I have withheld commenting on last Tuesday’s election until now.  Not only have I not wanted to be labeled a racist as so many who opposed Barack Obama have been labeled, but I also wanted to take some time to reflect on what has happened in our nation.

I am in no way a racist.  I am excited that a person of color will soon occupy the highest office in the land.  I would just have rather seen a conservative person of color, like J.C. Watts or Michael Steele, occupy the office.  I believe the election of Barack Obama actually proves that the American Dream is still alive.  No person born in America (or born to American parents) can say that I could never be president.  The Dream is still alive!  Anyone resourceful enough and willing to work hard enough can achieve almost anything they put their mind toward doing.  Isn’t America a great country?

When I was in the eighth grade, I had to memorize every word of Dr. Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech.  It is exciting to see Dr. King’s words actually come to fruition.  But please, please understand that my opposition to Barack Obama has nothing to do with the color of his skin.  As Dr. King dreamed, my opposition to Barack Obama is based not on the color of his skin, but on the content of his character. 

The Bible says that bad company corrupts good character.  It has been proven time and time again that Pres.-Elect Obama keeps some bad company.  I don’t hate Rev. Jeremiah Wright or Bill Ayers.  I don’t even know them…but it seems that they hate me and what I stand for, even though they don’t know me either. God’s Word says that I am to love those who hate me and bless those who persecute me.  I know what it is to be hated.  I don’t REALLY know what it is to be persecuted.  In the midst of all of the turmoil, I am going to choose to love.

This week, someone asked me, “What are we going to do now?”  I think that I am going to continue my life as it has been for the 23 years.  I am going to get up each morning seeking to love Jesus more than I did yesterday.  I am going to live each day seeking to obey God…no matter who is in the White House.

Someone else has asked, “Why did God allow this to happen?”  My answer to that is, “Why not?”  God in His graciousness gave America what they asked for.  Does the election of Barack Obama and his liberal counterparts mean that God is no longer good?  Not in the least.  I believe that we are about to find out that God is much more concerned with what happens at our house and at His house than he is who sits in the White House.

This is a time to pray.  This is a time to seek God.  Would you join me in praying for Pres.-Elect Obama?

I am linking an outstanding letter from Richard Land of the Southern Baptist Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission.  I encourage every Bible-believing person who happens across this blog to read it.  I am also looking forward to sharing more on this subject, this coming Sunday evening.

Dear President-elect Obama,

By Richard Land - Nov 5, 2008 - 34

First, congratulations on your successful campaign to become the 44th President of our beloved United States of America. This was a historic election in terms of the massive increase in voter participation as a percentage of the electorate.

I hope you know that there are tens of millions of Americans who did not vote for you who are still very, very pleased that an African-American has been elected President of the United States.

The fact that this could happen in a country with as tragic a racial past as America’s says something noble and fine about the American experiment and the glorious “opportunity democracy” it has spawned. After much struggle, we as a nation have chosen together to live up to the promises of our founding document, the Declaration of Independence: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

For those of us who came of age during the Civil Rights Era and were inspired by Dr. King, it is very gratifying to watch our nation elect a person of color to the highest political office in the land, even someone for whom they may not have voted because of serious policy differences.

Mr. President-elect, the Bible exhorts us to pray for “kings and all who are in authority” (1 Tim. 2:1-2). We, therefore, covenant to pray for you, your family, and your administration. We will pray that God will grant you godly wisdom in all your decision-making. We pray with faith and confidence that “the king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, as the rivers of water; he turneth it whithersoever he will” (Prov. 21:1).

On issues which involve moral and ethical values, we will both pray for you and exhort you to apply biblical principles and values as you make policy decisions which will impact the families of America and the world. We will also pray that God will bless you with safety, health and all spiritual blessings.

On issues where we agree, such as standing against genocide in Darfur and protecting basic human rights around the world, we will support you.

On issues where we disagree with the approach your administration takes, we will do our best to persuade you to change your approach. When we are unsuccessful, we will stand by our convictions and will exercise our God-given responsibilities and Constitutionally-protected right to work for alternative solutions which are more in accord with our convictions.

Southern Baptists remain unalterably committed to the protection of unborn human life. The vast majority of Southern Baptists believe that a pre-born baby is a distinct human life, according to both science and the Bible (Ps. 51:5; Ps. 139-13-16; Jer. 1:5; Luke 1:41). The euphemism of “choice” or “reproductive freedom” cannot disguise or justify killing a baby. Government has a proper role in protecting lives, including the lives of the unborn. Southern Baptists, by national resolutions, have opposed abortion on demand, and have called for public policies which severely restrict abortion and which promote alternatives such as adoption.

Mr. President-elect, you have said you want to unite us as a nation. An excellent place to work for such unity and consensus on the life issue would be for you to put your full and vigorous support behind the Democrats for Life House Caucus initiative known as the Pregnant Women Support Act or the 95-10 Initiative (because its goal is to reduce abortion by 95% over a ten-year period).

This bill (H.R. 3192 and S. 2407), sponsored in the last Congress by Rep. Lincoln Davis (D-TN) and Sen. Robert Casey (D-PA), would, among other things:

• Establish a toll-free number to direct women to places that will provide support during and following their pregnancy;
• Fund collection of accurate data on abortion;
• Provide child care to low-income and student parents;
• Provide parenting education in maternity group homes;
• Make the Adoption Tax Credits permanent;
• Ensure that pregnant women are not denied health care by insurance companies and that coverage is continued for newborns;
• Codify the regulation that extends coverage under the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) to low-income pregnant women and unborn children;
• Improve services for pregnant women who are victims of domestic violence;
• Provide services to parents receiving a positive test diagnosis for Down syndrome or other prenatally diagnosed conditions;
• Increase funding for the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Nutrition Program;
• Provide grants to institutions of higher education to fund pregnant and parenting student services;
• Provide new mothers with free home visits by registered nurses.

All of these measures would help fulfill the pledge made in the 2008 Democratic Party platform, which “strongly supports a woman’s decision to have a child by ensuring access to and availability of programs for pre- and post-natal health care, parenting skills, income support, and caring adoption programs.”

Mr. President-elect, America needs moral conviction, not moral neutrality. America’s children need a model of leadership committed both to excellence and to virtue. May God help you, Mr. President-elect, and make you that leader. And may God bless America!

Yours in His service,

Richard Land

I have been trying to find the time to post a new blog since returning from South Africa last weekend.  I want to say, “Thank You,” to everyone who prayed for our team.  We spent 5 days out in the villages of Limpopo Province in northeastern South Africa.  We stayed in the homes of the members of the Muchipisi Baptist Church.  To say it was an incredible experience is quite the understatement.  We were the first whites to ever spend more than a few hours in the village and were surely the first to be allowed into their homes to live for the better part of a week.

South Africa is a country of great contrasts.  Johannesburg is a world-class city on par with Atlanta, New York, Los Angeles, or any of the great cities here in the United States.  The village of Muchipisi in which we lived is a totally different place though it is only 6 hours away from Joburg.  Though the standard of living is higher than it is in other African nations I have visited, life is still very difficult.  Unemployment runs at almost 50% and HIV/AIDS is killing the better part of two generations. The homes in which we stayed were of the highest caliber for that area.  They had concrete floors and walls with tin roofs. Electricity is available for a small monthly fee.  There is, however, no running water or indoor plumbing in the homes.  Much of the day is spent collecting water from the government owned hydrants and transporting it to the homes.  Wood fires are used to heat the water for cooking, bathing, and other household needs.

We worked with the only three known Baptist churches in the Malamulele district.  These are the only known Baptist churches for over 100,000 people.  There are some other evangelical churches in the area, but many of them are stuck in the “prosperity gospel.” Our church is in the process of deciding the best way to help these three churches (about 100 believers) reach their district through evangelism, discipleship, and church planting.  I ask that you continue to pray for the church leadership in the area.  Pray for cousins, Kenneth & Derek Chauke as they seek to lead this small band of believers to impact the 100,000 Shangaan speakers of Malamulele with the gospel.  Our vision is to have the village of Muchipisi in the district of Malamulele be the “city on a hill” to reach the 800,000 Shangaan and Pedi peoples of Limpopo Province with the life-changing gospel of Jesus Christ.

It is good to be home…but once again, I left so much of my heart in Africa.  May God use me, my family, and our church to reach the continent of Africa for His glory!

The past two days have been incredibly hectic for me. I haven’t had a chance to update the blog as I had hoped.  My plan is to update it twice a week.  I am looking at Tuesday and Friday, but may settle on Monday and Friday to update thoughts from the weekend on Monday and through the week on Friday.

This week, I have been enamored by America’s sudden infatuation with purity rings.  It seems that teenage pop stars [and Disney Channel icons], the Jonas Brothers, had the audacity to wear their purity rings to MTV’s usually trashy shindig, the Video Music Awards.  Throughout the night, the Brothers and their rings became targets of the very offensive host, Russell Brand.  Watching his comments through YouTube and other media outlets [I didn't lower myself to watch the broadcast Sunday night, sorry!], shows me that Mr. Brand doesn’t have a clue!  He wouldn’t seem to leave the issue alone.  That is, not until, fellow purity ring-wearer and committed Christian, Jordin Sparks, put him and others in their proper place.  She said, “I just have one thing to say about promise rings. It’s not bad to wear a promise ring, because not everybody – guy or girl – wants to be a slut.”  It seems that quite a flap has now been made over Miss Sparks comments.  I applaud her for standing up for her beliefs and her fellow abstinence-committed teens.  I don’t think she should have used the word, “slut,” but do understand where she was coming from.  MTV can’t have it both ways.  You can’t have people on stage acting like the aforementioned “s… word,” and then get mad when someone calls them out on their behavior. I applaud Miss Sparks for her courage and her stand for what is right.  I also applaud the Jonas Brothers for the same things.

I, in no way, think that a ring is going to keep some pure until marriage.  Only a strong commitment to what is right, a lot of willpower, and the grace of God can do that.  But I do see a purity ring as a reminder of what is right.  I plan on buying all 3 of my daughters purity rings when the time comes and will buy them for my 3 sons as well if they want to wear them.  Purity is a commitment.  Purity is a struggle for teens and grownups.  Any way that I can help my kids in the struggle to glorify God and save themselves for marriage…I want to do.  I get tired of seeing the Jonas Brothers on my TV 22 1/2 hours a day… I have never bought any CD by Jordin Sparks… I have never even heard her sing except for a few times when I caught a few seconds of American Idol and the national anthem at the Super Bowl…but maybe I have found some stars that my kids can “idolize”.  It’s good to know that there are still some teenagers with morals who aren’t afraid to stand for what they believe in.

This is my second attempt now at blogging.  I am hoping that this new improved blogging method will make me be more diligent about updating this site with my thoughts.  I appreciate your comments.  I am looking forward to updating this blog with my thoughts on Westview Baptist Church, the Southern Baptist Convention, ministry in general, missions, and life!  Let me know what you think.  Let me know when/if you find the page..