One day, we will have to tell our children the truth about the environmental movement.
We will have to say:
When I was younger, we allowed a massive, unlawful cartel to control the world price of oil and damage our economy. Even though the cartel set the world market price for oil by curtailing its production whenever the price got too low for their tastes, we blamed others for the price.
We blamed the SUV owners, saying their excessive consumption drove up demand and created high prices. We blamed BP, Citgo, Shell, and Exxon for making a profit, even though their profits were only about four to eight cents on each gallon of gasoline. We ignored other things that drove up the price, like the many federal, state, and local gasoline taxes, to focus mainly on the corporations that refined and transported our fuel at meager levels of profit, and we taxed the oil companies heavily because we felt they made too much profit.
When the price reached $4.00, it was the realization of the pre-2000 dream of environmentalists, who wanted to see the price of gasoline go so high that people would stop buying it. $4.00 was a common price listed as the "no way" point back when gas was $0.99/gallon.
We refused to do anything about the price of oil and gasoline because we were following a mandate from the environmental movement that we had to eliminate our use of fossil fuels. We didn't drill for the oil we had to force the world market to correct its price, and we didn't pursue non-food crop-based fuels, such as hemp. We drove up the price of corn that could feed people in order to make ethanol, even though growing, refining, and transporting the stuff used more energy than it created, and even though it required high amounts of fertilizer and pesticide.
And because we refused to do anything about the price of oil, we followed the environmental movement's advice to conserve energy by changing our light fixtures from incandescent bulbs to fluorescent tubes, even though the compact tubes brought mercury or similar toxins into our homes and created a massive problem in proper disposal of the spent lamps.
And we gave away our freedom to climate control our homes, letting someone at a remote location control the thermostats in our houses so we wouldn't use as much electricity.
Loss of freedom and damage to the economy are the results of the policies put forth by the environmental movement. Eventually, we're going to have to be honest about this and tell our children that this is what it was doing to us. Why can't we be honest about it now and find a better solution?
Look around. Think through what the policies advocated by the environmental movement will eventually do to our nation. Then look around at the political candidates and see which ones have a record most closely aligned with the environmental movement. You can be sure that they favor policies that will have these effects:
- Higher fuel prices - Burning anything (except an SUV, it seems) is bad in the eyes of the environmental movement.
- Hamstrung economic growth - Taxing the oil companies (which are most likely in your mutual fund) hurts investors, which limits the amount of money available to start businesses, which limits the number of jobs that are created, which hinders the economic growth.
- Higher food prices - One of the environmental movement's sacred cows in this country right now is ethanol made from corn or sugar cane, even though most other nations have abandoned ethanol as more resource-intensive than petroleum. Candidates favoring ethanol from food crops favor higher food prices, which means more hungry poor in the USA.
- Less freedom - The environmental movement wants to tell you that you can't choose to spend your hard-earned money on electricity to cool or heat your home to the temperature that makes you comfortable. Candidates who support the environmental movement don't support your right of self-determination in small things... what makes you think they'll support it in large things? Maybe you've heard of the concept of faithfulness with little being an indication of worthiness to manage much?
- Hare-brained solutions and computer models that don't match facts and logic - Compact fluorescent tubes use less energy than incandescent bulbs, but they contain toxic chemicals: not a sensible solution. Candidates supporting the environmental movement follow the theory of massive man-made global warming, even though the science doesn't back the theory (maybe you read a few news articles about the drop in temperatures over the last year that wiped out a century's temperature rises, to name only one of many problems with the theory)... and even though following the theory requires steps hurtful to our God-given rights.

The environmental movement has failed us, and it is time to abandon it. We need to focus on being good stewards of the resources God has given us and stop blindly following this navel-gazing warm fuzzies movement. Environmentalism is fatally flawed. Stewardship is sound both ecologically and economically, as well as theologically and logically.
We must do a better job of taking care of God's green earth -- but we won't do that by joining the environmental movement in poorly-considered plans based on questionable science.
Consider this when you choose a political candidate this November. Think about what you'll tell your children.

Microsoft has announced that Windows XP(tm) will no longer be available for most platforms and users after June 30th. This move makes sense for them, but it's not necessarily beneficial to their customers.
Luckily, there are options. ( Read more... )

Politics is a touchy subject with some people. And with many, it is the realm of emotion rather than reason.
With some politicians throwing around words like hope, change, and future without giving any clarification for what they mean by these words, I thought it would be a good idea to examine the possibilities and the mindsets that I've observed in recent months.
I think it fitting to begin with the future. Politicians love the future. After all, if all your promises are about the future, you don't have to actually do anything about them, because the future is always yet to be. The future is nebulous, unclear, and unpredictable. This is appropriate, because political promises tend to be the same things. I don't trust people who talk about the future in vague terms. If you want to talk about the future, put it in firm language so I know what you really mean to do.
Hope is a wonderful thing, but we need to have real hope, not throwaway hope. We need the kind of hope that is mentioned in Jeremiah 29:11, where God says His plans will give us a future with hope, that is, something real to look forward to. We need to avoid making political decisions based on throwaway hope, like when we look at the dark clouds and say, "I hope it doesn't rain." When we say that, we don't expect it to stay dry, and we don't really mind if that throwaway hope is not fulfilled. It's not real hope, and we don't care much whether it comes to pass. In fact, we expect that it will not be realized. This is a terrible way to make important decisions, because we have more at stake than whether we will have our picnic cut short by a rain that does us no more harm than making us wet.
No matter what anyone says, humans don't like change. We often feel there is no guarantee that the change will be for the better. Except when a politician talks about it. This is a good time to be wary. Pin people down. "What changes are you suggesting?" After all, someone who promises change can fulfill that promise by locking every person into an isolation cell. It's change, but do you support it? Change for the sake of change is not good. Changes need to happen as a logical solution to a problem. If the change is not adequately considered, it may do more harm than good. And question assumptions about what needs to change and why. It may be that someone has a vested interest in a change that hurts other people.
Of course, the most disturbing thing I've seen lately is not with the politicians themselves but with the voters. Many voters have been getting excited about candidates who say they will give them things ... things that are not really in their legitimate power to give ... things the Constitution doesn't grant the federal government power to enact.
Be careful, voters.
The road to totalitarian dictatorship is reached often through the side street of 'bread and circuses'. Be wary of anyone who promises to give you things that are not rightly yours. Government is supposed to protect your ability to use your gifts and talents and efforts to make a good life for yourself with what God has provided. Government is not supposed to give to some at the expense of others. It is supposed to protect and give equally to all (roads, etc.).
"In the end they will lay their freedom at our feet and say to us, 'Make us your slaves, but feed us.'" --Dosteovsky's Grand Inquisitor
"The mob is traitor to the people." —Victor Hugo

"In order to be grounded I've got to be crazy, and I must be crazy to keep flying missions. But, if I ask to be grounded that means I'm not crazy anymore, and I have to keep flying." --Capt. Yossarian, Catch-22

From time to time, people (usually married people) say to singles something along the lines that singles should be content and happy with being single, that singles should stop looking and just be productive. What the single should be productive at varies, whether it's mission work or a career or something else. And if the single tries to take this advice, people will say something like, "See? Aren't you happier now? You didn't need to be looking for your mate."
The proposition is a catch-22: If you want to get married, you must not be whole in yourself. If you're whole in yourself, you should have no desire to get married.
This presents singles with something of a problem. If they don't take the advice, they'll have to put up with insensitivity of those who, for the most part, are like the environmentalist who already has a house but tells others that they shouldn't cut trees to build homes for themselves. Easy for you to say I don't need a house; you already have yours.
And if they do follow the advice, their legitimate desires will be dismissed as being something easy to ignore, or worse, imagined in the first place.
Furthermore, if they give up on their search, singles face the prospect of missing their goal when it presents itself. For, being wholly consumed with whatever being productive is, they are less likely to have attention or time to give to prospective mates who might emerge.
I know that sometimes singles look with the wrong attitude, and that some of us need to make changes to the way we do things, but what I'm talking about here is this blind insistence people who are not looking have that singles should not be looking, which I think often comes down to an unwillingness on their parts to listen to what they consider to be the whining of the lonely.
Married people don't want to remember, I think, their singlehood. It is easier to simply pass it off with a platitude and urge the single person to find more productive use for his or her time.
Some will even go so far as to extol the virtues of being unattached. Why, you single people can go wherever you want, whenever you want, and you don't have to clear it with a spouse! Okay, assuming you have a good salary and can get away, fine... but there's another side to this coin. It may be nice to run wherever the wind pushes your sail, but when you are away from your harbor, there's nothing so lonesome as knowing that there is nobody at home to care what time you get in. The opposite of love is not hate; it's apathy... and if the manifestation of apathy in someone's life is that no one is at home to care whether one comes back to the hearth at dinner time or at midnight, is that not a feeling far from feeling loved?
So don't be glib about the freedom of being single. If someone wants to get married, don't ridicule his or her feelings. If you feel the need to do something, help the single prepare for marriage properly. But don't tell single people that they don't know how good they have it. The likelihood is that they do know the benefits, but they also have a wish that, even if it's not the best, merits honest and compassionate discussion.
I plan soon to write a little bit about the mistakes singles ministries make, and how those mistakes can be avoided.

I finished listening to Robinson Crusoe today. It is a wonderful book, and I highly recommend it. I had never realized just how long "poor Robin Crusoe" was on that island. The ending was a very good one, and full of mirth. I have to say that I was a little surprised at how he left things, but on reflection, it was a very just and considerate thing for him to do.
If you haven't read the book, go get it! :)

1. Botnets surpass DoS as top security issue, survey says
2. When Macs Attack (Actually, the exploit was for PHP, not MacOS or Linux)
3. Attack of the PC Zombies!
4. Are you in a botnet?
5. 1/4 of all computers are zombies (part of a botnet)
6. Is Your Computer Part Of A Botnet?
7. Note to new Linux users: No antivirus needed - Personally, I use ClamAV, but the author is right. I don't really need it.
8. Five Flaws
9. Bugs/1000 lines of code
10. Zombies at Wikipedia

I found all of these because I was reading the first article. And I immediately thought of the fact that most botnets use Windows(tm) exploits to embed themselves on systems, and that most of the malware is written for Windows(tm) (because of its market penetration), and that most Windows(tm) users don't take the time to properly secure their machines (and many don't even know how). And I thought I ought to look around for some information. So I looked up zombie on my favorite search engine (AltaVista) combined with Mac/Macintosh(tm), PC/Windows(tm), and Linux. Interestingly, for Macintosh, most of the results had to do with a game called Stubbs the Zombie. For Linux, most of the links were informational about zombies and botnets in general. For Windows(tm), most of the links were about computers infected by malware.
Botnets are responsible for a lot of the spam you get in your inbox. It could be your best friend's computer that sent it, and neither of you might know.
I think people should switch from Windows(tm) to Macs or Linux-based PCs, as they tend to be more secure out of the box. And if you're running a secure machine, you're not sending spam.
People need to take more responsibility for securing their computers. If you don't secure your computer, you might unknowingly be violating your ISP's terms of service by sending spam... not to mention garnering for yourself the curses of those who receive the spam your computer is sending out... that might be why it runs so slowly.

So, take some time to inform yourself. Then either take the time and effort to secure your Windows(tm) machine (a starting point) or make the switch... You can get a Mac here. You can get Linux here (I recommend Ubuntu for the non-technical and Debian for the power users).

On Monday, I was having some pain in my leg, and I began to worry about it. I asked some friends to pray for me that the pain would be nothing serious and that I wouldn't freak out.
My mom showed me a week-long series in Daily Guideposts 2007 on worry.
May 7: "Next to me, an older gentleman stretched his arms to the ceiling and announced to no one in particular, 'If I knew life was going to turn out this good, I never would have worried so much!' .... I happened to know that his life was not without difficulty." --Edward Grinnan
In the May 9 entry, Grinnan recounts a lesson given him that worry is a self-focused activity and that it blocks positive thoughts we could be having, including a focus on God. He points out that worry is heavily related to control. I think that may be why I worry so much. I like to be in control, and I'm usually not in control of anything. I should not worry.
In the May 11 entry, Grinnan mentions something that can help us to not worry: "Enthusiasm is one of the greatest blessings we can receive-- and, I'm beginning to think, the perfect antidote to worry."
So think on the good things, be excited about good things that can happen, and don't worry. These are hard instructions to keep, but if we did, we'd be much happier.
I continue to covet your prayers, because I am still having some pain in various places. I think it is from a little bit too much exertion one day this weekend and from being tired from not sleeping enough. Please pray for me that that is what I am experiencing (I may also have caught a touch of a summer cold), and that I don't worry. And don't you worry. And pray that I get the rest and whatever else I need to be healthy.

  In addition to the variety of places people can serve in missions, there is also a variety of different works people can do. Each person is given talents, abilities, and passions by God for different types of work. As I Cor 12:27-30 tells us, the Spirit gives different tasks and abilities to different people, but we are all one Body, and we should not begrudge others their gifts and callings. We ought to work together, each doing what God is leading, all working toward the common goal of building up the Kingdom.
  Let each person use his or her talents and abilities to share God's love and grace, like a candle giving light to the place where it is. But Paul goes on after that passage to point out that the greatest gift is simply loving others. If we love one another, as Jesus commands, people will know that we belong to Christ.

  One of the most important things to remember about missions is that we do not forge a path into uncharted territory, taking the Lord with us. When we go into places away from our home, we are joining Jesus in work He's already doing.
  I once heard an excellent paraphrase of Psalm 59:10, which was, "My God, in His lovingkindness, shall meet me at every corner." Every time we approach a corner and don't know what's around the bend, God is there providing for us. Every time we come to a corner and feel trapped, God is already there providing for our needs. Psalm 139 tells us in verses 7-13 that no matter where we go in the world, even to the heights and depths of heaven or hell, God will be with us.
  I mention this because I know there are times we forget it.
  I heard a story a few years ago about a mission team that went to Poland. The story was told to me by a Pole, and he said that when they arrived in the airport in Warsaw, they were wearing shirts that said something like "Bringing Christ to Poland". He said the sight of it made him sick. I can well understand his feeling. Christianity was adopted in Poland in A.D. 966, over a millennium ago.
  And even if the team had been going somewhere with no formal history of Christianity, they still would not be taking Christ anywhere He had not already been. Christ precedes us in missions. Christ is at work wherever He calls us. We need to remember that we are not the root of God's grace, from which we take and spread it abroad. Nor are we the vessels where God's grace ends up, to be stored and enjoyed. We are conduits, the branches (Jn 15:5) that carry God's grace from the root to the leaves like water; living water flows through us, and while it nourishes us in passing, it does not stop in us: we pass it on.
  Remember, when you go out in missions, that you are not taking Christ anywhere. You are following Him.

  Missions is important. Every member of Christ's universal Church is called to some form of missions, whether it is full-time service in a particular field, summer mission trips, or praying daily for missionaries in the field.
  Missions is such an important part of the Church that we would be doing a great disservice to the work of the Kingdom if we went out in missions ill-prepared or with wrong motives. And yet, that is what we as individual congregations often do. This is unacceptable.
  We need to understand first that right motives don't always translate to right actions. Proverbs 27:14 says that we can bless people in the wrong way and have our actions counted as a curse. If we do not understand what we are doing, we can easily do more harm than good. Proverbs 27:7 tells us that one who is full despises even the sweetest things, which reminds us that we need to make sure the needs we're trying to meet are the needs people actually have. And Proverbs 27:12 says, "A prudent man forseeth evil, and hideth himself; but the simple pass on, and are punished."
  Let us be wise, let us forsee the possible evils of doing missions with wrong motive or wrong preparation, and lets us avoid the danger.
  First, we must have the right motives in doing missions. We oughtn't do missions to increase our church membership. We oughtn't do missions to make ourselves feel good or to get a blessing, though that often accompanies mission work. We oughtn't do missions to make ourselves feel better about our circumstances. We ought to do missions because Jesus calls us to it, because we are reflecting God's love, and because we have the Spirit of Love in our hearts.
  Second, we must have the right attitude. We are not better than the people we meet in the mission field. We are not inherently smarter, nor do we know everything. We are not experts on the culture, no matter how long we've been working there. We don't know better than the locals. We have the same number of right ideas and wrong ideas as everyone else, really; Really. We are in missions to share God's love, and part of love is respect. We need to have an attitude of respect, because whether the local customs are right or wrong, they are the local customs. Yes, we should exhort people to righteousness and away from sin, but no, just because they do things differently doesn't make them wrong. Our attitude must show that we know the difference between actual sin and cultural differences of opinion.
  Third, we must be well-prepared for the missions we undertake. If you aren't going to take the time and effort to learn how to properly move about in another culture, stay home. If you aren't going to take the time and effort to learn how to properly do what you're going to do, stay home. It is better that you stay home and do no missions than that you go off ill-prepared and break something that was livable as it was. To go on a mission, individuals need to have training in how to approach a different culture. Training is important.
  Fourth, we need to listen to the local people. They've lived in their culture their whole lives. If they tell us something, we need to listen. We don't need to do anything we feel is counter to the will of God, but we need to listen and fairly evaluate what we are told. The simple pass on ignoring the warnings, and they are punished for it.
  Finally, in all that we do for God in missions, we need to think about how we are treating people and ask ourselves whether we would want to be treated that way.
  Missions is crucial to the Kingdom. We need to do it. We need to do it correctly. It's vitally important that we do.

  Jesus was very clear about the scope of the Church's mission field. It is four-fold, and most of us have heard what these four locations mentioned mean in numerous sermons. Jerusalem, of course, is our local community. Judea is locations near us or in our own country. Samaria is the places we'd rather not go, where there are people we don't necessarily like. And the world encompasses all mission fields.
  And the Church universal is doing a fairly good job of reaching most of these areas. But our local churches are mostly failing. Yes, some churches are sending out missionaries. Unfortunately, many churches are picking one of the four areas and neglecting the rest, particularly Samaria. I know of no translation or paraphrase that uses the word "or" during Jesus' words in Acts 1:8, and the KJV has the word "and" three times. This is not a list of choices. Each local congregation ought to be doing something for each of the four areas Jesus outlined for the mission of the Church.
  Each congregation should be doing something locally, something in other areas of their home country, something among those who would normally be considered their enemies, and something in other parts of the world. Does this mean every congregation needs to provide full support for half a dozen full-time missionaries in each of these areas? No. But each congregation should be sending out as many mission teams as it can properly equip and fund, and it should be sending them to a variety of locations, not just to one, and certainly not just in their local communities. Missions in other places is important for many reasons, one of which is that by visiting people in other cultures, even if that culture is just on the other side of our home state, we gain an understanding that ours is not the only right way, nor is our way necessarily the best. It is important that we learn this and that we see that people in other cultures are very much like us, in spite of our differences, especially with those we would not normally choose to be in our social groups.
  God wants us to see and to remind each other that we are all alike before Him. We are all infinitely precious to the Father. We all have hopes and dreams and fears and needs, and we all need a savior from our sins and a friend in time of trouble. We are all the same underneath our cloaks of color, culture, and clothing.
  It is important that every local congregation support in some way the mission of God in their own Jerusalems, Judeas, and Samarias, and in the uttermost parts of the world.
  Is your church being a witness to Christ in all of these places?

  Missions truly is the heartbeat of the Church. Christ commanded us to go forth and bring people to Him in the Great Commission. So every church ought to be going forth to do missions. But we also need to remember that missions is like a heartbeat. In the book of the Acts of the Holy Spirit, we find that the apostles went out and preached and did good works, then came together for times of fellowship, resolution of questions, edification, preparation, learning, and renewal.
  The apostles neither disbanded from each other permanently nor cloistered themselves to enjoy the heady experience of the Spirit's filling. They went out, and they came back. They scattered, then gathered, then scattered, then gathered, like a heart contracting and relaxing.
  Unfortunately today, many of our churches are having heart attacks as they gather in their relaxing phase and never contract for the scattering phase. Like a heart that stops contracting to spread oxygenated blood through the body, some of our congregations are watching their ministries wither and having no idea why.
  It is because they are not doing what a heart does: gather the blood, spread the blood through the body. They have stopped in mid-cycle. The time has come for the Body to jumpstart its hearts. The time has come for our congregations to remember why they gather. It is not so they can be filled and fed for their own benefit. It is so they can be filled and fed to have the strength to take with them into places far from the heart and impart some of that life-giving strength to those who have no access to the heart.
  The heart only gets what it needs when it pumps blood to the rest of the body. The local church only gets what it needs when it sends members outside itself to do the work of the Kingdom. A heart that only contracts and never gathers will die. A heart that only gathers and never contracts will die. A church that only gathers and never sends missionaries will die. Missions is the heartbeat of the Church. Make sure your congregation is beating. It needs both phases, and both phases need to be strong.
  The local church needs to gather to build up the members, but it also needs to send its members out into the world to create disciples. If it's not doing both of those things, look out. It may be having a heart attack.

  This segment was heavily informed by a Bible study lead by Dr. Bill Mallard.

  The Bible is clear that God is interested in having a relationship with all nations. In Genesis, when God is making a promise to Abraham, God says "I will make the a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing" (Gen 12:2); The whole book of Jonah is about God's care for a Gentile city, even though God's prophet wants nothing to do with telling them to turn to God; Proverbs has a number of things to say about helping others: In 3:27, we find instructions to give to others when it is in our power, and in 11:26, we find that people curse a man who withholds resouces but bless one who is willing to sell to those who need them.
  There is clearly a concept in God's will of our being blessed so that we will have what we need to bless others. We are blessed that we might be blessings to those in need around us.
  God wants us to be thankful for what we have, and part of our gratitude needs to be sharing with those who do not have the types of blessings we have received. They will have other things they need to share with us, and they can't do that unless we go and share of what we have. All peoples are created in the image of God, so all have something to teach and to share with others. Some have physical resources, some have spiritual wisdom, some have intense devotion, and all of us need to share with those who do not have what we have and to allow them to share with us what they have.
  I am very fond of an illustration I once heard somewhere about God's grace and the vitality and effectiveness we have depending on what we do with it. The illustration is of the Jordan River. It flows into two large bodies of water, the Sea of Galilee and the Salt Sea, also called the Dead Sea. The Sea of Galilee is a vibrant body of water where many people catch fish for their livelihood. The Dead Sea is so salty that no fish live in it. The difference between these two is that the Sea of Galilee has an inlet and an outlet. Water flows in and then out, continuing to bring life to the land downstream, until it reaches the Dead Sea. This body of water has no outlet river. Water comes in and seeps into the ground around the sea.
  We are like these two seas, and our vitality and effectiveness depends a lot on whether we catch and hold and hoard God's blessings, or enjoy the blessings and send them on to others. We are to be like the Sea of Galilee. We are to be conduits or pipes through which God's grace flows to others. We are not to be like the Dead Sea. We are not to be jars that capture God's grace and try to hold it in for ourselves.
  Consider one more passage from the Bible. Luke 12:16-21 reminds us that God does not want us to store up earthly blessings. Our path is clear. If we have more than we need, we should look for someone who needs what we have that we do not need. Better still is to share of what we need with those who have less of it and trust in God to provide for us.
  This is missions.

I've heard many people say they found their mates when they stopped looking, and suggesting that singles who want to get married should just stop looking. I don't believe that's either healthy or helpful.
You didn't find your mate when you stopped looking because you stopped looking. Either your attitude became right, and that was what was lacking, or you lacked faith and gave up right before your faith became sight. Make your attitude right, but keep looking.
It would be a sadistic god who made people wait for no reason other than that they were waiting and looking for something special. It would also be a god not the God of the Bible, because Jesus says we should ask, seek, and knock. Keep looking, but make sure your attitude is right. Seek first His kingdom, deny yourself and honor others above yourself. But none of that conflicts with seeking something righteous and watching for it.
Be faithful and watchful but not wrongly focused or desperate. Focus on God but trust His goodness to provide for the heart desires He's given you.

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By the way, I want to let you all know that it's okay to send me IMs. Though I do find myself surprisingly busy these days, I'm not slammed the way I was in the spring semester. I can stop and talk most of the time if I am online. I feel a little lonely sometimes because nobody's on or I don't know what to say to start a conversation.
I went looking for new people to add and found some addme communities, but most of the people on there were in their teens or, um, questionable prospects for a decent conversation. If you know someone who should be on my IM contact list, let us both know. :)

You asked: Is the morality of the Old Testament outdated?
No.

( Did you want more of an answer? (cut for excessive length) )

This is an amazing speech. I had never thought of this concept, but it makes a TON of sense. Watch it!
How modern Liberals think.

I thought I would piece together some paragraphs I've been toying with in a somewhat coordinated thesis on how Christians should behave in politics. This is my frail attempt.

--- Witnesses ---
Jesus called us to be witnesses to what we've seen and heard. We are not called to be defense attorneys, and we're certainly not called to be God's thugs. Where force is needed, God has the winds and the seas and the many nations of the world, should He desire their efforts.
We should always and everywhere live lives that witness to the love and power of God.
Christian political groups are making me want to vomit on their shoes. Light has no fellowship with darkness, and the ends do not justify any means expedient. Christian political groups should exhort politicians to do what is right, but they should not use underhanded tactics or call people names in doing so. They should pray for God's will to be done much more than press politicians to make promises and make pro-life appointments.
Yes, God takes life very seriously and hates seeing life treated with no respect... but Christians who enter the public sphere should work not to make a Christian State but to make an equitable State in which Christians and non-Christians have equal freedom to pursue their own religious beliefs as they believe is best. Faith is between each person and the Lord of all Creation, not between citizens and the government. You can't force people to believe, but you can drive them away by twisting their arms.
Politicians who are Christians should live their faith in their work by speaking against and voting against things they believe are unrighteous, but they also need to respect the Constitution and the rule of law, as Paul commanded in Romans 13. The Constitution is the framework within which USA's political system moves, and if they have a problem with that, they need to work to change it; not to subvert it unlawfully.

--- Unity and Division ---
All men and women are siblings. We are all descended from Adam and Eve. We are all descended from Noah. Let us treat one another with filial devotion. Let us stop treating our siblings as enemies.
We must not mistreat the unbelieving representatives of our fellow Americans. We should exhort them to do right, but we should never treat disagreement with us as damnable.

--- Pray for Good ---
Don't pray for evil things to happen, even to the wicked. Pray they come to Jesus, that they change their minds about how they vote, and if they refuse to listen, pray that they are removed from office and replaced with better leaders. But don't pray that they die or get hurt, and don't rejoice in their suffering.
They are your own flesh and blood. And you were once as lost as they. Have compassion for them as Jesus had compassion for you.

--- Vote for ---
Vote. Vote for the candidate on the ballot whom you think is the best person for the job. If your person isn't on the ballot, try to get him or her onto the ballot.
Don't vote for someone's opponent. Vote for someone. And don't scheme and choose by likelihoods. Don't worry about who has a chance against whom. Vote honestly for the person you think is the most honest, the most trustworthy, the most ideal candidate.
We in this country are pathetically devoted to being on the winning side. Pick your own winner, and let everyone else do the same, and see what we actually choose. That's the whole point behind voting. If you're not voting for the choice you think is best, you're wasting your vote.
Vote your conscience.

--- Christian Nation ---
The USA was founded on Christian principles. We are greatly concerned with rights, with freedom, and with what is best for the nation.
But I do not dream of a Christian State. For I would hate to be governed by a State that told me I was worshipping God incorrectly. That is for me to discern with God's guidance and God's grace. It is not for any man to tell me.
I wish our representatives were more concerned with doing righteousness, but it is not for the State to mandate good works. It is for the State to protect my life and my rights, along with every other citizen's, from the womb to the grave.
I desire to be zealous for God. I do not desire to be a Zealot. The Zealots sought to incite the people of Judea into rioting, and they used brutal and shady tactics. Some of the Christian political action groups are like Zealots, and I think they should examine their hearts and either switch to God's methods of reaching people, or else find a different line of work than representing God's values, because they make poor representatives of our faith.

--- Make Love, Not War ---
We have in our culture a false dichotomy between war and love. What good is love if it stands by and lets its beloved be trampled and oppressed? Yet, our society often says, "You see a need for war at times? You must be a warmonger who seeks to fight for the purposes you think are best." Or on the other end, "If you love your fellow man, you will shun war at all costs, because war is hell and inflicts great suffering on humanity."
The way an individual stands up against oppression is to show compassion for all life and pray to God for relief for those oppressed. Nations do not have emoitions or compassion or love. Nations either do something about oppressors, or they don't. And if they do, they must either try to persuade oppressors to stop, or else they must cause the oppressor to cease by the use of force.
And I'm tired of hearing people whine and cry that we should end the war. We can't end the war........
If there's anything the Twentieth Century should have taught us, it's that the War to End All Wars doesn't exist on the political stage. We fought two of them, and we're still fighting wars. We need to understand that world peace is an unrealistic idea. The Bible says there will be wars and rumors of wars during the period leading up to the end of the world. And "Peace on earth, goodwill toward men" refers not to political peace but to a peace treaty between mankind and the King of all creation, God. We forget that our sins put us at enmity with God, and that they are in a sense acts of war against His kingdom. Jesus came to bring peace between you and God, not to eradicate the sword. He said, "I am not come to bring peace, but the sword." Jesus came as a peace treaty. And making peace with God puts you at odds with those who choose not to make peace with God, the same way a country views countries that make peace with its enemy. The best way to get close to peace with your fellow man is for both of you to be at peace with God. There will always be fighting until the Lord comes back in final victory to vanquish all evil and set us all who support Him at peace with one another.
So, the idea that we can just sit in our own little sandbox and have our military train one weekend a month and one week a year and never go anywhere to fight is a stupid one. We have a military because we need it. We need it because there are enemies we have to face. And we have to face those enemies in one of two place, sometimes both: Over there or over here. And from where I sit, we're doing a damn fine job of it. I support our military. I don't think the armed forces are a political card to play. They're dedicated men and women who deserve our respect and our support. Yes, fighting is unpleasant. Yes, war is hellish. Yes, it's very sad when even one of our soldiers dies. But they do not die in vain. They keep your life safe so you'll continue to have the protection of your right to speak your mind, even if you only open your mouth to criticize them.

--- Save the Planet ---
I believe that all people, but particularly Christians, should be good stewards of the world. We should generate as little waste as possible, we should avoid setting fire to the wilderness, we should not take more resources from the land than we need to accomplish our goals of building and reaching and living peacefully with our neighbors.
However, that does not mean that animals or Terra itself is above humanity. The world that is exists for God, and God designed it for the sustaining, teaching, and enjoyment of humankind.
I think we need to be careful and sensible about the laws we pass in our attempts to keep the foolish from being bad stewards. It is better to teach children to be good stewards than to pass laws to try to keep adults in line, for we often mar legitimate rights in the attempt. Exemplary of this are fuel efficiency standards that apply to all vehicles regardless of function.
I think a meaningful impact on fuel emissions can be achieved in a reasonable way, by simply getting an ordinance passed banning the driving of SUVs inside your city. It can even be a local thing, so you only have to convince the decision makers in your city or county. This would make the 'drive-the-SUV-to-the-corner-coffee-shop' thing illegal without hindering the folks whose lives and jobs actually depend on four-wheel drive power (people who live or work in actual wilderness where there are unpaved hills and stuff that need climbing).
And it's not like the banning of SUVs in the city would be expensive to implement. You put up signs by the limit markers that say "No SUVs beyond this point", and you enjoy the revenue of writing tickets for people who insist on driving their land cruisers in the crowded streets of downtown. But we're not serious about this, so all we do is whine about fuel efficiency standards and try to rope the entire country into something that will only benefit the large cities while hurting the rural citizens. And very little gets done when you ask people to accept measures that hurt them for no apparent reason.

--- Congress Shall Make No Law ---
Many people seem to have this fear that committed Christians, if they attain office, will seek throughout their entire term to enact blue laws and force prayer meetings in public schools. I believe that is not the way of Christ in politics. For myself, I would be no happier than they under a Christian theocracy.
Such a government, attempting to force people to believe, would drive people away from the Lord and make my job of witnessing much harder. It is not how Christ would act in this nation, either. Certainly, when Christ returns to claim His kingdom, He will be ruling over a benign monarchy, but if Jesus were running for office in the USA, I believe He would not attempt to make unconstitutional laws.
When Jesus walked in Galilee and Judea, He subjected Himself to the laws of the land, with the unavoidable exception of admitting that He was God. He paid the taxes, He didn't tell other people not to pay legitimate taxes, and He avoided the crowds whenever they were on the verge of trying to crown Him. And Jesus never forced anyone to do something. He said what He said and did what He did, and He left the reactions to those things up to the individuals.
Our constitution says this country will not have a state-sponsored church. I believe that if Jesus were a senator, a congressman, or the president, Hes would support laws that defend the free will of the individual, defend the rights of individuals to tell others about their faith and practice their religions openly, provide for a framework in which people could give freely to charitable ventures of their choosing, denounce any law that discriminated against one region or ancestry or gender or economic status.
In short, if Jesus held public office, I believe He would uphold the constitution and make sure He supported sensible and equitable laws and opposed inequitable and unsensible laws.
And that's what I think any politician who wants to follow "What Would Jesus Do?" should do.
And this goes beyond laws relating to religion. I think public officials whould strive also to think through the laws they consider and do all they can to make sure these laws do what they're intended to do.
Our nation has far too many crime bills that don't in any way prevent crime, software and movie piracy legislation that does nothing to curb piracy, and technology laws that are written by people so untechnically inclined that they do nothing to prevent technology crimes. And a law that's not doing what it should do is undoubtedly doing something it shouldn't do.
Bad laws tend to limit legitimate behaviors in violation of the rights of citizens. While not strictly a law, copy protection schemes are a perfect example of this. Copy protection does not, has never, and never will prevent piracy. Copy protection only limits the legitimate use by paying customers of products they paid to use legitimately.
"You do not examine legislation in light of the benefits it will convey if properly administered, but in light of the wrongs it would do and the harms it would cause if improperly administered." --Lyndon B. Johnson

--- Beware of Compliant Candidates ---
Anyone who always says what you want to hear is lying to you at least some of the time.
Don't demand that candidates agree with you one everything, and don't vote on single issues. Look at the whole picture, ask questions, and decide based on all the information. Want a committed Christian in office? Don't believe the guy who started going to church just as his campaign was starting. Want a guy who supports your industry? Look at what he's said and done about it before. Want a candidate who'll be honest with you? Demand honesty, not agreement.
The sooner we stop asking candidates to lie to us (by telling them that their agreement with us on one thing will determine our vote, by rewarding those who lie to us, etc.), the sooner we'll have honest candidates who will tell us where they stand and let the vote happen as it happens instead of trying to lie to enough people to deceive their way to a victory.
The Bible says the wounds of a friend are faithful, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.

I reckon I've babbled long enough about politics. I'm not sure if anyone cares what I think about this, but there it is, for what it's worth. God bless you. Vote!

This was such a great quote, I had to steal it from tufelkinder:

Always set high value on spontaneous kindness. He whose inclination prompts him to cultivate your friendship of his own accord will love you more than one whom you have been at pains to attach to you.
— Samuel Johnson

You asked: What kinds of things should we make sure the unbeliever hears when we evangelize?
When we evangelize, we need to be sure we let unbelievers know we understand I Jn 1:8. None of us is without sin, and when we become followers of Christ, we do not cease to be humans who are sinful. We become a new creation, a person who makes every effort to live righteously, but we still have our sin nature to bring into submission daily. So, we need to tell unbelievers that we understand we're not perfect, and that we're no better than they are. We simply have God's forgiveness because of the price Jesus paid for our sins.
When we evangelize, we need to be sure we let unbelievers know that no matter what they do or where they go, God will always love them and be willing to forgive them. The only thing that can stand between us and God's love is our choice not to accept it. It doesn't matter what heinous sins we've committed or how much or how often we fall into sin. God is still waiting, He still loves us, and His arms are stretched out still. We just have to rethink our paths, make the choice that we will turn to Him, and accept that despite our unworthiness, He forgives.
When we evangelize, we need to be sure we let unbelievers know that our problems are fewer but not completely gone. With a righteous walk, many problems disappear, many problems are easier to handle, but many new problems appear because the wicked do not like a righteous walk; it reminds them of their wickedness. But in all of our problems while walking in righteousness, God walks with us. Though we walk through fire or deep waters, God walks with us. This makes our problems, though often not lessened in intensity, nonetheless easier to manage, because God is with us.
When we evangelize, we need to be sure we let unbelievers know that our place in the world is to reflect God's light in our daily lives. Since God is love, we should behave lovingly, letting God's love flow through us.
When we evangelize, we need to ask the question. We need to ask, at least once, for a commitment. We don't need to badger people or drag out a reluctant decision, for that is not a lasting decision. But we need to ask the question once.
When we evangelize, we need to be sure we don't misrepresent God. God doesn't hate anyone. He's not gleefully anticipating throwing anyone into hell. He's not out to fulfill all their physical desires. And He's not God for the purpose of serving man. He's God. He loves us. He's the highest authority, and He doesn't need us. But in His wisdom and love, He has chosen to allow us to have a relationship with Him. And He's perfect.
These are some of the things I believe we should make sure the unbelievers hear when we evangelize.

  I think this is how Santa Claus should be conveyed to children: "Kids, we have a fat fellow in a red suit on our tree to remind us of Saint Klaus/Nicholas who lived in Lapland and gave presents to poor children in his region."
  Saint Nicholas/Santa Claus/Sinter Klaus is a wonderful symbol of the true spirit of Christmas, and I think he was a good Christian who tried to follow God's example by giving gifts to people who could not repay him.
  I wouldn't want my children to write letters to him, though. He's dead, after all.
  I think teaching kids that he comes with presents for them, or that there is a tooth fairy or an Easter bunny teaches them that what you say about what they can't see isn't truthful.
I think that hurts their perception of God.
  So, children should be told truthful things by their parents. And children should trust their parents. It's important that they know they can depend on their parents, on the police, on the fire department, and most importantly, on God.

(Backdated 2007/08/23)