Taking Our Country Back

I keep hearing people of all political stripes talking about taking our country back. Back to where? Back to George W. Bush's era? A time when we were borrowing from China in order to finance two wars at a rate which increased the national debt faster and higher than any time in history? Back to the beginning of the greatest recession since the Great Depression?

Back to the era of Bill Clinton? A time when the United States was losing the respect of more nations so quickly that we fell from the number one position as the most respected and highest regarded nation on Earth?

Back to the time of George H. W. Bush when the economic downturn was so vastly ignored by our government leaders that the best statement to describe those four years was/is, "It's the economy, stupid!"

Back to the time of Ronald Reagan when 'trickle down economics' was the national policy? When the middle class decreased at the fastest rate since the middle class started being monitored? When more than 50% of our national budget was spent on military expansion?

Back to the time of Jimmy Carter when unemployment was in the double digits, inflation was in the triple digits and the lines at the gas pumps stretched for blocks?

Back to the era of Richard M. Nixon/Gerald Ford when the American people finally became aware of the deceit and illegal activities that were going on on Capitol Hill? When it was revealed that the U.S. government keeps a file on the majority of the U.S. citizenry documenting our most personal information, choices, shopping history, etc.?

How about back to the 60's when there was a massive war on the American people by our own government? When protesting the government was considering anarchy, illegal and when there was a huge war between the races?

How about back to the 50's when women had few rights, blacks were required to sit at the back of the bus, drink from separate water fountains and weren't allowed to use the public restrooms whites used?

I don't want to take our country "back", I want to see our country move FORWARD. Toward something that is good, where people are considered based on their ethics, morals, behaviors, achievements and education. Where gender and ethnicity has absolutely no consideration when determining jobs, pay, housing, etc. A country where the rights of each and every citizen is guaranteed, protected and defended, even if someone doesn't agree with their opinion, stand, speech, etc.

I know, I'm a dreamer; I'm longing for Utopia, et al. Or maybe it's just that I'm longing for Heaven. But I think the U.S. could come a lot closer to Utopia/heaven than where are currently, and much closer than we would be if we were to go "back" to any time in the past.

When I Feel I've Failed God in His Calling

I'm just a man.

I'm just an ordinary man.

I'm just an ordinary man called by God.

I'm just an ordinary man called by God to try to make the world a little better.

I'm just an ordinary man called by God to try to make the world a little better by shining God's light.

I'm just an ordinary man called by God to try to make the world a little better by shining God's light of love.

Today I feel like I've failed God. When I first truly understood God's calling, I thought, "Whew! That'll be easy! What could be easier than sharing God's love and getting His people to understand that it's about love. To show the lost and hurting that His love has already overcome all their problems, their hurts, their disappointments and He's waiting with open arms to embrace them in an amazing cocoon of His divine, perfect love? I truly believed that I had escaped one those difficult missions God sometimes gives His people; ya know, going to a third world country where the people are starving, thirsting, have nothing but a hovel to live in and know nothing about God. I thought that would be just too difficult for me to do.

Was I ever in for a massive surprise! I've come to realize sharing Jesus with someone who knows nothing about Him is relatively simple. They have no preconceived notions about Him. They don't have years of believing their dogma and mindset are in accordance with His Word. There are no stubborn lines in the sand to cross with those who know nothing about Him. But, going to those who have grown up in a church or spent years and years in a pew believing that's all they are required to do. And those in third world countries haven't spent years being taught and embracing this concept of "tough love" which has no basis, or even a remote resemblance, to God's Word!

I've been accused by people who claim the name of Jesus of being everything from misguided to deceived. I've been accused of trying to sow discord amongst the church or lead people down a path away from Christ and the cross. I've even had Christians tell me, point blank to my face, that I am not a Christian because I've challenged their long-seated notion of what showing God's love is. I found out that what I thought was going to be an easy calling has turned out to be one of the hardest things I've ever attempted to do and I've often questioned whether I'm up to the task. And, I'll admit there have been times I've questioned whether I heard God correctly, even.

Of course, God is ever faithful, and during those moments of uncertainty, questioning and even doubt, He has always reaffirmed His call, His mission for my life and truth of what my message is supposed to be. That doesn't make it any easier to face Christians, whom I love and respect and admire, who question me, accuse me or even condemn me. At those times I remember that the religious of Jesus' day were the very ones who mocked Him, accused Him, charged Him and were ultimately responsible for His death. That's right, the ones who were supposed to be God's representatives here on Earth were the ones who had Jesus put to death! Granted, that was God's plan all along, that Jesus would come, live, minister, die and be raised from the dead. There is no redemption from sin without sacrifice and Jesus became the final sacrifice for every sin ever committed on the face of this planet by every single person who has ever lived, from Adam right down to you and me, today. Considering there are 7 Billion people on the planet today and who knows how many billions between those living today and the day Adam fell, that's a whole lot of sin to take on His shoulders!

I will not abandon my calling. I will not walk away from the message that love is severely lacking in our modern, 21st Century lives. There's an old song from the 60's that is more appropriate today than ever before: 'what the world needs now is love, God's love.' But, those lyrics could also be changed to 'what the church needs now is love, God's love' and still be equally accurate. There's too much hate coming out of our pulpits, today.

Too much hate coming out the front doors of our churches.

Too much hate coming from the hearts and mouths of Christians each and every day within their daily lives.

No, not every Christian is hateful. And even the ones who do speak hate don't speak hate all the time and toward everyone in their sphere of life. Yet, there is still hate being broadcast out of the hearts of Christians and churches, today. And just as the Word tells us that light and darkness cannot reside in the same place, there is no place in the heart of God's children for both love and hate. Hate will take over and become the main emotion being spread.

Loving someone does not mean you accept their sin. It doesn't mean you approve of the lives of those who are living in sin. But there are scriptures that tell us how we are to behave when we truly live a life of Christian love.

The first scripture is this: Galatians 3:28: There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. What does that mean? For today's Christian living in the United States of America, it could be worded as: There is neither Republican nor Democrat, there is neither rich nor poor, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

Oh, I know, I've just spoken heresy as far as some Christians are concerned. But let me explain something to them, and to you: not every Republican is a Christian. And there are Christians who are registered Democrats. I know many Christians think that you cannot be a Democrat because of some of the planks in the Democratic platform, but I can be part of an organization and not agree with every single part of what they believe or do. Just as I can love someone and not approve or condone every single thing they do or say. I'm sure those who are condemning Democrats don't believe and support every single part of the Republican party's platform, either.

And I've found that the surest way to identify those who are struggling with truly loving each and every person, whether they are Christian or not are those who use the tired, and often false, old cliché: Love the sinner, hate the sin. For God that is an easy principle to put into practice, but not quite so easy for humans. We have trouble separating the two and in our hate for the sin we wind up hating the sinner and punishing them for what we consider to be their sin.

Oh, I know sin is sin, but Paul also told us, what is sin for me may not be sin for you, and what is sin for you may not be sin for me. That's a very difficult concept for us to swallow as well. Another scripture that tells us how to live as Christians who truly show love to everyone involves the story of the woman caught in adultery.

I find it interesting that the men who brought that woman and threw her to the ground at Jesus' feet only brought the woman when the Law of Moses is clear: when a man and woman are caught in the act of adultery, both are to be stoned to death. So, where was the man involved in this adulterous act? It's impossible for someone to commit adultery alone! But, Jesus' response, in John 8:7, tells us how we, as Christians who live our lives in and with love are to behave: He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.

Now, to be 100%, technically correct, as Christians we've been forgiven our sins, so we are, in His sight, without sin, but we all know that as human beings we continue to commit sin each and every day. Not a single one of us makes it through 24 hours without committing some type of sin. There was One there, however, who met the criteria Jesus laid out: Jesus, Himself. He truly was without sin, so by His own words He could have picked up a stone and thrown it at the woman first. But what did He do? He lifted her to her feet, forgave her and sent her on her way. Yes, many will scream, 'He told her to go and sin no more!' Yes, He did, but how many of you "sin no more" since you've been saved?

And I know many will now turn and say that I'm throwing stones at my brothers and sisters in Christ. I know this because they've done so many times, already. I am not throwing stones, I am following scripture, (Galatians 6:1) Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted. Trust me, I've very aware of this temptation. When I was new to this calling, there were times I struggled mightily with the temptation to hate those who refused to hear what I was trying to share with them. I've since come to understand that it is only my place to share what God has given me to share. I cannot force anyone to hear it or apply it to their lives. Do I hate those who don't hear? Do I hate those who call me names, hurl insults and even accuse me of being deceived/un-Christian? No, I don't. I love them just as much as I did before those things happened. That doesn't mean it doesn't hurt my feelings, my heart and soul when they make those statements, I am, after all, human.

Jesus also gave us clear instruction when someone refuses to hear us: (Matthew 10:14) And whoever will not receive you nor hear your words, when you depart from that house or city, shake the dust from your feet. Now, Jesus was talking about witnessing to the lost who refuse to hear our testimony and the Good News, but it applies when speaking to our Christian brothers and sisters, as well.

I love so much and want to share that love with each and every person I come into contact with, whether saint or sinner. And I've been called to share that love and teach that love to not only the sinners but also to the saints. Although I sometimes gets discouraged and feel as though I'm failing in my calling, I will not stop. I will not give up. For love covers a multitude of sins (or slights/insults/hurts). I will only give up on telling an individual about God's love when that individual flat out refuses to hear me and the Word of God. And when I do turn away from that person, I will shake the dust from my feet, and Jesus tells me in Matthew 10:15, Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city (or person)!

9/11 - 11 Years Later

Eleven years have passed since that horrible day when foreign terrorism first touched the shores of the United States of America. The attacks on the Pentagon, World Trade Center and the plane that crashed in that Pennsylvania field were not our first taste of terrorism. But it was our worst, and the first time foreign forces had brought it to our soil.

Some people don't understand why I don't like to talk about 9/11. They comment and post their remembrances with banners that say "We will never ever forget!" and they include all kinds of patriotic imagery. They talk of our unity to fight terrorists, and encourage us to stand up and persevere in the fight against terrorism. But, I tend to not make a big splash on this day. I tend to post very little on social media, at all, and I don't usually post those images or banners or cries for remembrance and vengeance.

Some who don't know me have even said I'm un-American or not patriotic because I don't join in to the noise, fracas and the plastering of images and slogans and cliché on the internet. Those who do know me worry about me because they know I am all of those things but they also know it's unusual for me to be so quiet for an entire day. The truth of the matter is, my heart breaks anew every 11th of September. My heart and soul grieve not only for the 2,998 souls lost on that horrible day, but also for the sense of unity and patriotism that we shared in the days and months following.

We were neither Republican nor Democrat, neither black nor white, neither rich nor poor; we were simply American. For a brief time we laid our differences aside and became united. It sort of reminded me of what Paul said in Galatians 3:28, "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus." There was a unity not seen in this country in many years; several generations, in fact. We came together to grieve for those lost, even though the vast majority of Americans did not know, had never met or even heard the names of those who were slain in New York City, Arlington, Virginia or in Pennsylvania. The pain and loss of the families and friends of the victims became a national pain and loss.

My prayer is that as we post our remembrances and encourage one another to never forget that we not limit ourselves to remembering that we were attacked or seeking vengeance against those who perpetrated those attacks, but we also remember the unity we shared in those dark days and the hope we held for those brief few months afterward that we could, once again, BE the United of the United States of America.

Equality Is Unequal?

Oppression: the exercise of authority or power in a burdensome, cruel or unjust manner. Tyranny, despotism, persecution, hardship, suffering.

Discrimination: treatment or consideration of, or making a distinction in favor of or against, a person or thing based on the group, class or category to which that person or thing belongs rather than on individual merit.

Bigotry: stubborn and complete intolerance of any creed, belief or opinion that differs from one's own. Narrow-mindedness, bias.

Suppression: the act of putting an end to the activities of a person or body of persons; the act of doing away with a practice or custom; the act of stopping or arresting the flow of something.

In the 21st Century, we would like to think that we have come beyond those words, or the actions/statements/attitudes that are behind those words. When we think of those words, we think of things like the Jewish enslavement by the Egyptians some 3,000 years ago or so. Or the enslavement of blacks and Asians by Western powers in the 16th to 19th centuries. Or maybe the Roman times from 300 BC to around 600 AD. We may think of the way women were treated before the 1930's up to around the 1950's when they were considered property of their husbands and for most of US recorded history were not allowed to vote, own property or much of anything else.

Yet, I see these 4 attitudes and actions every day in this country in the second decade of the 21st Century. I see it in religious oppression of and by Christians. Yes, by Christians, as well as of us. Many Christians truly believe they have the right to refuse other religions the freedom to worship. They believe the Constitution of the United States of America that gives the freedom to worship is only given to Christians. They erroneously proclaim this is a Christian nation. It is not. In order for this to be a Christian nation, this would be a theocracy not a democratic republic. No, we're not a democracy, either; we are a democratic republic.

Many claim the very documents that created this nation, The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States of America proclaim this to be a Christian nation and yet neither of those documents, and very few of the early documents of this nation include the name of Jesus. They do, however, say that God grants inalienable rights to man. But God is used in the sense of the Father part of the trinity, not as God the Son of the trinity.

There are also other groups that are oppressed suppressed, discriminated against and the victims of bigotry in this nation. We use our elected representatives to write laws forbidding groups who do not believe exactly the way we believe from living their lives the way we want to live ours: free and without the intrusion of the government in our personal matters.

We condemn anyone who fights for the same rights we love, defend and enjoy by proclaiming that they are "up in our faces" with their demands, yet at the same time, each of the previous groups mentioned who were once oppressed, suppressed and discriminated against only lost those designations by "getting in people's faces" and demanding change!

The thing we must all remember is this: when we work to prevent someone from all the rights and freedoms we enjoy, cherish and exercise because we disagree with something about the group or class they belong to, we're laying the groundwork and the basis for someone to come along and take those same rights, freedoms and privileges away from us.

And we're also not following the Christian example that Christ set for us during His years of ministry on this earth. We claim to be doing Christ's work by trying to ensure this is a Christian nation and if we don't then we are accepting sin and we'll be judged for that. There is no Biblical basis for that! There's not a single place where Jesus taught that if we don't force others to live according to our interpretation of His Word, He would hold us responsible for others behavior. In fact, He told us to "mind our own business" in several places and in several ways. All He commanded us to do was to share the Good News, not FORCE it on anyone.

I wonder what He will say to us when we stand before Him and have to answer for oppressing, suppressing, discriminating against and showing bigotry toward His other children?

It IS The Little Things In Life

When asked about life-changing events in our lives, we always search our memories for the big events in our lives - the births of children, the deaths of parents and grandparents, the hiring into our dream job, meeting our soulmate. These are some of the biggest events that occur in a lifetime and they are often the largest life altering events. However, some of the events that have the most impact and life-changing influences on our lives are small things.

One of the biggest life-altering events in my life was an event that in the grand scheme of things was not such a big deal. I was at work on 16 February 1998; I had to ship a VCR to a customer and as I lifted the VCR box and turned back toward the computer where I generated shipping labels, I felt a pain in my low back and the lower right side of my groin like no pain I had ever felt. In one fell swoop I had torn a hernia in my groin and collapsed the L4/5 vertebral disc. That was the last day I was able to hold a job.

Other than the night I got saved, the most defining moment of my past, in my adult life, was picking up a VCR in order to ship it out to a customer. Not much of a memorable event, in the grand scheme, but for me it was a life-altering moment.

In actuality, the most life-altering moment in each of our lives was the moment we took our last breath, the last beat of our heart. Without those things happening, we would no longer be here, but we rarely stop to think about our lungs inhaling and exhaling unless we have some ailment that hampers this ability, yet if we don't take another breath, our bodies will die in 4 to 5 minutes because there will be no more oxygen reaching our organs. And how often do you think about the times your heart contracts? We never stop to think about the fact that the last beat of our heart sent oxygen-rich blood coursing through our veins and arteries, which keeps us alive.

Just waking up from our sleep is such a monumentally life-changing event, yet it's something we take for granted. It's not a "big thing" in our lives, or so we think. Yet, without it we wouldn't have a life. Yes, I'm oversimplifying and getting extremely technical by talking about the last breath, the last heartbeat and the waking from sleep so that I can relate the fact that we overlook the most obvious and the smallest events in our lives every single day.

How many lives have been changed simply because you wore a smile through a storm? You'll likely not know the answer to that until you reach eternity and those people can thank you, personally. You may have had a day where everything was going wrong, when you were so discouraged and tempted to just give up when someone was kind enough to open a door for you, and without even realizing it, the simple gesture of someone being kind to you changed your day, and your life.

Always be grateful for the big events in life. They are precious, and they are few. But don't forget about the small events. They are even more life-altering than the big things.

BSLs, Pit Bulls and Insurance Companies

Much has been published, posted and shared this summer on social media about the so-called "pit bull", which is really a term used for multiple breeds of dogs, namely, the American Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier and Staffordshire Bull Terrier. Several dogs have been murdered by city and state governments simply for looking like a "pit bull" when they were, in fact, not. This was done under these BSLs (Breed Specific Laws).

While it is true that these dogs are the favored breeds for the underground dog fighting crowd because of their compact size, ease of training and their natural temperament to want to please and protect their humans, other dogs are also used in this horrifying event mistakenly called a sport. And while the media has hyped each and every incident of human attacks by "pit bulls", they've ignored the long history of these dogs being loving, well-behaved and exceptional companions to their humans.

A few years ago I ran into some trouble with my homeowner's insurance policy after one of the insurance reps came out to inspect the house after I had remodeled. She heard my dog, Sam, a Chow-Chow, in the house barking and asked about my dogs. I told her about the 3 dogs I had at the time, which also included a Norfolk Terrier named Baby Girl and a Great Dane named Sadie. She completed her inspection and left, never saying another word about my dogs. Imagine my surprise, then, when I received notice a couple weeks later that my homeowner's policy was being cancelled due to 2 dogs that were on the Nationwide Insurance ban list: Chow-Chow and Great Dane. Just before receiving the letter I had lost Sadie to a snake bite, but Sam was still with me. In order to keep my policy I had to sign a waiver that if Sam bit anyone I would be personally responsible for all monetary claims, essentially letting Nationwide off the hook for covering any claims that dealt with Sam in any way.

Of course, I was most shocked to learn they had, and the inclusion of Great Danes on, a ban list. In all the years I've had dogs, and I rescued my first dog in 1968 at the age of 4, I've never heard of a Great Dane attacking anyone in any situation other than protection of their humans, and even then the attacks were not serious and no deaths were ever brought to my attention. So why were these 'Gentle Giants' included on this list? Of course, the number one position on that list was the so-called "pit bull".

My very first rescue was what was known as a 'white dog'. These were dogs that were trained to attack blacks, on sight. Many people in the South in the 30's, 40's, 50's and 60's trained dogs to hate blacks because the people were bigots, red-necks and the lowest of the low in the class of humanity. After loving and training and correction, Riley was trained out of his brainwashing robotic need to attack blacks. I won't say he was ever friendly to anyone with dark skin in Vivian, but he never attacked anyone, either.

And I wonder why the media doesn't report the cases where "pit bulls" have saved people's lives? Why do they only report on incidents involving attacks? Why not do stories about the animals in homes with babies and small children where the dog acts as child minder without being asked? Alerting parents when children are hurt or putting themselves in danger, when they prevent children from getting close to stairs, stoves, glass objects or other things that could harm the child? Where are all those reports?

Yes, my Sam was territorial. That's a natural trait in the Chow-Chow breed, just as it is in many breeds, though it does seem to be a bit more intense in Chow-Chows. However, Sam never attacked anyone physically. He barked and growled at a few and even prevented a break-in in my home when someone tried to enter through a rear window into the den. I'm sure that burglar needed to change his pants after Sam greeted him when the curtains were pulled aside!

The thing is, I've met Chihuahuas that were vicious and had bit many, many people, including children. I've met Maltese who were violent and bit people just for walking near them. I even knew a Beagle once who was so mean that only one person could get near her and she even bit him more than once. So, all of this proves it's not a breed that designates a nasty tempered vicious dog. It's all about the way that individual dog was raised and the circumstances of their life that determines whether a dog is calm, gentle and loving or hyper, violent and vicious. Hmmmm, kinda sounds like people doesn't it?

USA: Christian Nation or Democratic Republic?

It began in the 1970's but didn't really take root until the 1980's; I'm talking about the government telling parents they couldn't whip their children, also known as corporal punishment. The government claimed that whipping children was abusive and children who were subjected to this type of punishment grew up to have severe emotional and behavioral problems. Fast forward to when those children who were not given spankings are all grown up and look at the number of crimes committed in their generation compared to the number of crimes committed by the last generation who were brought up being taken to the woodshed when they misbehaved. The proportion of crimes committed by those not spanked is off the charts compared to those who were, despite the fact that there are fewer children in that generation than the one that included spanking as punishment.

Let's face it, there's a huge difference between spanking and abuse. As a child who was abused by my father, I do know the difference. I received discipline from my step-mother, aunt & uncle, grandparents and my foster mom so I do know the difference between the two. And trust me, I deserved a whole lot more spankings than I actually got, but I never deserved one of the incidents of abuse my father inflicted on me.

And it's not just prayer that the government has prohibited from our schools, it's any mention of God or Jesus, at all. Someone might be offended if they're Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Wiccan or atheist. As for the Jews, Muslims, Hindus and Wiccans, I don't think they'd be offended because they believe in a God; the Jews and Muslims actually believe in the same God as Christians, they just don't believe in Christianity. As for the atheists (who were the ones who got Jesus kicked out of school in the first place), their numbers are so few I really wouldn't worry too much about them being offended except the fact that Jesus taught us to not offend anyone if we can help it.

Now, does that mean our students can never pray in school? That they can never utter the name of Jesus while on school property or participating in school activities? Yeah, right! Students are talking about Jesus every day in schools and they're praying every day before exams! What the ruling actually says is the school cannot coordinate anything that includes Jesus or prayer, but at the same time they can't include Buddha or any of the hundreds of Hindu gods, either. Still, as Christians, we allowed the government to kick Jesus out of the schools by remaining silent.

After all, who is the government? We are! No, we may not be sitting at desks in Washington, DC but we are the government. Remember the words of our founding fathers? "Government for the people by the people?" That means anything the government resolves is something that we have allowed. If you don't like what your elected officials are doing, vote them out. The sad fact is that while everyone complains about the politicians in office, they keep being re-elected!

So, what can you or I, as individuals, really do? For one, we can vote for people who are not career politicians. Our founding fathers never intended for politics to be a full-time, paid career. They called those who were elected to office "public servants" for a reason. Today those elected officials believe themselves to be public masters, not servants. I've actually had politicians representing me tell me that they vote the way they see fit and not the way the majority of the people in their district want them to. That, in and of itself, should be enough to get them booted out of office.

Now, on the topic of the subject of this post: the United States of America is not, and never has been, a Christian nation. That would make the US a theocracy, which it is not. This country was founded for many reasons, but the actual founding of the country was not about religious persecution. The reason many people colonized this land or came to this country was religious persecution, to be sure, but the actual revolution was spurred by taxation by King George without representation of the people living in North America.

The Mayflower Compact was drafted and signed by people fleeing religious persecution in England where they were told what church they had to attend, when they had to attend and exactly how they were to worship. Sounds like what many Christians today want to initiate here, doesn't it?

Those same people who claim this to be a Christian nation and who want to prevent others from practicing the religion of their choice also claim the Constitution of the United States of America only applies to Christians. That's hogwash! Had the framers intended that to be the case, they would have spelled it out in the document that it applied only to those who were practicing Christians. Instead, they were careful to spell out that each and every man on this planet has the God-given right to choose whom, how and when they worship, even if that means not worshiping at all.

I can hear many people saying, but they wrote "the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them" and "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights" in the Declaration of Independence. They did, but these people are forgetting something that God also did: He gave man the freedom of choice. Mankind has the choice to serve God or not to serve Him, it's called Free Will. And if you'll really read the words they used, they used wording that would include for those who worship other gods their chosen and designated deity. It doesn't mean they thought the other gods were real or worthy, it just means they knew men have the right to choose whom they worship and they were not going to disqualify anyone who worshiped Mohammed and not Jesus.

As Christians, we are given specific instructions by Christ on how we are to lead our lives. The first commandment He gave us to follow is: "Love God with your whole heart, soul and mind." The second, He said, is like the first: "Love your neighbor as you have been loved by God," and He defined neighbor as every other person on the planet. His third commandment is, "go and spread the Good News of the gospel and make disciples." But, Jesus also knew that some people would not accept the Good News and He gave us instruction on what to do when someone rejects our message: "shake the dust off your feet and move on to the next person." We cannot force someone to "repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ so that they might be saved." Salvation comes from true repentance in one's heart. While someone may say the words and do the deeds to appear as if they're following Christ because they were forced to do so, in the far reaches of their heart they're no more saved than the devil, himself.

And yet, almost from the time of Christ's ascension, we have been trying to force people to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior. At the heart of the Crusades was the notion that they were going to force the Muslims to become Christians, and we are seeing today the results of that fiasco.

Jesus taught us to walk in humility, to let His light shine through us to illuminate the darkness. Our lives are our best testimony, not our words. People see the way we live more than they hear the words we speak. You can speak all the right words and quote the Bible word-for-word without mistake, and yet if your life isn't reflecting the teachings of His Holy Word, people are going to laugh at you, talk about you behind your back and compare notes with others, as well as informing anyone you haven't met, that you are a hypocrite.

Jesus walked in love. His 3½ year ministry was marked by His compassion, His giving. He never boycotted anyone for not following Him. He never led protests against the government because they weren't doing what was right, and He lived not under a Jewish ruler of His home country but by the invading, domineering occupying force of the Roman empire. If anyone had a right to protest the ruling party, it was Jesus and those of His day! In fact, many of those around Him tried to get Him to do just that, but His answer to them was that this world was not His kingdom!

Yes, we live in this world in the present time. Yes, we love our country, but the United States of America is not where I hold my citizenship. I am a child of the everlasting God, heir of salvation with the King of kings. As the old song says, "this world is not my home."