Christmas With A Capital "C"

From Go Fish's Album Snow, with comedian Brad Stine (speaking parts - in italics).

Speaking:
I remember when people used to say things like "Merry Christmas" to each other.
Everybody said "Merry Christmas."
"Hey, Merry Christmas to you Mr. Lowenstein."
You know why? Cuz it wasn't about a religion.
It was something as a culture we thought was so valuable
that'd we'd all do it together even if I disagreed with the religion behind it because it was good for all of us instead of just me.
But what do people say now? "Happy holidays."
See I just say "Happy holidays" cuz I don't want to say Christmas cuz
you don't believe in Christmas and I don't want to offend you...

It's called Christmas

Well I went to the coffee shop to get myself a mocha
The lady at the counter said "Happy Holidays"
I said "Thanks lady, I am pretty happy
But there's only one holiday that makes me feel that way and..."

[Chorus]
It's called Christmas
What more can I say
It's about the birth of Christ
And you can't take that away
You can call it something else
But that's not what it'll be
It's called Christmas with a capital C

God's got a law and we've pretty much destroyed it
We're gonna get judged, there's no way to avoid it
But Jesus came down to take the punishment for me
He did it for you too, so now maybe you can see why

[Chorus]

It's called Christmas

Oh yes, we want to say "Happy holidays" because we don't want to leave anybody out. Really, how come there's a ton of holidays in February, and nobody ever says "Happy holidays" in February do they? They say what it is: "Happy Valentine's D..." Ooh, do you believe in love?

It's called Christmas

But nobody wants to say "Christmas" anymore more. Why? I know why - you do too. It's because it's got "Christ" in it, and after 2000 years, He's still intimidatin' people. You see, when a religious Person says "I am the Way" people don't want to hear it. They don't!

It's called Christmas

I say you've got to say "Merry Christmas" cuz it is. You don't believe in it? Fine. But I have a flash for you. Christianity happens to be the religious heritage of my country, whether you like it or not.

It's called Christmas

So if you're not a Christian, or you don't like it, and you don't want Christmas celebrated, God bless ya. But let me tell ya somethin', if you think you're gonna stop me from saying it because it offends you, hey I've got a flash for ya: Put a helmet on! It's my country too!

[Chorus x2]

The Bible Supports Gay Marriage?!?

A few weeks ago some of you may have seen this attention-grabbing headline on the MSN homepage: The Bible Supports Gay Marriage. When I saw the title I was afraid to read on, but had to. Since then I have read on msn that there was a backlash and that the source who originally printed the article (Newsweek) received a fair amount of mail and criticism for printing such a thing. Here's the link to the article, if you haven't already seen it:

Our Mutual Joy - Cover Story: Gay Marriage

Oh there's a lot to say after reading something like that. But I am going to leave the arguements to the experts - there are many people out there much smarter and well-versed in Scripture than I am to be defending our Bible and the sanctity of marriage as the Bible would actually define it.

However, I will say this: This article did stir up a few emotions in me. First, I am angry. This is my Bible, and people are twisting and manipulating it in stark contrast to what Scripture actually indicates. This is an attack on my God and my Bible and I don't like it. My children will have to grow up in a world where this nonsense is taking over, and people are twisting the Bible to say what they want it to say so they can do what they want to do and have a "clear" conscience. And there are "Christians" out there who are going to jump on the bandwagon in the name of tolerance or ease and buy into this. They will read the article (or a million others out there just like it) and think "Yeah, ok. That makes sense. And it's certainly popular. I guess I can see it. I'll go with it." And that same Christian who thinks this will allow these negligent thought processes influence their political stance, their interpretation of the Bible in other realms, and even what is to be tolerated in the churches they attend. We are becoming lazy and complacent in our Christian standards and every time we do it becomes easier to do what feels ok rather than what Christ would desire.

I am also sad. It breaks my heart to see people turning their backs on God in this way. The person who wrote this article knows a fair amount about what is actually written in the Bible. Yet somehow she is seriously missing the point. And she's not alone. And, as I mentioned above, there are many people who call themselves Christians who go along with this twisted thought process and then somehow try to justify it with the Bible. Ouch. It makes me very sad to see how far our society has fallen, and I can't believe how fast it happens. And I am also sad for the many who blindly receive poor counsel, and buy into it, and make grave and sometimes fatal (literal and figurative) mistakes with their lives based on misinformation.

The God I know from reading the pages of the Bible does not like this. He will not approve or bless our society for embracing blasphemy to His name such as is written in the words of this article. Christian, my plea to you is this: Stand up for what you believe. And figure out what you believe from reading God's Word, not Newsweek. And be ready for a fight, because in this day and age, if you do those two things, you will be standing in the company of very few.

Well, Now What?

America has spoken, and we have elected a new President. Am I worried? When I rely on my human understanding of the situation, and what this could mean for our country's policies and rules on a moral level, the answer is definitely yes. Especially when you consider that he has so much support from congress - I think there is a historic number of liberals in Washington, starting in January. Yikes! But, God says that He knows what is going on. Isaiah 55:8-9 says "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts." He has a plan, and trust me, I really don't see how He's going to pull this one off, but it's ok. I don't need to. He doesn't need my help. I did what I needed to do yesterday at the polls, and He knows my heart. For reasons only God probably understands at this time we as Christians don't seem to have much leverage in government these days (Democrats probably think they understand, but I find it very unlikely that they know God's reason for their having taken overwhelming control in Washington).

So, what now? That is definitely the question of the hour. I have a few points, but I certainly don't have all the answers:

1. Pray. America has never needed it more. Pray that our leaders' attention stays on things temporal and doesn't drift into the moral. Let them spend all our money if that's what they have to do (it hurts to say that). I am praying that their left-wing moral issues and agenda don't infiltrate our nation and take over. Abortion as a means of birth control, redefining marriage, you get the idea.

2. Get ready. We are in the end times. We all know it. The prophesies have been fulfilled. Jesus is coming back someday - and I am not kidding when I say that after last night, it looks like sooner rather than later.

3. Respect your President. Didn't vote for him/don't like him? Doesn't matter. He's your leader, whether you like it or not. And God demands that you give your respect to him. What does this mean when you disagree with what he's doing as leader? You may operate your voice in government as much as you are legally allowed, when done in respect. Call your representative. Write letters. Support good causes. You may not: talk bad or disrespectfully about President Obama. Attack him, or his family, on a personal level. The lines are blurry here. When necessary: attack the policies, not the people. Just remember: America voted, but ultimately God placed this man in the position of authority in our country. You have an amazing opportunity to be a witness to those around you when you deal God's way with (good, bad, other) authority in your life.

2 Timothy 2:13-17 Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake, whether to the king as supreme, or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good. For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men - as free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bondservants of God. Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.

There is a lot more here than meets the eye if you are reading the passage for the first time, but no matter what you can get the general idea that God demands respect from us for our earthly leaders.

4. Respect God more. We are to respect our human authority, but always over that is our respect for God. If our government tells us to do (or allows us to do) something that is in contrast to the Word of God, we are to obey God. There are more ways that this could be manifested than any of us can ever imagine. Be ready to take action. And know God's Word well enough that you have discernment when the time comes.

5. Be thankful. This is monumental in America's history. I personally am thrilled that he got elected for one reason: he's black. Let me explain. I didn't vote for him, and I would never let someone's skin color influence my vote. But, now that he's in office (or will be in a few months), I am thankful that America has risen above its racist roots. Even in southern states, which is a little more surprising based on history, Obama got a decent share of the vote. That is big news, and it is important. I believe God is color-blind (remember the song "red and yellow, black and white, they are precious in His sight?") and we are sending a powerful message to the rest of the world, and to those who are still racist in our own country, that we have moved past that. We are better than that. I am thankful. There is much, MUCH more to be thankful for than just the issue of race. When I try, I can think of lots of things. That's just the only one I'm going to talk about here.

What do you think? Have anything to add? This certainly isn't exhaustive, but it's a start. I value your opinion.

Vote!

Tomorrow is election day - if you don't know that then you've been living under a rock for a while now. And, you've heard people telling you to take advantage of your voice in this country. Here it comes from me:

Many, MANY people have sacrificed and given of their time, energy, talents and even lives that we all might live in a country that is free, and where we the people get to elect those who govern us. You owe it to all of them to use this gift they fought so hard for.

It is your responsibility - this is your country. Don't like the way it's going? I certainly don't. If you don't vote, you have no right to offer your opinion about this country's direction, ideals, etc.

We all know we should vote, but how do we choose who to vote for? I will not tell you who to vote for, but can I please ask, especially if you call yourself a Christian, to vote according to your faith, and not the reasons society and the news media would give you to try to scare you with. Yes, our economy is tanking. Yes, our country is in a mess. Yes, we're all falling on bad times. (An issue for another day, and one I probably won't ever cover here, is whether the news media is hyping all of that up for their own political agenda...).

Life in America has probably seen better days. I whole-heartedly believe, however, that the reason for that is that we as a country are turning our backs on God. We have kicked God out of nearly every aspect of our country - we are all (and by all, I certainly don't mean those of us who are fighting and praying against it, but rather, just the general trend of our country) doing all we can to make sure God is out of our country and our lives. We forget that the very premise and ideals this country was born on were those of Christian heritage and values. Our country was thriving and successful for many years - we're all still reaping the benefits of the success of our ancestors. But has God had enough of being kicked to the curb and forgotten? I should think so. He's not allowed in our schools, our government, and if some would have their way, he'd be off our money and out of our Pledge of Allegiance. Some would probably like Him to be kicked out of our churches. Welcome to China everyone.

So when you vote, consider this: How do you stand on abortion? What do you want to see happen with this country's definition of one man, one woman marriage? How would it make you feel to see illegal immigrants granted amnesty, or, how do you feel about children of illegals getting automatic citizenship just for being born here? How do you like the idea of paying more taxes so more people can sit at home on their hineys while you pay for their dinner (rent, gas, clothing, medical expenses, .....)? These are all, some much more important and grave than others, but they are all issues of how one values and respects human life. And they are all fundamentally Christian issues.

May I encourage you as a Christian: please vote your values this election. Our economy is bad, but that's just money. There are lives and families on the line here. And also, pray that this country might return to its Christian foundation and ideals. I know that one of the candidates catch phrases is "Change" - and I'm sure that's hardly the change he has in mind for our country. But I maintain that turning our country back into a Christian nation is the only change that's even worth fighting for and talking about.

And no matter what happens at the polls tomorrow, get ready to get on your knees and pray. No matter the political outcome, our country and our people need prayer more today than ever before. Pray for our Commander-in-Chief, no matter who he is or if you voted for him or not. Pray for our congress. Pray for those who write our laws. Pray for our local government. Pray for Bible-believing Christians representing us in our government. Pray for our Christian leaders. Pray for God's sovereign hand in the inner workings of every aspect of our government. We may not feel we have much of a voice in our country these days, but praise God, words directed toward Him are never wasted.

Hotel Rwanda

Narasimha's employer gives a day off for employee's birthdays. I think you can take it anytime you want, but Narasimha actually took his on Friday since his boards were on Thursday so we haven't spent any real time together for a while, and his birthday was on Saturday. It was nice to have an extra day off - we didn't do much of anything. We did rent a few movies and watched in the evenings this weekend. One of them was Hotel Rwanda.

Hotel Rwanda is a movie that tells the story of a Hutu man, and his Tootsie wife and community of friends, and their mixed children, as they all try to survive the genocide of the Tootsies by the Hutus in Rwanda in 1994. The actual movie I think was done pretty tastefully. There wasn't a whole lot of swearing, and we don't even have a special DVD player. The actual blood-and-guts gore was kept to a minimum, but you do see a fair amount of violence, and lots and lots of dead bodies. I have heard before of the conflict in Rwanda between the Hutus and the Tootsies. I remember being in about Junior High when all this was happening, and they covered it a little on the news show the school made us watch every day in third hour. I do not remember, however, the extreme devastation in hearing about this ever before. The movie showed how massive the killing was, and as sad as that is, add to it how the rest of the world stood by and offered almost no support/relief. The victims kept waiting for the UN, and the US, and no one came. The movie just broke my heart to watch - honestly, I am rarely a "cry-er." There were a few times in this movie that I couldn't help it.

Then that got me thinking - how many times in history have there been "genocide" based alone on some physical feature, or some way that one group of people is different from another (not better, just different). In this movie they said one time that the way they tell the difference between the Hutus and Tootsies is by how wide their nose is. And in the Holocaust, people were practically distinguished by having brown hair and eyes, as opposed to blonde and blue. Think of all the places around the world that massive groups of people have been killed without good reason, or something like the supposed guilt of their ancestors, or even accidentally choosing to live on the "wrong" plot of land. Russia, Germany and Poland, Scotland, the United States even, Rwanda, many many African nations, Afghanistan, China and Tibet, right now in Darfur, Lebanon, Israel. That's not nearly all of them. This problem spans the globe far and wide, from our own back yard to every continent, to many many countries, to millions and million of individual lives around the world.

Even when we know of these things, what do we do? What can we do? So obviously most of us can't just pack our weapon of choice in our suitcase and fly over and fight with the good guy. But politically, can we lean on our government a little to take action and try to stop the fighting? Protect those who have no protection? There was another part of the movie where there was a reporter from a western nation. He went out and video taped the vast devastation, and a woman who was being hunted was saying yeah, send that video back to your country - that will get people caring about what is happening here. And the videographer said unfortunately no, they will see it, and think oh, that's too bad, and then they will go on eating their dinner.

I know from our safe living rooms thousands of miles away, with the smallest of small threat of being shot or killed out of hatred tonight, it is hard for us to get involved. It's hard even to know what's going on with whatever filtered TV news we have available. I guess just watching this movie made me want to do all I can - even if that's not much. I will do research on the internet to find out what's really going on (but not believe everything I read). I will watch different news stations to get the most information, keeping in mind all news is likely skewed or tainted or biased. I will watch International news stations (BBC, etc.) to see if what I'm getting from the American stations is painting a comprehensive picture. In the upcoming elections, I will find out which of the candidates are willing to talk about human rights in other countries, and who desires to keep the best International relations (generally the Dems). When deciding who to support with dollars given to charity, I will research organizations that help people in these grim situations. And last but hardly least, I will pray for those in suffering today. That someone will reach out to them with love, a helping hand, and most of all, the name of Jesus Christ in their moment of suffering and need.

I started thinking, what if someone in our community today picked some random physical/personal attribute that was somehow deemed "superior" and then decided to kill everyone who was different. What if the difference was blue vs. brown eyes, big vs. small feet, the ability to do complex math equations in one's head, or even preference of eating dessert before or after a meal. I know I am being a little facetious. But there are people in our world who have lost their lives for far less. Who would I lose - family, friends, me? Something to think about...

One Minute Each Night

I have recently received this email a few times, and though I generally don't like to forward mass emails, I think the idea of this one has something to it. Rather than re-saying myself what I received, I will just paste what came in on my email.


"ONE MINUTE EACH NIGHT

Received from a friend and it is true, this is the scariest election we as Christians have ever faced and from the looks of the polls, the Christians aren't voting Christian values. We all need to be on our knees.

Do you believe we can take God at His word? Call upon His name, and then stand back and watch His wonders to behold. This scripture gives us, as Christians, ownership of this land and the ability to call upon God to heal it. I challenge you to do so. We have never been more desperate than now for God to heal our land. This election is the scariest I remember in my lifetime.

2 Chronicles 7:14 “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”

During WWII, there was an advisor to Churchill who organized a group of people who dropped what they were doing every night at a prescribed hour for one minute to collectively pray for the safety of England, its people and peace.

This had an amazing effect as bombing stopped. There is now a group of people organizing the same thing here in America. The United States of America and our citizens need prayer more than ever !!!

If you would like to participate: each evening at 9:00 PM Eastern Time (8:00 PM Central, 7:00 PM Mountain, 6:00 PM Pacific), stop whatever you are doing and spend one minute praying for the safety of the United States, our troops, our citizens, for peace in the world, the up-coming election, that the Bible will remain the basis for the laws governing our land and that Christianity will grow in the U.S.

If you know anyone who would like to participate, please pass this along.

Someone said if people really understood the full extent of the power we have available through prayer, we might be speechless. Our prayers are the most powerful asset we have.
Thank You. Please pass this on to anyone who you think will want to join us.

God Bless You!!!"


Now, I'm not sure about the history, but that doesn't seem to matter much. I know that prayer is powerful, and I think we as Christians do have some real concerns as we look to the future of our country/society/etc.

I also think the 8:00 thing is really of minimal importance. Yes, the idea might help some remember, but I think just remembering is actually the most important part. I personally just want to encourage those who read this to remember to pray for those things listed above - our country, our election, our faith in this country. These things are eternally important, and unfortunately, sometimes it feels like we as Christians are loosing ground on a slippery slope.

So today, from one follower of Jesus Christ to the next, lets encourage each other to pray: for our country to maintain some moral code, for the upcoming election, for our military, for our enemies here and abroad, and for all of us to unite as one universal church and demand that our faith and beliefs be heard in a seemingly deaf world (of course among many many other things).

Post a comment if you have something else we should be praying for - and as a Christian, please remember to take prayerful action today.

Being Foreign in America

As I have mentioned in an earlier post, Narasimha isn't a citizen of this country. He is here currently on a work visa - the same one that required that we move to M-town. He will be on this visa for 3 years before being able to apply for a green card. He used to be on an exchange student visa, which had to be renewed every year. (In the following process, FYI, there is no part that is without monetary cost.) To get the visa renewed/stamped, the foreigner has to go to a US Embassy, of which there are none inside the US. We chose to go to Toronto and Ottawa, Canada, because those were closer than any others for us. This has not been an easy process. First, he has to apply and get a Canadian visa to go into Canada to go to his appointment at the US embassy. Then, he has to get there to go to the appointment. We have always driven. Then he has to do the appointment, and wait for a few days in Canada to see if they will grant the visa. If they don't, and they don't have to have a reason not to, then he doesn't get to come back to America - no questions asked. Even if he has a job, wife, house, etc. here, and even if he did everything exactly and perfectly that they asked him to do. Actually getting to Canada driving requires that you go through Detroit and through the border police. The way to Canada isn't bad - they check your passport, ask a few questions and wave you through. The way back to the US, however, has been pretty much a nightmare every time we have gone through. I can't believe how rude and racist they are. I understand they have a job to do, and trust me, I want them to do it well. I don't want terrorists or the like making it through our borders. But there is no reason for them to be unnecessarily rude and condescending to everyone who goes through and isn't white. Last time I checked, it wasn't considered a crime simply being not-white. I have been literally embarrassed for the way I have seen them treat people on the way through - embarrassed to even be an American and be associated with these unfriendly and cold-hearted cattle-herders. So, since he has a new visa, he has to get it stamped at an Embassy if he leaves the country and before he can come back. Since we are planning a trip overseas soon, he is looking at making the Canadian trek once again to get his visa stamped. He called the Embassy today (there is a website that you can use, but there are never any appointments available, so the Embassies allow you to call directly and for $2/min you can attempt to get an appointment over the phone). He talked to a man who was less than helpful. The man said that no, they don't have any appointments. Narasimha asked why not, and why don't they ever show up on the website, since he has been religiously watching the site, and also, how is he ever actually supposed to get an appointment. The man said that they do come onto the website, but Narasimha should be ready to check the website "between 40-50 times a day to get an appointment." Thanks for your help - now can I please have my $2/min back? Whenever we deal with these people, we always comment on how unfortunate it is that the people who are representing Americans on the front lines (literally - at the borders) are showing us to be a bunch of arrogant pigs who care nothing for anyone but ourselves, and treat everyone we encounter, good, bad, or otherwise, like the dirt on which we trample. After seeing first-hand how "we" treat foreigners as a first impression, I wonder a lot less than I otherwise would why whole countries of people hate us and threaten us and even kill us. I also wonder a lot less (not that I at all think it's ok) why people are here illegally - it would be much easier and cheaper for us to break the rules!