Sagacity, they say

(Wednesday Night blog lite)

I've never been a big fan (or practitioner) of common sense.

But before you pounce and shout Duh! consider that the phrase "Common sense" only comes up, and is usually only mentioned, as a way of deriding and belittling someone else; "lacking common sense" is an insult and is a method of making oneself appear superior to someone else.

Lacking common sense implies that the subject-person is somehow lacking the basics.

But I don't believe common sense exists in the first place, except as a cliché (because they always appear true, clichés are essential anytime you'd like to appear wise and thoughtful, while avoiding saying anything new, relevant or worth remembering.)

----

"At least that's what they say."

Ever heard someone say, "Well, they say in another hundred years computers will take over the world and start wearing pants" or ""They say dinosaurs had fur and barked like dogs." We use the expression "They say" to imply that we're in tune with the greater knowledge and wisdom of They.

And everybody knows They are experts in everything.

But think about this: the folks you call They are sitting around somewhere advising their friends "They say that ..."

Which means They are talking about You. They, whoever They are, are quoting you and your opinions as their indisputable source. Because They consider you to be an expert on everything.

Uh oh.

No wonder they say the world's in so much trouble.

U.S., Cuban officials meet in high-level talks

NEW YORK – A senior American diplomat has held unannounced, high-level talks in Havana with the Cuban government, three State Department officials told The Associated Press on Tuesday, raising hopes for a thaw in long-icy relations.

The talks were the first of their kind in years between representatives of the U.S. and Cuban governments, the bitter Cold War rivals among whom trust appears to be gradually building.

-AP source here

Why My Bride Is Vital to Wise Financial Decisions

Don't have a heart attack: no, I'm not married, engaged, dating or even "talking" to anybody.

I simply copied the title from Joe Sangl's excellent must-read post, which you can find by clicking here.

but why so many???

Wondering why [time-out, no interruption] was posted so many times earlier today?

Because I had to stop when Blogger quit accepting it.

The gospel's not about doing church "the right way" or even about doing it your way ... instead, it's all about Jesus.

Good News in Columbia

Today, New Spring's Columbia Campus OPENED for its first-ever service:

-Will Rodes, photograph

200 people were expected, 300 were hoped for ... but over 500 people came and filled up the seats.

Praise God.

(time-out w/o interruption)

Taking a quick time-out from the 2:00PM web campus to write this ...

"They don't have a steeple, they don't sing hymns, they don't have pews, they don't dress up and even their pastor wears jeans and t-shirts while he's preaching. It's not what I think of when I think of church."

The gospel's not about doing church "the right way"or even about doing it your way ... instead, it's all about Jesus.

time-out w/o interruption)

Taking a quick time-out from the 2:00PM web campus to write this ...

"They don't have a steeple, they don't sing hymns, they don't have pews, they don't dress up and even their pastor wears jeans and t-shirts while he's preaching. It's not what I think of when I think of church."

The gospel's not about doing church "the right way"or even about doing it your way ... instead, it's all about Jesus.

time-out w/o interruption)

Taking a quick time-out from the 2:00PM web campus to write this ...

"They don't have a steeple, they don't sing hymns, they don't have pews, they don't dress up and even their pastor wears jeans and t-shirts while he's preaching. It's not what I think of when I think of church."

The gospel's not about doing church "the right way"or even about doing it your way ... instead, it's all about Jesus.

time-out w/o interruption)

Taking a quick time-out from the 2:00PM web campus to write this ...

"They don't have a steeple, they don't sing hymns, they don't have pews, they don't dress up and even their pastor wears jeans and t-shirts while he's preaching. It's not what I think of when I think of church."

The gospel's not about doing church "the right way"or even about doing it your way ... instead, it's all about Jesus.

(time out w/o interruption)

Taking a quick time-out from the 2:00PM web campus to write this ...

"They don't have a steeple, they don't sing hymns, they don't have pews, they don't dress up and even their pastor wears jeans and t-shirts while he's preaching. It's not what I think of when I think of church."

The gospel's not about doing church "the right way"or even about doing it your way ... instead, it's all about Jesus.

(time out w/o interruption)

Taking a quick time-out from the 2:00PM web campus to write this ...

"They don't have a steeple, they don't sing hymns, they don't have pews, they don't dress up and even their pastor wears jeans and t-shirts while he's preaching. It's not what I think of when I think of church."

The gospel's not about doing church "the right way"or even about doing it your way ... instead, it's all about Jesus.

(time out w/o interruption)

Taking a quick time-out from the 2:00PM web campus to write this ...

"They don't have a steeple, they don't sing hymns, they don't have pews, they don't dress up and even their pastor wears jeans and t-shirts while he's preaching. It's not what I think of when I think of church."

The gospel's not about doing church "the right way"or even about doing it your way ... instead, it's all about Jesus.

(time out w/o interruption)

Taking a quick time-out from the 2:00PM web campus to write this ...

"They don't have a steeple, they don't sing hymns, they don't have pews, they don't dress up and even their pastor wears jeans and t-shirts while he's preaching. It's not what I think of when I think of church."

The gospel's not about doing church "the right way"or even about doing it your way ... instead, it's all about Jesus.

(time out w/o interruption)

Taking a quick time-out from the 2:00PM web campus to write this ...

"They don't have a steeple, they don't sing hymns, they don't have pews, they don't dress up and even their pastor wears jeans and t-shirts while he's preaching. It's not what I think of when I think of church."

The gospel's not about doing church "the right way"or even about doing it your way ... instead, it's all about Jesus.

(time out w/o interruption)

Taking a quick time-out from the 2:00PM web campus to write this ...

"They don't have a steeple, they don't sing hymns, they don't have pews, they don't dress up and even their pastor wears jeans and t-shirts while he's preaching. It's not what I think of when I think of church."

The gospel's not about doing church "the right way"or even about doing it your way ... instead, it's all about Jesus.

Anger Acid

Today I went across the street to the grocery store for my flu shot. I'd just turned the aisle to the pharmacy when I heard some guy behind me bellow "---- you!"

I'll never know if he was talking to me; I didn't bother turning around to look.

---

You don't want to read another long post and I don't want to write one. So let's go straight to the point.

To the angry person, angry words feel mighty good. Angry words make angry people feel powerful, and angry people think feeling important is the same thing as being important.

But guess what? Angry people are frustrated people and frustrated people are often too enraptured by their self-importance to see past anger's consequences.

-Angry people can't see past their angry words to notice No matter what the target of your wrath says and no matter how they act, Long-term, no one cares if you're mad. At best and in the moment, they're only concerned with either retreating, withdrawing or with protecting themselves or their dignity.

-An angry voice accurately reflects the inner rage an angry person feels toward himself.

-An angry person forgets that resentment can easily outlast the angriest tirade.

Passionate about Losing and Falling Short?

South Carolina is playing Ole Miss as I write this. I didn't realize until late this afternoon that Ole Miss is ranked #4 in the nation.

What do you think kept Steve Spurrier busy all week? Preparing his team to lose? Or maybe thinking about what to say to his team in the locker room before the game?

Here's some things I don't think The Old Football Coach told his team:

Go out there, play your hearts out and lose magnificently.

They're bigger, faster and smarter than us, so we have no chance of winning.

Everybody says we'll lose, so everybody must be right.

The defeat we're about to suffer is all your fault for not listening to me.

We can't win ... and you're stupid for disagreeing.

That part of the team is all losers, so I know they'll fail the team.

I'm smarter and better than you- so why can't you guys play up to my skill level?

What do I have to do to show you guys how to win? Play the game by myself?

---

What's the point?

Only losers don't mind losing.

Winners don't blame others; Leaders don't point fingers.

Leaders don't put themselves ahead of victory.

Defeat is an equally shared experience.

Sarcasm is the enemy of encouragement.

Anger robs success of its joy.

Leaders belong to the team, not vice-versa.

Placing blame on the back prevents seizing Victory with both hands.

I hate sleeping, too

(Tuesday morning blog lite)

"Sleep, those little slices of death, how I loathe them."

-Edgar Allen Poe

On October 3, 1849, Poe was found on the streets of Baltimore delirious, "in great distress, and... in need of immediate assistance", according to the man who found him, Joseph W. Walker. Some sources say Poe's final words were "Lord help my poor soul." - wikipedia

Reaction and Perspective

About two hours ago, I was trying to write a different post when I suddenly remembered that I needed to return the Dewalt belt sander I'd borrowed for the day.

People tell me that Dewalt builds terrific power tools. I don't own any so I don't know, except that they're awfully expensive. So what do you think happened as I was stepping down from my boat?

The latch on the belt sander's carrying box caught on my belt buckle and flipped open.

No the belt sander didn't fall into the bay ... somehow the clasp stayed shut. But replacing a $300 belt sander that I'd only borrowed for the afternoon would've surely ruined my day. And the rest of the year, too.

---

Here's the point: if I'd seen the belt sander splash into the bay my reaction would've been to gripe, groan, moan and complain about it for weeks.

The clasp held ... so shouldn't my reaction be to rejoice and give thanks for several weeks? But we don't think that way. We think and act as though our lives deserve to be blessed at every turn (and at every stop light and intersection, too).

Wonder how our perspectives would be different if we forgot our dramas and "misfortunes" as quickly as we forget the blessings God's already given us.

"Here's my opinion about church"

When it comes to church, everybody's different and everybody's entitled to their own opinion, right?

But where in scripture does God say that?

I'm thinking about changing churches.

I don't like what that church teaches about sex and marriage.

I think it's up to me to decide whether or not to tithe.

I don't like the pastor.

I haven't found a church I agree with on everything.

I don't like that church's music.

I don't like the way they run that church.

I like dressing up for church.

That church doesn't meet my needs.

That church expects too much from me.

That church is too big.

I like feeling happy in church.

Ask yourself this: Who am I serving and honoring by saying any of those things?

"I don't need God. My life is fine just like it is."

That kind of comment reminds me of goldfish living inside a bowl: they like where they are, but then they can't imagine a place called the Pacific.

Or what would happen if their water wasn't changed every week or if food didn't magically appear every morning.

Or being flushed down the toilet.

Clearly, he must've been checking on his Mafia Wars

(-Friday afternoon blog lite)

Burglar Busted After Checking Facebook During Crime

BY STEPHANIE BARISHwpix.com

September 17, 2009

FORT LOUDOUN,, PA (WPIX) - Add burglars to the list of people that are addicted to the social networking site Facebook.

Pennsylvania police busted 19-year-old Jonathan Parker after he broke into a home last month and accidentally left his facebook page open on the victim's computer.

Investigators said Parker likely squeezed through a bedroom window and while inside swiped two diamond rings worth $3,500.

When the victim came home, she alerted authorities after finding her home ransacked and her computer on with an unfamiliar Facebook account on the screen.

Turns out, the victim and the suspect had a mutual friend, who later confessed to authorities that Parker had asked him to help carry out the crime.

Parker remains in police custody on $10,000 bail. If convicted, he faces up to 10 years behind bars.

"God, I thank you that I am not like other men"

Ever looked at other people and found yourself thinking something like that? I have ... and it's not to my credit.

Here's the whole story:

To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.'

"But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner.'

"I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

- Luke 18:9-14

Later, gator

Arianne Prevost of Satellite Beach was in the right place at the right time, and with the right people on Tuesday night during her first-ever gator hunt, as she used a crossbow to bag an 11-footer weighing perhaps 450 pounds. At about 9 p.m. Prevost placed two perfect shots from 10 to 15 feet and dispatched the alligator with a broadhead shot at close range.

- from the LA Times

Insomnia AND Hiccups

But it's not so bad: American man Charles Osborne had the hiccups for 68 years, from 1922 to 1990, and was entered in the Guinness World Records as the man with the Longest Attack of Hiccups. - source

Public Face Righteousness, Private Face Holiness

Started wondering the other day about the words "Righteousness" and "Holiness," and whether they're interchangeable or if they even mean the same thing.

One source I found stated that, loosely paraphrased, Holiness describes our relationship to God, whereas Righteousness describes our relationship with other people.

So, according to that definition, it's possible for someone to be Righteous without necessarily being Holy at all. But is it possible to be Holy without also being Righteous?

I can't see how that'd be possible at all.

Stop, thief!

I've got to admit, I still haven't recovered from the theft of all my photography and video gear ... and it's been almost two years.

My camera and lenses were almost 60 years old. Its film is only sold online and must be loaded and processed entirely by hand in total darkness. With tripod, the camera weighed more than 30 pounds and took almost 10 minutes just to set up and focus.

In other words, my camera is totally useless and had little value to the thief who stole it.

----

"If you've got it, flaunt it."

I've heard that reasoning used to explain everything from the plunging cut of womens' blouses to elastic jeans to men's gold chains and speedos.

But I think a better question would be, "If you've got it, ask yourself where it came from."

----

I've also heard people say, "How can any church or preacher tell me what I can do with my own body? Having sex is a natural part of who we are."

Makes me wanna say, Stop Thief. Your body doesn't belong to you ... and neither does your "sexuality." Having a sexual relationship outside of marriage makes you a thief because the thing you're taking from your partner isn't yours and doesn't belong to you. Thief.

As human beings we sometimes think that sex is something we created for our own enjoyment, while forgetting to ask ourselves who designed in the beginning.

What kind of things can God do when we don't treat FAITH as if he lived in a box?

Zac Smith- NS staff member/ husband/ father of 3..... is CANCER FREE!!!!

Praise God.

When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen:

- Luke 19:37

No longer fits the times

Compared to most 28-foot boats, Calypso's got lots of room [compared to most mini-vans, I guess it's about the same.]

Also, I think her 25 year old hull is more solid and seaworthy than what's found all but the most expensive boats being manufactured today [telling myself, over and over again, helps me sleep at night during storms].

If it sounds like I'm fond of her, I am. But ...

But about a month ago, the fluorescent light fixture in the aft cabin (where I sleep) stopped working [it stopped working more thoroughly after I tried repairing it myself.] Which sounds like no big deal, right? Just go to Home Depot and buy a new light fixture.

Except the light is on a 12-volt circuit, which means Home Depot ain't got nairn. Which means searching on-line through RV and marine supply catalogues. Which shouldn't be too difficult at all, right?

Except that the fixture fits into a recess just 3.5" wide, which apparently was popular back when Calypso was built. But no one has manufactured or produced since 1983 and skinny, skinny lights have gone out of style. Which means a month after the fact, I've still got no light in the aft cabin. Which means it stays dark back there once the sun goes down.

So I started sleeping on the bench seat up front. Which means now I'm living on just half a boat. Just because my light fixture's gone out of style.

-- --

That's the thing about popular trends and styles, isn't it ... the only thing permanent about them is the 100% certainty that they won't last or endure. Like self-help books and New Age religions.

Oh, there is one other thing that's certain: soon as the latest guru's book has fallen from favor, you're guaranteed to find yourself stumbling around in the dark.

"Suffer the little children ..."

Ever wondered what Christ was communicating when he admonished his disciples not to hinder children trying to come to him?

Was it because Christ welcomed their innocence? Was it because Christ was the Good Shepherd? What was the reason?

I don't know; it just struck me the other day that Jesus welcomed children to him ... and that being God, Christ knew every one of them by name. The same as he knew every sin each one of them would commit during their lives.

Just as he knew that as adults, some of those same children would grow up to reject him. But Christ didn't tell his disciples "Let that one come, but hinder that one over there."

Jesus loved and welcomed them any way. All of them, each and every one ... even the ones who would grow up to deny his sacrifice on their behalf.

God is Love.

"Sometimes the disciples seem like real dummies."

Ever thought that?

Ever thought about what a hard time the disciples seemed to have merely deciding on whether Christ was the Messiah or not, and then wondered how much they were paying attention during the three years of Christ's ministry on earth?

Ever shaken your head with disbelief, remembering how Thomas doubted Christ was resurrected ... until he put his finger in the nail holes? Or maybe you've even been a bit dismayed reading about the two disciples who argued over which one would sit at Christ's right hand in Heaven.

Ever imagined how the disciples could've seen Christ in the flesh, face to face, and not recognized who they were seeing?

How come they just didn't "get it" right off the bat? You know, like we do today (or act like we do).

What was wrong with those guys? Why did they so often seem to resist, complain and question Christ at every possible opportunity?

What must Jesus have thought about them back then?

--- --

Something happened after Christ's ascension and return to Heaven, and it surely affected each one of the 11 remaining disciples in a profound, dramatic and undeniable way.

The thing that happened was that they believed, and they received the Holy Spirit.

None of them seem like dummies once you read what the disciples accomplished following the four synoptic gospels. In fact, church tradition tells us that 10 of the 11 died as martyrs, rather than deny Christ's resurrection. Each and every one of the dummies not only "got it" ... but 2000 years ago they got it right, too.

Wonder what Christ thinks about us today ... when we resist, complain and question him at every possible opportunity?

"I get tired of hearing about tithing all the time!"

Tithing, tithing, tithing, tithing, tithing, tithing, tithing, tithing. tithing, tithing, tithing.

Doing it all the time takes the sting out of hearing it all the time.

----

Funny though how folks never get tired of receiving blessings, or of asking God for favors.

This is just my opinion ...

... but based on what I've read in scripture, I think Jesus loved children.

A whole lot.

A few small major differences

How does Christianity differ from other religions?

1. Man-made religions are based on forms and traditions; Christianity is based on a relationship with the Christ.

2. Man-made religions are all about earning salvation and equaling their Deity's expectations; in Christianity, so one can earn their salvation or hope to equal God's righteousness.

3. Man-made religions emphasize improvement and bettering of self; Christianity emphasizes surrender and submission of self.

4. Man-made religions declare the hope of salvation; Christianity declare faith in Christ as the promise of salvation.

5. Christianity is the only faith that worships a living God and a resurrected king.

Tomorrow will be the most exciting day in the past 2000 years

I'm no prophet, so how can I say that?

Because tomorrow will be the day to share the Gospel with people who have been waiting their entire lives to hear it.

Engaged

My ex-girlfriend got engaged last night, and dropped by this morning to show me her ring.

In the interests of privacy I won't go into a lot of details, except to mention that her fiance admits his kids like me a lot more than they do him. :-)

Best Wishes!

"But it's my right!"

Before we get started, here's a picture of a Tiger Shark:

Tiger Sharks can grow to be up to 24-feet in length and weigh up to 1900 pounds. Tiger Sharks are extremely aggressive by nature and Tiger Sharks are found in tropical waters all over the globe.

Tiger Sharks are known as "the waste baskets of the sea" because they'll eat anything ... fish, seals, squid, dolphin ... even old tires and automobile license plates. But Tiger Sharks love eating sea turtles more than anything else.

Given a menu choice at the Coral Reef Cafe, Tiger Sharks will order the sea turtle special every time.

-------------------

"Nobody's gonna boss me around or tell me how to live my life!"

Why do so many non-believers insist on arguing that living according to God's word and following his commandments would somehow limit their freedoms or restrict their choices?

I mean, I've got the freedom to go swimming at night in a sea turtle costume, don't I? And I could choose to merrily splash and paddle toward the first exposed dorsal fin in sight, couldn't I?

Isn't that my right, if that's what I wanna do?

-----

Folks can ignore God's commandments ... but it's much, much harder ignoring the consequences of choosing sin.

Sounds like a line from a bad sci-fi film, doesn't it?

Today's post isn't about movies; it's about real life and the deadly serious business of resisting the enemy's attacks.

If Satan were to suddenly appear in the flesh right before your eyes, ever wondered what the first words out of his mouth might be?

How about, "Take me to your leader"?

The Sexual I-dentity

(-from August 18, 2009 9:15pm)

As a believer in Christ's resurrecrion, if I had to describe 21st century sexuality in two words the first word would be Disconnected. Meaning broken down, incoherent and irrational.

The second word would be Dysfunctional ... as in malfunctioning or undermining.

---

You've heard all the trendy, popular arguments about sexual relationships: "What's the big deal" "It's just sex," "If two people are consenting adults, then what's the harm?" and even "I know it's not a sin because God wants me to be happy, and he knows I have needs."

So what's wrong with those arguments?

The first problem has to do with perspective. As in, seeing the world as if you'd created it ... and then trying to conform God's laws to suit your needs. The second problem has to do with Sin.

---

As a culture, we've adopted the worldview that if something's fun and feels good, it makes sense and is perfectly OK to do it.

The physical pleasure associated associated with sex didn't happen by accident. Sex is a powerful, almost incessant drive ... and one that's God-given, too.

But because we want everything in life to be convenient, freely available and without consequences, we overlook the destination inherent in the drive ... which is reproduction and child-bearing.

We're Disconnected from what God created sex to be all about. God didn't created sex to please you; he created sex because it pleased him.

Our attitudes about sex are Dysfunctional when we focus on pleasing ourselves, instead of focusing on pleasing God. Whether we're talking about fashions, porn, dating or Mama Gina's Womanly Arts, human sexuality in popular culture has become nothing more important than an aerobic exercise, and nothng more consequential or long term than a fast food hot dog.

I imagine that some people are shaking their heads and disagreeing: "What's the big deal? Sex is part of who we are! If God wired us to be that way, what's wrong with expressing and satisfying our needs outside of marriage?"

That one's easy to answer: Because God said it's a sin.

Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.

Colossians 3:5

Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body.

- 1 Corinthians 6:18

For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world.

1 John 2:16

---

NewSpring Church

sermon series: Five Lies of the Devil

week 5 preview: "It's Just Sex"

watch the preview here

[Note: I am not on the staff of, nor am I endorsed in any way by, NewSpring Church. The opinions presented here are strictly my own, and I am solely responsible for any errors, omissions or misstatements.]

The compromises involved in following Christ

I can't think of any. Not a single one.

Speaking theoretically ...

Over the past five years I must've had two dozen people ask me abstract questions like "Do you think it's OK in church to ..." and "Do you think it's a sin to ..." or "Does your preacher teach that the Bible says ..."

Off the top of my head I'd guess two or three of those folks were genuinely interested in finding out something useful, and that the others were probing to find a point or two to attack and provoke me.

I think I've gotten better about discerning intent; I may have improved a little bit when it comes to responding, too.

-- --

I don't have any authority in any church; authority comes from God ... so my opinion doesn't matter.

God didn't (and will never) give me the command to decide what is sinful and what is not: he's already plainly covered "What's sinful?" in scripture ... and doesn't need any help or input from me to make up his mind.

My pastor preaches straight from God's word; it's hard to be any clearer than that.

Tying off the lines

The other day I finally got tired of being tossed around like a marble inside an empty soup can by the wake of passing ships and tugboats, and decided to re-configure the spring lines (ropes) securing Calypso in her slip. In other words, now the lines at the bow and starboard side criss-cross in an X, instead of just being tied to the nearest available cleat.

What a difference.

I was so thrilled about the results that I couldn't help noticing the mistakes other folks had made with their lines. And because I was so satisifed that my system worked, I felt inspired to tell every other boatowner in the marina that in order to secure their vessels properly, it was necessary to tie their dock lines just like mine.

My method worked for me ... so why shouldn't it work for everybody else just the same?

--- ---

The marina has some pretty stern commandments about things like leaving dead batteries and gasoline cans on the dock (and some stern consequences to go with them), but has no commandment dictating that "all vessels must be secured in this way" ... which leaves each owner free to choose how to keep his boat from (a) slamming into the dock, and (b) making him seasick while still tied up in the marina.

Just because the way I tie off my lines works for me and keeps my boat from slamming into a piling doesn't in any way mean that my method is perfect or that the marina has mandated "The X way is the right way." Inside the marina, the marina makes the rules and only the marina is always right.

Oh ... and the marina better not ever catch me telling anybody that "The marina says that everybody has to tie their lines the X way ... just like I do."

The more I started thinking about it, the more it seemed like tying off dock lines sure has a lot in common with man-made rules about "What's right" and "What's wrong" that try to equate themselves with God's commandments.

Because inside the universe (and that includes his church), only God gets to make the commandments ... and only God is right every time.

Got kids? Got worries about the future?

I don't have kids; let me say that up front.

But watching TV news over the past few months might make me start thinking long and hard about what kind of world, as well as what kind of country and culture, today's kids will be growing up into.

I won't list or explain the issues involved; you certainly already know what they are. (As Americans, we might want to remember that no matter what happens here at home, chances are that the world doesn't much care (or even pay attention) and will continue pursuing their own national agendas as if we didn't exist. Or keep trying to destroy us, as if we are their sworn enemies.)

So what kind of world will that be for kids to face when they're adults?

I don't know, and neither do you.

---

I try not to spend time dwelling on it, nor do I pace back and forth trying to figure out how to write fiery letters to world leaders that will somehow make them all wake up and straighten out. I don't have any control over world affairs or what will happen to this country in the next 10 (or 50) years.

And neither do you.

--- --- ---

Does that sound socially irresponsible? Don't I have social obligations as a citizen to stand up and take a stand, one way or the other?

Let's re-word the question: Do I want to stand before God and explain why I spent time organizing or participating in political action committees on behalf of a particular political party? Do I want to stand before God and endorse any political party's platform?

Or, when I stand before God and face eternity, will any of those things even matter?

No, only one thing will matter then ... and it's the same and only thing that matters today.

---

But but but, what about our kids? What about the world they'll have to face?

I understand why people worry about tomorrow ... but at the same time realize that the world is filled with people who will die without knowing Christ. Billions of people who're alive today and in need of salvation right now.

And I also know that whether 4 minutes, 4 or 40 or 4000 years from now, God will still be in control.

No matter who's in the White House, no matter what the tax rate, no matter which party controls Congress, no matter where wars are being waged and no matter what the latest polls say the rest of the world is thinking.