Reports of my fame have been greatly exaggerated.
The newest addition to the Peters family has arrived! Tobias Funke, or Toby for short, arrived on Wednesday afternoon via American Airlines from Oklahoma. He is 9 weeks old & cute as a button. However, he still needs to work on his potty skills a bit. Puppies are so selfish! But he’ll come around, I just know it. Anyway, here’s a video. Enjoy!
The War on Terror versus Loving, forgiving, & serving my enemies:
Should we apply the teachings of Jesus to a national government? If so, how do we, as Christians, justify voting for officials who will use war & violence at some level against our enemies? If they do not apply, why not?
I’ve really been wrestling with these & countless other questions with regard to the upcoming elections. The more I look at the life & teachings of Jesus, the less that this jives with American government & American life in general. I’ve never been one to desire Christianity’s teachings to be enforced by the government. I believe that church & state should remain separate. I believe that gluttony is a sin, & one of the big ones that the Lord hates, but I don’t think cops should start arresting people at their local Chinese buffets. So, obviously, I prefer the government to remain neutral on religious matters & I can certainly support a government that does so. But, what if the government doesn’t simply remain neutral but acts in a way that stands in direct opposition to the way of Christ. Can I participate in the democratic process of that government, thus lending my support to it’s actions?
Understand, I’m not trying to bait anyone here. I am honestly struggling with these questions right now.
As I follow the upcoming election, the sheer amount of political spin coming from both sides is enough to give me motion sickness. I’m sure that you’ve noticed it: “Obama supports infanticide.” “McCain is a racist.” “Obama is merely a celebrity out to feed his own ego.” “McCain is merely a senile, bitter old man.” “Obama is a Muslim.” I mean, where can they go from here? We’ve got a long time yet until the election, what’s next, “Obama wants to shoot puppies in the face” “McCain likes to tease disabled veterans”?!
Can’t we all just realize that these 2 men are in the position to run for president because they are both very capable & intelligent people? They both want to pursue good things & ideals for the American people. They agree on several good things they would like to see happen, but they disagree on the best way to get them done. They agree on many good ideals to strive for, but they disagree on how to begin heading in that direction. They also disagree on many issues.
My point is that we’ve got to be intelligent citizens & voters. Part of doing that is refusing to take part in these worthless conversations & making sure that we look at where the candidates actually stand before making our decision.
So, next time someone comes up to you & says something to the effect of, “Well, you know Obama was one of the 9/11 conspirators,” or, “Have you heard about McCain’s drug smuggling operations in South America?” just kick them as hard as you can right in their shins. Hey! If they can use unfair tactics, then so can you.
What’s the worst spin you’ve seen so far in this election year?
We’ve finally found a church that draws as few lines as possible. They really, really, really want to include as many people as possible.
Don’t worry. We aren’t really going to this church. However, this is a church in Boston. My new friend David took this picture of the church down the street from his house. I had to have it because it is, far & away, the best sign I’ve ever seen. I know some folks at Harding that would be furious about this sign. I mean, their good name is being associated with not one, not two, not three, but four different abominations; 1) Baptists, 2) Methodists, 3) Female leadership, & 4) Notice the “Gay Pride” rainbow at the bottom. (Sarcasm fully intended in previous sentence).
But seriously, we have made some serious headway in the church hunt. After visiting several different churches Brooklynne & I have finally found a promising group. We’ve been to 2 Sunday morning gatherings & 2 small group activities so far. We have met several younger couples that we seem to hit it off with as well as some older couples who could possibly be excellent role models for our young marriage. The church is called Community of Faith Christian Fellowship. They are a nondenominational church. We have really loved their worship time & the welcoming & generous spirit that they have extended towards us. Most of all, they really do seem to value community & to love one another. They meet together as a body & as small groups frequently during the week. They also get together socially throughout the week. We aren’t fully committed yet, but we are very, very optimistic. Wish us luck!
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