5 thumbs down, 5 thumbs up

Here are five things I've been thinking about that bug me, followed by five things that have me excited and ready to rock-n-roll!

5 Thumbs Down:

• Racism - I read that race related incidents are on the rise since Barak Obama was elected president. Included in the examples was one from SE Idaho (not Pocatello, thankfully), which made me both angry and sad. We live in a fallen world, with broken, sinful people in it. Jesus wants to set them free, and we need to pray that people will let Him come empty their hearts of hate.
  
• "Christians" Responding to the Election - I'm saddened by the Chicken Little response to the election results. Some so-called Christians are running around as if the sky was falling. More to the point, calling President-elect Obama the anti-christ, or scaring people into buying guns 'while they still can,' even denying communion to those who voted for him. Burns me big time that people have so little regard for the sovereignty of God. The Bible teaches us to pray for our leaders, and that command was written during the Roman Empire while they were persecuting Christians! Get a grip, people!!
• Christmas Creep - I've railed against this for years, but this year it will be worse. Not only have the Christmas decorations been out long before Halloween, but the retail world has gone crazy (the economy is falling, the economy is falling!), so the Christmas sales are ramped up a full month ahead of schedule.
  
• Gossip and rumors - The front page of the paper has had articles about people spreading rumors and gossip about lay-offs at ISU, and how one e-mail got loose in cyberspace and scared the pants off dozens if not hundreds of people. Wow, how sad is that? Grown ups can't seem to figure out how to communicate directly, effectively and without sin. Makes me sick. Gossip is so underrated as a sin in our world, but so abundant.
  
• On a lighter note: My Seahawks - 2 - 8 - lost at home to the Cardinals, and last week to the Dolphins, so I'm not going to be able to live it down with the Paul Austins of the world. Plus, we go to Dallas on Thanksgiving Day, so that ought to be nasty.
  

5 Thumbs Up:

• Sunday was AWESOME! - Mark Nelson and the praise team did a great job of getting out of the way and leading people into worship, and the response to the message was great! 80 people raised their hands to say, 'YES' to God, and we had a bunch of folks sign up for our work day and the Angel Tree party. God is so GOOD!
• God is working in our Youth Ministry - Met with Chris Bobblit today, and the vision for our Youth Ministry is getting clearer and clearer. He's got a great group of leaders, some motivated students, and the desire to see teens walk with Jesus. I can't wait to see where this is going next, but as a pastor and a dad of a Jr. Higher, I'm thrilled to see the growth in our Youth.
• Baptisms This Sunday! - We have a bunch of people who are stepping up their walk with Christ by going public this Sunday. I love baptisms, it's a huge, flashing, neon sign that says 'God is working in the lives of people!' The best part: as of right now, I'm not doing any of them, others in our church family get the privilege of baptizing their friends into new life in Christ. How COOL IS THAT!?!
• Highland Wildcats are 2-1 - Rachel is playing basketball for the first time, and her team has won two games! She is learning the game, and she improves each and every week. It's so fun to see her hustle, try real hard, and stretch out of her comfort zone. It gives me a feeling that's hard to describe, pride and excitement and love all rolled together. I think God must feel a little of that when He sees us stretch and grow, too.
• My other Wildcats won, too! - For the second straight year, the Linfield College Wildcats not only beat their arch rival PLU Lutes, they shut them OUT!! 45-0! Linfield held the Lutes to 2 yards rushing for the game, had nine sacks, and basically wiped the field with them! Go 'Cats! That and the nation's longest streak of winning seasons, and it's official: Linfield Rocks!!