It has been said that, for every watch, there is a watchmaker.
As I ascend to 35000 feet, nestling in and out of the clouds over Manhattan, I am struck with the notion of how I (too often) forget that we are truly unique and complex beings capable of amazing things. Too often, I forget that, while we are all individually unique with talents that range from Architecture to Doctor to Civil Servant, we are strikingly similar in more ways than we realize. Even though our very DNA and fingerprints have their own unique design and genetic makeup, our eyes and hair different colors, I cannot dismiss the notion of how truly similar we all are. By "all", I mean every living, breathing thing on this earth.
From corner to corner, sea to sea, we all have a common bond that threads the very fabric of our DNA together. Humans and animals alike share it. It bonds us together with strikingly omnipresent characteristics. It cannot be detected by science, it can only be observed by instinct. This thread is LOVE.
At some point in our lives, we have loved (or been loved by) someone or something. We spend lifetimes searching for it, yearning for it and longing to experience it in ways greater than before. It is threaded within us at the core of our genetic makeup. Love is the one character trait that bonds every living organism on this planet together. A mother’s lover for her child is one of the most instinctual characteristics on earth.
It has been said that, for every watch, there is a watchmaker.
If we can all accept the notion that we were uniquely designed akin to the watchmaker who uniquely designs a watch, then it is easy to see that we, as complex, individually designed people, have a watchmaker too. We can't see Him in the flesh, but we can recognize it in our actions, in our lives, in the way we speak and the way we act. Every watchmaker has a signature, their proverbial “stamp” on every piece... It is the common thread that each and every one of their designs has that completes their unique collection. They may have different faces, second hands and features. They may even have internal workings that vary from one to another, but each piece has the common thread that binds the collection together. If we can accept this as analogous to our genetic makeup, than can we accept the fact that, perhaps, the very same thread, the same signature, the same stamp lies in all of us. If we can accept that every person is capable of love in some capacity, then we can accept that our unique signature is, in fact, LOVE. If every human being could recognize that this kind of love is what bonds us all together and does not separate us, then I have only one question:
What kind of world could we live in?
It has been said that, for every watch, there is a watchmaker.
The Christian Bible mentions the word “love” 610 times. Specifically, the Bible says that "Faith, Hope and Love are good gifts from God, but the greatest of these gifts is LOVE.". The Bible also says that "Christ IS love." It speaks of his compassion for people, his love for the sinner AND the saint and his unabashed spirit to share this love with all those who choose to receive it. He asked for nothing in return, other than to share the same gift with others – the gift of loving others as you would love yourself. This is the message of Christ. Can we step back and realize that, while we all have vast differences that can tear us apart in some cases, we have similar characteristics that we share. If LOVE is the common thread in all of us, and If Christ IS love, then Christ dwells in all of us. If Christ IS love, then we all bare the same watchmaker and have the same signature. If we as a people, a civilization and a world could only recognize our similarities first, perhaps we could learn to cope with our differences. Perhaps we could learn to accept one another even if we fundamentally disagree.
It has been said that, for every watch, there is a watchmaker.
Inside every living organism is the instinctual capacity to love. Learning to tap into that capacity...that deep desire to serve something larger than yourself is much easier than you can imagine. It requires no studying or preparation. It only requires an open heart to believe that we as a people have a designer that is all-knowing and all-powerful. This designer has left his signature on each and every one of us. That signature is Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit – aka, LOVE. Each of us has it, and each of us can choose to accept it or reject it.
Acception purely means a cognitive decision to believe in the power of this spirit that is within you. A power so great, that it created the heavens and the earth. A power so wonderful, that even the smallest level of faith will ensure your place in eternity. You have a choice today. You can choose to accept that this signature is within you. You can believe that the power and capacity to love dwells inside you so deeply that, when all else fails, it’s the last quality you would possess. You can believe that Jesus Christ, who the Bible says IS love, was sent to you with a message to believe in Him. Believe in the promise that Christ IS love. Accept Christ, accept His love in your life and you will begin to realize the full potential and capacity of love. It reaches far beyond a love of material things…for Christ’s love reaches to the furthest places in the heavens…it surrounds absolutely every single thing seen and unseen and it was meant, very specifically, for YOU.
I come to you today as a man who once was unaware of the source behind the love I had in my heart. I felt, at the core, that I was an inherently “good” person who loved and cared for others. It was when I understood and accepted the promise that the source of my instinctual love was the same love of Jesus Christ, that my life took a direction that I could only dream of. You don’t need to do anything, you don’t need to spend any money, you don’t need to travel anywhere or burn any candles. You only have to do one thing… Close your eyes and say, “I believe.” That’s all He asks of us. Then, live your life as he did…sharing the grace, the faith, the hope and, above all else, the Love that he has given you.
Honestly and truthfully, in your heart, say this prayer. When you’re done, I promise you that your life will be forever different.
"Lord Jesus Christ, I acknowledge my unique design. I believe that your stamp is within me. I believe that you are within me. I lift up your promise as my statement of faith in you. I believe that you sacrificed yourself for me. Through your birth, death and resurrection I am shown the symbol of the ultimate statement of your love for me. I believe that you gave your life so that all who seek to know peace, grace, faith, hope and love can do so. I accept you in my heart today as my Lord and Savior. I believe in your power as my creator. I ask that you fill me with your strength so that I can avoid the pitfalls of this life and recognize the victory I now have in you. It is in your most holy and precious name I pray. -Amen.”
My prayer:
Father, I can only pray that all those who seek to discover their own path to righteousness uncover the one who saved us by grace and mercy alone. I believe in the love inside me and can only imagine how small a percentage it compares to how much you truly love all of us. Thank you so much for my failures, my short-falls as well as the successes and victories... For all of them have brought me to you. Thank you for the love that dwells in me. May this love serve as a lighted path to your Kingdom, so that all those who seek to understand the way can have their steps guided. It is in your holy and mighty name I pray. -Amen
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Friday, May 15, 2009
Why President Obama is FAILING...part 2
Grading Barack Obama is not as easy at is seems…
We must aggregate the grades and blend an average between the short term and long term policy decisions in order to determine the appropriate score… with the long term, in my opinion, being weighted much more heavily than the short – given that the legacy of decisions made today have a much more lasting impact. Hopefully, we can all agree on that.
SHORT TERM:
Outlook:
· Are American’s happy, excited, optimistic, climbing slowly out of the recession, feeling good, benevolent that we’ve elected a African American…? The answer here is, YES.
Notes:
· It’s hard to ignore the fact that Barack Obama is very inspiring, articulate, charismatic and a champion of his own cause. For being the person at the leader of the pack, and for being the one to inspire America with promises of the years to come, President Obama deserves a decent grade
Grade:
· B+ (85% average)
LONG TERM:
Outlook:
· Americans feel good in the short term based on the promises of President Obama. The only problem is that these aren’t just promises…they’re empty promises and, even worse, they’re destructive.
Notes:
· As a result of electing this man, we have allowed for short-term giddiness to get in the way of long-term prosperity. We, as a nation, are falling further and further into the realm of dependency. When do the bailouts stop? Will corporate giants like Wal-Mart (who support the majority of the lower class) allow themselves to take larger risks, knowing that the Fed is there to protect them? What will become of our society in 10, 20, 50 years if we allow ourselves to be at the mercy of the Federal Government? It scares the hell out of me…that my children will grow up around a society that preaches Government first, Capitalism last or, even worse, gone. The fact of the matter is that Capitalism built America. Of course there needs to be freely-elected oversight that allows for the evil-doers to pay a price for taking advantage of the system, but a Government made up of power-hungry-do-nothings, out for their own self interests, stuck in the bureaucracy of Washington, making decisions about my personal resources scares me to no end. Think about Capitalism’s effect on the agricultural revolution and how it led to a nationwide rail system that produced competition and job creation all over the country... Or, the Industrial Revolution leading the way to competition and gain in production… Or, the Technology Revolution paving the way for companies like Apple and Google… Capitalism is what makes America great. The Ultimate Fighter, Barack Obama, amongst his bushy-tailed constituents, has Capitalism in a choke hold… If we’re smart, and I believe we are, we will realize that Capitalism is not immortal and I fear the day that it slaps its hand on the mat and taps out. We’re slowly climbing out of the recession because Capitalism is STILL AT THE CORE of our economy. Pumping a Trillion dollars into a system that still relies on Capitalism will, of course, act as a set of jumper cables. The problem is that the bureaucracy of Washington has led to a slow and steady decline in the performance of Capitalism…In essence, the battery is dying. While jump starting it will get us further down the road, it still doesn’t fix the problem. Capitalism needs to be restored! We’re killing the very system that built us in the hopes that trying a different system (big government) will provide a better result. The decisions that President Obama is making are forcing Americans to debate a very scary topic: “What happens if Capitalism fails?” The answer from my perspective is simple…if Capitalism fails, then America fails. That, my friends, is SCARY. For being the person who is setting America up for failure, President Obama is failing.
Grade:
· F (50% average)
If we aggregate the grades and give the Long Term a heavier-weighted average (double), then Obama has an 85%, 50% and 50%.
OBAMA’s OVERALL GRADE:
· D- (62%)
A few quotes from Ron Paul:
· When the federal government spends more each year than it collects in tax revenues, it has three choices: It can raise taxes, print money, or borrow money. While these actions may benefit politicians, all three options are bad for average Americans.
· A system of capitalism presumes sound money, not fiat money manipulated by a central bank. Capitalism cherishes voluntary contracts and interest rates that are determined by savings, not credit creation by a central bank.
· The moral and constitutional obligations of our representatives in Washington are to protect our liberty, not coddle the world, precipitating no-win wars, while bringing bankruptcy and economic turmoil to our people
· I am just absolutely convinced that the best formula for giving us peace and preserving the American way of life is freedom, limited government, and minding our own business overseas.
· Our country's founders cherished liberty, not democracy.
We must aggregate the grades and blend an average between the short term and long term policy decisions in order to determine the appropriate score… with the long term, in my opinion, being weighted much more heavily than the short – given that the legacy of decisions made today have a much more lasting impact. Hopefully, we can all agree on that.
SHORT TERM:
Outlook:
· Are American’s happy, excited, optimistic, climbing slowly out of the recession, feeling good, benevolent that we’ve elected a African American…? The answer here is, YES.
Notes:
· It’s hard to ignore the fact that Barack Obama is very inspiring, articulate, charismatic and a champion of his own cause. For being the person at the leader of the pack, and for being the one to inspire America with promises of the years to come, President Obama deserves a decent grade
Grade:
· B+ (85% average)
LONG TERM:
Outlook:
· Americans feel good in the short term based on the promises of President Obama. The only problem is that these aren’t just promises…they’re empty promises and, even worse, they’re destructive.
Notes:
· As a result of electing this man, we have allowed for short-term giddiness to get in the way of long-term prosperity. We, as a nation, are falling further and further into the realm of dependency. When do the bailouts stop? Will corporate giants like Wal-Mart (who support the majority of the lower class) allow themselves to take larger risks, knowing that the Fed is there to protect them? What will become of our society in 10, 20, 50 years if we allow ourselves to be at the mercy of the Federal Government? It scares the hell out of me…that my children will grow up around a society that preaches Government first, Capitalism last or, even worse, gone. The fact of the matter is that Capitalism built America. Of course there needs to be freely-elected oversight that allows for the evil-doers to pay a price for taking advantage of the system, but a Government made up of power-hungry-do-nothings, out for their own self interests, stuck in the bureaucracy of Washington, making decisions about my personal resources scares me to no end. Think about Capitalism’s effect on the agricultural revolution and how it led to a nationwide rail system that produced competition and job creation all over the country... Or, the Industrial Revolution leading the way to competition and gain in production… Or, the Technology Revolution paving the way for companies like Apple and Google… Capitalism is what makes America great. The Ultimate Fighter, Barack Obama, amongst his bushy-tailed constituents, has Capitalism in a choke hold… If we’re smart, and I believe we are, we will realize that Capitalism is not immortal and I fear the day that it slaps its hand on the mat and taps out. We’re slowly climbing out of the recession because Capitalism is STILL AT THE CORE of our economy. Pumping a Trillion dollars into a system that still relies on Capitalism will, of course, act as a set of jumper cables. The problem is that the bureaucracy of Washington has led to a slow and steady decline in the performance of Capitalism…In essence, the battery is dying. While jump starting it will get us further down the road, it still doesn’t fix the problem. Capitalism needs to be restored! We’re killing the very system that built us in the hopes that trying a different system (big government) will provide a better result. The decisions that President Obama is making are forcing Americans to debate a very scary topic: “What happens if Capitalism fails?” The answer from my perspective is simple…if Capitalism fails, then America fails. That, my friends, is SCARY. For being the person who is setting America up for failure, President Obama is failing.
Grade:
· F (50% average)
If we aggregate the grades and give the Long Term a heavier-weighted average (double), then Obama has an 85%, 50% and 50%.
OBAMA’s OVERALL GRADE:
· D- (62%)
A few quotes from Ron Paul:
· When the federal government spends more each year than it collects in tax revenues, it has three choices: It can raise taxes, print money, or borrow money. While these actions may benefit politicians, all three options are bad for average Americans.
· A system of capitalism presumes sound money, not fiat money manipulated by a central bank. Capitalism cherishes voluntary contracts and interest rates that are determined by savings, not credit creation by a central bank.
· The moral and constitutional obligations of our representatives in Washington are to protect our liberty, not coddle the world, precipitating no-win wars, while bringing bankruptcy and economic turmoil to our people
· I am just absolutely convinced that the best formula for giving us peace and preserving the American way of life is freedom, limited government, and minding our own business overseas.
· Our country's founders cherished liberty, not democracy.
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