When Liberal Leaders Confront a Centrist Nation
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Thursday, August 13, 2009
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Know the Hand That Feeds You
I wanted to share briefly something that I read today that hit the spot for me, hopefully it will for you. It's about having faith that the God that provided for us in the past is still going to provide in the future.
I read from a book called "Story of Redemption," chapter 17 is about the wanderings of the Israelites. Their faith had been tested multiple times while they were in the wilderness. God wanted to see if they would remember how many times he had provided food and water for them along their journey to Canaan, yet each time they got thirsty they cried out to Moses and blamed him for trying to kill them. There's something to be said here about how we relate to and what we expect from leadership, but that will have to be for another time.
The author was trying to point out the similarities in behavior of God's people of ancient times, and His people of modern times. Here it is:
"Many have their present wants supplied; yet they will not trust the Lord for the future. They manifest unbelief and sink into despondency and gloom at anticipated want. Some are in continual trouble lest they shall come to want and their children suffer. When difficulties arise or when they are brought into strait places - when their faith and their love to God are tested - they shrink from the trial and murmur at the process by which God has chosen to purify them. Their love does not prove pure and perfect, to bear ALL things." (emphasis supplied)
We talk about the trials of the Hebrews and how they reacted and often times I've said and heard others say how pitiful they were. But we often show even less faith at smaller obstacles. If I continue to act this way I totally disregard His blessings in the past and throw a stone at His promise of future blessings. And I have a feeling that won't end well....
'Til later...
I read from a book called "Story of Redemption," chapter 17 is about the wanderings of the Israelites. Their faith had been tested multiple times while they were in the wilderness. God wanted to see if they would remember how many times he had provided food and water for them along their journey to Canaan, yet each time they got thirsty they cried out to Moses and blamed him for trying to kill them. There's something to be said here about how we relate to and what we expect from leadership, but that will have to be for another time.
The author was trying to point out the similarities in behavior of God's people of ancient times, and His people of modern times. Here it is:
"Many have their present wants supplied; yet they will not trust the Lord for the future. They manifest unbelief and sink into despondency and gloom at anticipated want. Some are in continual trouble lest they shall come to want and their children suffer. When difficulties arise or when they are brought into strait places - when their faith and their love to God are tested - they shrink from the trial and murmur at the process by which God has chosen to purify them. Their love does not prove pure and perfect, to bear ALL things." (emphasis supplied)
We talk about the trials of the Hebrews and how they reacted and often times I've said and heard others say how pitiful they were. But we often show even less faith at smaller obstacles. If I continue to act this way I totally disregard His blessings in the past and throw a stone at His promise of future blessings. And I have a feeling that won't end well....
'Til later...
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Humans headed to endangered species list!
I heard something the other day that was both extremely hilarious and frustrating. It's been going on for awhile though from what I understand, still amazing.
They've (environmentalists) shut down the farming for an entire valley in California, the San Joaquin if I remember correctly, to save a tiny fish no larger than a minnow. The fish lives in the canals they pump their water from so obviously the fish isn't going to survive that too well, but shutting down an entire community to accommodate this fish is idiotic. The local economy is hung to dry (all puns intended) and the homes and places these people made for themselves are being abandoned because there's no life for them there anymore. Do we need another specially labeled group of people going around seeing to a healthy environment for humans. It should be the government right, but they're too busy power grabbing we can't count on them to do their job. This is just out of hand with these crazy people trying to make us all "earth children." I believe in stewardship of the earth as "God's children" but putting people out of a home and livelihood for a fish that can find somewhere else to live is not the smart way to do it.
Be looking for the humans of Central California on an endangered species list soon, or at least the environmentalist variety....
Don't take everything the leaders of this country are telling you at face value, read between the lines.
They've (environmentalists) shut down the farming for an entire valley in California, the San Joaquin if I remember correctly, to save a tiny fish no larger than a minnow. The fish lives in the canals they pump their water from so obviously the fish isn't going to survive that too well, but shutting down an entire community to accommodate this fish is idiotic. The local economy is hung to dry (all puns intended) and the homes and places these people made for themselves are being abandoned because there's no life for them there anymore. Do we need another specially labeled group of people going around seeing to a healthy environment for humans. It should be the government right, but they're too busy power grabbing we can't count on them to do their job. This is just out of hand with these crazy people trying to make us all "earth children." I believe in stewardship of the earth as "God's children" but putting people out of a home and livelihood for a fish that can find somewhere else to live is not the smart way to do it.
Be looking for the humans of Central California on an endangered species list soon, or at least the environmentalist variety....
Don't take everything the leaders of this country are telling you at face value, read between the lines.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Humility
"Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up." James 4:10
It's easy to get comfortable with ourselves and our surroundings, and feel confident that we are responsible for our own accomplishments and fail to see that God has been there all along. It then becomes necessary for Him to give us the antediluvian treatment and topple our Towers of Babel to teach us a lesson that we could not learn on our own because it cuts against the grain of our human thinking. To be great we have to made small, to be lifted up we have to first lift up the Lord and others. It's a concept so simple, but one we have to consciously accept everyday to be successful in life.
In our moments of success and failure, triumph and temptation, prosperity and poverty, we must first remember to lift Christ up and then "He will lift you up."
...don't forget to read between the lines of your pride. Let Him do the lifting.
It's easy to get comfortable with ourselves and our surroundings, and feel confident that we are responsible for our own accomplishments and fail to see that God has been there all along. It then becomes necessary for Him to give us the antediluvian treatment and topple our Towers of Babel to teach us a lesson that we could not learn on our own because it cuts against the grain of our human thinking. To be great we have to made small, to be lifted up we have to first lift up the Lord and others. It's a concept so simple, but one we have to consciously accept everyday to be successful in life.
In our moments of success and failure, triumph and temptation, prosperity and poverty, we must first remember to lift Christ up and then "He will lift you up."
...don't forget to read between the lines of your pride. Let Him do the lifting.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
I had a tee party today...
I guess I was a little confused today when I heard about all these tee parties on the news I thought I would go down and see what it was all about. So I went down to the golf course but turns out it was "tea" party not "tee" party, so I hit a few balls and went home disappointed in the liberal sabotage-spell check down at CNN wondering what all I had missed.
So I thought I would get the Fair and Balanced coverage on Fox but instead saw Hannity riding across the screen with his musket and three point hat yelling, "Socialism is coming, socialism is coming..." and other incoherent things which left me wondering why he even has guests on his show...he doesn't let them talk.
So I guess in this polarized society we have to listen to the "news" people and decide what is fact and what is partisan mud slinging. The funny thing is conservative people listen to their outlets and think they're getting the news, and liberals turn to their side and think the same, but is either really getting the facts of the situation. That's still to be decided....
I'm afraid we're watching one hand while the other is coming up about to smack us in the mouth. What I mean by that is, while we get involved in whose right or wrong, if Bush or Obama is better, conservative or liberal, we're missing what may be the real issue. Personal integrity, a close relationship with Christ, and desire to share this with the world.
If we sit at the feet of Jesus and then go out and give all our energy to share, the chips will fall where they will and we can rest assured that we didn't waste our time bickering over things that in the end don't really matter. The issue at the end will not be about universal health care, card check, or whether we should make GM go bankrupt or not. It's gonna be about who has the character of God imprinted on the heart.
I'm not saying we should forget about what's going on in the world because that has a bearing on our strategy of sharing with the people of the world the good news. But let's not miss the forest for the trees...
Until next time...don't forget to read between the lines
So I thought I would get the Fair and Balanced coverage on Fox but instead saw Hannity riding across the screen with his musket and three point hat yelling, "Socialism is coming, socialism is coming..." and other incoherent things which left me wondering why he even has guests on his show...he doesn't let them talk.
So I guess in this polarized society we have to listen to the "news" people and decide what is fact and what is partisan mud slinging. The funny thing is conservative people listen to their outlets and think they're getting the news, and liberals turn to their side and think the same, but is either really getting the facts of the situation. That's still to be decided....
I'm afraid we're watching one hand while the other is coming up about to smack us in the mouth. What I mean by that is, while we get involved in whose right or wrong, if Bush or Obama is better, conservative or liberal, we're missing what may be the real issue. Personal integrity, a close relationship with Christ, and desire to share this with the world.
If we sit at the feet of Jesus and then go out and give all our energy to share, the chips will fall where they will and we can rest assured that we didn't waste our time bickering over things that in the end don't really matter. The issue at the end will not be about universal health care, card check, or whether we should make GM go bankrupt or not. It's gonna be about who has the character of God imprinted on the heart.
I'm not saying we should forget about what's going on in the world because that has a bearing on our strategy of sharing with the people of the world the good news. But let's not miss the forest for the trees...
Until next time...don't forget to read between the lines
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