Bad news, you may not like it, but Barack Obama is anointed by God.
Truthfully, that is the only logical explanation of how someone who has done so little to influence world events could possibly receive an honor which is so lofty in the eyes of men. (P.S. though he won with only 10 months in office he was actually nominated after only two months in office). And let me state definatively: He is not the antichrist.
By ‘anointed’ I certainly do not mean that God approves of or agrees with the thoughts and actions of President Obama, but I do mean that in God’s sovereign will He is displaying Barack Obama to us and to the nations. Why is the this so difficult for Christians to accept? I believe it is because we are self-centered in our understanding of the ways in which God leads the earth.
Many Christians in the US believe we are called by God to lead the other nations of the earth. Therefore, when they see someone leading the US who doesn’t agree with many of their opinions, they are deeply disturbed. I’m not saying they shouldn’t be disturbed. But let us ask ourselves this question: What happens when God chooses to begin to give the nations of the earth over to their own desires?
At what point does he look at the US, which exports pornography, materialism, and selfish ambition, and say, “okay, have it your way.”
I think, perhaps, He raises up a leader to empower them in humanism, in a love of false peace of mind, material prosperity, and shallow religious ideals. (Yes, I think Barack Obama supports all of those agendas). God raises up leaders that reflect the spirit of the people they lead. From Babylon to Rome, Germany to America, His dealings have been just. Our leader looks just like us.
Some may cry, “Foul! I didn’t vote for him! He’s not my President!”
I would say, didn’t you vote each time you chose convenience over love? (That is the root of abortion by the way). Have you ever voted for self-comfort over the welfare of the one in need? Or indulged in gluttony or cursed your neighbor? Do we really believe we’ve “earned” a righteous leader because we’ve been so faithful ourselves?
Is not each implicit agreement with darkness a vote for a leader who will encourage sin and speak out against God’s righteousness? To the outraged, I’d ask: In the last five years, have you offered your money or time to serve Hollywood or network television, bad trees that cannot produce good fruit?
The bottom line: God is just, and gives us the leaders that we deserve. Our job? Honor them by praying for their minds and hearts to come into God’s purpose; and pray that in His mercy – he will give us a leader we don’t deserve. That is, a leader who rules in righteousness, justice, and with compassion for the weak.
With that, I present a challenge to all those who follow Jesus who may stumble upon this post: For the next month, do not say a single negative thing about our President, but instead, take the words which would have been used to complain or lament – and turn them into intercession on President Obama’s behalf.
Of course, I expect/hope for vigorous commentary on my thoughts here. For those who read me on Facebook, you are welcome to comment there but I’d prefer you comment directly on my blog: kylegebhart.wordpress.com
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So, after my last trip back to my hometown, I brought back a box with various elementary school papers, report card, artwork, etc.
In it I found a ‘pledge’ that apparently I was told to sign by the teacher in my ‘gifted program’ (extra credit nerd class, if you were home schooled or are unfamiliar with such things). I guess I signed it at the end of the year as a committment over the summer, this was at the end of fourth grade, here are a few key points:
1) I now realize that the greatest power in the world is the power of knowledge.
2) I want to be smart. Dumb, misinformed people go through life missing so many rewards that could be theirs.
(skipping a few more mundane ones here)
7) I will set aside time each day to think about my future, to discuss it with people I respect and to work on accumulating knowledge that can guarantee that future.
8 ) I pledge this to those who love me and are trying to help me succeed. More important, I pledge it to myself.
Wow.
By the grace of God I’ve broken every one of the above ‘promises’ I’m happy to say, in spite of the attempts to brainwash me.
It still amazes me that the single lie told by the serpent in the garden gets so much airtime: “eat from the tree of knowledge and you will be as god”. It’s ironic to me to find this little blast from the past, especially, in light of the fact that I’ve been spending a lot of time praying out of 1 Corinthians chapter one. What is God’s opinion on the value of ‘knowledge and self-knowledge’?
For the [knowledge/message] of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.”
Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe…we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block…and foolishness…, but to those whom God has called…Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength.
The depths of mans arrogance, pride, self-deceit, and depravity are seen most clearly in their belief that human knowledge is the answer to life. In pursuing knowledge, men will find only destruction and death. In acknowledging that Christ’s merciful gift on the cross, they will be set free. The tragedy, of course, is that most people would rather die feeling smart than live feeling weak. Good luck with that.
Bad news if you choose to pursue that path, in the moment of death, when you see the ruler of the universe (and the judge of all) you will realize that he himself choose the path of the cross, that is the path of weakness. And then you will realize that living in luxury and power on the earth is, in fact, the depths of foolishness. Check out Luke 16:19-31 for details.
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There’s no play on words there, I’m not saying “home with the Lord” or being cute. I simply mean as I’ve watched and listened to opinions on this the last few weeks that I truly believe she should probably just go be with her parents. I’ve been waiting for the courts to rule one way or the other before I chime in.
First of all, Proverbs 18:17, “The first to present his case seems right, till another comes forward and questions him.” Or, to put it in a more vernacular way, “there are two sides to every story.” Most of the people I’ve talked to about Rifqa have only heard her YouTube testimony. I listened to her, and she seems very zealous and sincere, though I noted (unless I missed something) that she didn’t mention in her testimony fearing for her life related to her parents killing her.
More to the point, I found a few interviews with her parents from various news outlets. From my vantage point, they seem like distressed parents who love their daughter and just want her back. Maybe my discernment is off and they are just very manipulative and good actors – but it certainly helped me to see that they at least are human beings – not a nameless Islamic conspiracy.
However, most of the people I’ve talked to about Rifqa’s case have not heard her parent’s side of the story – until they do it will be easy (as he proverb says) to simply take her side as the “right” one. If you haven’t heard her parents’ side – I would strongly encourage you to do so. As a side note, the information which I encountered about Rifqa’s lifestyle does not seem to indicate that this girl was a victim of ‘radically religious’ parents who would heartlessly kill her. Her parents let her go out for cheerleading. They didn’t make her wear a burkha. These are not signs that indicate her life was at risk.
Secondly, I think we can trust the courts to protect this girls life (I’m not saying not to pray for her though). The Florida judge is sending her back to Ohio to let the case be judged in that state. He made the right and reasonable decision there. The judge who examines the case in Ohio will not send Rifqa back into a situation where her life is seriously at risk, no sane judge would do that. Even if he is a wicked man, it would be the biggest professional mistake he ever made to send this girl to her death. Simply on the basis of his own self-preservation the judge will protect Rifqa. In the end, it may not matter at all, because if the legal hassles take long enough she could be 18 before it’s all decided.
Thirdly, Rifqa’s case should never have become the media firestorm it has become. Cases with minors are ’sealed’ so that they are protected from this sort or media frenzy – it just creates a lot of noise that makes it more difficult for the courts to help the family reconcile. There were mistakes made, and now it is being tried in the court of public opinion. A girl this young – and her family – do not benefit at all from the amount of public scrutiny which they are enduring.
Finally, though I love teenagers, they are not necessarily the best judges at times of what is true and false. I remember being a teenager. Often I felt things to be true that were in fact not so; or felt them with an intensity which did not accurately reflect the real situation. I’m not saying that she is insincere, but could it be possible that she is a little…dramatic?
Again, this is another reason cases involving minors are best kept quiet, and not brought into the public media chaos. Very few people (much less teenagers) have the maturity and restraint to interact with the public sphere in a way that maximizes truth and minimizes emotionalism.
Again, I’m not saying that we should stop praying for her – she faces a difficult journey no matter how this situation turns out. I will say that we should also pray for reconciliation with her parents. Wouldn’t it be awesome if she could live with, serve, and love her parents into the faith?
Eph. 6:1
“Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother”—which is the first commandment with a promise—”that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.”…Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men, because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does…”
(the last few verses Paul was saying specifically to people who were slaves, but I personally feel they can apply to servanthood in the kingdom in general).
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I love qualifiers. I really love qualifiers when I’m writing on the internet. The internet is trouble, serious trouble. The real trouble is outlined in James 3:8, “the tongue in a restless evil” – the internet is a megaphone and a concrete record of that evil. From blogs, to YouTube, Twitter, status updates and ‘comments’, most of the words are poison.
A couple times a year I receive an email that tells me about a new movie coming out, in this movie Jesus and disciples are portrayed as homosexuals. It is a piece of spam that has been recycled dozens of times, the person receiving it is disgusted and shocked – then forwards it to their entire address book – it is a complete hoax, yet it lives on…
When I get these emails, I find the link to a website which debunks them I send that link to the person who sent me the email. I ask them to send out the truth to everyone they just spammed…(and to please never send me an email such as that without doing a basic fact-check.) I hope that the truth is sent out with as much energy as the spam. However, I’m aware the the truth is rarely as gripping.
This toxic environment is why I love qualifiers. When I qualify I admit that I don’t possess the truth in myself. I admit that there are inevitable errors in judgment, facts I overlooked (or intentionally ignored), ‘truths’ which may be more consequential than the truth I’m highlighting. Some qualifiers, in the right place at the right time, can actually disarm people and drive a point home.
I’m getting ready to offer some political and social commentary on the Health Care bill, on the right-wing conservative response to it, and about my deep concerns over all of the above. I feel strongly that there are some voices from the Christian community that have failed and have become sources of destructive rhetoric. These voices sometimes even claim a degree of divine inspiration. My opinion is that there are many who simply don’t like Democrats, liberals, and our President; and that these people veil their language in ‘inspiration’ in an attempt to justify their malice. I’m concerned we will repeat the errors of the Clinton era; a mistake which I feel would incur God’s judgment for our gossip, backbiting, and lack of humility.
If anything, this era in American is a time for deep, heart-felt, humility. It is time to fight the good fight of faith remembering that patient, long-suffering love never fails.
I can say with a clear conscience that I have not spoken of our President, or the current Democratic Congress (or Nancy Pelosi) in a manner which I feel would displease the Lord. Unfortunately I have encountered many Christians who have spoken in ways which I found to be destructive or malicious. My prayer is that the Body of Christ in the US would be found in unity with Jesus in this issue. More to follow in the next weeks.
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a few choice tidbits that made me laugh:
“I’ve talked about your parents’ responsibility for making sure you stay on track, and get your homework done, and don’t spend every waking hour in front of the TV or with that Xbox.”
“I know that sometimes, you get the sense from TV that you can be rich and successful without any hard work — that your ticket to success is through rapping or basketball or being a reality TV star, when chances are, you’re not going to be any of those things.”
“Maybe you could be an innovator or an inventor – maybe even good enough to come up with the next iPhone…”
“Students who sat where you sit 20 years ago who founded Google, Twitter and Facebook and changed the way we communicate with each other.”
Apple, Google, Microsoft (Xbox), Twitter and Facebook gotta be loving it…well, maybe not Xbox, that was a little bit of a negative reference I suppose…
All in all, I really like a speech, there is very little that I disagree with or wouldn’t feel like I could say to students…now, I wonder if they are going to see the speech at TDA?
click here to read full speech.
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She lives alone with her cat, named pebbles, and she’s never been kissed. This is her audition for England’s version of “American Idol.”
Check out Susan Boyle, if you haven’t heard of this woman, than this link is guaranteed to make you smile.
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Not.
Just heard noise about a federal bill (HR 875) before Congress. The noise was that this bill would end backyard food gardening. Thankfully, it is just alarmist language being thrown around by the beleaguered organic and raw foodies.
The bill (called the Food Safety Modernization Act of 2009) was created as a response to the recent contamination problems within peanut butter, lettuce and spinach which transmitted e. coli to American homes.
The bill, essentially, requires anyone who sells food to register with the US government, receive an identification number, and potentially be subject to inspections by federal employees. Failure to comply with regulations could bring a $1,000,000 fine.
Apparently the bill’s sponsor (Rep. Rosa DeLauro [D-CT]) is married to a Monsanto employee. The conspiracy minded foodies out there have concluded that it is a secret ‘agro-industrial’ plot to prevent us from growing our own food and put CSA’s and Farmer’s Markets out of business. This is not only an unfounded accusation against the Representative, but inflammatory rhetoric. Ironically, this bill has not just polarized the left, but is also making the reactionary right nervous
So, if you get an email about the ‘end of home gardens’ – be aware that you are probably receiving some of the propaganda spreading through the internet and not an accurate of the actual congressional bill. This website has a more moderate analysis of the bill’s purpose. (It almost sounds like they read through the bill themselves…like I did!)
The problem with food contamination is actually because the food distribution system is already too centralized. When one link in the massive food distribution system gets contaminated, it spreads like wildfire to tens of thousands of products and people. The idea that the government plans to step in to make it even more centralized (shiver)…
Local (decentralized) growers maintain genetic diversity and create long-term, personal relationships with their customers, thereby assuring a greater accountability in the safety and quality of their products.
If you are a local grower, you are probably involved with the cultivation of that food from seed to market. You probably feed your family with it. You sell to your friends and neighbors. The bonds of friendship alone ‘protect’ your customers. Of course, it’s also very bad for business to make your customers sick.
I dislike this bill not because it will ‘put organic farmers out of business’ but because it will put the US government even more directly in control of our food resources. It is another example of the US government exhibiting a patronizing attitude towards the American people. In ‘protecting’ us they create a paternalistic dependence.
The ability for humanity to sustain itself with some seeds, sunlight, good soil and a little water has been a most basic skill for all of recorded history. The US government wants to help us now to make sure we don’t make ourselves sick because we eat a bad apple. Do we really need their help with this? In any case, I’m sure that by the time the bill makes it to the floor vote some language ‘de-regulating’ home gardens and small growers will be included. There are probably 15 home gardeners on the Agriculture sub-comittee alone.
The bottom line is that government control of a nation’s food supply is a slippery slope to go down. Though I don’t agree with the tone or rhetoric of the organic fanatics out there – I agree that this is a very unfortunate bill to rule over us if it passes Congress. I might even call it a sign of the times.
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So, I jumped on the twitter wagon to see what it’s all about. Click here to follow me…
One of the things that got me interested was the fact that Claire McCaskill updates on Twitter – interested in keeping up with the day-to-day of her maneuvers in Washington.
Hope to hear from ya if your tweeting.
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I’m nothing, if not a social critic. I watch people. I offer (often unsolicited) commentary on their actions and reactions – and fight against slightly cynical tendencies in the process. And I’m not sentimental. Precious Moments? My sworn enemies. Cliche’s and warm fuzzies? I gag on them.
My thought today, however, is the strange glory that is the Facebook Birthday Party. I signed up with facebook last year – and was thrilled to gain over 78 friends in a single day. It felt good, all that friendliness. And today – opening my FB to discover that I have at least 38 fans (and the day is still young!) Who says the Internet isolates and alienates people from one another! Shame on them.
So a quick thanks to those who chimed in to celebrate that awesomeness that is me. And a reminder that I do have an amazon wish list if you want to take it to the next level.
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