people always say that Jesus wouldn't have been conservative.
and i agree.
but he wouldn't have been liberal, either, so i really hate when people use that as ammo against christian conservatives.

i've been thinking about politics a lot lately. i'm in college, and obviously learning a lot about myself and what i believe.
i've also been reading don miller's "blue like jazz," which i read over the course of about a year and a half (his writing style was really hard for me to get used to) and it just didn't do anything for me the first time... so i wanted to read it again and see what i thought about it.
he talks a lot about politics and how conservatives are basically morons to him.
i like don miller, but this frustrates me.

Jesus didn't like politicians, period. the bible doesn't say anything about political affiliation because there were different issues in the days of Jesus's life. i tend to think that Jesus knew how flawed we were, you know, because he was Jesus, the Son of God. because of the failure of adam and eve to obey God's commands, we've had to resort to the use of politics and political systems to keep people in line and from getting hurt. but where do we draw the line?
my answer is this: i think it's up to us to decide... and i think it needs to be done in a prayerfully considered way, but i also think that because we have a political system in the first place, we're screwed up. God didn't intend for things to be that way, so it is up to us to decide what we feel God is telling us to do... and that doesn't mean align with either party. it just means to decide what you're passionate about and stand up for it. i can tell you my reasoning behind things, but that doesn't mean that it is the way God intended it to be, or what Jesus would have done.
it's tough stuff to swallow. being a christian and politically involved just conflict with each other from the get-go. but i know i'm not perfect and i need redemption, and ultimately i think the rest just works itself out. i think what the founding fathers meant by "in God we trust" was just that... they trusted God (whoever they believed Him to be - which i know who that is but i don't know if they did or what...) to be a source of counsel and guidance for citizens... not to be the head of state. i think that even though, ultimately, God's will is done, the fact that we have to have control over us because we disobeyed God means that our political choices ultimately have nothing to do with God; this is not the way God intended it to be.

does this make any sense? i'll leave my personal political beliefs for another time.

shalom.
s-crum.


well life lately is superb.
i should be studying, but i wanted to write an entry instead because my thoughts are buzzing like a million different voices in my head.
but i'm all about honesty and i wanted to say some honest things tonight. i don't know who's listening, or if i'm being all "behind on the times," but i wanted to post these thoughts for the reference of myself and people that will hold me to what i'm saying, i guess.

camp mcgresham is wonderful. they are definitely the camp i prayed for, and the past 6 days have been unreal. i'm so in awe of how well i feel like we already fit together, and it's definitely great to start things off on a positive note. i feel blessed to have even gotten into camp again, let alone a camp that i adore so much.

things i've discovered i need to do this semester:
study every night
not use curse words (i've been slacking on this. it is far too easy for me to fall into this again. if anybody's reading this, please hold me accountable if you catch me on this)
live in the moment - i'm too much of a planner.
not care what everyone thinks so dang much.
SERVE others in any way i can

i'm sure i'll remember more tomorrow morning. i was thinking of this list whilst studying this evening and now that i've gotten home to put it on digital paper i can't remember everything.

anyway. i've been in a period of rediscovery lately. i'm becoming fine with just being me, and i can't decide if that's a good thing or not, because i don't try to be the best i can be lately. i don't think i like that. i hope that God is working through me, but lately i've just felt like i'm setting a bad example. as a christian, i'm supposed to set an example, not be the one messing up all the time... but then i think that it's by grace alone that i have been saved... but i hope that that grace is apparent in my actions, and i have a feeling it's not as much as i want it to be.
sigh, i know this is rambling.

anyway, praying for the right boldness and that i can learn to hold my tongue sometimes. i can be so wise and irrational with my words and actions, so i need to learn to be less impulsive and more purposeful.

and not worry. i need to stop worrying. God's plan is greater than my own.

for spring break, i was going to help a little on my hometown church's mission trip to arlington, but i backed out (unfortunately, but i felt like the following was something i needed to do). i'm going to visit my grandmother in san antonio with my little brother. i hope we're able to bond on this little road trip of ours, and i hope to be able to hear some words of wisdom from my grandmother. if i had half of her faith, i think i'd be in good shape, haha. she is such a woman of the Lord and i hope to be able to spend some great quality time with her, as these moments don't come up too often and i'm sure she's gotten a bit lonely without my paw paw around anymore.

all in all, i'm incredibly blessed. i have friends that i love dearly and family that is a source of constant support (well, not always support, but definitely honest opinions that i value). i may not have a fancy car or funds to get me through the week all the time, but God's provided me with what i need.

music as of late includes: death cab, jimmy eat world, kings of convenience, the killers, eisley, etc. like i said, i'm rediscovering stuff. i need to get my old music library from back home put on my laptop. i feel like i've lost touch with such an important part of my life.

clinging to 1 john right now
"if we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."

lots of thoughts, but alas, i have a test at 8 am.
shalom and good night.