Election 2012

As I write, things are pretty tight in the 2012 Presidential race. Over the next several hours, we should know who will be the next President of the United States. Months and months of campaigning for the candidates comes to this moment.

I personally have no feeling one way or the other about who will win this election. What I do know from Proverbs is that when the righteous increase, the people rejoice, but when the wicked rule, the people groan.

I also believe that America is at [and has been at] a crossroads in many ways. It doesn't take much prophetic insight to see our nation is straying from its foundation. Ultimately, I believe that fact actually points to a deeper issue - a church that has left her King, her first love.

You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden... Jesus.

How does a nation stand strong on it's biblical foundation, if the church, or light of the world, is allowing their light to go out?

Regardless of who our next president is [and I hope he is a godly man] we must all be sure to examine our lives to see if we as the church are truly being the light of the world.

Am I truly the salt of the earth? Or have I lost my saltiness? Have I left my first love in exchange for the cares and allurements of this world?

Without the church being a light, without the church burning hot for her God, our nation has no real hope. There is only one leader who can provide lasting and eternal change to our nation - and He's on the ticket of our lives - Jesus Christ.

Light the fire again...

Hunger

Lately, I sense the Lord stirring a hunger in my heart for more of Him. A desire for nothing but Jesus, and only He alone can satisfy.

I love it when He does this.

Hunger is a gift. It stokes the fires of revival in my heart, and causes me to refocus, replenish and repent.

May the Lord ignite the fires of revival in all our hearts as we gather to worship Him tomorrow!

S'more

Times with family like this leave you wanting s'more...

Photo Finish

Great ending to a great day today. Yea, this pic about sums it up. Follow it up with s'mores and story time and you just about got it :)

Kid Smart

Kids are smarter than us adults in many ways. Where adults are content to live in hypocrisy and empty religious practices, our kids see right through such facades. I have realized over the years that it is difficult to pass on to my children a passion for Jesus if I myself am not walking in and living with such passion. How do I expect them to live for God more zealous than I, when as the leader of the home I live out a lukewarm, compromising lifestyle?

I can tell when I am not hungry for God. When my heart isn't burning for Him. When I try to teach or encourage my kids in the things of God in those times, it's like my words have no life in them, they are empty, because Daddy isn't living what he is preaching.

How do I encourage them to make Jesus everything, when He isn't everything to me? How do I exhort them to have one love, one passion, when my heart is is in love with the allurements of the world or caught up in the distractions of life?

Kids will see right through such illusions. Give it time - a lifestyle of hypocritical living, I believe, will be exposed to our children. And thank God for that. It should concern me that if my life doesn't match up with my words, my kids will see through it, and their walk with God could be and most likely will be negatively affected as a result of my hypocrisy. And at the same time, it should challenge me to the core of my being to live a life of integrity and passion before the Lord, as I well should.

A pastor friend of mine said that integrity is when our thoughts, words and actions all line up as one. And ultimately, they should line up with the Word of God. And so it is with us... Are we living lives of integrity and godly character before our children? Are we modeling for them lives of passion and love for Jesus? Or are our words falling on closed ears because they cant hear us over the noise our hypocritical actions?

And so we must repent, resolving to keep the fire for God burning in our hearts, forsaking the world and it's allurements, for the sake of our children, and His great Name.

S'mores!

We finished a work day at the house tonight with a meal around the fire (hot dogs on a stick) followed up with yummy s'mores. Perfect ending to a beautiful, cool, Fall day!