When Love Conflicts With Love

The past week was more than a little frustrating. Some family dropped in unannounced and just expected us to have a room for them. Now, when five people are already living in a house and most of the space is occupied, this is no easy feat. But it is doable. When they came by last time, we allowed them to use our living room. But we didn’t offer this time, and it wasn’t a good time for company anyway. Despite people’s misgivings about them coming, they took over our living room and actually holed themselves in it the entire time they were here.

By the third day, we had had enough. And when we overheard them and my brother-in-law talking crap about us through the door (along with some pre-existing issues that I am not going to talk about here), enough was enough. We asked them to leave. What followed was accusations and fights and an actual lecture from my brother-in-law about how we were rude, and even un-Christian, for asking them to leave. Needless to say, the situation was a mess and some of the logistics are still being worked out for if it happens again.

The Myth of a Christian Nation

I hinted around the idea, in my last post, that there is a problem with the mentality that says that America is a “Christian” nation. Today, I want to discuss that idea in further detail.

Because of the First Amendment, the statement that America is a “Christian” nation is blatantly false. A case might be able to be made that it was founded on Christian principles, but even that is a stretch. America was founded as a Representative Republic and a land where the settlers could be free from the tyranny of their previous leaders. It had nothing, really, to do with being a Christian versus being a pagan. England was a Christian nation in that the church and the state were enmeshed with each other. America was to be something vastly different.

The Ingenius Wall

The men who established our Constitution were not opportunists looking out only for themselves. They also had what was in the best interests of the new United States at heart. This is why, in 1791, the Constitution was Ammended to say that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.”

“Founding Fathers” Follow-up

I had intended today to write a post continuing my train of thought, but I got a response from a reader that, I think, deserves some attention.

The Genius of the Founding Fathers

Recent times have seen a growing number of people writing books and articles that really attack the United States’ Founding Fathers and some of the early presidents. Everything from Abraham Lincoln’s secret homosexual tendencies to Thomas Jefferson’s ownership of slaves have been brought forward in an attempt to belittle their influence on present day America. Some of this information is true, other stuff is false, but it all has one purpose: remove the hero status of the men in the early history of America. But as I reflect back on what I have learned from studying American history, I actually think that these men were geniuses in their own right.

Baby who wants to love me sexy?

We are without internet at the house, so I am at Starbuck’s indulging in their new program where, if you have a gift card and have at least $5 on it and use it regularly and have it registered online and for the rewards program, you get 2 hours of free internet access.  It’s nice.  Much faster than trying to connect using the Panera Bread’s connection, which is further away and much more slow.

Not a whole lot has gone on recently.  I’ve not heard anything from the church yet.  I am hoping to hear something today.  They said it would be 2 or 3 weeks, and it has been right at 3 weeks.  I am praying so hard for this to work.  I really am.  I won’t lie or hide my true feelings.  I really want this position, and it is exactly what we need…financially, spiritually, living arrangement-ly, everything.  It is perfect.  But, since I’ve not heard anything and not had a lot of contact from them n regards to it, I feel anxious and nervous.  I just REALLY want this to work out.

I like my job less and less every day.  It just getting to be almost unbearable.  And I am unable to find anything else, even to supplement this.  I apply places and hear absolutely nothing back.  Like my waiting to hear from the church, it is just very frustrating.

My friend Derek wrote something today that was very convicting.  He ran into a beggar guy carrying a cross and a sign asking for money or his family would be homeless.  Instead of just going on by, he gave him a couple bucks and then proceeded to walk with the guy for about 4 hours through the richer part of town: the shopping district.  As Derek and the man talked, he told Derek how he got more help in the poor part of town than from the rich.  Since it’s his story, he tells it so much better, but you get the idea.  Just some food for thought.

The Small God We Worship

A general problem with much of Western Theology…is that the God portrayed is too small. It is a god of a tiny world and not a god of a galaxy, much less a universe. - Carl Sagan

The other day, I talked about how, for many Christians, God is dead. He is not present in the things that they do, support, or in the way that they act toward their neighbors. So, for them, He is dead. But this isn’t the only segment of Christianity here in the states. Another set of Christians worships a small god. For lack of a less offensive manner in which to say this, they worship the Biblical God.