Military Action in Syria

It appears inevitable that the U.S. will engage in some degree of hostilities in Syria. The United States opposes the use of chemical weapons, especially against civilians. There has been overwhelming evidence that the Syrian government has used chemical weapons against both military and civilian opposition. Morally, many would argue, the U.S. must intervene to end the use of inhumane weapons of mass destruction.

I am not sure to what extent the U.S. should be involved in Syria. Many of the rebels are just as bad as the Syrian government. Many of the rebels are Mujaheddin cut from the same cloth as the ones we trained in Afghanistan that later carried out attacks against America. The human tragedy, though, that is occurring does call for international intervention. Unfortunately, the international community lacks the will or direction to bring any sort of resolution to the calamity. I don't see a change to the situation any time soon.

I am also not sure what the U.S. can do in the current situation. I doubt a barrage of cruise missiles is going to make any difference. The presence of the chemical and biological weapons is a grave concern and a potential threat to the U.S. and its allies. Dealing with those weapon stockpiles is just as complex as the entire question of intervention. It would take prolonged and extensive military operations to secure and properly dispose of the weapons. The U.S. at this time is not willing to commit to that.

I do know that the U.S. will soon act. I also know how many conservatives will respond. Many conservatives will argue that according to the Constitution only Congress can declare war. That is true, but they must also take the War Powers Resolution into account. According to the War Powers Resolution of 1973, the President can take military action as long as he gives Congress 48 hours notice. He does not need Congressional approval for the initial action so long as he notifies them of the action. The military action is limited to 60 days with a 30 day withdrawal period, unless Congress approves further involvement. This act has been controversial since it passed and many have argued that it violates the War Powers Clause of the Constitution.However, it is the law and will remain so until the Supreme Court overturns it or Congress repeals it.

I am a conservative and I do not support the current administration. However, the War Powers Resolution has been used by both Republican and Democratic Presidents. Reagan used it on several occasions. There will be many conservatives who supported Reagan's use of these powers that will quickly condemn Obama for doing the same thing. It will sound more like partisan bickering than actual concern over the situation. Conservatives must be careful in this situation not to let their animus for Obama overrule the need for prudent action.

Again, I don't claim to have all the answers for this situation. I think that the best thing that we can do is to pray. We need to pray for wisdom for our leaders. We need to pray for true peace in the Middle East. We need to pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ who are in the war zone. We need to pray for doors to open for evangelism. Our calls for prayer should be greater than our criticism for the President. And that is true not only for this particular situation, but for every challenge that we face as a nation.

Christmas Already?

Perhaps you have noticed the Christmas decorations and products beginning to creep into the stores. Retailers are starting to bring out tree trimmings and are preparing for the Christmas shopping season. For many the typical reaction is an exasperated gasp of "already?" We haven't even seen the Charlie Brown Halloween Special yet, so why are we being bombarded with Christmas?
The truth is that Christmas falls within the fourth quarter of operations for most businesses. Businesses that have not fared well through the year know they have one shot to make up for the year when Christmas arrives. There are many companies that depend on a good Christmas buying season in order to survive. For that reason they will start as soon as they can to grab their share of the holiday market. And people will respond to those efforts. The average consumer may gripe about the early arrival of Christmas products, but they are more than happy to take advantage of the sales and special deals.
In a poor economy the Christmas shopping season is going to come even earlier. We can complain about the commercialization of Christmas. We can lament the loss of the reason for the season. But I would like to suggest a few things to think about before we complain to the sales clerk at the local department store.
First, none of the employees that you encounter in any local store had anything to do with the timing of the decor. Those decisions were made by highly paid executives in some distant boardroom. Complaining to a sales associate will only dampen their day. It might make you feel better, you will feel better at the expense of  someone else.
Second, we can view the early arrival of Christmas as a blessing. Early Christians often took the cultural events of their day and transformed them into opportunities to share the Gospel. Many of our Christmas traditions come from transformed pagan symbols. The Christmas tree started as pagan nature worship, but was transformed into a symbol of everlasting life. Our culture may have transformed Christmas into a commercial holiday, but we can return it to its rightful status. We can affect a change simply by the attitude we bring into the marketplace. Instead of lamenting the early arrival of Christmas, we can simply acknowledge that the Incarnation should be celebrated year round. The world may not know the real meaning of Christmas, but its early arrival is an opportunity for us to tell them the real reason to celebrate.

Meditating on Lent

One of the goals of Lent is purification. We are to examine our outward actions as well as our inward beliefs. One important task is to examine what occupies our mind. When we are not engaged in tasks, our minds default to particular thoughts and even songs. We find ourselves humming music and often we don't even realize it. Or perhaps we find ourselves rehearsing events or mulling over some problem. We let our minds wander and sometimes it serves to increase our stress. Some of the things we allow to occupy our minds are neither helpful or uplifting.

Instead of worrying about the next bill or humming the latest top 40 song, we should fill our minds with the things of God. Psalm 119:97: "O how I ^love Your law! It is my meditation all the day." The Psalmist actually delighted in thinking about God's Law all day. He would recite and think about God's word throughout his day. It was a comfort to him and strengthened his spiritual walk. We can find that same strength and comfort in God's word. How differently would we find our day if we were reciting Scripture or singing hymns throughout the day. Paul tells us in Philippians 4:8: "Finally, brethren, ^whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is ^lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, ^dwell on these things."

In Lent we should examine what we are thinking about during our day. We need to fill our minds and hearts with the things of God. It will change not only how we view our day, but it will also change how we interact with others.

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Leap Day!

This year February 29 falls within Lent. This is an interesting day for several reasons. It is a remarkable quirk of the calendar that it has a movable day that appears only once in four years. This variable is necessary to make our solar calendar work and even then it needs the occasional tweaking. February 29 is a rare day and I find that fascinating.
I am also fascinated by the day because it is my dad's birthday. He only has a birthday every four years, so this is his 15th birthday.
Happy Birthday Dad!

Lent and Snack Time

Lent is normally associated with fasting and giving up luxuries. However, according to some traditions, Lent is also responsible for the creation of a popular snack. According to legend a monk wanted to create a snack to reward children who had memorized their prayers. He used flour and water, but since it was Lent he did not used eggs, lard or sugar in his dough. He took the dough and twisted it to represent arms folded in prayer and the pretzel was created. The popularity of the snack has certainly endured the test of time.
We don't know for sure whether the legend of the pretzel is true or not. I like the story, partly because I like pretzels. But I also like the story because it shows that even in the midst of spiritual disciplines we can still have fun. Too often church activities and spiritual pursuits are deemed serious, somber and boring. In reality the pursuit of a deeper faith can incorporate both fun and excitement.... and mustard.

First Monday of Lent

The first Monday of Lent is a tough day. It is hard to focus on spiritual disciplines on Mondays. The work week starts and all the temptations that come with the stress of the work week flood in. Spiritual disciplines are easier to pursue on Sundays and even at the end of the week. However, we must continue our preparation for Easter. The rigors of the week show us the weaknesses and flaws in our own Christian walk. They show us where we need improvement and provide us the opportunity to grow in Christ.

First Sunday of Lent

Today we celebrate the First Sunday of Lent. Lent is intended to prepare us for Easter. In reality, every Sunday is supposed to be a celebration of Easter. During Lent people tend to be more religious and more observant of Sundays. Additionally, Easter and Christmas tend to be the two times a year that people attend church. Sunday is not just a time set aside for ritual. It is the day we dedicate to worship and rejoice with other believers. We should remember that it was Jesus' habit to go to the Synagogue on the Sabbath (Luke 4:16). It was the custom of the early Church to meet every Sunday to commemorate the Resurrection. Participating in worship is more than just getting a gold star on an attendance chart. The believer needs a congregation because it is the body of Christ and we need to encourage one another. The author of Hebrews writes, "And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching" (Heb 10:24-25, KJV). We worship to praise God, for He is worthy to be praised. We go to church to worship and encounter God. We also go to church to encourage one another. Let Lent be a time when we renew our zeal for worship and our encouragement for one another.