Death (or at least the deep coma) of the Honor System.

I hear it all around me - the moaning, fretting, worrying, suspicion. Many people are afraid of what the future, in the hands of a more government-driven system, holds for them. I, for one, want to remain hopeful and give the new establishment the benefit of the doubt (which is a favor many refused to bestow upon the previous administration). Although I’m not a big fan of some things that will undoubtedly soon become irreversible policy, I’m still not going to give in to the temptation (just yet) to cover myself in sackcloth and ashes and hunker down in the basement waiting for the jack-booted socialist army to beat down my door and haul me off to a Gulag for tearing the tag off my mattress. I just don’t think it’s going to be as bad as some are saying – in fact some things may actually improve.

Nevertheless, there is something historic going on here in our country that I think is sad - and it’s not the predominance of one particular party in Washington DC. It’s something we as a nation have brought upon ourselves. It is the death (or severe mauling) of the Honor System.

You see, capitalism, free enterprise, all the entrepreneurial liberties I love – are, in a grand sense, the Honor System. Just like the snack bar in the Academy Band’s break room. You see, as long as people do as they should (even when no one’s looking), that system is the easiest, least time-consuming, most efficient way to do the business of raising money to pay for flowers and picnics. Of course, when people (yes, I have been guilty of this because chocolate is involved) don’t maintain their integrity or even care that they should, the Honor System crumbles and has to be replaced by the Regulatory System (shudder).

“No Butterfinger for YOU!! Now we have vending machine. Pay first!”

What? I can’t just take the Twix now and put cash in the kitty after I get change back from the chow hall lady?

“NO!! Too many times you forget to pay back and we end up short!”

Please. I promise I’ll change. I’ve learned my lesson.

“NO!! The bandocraticans have spoken. NO Zagnut for YOU!!!”

We hate the cold heartless vending machine and we pine for our dearly departed unfettered free and easy wicker basket of candy and ceramic money jar. We used to be able to tell the band association what kind of candy we wanted, and they could respond quickly to our needs the next time they went to the grocery store. Everything was easy and flexible.

But the money started disappearing, so we had to replace the ceramic jar with a locked box with a thin slot for the money (but how can we make change?). That worked for a while, but then people just started taking the candy and conveniently forgetting to pay back. So now we have the vending machine. It works. You can prove it does. But we had to buy it with candy-payer money. If the one or two people who have the key happen to be on tour or on leave, no one can restock the candy. So many types of candy and snacks won’t fit into the machine, so we’re limited now in what candy we can buy. And let’s not forget how from time to time the edge of the candy wrapper gets caught on something and won’t fall and, even though you’ve paid, you still get NO WATCHAMACALLIT FOR YOOOU!!!

Who can I blame for this new Regulatory System? The band association? Vending machine manufacturers? Not really. I have to blame myself, of course. I forgot the key law of freedom: “Without Honor there can be no Honor System.” I hang my head in disgust tempered by shame. I don’t really like Almond Joy, but HoH’os won’t fit in Big Brother’s vending machine. And it’s all my fault.

Thankfully for me, the band, and America, only part of my story is true. In reality we don’t have a vending machine, just the money lock box. Still a bit encumbering, but not so bad…yet. If we further lose our sense of honor, the vending machine, out of necessity, gets voted in. Or worse – no candy, no picnics or flowers.

And this, Americans, is where we stand. It’s a wake-up call. If we want to be trusted to make more of our own decisions then we have to be more trustworthy. We have to be accountable to something above and beyond the system, because the system isn’t big enough (YET!!) to really hinder us that much. Let’s remember that we are ALL indeed accountable to God Almighty. I hope more and more people turn to Him and follow in His ways. If they do, they will share without having to be forced to, consider others before themselves without having to be made to, leave alone what isn’t theirs without having to be watched, fulfill the mission of government with voluntary “socialism.”

We’ve been witnessing the replacement of the Honor System with the Regulatory System in so many places and stations of our daily activities for many many years. Without integrity it WILL ONLY GET WORSE. And without submission to God, there WILL BE AN EROSION OF INTEGRITY. We are even now paying the price for wrongs done in the past – even by those who professed faith. I don’t want my children to do that. Whether or not they will depends not just on their integrity, but on that of all of us. Let’s pray sincerely for a real revival of the heart of America (not just in church attendance numbers).

Blessings to you and keep reaching though…

I miss my country.

Well – the election is over and Barack Obama has won. And, of course, I have to write my feelings about it to the dozen or so individuals who read my blog. So here goes.

First let me say that the president-elect has my respect. His election is historic and means so much to so many people who have felt for so long that they have no voice. Although I did not vote for him and do not prefer his view of government's role in society, I say he and the democrats in Washington deserve a fair crack at leadership. I choose not to be an angry little critic of a sore loser - instead I wish Obama the best and I hope he proves wrong my misgivings towards him.

Still...I have rather mixed emotions.

To the results of this election there are two rather distinct responses welling up from within me. One is dark, bitter, gravely disappointed, utterly disgusted, suddenly disenfranchised, woefully disheartened, sinking in the quagmire of the immediate dismal moment and dizzy from disbelief. The other response is optimistic, pragmatic, reasonable, calm and collected, confident and resolute, soaring far above the grim tree line and gazing down, cool-headed and rallied, at a much less foreboding forest, green with the promise of a better tomorrow.

Here’s the dark view. I am crushed and saddened that so many of my fellow Americans no longer seem to appreciate the beauty of self-government, the empowerment of independence, and the richness born of free and unencumbered enterprise. They don’t understand what these liberties are or even how to make use of them. And the price these treasures require – that of patience, diligence, honor, integrity, righteousness, and charity – they are no longer willing to pay. They’ve squandered the prosperity bestowed on them by their forefathers, grappling gluttonously for the short-term high of instant gratification and the fleeting pleasure of material gain – all from the least effort possible and with no regard whatsoever for how their greedy pursuits might affect their fellow man. The result of all this – an unfortunate need for the intervention of government to inefficiently try to pick up their slack at the unfair expense of those who, mostly in prudence, prosper the most.

But here’s the optimism. Our nation will, over the next few years, come to understand what freedom is. Remember the Joni Mitchell song that said “you don’t know what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone?” I fully expect the Democrats in Washington to effectively remind us what we ought to value - by taking some of it away from us. Americans who love free enterprise will rally in another four or eight years (I suspect eight) and vote in a candidate who will represent a Republican Party that has learned hard lessons from its many mistakes and reconstructed itself on the foundation of America’s core principles. Our taxes may have risen - and certain new government initiatives may have settled in to stay, but our country will have seen first-hand both the up-side and the down-side of a big overbearing government – and will be less enamored of it.

Our parties shift their power from side to side often. It’s not good, I think, for one party to remain in power for too long. That party will eventually take its power for granted and lose sight of its most honorable aims. Right now the axis of power has shifted a bit to the left, but don’t expect it to stay there. Despite my darker musings, the independent American spirit is alive and well. It has given in to fear for a time, and has run to the sheltering arms of government. But give it time and it will re-emerge, throw aside its security blanket, and assert itself once again.

Nevertheless, no matter what happens, brothers and sisters, let us continue in prayer for our country, its leaders, its future and its soul. Pray that our people will receive Jesus Christ when their faith in government fails. Let’s see the Spirit of God settle in the humbled hearts of our people and watch as the blessings flow once again. We’re in a season of change – and if we keep focused on God and His ways, not politics, that change will be for the better in the long run.

What to make of Obama.

As a Christian and a republican, I have been concerned lately about the democratic presidential candidate. Who is he? People were asking that question, even dems, when he first emerged as a potential nominee last year. So, because of some rather disturbing allegations I've been hearing, I decided to go online and do some research for myself.

Let me just say that getting fair and unbiased information on the net, particularly concerning presidential candidates, is almost impossible. On one side people will say that a candidate is the devil incarnate, and on the other side people will refuse to acknowledge even the possibility of a problem with their guy. It's like trying to get to the bottom of a fight between your children. When people are so deeply emotionally invested in a particular side of a complicated issue, you can't get information from them that you can count on.

So I'm guessing, based on what I think I know about people, that the truth must be somewhere in the middle - between "radical leftist who will destroy us all" and "new messiah who will solve all our problems."

Therefore my assessment of Obama is thus:

He is, I suspect, nothing more heinous than a fairly liberal democrat who will probably tax the snot out of richer Americans to pay for social programs that will work fantastically or fail miserably depending on who you ask. He has probably dabbled in and flirted with some level of radical ideology in his younger days. He has rubbed shoulders with controversial leftist individuals and organizations (here and abroad - ask Uncle Fred about Kenya) - but I don't see how he could have avoided some of that, being a black democratic politician in Chicago. To what extent these entities have influenced his future political objectives is still unclear to me. He ultimately wants to do the right thing, but, as we all know, the right thing to one may not be exactly the right thing to another (maybe not even to the majority of Americans).

I suspect he will, unfortunately for me, bring us closer to a society that is at least a little more dependent on government programs and services. Whether or not dependency is his intention I can't say, but we all know that people will eventually become dependent - and the programs and services will replace a healthy amount of good common sense, prudence, applied wisdom, self-government, self-discipline, and old-fashioned American independence and self-reliance. But as so many Americans have been tossing aside those virtues over the past 60 years or so, we can only expect a little more "socialism" to infiltrate our lives. So I guess I won't blame Obama for it when it comes - I'll blame us (too many Americans in general, but not most of the people reading this blog) for needing what he will probably bring.

What really worries me more than anything else is not Obama himself, actually. It's the vote of confidence that radical leftist groups will feel they've been given if Obama wins. Groups like the Nation of Islam (Ferrakhan seems to love him), Earth Liberation Front, ACORN, and so on, may start coming out of the woodwork and asserting themselves more - simply because they feel their time has come (because they do). But even that isn't what really worries me. You see, when the leftist radicals start assuming more legitimacy - so will the radicals on the opposite side. I have a bad feeling that we're going to see a re-emergence of the Klan, the neo-nazis, white supremists, "christian" groups (with a well-deserved lower case "c") who will preach that blacks are the cursed tribe of Dan or carry signs that say "God hates fags," anti-government militias - and the list goes on. In short, I see a very real possibility of a "radicalization" of America. And I fear it will be difficult to stay out of it.

This is where the church must stand for Jesus, not political extremities. We will have to work harder than ever to close racial divides, and show extra love toward individuals whose sin we nevertheless condemn. And we must become painfully aware of our own sin so that we can repent and live lives that are upright before our Lord and our community.

I think the good news is that people will feel a need for Christ in their lives more than ever. Let's prepare for that, brothers and sisters. It's time we as American Christians really start to look like Jesus - and refuse to participate in the cultural ugliness the world may soon wallow in.

For such a time as this.

Stephen

Muddy in the Royal Gorge

No, no, no. I don't mean she gorged on food like royalty! She went with us today to the Royal Gorge and rode a train along the Arkansas River. She really enjoyed the scenery. And she has been a joy to have around. Last night she beat Rachel and the girls in chinese checkers, and tonight she's going to play scrabble with us. I hope she doesn't cheat.

Tomorrow we will take a trip up into the mountains and have a picnic - then maybe drive up to Woodland Park for the only Blue Bell Ice Cream stop in Colorado. (Does Muddy like ice cream?)

I'll put up pictures as soon as I get them off the camera. Thanks for letting us borrow her for a few days. We'll give her back soon!

After 42 years!

I hope someone is there to pick my daddy up off the floor when he reads this - but yesterday, for the first time in all my 42 years, I actually preached a sermon! It lasted only about 10 minutes (I didn't realize 10 was so long), but it went fairly well. My congregation was a group of inmates at the State Penitentiary, and they seemed to receive it well. It was my second trip to the prison, where I have played my guitar in their chapel service. But this time I wanted to prepare something to share from the pulpit. So here's a condensed synopsis of what I shared:

God loves men of action. Men of action are not content to sit idly by and live ordinary lives; they are compelled to act, and so God loves to use these impetuous, passionate, bold, confrontational souls to do awesome works in His Kingdom. But, unfortunately, Satan loves to derail them by leading them toward sinful actions, because, being men of action, they will often appease him quite willingly.

I then shared examples of men in the Bible who were action-oriented, like Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Peter, and Paul. They were not content to sit by and do nothing, when perhaps they should have. Jacob stole his brother's inheritance, Joseph had a big mouth, Moses committed murder, Peter assaulted an officer, and Paul was also a murderer. Yet God saw something in them - a willingness to DO something, right or wrong. When God took hold of them and turned their hearts toward Him, they were all used to do mighty works in His Kingdom that other men would have shied from.

Then I shared Revelation 3:15-16, the verse about being hot or cold, not lukewarm. I hope they caught that this message was all about them. In the spiritual reality, these men are not criminals; they are superheroes, not content to live ordinary lives, but they have been lured away from their calling. They are behind those walls because they acted, where most men would not. But because Satan was guiding their motives, their actions were criminal. I made sure to remind them that if they allow God to lead them and guide their actions - they will do amazing things because they are willing to act where most men are not.

I hope to go there again soon and share more of what God puts on my heart.

Blessings to you all.

Where is Barack Obama's heart?

A few months ago there was a bit of controversy over a photograph of Barack Obama not placing his hand over his heart during the playing of the National Anthem at a fundraiser. I heard about this and researched it a bit on the internet, and I found it to be true and accurate. Yes, he really is right up there on the stage with his hands down in front of him while the other democratic candidates have their hands over their hearts. Of course there are also pictures out there of him in other settings with his hand properly placed over his heart and singing along with the anthem. As to his failure to do so in this photograph, one of Obama’s PR people replied “sometimes he does; sometimes he doesn’t,” and asserted that he is in no way trying to make any sort of statement by this non-action.

Here’s my take on this: Any U.S. senator not placing his hand over his heart during the playing of the National Anthem (when everyone else around him is) DOES make a statement! Whether intentional or not – a statement is made.

Maybe to some this issue is not particularly important. Perhaps a number of citizens have well-spoken philosophical reasons for not paying the traditional respects to the symbols of our nation – and they unquestionably have that right and I would never try to force them otherwise. But – they are not running for president. For an American president, such expressions of patriotism are (and should be) expected.

To me, though, this issue is not really about a lack of patriotism, but a frighteningly clueless lack of empathy and understanding for the American people. I do believe that Mr. Obama does indeed love this country very much, and I don’t yet see credible evidence to suggest he doesn’t. However, Mr. Obama is running for the office of the President of the United States of America, and in this particular country, the symbolic gesture of placing one’s hand over their heart during the anthem has been SO VERY important to SO MANY people for SO LONG that it’s truly baffling to me that the Illinois senator wouldn’t automatically do it – ALL of the time. Doesn’t he know how it makes so many Americans feel to see him there like that, the only one with his hands down? Doesn’t he consider the passions of the millions of military veterans who can scarcely hear the anthem without holding back tears? Isn’t he aware that the office for which he is campaigning is that of the Commander-in-Chief of the whole of the U.S. armed forces, who are REQUIRED to pay proper respects to the flag and the anthem at all times? Doesn’t it occur to him that putting his hand over his heart is an expected symbol of service and allegiance not only to the flag or anthem, but to the PEOPLE who hold them so dear? I can only guess that the answer to these questions is “no.” And that DOES worry me.

When I see that picture of Barack Obama with his hands folded in front of him as if he were watching a golf game, I don’t see a dissident, an anti-patriot, or an America-hater at all – I just see a man who is completely and unbelievably aloof.

Who is smart?

Most of us know a little more about some particular thing than most other people do. Maybe for you it’s mechanics, theology, street sense, agriculture, music, business, literature, people, raising children, problem-solving, or some other subject or discipline in life. But – ALL of us know so very, very, very little compared to how much is known altogether. Therefore, none of us has as much to teach as to learn. The ignorant, I believe, are those who spend more time enlightening others than they spend learning from others.

And so I offer this postulation:

The smarter of any two people will be the one who learns the most from the other.

I hope I will live by it.