Even A Black Eye Heals

Watch this video and then, more importantly, go to the link below and read the posted comments. This may put a black eye on our faith, but we know that God will heal. What do you think this says about Christians? What's your role in all of this? Please post a comment and share your thoughts.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDUkqiEz8dA

Why Did You Vote For Him?

Let me begin by saying that the reasons I didn't vote for John McCain were not as strong for me as the reasons that I did vote for Barack Obama. I have the utmost respect for John McCain and as someone who served in the military for over ten years, I have a special place in my heart for those who make the choice to sacrifice for the good of our country. He has dedicated his life to our nation and he deserves nothing but respect.

Having said that, I confess that up until about a year ago I was never fully engaged in the political process or the issues that our country faces. Working in the financial services field, I began to follow the primaries on both the Republican and Democratic side. Once the field was narrowed down and we had Obama, Clinton and McCain still standing, I started researching their plans/positions more closely. I then read books by both McCain and Obama. I tried to find media resources that presented both sides fairly and finally discovered and confess freely now that the media is most definitely liberal on the whole. That's unfortunate because for those who seek to make informed political decisions, they have to go find the facts on their own. Most aren't willing to do that or don't know where to look and are therefore left to trust the media and are thus making an uninformed decision.

Okay, so where do I start? For the sake of brevity, I will make some high-level statements about a handful of issues that are important to me (reserving the option of re-visiting them later) and dig in on the issues that people are most baffled by when comes to "how I could vote for Obama".

Campaign: I can't stand negative campaigning. I view candidates (regardless of party affiliation) who spend most of their time attacking their opponent as small and afraid. Afraid because frankly, they must know they don't have much to share when it comes to their plan for whatever town, city, state or country they are seeking to serve and that, in and of itself is a scary position to be in. In other words, if they're always attacking their opponent, they probably don't have much of a plan -- otherwise they would be promoting it, don't you think? I was thoroughly impressed with the Obama campaign and how it was run, overall. One thing I did have some reservations about was the public financing issue, but it wasn't a deal breaker for me because I understand the fear that they wouldn't be able to overcome financially, the independent attack adds that they were anticipating. With the obvious historic implications and the undeniable undertone of racism that sadly, does still exist in our country, I think in some ways they needed to take the route for more money to overcome the expected obstacles. I also like the fact that while some may be bothered by the amount of money he raised, there's really no question about where the money came from -- his supporters. I myself had a stake in the campaign having donated a whole $10!

Obama's plan - What I liked or agreed with:

Education: I believe after reviewing both Education plans that Obama's was more specific as far as the details on his proposals - it went a little deeper than simply describing his basic views. To McCain's credit, he had some proposals - but it overall it paled in comparison. I am very interested in seeing the "American Opportunity Tax Credit" come to fruition not only because of the $4000 credit, but because of what's behind it. It promotes and in fact requires students to engage in the community service that he talked so much about throughout the campaign. Not only that, but in this case, that community service is rooted in college students spending their required 100 hours returning to where they came from and mentoring high school students -successfully implemented, this trend could go full circle and create a recurring cycle of community service. There were other things that I liked as well, but for this explanation, I'll stop here.

Defense: I was in favor of the Iraqi war at the beginning. I was active duty and serving in Saudi Arabia when we started it. That was in May of 2003. I am disappointed, however, in the way it's gone and how it's been managed since. I feel, even though I've been educated on some of the reasons why we should stay and don't deny their validity, that it's time to end the war. I think we need to finish what we started after 9/11 and track down bin Laden and eliminate the threat of Al Qaeda. My understanding is that if we don't do that, we will most assuredly suffer more attacks within our borders and in the not too distant future. When it comes to the money that we spend on the war, I can think of any number of things that could be funded with that money.

Economy: What can I say? It stinks :-) I am not concerned, personally, either way about Obama's tax proposals, whether they be cuts or increases. Personally, I find it incredibly hard to believe that while Americans are the recipients of the war benefits (national security), the bailout package, the tax rebates, and everything else we've spent money on in the last several years.....they somehow find the notion of paying for it repulsive, hardly anyone thinks we should have to cough up a single dime. The money isn't going to fall out of the sky! We have to start taking responsibility for the freedoms that we have and they don't come free. They have been paid for with blood, yes. But they also cost money. We, as a country, have been fiscally irresponsible for far too long. The only way to pay off debt, is with money...pretty sure I learned that in second grade. Personally, I would volunteer to give a little extra in taxes if given the chance. In fact, I wish there was a box on our tax returns that we could check if we were willing to donate 10 or 20% of our refund (if we were entitled to one) directly to the deficit. I wonder what kind of dent that would make?

Leadership: I have avoided the argument that Obama has a ton of leadership experience, because admittedly he doesn't. But I've seen enough of him and the movement or following he's created, the people he's ignited and inspired --I've seen enough horrible leadership in our current government across the board that I'm simply willing to place my bets on Obama. His conduct during the campaign and reaction to various events showed that he does indeed have a steady hand and calm demeanor. That's something we need in this country right now. He has also shown, although rarely, that he can get fired up as well if needed. Is he perfect? I think we all know the answer to that. It would be the same answer if we asked it about any politician.....or ourselves for that matter.

Abortion: I am opposed to abortion (pretty sure everyone is). I take Obama at his word and believe he's been consistent that he is not "pro-abortion". I understand his position to be this: he's opposed to abortion based on his faith. He also happens to believe in the U.S. Constitution. Therefore, he doesn't feel he can impose the same position derived from his faith on everyone else without assuming that everyone else has chosen the same faith that he has - Christianity. People confuse the position of "pro-choice" to mean pro-abortion. I actually don't think they confuse it, but manipulate it to support their position and thereby resist any notion of rational discussion on an issue that is and should be rooted in our religious and moral convictions. I believe that we have gotten so wrapped up in this issue, that we've missed the forest for the trees completely. As I said, I've always been against abortion and for years simply accepted that I must be Republican. I've also been for accountability and now I've finally connected the two. The Republicans are for smaller gov't, they want the gov't to stay out of the daily lives of Americans and let them decide what do with their own money, their own businesses, etc. They take the position that we don't need more programs or gov't mandates. Yet, they want to hold the gov't responsible for the choices individuals make as it relates to abortion. Then we have labels thrown around like "baby-killers" and "murderers" when referring to those who make that choice, legally. Again, I don't condone it. But I also don't pass judgment or assume I know the circumstances of each persons situation. This is also the party that most Christians support. Christians that believe the bible and I believe, for the most part, have pure hearts who love the Lord and profess Christ to be their savior. Romans 14 says, however, that each of us will give an account to God. He won't put the American Gov't up there and judge them, but He will judge us as individuals. We will be held accountable for the individual choices and decisions we made. Whether that was related to an abortion or the gossip we participated in at work. Romans 14 also says that we shouldn't pass judgement on one another. I must say I was absolutely SHOCKED at some of the "Christian" responses after the election, some of which were aimed directly at me. Christians, who are suppose to be representing Jesus, were indicating that this was a sad day for our country and that we were headed for major trouble. I know one Christian who insinuated that those who voted for Obama were not really Christians....really???The argument might be made that when I am judged, that will include my vote for a president who isn't in favor of making abortion illegal. I just don't see it that way. There are various reasons, medical and otherwise that our courts have concluded that we should have the right to an abortion. Has that liberty of choice been abused and taken advantage of by some?Absolutely. But the measures were put in place by appointed gov't who believe it to be in our best interest. For that I'm not afraid of being judged. What does the bible say about abortion? The word "abortion" isn't in the bible...so we have to, again, do our own research. Genesis 2:7 says "....God breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and the man became a living being". Does this mean God says life begins when a child is actually born and breathing? I'm not sure. Exodus 21 refers to men who are fighting accidentally end up hitting a pregnant woman causing her to give birth prematurely (perhaps losing the fetus)...if there is no serious injury (to the woman!) there is only to be a fine. A fine? What insight does this give us on God's possible reaction to aborting a fetus in order to save the life of the mother? Do we know for an absolute certainty what His position would be? We know He loves us. Are we to speculate who He loves more, the mother or the unborn child? I can't even imagine. My point is this: it's not an issue that I can conclusively say outweighs every other issue combined when considering who to vote for. It also doesn't mean that if a Christian votes for Obama or a "Democrat", that they favor abortion or somehow don't value the sanctity of life as much as a Republican voter. I will conclude this issue by repeating that I believe it comes down to personal accountability for our individual choices-- we must step up and stop blaming others. some of those individual choices might be improved by education and promotion of reasonable alternatives - Obamas position, and mine.

Abortion isn't the only issue that challenges our country. There's poverty in our country, veterans who have defended our country are homeless, and the gap between the rich and poor is growing. Some Christians have zeroed in on abortion and gay marriage, but it should be pointed out that in the bible, homosexuality is mentioned only a handful of times while there are more than 2000 references to poverty and economic justice. Lev 25:35-36, Ps 41:1-3, Prov 14:21, Is 10:1-4, Prov 17:5, Luke 6:20-21. I support Obama's position to help the middle class, to bridge that gap or at least improve some peoples odds.

Here's my last point. When people make an argument for their candidate of choice, often times they will make a statement that is either partially correct or incorrect - incomplete. Like Obama's votes where partial birth abortions are concerned or tax increases, for example. If you understand the legislative process, you know that when a vote on any given bill is cast, it is almost NEVER on one single issue. They may feel that a bill doesn't do enough - and vote against it, even though they're in favor of the general idea of what the bill is trying to accomplish. Another example, when it was said that Obama voted to raise taxes 94 times, 7 of the votes referenced were actually votes against tax cuts - that's not a vote to increase taxes and is a completely misleading position. There were quite a few other categories that those votes fell into, such as procedural votes. But I also realize that this tactic goes both ways.

Let's face it, the election is over - Obama - is our president and regardless of who voted for who, he will need our prayer and support and that is what, as a Christian, I am called to do. 1 Tim 2

I hope you'll join me....

United We Stand - Divided We Fall

As we approach a new age in our country, I confess that I've been inspired to do my part, whatever that may be, to set the example, to utilize the leadership skills that God has given me for the greater good and for that cause which is bigger than just myself. It is my prayer that our Christian beliefs and moral values will unite us to do more, work harder and to adopt the optimistic outlook that is currently sweeping across our nation. I believe it is our duty, our obligation as Americans to not only keep that flame burning beyond the point where the "newness" wears off, but to deepen the appreciation for the freedoms and privileges that we so often take for granted. I hope you'll join me....