Right-Wing Exposed

It actually felt a little like “spring” today in Minnesota, 47 degrees.  Yes, that’s right, we get excited about 47 degrees here.  And, it’s Friday, which means that the weekend is here, so that’s another “upper”.  In this crazy world we live in with wars, terrorism, crime, poverty, hunger and an American economy that is in serious trouble, we need some uppers once in a while.  Now, don’t go out and find the nearest drug dealer, because I’m not talking about drugs.  I mean “natural uppers” like a sunny day, a weekend’s repose, good time spent with some friends etc.  These are sweet blessings in life.

Unfortunately, there are more than enough downers in life; things like sickness, pain, death, loss of employment, loneliness, rejection and betrayal.  Frankly, it seems like this world brings us more downers than we can compensate for with those natural uppers.

So, how can we maintain a positive attitude and keep joy in our lives when life’s negatives outnumber the positives?  I can tell you what does it for me, supernatural uppers that can only come from God, and that He has promised us in the Bible.  The Scriptures speak a lot about joy and rejoicing.  It’s one of God’s promised blessings to believers.

Sorrow, sadness and discouragement take a tremendous toll on us.  They make life unpleasant and extremely difficult.  And, when you’ve gotten into a “rut” with these negative emotions, you need supernatural help to deliver you from the “chains of despair” that have bound you.

I have some good news, some “Friday Truth” for you.  Jesus said that He came to “set the captives free” in Luke 4:18; moreover, He proclaimed in John 8:36 that when He sets you free, “you will be free indeed”.  In John 15:11 Jesus said that He has spoken His word to us so that His “joy” can abide in us.  And, Psalm 16:11 tells us that in His presence is fullness of joy.  Do you get the picture?  Jesus wants to set us free from our sorrows and misery, and to replace our sadness with joy!

I encourage you to take Him up on His offer.  Place your faith in Him and ask Him to be with you.  He doesn’t turn anyone away.  He’ll bring you the same supernatural joy and peace that He has provided for me.  In Psalm 30:5 we’re told that “weeping may endure for a night, but joy will come in the morning”.  And, Jesus said that He is the “Bright and Morning Star”.  Jesus can and will end your “night of weeping and despair”, and He will bring a bright, new morning filled with joy into your life.  It’s the truth, the “Friday Truth”.  Have a great weekend.  I’ll see you on “Evangelical Monday”. 

In last week’s “Right-Wing Thursday” segment I discussed conservative talk radio’s obsession with the Obama/Pastor Wright affair.  And, I raised the question of whether right-wing talkers were “swiftboating” Obama.  I encourage you to read last Thursday’s blog if you have not already done so.

After checking in with the likes of Hannity, Hewitt, Medved and Prager again this week, it is apparent that Republicans are going to “ride this horse” until November.  They are not content with the dirt they’ve already dug up, so they continue to look high and low for any other “tasty morsels” they can find to demean Senator Obama.

These right-wing pillars of virtue continue to target Senator Obama’s wife, searching the archives of past speeches she has made to try to find anything she may have said that can possibly be used against her husband.  However, the last time I checked, I’m quite sure that it was Senator Obama who is running for President, not his wife.  What’s next?  Will the talk radio police also be monitoring conversations the Obama children have with their friends?

Hugh Hewitt’s talk show has certainly had an “Obama fixation” this week.  Hewitt dedicated several segments of his three-hour show to playing the audio version of Obama’s book, which is read by Obama himself.  What was Hewitt’s purpose?  He wanted people to hear Obama’s free use of profanity.  He chose select pages from the book where Obama’s voice would have to be bleeped out several times, so that Senator Obama would appear to be someone who had a filthy vocabulary.

I have a question for Mr. Hewitt.  Why don’t you share some of John McCain’s foul tirades, for which he is famous, with your audience?  Hugh Hewitt knows that if most unbiased people were asked who has the nastier tongue, McCain or Obama, the vast majority would say McCain.  Hewitt himself also knows that this is the case, but he intentionally tried to portray Obama as the one with an excessive, profanity problem in order to discredit him.  It appears that right-wing talk radio is stepping up their assault on Senator Obama to such an extent that their swiftboating campaign is transitioning into a full blown “witch-hunt”.

It’s Friday night, and another week is coming to an end.  Did you have a good week, or a hard week filled with problems and trials?  Things are getting more difficult in America.  Home foreclosures continue to increase and credit card debt also continues to escalate, while gas prices have risen to more than $3 a gallon once again.  The stock market is still in the “tank” and the “Fed” can only lower interest rates so far.  These are ideal conditions for stress and anxiety to flourish.

How are you doing?  Do all these problems and trials have you stressed out?  I promise you that Jesus can and will help to relieve your stress and calm your anxieties.  The trials we face in this world don’t take Him by surprise.  In fact, in John 16:33, He said that we would have tribulations in this world.  However, in that same passage, He said that He will still give us peace in the midst of them.  And, believe me, He does.

Jesus came into this world to bring us peace.  One of His titles given to Him in the Old Testament hundreds of years before He was born was “Prince of Peace”.  And, in Ephesians 2:14 we’re told that Jesus Himself is our peace.  The Bible tells us to “cast all of our cares upon Him because He cares for us”, in 1st Peter 5:7.  I encourage you to do what the Bible says.  Sometimes our burdens are just too heavy for us to carry them on our own.  Jesus knows that, and He has offered to carry them for you.  He can do the “heavy lifting” that you can’t.  Trust Him and ask Him to take your burdens, and to give you peace.  He’s done it for me, and He will also do it for you.  The Bible says that He’s the same yesterday, today and forever; moreover, that He does not practice partiality.  So, He will provide the same help for you that He has for me.

Take Him at His word.  What have you got to lose?  I’ll tell you what you’ve got to lose, your burdens!  The Bible tells us exactly what to do when we feel anxiety coming upon us.  We are to say “no” to the anxiety, and then bring our need to God in prayer, but also to give thanks.  There is fantastic power in being thankful, which I’ll talk about another time.  However, for today’s focus, when we resist anxiety, and pray to God with thanksgiving instead,  God promises to bring peace upon us that surpasses understanding, in and through Jesus.  In fact, peace comes upon me when I just think about Jesus and speak His name.  After all, as the Bible says, He is the “Prince of Peace”.

That’s the “Friday Truth” for this week.  Have a great weekend!  I’ll see you on “Evangelical Monday”.

It’s certainly been an interesting week.  Our economy continued its downward spiral.  Hillary and Obama continued fighting each other, to the glee of Republicans.  And, right-wing talk radio had a grand time exploiting Obama’s pastor’s unwise remarks. 

These are hard times in America.  People are losing their homes and their jobs.  And, politics in our nation seems to find a way to sink to new lows. With all of the losses that people are suffering and the abundance of bad news circulating, it’s easy to begin to feel depressed and alone.

Therefore, I know that you could use some “good news” to head into this weekend. So, let me share a little “Friday Truth” with you straight from the Bible.  When times are tough and the pressure is on, you can be surrounded by people and still feel like you’re on an island, all alone in your despair.  But, you need to know that you’re not alone.  Last week I shared with you from the Bible just how much you are loved by God, and that He has promised that He will never forget you.  In Hebrews 13:5 and Matthew 28:20 the Bible assures that God is always with you, and that He will never leave you or forsake you.  That’s why you’ve been able to keep going in the midst of your difficulties.  His presence has been with you sustaining and enabling you to carry on.  And, why does He remain with you?  Because you’re worth it!  He sees great value and importance in you.  God doesn’t create junk.

You can’t get away from God even if you wanted to, because He won’t let you out of His sight or out of His thoughts.  In Psalm chapter 139 the Bible states that God knows your thoughts before you think them and your words before you speak them.  It says He knows when you sit down and when you rise up.  Moreover, it says that wherever you go, He goes.  Do you get the picture?  He loves to be with you, and you can’t shake Him.  The bottom line is that you are not alone now, and you never will be.  So, as long as He’s there with you, you might as well talk to Him and get to know Him better.  He wants a relationship with you.  Why do you think He’s always hanging around you? 

I encourage you to trust and respond to His presence.  If you do, you’ll never feel alone in a crowd again.  Oh, by the way, when you start talking to Him, if you’re out in public with other people, it might be a good idea to do it silently in your mind.  Maybe you already knew that.

Have a great weekend.  I’ll see you on “Evangelical Monday”.

Another week has come to an end, which means it’s time for some “Friday Truth”.  Most of you have probably worked hard and had your share of challenges, so I’m sure that you could use some encouragement.  And, I can’t think of a better place to get it from than the Bible.

I’ve spent time this week talking about global warming, money-loving preachers and about talk radio hosts’ harangues.  So, I’m ready to close this week with something more uplifting and helpful.  Let’s go into this weekend with a positive attitude and a general sense of well-being.

The Bible states in Jeremiah 31:3 that God loves you with an everlasting love, and that He draws you to Him with loving-kindness.  So, regardless of what kind of week you’ve had or of whatever rejection you experienced, you need to know that God still loves you.  In fact, that passage of scripture tells you that He always will love you, regardless of what you think, say or do.  As it said, His love for you is everlasting.  And, know that if God loves you like that, then you’re obviously worth it!

Also, if you experienced rejection this week, and you’re feeling forgotten and unimportant, there’s something else you need to know.  God has not rejected you; you’re still important to Him.  And, He has not forgotten you.  The Bible states in Isaiah 49:15 that a nursing mother will forget her precious little baby before God will ever forget you.  You are special, important, valuable and loved and remembered by God.  Now, that should help your self esteem.

So, shake the dust off your feet and let the week’s burdens go.  The most powerful and intelligent Being in the universe thinks that you’re worth His attention and love.  Have a great weekend.  I’ll be back with more revelations in my ”Evangelical Monday” blog.

It’s “Right-Wing Thursday” and it seems appropriate for me to focus on some of our favorite talk radio hosts this week.  This was primary week and Rush Limbaugh and Laura Ingraham decided to switch party affiliations for a day and encouraged their vast listening audiences to vote in the Democratic primary instead of the Republican.  Obviously Limbaugh and Ingraham don’t have much confidence in their own party’s candidate, so they felt the need to try to sabotage their Democratic opponents.  I don’t think that this would have been what our founding fathers, whom both Limbaugh and Ingraham like to refer to regarding many issues, would have endorsed.  I don’t think they would have supported trying to cheat the political process.  I guess right-wing talk show hosts only like to ponder what our founding fathers would do when it serves their political agenda.

It is apparent that right-wing pundits fear an election against Obama.  Limbaugh stated that he was hoping to “bloody him up a bit”.  That’s certainly a nice Christian attitude that I can assure you Jesus would not endorse.  For that matter, the screaming, angry, name-calling demeanor of conservative talkers such as Laura Ingraham, Michael Medved, Mark Levin and Michael Savage would also flunk the WWJD test.  It’s rather ironic that many of these hosts consider themselves to be Christian/religious.

Michael Medved, the guy who says that 80% of Americans are doing better than ever financially, also dedicated time this week to complain about the waste of six billion dollars in federal funds being spent on school lunch programs.  However, it doesn’t seem to bother Medved that we are spending that much every three weeks in Iraq.  Evidently Medved believes that spending money for war is more important than spending money to feed America’s hungry children.  At least Michael has his priorities straight.

Medved also spent time questioning Obama’s Muslim connections.  The fact that Obama has stated that he is a Christian and that he is a member of a Christian church is not enough for Medved.  Perhaps Michael can get some “religious police” to check into Obama’s true religion.  Maybe he can divert some of that money we waste on feeding our children and hire Kenneth Starr to do one of his in-depth investigations into Obama’s true religion.  Oh well, it’s always good entertainment tuning in to Medved and his cohorts for another dose of right-wing misinformation.