MAGA!

America- what makes this country different?

We are all immigrants from somewhere (yes, even the Native Americans came here from somewhere else).

Here, blood and lineage means nothing. In some places, who your father's father's father was is a vital key to where you stand socially.

We all have equal chances, for both success and failure. Granted, the outcomes may be different because of talent, interest, skill, or ability (seriously, I would be a sorry candidate for the NBA or NFL, NHL, MLB, etc)- but the option is there for those who are passionate.

Here we are free-er than anywhere else on the planet. We can vote, carry guns, disagree and dissent. We have the right to a fair trial, and appeal if we so choose.

So what was it that made America great in the first place?

Many think it was the middle class. The US was essentially the first place with a decent-sized middle class.

Others think it's "The Land of Opportunity".. which it used to be, but not so much anymore. New immigrants are encouraged to sign up for benefits, rather than being encouraged to find work, gain an education, or start their own entrepreneurial experience.

Is it the protection of the individual's rights? Maybe it's the concept of "rights" in general- we do have more here than anywhere else.

What do you think?

The Things in my Life

We all have a lot of things in our lives. Some Things ding when there's stuff. Some Things buzz and beep. Some Things go bump in the night. Some Things just sit there and collect dust. Some are greater Things and some are lesser Things. But all these things require a certain amount of attention- dusting and cleaning, checking and feeding, and sometimes the Things just need to be looked at.

So a while back, I had a little bit of spare time, so I attended to a lesser Thing. Then a greater Thing needed attention, so I set the lesser Thing aside. That's how it works, right? Priorities.

Well, the problem is the greater Thing got upset, feared I was hiding something. Or maybe I felt that the greater Thing was an intrusion. I tried to explain, but it didn't work.

So what do I do about the pushback? I want to honor my priorities, giving place to greater Things first, over lesser Things. But when greater Things push for lesser Things to come first...?

Clothes Make the Man

The missionaries spoke in church a couple weeks ago. As they walked up the aisle to the stand, I was struck by their attire: a business suit, and a backpack.

An interesting juxtaposition. A symbol of power, and a symbol of work and students.

But isn't that what they do? Is that not what they are?

As "ambassadors of the Lord," they represent the best, and most honorable this church has to offer. They represent all the righteousness, respectability, and goodness we have to offer the world.

That's the suit.

As ambassadors of the Lord, they seek to do as He did. And He worked. He wasn't sitting on cushions in some back room ordering acolytes to do His bidding. He was out in the crowd, talking to people, healing them, teaching them, even feeding them when the need arose. And they are learning to be like Him, studying and practicing His ways.

That's the backpack.