Though Provking

I just finished a fantastic book, The Faith, Given Once, For All by Charles Colson. I HIGHLY recommend this book for anyone, believer or not. It does a fantastic job in covering the historical foundations of the Christian faith. I wanted to share one paragraph that really stuck with me, especially in light of recent events:

"Christianity does not seek to impose, it proposes. The Gospel is the great proposal: Come to the wedding feast, on and all -- Black, white, rich, poor, East, West, Muslim, Jew, Christian -- all are welcome, and it's never to late. God turns no man or woman away, not one. Through His Son, Jesus Christ, the Father brings us into His Kingdom. This is the promise He holds out to individuals and nations alike, a Kingdom not of eating and drinking or of marching armies and clashing swords, but a Kingdom of righteousness, peace, and joy forever in the Holy Spirit."

I think that thought will stick with me a LONG time. I will from this point forward always be asking myself; 'Am I imposing, or proposing'. That's a pretty big shift in thinking.

I simply can't recommend this book high enough.

Blessings,

History in the Present

Tonight history was made. We knew it was coming, and all indications pointed to this outcome. Tonight is not the end, nor do I believe it is the beginning of the end. I believe the old saying that applies is "It's always darkest before the dawn.".

Tonight's election and the days ahead will most likely be dark for many, but in times of darkness the light shines all the brighter.

No matter that the result isn't what we may have wanted, today doesn't have to be a day of sorrow. Our mission as Christians hasn't changed by the election of a new president. Our mission tomorrow will be the same it was yesterday; to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ.

The government can't force you to do anything. While the cost may be high, the reward of following the Lord is much more.

Stand strong fellow believers, continue to LIVE your testimony. Be more like Christ tonight, tomorrow and in the days ahead so that God may use this election as a beacon pointing to Him. We are the tools in His hands.

We stand on the brink of possibly the greatest harvest in the history of the church. In times of difficulty more people turn to the Light of the World then in times of plenty. It is our time to shine bright. We are told by Christ Himself that our lives won't always be easy and at times the world will be against us, but we are to continue to progress forward in our mission to spread the Gospel.

Continue to stand up for your rights, write your newly elected officials, tell them that you will be watching and holding them accountable. NOW is the time to become even more involved, not shy away.

Like you all, I'll be praying for this country and this world all the more fervently.

A Word Against Two Parties - A Christian Stands For Freedom

This was originally written as a reply to a thread in Facebook, but was much to long to post there. Feel free to friend me there to follow the discussion.

I appreciate your dedication and your desire to make change, but your views on the politics of America are sadly wrong. McCain is only as pro-life as the money and support that comes into his campaign. He is NOT "dead-on" when it comes to social issues. He has in the past supported embryonic stem cell research. He double-speaks when it comes to abortion (he's recently stated he supports overturning Roe V Wade, but in 2000 opposed a repeal of Roe V Wade). He has opposed a federal constitutional amendment for opposing gay marriage, instead taking the easy road of "leave it to the states". If more support came in for liberal stances, he'd switch to it. Classic double talk of a politician.

It is the sad state of affairs to say that we are past the days that we will break the two party system. This country never was supposed to have a two party faction system. That's against everything the founding fathers stood for. Our ONLY hope is the formation of a party that stands on the constitution, not on the whimsical views of a few ultra-powerful, ultra-rich neo-conservatives. The republican party in it's historical form is dead. It died these past few years. NONE of the party elite, the rulers of the republican party hold to its ideals. It's a twisted beast now.

You say in one breath that our government is irreparably restructured and that it is naive to think that one of the third party candidates could do anything but that we should be 'realists and make wise decisions at the polls'. That's contradictory. By voting for McCain or Obama you are strengthening the current system. You are being led like rats in a maze, praying and hoping for something better is around the next corner only to find it's a dead end.

God HAS given us a clear answer. He has stated clearly that change comes from within the body, it can not be forced on us and it can't be forced on others. Remember this: THE GOVERNMENT NEVER CHANGES IT'S GOVERNED, THE GOVERNED CHANGE THEIR GOVERNMENT. You are advocating a top-down change. You want laws to dictate everything. You are advocating a theocracy. A government ruled by religion. That's a scary thought in a democracy like ours and something not a single one of our founding fathers wanted. We must change the PEOPLE of our nation to change the destiny of our nation. We must fight for political freedom, not political laws. While you fight for abortion reform and sanctity of marriage, they liberal left laugh at you and gradually change the laws forbidding you from even speaking out. Look at the historical changes in our country. Our rights weren't taken away by the government, they were taken away by the liberals changing the minds of the people the government governed.

You have the right basis, but the wrong conclusions. You are correct that the Humanists targeted our families, schools, moral convictions, etc. But yet you state you want to start with the government? How will that make a bit of difference? A change of government only lasts a few years and can be changed easily. Change a heart and you make permanent change. The Republican party is but a group of like minded individuals. It has no more power than that which we give to it. It's platform? Laughable. No recent national Republican of any renown has held to the platform. Can you even state the platform? They've drifted so far from their roots they shouldn't even be called Republicans. People claim that Obama will lead us into socialism, but yet look at what the Republicans did. THEY SOCIALIZED THE BANKING SYSTEM!!! Socialism started under the Republican watch, not the Democrats. The current republican part is a party of fascist ideals and goals.

We do know that there will be a one-world government, but we do not know WHEN it will be formed. There are varying views on this. One I tend to lean to is that the one-world government will be formed when the last of the Christian nations are destroyed. I believe America to be that last country standing, and that we will have to be destroyed before the tribulation can begin. Just my opinion and views. If that is the case then we must be a Christian nation when the end times come, and to fold to the fascists that are running the Republican party right now is to give up our hope of being that light on a hill when the world goes dark.

We can not fight the moral decay of this country in a top-down fashion. It must be fought person by person, community by community and state by state. Supporting a candidate that will steal rights with one hand while saying he's praying for change with his other hand upraised is foolish and naive. You take a bold step in declaring McCain as the only true Christian who can win this race. Two things, one, you are not God, do not pretend to know that McCain is not the wolf warned about; two, McCain has no chance of winning this race, and hasn't since he put the nail in his coffin with the way he's been running his campaign of late.

God proclaims that we should render unto Caesar what is Caesar's and unto God what is God's. It is the stated position of the government to protect the un-alienable rights of it's governed. It is not the position of the government to dictate moral policies. At no point in the Bible, Old or New Testament did God tell us to change governments. He told us to proclaim the Gospel to the people and that the people are to make the choice to follow or not. A grounding principle of faith in Jesus Christ is the belief in freedom. The decision to follow Christ or not is the freedom of every person, it is not a decision we can force on anyone, and it's un-Godly presumptuous to presume that we, as fallen sinners forgiven by grace, can dictate the behaviors of person who have freely chosen not to follow God. We should stand on the shoulders of Christ proclaiming the freedom that we have in Christ and call everyone to enjoy the love and forgiveness of Christ. Who are we to dictate to others that their sin is so much more grievous than yours or mine?

I'll close repeating two statements: 1) The government can never change the governed, only the governed can change the government. 2) Voting for McCain merely because he is a 'republican' is the wrong way to make that decision. Don't be naive, change will only come from the people standing up and demanding the rights that have been taken from us... by BOTH Democrats and Republicans.