Presidential Election 2008

Two very different men are running for President of the United States: Barak Obama and John McCain. There are "multi-many" predictions about who is going to win and what precentage each has in any given poll.

People have strong opinions about each candidate and their running mates. Due to various factors actually unrelated to each man's competency to be elected to this highest office in our land (like race and sex and media coverage), this election cycle has probably been one of the most intense of any ever.

Add to that mix the dire predictions about our economy and numbers beyond my ability to comprehend, there is more than a little fear going around. Then, it seems the "Russians are coming" into the western hemisphere for war "games" for the first time since the "cold war" ended. More fear is going around!

I used to say that if so-in-so were elected, I'd move to Australia but given the state of Australia that's probably not a positive option. So it would be easy to be stuck in fear - like Peter was (Matthew 14:30-31) - looking at the waves crashing at my feet and taking my eyes off the One Who put the stars in place. He can certainly control and rule and overrule in the affairs of men made from the very sod He made (Gen. 2:7)!

A recent email reminds me of the truth that no matter who wins the election there are some unchangeable truths for my heart:

1. The Bible will still have all the answers for living God's way.
2. Prayer will still work. God will still be listening!
3. God's Holy Spirit will still be at work restoring hearts and changing lives.
4. God will still show up when His people worship.
5. Faithful pastors will still preach God's truth.
6. God's people will still have reason to praise Him!
7. Jesus' work on the cross will still work to restore hearts and lives broken by sin.
8. God's love, grace and mercy will not change.
9. Jesus will still be the Friend Who sticks closer than a brother.
10. God's purpose for His creation will still be working out according to His plan and the earth will be filled with "the knowledge of the Lord" as surely as the water covers the sea (Habbakuk 2:14).

So, yes, it does matter that serious Christians vote their conscience in this election, but we must remember that God is still on His throne no matter who wins!

Follow-Up on Saddleback Forum

Rick Warren and Saddleback Church took their risk last night. I don't know that I have ever seen a more fair, even-handed "forum."

Rick Warren had exactly the same pleasant, affirming manner toward both candidates: Barak Obama and John McCain. Rick Warren asked each in exactly the same manner the very same questions. The only exception is that John McCain fielded his questions a bit more crisply than did Obama so there were time for a few additional questions for Sen. McCain.

Watching the people and pastor of Saddleback Church, I was struck with the civility and true Christian spirit that permeated the atmosphere. Rick Warren was probing the beliefs and character of both presidential candidates last night. In doing so, he revealed a lot about his own faith and character qualities. The people of Saddleback (judging from the applause) aren't all going to robotically vote for one or the other of the candidates. There seemed to be a significant number of supporters for each in the audience yet they all behaved in a manner that honored God.

I think we saw a blazing illustration last night of where the church needs to be in society. There was no raging rhetoric last night. There was no discourtesy. There was respect and fairness - in my view - all the way around.

When our brothers and sisters (like those at Saddleback Church) show their faith is such a dramatic way, we should applaud them and give glory to God that His church is finally acting like it should at least in that corner of southern California! My guess is that God is working in and among the members and friends of Saddleback Church. My guess is also that God showed up last night and was pleased with what He saw.

Separation of Church and State?

Separation of church and state? It's a hot button topic for sure.

Recently I took a 3-week internship at the Christian Institute on Disability in California. One question I heard asked by several lecturers talking about bioethics and other current issues related to disability is "Where was the church?" "Where is the church?"

I'm not sure the church has ever played a more prominent role in a presidential election - certainly not since John Kennedy ran for president as the first Roman Catholic. In this presidential election cycle most prominent have been the sermons and rhetoric of Rev. Jeremiah Wright from Chicago, Obama's former pastor.

Tonight Pastor Rick Warren - known world-wide for his book The Purpose Driven Life - is going to interview both Barak Obama and John McCain. Some may say "the church" should not step into the arena of presidential politics. But if Christians are going to do what Jesus said - be salt and light in a very sick world - then we need to know who the presidential candidates are and what they believe so we know where they are grounded. Rick Warren may or may not be up to such an awesome assignment, but - at least - he is taking the risk.

And that's where the church (which is ALL who have hearts being restored by the grace, love and power of God's Gospel) should be - in the arena and on the cutting edge of what some have called "societal evolution." If we don't risk to make a difference, who will?

"The Most Beautiful Sound" ?

In the musical "West Side Story" the most beautiful sound is a single word "Maria." In the 2008 presidential race one of the presumptive nominees thinks the most beautiful sound in the world is "the Muslim call to prayer."* I can think of lots of other candidates (pun intended) for "most beautiful sound in the world." BUT I can state with absolute certainty that the "most beautiful sound in the world" isn't and never will be the Muslim call to prayer. What I'm really wondering is how a person who thinks the Muslim call to prayer is the most beautiful sound in the world ever got so far down the presumptive presidential path in these United States of America.

The Muslim call to prayer rings out five times a day: at dawn, midday, middle of the afternoon, just after sunset and two hours after sunset in the evening from the minaret of the mosque by the muezzin calling Muslims near and far to "hasten to prayer."

Responding to this call (especially on Friday afternoon) along with going to the mosque to pray and pledging allegiance to Allah are the essential aspects to become a Muslim. By following the Muslim call to prayer the pagan (infidel) can cross over into the house of Islam. The religion of Islam is based on performance: not making a mistake in the word sequence of prayers in the mosque and responding to the call. When the devotee to Islam travels (even into infidel territory), he is to observe these five times of daily prayer to Allah on his prayer rug (which is an essential item to carry in his luggage) facing in the direction of Mecca.

I learned and was challenged by a Mormon friend in college about their two-year missionary assignment for all Mormon youth. (Those are the guys in white shirts, black trousers walking or riding bicycles to contact people and initiate them to the Mormon faith.) Now I am learning some of the dedication of those who follow the Muslim faith - some of which clearly crosses the line into passionate fanaticism. Be it Mormon or Muslim - neither follows the principles upon which our republic was founded. And neither is Biblical Christianity!

To be a real Christian (a member of God's forever family) requires allegiance to Jesus alone as the "Way, the Truth and the Life." Jesus followed those words with: "No one comes to the Father except through Me." (John 14:6)

Believers (those of the restored heart) MUST see these days and these times as colossal opportunities to be both salt and light in a world gone wild! It is the only hope! We can be salt and light with our living, with our loving and even with how we vote. It's not just important. It's absolutely critical!

*Source: Obama: Man of the World written by Nicholas D. Kristof, The New York Times, March 6, 2007.

BITTER !

"Bitter" is a word recently in the news. "Bitter" is a word I've been contemplating over the last several weeks.

"Bitter" - it's a word, but it also describes a condition of life. Bitter is a choice!

"Bitter" is on the news recently. If Barak Obama could "rewind," I wonder if he would chose another word to describe his perception of some Americans.

What is bitter? Bitter is that taste that turns one's mouth inside out like eating a persimmon before the first frost.

Bitter is collecting offenses - real or imagined - and clutching onto them with a life-and-death grip.

Bitterness is the condition that results. Bitterness has a nasty root that reaches its tentacles deep into our hearts twisting here and there in its death grip. Bitterness squeezes out life and joy - totally ringing our hearts dry.

The Bible has a lot to say about bitterness, what causes it and what to do about it. Peter describes Simon the wizard as "full of bitterness and captive to sin." (Acts 8:23) The writer of Hebrews talks about bitterness: "See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble ... " (Heb. 12:15)

It seems Hebrews is saying that when we miss the grace of God, we put outselves in grave danger of having bitterness start to root and grow in our hearts. Bitterness in the heart may be hidden for a time, but eventually it oozes out in our faces and in our actions. The calamity is that hanging on to bitterness can cause us to miss the grace of God! That's a pretty sick trade - about as pitiful as Esau trading his inheritance for a bowl of soup! (Genesis 25:29 - 34)

Bitter isn't a result of our circumstances. Bitter is the choice we make in response to those circumstances. When Paul gives very practical advice for marriage in Colossians, he instructs men, "Husbands, love your wives and do not be bitter toward them."

Apparently wives in Paul's day were no different than in 2008. We do things that our husbands use as excuses not to love us as they should. We also don't do things that give our husbands excuses not to love us as they should. Loving when the other person fails is not easy! There are two choices: love even more deeply and unconditionally or be bitter. God's way is to love and not be bitter!

That's just hard stuff! It's unnatural! My heart tends to go to bitter rather than love. The only way I can love through difficulty is for God to restore my heart, to so fill my heart with His grace that there is no room for bitterness to take root!

History tells us that the British army band played "The World Turned Upside Down" the day General Cornwallis surrendered to General George Washington in Yorktown, Virginia concluding the American Revolution. For the British the world had turned upside down! They never dreamed their colonists would revolt. They never dreamed the colonists would win the conflict.

A bitter taste may turn one's mouth inside out. Conquering bitterness with God's help as He restores our hearts is also turning a heart upside down. It's not what seems right and natural! It's not what initially "feels" right. But bitterness is NOT God's way! God's path is restoration, and He is the Great Restorer!

And that's why a new church is gathering in the South Hills of Pittsburgh - A Restoration Church! We want to gather people who know their hearts need God's loving restoration. We are works in process - God's process of restoration!

Obama and the Things Preachers Say

I've been married to a pastor for almost 41 years. I've heard my pastor say a lot of things over those years. I have seen him change, grow and develop in his ability to communicate truth. I have heard good sermons and bad sermons. I have heard long sermons and shorter sermons.

Just this past Sunday I heard an excellent Palm Sunday sermon. Now that's hard to do on a holiday - to preach something that challenges the heart and isn't the "same old, same old." This sermon I heard last Sunday definitely did challenge my heart and wasn't the "same old."

I have NEVER in all my years of being married to a preacher and hearing him and many, many other preachers preach heard such unbelieveable rantings as have played on the news over the last week or so from the lips and lungs of the Rev. Jeremiah Wright. One has to wonder if they pass out doctored kool-aid at the door when people enter for them not only to sit still for such preaching and ranting but to actually respond emotionally to it. Perhaps it's a "Chicago Land" thing - one can only hope!

There is absolutely NO chance that anyone could sit anywhere in the vicinity of such "preaching" and ranting as Rev. Jeremiah spews forth with such venom and not know exactly what kind of "preaching" was happening! I seriously wonder why someone doesn't call for the "men in the white coats with the straight-jacket" to come for Rev. Jeremiah. He's so totally over-the-top that he's falling out of his "Afro-centric" clergy clothing!

I haven't had time to focus on what Obama had to say in his speech today, but I will. I was otherwise occupied this morning during the speech. I was at the ice rink at a ice bumper car birthday party. I think I made a wise choice.

God weighs in on this matter when Jesus says, "I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken." (Matt. 12:36) Words spoken and yelled with spit and venom in the name of preaching qualify for such a warning! Just because someone has the ability to move a crowd emotionally and whip them into a frenzy doesn't constitute responsible leadership nor is it the kind of spiritual/emotional influence we need over the leaders of our nation.

The fact that we are not horror-stricken is because we have grown numb to such horrors. We have seen, heard and read too much until "too much" becomes at least a tolerable "norm" of sorts.

Where is the balance? Where is the truth? Both balance and truth come from God's heart reaching into broken hearts and changing and restoring those hearts (one at a time) from within. Balance and truth never come from frenzied venom! Beware!

A Heart for Change? Eliot Spitzer? Obama and the USA?

"Change" seems to be the word of the day (and days) these days. One presidential hopeful is making that his campaign focus. But the problem with a politician talking about "change" but not detailing what change looks like is that "change" is only a word. "Change" MUST be accompanied with action and specifically appropriate actions related to the specific change involved.

Barak Obama is all about change if you listen to his words, but he doesn't explain HOW that change is going to happen. He doesn't detail a plan for change.

Newly former NY governor Eliot Spitzer is facing change in life, but if his public words from yesterday are any indicator, he's a long way from knowing how to put his tattered life back together - even if he really wants to do so. Talking about "failings" and "not living up to what was expected" are paltry words in his circumstances.

Another man I once knew was young, had a beautiful wife and pretty special children. Looking from the outside in, they seemed like the ideal family. But there was HUGE need for heart change! Everything was going from bad to worse due to increasingly bad choices.

Was there hope? Was there help? You bet! But hope and help alone are not enough EVER! Beside the "God factor," the other essential is having a heart for change! That's HUGE!

Barak Obama talks about change but I don't hear a plan. I hear clever words on the hopeful path to the White House.

Eliot Spitzer talks "change" when it really sounds like "How am I going to minimize the pressure here?" It's all about self-protection to minimize personal loss and maximize damage control.

The young husband gone way down a bad path didn't get the missing piece either. He wanted the pressure gone and the "status quo" returned. It was pretty amazing to talk to him - to actually even tell him the words he needed to say in order to get turned around and started back on another path. His heart was so far from change that he couldn't even say the words like a parrot. It was pretty obvious - amazingly so!

It's having a heart to change that makes the difference! The ancient prophet Jeremiah asks the question, "... Can the leopard change his spots?" (Jer. 13:23) The obvious no-brainer answer is a quick, "Of course not! The leopard is stuck with his spots."

The process of "changing a leopard's spots" requires another heart. It's the "when is a leopard not a leopard?" question. And the answer is: when the leopard becomes a lion or whatever instead. Leopards don't become lions easily. Only a lion's heart can turn a leopard into a lion.

The illustration probably breaks down but the point is that real, lasting change must come from inside. It requires the painful process of a heart transplant! The heart must be willing to change from the inside out, and only God can do that kind of work!

God is the Only One in the heart restoration business! But He is and He does! God regularly changes "leopard spots" one heart at a time! It's not a cosmetic make-over. It's an extreme make-over from the inside out!