Camouflage Christianity

A teen in my youth group has a camouflage Bible cover and I like to tease him about not seeing a Bible.

Camouflage looks good on hats, jackets, and even Bibles. But the one place it does not look good is on a Believer's life.

What about you? Do you stand out or are you camouflaged?

Halloween and Spirit World

It's Halloween! The time when the ancient Druids incorrectly believed that the veil between the physical and spiritual world was the thinnest. Costumes and the use of pumpkins both date back to their times.

There was however a time when there was a veil between the spiritual and physical. It was a time when people needed to go through a priest to ask God for forgiveness of sins.

Jesus came to remove that veil. He was God in the form of man. This closeness is what He wants for all of us by indwelling us with His Spirit. It was not possible before Jesus because of our sins.

When Jesus died on the cross God tore the veil in the temple in two. Now anyone may come to Him and experience His unconditional love.

Similar but Not the Same

        On Sunday my family and I went to visit Steele Creek Church in Charlotte, NC. It has been eye opening to visit other churches since I have been on sabbatical. The address that we put into our GPS was West Arrowood. The GPS gave us the option of Drive or Road. We both believed that they were probably one and the same so we chose Drive.

        We could not have been more wrong. Initially we would have been 45 minutes early so we could sign in, drop off our kids, and enjoy a stress free Sunday morning worshipping God. Soon the illusion of punctuality began to unravel. When we got close to West Arrowood Drive the exit was no longer open. We had to take a detour on new roads that our GPS didn't recognize. We finally found a street that it knew. We followed all of the "right" directions until we ended up at a dead end. Oddly enough there was a church there, but not the one we were looking for.

        We decided to try it with Road instead of Drive. We were 20 minutes out of the way and ended up 5 minutes late to the service.

        There are so many belief systems in this world claiming to be a way to God. Some even use the name of Jesus. It is politically correct to say that all roads lead to God. This is not the case according to the Bible.  John 14:6  says, Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." 


        Just because a path looks similar or even bears a close name does not mean that the destination will be the same. We all have an inward navigation system pointing us toward spiritual truth. The Bible calls this the law of God written on our hearts.  Just because the navigation system is good does not mean that we have entered the correct address. Jesus is the only way to God--Not our works, sincere beliefs, or fulfilled religious duties. Just Him. Period.


     

The Theology of a Kindergartner

I did an audio interview with my five year old son Luke, on his understanding of the Christian faith. Here is a transcript of our interview.

Me: Luke, who made the world?

Luke: God

Me: Can you tell me what happened when God made the world?

Luke: He made grass, He made trees, and He made water, and He made animals, and He made dolphins, and He made every single fishy, and He made the sky, and He made birds, and He made people, and He made trees and grass.

Me: Were the people good? 

Luke: A little bit and then the devil turned into a snake and tricked them, that they could eat the apple and they got sent out of the garden.

Me: What is it called when people do bad things?

Luke: Sin.

Me: Is there anyway to stop sin?

Luke: Um . . . um.

Me: Do you sin?

Luke: Yes.

Me: Do I?

Luke: Yes.

Me: Well, how can we stop it?

Luke: By . . . um, fighting it

Me: Fighting it?

Luke: Yes.

Me: And if I try really really hard, I won't be a sinner anymore?

Luke: You still will be.

Me: Well, then who could stop it?

Luke: God.

Me: How would He do that?

Luke: By dying on the cross for us.

Me: Why did He need to do that?

Luke: To ... um ... take our sins away.

Me: How does that take away our sins?

Luke: Because He's powerful.

Me: Right, but why did He have to die? Can't He just forgive us?

Luke: Yes.

Me: Without dying?

Luke: But He forgived us and died.

Me: Did Jesus stay dead?

Luke: No. He came back alive.

Me: Where did He go after that?

Luke: To Heaven.

Me: What's He doing?

Luke: Watching us and . . . listening to us.

Me: Why?

Luke: Because He is watching over us.

Me: What do you mean listening to us? Does He like to listen to us?

Luke: Yes. When we speak to God.

Me: How do we do that?

Luke: By praying and singing songs about Him.

Me: You can talk to Him by singing songs?

Luke: Uh huh, singing songs about  Him.

Me: Why do we go to church?

Luke: To learn about God.

Me: Can't you learn about God at home?

Luke: Yes, in the Bible and you can read the Bible wherever you want.

Me: Then why do we need to go to church? What is different about going to church than reading the Bible at home?

Luke: There are more people at church than at home.

Me: Do we sometimes give at church?

Luke: Yes.

Me: What is that called?

Luke: Um . . . Giving to God.

Me: Offering?

Luke: Yes.

Me: What do you think they do with the money?

Luke: God takes it.

Me: Why would God need our money?

Luke: . . . I don't know.

Me: They use it to pay for the building and the lights and . . .

Luke: No! It's up in heaven when God gets it.

Me: The money?

Luke: Yeah.

Me: Why would He need money in heaven? The streets are made out of gold.

Luke: Because . . . the money is for the streets. 

Me: So, He uses our money to make more roads?

Luke: Yes.

Me: What should people who follow Jesus do when they see someone who is hurt?

Luke: Help them.

Me: What if we see someone who is homeless?

Luke: You give them a home.

Me: What if we don't have enough money to buy a new house for them.

Luke: Then we should chop down trees to make a little house for them. 

Me: But you would have to own the land that you put the house on. What could we do instead of giving them a house?

Luke: We could let them stay at our house.

Me: For how long?

Luke: Until they have enough money to buy a home.

Me: If you are a follower of Jesus and someone is mean to you, what should you do?

Luke: If you don't like what they are saying then just walk away.

Me: What if they hit you?

Luke: Then just ask them to stop.

Me: What if they don't?

Luke: Then go get a grownup.

Me: What if they are hurting someone else?

Luke: Then I would stop them.

Me: What do you think the worst sin is?

Luke: To kill.

Me: Why?

Luke: Because that's very very very bad. 

Me: Why is it worse than lying?

Luke: Because killing is making people die.

Me: Why should we read the Bible?

Luke: To learn more about God.

Me: Why do we need to learn more about God?

Luke: 'Cause if you don't know much about Him, then read the Bible.

Me: What if someone doesn't want to know about God?

Luke: Then you just . . . um . . . tell them about God.

Me: Why do we need to tell them?

Luke: Because if they don't know about God and they don't know about any other gods, then tell them about our God.

Me: What if they do know about other gods? should we still tell them about our God.

Luke: Yes.

Me: Why?

Luke: Because, there gods are fake and our God is real!

Thanks for doing the interview buddy.

Let There Be Darkness (Sneak-peek 2 of 2)

           Here is part two in a two excerpt post from chapter four of my book, Let There Be Darkness. It takes place in a world between Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:2. We are not given any specific details of the creation of God's angels. The book takes the stance that they may have been human at one time. The following scene (from chapter 4) continues with the execution of Rikali. If you have not read part one you may do so HERE. (This is an unedited copy) 

     Skylarm arrived with Stumpy at the Mintock Chasm. Uriel and Abaddon were already there. Stumpy grinned as they walked up the hill to the ledge overlooking the chasm.

     “What are you smiling about? You are about to die.”

     “You’ll see”, Stumpy said still smiling.

     Skylarm took Stumpy by the arm and handed him over to Uriel.

     “Thank you. You may go.”

     He had never seen such defiance and had already decided to see the sentence carried out.

     “I will stay and report back to Michael when the deed is done, since this case is so out of the ordinary,” Skylarm said.

     “How so? Is it not his third death mark?”

     “No, have you not heard? He rejected God’s grace outright,” Skylarm said.

     “I don’t believe I have ever encountered a case like this, the verdict we received said it was a third offence.”

     Skylarm thought this was odd since the trial was less than an hour ago and to his knowledge he had the only paperwork with him, but he said nothing.

     Skylarm and Uriel caught up to Abaddon who had moved the prisoner closer to the chasm. His feet had been bound along with his mouth.

     “Why is he gagged Abaddon?” Uriel said.

     “He was blaspheming God, but that is to be expected in his case.”

     “Let’s get this over with. Rikali you have been found guilty for the crime of rape, received a death mark, and rejected God’s grace. You have been sentenced to death and death you shall receive,” Uriel said as he began to walk away. Skylarm had heard that he never watched the actual execution.

     Stumpy’s face was full of fear and he was red from screaming into his bonds to no avail. It was remarkable how quickly his pride had left him. Skylarm wondered how anyone could reject God and even blaspheme him until the end. Abaddon had been right; this was to be expected in Rikali’s case.

     He watched from a distance when a thought struck him. How did Abaddon know that this behavior would be expected? They had been under the impression that this was a third offence. And who told them this in the first place? He had come straight to the chasm from court. Why was Rikali so confident before? What had he meant by ‘You’ll see’? Suddenly he was very interested in the muffled screams coming from Stumpy. As he approached he could hear Abaddon talking.

     “You have outlived your usefulness. Did you really think that we would let you go?”

     Something wasn’t right.

     “Wait!”

     Abaddon lifted Rikali’s bulky frame off of the ground as if he were a doll as he looked at Skylarm.

     “Stop!”

     Stumpy was heaved over the edge. There was a cracking sound as his head struck a rock on one side of the chasm and then nothing.

     “Didn’t you hear me?” Skylarm said with a look of alarm.

     By this time Uriel was at his side.

     “Are you a judge?” Abaddon said.

     “No, but I…”

     “Then you have no authority to stop an execution and so you were ignored. Isn’t that the way of it?”

     Something wasn’t right and Skylarm did not know if he could trust either of these hulking men. He would not become belligerent this close to the chasm.

     “Yes, I merely wanted to make sure his wrist restraints were tight. They looked like they had loosened.”

     “I don’t think it matters now, but thank you for the concern,” Uriel said. In the future please refrain from yelling at the moment of execution. Abaddon could have fallen in with the guilty.”

     “Yes of course, forgive me,” Skylarm said as he dismissed himself. He could feel Abaddon’s eyes on his back as he walked down the hill.

Muddy Paws and Man's REAL Best Friend

My Dog, 'Snips'

  
     I love my dog, but I can't stand the relentless digging that she does. She doesn't seem to understand my hatred of muddy paws, and seems to wonder why she cannot always come in the house.

     I thought I had tried everything. I put chicken wire underneath the gravel in her cage. She pulled it up. I strategically placed stepping stones over the areas where she most frequently digs. She dug giant holes underneath them.

     It wasn't until I began placing her own waste in the holes and covering it, that she finally began to get the picture. Dogs do not want to eat, sleep, or dig near there own waste. Digging is natural for her, and she would never stop if I did not intervene. I had to get her to the point where she hated digging, before she would stop.

    God wants us to stop digging. To stop reaching down into the filth of who we used to be. Muddy paws cannot come into His house. That is why the Holy Spirit is a constant reminder of where our digging leads. He reminds us of the stink we once had on us, with gentle and loving promptings. Digging was once natural for us, but now we are His. It is time to live like we belong in the house.

We may say that a dog is man's best friend, but if you have ever owned one you know that it is only temporary. God has truly earned the right to be our best friend for eternity. Romans 5:8 "But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. "

Does the Gospel Include Emphasizing a Lifestyle Change?

     I recently had this question posed to me: When you present the gospel, how do you balance the emphasis on the unconditional love of God, while also explaining that trusting in Christ means a radical lifestyle change?

    There is often a temptation to try to force a new convert down the road to good works. This can stem from a lack of true faith in the transforming power of God. The Bible says, that all of our righteousness is filthy rags--I believe our post-conversion righteousness also falls into this category. It is easy to try to do what's right on our own strength, but we were never intended to live this way.

     The gospel is not only about God's love and the change that only He can bring, it is also the good news of a defeated enemy. That enemy is our sin. Sin is choosing our way over God's way. If we want to share the gospel clearly, then we will emphasis our separation from God. His love comes into play, when He decided not to leave us in separation, but to offer a way back to Him through Jesus.

     Far too many people are told to pray a prayer and begin behaving, without being asked the right question. Why do they want Christ? I always ask this question when leading someone to Jesus. Often the answer is related to problems at home, sickness, or people not treating them right.

     Jesus did not come to fix our perceived problems--He came to reconcile us to Him, by destroying the power of sin over our lives. When we come to Him for forgiveness, we can have a relationship with Him. He will walk with us through the bad times, while using these situations to make us more like Him.

     If someone changes their mind about sin and turns to Him, you will not have to emphasis works. Let the Holy Spirit do what only He can do. If He has convicted and drawn them, then He will continue speaking to them as they grow. We are tempted to play God, by giving them a set of start up laws. This will only ease people toward legalism. We will be better off if we realize, that only those who turn from their sin and come to Him, actually gain the promise of forgiveness.

     Those who are looking for a quick fix to their problems, remain in their sins. When the problems remain they will usually blame God and begin to pull away, because in their mind He has failed them. The reality is that the problem-fixer God, does not exist, but the sin crushing, stain lifting and walk with you through anything God does.

What the Church Should Learn from Blockbuster's Demise

     I was recently in a comic book store with some teens from my youth group, when I found an audio cassette tape from Return of the Jedi. I announced my find. One of the girls said "Whats that?" I responded, "You have never heard of Return of the Jedi?" But to my shock she was talking about the cassette tape. When did I get so old?

     We will soon be able to add video rental stores to the list of things we know about that make us sound old. If Movie Gallery liquidating its assets wasn't enough, Blockbuster is also calling it quits. Ouch! I remember how cool they used to be. You could find anything there. They even outlasted the great switch from VHS to DVD, while smaller chains went under while trying to resist.

     The digital revolution, however, has dealt Blockbuster a knockout blow. Netflix and Redbox have all but put a stamp of irrelevance on the former movie giant's forehead. Their jump to on demand viewing and express kiosks came too little too late. You will still see their name on the Blockbuster Express kiosks since their partner, NCR, has unlimited rights to use the name of the soon to be nonexistent company.

    This trend is oddly reminiscent of the church. I sometimes feel old when I see a church that once was vibrant and alive dwindling away into obscurity. But a church is not dead when it closes its doors forever. No, it happens long before that.

     It starts when we become irrelevant to the culture of a generation that needs Christ just as bad as the last one did. The mindset that killed Blockbuster is one embraced by many churches. "It worked once, then it may work again" becomes the mantra of a church on its way out. We need to constantly evaluate what we are doing and how we present the gospel to the world. We would study a foreign culture before going to the mission field (as Paul did in Athens); it is time we studied ours.

     Is Blockbuster's fall tragic, or is it positive? After all, we can still rent movies (easier in fact). The barriers are being removed. In the same way, the closing of outdated (often legalistic) churches remove barriers that prevent this generation from even darkening the door. Our God is still being praised, and that will never change.

     It's time to decide if we will remain relevant and make the necessary changes--even if they are uncomfortable--to affect this culture for Him.

Randumblog's Interview With Jerry Jenkins

     There are very few people (with a pulse) who have not heard of the Left Behind series from Jerry Jenkins and Tim LaHaye. They have sold over 70,000,000 copies and still continue to climb. Jerry Jenkins has a new book out called The Brotherhood (my complete review here).


     He agreed to do an e-interview for Randumblog about the book's release. I am excited about the chance to interview a writer who has authored over 175 books. Please feel free to share this article with others so we can get the word out about this amazing book.

Nate: Good morning Jerry. Thank you for agreeing to do this e-interview. I know you are a busy man so I will keep it brief. In fact this may be your first interview in a while that does not mention the sweeping success of the Left Behind series. Oops, I guess I just blew that one.                                                                                The Brotherhood is coming out on February 1st and I must say I am excited. What inspired you to do a cop drama?

Jerry: As the son of a police chief and the brother of two cops, I was raised in the milieu and always fascinated by it. I love police thrillers and cop shows on TV. And in a previous life (in the sixties) I actually worked three cases as an undercover drug buyer--a narc. Believe me, writing is an easier way to make a living. Plus, I set this story in Chicago, where I lived for 35 years, so this was sort of a labor of love. 

Nate: This is the first book that has actually moved me to tears and I am not just talking about the sniffles. I had to stop reading it for the rest of the day. Were you going for tears when you decided to take the story in a painful direction? 

Jerry: I teach that if there are no tears in the writer, there will be no tears in the reader. It's only fair that you cried while reading, as I cried while writing. I wasn't necessarily "going" for tears; I was just telling a story that happened to move me.  

Nate: The story's main character Boone Drake is very easy to relate to. Is he based off of anyone you know? 

Jerry: My characters are always composites of people I know. I might use one person's name, another's gender, another's hair, another's voice, etc. And I have lots of cops in my extended family, so their personalities, histories, and even elements of their cases find their way into the story. 

Nate: The plot involves police drama, loss, and even the mafia. I have always been a fan of mafia movies. How much research did you have to do on Chicago's seedy underworld? 

Jerry: Yes, I always do lots and lots of research. And I'm still doing it, as The Brotherhood is the first of a trilogy. 

Nate: The Brotherhood really handles the, 'Where's God when I'm hurting' question in a way I could understand. What would you like to see people take away from Boone Drake's experiences? 

Jerry: Hopefully each reader takes a personal message from the story--whatever he or she needs at the time. As you say, where-is-God-now is a big element here, so whether the reader is going through something as deep as Boone or just the normal struggles of life, there should be something here for him or her. 

Nate: Last question Jerry. I have been reading some interesting things on your Twitter account (@JerryBJenkins) about your recent trip to China. What was the single best moment of your trip? 

Jerry: On the way home Dianna and I stopped in Bangkok and met our sixth grandchild, an almost-four-year-old boy named Max. Our son and daughter-in-law haven't even met him yet, though they have been in the process of adopting him for three years. It was bittersweet. He's so cute and precious, and he's happy and in a good place, but it killed us to leave him. He needs a home and family, and we pray that will happen soon. 

Nate: Thank you again for your time. The Brotherhood is available in stores now or for order online at Amazon and other retailers. I am already looking forward to the next book in this series. 

Jerry: Thanks, Nate. Happy to say The Brotherhood is available for Kindle too.

Want more on The Brotherhood?
Check out author C.J. Darlington's interview with Jerry Jenkins
Get Randumblog for your Kindle

Will the Earth Really Have Two Suns as Early as 2012?

There is a lot of buzz on the internet right now about the star named Betelgeuse coming to an end.  I love astronomy so naturally I am excited about the possibility of us mere earthlings having a front row seat to an exploding star.  Some reports and semi-reputable outlets such as The Huffington Post are saying that it could happen as early as 2012.  They claim that it will be like having the twin suns from Star Wars in the sky.  More reputable sources show that it will actually rival a full moon in size and brilliance for a couple of weeks (which is still awesome).


There is one problem though.  It is called distance.  Scientists who are getting a much closer view than us have noticed a sudden drop in the mass of this red supergiant.  Our view is different.  We see Betelgeuse as part of Orion with the naked eye.  It is actually around 640 light years away.  This means that if it blew up today we would not see the effects for 640 years because that is how long it would take for the light of the explosion to reach us.  Unless cryogenics improves greatly in the next few years we will be long gone before the light show hits.


An exploding star of this size can also go one of two ways.  It is possible for it to collapse upon itself as a black hole or explode into a Supernova.  Philippians 2:15 says, "so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which "you shine like stars in the universe".  


When your time on Earth is done what will your legacy be?  Are you making a difference for God or have you been wasting opportunities?  We are like stars in the way we are supposed to bring Christ's light to a dark world, but we can also leave like stars.  Some will leave nothing behind.  No spiritual legacy for others to follow or any lasting impact at all.  A black hole of sorts.  Still other's light will be seen an experienced long after their death as actions set in motion by their faith and life continue to bear fruit.  Let's call these supernova Christians.  


When it comes to light years, what will your spiritual heritage yield?  Will it be a family that follows God for generations, a convert that leads other to the same Jesus that you showed him, or an example that others look back to for faithful living? 
Don't look inwardly, finally collapsing into a selfish void of forgotten time.  Endeavor now to live for him and go out with a supernova legacy.


If you liked this post you may also enjoy:
Distractions: Discussions on Christianity
Are You Playing it Safe?
2012-The End of the World?
My Prayer for America

Discussions on Christianity- Part 7 of 7

Here is the final blog in our 7 video discussions on Christianity.  This video talks about spending time with God.  We should all as believers seek to walk in the light.  Can this be a hard thing to do?  Why is it often difficult?

Discussions on Christianity- Part 6 of 7

Today's discussion is on distractions.  What is distracting you from your purpose?  Are you to distracted to even know what that purpose is?  Watch this brief video and leave a comment letting me know what you are thinking when it comes to distractions.

Discussions on Christianity- Part 5 of 7

Today we are going to look at sharing our faith.  This particular message deals specifically with believers, but anyone is welcome to give their opinion.  I welcome feedback from you concerning this area of the Christian life.

Discussions on Christianity- Part 3 of 7

The third video in our discussion is a little more personal to me.  We will talk about denominations, fighting, and squabbling in the church.  We are the body of Christ.  That means we should be working together.

If you have not joined our Facebook group please do so here: Randumblog Facebook Group   I will keep you up to date on new blogs as they are posted.

Discussions on Christianity- Part 2 of 7

This video is all about letting go.  Letting go of self, sin, and whatever is holding us back from God.  He has already done the hard part.  Watch the video.  Is it hard to let go of our "stuff"?  Is it ever hard for you to trust God?  Let's talk.

The NEW LAW: We are no longer equal!

The Civil War marked an important time in history for us as Americans.  The 14th amendment had passed guaranteeing Americans equal protection under the law no matter what color, creed or ethnicity to which they belong.  For the first time every person in this great country was finally equal in the eyes of our government.  This new amendment added something precious without infringing on any of the rights already guaranteed to us by the original Bill of Rights.  Now in 2009 one hundred and forty one years later, under a new bill the 14th amendment is as good as scrapped.  

With the passing of the "Hate Crimes Prevention Act" (actually is was tacked on to the 

"2010 National Defense Authorization Act") our right to be equal is gone.  This bill threatens to make it a federal crime to hate someone in your mind, which essentially punishes us for the way we think.  Our President and Senators are telling us that we still have the freedom to hate if we do not act on it physically.  This is a half truth, because the act of assault for example is already illegal and punishable on a local level.  What the bill says is that the federal crime tacked onto the assault charge will be a crime of motivation (which DOES punish one for his or her thoughts).   I would argue that if you act on it physically than the physical act of the crime should be prosecuted not the hate behind the action.  Please don't take my word for it, read a section from the bill itself on page 1059 section 3 lines 16-21 (that's right I've read the whole thing).   

(3) State and local authorities are now and will 16

continue to be responsible for prosecuting the over-17

whelming majority of violent crimes in the United 18

States, including violent crimes motivated by bias. 19

These authorities can carry out their responsibilities 20

more effectively with greater Federal assistance. 21


Just who is equal in the eyes of the NEW LAW?  Well let me tell you they are minorities, women, gays, lesbians, transsexuals, and the disabled.  If you attack one of these protected groups there can and will be essentially two crimes (assault and hate), but if you assault a white heterosexual male there will only be one crime and if you are in one of the aforementioned protected groups then you can probably get off by saying that you acted in fear of your own life because the straight white male hates you.  I happen to be a straight white male and believe that I am no better than any other human being, but I am certainly no worse either.  We deserve and should demand the equal treatment that the constitution promises us.  


I am also a Christian and believe in obeying the powers that be, but fortunately we live in a constitutionally limited republic and not a democracy.  This means that our constitution is one of the powers that we obey and right now it is contradicting itself.  


I believe that at this rate it may soon be illegal for people to speak their minds or practice their religion freely.  A pastor, rabbi, priest, or cleric who says for instance that homosexuality is wrong will become a "hater".  It happened when Nero burned Rome and blamed it on Christians.  The so called "haters" were rounded up and killed.  You may not be religious or a straight white male, but don't you want to live in a country were we are all truly equal with equal protection for every citizen regardless of race, gender, religion, or sexual lifestyle?  I do and for many years I did.

Believers do not have "Freedom of Speech"

When I write a title like "Believers do not have Freedom of Speech", Christians will open my blog expecting to say "Amen brother, we are losing our freedoms".  That is not what I am driving at today, rather I am hoping to make you think.  If you are not a believer in Jesus than this blog will not apply to you but you are welcome to read on.  If you are a Christian than  read and listen carefully.  We who follow Jesus are called to give up certain freedoms.  The first is our "right" to be in charge "you are bought with a price . . .", "lay down your life, pick up your cross".  

Actually let me start from the beginning so that you will understand my rant.  I was enjoying a Caramel High Rise Cooler at Caribou Coffee this morning when I caught part of a conversation going on beside me.  The people involved had just finished up a prayer meeting and are from a great local church that has my respect.  What I am saying is that there was no doubt to anyone present, that these were Christians.  Their conversation turned to the present economy, with one gentleman saying sarcastically that President Obama said that the recession is over.  That is when the lady next to him proclaimed, rather loudly, "Obama is an idiot!". 

Good, now you are caught up to speed.  Now I can begin.  First of all, as an American she had the right to say what she did about a governing ruler, but as a Christian we are called to obey God rather than man.  God calls us to "not let any harsh word come out of our mouths," as well as "respect the powers that be."  It is time for Christians to voice their concerns without malice.  We can disagree without stooping to hateful rhetoric.  We should not be referring to our President as "Obama" or "Barack".  He is "President Obama" and should receive a great deal more respect from believers than from anywhere else.  Remember that the lost will know we are believers by "our love for one another" and by "seeing our good works and glorifying our father who is in heaven."                        

If you are an American you have the right to worship whatever god you want and say what you want  about who you want.  If you are a believer you need to realize that you are free in Christ, but free from sin and not free to sin.  We may not worship any god we want or speak words that tear others down, especially our leaders.  Remember that under Caesar, Jesus called for obedience, and even in slavery, Paul called for obedience.  We must be Jesus to this world. This will not happen if we retain this partisan, anti anyone who disagrees with us attitude.  These three remain Faith, Hope and Love but the greatest of these is Love.  What the world needs now is Love, Love, LOVE!