Over the last month or so, I have had lots of political discussions. Not that I enjoy these, or seek these out, like some do, but they are inevitable unless you live under a rock or something. I have talked with folks my age — not “old” but definitely “older.” I have also spoken with some young adults getting ready to vote for the first time. Conversations, and conversationalists, have run the gamut from unbridled idealism to deep cynicism.
If you are like me, you are likely tired of the commercials. I think there should be term limits for Congress, time limits for campaigns – a year before the election seems reasonable, and perhaps a “pull the plug on commercials” about four days before the elections. I am tired of the disingenuous-ness of the commercials from both sides. (By the way, I learned the meaning of “disingenuous” during the Clinton Presidency. I think it had something to do with a girl named Monica.)
I have heard all the promises for the future, and all the criticism of the last eight years. Don’t believe the promises, and recognize that the losses of the last eight years are not result of the decisions of one man, a few persons, party, or whatever. I heard a coach speaking after a resounding loss explain why his team had done so poorly: “It was a team effort.”
I have done some reflecting on past Presidential terms, and have concluded that every one of them has their pluses and minuses. According to my memory (which may not be faultless, but is better than most politicians or corporate executives when having to testify on Capitol Hill) here are some of the things I remember. You may rate them positively or negatively. Your option.
Kennedy (D) : Cuban Missile Crisis, Bay of Pigs, Vietnam
Johnson (D): War on Poverty, Vietnam Escalation
Nixon (R): Vietnam—eventually getting us out, Watergate
Ford (R): I don’t remember anything
Carter (D): Iran Hostage Crisis, Recession
Reagan (R): “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall,” Iran/Contra
G. H. Bush (R): First Gulf War
Clinton (D): Great Economy (but the debt was 5 trillion when he left office), First World Trade Center Attack, Missed Osama, Monica, Somalia (Black Hawk Down), Genocide in Rwanda
G. W. Bush: (R): 9/11, Afghanistan, Iraq, Ignoring Darfur, Economy…
I say all that just to point out that no party has a corner on righteousness or wisdom, and no one politician, be he/she President, Cabinet member, or member of Congress, causes anything alone – good or bad. Neither does any person or government have the power to “fix” all the problems of the world.
The solution to our problems is not political. It is spiritual, rooted deep in the hearts not only of the “voted on” but the voters. It doesn’t come down to one election, but how we live, every day. The root of personal and global problems are deep in our hearts, our hearts. We are selfish to our cores, and the Bible identifies that as sin. It is pride. It is thinking, “I am the center of my universe,” or really, “I am the god of my life.” (No you aren't.)
So vote tomorrow. Vote as you believe God is leading you. Trust Him with the results. But remember, it is a heart issue. An issue that only a relationship with Christ can fix.
Bible Verses to Consult: Psalm 146: 3-4, Jeremiah 17:9, Romans 1-3, 5:8, 6:23, 10:9&10.
Monday, November 3, 2008
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Forgiveness
Forgiveness
A few weeks ago I was in Romania, getting to visit with some people I have known for awhile. Most I have known since 1999 or 2000. A couple of others I have met since then. When I met them, they were kids, eight, nine or ten years old, and they were all residents at a state-run orphanage. Now they are grown or almost grown. Over the last couple of years, I have discovered a little about what the orphanage was like. To sum it up, without getting hideous, conditions were terrible. There was all kinds of psychological, emotional, physical and sexual abuses, piled on top of the rejection, neglect and abandonment these kids experienced. I used to say to people, “If you can imagine it, it probably happened at that orphanage.” But I have discovered that some things are beyond my imagination on its worst day.
In one conversation, one of these friends let me in, just a little, to some of the pain he experienced while in the orphanage. As we spoke, I prayed that somehow, he would experience the healing work of the Spirit of God through Christ deep down in his soul. I am grateful that he is a believer, because only the Creator can accomplish the “heart-healing” he needs. I encouraged him to talk to some mutual friends there who could help him. I also encouraged him to be careful of growing bitter, because he would be the one to suffer.
Hebrew 12:14-15 says, “Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God, that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled…” Bitterness destroys the offended, not the offender. It spills out to people we really want to be close to, when we are under pressure.
This past Sunday night at church, our speaker, Tim Williams, spoke about the “Incredible Power of Forgiveness.” Here are a few salient points and quotes. Sorry that I don’t have attribution for where he was quoting.
“Forgiveness is a choice you make to give up your rights for vengeance and negative thoughts.”
Jesus said, “For if you forgive men for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive them, then your Father who is in heaven will not forgive your transgressions.” (Matthew 6:14-15) Jesus is making the point that we should extend grace and forgiveness to others that we want for ourselves. If not, somehow it will cost us.
Tim cited the story about the woman caught in adultery as an example of what Jesus was calling us to. (See John 8:1-11)
Psalm 7:11 “God is a righteous judge, And a God who has indignation every day.”
Tim followed that verse up with, “Forgiveness is not for the offender, but for the offended. It frees the offended and puts the responsibility on God to deal with the offender.” It was then I thought again about those words of caution in Hebrews 12.
My prayer for my Romanian friends, and for all of us, is that we will choose forgiveness. It can set us free.
A few weeks ago I was in Romania, getting to visit with some people I have known for awhile. Most I have known since 1999 or 2000. A couple of others I have met since then. When I met them, they were kids, eight, nine or ten years old, and they were all residents at a state-run orphanage. Now they are grown or almost grown. Over the last couple of years, I have discovered a little about what the orphanage was like. To sum it up, without getting hideous, conditions were terrible. There was all kinds of psychological, emotional, physical and sexual abuses, piled on top of the rejection, neglect and abandonment these kids experienced. I used to say to people, “If you can imagine it, it probably happened at that orphanage.” But I have discovered that some things are beyond my imagination on its worst day.
In one conversation, one of these friends let me in, just a little, to some of the pain he experienced while in the orphanage. As we spoke, I prayed that somehow, he would experience the healing work of the Spirit of God through Christ deep down in his soul. I am grateful that he is a believer, because only the Creator can accomplish the “heart-healing” he needs. I encouraged him to talk to some mutual friends there who could help him. I also encouraged him to be careful of growing bitter, because he would be the one to suffer.
Hebrew 12:14-15 says, “Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God, that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled…” Bitterness destroys the offended, not the offender. It spills out to people we really want to be close to, when we are under pressure.
This past Sunday night at church, our speaker, Tim Williams, spoke about the “Incredible Power of Forgiveness.” Here are a few salient points and quotes. Sorry that I don’t have attribution for where he was quoting.
“Forgiveness is a choice you make to give up your rights for vengeance and negative thoughts.”
Jesus said, “For if you forgive men for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive them, then your Father who is in heaven will not forgive your transgressions.” (Matthew 6:14-15) Jesus is making the point that we should extend grace and forgiveness to others that we want for ourselves. If not, somehow it will cost us.
Tim cited the story about the woman caught in adultery as an example of what Jesus was calling us to. (See John 8:1-11)
Psalm 7:11 “God is a righteous judge, And a God who has indignation every day.”
Tim followed that verse up with, “Forgiveness is not for the offender, but for the offended. It frees the offended and puts the responsibility on God to deal with the offender.” It was then I thought again about those words of caution in Hebrews 12.
My prayer for my Romanian friends, and for all of us, is that we will choose forgiveness. It can set us free.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Monday, August 18, 2008
Irresistible Cross (Irresistible Quotes #3)
I am continuing with my series of quotes for Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne. The first one here, though, really got me to thinking...
“… there is something profoundly unsettling about a church that has no crosses. True, the cross is not always seeker sensitive. It is not comfortable. But it is the cornerstone of our faith, and I fear that when we remove the cross, we remove the central symbol of the nonviolence and grace of our Lover. If we remove the cross, we are in danger of promoting a very cheap grace. Perhaps it should make us uncomfortable. After all, it wasn’t so comfy to get nailed there. (p.106-7)
I remember a conversation I had with a friend when I was in college. He was really turned off with the songs (hymns) we sing in church that talked about the blood. You know, "What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus..." "There is a fount that's filled with blood drawn from Immanuel's veins... " You know, just reading those words does seem a bit gory, but it reminds me of the terribly high price of my sin. The fact that Jesus Christ was willing to pay that price is incredible. The fact that the Father sent the Son to endure what He endured is even more amazing. As unpleasant as the cross may be, it is central to our redemption.
“… there is something profoundly unsettling about a church that has no crosses. True, the cross is not always seeker sensitive. It is not comfortable. But it is the cornerstone of our faith, and I fear that when we remove the cross, we remove the central symbol of the nonviolence and grace of our Lover. If we remove the cross, we are in danger of promoting a very cheap grace. Perhaps it should make us uncomfortable. After all, it wasn’t so comfy to get nailed there. (p.106-7)
I remember a conversation I had with a friend when I was in college. He was really turned off with the songs (hymns) we sing in church that talked about the blood. You know, "What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus..." "There is a fount that's filled with blood drawn from Immanuel's veins... " You know, just reading those words does seem a bit gory, but it reminds me of the terribly high price of my sin. The fact that Jesus Christ was willing to pay that price is incredible. The fact that the Father sent the Son to endure what He endured is even more amazing. As unpleasant as the cross may be, it is central to our redemption.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Irresitable Quotes, Part 2
I continue in my postings about The Irresistible Revolution, by Shane Claiborne. This first quote really hit me about the way we lead people to follow Jesus and then leave them there: “I came to realize that preachers were telling me to lay my life at the foot of the cross and weren’t giving me anything to pick up.”
[Tom, not Shane: In other words, new believers need to know what to do. I find that a great point. Just expecting people to figure it out on their own leads to people falling back into old ways. Let them know at the beginning that God has some special, life validating thing for them to do, like serving someone who needs it.]
He describes something he calls "Spiritual Bulimia" – [believers] consume large amounts of [spiritual] food but vomit it up before it has a chance to digest. [Ouch!]
“I used to be cool. Then I met Jesus and he wrecked my life.” (p.41)
“We decided to stop complaining about the church we saw, and we set our hearts on becoming the church we dreamed of.” (p.64)
“What would the world look like if we truly believed?” (p.84)
“Cynicism takes very little energy.” (p.100)
[Tom, not Shane: In other words, new believers need to know what to do. I find that a great point. Just expecting people to figure it out on their own leads to people falling back into old ways. Let them know at the beginning that God has some special, life validating thing for them to do, like serving someone who needs it.]
He describes something he calls "Spiritual Bulimia" – [believers] consume large amounts of [spiritual] food but vomit it up before it has a chance to digest. [Ouch!]
“I used to be cool. Then I met Jesus and he wrecked my life.” (p.41)
“We decided to stop complaining about the church we saw, and we set our hearts on becoming the church we dreamed of.” (p.64)
“What would the world look like if we truly believed?” (p.84)
“Cynicism takes very little energy.” (p.100)
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