The Debtonator Cometh

Coming onto the stage years after "The Governator" from Cal-i-forn-i-a, is our economy's worst nightmare: The Debtonator, a.k.a. President Barack Obama.

And he's coming zenga zenga, and there will be no mercy for anyone who earns their income. Anyone willing to lay down their money has nothing to fear.
(Sorry, that's about as far as I can take it.)

Biting And Devouring

I've been noticing (and so have you) that among Christians there's an awful lot of back-biting taking place. Fundamentalists and some percentage of Evangelicals go on about how the Emergent crowd is off on a tangent and doesn't understand the law or the gospel. They just don't get it. In the Emerging church, one of their claims to fame is that they are able to present the gospel in context, in a relevant way, not like old-school Christians who are stuck in the past and just don't get it. Everybody knows Charismatics are loony, right? God doesn't move anymore! Man, they don't get it. Charismatics are the only ones who know that the Spirit has left all the dead churches and only dwells within their own church.

"Ello, Guvna!"

Remember what Paul said in Galatians 5...
"But if you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another."

It's not like we don't have enough adversity in the world, without attacking each other to boot. We're the body of Christ. Jesus prayed in John 17, "I am no longer in the world; and yet they themselves are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep them in Your name, the name which You have given Me, that they may be one even as We are."

That they may be one, even as We are. Maybe your bothers and sisters don't say it just the way you would, but they're saying it. Maybe they're saying it the way someone needs to hear it, in order to take a step toward God. Encourage that. Encourage them. Let's not forget why we're here. The Body isn't all feet, or eyes, or arms. We need each other.

North Korea To Face Consequences

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton today warned North Korea that they will face consequences for their "provocative and belligerent" actions. I think North Korea faces a politically correct type of discipline that they will not be able to bear. It takes a village to rein in a rogue nation, which is why other nations around the world are being contacted. Already the North has received a verbal warning from Clinton, not to mention both a verbal warning and and a stern look from President Barack Obama for having tested atomic bombs and firing missiles. That'll teach 'em. I feel good about having an author on our side. She can draw on her writing experience for more strong warnings if North Korea fails to get in line. I can almost hear the two of them saying, "Don't you do it. Do not do it. Okay you did it. But you better not do it again. Do NOT do it again."

I'd wager the consequences in store for Pyongyang for their insolence include further warnings from Clinton of grave consequences, even sterner looks from Obama on TV and online news pages, reminders that isolation is where they're headed and not inclusion, and - as a last resort - increased aid. A North Korean newspaper, the Minju Joson, said in an editorial, "...the U.S. sanctions policy toward North Korea is like striking a rock with a rotten egg". Meanwhile, the rest of the world is holding to their strategy of waiting for the U.S. to take care of the problem, then complaining that America is not the world's policeman. Person. Whatever. What an exciting time to be alive!

Love Your Enemies

In a mind-blowing, Twilight Zone-like couple of minutes last Tuesday, my nemesis at work ended our long-running, almost legendary feud with an extended hand and the words, "Life's too short. Let's put this behind us." To which I replied (with my jaw on the floor) "For real?"

He said, "Yeah."

Me: "You're serious."

Him: "Yeah, sometimes it's just easier to let stuff go." Then he started to right some wrongs and really fix things that have been messed up for, well, all together, about a year. I still have a hard time believing it. This feud of ours had gotten so out of hand that I had begun to justify my part like Samson when he said, "This time I will be blameless when I do the Philistines harm." I had often convinced myself that my co-worker had it coming because of what he did or said so really, who could hold it against me? I was only doing what's right (I told myself), to teach him that he can't get away with that. When I'd pray for my enemy, it was that somehow he'd get his head right and see things my way. Now that he's not so much my enemy, I find it easier to pray for him genuinely. That's messed up, ain't it? Anyway, I told him that it was pretty cool the way that he had ended it and that that took a lot of stones. He just laughed.

Someone who had obviously not heard that our feud was over told me that he had heard through the grape-vine that I was going to kick the other guy's [butt]. I wasn't planning on doing that and I don't know who told him that, but I said "No, it turns out he kicked mine if he's for real."
I had tried ending it before but it just never worked out. This time he took the high road and although I still haven't hopped on his bandwagon, I don't want to pass up this opportunity if he really is serious. It feels like someone opened up a window and let a fresh breeze blow through.