Speicher's Xanga

What if Tomorrow Never Comes?

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 22:06:19 GMT

by: Danny Speicher
October 29th, 2009

Dreaming a dream as a child would dream
Out upon the ocean, out past the stream
I, wishing for nothing more than I had
I, wondering when tomorrow might come
I, pondering just where this dream came from
Of me, on the ocean, just a small lad

Alone with the waves I rocked back and forth
Somehow questioning my heart's true self-worth
An odd question for a child so young
An odd feeling of doubt stirring within
An odd, oppressive, fear came forth therein
A sinister lack of hope filled my lungs

"Alas, it's a dream," I heard myself say
Tomorrow will bring a new, brighter day
Even still I remained frightened and numb
Even still I doubted what I had said
Even still I questioned within my head
Oh God, what if tomorrow never comes?

What if the fear inside of me remains?
What if ghosts of past echo their refrain?
Will I descend into madness alone?
Will I die a man forgotten by time?
Will I lose every friend gained in my prime?
How can one conquer fear of the unknown?

Oh, Lord, save me from the fears of my past
Lord, comfort me, for memories come fast
Raise me from this mistrust within my heart
Raise me from the lack of hope I have felt
Raise me from the depression I've been dealt
Lord, for your purpose, please set me apart

The Valley

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 02:08:31 GMT

by: Danny Speicher
October 11th, 2009

At times, pain can overcome joy
There's really nothing to be done
Except to sit through the darkness
And to wait for the rising sun

Although it may very well seem
The horizon might ne'er embrace
The bright rays of a brand new day
And although hope seems out of place

Remember the dawn is coming
Remember that glorious sight
Look to the stars in the darkness
And just picture the morning light

As it rises from east to west
Illuminating each valley
Don't lose hope within the shadows
For joy, will soon, again, rally

Yes, as it brightens every valley
Remember, joy will soon, again, rally

Gumdrop Glades

Sun, 04 Oct 2009 06:22:57 GMT

by: Danny Speicher
October 4th, 2009

Somewhere far away from the city streets
A meadow of green cotton candy blades
Rolls upon a mound of chocolatey dirt
And the warm cinnamon winds gently flirt
While geysers of cocoa playfully spurt
In a place kids all know, simply, as Gumdrop Glades

Ask Lil' Lew Lemondrop who knows the way
Where the candy's free for the bill's been paid
And the children can eat the sweets all day
Without their teeth ever showing decay
And there are no adults to scowl and say
"Don't spoil your appetite down in Gumdrop Glades"

Someday you should go adventure to see
What lies just past the tall forest blockades
Where the brook that babbles past forest trees
In the glade, turns into sweetest sweet tea
And candy cane bluffs... Quite a sight to see
That rise up high on three sides down in Gumdrop Glades

I hear when we see it we'll lose control
And drink the waterfall of lemonade
While small gumdrops drop from trees as they sway
We'll wish there would be no end to that day
As we play playfully as children play
When our hopeful eyes finally spy Gumdrop Glades

We'll wish there would be no end to that day
As we play playfully as children play
And we'll hope that we can, forever, stay
Within a gingerbread house, down in Gumdrop Glades

The Field Mouse in the Pumpkin

Thu, 01 Oct 2009 04:03:14 GMT

by: Brooke Considine and Danny Speicher
October 1st, 2009

Far, far in the back of the viney patch
Lies a pumpkin without a stem
And, on that pumpkin was a little hatch
For no one knew it but him
And, who was he, but a little field mouse
That ate nothing but seeds
For living inside of a pumpkin
Gave him all the food he would need

Book of Love

Tue, 29 Sep 2009 02:22:21 GMT

by: Peter Gabriel

The book of love is long and boring
No one can lift the damn thing
It's full of charts and facts and figures
And instructions for dancing

But I
I love it when you read to me
And you
You can read me anything

The book of love has music in it
In fact that's where music comes from
Some of it is just transcendental
Some of it is just really dumb

But I
I love it when you sing to me
And you
You can sing me anything

The book of love is long and boring
And written very long ago
It's full of flowers and heart-shaped boxes
And things we're all too young to know

But I
I love it when you give me things
And you
You ought to give me wedding rings

Unheard of Love

Thu, 24 Sep 2009 04:03:36 GMT

by: Danny Speicher
September 23rd, 2009

Fading light glimmering upon a sunset cove
Nobody knows, nobody knows of the shadows
Secrets can hide in the shadows nobody knows
Too painful to speak, too shameful to think of

Shimmering is the last amber hue of the day
All creatures within the cove scurry to find
A shelter and fortress to shield their burdened mind
And they kneel to their knees as they fearfully pray

Prayers of forgiveness ascending far, far above
Words of penitence to a god they do not know
Hope for grace for they, the sinners, on Earth below
All looking in the dusk for this unheard of Love

Oh, moon... Stars... Oh, Creator of heavenly light
Illuminate the shadows... Guide us through the night

Barack Obama's Back to School Speech to Students Across America

Mon, 07 Sep 2009 23:21:10 GMT

Hello everyone – how’s everybody doing today? I’m here with students at Wakefield High School in Arlington, Virginia. And we’ve got students tuning in from all across America, kindergarten through twelfth grade. I’m glad you all could join us today.

I know that for many of you, today is the first day of school. And for those of you in kindergarten, or starting middle or high school, it’s your first day in a new school, so it’s understandable if you’re a little nervous. I imagine there are some seniors out there who are feeling pretty good right now, with just one more year to go. And no matter what grade you’re in, some of you are probably wishing it were still summer, and you could’ve stayed in bed just a little longer this morning.

I know that feeling. When I was young, my family lived in Indonesia for a few years, and my mother didn’t have the money to send me where all the American kids went to school. So she decided to teach me extra lessons herself, Monday through Friday – at 4:30 in the morning.

Now I wasn’t too happy about getting up that early. A lot of times, I’d fall asleep right there at the kitchen table. But whenever I’d complain, my mother would just give me one of those looks and say, "This is no picnic for me either, buster."

So I know some of you are still adjusting to being back at school. But I’m here today because I have something important to discuss with you. I’m here because I want to talk with you about your education and what’s expected of all of you in this new school year.

Now I’ve given a lot of speeches about education. And I’ve talked a lot about responsibility.

I’ve talked about your teachers’ responsibility for inspiring you, and pushing you to learn.

I’ve talked about your parents’ responsibility for making sure you stay on track, and get your homework done, and don’t spend every waking hour in front of the TV or with that Xbox.

I’ve talked a lot about your government’s responsibility for setting high standards, supporting teachers and principals, and turning around schools that aren’t working where students aren’t getting the opportunities they deserve.

But at the end of the day, we can have the most dedicated teachers, the most supportive parents, and the best schools in the world – and none of it will matter unless all of you fulfill your responsibilities. Unless you show up to those schools; pay attention to those teachers; listen to your parents, grandparents and other adults; and put in the hard work it takes to succeed.

And that’s what I want to focus on today: the responsibility each of you has for your education. I want to start with the responsibility you have to yourself.

Every single one of you has something you’re good at. Every single one of you has something to offer. And you have a responsibility to yourself to discover what that is. That’s the opportunity an education can provide.

Maybe you could be a good writer – maybe even good enough to write a book or articles in a newspaper – but you might not know it until you write a paper for your English class. Maybe you could be an innovator or an inventor – maybe even good enough to come up with the next iPhone or a new medicine or vaccine – but you might not know it until you do a project for your science class. Maybe you could be a mayor or a Senator or a Supreme Court Justice, but you might not know that until you join student government or the debate team.

And no matter what you want to do with your life – I guarantee that you’ll need an education to do it. You want to be a doctor, or a teacher, or a police officer? You want to be a nurse or an architect, a lawyer or a member of our military? You’re going to need a good education for every single one of those careers. You can’t drop out of school and just drop into a good job. You’ve got to work for it and train for it and learn for it.

And this isn’t just important for your own life and your own future. What you make of your education will decide nothing less than the future of this country. What you’re learning in school today will determine whether we as a nation can meet our greatest challenges in the future.

You’ll need the knowledge and problem-solving skills you learn in science and math to cure diseases like cancer and AIDS, and to develop new energy technologies and protect our environment. You’ll need the insights and critical thinking skills you gain in history and social studies to fight poverty and homelessness, crime and discrimination, and make our nation more fair and more free. You’ll need the creativity and ingenuity you develop in all your classes to build new companies that will create new jobs and boost our economy.

We need every single one of you to develop your talents, skills and intellect so you can help solve our most difficult problems. If you don’t do that – if you quit on school – you’re not just quitting on yourself, you’re quitting on your country.

Now I know it’s not always easy to do well in school. I know a lot of you have challenges in your lives right now that can make it hard to focus on your schoolwork.

I get it. I know what that’s like. My father left my family when I was two years old, and I was raised by a single mother who struggled at times to pay the bills and wasn’t always able to give us things the other kids had. There were times when I missed having a father in my life. There were times when I was lonely and felt like I didn’t fit in.

So I wasn’t always as focused as I should have been. I did some things I’m not proud of, and got in more trouble than I should have. And my life could have easily taken a turn for the worse.

But I was fortunate. I got a lot of second chances and had the opportunity to go to college, and law school, and follow my dreams. My wife, our First Lady Michelle Obama, has a similar story. Neither of her parents had gone to college, and they didn’t have much. But they worked hard, and she worked hard, so that she could go to the best schools in this country.

Some of you might not have those advantages. Maybe you don’t have adults in your life who give you the support that you need. Maybe someone in your family has lost their job, and there’s not enough money to go around. Maybe you live in a neighborhood where you don’t feel safe, or have friends who are pressuring you to do things you know aren’t right.

But at the end of the day, the circumstances of your life – what you look like, where you come from, how much money you have, what you’ve got going on at home – that’s no excuse for neglecting your homework or having a bad attitude. That’s no excuse for talking back to your teacher, or cutting class, or dropping out of school. That’s no excuse for not trying.

Where you are right now doesn’t have to determine where you’ll end up. No one’s written your destiny for you. Here in America, you write your own destiny. You make your own future.

That’s what young people like you are doing every day, all across America.

Young people like Jazmin Perez, from Roma, Texas. Jazmin didn’t speak English when she first started school. Hardly anyone in her hometown went to college, and neither of her parents had gone either. But she worked hard, earned good grades, got a scholarship to Brown University, and is now in graduate school, studying public health, on her way to being Dr. Jazmin Perez.

I’m thinking about Andoni Schultz, from Los Altos, California, who’s fought brain cancer since he was three. He’s endured all sorts of treatments and surgeries, one of which affected his memory, so it took him much longer – hundreds of extra hours – to do his schoolwork. But he never fell behind, and he’s headed to college this fall.

And then there’s Shantell Steve, from my hometown of Chicago, Illinois. Even when bouncing from foster home to foster home in the toughest neighborhoods, she managed to get a job at a local health center; start a program to keep young people out of gangs; and she’s on track to graduate high school with honors and go on to college.

Jazmin, Andoni and Shantell aren’t any different from any of you. They faced challenges in their lives just like you do. But they refused to give up. They chose to take responsibility for their education and set goals for themselves. And I expect all of you to do the same.

That’s why today, I’m calling on each of you to set your own goals for your education – and to do everything you can to meet them. Your goal can be something as simple as doing all your homework, paying attention in class, or spending time each day reading a book. Maybe you’ll decide to get involved in an extracurricular activity, or volunteer in your community. Maybe you’ll decide to stand up for kids who are being teased or bullied because of who they are or how they look, because you believe, like I do, that all kids deserve a safe environment to study and learn. Maybe you’ll decide to take better care of yourself so you can be more ready to learn. And along those lines, I hope you’ll all wash your hands a lot, and stay home from school when you don’t feel well, so we can keep people from getting the flu this fall and winter.

Whatever you resolve to do, I want you to commit to it. I want you to really work at it.

I know that sometimes, you get the sense from TV that you can be rich and successful without any hard work -- that your ticket to success is through rapping or basketball or being a reality TV star, when chances are, you’re not going to be any of those things.

But the truth is, being successful is hard. You won’t love every subject you study. You won’t click with every teacher. Not every homework assignment will seem completely relevant to your life right this minute. And you won’t necessarily succeed at everything the first time you try.

That’s OK. Some of the most successful people in the world are the ones who’ve had the most failures. JK Rowling’s first Harry Potter book was rejected twelve times before it was finally published. Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team, and he lost hundreds of games and missed thousands of shots during his career. But he once said, "I have failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed."

These people succeeded because they understand that you can’t let your failures define you – you have to let them teach you. You have to let them show you what to do differently next time. If you get in trouble, that doesn’t mean you’re a troublemaker, it means you need to try harder to behave. If you get a bad grade, that doesn’t mean you’re stupid, it just means you need to spend more time studying.

No one’s born being good at things, you become good at things through hard work. You’re not a varsity athlete the first time you play a new sport. You don’t hit every note the first time you sing a song. You’ve got to practice. It’s the same with your schoolwork. You might have to do a math problem a few times before you get it right, or read something a few times before you understand it, or do a few drafts of a paper before it’s good enough to hand in.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it. I do that every day. Asking for help isn’t a sign of weakness, it’s a sign of strength. It shows you have the courage to admit when you don’t know something, and to learn something new. So find an adult you trust – a parent, grandparent or teacher; a coach or counselor – and ask them to help you stay on track to meet your goals.

And even when you’re struggling, even when you’re discouraged, and you feel like other people have given up on you – don’t ever give up on yourself. Because when you give up on yourself, you give up on your country.

The story of America isn’t about people who quit when things got tough. It’s about people who kept going, who tried harder, who loved their country too much to do anything less than their best.

It’s the story of students who sat where you sit 250 years ago, and went on to wage a revolution and found this nation. Students who sat where you sit 75 years ago who overcame a Depression and won a world war; who fought for civil rights and put a man on the moon. Students who sat where you sit 20 years ago who founded Google, Twitter and Facebook and changed the way we communicate with each other.

So today, I want to ask you, what’s your contribution going to be? What problems are you going to solve? What discoveries will you make? What will a president who comes here in twenty or fifty or one hundred years say about what all of you did for this country?

Your families, your teachers, and I are doing everything we can to make sure you have the education you need to answer these questions. I’m working hard to fix up your classrooms and get you the books, equipment and computers you need to learn. But you’ve got to do your part too. So I expect you to get serious this year. I expect you to put your best effort into everything you do. I expect great things from each of you. So don’t let us down – don’t let your family or your country or yourself down. Make us all proud. I know you can do it.

Thank you, God bless you, and God bless America.

The Lost Sheep

Sat, 05 Sep 2009 06:41:30 GMT

"Look at it this way. If someone has a hundred sheep and one of them wanders off, doesn't he leave the ninety-nine and go after the one? And if he finds it, doesn't he make far more over it than over the ninety-nine who stay put? Your Father in heaven feels the same way. He doesn't want to lose even one of these simple believers."
Matthew 18:12-14 (The Message)

Since Wednesday I have been struggling and wrestling with this passage. It popped into my head during a conversation with a mentor and has stuck with me ever since. What does this passage call us to as believers? It is most definitely pointing to the infallible fact that God, the Father, goes after every soul that strays as if it were a lost sheep in the woods. The fact not only offers perspective on who God is and what He wants for each of His children... But, it also offers a level of comfort and reassurance that if we stray (or if a loved one strays), that He is actively seeking to reestablish (or initially establish) a connection with them. God, the author of life, seeks fellowship with each of us! How incredible!

However, what has haunted my thoughts as of recent isn't the role that the Father plays... But, what we, as His ambassadors play here on earth. The scripture can be taken in two fundamental directions when we, as believers, seek to implement its teachings into our lives:

#1. Simple reassurance. How good is it to know that if we ever lose our way that we have a Shepherd who is willing to leave all else behind to find us... How comforting, still, to know that He does that for each and every lost sheep! Not only can we feel comfort that God will actively seek us out in our wanderings... But, that He is seeking to establish a relationship (beyond any that mere mortals can establish with one another) with each of those we love! If at any point those we love become snared by the traps of this world, the Shepherd will be there to loose the wire, remove the barbs and treat the wounds. Moreover, He will do this time after time without ceasing without relent and with infinite patience and eternal love. Even when the freed sheep immediately runs away, yet again, He lovingly keeps watch over it... Seeks it out... And, heals the wounds time and time again. What a merciful Father! What a wonderful Savior!
#2. That we, as His disciples, need to be actively seeking out the lost as well. Not so much in the "knocking on doors" and "standing on street corners" (although these may, in some cases, be very well effective.) But, building relationships with people that aren't "in the flock" and doing so with HOPE but, paradoxically without EXPECTATION, that your relationship will bring them back to the Shepherd. That we, as His disciples, are willing to leave all else (and everyone else) behind to seek after one lost sheep... Even if it means getting dirty, being scared and possibly losing a few "sheep in the flock" along the way.

I will tell you that I believe Christ has given us this parable for both reasons. He has given it to both comfort and inspire... Both assure and set in motion our ministry on this earth.

I believe we, as Christians, have done, for the most part, a good job of understanding the reassurance that God has not given up on humanity... And, we understand that He wants to establish a relationship based on intimate knowledge of Him (and, adversely, His, already, intimate knowledge of us), daily conversation with our hearts, revelation of His plan in our lives and a saving grace that forgives sins of our past, sins of today and sins we will commit in the many tomorrows to come.

However, I wonder if we truly understand the ideal that Christ sets forth in this parable? In this parable, the shepherd leaves 99 sheep... To find one. He leaves 99 to potentially be eaten by wolves, potentially run away and potentially become harmed in their own pasture. He leaves 99 that are "in His flock" to find the one that has "escaped His flock." His concern is less for those sheep who "understand His love" and "hear His voice" and more for the one who has forgotten both.

Are we really to go forth and find that one, potentially at the expense of the 99? Could that really be what we are called to do? I believe it is.

"But, Danny, I'm comfortable with the 99..."
"But, Danny, how can one be more valuable than 99??"
"... , what if the sheep doesn't return? And, I return to find the 99 gone as well?"
"... , what if the path is dirty? What if it's dark? What if I get hurt? What if I die?"

To you I tell you that between your comfort and the value of a human soul, your comfort is NOTHING in God's eyes. To you I tell you that each one of those 99 are valuable to Him... No more so or less so than the one wandering... But, the point is that the one is wandering! To you I tell you that who comes to Him and remains with Him is NOT your concern... What IS your concern is letting EVERY soul you encounter know about His love in YOUR heart. And, to you, I give you these scriptures:

"What I'm trying to do here is get you to relax, not be so preoccupied with getting so you can respond to God's giving. People who don't know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep yourself in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. You'll find all your everyday human concerns will be met. Don't be afraid of missing out. You're my dearest friends! The Father wants to give you the very kingdom itself. Be generous. Give to the poor. Get yourselves a bank that can't go bankrupt, a bank in heaven far from bankrobbers, safe from embezzlers, a bank you can bank on. It's obvious, isn't it? The place where your treasure is, is the place you will most want to be, and end up being." -- Luke 12:29-34 (The Message)
"So, what do you think? With God on our side like this, how can we lose? If God didn't hesitate to put everything on the line for us, embracing our condition and exposing himself to the worst by sending his own Son, is there anything else he wouldn't gladly and freely do for us? And who would dare tangle with God by messing with one of God's chosen? Who would dare even to point a finger? The One who died for us—who was raised to life for us!—is in the presence of God at this very moment sticking up for us. Do you think anyone is going to be able to drive a wedge between us and Christ's love for us? There is no way! Not trouble, not hard times, not hatred, not hunger, not homelessness, not bullying threats, not backstabbing, not even the worst sins listed in Scripture:
They kill us in cold blood because they hate you.
We're sitting ducks; they pick us off one by one.
None of this fazes us because Jesus loves us. I'm absolutely convinced that nothing—nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable—absolutely nothing can get between us and God's love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us." -- Romans 8:31-39 (The Message)

What POSSIBLY do we have to fear? Death? Torture? Pain? Anguish? These things are NOT eternal! And, although we should, in no way, go out of our ways to experience these things in hopes of experiencing a fraction of what true martyrs experience... We cannot allow ourselves to dismiss ministry for the sake of protecting ourselves against these dangers.

We must go to the dirty, the depraved, the hateful, the deceitful, the manipulative, the greedy, the depressed and the sick. We must go to anyone and everyone who God calls us to go to. We must not turn away anyone that He has brought to us. And, we must look for wisdom, strength and eternal hope (even when hope seems a paradoxical state of mind) to love those who, to many, are simply unlovable.

We must shrug the all-too-familiar Christian mindset that the world will corrupt us if we go out into the world and be ready and willing to become "all things to all people" (1 Corinthians 9:19-23). We do NOTHING for Christ when we choose to hang out with only those who already know Him. We do NOTHING for Christ when we choose to impose the same expectations on nonbelievers that we expect from believers. We must learn that Christ accepts all humanity AS THEY ARE. We, too, must do so as well. It is only through that initial acceptance by Christ (and we, His Christians) that true transformation can ever take place. How can Christ move in a person's heart if they are never allowed close to Him because we deem their imperfections "too scary" or "too dirty"? How can we show them Christ's love if we find their persona too intimidating to even be near them, ourselves?

It will be painful. It will be uncomfortable. We may very well put ourselves in danger. And, we most definitely won't be "happy" at first. But, I leave you with these two quotes by C.S. Lewis (two favorites of mine) that I hope not only reiterate just how small our temporary "pain" and "discomfort" are in the grand scheme of the Kingdom, but also remind us that the only true transformation that occurs in people's hearts is done through the power of love. This love causes pain. Severe pain. But, if we overcome that fear of pain, we not only have the ability to impact the world in a dramatic way... But, we also have the ability to grow deeper in our walk with Christ:

"Does God want us to suffer? What if the answer to that question is 'yes'? The fact is, I don't think that God particularly wants us to be happy. I think He wants us to love and be loved. He wants us to grow up. You see, we are like children who think that our toys bring us all the happiness there is, and that our nursery is the whole wide world. But something has to drive us out into the world of others, and that thing is suffering. Put simply, pain is God's megaphone to rouse a deaf world. We are like blocks of stone from which the Sculptor carves a form. The blows of His chisel which hurt us so much are what make us perfect." -- C.S. Lewis (Emphasis mine)

"To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket- safe, dark, motionless, airless--it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable." -- C.S. Lewis (Emphasis mine)

Let us find a way to grow up! Pray that God will give you the strength to not discriminate, not prejudge or allow inner or outer biases to affect the ministry opportunities that you have each and every day. God loves the unlovable. Do you? God willingly leaves 99 to find one. Will you?

--Danny

At Last...

Sat, 22 Aug 2009 06:19:02 GMT

It's been a rough week. I'm not going to lie. Next week isn't looking a whole lot better. On a circumstantial level, I am very stressed. I am without a car... My aunt is without a car... My mom lives in Overbrook. That which symbolized my freedom has been sitting as a fiberglass shell of its former glory out in front of my bedroom window since Friday of last week... Mocking me.

But, this week I have been reminded how circumstantial stress can be completely overcome by beauty and kindness... And, all forms of those two realities. I have come to realize what amazing friends I have this week. Two, in particular, have gone out of their way to get me to and from work. Randy and Derek... Thank you. You have been great and haven't made me feel like an inconvenience. (That is my worst fear in situations like this... I hate to ask for favors. I hate to put people out.) And, to all of you who have offered to help... Keep your phones charged... I may be calling. It is so incredible to have a friend base who rallies around you when your circumstances get all jacked up. It's unbelievable! I am amazed at the love and kindness I have experienced this week.

Tonight had been a stressful night, in general. No particular reason why. Work went okay... The day prior to that went well. But, all throughout the day, I have just had this impending feeling of stress and anxiousness. Yet, I got home tonight, opened up Firefox... And, the radio application I have on there started playing some Etta James... Then Billy Holiday... Then Frank Sinatra... Then Ella... And, I remembered how great life really is.

There's something about music isn't there? I mean... You listen to one style and you get all hyped up and the adrenaline rushes throughout your body. You listen to a complete different genre and the stress and gloom tha thas haunted you all day, somehow dissappears as the endorphins flood your brain. I truly believe there is nothing better than putting on some jazz or classical or vocal standards... After a stressful or dissappointing day... Just closing your eyes and focusing in on every different instrument you hear. I never realized how smoothly the strings glide from one note to the other in Etta's "At Last"... Under the powerful vocals, under the steady beat of the high hat and snare with the piano keeping beat... The strings convey the truth behind it all... Release. It's so relaxing. Even the words are filled with release...

"At last, my love has come along
My lonely days are over
And life is like a song
At last, the skies above are blue
My heart was wrapped up in clovers
The night I looked at you"

Beautiful words. Words of contentment. Words of satisfaction... Of peace... Of comfort from years of searching and finally finding. And, although I have not found, I can project forward to that moment... That realization. And, I can think back on how much that faux realization brought me joy... And, find peace that the next go around is gonna be all the better. And, I can find peace... In my aspirations for school... And, my striving for perfection at my job... And, my hope to be a positive mentor to those who look up to me... And in my car troubles... My financial struggles... My family feudings... My friends' life progressions... And, all else that might bring me stress... When I just look ahead and think of that day of release.

When I think of a day when I sit around a fireplace with my wife and kids... Having graduated college... Teaching at a school I love... Having seen my younger friends who I cared about graduated and making a life for themselves. When I think of a day when my car, albeit imperfect, is another "expense" that my small nest egg can afford a repair here and there. When I think of a day when my family can love one another unconditionally, when my friends and I can have "double dates", when life isn't "normal" in the sense of what I was used to... But, "normal" in the sense of something that I can find acceptable for five years, ten years... Twenty-five years... Fifty years. When, I have finally stopped "waiting for my real life to begin", and, finally, it has begun.... In those moments... Even when I just dream them... My heart loves beauty. My heart loves peace. And, my heart, says, calmly... Confidently... and full of hope, "At last...."

--Danny

Liberal Politics and Conservative Christianity: Not a Contradiction in Terms

Sun, 16 Aug 2009 03:08:46 GMT

Preface

This is a re-post of a paper I wrote back in October of 2008 before the presidential election. I am re-posting this, just to have it in one lump document that I can reference to when need be. No new content has been added.

Liberal Politics and Conservative Christianity:
Not a Contradiction in Terms

By: Danny Speicher

Introduction

"The average man votes below himself; he votes with half a mind or a hundredth part of one. A man ought to vote with the whole of himself, as he worships or gets married. A man ought to vote with his head and heart, his soul and stomach, his eye for faces and his ear for music; also (when sufficiently provoked) with his hands and feet. If he has ever seen a fine sunset, the crimson colour of it should creep into his vote...The question is not so much whether only a minority of the electorate votes. The point is that only a minority of the voter votes." -- G.K. Chesterton

For the past year (although notably so in the past few weeks), I have been questioned time and time again how I can call myself a Christian and vote for Barack Obama. I have been questioned why I believe, politically, what I believe in the context of what I, as a Christian, hold to be true. Over the next few days I will be writing about the top five issues that make me believe liberal politics are not only best for America but, why, in fact they are often the more Biblical alternative. These five issues are: Education; Social Assistance and Economics; Equality and Respect for All Humanity; Alternative Energy and International Affairs.

But, to start off this series, I wanted to clarify what I am doing here. I am not hoping to persuade ANYONE to vote my way. It isn't like that for me. I believe that there are good people who want the very best for America on both sides. I believe that there are those on both sides who believe that the candidate they support is either the lesser of two evils (or shining example of) what they interpret scriptures to mean in terms of leading a nation. I write this, instead, in essence, to bring peace of mind to those who might feel maligned with those they respect who are friends and mentors in their walk with Christ. I write this to let everyone know that there is much evil and much good on both sides. There is no good candidate... There is no evil candidate... There is no good party... There is no evil party. We operate in an imperfect system, but a system that is the best system available. Democracy has always established a sense of strong personal attachment to the election process. It has, when promoted correctly and when people choose to get involved, has created a nation where people are, indeed, a part of who leads their nation. This is a system, although broken, that I am very proud to be a part of.

Pride and Prejudice… And a Concession of Moral Failure Within the Democratic Party

It has, by no surprise, shocked me at the arrogance of both sides when discussing the issues with me. Those who agree with me rail on those who hold to conservative politics. They call them evil. They say that they have lost touch with what Christ wanted for this group or that group. They attack their faith and consider them to be like the Pharisees of old who cling to their beliefs and choose not to be tainted by reality like the white sepulchers spoken of in the Gospels. Those who line up against me question my morality, if not my faith. They wonder how it is that I can vote for someone who is "for abortions" and "for homosexuality." They attack my character. They question whether I can really be who I say I am. They feel as though I have sold out my faith.

Both are arrogant. Both have not realized that it is entirely possible to be a Christian and be a Republican. It is entirely possible to be a Christian and be a Democrat. I feel as though, Conservative Christians (like myself) have, as a whole, done a great job of pointing out the reasons Christians can easily fit into the Republican paradigm. They have shown why this issue or that issue is "Christ like." And, at times, I certainly agree. There are things, in fact, in which Republicans should, most definitely, be commended for. As a matter of fact, I want to make this concession on the very first post: Democrats have one BIG strike that is, without a doubt, in contrast to what scripture holds to be true and that issue is abortion. Abortion is a scourge on the nation's collective respect for human life. Abortion says, in essence, these statements:

"If you cannot survive on your own, you are not human."

"Even if you are human, you are a part of my body and because I am an adult, am more important than you."
And, frankly (in some cases unknowingly), "Inconvenience justifies murder."

There is no doubt in my mind that a fetus (at any stage) is a unique life created by God and a human who has a purpose on this earth. A fetus is not a "clump of tissue" in the mother's body... It is a human with a unique set of DNA from the very first day conception occurs. The moment the male sperm and the female egg are joined, they are no longer uniquely "father" and uniquely "mother"... They are uniquely "child." To argue with this is to go in stark contrast against science. It is to assume that a "ball of tissue" with a unique DNA different from the mother's is still just a part of the mother's body. When it is, in fact, unique from the mother's body.

To agree that it is a human and still hold to the argument that law should not control what a woman does with her body is simply absurd. It is no different than telling a woman that she can go out and shoot her rapist. That she can kill a person who stands in the way of her getting a job or promotion. That she has the right to take the life of a mentally handicapped person or severely traumatized person simply because "their quality of life is not what it should be." If we agree that a fetus is a human life... Than that human life deserves the same dignity and same rights as the mother carrying it. We would not be ok with vigilantism in this nation... We would not be ok with killing people to serve our own progress... And we would CERTAINLY not be ok with killing those who are less mentally, physically, emotionally or behaviorally capable as the rest of us. It is seen as cruel and degrading to society when done to those who are born... It should be seen as equally cruel and equally degrading to society when done to the unborn.

Do not tell me that I do not know the price we are paying by allowing Roe v. Wade to exist.

I know the price... I know the scourge. I have not sold out my morality.

So, having conceded this... Why am I still adamantly for Barack Obama? For three reasons (regarding abortion alone):

#1. I cannot and will not be a single-issue voter any longer. I refuse to vote for one issue while a litany of injustices are done in the name of "good Christian politics." When I agree with 99% of a candidate's platform... No matter how important that 1% is to me, I still have the responsibility to vote that which I believe to be best for America and that which I believe is most Biblical.

#2. I have not seen progress under a conservative president and conservative congress. Bush appointed two judges in his terms in office. Instead of sticking to his guns and appointing conservative judges to the bench... He backed down and appointed moderates. Even the one that got shot down was not a conservative. I had never felt so betrayed in my life. It was, after Alito's nomination that I realized that abortion was a talking point... But, not something that anyone wanted to really do anything about... Democrat or Republican.

#3. I am not entirely convinced that just overturning Roe v. Wade would do anything but endanger the lives of young girls. I am still for its reversal, however. It simply comes down to the groundwork needing to be laid up until that point. We absolutely, without a doubt, must teach sex education in public schools. I realize we, as Conservative Christians, would like to believe that the whole teen population would wait until marriage to have sex like we are (or like we did.) However, the truth of the matter is, we live in a fallen world and our teens are not an exception. There is a portion of them (and all studies would show it is, unfortunately, a large portion of them) who will have sex before they are married... A good amount before they even graduate high school. These kids need to know how to have safe sex, how to use a condom, how to obtain birth control and they need to be able to do it on their own free will without their parent's approval. They aren't going to wait for their parent's approval to have sex... They better be able to obtain birth control without their approval as well.

Furthermore, we need to revitalize and reform the foster care and adoption system. Young mothers need to feel like if they carry their babies to term that they will be putting them into a secure setting. For a young mother who doesn't, necessarily, believe that the life they are carrying is actually a life, there is nothing more disheartening than the thought of them bringing a child to the world and then turning them over to be nothing more than "a product of the system."

We need to have good inroads in place in terms of sex education, availability of birth control to everyone (without consent at any age) and positive (yet attainable) adoption reforms in place and we need to put them in place soon. Currently Barack Obama seems to be the one who is promoting these inroads... Not John McCain.

I conclude this portion by (finally) referencing the quote in my introduction. It is by G.K. Chesterton and he is, of course, talking about British elections (as he was an English writer and theologian.) He encourages the voter to vote with "his head and heart, his soul and stomach, his eye for faces and his ear for music; also (when sufficiently provoked) with his hands and feet." He encourages us to not just say to ourselves, "Well, although my head is telling me this is the wiser choice... My heart just can't do it." He encourages us to not just complain about the politicians but for us to get involved with our "hands and feet" when so provoked. I believe that G.K. Chesterton would tell the weary voter to vote for the candidate that satisfies the mind and heart the most. No, they won't be perfect. They won't believe everything you believe. But, my friends, that is where our hands and feet come in. Vote for who you choose. But, with this president... Let's really voice our concerns for this issue or that issue. Let's write letters (every day if necessary) stating our views on this or that. Let's start petitions and educate ourselves to the point of being able to defend what we are petitioning for! The cynics and critics would say that the age of this kind of effective political involvement are dead. I don't believe they are. I believe that we, as a people, are still very much a part of the process. We must vote... We must use our voices after we vote... And we must hold our leaders accountable to those issues the people are passionate about. Vote red, vote blue... McCain or Obama. No matter what... We MUST get involved!

Education: Whatever You Did for the Least of These…

I work in public education. It is, I suppose, somewhat disingenuous not to admit there is a level of self-preservation that streaks through my view of public education and the value therein. There is, of course, a “fundamental difference” between the way that Republicans and Democrats view education in America.

The Republicans view a voucher system as the way to go. The government provides vouchers for families so that they can afford to choose which privatized school their child goes to. This is a very “free market” way of approaching education. It, very obviously, has its benefits. If the school your child is in is not meeting your child’s needs, you have the option of uprooting the child and putting them where they might better thrive. If the teacher seems ill-equipped or it appears they are just there to get paid (and, like I always mention, “get paid to go to recess”), than the parent has the right to find another school with a better teacher. Moreover, it provides an infinite amount of free market accountability. If a teacher repeatedly has transfers out of his or her classroom… Than the teacher, most likely, should find another career. In this system, there would be a higher level of education provided for the majority of middle-class children. I concede this to the GOP.

However, there are, once again, three aspects that bother me about this ideology. These three points are so fundamental to my belief on education and a Biblical view on how we should treat children in our society that all the benefits the GOP plan would have pale in comparison to the injustices I will list here:

#1. And, most importantly, to me… We have, in this ideology, forgotten the downtrodden and forgotten the easily forgettable. In our society we live in the midst of the impoverished and those with severe special needs. I work with these children day in and day out. And, I ask the question, “What about those who are unacceptable to the majority?”

Under the voucher system (if carried out to its logical end), the entirety of the education system would be privatized. As stated above, this would allow parents to pick and choose their schools and teachers. However, the knife cuts both ways. This would also allow schools to pick and choose their students. And, if there is one thing I know about private business… It’s that you want your company to look good. So, when my child with behavioral and emotional deficiencies enters that private “school” (see: private business), how long do you think it will take before the school “suggests” that he find somewhere else to get his schooling? How many disruptive outbursts will it take before the teacher decides that little Johnny isn’t capable of learning any longer?

It isn’t just my behaviorally and emotionally challenged kids, either. What about the physically handicapped? Do we really believe that, if given the choice, a school would want to take on the added insurance liability? What about the mentally handicapped? Do we really believe that, if given the choice, the administrators would want that black mark on their standardized test scores?

And, what about those with no handicap except poverty? Where will these students go? Under a privatized system of education, the schools that have the best reputations (i.e.: “no educational disruptions”) will have the right to (and, if “good business” prevails, the common sense to) raise the price of tuition. The schools that don’t perform well will lower theirs. The government vouchers will almost definitely NOT pay for the full tuition of a reputable school. There will be a good deal of responsibility on the parent’s part to pay the remainder. So, for those who are impoverished and under the poverty line (and, quite possibly, those just over it), they can do nothing but idly sit by and watch their child receive a sub-par education and, in turn, be looked down upon by institutions of higher education.

In our current system, public schools are REQUIRED to accept and educate those with special needs as well as those who are unable to afford education. Keep in mind… These aren’t “special” schools they are required to go to. These are the same school that your average, everyday child goes to. They are to be treated like any other student in that school. This is healthy. This is humane. And, this is the way that Christ would have treated these children. (Matthew 25:40, 45)

#2. As a nation we have a “throw the baby out with the bathwater” mentality about a great deal of issues. This is not an exception. We see the poor performance in the public school system and, therefore, we believe that the public school system should be abolished altogether, in favor of a private school voucher system.

However, it baffles the mind why we would want to spend all that money on vouchers when, in fact, we could spend it more wisely in the system we have at hand. The GOP has consistently attempted to deregulate every aspect of government. It is, of course, a “small government” mentality. There is much pastoral beauty in the thought of lower (or no) taxes and a government that, like the breeze, is there but you never see it. The problem is, without a standardized set of regulations, crises like that seen in the American public school system is far too common. We need, not only a standard paradigm for evaluating public schools, but also the tools, personnel and money to fix the problem so every student has the right and ability to become all they choose to become.

#3. There is a widening gap in America already, where the rich get richer and the poor get poorer and neither group is particularly concerned with communicating with one another. By creating the system spoken of in my first point, there will be, in essence, a social eugenics system put in place. If you are a college and you are looking for the best students for your school… Will you be looking at the school that has had the best teachers (i.e. the free market school that costs the most and, therefore, is able to pay their teachers the most) or will you be looking for a school that has continuously gotten poor reviews (i.e. the school where the poor kids could afford to go)? My contention is that any college in their right mind will choose to fish out of the rich pond and not the poor pond. Once again, you have to make your school look good, right? But, it goes deeper. If you are a business and you are recruiting candidates for internships for upper management… Will you be seeking out candidates with a college degree? Or ones without? Of course, you will be seeking out the candidates with a degree. And, therefore, the cycle continues. Those students who have parents rich enough to keep them in the private school with the best reputation go on to college, to then go on to a well-paying job, to then become the parents who can send their child to the private school with the best reputation. All the while the parents who are “less than rich” have no choice but to send their child to a school with a bad reputation and, therefore, are unable to get into college (or into a reputable college), and, therefore are unable to get a job that pays well, and they become the parents who can’t afford to send their child anywhere but the school with the bad reputation. Our current system may be broken… But, even in its broken state, it still provides an equal education for everyone.

And, this leads me to my next point: Availability of higher education. This is a personal one for me, frankly. Because, I have gotten into a situation where I am unable to attend college due to substantial debt at a prior college. This debt, of course, would not have been incurred at the institutional level if aid were available. President Clinton, with all his personal flaws, did wonders to make grants and low-interest loans available to students who did not have the means to make it to college on their own budget. President Bush, on the other hand, has tightened the restrictions of who can receive these funds SO tightly that I was ineligible for the loans needed to pay for college without going into debt with the school, itself. This is a problem. There are many people out there, like myself, who have a deep sense of desire to go to school. They want an education. But, due to extenuating circumstances (or, simply a lack of money altogether) are unable to do so without government funding. I believe (as well as those in the Democratic Party believe) that anyone who wants a higher education should have the opportunity to get one regardless of any defining factor or circumstance. This issue, obviously, is incredibly personal to me. It may be tough for me to step back and look at it objectively, because I’m living it. However, it is a tough situation to find yourself in, when you have a dream and desire to become that which you know God has called you to… But, you are unable to financially achieve it. I, frankly, don’t want my story to be the story of a generation of teens and young adults. I want my story to be a story of antiquity. And, this issue of education (both primary and beyond) is why I voted for Barack Obama.

Social Assistance and the Economy: Socialism or Ethical Responsibility?

Outside of abortion this is the sole issue that I get hammered on day in and day out. Whereas abortion I agree with those doing the hammering… This, I have a hard time understanding why Christians would be so adamantly against the Democratic paradigm.

The argument is stated as such: Republicans will argue that the increase of taxation on the upper class will lead to the upper class being less productive (on a business level) and, therefore, will lead to a decrease in available jobs for everyone (upper class, middle class and lower class included.) They argue, also, that if the upper class earned their money, than it is their right to keep it. They hold to the “pull yourself up by the bootstraps” mentality toward the poor. And, they believe it is individual people and individual organizations’ responsibility to take care of those who are in need.

There is merit to certain points in this argument. First, I am all for the rich producing more businesses to produce more jobs to secure a more fundamentally sound economy. Second, I believe there is a time and place for using one’s hard-earned money for entertainment and leisure. And, thirdly, I absolutely agree that it is EVERYONE’S responsibility to take care of the impoverished.

Having said that, the Democratic platform believes there is a better way to deal with the problem of the poor. Whereas the GOP has a “trickle-down” theory of economics, where we let the rich keep their money and simply pray that they will, indeed, be responsible and trickle that money down to those in need… The Democratic party realizes that we don’t live in a Utopian society where people realize their responsibility and follow through on its implementation. Personally, if all of the people in the United States suddenly became believers in the Gospel of Jesus Christ… AND, we, as Christians, started giving to those in need as Christ commanded… I would immediately, and without question, become a conservative economist.

However, we do not live in a Christian nation and we do not, as Christians, give as we are commanded to do. So, I believe, in this situation, scripture still calls us to take care of the needy. And, as Christians, we need to realize that the whole of what we should see as economic responsibility lies in the fact that this money that we receive from our hard work is not ours. Deuteronomy 26:1-3 says this:

“Then it shall be, when you enter the land which the LORD your God gives you as an inheritance, and you possess it and live in it, that you shall take some of the first of all the produce of the ground which you bring in from your land that the LORD your God gives you, and you shall put it in a basket and go to the place where the LORD your God chooses to establish His name. You shall go to the priest who is in office at that time and say to him, 'I declare this day to the LORD my God that I have entered the land which the LORD swore to our fathers to give us.’”

Twice in the course of the very first sentence talking about fiscal responsibility of the Hebrew people, God reminds them that that which they have was given to them by Him. It is not theirs (Haggai 2:8.) It is simply theirs to be stewards of for a time. No one is born with riches (perhaps into riches, but not with them) and no one dies with riches. This money that is yours now… Will not be yours tomorrow. So, we must not view it as our “right” to own this or that or our “reward” for doing hard work. We are to be generous with our money. When we think we have given enough… We need to look at what we’ve given and question, “What more can I give.” Let’s keep on reading further into Deuteronomy 26 at verses12-14:

“When you have finished paying all the tithe of your increase in the third year, the year of tithing, then you shall give it to the Levite, to the stranger, to the orphan and to the widow, that they may eat in your towns and be satisfied. You shall say before the LORD your God, 'I have removed the sacred portion from my house, and also have given it to the Levite and the alien, the orphan and the widow, according to all Your commandments which You have commanded me; I have not transgressed or forgotten any of Your commandments. 'I have not eaten of it while mourning, nor have I removed any of it while I was unclean, nor offered any of it to the dead. I have listened to the voice of the LORD my God; I have done according to all that You have commanded me.’”

In this scripture, we find that God wants us to give to the poor. They specify orphan and widow explicitly, but we are surrounded by strangers who are in need every day. And, it is those strangers that our taxes go to provide for. The Democratic structure of economics supports this way of living. By giving, through the government, there is no option to back out and not follow this mandate. We are required to by law. This money is then given to those in need. It is done so through programs such as: Welfare; Food Stamps; Unemployment; and, if my prayers are answered, healthcare. It is issues such as healthcare that secure my spot on the left side of this issue. We can no longer afford to view health care as a privilege for the few who can afford it. It must be viewed as a right for everyone. It is, along with shelter, food, clean water, rest and shelter a basic need on Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Health is the all-encompassing body of needs, and if we do not take care of those who cannot afford health care now, we will forever be seen as a nation completely out of touch with the basic needs of its people.

I have been called a socialist. And, on some level, this is not an inaccurate statement. It is a dangerous thing to agree to be called this, however, due to the historical failure of every strong socialist economy. And, whereas I believe that these economies failed due to the implementation of socialism into a government structure (i.e. communism), I believe a form of socialism can be attained within the constructs of a democracy (or other form of government outside of communism.) Simply put, you can call me whatever you’d like. I am not fazed by whatever derogatory or complimentary tag you may lay upon me. The bottom line is that I believe that there are those struggling very hard to make ends meet each month. Some aren’t making them meet at all. Some find themselves so unable to do so that they are without a home or without food. It seems not only common sense, but solid Christian morality (Deuteronomy 15:7-8, Proverbs 29:7, Proverbs 14:31, Matthew 6:19-24, Matthew 9:16-30, Luke 12:32-34, Acts 2:45-47, Acts 4:32-35, 1 John 3:17), for those who are able to take care of these people to take care of these people. We do not live in a society of people who will take care of these people. So, we must require it to be so. Does the system need reform? Absolutely. But, once again, we cannot allow the baby to be thrown out with the bathwater or we will find ourselves a nation full of dead and dying people who were unable to make it in this great nation, America. There are some that don’t have boots… Let alone bootstraps to pull themselves up by. Do we honestly believe, as we lay down in our comfortable beds at night, that it will really trickle that far down?

Equality and Respect for All Humanity: Looking Beyond our Worldview

In the 1960’s the United States finally started targeting civil rights for African Americans as a priority in their legislation. The abolition of slavery had been established nearly 100 years prior, but discrimination still existed. The hate for this group of people was there, naturally, through years of social programming from generation to generation. It was necessary to create laws to change the worldview of those who refused to see the black population as the humans that, indeed, they are.

We are in an opposite clash of civil rights at this point in America. We have a nation who, for the most part, is accepting of all races, all creeds, all religions, both genders and those who are of a different sexual orientation than ourselves. For those of us who truly love people (regardless of our differences), this brings a sense of national pride full with a swelling in our chest that most people who live within our borders feel safe and secure.

I have had the privilege, throughout my schooling and into my adult years to be friends with many people who are homosexual. I have found most of them to be some of the most compassionate and kind people I have ever met. They are not unlike any of my other friends, for the most part, they simply have a different bent on who they are attracted to.

I want to start this section off by clarifying what my view is on homosexuality. I believe, simply put, practicing homosexuality is a sin. I believe that God created man and woman to complement one another and, at times, to create a sacred union between one man and one woman for the rest of their lives. I believe it is possible to be a homosexual and still be a Christian. However, not unlike being an alcoholic and being a Christian, that which comes “naturally” to those in this situation have to, daily, ask for strength to overcome that particular sin nature that haunts them. I believe they are no different than any other Christian in the sense that we all have these natural desires and lusts that are sinful and detrimental to our spiritual walk.

I believe God loves homosexuals and people like Fred Phelps are an abomination to Christian theology. I believe, as I hinted to above, that it is possible for children to be born with the natural inclination to become homosexuals later in life. I also believe that it is possible to acquire it. I don’t believe it is good… I do believe it can, indeed, be natural.

Having stated my theological view on this, I will also tell you that I am 100% for those involved in homosexual relationships to have the same rights as those involved in heterosexual relationships… From a legal/governmental standpoint only. I believe they should be able to obtain a civil union giving them the full rights and responsibilities of a married couple in the United States. I believe it is fully the church’s (whatever church that may be) to define this as marriage or not recognize it as marriage. That church’s actions will then carry with it the consequences of labeling it as such.

I have come to this conclusion after many tough conversations over the past five years and swaying from left to right and back to left again more times than I can count. However, it comes down to the legal rights granted to partners in a long-term relationship. And, I have come to find not granting such rights to be absolutely cruel. The scenario that always plays through my head is this:

A homosexual couple have been together for twenty years. They are in love with each other (however that may look in that context.) They have been in love with each other for the entirety of their relationship. They bring comfort and strength to one another when times get tough. One day one of them is involved in a serious car accident. He is in critical condition and not expected to live through the night. His parents are still alive and rush to his bedside. They have never approved of his lifestyle and, thus, block his partner from seeing him at his deathbed.

Is this scenario right? Is this the way we want to treat our fellow Americans? Is this the way we, as Christians, want anyone to be treated? Is that truly what Christ would have wanted in that situation?

The scenario is made up. But, I have heard similar scenarios that have played out in truth and actuality many times over. It would be different, I suppose, if by legislating this particular brand of morality that it would cause those who are homosexual to choose a different lifestyle… Turn to Jesus… Repent of their sin. But, the fact of the matter is, the pragmatist in me sees exactly what Christian support of such legislation does. It polarizes. It draws the homosexual community further and further from Christianity and, in turn, draws them further and further away from Christ. I have never heard a reformed homosexual say, “You know… I was a homosexual… But, when I realized I couldn’t get married to him, I decided I’d find women attractive.” It’s not how it works. And, to view legislation that “cracks down” on the homosexual lifestyle as beneficial to advancing the Kingdom is naïve at best and ludicrous and cruel at its worst.

We cannot legislate the morality we believe Christ wants us to live within. We, as a Christian community, have become lazy. We would just as soon let our favorite politicians evangelize from Washington D.C. than go around the corner and show someone Christ’s love. If you don’t believe me… Look at the life you live. When was the last time you stepped out of your comfort zone to reach out to someone completely different than you? When was the last time you loved on someone that, perhaps, to society (or at least your society) was unlovable? Ok… Now, look at how many times (today, alone) you shook your head and pitied where our country is heading. If the second number is more than the first… Perhaps you need to get off your couch and live out Christ’s love for someone in desperate need of it. Because, the bottom line is… Your intolerance and your dismay will never change that which you’re intolerant of or what dismays you most.

Alternative Energy and International Affairs

I suppose it is an odd combination. But, I find that there are more links to this than one might realize. I will start with alternative energy and we will see how it ties in with international affairs.

Once again, on this point, I have to concede that neither party is thinking entirely straight on this issue. Republicans have little or no desire to rock the boat with the big oil companies and, therefore, have a huge problem funding research for alternative fuels. Democrats have nearly a single-track mind and demand that drilling be damned… Let’s just research, research, research! The bottom line is… The Republicans have a good short-term plan, Democrats have a good plan for sustainability. But, neither are combining these thoughts (at least not convincingly) to where the logical compromise comes to, “Ok… Let’s drill now and research now… And, so, in five years when all of our local oil is expended, we will (hopefully) have an alternative fuel source to rely upon.”

Conceding that both parties are lacking in their judgment… I am inclined to back the plan that provides long-term sustainability over one that provides short-term availability. I say this for this reason (and this is where international affairs come into play), at this very moment we are funding nations that harbor terrorists… Namely Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia has all but received an infinite stack of “Get Out of Jail Free” cards from America when it comes to harboring known terrorists. Why? Because we NEED their oil. On an international level do we appear weak on terrorism? Yes! Why? Because we allow terrorists to live as long as they reside in a country that will not extradite them and sell us “cheap” oil. Oil is the new gold… And, he who controls the oil controls the world. We need to break this stronghold by finding a new fuel source that we can produce and manipulate on our home turf. The party that is, primarily, shooting for such a plan is the Democratic party and their strong desire to find natural and advanced fuel sources outside of the standard drill and pump plan we so closely adhere to today.

So, we appear weak on the international level due to there being a seemingly impenetrable barricade at Saudi Arabia’s door when it comes to our “war on terror.” Is that the only reason we appear weak? No. The bottom line is, over the past eight years we have lost incredible footing in terms of respect from other nations. We have gone about our international affairs like, no surprise, a cowboy dealing with the criminals in the old west. We have had a “shoot first, ask questions later” mentality on everything from our use of offensive terms to describe countries around the world (see: “Axis of Evil”) to our use of force under the auspice of imminent threat (see: WMD’s) which turned out to be a false pretense altogether. We have killed off a secularist dictator in Iraq and brought in a plethora of Al-Qaeda camps who, now that the secularist leader is dead, are free to thrive in the region. We have failed to communicate effectively with neither friend, nor foe… And we seem, and with good reason, to be a rogue nation who has no desire to be a part of an international community.

John McCain fully supports the war in Iraq. He struggles even saying that the original attack was a mistake and often dodges the question by going to the adage “I’m looking forward, not behind.” What he (as well as what appears to be the vast majority of Republican leaders) fails to realize it is true that if we do not study history, we are doomed to repeat it. McCain has said that he could feasibly see the war lasting 100 years in the region. This is a problem for me. I do not believe that this should be my children’s war. It shouldn’t have been our generation’s war. Yet… It is.

Obama has a plan and desire to get our troops out of Iraq. Will this lead to the toppling of the Iraqi government? Most likely. But, this is a nation (as the Republicans often remind the poor) that needs to “pull itself up by its bootstraps.” We are spending billions of dollars in Iraq to keep this debauchery going. We literally cannot afford to be in that nation any longer. If it topples, it topples. The bottom line is that even with the marginal success of the “surge” of troops… I still don’t believe that conventional warfare will establish a lasting government. As a matter of fact, I’m not totally convinced that democracy is the best answer for them. I am completely unconcerned about what happens to Iraq after we leave. They are a sovereign nation. They have an army. We trained them. We’ve been there for several years and have helped them establish a government. It is time for us to leave and let them prove that they can handle an uprising.

Furthermore, for future conflicts we, as a nation, cannot afford to go into them unilaterally. We can call The United Nations a lame duck organization all we want. But, we have not, in modern times, seen this organization (formerly “The League of Nations”) with the full backing and support of the only remaining superpower, the United States. The United Nations has the ability to be a great source of accountability for our international actions. But, we must begin looking to them for said accountability and respecting their analysis. UN completely aside, at the very least we must look to the international community for allies (multiple allies) if we so choose to go into a war again. It can no longer be US & UK vs. The World. It is bad politics, it is bad international relations and it is simply strategically unwise. Case in point… The Iraq war.

The underlying issue with international relations, in general, is just that… Relations. We must have the desire and ability to sit down with world leaders and have open dialogue with one another about how to live on this big rock together… In harmony with one another while always respecting one another’s cultures and beliefs… Even if we don’t, personally, agree with them. This needs to happen with our time-honored allies (like the UK, Australia, Canada, etc., etc.) But, it also needs to happen with our enemies. Barack Obama has been slammed for his statement that he would meet with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Kim Jong-il without preconditions. The McCain camp criticizes this as giving “credibility” to tyrannical regimes. I see this as a sincere desire to find common ground and the hope of working together to promote peace and prosperity for both their nations and ours. Furthermore, this whole mentality that “we can’t give credibility to this nation or that nation” is what is killing us on an international level. We have been engaged in this “pissing match” for far too long with nations we don’t agree with. (Pardon my French) We must learn a way to get along with one another and still be influential on the international stage. I am not of the mindset that this influence happens solely (or, often, at all) through means of warfare. We must find a more peaceful way to become influential. I believe Barack Obama has that ability.

Conclusion and Encouragement

Through this series of posts, I truly hope that I have offended no one… But, if I have, know that it is not because of a lack of respect for you or the way you view the political landscape of the United States. Whether you be Republican or Democrat… If you are a Christian I want you to know that your political view is a valid one and one that glorifies the Kingdom.

Republicans: You have a strong grasp of Christian morality. You have the desire to see the Kingdom of God here and now through any means possible. It is not that you have abandoned evangelism, it is that you want to couple it with governmental action so that you can live in a nation that glorifies Christ and by its very nature and beliefs, points to Him as the answer to the litany of life’s problems and transgressions. You want America to be that shining light on a hill that not only draws its own to Him, but the whole world. Your cause is noble. Even if I disagree with it, I realize that you are not wishing evil upon the United States or any of her citizens.

Democrats: You have a heart for the downtrodden. You want to see people come to Christ one by one and you want to be a part of that experience, personally. You want to walk side-by-side with those who are handicapped (in whatever way that may be) and help them become all they can be. Your views on helping the poor are paramount to the Kingdom and incredibly Christlike. Among conservative Christianity (namely evangelicals) you may not be popular. But, like Republicans in the Kingdom, you are a much needed voice. Don’t be afraid to call out the injustices you see… Don’t be afraid to rise against the tide if you truly believe in your cause. You are not alone, even if it feels that way at times.

Everyone: I want to leave this series on a positive note for everyone. In 2000 and 2004, I felt horrible walking into the voting booth. I looked at the bubbles next to Gore and Bush and, in 2004, next to Kerry and Bush and realized that I had to choose between the lesser of two evils. It is a horrible feeling to experience when you realize the inevitable leader of your nation will be one of two men of whom you have no respect for.

This year, I am encouraged. Not only do I have, for the first time since my ability to vote, a Democratic candidate that I believe in… I have a conservative candidate that I think is not only noble and good… But, also incredibly intelligent.

Obama/Biden: This is a dream ticket for me. Biden was my pick for presidential nominee early on in the presidential primaries. I knew it was unlikely. But, I loved his style of politics. He is intelligent… Yet, not so incredibly polished that he doesn’t keep his foot out of his mouth. I fell in love with his experience as chair of the foreign relations committee and his passion for the issues that he believed would help America prosper. More than that, his dedication to his family has been a cornerstone of his political career. A week before his inauguration into the US Senate for his very first term, Joseph Biden’s two sons, daughter and wife were involved in a serious car accident. His wife and daughter died. His sons remained in critical condition. Joseph Biden told the powers that be that he would not be able to take the oath of office and to find someone else for the job because, “Delaware can find another Senator, my kids can’t find another dad.” He made daily trips, that were hours long, to and from his home from the capitol during his political career. I look upon this not because I think, “Oh, what a great guy!” (Although I do.) I say all of this to show that the man has a strong sense of priority and his time “in the system” has not caused him to become “one of them.” Obama has had my vote (in theory before and in practice last week) since his “Call to Renewal” speech on June 28^th, 2006 and, more recently, his “Politics of Conscience” speech on June 23^rd, 2007. To say that I have not been on the ground floor of his political career or to say that I’m just “jumping on the bandwagon” is to admit you have not heard me speak about politics for the past two years. This man is a man who is, without a doubt in my mind, a Christian. Perhaps his theology is more liberal than mine (frankly, by a long shot), but he has, by his own admission, believed in his heart and confessed with his mouth that Jesus is Lord. And, he has done so on the campaign trail as a Democrat. He has called his party to pick up their faith once again and act on its behalf. He is not your typical Democratic candidate. He is unique. More than that he is intelligent and eloquent in his speech. After eight years of “misunderestimate” and “strategery”, I believe our nation needs a man who can communicate clearly and logically. Barack Obama and Joseph Biden are two of the greatest politicians in modern history. I am proud to say that I have voted for them.

McCain/Palin: John McCain quite possibly has the most inspiring story of patriotism and love for this nation of any politician in modern times. During his service in the armed forces, John McCain was captured by Vietnamese troops. He was held in a prison in Hanoi for six years. He received beating after beating and watched many of his fellow companions die from the excessive torture given by the Vietnamese government. At one point when his captors figured out that he was a son of an admiral they gave him the option to go home (most likely to inspire a deal from the US government.) John refused. He maintained the “first in, first out” rule that stated that whoever was in captivity the longest would be the first to be released out of the bunch of them. Finally in 1973, John returned home to become a US Senator for the state of Arizona. Through his years he has reached across the aisle on many occasion, all but forgetting which party he was in on many issues. John McCain is, without a doubt, a man who loves the United States of America. He is, without a doubt, an intelligent politician that would represent our nation well. He is a man of the people and isn’t afraid to get out talk to the populace. If “my candidate” doesn’t win… My candidate still wins. I love John McCain and think he would make a great president if the people so appoint him to be so.

I believe that this year’s campaign is a win-win situation. I have heard so many people say that they do not like either candidate. I swing the opposite direction. I think they are both amazing politicians who, inasmuch as a modern politician can, have the best interest of the American people at heart. Be encouraged, Americans… A change, indeed, is coming, one way or the other. If you vote I am already proud of you as an American brother or sister. These posts, as stated at the beginning, were never meant to change your mind on any given issue. They are meant to give peace to the conservative Christians who lean to the left a bit more than the majority of their conservative Christian friends and mentors. No matter what… I urge you and encourage you to vote with all of your head and all of your heart… Don’t succumb to one side or the other because it’s “the Christian thing to do.” There are parts of both parties (and candidates) that Christ would both love… And abhor. There is no “Christian” or “non-Christian” way to vote… Only how you believe the Kingdom would best be served.

Be encouraged… We are a part of an imperfect system… But, a system that, nonetheless, we are, indeed, still a part of! Empower yourself… Vote… Petition… Communicate. We, the people, still have the power… But, we must break the bonds of apathy first.