "Well done, my good and faithful servant."

In the government, we have a very important responsibility to protect the rights of our pastors and religious leaders. They have the freedom to speak out about what they believe, without fear of repercussions from their very own government.

One of the thoughtful questions we could be asking is, "Have you ever gone to Google and typed in 20 week baby or 20 week fetus? Try it and click on the images." Suddenly your friend will see what a 20-week-old baby looks like in the womb. That image is clearly a unique life.

With America's role in the world, we have the ability to help protect the freedom of religion around the globe.

I grew up climbing mountains in Montana and Wyoming and my wife and I were engaged on top of a mountain peak: Hyalite Peak in Montana. It was a 15-mile hike to get to the top of that, round-trip - thankfully, she said yes.