My Perspective on the next four years...

During this whole election process, I've had some very strong opinions about the fighting and bickering that's gone on between Democrats and Republicans.  I've constantly tried to remind everyone that regardless of who is president, Christ is King.  And I've deliberately kept my political opinions to myself, because I didn't want to contribute to the fighting going on.  I didn't think it represented Christ well, and I wanted no part of it.

Now the election is over, and there are several people unhappy with the outcome.  I have a very specific perspective on what needs to happen in the next four years, a perspective that I think (and prayerfully hope) will help others in their planning for the next several years.  Unfortunately, I cannot share that perspective without also sharing my political opinions.  So, before you read any further, I would like to point out that at no point in this election did I ever say anything derogatory towards either candidate.  At no point did I disrespect any member of any political party.  I showed no malice or hatred during the election, and even made every attempt to end the fighting and bickering where I could.  I respectfully ask that you show that same respect to me.  Please do not use my blog (or Facebook) as a forum for you to spew venom at those who have opposing views.  I welcome friendly debate and healthy discussions, but I will not tolerate belittling or degrading remarks.  If you cannot show that respect to me, you will be blocked from my Facebook and blog and your comments deleted.  Please, for the sake of peace, keep things cordial.

Now that we've got that out of the way...

I voted for Mitt Romney.  He wasn't my favorite choice, but given the alternative, I thought he was the best choice.  In my humble opinion, President Obama's record is not satisfactory, and more important than that, he is pushing legislation that will essentially force me to support things that I, because of my faith, do not support.  I do not think it is right for my tax dollars to help fund abortions if I believe abortions are morally wrong.  I do not think it is right for me to face hate crime charges if I speak openly about my views on homosexuality.  And I do not think it is right that a monument or spoken prayer that has stood for decades be removed because it offends people who go to these places and ceremonies of their own free choice. Say what you will about foreign policy, the economy, and the environment, but these are the issues that decided my vote.

So, obviously, I was disappointed in last night's results.  And I am very concerned about the future of this country and where we are heading.  But, in the end, I am an American citizen, and Barack Obama is my president.  Even if I don't agree with the man, I must respect his office.  Because he is president, I will pray for him everyday, that God will guide his decisions, and that he will be the leader that this country needs.  I believe that the power of prayer is stronger than any threat we can face.  I place this country in God's hands and trust that He will do whatever is necessary to glorify His name.

Now, about all those other things.  Since I believe that abortion is wrong, that it is the murder of innocent children, and since my tax dollars are going to support it and there is apparently nothing I can do about it, I am going to try and be the change I want to see.  Rather than waiting for Capitol Hill to pass legislation that I agree with, I am going to go out and find those single women, those pregnant teenagers, those women who honestly think that abortion is better than adoption or raising a child.  I'm going to find them, and I'm going to help them.  I'm going to help them find classes on how to care for their unborn children.  I'm going to find loving families who are willing to take the child she can't afford to have.  I'm going to talk with her about her fears and doubts and worries, and I am going to do everything I can to help calm those fears and ease those doubts and put to rest those worries. I am going to do everything I can to make sure these poor women who are scared and unsure feel like they have another choice they can make.

Since I believe that marriage should be defined between a man and a woman, I'm going to take the time to get to know the LGBT community.  I'm going to befriend them and get to know them as people.  I'm going to let them get to know me and know what my heart is and where I'm coming from.  I'm going to get to a place where my care for them has nothing to do with their sexual orientation, where my friendship with them is iron clad and not easily shaken.  They're going to get to know me, and they're going to realize I don't hate them, that I don't think they're sub-human or some new kind of evil.  They're going to realize that I love them just as much as I would love anyone else.  And once we're at that place, I'll be able to share my views, and they will listen.  They may not agree, but they will listen, because now the words are coming from a friend, and not an enemy with an agenda.

Since I believe that my faith in Christ is under attack because of the consistent removal of monuments and prayers from public places, I'm going to show everyone just what exactly my faith in Christ is all about.  I'm going to give myself away to helping the poor and needy, to showing the love of Christ to everyone I come in contact with.  I am going to truly love my neighbors as much as I love myself, and see that their needs are met just as much if not more than mine.  I am going to be such a loving, kind, gentle person that when people think of Jesus, they don't think of an oppressive religion that has been in power too long.  They're going to think of a loving Savior who came to Earth to save us from sin.  And then, Jesus won't be an offensive topic, because no one will be able to say that their lives are worsened by Him or His followers.

To put it simply, I'm going to stop waiting for Capitol Hill to force what I should have been encouraging all along.  There's no need for abortions if women feel supported and taken care of when they get pregnant.  There's no need for civil rights legislation if everyone is treated with kindness and respect from the start.  There's no need for legal battles about Jesus Christ's place in public if everyone sees Christianity as a positive influence.  There's no need for regulation on welfare if everyone is trying to meet everyone else's needs.  I fully realize that, by myself, I'm not going to change the tide.  But, for those few people I can actually come in contact with, the difference will be worth it.

So don't pack your bags and move to Canada.  Don't start stockpiling on ammunition and nonperishable foods.  Stop complaining that your favorite candidate isn't sitting in the White House now.  Join me.  Let's stop waiting for Capitol Hill to do our job.  Let's get out there and do what we should have been doing in the beginning: Love God with everything, and love people as much as we love ourselves.

And if your candidate is sitting in the White House, join me anyway.  Don't let the fact that legislation is going your way allow you to become complacent about the hurting and suffering around you.  Don't wait for Capitol Hill to fix the problems you see around you.  Become the solution yourself.  Because, trust me, no matter who is president, Capitol Hill will take too long.

That's how I'm going to handle these next four years.  And not a single bit of that has anything to do with who is President.  It has everything to do with what I am going to do.  I am going to take responsibility for what I have the power to change, and I am going to change it.

One more reminder: if you respond to this, keep it respectful and keep it cordial, or don't respond at all.

Keep Soaring,

B

Why I'm supporting Chic-Fil-A on August 1st....

My first post was deleted by the miracle of modern technology, so let's try this again...

Yes, I will be going to support Chic-Fil-A on August 1st.  But before some of you start to judge me and call me a "homophobe," you need to understand where I'm coming from...

Admissions:
1.) Yes, I agree with Dan Cathy that marriage is a union between a man and a woman only.  I've shared before my views on the difference between marriage and a civil union.  Governments can make whatever rules they want to about civil unions, because government is authority on that.  But when it comes to marriage, the only authority on the issue is God.

2.) Yes, I think Dan Cathy has every right to say what he wants, and he has every right to decide whether or not his business will support a political or social movement.  It's freedom of speech.  It's the same freedom that protects those who burn American flags in protest, write entire books on how on president or the other caused the decline of American power, and make jokes like "the opposite of PROgress is CONgress."  But don't take my word for it.  Read the Constitution.  I promise you, it's in there.

Clarifications:
1.) I AM NOT A HOMOPHOBE.  I do not agree with the LGBT social or political platform, but that does not mean I think they are somehow sub-human.  I think they are regular people just like you and me.  I've had co-workers and friends who were gay, and we got along great!!  I even went out to eat with one of them on a monthly basis.  And no, those outings were not so I could convert him.  Those outings were so we could hang out and enjoy the company of friends.  I'm a fan of George Takei.  I don't agree with his social and political ideas, but I still like him, because he shares the funniest pictures on Facebook, he was Hiro's father in Heroes, and he was Sulu in Star Trek.  His sexual orientation is only a small part of who he is, and I think that is the case with everyone, heterosexual or homosexual.

2.) I AM NOT LIKE WESTBORO BAPTIST CHURCH.  As I said before, civil unions are determined by the government.  And if the American people vote to extend the rights of a civil union to same sex partners, then as an American citizen, I am obligated to honor that decision.  I will not be one of those people with a picket sign at a gay wedding, screaming how America is going to burn because of what's happening.  I won't change my opinions on the issue, but I will honor the voice of the American people.

The Real Reason:
I'm supporting Chic-Fil-A because I don't like the fact that the Boston mayor thinks he can block Chic-Fil-A out of "his" city.  He is a government official.  It's his job to represent the people, not his own interests.  If he personally wants to boycott Chic-Fil-A, then he and his family and his friends may choose to do so.  But it is wrong for him to try and use his influence as the mayor to try and block a business.  That's called discrimination, which is kind of the main reason we wrote the Constitution in the first place.

So yeah...."EAT MOR CHIKIN!!"

Keep Soaring,

Branson

The whole Gay Marriage thing...

I posted this as a comment on a friend's facebook and thought it would make a good blog post:


Marriage, as defined by the Bible, is a relationship between a man and a woman.  That is how God designed it from the beginning, and that is how we as his creation should view it as.  Homosexuality is defined as a sin, no better or worse than any other sin a person could commit.  It isn't the unpardonable sin, but it is still sin.

Now, my thoughts on where my faith and gay marriage collide:
To me, the authority behind marriage is God.  When a man and a woman promise themselves to each other, making that promise with God as their witness is what makes them married.  The paperwork that everyone signs at the end is just the government recognizing a civil union between two people.  That civil union carries with it certain tax benefits and such that are relevant to the way our system works.

If a government wants to extend the civil union to same sex couples, that is their choice.  I would not call it marriage, because the government is not the ultimate authority on marriage.  It is, however, the authority on what it defines as a civil union between two people.  So, if Obama wants to recognize civil unions between same sex partners, our government has created ways for him to pursue that vision, and as an American, I am obligated to honor that decision.  But I wouldn't call it marriage.

As far as homosexuality being a sin...yes, I believe it is a sin.  But you know what?  This morning, when a student smart mouthed me and I yelled at him, I was angry with him.  Guess what?  That was a sin.  When we tell our bosses we're sick when we're really not just to stay home, that's a sin.  When we judge people who are different than us and assume that we are better than them, that's a sin.  Homosexuality is not an alternative lifestyle; it's a sin, but it's not any worse than any other sin a person can commit on a daily basis.

As a follower of Christ, its my hope that in dealing with same sex couples, I would be able to show them the same love and compassion that Jesus did.  He was very good about loving people while not condoning the evil they committed, and I want to do the same.  So I don't think that homosexuals are subhuman people...they're just sinners like the rest of us, who need Jesus like the rest of us.  So, to paraphrase some picket signs, God made Adam and Eve, and He even made Steve.  And while all three of them have sins on their hearts, God loves all three of them.  That's why Jesus came in the first place.

Keep Soaring,

B