Featured Posts

Simon Says > Jesus Says I saw this video from Francis Chan about making disciples and it really hits home when he compares how most of us have all played "Simon Says" as a kid, but yet we think that when Jesus says all we need...

Read more

Heart Check For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of what we eat or drink, but of living a life of goodness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. If you serve Christ with this attitude, you will please God, and others...

Read more

Keep Me Humble I occasionally publish notes on my YouVersion profile, but for some reason they don't always show up, so I will also post them here. After reading Luke 8:9-14 I decided to write a letter to God and...

Read more

Merry Christmas 2010 This year seems to have flown by! I am not happy to see it end, but I am thrilled for 2011 to start. This past year I found myself in several interesting places ministry-wise. Many of you know that...

Read more

My Light Will Shine This year I am taking the page from a friend of mine, Adam McLane, and I will not only be passing out candy for Halloween but I will also have some coffee and hot chocolate for the parents that are walking...

Read more

twitter

Follow on Tweets

  •  

Hanging My Head In Shame After The Election

Category : Faith, Politics

No, it is not because I am upset at the result. I am upset at the reaction that many of my Christian friends are having towards this outcome. I find it really sad that people who are commanded in Scripture to respect the authorities that are over them are choosing to disrespect President-elect Barack Obama.

The Bible is very clear as to how Christ-followers are to respond to those in authority and unfortunately much of the responses that I am seeing from some of my Christian friends on Facebook is not Biblical, in my opinion. I think back to my reaction in 1992 when Bill Clinton became our 42nd President and it was deplorable. I did not show him the honor that he was due and instead of lifting him up in prayer I was tearing him down with my speech. And that was ungodly. I have repented of that behavior and have made a choice to change that from here on out. Instead I am choosing to follow the words of Scripture.

Romans 13:1-7 - Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and you will be commended. For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God’s servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also as a matter of conscience.

This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing. Give to everyone what you owe: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.

Whether we like it or not, God has placed Barack Obama as the next President of the United States and we as Christ-followers need to give him the respect that the office deserves based upon the Word of God. We are also commanded to pray for them.

1 Timothy 2:1-4 - I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.

So I implore Christ-followers to change the tide of this country and do as a friend of mine said and choose to radically love for change. Another friend of mine made a great comment on Twitter, “Jesus calls us to SALT, not assault. Selah.” All I can say is, “Amen!” How are you going to respond?

John McCain Has Gone Too Far

Category : Mobile Blogging

Senator John McCain has gone too far in his attempt to win the Presidency. First of all, I am sick of seeing all of his negative ads, but not he has come out with a new one entitled “The One” and as a Christ-follower I am appalled and offended. His attempts to win the White House this way, I believe, are going to back fire on him. I hadn’t planned on voting for him before I saw this ad and it has all the more sealed it in my mind that there is no way I would ever vote for him now.

Watch the video below yourself and see what I mean. It is bad enough that people are calling Senator Barack Obama the messiah (note the lower case “m”), but now Senator John McCain is painting him as the Messiah or possible even the anti-Christ. I don’t know his intentions but he is painting himself even more clearly as the person I do not want running our country.

I have been leaning towards Senator Barack Obama, but for the most part I would still classify myself fairly undecided. I would like to see who he chooses for his running mate and I would also like to research out some of the third party candidates and explore their views as well, such as Bob Barr.

HT to Matthew 25 Network. You can sign a petition here asking Senator John McCain to take down this disgusting ad.

Political Thoughts

Category : Politics

I am happy to see that Mike Huckabee has finally dropped out of the race this past Tuesday, which is something he should have done several weeks ago when he had no chance of winning the nomination. Instead he insisted on wasting millions of dollars, because McCain hadn’t officially locked up the nomination. I guess Mike never took math because it was pointed out that if he had won every primary including the four this past Tuesday he would still have been about 200 delegates short. I wasn’t impressed with Mike before and I am even less impressed now. He should have ended his campaign when it was impossible for him to win and given the money to a charity or something.

Seriously, he wasted millions of dollars campaigning for nothing and even appeared on Saturday Night Live, which was mocking the fact that he could not possibly get the nomination and that he still was in the race. I just don’t understand his logic and I figured that a man who used to be a pastor would think about the waste of money and how it could be used for something so much better, like bringing clean water and basic sanitation to third world countries, or to help end hunger somewhere, etc. But instead he campaigned right through Tuesday and quit after McCain secured the nomination.

I first registered to vote in 1991 and my first Presidential election was in 1992 between George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton and I voted for then President Bush. That was the first of several Republican Presidential candidates that I would vote for, I even registered as a Republican when I registered to vote.

With John McCain obtaining the nomination for the Republican party in the Presidential election I will for the first time in my voting history not be voting for a Republican candidate. I do not feel that John McCain has what it takes to be President of the United States, so I can not in good conscience vote for him. Plus, when I reflect on my list of the things I am looking for in the person to whom I want to be the next President I don’t see John McCain fulfilling enough of them to my satisfaction. In Michigan’s Primary I voted for Ron Paul, because I felt he was the best candidate that I could vote for.

So in this year’s election I will be looking for someone to vote for and cast a Presidential ballot for someone that is not a Republican. I will end up doing lots of research into third party candidates and if Barack Obama gets the Democrat’s nomination I will be looking into him as my possible choice.

I Will Be Happy When Today Ends

Category : Politics, TV

I am really getting sick of all the ads on TV, the phone calls, and the mailers. So I will be happy when today ends. I know it will all pick back up once the election in November kicks into high gear, but I feel like this primary has been going on since the beginning of last year. Speaking of the primary, I ended up voting for Ron Paul. Anyway, there needs to be a law passed that you can not campaign until a month before the date any election.

Speaking of laws….

There ought to be a law banning American Idol on TV, which is another reason why I will be happy when today is over with. Of course I know that it is only the start of that stupid TV show but a guy can dream, can’t he?

BAN AMERICAN IDOL

Michigan Primary

Category : Politics

President’s PodiumTomorrow is the Michigan Primary and so I need to finally decide whom it is that I am going to vote for. Michigan has an open primary so you choose which party it is you want to vote for when you get to the polls. So that leaves my options open.

Last year I created a list of things that I was looking for in my next President. And here is that list….

Someone who….
1) will do what they can to help end global poverty.
2) will do what they can to help bring clean water and basic sanitation needs to the world.
3) will help change the hearts of the American people to believe that abortion is a wrong option.
4) believes in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.
5) help bring an end to the conflict in Iraq.
6) will look for a way to end conflicts that hopefully will not have to result in troops being sent in.
7) will go in with the mindset that “love wins”.
8 ) will not choose to legislate morality, but instead try to teach it and hopefully change the hearts of the people in our country.
9) will turn to the Church and ask her to finally do what they are supposed to have already been doing in regards to helping the oppressed.
10) will protect our Constitutional rights at all costs.
11) will protect our environment.

So I have had that in my mind all along and basically narrowed it down to two candidates. And then I took an online quiz to help you determine who it is that I should vote for. You can find it here courtesy of WQAD in Illinois. My results were as follows, I am only listing the top 6 because it includes the two I have narrowed it down to.

Tomorrow is the Michigan Primary and so I need to finally decide whom it is that I am going to vote for. Michigan has an open primary so you choose which party it is you want to vote for when you get to the polls. So that leaves my options open.

Here is the list of people that I got when I took the survey….

1) Dennis Kucinich
2) Bill Richardson
3) Ron Paul
4) Chris Dodd
5) Mike Gravel
6) Barack Obama

Presidential SealI am really surprised that Dennis Kucinich was number one, because I just didn’t see him as someone I was agreeing with but I haven’t really heard much of him anyway. Ron Paul is one of the people that I have been leaning towards as well as Barack Obama, so I wasn’t too surprised to see them high on the list. And I find it funny that the other three I believe are basically out of the race now.

So I have a decision to make because when Michigan moved their primary up to January 15th the Democrat Party chose to boycott the primary, so there are only four choices on the ballot. And those four are basically the ones who saw an opportunity to take a state and make a name for themselves. And one of them should surprise no one, because it is Hillary Clinton.

Anyway, if I choose to vote on the Democrat ticket I will be voting “uncommitted”, because that is what I would have to vote to basically vote for Barack Obama. Or I could choose to vote for Ron Paul, who is my number one candidate. However, I am considering voting “uncommitted” just to take away percentage points from Hillary. I really don’t know what I am going to do and may not until I get asked at the polls which ballot I want, the Republican one or the Democrat one.

Now I know that people are probably shocked that I am not standing behind Mike Huckabee, I mean after all he is an ordained minister and Chuck Norris says I should vote for him, but I am not going to vote for someone who I do not believe will make a good President. In fact, on that survey I took that I linked to, Mike Huckabee was last on my list. I just am not convinced that he has what it takes to lead our nation and I will not blindly vote for him, just because he is a pastor. I believe that some people are and I think Mike is using that I am a Christian and a pastor angle just to get votes, and that seriously bothers me.

Anyway, I head off to the primaries tomorrow and I look forward to the day being over, so the ads and stuff can cease. Well, at least for a little while.

Social Widgets powered by AB-WebLog.com.