Don't Fret

Today, I was affected the the news in two areas.

Earlier today, I was in the car, and one of the writers for the Editorial section of the Wall Street Journal came on, and was talking about the dire situation we have in America about taxes, spending, and the general irresponsibility of our government to manage our revenue. The comments came up in context to the Iraq war, and the host was wondering if we will go bankrupt paying for this war, if it were to take 20 years, say. The writer noted that it is the primary responsibility of our Government to protect us, and if it takes 20 years, then that's what it takes. If we didn't spend money on the 1000's of other mismanaged projects of the Federal Govt, it wouldn't be a problem. The problem then is, how do we change this? I'm just one person.

Secondly, I was reading about teen STD use. It almost seems insurmountable. Teens are contracting STDs at a higher rate than ever in history, causing potential life damage, and certainly reducing the possibility of them ever having children. I definitely recall the huge urge for sex as a teen (who says its stops then??) and lack of judgement on making smart choices. I came across this site:
STD Epidemic.

I guess the lesson learned here is that we cannot be the ones to control our destiny. We can't stop the problems that plague us in 100 directions, but we do have a God that knows every hair on our head. We do have a sovereign God who promises to restore the Earth and the heavens into a new Jerusalem. We can and should definitely pray for that to happen, sooner the better. And in the meantime, we shouldn't give up on problems just because we don't seem to be big enough to fix them.

On with the Tradition

I was at Starbucks yesterday, waiting in line, and noticed the new tagline that they are using to celebrate Christmas etc. On with the Tradition. I found that absolutely hilarious!

Either you are gung ho about the holidays, and are leading the path like Castro on La Plaza de la Revelucion, gathering your forces to combat the holidays; or you are twirling your finger in a circular fashon while rolling your eyes, saying 'la deee frickin da' - On with the Tradition.

London Calling

What a horrible, sad, cowardly, cunning and evil event. This morning, I had a hollow moment. Before going on a run, I decided to check the news online - and all, literally all - the news stories were about some bomb in London. I rushed to the tele, flipped on Fox, and there it was.. a mini 9/11. I wish my first thought was to pray for the victims, and pray for the perpetrators - but it wasn't. In my callousness, my first thought was, this will serve as a good reminder as to why we're in a war right now. I'm pissed to keep hearing about all the negative views on Iraq, and I think people forget that this is the reason we're fighting! Who wants to set an end date to the war on terror?

Now that time has passed, and the hypnotism of watching repeated images of bloody Londoners walking through the streets has faded slightly, I am ready to catch up to all those more Christ-like than me, and to pray for the familys and the Country, and for hearts to change and melt.

Burdens of a busy man

It's times like this, when you're running frantically all over town, answering emails, IM's, voice messages and phone calls... when you really want liberation. I mean, work is a good thing, right? For God's glory, and for our fullfillment, we need to work.. But then why am I thinking about Alfa Romeos and Lake Leelanau's 78 degree fresh water right now?

My clients are in a less-than-perfect status right now. I'm commited to work for most all the waking minutes between now and when I leave to visit my old man this weekend (I just now remembered - oh yeah, I probably do need to pack before I leave).

So life isn't perfect. I don't know if I can imagine what perfection in life is anymore - and by the grace of God. It proves to me the status of this world; fallen, ultimately unfulfilling, and in the words of CS Lewis, nasty and brutish.