we are here to be a restraining force to evil through the power of the Holy Spirit. we are not called to restrain evil through the political process; that will never work. this is a spiritual battle, and it is only through spiritual weapons that we have any hope of success.

satan loves to draw christians into the physical arena because he can make mincemeat out of them there. Jesus said, “the sons of this world are more shrewd in their generation than the sons of light” (Luke 16.8).

if you try to fight evil through the political process, look out.

- Chuck Smith // Living Water pg 56-57 circa 1996

thoughts?

kelly and i don’t like the news. we avoid it as much as possible.

…except of course when i relapse and open Google News…

the result of our failure to ‘keep up’ with the happenings and scandals of the world is that we’re usually late in finding out things that the news media thinks is important to report.

so, when i found out today about this whole foods scandal, it was news to me.

get it?!?

if you haven’t heard about it, i encourage you to read the article linked above.

that said, here’s the short of it:

the CEO of whole foods wrote an op-ed piece criticizing the plan to fund america’s new health care plan by increasing the national deficit. he had a few ideas of what he would do to reform health care, which, in his theory, would not enlarge our ever-widening national debt.

because of this piece, many folks are boycotting the supermarket chain. they are outraged at this CEO’s statements, labeling him a typical intolerant right-wing capitalist.

here’s some of the things they’ve said:

I’m boycotting [Whole Foods] because all Americans need health care,” said [Michael] Lent, 33, who used to visit his local Whole Foods “several times a week.”

“While Mackey is worried about health care and stimulus spending, he doesn’t seem too worried about expensive wars and tax breaks for the wealthy and big businesses such as his own that contribute to the deficit,” said Lent.

I will no longer be shopping at Whole Foods,” [Christine] Taylor told ABCNews.com. “I think a CEO should take care that if he speaks about politics, that his beliefs reflect at least the majority of his clients.”

now…this is incredible to me.

there’s a new prohibition out there.

we saw it very plainly and recently during the Miss-California-Gay-Marriage-Remark Scandal, and it’s being demonstrated again with this situation:

you’re not allowed to have an opinion anymore!

what is interesting is that the CEO of Whole Foods isn’t against health care for americans. check out that article and see how the company takes care of its employees (also worth note, yes he is very wealthy, but the CEO in question has taken a salary of $1 for the last 3 years)!

so this guy, who has some ideas of how to better the health care situation in america without agreeing with the proposed legislation, is labeled as a monstrous, soulless capitalist…simply because he has an opinion.(?)

it is mind-boggling to me…and here’s why:

the folks that are upset at the Whole-Foods-CEO’s and Miss Californias of the world are often carrying the banner of ‘tolerance and acceptance’. they are angry at a woman who doesn’t publicly support gay marriage because they perceive her as ‘intolerant’.

the same thing is happening in this new ‘scandal’. though it’s not as blatant, the underlying principle is that rich people are intolerant of poor people, thus their opinions must be silenced and ignored.

ok, side wherever you want…i think this Whole Foods guy has a few good ideas.

but, let’s remember what tolerance is…

One has to disagree before one tolerates.
– D.A. Carson

to me this is a brilliant reminder from Dr. Carson.

those who were so upset at miss california’s statements and mr. CEO’s op-ed piece, those who are calling for their tar-and-feathering should remember that tolerance isn’t about agreement. you have to disagree to tolerate.

failure to tolerate ideas that are contrary to your own is the very criticism that is leveled against people like Miss and Mr. (and people like me and many of my friends!).

tolerance isn’t silencing opinions…in fact, that’s the opposite of tolerance. and that’s something that many protesters and interviewees seem to neglect at times like this.

anyway, i found out about this story (late as usual) and felt the need to vent a bit.

maranatha.

…and mail your red envelope today.

you can make a difference.

Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

1 Timothy 2.1-4

perhaps you were someone who didn’t support president obama during the election. i was among that group, having voted for someone else.

as Christians, however, we are now commanded and privileged to support our president.

no, that doesn’t mean we endorse every decision he makes, but it does mean that we are to pray for him, to not speak evil of him and to do what we can to be the best citizens possible as we represent Christ to a lost and dying world.

we are lucky to live in america, where citizens are allowed to voice their opinion, even to the highest level. i mean, it’s pretty remarkable that we have access to our leaders and are able to speak our minds to them.

we have their phone numbers.

we have their addresses.

we can write them.

we can talk to their staff.

in many cases we can (eventually) talk to them directly.

of course i know that i will probably never be able to get a meeting in the Oval Office, but a student of american government can’t help but notice the fact that we have many ways of speaking to our governing officials, at every level.

spiritual support. freedom of speech.

when we mix these principles (spiritual support and freedom of speech), we often find ourselves in a position where we are called to support a leader who is making decisions that are in opposition to Biblical principles.

so what do we do?

one of the things we can do is to voice our opposition in a gracious and peaceable way.

enter The Red Envelope Project.

here’s how it works:

on march 31, hundreds of thousands (and hopefully more) of people are going to put an empty red envelope in the mail addressed to the white house.

the back of the envelopes will have these words on them:

This envelope represents one child who died in abortion.
It is empty because that life was unable to offer anything to the world.
Responsibility begins with conception.

i find this project very meaningful when i think about how it might affect the people in the white house. i can’t help but think about envelope after envelope coming day after day to the staff who are forced to take note and count and make a report to their superiors.

i can’t help but think about the impact that 1,000 or 10,000 or 50 million envelopes would have on the man who is charged with forming policy related to abortion in america.

to me it is something that might be very effective without resorting to violence or threats or hate-speech or even anger.

to me it is a very gracious way for us to demonstrate that the execution of over 50 million babies since Roe v. Wade is unacceptable.

it is, however, contingent on the people.

this project can’t happen unless we actually get up, purchase an envelope & stamp, then take a few moments to write and send.

i’m willing to do that.

Jesus Christ loves us. He loves President Obama and He loves the children that are killed every day in our nation.

we can demonstrate His love to our leaders while also standing up for the innocent.

pray for the president.

pray for america.

and, should the Lord speak to your heart, send an envelope on March 31.

maranatha.

…the people that always get blamed.

somehow, no matter the era, no matter the problem, no matter the place, God’s people end up getting blamed.

maybe something spritual is going on here…

what do you think?

wherever i stand, i stand with Israel.

as we transition into a new government (something that many nations can not do peacefully) i’d like to take another post to thank President Bush for his years of service to this country.

i make no apologies for being a staunch Bush supporter. that does not, however, mean that i expect everyone to support him.

but, like him or not, he was our president. and as president he’s done some pretty remarkable things:

• he reintroduced the mention of God and faith into the office’s public discourseⁱ

• placed a ban on partial birth abortionⁱⁱ

• he had the best pro life record of any president, everⁱⁱⁱ

• appointed 2 pro-life justices to the supreme court^iv

• he strengthened the National Health Service Corps to send physicians into the neediest of areas^v

• he doubled the research budget of the National Institute For Health^vi

• he did more to combat HIV/AIDS than any president in history^vii

• he warned congress about their incredibly dangerous and corrupt dealings with Freddie Mac & Fannie Mae^viii

• he has personally written a letter to every family of a soldier lost in iraq or afganistan^ix

yes, i know he did a lot of other things as well. even things i might not agree with. i don’t really care to talk about those anymore. they’ve been talked about enough.

the things on the list up there are facts that are almost never talked about.

he was our president. he was the man our nation and government appointed to lead us for 8 years.

now, he gets to rest. and i’m glad for him.

let’s continue to pray for President Bush and his family.

and, for those of you who would be willing to spend 10 or 15 seconds, head on over and thank him yourself:

ithankw.com

blessings.

1. http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1096125/posts↩
2. ibid↩
3. http://cnsnews.com/public/content/article.aspx?RsrcID=42072↩
4. ibid↩
5. http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1096125/posts↩
6. ibid↩
7. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/2704889.stm↩
8. http://iusbvision.wordpress.com/2008/09/21/bush-administration-warned-congress-over-20-times-reforms-were-needed/↩
9. http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2008/12/22/report-bush-spent-hundreds-hours-comforting-families-fallen-soldiers/↩

it’s tuesday.

today’s positive post is short and simple:

thank you president bush.

we’re still praying for you!

watch Life After The Presidency (3 minutes)

–
i have several times tried to remind us of how difficult it must be to be President Bush or a member of his family. to be so vilified and so reviled by large portions of one’s own country, people and party is a life i do not envy.

seriously…how would you feel if people talked about you like they talked about him?

if bands wrote songs about hating you?

if reporters wrote down everything you said every day and then used snippets to present you as a monster to millions of people around the world?

if bumper stickers cursed you?

if you had become a byword and a slur in even casual conversation?

here is a few minutes from a day in the life of our President:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RFH7C3vkK4&feature=related[/youtube]

i love how he responds.

i also love that he is agile and quick enough to dodge a projectile shoe.

i support President Bush. doesn’t mean i agree with everything he’s ever said or every choice he’s made. but guess what? i don’t agree with everything I’VE ever said or every choice I’VE made.

this isn’t about if you think he’s a great President or not. i do, but this is about something else.

it’s about what it must be like to live as a person who receives this sort of treatment from billions of people.

every day.

let’s pray for President Bush today.

(HT: mr. hill)

it’s wednesday. the election is over. america has chosen their new president.

it’s time to start praying for president-elect obama. he just got hired for the toughest job in the world.

this post is not to denigrate him, but instead to get an answer from any Christian that voted for him who might stumble across this blog.

lots of other folks have talked about this issue, but i have yet to get an answer that makes sense to me…

my question is this: what exactly appealed to you about barack obama?

i ask that, because as i thought about it last night i realized that i couldn’t answer that question.

below are just a handful of issues that divide Christians. i don’t want to argue about the issues themselves, i just was thinking about this list and was really wondering why left-of-center Christians got so behind their candidate.

abortion

john mccain – opposes
barack obama – supports expansion of abortion rights, including infanticide

war

john mccain – supports ongoing war on terror including iraq
barack obama – supports ongoing war on terror, including afganistan, and everywhere but iraq

death penalty

john mccain – supports
barack obama – supports

health care

john mccain – supports the expansion of health care to 11 million uninsured children, supports higher taxes on cigarettes, expand community health care nationwide, tax cuts for self-employed people seeking health care, supports medical savings accounts
barack obama – guarantees health care for ‘anyone who needs it,’ opposes health care tax credit, supports socialized health care

gun control

john mccain – supports gun rights
barack obama - supports gun rights

scandals

john mccain - divorce and allegation of innapropriate lobby activity, which he was exonerated from, accused of being one of the keating 5, which he was exonerated from, accused of having an affair, later exonerated from
barack obama – changed his mind about what campaign funds he would receive, changed his mind about debates with mccain, has yet to be exonerated from taking illegal campaign contributions, is being investigated under the RICO act for voter fraud and campaign practices, admits to past cocaine use, has close ties to people who bombed buildings, implicated in and admitted to an unethical real estate deal with one of his campaign supporters

service

john mccain – served our nation full-time since the age of 17, including a multi-year stay in a prisoner of war camp
barack obama – a first-term senator with a background in community organizing and law

giving

john mccain – in 2007 he gave 26% of his income to charity. he and wife cindy currently raise their children, including a daughter adopted out of the 3rd world, since 1991 has given his senate salary raises to charity because he opposed the increases, gives the royalties from his books to charities
barack obama – in 2006 gave 6% of his income to charity. between 2000 and 2004 he gave a combined total of less than 5% of his total income

(for any of this information, just consult your friendly neighborhood google)

there’s a lot more to line up, but there’s not much point.

honestly, this isn’t to defame obama. it isn’t.

i really just want to hear from any pro-obama christian why they find him so hopeful?

i’m waiting for an answer that isn’t ‘he’s genuine and authentic,’ because that doesn’t really mean anything to me. there’s no way to quantify or evaluate that statement. and, more importantly, john mccain is also genuine and authentic. that’s the point. they are both genuinely living their values.

so…is there anyone who can answer me on this?

this post isn’t meant to offend. i’m not going to have an anti-obama website. that isn’t helpful. i just really want to know what the other position is and why.

for my part, this will be the end of my complaining and the beginning of my praying for president-elect obama. God loves him. he has been chosen by our nation as our executive.

we live in the greatest country in the world.

God be with america.

blessings and maranatha

it’s tuesday.

seems like everyone has a lot on their minds, but i wanted to share something positive that has been on mine the last few weeks.

at our last servants meeting, we eventually started discussing the state of our nation and the prospects ahead of us. our conversation led to our hopes for revival, which we’ve been praying about for some time (as have most christians i think).

one of our guys pointed something out that was very interesting and encouraging to me. when we look at the past we find that times of revival happen during the worst times in a society’s history.

let’s take america as an example.

the first great awakening was during the 1740′s and 1750′s. split between Britain and the US colonies, this revival occurred during a time of incredible tension and difficulty which, of course, culiminated in a terrible war.

the second great awakening was between 1800 and 1830. it occurred during a time when prison reform, woman’s suffrage and abolition was desperately needed, and when the union was preparing to split.

the third great awakening was between 1850 and 1900. in the wake of the destruction of the civil war, God was there to demonstrate power and grace and mercy to a broken nation.

the fourth great awakening was the Jesus movement of the 1960′s and 1970′s. once again, a nation torn by war and transition and trial was met with the strength of God and the transforming power found in a relationship with Him.

whenever men are met with fear and difficulty, God is there to offer His love. whenever human history seems darkest, that is when God’s light shines most brightly.

it’s 2008.

i’d say we’re due for some revival.

maranatha.