ELECTION DAY - NOVEMBER 4, 2008 (and 2016 update)

This is your opportunity to significantly participate in democracy. Yes, your vote really does count. I know I'm writing this mostly to myself, since I see no interaction from others on this blog site; however, I will still say it -

I love the fact that every four years we have the chance to:

• have a bloodless revolution
• bring about regime change in our country
• restore the errors of our leaders if they swing too far to the left or right

and when someone takes us down a path we would not travel,
and when that person takes on more power than he/she should have,
then, we have the chance to:

• return our nation to a constitutional government that recognizes and respects the authority and privileges of a three-branch government: legislative, judicial, and executive.

Every time you get a chance - VOTE! It matters!


11/8/2016 update:
     Today is another election day and the above statements are still true for me.  After eight years of the past administration, I'm still glad I voted as I did and am thankful for the many positive changes that have been made.  May it continue.

I VOTED TODAY AT ABOUT 7:00 A.M.
     Since then I have banned myself from news.  I refuse to watch the roller-coaster ride of pollsters and pundits, and the major networks competing for our attention with their often "made-up" news stories. Most of our political "news" is not really news, but a re-hashing of old events with more opinions, comments and arguments from people who are not willing to work together.

     Networks need to report the news, not make the news.  There is much more happening in the world than just the U. S. elections.  Perhaps we should become more aware of the concerns of our other neighbors who share this planet with us.  I know that I can't ban myself from political news tomorrow, but it would be wonderful to have a vacation from political news for a while.

I'm still hoping that sometime in the near future we will do two important things:

• cease campaigning in the final weeks before an election, and 
• not report any election results until the last voting poll in our nation has closed.  Our western and Pacific states and territories are often voting after a winner has been declared.  Imagine going to the polls to vote, knowing your vote doesn't really matter.  You might as well vote for Charlie Brown (if he qualified).

     Last night, I read through our nation's Constitution.  The final thought that I had was this:

All the Articles and Amendments were put in place with the purpose of guiding us to become "a more perfect Union."  That "perfect Union" is a distant dream at this time in our history.   

     Tonight I have listened to Bach's Magnificat and a large portion of Handel's Messiah.  As comforting as those musical selections are to me, my mind continues to turn to our greatly divided nation.  I wanted to express these words without the weight of a declared winner or loser:  

     Folks, we have to learn how to get along again.  We have to learn again the lessons of our founders. We have to find a way to govern ourselves with civility and cooperation.  We have to STOP BEING OUR OWN ENEMY.   

     It is my prayer tonight that as I wake to a new day tomorrow, regardless of the winners and losers, that we will all begin to win together - that we will put aside our petty differences - that we will mend the broken fences together - that we will value people who are unlike us and who have other viewpoints.  I pray that when I wake tomorrow that God will find a reason to bless America.  

Ssssshhh - be still - listen

Everything has been

so noisy lately –

Economic crisis!

Political debates!

Sickness and pain!

It just seems like all

the talking heads are talking all at once.

We need some peace –

And quiet –

And stillness –

And knowledge –

That God is still God.

Can you hear Him?

He says -

“Be still, and know that I am God.”

The Godly Principle of Listening Cautiously rather than Speaking Hastily in Anger

I was listening to a radio preacher today (there are a few worth listening to) who gave these three principles (though I don't remember his scripture texts, although, I think there are numerous passages to support them):

• Listen
• Don't hurry to speak
• Don't hurry to be angry

In light of the recent Wall Street crisis and with the latest collapses of significant financial giants. I have observed the following in the last 24 hours:

One of our presidential candidates angrily and hastily called for heads to roll. The other said he wanted to listen and discuss the situation with his top economic advisory team and then, in a few days, he will issue a more comprehensive plan to address the current crisis.

• Listen
• Don't hurry to speak
• Don't hurry to be angry

This sounds like a good plan. I wonder why so many Christians eagerly support the candidate who hastily speaks in anger rather than the one who wisely listens, then speaks.

I must confess that I have been guilty of speaking too soon, and often in anger. I must commit myself to trying harder to always "speak the truth in love." However, I will continue to question and oppose negative blind faith, while supporting spiritual faith, realizing that faith - in order to be faith - has an element of blindness to it.

"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." (Hebrews 11:1, KJV)

The Answer is Blowing in the Wind

I saw a lot of evidence of the wind having passed through parts of three states while driving this morning. It's amazing how something so invisible can leave evidence of itself that is so visible. This wind even had a name - "Ike" - or at least what was left of that hurricane.

When Jesus explained being "born again" to Nicodemus in John, chapter 3, he made reference to the wind. When the "wind" of God, God's Spirit, enters your life, everything changes. It stirs things up. It destroys the way things were and makes things new - like being "born again." Look at a newborn child. It's beautiful and messy at the same time. But there is evidence of the promise of our world's future wrapped up in that one little life.

The Jesus and Nicodemus dialogue? Read the whole thing in John 3. It's a great discussion. Don't stop at verse 16. The answer is blowing in the wind.

Remembering September 11

2001, USA

We all remember that terrible day. I remember feeling personally attacked, although I was safely several hundred miles away from the sites. I remember staring at the television screen, praying - crying - hoping - that the picture would be different the next time I saw it. I remember thinking, "this is a sick joke" and that in a minute someone is going to tell us this is a modern version of War of the Worlds. But no such message came. Things only got worse.

As the hours turned into days - weeks - months - years - things only got worse. Our nation, from that horrible frozen moment, went through stages of unified courage to divided hatred. We began to call people enemies who had done no wrong. We became suspicious of people who looked different from us (whoever us looks like); and began to fear people who worshipped in ways that were strange to our ways of worship. Then, we lost our trust in each other, and seemingly everyone else in the world.

We declared a "war on terror." But, again - things only got worse. We found reasons to label other people as terrorists and went to war against them, killing thousands of people who had nothing to do with our September 11 attacks. Then, we became the terrorists.

September 11, 2001 changed our world forever - changed my world forever - changed my grandchildren's world forever.

I frequently hear people say, "better there than here." Everytime I hear that, I want to say "WHY?" I love my children and my grandchildren, but I can find nothing in my Christian heart that can tell me that it is better for someone else's child to die from war than my own. I can find no biblical reason for saying someone should suffer more than me. In fact, Christ's example is for us to lay down our lives so others can live. Jesus told us to "love our enemies" and "pray for those who persecute us for His Name's sake" (which is what many think the Muslim world is doing). Many of us grew up singing, "Jesus loves the little children of the world." If Jesus loves them - and He certainly does - then, why do we condone their murder?

The Bible teaches that we should not fear the one who can destroy our body, but the one who can destroy our soul. The soul of America is "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness," but, we are losing our soul and becoming a nation of "death, fear, and the pursuit of revenge." God said that vengeance belonged to Him. We say "IN GOD WE TRUST" on our money, car tags, T-shirts, etc., but we don't TRUST God enough to let Him do His own work. Let's trust Him to handle the vengeance. He can do it better - in His own time, His own way, and with greater love!

One other observation: Someone said to me last night, "Another 9/11 has passed, and we're still safe. No more attacks." As long as so much of the world is dying from hunger, thirst, disease and war - we should never feel safe. There's an old saying that is still true - If you want PEACE, you must work for JUSTICE.

Let there be PEACE ON EARTH - and LET IT BEGIN IN ME.

Here's another significant 9/11 event:

1906, South Africa

In 1906, Gandhi called a meeting of 3,000 Indians in Johannesburg to discuss a strategy for defeating the Asiatic Registration Ordinance, a statute that required all Indian immigrants to register with the government. All those in attendance pledged to disobey the registration legislation and to accept the penalties that would result from their resistance.

This meeting proved to be critical in the development of Gandhi's strategy and the formation of the concept of satyagraha. It was not long after the Johannesburg meeting when Gandhi read Thoreau's Essay on Civil Disobedience, the same essay that would later influence King. The essay provided Gandhi with a means for articulating his concept for nonviolent resistance in English. Inspired by Thoreau's insistence on disobeying unjust policies, Gandhi spent the next seven years leading the struggle on behalf of the Indian minority in South Africa. This philosophy also influenced Gandhi's thinking about India, as expressed in Hind Swaraj (Indian Home Rule), a 1909 booklet outlining his early thoughts regarding Indian independence. Gandhi wrote that "violence was no remedy for India's ills” and that the country's civilization “required the use of a different and higher weapon for self-protection."

Blogger's comment: I wish all our differences could be settled in non-violent ways. I pray for a day when violence and war will be remembered no more. - Papa Joe

Politics - and Religion

As I have walked around my neighborhood and talked with people about what concerns they currently have - I have heard only three issues named (no one has mentioned the war on terror).

The three are: jobs, gas prices, health care costs.

To me, this boils down a single complex issue - THE ECONOMY !!!

The fix involves at least all of these:

• affordable health care and insurance;
• less dependency on oil, domestic and foreign (I'm not for more offshore drilling - now or later);
• creating jobs while building a more environmentally-friendly national infrastructure;
• and real national security, not based on politically generated fear and war-mongering, but based on peace-building.

The biggest drain on our economy has been fighting the wrong war in the wrong place - Iraq! Anyone who wants to keep us in Iraq, at the cost of $10 billion per month, is not the person who will be thinking of the "Country First" and will not be offering any real economic "Service" to ordinary people.

I'm praying (since I am a Believer) for a new era of freedom for the common folks, and a national security system built on peaceful alliances and fair treatment to people around the world! I'm praying the days of Empire Building are over, by our nation, and by other nations as well.

In other words, as a follower of Jesus I understand that my LOVE FOR GOD leads me to LOVE OTHERS, not only as myself, but above myself. Since God loved the world so much that He gave His best, then my prayer is for the entire world, not just the USA. When we work to bring about a better world, then we'll have a more peaceful world - then we'll have true national (and world) security.

Can we ever bring about a peaceful world? Probably not, but I can do all that I'm able to do within my circle of influence. If others will do the same, then we can make a difference. Jesus said, "BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS." I believe peacemaking is a spiritual activity that should be practiced by all people, including our nation's leaders.

My Old Kentucky Church

Although we have moved, I'm still connected (at least by heart) to my church in Kentucky, Immanuel United Methodist Church. If you're in Northern KY (near Cincinnati), check it out -One Church/Three Locations.

Here's the webpage link:
http://www.immanuelumc.org/