Earnestly Engage in Prayer for Our Country It was a beautiful fall afternoon. My wife and I decided that it was a nice afternoon for leaf-peeping. So we loaded ourselves and Lulu, our mixed breed dog, into the car and took off. Our destination was what we thought was Virginia Kendall Park, part of the Akron Metropolitan Park System. Upon arriving, we immediately became aware that what had been Virginia Kendall Park is now part of the Cuyahoga Valley National Recreational Park. Notice the word “National”, as in “closed due to the government shutdown.” Yes, it was closed, the government being shut down over the budget debate – so we drove about ten miles or so to another of the Akron Metro Parks, a gorgeous but hilly park called Hampton Hills Metro Park. Yes, the government was partially shut down. The people who were really shut down were average American citizens. People like the senior citizen who, on a limited income, wants to spend an inexpensive day in the national park enjoying nature. Or the young family that cannot afford expensive entertainment, but can take the kids for a picnic in the park. The partial shutdown targeted who to hurt, and its target was the average citizen. I noticed no park rangers on the day we visited. But other reports, and television cameras captured rangers on duty making sure no one entered the parks. Of course, they could have been spending their time watching the citizens enjoying the parks, but were under orders to “make life as uncomfortable as possible” for the people. Let’s all give a big hurrah to the person who either gave or approved these orders: “Barack, you are all heart”. A group of tourists traveling to Yellowstone National Park told a Massachusetts newspaper reporter that the Park Service had treated them in “Gestapo” fashion. I take this to mean with extreme rudeness. A weekly publication stated in an editorial that the Park Service’s conduct “might be the biggest scandal of the Obama administration.” This same publication, Weekly Standard, shared: “People first noticed what the NPS (National Park Service) was up to when the World War II Memorial on the National Mall was ‘closed.’ Just to be clear, the memorial is an open plaza. There is nothing to operate. Sometimes there might be a ranger standing around. But he’s not collecting tickets or opening gates. Putting up barricades and posting guards to ‘close’ the World War II Memorial takes more resources and manpower than ‘keeping it open.” We all know now what happened: the World War II veterans who arrived to visit the memorial removed the barricades blocking their way – against orders from rangers not to do so, paid their respects to their comrades who had died in defense of freedom, and took the barricades two or three blocks down to the white House, where they were stacked against the fence in protest. Their attitude must have also been, “Barack, you are all heart.” Now dear readers please understand, I am about as apolitical as it gets. I think the members of both major parties and those of minor parties can be heroic or villainous, and all need a good dose of God’s grace. But the citizenry better wake up and wake up fast. The Internal Revenue Service is targeting groups for audits based on moral and religious stands, the NSA is spying on everyone’s emails and phone calls, not just suspected terrorists. And now we realize there is spying on phone calls of other nations’ leaders (is Angela Merkel a terrorist?). Further, the people being punished for Obamacare’s unpopularity and inefficiency are – us! The people who work for these agencies are being punished through manipulation, orders and threats. The common citizen is being punished through park closings. May God help us! How can we sustain liberty and trust in our government leaders when they establish such a circus atmosphere? How about punishing some prominent politicians instead of me, my wife and Lulu? Lock those prominent politicians in a room with each other and don’t feed them until they resolve the budget issue. Can you imagine being locked in a room with some of these people? Ever visited a haunted house? It is time for prayer. “If my people…will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will they hear from Heaven and I will heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14, paraphrased). Pray for America and its leaders. Pray that God will turn them back to Himself. It is time to… earnestly engage in prayer for our country.

Want to Live a Mediocre Life?

Want to Live a Mediocre Life? “Whoever covers an offense seeks love; but he who repeats a matter separates close friends” – Proverbs 17:9. Chris Fabry, who is probably best known for a weekday afternoon radio broadcast, wrote a book a few years ago. Fabry’s book is a satire, taking its cue from the best – seller by the late Stephen R. Covey, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change. Fabry’s book is entitled, The 77 Habits of Highly Ineffective Christians (Inter Varsity Press, 1997). One of Chris Fabry’s points is that if you really want to live a mediocre life, follow Habit #72 – Hold Grudges. Ever held a grudge? If so, you have followed a predictable pattern. First, you convince yourself that anger is deserved over some perceived injustice perpetrated against you. This is the “mull” stage. Then you move from mulling over this deserved anger into thoughts of revenge. “Boy, would I like to do this terrible thing to that person” is the way you think. But because you know there would be negative consequences for such behavior, like a jail term for example, you simply hold on to the thought of revenge. By holding on to this thought, you “hold a grudge.” Chris Fabry is right, of course. Holding a grudge is a guarantee that you will live a mediocre life. This is because you will spend so much time thinking about how to “get even” (whatever that means). Consequently, you will not spend time in creative and productive thinking. It is creative and productive thinking, combined with action, that leads to excellence in life. Proverbs 17 teaches an important fact about relationships: we need to be forgiving toward others and discreet in our speech. A real friend values the other person so much that he or she willingly refuses to nurture anger by “covering a personal offense”. This may take grace, but you have to decide whether the friendship, marriage or relationship is worth saving. The amazing thing about Jesus Christ is that He valued friendships and even told His disciples, “If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also” (Matthew 5:39). An authentic Christ-follower does not permit himself to be a punching bag or a target for verbal abuse, but is willing to be wronged, especially when no malice is involved. This is active forgiveness – not just words, but conduct. This proverb also gives advice on a sure way to terminate a friendship: remember an offense, relive it and discuss it often with third parties. Forgiveness means not discussing it repeatedly and attempting to put another person in a bad light. This is the behavior God intends for us. He wants us to have lives of excellence. Want to live a mediocre life? Hold a grudge.