Advent

Advent is upon us. Take some time to pause and reflect on the meaning behind all the holiday hustle and bustle. Celebrate peace on earth and goodwill toward man early and often!

Check out the blog Advent for Evangelicals for more information.

hat tip: aka Pastor Guy and the Grapevine

a little quiz

Where are you right now? Dallas, TX
What are you doing? I’m volunteering/consulting with Wycliffe Bible Translators – helping them establish an archives.
How long will you be there? Two weeks.
Is your family with you? No they are at home and I miss them dearly.

Done anything touristy? Scott came up from Waco and we went to Dealey Plaza to check out the grassy knoll.









What about church? I attended Irving Bible Church with my hosts. It’s the first truly modern, seeker-friendly mega-church I’ve attended. The worship band was very good and one of their elders spoke on the dangers of materialism. Very Cool!

Any good food in Dallas? A group of Wycliffe folks took me to a Pakastani restaurant and my hosts took me to the Original Market Diner on the city's westside.

Are you reading anything interesting? Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller (thanks Daniel!) This one of my new favorites.

What’s new on your iPod? Mute Math’s “Typical” and “Control” along with some Coldplay from X&Y and Rush of Blood…

What are watching on tv? Besides The Amazing Race which Janell and I closely follow, I’ve been watching Jericho and Lost. Streaming webtv has transformed my lunch breaks.

How about football? Well I’m pretty pleased with UT’s season. I’m so glad that Fulmer has turned the program around.
And the stupid underdog contest? I’m having a great season (17/33 for 100.5 pts. and in the top 100).

mid-term election reaction

I voted early and I encouraged everyone I know to vote regardless of their political affiliations. I’m a big believer in both civic involvement and the will of the people. And from what I can tell, the electorate turned out in force and made their will known. The outcome did not surprise me greatly. Otherwise, I feel that the GOP wasted its opportunities over the last 6 years. Change is healthy. I just wish the Democrats didn’t have to be the beneficiaries. The people need more choices!

As for myself, I didn’t vote a straight GOP ticket. I’m glad that Bob Corker won. I voted for the None of the Above Candidate in the Governor’s race as protest vote and I voted for the Constitution Party candidate in the House race (which was virtually uncontested). Of course, after further study, I don’t think I will endorse the Constitution Party. My friend voted Libertarian in Texas. I may look into them next time around. I’m not sure there is a party out there that fully represents my thinking.

I think my political philosophy is changing. In recent years, I’ve been cynical in my support of most GOP candidates. I believe that they court the evangelical Christian vote, but that the party’s values aren’t fully consistent with Christian spirituality. I’m not convinced that abortion can be curbed through legislation. I’m not sure that the defense of traditional marriage should be the number one issue for Christians. Does the GOP truly care about the growing gap between rich and poor? Is what is good for GM truly good for the country? Should corporate lobbyists have more influence in Washington than the citizenry? How about reforming the pork barrel spending? Overhauling the tax code to eliminate breaks for corporations and the wealthy? And I haven’t mentioned social security?

I hope and pray along with the change in power, we can have a change away from power plays and government as usual.

Halp us Jon Carry

and to think that the guy wanted to be their commander-in-chief...