from last year, in Hungary

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A great moment of internal conflict came early for me. It was the fourth of July around a bonfire. (Ray threw this down on Nationalism, so you might ignore my babble and go straight there.) I wanted to punch one of the Murrieta bible college guys right in the stomach. He was praying thanks in a manner that had to have sounded boastful to the Hungarian and international students hanging around the fire. To say that the world is being blessed and protected by us, overlooks a lot, especially the reality of international opinion. People send missionaries to us. I had to walk away for a bit and talk to God about it.

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I love the freedom that we have in this nation and many of the principals that it was founded upon. I thank God for the men and women that sacrificed much for the sake of their country. (I'm always fascinated by how linked, as explosives, fireworks are to weapons. It's really a sobering gesture, to celebrate with the means by which we won our independence from the Brits.) But I won't mistake the greed, abuse of political power and inaction over injustice domestically or internationally as a privilege part of "God's blessing".  If we are a nation founded on godly principles, we have a lot to answer for.

At that national celebration/prayer meeting in the international space that is the Calvary Chapel Bible college in Hungary, we needed to be asking for forgiveness as well asking for God's blessing, for protection for the civilian population in the places we have been taking military action as well as for our soldiers, asking for His kingdom rather than just thanking Him for the "cool people He put into office who have done great things." Once again, God is not a Republican.

/rant

Yesterday Katie dropped Cates off on their way back from home, and we picked up Stephen and Laura, bought tri-tip and barbequed at my place in PQ. We ate outside in the warm summer evening, listening to Vince Guaraldi's A Charlie Brown Christmas (I felt so subversive). We then drove up to hillside park to watch the fireworks at Mira Mesa and Del Mar. Good times.