PLEASE Read This!

A Facebook friend shared this blogpost today. It is amazing insight into how it feels to be poor and always have to tell your children, "No." Things are a little better for us now...but that's because my husband works 60+ hours a week, just to pay the bills. 

And while we have never used EBT assistance, I have completed the application twice, yet felt a firm "No" from my Abba that, at least for us, food assistance was not how He would provide. I am a huge advocate for those that need it though. Is the system perfect? No. But unless neighbors, families, churches and friends are going to walk beside people for the long haul, there will always be a need for the system.

Children do sometimes need to be told no. But envision a world where you could never buy anything but necessities, could not even buy extra flour or sugar to make an extra treat, couldn't afford any movies, video games, books or toys, could never afford new shoes or clothes for your child and never had gas money for anything except getting to work, the store, school and maybe church and...now ask yourself how long your kids could go without ever being told, "Yes, you may have that treat."

Are you beginning to understand? If not, next time my 10 year old is crying because we have no money for scouts, dance lessons, etc. I'll gladly send you a video so you can see first hand how it feels.

I am thankful for an Abba who loves me...who loves us all...and recently suggested to me that I stop saying, "No, we can't afford that," but rather suggest an alternative instead. Today when the waterworks poured forth at her creative, social brain's perceived slights to her childhood, I was prompted to share with her how we are attempting to learn to live more simply. As we more fully embrace this lifestyle Jesus is calling us to...when He frees up money for us, "won't it be a great thing to be able to help others live, eat and grow too?"

She agreed...that would be a pretty awesome thing.




***I feel so strongly about this, I am posting the link again so you will read it.***
http://withthefamily5.blogspot.com/2013/10/why-i-buy-red-vines-with-my-ebt-card.html#comment-form

The "Starting" Line

What we all like to envision when we think of school.

Dale, Noah, and I had a great conversation with one of the guys that lives in Philadelphia with The Simple Way the last night of our stay. Coe perfectly summed up what frustrates me with this blind spot toward poverty that most U.S. Christians have. He said basically, "We have this misconception that we all begin at this same starting line and that this is some big race to the finish. We think that 'you should be able to pull yourself up by your bootstraps because I did'...neglecting the fact that they were mostly likely born to a mother that was maybe 16, who was desperately looking for something that was missing inside of herself, isn't educated and doesn't have the means to care for them."

Later in the conversation, I remarked that sometimes we forget that maybe they can't pull themselves up, because they never had the boots to begin with.

Then yesterday, a Facebook friend posted this article, from BillMoyers.com discussing how all of the reforms for schools that are spreading like wildfire are doing nothing to actually help students. Instead, it's lining the pockets of corporate America and making the disparity in education even worse.

The reality for TOO many children. The photo description says these are children at an East St. Louis school. Possibly recess?

The author points to the real issue though...poverty! Because I know not many will take the time to read the article, I'm sharing several quotes below. But one question has been persistently nagging me for the last week as I, albeit briefly, interacted with Christ followers who have chosen to live in the ghetto and love "the least of these": When did we...as the people of God...decide to swallow the lie that corporate America has fed us? That somehow because a person is desperately poor and ill-equipped to care for themselves, it must entirely be their own fault?

I know those questions may offend most Christians I know...shoot...they offend me! But the Holy Spirit is patiently calling me to let go of trying to please others so I can have friends and instead, listen to His Voice, crying out for those who can no longer cry!

• "Are we really expected to believe that it’s just a coincidence that the public education and poverty crises are happening at the same time? Put another way: Are we really expected to believe that everything other than poverty is what’s causing problems in failing public schools?"

• "In 2011, for instance, Stanford University’s Sean Reardon released a comprehensive study documenting the new “income achievement gap.” The report proved that family income is now, by far, the biggest determining and predictive factor in a student’s educational achievement."
• "One way to appreciate this reality in stark relief is to just remember that, as Barkan shows, for all the claims that the traditional public school system is flawed, America’s wealthiest traditional public schools happen to be among the world’s highest-achieving schools. Most of those high-performing wealthy public schools also happen to be unionized. If, as “reformers” suggest, the public school system or the presence of organized labor was really the key factor in harming American education, then those wealthy schools would be in serious crisis — and wouldn’t be at the top of the international charts. Instead, the fact that they aren’t in crisis and are so high-achieving suggests neither the system itself nor unions are the big factor causing high-poverty schools to lag behind. It suggests that the “high poverty” part is the problem."
• "For corporations served by the existing economic paradigm and for the politicians and activists those corporations underwrite, such a conversation is simply unacceptable because changing the policies that create poverty and inequality potentially threatens their existing financial power and privilege. Thus, those corporations, politicians and activists in the “reform” movement do whatever they can — bash teachers, scream strong-but-meaningless words like “accountability,” criticize public school structures, etc. — to shift the education conversation away from poverty and inequality."
• "With poverty and inequality intensifying, a conversation about the real problem is finally starting to happen. And the more education “reformers” try to distract from it, the more they will expose the fact that they aren’t driven by concern for kids but by the ugliest kind of greed — the kind that feigns concerns for kids in order to pad the corporate bottom line."

I "Choose Joy...

...Because Happiness Isn't Enough"

This is the title of an upcoming four week study our women's ministry is doing. It starts the last week of this month. We've already signed up, reserved childcare and have looked forward to getting together for one last hurrah before the summer begins.

But the irony is not lost on me that this study was written by Kay Warren. Yes, the Kay Warren, wife of Rick who has been in the news the last few days...sadly because of the suicide of her 27 year old son. We've all just learned that the Warrens' son suffered from depression and mental illness for most of his life. When our women's director was promoting the upcoming study, she shared with us that Kay wrote this study out of her own struggle with depression and her battle with cancer.

It seems that her joy is, once again, being put to the test.

And evidently, the onslaught is not only from this terrible tragedy that has fallen upon their family. I have read posts from both Gregory Boyd (see article by Frank Viola Rick Warren's Horrific Tragedy) and Beth Moore (see "Sadness and Madness") and discovered that apparently the Warren's are being attacked by people who call themselves Christians. [If you don't take the time to read both of these articles, I can summarize for you that both blog posts condemn the hateful, spiteful things being said of and to the Warrens.]

For what they are being attacked, I do not know. In what state of mind could you ever possibly believe that God would condone expressing hatefulness to someone that has just lost their son. I read some of the comments that Mr. Viola quoted and stopped...because I just don't want to hear (read) it!!!

I can never think of a time in Holy Scriptures when Jesus told us to kick a person when they're already down. In fact, Beth Moore says it best I believe with this quote: "There's a bigger issue in the Body of Christ than immorality. It's hatefulness. If the greatest priority Christ assigned to us was love, the gravest offender is hate."

Lord, LORD...help us overcome the hate, malice and spite of this world and continue Your work of ushering  in the Kingdom of Heaven. That Kingdom is one of indescribable, boundless, immeasurable Love!

It seems to be the fashionable thing to bully and discredit someone with whom we do not share the exact same views. It happens too often and quite frankly, is beginning to make me nauseous. The past election season was...in my opinion...one of the most detrimental phases in the American church for the cause of Christ. Or, at least in my lifetime. I did not find one redeeming comment from Christians anywhere. I even had discussions of disagreement and I believe lost potential friendships because of my words of caution and care for our witness to a lost and dying world.

It seems that ever since the political rhetoric began flying about a year ago, there has been a ceaseless barrage of condemnation, retaliation and alienation from people who call themselves my brothers and sisters in Christ. And I don't even need to single out a cause...you name it...Gay Marriage, Gun Control, Entitlement Programs, Obamacare, the Budget Issues, Evolution v. Creationism, Abortion and on and on and on.

I have seen tirades both for and against each and every one of these issues...and I am disgusted with it all!

When it's a slow news day, I guess we've run out of things to rail against so the sights have been set on Christians instead. It's happened before...Ann Voscamp, Brennan Manning, Eugene Peterson, even Richard Foster, for pete's sake, have all been called, "new age" and "theologically unsound". Really? Are you perfect 100% of the time? Yeah...that's what I thought...neither am I!

So my tirade is this: Shut up!

And please...Quit using God's Word as a platform to walk hand in hand with evil!!

You know what...I'm choosing Joy instead...why don't you try it too. You just might be surprised.


***For further reading, try the Book of James. He has a lot to say about taming the tongue, judging your neighbor, speaking against and judging our brethren, catering to the rich while ignoring the poor and that we need to be very mindful that the Judge is standing right at the door***

Dishonor

This is a tough one...but I'll try. The tough thing about this topic is not writing about it...it's keeping my temper in check. Curious? Read on. Not in the mood to look in the mirror? Stop reading here and come back when you're ready. And yes, I'm looking in the mirror too.

There is a passage in James 2 where I become teary almost every time I say it.

"But you have dishonored the poor man." (James 2:6a)

Actually, there is a lot leading up to and following after this one small sentence and in order to understand why my temper needs checked and I'm teary when I say or read it...I'm going to have to explain a little...or a lot. Please bear with me.

This one line follows hot on the heels of James 1:19-21 where we have been strongly cautioned to be "quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to anger." (verse 19) James also reminds us that our anger doesn't accomplish "God's righteousness". (verse 20) Dictionary.com defines righteousness as "the quality or state of being just or rightful." So our anger...no matter how "righteous" we may think it may be...does not bring about God's justice, morality or uprightness (also as defined on dictionary.com). 

I believe this warning to check our anger...also called "setting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness"  and to instead "in humility, receive the word implanted" (verse 21) is one that greatly needs to be heeded by the American church culture. This is not the first time I've shared my frustration over what was plastered all over Facebook during the political election season. Too many times to count I was ashamed at the anger, divisiveness and nastiness that was spoken (in our culture...that means typed) by people calling themselves Christians. 

The huge sigh of relief I felt after the election was short-lived, as now, almost two months later comments are still being made! Ugh!...is the only word that will sometimes express my feelings. Unfortunately, I've had to unsubscribe from more than a few people just so I won't harbor anger and bitterness toward them. I would never "unfriend"...but I don't have to have their poison spewed all over my news feed! Enough said!

Or maybe not.

Because James goes on. In chapter 1 he not only tells us to "receive the word" but that we need to prove ourselves to be doers of it. Also, that I should never forget "the kind of person [I] was" (James 1:24) But one more warning that should smack us all out of our bitter jibes and deriding comments is this: "If anyone thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this man's religion is worthless." (James 1:26, emphasis mine) Maybe it's time we start "bridling" our keyboards too! 

Do you want to have "pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father"? Then James not only cautions us to bridle our outbursts...but to also "visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world." (James 1:27) How many people do you know that were pontificating on the evilness of one side or another (and still are), but have actually sat down with a single mom (a.k.a. the widows of our society) or latch-key or fatherless kids (a.k.a. the orphans of our society) and tried to understand why they feel a sense of entitlement or despair? Yeah...I don't know very many who've done this either.

And right before James makes me teary and sad about how we "dishonor the poor man". He warns us yet again to not get too high and mighty about our faith. (see James 2:1-3) In fact, this segment of Scripture in the NASB is entitled "The Sin of Partiality". James wants us not to give favor to the rich and look down upon the poor because "Listen, my beloved brethren, did not God choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?" (James 2:5)

The question I keep wanting to ask when someone is concerned about "entitlement", "hand outs", "redistribution of wealth" and "lazy people that just want society to take care of them", is this: "Do you actually know any poor people?" 

I'm not talking about someone that gets posted on broadcast news, YouTube or elsewhere talking about how great it is to get all of this free help. I'm also not referring to someone that just can't afford to eat at a sit down restaurant. Nor am I alluding to someone that doesn't have the latest iPhone, iPad or accompanying fluff to go with it. No...I'm talking about have you actually sat down and had more than a 5 minute conversation with someone that has to scrape together money for gasoline so they can get to work...which is a job that pays less than $10 an hour (equal to only about $20,000 per year) and probably has to work a second job, has their kids in daycare or before and after school programs, might be in school part-time or full-time, has no husband paying child support, no medical insurance if they or their child gets sick and can't stay home if they are sick because they'll either miss much needed income or worse, lose their job. 

How many grandmas have you conversed with that are living on medicare and social security, raising their grandchildren and trying to help those kids sustain a standard of living that will keep them from being made fun of and bullied at school?

When was the last time you sat down,  held the hand of and prayed with someone who just needed a few forks, a couple of bowls, some decent clothes for a new job and maybe a pillow and blanket so the floor would be more comfortable?

It's been awhile for me too. But when I have, I have walked away not only humbled, but astounded at the ones that say, "No, it's alright...I don't need free food...I get food stamps. Leave it for someone that doesn't have help." They haven't asked for a new set of dishes or towels or sheets that match. They've been thankful and grateful to just get enough to get by.

Are there people that feel entitled to food, clothing, shelter and other assistance? Absolutely! Try taking all of that away from your family for a few weeks and see if you begin to feel like you should be entitled to it too.

And, yeah, yeah...I know there are chronic abusers...I've met a few. I am by no means excusing their laziness or brazen expectations for it to just be handed to them. I'm just hinting at this idea that maybe instead of making blanket statements about the thousands of poor in America (or billions around the world)...might it be more beneficial to sit down with them and find out why they have these behaviors and attitudes?

But see...that's the hard part isn't it? Actually entering into someone's life...messy life...is exactly what we try to avoid. But there is no shirking the responsibility that it is exactly what God calls us to do and Jesus lived out!

James, doesn't let this go and I don't want to either...if we claim to be Jesus followers, in our culture that's called a Christian, then James says our works will put feet to our faith. If we don't have works that match our faith then we are no better than the demons who believe in God. Oh wait! At least "the demons also believe and shudder." (James 2:19, emphasis mine) I've heard a lot of Christians use this passage against people who say they "believe" in a god but live lives contradictory to the Bible's teachings. Interestingly enough, it was actually written to Christians that said they had faith and had no works to back it up. Yes, the ones who were dishonoring the poor!

Is it maybe time for us to start doing some shuddering too?

My loving Abba, I am ashamed at the people we have become! Myself included! We are more concerned about our own comfort...our own toys...our own gluttonous "needs"...that we are more than willing to dishonor the poor with our words of accusation or judgment and our condemnation than we are to cry out for mercy, justice and love on their behalf. How patient and merciful You have been with us! May we never, ever stop looking in the mirror and remembering "what kind of person" we were! (James 1:24) Or maybe the person we would still be if not for your unconditional, undeserved Love! When we are tempted to wade into the filth and wickedness of this age and accuse people who do not know You of not living up to standards that we somehow, miraculously expect them to just understand and live by...may we shut our mouths...close up our keyboards and instead open up Your Word and our hearts to hearing how much YOU love them and want us to as well. May our anger and fear at what appears to be "unfair", "unjust" and "unequal" not drive us to social media and rants about political positions...but instead, may we be driven to our knees to intercede on behalf of the billions who are dying without the knowledge of an Abba who loves them without any limits. And when we've been on our knees long enough to have our hearts broken for the poor, the widow, the sick, the imprisoned, the orphan, the destitute and the outcast and yes...the clueless...in the same way that Your heart has been broken...may we rise up to become the people that you created us to be...a people that is known by our Love for one another. Lord, through your servant James, You have told us that 'blessing Your name and cursing men who have been made in Your likeness' should never come from the same mouth (James 3:9-10). Lord, may it not be so! Instead give us mouths full of praise for You and edification, mercy, hope and love for others. For we know there is no where else in this world they will find these but in You.

Amen!

After this...you may unfriend me. That's okay, if you feel the need to differ with my convictions. Eventually, the only posts that may come up on my Facebook news feed will be photos of grandkids, puppy dogs and cutesy little sayings about rainbows and butterflies. Actually...I'm okay with that too.

Okay...I'll FINALLY Wade In...

...well, not really.

But don't feel cheated...I still have an opinion...it's probably not the opinion you want to hear though. What do I mean? Well, odds are you're on one side of the fence or the other...at least if you live in the U.S. And many of you are firmly planted...deeply rooted...on that side. There in lies "the rub".

"Huh?" You may ask.

You see, I've intentionally avoided wading into the foray (a.k.a. muck!) of politics this year. This is the first presidential election where I've been active on Facebook and quite frankly, I'm pretty much sick of all the mud-slinging. First, I opted out of all the political ads that kept constantly coming up on my page. Facebook asks you why. I replied with the innocuous "repetitive" when what I really wanted to check was "offensive". Then there are all of the ads on local TV.

I grew up in Indiana during an age that on election night, all the news commentators threw up the Red Indiana (meaning Republican) before they'd even had their first commercial break. Presidential advertisements were not something to which I was accustomed. Then, just when Indiana gets interesting...we moved to Kentucky. You guessed it...in the last election the first state projected was the Red commonwealth of Kentucky. So you'd think I wouldn't have to worry much about the ads...and you'd be wrong. Our TV channels come from Cincinnati...as in Ohio...as in one of the most hotly contested states there is. And Cincinnati's airport happens to lie across the Ohio River and just down the road from my house. Big deal, right?

Well it is a big deal when the President, Mr. Romney, both of their VP wannabes and even the First Lady have made, to the best of my recollection, at least six visits to the Cincinnati area in the four weeks proceeding this one. Again...what's the big deal? Well, they shut down the interstate (both ways) for the 10 mile (sometimes more) stretch that lies between where they land...and where they need to be.

We Kentuckians get all of the inconvenience...and none of the fun of our votes actually mattering...or sought after. If I actually thought it would matter and if I could actually get anywhere near the motorcades without being taken out by security...I'd love to hold up a sign that reads, "Hey...what about us?" You'd think they could at least throw some candy out the window as they went by or something.

Okay, so those are some of my gripes...but the biggest one has come from the little people...yes...us! Too many times to count I've been honked off at something someone has posted on Facebook. I will not even dignify any of them with a reply. There's been a few times when I've been more than tempted. One of the best things I've seen posted though, came from a Facebook friend, Christi Marcotte. She posted How Would Jesus Vote? on her blog and I agreed with every word.

Actually, it seems like some of the hullabaloo has died down...but there's another debate tonight and I know it will rear it's ugly head soon so I think that's why I'm writing this.

You see...here's the main reason why I haven't posted anything on Facebook: No matter what I say...I am bound to offend someone...multiple someones.

My Facebook friends include ultra conservative right wingers and "just as far" to the left wingers too. I am connected to heterosexuals and homosexuals, some married...some single of each. I don't know for certain, but with over 400 "friends"...odds are I am "friended" by women who have protested abortion and some who have had abortions. I can recall that just recently, there were many that stood in line for hours at Chick-fil-a and many that protested Chick-fil-a. With a heart's passion for single moms, I have many connections to women that desperately need food stamps, government supported health care, free college grants and access to student loans, free school lunches for their kids, the tax-time child tax credits and earned income credits (both only available to working people) and any other available assistance as they work sometimes two jobs and go back to school to better themselves. But I recognize that I have just as many (maybe more) Facebook friends that strongly oppose and resent a lot of government assistance to whom they deem to be "lazy" and "noncontributing"...of which I know there are many in our society. To be fair...I also have a lot of single Facebook friends that probably feel extremely put off and slighted simply because they are not married, nor have any children so a lot of the mud-slinging about benefits, health care, extended family leaves, child tax credits, earned income credits, food stamps, etc....don't apply to them and yet they still have to help pay for them with their tax dollars.

Do you see my predicament? Now, isn't it obvious why I've not waded into the foray until now?

To be completely honest, most of the mud-slinging I've seen and also heard "live" has come from people who call themselves Christians. At first this made me mad...now, it just makes me sad. Don't get me wrong...if in "real life" you actually engage me in a conversation about politics...I am going to have a lot to say...good and bad about both sides. But two Thursdays ago, the women's ministry director at our church spoke some simple, yet powerful words to over 100 women attending our morning Bible study. Sue said something like, 'Remember...this is a place where we come to study God's Word...to come together and love each other and grow closer together as the Body of Christ. This is not a place to discuss politics. There are godly people on both sides of the issues and this is not the place to discuss it.' I could have shouted, "Amen!"

I know this is lengthy and if I haven't angered you too much, I'll go one further, because God says something similar. Yesterday, in my study of James...which has a LOT to say about our tongues by the way...Beth Moore directed her readers to another Scripture that I think I may just post on Facebook every day between now and the election:
     "If anyone advocates a different doctrine and does not agree with sound words, those of our Lord Jesus Christ, and with the doctrine conforming to godliness, he is conceited and understands nothing; but he has a morbid interest in controversial questions and disputes about words, out of which arise envy, strife, abusive language, evil suspicions and constant friction between men of depraved mind and deprived of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain." (I Timothy 6:3-5)

Beth Moore was asking for the "description of a person who does not submit to sound instruction." How it hit me, was "right between the Facebook eyes". As Christians we do need to submit to sound...godly wise, instruction and when we do, I believe, we will stop participating in a "morbid interest in controversial questions and disputes about words, out of which arise envy, strife, abusive language, evil suspicions and constant friction!" 

Before I got too "high and mighty" because I haven't been political this year, God's Spirit reminded me of my fascination with conspiracy theories, secret agendas and the like...and how they get me all riled up until I spew out the poison all over my husband who, quite frankly, doesn't want to hear it anyway. Keeping my heart and mind...my questions, passions, desires, wants, needs, fears, frustrations, pain, anger, happiness, contentment and even joy...constantly turning back to Him (where my focus should be anyway) and then why would I even begin to entertain the thought of posting something that would cause division or alienate even just one of the Facebook acquaintances or real friends I have?

So yeah...if you're a Christian...you may think I'm "copping out", "riding the fence", "afraid to stand up for the truth". My response? You may be right. But I know in a private conversation, I will gladly speak the Truth when the Holy Spirit prompts me to. As for the public forum? I just know that the only Truth in my life...doesn't need me to stand up for Him anyway...He's done a pretty good job of it since the beginning of time...I think He can handle the next few weeks without me alienating anyone that He is concurrently attempting to draw to Him.

He is Love...and there's no two sides about it! Amen!

Politics

Yeah...I know...one of the two things you're never supposed to discuss with people. But since the other one is religion and that's the prevailing theme of this blog, I thought I'd dive in!

In Reversed Thunder, one of Eugene Peterson's chapters is entitled "The Last Word on Politics". It's an interesting perspective on politics according to the Kingdom of God.

"The political metaphor of kingdom invites misunderstanding because all the politics that we know require the exercise of power, either through the manipulation of force (militarism) or the manipulation of words (propaganda), and usually both. We quite naturally assumed that if there is a Kingdom of God there will also be coercion by God, and will not be hesitant in exercising some of it ourselves, either verbally or physically, on his behalf."

Ouch!

"Two temptations exert a powerful pull on the Christian community. One is to retain the political dimensions of the gospel and to take up the usual political means, namely, force. Instead of riding that silly donkey, Jesus should have charged into Jerusalem on a stallion and let a few heads roll. The other is to give up the political and have a nice little fellowship--cultivate a faith that more or less abandons the world of government, economics, culture, and society, and settle for saving a few souls."

I confess...I primarily fall into the latter of these two categories. But I know a whole lot of people that fall into the first...those who think if we just get the right man in the right office, the U.S. will turn toward God, He will bless our nation and all will be well.

Don't get me wrong, this is a nice hope and I'm the first to admit I'd love to be blessed (usually that means financial blessing when people are talking about our nation) and I would be thrilled for us to all live in peace. But I guess I'm just naive enough to believe that God doesn't need a specific person to complete His purposes.

Now I know in the eyes of many I'm being very rebellious suggesting such a thing. There may even be some who would suggest that I'm either unpatriotic or not a committed Christian. All I can say is that I know in my heart neither could be farther from the truth!


If you've been reading recently, you'll know that I've been working as a tax preparer this winter and spring. One of the questions I hate to ask is: "Would you like to designate $3 to the Presidential Election Campaign Fund?" Nine out of ten times it evokes comments about our President, Congress, or how we'd all just be better off without any of them. Trust me...I've heard it all this year. And the funny thing is, these clients of mine sound an awful lot like many of the Christians I know...or Christian organizations that have political agendas at least. I'm pretty sure as evidenced by other parts of the conversations I'm having,  90% of the people that make these political comments would not call themselves Jesus followers.

And here's the question I keep coming back to and the one I want you to ask yourself: At what point along the way did we buy into this lie that this world is our home?

I'm talking to Christians here...Bible-believing, faith-seeking, God-loving, Holy Spirit-filled, Jesus followers. Yes...we are called to further the Kingdom of God on earth as it is in Heaven. But we're also told over and over again that this world belongs to the Enemy of our souls. God's Kingdom on earth, as Gregory Boyd puts it in Is God to Blame?, is more like a pushing back...sometimes inch by inch...against the gates of hell. And Jesus even told us that the gates of Hades couldn't withstand the power of Jesus the Messiah. (see Matthew 16:16-18)

So I'm not advocating a total abandonment of politics. I do believe that Jesus taught us to pray "Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven." (KJV) (see Matthew 6:9-13) I believe it's entirely appropriate to be involved in our local communities. We should pray for our leaders--national, state and local. I also believe that if so led, Jesus followers should pursue public service, even politics, in any capacity that God requires.

But my prayer for all of us is that we simply don't ever lose sight of Whom we serve, the hope that we have in Him and His call to love all...even if their politics happen to be different from ours!