Election 2016, Coming Together

I was very concerned about the direction of this country before this election and I am concerned about the direction of the country now after the election.  We have an opportunity to come together and we need to work to do this, otherwise we all fail.

Listening to Glen Beck today he brought up some interesting points.  We have gotten into a mindset of creating things that are "American" and if you don't do these things you are not American.  This has created a dangerous path to be on and creates an "us" and "them" stance.  This is not what America is about.  We have gotten into this pendulum swing of national extremism, which started after 9/11, everyone had to show patriotic colors, support the military, police, firefighters, etc., if you didn't you would be labeled un-american.  Then the pendulum began to swing in the other direction, millennials were concerned with the environment, sincerity of the government, being in wars and foreign affairs.  If you didn't support the policies of the president you would be labeled a racist, xenophobia, bigot, etc.  Now during this election it is swinging back to nationalism, protecting our borders, reduced federal government in our lives, etc.  We need to take a hard look at how we are treating people as we swing through these extremes and at some point we need to get back to incorporating biblical principles and civility in our public square, to have love and compassion for our neighbors even when we disagree.  The point is that as we support one extreme and the other, we are not coming together to understand those differences.  Neither one of these extremes are inherently bad, the problem is, each side is using their "power" over the other when in power.  We need to stop the pendulum swing and come back together as a country.

We need to work together for a government that enforces the rule of law, no matter what position you hold.  We need to sympathize with those that are different than us and learn to understand them, and work to make a country that allows us all to live with equal opportunity.  Those of us that think BLM is all about killing cops need to understand the true reasons behind why BLM is protesting, there are reasons that need to be talked about and understood, a dialog of love, forgiveness, and understanding needs to take place.

We have gotten into a habit of lumping groups together.  We say, "All whites are racist" or "All Muslims are terrorists" or "All blacks are on welfare or cop killers".  None of these comments are true and it produces hatred and shuts down dialog and an intellectual conversation about the issues that are plaguing this country today that need to be discussed.  Let us begin this dialog today.  Let us welcome those with opposing views and life experiences and truly understand what they, our neighbors are concerned with.  We need to stand together when the rule of law is not being followed or when justice is not being served, even when it is our "side" that is not following those rules, because when the pendulum swings the other way, you do not want the other side to us those same tactics against what you support.  Having "your" president work around the Congress to get "laws" enacted that you support is OK, just remember when a president that you do not support gets into office do you want them to do the same thing?  We all need to support the rule of law whether a "law" is to our benefit or not otherwise we eventually will have someone in there that creates "laws" that we do not like.

Let our differences not divide us, but let us work through these differences to make us all stronger, if we can work together to address these issues we can overcome.  We need to be leaders of integrity to bring us back together.  We do not all want to be the same, so we need to work together to create an environment that brings out the good in our culture and the differences we all bring to the table creates an ever changing, evolving, dynamic, and wonderful blend of humanly that you can not find anywhere else in the world.  Let us demonstrate the positive side of this melting pot not the negative side.

As Americans we need to come together to unite, understand that what one side is dealing with was what the other side was dealing with 4 years ago.  Let us not take "revenge" on the policies and decisions that defined the last 8 years with equal and opposite concern for the other side.  This is not the time for a tit-for-a-tat politics.  If that is the direction this next president takes, we need to all stand as Americans against them and any policies that go against our principles and Constitution.  As Americans and especially Christians we need to take advantage of this opportunity to build a loving, forgiving environment that reflects the love that Jesus has for everyone.  We need to take into account the concerns of our neighbors.  If we fail to do this, there will be a swing in the opposite direction down the road that will not be favorable for you.

Its time to get to work, let us work together for a greater tomorrow.

American Dream

What is the American Dream?  Our presidents' throw this idea around when they are talking about providing opportunities and benefits that the government can help the people reach a certain financial pinnacle.

The American Dream is not a tangible, it is an ideal.  The opportunity to struggle and succeed with out the restricts of class, government dictate, but within a rule of law that provides all the same opportunity to be successful in whatever endeavor that may be.  The typical reference to reaching this ideal is a house with a white picket fence.  This is not the "American Dream"!  This can be the thermometer but its not the goal.

We have become so caught up in the measurement of the American Dream we have lost focus on what it truly is.  The government has done as much as possible to provide, not an opportunity to reach the "American Dream" but rather, the house with a white picket fence, at the cost of future generations. This has come in the form of subsidy's for housing, college, and now phones, TVs, etc.

We need to teach our kids that the american dream is about what you make of your life not by what you gather.

Introduction

The United States of America was founded on biblical principles. We need to rediscover those principles. I felt a calling to raise awareness to what the bible says we need to be doing as Christians and contrast that with what our culture is telling us today.  My hope is that this will help reestablish biblical principles that will guide us today.

Through this calling and desire to bring Christ back to the forefront of this nation's consciousness, my intent is not to belittle those that are Christians but rather raise the question to ones own sole on whether they are acting as Christ would want them to act.  Providing a standard against the status quo of our contemporary society.  I fall short of these ideals but look to these thoughts as a standard to strive for in my own life.

As you read through these ideas please feel free to provide you thoughts and feedback.  I look forward to productive and civil dialogue with all representatives including those that may oppose wholeheartedly these ideas.  As a free society we must all be willing to listen and engage in ideas that may be extreme so that all grievances can be addressed, allow all to be included and take an active roll in the American experiment.

My intention is to focus on Biblical principles, but there may be a peppering of other thoughts that relate to other areas that I am passionate about.