I think back to this drive and the initial feeling of awe I experienced on Interstate 70 and think how eerily similar it is to the first time God opened my eyes to the glory of Jesus. Just as I had seen pictures of the Rockies, I had heard stories of Jesus before. The Rockies looked nice and the stories sounded pleasant. Life-changing? Not really. Oh, but when I was able to see both there was awe! As the days and weeks went by in Denver, the Rockies seemed less spectacular. In fact, I hardly even noticed they were there. After all, I had a job to do and couldn’t just waste time sitting and looking at mountains.

The writer of Hebrews seemed to know that a similar experience happens within the life of a Christian. We start out in awe. We have been raised from the dead and our eyes are opened. We see Jesus, we love Jesus, and we can’t wait to tell others about Jesus. Our lives reflect this. The temptations that seemed so appealing in the past now taste like vinegar. We couldn’t fathom going back to our old lives. Then the weeks and years go by and that Jesus we were in awe of becomes increasingly ordinary. In fact, we rarely even look at Him anymore. After all, we have school and jobs and families and….church. We don’t have the time to just sit around looking at Jesus.

But looking at Jesus is exactly what the writer of Hebrews tells us to do. “let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith.” (Heb. 12:1-2) You are most likely reading this and at the very least thinking, “Looking to Jesus, huh? Sounds pleasant, but let me tell you about what’s going on in my life.” You’re right, I don’t know what’s going on in your life and this approach is fairly simply. But you have got to give this simple approach a shot! As we start a new semester and a new calendar year take your eyes off your problems, your struggles, your sins, and look at Jesus. Don’t just glance, fix your eyes on Him. Ask God to open your eyes then look more. As you look, by God’s grace you will see. When you see Him, that sin and those problems will become increasingly small. So? Will you open your Bible and try it? Simple? Yes! Life-changing? Just wait!

First, Luther lays out his definition for an assertion, he defines that to be, “staunchly holding your ground, stating your position, confessing it, defending it and perserving in it unvanquished.” This seems like a foreign concept in our day where many are hesitant to stand on any truth.

However, he then goes on to make a statement that I think would serve us all well today.

“Away, now, with the Sceptics and Academics from the company of us Christians; let us have men who will assert, men twice as inflexible as very Stoics.”

These are challenging words for a time in which we are told that compromise is an honorable quality and “open-mindedness” is something to be desired. As someone just receiving a call into the pastorate I pray that I will have this boldness in “stating [my] position, confessing it, defending it and perserving in it unvanquished.”

However, I think the more significant issue is what is yet to come. Media outlets are reporting tonight that President Obama is set to introduce his 10-year, $634 Billion health care plan. They are not hiding the fact that this is a move in the direction of universal health care, but the terrifying part is they are also recognizing this is not the total cost involved in such an endeavor. They are saying that this only serves as a “down payment” on a form of universal health care. I would argue, that looking at past health-related programs and the estimated costs vs. the actual costs of the program, this “down payment” is going to be a much smaller portion of the total cost than they are willing to recognize now. The scary part is that they are funding over half of this proposal by tax-cuts on those making over $250K/year. While this may not seem like a big deal at face value and it will be passed of by saying the rich can afford to pay more taxes, many of those paying more taxes are not individuals but rather, small business. It does not seem very wise in this time of economic turmoil to be raising the tax burdens on small businesses who are going under at an astonishing rate.

Keep in mind this is just one bill, I have not even mentioned the $400B catch-all appropriations bill that is going through Congress in the near future. We are quickly nearing in on $2 TRILLION, and this is just the tip of the iceberg. For a little perspective, keep in mind that the entire federal budget for FY2008 was right around $3 trillion.

I believe that it is our duty, as believers, to hold our leaders accountable. We are to pray for them but also ensure that they are being good stewards of the system they are entrusted with. I am not sure that is the case here.

As most of you know, I had the privilege of spending a few days in Bella Union, Peru recently. While it is often cliche for mission trips, this having been my first venture outside of the States, this trip was truly life-changing. There are a couple thoughts that kept reoccuring throughout the week in Peru that I would like to spend a couple minutes reflecting on.

1) We serve a big God! While a simple statement that we have all heard in one form or another since we were children, this has been the thought that has transformed my life in the last couple years and one that I couldn’t escape in Peru. Now, I know God is in Lexington, he works in Louisville, and even in California, but after sitting on a plane for 7 hours and arriving in a foreign land with people who I couldn’t understand, I quickly realized God is there too! This is something that I knew in theory, but I had never let the breadth of God’s work really sink in. More than the overwhelming fact of God’s presence being everything, the most humbling aspect of this is that we are allowed the privilege of serving this God. Wow!

2) God’s Word is alive! I guess this one is along the same lines but there is nothing like seeing able to watch God’s word penetrate the hearts of those who I can’t even communicate with. It is easy to rely on our own thoughts and what we perceive to be our understanding of certain truths, but there is nothing I can do that comes remotely close to the effect the word of God has. Many times in Peru, the only thing I was equipped with was a spanish Bible. Instead of trying to express something in an articulate way, I was forced to just open God’s word and let it speak for itself, trust me, it does!! Again, I come to the same conclusion, God doesn’t need be but gives me the privilege of serving Him and spreading His word!

I plan to be back on a more regular basis with thoughts on books, scripture, and the inauguration of our new President. Regardless of our views, this is a special week. I plan on doing a couple posts on the significance of this week and where we go from here. Hope everyone is doing well and staying warm!

However, on a political note, I think this is indicative of what could be a fatal trend for the GOP. Many have argued that evangelical turnout was one of the main reasons for victories in 2000 and ’04 and a mindset of appeasement toward evangelicals could spell trouble for the GOP.

“Rainforests deserve, yes, our protection, but the human being … does not deserve it less,” the pontiff said.

It is not “out-of-date metaphysics” to “speak of human nature as ‘man’ or woman’”, he told scores of prelates gathered in the Vatican’s sumptuous Clementine Hall.

“We need something like human ecology, meant in the right way.”

The Catholic Church opposes gay marriage. It teaches that while homosexuality is not sinful, homosexual acts are.

It is encouraging to see the Catholic church taking a stand for one of the most significant issues of our time. It will be interesting to see where this story goes from here, the fallout and backlash could be significant.