POLITICS DEFINED

Politics is that subtle art that exploits, on a superficial level at least, the real america. I know that sounds like a counteractive statement, using an adjective such as “superficial” to describe our “real” and authentic “reality,” but alas it is true. politics – on an aggregate level – reflects how a society views itself, its goals, its ambitions, and in the end its reality. I say this because americans, as with all people, are fickle. We approach life as if it is a gigantic supermarket.  We evaluate people in the spirit of consumerism – what can this person/object do for me and how well will it do it for the cost.  I’ll extend this thought to a more explicit reality: americans are a competitive, greedy, spoiled, indecisive, and diverse bunch.  And, despite all these imperfections America is the aesthetic flaw which makes art attractively vivid.

FREEDOM

People can read the bible and proclaim their faith and not be physically persecuted for such.  People can say “I love the Lord” and not be tortured.  Sure – religious antagonism is real and takes place daily – however it pales in comparison to true and real religious persecution/execution.  To be able to talk to atheist about this person called Christ who died a “beautiful death” is a freedom we too often take for granted.  Sure we have very perverted examples of evangelism in America – I will save the list for another post – but we are granted the freedom from God (not from the government) to openly acknowledge the reality of God…and no I’m not about to jump into a kumbaya song LOL…

ALL BARK AND NO BITE

We advance in our prejudices faster then we grow in our political thought.  We exchange and compromise things such as faith and logic for social comfort and circumstantial “stability”.  To be able to have this thing called free speech. To be a descendant of slaves…to be disadvantaged socio-economically…and to have circumstance teach you the value of work and education…all tools to serve the Lord with.  These are the freedoms we take for granted.  We complain more then we pray and act on change.  We sit back – wait for elections to vent and point out the flaws in our leadership representation.

TO VOTE OR NOT TO VOTE

For christians, many are asking “why should i even vote?” and/or “who should i vote for”…but if we look closely enough – there are real flaws and sinful dispositions embedded in the policy statements and/or character traits of all the candidates McCain[1][2], Paul [1][2], and Obama [1][2]. Why are we so shocked or fustrated? NEWSFLASH: these people are NOT the messiah. LOL. or have we forgotten that our perfect Redeemer resides heaven? and no this is not a “nobody’s perfect” argument but a resounding “GOD IS THE HOLY ONE” assertion.  Also, it’s not our job to legislate who or who not to vote for. Firstly, these are not church leaders we are electing.  They are arguably the antithesis of such. We can have our own personal opinions and convictions and express those in discourse (i.e. bidirectional exchange). But given that all world leaders are undoubtedly flawed and affected by sin (as we all are), one’s vote is ultimately an issue of conscious (and not an issue of sin).  Now, if you take the position that voting is an issue of sin, such as Kingdom Hall and Islamic assertions which state active participation in a corrupt system is sinful, then discussion of who you’re for or against is nonproductive.  However, feel free to study and provide biblical evidence supporting such. Until then…

The real question should ask ourselves above all is not who to vote for but who to pray for and what to pray about.  If we prayed more then we complained I wonder how different our attitude and actions would be? Just a thought.  David was not perfect – in fact if David existed today I’d have alot of concerns personally…he committed a disgusting adultery coupled with the most heinous crime of all – murder…however we prolifer’s do not cringe at the story of David though now do we…hehe…Yet he was ultimately regarded a faithful believer and leader. Which leads me to my final point – a good human leader is not one who is perfect – but one who is receptive and open to admonishment. The best teacher, leader, counselor humanity can offer is one who can accept and acknowledge the possibility of being wrong.  In acknowledgement to the reality of mortification, true acceptance of wrongfulness can only be granted to man by God.  Moreover, a good leader, is not like the Grinch stomping around like a bully waiting to attack the next weakest link…Sun Tzu’s the Art of War mentality can only take us so far folks.  To the contrar the strategies of man apart from God are not only limited in scope, but is ignorant to the ability of man in Christ.  Here is a paradoxical statement we must live with: a good leader recognizes they are far from perfect, is wise in decision making, and most importantly is teachable.  Also, we can rest in the reality that God controls everything anyway (including this upcoming election ).

at my last job – i remember a coworker suggested yoga to me. and initially i said “that sounds interesting…but i will continue to try other solutions” and later the coworker suggested it again which prompted me to immediately shoot back “i will NEVER practice yoga ”

i always wondered if the manner of my response was offensive but never questioned the content of it. Yoga, as harmless as it seems, is a cultural trend which one is united with “god”. bear in mind – most do not have a clue or care to know who or what the true and living God is. climbing the corporate ladder, looking fashionable, and living lavishly is way more important…duh. therefore considered it to be nothing more then an alternate form of exercise and moderately challenged me on position. given that the ultimate object of yoga is to focus on oneself and a god of which you do not really know, this is not an issue of legislation or issue of conscious – it is idolatry at its best….subtlety injecting itself into seemingly positive rituals. i can see how many contemporary yuppies would view my anti-yoga stance as “narrow minded” and naive. i think the questions we should ask ourselves before we mindlessly embrace societal trends are:

1) Do you believe in God?

2) Do you even know who or what God is?

3) Are you submissive to the reality of God and God’s standards? Or are you worshiping yourself and your own self-defined morals?

SELF-RIGHTEOUSNESS? … OF COURSE NOT!

The main problem – is that society is too busy defining its own morals and self-righteousness then to look to the God who created it in the first place. More specifically, it is irrational for a society to create its own basis of righteousness because it is inherently bias to it’s own temptations. Most define the “good life” as being a reflection of righteousness – marked by materialistic items such as couch handbags, diamond rings, luxury vehicles, and the middle-to-upper class single family home. Oh and if we are a really good person, we participate in things like community service, “church”/mosque/temple, obey the “law”, and make it a habit to not be explicitly rude to others. Sadly – many of us call ourselves Christian, Muslim, Hindu, (fill in the blank), in effort to identify our cultural obligations and have no real understanding of the doctrines we supposedly believe. So in effect, we are worshiping the gods of our mind…the imaginary ones who comfort us and validate our irrational thoughts. We hold on to the facade of “belief” as a means of identifying our corporal self in this place called the world.

THE CORPORAL REALITY

you ever notice how dirty the body gets on a daily basis? i mean seriously you can sit around the house all day and do nothing and it will still establish filth. no movement is required for dirt to accumulate on your pores. the body naturally secretes filth irrespective of your active participation. if this is the natural effect of our physical existence i can only imagine the affect on our discarnate mind.

THE ANTI-CHRISTIAN?
earlier i cynically disregarded the term “christian” … i should explain my sentiment . i could arguably say the term has always been misunderstood because Christ Himself was indeed misunderstood. sadly, modern society has reduced the term to that of cultural affiliation with good strong family values. it is a term many align themselves with, like with any other religion, to proclaim their self-righteousness and exhault their good deeds to others. it is for this reason i distinctly define myself as a Believer in Christ as opposed to the culturally confused and ambiguous “christian”. am i saying all who identify themselves as such are being foolish? of course not. it is a distinction i choose to embrace for clarity.

FALSEHOOD

So what exactly is a Believer in Christ? And what difference does it make really?
Christ is/was the most anti-religious person to ever exist. Christ is/was sinless. Christ and the Bible are in complete unity with eachother. Christ is marked by His consistent character and reconciliatory truth ::

• Unlike the Hindu gods/idols which counteract and contradict eachother in the polytheist tradition…only to be reinvented with each generation and customized for each family…newsflash – truth is NOT relative
• Unlike the Muslim “deeds” which are necessary to gain entrance into heaven…newsflash – faith is not forced or earned it is granted. the problem here is our good deeds, as good as they may seem to us, are still not good enough for God. the reason being, is because our sinful deeds outweigh our good deeds. how is this possible? its possible by virtue of the fact that we do not worship God with all our heart and body. we have sinful thoughts everyday (little white lies, food indulgences, running traffic lights yes that is actually wrong my friend) and more specifically we are not Holy. this is why FAITH necessitates our standing with God and not cheap “good deeds”.
• Unlike the Jewish in which attempting to maintain the Law is necessary to gain entrance into heaven – again faith is and can only be granted by God and God alone.
• Unlike Buddhism which offers polytheistic and non-theistic doctrines – similar to a grocery store pick what you want and what suits you best, do not concern yourself with accuracy, authenticity, or logic. No wonder many are doctrinally indecisive.
• Unlike Mormonism which claims god was a man who became god through good deeds…if this is the case…please tell me – who created this god? and allowed it to become “god” ? circular reasoning is a logical fallacy my friend
• Unlike the Universalists who believe all roads lead to “god” – this is an extremely lazy attempt at doctrine. let us not limit god to our restrictions and definitions of justice. it is internally contradictory. what exactly then is the point of life on earth? why aren’t we all in heaven right now? and save the “heaven is a state of mind” brainwashing…as long as war exists there is no peace and heaven is marked by peace

Christ is God incarnate (John 1:1-5, 14). His doctrine is decisive and consistent because it validates itself (2 Tim 3:16, 2 Pet 1:20-21). He warns of false Messiahs (Matt 24:5-11) so no one should be surprised with the popularity and trendy cultural acceptance of false doctrines (2 Tim 4:3-4). He is exclusive (not all inclusive) in His Triune Deity (John 14:6) or more poignantly expressed via Solus Christus.

I realize it is much easier, less controversial, and politically correct to just be lazy and not care to study doctrine or attempt decipher the validity therein. It is also easy to continue thinking in a manner that supports your identity and improves your self-esteem. It is easy to not think about these things and just “have fun”…the irony is real fun can never be experienced without true knowledge of self…and true knowledge of self cannot be obtained apart from knowledge (and subsequent faith) of the true and living God.

so if you want to stretch then stretch, no harm in that. if you want to practice yoga – evaluate whether or not practicing a worship technique to an alternate god is worth the offense. “well my heart is in the right place – and god knows that!” – well shouldn’t our actions reflect the heart? Just a thought . Also, I came across an interesting article on Christianity Today. I’m not much of a Christianity Today fan, but the article (surprisingly) pointed out some points worth considering. And last but not least – an interesting view point from Mr. MacArthur. PEACE!

so like last week i watched “wife swap” right (dont ask LOL) and the son tells his new “mom” that “the truth is more important then people’s feelings.” internally i thought YES FINALLY an END TO SELF-ABSORBED EMOTIONALISM!!! a voice of reason on broadcast TV! and then at the end – ol boy broke down and cried as he realized that people have feelings and feelings are real and valid…err? overall his final evaluation was somewhat level-headed. however, i do not want this resolution to be another endorsement for pity parties. dont get me wrong i’m not advocating we all exchange compassion for cruel blunt honesty – however can we say goodbye to “woe to me”…please …

in any event i finally made it to San Fran…

and its cold here right now . but its still beautiful and the food is still awesome. i come here about once a year and yes i love many things about the culture. i love the south too – especially the sweet tea – but the carbon copy rhetoric and lack of social awareness can become abit monotonous. also, the cultural phenominon of religion in the south is disgusting. there are many buildings with crosses and few churches. many cultural christians and few believers. many conservatives and few individuals.

so after a long grueling flight sitting next to mr.musky – and i do not even have a strong sense of smell but buddy was TART – By GOD’S GRACE I MADE IT! and immediately prior to that – i, starved from rushing to the airport, ate lunch at the paschals at the ATL airport. i ended up sitting next to an elderly man who looked at me very hard and kindly helped me “jump” into my high chair. After a brief prayer i began to inhale my food without even tasting it – and he turned to me and said

“you must be a believer”

i quickly scanned my clothing and baggage to see if i had any kindof articles to resemble “belief” i didn’t. then i wondered if this kind looking old man was like a wierd psycho.

i replied with a smile “yes I am”

and he said “i’m a methodist minister from Alabama, and you are blessed with the annointing”…methodist…hmm hehehe.

i replied with “oh thats awesome. how long have you been a minister?”

“32 years! at the same church for 27″

“oh wow…so what did you do before you were called ?”

“i’ve always been a minister, went straight into ministry out of school”

“oh ok”

and then we began to chitchat about family life, alabama, his upcoming trips, etc. it was a fun conversation. kindof like watchin kids at the playground – talking about nothing and everything at the same time – philosophizing about the world before them by evaluating small particles of existence.

i’ve always liked old people. part of me did want to engage him in discourse about conditional election and it’s inconsistent logic when reconciled with total depravity. but something told me that wasn’t the time or place for that. plus he was like really old – and for some reason, i do not challenge the elderly that much . i am infact a hypocrite when it comes to old people – i am easily sweet talked by the movement of their seasoned granduer. my favorite thing is not to talk and be noticed – but to observe and notice others. and people are byfar the oddest of all. we have this irrational thing called emotion which at times is perverted and disrupts logic. nevertheless, even the meanest old people are a delight to observe and listen to. i do not tell them the brutal truth – if given at all – it is piecemealed in small doses. the truth is not more important then their feelings – because they have “lived” the enduring reality of experience. their stripes trump the necessity for rude awakenings. i wonder how loving is this truthfully passive response?

i sit back and listen and enjoy them for who they are. and I pray that God’s Will be done in their lives. So i enjoyed the conversation as it was. though i longed for more…it was wonderful as it was…

courage has become this invisible virtue

as falsehood gallops dauntingly…

hauntingly…

through the one-dimensional field of carcasses

–

not knowing the wherewithals of reality

steadily seeking to defeat

the valiant and true

and the facade grows too fickle and begins fading

longing for shallow shading

afraid

so instead

leviathan masks are sown

with fake smiles

and colorful tales

to cover the dead faces of deception

courage has become this invisible virtue

i don’t quite now how to start this blog or end it. recently a devastating tragedy has affected the family of a dear friend of mine. i am reminded how inadequate my words are – because only His Word is adequate and only His Word will suffice.  i am reminded that our love for Him must be unceasing, our trust undying, and our faith in His perfect sovereignty unwaivering.  i finally started the prayer journal (again) that i’d been longing to (re-)establish. somehow i lost the other one – and frustrated/discouraged that i couldn’t recover it – however in the search process i found another journal that had many blank pages. Reminding me that – As always, God still continues to provide.

i wrote 12 long sobering pages in the journal…the ink in my pen ran dry….and my arm is in the best pain ever. all i want to do, all day long, forever and ever is to praise God.

so like i became a bit nostalgic recently after talking to a friend about Dune. I only vaguely remember the book….and it reminded me of how much better i liked the eclectic sci-fi of octavia butler and the inconsistent genre’s of mr. walter mosley. most in the sci fi camp do not know who i am talking about. it took me back to a time and place when Will first recommended it…I immediately began looking for it only to find myself defeated by time and memory…exhausted from my search i sat back down and reflected on other distinctive traits of geekdom…

PRELIMINARY QUALIFICATIONS:

1. first of all, a generation Xer and Yer must have to have a website of some kind. You cannot tout yourself as a geek without this – if you do not have this you are simply a crummy bum….just kidding…sortof
2. you must be proficient in at least one programming language
3. you must know how to navigate on more then one operating system
4. you must know where the online gadget bargains are
5. you have at one time ebay with a passion or set up a store.
6. in general you like sci-fi (however i personally do NOT like intergallactic scifi)
7. you must be able to validate your statements with factual evidence…if you do not, you obviously do not know what you’re talking about
8. you read blogs
9. you frequently use keyboard shortcuts
10. you believe in high quality cellphone efficiency and features
11. you wear glasses
12. you like reading
13. you go to stores like fry’s electronics just because…and get excited about it
14. you feel uncomfortable being away from a computer or data enabled cell phone for too long
15. regular people are boring to you
16. you rationalize reasons you need a new gadget
17. you cannot stand irrelevant data

SUPPLEMENTARY QUALIFICATIONS:

1. some can be more introvert
2. you may have read comic books in your childhood and may collect them now
3. you like video games
4. you lock down your computer access as if your life depended on it
5. you identify with dilbert
6. you philosophize about Dragon Ball Z as if it is a real illustration of doctrine

now this caused me to think about what are distinctive traits of Christendom? i remember many times when people thought i was Christian by mere virtue that i wasnt “loud” and preferred to be on the computer then go to a club (very irrational i know)…little did they know i loved being on the computer because i was fascinated with the world of bootlegging . in fact – i would stay up until 5AM many nights trying to scavanging for the latest high quality digitized movie files which had not yet made it to theatres…i would then print labels and put into a case and organize (alphabetized of course) in a minilibrary of which friends would “check out”.

1. you believe in the essential doctrines of the bible – that Christ is God in the form of man and surrendered His life so that He would save His people from the consequences of Sin.
2. you desire to obey and glorify God in all that you do and therefore follow Christ in obedience
3. you actually read the bible and try to understand it
4. you actually pro-actively seek to recognize your sin and repent for it
5. you regard others as more important then yourself

hmm this is alot shorter and alot less superficial. these are not things you can readily pick up off the surface. i look forward to the day that i fully exhibit these things and bear witness to the reality of God….

I’m reading a book right now by Martha Peace called “Damsels in Distress“. I’m 22 pages away from being done and I must say it’s an informative and encouraging read. This book caused me to reflect on my own social parameters which influence my relationships with other people and women in particular. It prompted me to biblically analyze why my friendship categories are so finite:

REAL FRIENDS || DISTANT FRIENDS (aka. associates) || NOT FRIENDS

My “real friends” (i.e. people I actually love to interact with and am thankful they exist) tend to fall into two distinct categories: (1)the “stereotypical” non-emotional geeky and/or military male or (2)women who grew up as geeky tomboys. These women I speak of are married and when we interact it is similar in alot of ways to the interaction of men. We typically talk about politics/war, sports, programming techniques, bargain electronics, and philosophy/theology. We reflected your “typical” INTJ’s and its complements. My mom, a single parent, raised me to be extremely honest with myself and others at all times. We’re typically communicate in an extremely blunt fashion towards one another and for a very long time – I thought this was normal communication. In my naivety, I did not realize how much the truth is filtered. Looking back I realize this trait has become somewhat of a virtue of mine and more specifically a requirement for my real friendships.

But then God had other plans for me…

Upon my conversion, I made a commitment to myself to step outside of my social peer group comfort zone. Specifically, to establish and build friendships with people I wouldn’t ordinarily socialize with both inside and external to Christendom. My love for Christ gave me a strong desire to start with the latter. And let me just say – this “vain” mission of mine has led me to now understand why books like “Damsels in Distress” exist . Boy oh Boy does Christendom have a lot more categories then those aforementioned. Alot of different attitudes and perspectives, which can’t be politely disregarded or immediately cutoff from interaction as I did once upon of time. I never quite had to deal with other women, at least not the stereotypical woman I come across now – until post conversion. Similarly, I never dealt with emotional men until post conversion. Perhaps thats because I wasn’t raised with a strong indoctrination of “femininity” but rather strongly taught methods of “survival” and survival cannot afford emotionalism.

The first thing I noticed when interacting with these new categories of people was the prevalence of chatter. Alot of emotional people have the following tendencies:

• Extreme Preoccupation with Self – controlling dominant dialog patterns
• Extreme Chatter about other People

Is this normal? Have I really been living in a bubble? I know I was a little sheltered growing up but like tell me this is not real …please! The most interesting thing about this book is that the first and longest chapter is about gossip. More specifically:

“Both gossip and slander entail passing on a bad report about someone else. What is to be said may be true, or a lie, or a mixture of both. Even if it is true, the gossip or slanderer is telling the wrong person. (The only person they should be telling is the person himself!)”

“We know that they won’t listen, you can’t reprove them, they make foolish decisions, they are oblivious to their own sin, they talk too much (often about things they know nothing about), they listen only to one side of the story, and they spread slander.”

This distinctly reminded me of the character of satan. Particularly in the garden with Eve, he actually used the truth to try to assault the character of God:

GOD’S STATEMENT OF TRUTH (GEN 2:16-17)
The LORD God commanded the man, saying, “From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.”

SATAN’S USE OF GOD’S TRUTH IN ATTEMPT TO DEMEAN THE CHARACTER OF GOD (GEN 3:1-7)

Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?”

The woman said to the serpent, “From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.’”

The serpent said to the woman, “You surely will not die!

“For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate.

Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin coverings.

Why do we carry on in oblivion like satan or sin does not exist? Is this the compromise of kindness? Another matter for prayer!

i’ve been wondering alot why mean Christians exist. this question has an obvious answer – mean christians exist because sin exists (Gen 6:5, Ecc 7:20, Jer 17:9, Mark 7:21-23, Rom 3:10-11). and being christian does not nullify that reality – it deciphers the reality of it (Rom 8:5-15). as cryptic as Scripture is, it is the only authentic exegesis for life (2 Tim 3:16). i must then clarify my question: why are many christians, being internally redeemed from the dominion of sin, perpetually reflecting antagonistic dispositions?

im sure if i did a survey, many would classify me as mean. for many years my bluntness was probably less then what society would view as kind. if someone asks me a question, unless it is an elderly sick person, i do not sugarcoat as it would be against my honor and integrity ! i jest, but do honestly feel a compromise of truth does not glorify God. it grieves God as it actively demonstrates the preference for an incomplete reality which glorifies self, pacifying insecurities, rather then glorifying God. God does not sugarcoat His Word to us…God’s expectations of us are very clear (Eph 4:15)….so why should we seek to express anything less to eachother? don’t get me wrong, the manner of communication should always be rooted in love – however, we must also realize how variant are our expressions and expectations of love are.

oh how i would love to just quickly grab my guitar and sing kumbaya around the campfire! isn’t that what christian kindness is all about? saving face? social acceptance? familial peer groups? being liked and validated by others who share our values? how marvelous…only there’s one problem – exactly where is God in all this?

perhaps i should define what i mean by “mean”. mean is not telling the truth, for truth and love’s sake. mean, specifically in the christian culture, is using the truth to manipulate, harm, and ultimately seek self-fulfilling glory. satan has “perfected” this quite well…knowing the Word better then many from the beginning of humanity (Gen 2:16-17, Gen 3:1-7)…having many apprentices in training who sit in pews and illustrate the great hypocrisy to non-christians (Titus 1:10-16). it is the anti-love…that thing which plagues and dominates modern christianity. actively assaulting authenticity. it is a device of satan. ok that makes sense. so why are christians, yes christians, acting in a manner which glorifies satan and not God? like…why is this happening?

I came across some interesting blogs which discuss this topic:

• Oxysmoron
• Dont Call Me Veronica

mean christians do exist for one main reason: “churchin” and self-glorification is deemed as more important then the reality of CHRIST.  More importantly, niether of these two realities nullify the reality of the true and living God…in fact, it only exploits the reality of God even further. God does not operate as we do.  Therefore, looking to any person for an illustration of righteousness instead of Christ Himself is foolish.

i think analyzed and overanalyzed this probably a bit too much. i think this reality brings light to the things i should be praying about more specifically and more frequently. and the people i should love harder…and praise God for the wonderful Christians that still exist!

albeit peace is what we ultimately seek in Christ with reconciliation with the Father…it is the imperfection of self that beckons such non-unpeaceful realities…

I recently had the opportunity to sit and relax and focus on the fact of God’s Sovereignty. I mean really focus on it. His protection is limitless. He continues to show me over and over that it is indeed HIS WILL that will be done. Afterall, I have the classic cliche near death experiences and more importantly guiding (and not blinding) faith to prove it…but the real proof is in His undying Word. His soveriegnty is not limited to circumstances – it is above and beyond it.

It recently occurred to me that (Un-)Christian culture is breeding a mentality which says “I am a good person, therefore I am Christian” or more explicitly “I am Christian to validate my goodness….so recognize me in my righteousness”…if I must say it is a very disgusting reality. It is satan’s version of Christianity, a perverted mockery.

If anyone would’ve told me as a child that I’d have faith in a sovereign and true God, who subjected Himself to humanity and died a salvivic death – I probably would’ve laughed very HARD then went back to my books on social injustice and human understanding. Continuously searching within my imperfect self for reason and rationale. Praise God for HIS sovereignty.