Forgiveness

As believers in Christ we are commanded to love one another and forgive those who have wronged us. But what do you do when you screw up, apologize and that person won't forgive you? Recently my nine-year-old did and said and did some things to his best friend that he probably should not have.  His friend was understandably upset and hurt.  We talked to our son about his actions and he realized what he had done was wrong.  My son apologized and we thought that was that. However, the other little boy did not want to accept Jack’s apology and chose to get back at him. My son's little spirit was now hurting. He desperately missed his friend and wanted things to go back to the way they once were. With some prodding, the other boy finally verbally accepted my son's apology. It's been a tough lesson for Jack to learn at his young age. It’s hard to tell if the other boy actually does forgive him, or doesn’t want to get in trouble again for seeking revenge. Jack has had to accept the reality that his friend may never want to be his friend again.

As adults, we also have to deal with forgiveness issues, sometimes some very serious ones.  I think everyone knows someone who holds grudges against others.  Some friends and I were shunned by a girl with an unforgiving heart.  We were close to Becky (not her real name).  There was a silly misunderstanding between Becky and Darla (also not her real name).  Becky chose to stop being friends with Darla because she couldn’t forgive what she thought Darla had said about her.  Then slowly, other friends of Becky’s who loved her very much were shut out too.  Apparently Becky didn’t want to hear the truth about some issues in her life that she needed to hear.  She had asked for their advice, but didn’t like the answers they gave. She became angry and bitter at the other girls.  Then it was my turn to be shut out of Becky’s life. I had tried to remain a neutral party through all of the issues with her other friends. Becky all of a sudden wanted nothing to do with me. I have no idea if I did something or said something that she didn’t like. She blocked all ways of contacting her.  Of course I would apologize to her if I did something wrong.  But she won’t even give me the chance to find what it is she is angry at me for.  All we can do is pray for God to give her a forgiving heart.

God doesn’t want us to dwell on anger.  He tells us this throughout the Bible.  Psalm 37:8 for example says: Refrain from anger and forsake wrath. Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.  There are countless examples of men and women doing horrible things because of their anger.

Anger that remains in your heart can not just cause you to sin (seek revenge) against others, but also against yourself.  Ephesians 4:26 states that: When you are angry, do not sin, and be sure to stop being angry before the end of the day.  There’s a good reason for that. When you refuse to forgive someone, and hold grudges, and do mean things to get back at others, that does harm to you both physically and spiritually.  Constant anger raises blood pressure.  Anger affects your health and wellbeing.  My mother was an angry person.  She was not a forgiving person and that often resulted in her seeking revenge on those she felt wronged her.  At age 73, she suffered a fatal brain aneurism.  The surgeon said the weakened blood vessel was something she was probably born with.  I feel that it was probably all those years of being an angry person that caused it to burst.

It’s not easy to be forgiving toward others.  We need God’s help to be a forgiving person and not an angry vengeful person. As believers, we need to remember what Christ did for us on the cross to cancel out our sins.  It’s something we can never repay Him for.  But we can show others around us His forgiveness.  We can teach our children about forgiveness and seek theirs when we screw up as parents.   1 Peter 3:9 says: Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.  God wants us to forgive, so that we don’t miss some of the blessings we might have with those friends or family members we are angry at.  None of us are perfect.  We don’t always say and do the right things.  We are human. There are people out there who expect us to be perfect and never say or do anything wrong to them. When you hold others up to that high of a standard, you’re going to be disappointed.   When someone cannot or will not forgive us, there’s not a whole lot we can do about it.  Unfortunately, you can’t change someone else’s heart.  Only God can do that.

Rock and Roll.....and Jesus?

Some followers of Christ would frown upon those words being spoken in the same breath.  Listening to rock music is not something a Christian should be doing according to some fundamental groups.  As a musician and a Christian I want to discuss why the two can go together.  There are many Christian artists out there who have been given the gift of music and use it to glorify God through rock music. 

I grew up in a musical family and a Christian family.  Both my parents sang opera in local productions and served God in church choirs.  I loved singing all the hymns and songs of praise at church.  I enjoyed being a bell-ringer in the children’s choir.  My sister and I took piano lessons briefly.  I started playing the violin the summer after fourth grade.  I found it more expressive than other instruments.  My grandfather Munzer had played violin in the St. Louis Philharmonic Orchestra.  He wanted me to become a concert violinist.   I had other plans.

As a music education major in college, I listened to and studied a lot of classical music and composers.  I loved playing pieces by Bach, Beethoven and Mozart.  Many classical pieces were written for the church.  Our college orchestra participated in a performance of The Messiah.   Some classical pieces were more secular in nature.  Swan Lake is my favorite ballet.  I got to see it a couple of times when I lived near Boston.  Tchaikovsky was a brilliant composer.  He was probably not a Christian, but given a musical gift.  According to some Christian groups, the sorcery in the story of Swan Lake makes it something we should avoid.  That could also exclude the Nutcracker and numerous other ballets and operas.  But that’s another discussion for another day.

I have had a deep love for rock music since junior high.  I’m a rocker chick.  There’s just something about electric guitars, bass guitars and drums playing loudly that really get into the soul.   I’m sure I confused people in my college dorm.  One minute there was the sound of a lone violin practicing a Bach concerto coming from my room.  The next minute, Led Zeppelin or Van Halen would be blasting through the walls.  (I married a guy who also plays violin and loves rock music.)

After attending Greg Laurie’s Harvest Crusade a few years back, I began listening to rock bands that also professed belief in Jesus Christ.  This was where I first heard Jeremy Camp.  Seventh Day Slumber was also there.  That fall had been a difficult one.  My friend Leslie was dying from pancreatic cancer and a very young family member had been diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumor.  The music that I heard at that event gave me comfort and hope.  I learned of other Christian artists on K-Love radio and Air 1 radio.

 

The other night, my husband and I went to the “Rock and Worship Road Show”, a concert of nine Christian rock artists.  It was amazing.  Thousands of people young and old filled the HP Pavillion in San Jose to see Jeremy Camp, Luminate, Mercy Me, Kutless and others.  The cost was only ten bucks to see over three hours of live music.  In between songs, the lead singer for each band professed his faith in Christ and gave the gospel message.  Throughout the evening, the gospel was spoken many times, not just once.  Scripture was quoted, and the Bible was opened up and read from. 

These bands may look like typical rockers with long hair, tattoos and even blond dreads.  Their music may initially sound like generic rock/heavy metal music.  But they aren’t singing about girls or cars.  They are singing about Christ, and His love for us.  They are singing about how Christ rescued them from sin, despair, addiction and from themselves.  What powerful testimony that is.  We give our personal testimonies in church in the spoken form all the time.  It’s hard to get up in front of people and tell them what you used to be and the things that you did before Christ got a hold of you.  Other believers listen to your testimony and are inspired.  It’s awesome to learn how Christ has worked in someone’s broken life.

If you think about it, we already present the gospel message in different ways.  We translate the Bible into different languages so that even someone in the far reaches of China can hear it and understand it.  So why not use different types of music to proclaim the gospel and to give testimony.  Look, we’re not talking holding church at a bar over beers.  We’re talking music. There are a lot of hurting people out there.  They can be reached by meeting them where they’re at, by relating to their pain and sharing how Jesus saves and has the power to change lives.  This is what Christian rock does.

Take a look at the lyrics to the song “Invisible” by a band called Disciple:  You’ve got my attention/there’s no need to hurt yourself this way/you think no one will notice you’re feeling/when you cry yourself to sleep/you feel stuck on the outside looking inside/wishing this life wasn’t your life/and you think you’re damaged way beyond repair/well you’re not so far that I can’t get to where you are/you wish you were someone else/every night you fall to pieces/knowing you can’t save yourself/I can see you, I can hear you/there’s a place where the broken go/there’s a room full of second chances/you’re not stranded on your own/you’re not invisible./I’m ready to listen/there’s no need to hold it all inside/the smallest whisper/I hear it when your strength has all but died/I need you to believe me/can you trust me/that what you see is not what I see/the reflection in the mirror’s telling lies/cause nothing you have done could change how much I love you/ you’re not invisible/I can see you as you’re falling on your knees/You’re not invisible to Me.

This is a song called “Breathe Into Me” by Red:  And this is how it feels when I/ignore the words you spoke to me/and this is where I lose myself/when I keep running away from you/and this is who I am when/when I don’t know myself anymore/and this is what I choose/when it’s all left up to me/breathe your life into me/I can feel you/I’m falling, falling faster/breathe your life into me/I still need you/I’m falling, falling/breathe into me breathe into me/and this is how it looks when I am standing on the edge/and this is how I break apart/when I finally hit the ground/and this is how it hurts/when I pretend I don’t feel any pain/and this is how I disappear/when I throw myself away.

Disciple explains how Jesus is the “Remedy”: I see the world in black and gray/broken dreams of a runaway/escape the world to medicate/symptoms gone but disease remains/if the vision dies will it ever breathe again?/oh, I’ve got to let go of the illusion/this is the end of me/You are my remedy/Oh it’s taking its toll-this pollution/this is the end of me/You are my remedy/where you stop is where you’ll start again.

Jeremy Camp delivers the gospel through his lyrics.  Here is “Lay Down My Pride”: Every single word I say/ You know it before I speak/You know every thought/ the deepest part of me/You draw me closer than I see/Your presence is everything I need to be/The child that You've created me to be/(I'm ready now to see it Your way)/Lay down my pride, my desires, my demise/I'm ready now to see it Your way/'Cause I'm done, I'm through/ignoring You now it's true/I'm kneeling at the cross of Your grace/Lay down my pride/I was faced with passing time/ but I knew the choice was mine/To finally come to You and give You all control/I've wandered miles to find my way/And then You revealed this simple faith/I know that You can see the secrets of my soul.

Camp’s “Jesus Saves” is a wonderful song of praise: Hope is here/ shout the news to everyone/It's a new day, peace has come/Jesus saves/Mercy triumphs at the cross/Love is come to rescue us/ Jesus saves/Hope is here what a joyful noise we'll make/As we join with heaven's song/To let all the world know that Jesus saves/Raise a shout to let all the world know that Jesus saves/Free at last, every debt has been repaid/Broken hearts can be remade/ Jesus saves/Sing above the storms of life/ sing through the darkest night/Jesus saves/Free at last, what a joyful noise we'll make/As we join with heaven's song/To let all the world know that Jesus saves/Raise a shout to let all the world know that Jesus saves.

Kutless’ song “Carry Me” says this:   I can see thru the laughter/I know you've cried your share of tears/But you don't have to do this by yourself/You tell me that you feel abandoned/Carrying the weight of all this pain inside/You trust in someone else/But you're crying out for help/I'm a believer/That He's strong enough to hold you now where you are/I'm a believer/In the One who's always reaching out to your heart/He understands you/There's not a greater love that you'll find in this life/I'm a believer in Christ/You're trying to escape the landslide/Running from the choices that you've made/When will you surrender to His grace/He promises He'll never leave you/Offering to free you from your past/Cause that's the sacrifice He's made/He can be your shelter and your strength/No matter what you've done/Or how far you've run/There is hope for you/For every broken heart/He'll meet you where you are/He will rescue you/Let Him rescue you.

There are so many more Christian pop/rock songs out there that praise God, and give testimony to His greatness and power to change lives.  I am providing some links to a few of my favorites for you to listen to if you wish.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9q6o4sbndVE    Jeremy Camp “The Way”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8AB0vUU038   Jeremy Camp “Overcome”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvRqqawd6VI   Disciple “Invisible”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H0C2s_UKITQ  Disciple  "Remedy"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1JBSQMkQEo  Kutless  "What Faith Can Do"

 

Also check out Decyfer Down, Skillet, Third Day, MercyMe and Toby Mac.

Is the Grass Really Greener?

 

This past Sunday, or pastor used the phrase that we are all familiar with: “The grass is always greener on the other side”.  He was talking about how Satan can deceive us into thinking there are better things out there for us than what we already have.  It got me thinking how that could play out.  You’ve got your yard.  It looks okay, but as you are standing on your grass you look over and notice that the neighbor across the street has what appears to be a perfectly manicured lawn.  The color of the grass is just gorgeous.  You think to yourself, man how come my yard doesn’t look that good.  I want my yard to be like that.  I want that yard!  You think, my yard is so boring and dull.  I really don’t like it anymore.  It starts to bother you more and more.  You keep seeing that perfect yard every time you step out of your house.  Sometimes you even gaze at it from your window and imagine yourself over there laying in that gorgeous grass on a sunny day.  You can just imagine the smell of the freshly cut grass. There is a statue with a fountain running from it.  You imagine throwing a big party over on that lawn and how happy you’d be and how proud you would be that it was your lawn instead of the neighbor’s.  Life would be so much better over there.

One day you decide to go for it.  You leave your yard and head over to the more perfect yard.  But when you get there, you immediately observe that you have stepped onto artificial grass.  That grass is as fake as grandma’s teeth.  There’s no fresh-cut grass smell.  You check the fountain.   It’s made of cheap plastic and the water has this brownish tint and odor to it.  You sure didn’t notice that from your yard.  And there are some nasty looking insects buzzing around.   Now that you’re in this yard, you realize that it’s not at all what you thought it would be, dreamed it would be.  But it looked so good from a distance.  James 1:14-15 says” but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed.  Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.”

Perhaps you are feeling bored with your husband or wife.  There’s a cute new gal at work or hunky guy at the gym.  You might start imagining what your life would be like with that person.  You start up a conversation.  She’s so charming and friendly and has the most interesting stories.  She makes you feel like you’re in high school or college again.  Before you know it, you’ve gone there.  It happens all the time, unfortunately.  Marriages and families are destroyed because someone thought the grass looked greener somewhere else.  You traded in your wife for a newer model (as they say).  You left your husband for someone more handsome or richer.  But the grass isn’t really greener.  If you are thinking about a trade-in, think again.  That hunky guy probably has a lot of baggage (like lots of ex-girlfriends), or spends lots of money gambling, or has the wandering eye.  That little gal at work might really be using you to advance her own career, or will at some point, think you too old for her and trade you in. 

Take care of your own yard.  Nurture it and enjoy it for what it is.  So what if it’s not perfect.  Neither are we.  There is someone who can help us with our struggles and help us to be content with what we have.  Jesus can help us to resist looking elsewhere for excitement and satisfaction.  He can also help mend broken hearts if you have one of those. 1 Peter 5:7 reminds us that we can cast all our burdens on Him because He cares.

Hold Your Fire

 

I went to the movies with the family last weekend.  Looking around at the posters advertising current or upcoming movies, I was struck by how so many of them showed the characters looking tough and holding guns.  There’s Django Unchained,  Skyfall, Brad Pitt in Killing Them Softly, our former governor in The Last Stand, Liam Neeson in Taken 2, Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters, Sly Stallone in Bullet to the Head, and more.  If you are a parent taking your children to see Monsters, Inc. or Wreck-It Ralph or Life of Pi, they are going to see these posters with cool actors striking poses with their guns.  You could also be at home watching a game on television and a commercial could come on advertising a new movie.  Clips of Daniel Craig or Bruce Willis shooting things up appear.  These exciting and inviting images make an impression on your children.  Kids will mimic things they see in movies and television.  My husband and I had to ban Kung Fu Panda when our kids were younger because they tried doing martial arts on each other and used sticks to hit each other and us.  If you have boys, you know what I mean.

There are many violent videogames out there.  Do you know what your child is playing late at night in his room?  How much time is your son spending playing games?  I know, I know, there have been studies…videogames in and of themselves are not a bad thing.  Many a geek relaxes after a long day at work or school by playing games.

There are youngsters who suffer from mental illnesses like depression, bi-polar disorder, schizophrenia and OCD.  Many of these children are prescribed medication to help manage these illnesses.  A diagnosis of mental illness doesn’t mean that child is going to be violent.  Some of the medications come with heavy warnings on the label.  Zoloft carries a risk of suicidal thoughts, especially in children.  Prozac is another drug that can induce suicidal thoughts.  Many young people who are prescribed anti-depressants or anti-psychotic medications do well with them and are able to live normal lives.  But a young person taking an anti-psychotic medication or two might start experimenting with alcohol or recreational drugs which could alter the helpful effects of the medication.  What if a patient suddenly quits taking his medication altogether without the knowledge of his parents or doctor?  Quitting some medications cold-turkey can result in relapse of the mental illness, often with worse symptoms and behaviors than the original illness.

 What happens when you have a young person with some sort of mental illness (maybe even an undiagnosed one) and a combination of some of the factors that exacerbates the illness, who sees images of Oscar-winning actors holding weapons and shooting things up as a hero, or spends many hours on his computer killing lots of people in some virtual world?  Can a young man have trouble distinguishing what goes on in a virtual world of a movie or game and the real world?  Does he understand what he’s doing when he packs up massive weapons and heads out to do what he’s going to do?

We’ve had some terrible tragedies recently involving young men with guns.  Innocent people have been killed and numerous families’ lives changed forever.  Some government officials have suggested stricter laws and even a ban on all firearms.  Some think more gun-free zones are the answer.  Others think if more citizens carried concealed weapons it would deter these shootings.  What about having armed guards at schools (like the elite school our recent presidents have enrolled their children in)?  Maybe the teachers and staff could be trained to carry weapons was another suggestion.

Suddenly, all gun owners and gun enthusiasts have become the villains.  A newspaper in New York, The Journal News, just published an article on 44,000 registered gun owners in two counties complete with names and addresses of where they lived.  There’s been quite a backlash against the paper.  Some have complained that now the criminals know which houses to break into - the ones without the guns.

What about Hollywood?  The industry has helped glorify guns and violence.  The actors wielding their assault weapons on the big screen are making millions of dollars looking like badasses to our young people.  Will lawmakers try to ban the filming of violent movies like the ones I saw posters for at the theater?  Will any of the actors come out with public service announcements condemning the real-life use of guns against innocent people? 

Someone commenting on an article I read brought up an interesting point that a few of these mass shootings may have occurred in so-called “gun-free zones”.  That’s something worth looking into.  Guns exist.  Criminals will find access to them ban or no ban.  They already do.

Look, there’s no one simple action that is going to eradicate these terrible killings.  People want immediate action taken to prevent our nation from losing any more innocent men, women and children.  That’s understandable.  We feel helpless, sad, sickened about what’s happened.  However, we need to examine all the factors and variables involved in each situation in order to prevent further tragedies.  Not every young person with access to firearms is going to go out and commit a mass murder-suicide.  Not every child with a mental or emotional illness is going to hurt other people.  We need to discover what these shooters in the 15 years since Columbine had in common, to help identify people who may be at risk of potentially doing something horrendous.

*Update*  I am including this recent video of Hollywood Celebs making a public service announcement condemning gun violence and demanding a plan to end it.  It wasn't the kind of public announcement I was hoping for.  The video creator found clips of the celebrities themselves using big guns in movies or tv.  The creator of this video gets it, even though his language is a little harsh.  Instead of taking any responsibility for making blood and guts and murder look cool, these actors who have made millions off of us, are telling us we need to demand gun control.  How about we demand they stop making these violent movies and television shows.  How about they denounce their participation in violent movies.  Ha, don't think that'll ever happen. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxRlpRcorEU

Indifference

Indifference is a word meaning lack of interest or concern, unimportance, of little or no concern, insignificant.  Which is worse, being treated meanly by someone, or being treated with indifference?  When person A (we’ll call her Sally) is mean to person B (we’ll call her Lucy), at least person A is thinking about person B albeit in a negative manner.  What if Lucy enters a room and Sally doesn’t make eye contact with her, or even acknowledge her presence?  That’s indifference.  Lucy wants to visit with Sally, but isn’t as talkative as many of the other gals, who Sally prefers to spend time with.

There is an event with many ladies expected.  Lucy sits down at her table hoping some of the “popular” gals will join her so she won’t be alone.  But they don’t.  One by one they pass by not even glancing at Lucy.  Hers is the last table to fill up.  A couple of “neutral” ladies sit at Lucy’s table and are pleasant and listen with interest when Lucy speaks.  Sally ends up at Lucy’s table but isn’t interested in Lucy at all.  Sally chats with her own friends.  In this community, there are several ladies like Sally and who are also close friends with Sally.  They too treat Lucy with indifference.  They don’t make eye contact with Lucy and only speak to her when necessary.  Lucy doesn’t know if she did something or said something to one of them that they didn’t like.  She would certainly apologize if she had.

Lucy had been in a social group with Sally and many of the ladies before and enjoyed getting to know them.  Lucy was asked to share personal details about her life to the group one day and she did.  But later comments were made and questions asked by various people that made Lucy feel she was no longer wanted in that group.  Lucy stopped attending.  She hoped that someone would ask why she wasn’t coming to the group anymore, but no one ever did.  Lucy came to the conclusion that Sally and the others just didn’t like her.  They were indifferent to her because they just didn’t like her.

This scenario sounds a lot like something from junior high or high school doesn't it.  Did you know a Sally back then?  Were you a Sally?  Maybe you knew or were a Lucy.  It’s sad to say this, but some things never change.  If you were a Sally, chances are you still are. Even in communities which are supposed to be loving, nurturing and inclusive, people like Lucy still feel unwanted by people like Sally.  Is there a sad Lucy lurking somewhere in your little world?  Reach out to her.  Look her in the eyes and ask her how her day is going.  Invite her to coffee.  Just don’t treat her with indifference.

Wanted: A Hero

 

We need a hero.  America needs one right now.  A super hero.  Someone to stand up to the threats of the world and to those coming from inside our nation and just say NO WAY!  It’s election year.  We’ve got a big problem; who to choose as leader of the free world.  The man in the White House right now really isn’t who many thought he was.  Some knew exactly who he was and still is.  Four years ago, people were looking for a hero; even cutely coined him “the Messiah”.  The media fell madly in love with him, and painted a picture of this handsome, well-spoken, well-educated man who being half black and half white would unite and heal our nation from its past.  This little-known newbie senator from Illinois was quickly propelled to rock star status.  The general public couldn’t get enough.  He seemed more popular than Elvis or the Beatles.  Women fainted and celebrities swooned.

The first red flag was finding out Obama's position on the Born Alive Act and voting against a ban for partial birth abortion.  His votes regarding these issues while an Illinois senator were actually "present", but it might as well have been against the ban.  For a man professing to know and follow Christ, it was disturbing that he would not want to protect tiny humans from these barbaric treatments.  Google the Born Alive Act and partial-birth abortion to learn more.

Some of the characters he has been associated with are questionable; former members of radical organizations with socialist and communist views.  Bill Ayers was a member of the Weather Underground.  Frank Marshall Davis was Obama’s mentor and member of the Communist Party.  Marshall was friends with Obama’s grandfather Stanley Dunham.  The list goes on.  Even our attorney general was part of a radical group in the 1960’s.  Obama's words contain some of these radical ideas.  Do we understand what redistribution of wealth really means?  There is a video of Obama stating his belief in it.  Who has to pay their fair share? Think about the movie Dr. Zhivago.  Remember the scene where the doctor comes back from battle to find his family home being used to house multiple families because the new government determined he had too much and had to share everything his family had built and amassed from their hard work.  What kind of real work has Obama done?  Did he ever work at McDonald’s, Burger King or start up his own business?

And yes his upbringing in another country and attendance at a Muslim school and mosque bothers me. When he mentions anything Islamic he does so with perfect pronunciation and inflection. Missionaries I've heard who served in the Middle East for years don't have that. He once said he would stand with the Muslim world if political winds shifted in an ugly direction. Where does that leave America?  Where does that leave our longtime ally Israel?   Obama was the first president to bow to the Saudi king.  He snubs Israeli leaders quite frequently these days.  Just recently, he made time to appear on “The View” and joke about his being “eye candy” but no time to meet with Israel.

We had a terror attack on the US Embassy in Libya.  Well, the government wouldn’t admit that for a while. Susan Rice kept telling us it was a spontaneous attack.  Our president blamed a video and apologized to the Muslim world for it.  The administration may have been warned about it, but somehow it wasn’t taken seriously or didn’t make it onto the iPad.  There were other riots around the Middle East, and the apologies to those people have continued.  Hilary Clinton and Obama “strongly condemned” the violent acts that were happening.  Come to find out, taxpayer cash was spent on a television commercial in Pakistan condemning that stupid film.  Damn that free speech thing! You can read about that here: http://news.yahoo.com/pakistan-anti-film-ads-feature-obama-clinton-143350312.html    Does Obama really believe he can just calm down the Middle East by continually apologizing to them? He thinks he’s the “Middle East Whisperer” or something. What message is sent when he bows submissively to their leaders?  Look, our embassies were attacked.  Our people were murdered.  They still won’t tell us what really happened in Libya. A strong leader of the free world should be outraged at THEM, not apologizing for some lame video that may or may not have set them off.  In the civilized world, a video is not an excuse to murder.  But hey, the reelection stuff is kind of more important to him than dealing with the chaos like a strong leader would.  He couldn’t miss his campaign stop in Vegas or that big party fundraiser with Beyonce now could he?  A real leader would have put all that on hold and dealt with holding the governments of those nations accountable for the murders and attacks.  The US sends billions of dollars over to the Middle East each year.  Why?  Why do we think that they will like us if we give them money?  Obama wants to give Egypt $450 million MORE in aid.  After they let our embassy be attacked.  Sure, throw more of our money at the problem.  That’ll do the trick.

We need a hero to stand up and be proud of the United States.  We need someone who will confidently stand up to third world leaders and the United Nations and not allow them to come into our country and insult us or our allies (think UN assembly).  We need a president who will immediately cut off funds to those who say they are offended by us and our way of life.  Obama is definitely not our hero in that aspect.  I’m not sure if Romney is either.  Only time will tell.

*Update*  Since this post was written, Obama has been re-elected as president.  We know how he stands on abortion.  With his signature health care overhaul, we can count on abortion being included with that.  As some signs of protesters read "Abortion is not healthcare!", the battle rages on.  The "it's a woman's body" arguement continues.  Yeah, sure it's a woman's body, but once a child is conceived inside of it, it's no longer about her.  It's about that baby.  We need to continue to pray for Obama.  Pray for the Lord to speak to his heart about these tiny ones.  Pray that God give him the heart and courage to stand up to the abortion industry and say ENOUGH!

**Update**  I am including some of the many written sources for the items mentioned above to satisfy skeptics.

 

Sources:

Aid to Egypt

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/29/world/middleeast/white-house-move-to-give-egypt-450-million-in-aid-meets-resistance.html?_r=0

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/28/us-house-kay-granger-blocks-egypt-aid_n_1924303.html

Commercial in Pakistan

http://news.yahoo.com/pakistan-anti-film-ads-feature-obama-clinton-143350312.html

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-19664392

Abortion

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/fact-checker/2008/02/obamas_voting_record_on_aborti_1.html

http://newsbusters.org/blogs/warner-todd-huston/2008/08/13/obama-lied-about-vote-against-live-birth-abortion-ban-media-mum

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121261107480446197.html

Redistribution

http://dailycaller.com/2012/09/24/full-audio-of-1998-redistribution-speech-obama-saw-welfare-recipients-as-majority-coalition/

Aid to Muslim countries

http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2011/05/obama-to-give-1-billion-to-muslim-brotherhood-dominated-egyptian-regime/

Bill Ayers

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Ayers

http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/ayers.asp

http://www.theobamafile.com/_associates/BillAyers.htm

Frank Marshall Davis

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/barackobama/2601914/Frank-Marshall-Davis-alleged-Communist-was-early-influence-on-Barack-Obama.html

http://www.forbes.com/sites/markhendrickson/2012/07/25/book-review-the-communist-does-frank-marshall-davis-have-an-ideological-godson-in-president-obama/

Eric Holder

http://www.ijreview.com/2012/10/17749-attorney-general-eric-holder-was-involved-in-armed-raid-at-columbia-university-as-student/

Libya
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2012/10/email-shows-state-department-rejecting-request-of-security-team-at-us-embassy-in-libya/

The Truth of the Matter

I just want the truth.  What’s going on in our country and in the world?  The past few days have brought some terrifying events.  I have found myself going to multiple news sites to try to find out facts and sort through them myself.   I don’t know where to turn to learn the truth.  The mainstream media doesn’t necessarily report everything.  There are very liberal-leaning sites and conservative-leaning sites.  They can report very different things having to do with the same event or topic.  I usually visit The Drudge Report to start.  He has many different sources listed on his website and presents stories from those.  He’s usually this first with breaking news stories.

This 9/11 something dreadful happened in Libya.  Our ambassador and 3 others died.  There are conflicting reports of what went down and why.  We were told at one point that the ambassador dies from smoke inhalation.  Drudge carried a photo from a video indicating the ambassador may have been brutally assaulted and dragged through the streets.   But some like CNN are writing that the picture shows local Libyans attempting to help get Stevens to a hospital.  The State Department will not give any information about what happened to him. Apparently, his body was missing for about 12 hours.  All I can think is, that poor man.  How was it that he was left so vulnerable?  According to some news sources, the interim president of Libya insists he told the US that there might be some trouble on the anniversary of 9/11 aimed at the US from recent foreigners to Libya.  Our government claims that this attack was spontaneous; a protest that escalated and got out of hand at the embassy.   An eyewitness to the event swears there was no protest and that the embassy was attacked by over a hundred heavily armed men.   The State Department says it had no warning of any attack, contrasting what the interim president said.  Who is telling the truth?  If our government ignored any indications of trouble, will they own up to it and admit it?  Oh, but now the government as of 9/19 admits it was a terrorist attack.

And what about this supposed anti-Islamic movie?  Some guy made some stupid You Tube video and the whole Middle East is rioting about it.  Well, that’s what the mainstream media is telling us.  Wow, that sure gives one man a whole lot of power.  His video has caused half the world to start rioting.  Really?  And of course some media organizations outted him pretty quickly.  Now that his name and face and where he lives has been revealed to the world, he’ll be in hiding for the rest of his life.  Why did government authorities go to his house to question him?  What happened to freedom of speech?  Now Egypt wants him to pay for his video with his life.  The media continues to link this movie to the riots in their headlines.  The White House even asked Google to remove this video.  Google said no.  Atleast Google has the guts to just say no to government censorship.  Like it or not, this man had the right to make and release his video.  Our first amendment says so.  Bill Maher has said some not-so-nice things about Islam on the air.  You Tube has clips of him doing it.  The media has been silent about Maher.  Again, are we to believe this one lone man caused all this chaos in the Middle East?

As believers in Christ, we are called to be discerning regarding sound Christian doctrine and false doctrine. I think we should be discerning regarding news stories as well. Acts 17:11 says, “Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.” These were believers who heard things and then checked those things out for themselves. I don’t want to depend solely on what the mainstream media organizations feed people as the truth. Ah, I wish there was a Superman of the news world who would tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. For now, I must investigate with the spirit of the Bereans to find the truth.