UN well intentioned, but misguided

As I listened to Annan speak at the UN today about the Israel/Hezbollah conflict, I agreed with a lot of what he said. He spoke about needed to get aid in to the civilian population, care for the displaced and work with the international community to create a lasting peace in the Region. All of those things are dead on. However, he is missing one very important point. Without the dismantling of these terrorist groups, the violence will continue. A call for a cease fire will only put off the inevitable; maybe for a few months or a few years, but it will not end. We have seen time and time again that these groups continue to operate unimpeded if they are left to exist. It happened in Iraq, it is happening in Iran and Syria. As difficult as it may be, if these groups will not voluntarily dismantle then they will have to be dismantled by outside forces. The same goes for North Korea. Within 45 minutes of the UN voting for the latest resolution, North Korea rejected it. They do not and will not play be the rules. I certainly understand the desire to avoid an armed conflict with any of these countries, but in most of these cases it is unavoidable. The UN continues to provide evidence that it cannot deal with these terrorist states.

New Photos

I posted a few new photos today. All but one was taken just outside my back door. It is amazing to me how beautiful nature can be when I just slow down and take time to really appreciate it.

"I Hate People"

I have actually uttered these words out loud several times in the last couple of weeks. I find myself sick of being around a society that promotes selfishness. People seem to only be aware of themselves with no concern or care for anyone else. My heart is truly starting to grow cold towards this world.

I have been hurt by those who I thought I could trust. I feel vastly unappreciated at work. My house has been on the market for 66 days with no takers. No one else knows how to drive. People don't say thank you when you do something nice for them. Most people just don't get it. Others seem to have no awareness that they live on a planet with anyone else.

These are just some of the thoughts that have been invading my mind over the last couple of months. I give people very little slack and I am becoming increasingly critical of others. By the grace of God, the Holy Spirit has convicted me to start seeking the Lord more fervently; both by getting into God's word and spending more time in prayer. I have started reading Romans again and I came across a verse that really shamed me because it is 100% true.

Romans 2: 1 "You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things."

First, I have no excuse to judge others since I am no better. Second, my heart should be filled with love for others rather than hate. I may not understand why someone can be rude or not say thank you or applauds deviant behavior, but it is not my place to judge them. My job is to show them Christ's love. That's a hard pill to swallow.

The other obvious pattern that shows up in my complaints is the constant turning inward to myself. All of my complaints are base solely on me or, at least, on my perspective of how things ought to be. It's no wonder I am beginning to hate people. All I do is focus on the negative. The truth is that I should be disgusted with my own human nature because that is the real problem. So now onward I go seeking God in prayer to soften my heart and help me to show Christ's love to others.

We Celebrate Deviance

A quite a few stories caught my attention lately and I thought I would take the opportunity to return to the blogo-sphere. Unfortunately the post is not a happy one, but I write about what I see. Over the last few decades there has been a rapid decline in the appreciation of the upstanding, decent, kind and moral person in American society as well as the most of the world. This celebration of deviant behavior didn't start with Bill Clinton, but it certainly provided a catalyst for growth. I am still amazed at how, after all these years, many Americans have elevated Clinton due to his immoral behavior while in the Oval Office. I was further amazed that he is there is a public service type spot featuring Bill Clinton on Nickelodeon; a kid's network. He's not exactly the first person I would choose to be giving advice to children. Three other stories have caught my attention that further confirm this trend. I saw all of these reported on CNN.

R. Kelly, the hip-hop star, has been charged for allegedly having sex with a 14 year old girl. What's worse there is a video tape of it. In middle of all of this, his album came out recently and reached number 1 on the charts. How can there be this kind of following and support for someone accused of having sex with a 14 year old girl?

Kate Moss has been in the news a lot recently for her drug use and treatment. It has been reported that since her drug abuse has become public she is making twice as much money as before. Huh?

Finally, Lil Kim was released from prison a couple of days ago to a huge fanfare. The video of her release looked more like a red carpet event rather than a humbled walk from prison to her awaiting vehicle. It will be interesting to follow her career from this point. But I wouldn't be surprised if she saw a resurgence in her popularity.

Perhaps the reason I enjoy reading so much about the men of WW II and the times surrounding it is that the brave, decent men of our armed forces were celebrated for their contribution to this country. Now 8 out of 10 stories involving our military are negative. Meanwhile, we are bombarded with stories exulting the exploits of deviants and others who disparage the values that this country was founded upon. When will it stop? Perhaps it is too late to stop the inevitable slide into utter depravity. I certainly hope that we can turn things around in this country and go back to celebrating the good people in this country.