Cigars, Theology and Apologetics

Last Monday, my husband informed me that he would be out of town for a work conference this week. Realizing this was his job and he had no choice in the matter, I obliged and reasoned in my mind, "We've done this before. Time goes by quickly. It'll be good for you and Owen to have time together." With his departure looming, I cancel my original plans with friends and decide Friday night would be our date night. We would go out on a double-date, then head out for a rendezvous of our own afterwards. As I'm getting dressed for the evening, he calls to inform me that after our dinner he would like to join the guys at the Cigar Bar, and then proceeds to ask me "Is that alright with you?" Now, let me just fill you in on what was going on in my mind..

Are you serious?!? I just canceled plans for the evening with MY friends (he was unaware of that, by the way) and NOW you are going out with the guys and leaving me at HOME?! ugh! I have WAY more to offer than "the guys" and you ain't getting what I'm offering. 

followed by....

How inconsiderate of his friends to ask him to go "hang out" on our date night?? (I highly doubt they were aware it was "date night")

Don't judge, ladies. We all know our minds tend to go here! I refrained from unleashing my fury and responded, "Whatever you wanna do, babe." After hanging up the phone, I really wanted to call his mother and share the atrocity that just happened...but, well, ok I actually DID call her but she didn't answer. And for good reason. I put down the phone and just asked God to lead Nathan wherever he needed us to be tonight. If that meant we'd be spending the evening apart, then allow me to accept that and know He was working in the midst of it. We enjoyed a great dinner,conversation and drinks, then headed back home to switch cars. We walked in the house and the conversation that unfolded took me by surprise:

Nate: "Hey. You wanna come with me tonight? 

Me: "To the Cigar Bar? For guys night?"

Nate: "Yeah. It'll be fun. It's date night, right? If you come with me, I don't have to choose."

Now, I don't smoke cigars. Or drink beer. Nor do I really prefer to inhale smoke for the evening. My immediate reaction was to say, "Thanks for the offer, babe, but I think I'm gonna curl up on the couch and read a book in my jammies."  Before I could relay the words from my head to my mouth, I remembered what I asked God to do: lead Nathan where we should be for the night. With that fresh on my mind, I grab a jacket and a book and head out with Nathan to boldly invade guys night. 

When we arrive the guys are having their cigars, obviously surprised to see me come along, but welcome me nonetheless. I order my glass of Moscato and sit down with my book, ready to dig in, zone out and let my husband enjoy guy talk. About five mins in, I quickly realize among the loud chatter, laughter, live music and such, I am NOT going to be absorbing this book. One of the guys introduces me to a girl they've known for a while. She works at the Cigar Bar and she and her husband were hanging out and enjoying the night together. For the next two hours, her and I just talk. Turned out she was into Theology and Apologetics (right up my alley) and was in a dry patch in her spiritual life. But you know, she came alive when we talked about Jesus. We both did. We didn't leave that place til after midnight. I felt encouraged and excited and so did she. I assured her that this night, and our meeting, was completely orchestrated by a Sovereign God. While she's in this dry patch, I told her we could walk through the Scriptures and learn Theology and Apologetics...together. Figure out what makes you come alive. Maybe it's service. Maybe it's studying Scripture. Maybe it's going to places "the church people" won't go and having a beer while sharing Jesus with a random stranger. Turn to God during the dry seasons. Engage in what makes you come alive and and wait on the Lord to move in your heart. Surround yourself with people who will encourage you that God's still got control of this thing. Even Jesus went through the desert. 

As my husband and I left the Cigar Bar that night, we both left a little more encouraged. He got to talk about Jesus and shoot the breeze with the guys. I, unexpectedly, met a new friend and allowed her to talk about her dry season, and assured her God expected us to go through those times. When I got in the car, I thought to myself "This is what it means when you say, 'Lord not my will, but Your's, be done.' What if I hadn't taken time to readjust my will to God's? What if I had been so desperate for my husband to have "alone time" with me that I stood in the way of God's plan for that evening? 

Nathan works from 730a-6p most nights, has "guys night" with the men of our church once a week and also dedicates a couple nights a week to learn songs to lead us in worship on Sundays. Our alone time together is sometimes few and far between, but I see him growing in Christ. I see him developing friendships with men who aren't afraid to hold him accountable to his job, his family and his spiritual life. And you know what winds up happening? Those few moments we DO have alone are so much more fulfilling. He's a happier husband, a more loving father, and a more confident man. 

How often do we interfere with God's plan and will for our husbands, and for ourselves? If we look at what "will" means, it's defined as a desire, purpose, or determination; especially of one in authority. So I ask you, who's in authority over your life and your will? There is someone on that throne. Is it you or is it God? I try to always keep in the forefront of my mind, that my husband was first and foremost designed to glorify God and fulfill His purpose in this world. I come second. Always. Even though it is tough, and causes me to have to sometimes give up my needs as his wife, it's important that I trust God. I ask God to lead my husband and then I must TRUST him to do so, "for it is God who works in [Nathan] to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose." - Phil.2:13

2000 Years Later: Does Prayer Still Matter?

This morning I was burdened with the subject of prayer. Quite honestly I was a little ashamed at how little I do pray, in light of the many things going on around me. There are mornings where I check prayer off my "to do list" and then go on with my day, certainly obeying what God called me to do, but keeping my fingers crossed that my little ho-hum prayer made it through the corridors of heaven and into the ears of My Father. While having my coffee this morning, I read Matthew 9:38 : "Ask The Lord of the Harvest, therefore, to send out workers into the field." It got my mind spinning.


Why did Jesus find prayer so important?
Why did he often times stop his day to be alone and pray?
If he had healing powers, a voice to calm the fiercest storms, drive out the scariest of all demons, yet still saw extreme value in prayer, I need to ask for this same passion and desire.

As I dig further into this Scripture, I came across a wonderful sermon on prayer and ways God still uses it today.  Maybe it will inspire you, like myself, to know with confidence that God indeed hears your pleas and is working His will in this world because of them. With no further adieu, I give you Mr.John Piper...

"My aim and my prayer through this message is that you might feel yourself captured by a cause and a vision a thousand times greater than your life. I pray that you will feel yourself to be part of the coming victory of God. I know that many of you feel: Look, you don’t know what I am dealing with. I just want to survive another day. I just want to keep my marriage together and raise a couple decent kids, and keep my nose clean.

Believe me, I’m not opposed to that. My aim is not to burden you. My aim is for you to feel the liberating, energizing power of seeing your all-consuming problems in connection to God’s global victory. God cares about your marriage, your kids, your singleness, your health. But these only have their greatest meaning in relation to the victory of God. I promise you it is not oppressive to see the littleness of your life in connection to the largeness of God’s victory. Every just war that has ever been fought for a great ideal has given meaning to the loneliness, and the amputations, and the widowed moms.

The connection that I want you to see today between your life and the victory of God is the connection of prayer. Your prayers are God’s way of accomplishing the victory of Jesus Christ over this world. I know that for many of you this is way beyond what you usually pray about. I think God wants to change that. I hope that praying for the victory of God in this world will become part of your life. Don’t object by saying, “I’m too small. I’m unsophisticated. I’m not educated. I’m just an ordinary, simple person.” God chose a simple, peasant virgin to bear his Son. And he chooses simple people of faith to bring his victory by prayer. O don’t rule yourself out of this great calling.

The apostle Paul was probably the greatest missionary witness to the victory of God that ever lived. God used him for tremendous breakthroughs for the spread of the gospel. Listen to his repeated plea for prayer as a means to his gospel-spreading ministry:

2 Thessalonians 3:1, “Finally, brothers, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may speed ahead and be honored, as happened among you.” The word runs and triumphs by means of prayer.

Ephesians 6:19, “[Pray] for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel.” Paul’s boldness in the gospel came from God by the prayers of simple Christian believers.

Romans 15:30, “I appeal to you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God on my behalf.” The wrestling of Paul to be faithful in all his sufferings was sustained by a wrestling in prayer by the brothers in Rome.

Colossians 4:3, “Pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison.” Open doors for the spread of the gospel come in answer to prayer. Therefore, in the life of Paul it is plain that prayer is God’s way of gospel victory.

Today the enemies of the church of Jesus Christ are not political or national or ethnic. Paul said, “We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12). Until our King comes from heaven, we wish the destruction of no man. As Christians we do not kill our enemies, we pray for our enemies, as Jesus taught us to do (Matthew 5:44).

The great battle today is fought not with swords but with the gospel of Jesus Christ crucified and risen. It is fought for the souls of men. It is fought in the power of the Holy Spirit. It is fought with words of truth and deeds of love and justice. And all of that backed by prayer. The victory will come and will come by prayer." (taken from  Prayer and the Victory of God)

The Papers Have Been Signed. Welcome to the Banquet!

"Grace" is thrown around quite casually these days. So what's it really mean? Webster defines it as so: unmerited divine assistance given humans for their regeneration or sanctification ; a virtue coming from God; a state of sanctification enjoyed through divine grace; approval, favor. I guess in simple terms we could simply say that grace is getting something we don't deserve.

We can all probably point to some key experiences in our lives where we've been shown undeserved grace. One that sticks out in my mind was a moment in my life, 12 years ago.
Before I explain the situation, I'll need to first let you in on who I was then. I know for those of you who have just come to know me, you may not view me as the selfish, rebellious, anarchist teenager that I was, but allow me to shift your view a bit and enter my mindset.
I'm 17.

I know everything. 

I view my parents as dictators, hell bent on making life miserable. 

I steal things I want because I'd rather spend my money on necessities like American Eagle and Abercrombie clothes than on little frills like makeup and toe rings. 

I abuse my parents trust on a daily basis. 

I realize this sounds like most teenagers, but I thought I'd remove all doubt that this was me. Now that the stage of my heart is set, we can continue.

It was my senior year of high school. It was a Friday afternoon. I was shopping for some cute graduation clothes for my upcoming graduation that weekend. Without a care in the world, I casually slip a super cute toe ring into my purse and go on my way. About that time someone grabs my arm and politely asks me to come to the back of the store. 

My heart is racing.
What do I do? 

I've never actually been caught before. 

I know. I'll just offer to pay for it. That'll work. 

We make our way to the back room where the undercover cop explains she has caught me stealing, red-handedly. My sobs and pleading obviously did nothing to sway her decision. I was guilty, sure, but my mind couldn't fathom this to be so harsh a crime that I need be ARRESTED for it! I mean really, there are murderers and rapists needing be locked up and you're confronting me about a $4 toe ring?! A few minutes later, my even greater fear was realized. She needed to call my parents. What would my dad say? What are they going to think of me? I was great at deception. They knew I wasn't perfect, but they certainly wouldn't suspect I would ever steal. Within the hour, my parents are called, the police are on their way to pick me up, and my heart is crushed. The weight of my mistake, my shame, and the law were all coming down on me at once. Then walked in the police officer I'll never forget. He tried to reason with this security guard that I was only a child who made a mistake and obviously was sorry for what I had done. He pleaded with her multiple times on my behalf to no avail. 

The verdict was "guilty." 

The officer cuffed me in front instead of behind in hopes of making my long walk through the store to his patrol car less emotionally painful. It didn't work. It was still dreadfully embarrassing. Off to be processed: fingerprints, mug shots, the whole nine yards. I was put in a holding room for what felt like hours. I sobbed until I felt like I had no tears left in me. I couldn't believe what I had become. I was a good girl somewhere deep in there. I had known Christ. I believed in God. I knew right from wrong. Yet somehow, it wasn't enough to keep me from jail cell. 

With my mind running a million miles a minute and my parents' disappointment still looming, I imagined what their response would be. Maybe they'd take away my car, my phone, my food, my clothes, most definitely my dignity. I didn't care what they took away at that moment. I just wanted to be home, out of this place I knew I didn't belong. Hours went by. As I sat huddled up in the corner, I heard my name called. I walked down the long hall, dreading the eye to eye moment with my dad. They opened the door to the waiting area and there I see him, signing papers for my release. My mom walks over and hugs me. I think I remember my little brother sitting in the corner, smirking. Then I see my dad, as he finishes signing the papers, meet eye to eye with me. I could see the pain, worry and frustration in his eyes. Without hesitation, he came over to me, put a hand on my shoulder and asked, "Are you ready to get something to eat?" I'm not sure he will ever know the impact those words had on me that day. 

When the full brunt of punishment was deserved, but grace was shown instead, it changed my heart. I never stole a single thing again after that day. 

Maybe you've never committed a crime punishable by the state law.

Maybe you've never seen the inside of a physical jail cell.

But we have all been counted as "guilty" before God.

We've all experienced our personal jail cells in life.

We've all felt the weight of consequence.

How many times do we see our sin, our shortcomings. and try to cover them?
How often to we try to pay for it? 

We think, "Yes I made a mistake there, but I'll make up for it here." 

How many times have we dreaded God seeing us in the middle of our struggle, assured He would ashamed of us and condemn us for our crime?

The Law has been laid down. No one is able to keep it perfectly, blamelessly. We are all deserving of a jail cell. The grace and love of God offers us freedom. Where grace is on one end of the sentence, mercy is at the opposite end. Everything in between is covered by Jesus' death on the Cross. Your past, present and future sins have been paid for, indefinitely. It is finished. You are redeemed. You are justified. You are blameless in His eyes. The papers have been signed. We are pardoned and are now welcomed to join Him in the Banquet. My prayer is that God would allow us to see His amazing grace in midst of our circumstances, and upon seeing it, "we will be glad, encouraged and remain true to the Lord with all of our hearts." 

"Grace is most needed and best understood in the midst of sin, suffering, and brokenness. We live in a world of earning, deserving, and merit, and these result in judgment. That is why everyone wants and needs grace. Judgment kills. Only grace makes alive."

Dreams, Visions and the Heaviness of a Future America

6:30 am..The morning started off like a typical weekday. The alarm sounds, and by alarm I mean my six-year-old comes into the room asking for a protein bar. Translation: "Good Morning, Mom! I hope your up and ready because I'm bright-eyed, bushy-tailed and ready to get this day started with high-quailty protein!"

While getting lunches packed, breakfast made, clothes set out and the dog fed, I'm somewhat listening casually to the news. Nothing new really: news about the government shutdown, the insanity of shutting down significant monuments in Washington, the vicious motorcycle gang attack, the heated arguments going on at Capitol Hill, the people paid to come and protest in Washington, Vladimir Putin being nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, the increase in outbreaks of diseases being credited to those "non-fully-vaccinated" children in schools. Then, I start to get this restlessness in my heart. A heaviness starts to move in. This is a big deal. These things should not be just taken in half-heartedly and shrugged off just as 'news of the day'. There should be a red flag waving around in that spirit of yours right now. All of a sudden, while zipping closed lunch boxes and giving kisses good-bye, wishing my husband and son a great day today, the gravity of the situation landed.

Thoughts of a future America sent shivers down my spine. Anxiety and concern over what my son's life would look like 20 years from now started to stir deep emotions in me. The realization that my "non-fully-vaccinated" child may, in the near future, be viewed by society as a liability hit me like a tons of bricks. I knew this weightiness, this anxiety, this burden that came on so suddenly was God's way of saying, "It's time to talk." You know that feeling when your Dad walks in the room and you know he will finish the little "chat" with a loving embrace or a comforting word, but the conversation in between will probably be heavy and definitely uncomfortable. With a fresh, hot cup of coffee poured, my journal and Bible in hand, I sat down to listen to what He had to say. He took me to Amos. The name Amos meant to bear a load. Amos was burdened with what he saw in his culture. Outright violence, sin and a culture hell-bent on spitting in God's face. Sound familiar?

9:30 am.. I had typed up a very long, in depth explanation of what was laid on my heart..then God said, "Now delete it and speak short and sweet." I obediently and annoyingly, deleted the entire post and decided to wait.

10ism am... a friend speaks of a dream she had last night about "terrible storms,flooding , dead bodies in every yard face down, the Govt. taking over your homes" and I remembered a blog from way back when that I had posted, sharing a dream that was clearly given for a purpose. If you haven't read it, check it out (Come to the Water). At the end of that post, I included a Scripture that still comes back to my memory when my vivid dreams come and go, "In a dream, a vision of the night, when sound sleep falls on men, while they slumber in their beds, then He opens the ears of men, and seals their instruction that He may turn man aside from his conduct, and keep man from pride; He keeps back his soul from the pit." Job 33:15-18

1100ish a.m... I read an article posted Govt Shutdown: 9 Million Moms and Babies at Risk As WIC Program Halts. Immediately, thoughts about what I had read this morning and a few weeks ago resurfaced from the corridors of my mind: “For three sins of Ammon, even for four, I will not relent. Because he ripped open the pregnant women of Gilead in order to extend his borders, I will set fire to the walls ...that will consume her fortresses amid war cries on the day of battle, amid violent winds on a stormy day" (Amos 1:13-14) and "How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers...For there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again." (Matthew 24:19-21).

200pm- I see an alarming post Middle East Reports Translation: Obama is a Muslim Terrorist. Of course, with my curiosity high, I take a peek and listen in. If true (and I emphasize IF), I'd consider it a bit scary but not surprising.

230ish pm.. My mom calls and casually mentions that D.C. is on Lockdown. I turn on the news to catch up on what's going on. After hearing the same information over and over again I turn it off.

430pm.. I decide to pick up where I left off on my half-deleted blog.

Why did God have me delete my perfectly rehearsed, spell-checked, full-of-scripture rough draft from this morning? I don't know fully but I have a feeling He is teaching me to really take in the things He lays on my heart. I'm quick to speak, quick to type and quick to "opinionate". In essence, I'm learning the same lesson over and over again: speak less, listen more.

I started thinking about all the recent events: school shootings, chemical gassing, bombings, etc. and it saddened me for a couple of reasons. While I realize evil is present in this world and can't be avoided, I also feel because it is so prevalent, we've become increasingly more desensitized to it. It actually wasn't alarming for me to read about 9 million moms and babies without milk, or our President possibly being a "wolf in sheep's clothing," or D.C. being shutdown because of a crazed woman driving a vehicle into the barricades. Unless these things really sink in how will we ever feel the gravity of it? What burden will we have to pray for our country? The lesson continues but adds another step... speak less, listen more, pray often.

Am I insinuating that the end of the world is upon us? No. But I'm adamantly saying that we are one day closer to the end than we were yesterday. Evil is more prevalent and we are more in need today than ever for those that call themselves Christians to stand up and intercede for this country. Can we prevent all evil from taking place? Certainly not. We live in a fallen world. But can we knock on the doors of the Almighty God who DOES have the power to steer this ship? Absolutely. I am constantly reminding myself that God is Sovereign and He is most definitely in control of this world and yes, even Washington, "for all things in heaven and on earth were created by him – all things, whether visible or invisible, whether thrones or dominions, whether principalities or powers – all things were created through him and for him. He himself is before all things and all things are held together in him" (Col 1:16-17). That gives me a firm footing, a solid foundation, a joy that won't be taken from me...in midst of the confusion of ObamaCare, gun control and government dictatorship.

So why pray, you ask? As any good parent would say, I believe God says the same, "Because I said so." King David asked a similar question, but instead of trying to figure out why God has ordered things this way, He decided to face the more important question, "...what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? – Psalm 8:4. It would do us all good to remember we are not God. We can't think like him. We can't begin to comprehend why he does what he does. If we had all the answers, then faith would be null and void, absolutely unnecessary. So, I chose to have faith.

Faith that my prayers matter.

Faith that He is listening.

Faith that even if prayer is more for my growth than anything, then it's worth it.

Faith that I can take Him for His word that says, "the eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous and His ears are open to their cry." Psalm 34:15.

I'll leave you with a poem I read today. I hope it helps put things in perspective for you just as it did for me.

He Maketh No Mistake

My Father's way may twist and turn,
My heart may throb and ache,
But in my soul I'm glad I know
He maketh no mistake.

My cherished plans may go astray,
My hopes may fade away,
But still I'll trust my Lord to lead,
For He doth know the way.

Though night be dark and it may seem
That day will never break,
I'll pin my faith, my all in Him,
He maketh no mistake.

There's so much now I cannot see,
My eyesight's far too dim;
But come what may, I'll surely trust
And leave it all to Him.

For by and by the mist will lift
And plain it all He'll make;
Through all the way, though dark to me,
He made not one mistake.

(A. M. Overton)

"A House Divided Against Itself Cannot Stand."- Abraham Lincoln

"Remind them to be subject to rulers, to authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good deed, to malign no one, to be uncontentious, gentle, showing every consideration for all men." Titus 3:1-2

"Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority, or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right. For such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men. Act as free men, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as bondslaves of God. Honor all men; love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king." 1 Peter 2:13-17

I was planning on taking a few days to let some thoughts simmer around in my brain and heart before I posted another blog, but in lieu of today's events and posts, I just can't help myself. I've seen several posts this morning referring to the government shutdown. All in all, I wouldn't see that as anything out of the norm on Facebook. We tend to, myself included, jump on the bandwagon of whatever is deemed "news-worthy" that day. You know what I'm talking about. If GA wins a game, you will undoubtedly scroll through 20 consecutive posts saying something to the effect of "Go Dawgs", "Sick 'em", or "Rise Up" (oh wait, maybe that's the Falcons?). Or if we get a random snow flurry, you'll have to endure hundreds of posts stating where each flurry fell within a 20 miles radius. I mean really, who needs WeatherBug when you have Facebook?! I guarantee my Facebook friends will alert me of a tornado, hail storm or snow flake well before Ken Cook does. Seriously, it's awesome. Y'all rock.

So, why are my feathers so ruffled by the onslaught of "government shutdown" posts? One thing I've noticed among my Christian friends is the bitterness and disdain in their posts or responses. Don't tell me you can't read "tone" through text or post. You most certainly can. Friends that NEVER post on Facebook are literally coming out of the woodwork to bash, even virtually slaughter, their brother or sister in Christ who has an opposing view.

I will say this as nicely as possible, but again, since you can virtually read my tone, you may sense my frustration here: 

YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED. 

Reading through these multiple posts, and i mean MULTIPLE, I began seeing a pattern among us Christians…CHRISTIANS! Why are we the first to state our opinions about how dissatisfied we are?! Shouldn't we be leading by example?! If we look no different then the world, and in this case I'd say some of us have taken it to an extreme that even the world isn't touching, then what should cause the world to turn and follow us as we follow Christ? Am I saying you can't have an opinion in the matter? Of course not! But I am adamantly saying you shouldn't speak it with outright disrespect for authority or your brothers and sisters in Christ. Keep in mind, I'm speaking to those of you who profess Christ is Lord of your life. You know, the Christ you say you trust with your life, your health, your belongings, your livelihood, your family and your future. Do you really??
C'mon guys! We as Christians know how all this ends. Its not like we should be dumbfounded that we are facing struggles and despair.

Jesus reminded us, "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). He also warns us of what the end should began to look like in Matthew 24:5-8, "You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains." We know things MUST get bad before they get better. We know that we all are living on borrowed time. Make the most of it! "Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels" (2 Tim 2:23)

Am I justifying our current President and every decision he makes? Absolutely not. There are some things I downright disagree with and I will be sure to let my voice and my vote be heard. But why do I need every Tom, Dick and Harry to know my voice and opinion on these matters?

What power do they have to change my circumstance or situation? None! 

Can we afford healthcare premiums of $1,000 a month? Maybe. If we pinched pennies and ate PB&J sandwiches for every meal. But can we work together with an agent and find out what options would work best for us within our budget? Absolutely. That's being proactive. Can we downgrade my car and get a lower car payment to adjust for upcoming health care expenses? Absolutely. I believe God would love to see America out of debt sooner anyway. Are we better than you because we've taken this approach? No! But I do want you to take a look at your life and your heart and ask God to show you your motives in this matter and why you feel the need to be so brash concerning things you can't control anyway. Ask God to lead you to the best plan for you and your family. Do your research.

But most of all, TRUST HIM with your future. He has promised He will never leave or forsake us. He has told us He is still in control no matter who is running Washington and for "...everyone to be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God" (Romans 13:1).

Let's remember what Jesus came to do. He came to break down walls. Barriers that divide us. Yes, he came so that the Jews and the Gentiles would live at peace together, but isn't it safe to say we almost have the same amount of hatred between the Republicans and Democrats.

I imagine Jesus would see that wall of division just as great as the one that stood between Jew and Gentile.

Let's set an example, Christians, of a people who love despite our differences. Of those who trust in God no matter how dark or gloomy our economy seems. Let's give the world hope. Let's not create division where God wants peace. They will know we are Christians by our love.

"But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near." Ephesians 2:12- 14