Seven Things.

[AspenRose]

Proverbs 6:16-19

"There are six things the LORD hates, seven that are detestable to Him:
haughty eyes,
a lying tongue,
hands that shed innocent blood,
a heart that devises wicked schemes,
feet that are quick to rush into evil,
a false witness who pours out lies
and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers."

I don't know about any of you, but when I look at the current administration, then read this passage.....:nuke:

I don't know how to deal with it sometimes. I really don't. It's so clear the things that are going on that are so wrong. And now we may be on our way to war in Iran....

I guess there's no real point to this post except to say I wish I didn't feel so much despair and anger.

[RevCheesehead]

1. Would you like some words of hope?

Today I preached from the Gospel text: about being the last and the least, and becoming like a little child. I then began a very long list of ways in which our society is totally messed up: more shopping centers than schools, tax money for war while children have fund-raisers for supplies, etc... I told them Jesus was clear about leadership and power: he wasn't going to be the kind of leader they expected (or wanted), instead he would suffer and die.

I talked about power and the great responsibility that comes with power - how when you're on top, you HAVE to remember the people on the bottom. I held up Bill Clinton's work on global poverty as an example of what can happen when people choose to work together to do good for ALL, not just the wealthy or powerful. And, of course, I told them that our elected officials have completely forgotten that, that businesses are more interested in profit at any cost, that the great god everyone pursues is money (and the power to control it). I even told them the same people who are dropping gas prices (down from $3.25/gal to now $2.25/gal) are trying to appear as if they weren't the greedy jerks who were over-inflating prices this summer, and they're hoping we forget when we go to vote.

I didn't think much of it at the time, but I do remember that the place was absolutely silent. But after church, I had more positive comments than I have in ages. "A-plus, right on the money", "you spoke for me," "we needed to hear that," etc.. I was kinda blown away by it. :)

This is in a small town of 3,500. But people here GET IT. They KNOW the world is screwed over, and that priorities are out of whack. And they're pissed enough that they're going to VOTE to CHANGE.


Does that help you feel better, just a little bit? O8)

[AspenRose]

2. Sounds like it was a barn burner, Rev

And yeah, I guess it helps me to feel a *little* better. :hug:

How much longer, though....how much longer....how much more can we, as a nation, take of this....
*shaking head*

[RevCheesehead]

3. We can't.

That's why we have to inspire as many people as we can to get out and vote.

Strike up a conversation with someone at the grocery store.
Make a comment about gas prices when filling up - something like "they're crazy if they think we're gonna keep these bozos in office."
Write a letter to the editor.
Speak up in a bible study class, make the connections, do whatever you can to get people to think about what's going on, and how important their vote really is.

And above all, visualize the world getting better. :hug: