the thoughts that I have about today. It was an incredible display of Christ’s grace but I’m not sure that I’m capable of describing it in a way that makes much sense to me.
So many thoughts have been running through my mind lately about things. Yeah, things, all kinds of things but things. Mostly things spiritual but also observations about the things I read while browsing blogs and such. Why are conservatives, who overwhelmingly say that they in some form or fashion Christian, so negative? Makes no sense. Methinks they need to read their Bibles.
Class was cool. JM was there today and picked up the slack when my voice went awry. The group session was good because of that. But isn’t that what it’s all about? Picking each other up? Of course it is.
Then in class, I just had to go with the flow. I struggled all week with the material we had to cover and then spend 4-5 hours trying to come up with a lesson plan. Finally, I gave up and just tried to ask questions about the material. And the guys had some great observations, the conversation was good.
The pastor had a very good sermon this morning but one that is probably not at the top of the ratings list. It was about hell, a subject frequently avoided by most Christians today. He was discussing the passage in Luke when the rich man wanted Lazarus to go tell his family about hell. He also talked about the fact that we cannot change yesterday, no matter how much we want to.
Almost didn’t go this evening because 2 came in from Austin but things worked out to where I did. And I’m so glad I did, I had such joy singing tonight. And afterwards I went and had coffee with a hurting soul, CH. My is he hurting. I don’t know why some people have such a difficult time with the gospel. I can see the reality of Paul’s words about it being a double edge sword when I talk to CH.
This is a desperate man, a man who finds himself near the bottom of a bottomless pit. I think that he is sincere when he talks about suicide, drugs, addiction and losing his family. Some aren’t and only use those things to gain favor or pity with someone. But looking into his eyes, you feel his pain.
We discussed choices and the fact that it really isn’t hard. He’s bought into the line that life is a struggle and while I agree with that because life is indeed hard, it doesn’t have to be. The choice is his to make tomorrow when he wakes up, do I allow the Holy Spirit to control me or do I allow Satan. It really is simple. But can seem so hard when you are so far, far away.
I thank God for the privilege of talking with CH tonight. I will pray for him and have made a commitment to contact him daily this week. Will you pray for him?
I’d be curious to hear an expanded (more specific) version of what you’re getting at there. While in general I do believe that a positive attitude is important, there are times when, politically, I think it’s time to take the gloves off and defeat the enemy with all due haste.
Liberalism is my enemy. Any time I have a chance to make liberals look stupid with their own words it behooves me to do so. I don’t consider that a negative attitude though. I consider that being willing to fight for what I believe is right, which is a positive thing IMO. Compassionate conservatism is dead to me and always has been. I would welcome the era of the streetfighting conservative.
What I’m specifically talking about are the people that whine and moan about everything a politician does or doesn’t do. The vicious attacks on a person, the /spit type of remarks, the barely hidden curse word type names they call them. And never, ever have a positive solution, just looking for the next thing to gripe about.
Look at the Cornyn situation as an example. I’m tired of the rhetoric over substance from people, not politicians. Politicians have to represent all people, not just what some people consider to be their base or core group.
Or listen to the calls to expel Muslims from America for being….Muslim! I cannot understand that in a million years. But people are saying that.
Liberalism is not my enemy. I can’t even define conservatism, much less liberalism. I know specific policies that I don’t like and think are bad for the country but I don’t think that I can define the entire set of liberal ideas as bad. For instance, I don’t much like public schools but I cannot deny that the US has prospered because of them. And there is a long list of those types of policies that have made the country great.
As for compassionate conservatism, it’s a shame that it had to marketed as such because conservatives were not and are not doing the things that Christianity teaches. So, in that way, I agree with you.
But, if I were to be able to look down at my tombstone, I’d much prefer “here lies a compassionate man” to “here lies a conservative man”.
BigJ,
From the Christian perspective, everything you say makes perfect sense to me. From the political perspective, it’s bilgewater. I do my utmost to keep the two separate in my mind.
I suppose I’ve been called worse. To each their own. I don’t try to separate my Christian life from any other aspect of my life. It is my life. My whole life. Christ is my guiding light and source of all that is good for me. When I allow Satan to control me, I lose and those around me lose. I know this because I’ve seen the results of both.
I choose Christ.
Not calling you bilgewater BigJ, just your opinion on that particular matter. I think you know that. My opinions and my person have both been called much worse than “bilgewater”. I meant nothing personal in my use of the term, and it’s easier to type than “neo-maxi-zoon-dweebie” so I just went with it.
🙂