http://faithandimmigration.org/blog/prayer-compassionate-immigration-reform

Beautiful. =)

Wanna talk about "wasteful gov't spending!??" Let's talk about this dumb "virtual fence" they're building on the US/Mexico border. Are local governments paying for that?? I sure hope so, because what an unbelievable injustice that we would cut funding for valuable social services and raise the retirement age (aka, making me work until I'm at least 70...good Lord...) but use taxpayer money to construct a fence that is a symbol of fear and racism. The majority of illegal immigration isn't people crossing the border (climbing your silly virtual fence), but by people overstaying legal visas. Comprehensive Immigration Reform people...not a fence.

On the God's Politics blog today:
http://blog.sojo.net/2010/10/11/patriotism-and-idolatry/

Patriotism and Idolatry

by Tim King 10-11-2010

"This meditation is part of a dialog on Patheos.com about the question, “So, when does patriotism pass over into idolatry?”

"Idolatry is often subtle. I’ve never walked into a Church to see the cross replaced with a golden calf. It’s not that blatant. Idolatry replaces God with anything that is less than God, even if that thing is pretty good."

Good stuff!!!

someone being interviewed on mpr just said something like this: "we [progressives] feed on hope while the tea party just feeds on fear." Right on.

This is quite possibly my all-time favroite webpage, EVER: What to do in an Emergency. Gets me every time.

Paraprosdokians - funny! It says "A paraprosdokian is a figure of speech in which the latter part of a sentence or phrase is surprising or unexpected in a way that causes the reader or listener to re-frame or re-interpret the first part. It is frequently used for humorous or dramatic effect. For this reason, it is extremely popular among comedians and satirists." Haha.

It appears that the last time I blogged was in December and for some reason I was annoyed with Obama...probably over the slow going health care reform stuff. But it passed and all that is over for now, but the bill wasn't as drastic as it would've been if I were in charge. I still have faith in Obama and really like him as a person and President, but I'm getting so fearful of what I'm hearing out there now regarding politics. I don't understand a lot about politics and American bureaucracy and our capitalist system...but I just feel a burden to use my vote, my voice, my heart to push for policy which will help the poor and marginalized. That's why the tea party freaks me out. Because I don't see Christians doing their job to help the poor so if we do cut gov't programs, who is going to help the poor? Do we want to see poverty double, triple, quadruple in the USA?? Because I fear that will happen if these tea party people take over. Honestly, I'd love it if we had "less government," but I've lost faith that Christians will do what God has called them to do to provide for and take care of the poor, alien, widow, and orphan, and so if we don't allow government to do these things than no one will do them and we condemn these people to suffer.

Jesus' heart was with the poor and marginalized; that's who he spent his time with when he was "evangelizing" - which if you read the actual stories, his evangelism looks a lot more like hanging out with people and eating with them and showing them compassion as opposed to the 'repent or ye be damned' definition of evangelism that lurks out there today. It wasn't conditional; it wasn't a "if you come and listen to my 'gospel sales pitch,' then i'll heal your leprosy or give you sight or feed all 5000 of you," he offered himself. He oozed compassion, wisdom, love for the Father, conviction, salvation. I think time with him in person and seeing all these things that he was would make you want to repent of sin. He was God. Wow. And we're to be like him. This means sacrificing yourself, carrying your cross daily, realizing God died for the sins of the whole world and there is nothing of this world that we can attain that means more than that. So what's the big deal if we pay more taxes? Will we be willing to spend time volunteering places or donating to people who help the poor? Will we be willing to make necessary changes in our lifestyles to be able to help "the lease of these?" God help me be willing and able to do just this, to life a life worthy of this calling we have received.