Tuesday, October 28, 2008 • 12:53 am 61
Alright folks. I’d love to hear from you. On this blog, I would love to host an engaging, passionate, but respectful conversation on who YOU are voting for as the next President of the United States. Since the elections are exactly a week away, I thought this would be great timing. Some of your answers will likely be helpful for me as I prepare my sermon for this upcoming Sunday on the topic of ‘Faith & Politics.’
If you don’t mind sharing, share WHO you are voting for and WHY and for some of you, reasons why you are NOT voting. [If you don't mind, tell us where you're from.] And let’s try to refrain ourselves from the ‘Obama is a terrorist,’ ‘Palin is moosehunter,’ ‘Biden is a plagiarist,’ and ‘McCain is so old that he farts out dust’ comments. Read the rest of this entry »
Filed under: politics, religion, andrew sullivan, barack obama, joe biden, john mccain, november 4, presidential elections, sarah palin
Friday, October 10, 2008 • 12:27 am 9
Who would have thunk?
Years from now, people will refer to the financial crisis and market crash of 2008 and we can all say: “We were there.” And while it’s affecting so many people, I’m especially concerned for the poorest of the poor around the world and for those who are near retirement age that have much of their retirement funds invested in the markets.
And while I do feel incredibly bad for those who are going to be severely impacted, I’m also aware that a correction or crash such as this can be good and almost necessary for a world and nation that is ruled by the god of mammon.
Anyway, our church elders/pastors met for our regular Elder Board meeting last night and agreed Read the rest of this entry »
Filed under: politics, religion, financial crisis, wall street
Wednesday, October 8, 2008 • 12:53 am 14
Another presidential debate took place last night and I don’t know about you, I’m debated out. Are you? Once you hear one debate, they all sound the same. I emailed Tom Brokaw these two questions for consideration: 1] anything to do with extreme global poverty and genocide and US involvement even if it doesn’t support our nation’s vested interest and 2] what’s up with the recent increase in negative campaigning?
I’m starting to understand why nothing gets done in our country’s political process: Name calling. Finger pointing. Blame game. Partisanship. When will we learn to work together?
There were some interesting comments in response to yesterday’s post about reasons why I liked Sarah Palin…but not that way. But come Novemer 5, can fellow Christians from different political views - particularly in the same church – respect one another and be in genuine fellowship? I hope so. Remember the rules of civility.
I have two good reads to share with you including some serious s*#t. No joke. Read the rest of this entry »
Filed under: politics
Tuesday, October 7, 2008 • 12:03 am 58
Sarah Palin is all the buzz nowadays. Or at least since McCain startled the nation by naming her as his Vice-President running mate. Till then, no one – outside of Alaska and diehard Republican political junkies really knew who she was. As you might have expected, the traffic on search engines on “Sarah Palin” have been through the roof. Last week, the local Seattle PI paper stopped by Quest to interview couple of us which also led to a front page photo of our church sanctuary [and one of our pastors].
Maybe it’s the stuff I subscribe to but I haven’t read too many kind words about Sarah Palin so I thought I’d devote an entry on my blog to Sarah Palin. Why? Because I like Sarah Palin…but not in that way. Read the rest of this entry »
Filed under: politics, religion, barack obama, joe biden, john mccain, presidential election, sarah palin
Saturday, October 4, 2008 • 1:15 am 21
After doing some more reading and research, I concluded the bailout was not not a good idea. But when you propagate fear into people and the system, everyone does what people normally do: they [both individuals and lending institutions] look out for #1. And for that reason, while I didn’t support the bailout, I acknowledged it was necessary…to alleviate the fear and anxiety.
What do you think of this bailout? Were you in support or against?
But, I hope folks realize the problems are bigger than this bailout. Who will bail out the corruption and greed of our country…of our hearts?
But to reconcile any anger, frustration, or anxiety you may have, I give you this video of a U2 song [ONE] that will bring great joy and harmony to your heart. This cover comes to us through the friendly people of BoA [Bank of Abuse] Read the rest of this entry »
Filed under: entertainment, politics, bailout, financial bailout
Thursday, October 2, 2008 • 9:24 am 30
I’ll post more thoughts tomorrow about what I like and dislike about Sarah Palin. Speaking with the press [Seattle Post Intelligencer in this case] is always interesting: you say tons of stuff and it get deduced to a sentence or two. At least, Leah Klug, one of our pastors actually got a paragraph and a front page picture of her suddenly looking really holy. [And no, your eyes are not deceiving you. Leah has long hair, feminine facial features, and is actually a woman. Oh the scandal of female pastors!]
How do you feel about Sarah Palin? On the eve of the most important debate of her life – which not only will make its mark on this election but in my opinion, will determine her future political aspiration… Read the rest of this entry »
Filed under: politics, religion, sarah palin
Tuesday, September 23, 2008 • 9:49 am 20
I’m sorry America. I was on vacation last week and completely disconnected from news and look what happens. We’re having a historic meltdown of the country’s financial system as we know it. It’s all my fault. I’m sorry.
Seriously, after being disconnected on local, national, and global news, I’m catching up on stuff and still trying to understand what’s going on. So, I have some questions for you:
Money has a role in all of our lives. Read the rest of this entry »
Friday, September 5, 2008 • 1:48 am 41
As promised, here are my wanna be expert but random thoughts on the respective candidates’ speeches and other non-linear stuff from the DNC and RNC. As usual, remember to respectfully share your thoughts, opinions, and corrections.
SPEECHES:
John McCain: He was solid. Not the greatest or fanciest orator but clear communicator. Thought he handled the hecklers extremely well. Enjoyed the way he thanked and congratulated Obama. Heard it often but was moved by hearing his POW story personally from him. But grew very tired of the line, “rather lose an election than lose a war.” Please…no more. His demeanor, his story, his authenticity = Grade: Read the rest of this entry »
Filed under: politics, religion, barack obama, DNC, joe biden, john mccain, presidential elections, RNC, sarah palin
Tuesday, September 2, 2008 • 12:59 am 27
Politics can get heated and messy. You don’t just have to watch the various media and news outlets to know this. You can also sense the tension within the Christian community which I think is perfectly normal and okay – as long as we get off our righteous soapboxes and consider what it means for us to live out our faith and convictions beyond the election season.
Personally, I don’t believe that followers of Jesus should be in bed with either of the two major parties. We ought to remain “Independent” with a commitment to collaborate, listen, engage, and support the political system all while understanding that the political system is not our ultimate Hope or Answer. In addition, we must never lose the courage or conviction to speak prophetically to a group of people because we are lured by the power associated with politics or a political party. It concerns me how some Christians were so critical of the “Religious Right” and yet, it appears that the “Evangelical Left” seem to be falling into a similar mindset.
While politics will be the rage for the next few months, including this blog occasionally, I want to share these “5 Rules of Christian Civility” that was posted by Jim Wallis on the God’s Politics blog and ask you one simple question: “What do you think?”
- We Christians should be in the pocket of no political party; but should evaluate both candidates and parties by our biblically based moral compass. Read the rest of this entry »
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