Donald Miller and that Osama Guy

Hey, all. I have a feeling that I've been too immersed in politics as of late. Do you ever get that feeling? No? Just me?

Well, maybe it's just the season. This October almost promises to be absolutely filled to the brim with scandalous claims and dirty maneuvers by both teams--I hope I get through it with my sanity intact (and dignity, if it's not too much to ask). I really also hope my team wins. Go Donkeys!

The bad part about getting involved in politics is that it will shape your world if you let it. That is to say, if you hang your hopes on a politician, or you validate your fears on the same, then you're liable to get in a bit of trouble. You may start (mentally) handing things you've reserved for God over to some guy you've probably never met. But you might not notice it at first--which is pretty destructive if you start calling certain things Christian that aren't really Christian at all, but rather personal agenda assumed to be conviction.

Okay, now that's on the table, and you know what to call me out on when you see it.

So...I'm definitely voting for Obama this go-around. If that's news to you, we should probably talk more. I've been intrigued with him since the You Tube debates of last year. I've done plenty of research on him and what his platform is, and I don't think there's much anyone can do to change it at this point.

My voting preference seems to put me at odds with a few people. Heck, I'll be honest, a lot of people. I mean, I live in Kansas (solidly red since the '70s), I work for Army (Obama is for hippies), and I'm a Christian, for crying out loud. That's three easy gimmes for the McCain team! Ever since my wife left the state, I've thought the Ft. Riley chapter of the Kansas Democratic Party lost about half its members. So why do I insist on dropping an almost insignificant ballot against the masses?

It's very possible that's how I've decided to rebel against all authority and stick it to the man the only legal way I know how. But I generally like to think better about my motives. I like his judgement for the Iraqi war (pre-surge, when it began in '03), I like the fact that he'll talk to countries again that was previously deemed the "Axis of Evil," I think his health care plan has a great shot of working, I like his tax plan. All those things I like. I also think Obama is a very solid Christian who is extremely comfortable of bringing his faith to the forefront.

But what about abortion and gay marriage? Yeah, those bug me at times (the former far more than the latter). Frequently. But then again, I can't say the Red Team has exactly put those issues to the forefront. I get the feeling that the whole Republican stance for those issues is completely disingenuous--that it's merely pandering for one of their key voting blocks.

I've had so many conversations with Republicans and/or Christians about how I'm going to vote, and it always seems to end up the same way--either I talk about issues and I get criticized for not voting my faith, or I talk about how I my vote for Obama is faith-oriented and I'm told I need to pay attention to the issues. Maybe that's just the way it's done around here, but it gets pretty exhausting.

My lovely wife must've been reading my mind--she just recently sent me a link to Donald Miller's blog (he's the Blue Like Jazz guy), and it seems Don's going to do some forums for Obama in this last crazy month. Now, I liked the book he wrote. No, I don't consider myself emergent or hip, but I just really liked the book.

Anyway, Don wrote a bit on why he's doing forums of faith for the Obama Campaign. I'm glad to see he's done his research, and I find that I currently strongly agree with the little that he's written.

You can see the whole article here.

Well, regardless of what team you're rooting for this season, I hope we can begin to encourage one another in that there's far more to life that the game of politics, and our salvation lies elsewhere.

God Bless.