Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Politics

OK, this post might bring some criticism but here goes.  Today I want to talk about politics.  Since we have major elections in the United States in about 5 weeks, I guess it only seems appropriate.

First of all, let me say to all the yellow dog Democrats and all the yellow dog Republicans, "Wake UP!"  For those of you who don't know, a yellow dog Democrat or Republican would vote for a yellow dog for office as long as it ran for their party.  It seems like I see constant arguments from people on Facebook favoring Romney or Obama for president and most of the time, they quote someone else who said something designed to scare you into voting for their candidate.  They say things like Obama is a socialist Muslim.  When they mention Muslim, they want to scare you because we know it was Muslim extremists that attack America and her allies.  The thought behind this logic is that Obama is working to give the country to Muslims.

Additionally, since he is a Socialist, he is trying to turn our country into the new USSR.

On the other side, since Romney made a lot of money on Wall Street, he is going to ruin our country with all his excess spending.  He is only out to take care of the rich and since greed begets greed, he will be responsible for creating a system where only the rich people make more money and they control everything while the poor people suffer all on his own. 

The first problem I have with all the people saying all these things is that none of them have first hand evidence of what either of these people really want.  All they have is second hand accounts of what someone thinks someone else heard from the janitor of some one's hotel.  I think all this fear mongering is terrible. 

Now let me give you my political views.  On Obamacare - I think it's a bad idea.  It will force people who can't afford to buy health care to pay a penalty or by insurance.  That's just plain ignorance gone to seed.  It will also force Americans who have been very successful to pay for those who have not.  This is called socialism and it's wrong.  When we start taking money from the rich and giving it to the poor, that's called theft.  Sorry if this makes you mad but it's just the truth.  The government doesn't have a right to take money from one group and give it to another.  Right all you republicans?

But I am not saying that we shouldn't give to people who need it because we should.  I give to people who need it a lot and I believe very strongly in giving to others.  I just don't believe that anyone should be forced to give to others.

On capitalism - I believe capitalism is a good thing.  But unchecked capitalism is a terrible thing.  Unchecked, unregulated capitalism is what led to the housing problem that crashed our economy a few years ago.  So guess what, we need government and we need it to police the businesses of this country who so greatly effect our nation.  Sorry Republicans, that's simply the truth.

On homosexuality - See my post of a couple of days ago.  But let me add this, if the government should give money to homosexuals for gay pride parades, etc., then it should give an equal amount of money to those who want to take the opposite stance.  My personal opinion is that government should not give any money to either side for these purposes.  But let me say this to both sides, each of you will have to answer for your own stuff when you get to heaven.  Now learn to start respecting the fact that people might have a different opinion than you.  Quit arguing as you will not convince the other side that you are right and start loving.  That's what God commanded us to do!  Sorry both sides, its just the truth.

Let me send this one out to all the Christians who read my blog.  While this may be shocking and may require great faith from the Republicans, it is entirely possible to be a Democrat and be a Christian.  Nowhere in the bible does God mention political affiliation as a prerequisite to going to Heaven.  I think he discussed something about Jesus as the savior not Barak Obama or George Bush.  But here's what I really want you to know.  The bible says we need to pray for our leaders.  It doesn't say pray only pray for the ones you voted for.  So as we go into a time of decision for this great nation, I want to ask each of you to pray about how you should vote and pray for our elected officials that they will govern in a godly manner regardless of what their political affiliation.

That's another Opinion of the Minion

Monday, October 1, 2012

The Box

Hello everyone,

Today I reposted what I believe to be the most significant thing I have ever said.  The post is called, the Box.  Recently my girlfriend and I were discussing homosexuality and I will not discuss whether it is right or wrong.  You have a bible, find out for yourself.  But I do want to stress that hate for people of that lifestyle is totally wrong.  See our job isn't to judge it's to love.  If you look at thing's through the lense of the Box, it will change the way you look at people.  So, here's the Box.




I have given this a lot a of thought and I believe that the Lord showed me something that changed the way I view people.

You see, when God creates a person he gives them abilities, passions, desires, talents and all sorts of wonderful attributes that we seldom ever see. Then he takes all these things and puts them in a box with silver wrapping paper and very pretty red ribbon tied in a bow around it. He calls the box - You. It is a present to the world. When I saw this for the first time, I looked around at all the people walking by and said to myself, "Merry Christmas!" because all I could see were beautiful boxes waiting to be opened.

The problem is many people don't even know what is in their own box much less have taken the time to look in someone elses box. This starts when we are in school. As we grow up, we learn all kinds of new things about ourselves: what we like, what we don't, the changes that our bodies go through, we learn things in school about the world and we learn about social interaction. But sometimes that social interaction teaches us that the stuff in our box isn't all that important.

Have you ever felt like the stuff inside you doesn't really matter? Can you look back to a point in your life where you were doing something you really enjoyed and someone else called it or you stupid or worthless?

When you pull the most precious parts of your life out of the box and let other people see them, it is scary because you are definitely vulnerable at that point. But know this, the Lord put all those wonderful things inside and they are of great price and value. Don't let someone cheapen what is so precious by their comments.

Everyday, I see people who are alive but aren't living. I think it is because they have told themselves that the treasures in their box aren't important or worth much so they don't do anything with them. They may not have done this openly but below the surface it happens. You have to know that if God took the time to create you and put all those treasures inside you, they are important both to him and to me.

When was the last time you looked in your box and pulled out something you truly enjoyed and used it? When was the last time you opened the box? When was the last time you were passionate about anything? Are you so caught up in the rat race that your box isn't important any more?

Here is another interesting question - When was the last time you opened up someone else's box to see who they really are and celebrate the gifts inside them? Do you always know what is wrong with your husband, wife, girlfriend, boyfriend, kids, friends, parents, family, coworkers but never look inside the box for what is so awesome about them?

Husbands, what would happen if instead of criticizing your wife, the next time you saw her, you decided to look at something that was so precious to her, so beautiful, so tender, so amazing and something she loved about herself? What would happen if you nurtured that gift and encouraged it to grow? What would happen if, after you opened her box, she decided that your box was the most special one on earth and decided to touch the core of who you are? What if you both decided to go deep in your relationship?

Boyfriends, what if you looked at her and decided that you wanted more than just what was inside her clothes, you wanted what was inside her heart. Girlfriends, what if you decided that you wanted the same thing? What if you wanted to explore who they are and make them the best person they could be while they did the same thing to you? What if you looked at them and asked, "What can I give?" instead of "What can I get?"

Is this a little intense? Yes. Is it worth it if just one person decides to open their box or open someone elses? Yes. You see, I believe that I got to see a little glimpse of the creation through the creator's eyes when He showed me this. It was truly an eye opening experience and I can definitely say I will never be the same. I got to see how He looked at and longs for His creation to be all that we can be and how His love for us goes so deep His heart aches for us.

So I guess the real question is what is in your box? I want to know.

That's the Opinion of His Minion