Posts Tagged ‘Jesus’

Pic by IanMcburnie …

There are some crazy news stories out there, not just about faith matters, but on all topics. It is easy to think, as screamed by Mugatu in the Zoolander film, that we are taking crazy pills.

But, as crazy as the secular stories can get, there is a special place for Christian craziness. From idiotic ramblings, to outright hatred of anything to do with faith, it can get pretty overwhelming.

It does make it easier to see why showing people our faith can get tricky. Think about it. Someone new to their Christian journey, just getting curious, or even those weak in faith, may very well run screaming from the secular attacks.

When dealing with the agnostic, atheist, secular, or pagan types, remember one thing and you will get a lot further. We are all backwoods yokels in their eyes. We are completely averse to any enlightenment. That is their view of us that hold our Christian beliefs dear.

So, I was looking at some news stories today and felt like sharing. I find it best to view these with a sense of humor as a guide.

Atheists Sue President Over National Prayer Day

Okay, really, this is just stupid. We have national days for everything. On my indie music and variety show, Reaching for Lucidity, I had the pleasure of announcing National Hotdog day, seriously. There is a national day for just about everything. Creating national days is how congress justifies their paychecks. It keeps them busy when they should be doing something constructive, like staying out of our lives.

Now, National Hotdog day. You don’t see obese people suing over the celebration of hotdogs, do you?

Atheists are a whacky bunch. They believe so strongly that they need protection from us ruthless Christians that it borders on funny. If their belief in non belief was as strong as they say, this would be a non issue. Really, these guys are seriously threatened by just a bit of opposing thought.

The funny thing is, it is National Prayer Day, not National Agree with a Christian day. But, Christians, and Jews, are the normally targeted groups. This would probably be a non issue if this were National Muslim Prayer Day. Not because atheists love Islam, but because they are afraid of CAIR.

‘Jesus was a Palestinian,’ claims U.S. history text

Check this one out for yourself, it is absolutely insane. I would like to take this moment to say to you, if you are a Christian parent that is trying to raise your kids to love God, then please look into homeschooling or Christian schools. The system has become too stacked against Christians, and peer pressure is horrible. It is so easy to lose your kids to what has become of our education system.

Sidewalk Faith

Talk about the Gospel at your college and what do you get? Possible expulsion? Say it isn’t so.

Unfortunately, it is very much so.

This video from Stoplight is a must see. If this doesn’t get your blood pressure up, the you just might be an atheist.

Well, there are some of the news goodies I ran into today. The challenges to our faith come fast and furious, and we have to be vigilant.

But, not all is bad. I just ordered the new book by Chuck Norris, titled “Black Belt Patriotism,” and it looks to be a great read. I would urge anyone reading this to pick up a copy.

Chuck has a great take on America, and what is going wrong. It is from his faith based view of the world, and Chuck is a believer.

Joseph Farrah has a great review over at World Net Daily. Check it out if you get a chance. Also, you can order a copy from Amazon.com below.

See you next time, and, Argh!

Eban

Pic by Oddsock …

I have found today a bit of a challenge. Nothing necessarily bad, just a challenge. We all have those days where old thoughts or patterns from our previous life creep in. The way to deal with these moments is to turn to scripture, as there all answers are waiting for discovery.

Remember, our walk with the LORD is a joyous experience, but it is not always easy. Learn to turn to the word when those challenging times arrive. After a while, it will become second nature. A habit worth cultivating.

So, what is my challenge today? Well, that is personal, just as your challenges are. They are between me and My savior, Jesus. But I will share a passage that has helped me today, and everyday. It is one of my favorites.

Luke 11:33-36 NIV
33″No one lights a lamp and puts it in a place where it will be hidden, or under a bowl. Instead he puts it on its stand, so that those who come in may see the light. 34Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are good, your whole body also is full of light. But when they are bad, your body also is full of darkness. 35See to it, then, that the light within you is not darkness. 36Therefore, if your whole body is full of light, and no part of it dark, it will be completely lighted, as when the light of a lamp shines on you.”

What is a passage that you turn to often? Do you have certain passages that help you through the tough times?

I do hope that you do.

Now, I am off to get back to my day, which is improving by the minute.

Argh,
Eban

I voted Pic by Enrico Fuente–

I was just browsing the article site, Helium, looking for new marketplace calls for writers. Well, I got sidetracked by one of their debates. Which one? The one titled, “Should One’s Faith Influence a citizen’s Vote?”

Well, first off, let me say the voting at the time I visited was 60% to 40% in favor of voting by faith. That is a bit close for my taste, but still a majority.

It is important to understand that the question does not mean govern by faith, but whether voters should cast votes by faith. I also believe that a leader should govern by his beliefs as well, but that was not the debate offered here.

As a Christian, always let your decisions be led by your faith. Every move you make should be guided by your relationship with God. Yes, we all fall short as we are imperfect sinners, but we should keep striving to make better choices with the word of God as our guide.

Some of the adversarial articles just baffled me. If your belief system is animal rights, do you not vote for animal rights politicians and laws? If athiest, do you not vote for candidates that fit your world view? If you are a card carrying feminist or “Greenie”, do you not vote for feminist or environmentally friendly ideas?

Well, a lot of the writers against voting by faith, all 121 of them, seem to think that voting your beliefs is a bad thing as it may mean using God’s wisdom.

How Crazy is that?

Very crazy. On a secular level, how can you trust someone that will vote against their core beliefs? Would any of the above voter examples vote against their causes and candidates? Not very likely. If they did, would you not question their intentions?

But that is what they expect of Christians.

Here are a few examples from the articles:

When did this country stop being of, by and for the people? Separation of church and state is one of the founding principles of this country. Yet living up to this idea has been one of the most difficult things to accomplish because the waters are continuously muddied by those who use religion to control the minds and behaviors of the masses. Religious faith has devolved to nothing more than blatant mind control because religious leaders have allowed God to be put on the shelf for their own personal gain. Christians have been at the helm of this nation since its beginning. Jesus taught love, peace and forgiveness, yet very little of these attributes are evident in the politics of religion.-Vernelle Nelson

The idea of faith, unfounded, unreliable and superstitious, influencing global geopolitics is such an awful thought it turns my stomach.

Those who decide who to vote for based on notions on faith and/or religion are surely allowing personal reflections on life to stand in the way of important issues; quite often, religious believers demonstrate to the world just how blind and narrow-minded their belief systems can lead them to be.-Harry Lacey

Faith should definitely not be the reasoning behind a vote, no matter on what issue. The reasoning behind this is pretty simple. Not everyone has the same religion, and if everyone began to vote based on their religions, a split would most definitely be created in public life between the different groups.-Danny Mendel

Notice that some are not even arguing the point in question

A lot of the articles are arguing the separation of church and state issue, which does not even exist in the Constitution. The argument of separation of church and state comes from letters by Thomas Jefferson, not governing documents. But that is another issue all together.

The last example above shows the fear, and dare I say, vitriol aimed at those of the Christian faith. This, in my humble opinion, comes from fear. People that believe in nothing, or worse yet, believe everything is relative, and thus there is no concrete right or wrong, are set trembling when faced with people of true belief. I know I was when my faith was at it’s weakest.

You have an obligation, to God

Being a Christian is a hard walk at times. When it is at it’s hardest is when our faith is tested. But that is when we should totally surrender to our Lord for guidance and strength.

As good Christians, our every thought and action should be to celebrate the Lord, and to strengthen our relationship. To walk into a voting booth, which is a very important action, and to not vote in guidance by your Faith is a sin. Plain and simple.

In politics, the silliest thing is when a candidate proclaims faith and love of the Lord, but then goes against Christian principals in their political choices. Turning their back on the Lord and their faith to be re-elected or to gain more power.

Let me tell you this, that power is finite. The power of God is forever.

We, as voters, are a lot more shielded than politicians. We do not have to tell people how we vote. But let me say this, to vote in line with your Christian Principles, but tell others another story to ease your worldly relationships, is being in sin as well. It is a denial of faith.

In Matthew 26: 31-35, Jesus tells Peter that he will deny him three times the evening of his arrest. Then, in Matthew 26: 69-75, this comes to pass. Peter did not want to deny the Lord, but being of the flesh, he had a moment of weakness. We all do this, we can’t help it, we are of the flesh as well. As such, we are imperfect sinners. The goal is to trust in the Lord, and learn to grow in spirit and strength through him. The goal is to get better and stronger everyday.

Take it to heart that we trouble non-believers

Yes, pride is a sin as well, but I can’t imagine that the Lord would deny us just a little bit to be proud that our faith shakes up those without. It scares them that we can find the strength to refuse temptation while they drown in it. I baffles them that they go from feel good fix to fix, but are empty when the fix wears off, while we shun such temporary pleasures and never come off our high of spirit.

Pray to the Lord for strength and guidance when you feel weak. Definately pray before voting, then vote with your belief, not against it. Never deny the Lord. Our reward will be his eternal love and grace.

Hey, that is a pretty big win, is it not?

Argh,

Eban