Leaning, Leaning....

I am not liberal. I am not progressive. If backed into a corner and forced to classify myself, I would come down squarely as a conservative. That wasn't always so. As a young man, I believed very little. Live and let live. Eat, drink and be merry. To each his own. Oh, how foolish I was. I do not live in a vacuum. My actions and decisions affect others. Their actions and decisions affect me. Our lives are not mutually exclusive. Therefore, the way you lean can have important consequences for us all.

Unfortunately, in America today most people adopt a position based more on ignorance than on conviction. They base their opinions on sound bites and spin. Yesterday, I heard someone referred to as a left-leaning evangelical Christian. I had to scratch my head over that. The man the speaker was referring to supported abortion, same-sex marriage and euthanasia. I could quote chapter and verse in the Bible about God's displeasure with these things, but rather than give you my answer, I'd rather encourage you to find God's answer in the Bible on your own.

So, I guess that leaves the Christian faith squarely with those of us who are "right-leaning." Not so fast, the right, fairly or unfairly, suffer from a perception that they care little about the poor and disenfranchised or the environment. I'm not sure this is true or fair, but it is widely believed. I don't know about other conservatives, I can only speak for myself, but I care about these things as I believe my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ did. I don't take my political or social opinions from man, but from a loving, faithful God.

So if you're going to lean, don't worry about leaning left or leaning right, but lean on the everlasting arms of Christ. If you lean too far left or too far right, you run the risk of falling off the narrow path that Christ has laid before us.

Things Don't Always Go According to Plan

As my wife laughs at me while I attempt my first blog, I must admit the ridiculousness of it all. I am not tech-savvy, nor am I particularly eloquent or even moderately articulate. I don't have much to say that would be considered profound, but I do have opinions.

I have always seemed to have opinions and, for the most part, they have bordered on convictions. I'm sure I am no different than anyone else, in that I believe my opinions are right or, at least more right than those who oppose me. As a child, this caused much conflict with my brothers and others. I have always been willing to embrace conflict and confrontation to defend my position. I may not have always been more right than my opponent, but I have typically been more adamant. I have a unique ability to wear others down and make them give in.

However, God, in His infinite wisdom, has given me Diane. If you don't know my wife, Diane, you should. God gave me Diane as an obstacle to my arrogance and my "spoiling for a fight" attitude. God has used Diane in my life to teach me that not only am I not always right, but that I don't have to be. Being right isn't the way to win in life, following God is the way to win and Diane has been a major reason why I have learned this.

This is not a sappy, love story with my wife (although it probably should be). This is a love story with God and I pray that it never ends.