Great Blog Post

I read a post today from Pastor Troy Gramling, lead pastor at Flamingo Road Church. He has an excellent perspective on the subject of the upcoming Presidential Election. I am sure glad our pastor reads his blog daily.

http://troyandsteph.com/

I try not to pontificate on my blog, but there is something keeping me up at night and I have to share it with you. It’s the way we (in the ministry world) whine about how many immature Christ followers there are, but then we do everything in our power to keep them that way. It may be unintentional, but it has the same results either way. What am I talking about? It is the way we TELL people what to do instead of giving them the tools to discover the truth on their own. Exhibit #1 – The Election. I’ve heard pastor after pastor say, “I’m not going to tell you how to vote," then do precisely that. On both sides of the aisle, right after the man or woman of God says, "I’m not going to tell you how to vote," they bring up what they perceive are the important issues. I’ve heard this same sermon for three decades now, the names are changed but the message is the same. It goes something like this, "Our country is going to hell literally, and if you don’t vote for who I believe is the best Christ follower and who stands for the issues that I believe are most important, then you are being deceived and you are the reason that God is judging our country." Please don’t misunderstand me, we should study to see what God’s word says about all the issues, and IT is the pastor’s job to proclaim, "thus sayeth the LORD." But to manipulate the congregation with FEAR and DOUBT; to appoint ourselves as the only one who knows what the REAL important issues are, is a misuse of the pulpit. According to Ephesians 4:12 we are “to equip the saints for the work of ministry." To give them the tools they need to make decisions. When we tell them what to do, we stunt their growth and keep them from growing decision-making muscles. Many congregations recognize the voice of their pastor more readily than they do the voice of our Lord. In John 10:4 it says “his sheep follow him because they know his voice.” Are we afraid that the Holy Spirit won’t do his job? The lack of growth in our churches is not because we lack programs or resources. It’s not even because of bad doctrine. It is because we, as pastors, are too insecure to let the sheep mature. When parents use our pastoring techniques in the home and don’t let their children grow up and develop decision making muscles, they go off to college and go wild. Why? Because there is no one there to tell them what to do and they don’t know how to make godly decisions on their own. If we are going to tell our congregations who to vote for--and don’t say that we don’t, lets have enough integrity to admit that everyone knows where we stand by the verbiage and illustrations we use--are we going to tell them who to marry, which house they should buy and what profession to go into?

Budget History

This just goes to show you how bad the Bush's were as president.

TIME FOR CHANGE!!!! 

Battleground States Poll - courtesy of AP

Race is coming down the stretch and Obama is leading in these states. I know there are people out there that don't like to see this and will find more excuses why this is untrue, etc... It is time for change, even McCain can agree with that and with the large voter turnout it does favor Obama as these are people, who more than likely, would not normally excercise their right to vote. I just pray that if/when he is elected, that we as a nation rally around him and unite to bring this country back to where it belongs. My greatest fear is that he will be assassinated and if successful would bring anarchy to our land and divide our country even more. 

South Florida Sports Weekend

Canes edge Wake Forest 16-10. It was another tough game (to watch) as the U played very safe offense and played enough defense to claw their way to victory. Marve didn't have an exceptional day but did enough to lead the canes. 

Florida Panthers fairing well on this homestand, winning against Ottawa and San Jose, but losing to St. Louis today, however still in first place. :)

Miami Heat finish their preseason with a victory... just like football... it's just too long and finally the season is going to start.

Dolphins vs Bills, 1 PM. I don't expect Miami to win this game, they always have major problems covering Lee Evans and last week showed me that their run defense is porous. I honestly expect this to be a lopsided victory for Buffalo and bring us fans one step closer to the Chad Henne era. 

Happy Birthday my beautiful daughter Juliana

Today we celebrated Juliana's Fourth birthday. It was a great time with family and friends, watching my little girl grow up and truly enjoy this special day for her. My wife did a fabulous job in setting up the table and decorations while I did my best to not mess things up. We hired a clown to entertain the kidis for an hour and she did a wonderful job. She engaged all of the kids there and created a joyful enviroment for all. I couldn't have been more pleased with how well this party turned out and how truly blessed we are. I want to thank all of those people who attended and made my little girl very happy.  

Obama's Latest Endoresements

This should tell every registered Republican how media truly feels about McCain. The Chicago Tribune has officially endorsed Obama for President. This is a shocking turn of events as the Tribune has never endorsed a Democrat in its 161 year history or endorse a Presidential candidate since the 1970's.  "We have tremendous confidence in his intellectual rigor, his moral compass and his ability to make sound, thoughtful, careful decisions," the Tribune said. "He is ready." The Tribune said it liked Republican presidential nominee John McCain, but added that it's "hard to figure John McCain these days."

The LA Times and Miami Herald also endorse Obama. The Times, the country's fourth-largest newspaper, said McCain's campaign had left the candidate "nearly unrecognizable." His selection of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin for running mate was "irresponsible," it said.

"Palin is the most unqualified vice presidential nominee of a major party in living memory," the Times said. "The decision calls into question just what kind of thinking - if that's the appropriate word - would drive the White House in a McCain presidency."

The Times said the U.S. needs a president who displays grace under pressure, is not prone to volatile gestures and understands the legal foundations of American freedom.  

Eye on The U and Phins

This week it UM vs. Duke. 

On paper, this should be a win however the erratic play of the entire team leaves this game in question. I have questions about Nix playcalling and the overall coaching effort as it is plainly obvious that these crop of players are not developing or improving with each week. It would be nice to see another game like they had against Texas A&M, so at least I can relax. 

I am going to predict a close victory by the canes, but they will play close to the vest and try to prevent any more offensive mistakes.

Final Score: UM 24 Duke 17

Dolphins:

Heart breaking loss last week to Houston and this week comes offensively challenged Ravens. I don't see much scoring by either side and if the fish can get off to a quick start, it will bode well and put even more pressure on rookie QB Flacco. 

Final Score: Miami 20 Baltimore 10

Presidential Debate

McCain Versus Obama...

Why is it they cannot answer the question directly? I am an independent, not affiliated with either party, however I am against McCain for president. I have argued this point with many supporters and those persons seem to be blinded by the mere fact that the Republican party is a miserable failure when it comes to our economy. Thankfully, the trends show that the american public is tired of the "trickle down" economics that only fatten the wallets of the wealthy and leave everyone else to suffer.