…for such a time as this

Below is my attempt to answer: “You tell us why you cannot support Obama, but why can you support McCain.”

I would like to reiterate that there are no perfect people, therefore there will be no perfect candidate. McCain has voted liberal in the past, which is why I believe Sarah Palin was a good balance for the conservative ticket.

I commend you all for studying, researching and questioning both candidates and their stances. No matter who you are voting for, thank you for being engaged.

1. He is Pro Life, and chose a consistent pro- life running mate
2. He (With Palin) is for making the marriage amendment Federal-one man one woman
3. He is for abstinence to marriage initiatives
4. He is for funding faith based counseling
5. He has decades of experience
6. He is strong on defense
7. He is pro-Israel
8. I look at he and Obama by their past and present associations
9. He believes in the right to bear arms
10. He believes in tax relief for everyone (Does not just favor middle class)
11. He does not want socialized medicine
12. He is for “all of the above” when it comes to energy (off shore drilling)
13. He is opposed to federal funding of abortion
14 He is opposed to human cloning
15. He is will support a federal ban on partial birth abortion
16. He will appoint judges who interpret the constitution, not judge by personal preference.
17. He loves his country and has proven to protect it despite his own agenda
18. No unnecessary tax burdens (Capital gains tax)
19. I believe he has a better knowledge of foreign affairs/ policy issues
20. He will not crush the entrepreneur spirit in America
21. Economic knowledge far superior to his opponent
22. School choice and accountability
23. IRAQ! We cannot abandon the mission and leave the Iraqi people behind
24. I can spread my own wealth around. Not a fan of socialism
25. He will not abandon the Constitution
26. I believe he understands the need to protect the borders
27. I believe he has a working world view understanding that will help with foreign policy
28. He does not believe bigger government solves the world’s problems
29. I believe he knows he will answer to God and that the American people are watching. I do not see this respect for the country or the American people from Senator Obama or his wife Michelle
30. He will promote adoption
31. He will protect children from internet pornography
32. He will protect the freedom of speech (Something that makes this country so great)- and this includes on the radio airwaves
33. International pressure on Iran and Syria.

So there are a few reasons- Feel free to add to this list.

And my final 2Cents for what it is worth… I do like Sarah Palin.
I think Sarah will do a fine job supporting McCain and leading this great country we live in.

Thanks for listening. I echo the words of my pastor, Brady Boyd: “Pray, fast, vote.”

And while you’re at it, listen to those sweet kids from CNN “Rap the Vote.”
I seriously want to download that song and listen to it in line on Tuesday;)

I have an incredible team of people around me who help me research and answer e-mails I receive. I have never been so disheartened over any issue as I am surrounding this election. I have had numerous personal attacks and I see Christians being blinded to the world’s systems. I have done my best to communicate in love, even when getting severely criticized. I have found that my most liberal friends, are the most intolerant too.

The election is around the corner. No matter who wins, I will always choose to trust God.

My friend/father figure wrote this to a friend of mine. I wanted to post it as many of you continue to ask me why I cannot support Barack Obama as the next President of the United States.

Disclaimer: This is written from a Christian to a Christian. I do not expect those of you who do not follow Christ to agree with the basic foundation of a Biblical worldview. I still have a right to stand by it and please don’t call me old fashion- I am God fashioned.

I am sure most of you have made up your mind for this election. Either way you stand, don’t forget to respect one another in the process.

-Esther

Dear friends, and colleagues,

If you have had your fill of politics for this season, as have I, please hit delete to this message. If not, read on.

This current political environment has been particularly contentious, and the polarity of choice has never been more opposite. What is less obvious is if the dichotomy is real or feigned. Is it based on facts or fiction? I am going to set forth the results of my research, and hope you find it enlightening. I have checked all of the information I am providing with credible sources. If anyone finds credible sources that disagree with my statements, I welcome you to send them to me. I think we would all agree that both the Republicans and Democrats have led campaigns that contain outright lies, and are filled with mistruths. The problem with this type of discourse is the average American does not know what to believe, and latches on to the phrases and ideas that they like.

Let’s get started:

I will start with this disclaimer-I am for McCain, and opposed to Obama. I will set forth the reasons I would not vote for Obama. The order in which these items appear may not necessarily be in order of importance, except for the first one.

1. The right to life. Obama is the most Pro-death candidate we have ever seen in the Senate. He is more liberal in his voting than Ted Kennedy. He has been for abortion at every turn in every fashion. In Illinois, he even supported a bill that prevented medical care to be provided to the children who survived an abortion alive. He was for letting them be placed in a “Comfort Room” (linen closet according to testimony of nursing staff), to allow them to die. To provide medical care he said was a possible infringement on the mother’s rights, as she might feel remorse.

2. The First Amendment. The Democrats have proposed that the “Fairness Doctrine” be implemented. This would silence any “opposition speech” on the airwaves. They would have the ability to turn off Rush, Hanity, Gallagher, Stern, and anyone else they feel is offering an “unfair” challenge to their beliefs. Joe the plumber asked a simple question of Obama that has resulted in a democratic smear campaign of Joe. Should we not be able to ask a question of our politicians without reprisal?

3.The Second Amendment. Obama has a very anti-gun policy. I attach a letter from one very familiar with Obama’s voting records and beliefs. It is clear he does not want American’s to own guns.

4. Foreign relations. When Joe Biden was running against Obama in the primary, he said that the presidency was no place for on-the-job training. Now that he is on his ticket, he thinks Obama is the best thing since sliced bread. Somewhat duplicitous wouldn’t you say? Also, big Joe has guaranteed a major international crisis with in the first 6 months of their administration if Obama is elected. Not if McCain is elected, but if Obama is elected. He went on to ask the fundraising audience not to be mad at them if their handling of the crisis does not seem to be the right thing to do. Obama said he would meet with the president of Iran without preconditions. Most recently the president of Iran even said he would not meet with us without preconditions! We all acknowledge that Israel is important to stability in the Mid-East, and remains our strongest ally in the area. Obama is for giving illegal’s driver’s licenses. Recently Jesse Jackson told Israel that the US support of Israel will be much different with an Obama administration. See Attached. The Obama campaign received $30,000.00 in illegal campaign contributions from members of the P.L.O. The head of Hamas said that they would very much like it if Obama is president. Recently the great overseer of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac-Barney Frank(D) has said we need to cut defense spending by 25%! In this growing hostile world environment, this is a problem. Obama wants to pull out of Iraq now, before we have finished the job. What a waste of everything we have done. See attached.

5. Judgment. If we look at the associations that Obama has had in the last twenty years, I think even the most liberal among us must agree the following relationships are troubling:
a. Jeremiah Wright-The anti-American preacher who led the church that Obama attended for over twenty years. He is the one who said we Americans got what we deserve when we were attacked on 9/11. He is the same one who preached that “not God bless America, God damn America”.
b. Tony Resko-The Syrian investor who is in jail for fraud. He helped Obama get his 1.6 million dollar house under somewhat unclear circumstances. Obama had to return his campaign donations.
c. Bill Ayers-He is the Great American who as the leader of the underground weatherman, bombed American buildings as part of his radical left ideology against America. He helped launch Obama’s campaign in Illinois. He served on a board with Obama, and Obama had more than a casual relationship with this unrepentant terrorist. See attached.
d. Reverend Flager-Another Anti-American preacher friend of Obama.
e. Franklin Raines-Ran Fannie Mae into the ground, took 90 million dollars in bonuses, cooked the books at this organization to create false profits to provide large bonuses. He is an Obama advisor.
f. Michele Obama-Our future First Lady has only recently been proud of America. Do you want to see what she really believes? Look at the attached discussion of her thesis when at Princeton University. She appears to have been a racist and somewhat hateful American. See her recent lunch order attached below.
g. ACORN-Obama represented them as an attorney. He was a trainer for them. He gave them $800,000.00 to “get out the vote”. This is supposed to be a non-partisan organization that has publicly stated that they want Obama to win. As I write this there are 20 states that are investigating voter fraud committed by ACORN. Recently in Ohio, 13 Obama campaign staff had to rescind their voting registration as they do not live in Ohio, but registered as though they did! 5 Students “moved” into Ohio temporarily so they could register to vote for Obama. They were caught. Interesting that all the fraud has been found favoring Obama. Did you know that the democrats tried to add pork to the “bailout” plan that would have given ACORN another 30 million of our dollars. Can anyone guess why they might have wanted to do this? Is it because this group was pro-Republican, or even neutral? Even ACORN disavowed statements from OBAMA that he really had nothing to do with ACORN. See attached video.

6. Socialism. Obama has declared in public that he wants to take money from some Americans, and then the government will determine to whom the money should be redistributed. Obama has previously voted to raise taxes on families earning over $42,000.00. Obama says he has a plan to give tax relief to 95% of all Americans. As over 35% of all Americans pay zero taxes that means that they will get a check. Some of your money! This is not a refund to them as they do not pay taxes. It is your money! The democrats are looking at a plan to force you to sell your pension plan/401K etc. to the government, and they will guarantee a 3% return for you to add to your social security. This would mean you can not deduct your contribution, thus increasing your taxable income, and therefore your taxes. The democrats want to lift the cap on social security taxes. The tax would then be on 100% of your earnings, rather than capped as it is now. They would control your retirement plan. If you think this can not be, check the reference at the end of this letter.

7. Obama wants to elevate taxes “on the rich”. Are you rich? Do you have any investments outside of your retirement plan? If so, you are rich, as he is going to increase the capital gains tax which will affect you.

8. Medicine-Obama wants to implement a form of socialized medicine. Can you imagine the government running such a large segment of our society? A recent poll of executive physicians has determined that this is a recipe for disaster. The European style of medicine will not work in the US. The reasons are in addition to the American government being inept at running anything; the European countries have a more homogenous society with similar mores, and without the influence of attorney’s. They say such a system in this country would be doomed to failure.

9. Super majority-It seems to me to be highly problematic for either the Republicans or Democrats to have control of the Senate, House and White House. What is worse is the prospect for a super majority. This would create a filibuster-proof congress that could do what it pleases. Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid have already stated they want to reverse the agreement on offshore drilling after they are in control. Have you seen the list of potential Supreme Court judges on Obama’s list? See attached. Ultra-liberal Ivy League ideologues that believe in rewriting the constitution rather than interpret and apply it as is. Talk about legislating from the bench! See attached. Hear the talk Obama gave about the U.S. constitution being “flawed” and needing to be changed. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11OhmY1obS4

10. Tax-Obama wants to tax the rich. He does not feel the rich are paying their share. Recent government statistics show that the top 1% earners pay 39% of ALL taxes, and the top 50% pay 97% of ALL taxes. Does that sound like they aren’t already paying their fair share? Listen to the audio where he discusses redistributing your wealth attached below.

11. Do the Democrats have a good track record on running your lives? See attached. This shows how well things were going until the democrats took over Congress 2 years ago. After that gas prices soared, the housing market collapsed, Wall Street fell apart, and the stock market fell 5000 points. See the attached to see what happened in Chicago and the top 10 largest cities managed by democrats. Those of you in Michigan can see how well raising taxes has worked out for us, under democratic Governor Granholm.

12. Experience-Obama has no executive experience. He voted “present” 130 times instead of making a decision while in the State of Illinois Senate, according to Factcheck.org. We need a President that can make a decision, and make a correct decision at that.

13. The US has the second highest corporate tax in the world, and Obama wants to raise it. How does that encourage companies to stay or locate in the U.S.?

Liberal Media Bias. Is it any surprise that Oprah interviewed Obama, but would not interview Palin? It appears Oprah is on the short list to be Ambassador to Great Britain. Apparently Madonna was busy.
http://www.onenewsnow.com/Election2008/Default.aspx?id=297778 http://www.mediaresearch.org/biasbasics/biasbasics1.asp

The Family Research Council recently published Obama’s and McCain’s position on key issues. Although they agreed on some things, I will highlight those where they had opposing beliefs.

A. Whether you are for or against abortion is one thing, but Obama wants to use our tax dollars to pay for them

B. He said he would appoint judges that would interpret law according to personal beliefs, rather than applying the law.

C. Currently states are not required to recognize same sex marriages from other states. He would reverse that.

D. He would overturn the ban on homosexuals serving in the military.

E. He opposes the repeal of the Estate Tax.

F. He supports keeping the moratorium on off shore drilling.

G. He does not support a constitutional amendment to define marriage as between a man and woman.

H. He opposes a parental notification law in cases of abortions on minors.

I hope the above comments, and the attached articles help you as you decide who you will vote for. Some of the sources are not necessarily non-partisan, but the facts are the facts, and given the acknowledged media bias, you sometimes have to go these sources.

http://www.mediaresearch.org/

http://townhall.com/columnists/MichaelBarone/2008/10/11/the_coming_obama_thugocracy

http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/election2008/2008-10-23-candidates-courts_N.htm

http://www.onenewsnow.com/Blog/Default.aspx?id=301256

http://townhall.com/columnists/MichaelBarone/2008/10/11/the_coming_obama_thugocracy

http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/election2008/2008-10-23-candidates-courts_N.htm

What do the top ten cities with the highest poverty rate all have in common? « Bear Tracks

YouTube - Democrats Defend Fannie/Freddie from Regulation - 2004 Video

YouTube - Burning Down The House: What Caused Our Economic Crisis?

http://abcnews.go.com/politics/MatchoMatic/fullpage

http://links.mail-family.org/ctt?kn=5&m=2236737&r=MTE1NTg4MTI5NDIS1&b=0&j=NTk5MzIzOTMS1&mt=1&rt=0

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122477680834462659.html

http://www.usawakeup.org_ (http://www.usawakeup.org/)

Respectfully,
Dr. J.M

We returned safely from our trip to Salt Lake City. Stay tuned for some great updates. Thank you for your prayers. We had a blast being the aroma of Christ.

13 dynamic, incredibly gifted, full of love and the Holy Spirit Evangelical Christians are with me here in Salt Lake City. We will be attending The National Student Dialogue Conference held at Utah Valley University. This is the second year of this conference, where both LDS and Evangelical students will discuss worldview differences.

This morning we head to Temple Square to have meetings with Latter- day Saint leadership. This is quite a unique and humbling experience. They have been gracious to host our team, and we will have opportunities to ask questions to this religion’s highest leadership.

It is neat to be a part of a culture shift here in Utah. Healthy dialogue between faith’s.

…I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me- the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace. - Acts 20:24

Your love, O LORD, reaches to the heavens,
your faithfulness to the skies.
Your righteousness is like the might mountains,
your justice like the great deep.
Psalm 36:5-6

Father, help us to always speak truth in love. May you increase our hearts. Help us to stay in tune with your Holy Spirit so we hurt for the things that hurt you, and rejoice over this things that you rejoice in. May people know we belong to you by the way we love each other. Thank you for making us radiant, and causing your face to shine upon us. Thank you for saving us with your unfailing love. We adore you, worship you, and seek to know you more daily. You are so wonderful to us. In Jesus name we pray this, amen.

I love the prayer in Luke 11 where the Disciples say, “Lord, teach us how to pray!” How many of us are afraid or intimated to ask God what we may think are “simple” prayers. I think He loves them.

The first thing that Jesus taught concerning prayer was the secret place! He taught us where to pray before he taught us how to pray.

In Matthew 5-7, Jesus warns us against hypocrisy, and outward showing of religious duties. He spoke specifically of generosity, prayer and fasting and how they must also be done in secret, or he sees us as hypocrites.

The Greek word for secret is kruptos. It comes from the word concealed, and means private, hidden, inwardly, secret. Kruptos can also be found in Luke 8 where Jesus says, “For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open.”

Our secret lives will be revealed!

If believers are not cultivating a secret life with the Lord, do you believe the Lord sees them as a hypocrite as well? We can easily get caught up in the motions of Christianity, but God cares so much about our inward motivation that He tells us our secret lives matter to Him!

The separating factor between Moses and Israel was their inward motivation! The purpose of our worship needs to be God centered, not self-centered.

Father, we know that Joshua had an intense passion for your presence, and we know Gabriel stood before you.  Oh Lord, let that be said of us! We do not want to hear the devastating words “Depart from me, I never knew you.” We want to know you! We want you to know us! Help us to preserve the good deposit you have put into us. Help us to cultivate our relationships with you in the secret place. We know that knowing you is knowing perfect love, and we love you and thank you for it. In Jesus name, amen.