At Cedar Rapids church service, Carson calls for humility

CEDAR RAPIDS — The 10 a.m. service at River of Life Church began more than a half-hour late Sunday, and even then worshippers were standing in line outside the northeast Cedar Rapids church waiting to go through security gates.

That was because Republican presidential hopeful Ben Carson had been invited to speak at the non-denominational Christian church. Most worshippers took the scrutiny of their pockets and purses in stride, although a few were unhappy with being forced to leave their coffee cups outside.

'You were scanned coming in here, but Jesus will scan you with a wand full of mercy,' Diane Hung said as she welcomed them.

Although the first-in-the-nation Iowa caucuses are just a week away, Carson didn't talk politics. Instead, after taking communion — with a Secret Service agent a step behind him — Carson spoke for about 35 minutes about the role prayer, the Bible and accepting Jesus helped him overcome his anger, which he called a form of selfishness. He described various events in his life, including a story of attempting to stab another boy, only to have the knife blade deflected by a belt buckle that 'told me that God truly had something he wanted me to do.'

Even as a surgeon, he had to learn he wasn't operating alone.

'I was thinking I was doing all this stuff,' he said. After a particularly difficult surgery to remove a tumor from a boy's brain stem, he said, 'I knew it wasn't me.'

Carson said he told God, 'You be the neurosurgeon and I'll be the hands.'

Humbling themselves before God does not come easily to many people because 'they can't imagine anyone greater than they are.'

He then cited 2nd Chronicles, verses 7-14, according to which the Lord promises that if his people 'will humble themselves and … turn from their wicked ways' he will forgive their sin 'and heal their land.'

'He is just waiting for us to wake up,' Carson said. 'The blessings will be beyond anything we can imagine.'

Worshippers were impressed by Carson, but weren't necessarily more likely to caucus for him.

'I'll check him out,' Randi Blair of Cedar Rapids said. 'I'll think about that.'

Michael Brooks, also of Cedar Rapids, said Carson is on his 'short list' of candidates. After hearing him, Brooks said, he's 'much more inclined' to caucus for him.