Talk is Cheap

The Asian tragedy appears to have sparked criticism from some about how our nation has responded. No situation is too tragic or horrible to keep some from criticizing our beloved President.

Our former "I feel your pain"(while millions suffered in Ruwanda, Afghanistan and Iraq) Pres. Bill Clinton, while in Europe, saw fit to criticize our president, because he did not speak out compassionately or quickly enough. A UN aide points out how us greedy Americans don't give our share. The leftist bloggers and NY Times cannot wait to criticize our actions, when we don't even know the full extent of need. Any dollar number that we throw out is not going to equal what we will eventually give. Prayer and calm is what is needed. Bashing Bush, in the words of Bill Clinton, "will not feed or clothe one child".

What about religious and private charities? That money is not even considered, though it plays a large role in disaster aid and feeding the poor. The real complaint is that the funds are not coming from our government.(or the U.N.) We get criticized when we give generously to private foundations and Europeans just pay higher taxes. We are the most generous nation in the world when you consider ALL relief aid, government and private.( As we should be)

I like giving to charities that I want to support. Red Cross and Salvation Army help needy people every day. I see it when disaster strikes, they are the first to arrive with needed food and supplies.

I know our president is not as eloquent as his predecessor, but rest assured that we are responding as we should, though it may not sound as pretty.

Denying Myself

When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, "Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. Mark 8:34

What does denying myself entail? That seems to mean different things to different people. Some people think of material things, living conservatively and modestly, well beneath their means. Some people think of activities such as smoking, cursing, and drinking. Maybe denying ourselves is putting others first.

Following Christ is what the verse is getting at. There seems to be different views on what that looks like. The one thing I like about Orthodoxy is the continuity of beliefs, the one thing I don't like is the resistance to change.

I don't know which would be worse, being tied to ritual or having no tradition to hold on to for guidance. So I try to look at things to determine if what I do for God or to worship God is for GOD or just some tradition I feel comfortable in. But then I wonder how comfortable am I supposed to be when I truly deny myself?

Sometimes I think we worry to much about justifying what we do or don't do that we forget to deny. And if we find that we don't deny ourselves ANYTHING where does that put us at with Jesus? I don't see much denial.....in my life at least.

Bumper Sticker Christianity?

I witnessed a beautiful site today. A middle aged man in a mini-van shaking his fist at some teenage driver, leaning out of his window shouting at the kid, the kid slinking down in his seat embarressed.

The van drives off and on the back of his car..............you guessed it. A K-LOVE Bumper sticker. (with the fish too)K--LOVE is a Christian radio station. A good one too.

30 YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH.' 31 "The second is this, `YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.' There is no other commandment greater than these." Mark 12:30-31

He had a Bush-Chaney bumper sticker too. So I was doubly disappointed. Us evangelical right wingers are supposed to be the good guys. I wish that were the only time I had seen an incident like that, but it isn't. That's why I don't have a bumper sticker that says "Follow me to -------- Baptist Church. What IF I speed? (okay, when) If I cut somebody off, even accidentally?

Somebody said once the poor will always be around

Over on Nat's blog she is talking about the plight of immigrants working in sweat shops here in the U.S. Identifying the problem and feeling compassion is the easy part. I feel for that woman. I also feel for the millions in other countries that would swap places with her also.

We sometimes forget that no matter what economic system we have, people will still not treat others like they should. This is a moral issue not an economic one. It is frightening to me when because of such mistreatment we have some people willing to take down our system.
They wish to redistribute wealth. Am I somehow more moral because I am in a high tax bracket and more of my money is going to social programs? True charity is given willingly, not extorted from the giver.

When I was a child we never ate out. We never went to movies. My Grandma and mother made some of our clothes. Today's poor in America would be wealthy by the world's standards. That is why that lady traveled thousands of miles to work in a sweatshop here, rather than be a slave in her home country. Read the following for a balanced discussion as you read Natalie's blog. The problems we have are not that easy to solve, but it should not keep us from trying.

libertyhaven.com

#@*$#*%#!! Christians?

In my perusing different blogs around I am learning that it must now be cool for Christians to use profanity. I don't know when this all came about I must have been reading a book or working when this suddenly took place. What is really odd about it is that the most profane people are supposedly the most educated. I was always taught that people cussed because they had a limited vocabulary, I guess that's not the case anymore.

I guess if you say something to a Christian about their swearing (and I mean the F word not just the old D and H word) that would mean you would be intolerant and legalistic. So what does a transformed life look like these days? I mean I don't like getting my oil changed by a guy that swears every other sentence, much less having my preacher talk like that. (neither guy does, by the way) I understand that it is a reaction to legalism and intolerance and that these fairly intelligent folk place social justice at the highest priority in their walk, but...............Isn't their room for both? Why is everything a zero sum game? Could we not be so coarse in our speech AND a friend to the poor and environmentally aware?

I like a lot of what these people write and on many issues they have provoked me to think and rethink my beliefs and not the least of these is my speech to others. Christ hung around with sinners, but He always told them to go and sin no more. When he hung around adulterers he did not commit adultery, so on and so forth. When people came face to face with the Messiah they were changed. So shouldn't we be? More of us conservatives would move to the middle if by doing so we wouldn't have some of our values mocked by people who hold themselves up as liberal.

He Gives and Takes Away

I have some friends whose kids have played Little League Sports for a very special coach. That coach's name is Charles Thompson. Now if you are an old guy like me you know very well Charles story. The man who brought down the King (Barry Switzer) and the Mighty OU football dynasty. He was OU's starting QB in the late 80's who was busted for selling drugs. He was arrested, shackled, then sentenced to a few years in prison. Switzer is forced out and OU football goes on a 10 year downward spiral.

CT had everything he had ever dreamed about, then had it taken away. You would think he would be a little bummed about that, but no, he thanks God everyday for taking all that away. You see if He had not removed CT from his position of near godlike stature, CT would have never allowed Christ to transform his life. CT really had nowhere else to turn but God, for him to have a productive life. He says "what better time to turn to God than when you are at the bottom?" CT viewed that day he was arrested, cuffed and shackled as a new beginning. The birth of a new CT, with the death of the old CT. He thanks God for doing what it took in his life to bring him to Christ. His testimony is powerful and moving. His life is a true picture of redemption. CT is a real live role model now.

What do we have in our lives that the world views as good, that we would be better off in our walk with Christ without? Are there things we complain about that God has removed or do we thank God for drawing us closer to Him?

What Will I Think of Next?

I had a crazy thought the other day, while reflecting upon our Lesson in Sunday School, the part where the question was raised, "did John the Baptizer (as Willard calls him) know Jesus was the Son of God?

Of course their is proof in scripture that he knew, then had his doubts, then was sure again. Kind of like all of us from time to time. Then I realized that I had grown beyond having doubts. I know with all certainty that Christ is God and that there is a God. I know this because when I am hurt or disappointed I get angry at God. How could I get mad at God if I doubt His existence? I am not saying this is a good thing, I am just stating a fact. I rely on Him and when he doesn't do what I want I get hacked off, but I never doubt his existence. I have doubted Him years ago, but not in a long time.

I always get over it. I realize that the world doesn't revolve around me. But sometimes I get mad at God for what He allows others to suffer. But then I realize the world doesn't revolve around them either. The world revolves around Christ.

So I am torn. Is it okay to get miffed at the Creator of the Universe? Would He rather engage us in sincere conversation or have us ignore Him altogether?

Now I don't want to endorse such behavior, I just wanted to point out that maybe that is better than ignoring God like I used to do. Maybe God wants to get our attention and we react improperly (like in anger) from time to time if that is what it takes to get us to pray. From time to time I get angry at everyone I love, I wish that I didn't but I do. So in some weird way I am acknowledging Him, all be it sacrilegiously.