Who Am I And What Will I Stand For?
24 August 2024 @ 23:07
WHO AM I AND WHAT WILL I STAND FOR!
Albert Einstein said, “The world is a dangerous place to live; not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don't do anything about it.” He also said, “If I were to remain silent, I'd be guilty of complicity.” Well I cannot, and I will not, remain silent any longer.
People who know me know that for over four decades I have attempted to live out my faith in a way that supports and uplifts others who find themselves beaten down by life events. I have simply tried to love others without condition in the same way that I have felt loved through my faith. I wasn’t concerned about anyone’s race, religion, status, sexual orientation or background. I have simply tried to see each and every person as someone who was created in God’s image. Not in the image of the ‘name-calling’ American god or the white Jesus of Christian Nationalism but the God who is the Lord of lords and King of kings; the lover of the down-trodden and the oppressed. Sometimes I have gotten it right.
For decades I also wore a cross around my neck that I had made from used guitar strings. I don’t wear it anymore because people who have been beat up by this wave of Christian Nationalism would see that and peg me as being a part of that. I have decided that I would rather have them know me by my actions. After all it was Jesus who said, “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you LOVE one another.”
People who know me also know of my visits to, and my love for Ukraine. This, more than anything right now, has shown me that I can no longer be quiet. For a former President of the United States to admire dictators to the point of congratulating Vladimir Putin on the recent exchange of prisoners is just mind boggling to me.
Putin’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine which has led to the deaths of tens of thousand of civilians, and his willingness to target a children’s hospital and other medical facilities, shows that he is a man who is in no way to be congratulated. He is a war criminal responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands and should not be viewed as a good and smart man by anyone, especially by a former US President.
JD Vance added his own spin, saying that concessions to Putin would be in the America’s best interest. That is a statement one would make about allies that you support and Putin is not one that you want as an ally, so it is very telling about Vance’s own loyalties.
You cannot overlook the fact that our former President has also shown his colors by expressing his admiration of Hungarian Authoritarian PM Viktor Orbán while hosting him at Mar A Lago on at least two different occasions. He has shown us his own desire to be a dictator in stating outright that a vote for him means we will never have to vote again. My dad and father-in-law both fought in WWII against just this sort of regime and yet so many just turn their heads now as a former President tries to lead us down that same road as he spews his venom and his constant lies.
He feeds on the cries and moans of so many about inflation and the cost of living. How selfish we have become because the majority of Americans, even though we’ve had to tighten our belts, are so much better off than the majority of people in this world. On a trip to the United Kingdom last year we heard people speak of the difficulties they were facing based on the inflation which was seen as a result of the effects of Putin’ s invasion of Ukraine and the games that he plays with oil supplies and shipments of grain and other commodities out of Ukraine.
How different in our country where we now look to lay blame on fellow Americans because of our differences of opinion. To become the best that we can be, we need to face the fact that there are evil people in this world and we must become the people who will do something about it. We must stand for what is true and just and right. We must stand up against dictators and wannabe dictators! This cannot be accomplished in silence!
So, yes, I write this from my own faith perspective. I am not asking you to believe as I believe. That is between you and your Creator. But as a follower of Christ, I have tried to respond to Jesus’ command to love others as He has loved us in the way that I have treated others. We are also told in scripture to ‘FEAR NOT’. With the rampant fear mongering around us, these are also good words to take to heart.
As I stated in the opening paragraph, ‘I cannot, and I will not, remain silent any longer.’ I realize that I stand to lose support, possibly some who I thought of as friends and probably requests to play, but I accept that. It is more important to me that I am true to myself and that I haven’t sold my soul. I am who I am and who I believe I was created to be. I suppose that is the question that we each need to ask ourselves. Who are we and what will we stand for!
Albert Einstein said, “The world is a dangerous place to live; not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don't do anything about it.” He also said, “If I were to remain silent, I'd be guilty of complicity.” Well I cannot, and I will not, remain silent any longer.
People who know me know that for over four decades I have attempted to live out my faith in a way that supports and uplifts others who find themselves beaten down by life events. I have simply tried to love others without condition in the same way that I have felt loved through my faith. I wasn’t concerned about anyone’s race, religion, status, sexual orientation or background. I have simply tried to see each and every person as someone who was created in God’s image. Not in the image of the ‘name-calling’ American god or the white Jesus of Christian Nationalism but the God who is the Lord of lords and King of kings; the lover of the down-trodden and the oppressed. Sometimes I have gotten it right.
For decades I also wore a cross around my neck that I had made from used guitar strings. I don’t wear it anymore because people who have been beat up by this wave of Christian Nationalism would see that and peg me as being a part of that. I have decided that I would rather have them know me by my actions. After all it was Jesus who said, “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you LOVE one another.”
People who know me also know of my visits to, and my love for Ukraine. This, more than anything right now, has shown me that I can no longer be quiet. For a former President of the United States to admire dictators to the point of congratulating Vladimir Putin on the recent exchange of prisoners is just mind boggling to me.
Putin’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine which has led to the deaths of tens of thousand of civilians, and his willingness to target a children’s hospital and other medical facilities, shows that he is a man who is in no way to be congratulated. He is a war criminal responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands and should not be viewed as a good and smart man by anyone, especially by a former US President.
JD Vance added his own spin, saying that concessions to Putin would be in the America’s best interest. That is a statement one would make about allies that you support and Putin is not one that you want as an ally, so it is very telling about Vance’s own loyalties.
You cannot overlook the fact that our former President has also shown his colors by expressing his admiration of Hungarian Authoritarian PM Viktor Orbán while hosting him at Mar A Lago on at least two different occasions. He has shown us his own desire to be a dictator in stating outright that a vote for him means we will never have to vote again. My dad and father-in-law both fought in WWII against just this sort of regime and yet so many just turn their heads now as a former President tries to lead us down that same road as he spews his venom and his constant lies.
He feeds on the cries and moans of so many about inflation and the cost of living. How selfish we have become because the majority of Americans, even though we’ve had to tighten our belts, are so much better off than the majority of people in this world. On a trip to the United Kingdom last year we heard people speak of the difficulties they were facing based on the inflation which was seen as a result of the effects of Putin’ s invasion of Ukraine and the games that he plays with oil supplies and shipments of grain and other commodities out of Ukraine.
How different in our country where we now look to lay blame on fellow Americans because of our differences of opinion. To become the best that we can be, we need to face the fact that there are evil people in this world and we must become the people who will do something about it. We must stand for what is true and just and right. We must stand up against dictators and wannabe dictators! This cannot be accomplished in silence!
So, yes, I write this from my own faith perspective. I am not asking you to believe as I believe. That is between you and your Creator. But as a follower of Christ, I have tried to respond to Jesus’ command to love others as He has loved us in the way that I have treated others. We are also told in scripture to ‘FEAR NOT’. With the rampant fear mongering around us, these are also good words to take to heart.
As I stated in the opening paragraph, ‘I cannot, and I will not, remain silent any longer.’ I realize that I stand to lose support, possibly some who I thought of as friends and probably requests to play, but I accept that. It is more important to me that I am true to myself and that I haven’t sold my soul. I am who I am and who I believe I was created to be. I suppose that is the question that we each need to ask ourselves. Who are we and what will we stand for!