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I really cannot think of anything to say, but that last blog is a week old, and seems a trifle stale. Thus this entry shall functional as the elctro-verbal equivalent of a burst of disinfecting air freshener spray! :-)
A couple people are engaged, on the off chance you haven't yet heard.
I should get to go to Ohio for Thanksgiving; David and I will drive up, leaving next Tuesday afternoon (or possibly Wednesday morning, but hopefully Tuesday).
It's been two and half months now that I've been unemployed; I cannot help but wonder what God has planned. However, he has never failed me before, so I've got to keep trusting him.
I continue trying to use my unemployed time in various productive ways. Next Monday evening I will be volunteer for the Tampa Bay FC booster club by helping run the concession stand at the FC gym during a basketball game. Bet you never expected to see me doing that, eh? :-) I've also learned more (a tiny bit) about auto maintenance, and developed a morsel of knowledge about audio editing, among other things.
That's all I can think of right now.
Ta ta,
JTE |
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Do you know what that is? It's a map!
Yes, it is.
It shows presidential election results by county, red counties for McCain, blue counties for Obama. Now, Obama won because the blue counties tend to places of heavy population concentration, thus carrying those states. What this map illustrates is that there was no massive cultural shift toward socialism/Obama; a huge part of the country (geographically a majority!) remains conservative (or at least non-socialist).
I thought it was a cool map. So there! :-) |
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I wish I could say something that would help people feel better about the recent election results...but I don't know what that would. Others on Pleo have made some good posts; go read them. :-) I have a different reflection to share.
I have been impressed by this thought in the last couple days. As I have observed the reactions to the election of soon-to-be President Obama, I think I can place the reactions of his supporters into two general categories.
First is the "triumphal entry," response, shouting and crying and singing and cheering, exclaiming, "Hurray, hosanna, Obama won!"
Second is the Anna/Simeon response, "Oh, I can die happy now that have seen the coming of messiah-king Obama."
Unlike JFK, who from what I understand didn't experience full apotheosis until after his death, President Obama seems already well on his way to godhood, currently attaining to at least angelic status.
It's a bit scary to me to see people so wrapped in one man, to see their emotions roused from their (dare I say) faith in this man. And they DO have faith in him, faith in his great promises, faith that he will solve problems and do great deeds for them.
It is relatively easy for us to see how so much trust in a mere man is wrong in this situation. Let us use this as warning to ourselves, though. Our trust ought to be in God alone. Obama is a "popstar," a celebrity, surrounded by a cult of personality. As Christians, the only personality to whom we should ever be devoted is Jesus.
No matter how loving and knowledgeable and wise (and perhaps charismatic!) a Christian might be, we must NEVER let such a one's likability cloud our judgment, or distract us so that we begin to look to him as a source of authority over God. No matter how conservative and constitutional and godly some politician appears to be, we must never let ourselves makes such people into messiah-figures, on whom we place hopes for the salvation of the republic.
The behavior of Obama supporters has brought all this to mind, but I also know from personal experience that it can be disturbingly easy to become overly wrapped up in the charisma of mere men, making it difficult to rightly judge their words and deeds, or subtly shifting to them some of the trust that ought to be reserved for God alone. As I said, it is easy to see the folly of the Obama supporters who see him as a messiah (even Obama turns out to be a truly great president, I don't think he can live up the expectations out there for him). Let learn from their mistake, and take care not to let our judgment be clouded by personalities and charisma. We must keep focused on, and keep trusting in, Jesus.
Acts 4:12 "And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved."
Thanks for "listening."
JTE |
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It nice that the results of the election (bad as they are) are at least clear-cut enough that no legal battles over voting fraud are necessary. |
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It's a sad day for this country.
Fortunately our hope rests in our eternal home with God, based on the certainty that Jesus was raised from the dead. So we need not be totally emotionally invested in things like this.
This is bad, but it's not the end of the world. Look at the long-term. The long, slow slide of the United States into socialism has been going on for about a hundred years (yes, President-elect Obama IS a socialist). In the last several decades, there has begun another long, slow, gradual shift back in more conservative direction. The election of Obama may be a setback, but it's not the end.
As others have mentioned tonight, we ought to remember that our God has a great talent for bringing good out of evil events.
One happy thing is the the marriage amendment for the Florida state constitution DID pass! Small consolation, but consolation nonetheless.
I cannot help but wonder if this what this country deserves...remember, it was the people of Israel who chose Omri for king...foolish people have chosen poorly, and they'll get poor leadership in consequence... |
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