Out Of The Mouth Of Santorum

Notice when a candidate becomes the front-runner, they become for a lack of a better word, cocky. They seem to ramp up the rhetoric and immediately play the blame game. Rick Santorum is that very person, saying the media is making him a target. Really Rick, isn't it simply that you are the front-runner? Ron Paul suffered, Herman Caine suffered, even Newt Gingrich suffered when they were the front-runners. Their personal lives were looked into and dark secrets were exposed.

You, the real conservative, you, the real Bible believer, you should understand (1Cor 4:5) what you do in dark will be revealed in light. You're crying now, wait till they start digging deeply into your past and find something hidden, wait till the second and third place finishers start with their super pacs. What bothers me most is that you compared the President's theology, not ideology, to that of an amoeba to say he was an Evolutionist. Santorum( frothy mixture man) is dishonest. He's trying to play up the Religious Right. Where is the mention of the Newsweek article by Ayan Hirsi Ali about Christians being mistreated and murdered and jailed at an alarming rate, where's the outcry for your fellow brethren? I don't want to go there but I have to, Catholicism in most Christian circles is considered a cult. The presidential field comes down to who favors or looks more like you and right now you barley edge out a Mormon whom you how know the Christian Right feels about.

This is how nominal Christians or Bible believers view Catholicism. I won't mention molestation or rape of your children at the hands of priests, Yet you mention the Bible, what Bible, the Sacred Tradition or the Sacred Scripture, what about  (2Tim 3:16)? Guess you forgot about that one. What about the other beliefs you hold on to such as:

•  Praying to Saints
•  The Confessional
• Penance

Be careful Rick, Conservatives will turn on you for the better candidate. There is already rumor of a third-party candidate to vie for the position. Don't think ministers aren't talking about the erroneous doctrines and don't think they aren't speaking about women  who should be held in high esteem. Remember, "He that finds a wife finds a good thing."

A Symbol of Freedom

She waves her battered arms

In surrender, crying with blood

Stained tears wondering if she’ll

Ever find peace

Standing on battlefields, watching

Bloodshed, wondering for not. Yet

She stood upright, at times wayward

Some call her Old Glory

Some say she’s a symbol

Of freedom

She watched as wars waged on

Her Native American soil, North

Against South, she had to even

Brave to see brother against brother,

Only to know a Fathers hurt and a

Mother’s tears

Bombs fall from the air, she stood

And stared but she never fell away

Torn, tattered, she understood,

Symbolically to stand tall

Some call her Old Glory

Some say she’s a symbol

Of freedom

As a young land was being formed,

She was there, star by star, stripe by

Stripe, she witnessed woman’s rights,

Whiteman’s hatred, black man’s burden

But she stood

She waves her battered arms in surrender,

Crying with blood stained tears wondering

If she’ll ever find peace

Some call her Old Glory

Some say she’s a symbol

Of freedom

For All The Lovers Out There,Some Relationship Advice

While I'm no relationship expert, I do consider myself a man about town, simply meaning I'm not shy about interacting. My dear friend sent me over an article pertaining to relationship advice, I read it and sighed heavily. I then asked him his opinion, it made sense, since he's still on the right side of 50. He didn't want to answer for whatever reason, so I took it upon myself to answer the question. Advice doesn't have to be 300 pages of drudge and boredom. For me it focus's on 3 things. 1. Communication 2. Money 3. Sex It doesn't have to be long and drawn out. Master these 3 elements and you will have a successful marriage or relationship. You can add the incidentals yourself, allow me to share a few. Again I will share 3 things. 1. We share in a movie on recession free Tuesday(popcorn and soda 1buck each). 2. On Fridays we meet at a coffee house for a cup and conversation. 3. Never take each other for granted. The Bible teaches, he who finds a wife finds a good thing. Always be thankful for one another. While I shared a few things about me and my wife, there's a lot more I can add. Make your own memories that you can share.

The Tebow Effect

Tim Tebow has become somewhat of an anomaly. He has been much maligned. He's taken over a team that was hemorrhaging and turned them into contenders all the while  creating "Tebow Mania".  This is what sports junkies live for but wait, why are we hating and so critical of Tebow? He was a winner in high school, he was a winner in college( two Bowl Championship Series Championships and a Heisman to be exact). His "promise speech" has been immortalized and oh by the way, he has a statue on Florida's campus. Again, he's a winner! He's created excitement within the sport that could only be rivaled by Fernando or Tiger mania. The question remains; why all the vitriol surrounding this young man?  Everyone seems to want a piece of Tebow, even presidential candidates want his shining endorsement. He's even made people question their religion. Ah! We've hit the proverbial nail on the head; religion.

I recently read a long essay by a theologian(yawn). Look we are dealing with sports, not religion. In all the arguments railed for or against the young man the one issue that's  been overlooked; he's immature (1Cor 13:11-12).  When I first gave my life to Christ I was full-speed ahead obnoxious. I had that fire without knowledge or wisdom. I remember back in the early 90s when Evander Holyfield regained his title, during an interview he must have mentioned God at least 30 times in three minutes. The interviewer looked at Holyfield and said, "But that was you in the ring." Maybe Evander isn't the best example of spirituality( a man who stays in shape by beating his wife in front the kids).  But depending on the setting, such as a Christian broadcast, to mention God that many times would be acceptable.

Once again Tebow is immature, this may be his demeanor, or is it?  He wasn't completely this way when he played in the swamp. When Bob Dylan became a Christian, the Ekklessia he was a part of tried to tell him how he should act and respond to people. In other words they wanted to control him to use his star to brighten their efforts. I believe in a sincere way Tebow is being told to do this. His actions show his sheltered home-schooled upbringing and it makes him come off as aloof ,weird and peculiar. He already had an incident in his college locker room,  he wanted to pray before an exam, and someone yelled "shut the f@$%-up. Nothing wrong with praying before an exam, except you have to warm people to you. I didn't immediately see this until my wife pointed it out to me, once she did the wheels started spinning even more.

The life of a believer is somewhat tricky, even mysterious to a point. We are taught our steps are ordered by the Lord (Ps 37:23). Everything we do has a purpose, we are taught not to be ashamed of the Gospel (Rom 1:16). We are taught we will be prosecuted for his name's sake John (15:18-21). All these virtues are true but we have to balance that with how we should deal with issues in this world; be as cunning as a serpent but as gentle as a dove (Math 10:16). Faith is unique and often times a private affair but it doesn't mean one has more or less faith if they are vocal or silent. We should never be ashamed of serving him but there is a time and  place for everything. Let's take the work place for instance, they're certain guidelines we must follow. In Tebow's instance he's wearing his faith on his sleeve. It's not about being ashamed, it's about proper perspective. If you're at work and person is reading and they yell "Praise God" every five minutes, is that going to draw you closer or further away. In a greater sense Tebow is an ambassador or representative. He at the same time has youthful jubilance, which is fine. Someone such as a mentor should teach him better.

Remember back when Reggie White (Minister of Defense) started this. He said sometimes he prays for victories. When I first heard him say that, I thought he didn't pray hard enough. I'm joking as I say that, he did win and lose a Super Bowl. Reggie got himself in hot water when he made some disparaging remarks about Mexicans which costs him a cushy sports gig. Tebow's actions can be misconstrued as not being genuine or authentic and a distraction. God doesn't care about football, but people will weave in that he cares when a sparrow has fallen (Math 10:29). Teams opposing each other on the gridiron realize simple truths, the team that is the most prepared and executes the best wins. Tebow in one player, an integral part of the team; his job is to call the game, get the ball to the right personnel and allow them to do their part. When watching a game I don't care about people's faiths, especially when it comes to athletes, I'm usually disappointed. Too many times God becomes the scapegoat. What happens when the overly religious person doesn't win? I can answer that! The answer is spiritualized away.

What about Lew Alcindor who famously changed his name to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, he didn't proselytize his faith, he went about his business on the court and when it was over and done with, he still remained a devout Muslim winning five rings, and is the all time scoring leader. He lived his life in complete scrutiny, but he looked professional in doing so. Tebow will learn all the theatrics aren't necessary, especially if you don't win the big one. Let other people prop you up, don't allow yourself to manipulated.

Lastly when everything is done and said; God gets the glory and you receive the victory.