Political Violence

The past two years of political rhetoric has had a relentless escalation of calls for violent actions against the political left – read that democrats. I have viewed “Tea Party” videos calling for the death of our president and those who support him. It has been more than a difference of opinion. It has been hateful.

Is it any wonder that what happened in Tucson, Arizona is a reality? Are those radical right “news personalities” who spew hate against President Obama partly responsible for the actions of a deranged young man shooting a democrat congresswoman in Arizona?

Our freedom of speech carries with it the responsibility to be aware of the possible reactions of the fringe elements in our society who carry guns.

Watch the space station grow

Watch the space station grow step by step HERE this is so cool.
Thanks to my brother Ted for sending this to me.

Tax Breaks

An old pastor’s joke has an IRS agent visiting a pastor to ask about a member’s donations. “Did Mr. Jones give a $10,000.00 donation to the church last year?” The pastor was quick with his reply, ”I will have to check with the church treasurer but let me assure you that if he hasn’t he will.”

 We all enjoy receiving tax breaks for our charitable donations. Some charities are concerned that radical tax reform might remove that deduction and their income would go down. While it may be nice to receive a tax break for our tithes to the church, my motivation for giving to God goes far beyond the realm of personal gain. As a follower of Jesus the Christ I understand that a tithe of my income already belongs to God.

The prophet Malachi asks the question, “Will a man rob God?” So for me to withhold even a small part of the tithe is an act of robbing God. I do not want to stand at the judgment seat and explain that disobedience. More to the point I always want to be in a right loving relationship with God. I love God with all my heart, soul and mind and my earnest desire is to please God with every breath I take and everything I do.

The tax break is great but it is not why I give to the Church. 

Fast Growing Religions

Questions about other religions growing in America and what can we do about it keep coming my way. Islam is not the only religion that is growing fast in our Country. Several people have asked me to support a change in the constitution that would make Christianity the only legal religion. There are other countries that have done just that. It doesn’t really work.

The best, perhaps the only, way to keep America predominately Christian is for Christians to keep faith with the commands of Jesus to proclaim the Gospel, and make new disciples, then teach them to do the same. True evangelism is not a program of the church but a life style of every Christian. The church grows fastest when its members love God, love others and personally spread the word.  Sadly too many church members are not faithful to the command of Christ and sit back in their pews and wonder why their congregation is not growing.

The Christian Faith NEEDS men and women who will speak the Gospel with their words, with their lives and with their love. 

Sunday Blue Laws

Sunday Blue Laws were government imposed restrictions on the sale of certain products or services on Sunday. Very few of them still exist and most of those that do pertain to the sale of  wine and spirits. They were call "Blue Laws" because they were first printed on blue paper. They have their origins in colonial America that required puritanical standards of Sunday observance.

The first of these "Blue Laws" was enacted in the colony of Virginia in 1617. Virginia was a Crown colony that enforce the Church of England as the "Established Church" on everyone in the colony. You belonged regardless of your choice of religion. The government collected the church tax of ten percent and gave it to the Church of England. It was payable in tobacco. The Virginia militia was authorized to force colonist to attend Sunday Anglican church services  at the point of a gun. If you were a Baptist in Virginia you had to pay the church tax to the Church of England and give to your Baptist congregation.

Is it any wonder that Virginia led the way for separation of Church and state after the revolution?

Solutions?

If you only consider one aspect of a situation you never truly understand it, however if you are willing to listen to the opposition and still justify you stance then you have been made fully aware and have a better respect for your choice. 




Please allow others to do the same as there may be more than one correct answer for a given problem. 

2011

Except for a few precious hours 2011 is a blank page in our collective history book. What it still has are possibilities, plans and promises. We will write in our part of the book every day and the control over what we write is up to us.

How will we respond to events both good and bad? How will we tell the people around us that we love them? Most of what happens in our lives is counted as small and mundane so that we hardly notice it. Yes that is true but the little things add up. Brushing my teeth every day is a little thing but if I do not do it my teeth will soon hurt and I will have to pay my dentist a lot of money later. Saying I love you to my wife every day, many times a day, is a small thing but it is really important to a happy life.

So what are you writing on your blank pages today?