Why I Am Voting Obama

Okay. So, for those of you who have been wondering about my recent status change...here is the blog that tells it all. Well, not all, but definitely a run-down. I would love any feed back you may have to offer.


Why I am Voting Obama

For quite some time I have struggled with matching up my theology and my political ideologies. And while I cannot say that the turmoil is completely ended, I can, however, admit to making some headway. Allow me, if you will, to elaborate.


I am a self-professed Christian, a follower of Christ, a disciple, if you will. Not that I am perfect in my pursuit of holiness and Christ-likeness, but the desire to be so is there. And part of this journey, this path I trod, is to vote how Jesus would want me to vote.


For a time, I lived in ignorance. And while it was not exactly bliss, at least I was not burdened with a need to know. Things have changed in the last couple of years.


I had been, not unlike some fellow evangelicals I have met, a one or two issue voter. By that I mean if the candidate were against one of two very important issues, I would, by default, never consider voting for them.

Pro-choice? No thank you! Legitimatize homosexual unions! Are you crazy? And so it would go. If a candidate embraced either of these two things, then it was my belief that no matter what else they stood for, I had to vote against them.

In fact, the first time I ever voted was in '04. I voted against Kerry. Now keep in mind that I am not saying that I voted for Bush, when this is, in truth, what I did. But, at the time, I was just voting for the current President to keep Kerry out of office.


Did I know much about Kerry? Nope. All I needed to know, I was told, was that he was for abortion and supported the gay agenda. By default, it was my Christian duty to vote against him. And so, as I said, I did.

But it bothered me. It bothered me a great deal. It was not because I disliked Bush. I did not, and I do not. It is because I voted in ignorance. I did not really either know or understand the issues at hand. I am not saying I understand them much more now.

I resolved that the next time I voted, it would be an educated vote, or I would not cast a ballot at all. I began to do research on candidates and issues. I looked at them from an open-minded perspective instead of from the mindset that if, say, the Democratic Party supported something, it must, therefore be bad.

The truth is, I began to see that I disagreed with a lot of the things the Republican Party stands for. I came to see that I disagreed with a little that the Democratic Party stood for. I began to say things such as: "I really respect his ideas, but because of his stance on such and such, I cannot abide to vote for him." I even took one of those ridiculous online match-up games where you picked where you stood on certain issues, and you got to see who lined up with you the most. And guess what. I lined up with Obama.

I have to admit, at the time, I laughed at myself. I resolved to investigate those issues a little more, because I did not really understand them. I mean, surely if I were lining up with left-wing Obama, I had to have misunderstood.

I began to read speeches instead of listening to sound bytes. When Obama gave his speech on racism, I was moved to tears. I told myself I still could not vote for him, but boy, I wish someone who I could vote for would pick up the torch.

I remained unconvinced for quite some time until I read Obama's acceptance speech for the Democratic Presidential nomination. He said something in the midst of his speech that clearly spoke to me. He said something to the effect that we may not agree abortion, but surely we could agree that we needed to reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies. I agreed. He said, essentially, we may not agree on homosexual marriage, but surely we could agree that long-time partners should have the right to visit one another in a hospital where only family members were allowed. And I could not disagree with that either.

There is more to this all than that. I began to see that, by and large, the Republican Party does little to help the poor and downtrodden in our country. Their mindset is "Pull yourself up by your bootstraps, lads!"

Before I ever read Obama's speeches, I found this to be true. I see glaringly a need to revise our healthcare system. I cannot help but notice that the poor and lower class struggle constantly financially. I have even been on the receiving end of a system not quite willing to help those who are even trying to help themselves.

I looked in Scripture for answers. Over and over again, Scripture commands and implores us to take care of the needy, the poor. It tells us to help the aliens, the widows, and the orphans. James even tells us that true religion consists in part in taking care of this lot.

So I became very conflicted. All of my Christian churchgoing life, I have been told that the Republicans, the Conservatives are the true Christians in our nation. So why were they neglecting the poor and needy? Why did my politics have to eschew one form of justice for another?

These and other questions I began to ask myself. At first, I just wished that there were a candidate who would embrace both sides of that coin. There is not. So what was I to do?

I had a discussion with a friend of mine who said we could not just look at these issues. We had to look at the whole shebang. And so…I have tried to do so.

The War in Iraq.

I was against it from the start. I was not comfortable with it even for the reasons that we were given, and when those reasons did not play out? Did we ever find WMD? But we derailed that country by our invasion. And so, we have spent the last few years fixing what we broke.

Alternate Energy.

Oil is not a renewable resource. Even without all of the politics involved…we will eventually run out. Would it not be more responsible to work on it while there is time? Do not our children deserve that courtesy?

Global Warming.

I do not necessarily agree that it is happening. I do, however, think that being good stewards of the planet God entrusted to us is not a bad thing.

Are there other issues? I am sure there are. The economy and all that this entails. Again, I am for the poor, so you should know by that where I stand.

Ladies and gentleman of the jury of my peers, I stand before you, convicted. I am voting for Obama. I am not leaning, nor am I pandering. If I can register to vote on time…I will cast my lot with him, for better or worse.

Another Year

Another year of my life has come and gone. I am now thirty-three. How do I feel?





I had to take some time to think about that.

I don't feel any older than I did yesterday, though I have been noticing my body doesn't work the way that it once did.

I still don't feel like a grown-up...even though it's probably way past time that I should.

I don't regret my life up to this point. Let me clarify this. I do regret some decisions I have made in the past. But I know that some of those decisions have put me where I am now, and I would never trade my wife and my precious two children for a different life.

Would I love to have been a famous actor by now? Sure...but not at the expense of my family. Would I love to have written a best-seller? Absolutely! But not by having never know the love of my wonderful spouse and the adoration of my kiddos.

Do I like working two jobs to provide for my family? Nope. Especially because it takes me away from those I love. Is it worth it? Without question.

And that's where I am at. Like it, love it, or hate it. For better or worse.

And that's all I have to say about that.

Update 4 Those Who Care

So here is the skinny on my life at this moment.

Sarah and I joined a church in Paradise, TX. (Funny, ain't it.) Sarah is getting baptised on June 8th, and we are getting involved in a small group.

Work is going well, I suppose. I currently work two jobs, but hopefully, once biz picks up at the bank, I'll be back down to one. And that could happen soon as the other PB has moved to a different branch, so it's just lil' o me.

I'm planning on doing a YouTube vid as soon as I can find the time to record something. Still not sure what all I want to do with it, but I imagine I will do vids of my poetry reading, some bible studies, and who knows what else.

I've got some writing projects simmering on the back burners. Working two jobs just gives me another excuse not to write, but I need to get over that eventually.

I just read the Scarlet Pimpernel. Very good book. Cleverly written. I'd do a review, but since it's a pretty old book, you'd find a better review somewhere else.

Sarah and I have been watching old 80's flicks. Might give some reviews on those. So far, we've watched 16 Candles and Pretty in Pink. (Yes, Sarah chose both.) I'm thinking we just might have a John Hughes marathon. Who knows?

Jack is beginning potty training, and Bella will be going to Pre-K next year. Kids grow crazy fast, don't they?

At any rate, that's a brief overlook of life right now. More forthcoming...perhaps.

:)

Prayer Answered

You know, I guess it is good to read your own blog every once and again. I came across the post where I had started to go to the doctor again, and never said anything else about it. I guess I assumed either nobody is reading, which could still be true, or that anybody really interested in the goings on of me and my family would read Sarah's blog. But the fact remains, if I were just some random reader, I'd still be wondering if this poor guy ever found out what was wrong with him.

Well, I did. It turned out that I had a fairly large polyp in my colon. After going to the family doctor for a little while, he referred me to a GI doc. This is where I stopped last time, because the doctor didn't want to do the colonoscopy. This doctor, however said, "You want a colonoscopy? Okay." They scheduled it for the day after Christmas (which was good, still on 2007's insurance deductible.)

During the colonoscopy, the doc biopsied a piece of the polyp, and figured it would be no big deal. However, later on he was afraid that since it had lymphatic tissue in it, that it could have been lymphoma. They scheduled me for a full biopsy. They removed the polyp...no cancer.

So that's a praise. In the midst of my discouragement right now, here is a lifting up. A reminder that God can and does answer prayer. I've been pain-free (in my abdomen anyway) for going on three months now. In the Dr. House post, I had said I'd be content if I just knew what it was. But now I know, and it is gone!

And that's a good thing.

Monthly Update (heh)

Howdy gang! Josh here telling how things are going down over here in Campbell-Land.

First of all, I want to apologize for not being able to respond to comments all the time. Again, I can view the blogs and comments from work, but I cannot comment on them. And since our only access to the Net is at the library, obviously time constraints exist.

Anyway...with the church search.

We will be taking the membership class at Grace Fellowship this Sunday. They are very similar to LH in many different ways. We'll even have to sign a membership covenant if we decide to join. I met with their small group pastor yesterday during lunch, and I believe our family shares their vision. So...after this weekend, we may know for sure where we will be plugging in. Please continue to pray.

Family updates...
Jack is potty training. As a matter of fact, he went all day Tuesday in undies ('cept for nap time) with NO ACCIDENTS!!! We're excited for him. And I'm excited for us. Once we get him out of diapers...hey, you all know those things aren't cheap. Bella is involved in helping brother go potty. She gets all excited. It's pretty funny...you'd almost think Jack was a puppy the way she carries on. "Do you need to go potty? Do you? Come on, let's go potty!"

Speaking of Bella...she's growing up fast. And she's as funny as ever. She told us the other day that we were "wrecking her brain". I guess we were confusing her or something. But she's doing well. We have our typical four year old moments...and remember, this one is VERY strong willed, but we're making it. Every time she says she hates us and wants a different family, she comes back later and loves on us. Yes...yes...our sweet Bella sounds like a teenager. *sigh*

Sarah is doing well. She'd like it better if the neighbors' animals didn't think our yard and carport wasn't a great place to do their business, but in light of eternity...

We've made some "friends" with the neighbors across the street. One family has a little boy who comes over and jumps with the kiddos. They're nice. And the wife of another couple has asked Sarah to watch their house when they go out of town...so that's cool.

Me? Doing pretty good. Still adjusting to the new role at work, trying to make my quota and all that. But that comes with the territory. It's hard to believe we moved away a year ago this month...well, at least, I did. It's crazy. It seems like forever, and not all that long at the same time.

At any rate, we miss you all. Keep commenting. I love to read them. Sarah says hello and so do the kiddos.

About Obama

Don’t worry, true believers, I am not about to become an Obama-ite. I do, however, have very mixed feelings about this election and my current, so-called, political affliations.

It seems, as of late, I’ve become addicted to reading about the current election. And I have to say, reading through some forums and some comments on news websites, I have been appalled with the varying degrees of hatred evident upon them. Shocked, you could say.

And I wonder how conservatives, who often claim to be Christian, can speak with such venom dripping from their words. Have they not read Scripture? What happened to loving one’s neighbor, or even enemy? Isn’t that the message Christ gave us, at least in some respects? And yet...Obama...wow...if his political platform was not so far left leaning from mine, I would almost vote for him out of sheer pity and admiration.

I read the speech he gave the other day. And I was moved. You know, even if he couldn’t absolve himself from his relationship with his pastor...I feel like it took a lot of moxy to stand up there and not do so, even with the press and critics frothing at the mouth about it. He could have completely renounced the man in an attempt to save his political career...but he didn’t. I admire that, misguided though it may have been.

And his message? Even if you dislike the man, can you deny the truth of his speech? Isn’t race a huge problem that no one likes to look at? Don’t we need to stop fighting?

I think about the partisan culture we live in. We are so completely divided. And it is clear that even within parties, there is a huge divide. What is happening? How can we mend the rift? I am reminded of Ancient Rome that toppled because of decay on the inside instead of the barbarians on the wall.

Are we like that? Are we close to crumbling as a nation due to our lack of introspection? Due to our lack of unity? If ever there was a time for us to truly be the UNITED States...now is the time.

Obama...even if you lose, I hope someone takes up your torch and unites us somehow...before we divide along lines that can never be mended.

Seeking God: The Whys and Whats

I've been contemplating the whole, "Seeking God" series for a bit now, wondering how I should continue. My main dilemma comes to this: Do I discuss the "how to" aspect first, or the "why"? Which is truly more important?
I considered doing the manual bit initially. Mainly because I have an idea of what I am going to say and how I want to present it. And also, I figured if you were seriously reading a blog titled "Seeking God", then maybe you already were, and didn't want to know why, but just how.

But isn't why just as important a question? Why should we seek God? Why do we? And yet, an even more relevant question remains to be uncovered. What? Exactly.
What does it mean to seek God? It's easy to sit here and recommend doing it, but what, exactly, does it entail? Is God lost? Why does He need to be found?
Let's define seek, shall we? American Heritage Dictionary defines it as such:
1. To try to locate or discover; search for.
2. To endeavor to obtain or reach
3. To go to or toward
4. To inquire for; request
5. To try; endeavor

But how do these definitions relate to seeking God? In order to answer this, let's take a look at Scripture.
Deuteronomy 4:29, which is the first reference to seeking God that I could find, goes like this:
"But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find him if you look for him with all your heart and with all your soul."
So, if from there…which in context for the Israelites was in the middle of their sin and a captivity, applying to us as well…we will search for, endeavor to obtain, to go to or toward, inquire for God, we'll find Him if we look for Him with all that we are.

I liked the example the AHD used for number 3. It said, "Water seeks its own level." It goes to it. I think that is what seeking means in relation to God.
He isn't lost. And it isn't as if He hasn't told us over and over where He is so that we may know where to find Him. But we have to move toward Him, and away from the things that are crowding Him out of our lives.

Let's take a closer look at Deuteronomy 4:26-31.
This is a little speech Moses gave to the Israelites. He's telling them exactly what they'll do in the time to come. Once they got settled and secured in the Promise Land, they'd get lazy. They'd forget who got them where they were, why they were there, and all of that. They'd look around at their neighbors and think, "Hey, these guys have it pretty good. They don't have to follow a bunch of rules. They do want they want, when they want. Their gods are small, and portable, less demanding. Plus, I can see them, and understand them."

So then the Israelites would take their eyes off of God, and start pursuing those idols. And once that happened, they would lose the protection of the Lord. They'd be carted off, captured and enslaved. And then, when they were desperate and lost, when they could find no solace in the false gods they flirted with, they'd call out to the one True God, and He'd still be there, because that's just how He rolls.

I think that this is relative to our times. To us. We get so caught up in the idols of our days, what are neighbors are doing, what looks fun, and we lose sight of God. We get pulled away. We may have fun for awhile. Things may go better good, but when tragedy strikes, when life goes wrong, those idols won't help us anymore. When you are hurting and lost and torn, money doesn't satisfy. Material possessions just don't do the trick. But if we'll turn away from those things, and turn back to God, start going toward Him again, we'll find Him, and He'll lift us up.

That's why we should seek Him. Aside from the fact that Scripture tells us we should. We need God. Nothing else will ever satisfy the way He will. We are designed to be fulfilled by Him. There really is no substitute.
And that's why I'm writing this series. Because we...because I...need to start seeking God. And we, you and I, need to know how. We need to know what it looks like.

Seeking God: The Prelude

“There are none who seek God, no not one.” That’s what we are told in Romans 3. And yet, we find ourselves over and over again doing just that very thing. And Scripture encourages us to do so. Where is the discrepancy? Is Scripture contradictory? I don’t think so. We just have to evaluate this in light of the whole Word of God.

Is it true that no one seeks God? Absolutely! If left to our own devices, we would rather find our own way. God shows us how very flawed we are. How often do we find ourselves hating those people who possess the traits we lack, and desire to have? On our own, we would rather find dark places to hide and grub through existence rather than be exposed for who we are by God’s light.

But is it not true also that people do seek God? Don’t we often begin quests to fill that awful hole inside of us? How can both be true?
The answer is simple. We cannot, or will not, seek God on our own. But we will begin to search when He calls us. And call us He does.

Jesus said Himself that no one can come to Him unless the Father calls them. (John 6:44) Paul told the Athenians that God gave men life and moved throughout history so that we would seek and find Him. (Acts 17: 24-27) And in Romans 1, Paul says God reveals Himself through creation so that none of us may have excuse.

The whole Bible is filled with passages of God reaching out toward man. We never initiate it. He does. And yet, He wants us to find Him. Or rather, He wants us to look.

It’s as if God has set out a trail of breadcrumbs for us. All we have to do is follow it, and we will see Him, hiding in plain sight. He wants us to seek Him, me…you.

Why? How? What does that even look like? All of those are perfectly understandable questions. And, I’m going to try to explain them as best as I’m able. I’m going to use the Bible and a little bit of logic. Psalm 63 will be my model. Please read it. Seek with me. Ask questions. Add insights. Travel with me on this pilgrimage to seek the One True God. He’s calling. Won’t you come?