If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.                                                                                                                                                                                         II Chronicles 7:14 (KJV)

As I write this blog, election returns have not yet been tabulated, and we do not yet know who our next President will be. We hear rumblings about possible civil unrest regardless of which man wins the office. This breaks my heart. Then it makes me angry.

We have a long history of elections, and subsequent transfer of power if the incumbent loses the election. Similarly, should the incumbent win, we have been committed to accepting peacefully the will of the electorate. Regardless of the winner, and we may not know for some time after November 3, our proud nation must be committed to peace and adherence to the orderly processes we have had for over two centuries.

We have been blessed by so many elements that have contributed to our success as a nation.  French observer Alexis de’ Tocqueville allegedly wrote that “America is great, because America is good”. Whether or not he actually uttered that statement, I believe it to be true. The greatness of our beloved United States lies in the generosity of spirit of its people, the courage of her defenders, the commitment to hard work, wonderful natural resources, and reliance upon God’s provision for our country to be the rescuer of other nations whose own freedoms were being threatened.

To think that this country could be beset by civil disobedience because of the failure of a particular candidate is appalling to me. This country has had some good Presidents, some poor Presidents, and even some great Presidents. However, this country is much bigger than the person who sits in power at the White House. The beauty of our republic is that there is an orderly process whereby we elect a new President every four years.

My hope, my prayer, is that the greatness of the country will be shown in the reason and caring of its people, regardless of the election, to maintain the integrity and character of the United States of America.

Prayer: Lord, we thank you for your generous provision for the country we love. As the words of the song go, “Stand beside her, and guide her, through the night with the light from above” Amen

 Jesus said, “So, you believe because you’ve seen with your own eyes. Even better blessings are in store for those who believe without seeing.”                                                                                                                                      John 20:29 (The Message)

This faith thing is pretty hard. God calls upon us to exercise faith in him with out ever having seen him. He knows, of course, that this is hard, and that is why he told Thomas- yes, “doubting Thomas”- that he had believed because he actually saw and experienced the risen Jesus. Others, all of the rest of us who have followed in this faith journey, believe without the benefit of sight. Jesus said, that even better blessings are in store for those who believe without sight.

So, it seems that our vision of God must come through other means. It must come in his creation. It must come in seeing the grand spectacle of towering mountains, or magnificent oceans. Better yet, it comes in seeing him in other people. In sacrificial gestures of kindness and heroism. In parents who live for, and sometimes die for their children. In first-line responders who put their life on the line every day for others.

When our faith is flagging, we get renewed in seeing the faith of others. I think that is what Jesus meant when he said, “Even better blessings are in store for those who believe without seeing.”     

Prayer: Thank you Lord for helping us to see you through others, Amen.

But Samuel replied: “Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams

I Samuel 15:22

In yesterday’s blog I talked about the ten lepers whom Jesus healed as he travelled the roads between Samaria and Galilee. The significance of the border between Samaria and Galilee was that Jews and Samaritans were at odds. Tribally, culturally, theologically, historically – all those deep-rooted reasons existed for those people groups to be enemies. Yet, in that leper group, they were traveling together, despite those deep differences. It seems that life-threatening circumstances overcome even those major differences among people. They shared the suffering of leprosy and social isolation. They were desperate men.

When they came to Jesus for healing, he told them to “go and show themselves to the priest”. This was the command from Moses from ancient times, and Jesus invoked this to the lepers. Jesus could have healed them right there, right away. He had done that before. In this instance, I think he wanted an object lesson for them, for his followers and for us. I think the message is that as we meet God at the place of obedience, he does what we cannot do – heal ourselves.

We know of course, that the lepers obeyed Jesus and did find healing along the way. When we obey what God instructs, that allows him to do the healing that only he can do. Our natural actions can give rise to God’s supernatural interventions.

What a great lesson for us. Our obedience frees up God’s hand in our life to do amazing things. Our job is to let him do it.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for the plans you have for our benefit, Amen.

 As Jesus went to Jerusalem, He passed between Samaria and Galilee.  As He entered a village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood at a distance.  They lifted up their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!”

 When He saw them, He said to them, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed.

 One of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned with a loud voice glorifying God,and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks. And he was a Samaritan                                                                              Luke 17: 11-16

Yesterday I talked about the U.S. Senate, and their collective failure to step across the aisle to know one another and work together despite the crises that we are facing as a nation. I alluded to a Bible story of the ten lepers who, in their pain and loss, came together and sought Jesus as the solution to their problem. Problems change, but the solution doesn’t.

Those ten lepers that I talked about were both Jews and Gentiles, bound together in their misery of leprosy. In their plight, they saw that the thing that they had in common- the misery of leprosy- was bigger than the thing that separated them. Their cultural and religious heritage paled in comparison to the life-threatening disease with which they were commonly cursed. Their common need brought them together to seek the healing touch of Jesus. Upon encountering Jesus, he told them to go and seek the priest, and as they did, they were healed along the way. As they obeyed his words, they went on their way following his command, and they were healed.

So today, I think that obedience to the commands of Jesus, to seek his healing, will save the day. People on both sides of the political aisle must seek the good of the people they serve, as God would have them do, and our nation can be healed. But it will not be a political party or path that heals us. It will be submission to the commands of the loving God who put them in place to serve as they were elected.

Both political parties have valid points to make. Neither has the corner on the truth. Only as we submit to the truth that each group has something to offer for the common good can we move toward healing.

Is this idealistic? Of course it is. Just as the gospel is foolishness to those who scoff at it.

Prayer: Lord, give us the strength to yield to you as the solver of our problems. That problem is, our distance from you, Amen.

 As Jesus went to Jerusalem, He passed between Samaria and Galilee.  As He entered a village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood at a distance.  They lifted up their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!” Luke 17:11-13

I find it of interest that the United States Senate seating is configured so that Republicans are on one side of the aisle, and Democrats on the other. Of course, we know that there is a large gulf between the two parties, policy wise, but there is also a physical distance between the Senators, marked by an aisle. The expression “across the aisle” is both a literal and figurative distance that, these days, seems to be more like a canyon than an aisle.

I heard recently that, based upon a video study comparison over a number of years, there is actually dramatically less physical crossing of the aisle than there has been in decades. The Senators literally keep their distance from one another. They don’t seem to talk across the aisle much anymore. We know that the more we separate from those we really don’t know, the less chance we have of developing a relationship, and getting to really know the other person. Lack of contact leads to reliance upon assumptions and stereotypes to define the “other”.

This is a problem. Not only for our Senators, but for anyone who really does not know the unknown individual who is seen as different, and therefore, possibly dangerous. Such tribal thinking is endemic to human nature, and it evolved for a reason. However, failing to challenge those stereotypes and assumptions can be very harmful, for both parties.

To the extent that our Senators do not interact with one another, we all suffer. There was a time when it was not this bad. I think it is now very bad.

We are, as a nation, suffering from serious problems- problems which could bring us together. I think to the Bible story of the ten lepers who banded together when they were in trouble and they needed help.

Tomorrow, I will talk about their situation.  

Prayer: Lord, you created us to be connected to one another and to you. Help us to find ways to honor your plan, Amen

Have not I commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

Joshua 1:9

I am of a certain age, and I have voted in quite a few elections over the years. I do not typically share with the public for whom I voted, and I will continue that practice.

Except today. Today I am going to tell you who I voted for!

In 1976.

 I am giving myself a statute of limitations, and declaring that after 44 years, I can reveal my vote for President that year. I voted for Gerald Ford in his race against Jimmy Carter. Why did I do that? I mean, the country was in an awful economic downturn. We had the terrible double feature of high inflation and high interest rates. We were buying our first house that year, and we felt very fortunate to get an interest rate of 8% on the loan. Eight percent for heaven’s sake! Home loans these days are hovering, I think, in the low 3% range, and some lower. Why vote for the sitting President in such a poor economy? Because of his character.

President Ford, of course took office never having won a Presidential election, and he never would.

I voted for him because he was a man of integrity and courage. He made a decision that he almost certainly knew would lose him millions of votes- he pardoned his predecessor, Richard Nixon. He did this not because of a political deal, but because he knew that the country must move on from the debacle of Nixon’s treachery. He knew that the country desperately needed to heal. Yes, I have done some research on this, and there has never been a hint about a political arrangement for Ford to become President in exchange for his pardon of Nixon.

So, there it is. It took a great deal of courage for Ford to make that decision, and it likely cost him his own elected term as President. I so appreciated President Ford’s character that I wrote him a letter after the election. I do not recall ever having written to any other President, but I did write to Gerald Ford.

John F. Kennedy wrote a book titled Profiles in Courage when he was in the U.S. Senate before his run for President in 1960. In it he wrote stories about singularly courageous acts which may have been lost to history. This is one act that I would like to ensure is not lost to history.

Prayer: Lord, give our leaders strength of character, courage, and dependence upon you, Amen.

Therefore, put away all wickedness, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking. As newborn babies, desire the pure milk of the word, that by it you may grow,if it is true that you have experienced that the Lord is good                                                                                                                                                                                          I Peter 2:1-3

In thinking about the Bible as a source of truth and wisdom, I have stated in past blogs that the Bible was never intended to be an explanation of the universe or a science book. It deals with human nature, relationships, moral codes, the virtue of laws, and it serves as a regulator of socially responsible behavior. It deals with all the things common to people, including our selfish nature, and the transformative power of a relationship with a loving God – about sin and redemption, and about hope.

I think of the Bible as like an Owner’s Manual. When we get a car, we also get an owner’s manual. Yes, I know, nobody reads the owner’s manual, but it is a pretty good idea to do it, because it really helps in determining how to extend the life of the car with proper maintenance, practical tips on how to do some simple fixes, and explaining what the proper measures are for tire pressure, the type and amount of oil to use, grade of gasoline, etc. It does not explain how the car was made, and indeed, I do not need to know how it was made. I just need to know that it was made, and that I am driving it, and how to maximize its life.

So it is with the Bible. It gives us very practical advice about relationships, how to treat other people, how to stay healthy in all ways, and how to find and maintain the most important relationship we will ever have- the one with our Creator.

The Bible gives us wisdom- if we read it. Remember the Owner’s Manual thing?

Yeah, like that.  

Prayer: Thank you Lord for your words to us- the words of life and health, Amen.

If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you                                                                                                                                                        James 1:5 (NIV)

In yesterday’s blog I talked about the pursuit of truth over the centuries, and that we have moved from accepting some truth as absolute, to a sense of relative truths, and finally to a belief that nothing can be certain.

Many, many factors are at play in this evolving thinking, not the least of which was the dawn of the “Enlightenment Era”, followed by our technical and scientific era of the present time. Science has blossomed exponentially, especially over the last two centuries, and as a society, we are reaping many benefits. Scientific breakthroughs have given us amazing advances in health, better sanitation, increased food production, longer lifespans, improved transportation- well you know, just about everything.

However, not all technology and science has been useful and good for the people of the planet. Terrible destructive weapons have been formed, many people groups are still oppressed and in poverty, and the environment has been damaged significantly. That is why the pursuit of wisdom, of truth, is now more important than ever.

The perspective on how we see truth has also been affected. Werner Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle had more than just an effect on science. It has thoroughly pervaded the culture. We now have the understanding that we cannot even exactly know the movement and locations of the very building blocks of the universe. At the subatomic level, strange and wonderous things happen, which we still do not understand. We cannot be certain at any one time of both the location and velocity of those particles that comprise our world. In other words, we can make predictions about matter and energy states, but we cannot be certain.    

I believe that this concept seeps into our culture gradually, and leads to a sense of relativism, or simply a belief that fate is in charge -that one can never really know the truth of things. One can choose that approach. Or one can conclude that the Creator alone has the answers to His creation, and that pursuit of knowledge is very different from pursuit of wisdom. Wisdom, that is, seeing the world the way God sees the world, is why the Bible was even written.

Tomorrow, more thoughts on that. Please stay tuned!

Prayer: Lord, you have promised Wisdom to us as we seek it from you. Give us clarity in that quest, Amen.

But don’t let it faze you. Stick with what you learned and believed, sure of the integrity of your teachers—why, you took in the sacred Scriptures with your mother’s milk! There’s nothing like the written Word of God for showing you the way to salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. Every part of Scripture is God-breathed and useful one way or another—showing us truth, exposing our rebellion, correcting our mistakes, training us to live God’s way. Through the Word we are put together and shaped up for the tasks God has for us                                                                                                                                        II Timothy 3:16-17 (The Message)

I suppose the search for reliable truth has existed for as long as people have been on earth. Over the years, we have drifted from the sense of an “absolute truth” to a sense of relative truth, to a belief that nothing can be certain. In these days of accepting that there is no absolute truth, one “truth” is as good as another. This is seen in all aspects of life, and especially where a recognized authority weighs in on the matter. We question scientific truths, government institutions, and anything that may make us feel like our own personal beliefs may be challenged.

While “testing” for truth is critical in scientific pursuits, moral truth is a bit different matter. Although, as I have discussed in previous blogs, scientific truth is not incompatible with the absolute truth of God’s plans for his creation.

I believe that God has made us curious enough to explore our world, and to want to understand it better. In so doing, we understand God better. At the same time, I think that stipulating to an absolute truth, that God has set forth ways for us to live peaceably and prosperously with one another in this world, is also a critical part of truth.

What then is the standard? For Christians, the Bible has stood as the standard of truth for centuries. I would contend that the Bible is a standard of truth that must be considered as a moral, ethical, spiritual, and even emotional fount of knowledge of how to live a healthy life, pleasing to God and to one another.

In the coming blogs, I will explore this a bit more.

Prayer: Father, thank you for giving us the ways to seeking truth, and ways to understand you better, Amen.

 Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse                                                                                                                            Philippians 4:8 (The Message)

Are you liking the election ads so far? Yeah, me neither.

Indulge me here, dear readers, as I rant about negativity in campaigning. You see, I am tired of candidates who trash the opposition, as opposed to the alternative of laying out the reasons we should vote for them. Negative campaigning has been with us forever.

I don’t care for it.

According to the ads, when the 2020 elections are over on November 3, the country will have elected a President who is an uncaring incompetent, or we will have elected a man with terrible judgement whose intent is to tax us back to the stone age. Other prospective elected officials, purportedly, will be equally incompetent, evil, or damaged individuals not fit to govern.

These bleak choices are set forth to us by the candidates themselves as they try to tear down their opponents. Overdrawn character assassination is, evidently, the only tool in the bag for the current politicians. Truth is lost in all the ads, with no context given to support the wild accusations set forward.

We as voters, after we put one of these individuals into office, are then expected to respect that person who has been eviscerated in this election process. Negative campaigns are not new, by any means, but I have taken the position that the candidate who spews forth the most negative vitriol is the least qualified for the office. If he/she were so qualified- such a fine candidate- he/she would extol their own career accomplishments, set forth a plan to improve our society and let obvious merits shine out. Yes, this is idealistic, and perhaps naïve. But honestly, isn’t that what you want too?

Again, our history is replete with negativity in campaigning, but now, with media and social platforms so ubiquitous, the mud becomes overwhelming.

I saw a refreshing ad by the candidates for governor of Utah where both candidates refused to jump into the mud and tarnish the opponent. It was a joint ad, and I was very encouraged. Too bad this is an outlier, and not close to the current norm.

Such is the current landscape that we live in now in 2020. We suffer from campaigning which is always a race to the bottom. The campaign strategy is to spew the wildest, worst trash on his/her opponent. Maybe the public will take the path of least resistance and rely upon what they see in those ads. If that is the case, as the old saying goes “we get the government that we deserve”.

Come next Tuesday night, or maybe Wednesday morning, we will have “winners” in each of these offices. However, the winner is probably not the American public.

Prayer: Lord, give us wisdom as we choose, and grace in all that we say, Amen.