Tangled Up In Blue (by Bob Dylan)

Forgive me for not updating this in a couple of weeks. Things have been crazy at work, I just got sick, and frankly there's just too much going on inside my head and heart to write any of it down - at least in a public venue. So, for now, have a little patience with me please.

Judgement Day (by Jackie Greene)

Raise your hand if you hate terrorism. Raise your hand if you hate the death and destruction from planes crashing into buildings, car bombs, and suicide bombers. Raise your hand if you hate terrorists. Raise your hand if you hate Muslims. Raise your hand if you love Jesus. Keep in mind, you can't justifiably raise your hand for all of these - you have to choose.

I've been getting so many emails lately with pictures and stories and videos of these radical Muslims who have cried out for the blood of our leaders, our soldiers, and even us. Included in these emails are blatant expressions of hatred toward all Muslims - and most, if not all, of these emails have been sent to me by Christians. This absolutely breaks my heart! I understand that Jesus was asking something extremely difficult from us when he told us to love and pray for our enemies, but could we at least TRY to do what he commanded of us?!

Let me do another survey:
Raise your hand if you know of a Christian who has ever lied. Raise your hand if you know of a Christian who has ever committed adultery. Raise your hand if you know of a Christian who has ever passed judgement upon someone else. Raise your hand if you know of a Christian who has ever hated anyone. Unless you're lying to yourself (in which case, if you're a follower of Christ, you'd fall in the first category), you should have raised your hand for each and every one of these. In fact, if we go back into history we can even raise our hands at knowing Christians who have mercilessly slaughtered people (namely Muslims - how ironic!) in the name of Christ during the Crusades (and even more recently than that). So does that mean that Muslims and everyone else should disrespect the Bible? Does that mean that Christianity is a violent and hateful religion? Does that meant that Jesus preached messages of murder and war? NO! It means that people are dumb and do stupid things even when they're taught to love and respect others.

I'm ranting, that's obvious - sorry. It's just that it breaks my heart to no end when I hear people who supposedly are followers of Jesus Christ who jump onto the hilltops to tell the world how much they hate Muslims, terrorists, homosexuals, global warming advocates, Democrats, Communists, or anyone else for that matter. My challenge to all you "Christians" out there is to pick up your Bible every once in a while and try actually reading and living it!

Matthew 5:43-48
"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the terrorists/Muslims/homosexuals/global warming advocates/Democrats/Communists/etc* do the same? . . . Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect."

*words in italics changed for cultural relevance

We All Move On (by The Samples)

In response to the disaster of the 35W bridge collapse on August 1, 2007, two major politicians, one a Republican and the other a Democrat, are both recorded to have said, "This is America - this type of thing shouldn't happen here." How dare they say something so asinine! Who are we to expect that nothing bad should ever happen to us?! Why are places like Indonesia more deserving of all their disasters than America? There is something every American - especially our politicians - need to wake up to: Regardless of what state, country, or hemisphere we live in, we are all residents of a fallen, sinful world! Pain and suffering, tragedies and disasters, darkness and evil are all a package deal where we live - get used to it! And for those who like to take situations like this and use it as ammunition against God, you need to wake up, open your eyes, and shake off your pessimistic attitude! If you want to know where God is in the midst of all this, watch the news and talk to your neighbor, co-worker, family, and friends who crossed that bridge at 6pm every day and are still here to ask "why am I still alive?"

The sad fact of all of this is that we must move on. We must learn from what has happened. Maybe the lesson we need to learn is how to prevent disasters like this. Perhaps the lesson is that we need to treat each day as a blessing and a gift from God because we're not promised tomorrow. Or maybe the lesson is that there may not be time to wait in realizing who Jesus is and how crucial it is to allow him into your life and live for him. I don't know what lesson you're supposed to learn from this, but I do know that if we don't learn, grow, and move forward the deaths and uprooted lives from the collapse of the 35W bridge will be a pointless waste. Honor and respect the lives that were lost and the workers who are exhausting themselves and risking their own lives by making right in your own life what has gotten out of alignment - you may not have tomorrow.

*In loving memory of the lives lost on August 1, 2007 in the Mississippi River