Christian Civility

We recently got our November issue of Sojourners magazine, and in it was a very enlightening and much-needed article by the chief editor. He began by talking about certain issues that he thought Christians needed to consider when voting for a candidate in this election. Then he pointed out that, based on people's different views and interpretations, there would be those of Christian faith voting for both sides - Democrat and Republican. He continued by stating "Five Rules of Christian Civility" in light of this fact. They are as follows:

1. Christians should not be in the pocket of any political party, but should evaluate both candidates using a biblically based moral compass

2. We should vote all of our values based on biblical foundations

3. We should advocate for a consistent ethic of life from the "womb to the tomb" (meaning ALL human life), challenging the selective moralities of both conservative and liberal views

4. We need to respect the integrity of our Christian brothers and sisters in their sincere and thoughtful efforts to choose a candidate, realizing that people of faith and conscience will be voting both ways

5. We should not attack one another, but should "expect and respect the practice of putting our faith first", even as we reach different conclusions

This article had perfect timing in my opinion. Sean and I have gradually been leaning toward a different worldview over the years. One which has been considered by some of our family and friends to be more "liberal", but which we felt was more in line with our ever-growing and changing faith as Christians. In some cases, we have been criticized and have also had the validity of our faith questioned because of this change in values. It's been somewhat insulting, as well as frustrating since our faith is such a large part of our lives and something we are excited about as it relates to us personally, and to the world around us. It's sad to me that on some of the occasions when we have shared our excitement about these things, people have viewed it as a threat to them personally. We never intended or suspected they would feel this way, and certainly never said anything bad about their views. We only stated our views which, granted, happen to be (respectfully) different than theirs. Not better. Just different. . .which is not a bad thing.

Fortunately during this time, we've found a church which holds a worldview similar to our own, and which expresses an interest and excitement in common with ours about how a person's faith should impact the world around them. It's been so refreshing to find Christians we can relate to! But not only that, through our changing views, we have found a whole new group of family and friends (religious and not) who share our worldview and whom we've been able to grow closer to as a result. We value these people so much! They are our support group, and we hope we have been able to return the favor in some small way. We also hope, at some point, to find or re-establish a common respect and understanding among those who we differ from in these matters. . .In the spirit of "Christian Civility."

Just a side note: The above-mentioned article is NOT advocating that Christians should vote only for "Christian" candidates, and neither are we. There are plenty of good and wonderful people in the world who actively and passionately support values that fall within Christian standards without actually professing specific, or any, religious preferences. In fact, there are quite a few other religions out there with standards similar to those of the Christian faith, as well as additional standards that could make this world a better place. What this article IS saying, is to educate yourself about what the candidates support and stand for, and then (if you are a Christian) to consider if those things line up with what the Bible as a whole stresses to be important, regardless of where the candidates values may or may not come from. The same considerations would be necessary for any person who holds a set of moral standards (religious or not) as to how people should live and treat one another.

Pumpkin Fun!

To view the pictures in a larger format, click on the "View All Images" option at the bottom of the slideshow window. This will take you to a separate page where you can have a little more control over how long, and in what order, you are able to view the pictures in their larger size.

Rearranging

So, I've been wanting to rearrange our living room furniture since the weather turned cold. I think I get "Fall Fever" as well as "Spring Fever". We had originally put our couch with it's back to the fireplace, sort of dividing living room from dining room. Well, now that it's getting cold enough to use the fireplace, I decided I wanted the couch facing it, making the living room feel more spacious at the same time. It's not the best arrangement and is maybe slightly awkward, but no more than the original arrangement, and it'll be just fine for the 7 remaining months we'll be living here.

Our apartment living room is rather strange. They expected people to put their TV's above the fireplace, and put a connection there for that purpose, but they didn't leave any holes to run wires through for home theater speakers, or enough room for stereo equipment. We would have had to run all kinds of wires out in the open, down the front of the fireplace, which just isn't pretty at all. We had such a hard time deciding how to set things up in the living room when we moved here, one of our couches ended up in the loft as a result of our indecision. Then we ended up liking the set-up of the loft so much, we've been spending most of our relaxation time there. I'm hoping with this new arrangement, we'll utilize both sitting areas equally. We'll see how it goes. Aaaahh! The frustrations of moving! Anyway, below is a slideshow with before and after shots of the living room. I'd love to hear opinions.

Weekend at Lindy's

I spent this past weekend with my niece Lindy! She lives just 3 hours north of us in Langhorne, PA which is near Philadelphia. It was so much fun to hang-out with Lindy and to see where she lives and works! It was a wonderful weekend, and we are looking forward to the next time we can get together!!

Below is a slideshow of our weekend activities. To view the pictures in a larger format, click on the "View All Images" option at the bottom of the slideshow window. This will take you to a separate page where you can have a little more control over how long, and in what order, you are able to view the pictures in their larger size. Enjoy!

It has been so fun to get to know Lindy again, now that we're both adults! We discovered that we have quite a few similarities and it was nice to be able to connect in this way. I'm glad she shared her time with me this weekend!

Fact Checking the Candidates

We have used the website below (factcheck.org) on many occasions throughout the 2008 Presidential Election and have found it to be extremely helpful. The organization that runs this website is a neutral one and is very thorough in presenting the actual facts regarding claims, accusations etc from both sides of the current election:

Fact Check