Truth in politics (an oxymoron)

A college student disappeared while she was jogging early in one morning.

Joe was picked up for questioning.

He was pulled over in a car matching the description of the car she was last seen in.

He was picked out of a lineup as being seen with her soon before her disappearance.

He was shown pictures of the missing girl and denied ever seeing her.

He was given her name and denied knowing her.

The victims shoe with several drops of her blood was found in the back seat of his car.

 

All of the above statements are true.

 

Are you ready to convict Joe for her disappearance, rape or murder?

 

Joe was driving along a county road in heavy rain when he came up on a young woman who had fallen with a broken ankle and scraped knees. He lifted her into the back seat of his car and sped off to the nearest emergency room. She was drenched from the rain and with much shorter hair and contact lenses there was no resemblance to her photo shown to him at the police station. He only knew her as “Missy”. The cops referred to the missing girl as Melissa. Melissa was reported missing after a friend saw her being thrown in the back of this mans car as they sped off. The friend called the police after confirming with her roommate that she was over an hour late from her morning run.

 

The addition of more information quickly brings the story into a new light. Missy hasn’t gone missing and can easily confirm Joe’s innocence.

 

So what’s the point? Both paragraphs are technically filled with true statements, yet only one actually tells the truth.

 

 In the mist of this political campaign it is easy to listen to an ad and think this person is good or bad and then two minutes later hear a different ad , and think that his opponent is the good one or the bad one. Where is the truth and whom can you believe?   We shouldn't choose our candidates based on ads. Nor should we choose them based on what the media thinks. Yes, politicians are politicians and they all spin things to make themselves sound good, but they also have very different ideas about where this country should go and how it should be run. Look at what they done in the past, not what they are promising to do in the future. 

Do you want the freedom to succeed or fail on your own, or would you rather have the government hand out your share every month. If socialism is important to you, then choose your candidate, you have that option. Do you cherish life? Do you value every life? If so, you have an obvious choice as well.

What about national security, taxes or our economic crisis, again, I would say look at their record what have they done, not what they are saying or promising to do in the future.

I have never understood the polls that go up and down, back and forth. Are there really people out there that keep changing their minds every other day? I urge you to do a little homework and make an informed decision. It is our right and I believe, our responsibility to make a clear and intelligent choice in this years election. 

Please vote responsibly or someone could get hurt.

New paint on an old Truck

My pastor has been rebuilding an old willys Jeep for over a year now. It was in dire shape both mechanically and physically. The best description I had for it was “scrap metal”. As he began the rebuilding process, he began the disassembling process. Removing wheels and fenders, headlights and radiator, seats and doors all came off and as they were set aside, the garage quickly became a collage of cluttered old truck parts. The few times I stopped to check out his progress I was shown a refurbished part or was told a story, but honestly it didn’t look much different to me.

The body parts have all been painted and reattached now and it is finally beginning to look like a truck again. Regardless how much more work there is getting truck running, it looks neat. At this point, we don’t know if it will start once the key is turned. We don’t know if it will smoke, cough, choke, leak or die. In any case, it still looks neat. Just think how much time and effort could have been saved by just giving it a good coat of paint and leaving it sit in the garage to be admired.

As a Christian I am confronted by the same dilemma. I certainly have my share of dings and dents, but check out my cherry red color and the cool racing stripes. That’s all I’ve needed so far, no one is expecting any more from me. A personal relationship with my Savior has easily taken a back seat to performing the dos and don’ts of our church culture.

Why build a truck that doesn’t drive? Why be a Christian without loving Christ? The greatest commandment had nothing to do with following rules or keeping social standards. It has everything to do with loving a God who first loved us.