Election results among states with most educated citizens (2012 election)

It's not saying anybody's more brilliant or dumber because of how they voted. 

It shows that Obama has momentum in selling "hope" to people who are educated enough to understand that we live in a world of perpetual change.

And "to change" means to accept progress.

Progress, good or bad, is unstoppable. Attempts to derail it will only slow it down.

Moral debatable issues should guide the direction of progress but not be a marking post of it.

We live in the bible belt where most people truly feel and believe they know "God's will." 

That's all fine and well, but you cannot define everything by that. 

These are crises' that the government has no business in deciding.

Neither is it the government's job to feed our families or provide for a stable individual financial future and prosperity. That's the job of the entrepreneur.

The entrepreneurial person will use the resources available to them to take advantage of the systems in place and use them for their benefit, usually and in most cases, to sell some of that idea/products/services to others just the same. And it's the government's job to allow those systems to function, not shut them down or regulate them.

The Inner Ugly. A chapter in my life of transitions.

From last year's ugly June, when my employer told me goodbye, until Christmastime passed, there's been an expected inner turmoil that has been spared because of my devotion to a higher authority. My God has been merciful. He has let me keep my sanity, helped me rebuild my self-worth, kept me faithful to my marriage covenant, and led me through the desert and through the valley. I'm climbing to the mountaintop. I need Him now more than ever and rely on myself to make time to pray to Him. There's a song that offers a peculiar analysis. It goes that when life gets you down, you need to just remember how small and insignificant your life is in the big scheme of things. There's a lot more going on than one's own troubles. It's a comedic look at the meaning of life and probably has a few half-truths in it. But ain't that what comedy is? And then there's the viewpoint that you must get on your feet now and make something happen. Make anything happen. For some, that indicates a green light to explore reckless abandonment. And let me tell you, there are some lessons for ya. Starts with T and rhymes with rubble. My theory works best for me. Carry on in Our Lord. Continue to remember that you are His child. He chose me. Persevere. I wonder how many references to perseverance there are in the bible. Indeed it's a virtue and something that can stand alone when you don't have much of anything else.   - April 28, 2010

Prayer For A Dark Land

O God, why have you rejected us forever? Why is your anger so intense against the sheep of your own pasture? Remember that we are the people you chose in ancient times, the tribe you redeemed as your own special possession! And remember Jerusalem, your home here on earth.  <PSALM 74:1-2 >

The Promised Land, once so full of promise, was now “full of darkness and violence” (74:20).
The temple so beautifully designed and exquisitely crafted was no more, and the walls of the city lay in ruins, the gates chopped down like so much firewood (74:3-8).

The people of the land languished far away in exile, bemoaning their fate, weeping bitter tears of regret, and praying deep prayers full of longing. All that they had hoped for had failed, and they had only themselves to blame. But one thing bothered the exiled of Israel (74:1):

Had God finally abandoned them permanently? There were no miracles to suggest the Lord was still interested, no powerful prophets presenting words from God’s throne (74:9). The heavens were silent and the earth was desolate. Had God finally and irrevocably abandoned them? The question is valid. Does there come a point in a nation’s history where the Lord says, “Enough is enough! I’m through with those people”? The history of God’s people, which the psalmist mentions, strongly suggests that God is willing to forgive and restore a nation in response to the prayers of his people (see also 2 Chron. 7:14). The writer of this psalm reminded the Lord that the Lord had a great history of deliverance (74:2), that his holy name was being abused (74:7, 10), that his people were in dire straits (74:19), that his enemies were having a field day (74:18), and that he had made certain promises that he must not forget to fulfill (74:20). So what of the nations of the world? Are there dark places where light should be shining? Does violence prevail where people should be living in peace? Of course! And what should God’s people be doing?

They should be calling on the Lord, reviewing the history of God’s workings, counting the promises of his grace, and rebuking his enemies. Like humble doves among predators, God’s people should be living wisely and winsomely in his power, ready not only to pray but also to play an active part in the answers to their own prayers. It is the “poor and needy ones” who will eventually give praise, it is the weak and foolish ones through whom God works (1 Cor. 1:26-29), and it is those who call on his name who become the agents of his working (see Neh. 1:11). When God moves in a dark and violent land, he begins with his people and works through them. So instead of cursing the darkness, let us call on the Lord and gear up for action—for him!