Last Sunday we were treated to a video in preparation for Easter. I was blown away. So much so I had to share it with anyone willing to check it out. This is powerful. Here is the background on the video. This piece is from a well known pastor by the name of S.M. (Shadrach Meshach) Lockridge. The link will take you to Igniter Media Group’s website to view the amazing and powerful video, which also plays the narrative. Check it out here
Following is a copy of the words from the sermon. You can follow along with the video…
It’s Friday
Jesus is praying
Peter’s a sleeping
Judas is betraying
But Sunday’s comin’
It’s Friday
Pilate’s struggling
The council is conspiring
The crowd is vilifying
They don’t even know
That Sunday’s comin’
It’s Friday
The disciples are running
Like sheep without a shepherd
Mary’s crying
Peter is denying
But they don’t know
That Sunday’s a comin’
It’s Friday
The Romans beat my Jesus
They robe Him in scarlet
They crown him with thorns
But they don’t know
That Sunday’s comin’
It’s Friday
See Jesus walking to Calvary
His blood dripping
His body stumbling
And His spirit’s burdened
But you see, it’s only Friday
Sunday’s comin’
It’s Friday
The world’s winning
People are sinning
And evil’s grinning
It’s Friday
The soldiers nail my Savior’s hands to the cross
They nail my Savior’s feet to the cross
And then they raise Him up next to criminals
It’s Friday
But let me tell you something
Sunday’s comin’
It’s Friday
The disciples are questioning
What has happened to their King
And the Pharisees are celebrating
That their scheming has been achieved
But they don’t know
It’s only Friday
Sunday’s comin’
It’s Friday
He’s hanging on the cross
Feeling forsaken by His Father
Left alone and dying
Can nobody save Him?
Ooooh, It’s Friday
But Sunday’s comin’
It’s Friday
The earth trembles
The sky grows dark
My King yields His spirit
It’s Friday
Hope is lost
Death has won
Sin has conquered and
Satan’s just a laughing
It’s Friday
Jesus is buried
A soldier stands guard
And a rock is rolled into place
But it’s Friday
It is only Friday
Sunday is a comin’!
Amen
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Blatancy
bla·tant – adjective
1. Brazenly obvious; flagrant: a blatant error in simple addition; a blatant lie.
Have you ever watched the Miss America Pageant? Or the Miss Universe contest or Miss Teen USA? Ever notice how even the most vacuous contestant can appear indignant when asked what they would do, if crowned, to change the world? Of course the majority of contestants all spew the same blather of wanting “world peace”, even though I doubt very much that a single one of them has the faintest idea of what that really means.
So here’s the question of the day? Do you know what it takes to achieve world peace? Do you even know where to start? What if I told you that you were born with an innate sense of what to do? What if I told you that your own mother and father were grooming you for the proper qualifications to meet the needs of world peace as a youngster?
Most likely you grew up with the golden rule tattooed somewhere near your rear end. Your parents constantly drilled into you the importance of treating others with respect, showing kindness, saying nice things instead of not nice things and so on. “Be nice to your brother”, “don’t hit your sister”, “the cat does not belong in the dryer”, and so on.
In any culture, unless your family dynamic was really messed up, you were raised to respect your elders, to use your manners while also being polite and of course not to take others things. In fact nowhere in the world is it OK to steal, you heard me, nowhere.
So at what point in our development from childhood to adulthood do we make the switch? Does it happen after high school? Does it occur in grade school somewhere? Or is it later on in college? I’m no psychologist but I can tell you this, there are some people out there who have some explaining to do with regards to the raising of their children. It might take a village to raise a child but do me a favor and ban the village idiot from the classroom.
Of course these are rather harsh statements but blatancy works like that. It is brazenly obvious like the definition says above. Over the span of some few thousand years we have fought to define parenting from what it looks like to how to do it right. Hundreds of thousands of men and women with heady degrees have written tomes on the subject, all with the same outcome. We have children out there whose parents were busy spending quality time with the idiot and not with their own kids.
This of course gets me off of topic to some small degree, but I will hastily return us to the important subject at hand, and that is peace.
What I tire of is not just the garden variety apathy of most adults I come into contact with, but their lack of wanton to improve their own lives as well as the lives of their children. The scary thing however is the longer adults procrastinate about the future, the worse it gets for their kids. Once this seed of apathy is sewn, it grows into the hearts and minds of the next generation, which in turn dominoes into the next and then the next…and so on.
When grown mothers and fathers disregard social and lawful rules including being peaceful towards your family, friends and neighbors, we make it socially acceptable for our children to follow in our footsteps. Your kids will grow to steal, cheat systems, lie and cause general unrest within their very circle of society. This dilemma is expensive and quite frankly, our world can no longer afford for its’ citizens to act with this kind of disregard. It is time to act. It is time for peace.
Start today by taking a post-it-note and writing the word ‘peace’ on it and sticking it in your car. Put another one on your computer monitor, either at the office or at home, or both! Put one on the fridge. Put one in your wallet. Personalize your cell phone screensaver with the word peace.
We have an amazing potential you and I to change this world. Even more so do our children, as evidenced by this cartoon… here
It starts with us and it starts now. Seek peace in every circle of influence in your life. I know it is hard work, but imagine the dividends, they shouldn't be blatant.
my life is not mine, and yet it is mine to live for Him. Peace to you all.
D
1. Brazenly obvious; flagrant: a blatant error in simple addition; a blatant lie.
Have you ever watched the Miss America Pageant? Or the Miss Universe contest or Miss Teen USA? Ever notice how even the most vacuous contestant can appear indignant when asked what they would do, if crowned, to change the world? Of course the majority of contestants all spew the same blather of wanting “world peace”, even though I doubt very much that a single one of them has the faintest idea of what that really means.
So here’s the question of the day? Do you know what it takes to achieve world peace? Do you even know where to start? What if I told you that you were born with an innate sense of what to do? What if I told you that your own mother and father were grooming you for the proper qualifications to meet the needs of world peace as a youngster?
Most likely you grew up with the golden rule tattooed somewhere near your rear end. Your parents constantly drilled into you the importance of treating others with respect, showing kindness, saying nice things instead of not nice things and so on. “Be nice to your brother”, “don’t hit your sister”, “the cat does not belong in the dryer”, and so on.
In any culture, unless your family dynamic was really messed up, you were raised to respect your elders, to use your manners while also being polite and of course not to take others things. In fact nowhere in the world is it OK to steal, you heard me, nowhere.
So at what point in our development from childhood to adulthood do we make the switch? Does it happen after high school? Does it occur in grade school somewhere? Or is it later on in college? I’m no psychologist but I can tell you this, there are some people out there who have some explaining to do with regards to the raising of their children. It might take a village to raise a child but do me a favor and ban the village idiot from the classroom.
Of course these are rather harsh statements but blatancy works like that. It is brazenly obvious like the definition says above. Over the span of some few thousand years we have fought to define parenting from what it looks like to how to do it right. Hundreds of thousands of men and women with heady degrees have written tomes on the subject, all with the same outcome. We have children out there whose parents were busy spending quality time with the idiot and not with their own kids.
This of course gets me off of topic to some small degree, but I will hastily return us to the important subject at hand, and that is peace.
What I tire of is not just the garden variety apathy of most adults I come into contact with, but their lack of wanton to improve their own lives as well as the lives of their children. The scary thing however is the longer adults procrastinate about the future, the worse it gets for their kids. Once this seed of apathy is sewn, it grows into the hearts and minds of the next generation, which in turn dominoes into the next and then the next…and so on.
When grown mothers and fathers disregard social and lawful rules including being peaceful towards your family, friends and neighbors, we make it socially acceptable for our children to follow in our footsteps. Your kids will grow to steal, cheat systems, lie and cause general unrest within their very circle of society. This dilemma is expensive and quite frankly, our world can no longer afford for its’ citizens to act with this kind of disregard. It is time to act. It is time for peace.
Start today by taking a post-it-note and writing the word ‘peace’ on it and sticking it in your car. Put another one on your computer monitor, either at the office or at home, or both! Put one on the fridge. Put one in your wallet. Personalize your cell phone screensaver with the word peace.
We have an amazing potential you and I to change this world. Even more so do our children, as evidenced by this cartoon… here
It starts with us and it starts now. Seek peace in every circle of influence in your life. I know it is hard work, but imagine the dividends, they shouldn't be blatant.
my life is not mine, and yet it is mine to live for Him. Peace to you all.
D
Sunday, March 2, 2008
missional living
For the last few weeks, our pastor has raised the issue of missional living. As one of the congregants listening to these sermons I am struck with a sense of urgency to respond. For the last few weeks, I have asked many questions not only of myself but also of my God. Mostly I ask Him how He would use me to further His kingdom.
Simply put, I have lost count of how many times I have asked God to use me in a mighty way. With each request comes a simple reply; seek peace, show peace, promote peace, teach peace. The still small voice has been growing into a deafening roar over the last several months and now is a full blown scream. I suppose it is unlikely to believe that God would scream, but for some of us, screaming is the only way to break through the din of this world.
I have been constantly reminded by this noise in my head to search the book of Matthew, primarily the sermon on the mount. Through some studies and commentaries by noted theologians on the subject, I have found this (from Matthew 5);
"First, kingdom people do not try to force God's whole will on a world unprepared for it. Many first-century Jews had begun to think that revolutionary violence was the only adequate response to the violence of oppression they experienced. Matthew's first audience no doubt could recall the bankruptcy of this approach, which led to crushing defeat in the war of A.D. 66-73. But Jesus promises the kingdom not to those who try to force God's hand in their time but to those who patiently and humbly wait for it-the meek, the poor in spirit, the merciful, the peacemakers.
Of course Jesus' demand does not merely challenge the bloodshed of revolution. Peacemakers means not only living at peace but bringing harmony among others; this role requires us to work for reconciliation with spouses, neighbors and all people-insofar as the matter is up to us (Rom 12:18)."
In my opinion, it is clear that we are to first seek peace, while at the same time seek to bring the good news of God's amazing story of salvation to the whole world. While we are doing this we are going to be persecuted by people who are cold to the reception of God's word. In that moment we are blessed (Matthew 5: 9-12). However, there seems to be an even larger paradigm here.
By the time you reach Matthew 5: 23-24, there is a pattern emerging for how this cycle of peace works. First, at the start of chapter 5, Jesus proclaims that when there is less of you, there is more of God. Then Jesus says we should show people how to work together instead of compete and fight. However, when we are persecuted for this we are blessed even more! Furthering this, Jesus says we are the light of the world. We are to shine for all mankind to see the greatness of God.
But then Jesus really dives in. First it was all about being in Him and then shining for Him. Next he says not to murder (well duh!). Then it gets real deep. You can't even be angry with your brother for fear of the fire of hell. Whoa! And now Jesus gets to verse 23 which says,
"If you enter your place of worship and, about to make an offering, you suddenly remember a grudge a friend has against you, abandon your offering, leave immediately, go to this friend and make things right. Then and only then, come back and work things out with God. "
By the time you get down to verse 38, Jesus hits you the hardest. Turn the other cheek, live generously, love my enemies?!! Jesus was considered a radical for His day, but that's radical for this day. Surely He can't be serious, no one lives like that. There must be a way around that one.
Putting chapter 5 in perspective and making it concise for a world that is looking for its next sound bite looks like this....
Be meek so that God shines through you.
Be peaceful towards all mankind.
When (not if) you are persecuted for your faith, thank God for it and you will be blessed.
With God shining through, be a light for all to see.
Love your brother (and your sister).
Let no grudge come between you and a friend.
Make all these things right before coming before the Lord.
Love your enemies.
Pray for everyone, not just the ones you love, but for your enemies too.
Grow up.
Be generous and gracious toward others, the way God is with you.
You could call that a Mission Statement for right living.
And in case you didn't think the secular world was listening and waiting for someone of sound mind to step to the plate to lead this charge, consider these lyrics from a current radio hit from a very popular rock band of today....
Singing Amen, I, I'm alive Singing Amen, I, I'm alive
[Chorus:] If everyone cared and nobody cried. If everyone loved and nobody lied. If everyone shared and swallowed their pride. Then we'd see the day when nobody died.
And I'm singing Amen I, Amen I, I'm alive Amen I, Amen I, Amen I, I'm alive.
This world wants peace, let's step up and show them how.
my life is not mine, and yet it is mine to live for Him. Peace to you all.
D
Simply put, I have lost count of how many times I have asked God to use me in a mighty way. With each request comes a simple reply; seek peace, show peace, promote peace, teach peace. The still small voice has been growing into a deafening roar over the last several months and now is a full blown scream. I suppose it is unlikely to believe that God would scream, but for some of us, screaming is the only way to break through the din of this world.
I have been constantly reminded by this noise in my head to search the book of Matthew, primarily the sermon on the mount. Through some studies and commentaries by noted theologians on the subject, I have found this (from Matthew 5);
"First, kingdom people do not try to force God's whole will on a world unprepared for it. Many first-century Jews had begun to think that revolutionary violence was the only adequate response to the violence of oppression they experienced. Matthew's first audience no doubt could recall the bankruptcy of this approach, which led to crushing defeat in the war of A.D. 66-73. But Jesus promises the kingdom not to those who try to force God's hand in their time but to those who patiently and humbly wait for it-the meek, the poor in spirit, the merciful, the peacemakers.
Of course Jesus' demand does not merely challenge the bloodshed of revolution. Peacemakers means not only living at peace but bringing harmony among others; this role requires us to work for reconciliation with spouses, neighbors and all people-insofar as the matter is up to us (Rom 12:18)."
In my opinion, it is clear that we are to first seek peace, while at the same time seek to bring the good news of God's amazing story of salvation to the whole world. While we are doing this we are going to be persecuted by people who are cold to the reception of God's word. In that moment we are blessed (Matthew 5: 9-12). However, there seems to be an even larger paradigm here.
By the time you reach Matthew 5: 23-24, there is a pattern emerging for how this cycle of peace works. First, at the start of chapter 5, Jesus proclaims that when there is less of you, there is more of God. Then Jesus says we should show people how to work together instead of compete and fight. However, when we are persecuted for this we are blessed even more! Furthering this, Jesus says we are the light of the world. We are to shine for all mankind to see the greatness of God.
But then Jesus really dives in. First it was all about being in Him and then shining for Him. Next he says not to murder (well duh!). Then it gets real deep. You can't even be angry with your brother for fear of the fire of hell. Whoa! And now Jesus gets to verse 23 which says,
"If you enter your place of worship and, about to make an offering, you suddenly remember a grudge a friend has against you, abandon your offering, leave immediately, go to this friend and make things right. Then and only then, come back and work things out with God. "
By the time you get down to verse 38, Jesus hits you the hardest. Turn the other cheek, live generously, love my enemies?!! Jesus was considered a radical for His day, but that's radical for this day. Surely He can't be serious, no one lives like that. There must be a way around that one.
Putting chapter 5 in perspective and making it concise for a world that is looking for its next sound bite looks like this....
Be meek so that God shines through you.
Be peaceful towards all mankind.
When (not if) you are persecuted for your faith, thank God for it and you will be blessed.
With God shining through, be a light for all to see.
Love your brother (and your sister).
Let no grudge come between you and a friend.
Make all these things right before coming before the Lord.
Love your enemies.
Pray for everyone, not just the ones you love, but for your enemies too.
Grow up.
Be generous and gracious toward others, the way God is with you.
You could call that a Mission Statement for right living.
And in case you didn't think the secular world was listening and waiting for someone of sound mind to step to the plate to lead this charge, consider these lyrics from a current radio hit from a very popular rock band of today....
Singing Amen, I, I'm alive Singing Amen, I, I'm alive
[Chorus:] If everyone cared and nobody cried. If everyone loved and nobody lied. If everyone shared and swallowed their pride. Then we'd see the day when nobody died.
And I'm singing Amen I, Amen I, I'm alive Amen I, Amen I, Amen I, I'm alive.
This world wants peace, let's step up and show them how.
my life is not mine, and yet it is mine to live for Him. Peace to you all.
D
Thursday, February 28, 2008
demanding...in a nice way :-)
In a small area of my heart there is a grand celebration going on right now. As we move closer to the November elections I am pleased to announce that the vaunted republicans are literally eating themselves alive. They hate their own candidate. For those of you paying attention from home, here’s how it looks on the big screen….
For the last 7 years we have endured one of the single most greatest failures by a leader of any country, let alone one of the greatest countries in the history of mankind. Never has there been more derision and in-fighting among every day citizens than there is now. Our economy is in the toilet. The US dollar is weaker than it has ever been. Our children consistently score lower and lower every year in tests when compared to any other major country in the world. Consumer confidence is lower than it’s been since the Great Depression. The president’s approval rating is the lowest for any war time president ever; in fact it is lower than any president has ever had at any time during any term in the history of the United States.
Meanwhile, the list of Forbes top 400 (yes you read correctly) wealthiest individuals continues to get wealthier, read here. In order to get into this group, you need a cool 1.3 billion just to make the list…what in the world is wrong here!
We could argue all day long you and I regarding the evangelistic fundamentals of why this is and how we got here, but let me be quite frank for those that have dozed off recently.
In 1999, hard and soft line conservatives nationwide bought into a candidate out of Texas that wowed people with his hard stance on conservative issues. This individual made some encouraging statements back then, concepts we could all be proud of, regardless of which side of the fence you call home. In an interview with the Washington Post in March of 2000, he spoke of revenge and being good neighbors (Please read the third paragraph from the top). Here is an excerpt from that interview…”you cannot lead America to a positive tomorrow with revenge on one's mind. Revenge is so incredibly negative.”
In May of 1999, George Bush was interviewed by David Horowitz of Salon.com (Read the whole article here). What I want to point out specifically from this is a particular paragraph that is so poignant…
David Horowitz: “Ronald Reagan had the only successful two-term presidency since Dwight Eisenhower. Part of the secret seems to be that he focused his attention on two important goals -- lowering taxes and winning the Cold War. What are your priorities?”
George Bush: “One is prosperity: to make sure that we continue to be prosperous by lowering taxes and by fighting off isolationist and protectionist policies and politics. A second priority is to make sure that we educate children. A third priority is to promote the peace. America must be strong enough and willing to promote peace. One way to do so is to bring certainty into an uncertain world, and I support the development of anti-ballistic missile systems to do so. These are three priorities.”
Please note that your current President specifically pointed out as a priority that he wanted to promote peace, to bring certainty into an uncertain world. Forgive me for sounding glib, but throughout this Presidency, peace has never been a priority. In fact I will go out on a limb here (trust me it’s more sturdy than it looks), but George W Bush is not unlike any candidate to ever grace the oval office in regards to one simple aspect, he said what he needed to get the votes necessary to get elected.
In an article here, our current President literally goes against the very statements made in the Salon article regarding his priority involving peace. If we were so in jeopardy here in America, why didn’t we do something about this threat before then? Why was intelligence information that has been clearly documented prior to 9/11 ignored? These are some really hard questions to swallow for passionate conservatives all too willing to forgive a man who claims to be “born again”. But this term gets thrown around so loosely any more in public circles that even the much defamed liberals of our day have thrown it around in order to gain fundamentalist evangelist votes.
Next…
For all of the belly aching that goes on around this time relating to pro-life versus pro-choice, let’s get one thing straight. Pro-choice is an absurd excuse for saying it’s your body and so you get to make that choice. What about the choice of the unborn? The absolute ridiculousness of this law can be read here. And another good article here with unending wisdom and insight regarding the history and destruction of the family since the 1950’s.
With that said, abortion rates are down, read here. This is especially encouraging as it appears that more and more men and women are coming to value life on a scale unlike anything we have seen for nearly fifty years. Based on these facts, the most startling thing is this continuance to “support our troops” or even to support the war. If fundamentalist Christians are so against abortion, how can they be for killing another human in the context of war?
So the point here is that our current administration is more concerned with waging the wrong war. We are closer now than we have been for over 30 years to overturning Roe v. Wade and yet our current president hasn’t even whispered a thing about it. Instead, we are told that the surge is working, when in fact we lost more troops in January of 2008 than in nearly any month since the war began!
Please pay attention to who you are planning to vote for. John McCain would literally have us never end the war (and just for fun, Mr. McCain is pro-choice). Instead of concentrating on a different type of war right here at home, the men and women running this country would have you believe that killing thousands of Middle Easterners is in the best interests of America. Those in the paranoia machine that is certain extremist outlets of the media would rather polarize this country with the idea if we don’t fight them over there, we will have to fight them here on our streets, in our neighborhoods.
Wake up people, especially those that call themselves Christians. You have been duped by the Republican Party for too long. A group of individuals who claim to be “conservatives”, yet are anything but.
Now before my faithful readers decide to rush over to my house and string me up for crimes against humanity, let me make something clear. I am not specifically endorsing the Democratic Party. To be honest, they have not exactly shown signs of brilliance in the last 4 years when in fact they could have dominated the political landscape given the debauchery that is our current leader and his troop. What the Democrats lack is the confidence of anyone who is truly conservative in nature. Democrats right now are believed to be truly immoral and unethical.
The thing missing however in any current popular statements regarding the Democrats is the truth. There are a few shades of it if you look closely but let’s look at a few facts together. First, start here and here to get a good insight into the history of the party, including the fact that the Democrats were considered conservative all the way until the days of Roosevelt (in fact, Grover Cleveland was the Ronald Reagan of his day). At that time, due to the inability to control the country’s economy by Herbert Hoover and crew, Roosevelt took a more “liberal approach” to government.
Speaking of President Reagan, in his 1981 inaugural address, Republican President Ronald Reagan summed up his belief in limited government when he said, "In this present crisis, government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem." I’m all for limited government, trust me, but our current president has decided that he IS the government and has so trampled on the US constitution that the original document is barely legible any longer. Here is an excerpt (the whole article is here) you may find revolting…
“President Bush is a proponent of the unitary executive theory and has cited it within his signing statements about legislation passed by Congress. The administration's interpretation of the unitary executive theory was called seriously into question by Hamdan v. Rumsfeld, where the Supreme Court ruled 5-3 that the President does not have sweeping powers to override or ignore laws through his power as commander in chief, stating "the Executive is bound to comply with the Rule of Law that prevails." Following the ruling, the Bush administration has sought Congressional authorization for programs started only on executive mandate, as was the case with the Military Commissions Act, or abandoned illegal programs it had previously asserted executive authority to enact, in the case of the National Security Agency domestic wiretapping program.”
For an in depth analysis of our current presidents’ performance over the last 7 years, please go here.
Ok, so now for the personal reflection part of this series.....
From a purely biblical perspective, I am supposed to support my government leaders and stand behind them, as in Ecclesiastes 10:20 which says, “Don’t bad mouth your leaders, not even under your breath…” (The Message)
However, Proverbs 14:28 says this, “The mark of a good leader is loyal followers; leadership is nothing without a following.” (The Message)
Of course for further perplexity there is Romans 13:1-2 which says, “Be a good citizen. All governments are under God. Insofar as there is peace and order, it’s God’s order. So live responsibly as a citizen.” (The Message)
Just prior to those last two passages is some extremely relevant information found in Romans 12:14-21…this is profound!!! “Bless your enemies; no cursing under your breath. Laugh with your happy friends when they're happy; share tears when they're down. Get along with each other; don't be stuck-up. Make friends with nobodies; don't be the great somebody.”
“Don't hit back; discover beauty in everyone. If you've got it in you, get along with everybody. Don't insist on getting even; that's not for you to do. "I'll do the judging," says God. "I'll take care of it."
“Our Scriptures tell us that if you see your enemy hungry, go buy that person lunch, or if he's thirsty, get him a drink. Your generosity will surprise him with goodness. Don't let evil get the best of you; get the best of evil by doing good.” (The Message)
Before I climb off this box tonight, let me say this; I love our current president as a brother in Christ and I pray for his salvation. However I refuse to turn a blind eye to what Jesus says so clearly in Matthew 5:38-48 (The Message).
Jesus lived on this earth in human form and tried to teach us all a few things. Namely to love the Lord thy God with all your heart, all your soul and all your mind. That is the number one command. Secondly and almost as important said Jesus, we are to love each other as much as we love ourselves. (Matthew 22:37-40)
Here’s the deal, we are called to love one another as Jesus loved us. There are not asterisks in that statement. Nowhere does it say that if someone torches my house I get to torch theirs, it doesn’t work any other way than what Jesus prescribed. At some point in our lives here on this earth we have to accept that or face the consequences on judgement day.
my life is not mine, and yet it is mine to live for Him. Peace to you all.
D
For the last 7 years we have endured one of the single most greatest failures by a leader of any country, let alone one of the greatest countries in the history of mankind. Never has there been more derision and in-fighting among every day citizens than there is now. Our economy is in the toilet. The US dollar is weaker than it has ever been. Our children consistently score lower and lower every year in tests when compared to any other major country in the world. Consumer confidence is lower than it’s been since the Great Depression. The president’s approval rating is the lowest for any war time president ever; in fact it is lower than any president has ever had at any time during any term in the history of the United States.
Meanwhile, the list of Forbes top 400 (yes you read correctly) wealthiest individuals continues to get wealthier, read here. In order to get into this group, you need a cool 1.3 billion just to make the list…what in the world is wrong here!
We could argue all day long you and I regarding the evangelistic fundamentals of why this is and how we got here, but let me be quite frank for those that have dozed off recently.
In 1999, hard and soft line conservatives nationwide bought into a candidate out of Texas that wowed people with his hard stance on conservative issues. This individual made some encouraging statements back then, concepts we could all be proud of, regardless of which side of the fence you call home. In an interview with the Washington Post in March of 2000, he spoke of revenge and being good neighbors (Please read the third paragraph from the top). Here is an excerpt from that interview…”you cannot lead America to a positive tomorrow with revenge on one's mind. Revenge is so incredibly negative.”
In May of 1999, George Bush was interviewed by David Horowitz of Salon.com (Read the whole article here). What I want to point out specifically from this is a particular paragraph that is so poignant…
David Horowitz: “Ronald Reagan had the only successful two-term presidency since Dwight Eisenhower. Part of the secret seems to be that he focused his attention on two important goals -- lowering taxes and winning the Cold War. What are your priorities?”
George Bush: “One is prosperity: to make sure that we continue to be prosperous by lowering taxes and by fighting off isolationist and protectionist policies and politics. A second priority is to make sure that we educate children. A third priority is to promote the peace. America must be strong enough and willing to promote peace. One way to do so is to bring certainty into an uncertain world, and I support the development of anti-ballistic missile systems to do so. These are three priorities.”
Please note that your current President specifically pointed out as a priority that he wanted to promote peace, to bring certainty into an uncertain world. Forgive me for sounding glib, but throughout this Presidency, peace has never been a priority. In fact I will go out on a limb here (trust me it’s more sturdy than it looks), but George W Bush is not unlike any candidate to ever grace the oval office in regards to one simple aspect, he said what he needed to get the votes necessary to get elected.
In an article here, our current President literally goes against the very statements made in the Salon article regarding his priority involving peace. If we were so in jeopardy here in America, why didn’t we do something about this threat before then? Why was intelligence information that has been clearly documented prior to 9/11 ignored? These are some really hard questions to swallow for passionate conservatives all too willing to forgive a man who claims to be “born again”. But this term gets thrown around so loosely any more in public circles that even the much defamed liberals of our day have thrown it around in order to gain fundamentalist evangelist votes.
Next…
For all of the belly aching that goes on around this time relating to pro-life versus pro-choice, let’s get one thing straight. Pro-choice is an absurd excuse for saying it’s your body and so you get to make that choice. What about the choice of the unborn? The absolute ridiculousness of this law can be read here. And another good article here with unending wisdom and insight regarding the history and destruction of the family since the 1950’s.
With that said, abortion rates are down, read here. This is especially encouraging as it appears that more and more men and women are coming to value life on a scale unlike anything we have seen for nearly fifty years. Based on these facts, the most startling thing is this continuance to “support our troops” or even to support the war. If fundamentalist Christians are so against abortion, how can they be for killing another human in the context of war?
So the point here is that our current administration is more concerned with waging the wrong war. We are closer now than we have been for over 30 years to overturning Roe v. Wade and yet our current president hasn’t even whispered a thing about it. Instead, we are told that the surge is working, when in fact we lost more troops in January of 2008 than in nearly any month since the war began!
Please pay attention to who you are planning to vote for. John McCain would literally have us never end the war (and just for fun, Mr. McCain is pro-choice). Instead of concentrating on a different type of war right here at home, the men and women running this country would have you believe that killing thousands of Middle Easterners is in the best interests of America. Those in the paranoia machine that is certain extremist outlets of the media would rather polarize this country with the idea if we don’t fight them over there, we will have to fight them here on our streets, in our neighborhoods.
Wake up people, especially those that call themselves Christians. You have been duped by the Republican Party for too long. A group of individuals who claim to be “conservatives”, yet are anything but.
Now before my faithful readers decide to rush over to my house and string me up for crimes against humanity, let me make something clear. I am not specifically endorsing the Democratic Party. To be honest, they have not exactly shown signs of brilliance in the last 4 years when in fact they could have dominated the political landscape given the debauchery that is our current leader and his troop. What the Democrats lack is the confidence of anyone who is truly conservative in nature. Democrats right now are believed to be truly immoral and unethical.
The thing missing however in any current popular statements regarding the Democrats is the truth. There are a few shades of it if you look closely but let’s look at a few facts together. First, start here and here to get a good insight into the history of the party, including the fact that the Democrats were considered conservative all the way until the days of Roosevelt (in fact, Grover Cleveland was the Ronald Reagan of his day). At that time, due to the inability to control the country’s economy by Herbert Hoover and crew, Roosevelt took a more “liberal approach” to government.
Speaking of President Reagan, in his 1981 inaugural address, Republican President Ronald Reagan summed up his belief in limited government when he said, "In this present crisis, government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem." I’m all for limited government, trust me, but our current president has decided that he IS the government and has so trampled on the US constitution that the original document is barely legible any longer. Here is an excerpt (the whole article is here) you may find revolting…
“President Bush is a proponent of the unitary executive theory and has cited it within his signing statements about legislation passed by Congress. The administration's interpretation of the unitary executive theory was called seriously into question by Hamdan v. Rumsfeld, where the Supreme Court ruled 5-3 that the President does not have sweeping powers to override or ignore laws through his power as commander in chief, stating "the Executive is bound to comply with the Rule of Law that prevails." Following the ruling, the Bush administration has sought Congressional authorization for programs started only on executive mandate, as was the case with the Military Commissions Act, or abandoned illegal programs it had previously asserted executive authority to enact, in the case of the National Security Agency domestic wiretapping program.”
For an in depth analysis of our current presidents’ performance over the last 7 years, please go here.
Ok, so now for the personal reflection part of this series.....
From a purely biblical perspective, I am supposed to support my government leaders and stand behind them, as in Ecclesiastes 10:20 which says, “Don’t bad mouth your leaders, not even under your breath…” (The Message)
However, Proverbs 14:28 says this, “The mark of a good leader is loyal followers; leadership is nothing without a following.” (The Message)
Of course for further perplexity there is Romans 13:1-2 which says, “Be a good citizen. All governments are under God. Insofar as there is peace and order, it’s God’s order. So live responsibly as a citizen.” (The Message)
Just prior to those last two passages is some extremely relevant information found in Romans 12:14-21…this is profound!!! “Bless your enemies; no cursing under your breath. Laugh with your happy friends when they're happy; share tears when they're down. Get along with each other; don't be stuck-up. Make friends with nobodies; don't be the great somebody.”
“Don't hit back; discover beauty in everyone. If you've got it in you, get along with everybody. Don't insist on getting even; that's not for you to do. "I'll do the judging," says God. "I'll take care of it."
“Our Scriptures tell us that if you see your enemy hungry, go buy that person lunch, or if he's thirsty, get him a drink. Your generosity will surprise him with goodness. Don't let evil get the best of you; get the best of evil by doing good.” (The Message)
Before I climb off this box tonight, let me say this; I love our current president as a brother in Christ and I pray for his salvation. However I refuse to turn a blind eye to what Jesus says so clearly in Matthew 5:38-48 (The Message).
Jesus lived on this earth in human form and tried to teach us all a few things. Namely to love the Lord thy God with all your heart, all your soul and all your mind. That is the number one command. Secondly and almost as important said Jesus, we are to love each other as much as we love ourselves. (Matthew 22:37-40)
Here’s the deal, we are called to love one another as Jesus loved us. There are not asterisks in that statement. Nowhere does it say that if someone torches my house I get to torch theirs, it doesn’t work any other way than what Jesus prescribed. At some point in our lives here on this earth we have to accept that or face the consequences on judgement day.
my life is not mine, and yet it is mine to live for Him. Peace to you all.
D
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
2008 Breast Cancer 3-day walk....from my sis
The following is from my sister-in -law (Michelle Roberts) who lives up north of Seattle. If you recall, I posted her amazing accomplishment from last years walk, here on this site. Please read the following and if you have it in your heart to donate to this worthy cause, I believe the link is embedded below. If you have any questions regarding this please feel free to email me.
Thanks. D
Yes, I’m doing it again! I registered for the 2008Breast Cancer 3-Day. I had such an incredible experience doing the 3-Day last year that I’m going back for more. I’m so excited about this event, even though this year I really know what I’ve gotten myself into.
This 60-mile walk over the course of three days raises funds for Susan G. Komen for the Cure and the National Philanthropic Trust Breast Cancer Fund. Last year, I raised $3005.00 and heard so many amazing stories along the way. The stories covered all walks of life. Like the guy and his 4 friends that were walking in memory of his wife. They decided to walk during one of their poker parties, he was my age. There was the woman that walked all 60 miles on crutches! Or the husband and wife that were on the “survivor” team, walking in her honor. Our family knows of 6 women who have fought this disease. Not all of them have won their battle. Walking 60 miles was hard, but I will keep walking until breast cancer is no longer. I walk because EVERYONE DESERVES A LIFETIME. I walk because I can.
I need your help. I am raising the minimum goal of $2200 with the hopes of attaining last years’ total. I couldn’t have done it last year without all of your generous support, and can only hope for the same generosity this year. Please make a donation to support my fundraising efforts. They have also made it possible to make a donation every month for four months if you donate online at http://www.the3day.org/. You may also make a one-time donation. Many companies have matching gifts programs, so please ask your employer if they will double your donation with a matching gift.
To make a donation, go to http://www.the3day.org/, click on Donate now, and search for my name. Once you get to my personal fundraising page, scroll down and click on the button to donate to me. If you don’t want to donate online, you can download and print a donation form from that page that can be mailed in with your donation. You can also send the check directly to me, payable to the Breast Cancer 3-day and I will submit it.
If you have any questions or want to hear more about what I am doing, please let me know. Thanks for all of your support!
Thanks. D
Yes, I’m doing it again! I registered for the 2008Breast Cancer 3-Day. I had such an incredible experience doing the 3-Day last year that I’m going back for more. I’m so excited about this event, even though this year I really know what I’ve gotten myself into.
This 60-mile walk over the course of three days raises funds for Susan G. Komen for the Cure and the National Philanthropic Trust Breast Cancer Fund. Last year, I raised $3005.00 and heard so many amazing stories along the way. The stories covered all walks of life. Like the guy and his 4 friends that were walking in memory of his wife. They decided to walk during one of their poker parties, he was my age. There was the woman that walked all 60 miles on crutches! Or the husband and wife that were on the “survivor” team, walking in her honor. Our family knows of 6 women who have fought this disease. Not all of them have won their battle. Walking 60 miles was hard, but I will keep walking until breast cancer is no longer. I walk because EVERYONE DESERVES A LIFETIME. I walk because I can.
I need your help. I am raising the minimum goal of $2200 with the hopes of attaining last years’ total. I couldn’t have done it last year without all of your generous support, and can only hope for the same generosity this year. Please make a donation to support my fundraising efforts. They have also made it possible to make a donation every month for four months if you donate online at http://www.the3day.org/. You may also make a one-time donation. Many companies have matching gifts programs, so please ask your employer if they will double your donation with a matching gift.
To make a donation, go to http://www.the3day.org/, click on Donate now, and search for my name. Once you get to my personal fundraising page, scroll down and click on the button to donate to me. If you don’t want to donate online, you can download and print a donation form from that page that can be mailed in with your donation. You can also send the check directly to me, payable to the Breast Cancer 3-day and I will submit it.
If you have any questions or want to hear more about what I am doing, please let me know. Thanks for all of your support!
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