Here is is really good video on the current state of America. On their website is says that this was inspired by Paul Harvey's classic essay "If I were the devil."
Isn't that a powerful ending? He gets you almost worried that something like that might happen (unless you follow the news from people other then the mass media, in which case, you would already know a fair amount about what's going on), and then tells you that it is already happening. I emailed a friend of mine with whom I've made a couple of videos (one of which actually got finished), saying that I think it would be a great idea to make a video like this titled something like "If I wanted Christianity to fail" or "If I wanted the family to fail."
Sometimes listening to the news (like Limbaugh or Glenn Beck) can be almost bad for me because I'll start to get scared. Then it's like, "Okay...that's not trusting God" but there is a point to being aware and prepared, too. Tough times!
They are most certainly doing everything in their power (and doing it effectively, too) to make the family fail. From working moms to passive fathers, homosexuality so widely accepted and venerated, public schools indoctrinating children....
I agree! Glenn is the only news source that I follow with any regularity, and one of the main reasons is that he doesn't just complain about our current situation, but rather has solutions, and gives ideas about how we can be prepared. As opposed to people like Limbaugh and hannedy tend to complain a fair amount. And I find that even still, there are times when I start thinking "what are we going to do? What if such-and-such happens? Or if So-and-so does this?!?" but I have to still remember that God is in control, and while he's not going to make life a bed of roses, we can trust in him that he will carry us through this storm. ~Paul
Amen! Knowing that there's a Plan and a Master Mind to everything makes life so much easier....in the big things and the little things.
I don't get to listen to talk radio too much, but when I do, I get a kick out of Rush. I am certainly a "ditto-head" :D But I do like Glenn Beck, too. Did you see his video on how rock music was such a huge part of America's demise? He went through and analyzed Don McLean's "American Pie." Fascinating!! Here's the link in case you're interested...http://www.glennbeck.com/2012/02/09/american-pie-explained-by-glenn-beck-day-the-music-died/
I hurt my foot really bad yesterday and have been laid up on crutches. Normally, I am a very active girl, and I was starting to get really frustrated last night at this forced immobility. I had to just step back and think, "God has a plan here, this is just another trial to go through, and if I can do it with a good attitude, it will grow me."
It's the same deal with the bigger things...be it politics, family struggles, etc. And having Godly friends is such a blessing, too. I was kind of whining over email to a friend the other day, and all he emailed back was James 1:2-4. It was like getting hit over the head with a 2x4. Good stuff!
Isn't it just so comforting to know that there's Someone in control of everything!?!? Even when it seems that the world is coming apart at the seams, we can still trust that Our Creator is in complete control. Thought not just control, he's orchestrating it!
I don't ever get to listen to the radio (my car doesn't have an antena anymore, I think it probably used to, with one of the previous owners), so Glenn is pretty much my only news source, as well as the most trustworthy that I've found. I just recently upgraded my subscription to GBTV to the plus account, so that I could watch the documentaries that he's done on Islam and our borders, which are really good (the documentary's not our borders) I haven't watched that video, but I will in the morning, thanks for the link!
Ouch! I can sympathise with you somewhat. When I was about elevan, we were building a house, and I stepped (hard) on a nail that was sticking up. It put me off of that foot for a couple of days, though I didn't handle it as well as you did (I was pretty whiney back then). That's a great attitude to have!
My older bro Ross is teaching about once a month at our church through the book of James, so he's well aquatinted with those passages. They're a great reminder to me when things get hard, and I'm tempted to complain. Godly friends are invaluable! By far my closest friend is my second cousin (may as well be a first cousin). We have been corresponding via email regularly for quite a while, and I find it so helpful to be able to talk about things with her, because she often challenges things I say with questions, forcing me to think and study about my reasons for believing something, and not just assume.
Yeah...our borders are definitely not good . Since we live in Arizona, that's a big concern out here and something that we hear a lot about. Scary!
The book of James is so good. Lots of conviction and encouragement!
"Godly friends are invaluable!" Ohhhh yeah. My mind is in a whirl today from some deep conversation with a "Godly friend" who was really really challenging me on some of my political stances. I can see where he's coming from, but if I really decide that that's where God's leading me, it's going to be a radical change.
I have a lot to think about :) Especially since this is the first year I can vote! Responsibility....good and hard.
Wow. I just listened to the first video (I'll watch the second one once I'm finished painting). That is amazing. I would never have guessed that a song like that could have so many nuances and references! Almost every sentence was pointing to something, and had meaning. So much different than the songs that are being written today with choruses being repeated 4-5 times to fill time, and lyrics that aren't coherent. ~Paul
You mean if God's leading you into politics, as in running for office, or working on campagnes?
It's my first year to vote as well! My older brother and I are going to attend the the precinct delegate convention this week, and will be running to be delegates come this fall!
No no no... :D Just as far as what I believe about voting for a certain candidate...or in this case, not voting. I love politics and listening to some knowledge people discuss it is one of my favorite things - besides listening to a good theological discussion.
That's so neat that you all will be running to be delegates!! A friend of mine from church is really involved with politics and is planning on running at a later point in his life.
Though I don't know what situation you're in, I would advise that you don't not vote, because that's just about like handing your vote to Obama. I haven't looked into the third party candidates yet, but so far, the best candidate out there is Ron Paul. He's not as strong on social issues (homosexual marriage, etc), as I might like, but that might be a good thing, because it's not the FED's job to enforce things like that. It's a states job. The federal governments main jobs are dealing with how states interact with one another, and with the rest of the world, Which currently, are the things that it's about doing the worst job at. But hey! At least we get free health care!! (not!) So I'm curious, why don't you think you should vote? Is that perhaps something you could do a post on? It's a subject that has been going around our church as of late. Some of the people will vote, some are leaning more towards the "we're not of this world, so why should we vote" side of things.
I'm going to have to do this in two parts because it got too long *sheepish grin*
I can't do a post on it right now because I don't know what I think :p Maybe once I get some conviction here, I will.
I totally disagree with the whole "we're not of this world, so why should we vote" mentality. Scripture over and over again shows examples of Christians involved in politics. I mean, John the Baptist was killed for confronting the political ruler of his day.
Oh boy...now you got me going :)
How 'bout if I just tell you exactly what's going on....In the past, I have always really been against third parties because they have the potential to split the Republican vote and thus let the Democrat into office. I thought that since the person running as a Republican was the only one who had a chance, vote for him! Weelll...now it's looking like Romney will be the one up against Obama.
Let me just make this disclaimer: I honestly haven't looked up Romney's voting history, and so don't personally know a lot about the man. I'm going off of what I've heard others say...which can be dangerous unless you trust said others.
The whole controversy started when a good friend (David @ www.godscountryboy.blogspot.com) told me he would not vote for Romney. My first reaction was "WHAT?!?!? Then you're just giving your vote to Obama!" So we went back and forth for a while and then dropped it.
Then, Gabe Hudelson did this post http://allauthority.blogspot.com/2012/04/throwing-my-vote-away.html. I read it, rolled my eyes, and sent it to another friend who has always been very anti-third party in the past, too. To my utter surprise, he emailed back that he wouldn't be voting for Romney either.
So now I'm thinking, "Well, maybe there's something to this." The next day, I went over to help David with some stuff with their horses, and (of course) we started talking about the whole issue again.
He argues that you have to vote according to Scripture and that Romney's beliefs and actions don't line up, so thus you don't vote for him....that voting for "the lesser of two evils" is pure pragmatism. "Fine," I say, "but there is no perfect candidate. You're going to have to compromise somewhere." He says that you need to look at the issues that you disagree with a candidate on and see if they're big enough hills to die on. Supposedly, Romney is really for gun control and big government, and pro gun control is a pretty big hill. I've also heard that he has voted some pro abortion ways in the past, and if he's not pro life, that is definitely a big hill....big enough to die on for me.
So, in other words, there is some pragmatism involved...unless you refuse to vote because no one matches up perfectly with your beliefs. Which I think is wrong. But the question is, how much pragmatism is okay? That sounds bad, but what do you do?
The next thing I ran into, is "Okay...so say I don't vote for Romney, then who do I vote for?" Ron Paul may be an option, but I don't know enough about him yet. I really need to do some reading :) He says he will run as a Republican, but there's been rumors that he may go third party.
I've already had a big thinking shift in just considering not voting for the main Republican candidate. If I end up voting third party, that will almost be laughable because I was SO anti third party. So we'll see...I need to do some prayin', thinkin', and talkin'.
Our church has quite a few very politically astute people in it that I can talk to. My grandparents are also very very into politics and very conservative. So I have people I can brainstorm with. It's a big issue, and very important.
Another whole issue is that the government has become dangerously big. Scripture defines government as being there to "punish evil and reward good" not decide when you can shoot a dove and when you can't.
Here's something else David was talking about...do you think America should have a standing army?
I was looking forward to talking to some people about all this at church today, but I came up sick :( So now I have to think on my own for another week :D
"....I suppose I wouldn't change a thing."
ReplyDeleteYep. Couldn't have said it better.
Isn't that a powerful ending?
ReplyDeleteHe gets you almost worried that something like that might happen (unless you follow the news from people other then the mass media, in which case, you would already know a fair amount about what's going on), and then tells you that it is already happening.
I emailed a friend of mine with whom I've made a couple of videos (one of which actually got finished), saying that I think it would be a great idea to make a video like this titled something like "If I wanted Christianity to fail" or "If I wanted the family to fail."
Sometimes listening to the news (like Limbaugh or Glenn Beck) can be almost bad for me because I'll start to get scared. Then it's like, "Okay...that's not trusting God" but there is a point to being aware and prepared, too. Tough times!
ReplyDeleteThey are most certainly doing everything in their power (and doing it effectively, too) to make the family fail. From working moms to passive fathers, homosexuality so widely accepted and venerated, public schools indoctrinating children....
I agree! Glenn is the only news source that I follow with any regularity, and one of the main reasons is that he doesn't just complain about our current situation, but rather has solutions, and gives ideas about how we can be prepared. As opposed to people like Limbaugh and hannedy tend to complain a fair amount.
ReplyDeleteAnd I find that even still, there are times when I start thinking "what are we going to do? What if such-and-such happens? Or if So-and-so does this?!?" but I have to still remember that God is in control, and while he's not going to make life a bed of roses, we can trust in him that he will carry us through this storm.
~Paul
Amen! Knowing that there's a Plan and a Master Mind to everything makes life so much easier....in the big things and the little things.
ReplyDeleteI don't get to listen to talk radio too much, but when I do, I get a kick out of Rush. I am certainly a "ditto-head" :D But I do like Glenn Beck, too. Did you see his video on how rock music was such a huge part of America's demise? He went through and analyzed Don McLean's "American Pie." Fascinating!! Here's the link in case you're interested...http://www.glennbeck.com/2012/02/09/american-pie-explained-by-glenn-beck-day-the-music-died/
I hurt my foot really bad yesterday and have been laid up on crutches. Normally, I am a very active girl, and I was starting to get really frustrated last night at this forced immobility. I had to just step back and think, "God has a plan here, this is just another trial to go through, and if I can do it with a good attitude, it will grow me."
It's the same deal with the bigger things...be it politics, family struggles, etc. And having Godly friends is such a blessing, too. I was kind of whining over email to a friend the other day, and all he emailed back was James 1:2-4. It was like getting hit over the head with a 2x4. Good stuff!
Isn't it just so comforting to know that there's Someone in control of everything!?!? Even when it seems that the world is coming apart at the seams, we can still trust that Our Creator is in complete control. Thought not just control, he's orchestrating it!
ReplyDeleteI don't ever get to listen to the radio (my car doesn't have an antena anymore, I think it probably used to, with one of the previous owners), so Glenn is pretty much my only news source, as well as the most trustworthy that I've found. I just recently upgraded my subscription to GBTV to the plus account, so that I could watch the documentaries that he's done on Islam and our borders, which are really good (the documentary's not our borders)
I haven't watched that video, but I will in the morning, thanks for the link!
Ouch! I can sympathise with you somewhat. When I was about elevan, we were building a house, and I stepped (hard) on a nail that was sticking up. It put me off of that foot for a couple of days, though I didn't handle it as well as you did (I was pretty whiney back then). That's a great attitude to have!
My older bro Ross is teaching about once a month at our church through the book of James, so he's well aquatinted with those passages. They're a great reminder to me when things get hard, and I'm tempted to complain.
Godly friends are invaluable! By far my closest friend is my second cousin (may as well be a first cousin). We have been corresponding via email regularly for quite a while, and I find it so helpful to be able to talk about things with her, because she often challenges things I say with questions, forcing me to think and study about my reasons for believing something, and not just assume.
Yeah...our borders are definitely not good . Since we live in Arizona, that's a big concern out here and something that we hear a lot about. Scary!
ReplyDeleteThe book of James is so good. Lots of conviction and encouragement!
"Godly friends are invaluable!" Ohhhh yeah. My mind is in a whirl today from some deep conversation with a "Godly friend" who was really really challenging me on some of my political stances. I can see where he's coming from, but if I really decide that that's where God's leading me, it's going to be a radical change.
I have a lot to think about :) Especially since this is the first year I can vote! Responsibility....good and hard.
Wow. I just listened to the first video (I'll watch the second one once I'm finished painting). That is amazing. I would never have guessed that a song like that could have so many nuances and references! Almost every sentence was pointing to something, and had meaning. So much different than the songs that are being written today with choruses being repeated 4-5 times to fill time, and lyrics that aren't coherent.
ReplyDelete~Paul
You mean if God's leading you into politics, as in running for office, or working on campagnes?
ReplyDeleteIt's my first year to vote as well! My older brother and I are going to attend the the precinct delegate convention this week, and will be running to be delegates come this fall!
No no no... :D Just as far as what I believe about voting for a certain candidate...or in this case, not voting. I love politics and listening to some knowledge people discuss it is one of my favorite things - besides listening to a good theological discussion.
ReplyDeleteThat's so neat that you all will be running to be delegates!! A friend of mine from church is really involved with politics and is planning on running at a later point in his life.
Though I don't know what situation you're in, I would advise that you don't not vote, because that's just about like handing your vote to Obama. I haven't looked into the third party candidates yet, but so far, the best candidate out there is Ron Paul. He's not as strong on social issues (homosexual marriage, etc), as I might like, but that might be a good thing, because it's not the FED's job to enforce things like that. It's a states job. The federal governments main jobs are dealing with how states interact with one another, and with the rest of the world, Which currently, are the things that it's about doing the worst job at. But hey! At least we get free health care!! (not!)
ReplyDeleteSo I'm curious, why don't you think you should vote? Is that perhaps something you could do a post on? It's a subject that has been going around our church as of late. Some of the people will vote, some are leaning more towards the "we're not of this world, so why should we vote" side of things.
I'm going to have to do this in two parts because it got too long *sheepish grin*
ReplyDeleteI can't do a post on it right now because I don't know what I think :p Maybe once I get some conviction here, I will.
I totally disagree with the whole "we're not of this world, so why should we vote" mentality. Scripture over and over again shows examples of Christians involved in politics. I mean, John the Baptist was killed for confronting the political ruler of his day.
Oh boy...now you got me going :)
How 'bout if I just tell you exactly what's going on....In the past, I have always really been against third parties because they have the potential to split the Republican vote and thus let the Democrat into office. I thought that since the person running as a Republican was the only one who had a chance, vote for him! Weelll...now it's looking like Romney will be the one up against Obama.
Let me just make this disclaimer: I honestly haven't looked up Romney's voting history, and so don't personally know a lot about the man. I'm going off of what I've heard others say...which can be dangerous unless you trust said others.
The whole controversy started when a good friend (David @ www.godscountryboy.blogspot.com) told me he would not vote for Romney. My first reaction was "WHAT?!?!? Then you're just giving your vote to Obama!" So we went back and forth for a while and then dropped it.
Then, Gabe Hudelson did this post http://allauthority.blogspot.com/2012/04/throwing-my-vote-away.html. I read it, rolled my eyes, and sent it to another friend who has always been very anti-third party in the past, too. To my utter surprise, he emailed back that he wouldn't be voting for Romney either.
So now I'm thinking, "Well, maybe there's something to this." The next day, I went over to help David with some stuff with their horses, and (of course) we started talking about the whole issue again.
He argues that you have to vote according to Scripture and that Romney's beliefs and actions don't line up, so thus you don't vote for him....that voting for "the lesser of two evils" is pure pragmatism. "Fine," I say, "but there is no perfect candidate. You're going to have to compromise somewhere." He says that you need to look at the issues that you disagree with a candidate on and see if they're big enough hills to die on. Supposedly, Romney is really for gun control and big government, and pro gun control is a pretty big hill. I've also heard that he has voted some pro abortion ways in the past, and if he's not pro life, that is definitely a big hill....big enough to die on for me.
So, in other words, there is some pragmatism involved...unless you refuse to vote because no one matches up perfectly with your beliefs. Which I think is wrong. But the question is, how much pragmatism is okay? That sounds bad, but what do you do?
(Part 2) LOL
ReplyDeleteThe next thing I ran into, is "Okay...so say I don't vote for Romney, then who do I vote for?" Ron Paul may be an option, but I don't know enough about him yet. I really need to do some reading :) He says he will run as a Republican, but there's been rumors that he may go third party.
I've already had a big thinking shift in just considering not voting for the main Republican candidate. If I end up voting third party, that will almost be laughable because I was SO anti third party. So we'll see...I need to do some prayin', thinkin', and talkin'.
Our church has quite a few very politically astute people in it that I can talk to. My grandparents are also very very into politics and very conservative. So I have people I can brainstorm with. It's a big issue, and very important.
Another whole issue is that the government has become dangerously big. Scripture defines government as being there to "punish evil and reward good" not decide when you can shoot a dove and when you can't.
Here's something else David was talking about...do you think America should have a standing army?
I was looking forward to talking to some people about all this at church today, but I came up sick :( So now I have to think on my own for another week :D
Scary...but true!
ReplyDelete