Goodness, it's been a while. Life really gets out of hand, doesn't it? You get on top of things and think "this isn't so bad after all!" and then you fall off the wagon again. Oh well. I guess that just jives with all the sayings about life, doesn't it?
Anyways, in this time we live in here in the USofA, there's an awful lot going on. Some good, and some bad. I wanted to take a minute to discuss some of the things that ave been on my mind lately and get it written down. I don't always (*cough*hardly ever*cough*) get many comments back on these things, but those of you who know me know I love to talk about things, so feel free to comment and discuss any of these items!
1. SPACE EXPLORATION!!!! So much to talk about here! Juno made it safely to Jupiter, so it's only a matter of time before we start getting some CRAZY awesome information about the biggest non-solar body of our local space! SO COOL! Also, a private company has gotten permission to run some moon missions, so we're going back to the moon! Also, SpaceX has made some immense progress on their reusable rocket program, so the days of having to pay a small fortune to put satellites in space is almost gone!
2. The 2016 Presidential race... Oh boy, way to follow up on a cool thing, huh? *Sigh* As an American, I feel it's my civic duty to have reasons for any decision I make, be it voting or abstaining from voting. And honestly, as much as I hate to admit it, I might not vote this year. I don't want to vote for a candidate I don't believe in. I loathe having to be in this position, but there's seriously no other option I see. I will summarize my opinions on each option briefly:
-Trump: Oh boy, the elephant in the room (hyuck hyuck, Republican joke hyuck hyuck). I agree with him that something needs to be done about the trajectory our country is taking, and I think he has some interesting ideas on how to do it (they may not be feasible or even actionable, but they are interesting). I think his ideas about reducing our reliance on foreign labor by increasing job opportunities for inner-city people is interesting, and perhaps even warrants some consideration. I don't like his xenophobic tendencies, especially his divisive racism and hatefulness, but there are some things I agree with. For example, his insistence that the Russians and Chinese need to be treated with respect, not disdain, I wholeheartedly agree with. They didn't become super-powers for no reason, and treating them like children only alienates ourselves.
-Clinton: My feelings for Madam Clinton are pretty strongly in the negative. I think the results of the email scandal are preposterous. The fact that the FBI's statement is basically, "Well, if it was anyone else..." makes me really frustrated with our justice system. We cannot deny that it's biased in favor of rich white people. This case proves it in the most potent way. I'm not saying she needs to go to prison for life, but the idea that she gets off scott free for grossly negligent handling of sensitive information is, for me, the ONLY reason you need to not vote for her. If she did it once, she'll do it again. She's already learned that there are no consequences.
-3d party: If the Libertarians ever had a year to shine, it was this one, and they tried. Gold star for them. Sadly, it looks like they've got absolutely zero traction. While, morally, I disagree with some of their attitudes about drugs and other issues, I personally think it's the church's job to attempt to alter our moral compass, not the government's job. I think an "all things allowed without injuring others" kind of government is fine, but requires the church to step up and be the moral voice (and all God's children said "but that's wooooork. I don't waaaant to. It's too haaaaard! Waaaaaaaaaah!")
3. The Rio Olympics: Oh Rio. You had such promise! Such colorful culture! Such beautiful geography! *Sigh* Such poverty. Such corruption! Such violence! Such poop-water! I read something the other day about how the Olympic Village is built on top of an old mass-grave for slaves. I think that encapsulates the Rio games well. A shiny and showy exterior built on the oppression and bloodletting of poor innocents.
I hate to end on a sad note, but those are the big talking points I've had bustling around my brain recently. So now they're bustling around yours too. Leave a comment about something you want to hear my opinion about. I have opinions about everything! :-)
Friday, August 5, 2016
Monday, January 25, 2016
Lesson from a baby
The other night, I had an experience taking care of the baby that stuck in my mind.
She had a long day, and it was time to get ready for bed. She started to get a bit fussy, which was just further proof. So I started to get her ready for bed: changed her diaper, put her in warm pajamas, made a bottle. All the usual things.
She got fussier and fussier through the whole process, and I knew why. She was hungry. But I knew that, if she ate a nice big bottle, she'd be ready to go to sleep, so I wanted to make sure she got a clean diaper and comfy pajamas so as soon as she fell asleep, I wouldn't have to wake her. But she just wanted her meal.
And it occurred to me, how much we, as Christians, behave the same way. We're so focused on our immediate desire that we can't recognize the long term benefit gained by patiently waiting on God.
We scream and cry and carry on, oblivious to the plan God is weaving for us. And it's not that what we've fixated on is bad. Shiloh wanted nourishment. She needed it. We also put our immediate needs above God's plan.
And perhaps there are more metaphors we can dig out here. Just like my daughter getting her diaper changed, we have to have our sins stripped away; wiped clean by the sacrifice of Christ. And as I am learning, this process has to be repeated a LOT. We must confess our sins continuously to keep our hearts clean.
Furthermore, just as warm pajamas prepare a baby for a long night sleep, we must try to to prepare for the long night ahead of us. By studying the scriptures and learning all we can from life (meditating on the underlying truths of our daily lives), we allow God to speak to us and prepare us for our journey through the dark.
Of course, it's just part of our limitations as mortal beings. But maybe, just maybe, an awareness of our condition can help us to be more patient in waiting for God to bring it all together for our good. Maybe if we try to remember that the bottle is coming, we'll be more content to get our diaper changed and our pajamas on :-)
((There you go, spiritual lessons from poopy diapers, fuzzy pajamas, and warm bottles))
She had a long day, and it was time to get ready for bed. She started to get a bit fussy, which was just further proof. So I started to get her ready for bed: changed her diaper, put her in warm pajamas, made a bottle. All the usual things.
She got fussier and fussier through the whole process, and I knew why. She was hungry. But I knew that, if she ate a nice big bottle, she'd be ready to go to sleep, so I wanted to make sure she got a clean diaper and comfy pajamas so as soon as she fell asleep, I wouldn't have to wake her. But she just wanted her meal.
And it occurred to me, how much we, as Christians, behave the same way. We're so focused on our immediate desire that we can't recognize the long term benefit gained by patiently waiting on God.
We scream and cry and carry on, oblivious to the plan God is weaving for us. And it's not that what we've fixated on is bad. Shiloh wanted nourishment. She needed it. We also put our immediate needs above God's plan.
And perhaps there are more metaphors we can dig out here. Just like my daughter getting her diaper changed, we have to have our sins stripped away; wiped clean by the sacrifice of Christ. And as I am learning, this process has to be repeated a LOT. We must confess our sins continuously to keep our hearts clean.
Furthermore, just as warm pajamas prepare a baby for a long night sleep, we must try to to prepare for the long night ahead of us. By studying the scriptures and learning all we can from life (meditating on the underlying truths of our daily lives), we allow God to speak to us and prepare us for our journey through the dark.
Of course, it's just part of our limitations as mortal beings. But maybe, just maybe, an awareness of our condition can help us to be more patient in waiting for God to bring it all together for our good. Maybe if we try to remember that the bottle is coming, we'll be more content to get our diaper changed and our pajamas on :-)
((There you go, spiritual lessons from poopy diapers, fuzzy pajamas, and warm bottles))
Thursday, January 14, 2016
"Go out into the world..."
"And legislate the gospel."
Something about that seems off...
hmmm....
Oh, right! Silly me!
"Go out into the world and enforce the gospel."
No, that still doesn't look quite right.
Oh right, it's:
"Go out into the world and PREACH the gospel."
It seems that a lot of Christians have forgotten what our job is. It's not to make Christianity the law. It's not even to make sure our laws are the same or nearly the same as the Ten Commandments. Our job is to share the Good News of Christ's death and resurrection.
Legal homosexuality does not change that!
Legal drug use does not change that!
The gender/race/religion/party of our elected officials does not change that!
Our job is the same no matter what, and our job is to preach the gospel.
When we get so spun up about the state of our legal system, or the policies our government supports, or the number of Muslim immigrants into our country, we lose sight of what our actual job is. We get so focused on the things that mean nothing to our mission, that we give up ground on our actual mission.
I am called by God to share the message of His death, burial, and resurrection with all sinners. We are to be a light in the darkness, not a light in the lightness! We cannot truly shine for God unless we find ourselves surrounded by darkness. The fallen nature of the world should make us rejoice, because the Light of Christ will shine all the more brightly through us.
Just some thoughts...
Something about that seems off...
hmmm....
Oh, right! Silly me!
"Go out into the world and enforce the gospel."
No, that still doesn't look quite right.
Oh right, it's:
"Go out into the world and PREACH the gospel."
It seems that a lot of Christians have forgotten what our job is. It's not to make Christianity the law. It's not even to make sure our laws are the same or nearly the same as the Ten Commandments. Our job is to share the Good News of Christ's death and resurrection.
Legal homosexuality does not change that!
Legal drug use does not change that!
The gender/race/religion/party of our elected officials does not change that!
Our job is the same no matter what, and our job is to preach the gospel.
When we get so spun up about the state of our legal system, or the policies our government supports, or the number of Muslim immigrants into our country, we lose sight of what our actual job is. We get so focused on the things that mean nothing to our mission, that we give up ground on our actual mission.
I am called by God to share the message of His death, burial, and resurrection with all sinners. We are to be a light in the darkness, not a light in the lightness! We cannot truly shine for God unless we find ourselves surrounded by darkness. The fallen nature of the world should make us rejoice, because the Light of Christ will shine all the more brightly through us.
Just some thoughts...
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