You gotta be kidding me. A Democratic labor leader, Cecil Roberts, said a couple of weeks ago, “I used to be a community organizer and I’m in good company; Martin Luther King was a community organizer. Listen, Sarah, Moses was a community organizer and yes, Jesus was a community organizer.”

This was a slap at Sarah Palin.

Jesus was NOT a community organizer. He was a revolutionary. From the moment of his birth, he upset the world. Check out The Revelation chapter 12. In the spiritual realm and the physical, there was an effort to destroy this baby. He lived within a political system poisoned by power and yet he did not organize protests. He did not run for office or a seat with the elders. He did not seek to be a scribe. He went about doing good.

His enemies criticized him for not being religious enough, made fun of his faith, and insulted him by questioning his ancestry. They falsely charged him with blasphemy; they accused him of being demon possessed and of using the devils power. They hated him like no one else.

He lived within a religious system that was corrupted by power and hypocrisy. Yet he did not organize a new branch of Judaism. He went to synagogue and worshiped according to the law.  He honored teachers as a boy and challenged them from his teens until his death. His life inspired the godly and convicted the unholy. His love endeared him to the people. Yet he resisted and even refused to become a community organizer (King). He called people to DO good not to organize.

His teachings were radical. Among them… He openly called God, “Abba” the most intimate of terms and taught others to do the same. This revolutionary act ushered in a new way of relating to God. He taught his followers a radical new way to live; to love their enemies, to do good to those who hate, to serve those who are demanding, to give and not expect a return, to be holy beyond the law, to sacrifice self for the good of others, to turn the other cheek, and to be kind to the rude.

Some call him a pacifist. These people don’t really know him. He took the time to make a whip and then used it to drive people out of His Father’s house who were turning it into a Super Center instead of the Temple of God. And this was not a one time event, but perhaps a habit. They hated to see him coming. Yet he acted alone. He didn’t even organize his own followers to do these things. He called us to stand for good and righteousness and for our Father.

Jesus’ declared a new level of morality. He demonstrated dignity toward women. He upheld the sanctity of marriage and the value of family. He modeled forgiveness, but beyond that, he modeled a refusal to pass judgment when society demanded it. He fed the hungry, healed the sick, and rescued those oppressed by the Enemy. In the end, He faced the horrors of hate in his physical body. He bore the weight of the sins of the world on his own soul. He faced the greatest shame and deepest loneliness that a human has ever known and yet forgave his oppressors and loved his own to the very end.

Jesus was not a community organizer, he was a radical, revolutionary savior. He changed the world forever. “No one ever spoke the way this man does” (John 7:46).

telemicus out

You’ve probably heard the story of the children’s Bible class where the teacher gazes at the bright innocent faces of eight first graders and asks, “Can anyone tell me what has long ears, a tiny pink nose, a thick fluffy tail and hops all around?” One little guy timidly raises his hand and says, “Well it sounds like a bunny rabbit, but I’m gonna say Jesus.”

I’m afraid we sometimes have the same reaction when we encounter Jesus in harsh realities of life. God is not divorced from the reality of our lives. He is never taken by surprise, at the same time, he doesn’t want us to look at life through religious glasses. Jim McGuiggan said, “Jesus didn’t come to make you religious and take away your life, He came to show you that real life is religious.”

Each of us has life biases that inform our attitudes and conduct. Some democrats see the republicans as the cause of every ill. Some republicans see democrats in the same fashion. Teens see the olds as out of touch and olds see teens as disrespectful anarchists. And sometimes Christians see everything that happens through a religious prism that misses the human connection to God.

I think we Christians sometimes “spiritualize” things that are just things. In Bible class, guys often talk about events looking through traditional scriptural understanding. The early followers of Christ did not understand the doctrine of redemption. They didn’t get the function of the church. They didn’t understand the nature of his work or his mission. Until after Pentecost, most were clueless as to the spiritual complexities of Christ. So when we assign these understandings and motives, we create a false impression of them and a standard for ourselves that may not be realistic.

The things we do and the things that happen to us never surprise Our Father. He may be displeased, but never surprised. He knows what we will do. So when we do what he knew we would, he is neither surprised or disappointed. And being the loving Father that he is, he is always at work to prepare for the moment when we see things correctly, when we are sorry for our actions, when we come to our senses and when we turn back to him.

And when we turn back to him, he does not offer guilt, shame or condemnation. He does not express rejection, does not require penance, doesn’t impose a moral quarantine and is not aloof. He doesn’t spiritualize our relationship; our relationship with him is spiritual and human. God gets the human condition.

“So what has ten fingers and ten toes, wears clothes, walks upright and loves people?”

“Well, it sounds like a person, but I’m gonna say Jesus.”

See what I mean?

telemicus out

I don’t like complicated. It gives me tired head. I don’t want complicated theology. I don’t want complicated cars. I don’t want complicated menus and I don’t want complicated politics. But it seems there are those among us who enjoy taking the simple jewelry of any subject and turning them into a tangled mess of tiny chains that require tweezers, magnifying glass, pliers and the jaws of life to untangle. 

I don’t care if he intended to call her a pig or not. It was a stupid comment and he did know better than to issue the line. But that is the first knot in the necklace. Then the media grabs the it, then the opposition, then the other side and in a while, the point is lost and necklace looks like metallic spaghetti.  

How about we simplify this thing? The role of government is not to solve problems. They don’t know how and they aren’t good at it when they try. They should do fewer things and try doing them well. Well Michael, you’re so bright, what should they do? Thanks for asking. Here is my political theory. 

Government should…

• Protect the borders from enemies and aliens.
• Protect the rights and freedoms of the citizens.
• Protect the helpless (unborn, children, elderly and impoverished.)
• Maintain a military equipped to defend our nation and stand with our friends.

• Educate our children through High School.

• Enforce our laws and punish lawlessness.
• Live within fair and reasonable tax revenue.

• Be limited in the degree they can intrude in business.

Government should foster…

• The private development of business to meet national needs.

• The private development of business for medical research.

• The private development of business for scientific research. 

Government should not…

• Protect its people from failure. (If you fail – it’s on you. Deal with it.)

• Create debt. (We have to live within our means the government should too.)

• Bail out failed businesses. (If your business fails – it’s on you. Deal with it.)

• Police the entire planet. (We cannot be the sheriff for the world.)

• Give money to our enemies. (If they need aid – we will distribute it, period.)

• Regulate private behavior

Okay – well that’s my simple look at it. Tell me what you think. Make sure that your suggestion doesn’t fit into one of the sections I’ve listed. I’ll post some of your thoughts as we go along. This could be fun. 

michael out

I have seen, and you have as well, a parent stand and talk, threaten, bargain, negotiate, cry, yell and even throw things in an effort to get their own child to do what they ask. But if the child knows that the parent is only making racket and will likely never follow through on their shrill threats, they have no reason to obey. 

We are told that the United States should use diplomacy first and force only when it is necessary. I think this is right. However, if the person listening to diplomacy does not believe the person speaking has the resolve to use the necessary force required they will not respond to diplomacy because the speaker has no credibility.  

A friend of mine used to tell his kids, “If you decide to obey after I have to get up or move to get you to obey, you’ll be punished because you didn’t obey at my words.”  

The extreme Islamic fascist who are our enemies are not responsive to words. They understand one language – the overwhelming use of force. The Taliban in Afghanistan had the opportunity to avoid war, but refused. The Iraqi’s had the same option but they ignored the U.N. resolutions not once but over thirty times. All they had to do to avoid war was comply, but they refused. The Russians are much the same now as they were in the early 60’s. They posture and strut around as if we are supposed to fall back in fear at their awesomeness. We never will. 

Some think they can play us. Kim Jong Il comes to mind. That pot bellied little tyrant agreed to dismantle the nuclear reactor in his country so that he could receive aid from the United States. But we hear this week that they have started reassembling the thing in secret. Like a child sneaking into the cupboard to eat his mother’s chocolate chips, Il thinks we wont notice. He will have to suffer significant pain in order to learn the lesson.   

Today, Secretary Rice is going to visit Libya. She is the first ranking US official to visit in over 50 years. Gaddafi learned his lesson about supporting terrorism. He has been behaving himself for many years since Reagan bombed Libya in response to their terrorist activities. After the US overthrew Hussein, Gaddafi also voluntarily gave up his secret WMDs. 

Last night John McCain explained what happened his life that changed him from a self-centered man to a man who loves his country more than himself. In that speech he said, “I hate war.” It should be a last resort. However, if our enemies do not believe that we mean business, they will not respond to talk. Some are wise enough to know that we will respond. Some are too naïve to realize the strength and sophistication they are dealing with. 

And some know if the person sitting at the desk in the oval office can be jerked around. This is why our enemies are hoping that Obama will be president and not McCain. Hear me now – believe me later. 

telemicus out