Wednesday, November 08, 2006

E-Mail to Expat

Note: As summer drew to a close, Expat diligently sought my plans for my involvement with Page 132 through e-mail. I hadn't written much over the summer for many reasons. One such reason stemmed from my complete revulsion in response the political atmosphere in the United States. The following is a "touched-up" version of an e-mail I sent to Expat in response to his inquiries.

I've often wondered how I exactly fit into the scheme of Page 132. The dialogue is mostly centered on politics and religion's role in politics. I don't care much for politics, so I often feel out of place in very interesting discussions on political issues here at Page 132.
I'm not sure that I've ever considered myself to be what might be called a "Conservative" or a "Liberal." One thing Page 132 has allowed me to do is to explore my Liberal side and to be quite honest, I don't like it much at all. My liberal side is angry and joyless. To me, to be a Liberal is to be mad at the world all the time.

The other end of the political spectrum is not any better in my eyes. The arrogance and callousness of Conservatives is sickening.

I search, but I can't find Christ in either the left or the right, only some feeble attempt at his love and holiness that has become so twisted and fragmented that it ultimately resembles nothing - or at least nothing I want to be a part of.

I am constantly amazed how 13 ordinary Jewish men were used to transform history, though revolution as we would call it was not their intention. It was complete and total obedience to and reliance upon Christ that brought forth His kingdom justice and righteousness.
And I am confident that the wind beneath their winds is still available to us today, but we must not seek it. We must seek Christ. Not for our own good, or for the good of others, but because it is good to seek him, to sit, weep, and wash his feet after pouring oil over his head.

After a spring and summer in which the thought of that which was holy made me recoil, I find myself asking God to make me holy, to make me a Saint. This evening, I asked Him to teach me to listen, for listening to him snore is far better than any sort of incoherent rambling I
could muster. He is beautiful and his beauty brings me a joy that far surpasses the pollution, the price of gas (or Starbucks coffee, for that matter), the President, or the goof-ball with the "2nd Amendment: Defender of the Rest" bumper-sticker in front of me on the way to work
in the morning. Yes, his beauty far exceeds the sum total of any hunger, pain, suffering, or injustice that may occur today. He is beautiful and his beauty gives me the strength to face all of that which is evil, regardless of party affiliation, in some Christ-like semblance.

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