GameChanger

As Barrack Hussein Obama concluded his speech at the Democratic Convention, the next day John McCain flat out checkmated Obama with the announcement of Sarah Palin as his VP nominee.
Out of nowhere into the lime light. Pro-life, evangelical, tough, NRA member, hockey mom and you know you sit there and go wow.

Now if you are saying but what about her experience? Wait. Wait. This election isn't about experience. Mr. Obama is less experienced than Clinton was when he ran.....You see John McCain's people saw the historical nature of this campaign as experience always loses to change.
{see Bob Dole for example. Still a great American statesman} so if people want change you have to give them change.
You will hear many inside the beltway be nice and say kinda things but doubting her cred. These people are the ones with a lower popularity rating than the president and they still don't get it! Isn't that amazing?

This election is about change. That is what is wanted by the American people. Think about everytime you have someone ask you what Obama has done of any national setting, they can't because they simply don't care. We want change.
Well, McCain shot across the bow of change and now it will be an interesting push to the end.
The male vote is pretty much sealed, the female vote is not and the borderline states are full of value voter moms.....See realclearpolitics to the right to see how close it is by state. Latest poll show one to three points.......no bump this time......
I will throw this right now and let's see where it goes later. The fact that Obama didn't get more of a bump from the week has got to be driving the Dems crazy. This was orchestrated and it all fell apart. I just don't want to hear all the flack when Obama loses that we weren't ready racially to accept a black president. The best part will be election night on MSNBC for Keith Olberman for he will get to cover McCain every night after he wins. It may be enough for him to change jobs again.
Speaking of coverage this past week, the glue that held MSNBC together- Tim Russert was sorely missed. The comments from Matthews (my detractors can go to hell!) and Olberman asking Scarborough to get a shovel....was lacking any level of professionalism. When Obama loses in November this will be a night to DVR the program.

But, for now this is what politics is supposed to be about issue driven and today we need change. We just don't need change that makes us a socialist country.

Have a safe and happy Labor Day and God Bless those folks on the coast.


These are my favorite commercials right now, especially the vacuum one:
http://www.silenceyourrooster.com/watch_the_clips.aspx


Drum Corps Associate's Championship Results from this weekend. Bucs win again. Minnesota Brass made a move from prelims. CorpsVets from Atlanta almost caught the Renegades from California this year.

1st - 97.913 - Reading Buccaneers
2nd - 96.513 - Minnesota Brass
3rd - 95.063 - Empire Statesmen
4th - 94.913 - Hurricanes
5th - 93.625 - Caballeros
6th - 93.425 - Bushwackers
7th - 90.013 - Brigadiers
8th - 89.675 - Renegades
9th - 86.763 - CorpsVets
10th - 83.738 - Rochester Crusaders

Teach-Ability

In the early church in the book of Acts the apostles are arrested many times for preaching Jesus. In one story they are arrested and then freed by an Angel only to be brought back before the Sanhedrin to answer questions again about their preaching. An interesting thing happens in that story. When Peter and the other apostles answer their questions, the scriptures say the men in the Sanhedrin become angry and want to kill them. Then one member of the Sanhedrin, Gamaliel, stands up and tells everyone if what the Apostles are preaching is from God then they will lose if they fight against these men. Let me quote that reply: Acts 5:39 “But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.”

Another story in the book of Acts takes place among those who are believers in Christ. It takes place after Paul’s conversion to Christianity. Paul goes to Jerusalem after his Damascus road experience and he tries to join with the disciples but they are all afraid of him because of his past history of persecuting the church. A man named Barnabas comes along side Paul and helps him meet with the disciples. Paul may never have been accepted in the Jerusalem church if it had not been for Barnabas.

As I thought about these two stories I began to see something they both had in common. We have a group of leaders in Jerusalem who do not believe in Jesus and within the group we have men that are willing to kill anyone that disagrees with them, and then Gamaliel was open to the possibility that they were wrong. In the other story we have a group of leaders in the church that would not have anything to do with Paul, but Barnabas was open to the fact that Paul could have really changed and he knew he needed his help. Gamaliel and Barnabas are open or teachable and the other’s are not. What makes them so different? I wish I could easily answer that….. then I could go on a speaking tour and get paid big bucks! But it’s just not that easy.

To simply say we need to be open minded and not so dogmatic about everything will not work. According to scripture…..some people are just not teachable or open minded about certain things, especially the preaching of Jesus. One of the saddest commentaries I know happened in the last part of the book of Acts when Paul is trying to teach the Jewish people in Rome about Christ. Some were convinced by what Paul said, but others would not believe. They disagreed among themselves and began to leave after Paul had made this final statement:

“The Holy Spirit spoke the truth to your forefathers when he said through Isaiah the prophet: ‘Go to this people and say, You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving. For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them’ ”.

Teach-ability according to this scripture seems to have a lot to do with having a tender heart. Refusing to hear or see what God is trying to teach us leads us to a calloused heart, a heart incapable of being healed. Sad. Sad because people can react so violently when someone challenges what they believe. People are killed all the time for the good of mankind. This is true of non-Christians and Christians alike. I personally feel anger rise up in me when someone strongly disagrees with me. In many cases if I keep my cool I discover that I’m the one in error. But there are other advantages in keeping your cool, it gives you the opportunity to help them if they are in error. God calls us to love, and that’s something we cannot force on people. Violence will never change someone’s heart, only the love of God can do that.

God help us to be open, to be teachable, and to graciously love those that disagree. Grace and unity - Gary

Gang of 10-What Planet are they on?

Well, The Apple Dumpling Gang actually made more sense than the Gang of 10.

Republican Energy Fumble

August 8, 2008; Page A13 , Wall Street Journal

Politics has its puzzling moments. John McCain and most of the GOP experienced one late last week. That was when five of their own set about dismantling the best issue Republicans have in the upcoming election.
It's taken time, but Sen. McCain and his party have finally found -- in energy -- an issue that's working for them. Riding voter discontent over high gas prices, the GOP has made antidrilling Democrats this summer's headlines.
Their enthusiasm has given conservative candidates a boost in tough races. And Mr. McCain has pressured Barack Obama into an energy debate, where the Democrat has struggled to explain shifting and confused policy proposals.
Still, it was probably too much to assume every Republican would work out that their side was winning this issue. And so, last Friday, in stumbled Sens. Lindsey Graham, John Thune, Saxby Chambliss, Bob Corker and Johnny Isakson -- alongside five Senate Democrats. This "Gang of 10" announced a "sweeping" and "bipartisan" energy plan to break Washington's energy "stalemate." What they did was throw every vulnerable Democrat, and Mr. Obama, a life preserver.

That's because the plan is a Democratic giveaway. New production on offshore federal lands is left to state legislatures, and then in only four coastal states. The regulatory hurdles are huge. And the bill bars drilling within 50 miles of the coast -- putting off limits some of the most productive areas. Alaska's oil-rich Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is still a no-go.

The highlight is instead $84 billion in tax credits, subsidies and federal handouts for alternative fuels and renewables. The Gang of 10 intends to pay for all this in part by raising taxes on . . . oil companies! The Sierra Club couldn't have penned it better. And so the Republican Five has potentially given antidrilling Democrats the political cover they need to neutralize energy through November.

Sen. Obama was thrilled. He quickly praised the Gang's bipartisan spirit, and warmed up to a possible compromise. Of course, he means removing even the token drilling provisions now in the bill. But he's only too happy for the focus to remain on the Gang's efforts, and in particular on the five Republicans providing his party its fig leaf.

Equally gleeful was Louisiana's Mary Landrieu, the Senate's most vulnerable Democrat. She had been sweating the energy debate, especially after her vote against more oil-shale production -- a position her Republican opponent, John Kennedy, had used against her to great effect. Yet there she was, chummily standing with the Gang of 10 and boasting that she is working with "five Republicans" to "lower prices at the pump by increasing offshore drilling here at home."
Mr. McCain, who had been commanding the energy debate, was left to explain why he, of all people, wasn't more enthusiastic about a "bipartisan" effort on energy, especially one that includes "drilling." His camp was forced to take refuge in taxes, explaining that their boss couldn't sign up for a bill that included more. If this is what Mr. McCain's good friend Lindsey Graham considers "helping," somebody might want to ask him to stop.

And pity poor Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who has been working overtime to stanch GOP losses this fall and head off a filibuster-proof Democratic Senate. His dogged efforts to highlight Democratic opposition to drilling has kept energy in the news and laid the groundwork for GOP candidates to use the issue to their advantage.
In the Colorado Senate race, Democrats had christened former GOP Rep. Bob Schaffer "Big Oil Bob" -- hoping to smear his oil industry career. "Big Oil Bob" has instead embraced his pro-drilling positions and is pummeling opponent Mark Udall for his antidrilling stance. In recent weeks, Mr. Schaffer has erased Mr. Udall's lead. Polls show Republican Sens. Norm Coleman (Minnesota) and John Sununu (New Hampshire) both climbing in the polls on the back of strong energy arguments. As two of the GOP's most vulnerable senators, both might well have run for cover with the Gang of 10. Instead they're fighting on the merits.
The "bipartisan" Republican senators have undercut these efforts, and boosted Ms. Landrieu. They've even put a smile on Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's face. He'd been struggling to tamp down the energy debate through November, where he hopes to increase his majority and permanently shelve drilling. He's now counting on the Gang to fruitlessly continue "negotiations" straight through the Senate's short September session and solve his problem for him.
Not one of the five Republicans in the Gang is facing a tough election this year. That's the sort of security that leads to bad decisions. And theirs is the sort of thinking that could leave Republicans in a permanent minority.

The Florida OutPouring's sad ending.

http://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/story.html?id=8956c0dc-e55a-4b43-83f8-a564eb48de50

I am wondering who was discipling him? If he had accountability of any serious nature after the issues he had years ago? and how easily he was not challenged in Florida for his past before he arrived. So sad.

This is a good article for leaders- Are you Transactional or Transformational?

http://samrainer.wordpress.com/2008/08/13/transactional-or-transformational-church-leadership/

May God Bless you richly this week.

"Fuzzy Lines"

Joe Mulroney at Woodpark last Sunday challenged me with Col.3:23 about how I should look at my work. He is right that we should look at our work as something we do for the Lord, but….let me talk a little about this work thing and me.

Work has some gray area’s for me. In the IT business it can be slow at times and too fast at others. It’s the slow times that create issues. Creating work in IT at the slow times cost money, and many times there is a freeze on spending………so you are forced to wait? In the slow times I can take care of the needs of the bank and do personal work at the same time, but I’m uncomfortable at times with this. Those in authority over me give me freedom and my reviews have always been excellent. But there are unseen boundary’s that are not clear. Going home in the evening does not mean I’m off from work, it just means I’m in a different place (fuzzy line one). I have to think about my work all the time no matter where I’m at (fuzzy line two). So balancing work, home, and ministry is always a challenge because all three are going on at the same time.

Black and white for some, not so for me…. at least not yet. Being in harmony for me at work means being very aware of the Holy Spirit’s lead. Easy to make mistakes in this kind of arena, but also a great place for personal growth and reward. I can see how God leads us to such a place to teach us many things, and it’s also a great place to influence many people.

I believe lack of confidence plays into my confusion with work, and it’s one of my primary weaknesses. I am continuously battling this confidence issue, and I know God would love for me to move past this ………but I’m so hard headed. My past has very deep roots that keep pulling me back to “I can’t” thinking. “ We can do all things in Christ Jesus” is such a great truth. One thing I see in that verse that gives me comfort is that there is no dead-line, or time involved in this statement. It’s a statement of fact with no mention of how long it would take to “do all things”. I believe God is happy with our baby steps in “doing all things” as long as we step in the right direction. When Jesus said, “His burden was light” He meant it. Kingdom Living shouldn’t be a burden, and God gives us the time to learn this new kind of Living.

Wise friends plays a big part in learning good judgment, and good judgment builds confidence. Confidence will lead to clearer lines (black and white), and less gray…..I’m confident of that. But as Hank reminded me, “there should be a balance between confidence and humility”. Thanks for being a wise friend Hank!

Grace and unity - Biggar

At Promise Keepers

Fletcher and I are headed to Atlanta today for Promise Keepers with 30 guys from our church.

The event sold out Monday so we will be there with 10,000 men worshipping the Lord.

Will give you a report on Sunday night.

Pray for all the men attending. Pray for all of us to be better husbands, fathers, leaders, good-named workers.