Christian Democrat.

When did being a Christian become equal to being a Republican? When did abortion become the only issue that mattered in politics, the only topic that affects a vote? When did we start believing that the only way to solve something was to elect the "perfect president." More importantly, when did Christians earn the right to judge others? When did Christ ever say that it was our job to tell people what they are doing wrong, or who deserves what, or who is more worthy of something? When did we start shouldering people out rather than welcoming them in? Why does it seem like many Christians today are too afraid or proud or walled in to affect the world? When did affecting the world become telling the world what we think they're doing wrong?

When did we lose sight of our call, and how do we find it back again?

Questions that I have been pondering lately, since receiving some pretty intense "Christian" criticism over voting for Obama, a man that I see as one who cares about the lost of the world, that doesn't think of America as the only country to fight for, that thinks it necessary to preserve the land that God graciously gave us to protect and nourish, and that seems to unite rather than divide; all things that I believe line up with what Christ wanted for the world.

I do disagree on some points, like the issue of abortion. I know that Obama already signed an act that broadened the rights of abortion, and I wish that weren't the case. But that doesn't mean that it's a sin to vote for him, or that he should immediately be taken out of the running, or that he isn't a good leader. Jesus seems to take offense most strongly at those who, out of their fear or their pride, try to oppress others to insure security for themselves, and I saw an aspect of that from McCain. He seemed to be about the good of the few, and not the good of all, and although I respect him for a number of things, I don't believe he would have done as good a job leading our country.

And that is why I voted for Obama. And now that Obama is in office, it is our Christian duty to respect him, not label him the antichrist or hope for his failure or put him down at every turn. Yes, he will make mistakes, but we shouldn't have a hand in them or glory in them either.

Now, I realize that political subjects are extremely important to most people because more often than not a person's politics are based on incredibly personal issues, which then gives huge importance to their vote and their views. I mean no disrespect to those who voted McCain; I am just asking for respect as well. I have no problem with people questioning me about my political views, but I do have a problem with those who criticize me for it or look at me as less of something because of it.

Not to say that everyone is hardheaded or closed minded. I have been encouraged by many people (Christians or not) who look at politics with an open mind, whether they voted Obama or not, and also by those who have rallied around him since he did become President. That is encouraging to see. I believe in Obama and think he will do good things for our country, but I still rest on the hope that God is behind it all, and that no matter what, He will take care of things. No election will change that.


That being said, Obama '08*** :)

Recent Reading

Kurt Vonnegut does not disappoint. I want to laugh at and quote his words all at once.




Highly recommended. 4/5

Micah

"And what does the Lord require of you?
Only to do justice,
and to love goodness,
and to walk humbly with your God."


Justice.

Goodness.

God.


A good summation, I think.
(The words of God through the prophet Micah)

Revolutionary Road

This movie blew me away. I couldn't stop thinking about it for days after seeing it, and certain scenes and quotes kept coming back to me over and over again. Revolutionary Road is one of those films that raises sharp questions without necessarily answering them, something I appreciate a lot in a movie.

A powerful film. 9/10.

Frost/Nixon

I have always been interested in history, so Frost/Nixon intrigued me from the start, and after seeing it, I am fascinated all the more about the Watergate scandal. The movie was excellent.

I think the best movies (and characters) are the ones that make you feel conflicted (Revolutionary Road did that extremely well), and I found myself disliking Nixon and feeling sorry for him off and on throughout the film. I am interested now in seeing the actual interviews so that I can compare how similar the two are. I saw the real David Frost on the "The Daily Show," and he had some interesting stories about the whole process, so I am looking forward to seeing the original interviews (and any other commentary I can find).

A great film. 8/10.

Recent Reading

Wonderful book. Brilliant Character development. The only negative thing I would say is that I was hoping for a little more punch at the end, but other than that, a great read.


Recommended. 3.5/5

Doubt

This movie was as good as they said it would be. Excellent performances.




Highly Recommended. 8/10

NEA's Big Read

Ok, so this list is from the NEA's Big Read project, and it's supposedly their top 100 book list. They estimate that the average adult has read a total of 6. You're supposed to go through and Bold the books you've already read, and put in italics any that you plan to read soon. Here goes...

1. Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
2. The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
3. Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
4. Harry Potter series - JK Rowling
5. To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
6. The Bible
7. Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
8. Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell
9. His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
10. Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
11. Little Women - Louisa M Alcott
12. Tess of the D'Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
13. Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
14. Complete Works of Shakespeare (close, but not all. Blast).
15. Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
16. The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien
17. Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks
18. Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger
19. The Time Traveller's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
20. Middlemarch - George Eliot
21. Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell
22. The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald
23. Bleak House - Charles Dickens
24. War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
25. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
26. Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
27. Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28. Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
29. Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
30. The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
31. Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
32. David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
33. Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis
34. Emma - Jane Austen
35. Persuasion - Jane Austen
36. The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis
37. The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
38. Captain Corelli's Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
39. Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
40. Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne
41. Animal Farm - George Orwell
42. The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown (is this really in the top 100?)
43. One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44. A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving
45. The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
46. Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery
47. Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
48. The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
49. Lord of the Flies - William Golding
50. Atonement - Ian McEwan
51. Life of Pi - Yann Martel
52. Dune - Frank Herbert
53. Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54. Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
55. A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56. The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57. A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
58. Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
59. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
60. Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
61. Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
62. Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
63. The Secret History - Donna Tartt
64. The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
65. Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
66. On The Road - Jack Kerouac
67. Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
68. Bridget Jones' Diary - Helen Fielding (again, top 100?)
69. Midnight's Children - Salman Rushdie
70. Moby Dick - Herman Melville
71. Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
72. Dracula - Bram Stoker
73. The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett
74. Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
75. Ulysses - James Joyce
76. The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
77. Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78. Germinal - Emile Zola
79. Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
80. Possession - AS Byatt
81. A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
82. Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
83. The Color Purple - Alice Walker
84. The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
85. Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
86. A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
87. Charlotte's Web - EB White
88. The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom
89. Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90. The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton
91. Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
92. The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery
93. The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94. Watership Down - Richard Adams
95. A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
96. A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
97. The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
98. Hamlet - William Shakespeare
99. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
100. Les Miserables - Victor Hugo

So, I've read 42. Better than 6, but there are a lot on here that I am surprised I haven't read yet.

My "to read" list is already too long. This isn't helping.

KY Summers*

Today, I'm dreaming of KY summers.

Goethe

"In the realm of ideas everything depends on enthusiasm, in the real world all rests on perseverance."

- Goethe

Book Read

Book Read: "A long way down," by Nick Hornby.

This book was funny because of its sarcasm, and a little unsettling because of its seemingly light way of looking at suicide. At the end of it all, though, Hornby opens our eyes to the hurt that people face, and how we are all connected on some level because of it.

A good fast read, but not my favorite, although I do really enjoy Hornby.

2.5/5

Books Bought

I used my B & N gift cards to buy a few books, which are on their way to my house as I write this. Looking forward to owning them. Reviews forthcoming.

Bought books are:

The Wonder Boys: Michael Chabon (Already read, but too good not to own).
The Wordy Shipmates: Sarah Vowell (The only Vowell book I don't own and haven't read).
Galapagos: Kurt Vonnegut
Man without a country: Kurt Vonnegut (also already read, but again, too good not to own).

Recent Reading

Both "The Kite Runner" and "A Thousand Splendid Suns" were well-written (and sad) stories about Afghanistan and the people who experienced living there during the last 30 years. Both books open a door to a culture that not many Americans understand, and both shed light on what the people of Afghanistan have had to endure.

Recommended. (suns - 3/5, runner - 4/5)