Real Change Begins With You And Me

Recently I’ve done my best to not bludgeon anybody with politics as they’ve been kind enough to come and visit the old blog here. But, it is an election cycle. And like it or not, I’m going to be talking politics from time to time. Not every day. Maybe not every week. But, it’s going to come up. Like now, for instance…

I go back and forth on my political enthusiasm. I swing from one end of the pendulum to the other. From excited fervor to cynical apathy. I don’t think it’s entirely unrealistic to think that there’s little hope of us ever regaining what we once had in our once great country.

If you want to call me a liberal…or a socialist…or a commie…or a traitor…whatever. Labels only serve to divide and deride. I am a person and I can think for myself. I am not registered with one party or the other. Because the truth is, neither one of them has the answers. They just blame each other when it is US who are to blame…the American people.

HOPE IS FOUND ONLY IN JESUS, NOT IN POLITICIANS.

God has the answers to our deepest questions. Not George Bush. Not John McCain and not Obama. The system in America is broken. Why? Because it’s based on the love of money. DEMOCRATIC CAPITALISM. Look it up. You may not like me saying this, but it’s the truth. The love of money IS the root of all evil. Our dollars should not say “In God We Trust,” because we don’t really trust God or love God. We love money. If you are REALLY honest with yourself and take a look around you will realize that we really love our houses, our cars, our computers and our gadgets more than anything or anybody else. If people suffer around the world – who cares? As long as we have our stuff. (Yeah, me too.) Jesus told us to sell our crap and follow him. It doesn’t look like that’s working out.

We don’t believe God will protect us or our children. That’s why we are attacking other people half way across the world.

We don’t believe God will provide for us. That’s why we give the least amount of money to charity of any developed country in the world.

Personally, I’ve grown tired of living in fear and insecurity.  No matter who is elected this November we are still going to worship money and ourselves.

Sure, I’m voting for Obama. Why? Because I’m tired of old white men using my tax dollars to bomb people. It’s really that simple. Is he the pefect candidate? No. Do I love the democratic party? No. But I do believe in peace. And I am not convinced that peace will EVER come to people who believe war is a means of gaining peace.

The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral, begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy. Instead of diminishing evil, it multiplies it. Through violence you may murder the hater, but you do not murder hate. In fact, violence merely increases hate. Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. – Martin Luther King Jr.

We are reaping what we have sown. Is it a surprise to you that the fruits of our rampant DEMOCRATIC CAPITALISM is mortgage meltdowns, a credit crisis coupled with record food and fuel costs? It shouldn’t be. Our government should provide for the health, education and welfare of our citizens first and foremost! We’re supposed to be the “leader of the free world.” Are we?

The United States ranked last across a range of measures of health care in a comparison of 19 industrialised countries, despite spending more than twice as much per person on health as any other of the countries, says a report published last week.

Surely our students are doing better than every other country, right? Nope.

The scores from the 2006 Program for International Student Assessment showed that U.S. 15-year-olds trailed their peers from many industrialized countries. The average science score of U.S. students lagged behind those in 16 of 30 countries in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, a Paris-based group that represents the world’s richest countries. The U.S. students were further behind in math, trailing counterparts in 23 countries.

Why are there over 1 MILLION CHILDREN homeless on the streets of America?

Why are soldiers still being asked to fight and die for lies in America?

Why are 1000 veteran suicides a month “acceptable” in America?

Why is it ok for our government to sell our country to China in America?

Is this the dream that we fought so hard for in the American Revolution? Is this “of the people, for the people, by the people”? I really don’t think so. More Americans vote for American Idol contestants than they do for candidates in elections. Our country is deeply divided. No matter who is elected, they are not going to unite us. It’s just not possible. The forces of the money makers and money lovers are too strong.

For years we’ve been told horrible tales of enemies that are seeking to destroy us. It used to be the communists and now it’s the terrorists. But maybe, just maybe…the real enemy is ourselves.

Obama is running on a campaign of CHANGE. But the changing needs to happen with us.

WE NEED TO CHANGE.

Republicans and Democrats alike love to use the term VALUES. They talk about shared values, common values and American values. I’d like to suggest that you can tell a lot about what people really value by what they spend their money on.

Well, we’re spending BILLIONS OF DOLLARS A MONTH for WAR IN IRAQ. I’d like for you to take a look at some pictures of what this money has paid for (WARNING: These pictures are graphic!). Is this what we value? Is this what America stands for?

Millions of people die in Darfur, Sudan and we do NOTHING. We call it GENOCIDE, but we do not intervene.

45,000 people die every month in the DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO and we do nothing.

There is also a lot of talk with both parties about taxes. Lower taxes. Raise taxes. Get rid of taxes. But the problem is not that the government is taking our money from us. It’s what they are spending the money on! If our money was being spent on causes we could all believe in (hospitals, schools, health care) would we really complain about paying our fair share? Isn’t everything we own really a gift from God anyway? Yes, it is!

There are good, honest and wonderful people living in this country. But we have allowed the system to corrupt us. We have become apathetic and complacent. We say, “nothing ever changes” or “there’s nothing I can do.” How sad!

Thankfully there are people and organizations that are doing their part to fight this rising tide of corruption, greed and apathy. You can find the names of some of them on this page. They are listed under “MAKE A DIFFERENCE”. I am convicted by these great courageous people who build homes in America, wells in Africa and who fight disease and death. They make me want to do more. They make me realize that no matter how much I give it will never be enough.

This November, you should go to the polls. Vote for who you believe will best follow what you believe is the right direction for our country. I’m not going to tell you who to vote for. But don’t be surprised if you don’t find the change you were looking for in the voting booth. It’s not there.

In the great words of Gandhi, YOU MUST BE THE CHANGE YOU WANT TO SEE IN THE WORLD!

With the HOPE of Christ in our hearts, YES WE CAN make a difference in the world. And no matter who is in the oval office for the next four years, we can make PROGRESS possible.

By repenting of our greed and love of money.

By changing how we see the world and ourselves.

By serving those who cannot serve themselves.

By loving God and loving others.

IT’S UP TO YOU!

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. – James 1:27