Moving at the Speed of Life

For many weeks now I have read several “Letter’s to the Editor” in my home town paper.  I was very irritated by the ignorance and hate I was reading. 

Just a few that really bothered me…

This one is called “Pray for our Country”

The upcoming election is the most critical election in the history of our nation. The very future of our nation’s foundation is at stake. Every person will be affected. If the liberals win, then our foundation will no longer be based on the traditional Judeo-Christian morality. It will gradually, but assuredly, be based on an ever shifting, ever moving foundation. If the liberals win, the damage can’t be stopped with elections two, four or 40 years from now. America will forever be changed. We will keep seeing a gradual and growing hostility toward people of faith, especially Christians. The morals of our nation will continue to decline. Our children and grandchildren will pay the price.

I cannot overstate the damage a liberal victory will do to our country.

Yes, if the liberals win you will lose some of your religious freedoms and free speech rights. Churches and pastors will not be exempt. You will not be allowed to say certain things about particular sins and depravities. Every item of the homosexual agenda will be approved. All laws protecting the unborn will be wiped away.

While our country faces many issues, the issues of foundational morality far exceed any issues of foreign relations, economics, or health care. As a dear friend of mine has always said, “I can have money problems, but I can’t have God problems”.

If Christian voters abandon their Christian foundation and allow a liberal victory, America will certainly have problems far beyond anything we’ve ever seen before. Pray for our country!

This one is called “Revelation is Truth”

My last letter to the editor I talked about marriage and divorce. We, as Christians, cannot see for looking — meaning we’re always looking at the world’s way of doing things. Only a friend will tell you the truth.

Jesus stopped calling his disciples servants and called them friends because a master will let his friends know more of the deep secrets of the kindgom than he will his servants.

Jesus said, “Do not give dogs what is sacred, do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet and then turn and tear you to pieces.” Matt. 7:6.

Teaching should be given in accordance with the spiritual capacity of the learners. Some Christians are not ready to accept God’s words concerning marriage and divorce, and some are just dogs because they have not truly been converted and cleaned by the washing of God’s Word. They are still operating by the world’s system. I know you can count on one hand the times you’ve heard your pastor preach on marriage and divorce or even set aside a time for a deeper teaching and learning course because one sermon will not get to the deep roots of God’s divine establishment for marriage and divorce.

God hates divorce — Luke 16:18.

Jesus said, “Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery, and the man who married a divorced woman commits adultery.”

This applies also to the woman as well. I Cor. 7:39: “A woman is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes but he must belong to the Lord.” This also applies to the husband.

II Cor. 6:14: “Do not be yoked (married) together with unbelievers for what do righteousness and wickedness have in common?”

Jesus’ words are true, and we will have to give account for the wrong we’re doing if no change is made before He comes. A lot of us got married for flesh reasons, security reasons, spite reasons and just maybe some for love. But those who are married against God’s commands is catching hell and living a life of sin.

Just read the word and pray to God or ask your pastor. God does open blinded eyes. I Cor. 6:9-10: “Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor male prostitutes, nor homosexual offenders, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor slanderers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.”

This one is called “Election Process Should Be Civil”

There are many different opinions on this year’s presidential election, but one opinion has been accepted by almost everyone: this election has gotten ugly!

You’ve probably seen on television by now a number of citizens who have spoken words of hate, mostly against Barack Obama, but against John McCain, as well. It seems that an evil has risen inside us that gives us the idea that if people don’t agree with us, then they’re wrong and should be stamped out. However, this has not been the case in previous elections, and shouldn’t be in this one, as well.

I volunteer at the Democratic Headquarters on the square. I’m not really an Obama supporter, but I am committed to keeping John McCain out of the White House. That is my right. I do not pressure people with my beliefs, and I expect the same with McCain supporters. This has not been the case.

Recently, a man put up McCain/Palin yard signs in front and around our headquarters, purely out of spite. I immediately put up more Obama signs to defend the headquarters, only for the man to come in an hour later and yell at everyone inside, including two guests and three volunteers. I actually had to threaten him to get him to leave. I thought that would be the end of it, but it wasn’t.

The next morning, the courthouse was covered with McCain/Palin signs, and more were in front of our headquarters, in addition to our signs being taken up and thrown over a fence. After first acting as I had before, I found out that they were there illegally, and took my signs down, in addition to the McCain/Palin signs and returned those to the Watkins’ Pawn Shop, which, for me, is pretty kind. I could have easily thrown them over the fence like they had done to me, and would have.

Just as a disclaimer, Tommy and Dianne Watkins have had nothing to do with this malicious behavior. They are good people and have no connection to the individual other than selling the signs to him. They are not to blame, and I want to emphasize that they have been kind and level-headed in this entire election. A lesson can be learned from them, even if they are Republicans.

I am writing this because I hope that people will learn to control their tempers and impulses, no matter how hard it may be to some. This is not only directed towards McCain supporters, but to Obama supporters, as well. Please keep this election clean. Leave people’s yard signs alone. Do not put signs where you know it will start trouble. Do not hit cars and drive off because they have a bumper sticker for the other candidate. Do not walk into any headquarters and start cussing people out. Promote your candidate in a clean and enjoyable manner, because the way you come off through your words and actions also reflects on your candidate. Why would you vote for someone who’s largest supporter in the area is throwing rocks through windows?

I hope that we as Americans can agree to disagree and be civil in this election. It’s only three more weeks. Save it for the “I-Told-You-Sos.”

So- below was my response.  If you all recall from my other blog I had… I took some my “Moving at the Speed of Life” post and dropped it into my letter.  The paper printed it last week.  To my surprise I have had a lot of calls thanking me for writing the letter.  I have yet to have someone threaten me… LOL!  We will see if anyone responds in the next paper.

Moving at the Speed of Life — We are Bound to Collide With Each Other

To The Editor:

“I will understand you. I will judge you. I will berate you. I will help you. I will need you. I will comfort you. I will abandon you. I will love you. I will kill you.” — “Crash” (2005 Movie)

Racism, bias, prejudice. We are all victims. We are all guilty of it. As a human race, our assumptions often prevent us from seeing the actual person(s) standing before us. We judge one by skin color, gender, sexual preference, occupation, social status, class, beauty, education, religion — and the list goes on.

Do we not all share the same world? Do we not share similar fears and hopes? If you prick yourself will you bleed as if I prick myself and bleed?

Until several hundred years ago, most people everywhere in this world never saw anybody who didn’t look like them. They were not racist, bias and/or prejudice because, as far as they knew, there was only one race — the human race. Most people are genuinely good people, but it’s their behavior and attitude that determines whether or not they are actually good or bad people.

Every day is a new day for each of us to become who we really want to be. To use the excuse of our past experiences, the way we were brought up or anything “outside” to explain our behavior, is bull. The simple truth is each of us have absolute control of ourselves and make every single decision in our life every day we take a breath.

The fact of the matter is racism, bias and prejudice exist! All three are an unquestionable forces within our world, the acceptance is so widespread that it can be discovered within the most broad-minded people and enlightened organizations, subtly taking its toll in spite of the best of intentions.

I am a Caucasian. I am a woman. I am a Methodist. I am a Democrat. I am a wife. I am a mother.  I am a heterosexual. I wear skirts. I dye my hair. I have homosexual friends. I have Caucasian, African American, Japanese, Latino, Christian, Jewish and Buddhist friends. Who I am and associate with, is this a reason to be racist, bias and/or prejudice towards me? If so, you obviously have nothing better to do with your time — shame on you! And shame on me if I lower myself to your level!

I decided to send this letter when I read some of the letters that have been written to the editor such as “Pray for Our Country” and “Revelation Is Truth.” These letters trouble me. I am just expressing a concern and opinion, which we are all entitled to. I think we need to stop and think long and hard. Ask yourself, “Am I racist, bias and/or prejudice?” Listen to your answer. Are you proud of it? My answer is, I have been a victim of all three and have been guilty of all three. I am not proud of it, but I am willing to grow from my experiences and mistakes. If we would all concentrate on our own lives instead of sticking our noses in everyone else’s, this world would be a better place. I am terrified for the future of my children if our world doesn’t open up its eyes very soon. Our world is becoming filled with hatred, and my children are growing up in it. All I can do to make sure my children do not grow up with a racist, bias and/or prejudice heart is raise them to rise above, be better people and hope when they become adults, they choose to continue to rise above.

…it’s just another ordinary miracle today!