Halloween

Due to the economy you should expect to get a lot of sweet tarts and dumb dumbs tonight.

Vote1

OK. Time for politics.

I know you are tired of it. But this post won’t be any good next week. But I can promise you this isn’t a nuetral post about voting. I am not here to encourage you to “rock the vote” or anything. If your voting for the wrong team. Don’t vote. More on whose team is right in a second. Oh, and we will get back to Pam’s comment regarding Girl Scouts at a later time. They can wait.

So the right team? Republicans. I am voting for McCain.

What I am getting tired of is all the people whining about how tough it is to decide between Obama and McCain. A gentlemen in my office nailed it the other day while talking to an undecided voter.

Q: “Do you normally lean liberal or conservative?”

A: “Conservative.”

Done. Vote McCain. Did you all miss that memo where Republicans are conservative and Democrats are liberal? Things haven’t changed. Vote the one you are. Why on earth would you be part of a party that doesn’t represent who you are? It is the same reason I mentioned United Methodist the other day. I don’t ever want to belong to an organization that has flawed values at the top. No matter how great your local group is or whatever, you are always supporting the parent organization. Back to the girl scouts here too. (you’ll get that full rant eventually as stated above.)

So when I step in the booth, do my values line up with Democrats or Republicans? Pretty easy, here. So again why would someone who doesn’t really believe democratic values run as anything else? They will run as democrats.

Now some will tell you that you can’t hold these liberal vs. conservative views anymore. It is all grey. Christianity isn’t liberal or conservative, it is confusing and on and on. Hog wash. Where is the confusion? I am not confused. Nothing has seemed to change. You can have Donald Miller and Brian McClaren trying to confuse the issues all you want, I and hopefully you are not buying it. Some people want to live in grey. It is easier and more comforting for them.

Well, John McCain is this and that, and he isn’t Republican enough or Christian enough…Fine. At least he picked the right team. You honestly feel your Obama vote will end up being a vote for conservative values? More so than a McCain vote? Don’t vote.

I got my Kansas Voter’s for life guide. Yes about one issue. Surprise they are all republicans. Again. No confusion. It is simple. Look up Democrat values. Compare them to republican ones. I am going crazy here, no confusion. Not just on abortion, everything. (and abortion beliefs will dictate your other beliefs, just as my belief in God affects my world view.) (Or is it effects?)

Am I voting for a messiah? no. Does gov’t replace Christianity? no. I get all that, don’t think the gov’t has to be christian, they just have to uphold the constitution, yada yada. Well I am still supposed to vote my beliefs. So do I vote for a democrat belief opposed to almost all moral things I believe in or vote republican which almost down the board agrees with a biblical worldview. Easy, no confusion.

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention at the outset I am a Christian and thus it affects my view. So if you are a liberal democrat vote for Obama. (Did I just imply you may not be a Christian? Or maybe you are just a young Christian who has failed to gain a biblical worldview yet…yes I did.)

Oh and the Girl Scouts are voting for Obama by the way. (Just to get back to them one last time.)

Rants

Couldn’t decide which rant to go on today. Maybe you all can help? Or maybe I’ll still expound on each of them later anyways.

• Why are juice boxes for kids, but they are designed to be the most spilled item ever?
• Wouldn’t everyone on Grey’s Anatomy be fired at a real hospital?
• Do you like the guy who always has to be the point guard/pitcher/Q.B. on every pick up game?
• The girl scouts are not the girl version of the boy scouts.
• Facial hair on guys should come and go, not stay for years at a time.
• You should know directions not just yahoo maps.
• Mountain Dew.
• I am a sprinter not a marathoner…in everything.
• I like the term “aging young man.”
• Jesus reason for coming was not to fight social injustice.
• How is gatorade any different than steroids?
• Can you be a democrat and a Christian?
• I do not like to be told to stand/clap/sway or whatever while singing.
• The monte cristo sandwich is an incredible invention.
• Your signature does not have to match your name.
• I like plastic.
• God loves Himself more than you.
• Men should never receive flowers.
• Grandma and Grandpa are appropriate names.
• Everyone should be taught how to use masking tape the right way.
• You cannot “choose” murder.
• QuikTrip is the greatest gas station. period.
• I do not dislike Halloween for the satanic overtones anymore, now it is because all the work of dressing up 4 kids.
• How could you be United Methodist anymore?
• Why does Awana get a bad rap?
• Pessimism and Realism are not the same thing.
• Recycling.
• I like Christian “watch dog” organizations.
• I think you should wait until the end to merge.
• Sterilization.
• Hunting.
• I don’t mind the term Christian…Christ follower bugs me.
• Copyright infringement.

Have a good monday. (Those are some of the things on my mind at any given moment.)

Rodeo

Took the kids to the rodeo tonight. (Can’t beat free tickets.) They seemed to have a blast. I did too. It was good to see real men and women doing something so none “innovative,” or “cutting edge” or culturally architecting anything. I am from the city, but went to school in the country and this feels right. Lots of guys named Justin or Travis, mostly all from the Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma area. It had dirt and smells and a number of things PETA would not have liked.

They even had muttin bustin. 4-6 year olds riding sheep at break neck speeds and crashing into the dirt. Half the time I can’t get my kids to touch a goat at the petting zoo. And if they get within 10 feet of them we are washing their hands with hand sanitizer. No one picked these kids up either, and I didn’t see tears. They, literally “dusted” themselves off and headed out of the arena to get out of the way of whatever was coming next. I am so ashamed of myself . . .

I don’t think any of the guys out there tonight would have been at Panera the other morning, where 4 men voluntarily agreed to meet for a “planning session” with wi-fi, and fancy coffee drinks. (You’ll be happy to know, I abstained from giving Panera any of my money.) I would not let you down that way.

I don’t know. I love the city and all, but these guys all reminded me of my wife’s cousins and uncles. Good men, who love the Lord, help others and don’t care that much about blogging or the latest, greatest conference. (And they could crush you with their forearms.) I am not even calling them backwards or anything derogatory like that, I think the rest of us may be the backwards ones.

Oh, and did you know this was the most important election ever? (I guess, FDR, Lincoln, WWII, and a multitude of other people and eras really don’t matter any more, because NOW is the most important.)

Rodeo, Panera, Election. I guess that brings you up to speed.

Lucas

Monday

It is just another manic monday.

Do you say fine, when you aren’t? (Sometimes I tell people I am not fine, but leave it at that. No explanation. Just let them wonder.) Do you remember yesterday’s sermon? Do you enjoy being sprayed with hot anit-freeze on your way into work?

Sweet

Can anyone tell me about these guys? (Kings of Convenience) I don’t know how old this is . . . but this I like. My kind of guys. (if you make it to about 1:50 you will smile).

thank you Blaine Hogan.

PIG

Not that kind of pig.

I am talking about classic basketball PIG. Lately, I have taught the kids how to play this timeless game, and we have been going at it each night down in the basement on the little tikes basketball goal. Let me just tell you that I am beating them relentlessly every time. I have even started to shoot all my shots left handed just to give myself some challenge. Because I am not getting it from them. Granted they are 7, 5, and 3 (the ones participating that is), and the 3 year old gets bounced pretty early in the game. Oh, there are tears, lots of them. Kids do not like to lose. But they are realizing I don’t like to lose either.

So I am making them beat me. No easy shots, no gimmees. I want them to feel proud if they ever win, knowing they did something great. (But at this rate its going to be a long time). So you may be reading this thinking I am headed towards a spiritual point or something, but no.

The 7 year old is getting better though. I see her really concentrating, because she wants to win bad. Sometimes she refuses to shoot, because she doesn’t want to miss. I just start counting and let her know when I get to 5 and she hasn’t shot, she gets a letter. Sometimes they want to try HORSE instead. But I am keeping them on PIG. I can beat them more times in one evening with the shorter word. (Oh, I haven’t taught them about proving it yet either, when they get that “G” thats it. Game over.)

I mentioned left handed earlier…in addition I do bounce shots, hooks, off tables, what have you. (on a side note, this is how I play with adults too. I never wanted to be THAT guy who just goes to the free throw line everytime. Maybe he can make it 100% of the time and he knows you have trouble there, so he justs camps out and you both shoot the same shot over and over until he wins. How boring. Winning is one thing. But I want to win, and win with style. Thats how I roll, don’t be so afraid to lose you never REALLY win (I guess there is your spiritual point)).

Where was I. Oh yeah. PIG is fun. Winning is fun. Make your kids beat you.

It is never to young to learn about losing.

IT

I knew I had seen it before.

Craig Groeschel’s new book is a rip off.

Republican

I am a republican.

I’m sorry to bring it up, but I think it is time you knew me even better. It is time to shake it up a little more. Yes I have views on the monte cristo sandwich, signatures (and why they don’t have to match your name), piracy in the church, not working out, the autoharp and halloween, but lets get it going with politics. This will have to be short, the full diatribe takes many, many posts . . .

As I stated I am a republican. I am not ashamed. I don’t mind telling you. I will not hide. I have been one all my life. Never seen a need to be anything else. I want to be on the team who’s traditional, and I will continue to argue current platform, lines up much closer to a biblical worldview than the democrats’.

As soon as the republicans start working for and running the ACLU and NOW, I will switch teams. Until then, I feel comfortable right where I am at. Maybe you’re offended now and are thinking of all the arguments for why this is so untrue. And that the democrats really are the more “christian” party. Or maybe you are this new kind of person who says neither represent christian values and Jesus wouldn’t vote and he would be independent and why can’t we just all love each other, and rainbows and clowns and so on. That is fine. Go back to reading your Relevant magazine and saving the whales. (Strike that whale comment, I will give the left credit for moving off of whales and now actually caring about dying humans) (just too bad they still don’t care about dying unborn humans…)

I have also heard the popular argument that it doesn’t really matter because it isn’t the governments job to enforce scripture, it is to enforce the constitution. True, except what am I left to vote for then? Am I not to vote for my beliefs and vote for those who share them? And I then also believe that my beliefs will be good for all. All will benefit. So I should give my vote to others who don’t share any of beliefs because that will be best for the country? huh?

So much more to write here. I don’t really know how to stop or where to go. I don’t want to take the time to put this into some well-thought out “brief.” or report. It is just a rant. It just happens to right. McCain is not Christ, and Obama isn’t the devil. But who do I want to be associated with Alec Baldwin or James Dobson? (I know all young people hate Dobson now, he is old and white, but you know what, he loves people, all kinds of people…way more than I do…)

I just can’t help but continue to believe that democrats continually are on the wrong side of moral issues. I am yet to be convinced other wise. People will try, but usually they just take the conversation somewhere else. I think republican love is better. Love cares so much for the person they will discipline them and help them live life on their own. Love hurts sometimes.

(I have been told I need to ask questions at the end of posts to illicit more comments. I say if you have something to say, say it. You don’t need me to beg for it.)

Jesus even loves democrats.

and so do I. and I am not angry. just white.