Mumsee, would he have access to Christian books through the chaplain in the Prison? Maybe he would like to sign up for Bible studies with Prison Alliance?
I finally took a longer walk late yesterday since the air seemed fresher. I felt like I’d been let out of prison.
so I did get a text and was invited to a family meal last night. Interesting. My ex and my sister and her husband were also there it was to celebrate Colorado daughters birthday Anna was very at home
I learned lots of things daughter now has 50/50 custody so girls are picked up by dad after school on Friday for a week
I learned that my sister who decided to not have kids is closer to my kids and knows everything. Things I had no idea about
I think that they have chosen her. I get the crumbs
Janice, that is for God to work out. He has dropped contact with us and we have no contact info. He has always said he was going to prison. He does like structure. My thought is he is trying to protect us from his troubles. We only had him for three years but he liked what we were doing, just did not want to participate.
Jo, I wish it could not feel so hurtful. I wish it were true that absence makes the heart grow fonder. I really don’t think it is you so much as you might feel at this time.
You had all the joys of being close to all the children you taught while away. I have never felt loved so much as I did while teaching preschool kids, myself.
I know you’d had hopes that your family had saved a special spot in their lives for you. I think they are still trying to weave you back into their already full to the brim lives.
Even with my son, he is so busy and now has a girlfriend, which means I can hardly get an answer to a text. I have told him if he has a chance to be with her family at Thanksgiving to please do so. I will be happy in his happiness at having a complete life even if we are left out.
God will make a new way for us. I just have to focus on other things and not dwell on losses. I have to do that with my vision loss daily.
Speaking of prison, the seven kittens were rounded up and placed in a couple of cardboard boxes and are off to the vet for shots. Pretty Kitty was put in a cat kennel next to them for shots as well. No drama. Sadly, she does not have a spay appt for another month so we are at risk of more kittens.
I was looking to see the Prime deals on Amazon. I am so turned off by the array of foreign sounding brand names that it is not a pleasure to scroll their sales. No thank you, Amazon. I still subscribe to buy some items, but am not inclined to buy anything with a China brand name.
I believe AJ posted something on this recently as well, but here’s a good piece at The Gospel Coalition from this morning on men who are coming to (and staying in) church.
Reformed churches have long been blessed by a healthy & strong male membership and leadership; but it’s good to now hear that some other branches of the faith are seeing this as a new trend in their circles.
~ Today’s gender-neutral, gender-fluid world has blurred the lines of God’s creation of males and females as distinct expressions of humanity. It has questioned masculinity’s value. Gen Z men like me long to hear that our God-given power has purpose, our responsibility has reward, and our valor has value. We crave the call to be humble sons, committed brothers, and wise fathers in our spiritual communities. And in a culture of confusion, the church has provided a clear and consistent vision of manhood shaped by the cross. ~
So I’m still struggling with Abby and the car, will have to get the trainer back to figure out what I’m now doing wrong (as it must be me, she gets in readily for the trainer — and then me, too, when the two of us are working with Abby — but now? meh, nope, no car for Abby).
It’s a chilly, damp morning here; I need to call the garage to see if I can bring my car in on a day that’s good for them this week. Abby will be happy to see the machine “gone.”
DJ, I suspect she picks up on your vibes, whether nerves or fear or anxiety. Hard to change that but can be done. You know she gets in readily for the trainer. You can do this.
DJ – My church has a good number of involved men. The men’s weekly Bible study has drawn in more men than the number of women who attend the ladies’ Bible study, which is quite unusual. It is a blessing to be surrounded by godly men.
It is difficult to feel left out, Jo. But I think they are trying. I suspect, too, that you are more serious about your faith than they are so that can create a kind of obstacle to hurdle, or make them put up their guard, afraid they might offend or be judged.
We have a church on the larger side so I haven’t ‘counted,’ but I’d say we’re pretty evenly divided with as many men as women, lots of young / large families among us. We have full elder and deacon boards (male) and a pastor who is widely respected in our church but also by others in the vicinity. I’ve always felt our serious approach to theology is an appeal also for the male mind. 🙂
mumsee @12:41, I am sure that’s right (picking up on either/both my discouragement and even mild irritation with all of this, a rather defeatist attitude also before we even start). When we try a couple times to no avail — and I feel my mood darkening — I quit, I try not to let her see me being frustrated with her even in my body language which dogs can quickly pick up on, it seems to travel right through the leash!
(We also attract a fair number of serious seminary students who love the deep-dives during discussion times and the opportunity to ask questions and go deeper.)
Letter to the American Church. I would say it is a very good encouragement to do what God puts before us, undeterred by the naysayers. Strongly recommend it and will be passing it on.
That said, it is not Scripture and is written by an imperfect human. You will find areas of disagreement but not overwhelmingly so.
No, he does not call everybody to run for Congress but does encourage we use the gifts we have been given for His purposes. Not a bad thing at all.
Dj, have you given Abby the opportunity to enter in through the driver’s seat like she is in control? Then you could move her to the other side or guide her to the back as you get in after her? Maybe it is some kind of control issue. A stubborn streak. I think of this because Miss Bosley always wants to get our seats before we get to them. She never gets in Art’s chair until he gets home from work.
That might be problematic as it’s way more crowded with the steering wheel; when she is cooperating she sometimes will hop first onto the floor and then right up into the passenger seat.
I may have to pay the trainer to come for at least a full hour and try to nail this thing down as best we can. What’s strange is she was jumping in flawlessly for almost two weeks, daily, until we didn’t go for a couple days and it was like the “spell” was broken and she reverted.
Hoping to get the car into the shop this week, maybe tomorrow, but real estate friend who’s an engineer had a good suggestion — “have you tried the heat? It might not be the ‘AC,’ but simply a “fan” problem which would be simpler” (I’m not feeling anything coming out of the vents, even on just the air, but I haven’t tried the heat so I’ll check that out also.)
Not intending to be a “naysayer,” mumsee, but these are points brought out in The Gospel Coalition review from 2022:
~ Metaxas wants to motivate pastors to raise their voices and lead their members to political activism (100).
(I take strong issue with that suggestion above.)
Some other points from the author:
The irony: While Metaxas wants us to find in Bonhoeffer an inspiration to resist the church’s enemies on the political left, Bonhoeffer was actually resisting the church’s enemies on the political right. … If the global aim of Marxist ideology was one of the problems, then German nationalism—infused with empty Christian rhetoric and fueled by conspiracy theories—was one of the solutions. … Metaxas’s application is fair because we should oppose unbiblical ideology on every front. But given this historical context, it seems odd—and intentional—that Metaxas offers no thoughtful caution to the church or its pastors regarding this lesson from history: while fighting real threats on your front, don’t forget to cover your rear. … He doesn’t go far enough. Yes, pastors, let’s warn our people about dangerous tenets in CRT, LGBT+ activism, and the Black Lives Matter movement. But faithfulness in ministry means we should also be aware of—and guard against—other kinds of threats that arise against the church from a variety of directions.
“Pursue principled political persuasion.” … Metaxas believes desperate times call for desperate measures. To put candidates in power who will “enact policies to help people” (121), Christ-followers may need to “vote for someone whom others may criticize for being guilty of this or that” (121). He intimates that Christians may even need to “tell a lie for the larger good” (120). Christians can do these things because we serve “a God who has a wildness and unpredictability to him” (123). And like Bonhoeffer in opposition to Hitler, violence may be necessary (78, 109). … Metaxas has now ranged into the sophisticated discipline of moral theology and may be in over his head. Christian ethicists have long debated the biblical position on when, where, and how to deceive and employ violence. But his brief and selective tour of the subject provides unwarranted justification for Christians with a shallow understanding of biblical ethics to do sinful things. Metaxas unfortunately practices what he preaches, and his words are reckless and dangerous in our polarized cultural moment. Are we willing to sacrifice the church’s mandate to be a pillar of truth (1 Tim. 3:15) by trafficking in lies for political gain? …
And why should I listen to the Gospel Coalition? I don’t seek them out but often read what you post though that is more because I trust you more than I know them and their stance.
i don’t actually listen much to Eric Metaxas either though I think Michelle puts stuff up sometimes and I have looked at that and listened to him once or twice.
But to the conversation. I did not find the same takeaways, probably because I was looking for positive encouragement not errors. I saw motivate the pastors to speak but not lead the people to political activism.
First point: sounds like they agreed with him but docked him for not going far enough. It was just a short letter encouraging the people to open their eyes and speak and act as God has prepared for each individual, not a war manual. Of course we need to keep watchful on all fronts. That includes keeping ourselves spiritually equipped which they did not mention but he did.
Second point: Yes, he did encourage people to vote and to vote wisely, maybe even voting for someone others say don’t vote for. He did encourage people to know what is going on so they can vote intelligently. We have been placed in a country where we can vote, why not do so? He did broach the topic of the Hiding Place. Do you lie about the Jews in your wall, or do you tell the police they are there? He talked about Bonhoeffer’s choice to join the conspiracy (God kept him from killing the guy) but he also said it was complicated and not necessarily the correct choice. He did talk about killing and murder which is an ongoing discussion, maybe especially in military families.
I’ve found the Gospel Coalition solid, and also have heard from other sources that Mataxas “took a turn” in recent years, sparked by our political tension.
You and others here probably have a different take on how “involved” the church should be in politics. I like them to be separate in the interest of maintaining the purity of the gospel message.
Issues are fair and important to discuss but too often lately it all seems to veer into the partisan politics of the day (which I see as something of a train wreck).
My concern is for the church and maintaining the church’s integrity, not seeing it getting entangled especially with the angry politics of this period we are in.
It’s a very precarious time for the church and that’s my concern. Politics will go where they go, this will either get better or it won’t. But the church needs to remember who her Master is, that she is an international presence in the world, and there is a need to remain untainted.
~ The church’s failure in Germany wasn’t unique to that country. Some American churches are so America-centered they cannot stand apart from America, as citizens of a heavenly country, to challenge or rebuke or change America. They become so indistinguishable from America, so incapable of identifying her failings, that they have little to offer her except adoration.
There’s certainly a place for patriotism. A Christian can be proud, as I am, of many things about his country. It’s okay to be a proud citizen of America, Germany, or any nation. The athletes’ love for their mother countries is one of the things I enjoy about the Olympics. Christians of very diverse nationalities can serve our countries and pray for our leaders. But only Christ should receive our primary loyalty and unconditional obedience. We dare not allow our identity as Americans to eclipse or confuse our identity as Christ’s disciples.
…The Greek city of Philippi was declared a Roman colony by Augustus after a great victory there. The Philippians were extremely proud of their Roman citizenship. It’s no coincidence that it was the Philippian church to which Paul said, “But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Philippians 3:20).
We are to follow the example of Abraham and others of God’s people: “They admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own…Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them” (Hebrews 11:13-16).
Christ and His Kingdom, Not Politics, Should Be the Central Fixture of Our Focus
~ This election year, many of us are already finding the political commentary and news exhausting. Never have God’s people needed the reminder more that the key to influence and change in this world is not, and never has been, politics. It is faithfulness to Jesus.
Of course, we should look over the candidates carefully and prayerfully consider the issues and where they stand, and what kind of character they demonstrate. While we’re voting for a president, not a pastor, there should still be matters of their integrity and worldview we carefully evaluate.
Still, we dare not set our hopes on the Republican or Democratic parties or candidates, or Independents, but upon the only One who can save us—our true Cosmic President, our true Chief Justice, and our true Lawmaker: “For Yahweh is our judge, Yahweh is our lawgiver, Yahweh is our king; He will save us” (Isaiah 33:22)
Ultimately our hope should be in Him, this Sovereign over the nations: “O Yahweh, the God of our fathers, are You not God in the heavens? And are You not ruler over all the kingdoms of the nations?” (2 Chronicles 20:6).
Andrew T. Walker wrote an editorial for World News Group titled “Man’s Chief End Is Not Political Obsession.” Here’s an excerpt from it:
Though we cannot stop the media from doing what it will do, it’s our choice whether to make politics the central fixture of our focus.
I’m not saying to give up on politics. Heaven forbid, in fact. I’m saying to approach politics with proper perspective and cool-headedness. In other words, to paraphrase a quote from theologian Oliver O’Donovan, Christians might be at their political best when talking about politics least. That may have a tinge of irony to it, but O’Donovan’s point is that the pronouncement of Jesus’ kingship should produce an anti-fragility and anti-frenetic spirit in how Christians conceive of worldly authority. If Jesus truly is King (and we most certainly believe He is), earthly politics is at best secondary to our lives in this age. What should be more important is your family, your local church, and your relationships.
What an impoverished worldview it must be to let politics—and Donald Trump or Joe Biden—reorder the hierarchy of loves that we are to spend our lives cultivating. … ~
Anyway, all this to say there is a lot “out there” to find and read on the topic of how we approach or balance these issues in this era.
Janice, read my subsequent post … I think it’s not that there aren’t serious issues and temporal concerns that come our way, there are (and always will be). It’s the perspective or “importance” believers will allow all of this to have, if that makes sense.
Kim, so good to hear from you, yes, this looks further south from the last one — the devastation, though is so extreme and wide; I haven’t read anything on Milton in the past couple hours, but it certainly looked like it would be just as devastating – at least – as the hurricane before it. Stay safe!
I feel kind of stupid; engineer friend just figured out why AC wasn’t working.
Don’t ask.
That’s my serious ‘temporal’ issue of the day in my world.
Now on to getting that 4WD service done, but that’s all that is left on the list; decided to live with the back door not unlocking or locking remotely after engineer explained it could likely cost “HUNDREDS” of dollars just for them to figure that one out.
Janice, your question @6:27 reminded me, though, of that quote in the initial “Letter” review — watch what’s ahead but don’t ignore what’s coming up on the rear; there are always problems facing us, but they aren’t always the ones we see by looking outward or forward; some are coming right up behind us in the rear view mirror, emanating from and within our very own culture and nation that we aren’t even looking for.
I got a new stack of books on the cassette like device for my player in the mail today.
I don’t pick, but some unknown person selects so I am always surprised.
Does anyone have knowledge of a book by Harry Freedman, The Murderous History of Bible Translations? I’d like to see a review from a Christian perspective.
6:37 was very true by the way and I would hope we are all trying to keep that perspective.
letters touched on that with the whole idea of speaking up because we have learned how God views things (marriage is man and woman because Gods says so).
Wandering Views 
Good morning, all. A beautiful day here at thirty nine.
Today is sixth son’s birthday. He is twenty seven, I believe, spending the next year or so in an Alaskan prison.
mumsee
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Good morning! Nice day for a Monday.
Mumsee, would he have access to Christian books through the chaplain in the Prison? Maybe he would like to sign up for Bible studies with Prison Alliance?
I finally took a longer walk late yesterday since the air seemed fresher. I felt like I’d been let out of prison.
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so I did get a text and was invited to a family meal last night. Interesting. My ex and my sister and her husband were also there it was to celebrate Colorado daughters birthday Anna was very at home
I learned lots of things daughter now has 50/50 custody so girls are picked up by dad after school on Friday for a week
I learned that my sister who decided to not have kids is closer to my kids and knows everything. Things I had no idea about
I think that they have chosen her. I get the crumbs
jo
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Janice, that is for God to work out. He has dropped contact with us and we have no contact info. He has always said he was going to prison. He does like structure. My thought is he is trying to protect us from his troubles. We only had him for three years but he liked what we were doing, just did not want to participate.
mumsee
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I will probably try sending a letter to the prison.
mumsee
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Jo, I wish it could not feel so hurtful. I wish it were true that absence makes the heart grow fonder. I really don’t think it is you so much as you might feel at this time.
You had all the joys of being close to all the children you taught while away. I have never felt loved so much as I did while teaching preschool kids, myself.
I know you’d had hopes that your family had saved a special spot in their lives for you. I think they are still trying to weave you back into their already full to the brim lives.
Even with my son, he is so busy and now has a girlfriend, which means I can hardly get an answer to a text. I have told him if he has a chance to be with her family at Thanksgiving to please do so. I will be happy in his happiness at having a complete life even if we are left out.
God will make a new way for us. I just have to focus on other things and not dwell on losses. I have to do that with my vision loss daily.
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Speaking of prison, the seven kittens were rounded up and placed in a couple of cardboard boxes and are off to the vet for shots. Pretty Kitty was put in a cat kennel next to them for shots as well. No drama. Sadly, she does not have a spay appt for another month so we are at risk of more kittens.
mumsee
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I was looking to see the Prime deals on Amazon. I am so turned off by the array of foreign sounding brand names that it is not a pleasure to scroll their sales. No thank you, Amazon. I still subscribe to buy some items, but am not inclined to buy anything with a China brand name.
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I believe AJ posted something on this recently as well, but here’s a good piece at The Gospel Coalition from this morning on men who are coming to (and staying in) church.
Reformed churches have long been blessed by a healthy & strong male membership and leadership; but it’s good to now hear that some other branches of the faith are seeing this as a new trend in their circles.
~ Today’s gender-neutral, gender-fluid world has blurred the lines of God’s creation of males and females as distinct expressions of humanity. It has questioned masculinity’s value. Gen Z men like me long to hear that our God-given power has purpose, our responsibility has reward, and our valor has value. We crave the call to be humble sons, committed brothers, and wise fathers in our spiritual communities. And in a culture of confusion, the church has provided a clear and consistent vision of manhood shaped by the cross. ~
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/gen-z-men-church/
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mumsee, enjoy those kittens 🙂
So I’m still struggling with Abby and the car, will have to get the trainer back to figure out what I’m now doing wrong (as it must be me, she gets in readily for the trainer — and then me, too, when the two of us are working with Abby — but now? meh, nope, no car for Abby).
It’s a chilly, damp morning here; I need to call the garage to see if I can bring my car in on a day that’s good for them this week. Abby will be happy to see the machine “gone.”
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DJ, I suspect she picks up on your vibes, whether nerves or fear or anxiety. Hard to change that but can be done. You know she gets in readily for the trainer. You can do this.
mumsee
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Five females and two males.
mumsee
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DJ – My church has a good number of involved men. The men’s weekly Bible study has drawn in more men than the number of women who attend the ladies’ Bible study, which is quite unusual. It is a blessing to be surrounded by godly men.
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Thanks, Janice. I am trying to focus on looking for the blessings that God gives me daily.
Jo
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It is difficult to feel left out, Jo. But I think they are trying. I suspect, too, that you are more serious about your faith than they are so that can create a kind of obstacle to hurdle, or make them put up their guard, afraid they might offend or be judged.
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I just heard Hurricaine Milton has been raised to category 5. Prayers for all who will be slammed.
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We have a church on the larger side so I haven’t ‘counted,’ but I’d say we’re pretty evenly divided with as many men as women, lots of young / large families among us. We have full elder and deacon boards (male) and a pastor who is widely respected in our church but also by others in the vicinity. I’ve always felt our serious approach to theology is an appeal also for the male mind. 🙂
mumsee @12:41, I am sure that’s right (picking up on either/both my discouragement and even mild irritation with all of this, a rather defeatist attitude also before we even start). When we try a couple times to no avail — and I feel my mood darkening — I quit, I try not to let her see me being frustrated with her even in my body language which dogs can quickly pick up on, it seems to travel right through the leash!
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(We also attract a fair number of serious seminary students who love the deep-dives during discussion times and the opportunity to ask questions and go deeper.)
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For Kathaleena:
https://www.facebook.com/share/v/goeE34mMVAjNuVMt/
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Indeed, DJ.
Letter to the American Church. I would say it is a very good encouragement to do what God puts before us, undeterred by the naysayers. Strongly recommend it and will be passing it on.
That said, it is not Scripture and is written by an imperfect human. You will find areas of disagreement but not overwhelmingly so.
No, he does not call everybody to run for Congress but does encourage we use the gifts we have been given for His purposes. Not a bad thing at all.
What were the arguments against it?
mumsee
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Dj, have you given Abby the opportunity to enter in through the driver’s seat like she is in control? Then you could move her to the other side or guide her to the back as you get in after her? Maybe it is some kind of control issue. A stubborn streak. I think of this because Miss Bosley always wants to get our seats before we get to them. She never gets in Art’s chair until he gets home from work.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Janice is suggesting I let Abby drive??
That might be problematic as it’s way more crowded with the steering wheel; when she is cooperating she sometimes will hop first onto the floor and then right up into the passenger seat.
I may have to pay the trainer to come for at least a full hour and try to nail this thing down as best we can. What’s strange is she was jumping in flawlessly for almost two weeks, daily, until we didn’t go for a couple days and it was like the “spell” was broken and she reverted.
Hoping to get the car into the shop this week, maybe tomorrow, but real estate friend who’s an engineer had a good suggestion — “have you tried the heat? It might not be the ‘AC,’ but simply a “fan” problem which would be simpler” (I’m not feeling anything coming out of the vents, even on just the air, but I haven’t tried the heat so I’ll check that out also.)
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Not intending to be a “naysayer,” mumsee, but these are points brought out in The Gospel Coalition review from 2022:
~ Metaxas wants to motivate pastors to raise their voices and lead their members to political activism (100).
(I take strong issue with that suggestion above.)
Some other points from the author:
There’s more at the link:
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/reviews/letter-american-church-eric-metaxas/
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DJ,
And why should I listen to the Gospel Coalition? I don’t seek them out but often read what you post though that is more because I trust you more than I know them and their stance.
i don’t actually listen much to Eric Metaxas either though I think Michelle puts stuff up sometimes and I have looked at that and listened to him once or twice.
But to the conversation. I did not find the same takeaways, probably because I was looking for positive encouragement not errors. I saw motivate the pastors to speak but not lead the people to political activism.
First point: sounds like they agreed with him but docked him for not going far enough. It was just a short letter encouraging the people to open their eyes and speak and act as God has prepared for each individual, not a war manual. Of course we need to keep watchful on all fronts. That includes keeping ourselves spiritually equipped which they did not mention but he did.
Second point: Yes, he did encourage people to vote and to vote wisely, maybe even voting for someone others say don’t vote for. He did encourage people to know what is going on so they can vote intelligently. We have been placed in a country where we can vote, why not do so? He did broach the topic of the Hiding Place. Do you lie about the Jews in your wall, or do you tell the police they are there? He talked about Bonhoeffer’s choice to join the conspiracy (God kept him from killing the guy) but he also said it was complicated and not necessarily the correct choice. He did talk about killing and murder which is an ongoing discussion, maybe especially in military families.
mumsee
LikeLiked by 3 people
I’ve found the Gospel Coalition solid, and also have heard from other sources that Mataxas “took a turn” in recent years, sparked by our political tension.
You and others here probably have a different take on how “involved” the church should be in politics. I like them to be separate in the interest of maintaining the purity of the gospel message.
Issues are fair and important to discuss but too often lately it all seems to veer into the partisan politics of the day (which I see as something of a train wreck).
My concern is for the church and maintaining the church’s integrity, not seeing it getting entangled especially with the angry politics of this period we are in.
It’s a very precarious time for the church and that’s my concern. Politics will go where they go, this will either get better or it won’t. But the church needs to remember who her Master is, that she is an international presence in the world, and there is a need to remain untainted.
I see that at risk right now.
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Is globalism not a threat, Dj, compared to nationalism?
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as of right now I am not in the path of Milton. These people are still reeling from Helene
kim
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There was this from Randy Alcorn re Bonhoeffer:
~ The church’s failure in Germany wasn’t unique to that country. Some American churches are so America-centered they cannot stand apart from America, as citizens of a heavenly country, to challenge or rebuke or change America. They become so indistinguishable from America, so incapable of identifying her failings, that they have little to offer her except adoration.
There’s certainly a place for patriotism. A Christian can be proud, as I am, of many things about his country. It’s okay to be a proud citizen of America, Germany, or any nation. The athletes’ love for their mother countries is one of the things I enjoy about the Olympics. Christians of very diverse nationalities can serve our countries and pray for our leaders. But only Christ should receive our primary loyalty and unconditional obedience. We dare not allow our identity as Americans to eclipse or confuse our identity as Christ’s disciples.
…The Greek city of Philippi was declared a Roman colony by Augustus after a great victory there. The Philippians were extremely proud of their Roman citizenship. It’s no coincidence that it was the Philippian church to which Paul said, “But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Philippians 3:20).
We are to follow the example of Abraham and others of God’s people: “They admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own…Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them” (Hebrews 11:13-16).
And this:
https://www.epm.org/resources/2024/Jan/29/christ-kingdom-focus/
Christ and His Kingdom, Not Politics, Should Be the Central Fixture of Our Focus
~ This election year, many of us are already finding the political commentary and news exhausting. Never have God’s people needed the reminder more that the key to influence and change in this world is not, and never has been, politics. It is faithfulness to Jesus.
Of course, we should look over the candidates carefully and prayerfully consider the issues and where they stand, and what kind of character they demonstrate. While we’re voting for a president, not a pastor, there should still be matters of their integrity and worldview we carefully evaluate.
Still, we dare not set our hopes on the Republican or Democratic parties or candidates, or Independents, but upon the only One who can save us—our true Cosmic President, our true Chief Justice, and our true Lawmaker: “For Yahweh is our judge, Yahweh is our lawgiver, Yahweh is our king; He will save us” (Isaiah 33:22)
Ultimately our hope should be in Him, this Sovereign over the nations: “O Yahweh, the God of our fathers, are You not God in the heavens? And are You not ruler over all the kingdoms of the nations?” (2 Chronicles 20:6).
Andrew T. Walker wrote an editorial for World News Group titled “Man’s Chief End Is Not Political Obsession.” Here’s an excerpt from it:
Anyway, all this to say there is a lot “out there” to find and read on the topic of how we approach or balance these issues in this era.
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Janice, read my subsequent post … I think it’s not that there aren’t serious issues and temporal concerns that come our way, there are (and always will be). It’s the perspective or “importance” believers will allow all of this to have, if that makes sense.
Kim, so good to hear from you, yes, this looks further south from the last one — the devastation, though is so extreme and wide; I haven’t read anything on Milton in the past couple hours, but it certainly looked like it would be just as devastating – at least – as the hurricane before it. Stay safe!
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I feel kind of stupid; engineer friend just figured out why AC wasn’t working.
Don’t ask.
That’s my serious ‘temporal’ issue of the day in my world.
Now on to getting that 4WD service done, but that’s all that is left on the list; decided to live with the back door not unlocking or locking remotely after engineer explained it could likely cost “HUNDREDS” of dollars just for them to figure that one out.
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Janice, your question @6:27 reminded me, though, of that quote in the initial “Letter” review — watch what’s ahead but don’t ignore what’s coming up on the rear; there are always problems facing us, but they aren’t always the ones we see by looking outward or forward; some are coming right up behind us in the rear view mirror, emanating from and within our very own culture and nation that we aren’t even looking for.
Wise as serpents … 🙂
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Did a hurricane blow the political thread back over here or what?
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Thanks, Dj. Just trying to understand.
I got a new stack of books on the cassette like device for my player in the mail today.
I don’t pick, but some unknown person selects so I am always surprised.
Does anyone have knowledge of a book by Harry Freedman, The Murderous History of Bible Translations? I’d like to see a review from a Christian perspective.
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They also sent Half Truths by Adam Hamilton who I found out is a Methodist pastor in Kansas.
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DJ, just out of curiosity, why was the ac not working?
mumsee
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6:37 was very true by the way and I would hope we are all trying to keep that perspective.
letters touched on that with the whole idea of speaking up because we have learned how God views things (marriage is man and woman because Gods says so).
mumsee
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@10:38 …. mumsee ….
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