Where is God? In view of the political battle that is raging in our nation, I want you to take a little break. Establish in your mind the image of our world from space. I little round ball with the green and brown of the land evident, the blue oceans and drifting white clouds. It seems so peaceful. You are aware of the close up view of a battle of ideologies around the world and our own dilemma in the United States. What is God’s view? He is left out of this election like none I know of in American history. We have seen some elections with a side debate on who is the best representative for God. In this election no one talks about Him. President Obama is publically indifferent. Gov. Mitt Romney thinks God is Elohim who dwells on the planet Kolob. Mr. Romney believes he will one day be God and have a world over which to rule. God says, “I am the Lord thy God and you shall have no other gods before me.” He created all things by the spoken word. We cannot imagine such power and authority. His son Jesus died on the cross and then rose from the grave so that we can really know God. Can a Holy, all powerful, all knowing God be so totally ignored and we expect a positive outcome? I can’t imagine what He shall do to get our attention. The worst thing may be that He simply allows us to stay the course and determine our own outcome. Heavenly Father, have mercy upon us and show us your way. May we turn to you before all is lost? In your name we pray. Amen.

Don Hughes

President at Don Hughes Consulting

Greater Atlanta Area

Think of how many substantial efforts could have been mounted

Burning Up the Bunting: What’s in a Handle?

Mercifully, the 18-month U.S. presidential election cycle has come to an end. Think of how many substantial efforts could have been mounted — from infrastructure improvements to educational, economic, and environmental efforts — by the army of partisans who worked so diligently to persuade you to think as they do. All those get-out-the-vote volunteers. All those potholes. We’ve missed our chance again.

At the peak of ballot bedlam on Tuesday night, there were 327,000 tweets moving per minute. Those things may have flown by so quickly Tuesday that you missed the interesting divide between those in the industry! the industry! who do — and those who don’t — think it’s good to trumpet their political preferences on Twitter and other media. And in the most colorful language.

This is something some of us in publishing have quietly discussed for months now. It can be curious when someone usually so articulate on a publishing panel suddenly pummels us with their crudest tweets about national leaders they’ve never met.

I invite you to think of people you know in the biz who did not do this Tuesday. They, too, might have been tweeting and pinning and Google+-ing and FB-ing and Tumbl-ing their views. But if they were, they weren’t doing it on their professional accounts. Not on the same handles with which they interact with clients and bosses and associates — that would be us — and with others from whom they might like some respect.

What’s important is that you make a conscious decision for yourself whether your most vociferous political curses or cheers belong on the conference-room table. Because that’s where your stuff just landed. And if you seriously start thinking of how many colleagues weren’t there swearing along with you — and then picture them around that table looking at you — you might realize that “everybody” is by no means doing it.

The publishing community has a vibrant life online. And since the analysts all woke up Wednesday yelling “demographics!” at us, it’s not a bad idea to acknowledge what a diverse-o-rama we are in books. We are not a choir to whom you are preaching. We may not agree with you at all. And even if we do, we may not need you to share sensitive beliefs with us in the vulgarity of the shopping-mall vernacular.

If you want to vote with your tweets on your professional account, this is your decision. But I’d suggest you not cave in to what you think “everybody” is doing. Because everybody is not doing it.

Steven Inskeep

A Good Teaching About Prophets - Today and Yesterday

 Karen said...

… the traditional view of Neviim (Prophets) is not that of a select group of the few whose reputation preceded them ...

The mark of a Prophet is not how well-known or respectable he or she is. In fact, it is shown over and over that most people preferred false prophets because they brought pleasant, palatable and respectable teachings that didn't upset the status quo too much. By contrast the real Prophets often brought challenging messages that often rocked the boat. Listening to them would mean making hard changes and it was easier to dismiss and ridicule them than face reality…

Sometimes, unfortunately, the people you know well and respect simply reinforce your existing viewpoints and biases. A real Prophet is willing to look foolish if necessary and give up "respectability" and even their lives in order to speak truth to power. Prophets are also not perfect, a category that would also exclude Jonah, who is in fact, beyond reluctant and has to be virtually forced by God to do his job. Prophets have human failings, sometimes glaring ones.

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I often don't understand why Friends continue to recite tired old canards about "the Hebrews" that were originally said in anger when early Christianity was separating from Judaism, when in doing so they disparage the roots of Christianity. The Light was always available, it didn't suddenly become available with Jesus' entry into historical time. The Light that George Fox experienced was the same Light the Hebrew Prophets experienced and taught them renewal; to live beyond and question narrow interpretations of "the Law" just as it did for Fox and others. It taught them to pursue Justice and seek Peace as it still does today.

FROM A COMMENT TO A BLOG BY DANNY COLEMAN (WHOSE ORIGINAL BLOG ENTRY IS DEFICIT AND NOT WHOLLY BIBLICAL, BUT WHO RECOGNIZED THE VALUE OF THIS COMMENT)

Courageous - A Call to Courage

 

C O U R A G E O U S

from a Facebook entry by Mike Engle to Joshua Gilbert

C onfront negativity with courage;
O vercome obstacles;
U phold your beliefs;
R ectify that which is wrong in your life;
A dhere to God’s principles;
G uard that which is dear to you;
E mbolden yourself spiritually;
O vercome fear through God’s Spirit;
U sing all of your abilities,
S eeking God’s will and His way.