Barack Obama was sworn in as the 44th president of the US. Many were excited about this event. He is the first African American president. He got ridiculous media coverage today. I felt he was being over hyped. It is a good thing when a country can get past bigotry and vote someone in regardless of color of skin. But I feel like this election Obama was voted because he was an African American. I feel he was voted in to prove a point. That is almost never a good reason to vote someone in. In my personal opinion had he been a white person with the EXACT same agenda he would not have received as much media hype or votes. This election was based on color of skin any way you look at it. Many people I know are pro-life but they voted for Obama because of the idea of a different colored person in Washington. I only know a few people who elaborated on why Obama got their vote. One friend gave me educated reasons why he voted for Obama. The issue of race never came up. We may disagree but I respect him for looking at the issues. But everyone else was so worried about getting an African American in office they put aside their own principles. Again I am not racist but I did NOT vote for him. I wanted to so bad because I am one person who said a few years back about how nice to see a black man in office. When I first saw Obama on Oprah 2 years back I was excited! I thought we had our candidate for president! But doing more research and listening to his proposed ideas I got crushed. Because he does not represent someone I want in office and in good conscious I could not vote for him.
I did not watch the inauguration today. In a fit of bad unchristian attitude I thought if I did not watch it, then he would go away. Yes that is not a good thing to think of but I had dread just knowing that he was about to be sworn in. But the Lord has been with me and has gently reminded me to pray for our new president. I plan on doing that and trying to get away from the negative thoughts that keep churning. If I continue to think horrible of him then I am no better than those who criticized Bush. Does this mean I will keep quiet when Obama makes a decision that could potentially be dangerous? No but I will try to disagree respectfully and not stoop to the level of those who brutally slandered Bush. Also when something goes wrong I vow not to automatically blame Obama.
I am going to miss George W. Bush in office. We have seen war and economy declines. But I will not pacify people and say he was horrible. He did some things I did not agree with but he protected our country. He made sure we did not get attacked. He made decisions that were unpopular but ultimately kept us from a second terrorist attack. Our military knew that Bush was on their side. He valued the sanctity of life and protected many babies from being aborted. He was not a perfect candidate but will always have my respect and admiration. I will pray for his transition to civilian life with Laura. Ricky and I will miss him in office.
President Obama has stepped into the role of commander in chief. I will pray that his heart will be changed on some issues and that he will protect the country the way we deserve. I will also remember that Our Lord and Savior is in control. That is where my faith will ultimately lie. May he have the Lords hand in all decisions that he makes.
Heavenly Father, I thank You for Your perfect Will. Please be with President Obama and work on his heart to preserve the sanctity of life. Its in the name of Christ I pray,
Amen
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Many Thoughts
I have not been keeping up blogging. Mainly because I have had so much happen. Its just been a whirlwind the past few couple of months.
Ricky and I were in an accident in December. It was an event that has in many ways changed our life. Our car was wrecked by someone who rear ended us and did 5000.00 worth of damage. Our routines were interrupted. We were without a car for a week before the other guys insurance came through. We were broke and struggling to pay the bills. Many inconveniences happened. One thing stood out through all of this. God was with us every step of the way. He provided what was needed for us to get through the next month. My boss was very understanding and allowed me to work from home. My dad was kind enough to let me use his truck while waiting on the rental. Ricky's mom and dad sent us money to get us through. I had friends and family who were there for us and it meant the world.
The Lord has been working on our hearts since then. We have joined a new church home. It was not where I thought we would end up. Especially since we joined First Baptist Church led by Dr. Robert Jeffress. I had mentioned his series on Politically Incorrect previously. We felt like the Lord wanted us in that church because Dr. Jeffress preaches the Word compassionately but is unapologetic. Some would consider him narrow-minded because he is uncompromising on Gods truth. But he is NOT brimstone and damnation either. I met Dr. Jeffress personally and he is a great guy. He is funny and has a sense of humor. He has been very warm and friendly to Ricky and I. His associate pastor Walter Guillaume has been the main person we have been in contact with. He has been really nice and always thinks to call Ricky. He knows about Ricky's ailments and prays with us. I had to say I had misgivings leaving University UMC because I swore I would never join a Baptist church ever again. However I don't have control on that one. That is in God's hand. I am being baptized on January 25th. I am a little nervous about this because in the Methodist church you did not do immersion baptism. So this will be a big step in my walk with the Lord.
Also I have been reflecting on my past mistakes. I have had so much anger and bitterness that has consumed me and affected my friendships and relationships. I have been snapping at Ricky for no reason, being distrustful and hateful. I am not proud of these mistakes and have asked God for help in controlling this. I have also hurt people with my actions. I now understand why people do certain things. I know its not to hurt me but its to help.
I made major mistakes that could have very well ended my relationship with Ricky. Instead of trusting in the Lord during my emptiness, I turned to temptation and destructive behavior. I had unhealthy attachments to men at work and almost would cross the line. I did get close to destroying my marriage because of one of those friendships. It grieves me to this day that I have hurt the other person and my husband. I want to give a word of advice to many who may be in a marriage that is in a rough patch. Please do not look for affection outside of marriage. I am not opposed to friends of the opposite sex but you would really want to be careful. Even if you and that other person go into the friendship with platonic attempts, anything can happen. Even if nothing physical happens, an emotional affair can be just as damaging. You start depending on the other person. That has damaging lasting effects. Please get counseling, talk to a trusted minister, friend, or counselor. Also please work at the marriage and never for a second suggest divorce as an option. In our society marriage has been treated so carelessly because people have the idea that if they don't like this model they can exchange it for something else. That was not what God intended. It grieves me to see how much the sanctity of marriage has been discounted. It may sound like I am trying to be self righteous and perfect. But that is not the case. I am speaking from experience.
Ricky and I are excited about the new year. We are hoping to get more involved in the church and grow even closer to God. We have believed but have been fair weather Christians. We are reading our Bible, getting educated in His word, and cutting many negative influences out of our life. We don't watch much TV. We are working on cutting bad words out of our vocabulary. This is not a quest for perfection. This is a step toward living the way Christ did. Knowing that we are sinners and we fall short of His Glory could grieve us but accepting Him as our Saviour is good news. We are not narrow minded. We don't stop being friends with someone just because they don't have a relationship with the Lord but we do constantly pray for them and just be there as a witness. The best way to witness to an unbeliever is through actions. One mistake that Christians make is they turn their back on their friends once they get saved and grow closer to God. That's not what God wants us to do. But He does not want us to do things that are not pleasing to Him either. So if you have a friend who is questionable in his/her beliefs pray about it. Don't assume you have to drop them like a hot potato. But if it is someone who is destructive and brings you down, you are not required to constantly be beaten down. Pray for that person but keep your distance. I have a good friend who has been telling me this for awhile. He says that being a good friend does not always mean hovering over that person.
The inauguration is Monday for President Elect Obama. I have taken my own advice and prayed for him. I am not going to stoop to the level of the Bush-bashers of the last 8 years. I don't agree with his policies but I wont be bad-mouthing him and calling him names. That is not the way to proceed. I still have mixed feelings about him in office. It has nothing to do with race either. If you know me, you understand I am not racist or judge on skin color. I felt like some of my coworkers took the election too personally. On election night there were people who acted very unprofessional. I know Obama is glad he won but I would like to think he would not approve of the racial behavior. I am glad I am not working tomorrow or I would probably lose it. I pray for unity and that we can see each other the way the Lord sees us. In Gods eyes we are all His children.
Heavenly Father,
Thank You for Your presence during our tough times. Please forgive us where we fall short. It is in the name of Christ I pray,
Amen
Ricky and I were in an accident in December. It was an event that has in many ways changed our life. Our car was wrecked by someone who rear ended us and did 5000.00 worth of damage. Our routines were interrupted. We were without a car for a week before the other guys insurance came through. We were broke and struggling to pay the bills. Many inconveniences happened. One thing stood out through all of this. God was with us every step of the way. He provided what was needed for us to get through the next month. My boss was very understanding and allowed me to work from home. My dad was kind enough to let me use his truck while waiting on the rental. Ricky's mom and dad sent us money to get us through. I had friends and family who were there for us and it meant the world.
The Lord has been working on our hearts since then. We have joined a new church home. It was not where I thought we would end up. Especially since we joined First Baptist Church led by Dr. Robert Jeffress. I had mentioned his series on Politically Incorrect previously. We felt like the Lord wanted us in that church because Dr. Jeffress preaches the Word compassionately but is unapologetic. Some would consider him narrow-minded because he is uncompromising on Gods truth. But he is NOT brimstone and damnation either. I met Dr. Jeffress personally and he is a great guy. He is funny and has a sense of humor. He has been very warm and friendly to Ricky and I. His associate pastor Walter Guillaume has been the main person we have been in contact with. He has been really nice and always thinks to call Ricky. He knows about Ricky's ailments and prays with us. I had to say I had misgivings leaving University UMC because I swore I would never join a Baptist church ever again. However I don't have control on that one. That is in God's hand. I am being baptized on January 25th. I am a little nervous about this because in the Methodist church you did not do immersion baptism. So this will be a big step in my walk with the Lord.
Also I have been reflecting on my past mistakes. I have had so much anger and bitterness that has consumed me and affected my friendships and relationships. I have been snapping at Ricky for no reason, being distrustful and hateful. I am not proud of these mistakes and have asked God for help in controlling this. I have also hurt people with my actions. I now understand why people do certain things. I know its not to hurt me but its to help.
I made major mistakes that could have very well ended my relationship with Ricky. Instead of trusting in the Lord during my emptiness, I turned to temptation and destructive behavior. I had unhealthy attachments to men at work and almost would cross the line. I did get close to destroying my marriage because of one of those friendships. It grieves me to this day that I have hurt the other person and my husband. I want to give a word of advice to many who may be in a marriage that is in a rough patch. Please do not look for affection outside of marriage. I am not opposed to friends of the opposite sex but you would really want to be careful. Even if you and that other person go into the friendship with platonic attempts, anything can happen. Even if nothing physical happens, an emotional affair can be just as damaging. You start depending on the other person. That has damaging lasting effects. Please get counseling, talk to a trusted minister, friend, or counselor. Also please work at the marriage and never for a second suggest divorce as an option. In our society marriage has been treated so carelessly because people have the idea that if they don't like this model they can exchange it for something else. That was not what God intended. It grieves me to see how much the sanctity of marriage has been discounted. It may sound like I am trying to be self righteous and perfect. But that is not the case. I am speaking from experience.
Ricky and I are excited about the new year. We are hoping to get more involved in the church and grow even closer to God. We have believed but have been fair weather Christians. We are reading our Bible, getting educated in His word, and cutting many negative influences out of our life. We don't watch much TV. We are working on cutting bad words out of our vocabulary. This is not a quest for perfection. This is a step toward living the way Christ did. Knowing that we are sinners and we fall short of His Glory could grieve us but accepting Him as our Saviour is good news. We are not narrow minded. We don't stop being friends with someone just because they don't have a relationship with the Lord but we do constantly pray for them and just be there as a witness. The best way to witness to an unbeliever is through actions. One mistake that Christians make is they turn their back on their friends once they get saved and grow closer to God. That's not what God wants us to do. But He does not want us to do things that are not pleasing to Him either. So if you have a friend who is questionable in his/her beliefs pray about it. Don't assume you have to drop them like a hot potato. But if it is someone who is destructive and brings you down, you are not required to constantly be beaten down. Pray for that person but keep your distance. I have a good friend who has been telling me this for awhile. He says that being a good friend does not always mean hovering over that person.
The inauguration is Monday for President Elect Obama. I have taken my own advice and prayed for him. I am not going to stoop to the level of the Bush-bashers of the last 8 years. I don't agree with his policies but I wont be bad-mouthing him and calling him names. That is not the way to proceed. I still have mixed feelings about him in office. It has nothing to do with race either. If you know me, you understand I am not racist or judge on skin color. I felt like some of my coworkers took the election too personally. On election night there were people who acted very unprofessional. I know Obama is glad he won but I would like to think he would not approve of the racial behavior. I am glad I am not working tomorrow or I would probably lose it. I pray for unity and that we can see each other the way the Lord sees us. In Gods eyes we are all His children.
Heavenly Father,
Thank You for Your presence during our tough times. Please forgive us where we fall short. It is in the name of Christ I pray,
Amen
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