by chrisaiken | Dec 26, 2015 | Pastor's Reflections, Uncategorized
Yesterday was a different kind of Christmas for my family. Since 2004, Jodi have lived away from our “families” and served churches in New York and Florida. Christmas Eve and Christmas Day are obviously significant seasons for us in ministry so we generally would depart on Christmas morning and drive all day to get back to South Carolina to celebrate the season with both families in a whirlwind tour of dinners, parties and presents. Now, as our family has gotten a bit older, our sons have “both family” situations of their own, so we decided to stay in Florida to hang out with our sons and daughter (some call her a daughter-in-law…but she’s just my daughter). This change allowed us to relax a little more. It allowed us to enjoy a family meal. We simply allowed ourselves to soak in the beauty of hte experience rather than rushing to the next engagement.
So, this morning, I look around and see a Christmas tree that has no presents beneath. Our normal “home organization” has been upended with decorations and Christmas celebration. So…my first impulse is to start putting things back to normal.
Now here is the thought/reflection that prompts me to sit still for a few minutes and click away at my keyboard:
Should we really want to get “back to normal?”
Normal was what we did before celebrating the birth of Christ. Normal was what defined the “autopilot” status of our lives. Normal was comfortable…but, then Christmas came.
If you simply read through the Gospels, you quickly realize that NOTHING went back to normal once Jesus came into or through a town. He caused a stir and you could not simply “un-cause” it and get back to normal.
The blind people that he healed could not simply “un-see” again. The sick that he healed could not simply return to their infirm state as if healing had never happened. Certainly there were (and will always be) some who powered through and jumped back into routine as if nothing happened…but weren’t they changed, if even just a little bit? Why go back to normal?
Sure…you (and we) will undecorate the homes in the coming days but decorations do not define normal. Gifts will be put away and junk food will be eradicated from our homes (I hope…since the longer it is here, the more aware I am that I need to go back to the gym). Yes, we will all have to return to our workplaces soon enough, but even this doesn’t define normal.
- If time with family affected you during this week, don’t go back to normal. Remember the preciousness of family connections and nurture them.
- If you caught a glimpse of the majesty of Jesus during the week’s celebration of Him and His birth, don’t go back to normal. Cultivate it.
- If you experienced the joy of generosity through giving, don’t go back to the normal narrative of striving to acquire more for yourself.
Instead, of going back to normal…press on! Move forward into a new and exciting adventure in zealous pursuit of the King’s purpose for your life. Don’t easily give up the beauty and the glory of that which you gained in these days as your normal was redefined.
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by chrisaiken | Dec 25, 2015 | Devotions, Pastor's Reflections
As I reflect this morning, long before the rest of the home is awake, my mind is carried back to the angelic announcement of God’s declared work: “There is now peace among men (Lk 2:14).” A Savior has been born. He made a humble entrace into the world but it was not a quiet entrance. God dispatched an angel to announce the new era…an era of peace.
We are nearly 2,000 years past that incredible night. Many look about and wonder,”Where is the peace?” Don’t miss the condition attached to the peace. See, God did not work for peace. He is not laboring for peace. He declared peace to be among men with whom He is well-pleased. In this we recognize a distinction that the Bible draws specifically for us. There is no peace experienced for those with whom God is not pleased. In fact there was never a promise of it. I am mindful of all those who yesterday and today sang carols about “Joy to the world” or “Peace on Earth,” yet peace is merely an elusive ideal that they strive to create or act as if they have obtained. For them…there is no peace, only the idea of peace. BUT…God declared Peace to be among men with whom He is pleased.
Honestly, God’s peace is something we should seek but not something we must strive for. Our “seeking” is directed toward God’s PLEASURE. His pleasure is in our experiencing His redeeming of our lives by returning to Him as our God and King. Apart from Him, there is no peace and there can be no peace as long as we are at enmity with Him.
It seems to me that this Christmas would be a great time for us to seek Peace by returning to the One who declared peace to be among men with whom He is pleased. All of us have a past. We all have regrets. We all have a list of failures and a basket full of “I wish I hadn’t” statements. But just as God declared “peace among men” and changed all the world by introducing a NEW day…we can know a new day as well. Our past can rightly be placed in the past. Our regrets can be lost in the sea to be remembered no longer.
He will again have compassion on us; He will tread our iniquities under foot. Yes, You will cast all their sins into the depths of the sea. Micah 7:19.
Today, receive the free gift of God and experience “peace” that only heaven can bring and DID BRING…in a single instant when God declared “…and on earth, peace among men with whom He is pleased.”
Glory to God in the highest, and Merry Christmas from my family to yours.
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by chrisaiken | Dec 18, 2015 | Devotions, Pastor's Reflections
As a “Jesus” guy and a pastor, I love when people seek to honor God. I love when people pray about God’s will in a matter and embrace it. I love when people do not find the answer to their questions regarding His will easily…when they have to “wrestle” with it. (It builds character and confidence in our faith in God).
Sometimes though, because of our sin nature, we wrestle with “settled” matters. People will say to me, “I am praying about whether God wants me to share Jesus with my neighbor, go on a mission trip, or start tithing, etc. Friend…these are clearly declared in Scripture. There is no ambiguity to them. God speaks clearly from the pages of Scripture and the answer is as plain as it sounds. “[YOU] Go, and make disciples of all nations…, Matthew 28:18-20 (which necessarily includes your neighbor unless he is an alien from a galaxy far, far away).
Sometimes, these prayers for God’s will reveal themselves to be more self-serving than we make them seem. “I am praying pastor about getting a divorce.” [Insert contemplative “Hmmm” here]. “I am praying about having sex with my boyfriend.” “I am praying about whether I should forgive someone who hurt me.”
In these cases, I am not certain that what we are waiting on is God’s “revelation” to us as much as we are seeking to get God to affirm our ungodly heart’s desires. I WANT a divorce SO I am trying to find something that tells me it is ok or at least not a damning choice. I don’t want to forgive, so I am reading all of the imprecatory Psalms to find justification for not forgiving.
A couple of things I have learned in wrestling with God:
- We do not change God’s mind. God did not reveal His perfect will for us to “improve it” with our imperfect suggestions.
- We can always find one person to agree with us. Honestly, just because you found another “sin nature person” who once had your bad idea and wrote about how he thought it was ok…won’t help you before the throne of God when you plead your case.
- God’s will is not always easy. It WARS against our self-deterministic will. We want to please us…and God created us for His pleasure. These two truths are often in CONFLICT.
- God’s will is better than ours. We see a situation with limited clarity. God sees perfectly. We are pursuing a limited objective. God is working the affairs of an eternal Kingdom. And He is GOOD.
- When we trust God’s will, He fights for us. An old leadership principle is that if you want to get folks to give their heart toward a goal, make sure it is their goal. (Now I am not suggesting a form of manipulation aimed at God; however, I am saying that if we are on His agenda, He brings the arsenal of heaven to bear on bringing His will to pass).
Where, pastor, do I find God’s will? Simply stated…it is a journey of discovery but it should ALWAYS begin in His Word and be bathed in much prayer and earnest seeking. God’s will is never contrary to God’s Word.
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by chrisaiken | Dec 6, 2015 | Devotions, Pastor's Reflections, Uncategorized
Simeon took the baby, Jesus, into his arms, “and blessed God…for my eyes have seen Your Salvation, which You have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light of revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of Your people Israel.” (Luke 2:28-32).
Salvation is all glorious and rightly serves as the subject of great praise toward God. Other than Easter (perhaps), there is no season where we are more “in tune” with the glory of God in His Salvation!
The Gospel is glorious! It is the revelation that God sees and knows and is merciful! He sees our offense, knows our condition, and is merciful in providing a perfect sustitute to stand in our place to absorb the wrath for our rebellion against His holy and glorious purpose. What an amazing story!
We should not think though that the Gospel is “glorified” by all who know the story. It is CONVICTING toward many because it demands that a man admit his offense toward God. The Gospel demands that a man admit his hopelessness. The Gospel demands that a man admit the very wickedness in his heart that renders him utterly and completely unfit for Holy God! We have disqualified ourselves from even approaching the throne of God. We are unfit to to even see Him!
This is too much for many to admit. They will not yield to the revelation of God and admit their unholy estate…and for them…there is no way out. For them then…the Gospel is the “burr” under the saddle of life. The Gospel is the deeply embedded splinter in their foot. The Gospel, for them, is not good news but a resounding chorus of doom.
It does not have to be that way…but if you choose…then this is the way it is and the way it will be. In the passage we read, the glory of God was a comfort because Simeon was “looking for” the consolation of His people. He was anticipating and waiting for the revelation of God’s Salvation. For others…such as Herod…the coming of the Messiah (a rival king) represented doom! This Messiah was an enemy to conquer!
Yes, we celebrate “Peace on Earth” at this time of year but there is only “peace” toward those who are faithful toward Holy God! If God is not pleased in our faithfulness toward Him…the coming of the Messiah (whether the first time in a manger or the Second time on a White Horse to establish the rule of His Kingdom) is not peaceful but dreadful! The birth of Jesus does not bring peace in this case; rather, the birth of Jesus initiates a countdown timer that we anticipate but only God sees…a countdown to the day when all stand before Him and He judges all rebellion and rules as King!
If we have not yielded to the revelation of God…the revelation declaring that we are helpless to change our hopeless estate, then we should not confuse ourselves by thinking that this is PEACE. We should immediately fall to the ground before a Holy God who came to die in our place, that we might have PEACE as it was intended with the One True God who reigns. Apart from such a response…there is no peace.
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by chrisaiken | Dec 3, 2015 | missional, Pastor's Reflections, Uncategorized
Thinking about a conversation this week with a man as I was sharing HIS Story with him. The man, we will call Bob, lives here in Pensacola for over 50 years now minus a few years away in early adulthood. As we discussed his story, he shared that he was Cathoic but doesn’t attend any more. He had married a protestant woman and they never really fit in the Catholic church again. He said that he attended a non-denom church with her a few times through the years but whenever he did, they were “bashing Catholics.”
Here is the interesting point for me…This man did not remember what these churches were FOR, only what they said they were against. He did not know the differences in doctrinal beliefs. he did not know why they held to their beliefs in the Gospel. He only knew they were against Catholics.
Here is what else is interesting…Bob was already out of the Catholic Church…but now he felt compelled to defend it. The efforts of these chruches actually pushed him closer to the Cathoic church. His position as a “Catholic” was now more galvanized.
I don’t imagine that any of the churches or their pastors intended to galvanize this man’s Catholic allegiances. I don’t suspect they wanted him to become resistent to the gospel or to withdraw from attending any church. I suspect their desires were, in fact, the opposite; however, if we focus on what we are against rather than what we are for…we should not be surprised at the unintended but anticipated outcome.
I shared truth with Bob. We discussed the similarities of the faith and had a cordial discussion. We have a little room now for future follow-up but it will be tough sledding. I pray for Bob…but I also pray for us, those with a mandate to share the Gospel (which is all of His people):
- That we would be wise stewards of opportunities to speak of our King.
- That we would be bold and kind at the same time.
- That we would share truth in love. If either is lacking, the “gospel enterprise” is deterred.
- That we would speak. Frankly Bob meets 4-5 believers a week as customers. He seemed surprised that one (me) would actually invite him to attend a church event in the coming days since he is most definitely a “Catholic,” and I am not. [I invited him to come to my Christmas Eve Service and told him I would not be offended if he did not wear a tie if he was not offended that I would not be wearing my robe :)].
- Finally, that we would repent of majoring on minors when all eternity hangs in the balance.
Your thoughts are welcomed. What would you do differently? How might you handle “Bob’s” experience?
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by chrisaiken | Nov 17, 2015 | America, American, culture, missional, Pastor's Reflections, politics, Uncategorized
ARLINGTON, TX – DECEMBER 12: Referee Terry McAulay #77 at Cowboys Stadium on December 12, 2010 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
I, like many of you, have been watching with great sorrow the events that have unfolded in recent days with terrorism against Russia, (An airliner bomb) in Paris (Multiple coordinated attacks of an Islamic group), and in other places. There are thousands of people directly affected and millions more that are indirectly affected through the strategy of causing terror and disrupting social order (terrorism).
These events have been read into the narrative of the US policy to accept Syrian Refugees (political and humanitarian cause refugees) as 10,000 have been relocated to the United States as part of an international effort to alleviate suffering.
I am not going to opine on the wisdom of such actions. The problem is complex and cannot be solved with a few sentences on one pastor’s “blog site.” I believe there are scores of people who are far more qualified to offer a solution to the two-pronged problem of humanitarian assistance and national security. [NOTE: I believe that we have a tendency to drift toward one pole or the other in this complex situation and the ultimate solution may ver well be a balance of interests between both extremes].
Today I am a bit perplexed by some of my fellow pastors and missionally-minded individuals that have weighed into the discussion. Some have advocated a fullscale approach of receiving all refugees as a means by which we have an instant audience for the gospel. Others have advocated that we secure the borders and reject all refugees as an effort to provide security for our nation’s citizens because there is a clear lack of security protocol in screening the refugees.
What I find most curious…many of these pastors were the loudest critics of the church engaging in political causes through the years. These precious servants of God argued that the will of a previous generation of pastors to seek to engage the political process, help like-minded believers get elected, and prevent candidates of a different values system from coming into office was totally MISPLACED and HURTFUL to the missional purpose fo the church. These dear brethren trumpeted a position that the church was “supra-political” and should not seek to identify with or even be overly concerned with the political will of a nation since the Christians’ first and highest loyalty was to a King and not a political entity.
The arguments notwithstanding, is not your current demands for the national government to act in a certain manner the antithesis of your previous position on the church and politics?
I think, it would do well for us to remember that our nation has a role. Our government has a function as ordained by God to be a means of bring good to a people (common grace) regardless of their religious or ethnic backgrounds. The national government of the United States is not an instrument of the church to accomplish any particular act of will.
In other words, if you think the church should get out of politics, then you are inconsistent to argue for a Christian immigration policy. There is no such thing. There is, however, a responsibility for Christ-followers to care for and help the needy among them…including the widow, the orphan, and the foreigner/refugee. We can and should do that because our King tells us too.
In closing, the words of a really wise philosopher seem appropriate: “Before you tear down a fence (i.e. argue for the church to remove itself from politics), you ought to consider why someone may have built it. Perhaps there is a “bull” you don’t want to tangle with just beyond the former fenceline.
Love to hear your thoughts…
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by chrisaiken | Nov 10, 2015 | culture, missional, Pastor's Reflections
In a conference that I participated in this week, one of the speakers posed the question, “What if you had three and only three years left to live?” How would you lives those remaining days?
As I have been chewing on that, it occurs to me that this is both helpful and painful. It is destructive and edifying…all at the same time.
How so…you might ask? (Yep…me too.)
If you only had a limited and fixed number of days to live, you’d likely spend every one of them in the most productive way possible. You would pursue the most important purposes. You would not allow yourself to become bogged down with the trivial things that so often consume your time and energy. You would be highly sensitive to the investment and outcome of every ounce of effort. After all…today is nearly gone and tomorrow promises one less day to invest in the Kingdom of God.
- Certainly, you would invest in helping your family know how to live without you. You would pour into your children (in every possible way) the wisdom necessary to make it through the next several chapters of their lives.
- You would seek to impress your affections for your spouse.
- You would “bury the hatchet” with that old and lingering enemy. After all…life is short.
- You would make amends with everyone.
- You would seek to help others know (if you are a disciple of Jesus) the urgency of Salvation!
What would likely not be so prominent:
- Your sports team’s record.
- The fact that your friend hurt your feelings by saying something stupid.
- Getting another raise (as if ten cents an hour really was important).
- Buying that third pair of shoes or the latest CD or “rims” for your truck.
The fact is, we spend a lot of energy on things that are temporal and allow that which is eternal get pushed back until tomorrow. This, in light of the fact that we do have a fixed number of days (It is appointed unto man once to die), and that all men will stand before God and give an account for what he/she did with the Messiah of God. He/she will not be judged for his comparative righteousness or his education or heart for social justice…but for what he/she did with Jesus. In light of that…does not our daily concern for the temporal call us to repentance in light of its idolatrous pursuits.
I am dying! This is certain. If I am to be effective in my life and not squander the gift that God has given me, I must act AS IF it is at an unknown but very soon coming date and live purposefully and for the glory of God above all else. God deserves nothing less from me as I respond to His great grace toward me in giving me abundant life through salvation in His Son.
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by chrisaiken | Nov 3, 2015 | America, BSA, culture, Scouting
I have been in a painfully arduous dialogue for 2 days over a recent change in Scouting to expand achievement requirements for Boy Scout to include one additional step in the early rank achievements. (You can read about the move HERE). Now let me state simply and plainly up front: Scouting has, by design, always required a Scout to have a faith position in god. This view was never mandated as to what god or which god or even which gods. You could be an animist, a Buddhist, a Protestant Christian, a Muslim, Jewish, Native American, Wiccan, or even agnostic (since even this view acknowledges a higher force/power/being…but finds it irrelevant).
Consequently, there is much to be said about this approach to religious beliefs. It is an approach that is consistent with our cultural view of religion and is very American. We, as a nation, actually protect a person’s right to believe in any god he wishes and to practice any religion he wishes. The State cannot affirm any official religion, nor can it deny any citizen the right to worship in any manner he wishes. Our nation has always seen worship as an inalienable right, conferred on a person by his Creator. (Weird right…the right to ignore the Creator was conferred by the Creator).
In Scouting, the value of personal devotion/worship had to be synthesized with our American value stated above. As such, a scout was required to fulfill a duty to God regardless of who the Scout believed God to be. (Now for my Christian militant friends…I know that this seems weird since you might argue that if it did not specifically teach one religion–ours, then it is of no value, or worse–was harmful. I view this differently. I believe it to be a privilege to be part of the conversation. I hsve well-known that I hold a minority position as a faithful “Baptist” but am glad for the opportunity to speak of what I believe to be the ONLY accurate position about God).
So what made the conversation so painful? Simply stated…it is abundantly clear that most people I dialogued with are either IGNORANT of matters of faith, AMBIVALENT to matters of faith…or they are HOSTILE to Christian Faith (the primary image that comes to mind here in the modern Western world). A very small minority in the conversation would hold to a doctrinally faithful view of Christianity as I do.
Painful though? YES! Living in the Southeastern part of the United States, the “Bible-belt” of old, we have a limited view of the nation as a whole. Most people in my city (though it is changing) are at least polite about religion. Most would identify themselves as believing in the Christian God…as long as they could define the term. Few would outright deny the Christian God…or worse, see Jesus as harmful to the world (as MOST people in the world do). LET THAT SETTLE…because I know that last statement stings.
You can read the comments (which will make you crazy AND, I pray, make you weep as well). They give a picture of a cross-section of our nation and provide perspective on the post-Christian existence that we as a nation are accelerating toward.
All of this reminded me this morning of three biblical truths:
- None of this Surprises God: 2 Timothy 3:1-5.
- None of this Conquers God: John 16:33
- None of this Changes the Mission. It only intensifies it and increases our obvious dependency on God: Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 16:15.
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by chrisaiken | Oct 30, 2015 | America, American, politics
Let me say first that I am not a person that has a view that all debt is bad or that having “debt” is somehow unbiblical or ungodly. Debt in and of itself is not an indicator of spiritual immaturity or an unsanctified life. Having debt does not indicate a lack of intelligence, nor does it state unequivocably that the debtor is poor at finances.
I am a huge fan of Dave Ramsey and much of my teaching and pastoral ministry in this area of practical discipleship is influenced by his work as I help folks work to regain control of their finances.
Furthermore, as it relates spiritually (which is my particular area of expertise as a pastor/teacher) I find that idolatry and covetousness can be involved in a person’s life whether he has a debt or has none. (I personally know some people who live to NOT have debt and to increase their checkbook balance every month. In this case…the focus in their lives is still the accumulation of wealth rather than dependence on God and biblical stewardship.
Now here is the prompt: The leadership of the United States will again suspend the limit of debt accrual which was set at 18.1 Trillion dollars, averting a possible government shutdown until 2017. Now to determine if they are heroes or heathen…we ought to define the “debt ceiling.” HERE is a helpful article from the Congressional Research Service.
Frankly, I am not certain if simply know what the debt ceiling is or how it affects fiscal policy will shed light on the issue. In fact, here is a recent article explaining the agreement, and a general opinion piece of the validity of a debt-ceiling as it exists from an Economics Professor which recently appeared in Fortune Magazine.
What is true is this:
- The United States owes 18.1 Trillion Dollars now and that is growing.
- The Representatives elected to establish and manage budgets for us have just lifted that amount so that it doesn’t have to be discussed again until AFTER the 2016 election.
- If you and I did this, Wells Fargo would foreclose on us. Quickly.
I cannot imagine going into my banker and saying, “Economy is bad and I have a bunch of pressing needs that are important to me. I’d like to increase the amount of debt I owe you even though I have no plan and show no activity demonstrating that I will stop spending. It is just important so give me more money.” I imagine a guard would slip up behind me in her office and escort me out.
Frankly…for me…the Debt-ceiling should trigger a pause in the spending process to examine whether we should continue our current course of action. It is APPARENTLY unable to do that because the same people restricted by its existence have the ability to simply vote to raise or remove it at will. Truthfully, they can only do so because people like you and me keep sending their “hides” back to Washington every two years to do it again! The People are the accountability and we are not holding them accountable.
Personally, I think this is one other example of the need for a Constitutional Amendment to limit the Congress in budget matters. The “Balanced Budget Amendment (BBA)” if ratified by the States would set barriers to Congressional action that would require them to seek approval to live above our means. What seems clear is that whether it is a BBA or some other device…if the People of the United States don’t have the will to hold representatives accountable and the COngress won’t hold itself accountable…then someone has to step up! Otherwise…we will be Greece or some other quasi-socialist experiment whereby the government takes it all and gives you back what they think you need.
So are our Representatives “heroes” for averting a government shutdown? NO! Not because they did not work hard to find terms of agreement but because they did not fix the problem; rather, they kicked the can down the road until soon after an election…so we the People might forget again before they run for reelection.
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by chrisaiken | Oct 29, 2015 | America, American, culture, politics
Last night the Republican political party candidates met and entered into a debate. I missed most of it due to other obligations (though I typically try to set aside time to listen to the debates on both side of the political spectrum to hear “first hand” what the candidates have to say). This morning, I hit the “highlight reel” with two news organizations (again from opposite sides of the political spectrum). I listened to the 4 minute interviews with the candidates in the “post-mortem” of the night.
Perhaps what pushed me back in my chair the most, was not the prepared soundbites of the political candidates; rather, it is was the “impromptu” questions posed to the candidates by “real people” via social media.
I heard things like, “What will you do as President to help ME as the middle class?” This question took different forms but the substance was the same. Unfortunately, while the answers were nuanced, no one really said what I longed to hear.
I personally would love to hear a candidate say in a grandfatherly “Reaganesque” voice…”The role of government is such that it cannot help you. Government is not the answer to your problems. Government, in many cases, is the problem. The most helpful thing the government can do for you is to insure it does not hurt you as you do what a nation built on the ideals of freedom has promised you are possible and attainable. ”
The “attitude” that a potential candidate should have a plan to help the people is just a dressed up “liberal” concept. Yes…those on the “Right” of the political spectrum bemoan the attitudes of the “Left” that want more money for no more work. (Yes…you hear about a living wage, but you don’t hear employees crying out, “How can we make our McDonalds Restaurant more profitable?”) The attitude is reflected in asking for something to help YOU achieve what YOU want. While more palatable to the “Right” by the way the question was asked, it is still the same question.
Dear Mr. or Ms. Candidate of whichever Party:
Please say (as leaders must…even if they don’t get elected), “The best way for me to help you is to get out of your way. You have it within you as a human being and particularly as an American to do well…to achieve…to prosper…to contribute to Society. You do not need government to engineer your ‘salvation.’ You need government to stop trying to pick winners and losers and point the populace to care for one another and seek the greater good for all.”
Frankly, I know the depraved heart of man well enough that I don’t trust a politician to orchestrate what’s “best” for me. I desire a leader to help me see what’s best for me. I don’t need a “phone” or free internet. I don’t want you to hand me free food every month. I certainly don’t want your help “making it” as a middle-class American. You’re not! You have limited understanding of what it is to be me…a middle-class American. I simply want you to step back and scale back your good intentions and ask the question regarding the laws on the books and those that will cross your desk in the future, “Does this law/regulation/executive order fit within the Founding Father’s vision of limited Federal Government or not? Does it reach beyond the role intended for government? Does it inspire dependence or independence? Does it stifle productivity or encourage it?
Most importantly…I want the citizenry to recognize that we have the ability to succeed without the government’s help. We should not look to them to save us. We should see them, not as a facet of “business” to adjust to, but as an overarching regulatory body that insures we are operating according to agreed upon standards. For heaven’s sake…reduce the power of government by walking away from the “free stuff” and “help me” lines. When we stop putting out our hands and simply roll up our sleeves, we will begin to shrink the influence of the ominous power structure known as Government…and only then might we see it returned to its original design of “a Government OF the people, BY the people, and FOR the people.
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