Let’s think about power:
Both sides over-rate the power of the presidency.
Psalm 62:9, 11 (NLV)
Men who are important are a lie . . . Together they weigh less than a breath . . . Power belongs to God.
Take a deep breath. Think it through. Weigh the options.
I’m intrigued by the “Our House” program in Auburn, Alabama. Christian adults and college students help kids finish their homework and develop good study habits. From their By Our Love Auburn website:
“This is NOT an after school program or babysitting, but rather an opportunity for children from the neighborhood to get help with homework and learn to be responsible for their assignments/studies. We intend to love, encourage and mentor “Our Kids” and help them gain confidence in their abilities to excel at school.”
They provide a safe place for tutoring and homework help. They saw a need in their community and stepped in to make things better. Sounds like a project worth copying.
Lord God, we pray that all your churches will see what their communities most need and work diligently to meet that need. May every church be a safe place for kids, a place that encourages them to be better students and helps them excel at school–in Jesus’ name.
Some advice from the Civil War era:
“Be deaf to the quarrelsome,
blind to the scorner and
dumb to the inquisitive.”
James H. Aughey (1828-1911)
Hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil. This old advice is still good–
for all of us.
Pastor Aughey learned this the hard way; he was imprisoned by the South because of his anti-secession views.
We tend to plot our worldviews on a line–conservatives on the right, liberals on the left, ultra-conservatives on the far right, ultra-liberals on the far left.
Maybe it’s a circle, not a line. Far-far right behaves a lot like far-far left: demanding and violent. The backside, where angry left meets angry right, is a dark place.
Psalm 74:20b (ERV)
Violence fills every dark place in this land. 
There’s already a big gap between America’s best and worst schools. COVID restrictions may make the educational divide even bigger. Harvard’s Professor Joseph Allen puts it this way:
“Right now, occasionally we’ll see a case of COVID in a school that will make headlines. But you can predict the headlines we’re going to see in the coming months and years about kids who disappeared from the system, the virtual dropouts, the loss of learning, the loss of income, which we know happens when kids are left behind with schooling.”
(from the October 2020 Harvard Gazette)
We have no simple answer. We need God’s guidance.
Another election, and the vote looks to be almost equally divided. Does that mean half the nation is wrong?
Perhaps.
Or maybe, we’re well-balanced. Just maybe this is the way God wants it.
1 Corinthians 4:5 (AMP)
So do not go on passing judgment before the appointed time, but wait until the Lord comes, for He will both bring to light the [secret] things that are hidden in darkness and disclose the motives of the hearts.
Balanced–neither holding back nor rushing ahead. In step with God. Waiting on the Lord.
How do you divide the nation?
And God? How does He divide?
Those saved by grace.
And those who as yet are not.
John 1:12 (NLT)
To all who received him, he gave the right to become children of God. All they needed to do was to trust him to save them.
Sunday, November 8, is Orphan Sunday.
UNICEF defines an orphan as a child under age 18 who has lost one or both parents to death. Globally, there are 140 million such children (2015 data). Most live with a family member. Others live in orphanages, on the streets or in foster homes.
What’s a Christian to do?
Lifeline encourages the Church to step up.
“The Church is ‘Plan A’ for glorifying God, making disciples, and spreading His name to the nations . . . God has consistently commanded His people to care for the vulnerable as a way of demonstrating His character and His gospel to the world. We believe that every Christ-follower has a role to care for orphans, widows, and the defenseless as an avenue to proclaim the gospel.“
Help can come in the form of adoption, foster care, child sponsorship, outreach to street children, Christian orphanages and prayer.
Lord, You see and love every child. Protect these vulnerable youths, meet their physical and emotional needs, wrap them in Your love. Show us when and how to demonstrate Your love to these children.
A steady stream of prayers for our nation have been popping up on social media. This is good. There can never be too much prayer.
Let me share one of my favorites from Rebecca Barlow Jordan at Crosswalk.
“As a nation, God, help us to desire righteousness more than rights, and to mirror sacrifice more than selfishness. You know us well, and You understand our flaws. Turn those weaknesses into strengths; bathe us with Your grace and mercy, though none of us deserve it. Fill us with the boldness to choose the kind of freedom that will benefit all.”
Romans 5:3b-4 (VOICE)
We also celebrate in seasons of suffering because we know that when we suffer we develop endurance, which shapes our characters. When our characters are refined, we learn what it means to hope and anticipate God’s goodness.
Lord, come alongside those who didn’t win this election. Comfort them in their disappointment. Continue to shape their characters. Teach them endurance. Put hope in their hearts. Fix their eyes on the good to come. Fill them with eager anticipation of Your glory.
