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Friday, October 31, 2008
"How in the WORLD?"
"How in the WORLD?"
I was just thinking how in the world did I ever go out on Friday nights (& stay up sometimes 3am) & get back up early to start all over again the next morning for the football game????
Now, I go to bed about 8pm! Wow my life has changed so much. That is just one of MANY things but it just hit me when I saw all the ole miss students out on the town tonight. I would not trade my life for anything now eventhough I did have a great time in college! My mind set has shifted in such a different direction. Maybe it's just now I actually realize how much I value life & the lives that were given to me!!!
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Friday, October 17, 2008
Picking President
"Shouldn't we pick our president based on more than just faith issues?"
Let's consider those other issues, starting with the economy.America's national debt is $10 trillion. Add in unfunded Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security and the like, and it tops $59 trillion, or about $200,000 per American. We are no longer talking about how to pay it off, but how to keep making the interest payments when the baby boomers retire.If those numbers don't impress, consider this. The stock market bubble and crash of 1929 was driven by extreme leverage. People could buy stocks with just 5% of their money and 95% of borrowed money. After the crash of 1929, the SEC limited stock investment leverage to 50%.But the SEC did not cap the leverage on other types of securities, including derivatives, which now tops $450 trillion - 35 times larger than the US GDP. The leverage in the derivative market is still 95%, which means that $428 trillion, a sum 33 times larger than our economy, is a bubble. On the energy front, we imported 26% of our oil during the 1970's oil crisis; today that figure is 70%. On the social front, 40% of our children are being born out of wedlock. 48 million people lack medical cover. Even more are hooked on drugs, gambling and pornography America hosts 89% of the world's pornographic webpages). On foreign policy, we are stuck in two wars Iran is about to go nuclear. Radical Islam is on the rise. So are "natural" disasters ... Is any President really going to solve these and other issues? The challenges facing us are such that they can't be solved even if McCain, Obama, Palin and Biden's best Presidential attributes were combined. What America needs today isn’t some superhero President, but God.Four centuries ago, God saw a boatload of people leave the comforts of Europe to worship Him unhindered in a new land, and blessed their descendents into a mighty nation. At the height of our prosperity, however, that "Christian" nation turned away from God, who is withdrawing the prosperity and security that always was and is His.Israel was in a similar situation after the prosperity of Solomon’s reign when it turned away from God and ignored repeated warnings to turn back. God eventually destroyed Israel and sent its people into exile, not out of hate but out of love because they wouldn’t have turned back to Him - whom they needed more than prosperity or even freedom - without the persecution.But such an outcome doesn't have to be. The Bible also speaks of Nineveh, a great power in its day that like Israel was about to be destroyed. But unlike Israel, the Ninevites heeded God's warning and led by its king, humbled themselves before God in time.This election should be first and foremost about our contrition both as a nation and as individuals before God and a cry for His help. As a nation, we can express that by electing the Presidential ticket more likely to rely on God's help, one that will pray, "Yes HE can" instead of rebelliously chanting, "Yes We Can." As individuals, we need to restart with what God really did and why
Let's consider those other issues, starting with the economy.America's national debt is $10 trillion. Add in unfunded Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security and the like, and it tops $59 trillion, or about $200,000 per American. We are no longer talking about how to pay it off, but how to keep making the interest payments when the baby boomers retire.If those numbers don't impress, consider this. The stock market bubble and crash of 1929 was driven by extreme leverage. People could buy stocks with just 5% of their money and 95% of borrowed money. After the crash of 1929, the SEC limited stock investment leverage to 50%.But the SEC did not cap the leverage on other types of securities, including derivatives, which now tops $450 trillion - 35 times larger than the US GDP. The leverage in the derivative market is still 95%, which means that $428 trillion, a sum 33 times larger than our economy, is a bubble. On the energy front, we imported 26% of our oil during the 1970's oil crisis; today that figure is 70%. On the social front, 40% of our children are being born out of wedlock. 48 million people lack medical cover. Even more are hooked on drugs, gambling and pornography America hosts 89% of the world's pornographic webpages). On foreign policy, we are stuck in two wars Iran is about to go nuclear. Radical Islam is on the rise. So are "natural" disasters ... Is any President really going to solve these and other issues? The challenges facing us are such that they can't be solved even if McCain, Obama, Palin and Biden's best Presidential attributes were combined. What America needs today isn’t some superhero President, but God.Four centuries ago, God saw a boatload of people leave the comforts of Europe to worship Him unhindered in a new land, and blessed their descendents into a mighty nation. At the height of our prosperity, however, that "Christian" nation turned away from God, who is withdrawing the prosperity and security that always was and is His.Israel was in a similar situation after the prosperity of Solomon’s reign when it turned away from God and ignored repeated warnings to turn back. God eventually destroyed Israel and sent its people into exile, not out of hate but out of love because they wouldn’t have turned back to Him - whom they needed more than prosperity or even freedom - without the persecution.But such an outcome doesn't have to be. The Bible also speaks of Nineveh, a great power in its day that like Israel was about to be destroyed. But unlike Israel, the Ninevites heeded God's warning and led by its king, humbled themselves before God in time.This election should be first and foremost about our contrition both as a nation and as individuals before God and a cry for His help. As a nation, we can express that by electing the Presidential ticket more likely to rely on God's help, one that will pray, "Yes HE can" instead of rebelliously chanting, "Yes We Can." As individuals, we need to restart with what God really did and why
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Voting Because It Matters
I have been surprised by the number of Christians who have given up on politics this year. "I don't like either candidate, so I'm staying home," some say.
I get fed up with the vain posturing and empty promises, too. But not voting is not an option—it's both our civic and sacred duty. Voting is required of us as good citizens and as God's agents for appointing leaders.
How do we go about choosing the best candidates? Not by pulling a partisan lever—that's knee-jerk ideology. Christians live instead by revealed truth, never captive to any party. Thus, the best place to go for wisdom is not the candidates' websites, but the Bible.
Moses' father-in-law, Jethro, advised him to appoint as rulers "able men" who "fear God, men who are trustworthy and who hate a bribe." The standard is competence and integrity. Later, God ordered Samuel to pick Saul, who "shall save my people from the hand of the Philistines." This passage reminds us of Paul's teaching in Romans: Government's role is to wield the sword to preserve order and restrain evil. So we should seek leaders best able to do that and to pursue justice.
Today, God no longer chooses our leaders directly (although some of us wish he did, if only to spare us the years-long political campaigns). We live in a democracy, so God entrusts to us the job of choosing leaders he will anoint. Like Samuel, we are commissioned to choose leaders of competence, virtue, and character. That's why not voting or rejecting candidates because they are not perfect on some biblical or political score sheet is a dereliction of our trust.
In casting a vote, judgment should ultimately be guided by what we perceive to be the common good, a term not often heard in today's special interest–charged political debates. Our founders understood this, which is why they used the term commonweal, or commonwealth. But today's politicians pander to special interests, as we saw last year when congressmen dumped over $13.2 billion into earmarks, paying off special pleaders.
But if we look at politics from God's perspective, we see that he has a deep and abiding interest in all people being treated fairly. If God favors any "special interest group," it is the poor, the hungry, the unborn, the handicapped, the prisoner—those with the least access to political power.
This is why we Christians should never allow ourselves to be, as the press has often characterized us, just another special interest group pleading for our agendas only. But if we were a special interest group, we would be lobbying for the dignity of all, especially those who can't always speak for themselves.
So maybe a particular candidate isn't going to cut your taxes or vote for your favorite program, but the real question is, will he serve all the people, or only the loudest?
On Election Day we should be the best of citizens, voting for the candidate best for all the people.
I get fed up with the vain posturing and empty promises, too. But not voting is not an option—it's both our civic and sacred duty. Voting is required of us as good citizens and as God's agents for appointing leaders.
How do we go about choosing the best candidates? Not by pulling a partisan lever—that's knee-jerk ideology. Christians live instead by revealed truth, never captive to any party. Thus, the best place to go for wisdom is not the candidates' websites, but the Bible.
Moses' father-in-law, Jethro, advised him to appoint as rulers "able men" who "fear God, men who are trustworthy and who hate a bribe." The standard is competence and integrity. Later, God ordered Samuel to pick Saul, who "shall save my people from the hand of the Philistines." This passage reminds us of Paul's teaching in Romans: Government's role is to wield the sword to preserve order and restrain evil. So we should seek leaders best able to do that and to pursue justice.
Today, God no longer chooses our leaders directly (although some of us wish he did, if only to spare us the years-long political campaigns). We live in a democracy, so God entrusts to us the job of choosing leaders he will anoint. Like Samuel, we are commissioned to choose leaders of competence, virtue, and character. That's why not voting or rejecting candidates because they are not perfect on some biblical or political score sheet is a dereliction of our trust.
In casting a vote, judgment should ultimately be guided by what we perceive to be the common good, a term not often heard in today's special interest–charged political debates. Our founders understood this, which is why they used the term commonweal, or commonwealth. But today's politicians pander to special interests, as we saw last year when congressmen dumped over $13.2 billion into earmarks, paying off special pleaders.
But if we look at politics from God's perspective, we see that he has a deep and abiding interest in all people being treated fairly. If God favors any "special interest group," it is the poor, the hungry, the unborn, the handicapped, the prisoner—those with the least access to political power.
This is why we Christians should never allow ourselves to be, as the press has often characterized us, just another special interest group pleading for our agendas only. But if we were a special interest group, we would be lobbying for the dignity of all, especially those who can't always speak for themselves.
So maybe a particular candidate isn't going to cut your taxes or vote for your favorite program, but the real question is, will he serve all the people, or only the loudest?
On Election Day we should be the best of citizens, voting for the candidate best for all the people.
Busy Mommy
Busy Mommy
I guess from now on the end of the year is going to be a busier time for me. Camden's birthday falls right before Halloween so I have to prepare for both. I want to always make sure to give the boys great birthday parties so they can have fun memories when looking back. It's not about all the gifts but it's a special time to get to be around friends & family so I prepare much in advance. After cam's birthday we have Halloween to look toward to. Steven is really into it but for me I never celebrated it growing up rather went to church fall festivals which always made us happy! So, I want to make sure the boys get to experience a little of both. I don't want them to focus on the dark side of it but the excitement of dressing up & fellowship of others- oh yeah and the candy! After dealing with hyper boys from all the sugar-we have thanksgiving! We have it here 3 times in OB & then off to Oxford! It's a great time but goodness it's alot with going and going
with 2 boys! I love having special times on thanksgiving but then there's caden's birthday! He is now old enough to be excited for his birthday so we got to make it fun & exciting for him! 3 days later... Christmas!! I have been making out their Christmas list now for a month & finally got it edited & ready for Santa! I have a lot of shopping to do & with Steven always being out of town for work it's hard to to but I have manage to get a little done. I'm excited for Caden this year because he will understand it more. I love the holidays & special times but of wears me out to say the least.
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