It's not the way we think it is

I talked with some people yesterday, who were upset and confused about how things have gone this week. I told them about an email I got on Wednesday. It basically said that the Isrealites are God's chosen people. He punished them because they were disobedient, and had them captured and moved to Babylon. They had a rough time there, But He took care of them while they were there, and had a plan for them, and promised them that there was a hope for them. He told them to settle down, get married, find a place to live, have kids, work the land, and live life there while they endured this. He told them he would make them prosper, protect them, and give them hope and a future. Despite the fact that they were in captivity.

We are in a kind of exile. In our own land. But those same promises are available to us as believers, because we are His adopted. Same status as the Isrealites. We call them Israelis today, but its the same people. If nothing else, we should keep our heads up, not allow anything to get us down, and keep plowing ahead. Cuz we are Americans, and that's what we do. And we have a hope and a future. No doubt.

I had the pleasure and privilege this past week of attending EntreLeadership, which is a leadership conference put on by Dave Ramsey's organization. Aside from a mind-bending 3 days of intense learning and communing, a very large takeaway came from Dave himself. He shared some of his story with us, and his biggest point was - Don't Give Up. No matter what, don't give up. Sometimes we have to learn the hard way, and sometimes that is the best teacher, but God is totally interested in loving and supporting His people. He wants us to succeed. God doesn't define success the same way we do. But He wants us to use the talents, skills and gifts that He gave us, to glorify Him, and to serve others. He honors our obedience and faith with blessings only He can give. One of Dave's principles is to have the heart of a teacher. I had to prove to him that I have that to be selected as one of his insurance ELP's. Being a teacher means that you let go of your own interests, and pour what you have into someone else. I have found that the more I teach, the more I learn. I am not a professional teacher. Not comparing myself to those heroic souls who take on the world everyday working with our future leaders. But I know that the more I seek to serve Him and other people, the better I feel, the more connected I feel to God, and frankly, the more blessings I get. Not just money. Not really even talking about that. Blessings come in many flavors. Dave said don't quit. Don't give up. Don't stop listening to Him. If you are a believer, He WILL speak to you. You just need to be quiet enough to hear Him. If you are not a believer, He still has a Word for you. It's the Bible, and He speaks directly to non-believers in it. It's a battle out there, no question. Maybe more so than ever in history. Don't stop believing. Don't quit spiritually, civicly, your career, your marriage, your kids, your relationships, your country, your faith, your God, your peace and joy. Someone else may be depending on you. We were not put here on earth to be a hermit. Or a loner. No matter what personality type you are, you have what you need to make a difference. Don't pass it up. Make a difference. Look around. Listen around. Go find somewhere to serve.

40 Days of Prayer

Join me in this. This is the most important thing that can be done to affect our upcoming election and national crisis. Not money, phone calls, walks, posts, signs. Without this, we are doomed, no matter who the election favors. Read it. Spread it. Do it. Claim it. Meet me there. Click here.

September 12

Today is September 12. It happens to be my brother's birthday. It's also the day after September 11. As you probably do, I remember where I was when I first heard about the first plane hitting the World Trade Center Tower. I was shaving, listening to the radio. The host said that there were reports coming in that a plane hit the building. I figured some private pilot in a small plane had trouble and crashed. What I didn't know was that while I was getting up and shaving, there was a fight going on in the air, on 4 planes. First an offensive takeover and violence, then a defensive reaction to try to fight back, resist, or at least minimize the loss of life. That day was a daze, surreal, wondering what happens next. I guess the last building didn't fall until later that afternoon. It was a long day. I tried to explain to my kids about that. My older daughter was upset; she said her sister was too young to understand, but she was scared. My wife and I worked through the day. I remember looking at each other from time to time; a questioning look that does not have an answer. We watched the news, how could you avoid it. We went to church that night. Prayed to God Almighty for protection, for our leaders, for our country. We put the kids to bed, and tried to settle down ourselves. The next day came, just as it always does. It was another pretty day, weather-wise. But there was a different feeling. Everything seemed in suspense. On the other hand, I remember feeling a different feeling. Not a victim anymore, but a responder. For once, the country that needed us was our own. It was bad. But it was Good. There was a sense of community. A sense of protectionism. Of patriotism. Of God. Of our family, friends and neighbors. I learned early on in my career that usually the most valuable experiences I have come from trauma, failure, unplanned events despite the best of planning, sometimes just a sense of action, or an indiscriminate act. September 12 was not a fun day, but it was a day of regrouping. There were alot of flags out. They stayed out. I have been flying mine pretty much ever since. People were nice. Respectful. They acknowledged one another, even strangers. We were probably ignorant of how badly some people wanted to hurt us. We seem to have missed a few warning signs. One of them, the 1993 attack on the same site, was far from subtle. Can't say that anymore. Might have gone too far in the other direction. I know for myself, I know more about my country now. I notice more things. I know why and how and where it was built, and who did it, and what they built it from. I know that most of the original people came here from a country that was an empire, and that we turned on. I know that we fought the French, and then they saved our butts at the end of the Revolution. I know that we are the most generous, giving, industrious, creative, intelligent, resourceful, grass-roots people on the earth. I know that we are a Divinely blessed and appointed country, and we are chosen for His good work. I used to think that we are not as religious of a nation as some others, especially in the Middle East. I noticed that those countries are more known for their religion and practice it outright than we did. Then I discovered that we used to be that way. Most of the colonies each had their own denominational background. All of us that came over here brought our faith and denominational preferences here, and practiced them. And we were then looking for a place to be able to honor and worship and proclaim our God without somebody else telling us how to do it. And when it came to jump ship, as it were, the leaders consistently and thoughtfully and prayerfully sought the guidance of God as they put this Nation together. And I believe from a Divinely inspired Hand. And then I noticed that some of that faithful action and purpose was coming back to us. And then I learned more about the Bible. I learned more about people. I interacted with them. Sometimes across a border, sometimes just across the state. I found myself behaving differently. I wasn't necessarily misbehaving before, especially from a secular view, but I was definitely more aware of my purpose, my influence, my reactions, and my contributions. I remembered a bumper sticker I saw a long time ago. Said something like - You are going to be an influence. Is it going to be a good one or a bad one? I try to be a good influence, despite what Charles Barkley said. I think many of us do. September 11 2001 was certainly a tragic day. It caught us off guard, but it also refocused us in ways that couldn't otherwise have occurred. Here's the best part. September 12 2001 was the day we woke up, saw the Sun, thanked God for being here, and went about the task of recovery. I'm not talking about shopping. It took a week for the planes to get back in the air, but the Americans were back at it, some beat up, some physically injured, many grieving the lost, but ready to fight another day, and with a renewed vigor and perspective and strength. Every day is like September 12. And the further we draw away from the original September 11, the more diligent we should be to remember the past, and how we changed on that day, and the day after. America is an idea, not a place. It has its home on a parcel of land, but its not the land that is special, its the people, and Whom they fear, and whom they serve. God and each other. I am a fatalistically positive person, and so I tend to simplify and emphasize the good, which might be sometimes unrealistic, but its the only way to move forward. Light overcomes darkness. It doesn't work the other way around. Many people risk alot, including personal safety and life, to come here. Have you noticed that they are still doing it today, even with all the trouble we have. There are new students at our high school today who just got here. Don't speak a lick of English. But they will, and they will grow and learn and do and be. These are my thoughts, 11 years later, September 12 2012. A Good Day.

Let's concentrate on the goal

Take a skim of this - And then post your comments. Here's mine - as a former Catholic, now Protestant, I would suggest that we not be so "partisan" in our religion as to trip over the bottom line issue. Jesus was certainly concerned with taking care of the poor, but I don't find it anywhere that He sugg ested Rome do the taking care of. The more we as the faithful take care of the less advantaged, the less the government will have to do, and they don't do it well anyway. The closer the resource to the problem, the better the results. When bureaucrats are involved, things go to waste, whether they are church or govt officials. I disagree with the official Catholic perspective of social teaching, since they think that the government should be the arbiter of the benefits. Ryan subscribes to Ayn Rand's viewpoint on laissez-faire capitalism, not her atheistic positions. She emphasized individual rights, which God gave us under His Natural Law. Jesus believed we should be charitable, and I believe that means he summons us to actions as individuals, not as a government bureaucracy. And finally, allowing the job creators more money will let them provide more jobs. It won't just go in their personal pocket, especially since alot of it is company money anyway. Then more people will be paid. Problem solved. HT Restoring Love FB page

Arlington, Texas

The place on earth today is Arlington, Texas. We have been here since Wednesday night. Today we were with 34,000 other people from all over the country. Yes, we used the roads we built, but more importantly we all paid our own way, and are here to help other people and organizations in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. It is a gigantic outpouring of generosity, love and joy. My daughter and I worked at a food drive collection location, where 10 18-wheelers had already been loaded, and we were working on the 11th. about a hundred people where there, and hundreds of carloads of people came by with bags and boxed of food, as well as clothing, books, games, etc. Elsewhere all over the area, buses and vans transported other folks to homes, churches, community organizations, Goodwill, etc. painting, mulching, feeding, visiting the elderly.

No agenda, no paybacks or much acclaim, except amongst each other. Just being with like minded people of all backgrounds, races, colors. All 50 states. All following a noble call of a guy who has taken it upon himself to lead where others won't go. Glenn Beck. You can like or unlike him, but you can't argue with the results of a fruitful day in service to others, following in obedience to what God tells us to do. Tomorrow will be an evening filled with fun, history, entertainment, celebration, love for all, worship, a true hope, and a camaraderie worth working for. Read up on it yourself, and look for more info here, and on my facebook tomorrow as it happens.

A take on the candidates

Fred Thompson has something to say to someone who emailed him a question about Romney and Obama. They asked what choice we have if one is a Mormon and the other a Muslim. Thompson responds to not fall for the wrong thing. The mainstream media is going to whip Romney on his Mormon-ism any way they can think of. But that doesn't stick. We will never find the perfect candidate, but most Americans agree that the country is headed off a cliff, and organized religion isn't in play here. He says we gotta go with Mitt. "Obama selections for the Supreme Court for another four years will have an adverse effect on the proper role of religion in our country and in our schools as well as a host of other issues."

We got where we are a step at a time. One guy isn't gonna fix it all in a year or two. We have to use what we have to pull back, stop the bleeding, and be more involved in our own government. We are the ones who put those guys there. We need to put new people in, and then keep an eye on 'em. Don't just throw them the keys and watch them burn rubber down the road. We can make alot of progress with a few key victories in the Senate and the White House. Time will tell. Better yet, faith, prayer, door knocking, and getting out the [properly registered] voters is the key. That means us.