steve-o
Introduction To The House of Carr
Introduction To The House of Carr

IF I BLOGGED THEN

Sunday June 14, 1987 I was rad tonight!

Growing up in a small church sucks sometimes. We go to church 20 minutes from home so none of my friends from school go here. There aren't any good looking girls in the youth group. And we always are going to church. We're there two times on Sunday, on Wednesday Night for prayer, and on Friday Nights for work night. Sometimes I wonder if I'll go to church when i'm older.

But tonight was cool because I got to preach a sermon. We had a Youth Night and I was allowed to preach for the very first time. I wasn't sure what to talk about but I got this idea out of a book that sounded cool. I had a lock box of love and was asking people if certain keys would open it. I had keys like SELFISHNESS and WORK but they didnt work. Then I had a key that labeled GOD and it opened it. And then inside the lock box was a Bible. And I was like, God loves us and he gave us the Bible. IT WAS SO RAD! Nobody wanted to be baptised though.

Someone said I should be a minister someday but that's the dumbest thing ever. I don't want to be a dweeb. I'm going to play football at Ohio State and then go into politics.

Oh, and the Reds beat the Braves today. I hope they win the World Series this year. It sucks that Pete Rose retired last year but he's an awesome manager and will be in the Hall of fame in four years. You can bet on it.

That's all for now. 21 Jump Street is coming on and Johnny Depp is way cool. He might make it far but that Holly Robinson sure will. She's hot. I don't know what a narc is, but maybe I can be one if politics don't work out.

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God Told . . . Him

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Before I dive into IF I BLOGGED THEN week, allow me to direct you towards this Wall Street Journal article on plagiarism in the pulpit. Found it interesting because of the local connections mentioned in the article. Steve Sjogren, founding pastor of the Vineyard in Tri-County stated that pastors he looks to for encouragement get 70% of their sermon content from someone else. They also noted the case of Liberty Heights Church in West Chester; the church was close to CCM and I knew a couple of guys on their staff. Apparently they fired the pastor who had grown their church over charges of plagiarism.

How do I feel about it? It's only a big deal because pastors don't do it right. There's nothing wrong with using someone else's work AS LONG AS you cite your source. Remember back in school that you could always use other people's research as long as you include it in your bibliography? It's the same thing in preaching. I don't use a lot of stuff from other people but if I do, I will make reference to it.

Both Sjogren and Rick Warren think it's unnecessary to attribute materials to other preachers and [listen closely] they're wrong. We're living in an age of authenticity, and it means even if you're a member of clergy; your integrity is everything. If I were to tell a story in first person that never happened to me, I'd be called out as a liar. Why should it be any different if people think I ripped the majority of my sermon from a guy in Texas and claim it as my own?

The real problem here is that ministers are forsaking their number one duty: the teaching of the Word of God. I know there's a lot of networking and pastoring that needs to happen in a given week but Sunday's message is the most important task I have each week. If I haven't fully invested myself in it, then I've failed. Coming up with 45 minutes of material each week ain't always easy, but that's my job. Try getting sympathy from someone who works 60 hours each week doing manual labor for your struggles in finding a text to preach on. If you don't like it, then perhaps you're in the wrong profession. I'm not complaining.

In Paul's challenge to Timothy, he tells him not only to preach the Word but to "be prepared in season and out of season." We pastors must always be in preparation for our next message.

Rant complete.

HT: Challies

What If I Blogged Then

Next week completes my second year of blogging. It's been a good ride. I've been able to keep at this rather consistently and it has, overall, been an enlightening experience. I'm not sure how long the blogging trend will last [can't imagine that people will still blog twenty years from now] but I'm still satisfied and will keep at it until it's no longer fun.

I like to use the anniversary as an opportunity to switch things up here at Beit Carr. Last year I proclaimed it Steve's Week 'O' Secrets, revealing little known thoughts about myself. This year I decided that I would dig a little deeper and proclaim it "IF I BLOGGED THEN" WEEK.

What if I had been blogging for the past twenty or so years? How would I have reacted to certain important moments of my life? For the next seven days, I'll try to reflect on what I might have written on some of those occasions. It might sound stupid, but that's my schtick so take it or leave it.

It all starts tomorrow, friends. Try to get some sleep tonight.

Don't Speak . . . For Now

I knew this was going to happen someday, and now is the day: I'm disallowing unapproved comments here at Beit Carr.

Part of the blogging experience is allowing people to comment on things that you've written. I'm all for some healthy debate, but when some people are more interested in posting incendiary comments, then that's going to far. As of late, I've received a few comments that crossed the line. After deleting them I was called out for censoring thoughts.

You can call this censorship if you want; and I'm fine with that, but you'd be wrong. Just because you have something to say doesn't mean you have to be perverse. I don't have to tolerate that, and I'm not going to.

And I should add that it's not as if I just came up with this idea; I've actually been mulling it for a few months now. I sometimes go days without checking out people's comments. And if it was something older, I might never see it. I'm not keen on people thinking that because I didn't erase an obscene comment that I somehow endorse it.

So because HaloScan, my current commenting feature, won't allow for approval unless you upgrade the account, I'll have to reinstitute the Blogger comments [this means you won't be able to access any old comments]. Then comments will only be posted if I give them the OK. Not the best way of doing it, but better than totally disallowing them.

I'm still messing with the HTML code and will hopefully have this taken care of by the end of the day.

I Deserve A Medal

. . . for preaching a sermon after having to watch the Bengals self-destruct. I was actually able to forget about it until after the service. Anyway, midway through the third quarter I started getting this Dave Shula/Bruce Coslet feeling in my stomach. It proved to be true. FORTY-TWO POINTS IN THE SECOND HALF. I can't imagine how it could be anymore embarrassing for the defense. There are so many issues with this team, it's pathetic. If they don't finish at least .500 for the year, you have to fire some coordinators.

Good job Carson, Rudi, and CJ. Chris Henry has to go. I can't talk about the defense or special teams.

Honestly, 9-7 could still get them a Wild Card. Not holding my breath.

Wanting What They Got

Although few will admit, pastors struggle with church envy. I'm not above it, so I constantly need to remind myself that God is at work in many ways, even those that I'm not involved in. I think the key to overcoming this envy is realizing that we're all human, all trying to advance the same agenda. And being able to personify churches so that you think of individuals instead of inanimate entities. So I had such an opportunity yesterday, as I attended an open house at Crossroads Community Church in Oakley yesterday. Crossroads is the biggest Protestant church in Cincinnati, a few miles up the street from us, averaging about 7,000 each weekend. The ten year-old church recently opened up a brand new 3,200 seat auditorium. Once a quarter they allow pastors to come in and take a sneak peak of how they operate.

I was joined by Adam, a CCU student who helps out at Echo. Besides us, there was only one other person there, so it was a good opportunity to get an intimate look at their church. We had the chance to eat lunch with Brian Tome, Crossroad's founding pastor and ask him questions; I was just interested in listening to their passions and goals for the future. They were very honest about they struggles as well as their successes and incredibly supportive of what we were trying to accomplish. As we later took a tour of their remodeled facility [which is rather cool] it was reassuring as I felt no jealousy, but excitement for what they had going on.

The one thing that blew my mind is that they do an entire run-through service before their Saturday night service. They do it exactly as if it was an actual service, as Brian preached his entire message, and then reviewed what they wanted to change. Considering they're running four services each weekend, I was shocked. Preaching multiple services is exhausting. Can't imagine putting yourself through it one more time for practice. I've encountered many megachurch rehearsals, and I can't say that I know of anyone who does it that way.

It was a great experience. The Crossroads staff was wonderful. If any other pastors/church leaders would be interested in doing this, they're going to run another one in February. Email me and I'll let you know who you need to talk to.

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Safe

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We're in a haze today at the news that two Cincinnati Christian University students were assaulted late last night on the Purple People Bridge. The woman was then kidnapped, sexually assaulted, and later dropped off at campus. This afternoon they have the suspect in custody. This is an incredibly unfortunate situation. I can't imagine what effect this will have on the students there, as well as what it will mean to the future of students being out in the community.

Just last week I talked to David Faust, President of CCU, about how encouraging it was that many students are now out and about in the city. Instead of sequestering themselves on campus, they are active in ministries throughout urban Cincinnati. Instead of being afraid of the city, they desired to be out in it.

And then this. When something as horrible as this happens, it can change everything.

I'm praying for this couple, the students at CCU, and the faculty and staff during this time and ask you to do the same. I pray that despite this tragedy, that the view of the mission won't be sacrificed.

Just yesterday I wrote a profile about Echo that is supposed to be featured in a future CCU publication. I made sure to emphasize that we desperately need to focus some church planting efforts toward the city. If anything, this confirms how desperately our city needs Jesus. Incidents like this can make people fearful of the city and drive us further towards suburbia or rural areas to feel safe.

But we're never going to truly be safe, are we? It's a daily reality I face with bringing my family here. I will admit that each night I pray that God watches over my wife and my child. But we can't let the fear of what could happen keep us doing God's work here. The apostle Paul wrote in Romans 10:14,

"How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?"

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Hear This

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Bear with me as I self-promote. We have a couple of new offerings up at echochurch.org. First, there's the Fall 2006 newsletter. It can be found in the "News" area.

And there's also the mp3 from this past week's message from Matthew 10:1-20. It's called "The Viral Gospel," a concept the I'm really starting to groove with. I'm most proud that I was able to mention both Kirk Cameron and Jay-Z in the same message. Allow me to drop the latter reference on you here.

From Matthew 10:14:

"So while Jay-Z, also known as Hova, would say 'You got to get that dirt off your shoulder,' JC, also known as Jehovah, said 'You got to shake that dust of your feet.'"

I'm so gangsta'.

Now That It's Over

Still wrapping up from Tuesday's election, I just wanted to touch on a few of the referendums that Ohioans voted on. I withheld comment before the vote, trying not to give "endorsements" but feel a little more liberated to speak after the fact. First, I think this election showed that voters were truly informed on what they were voting on. For instance, locally there was an issue up for a new jail in Hamilton County. One problem: nowhere in the language on the ballot was the word prison/jail used. It was rather ambiguous and merely referred to the sales tax increase being allocated for "law enforcement needs." Pretty shady. Voters, however, saw through that and voted it down. Same thing for the gambling initiative in the state of the Ohio. I don't think people are necessarily against gambling but the terms of the issue and the manipulation of the voters was extremely deceptive. Again, people saw it for what it was.

And the biggest proof was Ohio Issues 4 & 5, both concerning public smoking. Big tobacco companies were behind Issue 4, a constitutional amendment called "Smoke Less Ohio" while the total smoking ban [Issue 5]was a referendum backed by "Smoke Free Ohio." If Issue 4 passed, it would've trumped Issue 5. Voters knew the difference, defeating 4 and passing 5.

But even though voters were informed what they were voting on, I'm not sure if they really examined the ramifications of them. Let's take the smoking ban, for instance. The majority of the state thinks it's good for no smoking in public places and restaurants. It's understandable; I have some family members who get physically ill when around smoke, so you want them to be safe. This wide sweeping law makes smoking illegal practically everywhere, including bars. Again, it's no big deal for most of the state . . . except here in Cincinnati.

If you're in Columbus and there's no smoking, then there's a level playing field. I highly doubt that people will move from a city because of such a ban. And they're not going to drive to Pennsylvania or Indiana to hit a bar across the border just so they can get a drink a puff on a cancer stick at the same time. The same is true in Cleveland and Akron. But here in Cincinnati, patrons can easily cross the borders to two states where they can have their cake and eat it too. So of all the major cities in the state, Cincinnati takes the groin shot with this one.

Similar to the gambling issue, it's not that a smoking ban was a bad idea, but the way the referendum was worded wasn't the best to get the job done. But apparently we've now discovered the today's most despised minority: smokers.

In a similar vein, our state also passed a new minimum wage law; another "good idea, poor implementation practice." Notice that in all the craziness of political ads, there was little mention of this initiative. It's something that a lot of people can get behind without motivation- helping out the people who need the most help. Seems simple. What voters didn't realize is that this new law will prove more costly than a sales tax increase.

Who eventually pays for the increase? The consumer. The wage increases will be added on to everything you purchase. And as the lowest wage earners increase, everyone else on the scale will increase as well. And tacked on to this was a continual cost of living increase in the minimum wage, so that $6.85 isn't the stopping point. So as we all get "pushed up" through the pay scale for doing the same amount of work. And this, friends, is how we get inflation.

And the thing no one talked about is that now all state employers must keep detailed records of all employees for up to three years after they stop working for you. And, according to this new law, you have to provide that documentation to practically anyone who asks. This was a stunt by the unions to get their hands on information formerly out of their reach. So more paperwork, more expenses. Who pays for that? We do.

Again, it's not that a minimum wage raise wasn't a good thing but it needed to be done properly. It should be done, but more incrementally and with fewer strings attached. Now we're stuck with something that could hurt that state's economy even before the new state administration takes office. Hunker down, fellow Ohioans, it could get sticky.

While everyone viewed this results of this past Tuesday as a message sent that it's time for sweeping change, voters probably didn't realize that their most important decisions weren't even for a particular candidate.

Vote The Rock

I was almost disenfranchised this afternoon. As I had today with Kaelyn, I was following some of the news coming out about today's election. Local congressmen Steve Chabot was refused a ballot because his valid driver's license had a different address on it than he was registered at. He promptly went home claiming, "that's the law" and got a bill with his name on it to prove it.

First voting observation: is there anyone in Cheviot who doesn't know Steve Chabot? Isn't the point of requiring ID to make sure that the person is who they say they are? This is just a blatant example of how voting scandals have made the system a mockery. Also, this is an example of poll workers on a power trip.

Once I heard this I called Kelly and reminded her to get a bill when she got home, as we were voting this afternoon together; my driver's license still has our Maineville address on it. I began to think how stupid this was a looked it up on the internet to see this law for myself. Apparently Chabot was wrongfully turned away. I found Ohio State revised code 3505.18 which states, "Voters must bring identification to the polls in order to verify identity. Identification may include a current and valid photo identification." The state of Ohio website also states, "You may also use your Ohio driver's license or Ohio photo I.D. -- even if it shows a previous address."

I was ready to go.

I memorized the number of the law and went with Kelly to the polling place. Of course, they ask to see my ID and I show them my license. I show them. And this is how it breaks down:

"Is this your current address?"

"No ma'am, it isn't."

"You're going to need another piece of information if you want to vote."

"Ma'am, Ohio Revised Code 3505.18 states that . . ."

Pollster rolls her eyes and cuts me off

"We've been hearing this all day."

"Ma'am, you've heard it because it's the law."

I'm getting warmed up. I'm ready to be disenfranchised. Wonder what it will feel like.

At this, my wife pulls out an electric bill and hands it to the lady. She remembered to pack it with her like I asked and had no desire to see me argue the finer issues of the Ohio Revised Code with a senior citizen. So my disenfranchisement was avoided because Kelly felt we had better things to do with our time. I was ready to call the police and report a crime. But my wife reminded me that we're in a part of town where the police have better things to do. Fine. Where are Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton when you need them?

Second voting observation: the ballots in Hamilton County are ridiculous. It's a scan-tron type sheet the size of a legal document. When the poll worker assists you in feeding the sheet into the electronic scanner they can totally see who you voted for. So in order to solve the problems stemming from the past couple of Presidential elections, the best they can come up with is a worse version of standardized tests I took twenty years ago in elementary school. Isn't that special?

Democracy in action: it's like killing your own dinner.

Gone Country

I don't watch the Country Music Awards but I might have to start if Faith Hill is going to lose it every time she loses an award. After losing Female Vocalist of the Year to Carrie Underwood, Hill showed her disappointment by yelling "What?!?!" into the camera and walking away.

Apparently Hill left some of her solid country fans disillusioned when she went mainstream. She's been trying to make a comeback in country circles, knowing that it's where the consistent money is at, and she loses a major award to an American Idol. Only a blaring extended middle finger could've been more succinct.

Of course, the spin has begun. Faith said it was all a joke and that she'd never disrespect another artist that way. Here's a link to a close up of her reaction. You tell me if she was just kidding.

I, for one, don't buy it.

Am I A Poser?

Yesterday I did something I'm ashamed of: I led patriotic songs in a worship service.

I've been helping out my home church during the past few weeks. They're currently without an associate minister so I agreed to lend a hand. It's a good gig for a few extra bucks per week. I'm not leading with a guitar, but singing hymns and choruses while a band plays instruments. I'll admit that it's been kinda fun to scan the hymnal for songs I haven't sung in 10+ years. Not quite my style overall, but it's gone rather smoothly. Except that . . .

Yesterday's focus of the service was preparing for the election and they wanted patriotic songs. If you know my philosophical leanings concerning American Christianity, you know I'm not a fan of pro-America songs during worship services so I was faced with a dilemma: take a stand or fold. Well, you know what they say, "God Bless America."

I know some people pride themselves on being "real." They wouldn't dream of going against their personal principles, no matter what the venue. Me: not so much.

We all sell out a different points in our life. Otherwise we end up in jail, unemployed, or alone. We just insist on deceiving ourselves that we're James Dean on a motorcycle. But I'm not going to pretend I'm a maverick. I did something I didn't want to do yesterday. But there are worse things in life.

I love the life we have now as we're starting Echo. I'll do whatever it takes to keep it going. People have sacrificed much more in order to make their dreams a reality. If that means a blaring out a couple of verses of America The Beautiful, then strike up the band.

Selling out definitely beats some other jobs.

Who D'oh!

Things aren't looking good in Bengals land. Cincinnati's at 4-4, two games behind the Ravens. If you check out the local media, people are jumping off the bandwagon as if we're hauling anthrax. I'll admit: I'm nervous, but I still think a play-off berth is possible. Both Baltimore and Cincinnati have three games until they play each other again. The Bengals have a more difficult stretch [San Diego, @New Orleans, @ Cleveland] while the Ravens seem to have a cake-walk [@Tennessee, Atlanta, Pittsburgh]. If Cincinnati could sweep these next three, difficult but doable if they're really going to compete for the play-offs, then they're right there. I would doubt the Ravens will go undefeated in that span [a five-game winning streak?] which would make the Thursday night against Baltimore in Cincy a chance for the Bengals to equalize in the division.

I know, sounds like a lot to happen, but this is still the modern-day NFL. Parity reigns supreme. There's always a sure-fire team that fails to make the play-offs [I think New Orleans]. And there's always be a team that everyone writes-off that makes it there [re: Cincinnati]. I'm cracking up that all these people are ready to bail on the Bengals. They haven't played a consistent game all year. They're due. If they can bust one open next week against play-off bound San Diego, then it'll get things rolling.

Ye of little faith.

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Sad

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I took the night to think about the news that broke yesterday about Ted Haggard. He's a megachurch pastor in Colorado and President of the National Association of Evangelicals. Haggard has been accused of carrying on a three year relationship with a male escort. I thought about throwing out some thoughts here last night, but wanted to be patient to see if today brought forth any additional information. You had to figure something happened since he stepped down from both these positions; even if you're innocent, immediately resigning never looks good. Apparently there is more.

Whereas last night Haggard denied ever being unfaithful, this morning we read that he's admitted to "some indiscretion." I'm sure that, by the weekend, there will be a much clearer picture of all went on. This will allow for this story to blow up by next week, right before the election. This becomes an issue as Haggard was involved in Colorado's fight to ban gay marriage, so expect to see much more about it.

Much will be written about this incident on the web in days to come, but allow me to make a few observations:

1) I wasn't surprised. It's not like I go around betting which guys will cheat on their spouse, however, it's become a fact of life: ministers are human and still sin. If allegations prove to be true, this could be the highest profile fall in American evangelicalism in twenty years. I guess we should be surprised it lasted this long without an incident.

2) Mega-problems. Even though the majority of evangelicals seem to prefer the megachurch, it becomes a beast. They're usually born out of the personality of one individual who is followed as an ultimate spiritual guide. But when all eyes are focused on one man, the pressure can become suffocating. I'm not excusing what Haggard did, but does the same thing happen if he's pastoring a church of 150 instead of 15,000? Perhaps, but I think the odds become much less if his face isn't constantly in Time Magazine. I'll be curious to see what happens at New Life, the church Haggard pastors. How will they move on after all this?

There's nothing wrong with us having megachurches but I don't think we take seriously enough the awesome responsibility surrounding pastors of such large flocks. It puts a lot on one guy. Again, it makes you really appreciate the life of Billy Graham, how he was able to reach so many people and avoid all the controversy. That in of itself might be the most amazing thing about his ministry.

3) Check myself. I'm madly in love with my wife, but I can't ever get too cocky to think it could never happen to me. As a minister, you deal with some of the most private, intimate moments in people's lives. You're supposed to empathize and reach out to vulnerable people. That creates awkward situations that can quickly morph into improper relationships.

I do my best to guard myself of even having such situations present themselves. At all cost, I will avoid being in the same room/automobile alone with someone of the opposite sex. I love my wife and my ministry and would like to keep both.

4) Disappointed in Dobson. Despite all the pieces of this scandal, I find it most embarrassing that James Dobson felt the need to immediately come out and defend Haggard. It's not that he supported him, but went as far to say it was all made up. Dobson said,

"It is unconscionable that the legitimate news media would report a rumor like this based on nothing but one man's accusation . . . it appears someone is trying to damage his reputation as a way of influencing the outcome of Tuesday's election."

How does Dobson know this is a conspiracy? What if the accusations are entirely true? He's willing to bet Focus on The Family on it? And is it truly all about the election? I think Dobson will regret his quick response to this one. And I believe this will be a catalyst towards . . .

5) The Transformation of American Evangelicalism. I could be wrong on this one, but I've really sense it coming. The past twenty years of Evangelicalism have been dominated by the Christian Right. Believers were sure that if we could control the American political landscape that God would bless our nation. Within the past ten years, that wish was granted as all three branches of our government became conservative. And yet we discover that we're really not better off than we were before the movement began.

The emerging generations of Christians aren't as interested in transforming US politics as they are changing their world. They're more interested in AIDS in Africa than they are Red State vs. Blue State. I'm not saying it will be perfect, but new leaders will rise to set the course as voices like Dobson and Falwell are totally ignored. For the shift to begin to take place, the foundation of present American Evangelicalism needs to be rocked. This could be that event.

All in all, it's incredibly sad incident. Thankfully, our allegiance is to a perfect God rather than to imperfect men.

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Ben Witherington made some excellent observations about the Haggard situation, most of which I agree with. Definitely worth checking into.

None Of The Above

We're at six days and counting until we can collectively move on with our lives. First and foremost, I do hope you plan on voting next week. I don't care who you vote for, but the representative democracy system is a pretty good one [although I'd like to try a little anarchy sometime] so we should support it.

That being said, this has been one of the most painful election seasons I can ever remember. I've never seen so many accusations levied back and forth. It's not enough that I have to watch it back-to-back during every commercial break [including the cable channels] but that we're bombarded over the phone and direct mail. I need to attend someone's election celebration to get my hands on free boos so I can self-medicate from the last few months of craziness.

While I'll spout some political observations here from time to time, I'm leery of coming out and supporting certain candidates/parties/issues because it's not my thing. You might disagree, but I think it's a good idea for clergy to remove themselves from political endorsements. Each party has its own agenda, none is above reproach, and I'm not sure we would ever hear, "I'm Jesus Christ, the risen Savior of the World and I approve this message;" So allow me to sit back, relax, and throw out a thought about this midterm election.

Obviously, the issue looming large over this election is the Iraqi war. The Dems are piling on the GOP this fall, saying they led the country into another Vietnam. The authorization for the war was granted in Congressional Joint Resolution 114, which passed the House 296-133, and the Senate 77-23. Believe it or not, this vote was taken over four years ago, in October of 2002.

Do you remember what life was like then? They were excavating Ground Zero. The nation still longed for revenge. The President continually urged us to "get on with our normal lives." So we invaded Iraq and won the war very quickly. But the peace still has not been established and the US military death toll now approaches 3,000. Americans have forgotten the sick feelings surrounding 9/11 and turned on this war, wanting it over and done for.

But the reality is that, regardless of who we elect this week, it will not hasten the American withdrawal from Iraq. Even if the Democrats take both House and Senate [I predict they will get only the House], it won't change the current state of the war. We're there for a little longer no matter what happens next Tuesday. So the fact that both parties are exploiting the war and surrounding issues in order to sway voters is ridiculous.

It was popular to want to attack Iraq four years ago and now it's popular to bash us for going there in the first place. Just like the Republicans used pro-war commercials in '04 and kept the White House, the Democrats are rolling at the war for their cause and will see success in '06.

But here's the deal: check the links above for the votes on Resolution 114 and you'll discover that quite a few Democrats crossed the aisle to support the measure to invade Iraq. Regardless of how much these congressmen disagreed with the conflict, they felt it was a better move to side with patriotism and give the go ahead for war. If more of them had stuck to their guns and help party lines, the entire political landscape would be different today.

My take: if John Kerry had voted against the Iraqi War, he wouldn't be making dumb comments this week in California; rather, he'd be saying ludicrous comments from the Oval Office. If Kerry votes "no" on 114, he wins the Presidency in '04. His "yes" vote neutered his criticism of Bush and he didn't have the issue cornered. And if the Dems had stuck together, held their ground and voted "no," as well, they would have nailed down both Houses of Congress this year. That resolution could've changed political history. Instead, the Democrats left the GOP with some life, opening up the opportunity to keep some power in Congress and form a good run for the White House in 2008.

I think history will show that Iraq wasn't the best decision, but at the time there weren't many other options. Unfortunately politics muddles the issues and doesn't allow us to objectively look at the situation. The best intentions for our country will never be realized as long as we're stuck in a two party political system. That's just politics.

I know this sounds unlikely, but I think the events of this decade will lead to the establishment of a legitimate third party in American politics. It hasn't happened in over 100 years of American history, so it might seem unlikely, but it could be time. Ours and the next generation has been given too many choices for too long to be content with only two parties. And as people are more educated than ever before, and that the internet makes it possible for people to become celebrities overnight, the time is ripe for it to finally happen. Somewhere, someone will emerge to cast the vision that neither party is hitting. Maybe it's time for Monty Brewster to step up.

But one thing I know for sure: next Wednesday morning we'll wake up and go about our days and the world won't be different, regardless of who was elected this week. But Jesus will still be King.