Don't Box Me In.

I don’t like it when people try to put me in a box or pigeon hole me. In my opinion, labeling people is a sign of an inability to process complex issues.

So, for the record (and yes, this has come up, if you can believe it!)…do I have a problem with a black man being President? Heck no! It’s about time!! Do I have problems with many of President Obama’s view and policies? Heck ya!

However, as my very wise friend Kate Ambrose said on her awesome blog today, “It's no secret that I didn't vote for Obama (hey, I didn't vote for McCain either!), but it is my duty and privilege as a Christian and an American to pray for our leaders, regardless of whether I worked toward getting them in office.” I love the way that Kate put that! And I believe that she is right, as a Christian it truly is my duty and privilege to pray for President Obama.

And, I know that God does NOT make mistakes. He is the One that put President Obama where he is today and from the speech given at the inauguration, President Obama believes that too.

As it says in Proverbs 21:1-2

The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD,

Like the rivers of water;

He turns it wherever He wishes.

Every way of a man is right in his own eyes,

But the LORD weighs the hearts.

There is a great GN Commentary here.

Lessons Learned

These are some verses that have new meaning in my life. It is amazing how God gives you the verses you need to bring peace to your thoughts in hard times. In fact, it’s pretty incredible!!

Psalm 15:2-4 (NKJV)
He who walks uprightly,
And works righteousness,
And speaks the truth in his heart;
He who does not backbite with his tongue,
Nor does evil to his neighbor,
Nor does he take up a reproach against his friend;
In whose eyes a vile person is despised,
But he honors those who fear the LORD;
He who swears to his own hurt and does not change;

Psalm 17:17
A friend loves at all times,
And a brother is born for adversity.

Matthew 18:15 (NKJV)

Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother.

Matthew 18:35 (NKJV)
So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses.”

John 15:13
Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.

Romans 14:9-11
For to this end Christ died and rose and lived again, that He might be Lord of both the dead and the living. But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.
For it is written:
“ As I live, says the LORD,
Every knee shall bow to Me,
And every tongue shall confess to God.”

1 Peter 4:7-9 (NKJV)
But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers. And above all things have fervent love for one another, for “love will cover a multitude of sins.” Be hospitable to one another without grumbling.

James 4:12 (NKJV)
Do not speak evil of one another, brethren. He who speaks evil of a brother and judges his brother, speaks evil of the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. There is one Lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy. Who are you to judge another?

I John 2:10
He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him.

If Only!

LaShawn has some great new posts on her blog. This one in particular caught my attention. I think ALL states should be required to do this!!

Fact, Fiction or Just Politically Correct?

I am reading a new book called The Politically Incorrect Guide to Women, Sex and Feminism by Carrie Lukas and it is very good. There are a lot of very interesting tidbits of information that I had never really heard before.

I found this part very interesting:

Top Ten Things Young Women Need to Know (That Feminists Won’t Tell Them!), page 18.

10. Flowers, candy, and opened doors aren’t weapons of oppression. Chivalrous gestures show a guy actually respects you and may be interested in a relationship with you.

9. You’re most fertile in your twenties. During your thirties, fertility declines and many women have trouble getting pregnant after age 35. Plan ahead.

8. Discrimination isn’t why women make less money than men. Women make different choices and have different priorities which results in them earning less.

7. Condoms are not get-out-of-STD-free devices – condoms do little or nothing to prevent the spread of several serious STDs.

6. Kids raised by their parents tend to have fewer emotional and behavioral problems than kids who spend long hours in daycare.

5. Not everyone is doing it. Fewer of your peers than you think are engaging in casual sex – those who are often regret it.

4. There is no shame in aspiring to marry – married people tend to be happier, healthier, and better off financially.

3. Divorces doesn’t erase a marriage – it often creates a new set of problems for you and your children.

2. You should make goals in your personal life just like you do in your career.

1. Being a woman does not make you a victim. You have choices to make, and to live with. That’s what being liberated and independent is all about.

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All feminists are not created equal. Previously I would have assumed that a woman like Margaret Thatcher would have been a staunch feminist with the same views as feminist icon Gloria Steinem, who said, “A liberated woman is one who has sex before marriage and a job after.”, while in reality Ms. Thatcher said things like, “Any woman who understands the problems of running a home will be nearer to understanding the problems of running a country” (1979), and, “I owe nothing to women’s lib.” (1982).

In particular I found chapter six very interesting. It is titled, Men Aren’t The Enemy. It went through the errors made and truly misleading information on statistics regarding violence against women. It doesn’t dispute that violence against women does happen and is completely horrible, but it does dispute the numbers that feminist throw out that are grabbed up like candy by the media.

It is a very easy read. I am interested is reading some other books in the series. Political correctness has always gotten on my nerves. I like the idea of books that try to lift the vale of PCness.

Can You Say "Biased"?

I don’t know if any one else caught some of the headlines on the main stream media about the study from Ms. Rosenbaum from John Hopkins University called "Patient Teenagers? A Comparison of the Sexual Behavior of Virginity Pledgers and Matched Nonpledgers."

Headlines like these:

Virginity Pledges Don't Stop Teen Sex," CBS News
"Virginity pledges don't mean much," CNN
"Study questions virginity pledges," Chicago Tribune
"Premarital Abstinence Pledges Ineffective, Study Finds," Washington Post
"Virginity Pledges Fail to Trump Teen Lust in Look at Older Data," Bloomberg

If a person doesn’t know any better and just goes by the stories in the liberal media these headlines might be a very sad study for Christians, but if someone takes a closer look they will realize that the headlines and stories are COMPLETELY biased and untrue.

What none of the media is reporting, except for The Wall Street Journal is that the study “is comparing, teens who take a virginity pledge with a very small subset of other teens: those who are just as religious and conservative as the pledge-takers.”

Why is the liberal media so against reporting studies like this truthfully? I know this is done all the time, but I really hate that so many people tune into the media, catch snip-its and then repeat it like it’s gospel.

Is it just me, or does the liberal media have an agenda when it comes to Christianity? Ya think?