Stopping to Think

Here is a link to Brigade , a tool that allows you to pledge your vote for different candidates and share those pledges via social media.

The following is most of an email I sent to a friend. We had talked recently about my support for Evan McMullin in his run for President (check out evanmcmullin.com ) and had a couple questions about how I process his positions on abortion and Same-Sex marriage. Here's what I said: ______, good questions. Here is what his website says on Life: "Our respect for life is the most important measure of our humanity. From conception to death - and any time in between - life is precious and we have a responsibility to protect it. A culture that subsidizes abortion on demand runs counter to the fundamental American belief in the potential of every person - it undermines the dignity of mother and child alike. Americans can and should work together to increase support and resources to reduce unintended pregnancies and encourage adoption, even if they may have different opinions on abortion rights." There are a few things of note here. The first is what seems clear is a ...

What follows is the letter I wrote a couple of days ago to the chairmen of the Republican Party Central Committee in my county, on which I served until, well...when I sent this letter. Co-chairs ___ and ____, I write what follows most regretfully, and not without much thought and prayer. I am resigning my place on the Central Committee and plan to change my voter registration from Republican to Independent.  I determined many months ago that I would not, and in good conscience could not, vote for Donald Trump for President. I was content to keep that opinion largely personal unless asked for it, and hoped to see Trump mature, while surrounding himself with quality individuals as others in the party simultaneously worked to move the party writ large in a more conservative and constitutional direction.  What has happened has been precisely the opposite. Trump has continued to show himself for exactly who he has always been: a bombastic, small minded, morally repugnant, ...

City of Man: Religion and Politics in a New Era by Michael J. Gerson My rating: 5 of 5 stars A brief, helpful, book on why Christians ought to engage in, but not hope in, the political realm. We are citizens of the City of God, called to act for the good of the City of Man. Well worth your time. View all my reviews

Throwback Thursday is a series of posts, wherein I will on (some) Thursdays post a piece of writing from back in the day. Generally not from this blog. I will edit lightly for readability, but my intention is to allow each piece to stand basically as written. Over the years my mind has shifted on many things, as my knowledge of life, the Scriptures, and myself has grown. I'm not in the business of hiding this fact, so these will probably (at least on occasion) contain some things which even I think are crazy. Originally posted on Facebook as: "Because apparently I belong in the White House...or jail" January 4, 2010 So I posted a status about appreciating real news and started World War 7...or whatever World War we are on now. So I thought it prudent to examine some of what other people had to say there, and take the time to flesh my thoughts out more thoroughly. My original point was that I was thankful for a source of news where I got just that - news. Ne...

Commonplace Monday is a series of post wherein, on Monday mornings, I share short quips, sentences -perhaps as much as a paragraph- which I have collected in my various commonplace books and files. If I wrote down or recall where it came from I will certainly give attribution. However, sometimes I write down things and not where they came from. So if you see anything like that here and recognize it, that's what comment sections are for. Anyhow. Here's this week's installment : Marriage is a pre-political institution.   Fred Gums

Ambivalence. Questioning. Lack of surety. Phrases and words such as these seem to describe many Americans relationship to abortion.  Look at those videos ? Eh, I couldn't do that...Facebook beckons me away... Well, okay. Now I've watched them...but what can I do? I'm one person, and I can only control me. Not Planned Parenthood. Not the Federal Government. Not the millions of parents who have their children killed every year. Just me. And that doesn't seem like much.  So many people vacillate over whether they are "pro-life" or "pro-choice," caught in the web of the great American lie: shouldn't women have the right to choose ? Who am I to tell someone how to live?  Allow me to offer a suggestion: it's not impeding upon anyone's rights to insist that killing their child is a bad option. An immoral option. An option which, in the long run (an likely even the short run), they will deeply regret.  How can our ambivalence remain as...

"You will be delivered from petty worries if you are concerned about the souls of men." Charles Haddon Spurgeon I approach this topic with some measure of fear and trembling. Not because I fear controversy or want everyone to like me. Far from it. But rather, because issues of politics often seem so trivial, and quite often become trivial because of the way in which they are handled. I am far more concerned about the souls of men than I am systems and forms of government. That being said, government in its various forms has a very real impact on the life of the people who live under governments. This means therefore, that government matters. And in a democratic republic like the US of A, that means that politics matter, because the political system of parties and campaigns and elections is how we determine who holds office and the proverbial reigns of the government. However, many Christians come to this point and begin to feel disillusioned by the process. ...

So...first post on the new blog, let's kick it off right.  And by kick it off right, I mean post something that most likely will have a lot people disagreeing with me.  But it's something that's been bugging me for quite some time.  I will apologize in advance for it's disjointed nature, my brain is running sub par at the moment, so bear with me. There is no question...or at least there shouldn't be...that our country is having serious problems.  From our multi-trillion dollar financial deficit, to the attacks on marriage and the unborn, to growing threats from foreign powers.  And while I could write a book on the roots of all these problems and the people responsible, I will refrain, because right now it is a different group of people annoying me.  And that is people on the far right, especially Christians, who are missing the point. These are the people getting riled up and throwing fits over the recent court ruling in California overturning the ban ...