My Crazy Times

Visit any news website right now, and you will certainly see headlines pertaining to the financial crisis, the President’s prime-time address & McCain wanting to delay, postpone, or cancel the first debate of the Presidential race that is to take place this Friday.

Here’s my question: “When is the time to debate Senator McCain? “

This country has been teetering on a financial breakdown for some time and it should be a crime that this impotent administration and inept congress have waited until this point to fully address the issue.  Nevertheless here we are anxiously waiting to see what the next day will bring, and just over forty days away from electing our new leader who will inherit the mess of the last eight years.  Now is the time for the public to hear from these two candidates.  And not just another stump speech given in front of thousands of supporters, but rather an intelligent exhange and defense of their ideas and policies.

Perhaps the two campaigns need to be discussing having more debates.   Hell, Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas had seven different debates, all of which were on the one topic of slavery, and that was just a campaign for a Senate seat.

Regardless of who is elected in November it is all to clear that the next President will have a monumental task of cleaning up after the disastrous debacle that has been the Bush/Cheney Administration.  Once again, NOW is the time for America to hear from the two men who desire to lead this country.

So, to Senator McCain I say this, “don’t be a coward and hide within the walls of Capitol Hill.  Have the courage of your convictions and share and defend your position on the economy along with Senator Obama this Friday.”

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In the small, but don’t call us bitter, town of Jonesville, SC the Rev. Roger Byrd and his congregation at the Jonesville Church of God have decided to throw their, anything but intelligent, hat into the current political debate.

Last Thursday, April 18, the Rev. Byrd placed on the church sign the message, “Obama, Osama, hmm, are they brothers?” Either Byrd has missed the countless times Sen. Obama has discussed his faith as a Christian or Byrd is simply incapable of understanding a Presidential candidate that can actually speak intelligently. Perhaps, Byrd is so in tune to the Divine that he has been chosen to be the only human being with the ability to know a person’s heart.

In an interview with the local NBC affiliate Byrd said, “It’s simply to cause people to realize and to see what possibly could happen if we were to get someone in there that does not believe in Jesus Christ.” Now that makes me go “hmm?”, because for the last eight years we have had a President who claims to believe in Jesus Christ and he has continually made decisions that have killed thousands upon thousands of human beings. In that case I certainly hope Sen. Obama’s faith is in a different God than that of Byrd and the current President.

Now that I’ve gotten that off my chest, I begin to feel a pang of guilt. Are my words just as cruel as Byrd’s, am I refusing to show him the love of Christ that he all too brazenly withholds from Sen. Obama? Of course I would have to answer yes, and tonight I’ll ask for forgiveness and seek to understand how I should respond. But at this moment I’m just angered and sickened at this poor example of faith and intelligence.

Here’s the link to the original story:

Small Church’s Obama Sign Causes Big Controversy

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Much of what is passed off as art today is just ordinary, a cheap imitation of a once great thing. It applies to all mediums whether it be music, film or literature. Technology has obliterated the walls of creativity allowing anyone with a mac or pc to create whatever their heart desires and then post it on the web for all to see or hear. The flip side to this though is that technology has afforded many great artists to share their gift with a larger audience.

One such artist is Patrick McBride whose debut album All That Remains fills one with hope that great art is still possible. Cut from the same mold as great folk writers Pierce Pettis and James Taylor, McBride pours his passion for life, love and faith into each song.

I’ve found myself captivated by a different song with each listen of the album. Perhaps the most masterful song is the title track, All That Remains. A song born out of heartbreak, but also one that inspires courage to move forward through the uncertainty of life.

Recorded in a home studio, All That Remains, is not polished and over produced and while some may find fault with that, it’s just one of the many factors that makes this album great. An overly polished album is mundane, sterile and simply a poor representation of how life really is. Life is filled with pain and suffering, doubts and questions and it’s the ability to find hope and love in the midst of all the junk that makes awe inspiring art.

Visit Patrick McBride on the web www.patmcbride.com

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These videos were created by Community Christian for a teaching series. Creative and interesting, check them out:

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Photographs by Lauren Henderson

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Preface: I began writing this piece before the tragic events at Virginia Tech. My heart aches for the families and friends who lost loved ones. Why that person chose to massacre all those innocent people is a question I don’t think anyone will be able to answer. Nevertheless, there are many who will offer up their opinion and in giving their opinion seek to blame someone or something for this senseless evil. In just 48 hours some of those being blamed were Charlton Heston, video games and homosexuals and in time that list will grow to contain conservatives, liberals, gun companies and on and on it grows. Wanting an answer is natural, I just don’t think the truth can be contained in a sound-bite.

H.L. Mencken said, “For every complex problem there is an easy answer, and it is wrong.” What is easy, though, is the answer of how we respond to God and others in the midst of this complex existence. Micah 6:8 (The Message) states:

But he’s already made it plain how to live, what to do,
what GOD is looking for in men and women.
It’s quite simple: Do what is fair and just to your neighbor,
be compassionate and loyal in your love,
And don’t take yourself too seriously -
take God seriously.

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Why do junkies continue to stick needles in their arms?

Why does the prostitute sell her body, and why does the husband and father solicit it?

Why do many Christians condone the killing of men, women and children through war and yet base their voting decision on whether a candidate is pro-life?

Why can we not consider more than one way to solving a problem?

Why does the husband beat his wife and the father beat his children?

How can the last become first, and the meek inherit the earth?

Why do we do those things we know we shouldn’t and often times don’t even want to do?

Why can’t we be faithful, honest, peaceful, loving and merciful to all persons regardless of age, sex, race or religion?

There are no easy answers. Sure it would be convenient to be able to give a ten-word response to all these questions, but we wouldn’t be seeking after truth. Truth can be difficult to see, hell, Pontius Pilate couldn’t even see it and it was standing right in front of him, but it can be found. We must be passionate and diligent in our search, but truth is available to us all.

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This month M.C.T. will be presenting an exclusive interview with Jars of Clay as well as reviewing their concert at the House of Blues in Cleveland, Ohio. We’re very excited about this opportunity for M.C.T. and we want to share this experience.

So if you have a question you’d like to ask to Jars of Clay, send it our way. We’ll pick a couple of the top questions and include them in our interview with the band.

Thanks to all of you who frequent M.C.T., keep coming by, we love company.

Submit Question

Much Love!!

My Crazy Times
For better or worse, it’s all a part of the journey.
Come join in the conversation.

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By: Holden Jeerson

Ladies and gentlemen I present to you, those who help to run this great country of ours:

It has been a few days since the annual White House Correspondents dinner and this video has been viewed and posted on many times. I’ve been debating about whether or not I was going to write anything but I just can’t keep silent about this. This administration continues to embarrass the country with each passing day.

The Correspondents dinner has become a staple in D.C., coming off as a ridiculous publicity stunt where politicians attempt to show they have a sense of humor. It’s no wonder why most of the civilized world has no respect for America’s leaders. Our leaders wage unnecessary wars, refuse to listen to anyone who has a differing idea, help multi-millionaires become billionaires while innocent men and women continue to perish and then honor their mistakes with a special dinner where they joke about how they’ve fucked things up.

Many argue that by continuing to do the meaningless yet traditional events we show the terrorists that they haven’t disrupted our lives. How about this though; how about the Commander in Chief act with a little dignity when he has ordered troops into a war zone. It wouldn’t take much, just politely decline these asinine events out of respect to those who are away from their families.

But then again, this is America.

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By: Joel Henderson

A year ago today my father passed from this world into the next. I had hoped this day would come and go without giving it much thought, but it has been haunting me for the past month. Each day I thought about what I was doing last year at this time and how I might have acted differently if I’d known that in a few weeks I would lose my dad. This type of thinking isn’t too healthy because it eventually leads to a life of regret. I don’t want to live like that but I do want to grow through this experience.

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Four years ago today my wife and I were visiting Florida and had been invited to a friends house for dinner. We enjoyed a nice dinner and some wine, and then just as we were sitting down after the meal it was announced on the news that the U.S. military had begun to attack Iraq. I remember this so well because at the time my brother was stationed in Kuwait and obviously I was concerned for him.

There have been many debacles by the current administration throughout this war, but perhaps the most idiotic of them all was the President declaring “mission accomplished” from aboard that carrier. I can’t imagine that those involved just don’t cringe and hang their heads when they see this.

Further reading:

Christians Worship, March in Protest of Iraq War

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