Sarah Palin

Ok. I've resisted getting too political on this blog, and in the interest of fair and complete disclosure let me say up front--yes, I am a registered Republican. I'm not interested in using this 'pulpit' for political purposes, however. I will discuss the issues of each candidate with anyone who's interested, but not here. However, there have been a couple of recent developments that I can't let pass. These concern attacks on Sarah Palin's christianity.



The first comes from comedienne (if you can call her that) Sarah (funny that the name's the same) Bernhard. I can't really call her a comedienne. I don't find anything about her funny, and I didn't before this happened. She is angry, condescending, bitter--attributes I don't find humorous. But in a diatribe recorded and posted--surprise!--on Youtube, she went way out in "left" field (pun intended) in attacking the veep nominee. I am going to post a link to this video, but only after warning you that:



THE LANGUAGE IS HUGELY EXPLICIT!



If you still want to hear what some folks find humorous, here's the link.



Then there's the Washington Post cartoon:

I know it's heard to read at this size, but
it makes no bones about mocking speaking
in tongues. It also puts profanity in God's
mouth. (Click on the cartoon to view it at full size.)


Ok. Here's where I stand. When I go to vote in this year's presidential election, I am going to cast a precious vote. A vote that has been paid for over and over again in a river of blood shed by those who thought my right to vote was worth giving everything for. I'm not going to cast that vote for a Republican. I'm not going to cast it for a Democrat. I'm not going to cast it for my wallet. I'm not going to cast it for the candidate I think would give me the most benefits. I am going to cast it for the person who most closely has proven to stand for the things which the bible tells us are important for ourselves, our nation, and our world.


It has become very obvious that Americans face a clear choice this election cycle. We aren't the only ones who know it. That's why the attacks are so vicious. I won't use this forum to tell you who I think you should vote for. You're smart enough to decide that for yourselves. But I am disgusted with the open attacks on Christianity.

When the lion comes to church

Hurricane Ike as we all know had a devastating impact on the Texas coast. Some people, in spite of the direst of warnings, stayed to ride out the storm. Those who stayed did so for a variety of reasons. I read about one couple who stayed because they couldn't get their son, who has cerebral palsey, down the stairs after the loss of power put their apartment's elevator on the fritz. Some stayed because they didn't really believe that the storm would be as bad as all the experts were predicting. Those who did stay behind found themselves in a terrible predicament.

When disaster strikes, you can't tell who you may find yourself hanging out with, fighting for survival. Here's the story:

"Many years from now, a small group of Hurricane Ike survivors will probably still be telling the story of how, on the night the storm flattened their homes, they took refuge in a church - with a lion. The full-grown lion was from a local zoo. The owner was trying to drive to safety with the animal when he saw cars and trucks stranded in the rising floodwaters. He knew he and the lion were in trouble.

He headed for the First Baptist Church at Crystal Beach, on Bolivar Peninsula, adjacent to Galveston, and was met by a group of residents who helped the lion wade inside. They locked it in a sanctuary as the storm raged. The water crept up to their waists, and wooden planks came floating through broken windows. But the lion was as calm as a kitten.


When daylight came, everyone was still alive. "They worked pretty well together, actually," said the lion's owner, Michael Ray Kujawa. "When you have to swim, the lion doesn't care about eating nobody." (web story)

I'm not trying to make too large a spiritual point here. I just found this story compelling because of the nature of the story itself but also because we're 'the church for whosoever'. We're supposed to be ready for whoever walks in, no matter the situation or condition. This lioness' owner was impressed at how well everybody worked together to rescue him and his charge from the danger presented by hurricane Ike.

How well do we at Unity work together to save those who come to us from the devastation caused by the world?

Just a thought.

Homecoming

Hi United Voices. We are about to move into a very busy couple of weeks. I know we are all looking forward to recording our first CD this weekend. Then there is Sunday homecoming service followed by three nights of revival.

I want to personally thank you for the love, time and talent that you dedicate to the Lord first, but also to this local body. I know that each time we ask you to be here, you could be doing a hundred other things. I appreciate the dedication that you show not just at especially busy times like this, but all through the year.

You are the Levites of this congregation; you are the tithe of the congregation. Thank you for showing yourselves to be wholly dedicated to serving God and Unity so well.