The Slow Drip

Shelby Steele is much more articulate than I was last night. http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-steele5-2008nov05,0,6553798.story?track=rss

Hugh Hewitt is much more gracious than I am.

Does it bother you that NBC just referred to BO as a "native son" of Jakarta? Geez.

B.O. was elected president tonight. The MSM is positively giddy with the news and they keep noting the historic nature of B.O.'s win. They are right, it is an historic election but not for the reason they think. Of course, the election of a black man to the highest office in the land is an important milestone. I hope that it helps to put the issue of race behind us but I hold the hope loosely. One need look no further than the MSM's constant invocation of his race for evidence that racism is alive and well in this country. Those who are excited about the election of B.O. because of his race are the true racists. His ideas have never been challenged. His associations reveal something about him and what we can expect during his administration just as Bill Clinton's election scandals foreshadowed his personal problems during his. By contrast, those who voted for McCain did so on the basis of ideology. The more important piece of history here is the incredible left turn this country just took. How many justices will B.O. appoint? How many decisions will the SC render creating law instead interpreting the text before them? How high will your taxes have to go to support others? I see the results of this election leading one of two ways: (1) B.O. begins a new liberal renaissance and entrenches entitlements into the national psyche which takes another 50 years to overcome, OR (2) B.O. oversteps his mandate and is given a counterbalancing congress in 2010. Either way, I'm hoping for another conservative revival. The exile of conservatives after the Depression produced great conservative thinkers like William F. Buckley who influenced Rush Limbaugh and many others. When Republicans have lost is when they have diverted from the heart of conservative philosophy. President Bush's unchecked spending and compromise on issues like education have led here. His inability to reign in the liberal actions that led to the housing crises cost us, particularly. Iraq, obviously, was a huge issue that was mishandled, especially at the level of making the case convincingly. McCain is in many ways the epitome of the problem. So often he stuck his thumb in the eye of conservatives and delighted in the adoration of the MSM. When push came to shove they abandoned him. Reaching across the aisle mattered very little. One last question: What happens when B.O. actually has to lead? Four years from now, will those who voted for B.O. be wondering what happened to all that optimism they felt tonight?

Perhaps through the recent birth of our third child, Josiah, I have gained one or two more readers. I was surprised when my father-in-law commented that he had read some of my other posts. If anyone does come back, it might be good to explain exactly what this blog is about. Essentially it has been, for the last couple of years, my journal. I keep a private journal between me and God, but here I post things that I wanted to share with a few friends. During times of great joy, sorrow, or even the mundane ordinary, I post my thoughts here. God does seem to be working in my life and this blog is to reflect those happenings. So, tonight I have an update. You'll have to go back in the archives to Spring of 2007 to find a time when I was as troubled as I am now. That semester I was taking preaching. I was a mess. My first sermon was a disaster. My second scored better but still could use a lot of work. There were encouraging signs and even a word from the Lord of encouragement. That was then. In the last year and a half, I have had several iterations of that fear which grips my heart, some big and some small. This year, 2008, has been a great one for me full of hope, ambition, and desire to fulfill the call to teach, preach, pastor, and lead. I know that these things take time to learn and I was okay with them for a time. Now, however, I am taking preaching once again. Something about this exercise truly strikes fear into my very core. I wish I could describe it but there is nothing I've felt like it. I wonder, am I good enough for preaching? Now, I know that salvation is from God and Him alone. I cannot earn it under any circumstances. That's not what I'm talking about. Instead, shouldn't I have more aptitude for preaching and teaching? Am I so off-base that my preaching won't make sense? Dread is a powerful word that might describe it. What am I to make of this? For the past year or so, one passage of Scripture I have clung to is Romans 8. This beautiful chapter of the Bible explains that there is no condemnation for those in Jesus. God no longer judges us but we become his children. Toward the end of the chapter Paul asks, "Who can condemn?" He answers, "No one! Jesus Christ is at the right hand of God," saying that only Jesus has the right to judge and he does not! Not even I can condemn myself if God has declared me his loving child. I've clung to that verse, yet the fear remains. Tonight in class we came on some reasons for spiritual desolation. One potential cause is Satan plaguing the believer. Now, I had begun to wonder in the last few weeks if this doubt about my status, this fear might be from something like this. It is an insecurity that probably has many causes but that rears its head when it can do the most damage to any potential ministry making me self-conscious and nervous. And a verse came up in the class discussion that is familiar but seems very appropriate for the circumstances. I've decided to adopt, for the time being, this as my new passage to cling to. The passage is Ephesians 6:10-20. 10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord's people. 19 Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should. I'm not saying that all my problems are the result of spiritual attacks. But I do know that these same feelings of inadequacy once drove me from my calling. They come up at the worst times and make me weak and ineffective for the Kingdom. This is not what I want at all. Nor do I believe it is what my God wants for me. So, with his help, I will put on his armor. Those who pray, please pay special note to the last few verses. Pray for me in like kind. I will be eternally grateful.