All of these new commercials for Bing, the new search engine on the block, got me thinking about the struggle other companies are going through trying to dethrone Google. They all try to load up with words and pictures to try and keep you on the site. None of which is bad if you’re also wanting to read some headlines from the day or wanting to look at some bad internet advertisements. But if you simply want to look up if you’re spelling the word “quiche”, where do you still go?
The more they try to top it, the more they show why it’s still the king.
The last couple days, the name Susan Boyle has sprung up and made her an overnight, worldwide sensation because of her audition on the UK talent competition Britain’s Got Talent. If you haven’t seen the video of her audition yet, click here.
While I was at a chiropractor appointment yesterday, the doctor and I were talking about that performance and he suggested looking up another audition of an amazing talent that you wouldn’t expect just by looking at him. This kid might literally knock the socks off of your feet and give you goose bumps at the same time.
I think these two videos reveal so much about the character of God. These are two people who wouldn’t get a second glance by just about all of us, but both possess amazing gifts and voices that can blow you away.
“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called sons of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. – Matthew 5:3-10
Sometimes God blows my mind with how He shows and reveals Himself in our world. The thing is though, these are just two stories among millions of how God is present and showing Himself in our world every day. I know we as a whole like to see these big stories and videos of people on the other side of the world doing great things, but there is also a lot of stuff that God is showing us here on the home-front.
Yesterday was a big day for our country. President Barack Obama was sworn into office and is now the leader of the free world. No matter what political views you have, you have to acknowledge the fact that having an African American president when 40 years ago African Americans weren’t allowed in the same school as white people is a big deal. And these next four years come with some of the biggest expectations in history. There is so much pressure on this man to “fix” everything and that with him as our president, everything is going to change overnight and our country will wave goodbye to the problems with the economy, and the war, and healthcare problems, and education problems and we’re going to live in a utopian society.
This is how a lot of us think life is going to be when we become a Christian, or when we get baptized. We go in thinking that after this one event, after this one thing, everything is going to be different. We think that once we’re a Christian that life is just going to be smooth sailing and there will be no more problems we’ll have to deal with. That once we receive the message of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who died on the cross for our sins that we may experience forgiveness and be reconciled to God, we’re going to be living on easy street from here on out.
That’s not the case.
There is a change that happens when we become a Christian. The Holy Spirit comes into our hearts and begins the work of healing our heart and working through all of the junk and brokenness that we have accumulated in our lives. Because our walk with God doesn’t conclude when we become a Christian, it begins there. There’s an illustration consistently used at our church to show this (click on the image for a larger view). The more I’ve seen this picture the more I like it. It does a really good job of showing that it’s really after we’re a Christian that the journey begins. The journey is hard, it’s not always fun, it can be painful. But it’s good. And that’s where I think we’re at as a nation. We’re at the beginning of something. There has been a seed planted that if taken care of will grow and blossom into something beautiful. It’s my prayer that these next four years for our nation will bring a sense of realness to our country. That we would begin the process of living more God centered lives and that would lead to a more God centered nation. These next four years might be some of the toughest we’ve ever gone through as a nation…
That sticker I’m holding proves it. I highly encourage everyone who is eligible to go out and vote today. This was the first election I’ve voted in, and to be honest, I really enjoyed it. It was a chance for my voice to be heard on things that are important for this nation, this state, and this community. You have been given a voice too.
Yesterday was a big day for our country. President Barack Obama was sworn into office and is now the leader of the free world. No matter what political views you have, you have to acknowledge the fact that having an African American president when 40 years ago African Americans weren’t allowed in the same school as white people is a big deal. And these next four years come with some of the biggest expectations in history. There is so much pressure on this man to “fix” everything and that with him as our president, everything is going to change overnight and our country will wave goodbye to the problems with the economy, and the war, and healthcare problems, and education problems and we’re going to live in a utopian society.
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