Royal Hospitality

When we speak of our Presidents, one of the ways we evaluate their performance is by looking at what they have done during their first 100 days in office. In fact, as I am composing this, Donald Trump is just wrapping up his 92nd day in office. Presidents, Kings and Prime Ministers have a unique opportunity to act in ways that affect large numbers of people, reaching even billions through what they do. It is hard to know, during the time of a leader's tenure, exactly which of their deeds will define them in the years that follow them, especially after some of the political banter has died down.

Some of our leaders establish their legacy in unflattering ways, being remembered for their failures, ineptitude, or indiscretions. Others are cherished and romanticized for their victories, economic expansions, or eloquence. While all leaders have a collection of attributes, both positive and negative, it is still usually a more narrow set of actions and circumstances for which they are remembered.

This is also true of many people we encounter in Scripture. Despite the fact that Thomas was the first person in Scripture to speak of Jesus as "God"--not just an authority, but Deity--we still always call him "doubting" Thomas because of his former skepticism. Antonius Felix was the Roman procurator of the Judea Province from A.D. 52-58. The thing for which we remember him best came when he and his Jewish wife Drusilla requested to hear Paul speak about Jesus. However, as Paul began talking about righteousness, self-control, and the coming judgment, Felix was alarmed and told Paul he would talk to him more about these things, "When I have a convenient season." "Don't be like Felix," we warn. "If you wait to follow God until it's convenient, then your 'convenient season' may never come!"

Of course, one of the greatest villains in Scripture would be the Pharaoh to whom God sent Moses. We remember him for his murderous acts against innocent babies and his harshness towards the Israelite people in slavery. But there is another member of Pharaoh's household whom we see in a much different light: his daughter.

Being part of the royal family must have brought a lot of opportunities to do things of perceived significance. Regardless of whatever else she did in her life, today we remember Pharaoh's daughter almost entirely for one simple act of compassion. She saw a baby, floating in a little basket among the reeds, and even though she knew he was just a slave, condemned to die by her own father, she decided to save his life rather than to ignore it. She never could have imagined that the most significant act of her life would be this generous gesture towards a child. Of course, this child grew up to be Moses, the great leader of God's people.

Perhaps we spend too much time on the things we believe to be "major", shaking the right hands, getting invited to the right places, and having the right letters after our name. Jesus says that even the simple act of giving someone a cup of cold water because of him will be rewarded (Matthew 10:42). Just like Pharaoh's daughter, we can't know ahead of time which of our actions will be the ones that most define us, and if we learn anything from her, it's that we cannot neglect unexpected opportunities for kindness and compassion. The truth is, as Christians we're already adopted members of God's royal family. What promotion could be more important than that? As members of God's household, we must be the ones who make time to value those whom the world doesn't. There are already enough people who are too busy and too self-centered. Because God has lavished us with his grace, it is our role to extend the same kind of royal hospitality to others.

A Few Predictions

This is a post for my fellow Christians. I am neither a prophet, nor the son of a prophet, but I'd like to make a few predictions. I don't know about for you, but for me, social media has been nearly unbearable for the last couple of weeks. There are lots of people talking, but so few who are listening, and even fewer who seem interested in the credibility of what they are sharing. I try to remind myself that all complaining about social media is ridiculous, because participating in these platforms is a completely optional thing to do. But the truth is, we speak, post, and tweet from the overflow of our hearts (Luke 6:45). If social media is any indication, there are a lot of strong emotions, both positive and negative, which people have been feeling. 

So whether you are elated or horrified by current events, here are a few predictions I would like to make:

1. The world we live in will continue to be a messed up place.
Even when there are fixes for some of society's problems, other areas will be neglected, and still others may be over-corrected. People who've grown up one way in one place will continue having difficulty in understanding people who've grown up in another. No administration is ever going to relieve us of all problems. Our best case scenario for government is that it will make things better than they are for as many people as possible, and certainly, we hope and pray for this. But any government run by people will have all the flaws that its people do. This shouldn't surprise us. Only in the coming Kingdom of Christ can we know that all things will truly be as they should (Revelation 7:17). 

2. God will continue to do amazing things in the world, even through us.
It has never been our goal as people of faith to live in a problemless society. If we are willing to be taught, our problems can even be sources of tremendous personal growth for us when we persevere and endure. Life in this world will give us trouble, but Jesus has already overcome the world, and for this reason we should be encouraged (John 16:33). In fact, regardless of what happens with our nation or our culture, God is going to continue to work all things together for our good because we love him and he loves us (Romans 8:28). God has used good kings like David to bless nations (Acts 13:22), but he has also used terrible tyrants to serve his larger plan (Habakkuk 1:5-6). God is not limited by who is ruling over us. If we have eyes to see and ears to hear, we will continue to witness God doing amazing things in our lives and around the world, no matter who sits on any throne or in any office. God is still with us, and God is at work. 

3. Your happiness will be affected much more by your choice to walk with God than by any other external factor.
The only thing in your life that is truly unchanging is the love of God. When you make your choices based on financial prospects, threats, relationships, or peer pressure, some decisions turn out well and others turn out poorly. But you will never regret any action you take that comes from a pure place in your heart, driven by compassion and faith. God's love stays with you, no matter what, and nothing can take it away from you (Romans 8:38-39). Every extra prayer you offer, every extra bit of encouragement you give, and every time you do something difficult because you've been motivated to do so by your love of Christ, these are things that go with us into eternity, enduring longer than the earth itself (1 Peter 1:7). 

I encourage you to do all the good that you can and give the best parts of yourself to what matters most, then let God worry about the rest.  

It's Nacho Cat: Presidential

Carolina took some pictures of Nacho as the leaves were changing in our back yard. I thought this one looked like a good Presidential photo, as they stare off into the distance with an American scene behind them.

Were we to use similar policies for finding terrorists that Nacho uses for finding rodents and pests, Bin Laden would be in bad shape. I say vote 'Nacho 2012'.

Use Your Allusion: McCarthyism

'McCarthyism' sprang forth in the 1950s, and derives its name from Republican Senator Joseph McCarthy (1909-1957). McCarthy became chairman of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations in 1953, where he set out on a hunt for Communists who he believed were infiltrating the American government.

On example of his thinking is a speech he gave on February 9, 1950 to a group of Republican women in Wheeling, West Virginia. He produced a piece of paper about which he claimed:

I have here in my hand a list of 205—a list of names that were made known to the Secretary of State as being members of the Communist Party and who nevertheless are still working and shaping policy in the State Department.

As a result of his work, many citizens suspected of being Communist sympathizers were blacklisted and faced discrimination. His tactics were very unpopular among the other Senators, and eventually he was censured with a unanimous vote from the Democrats and with the Republicans voting 50/50.

Today, McCarthyism is a term invoked to describe a political witch hunt, particularly when a person's patriotism is brought into question, and the accusations are unsubstantiated.

Many view McCarthy with disdain, while others have believed he is deserving of a better reputation. Ann Coulter, for instance, dedicated an entire chapter of her book Treason to defending McCarthy, and suggesting that the Democrats denounced him for fear that they were actually guilty of his accusations.

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I think this is an important term to be aware of in light of the recent election. Obama has frequently been accused of promoting a socialist agenda, particularly when he suggested that we should "spread the wealth around." Some have suggested that he is a Communist.

This image is a good example of the suggestions that some have been making.

Are the charges justified? Are they just unsubstantiated accusations...McCarthyism? I'll leave that up to other people to argue about. Ultimately, we'll have to wait and see what decisions he makes as our next President.

But when someone speaks about attacks on Obama as McCarthyism, at least you'll know what they mean.