Here is the thing about war... cold or hot, it doesn’t matter who is to blame for the aggression. The casualties are the soldiers and the civilians, not the generals and the politicians. Think about it because the moral paradox is stunning. As the Dems and the Reps fight, the people of the United States Suffer. As friends and family fight on social media, relationships are destroyed, damaged, and in many cases lost altogether. This carnage is avoidable if we return to local actions with liberty and accountability, family and church responsibility, and respect for ALL lives now and into the future. The blame game retribution retaliation rhetoric and violence is utterly useless and only perpetuates the problem. Period.

A Conversation with a good friend today evoked this quote. “I blame Hollywood for everything... for a long time.” This continued with discussion of governing policies that have entrenched the entertainment signaling into power degrading entire segments of our population. I believe it is a both and scenario and the backstops and cultural relevance of the local church and free speech are effectively insignificant today. This is deeply disturbing. Oh, and BTW, I agree now. I blame Hollywood for everything. He who controls the minds controls the culture.
The entertainment movie, tv, media money model is literally eating America. Correction: it has eaten America.

Originally posted on FB in Feb 2017.  
Results of 2020 elections provide this point.  
FB activism is NOT useless.
I read thoughts and ideas from all sides. I am an adult and I ignore most of them. You can too. Recognize what your filters are and use them. Love others because of their diversity and uniqueness. Let go of the ego and accept your place in time. Tomorrow it will be different.
People are equal in value. Ideas are not.

The hysterical temper tantrum, personal attack rhetoric witnessed within the echo chamber friend circles of late is extremely effective. It diminishes respect for the presenters and contributes to the division. It isn't useless. It is destructive in unskilled hands like so many powerful tools. Recognize the power.
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Choose to listen. Choose to ignore or to accept and learn. Vote and lead by example.

Minimizing TV news and mass opinion commentary maximizes clarity of individual thought and perspective.
Reading enough but not too much.
Talking less, smiling more.
Thinking and praying in a private time and space is powerful. Physically creating is far more critical than consuming, competing, comparing and judging. Focusing on personal and local actions maximize the value and immediate results.

The title of FAMILY comes with great privilege AND great responsibility. if you give away or minimize the responsibility and accountability you minimize the title and privilege.

That is a tragedy in most cases as we are made to be connected not isolated. Their is no real excuse for abandonment in any direction.

Texting, emails, calling and FaceTime are not enough to grow relationships. These new channels for comm may not even be enough for sustaining relationships. Hard times and good times together are required. Tears and Laughter are the life blood of true community. Communication is not community. Community is required to grow and sustain. This is how we are made.

​It is not possible to just expect community. We all choose. Everyone must choose. Context and activity, even purpose, come into play. Physical proximity is an enabler, but it is far from enough. Without a shared reason, living "together" becomes a chore not a blessing. Only Christ abides with us regardless of condition. We strive towards this prize. #churches #families #neighborhoods
With a shared purpose and context community can exist where members have never even met face to face. Love and respect can be exchanged. Even dissent can be lived together. This "distance" is difficult, it requires more skill and tools to manage, but it does provide community.
My experience has proven that we need all of the above, but that these blessings are just that... they are blessings. We cannot and should not expect them without sacrifice and condition, in this world. In Christ alone we stand indeed. It is not easy, it is simply true.

Battles should be fought inside the capital building... but our constitution dictates the rules of how they are fought. Our representatives are expected to follow rules of debate and decorum and conduct themselves in accordance with the expectations of both their constituency and their bosses in leadership. The job of an elected representative to the Congress of the United States is a job. The citizens job is to elect a representative... The representatives job is to fight for his/her citizens with in the legislature. I am cynical about our future as a country when so many don't understand and can't even begin to articulate the practical realities of their job. #idiotsincharge I suppose I am lucky that my representative is doing a good job. My Senators are a disgrace. Judgement of the executive branch is a disaster. My job, my mission, is to be heard and communicate. I don't have a direct vote. That is how the system is designed for good reason.

Singing in a safe space is a way forward. We need to start somewhere in society. The local church and musicians are a critical step.
We as individual must step up and be the light. #JustSing

Best thing for all of us is to stop talking about President Trump and start talking about Jan21 plus.
First 100 days will do exactly what for 🇺🇸US? What are the steps to heal and move on. Leadership requires casting a vision and then executing. #SuckItUpButtercup applies to all parties.

2021 mass views. If you are conservative, then the views of the few(extremists) apply to you and you should repent because all of you are destroying society even if you have done no violence and have in fact condemned extremism at every opportunity. The actions of a few are used to condemn the many.

If you are liberal, then the views of the few(violent extremists) do NOT apply to the larger group at all. The left is a mostly peaceful protest model of civil service which is allowed by the benevolent overseers of information. The actions of the few are ignored because the powers that be benefit from the violence in thought and deed.

Riots are indeed the language of the unheard but no one is listening to half the country as the pendulum of power swings between the epic two towers like a scene the Lord of the rings.

To be completely honest, I’m surprised that a lot more people were not shot and killed yesterday. If you storm the capitol of the United States of America 🇺🇸, threatening our elected leaders, you should expect to be met with deadly force.

Same Principle applies to lives and property everywhere just in a more local and individual scale. My property is my capitol. #2A — #1A is attached to peaceful assembly. Violent assembly and incursions must be met with force. (Including deadly force as an option)

74 million Americans voted for Trump and we lost the election. Vast majority of the protestors yesterday were peaceful proud Americans. The radicals who rejected rule of law and stormed the capital building violently were criminals and were indeed a vast minority. There are radicals on both sides of every issue and they must be treated with equal disdain and disgust.

President Trump again acted recklessly with his rhetoric yesterday and Americans died. The escalating violence over the last year could have been stopped by Democratic and Leftist leaders but they acted recklessly in appeasing violence for votes and Americans died.

Our system of govt is fully intact. We have a republic if we can keep it. Governing authority is derived from the people. Power is wielded by the people for the people by “the government” in DC and the states. We the people will always disagree. The mechanism for progress and prosperity is voting, and adherence to rule of law outlined by our constitution, enforced by our government. This is the way.

The rush to blame and group is natural but wrong. 74 million maga Americans did not storm the capital building yesterday. An Illegal, incited, mob did. It was allowed to escalate out of control and Americans died. This story has been told over and over through 2020. It must not be told any more in 2021.

Sadly, I’m not exactly hopeful that this is feasible.
Something broke last year. It may not be repairable en masse. I pray that God is making something new in all of this. As for me and my house, we serve and we sing. This is the way.

79 years ago the Japanese EMPIRE attacked the United States of America’s 🇺🇸 Pacific fleet at Pearl Harbor. We were not prepared and the results were devastating. The legacy of the day that will live in infamy is that we must ALWAYS be prepared to defend our country. Americans have a sacred civil duty to remember and act accordingly serving and protecting the greatest country in the history of the world. It is not just up to the military. We are all in this together.

The choice to look down on others is a public health crisis. It is far more deadly than most would even consider as it robs us of the ability to respect and serve. As we destroy social links, relationships fail, dependency soars, and the elect elite emerge as morality police enforcing their world view on those without power.

Opportunity and elevation arise from a helping hand and sometimes a shove at just the right time. In individual achievement and liberty the spark of inspiration is fanned into a flame. Virtue and respect flow from results not signals. It is a choice and a profound signal to include but the virtue lies in the acceptance and love not the signaling and public affirmation.

The public choice to demean and demagogue, with its associated escalating division, destroys by planting and then nourishing insidious pride above all.

When a “friend” says that you are not needed in their life because of your world views on liberty and life... listen to them and move on. Don’t stop loving them. You may even grieve their loss but do not allow their choices power over yours. Each of us will be held to account for our choices. In this world, tyranny of thought and idea divides, excludes, and destroys. The liberty way is the only way to include.

I’ve lost many friends recently and I grieve their loss but principles are more important than principals.

“Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron’s cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience.” —C. S. Lewis, God in the Dock: Essays on Theology and Ethics (1970)

Rigging, manipulation, and influence are not the same thing as a global illegal conspiracy. It seems to me that we the people have bowed in fear and outsourced our intellectual and physical freedom. It is indeed time to circle up and plan legal protests with local civil disobedience coupled with disciplined planning for the next elections. The media and big tech will NOT play fair. 72 million Americans is a strong start. We, conservatives, must align and look to the future.

I’m disappointed that my fellow Americans have embraced this systemic threat to individualism and liberty in favor of corporate communism back by force and fire of government. Cest la vie. When these policies fail in coming years, I and many like me will be far less tolerant, likely less civil, and follow the protest playbook we have seen as a roadmap. Times ahead could be pretty vicious. It seems we are at war for the souls of our states and thus our republic.

Biden’s DARK WINTER is indeed coming and will extend well into 2021 and beyond. Consequences will be far reaching beyond just surviving Covid. We have >99.8% chance of surviving that threat. The societal threats could be far more deadly as families churches and businesses are literally blown up. The blame game is done. We must look to the future. Let’s roll.

Volatile and tragic times are nothing new. Perhaps our collective response to them is, perhaps not. I’m not sure we are even special. 
We change nothing by assassinating the character of others. Hysterical claims and emotional appeals are engaging in media but only influential when connected to reasonable and logical proposals for change. Debate and dialogue enables education and progress at every level. 
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"This institution will be based on the illimitable freedom of the human mind. For here we are not afraid to follow truth wherever it may lead, nor to tolerate any error so long as reason is left free to combat it." - Thomas Jefferson to William Roscoe, December 27, 1820

Being proud to be an American does not make you a bad person. It doesn't even mean that you agree with everything that "America" is doing. What I do is what matters. If you don't know what I do... you don't know me and you certainly aren't in a position to judge me. 
I had an excellent conversation at my church last night re: politics.. yes it can happen...
I said: We have plenty of mechanisms to actually manage disagreement but discussion and debate is critical to get to a decision/management point. Cutting one another off at the knees.. making so much commentary personal... invoking identity and emotion is mean spirited and dangerous. It destroys the relationships... which is a BAD THING.
Division and Demagoguery are Destructive and Devastating.
It is possible to disagree without those things. 
HOW 2 DISAGREE 101: VOTING 
My opinion is clear -- Telling your friends how evil they are and judging their hearts and intentions is pretty shaky ground for ALL SIDES.