THINKING OUT LOUD....OPEN MOUTH INSERT FOOT....OOPS!

Thinking out loud can sure get one in trouble.  I know from first hand experience.  I have done that on this blog and many who read it stopped because they thought I had lost it or I didn't fit into their scheme of life.  Sad to say, we are all guilty of prejudice, discrimination, and withdrawing from those who may differ with us or from us.  It would be wonderful if we could learn to accept each other for who we are, our actions motivated by our unconditional love, and our attitudes bathed in being color blind to race, respect for all religions, our desire for equality for persons of different genders and sexual orientation, and demand for justice and mercy.  It would be ideal to live in a world where everyone had a job with a livable wage, no one was homeless, and everyone had food to eat.

We don't live in a perfect world.  We are all imperfect.  For Christians, this life is about going on to perfection or as John Wesley understood it being perfect in our love for God is love.  This life is about learning to live in the kingdom of God here on earth now not later.  This calls for transformation.  The writer of Hebrews calls for us to let go of the weights that tie us down and keep us from continuing to be transformed.  We all grow up with these weights.  Some of them include our images of the past and our understanding of the ways should be.   Here are some examples of weights that public figures and ordinary people deal with but do not realize it.

This is not about "politically correct" (a term used to defend the weights we carry" or being liberal or right wing (Other terms used to defend the weights we carry).  This is about recognizing what we thought is true isn't really true.  We need to change or be transformed.

1.  Megyn Kelly, a Fox News On Air Anchor, recently stated that Santa Claus and Jesus are white.  Megyn makes a common assumption that is verified by the United States Government classification of persons from the Middle East as white so Jesus is white. Does this make it correct?  Not really but is it really important.  NO!  However, there is a point here.  To declare Jesus as White could indicate an attitude that being white is superior.  I would shudder to think that is what Megyn meant.  Megyn's assumption is only that:  an assumption.  This is how she sees Jesus.  Does this mean Megyn is racist? Let's hope not. Is this something I should get upset about?  NO!  The real point is learning to accept others views also.  
2. The War on Christmas  gets uglier each year as we chided for saying anything other than Merry Christmas by some.  Merry Xmas is not wrong.  X is the symbol used for Christ in the early days of Christianity.  Happy Holidays refers to the root meaning Happy Holy Days.  Is there a war on Christmas?  Some choose not to celebrate the holy day.  Some say that is a pagan holiday.  True, the early Church adopted the pagan holiday to draw believers away from the practice of the pagan holiday.  Some berate the celebration as being too commercialized.  Yes, it is one of the biggest money makers for retailers.  If there is, it has been going on longer than I have been alive.  Is it something I should get upset about.  NO!   Again, the real point is learning to accept others who are not like us in our views and actions.
3. People on welfare are lazy drug addicts who stay on welfare forever and get rich.  They have babies to get more welfare.  Most of them are illegal aliens.  Only 4.1% of Americans are on welfare according to the U S Government survey completed in September 2013.  Welfare recipients are required to get a job within two years or lose their benefits.  Some states have declared that having more children will not increase benefits.  States testing for drug use among welfare recipients is about the same as the general public.  39.8% of welfare users are black and 38.8% are white.  Illegal aliens are not eligible for welfare assistance only emergency medicaid assistance.  Fraud exists no doubt.  Yet, our government only spends $131.9 billion each year on public welfare assistance.  That is about 13% of the national budget.  39 states pay more per hour in welfare assistance than the minimum wage.  Most people on welfare do not want to be on welfare.  Many work minimum wage jobs like McDonalds and Walmart.  There are no easy solutions here, yet this is something we should care about.  How can we help as a nation, as a state, as a community, as a person?  If every person who complains about this would assist their local charity groups with both money and volunteer efforts, we could help lower the government assistance needed.
4. The Message of the Christ of Christmas (those who are concerned about the war on Christmas listen) is as follows:  (Matthew 25:31-43)

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne.  All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.  He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.  For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in,  I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?  When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you?  When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink,  I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me."    JESUS