On a lighter note here’s a short article that makes an important point.  http://www.miamiherald.com/living/columnists/dave-barry/story/756596.html  The political game in the USA is a blood sport but we now risk destroying (if we have not already destroyed) the basic political civility of our country.  Better think again about that.

Back to Obama.  A friend of mine says he doesn’t care what the world thinks of America, my friend is wrong.  America needs the world as much as the world needs America.  Unfortunately, today, it appears as if neither really acknowledges that fact.  The BBC does a good job or capturing the mood of many around the world in this story.  http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/us_elections_2008/7711321.stm

For a more sober and balanced view of what president elect Obama means to the world take a read at this leading article in the Economist.  http://www.economist.com/opinion/displaystory.cfm?story_id=12562373  The world badly needs a successful US Presidency and is it not interesting the hopeful and expectant tone of an article written with the objective of toning down the “Great Expectations”.  It is the measure of the greatness of America that the world feels the need to look up to it. 

Just to show that this does blog have a Christian purpose here is another very short little note about a religious reformation in Latin America.  You know the evangelicals are on the move when they make it into the deist pages of the newspaper first published in 1843 to contest against “timid ignorance obstructing our progress”.  http://www.economist.com/world/americas/displaystory.cfm?story_id=12564066

And, finally, today we remember those fallen in battle.  My grandfather fought through the 2nd world war from the disaster of Dieppe to the triumph of Berlin.  He campaigned in Africa, Italy, and Europe and came home never to be the same.  He was a stranger to his own children and I remember him growing old as an alcoholic.  Like so many, in ways that we cant understand, he left his life on a battlefield too.  So, on remembrance day, to the memory of Regimental Sargeant Major Douglas Meikle of the Argyle and Sutherland Highlanders, holder of the Military Medal for valour and The Distinguished Service Cross for bravery.  To bear your name is an honor. 

I pledge allegiance to the flag
of the divided states of America
and to the republic that I don’t understand
one Obamanation
under God’s judgment
with licentiousness and lack of judgment by all

Yeah, I know, a little over the top.  I was watching the election coverage until I went to bed, and I thought of this pledge parody as I was falling asleep.  I thought, “Should I get up and write this down? … Nah!  I don’t care if I remember it or not.”  Nonetheless, I remembered it in the morning and posted it on my FaceBook account.  Isn’t that thrilling.

Maybe you are not like me at all, and instead you are riding on a wave of optimism and hope that springs from Barack Obama bringing a fresh start to our nation.  You are hoping for change to believe in!  Maybe you are one of America’s 51% who cast a very happy vote for this (previously) unknown senator from Illinois.  If you are, then you are probably very hopeful for the kind of change that he will inspire in our great country.  (and you probably didn’t make it reading further than my pledge.)

I can’t imagine the mess we would have woken up to on Wednesday if McCain had won.  People would have been violently angry, and I think the morale of the nation would have been at a new all time low.  I think there would have been massive public despair and disillusionment.

On the other hand, there seems to be a bounce in the step of many people right now, people are feeling hopeful and optimistic.   Happiness and joy are contagious, and whether we want to admit it or not, many of us who are disappointed in the outcome of the election are feeling the ripple of euphoria from the “other side.”  Things actually seem pretty bright.

This doesn’t mean that my grave concerns have gone away.  The grave concerns are front and center, but the problem is that McCain didn’t really answer those concerns much better than Obama.

Some Concerns:

1. I am troubled that Obama is so rabidly pro-abortion, but McCain is not much more of a defender of the unborn when it comes right down to it. Both of them support funding Planned Parenthood.  ‘Nuff said.

2. I am troubled that Obama wants to raise taxes on the people who already pay the most taxes, and “spread the wealth around.”  The government does not need to be in the business of playing Robin Hood.  On the other hand, McCain had the crazy idea to buy the bad mortgages and he supported the financial bailout package, and that’s not much better.  I would love to have a president who understands economics better than I do, someone who knows what a budget is, and knows how to stay within it.  We were not going to get that either way the election went.

3.  I am troubled that Obama is perceived to be a pacifist.  I don’t want the Commander and Chief of the United States Military to be perceived as a pacifist.  I want him to be perceived as a crazy mean dog that you better not mess with, or he will bite your face off.  I sleep better at night with a well trained pitbull in the yard than a cute little Yorkie.  On this issue, McCain wins hands down.

ON THE BRIGHT SIDE:
But, there are many good things about Obama winning the election.  The optimistic sense of hope is actually a beautiful thing, and not something that I have seen much of in my lifetime.  It feels like our black brothers and sisters are standing a little taller, and I hope that translates into a better sense of citizenship and responsibility.  Whether we want to admit it or not, this is a global culture, and the world is excited to see Obama win the election.  This could translate into a more favorable world opinion, and that would be helpful in many ways.  We need to be thankful for the good things, and accept the leader that God has given us.  We must learn how to honor Obama and we must pray for him to be a good and wise leader.

 Please join me in this prayer today.

In the Name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, with all our heart and with all our mind, let us pray:

LORD, have mercy on us and grant us peace, fill us with Your loving-kindness and thankfulness for the salvation of our souls and our lives.  We ask for the peace in this world, for healing in our nation and for the unity of all peoples.

For our President-Elect, Barack Obama, for the leaders of the nations, and for all in authority, we pray to the LORD.  We humbly ask that You would give them wisdom and direction.  We ask that you would turn their hearts toward the protection of the weak and the helpless.  We ask that You would allow them to see the wisdom of Your will and Your Law, and that they would be given a heart to understand it.  We ask that you would actively restrain the evil that they are allowed to do by Your mighty and powerful hand.

We thank You, Almighty God, for Your grace and abundant blessings to this nation.  May we be good citizens and faithful stewards of all You have entrusted us with.

AMEN

Demons, Ghosts, Vampires, and monsters of every kind will be walking in small packs around our neighborhoods tomorrow night.  How are we as Christians supposed to feel about this?  If we think it is “just good fun” are we being unfaithful to our Lord?  If we forbid our children from joining in the fun, handing out healthy snacks and Gospel pamphlets instead (or refuse to answer the door … because that’s how holy we are!) … is that really the right thing to do?

The following is a article by James Jordan that I have found to be helpful concerning Halloween.  Enjoy.

Concerning Halloween

by James B. Jordan
August, 1996

It has become routine in October for some Christian schools to send out letters warning parents about the evils of Halloween, and it has become equally routine for me to be asked questions about this matter.

“Halloween” is simply a contraction for All Hallows’ Eve. The word “hallow” means “saint,” in that “hallow” is just an alternative form of the word “holy” (”hallowed be Thy name”). All Saints’ Day is November 1. It is the celebration of the victory of the saints in union with Christ. The observance of various celebrations of All Saints arose in the late 300s, and these were united and fixed on November 1 in the late 700s. The origin of All Saints Day and of All Saints Eve in Mediterranean Christianity had nothing to do with Celtic Druidism or the Church’s fight against Druidism (assuming there ever even was any such thing as Druidism, which is actually a myth concocted in the 19th century by neo-pagans.)

In the First Covenant, the war between God’s people and God’s enemies was fought on the human level against Egyptians, Assyrians, etc. With the coming of the New Covenant, however, we are told that our primary battle is against principalities and powers, against fallen angels who bind the hearts and minds of men in ignorance and fear. We are assured that through faith, prayer, and obedience, the saints will be victorious in our battle against these demonic forces. The Spirit assures us: “The God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly” (Romans 16:20). (more…)

Those who read this blog know (I hope) that I suffer from a deep and debilitating addiction.  Constantly I battle against this force of nature which, if I am honest, has controlled me as long as I can remember.   My addiction has a name, it is Karen, she is my wife.  But not just a wife, a tr-athlete, my tri-athlete.   At the weekend Karen and a friend competed in a triathlon and Karen made a big progress in all of her times.  I am immensely proud of her and deeply jealous.  She does what I want to do. 

After doing great things as a tri-athlete at the weekend Karen took time off from swimming, running, and biking, to condemn my “Obama tendencies”.  I think that she means that I appear to waver from the true blue Republican line.  Perhaps.  But I contend that where you are on the political spectrum kind of depends on your point of reference.  As far as I am concerned the sun rises and sets with Karen, but compared with the mileage eating swim dog that is my wife, Attila the Hun was a tree hugging leftie.   

What I really think is kind of summed up in this article from newspaper here in the UK.  If we vote in Obama we are taking a groundbreaking risk but, given the circumstances, maybe it’s worth it.  http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2008/10/28/do2806.xml

And what about those circumstances.  Own any shares?  Even if you think you don’t you probably do.  Know what a “hedge fund” is?  I don’t, and I never gave my money to one.  But my guess is that you, like me, have some dollars tucked away in a hedge fund that is in the process of being partially or completely liquidated.  If you have money in a mutual fund probably some of your money was in “investment vehicles” that had about the same chance of success of you being dealt blackjack at a card table.  Kiss goodbye to those dollars.  You are probably wondering what is happening in the world in this financial crisis, who isn’t?  Let me give you my unifying theory of why we all need to think A LOT about what is happening around us.  (more…)

The first word after the fall was to the serpent who was told, “because you have done this cursed are you” (Gen 3:14).  When God saw the evil of the time of Noah he was sorry he had made mankind and yet “Noah found favor in the sight of the Lord” (Gen 6:8) and when God acted ultimately he would save Noah and command him again to fill the earth, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth” (Gen. 9:1).  Abram too, a good man, seems still to be wandering without purpose until God confronts him in a vision, “Do not be afraid, Abram, I am your shield, your great reward” (Gen 15:1).  And then again when he becomes Abraham and God says, “I am God Almighty, walk before me and be blameless” (Gen 17:1).

If there is just one verse that captures the thread here it is Gen 17:1, “I am God Almighty, walk before me and be blameless”.  It shows God acting but it also shows why we must be profoundly grateful for what these mighty acts do in our lives.  We walk before God and are blameless because of his mighty acts of salvation.  But is it just about God acting, do we do nothing?  Consider the story of Jacob.

22That night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two maidservants and his eleven sons and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. 23 After he had sent them across the stream, he sent over all his possessions. 24 So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak. 25 When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man. 26 Then the man said, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.”
But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”

27 The man asked him, “What is your name?”
“Jacob,” he answered.

28 Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with men and have overcome.”

29 Jacob said, “Please tell me your name.”
But he replied, “Why do you ask my name?” Then he blessed him there.

30So Jacob called the place Peniel,  saying, “It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared.”

It is a strange story isn’t it.  This person or thing that Jacob wrestles with seems neither god, nor angel, nor man.  Yet it seems that it must be God or and agent of God because only the creator would have the power to change the name of a patriarch (remember Abram to Abraham).  So what do we learn from this? (more…)

God in Nature
There is evidence surrounding us for the existence of God . Things like the universe having a consistent and purposeful design, it seems as though a creative mind put it all together.   Mankind has had a basic moral code that transcends cultures and history, it seems as though we have come from a common creative imagination.  History appears to have a progressive and purposeful direction, it seems as though an author has been behind the larger story. It would even seem that we are all inclined to spiritual beliefs and motivated to worship something higher than ourselves.  Although all of these arguments can be rationally smashed upon the rocks of philosophy, there is still some nagging truth at the center of these ideas that will not go away, and points us to God.

God Speaks
Of course the general revelation of God through creation is not the end of it.  God has revealed Himself through many messengers and prophets.  God spoke to Moses through a burning bush, he spoke to many others through angels, He spoke to others in visions and dreams, and through these people He gave us His Word.  The Law.  The Bible.  He gave us specific revelation that tells us who He is, who we are, and how He wants us to live our lives.  This is good, because without His specific revelation to us, we humans tend to think that throwing virgins into volcanoes is the best way to worship.

Too Many Gods
Some people will despair  at the thought of who the true God is because there are so many different ideas, and who can know which one is right?  Let me propose that there are really only two answers to this question, and everything else is a matter of emphasis.  Either God is a knowable person, or He is an unknowable abstraction.  Either God is the God of Genesis through Revelation (The Jewish God who is fully revealed to us in Jesus Christ), or God is the impersonal pantheon of Hindu manifestations of Brahman.  These are the only two choices.  Every religion goes back to one of these two, Islam is a Christian heresy and Buddhism is a Hindu atheism, etc.  So, don’t fool yourself into pretending that there is no point in seeking God because of all the disorganization of organized religions. (more…)

Who’s The Man?
Of the two candidates, which one fosters more of a sense of pride in our country?  You know … like when you are proud of your dad, or your pastor, or your favorite college professor when they write a best selling book.  Like when your brother wins first place in an Ultimate Fighting Championship? Of the two candidates, which one would you willingly follow?  If you needed someone to talk to for serious advice, which of the candidates would you want to seek counsel?  Strange thought, eh?  Here are a few scenarios:

Some Advice
If you wanted financial advice,  which candidate do you think would give you information that could really help?  Dave Ramsey isn’t running, would either McCain or Obama be helpful at all?  Their plans for the national budget wouldn’t work very well for the average American household.  They both are proposing socialism to some degree. They are both individually wealthy though, they must have done something right, which one could offer sound advice?

If your pregnant teenage daughter went to each of the candidates (without your knowledge) for advice on whether or not to  have an abortion, what would their advice be?  Would you agree with them? (more…)

It’s different for everyone, although I think most of us have a combination of a few of these things working together to keep us discouraged.  I’ll let you know one of mine, even though it is embarrassing.  I’m hoping that by sharing it, some light will be shed on the subject.  (deep sigh) (more…)

Or maybe not.  Over the summer I visited another cathedral that seems, in contrast, filled to the brim with life.  In Barcelona Spain, growing like a living thing out of the ground, is Europe’s largest modern cathedral, the Cathedral Sagrada Familia.  Sagrada Familia is not like anything you have ever seen.  It has an Alice in Wonderland quality that defies easy description unless you have seen the other buildings designed by its architect, Antoni Gaudi.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antoni_Gaud%C3%AD  Gaudi’s buildings (and there are many of them in Barcelona) seem frivolous but in fact are the product of the deeply held Christian beliefs of the devoutly catholic Gaudi.  Buildings were to have the shape and form of things created as opposed to merely drawn and constructed.  The buildings therefore do not have straight lines of the architect but instead the sensuous curves of the creator.  They seem to affirm life in its chaotic beauty rather than seek to control or capture the life of mankind.  driving around Barcelona you get to see several of Gaudi’s buildings and they are wonderful in the true sense of the word because, as you look at them, you are driven to wonder and awe at the vision of the man who could see these buildings in his mind. 

It is the vision of Sagrada Familia that first overwhelms.  The scale and scope of the story the building tells stretches the mind in wonder.  It is a living building where statues of the saints, sculpture of the life of Jesus, and stone en-carved quotes from ancient scriptures grow out of the rock walls.  Combine this with the work which continues inbside the building (even after 100 years of construction), where stone masons chip and carve their creations from rough rock, and you have a testimony to the faith that lives in the hearts of believers.  Gaudi devoted his later life to this masterpiece and when it is finished it will be a fitting monument to his genius for sure but more to the ever living power of God’s Holy Spirit to enliven the creation with this overwhelming creative force that spills force in the works of art that enrich our lives. 

It is too easy sometimes to think that the faith is for the last generation and that those who follow us will somehow not be captivated as we were by the life of our Lord.  But that confuses cause and effect as if we had better knowledge or insight than our children will have.  The constant thing will be the Spirit of our Lord Jesus Christ who continues to work in the hearts of men and women moving them, quickening them as the ancients said, towards a life lived with God.  Sagrada Familia shows that the faith still lives and inspires, indeed defies description in its unbounded creativity, and that we live in wonder at the works of our Lord.