A Short Update
Things around this blog have pretty much been a ghost-town since the election ended. I feel like I have a lot of thoughts about things but not much clarity from the Lord on any of it. Rather than posting whatever I feel, I’m going to wait. Thankfully the Lord is beginning to save me from by big, fat, internet mouth.
There are lots of things going on that are good right now. I really feel like the house church is in a very positive place. We’re all beginning to catch a little bit of the vision that God has for us as a family and as part of a larger movement that will culminate with the return of Jesus. I’m testing the waters with Jesus about the possibility of going to Ethiopia in June with my friend John. God is stirring the water several different ways in my job as well.
I think this blog is up for a little remodeling as well. You may notice I have a new avatar. I’ve become increasingly concerned with the abilities Web 2.0 gives to anyone whose interested to monitor what I and those around me are doing. Because of that, I removed my face and replaced it with this snappy picture. However, on a happier note, this picture is said to be of a Canadian farmer rejoicing at sunset because of the greatness of the harvest in front of him. My hope is this picture is in reality prophesying where this thing is going. I’m also hoping to develop a resource page where I can host different teachings, books, and equipping files that will strengthen the apostolic church I believe the Lord is raising up in this hour. While there is absolutely nothing there, you can check out the beginnings of it here.
Finally, the Lord has been speaking to me about continuing to write and publish and develop relationships around the themes that I talk about frequently here. Part of that will be me trying to get significantly better at describing what exactly it is we’re called to as an end-time church planting movement. If that doesn’t excite you, that’s okay, I’ll publish other stuff as well. But if it does, feel free to drop in, say hi, or get involved in the discussion.
And finally, to those of you who I’ve been bad at staying in touch with, I’m working your way.
A Letter To Undecided Voters
Dear Registered, Concerned Voter
If you’re anything like me you’ve spent the last several weeks thinking about the upcoming elections and its consequences for the future of our nation. I’m writing to you as an individual who has thought about many aspects of this race for the past year. I’m sure you’re also as concerned, as I am, about the future of this country. We know it has been great in the past, and though it has seen its share of rough times, we know it can be great again. But the great challenges ahead of us require strength of character and hard decisions, decisions that do not come cheap or easy. This election is about more than a war or an economy. It’s about what we stand for as Americans. I write to you tonight so that you can consider how you should vote tomorrow in a new light.
Consider the great atrocity of our time–abortion. Never before in the history of mankind has such widespread bloodshed occurred without any form of outrage. In America alone, just short of 4,000 babies every day are put to death. More babies in America have been killed since September 11th, 2001 than Jews were killed in Nazi concentration camps during World War II. The number of babies aborted in America in the last decade dwarfs the number of deaths caused in any war in recent history. Until a few years ago it was legal to kill a baby that was partially born because technically it was still in the birth canal. Some argue that each baby is a choice, not a human being. The only people who argue that point have never met a woman who has lost a baby prematurely or a family who cannot conceive. For them, a baby is anything but a choice. No, in the grand scope of things, we as Americans are slaughtering our most precious resource–our own children.
Where does each candidate stand on this issue? John McCain has repeatedly voted against abortion, while Barack Obama has repeatedly voted to allow anyone to destroy a baby at any time. Any search of Planned Parenthood’s website will verify this. In fact, Barack Obama is so committed to this issue that he has publically stated that his first act as President would be to sign the “Freedom of Choice Act.” This act will basically allow any abortion at any time. It would give teenage girls, who cannot receive asprin at high schools without parental notification, to be given an abortion without any prior consent from a parent. The “Freedom of Choice Act” will unleash a flood of death across the nation. Judge for yourselves whether January 20th, 2009 should be a day when our new President signs a death bill to our nations infants. Or should he be pursuing something better for our nation?
To my Christian brothers and sisters who are still undecided-we must make a decision now. Our God calls abortion by a different name-infanticide, the killing of infants. God gave us our children as a gift. We must help the poor, we must steward the environment, we must end the wars we’ve started responsibly and well, and we probably fix the economy for our good and the good of our children. But none of this will matter if we continue as the household of God to ignore the cries of innocent blood being spilled on our land. I beg you, if you are planning to vote for Obama out of fear of financial loss, out of emotional reaction to President Bush, or for some other reason to reconsider. Consider the incredible value God places on the lives of these children. The environment does not have blood that cries out to God. Our wallets do not have blood that cry out to God. But the spilled blood of innocent children cry out to Him day and night. All of the issues in front of us are important, but we must decide if we will allow this crime to continue on our watch.
So today, I’m asking for you to vote for Senator John McCain as a vote against Barack Obama and his desire to legitimize killing our children. I’ve posted a few times on God’s Perspective on the Upcoming Elections, and I will link to all of them one final time at the end of this post for you to read further.
Finally, I leave you with a story. Imagine you met a German who lived during the time of Hitler and you got a chance to go and ask him what it was like. You ask him how all the people could have been so blind sided by Hitler. He tells you that many people were concerned with the economy. Then you ask him what he did to stop the killing of the Jews. Obviously so many people knew that it was wrong. Your new friend looks sheepishly at the floor as you ask him where he was when Hitler was killing the Jews. He says, “I saw them out my window, being horribly mistreated and I pulled my blinds and looked away.” Fast forward 30 years. Now its your turn. Your grandchild comes up to you and asks you “Grandpa, Grandma, where were you when the government allowed you to kill any child you wanted? What did you do?” What will you say to them on that day?
Thanks for taking the time to read my letter. Thanks for voting and for caring enough to think deeply about these issues.
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God’s Perspective of the Upcoming Elections
Cluster Map
Pursuing Glory 