Thankfulness

Its the day after Thanksgiving. The leftover turkey and dressing are at my sister Clare's. That's one of the down sides of going to someone's house for Thanksgiving. No leftovers. I love Thanksgiving leftovers.

I was thinking about all the blessings God has showered down on us. It got me to thinking about God's grace. We have so much to be thankful for. Don't get me wrong, the past year has had its ups and downs. There have been some significant valleys and some tragedies. One thing was constant. God's grace, God's mercy, God's strength, and God's comfort. He has been and will continue to be the firm foundation upon which we stand.

We need to be thankful year round. I encourage you to remember just how involved God is in your life; how much He loves and cares for you. I cannot imagine life without Him.

A Great Reminder

John MacArthur said, "Preaching, not lobbying, is how we are supposed to make the truth known. Gospel, not law, is what changes sinful hearts. Service, not dominion, is the most effective way to win people in any culture. And Christ, not moralism, should be the primary substance of our message."

How true those words are. In the grand scheme of things, it doesn't matter who is in the White House. Laws cannot change the human heart, they may be able to control human behavior, but not what guides a person's behavior. Only the Holy Spirit can change the heart through the blood of Jesus Christ. That's the transforming power of Christ.

Especially in this time, our message must remain the same with the same power as when Paul preached it. It is time for Christians to stand once again, on the firm foundation of God's Word.

Following God's Word is the change we all need.

Chuck Colson

I received this and thought I'd share it with you. These are the words of Chuck Colson, founder of Prison Fellowship Ministries.

Pray for Our President and Our Nation

Whether you voted for Barack Obama or John McCain, whether you're recovering from your all-night celebration or drying the tears from your pillow, today's a good day to remember the words of the apostle Paul: "I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness" (1 Timothy 2:1-3). And the new President will surely need our prayers because he and his administration face huge, serious challenges to the health of our nation and to peace in the world—challenges that, in my opinion, neither he nor any government on earth will have the power to overcome without divine aid.
How has America come to this point? Why is our economy on the brink of disaster? Why is our culture so utterly depraved?

I can only think of what Alexandr Solzhenitsyn said about the catastrophic consequences of the Russian revolution. "I recall," he said, "hearing a number of older people offer the following explanation for the great disasters that had befallen Russia: Men have forgotten God; that's why all this has happened."

Solzhenitsyn was right. Indeed, I can't find any better explanation for why we Americans find ourselves in the state we are in. We have forgotten God. We have also forgotten that American democracy—indeed Western Civilization itself—is the product of the Judeo-Christian understanding of God and humanity. Without that revelation that man is created in the image of God, our founders never would have recognized the unalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Indeed, as I and others like Rodney Stark have argued, modern science and education, liberal democracy, capitalism flourished in Western civilization precisely because of the Judeo-Christian worldview.

The attacks on Christianity these days are only going to intensify in the months ahead. But we must press on all the more to make a winsome witness. Those who would banish Christianity from American life are risking the very survival of American society.

Friends have asked me whether this economic crisis is God's judgment upon us. I don't know. As I've re-read the Old Testament prophets recently, I couldn't help but notice the recurring theme: The people of God turned away from Him and worshiped false idols. The result was always disaster.

Is God responsible for credit markets collapsing around the world? No. We're responsible. Because instead of worshiping God, we've worshiped false idols of the marketplace, credit card companies and cheap mortgages. We've put our own appetites over our duties to God and neighbor.

So this is no time for Christians to go into the bunkers. No time to wail or moan over our retirement plans. This is a time to repent, to pray more, to give more. It's a time for Christians to lead, encourage, and minister to a faltering country in a faltering economy.

This is a time for the Church to get serious about Christian discipleship. Enough cheap grace.

So pray for the new President and his administration. But most of all, my brothers and sisters, this is a time to love our neighbors and to hunger for God and His righteousness.

It Does Matter.

The time is quickly approaching for you to exercise your input into the state and national leadership profiles.

Some of you took advantage of early and advanced voting. I cast my vote yesterday opting for character. As I said in my last entry, character does matter. It is unfortunate that many people are believing what the main stream media is saying. They say the election is over. They have chosen the next president. Don't believe them. They want you to give up, they want you to be depressed, they want you to be hopeless. I've got great news for you. It's not over until the last vote is counted.

Get out to the polls and cast your vote. Be a part of the process. Your vote does matter. I cast my vote for smaller government, real tax cuts, and victory in Iraq. I hope you do the same.

Politics

I really want to rant, but I won't.

Don't be fooled. Both parties desperately want your vote and will do most anything to get it.

The smear tactics are out in full force. There are a dizzying array of facts flying around. They might be facts, but they might be lies. It is incredibly difficult for the average American citizen to sort all of this out.

So what's a guy to do? Can Joe or Jill American know the ins and outs of Wall Street? How about foreign affairs? Would you be willing to sit across the table from a man like Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and talk about the future? If that name is not familiar to you, he is the president of Iran. He believes that Israel should be, "wiped off the map." He also believes that the Holocaust never happened. What should be done with Social Security? What about Medicare? What about all these people who are in danger of losing their homes? Should the government help them? Is the answer more money for the people of America? After all, the government recently approved a $750 billion bail out plan for struggling financial markets.

These are difficult questions to answer. Call me crazy, but I must admit that I have educated opinions on many of these issues, because this stuff is exciting to me. My wife is not at all excited about it, and I think many people share her sentiments. Let the leaders handle this, right? After all, they get paid the big bucks.

So if we are to let the leaders take care of these things, who should we choose to represent our best interests? What should we base our vote on? It really comes down to a single principle: character. As Christians, we are involved in progressive sanctification . . . we're growing more and more like Christ each day. We should be known for our character, our integrity, our honesty. You may not know where I stand on a certain issue, but if you know my character, you can probably determine my position.

We need to look at the candidate that most closely aligns with the character of God. No, I'm serious, keep reading. Evaluate the issues and the candidate's positions on those issues and line all of it up with Scripture. It is not a choice between good and evil (although some may think it is). That decision would be easy. Its a choice between bad and worse. Both candidates have some left field ideas. Go with the candidate that most closely aligns himself with biblical principles. There are some great websites out there that can help you sift through the rhetoric and get to the issues. Here are some links to help you out:

• Factcheck.org
• ProCon.org
• Votesmart.org

In my opinion, the choice is clear, but it doesn't mean happy days are here again. I encourage each of you to educate yourself on the facts and vote on November 4th. For Christians, in the long run, it really doesn't matter who the president will be because we know who the King is.

Black Friday?

No it isn't.

I'm sure many of you have been following the plummeting stock market. Our retirement accounts, our investments, and our children's college funds are declining markedly. What in the world is going on? What are we going to do?

While I'm not a financial adviser, I am familiar with biblical principles of finances. Many Christians are wringing their hands watching the market as it rises and falls with each day closing at 8451.19 points today. What does all that mean? For most of us, it doesn't mean anything . . . . today. All the worrying in the world isn't going to drive the market up. Here's the biblical advice: don't trust in your finances. Jesus told us, "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal." (Matthew 6:19-20)

Here's the bottom line: our treasure is not here, our eternity is not here. As the roller coaster market continues, and it will for a while, take this time to thank the Lord for being the guardian of all the treasures you've layed up in heaven. They'll be there when you get there.

The ultimate bail-out plan was carried out when Jesus willingly gave His life for each of us when He died on the cross. Unlike the government's bailout plan, this one didn't cost us a penny, but it cost Jesus everything.

It's Time to Stand Up.

On Sunday nights we are looking at a video series entitled "Speechless - Silencing the Christians." I am amazed at the stories contained in the series so far. Christians being told what they can or cannot say in school, in public, and at the workplace.

You need to know what you can say. We say things like. "We live in the Bible belt, we'll never be silenced." We can be so naive. Something recently happened in Clay County, FL not far from here. As we approach the elections, the speech police are watching and listening. Don't think an elementary school is immune to the tactics of those who seek to silence the Truth of the Bible. I'm pleased to say school officials did the right thing in this case, but don't think that's always the case. In fact, in our church, one mother said her daughter was told she couldn't mention Jesus in the classroom. That is simply not true.

It's time to stand up for what is right. We've been silenced too long. It's time to speak out and it may be more important now than it ever has been.