Social Concerns

Ask anyone just about anywhere about the weather and you will get their opinion. I, myself, like the cool weather we are experiencing right now. I am rather warm natured and temperatures in the 60’s and 70’s are great. Besides that it makes great weather to be out and about on the ole Gold Wing. However there are those who have different opinions. Tammie, my wife, likes it much warmer, say in the 90’s – where she enjoys being in the warmth of the sunshine. Across the board we could all make a great case for why “our” weather is the best.

Just like the weather we all, in our society, have very definite opinions on many of the social concerns for our little corner of the world. Just a few days from now all good citizens will be headed to the polls to cast our ballot for our next national leader. We all have our own opinion of who would be the best leader. However, sometimes the questions which are put before our society are not so easy as to have yes-no type answers. Whom you choose for president is based out of that which you feel is the most important. As an example, I spoke to a person just the other day who is voting for one particular candidate because they believe they will receive the best tax benefits from them.

We as Christians have a responsibility to our society to act, including our voting, in a way which is most consistent with the Word and Will of our Heavenly Father. There are many other issues facing us here in Arkansas in addition to the presidential election. We have state and local leaders who are running for offices of all types, we also have decisions which will affect our quality of life here in the Natural State. Two of those issues are; the lottery and adoption. While I will not use this arena to tell you how to cast you opinion, I will make an appeal to you to make an informed, moral decision when you go to the polls.

If you need information on the issues or what is at stake in this election, may I suggest you check out the following web site www.familycouncil.org which has great information and discussions concerning some of that which is greatly important to the spiritual life here in our lovely state.

If you happen to see, as this great (in my opinion) weather continues, a full grown preacher rumbling along on an old Honda Goldwing GL1000, give me a honk and a wave, and look for the smile on my helmeted face as I enjoy this great time of the year! A guy outside, on his motorcycle, on the open road, with the fall colors, cool breeze, on his way to a football game – it doesn’t get much better than that!

Have a great day and remember God loves you more than you can ever imagine!

Serving Him by Serving You

joe

Pray

Just a month from now citizens from across our nation will gather at their local polling stations and elect the leaders which will lead our nation for the next term. It is time for the church to rise up and present our collective petition to God once again. Below is a suggested focus for your prayers for our nation. You can also go to www.prayer.ag.org and find a daily guide to help you pray for our nation until the election. Whether you follow one of these guides or make your own prayer pathway – pray. The effective fervent prayer of the righteous avails much before God!

• Seek God for a powerful spiritual awakening in our nation.

• Pray for our leaders, that they will look to God for wisdom and guidance in decisions that impact the course of our nation.

• Pray for our military, asking God to protect them from harm and danger. Pray also for their families, that they will find comfort and strength in Him during times of long separation.

• Pray for the spiritual climate in our nation, focusing on several key areas:

• Pray for the spiritual health of Christians, that we will grow in our faith, boldly stand for the gospel, and reflect the love of Christ.
  
• Pray for our churches, that they will be powerful centers of discipleship, worship, and evangelism.
  
• Pray that the ills of society—crime, addiction, violence—will be replaced with a desire to honor God and His Word.
  

• Pray for our civil servants and teachers. Seek God’s protection for those who take risks and make personal sacrifices on our behalf. Pray also that our teachers and other mentors in the community will guide youth toward wise and upright choices.

• Pray for fractured and dysfunctional family situations, asking God to bless and protect the young and the vulnerable.

• Pray for provision, as well as long-term solutions, for those trapped in the cycle of poverty.

• Pray that Americans will respect all human life as a precious gift from God.