• People are genuinely hurting, especially manufacturing jobs and the trades. My father is a union plumber and has been out of work for a while. Its a tough time for many people in America.
  
• This is a moment where the Church has an opportunity to shine in several ways:
  
  
  • We can meet people in their brokeness and present them the lifechanging message of the Gospel. Often God has to provoke a crisis in a person's life to get them to awaken to the reality of eternity. Let's be there with compassion, grace, and truth.
    
  • Christians can also shine by being different than the world. By this I mean trusting, full of faith in a sea of confusion and doubt. Christians and nonChristians alike are losing their jobs and their homes, but it is Christians who can stand out by demonstrating unwavering believe in God's soveriegnty. This is what is meant by a "peace that passes all understanding." Its a peace that isn't logical, at least on a human level.
    
• We should pray for our leaders--perhaps now more than any other time. President Elect Obama is inheriting a series of problems unlike any president in modern times. He and his team need our prayers and support right now. The expectations and pressure on this man are enormous.
  
• Perhaps this time will call Christians back from worldliness and materialism. We've gotten so sucked in by the lust of the flush, the lust of the eyes, the pride of life. Its served up daily on all of our media. This got-to-have-it-now mentality. Let's use this time to turn again the the "old paths" spoken of by Jeremiah and realize that our treasure is not on earth, but in Heaven.
  
• Let's pray for a good economy and a prosperous country for this reason: it helps critical missions and ministries do their work. I read where a big Christian ministry had to eliminate 200 jobs. Mission organizations are losing critical donations. The delivery of the gospel to the far reaches of our world depends on a prosperous United States. The impacting of our local communities with the gospel depends on the prosperity of the United States. So for the sake of the gospel, let's hope our economy rebounds.
  
• These are exciting times for the Christian. The world map is lining up with Bible prophecy now more than at any other time in history. A rising Europe, an emboldened Russia, a fervent Muslim hatred of Israel, a one-world economy, the longing for a charismatic leader to unite--all of these are conditions of the last days predicted by the prophets and yet are descriptions of our world today.

I've been thinking lately, of the importance of rest and the spiritual life. Its a subject we Christians don't really talk about much, because we're often so busy doing the work of God, as if God's entire Kingdom depends on my one more half-hour of sermon preparation! But I want to say clearly something that I have learned over the years in ministry. I have learned that rest is very important to your spiritual life. More important than you realize.

I'm a young guy still and so I'm prone to overworking and reckless ambition. But I'm learning--and we're learning as a family--just how important rest is to our spiritual lives. When I am tired, my whole worldview is skewed and life seems miserable and impossible.

Growing up in church, I often heard it said, "80% of spirituality is getting enough sleep." My pastor would say that often. I didn't realize how true that was until I began in the ministry, raising a family, etc.

Here's another thing to consider. Jesus Himself rested. He was the perfect man and yet he got away from the ministry, the crowds, the needy people, the to-do list, and simply rested. There is a lesson here. Are we better than Jesus that we don't need rest?

Recently we've been studying Nehemiah on Sunday Nights. This week, as we wrapped up Chapter 2, we noticed that he took three days to rest after arriving in Jerusalem from the palace in Shushan. He had probably travelled for three months on this journey. The situation in Jerusalem was dire and urgent. The people were undoubtedly restless and fearful. And yet Nehemiah didn't cave into the immediacy of the problem. He took three days to refresh his body. I imagine if Nehemiah had not done this--and had surveyed Jerusalem right away--he would have been angry, discouraged, and fearful. No, he rested first.

Let's be wise and learn from these examples. Are you physically, spiritually, and mentally exhausted? Maybe you need some sleep to reorder your mind. Here's another thought. Perhaps you should take a look at your weekly schedule and eliminate stuff that is just not that important to your God-given calling. Parents, are you overscheduling your kids because you want them to have every opportunity. Shuffling from this event to that event? You could wear them out.

Lastly, I want to say this. Our spiritual lives are often the last items on our to-do lists. That's not right. We need to prioritize our time with God and time at church. Practically speaking, this might mean getting to bed early on Sat night so we're fresh for worship on Sun morning.

• Josh Harris
• Ray Pritchard
• Margaret Buckley
• Tony Woodlief

If exit polls are accurate, most evangelical Christians watched with amazement as the guy they didn't want to win won very convincingly Tuesday night. Barrack Obama will be our next President and so now Christians must decide how we should react to this reality. How should we react? I've had a few days to read Scripture and think about it and here are a few thoughts:

1) We should celebrate that America chose a young, bright, articulate man to be its first African American candidate. I'll admit that I was incredibly moved by the sight of Obama and his wife and children ascend the stage in Grant Park in Chicago. I saw a picture of Jesse Jackson shedding tears. America has made a big leap forward. Consider the fact that only 40 years ago MLK Jr was assasinated. Black people didn't have the right to vote not long ago. And we even fought a war over whether or not they could be enslaved. And now a black man is president. You don't have to agree with President Obama's policies to celebrate this historic achievement.

2) We should pray for President Obama. I wonder what would happen if we prayed as we're told to do in 1 Timothy 2:2 instead of engaging in the harsh political rhetoric. We should pray for the leaders we disagree with as much if not more than the ones we love. President Obama is going to be handed a huge set of problems. We're in for hard times. Let's pray for him and for his team.

3) We should wish for President Obama's success because we love our country. Let's not hope for him to fail so we can "get our guy in in four years." That's foolish and unbiblical. This is not a football game where you hope the other team fumbles. This is our country and four bad years means four bad years for America.

4) We should give President Obama a chance to succeed. Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity and Fox News and all of the conservative blogs will be hypercritical of the new President. But we're different, right? Aren't we Christians? Let's find the good in the President. Let's not traffic in unfounded rumors. I'm amazed at how easily Christians will pass on slanderous stuff about political leaders they don't like. Disagree on policy, dont' engage in character assassination.

5) Respect and Honor President Obama. Nehemiah said "O, King, Live forever" to a king who had stopped his people from rebuilding the walls. David served and honored the kings he served under, despite the fact that they were ruthless dictators. Joseph respected Pharoah. Disagree without being disagreeable. Represent Christ well. President Bush was unfairly mocked and maligned. His character was trashed. He was lampooned and beat up mercilessly by a liberal press. It offended me and hurt me. This is the office of the President. But if I engage in that same vitriol toward Obama, am I any better? I'm amazed at how easily Christians will adopt an Ann Coulter/Michael Savage full-throated politics. Remember, we're Christians first.

6) Don't engage in doom and gloom. Evangelical Christians spoke loud and clear, but the nation chose Obama. God is still in control. He is not in Heaven perplexed and out of sorts about His will. The Bible says that ultimately God promotes. It says that kings are servants in His hand. It says that the powers that be are ordained of God. So let's be Christians and let's trust God. If Christians under Nero can be instructed by Paul to "Honor the King" and "submit to authority" so can we.

7) Remember that our hope doesn't lie in a political party or movement. We're sojourners and travellers on this earth. This world is not our home. And so we look to Heaven, not a party, not an election. Our anchor is in the Lord. He is our hope. And our first job is to share God's love with the world and to live out our faith in a way that points poeople to Christ--not winning elections. Let's be that kind of light.

8) Realize that we live in the greatest country in the world. American under Obama will still be the place everyone wants to live. Imagine being a Christian in a country like Darfur or China or Saudi Arabia--you'd love to be able to live here. We have a peaceful transfer of power from one party to the next. Are you thankful you live in America.

I arrived at Gages Lake Bible Church this morning just before 5am. It was a crisp, beautiful morning. I greeted the wonderful volunteers who serve as election judges as they made their way to our Fellowship Hall to play their part in allowing America, average everday Americans, choose their president and other leaders.

I've talked to a lot of Christians this year and most are glum about what will happen today. But even if the guy I think best represents our values doesn't win, I still think there are reasons for believers to be joyful:

1) God is on the throne and He's not getting voted off anytime soon. If the "wrong guy" wins, God will not be up in Heaven perplexed. If you read Israel's history in the Old Testament, you'll see where God called ruthless thugs like Nebuchadnezzar and Cyrus, "servants" or "vessels" in His hand. God uses even evil to accomplist his will. Furthermore, Psalms says that it is God who promotes. I'm secure in that.

2) We live in America. Even if the "wrong guy" wins, we live in America, the best country in the world. We have the opportunity to vote  and express our opinions. I've travelled to third-world countries and they would give anything to have a say in who their leaders are. We have freedoom of expression and freedom of religion. How fortunate and blessed we are.

3) My happiness isn't derived from political victories. Too many people on both sides of the political spectrum project all of their hopes and dreams on men, on candidates. But our security is in Christ. Hebrews says we have an anchor for our soul. Psalms says "Some trust in chariots, (political parties, armies, 401k's), we trust in the name of the Lord our God."

4) God never promised us the perfect, utopian country we desire. In fact, Christ said that a disciple "takes up his cross. " James says, "all who live godly in Christ Jesus suffer persecution."

5) God has a plan for the end times. We're not out here alone. Read Revelation. Read the last chapter of the book. We win.

I"ll leave you with a favorite hymn of mine:

Why should I feel discouraged, why should the shadows come,
Why should my heart be lonely, and long for heaven and home,
When Jesus is my portion? My constant friend is He:
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.