Democracies and Republics--what were we thinking?

God’s people asked God for a king.  The elders of Israel went to the prophet and demanded a king so they could be like the other nations.  God told the prophet what it it would cost them.  It was a very steep price that a king would exact from his people. 

The people wanted a king anyway.  God told the prophet, “Give them a king.”

I wonder if God laughed out loud when the peoples of the world wanted republics and democracies.  Sometimes it seems that we bit off more than we can chew in this whole business of self government.

Dear God,

Please have mercy upon us as we embark upon a year of presidential campaigning.  Please grant the parties and candidates some civility and cast out the demons of bitterness and acrimony.

Grant us the wisdom to turn off or shut down the bombardment of ads that are surely coming our way and read your holy word more and more in the year to come.

Please bless America and send your Spirit to guide us back to you!

Amen.

When Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons as Israel’s leaders. ² The name of his firstborn was Joel and the name of his second was Abijah, and they served at Beersheba. ³ But his sons did not follow his ways. They turned aside after dishonest gain and accepted bribes and perverted justice.

⁴ So all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah.⁵ They said to him, “You are old, and your sons do not follow your ways; now appoint a king to lead^[b] us, such as all the other nations have.”

⁶ But when they said, “Give us a king to lead us,” this displeased Samuel; so he prayed to the Lord. ⁷ And the Lord told him: “Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king. ⁸ As they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are doing to you.⁹ Now listen to them; but warn them solemnly and let them know what the king who will reign over them will claim as his rights.”

¹⁰ Samuel told all the words of the Lord to the people who were asking him for a king. ¹¹ He said, “This is what the king who will reign over you will claim as his rights: He will take your sons and make them serve with his chariots and horses, and they will run in front of his chariots. ¹² Some he will assign to be commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and others to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and still others to make weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. ¹³ He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. ¹⁴ He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his attendants. ¹⁵ He will take a tenth of your grain and of your vintage and give it to his officials and attendants. ¹⁶ Your male and female servants and the best of your cattle^[c] and donkeys he will take for his own use. ¹⁷ He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his slaves. ¹⁸ When that day comes, you will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen, but the Lord will not answer you in that day.”

¹⁹ But the people refused to listen to Samuel. “No!” they said. “We want a king over us. ²⁰ Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles.”

²¹ When Samuel heard all that the people said, he repeated it before the Lord.²² The Lord answered, “Listen to them and give them a king.”

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Samuel%208

Another shooting...

Another shooting.  More lives lost.  Senseless violence.  

Senseless.

Now come the calls to take away guns and add new laws.  The cries for Black Lives Matter will be accompanied by Student Lives Matter to join the chorus of Cops Lives Matter and All Lives Matter.

But we miss the point once again with our cries and causes.  Fewer guns and more laws is not the solution.  These are Band-Aids that we place on gushing wounds.  All life matters, but human life is sacred.

We are of the earth and of God.  We sit atop of the creation; yet we do not understand that we ourselves are a sacred creation.  God made us in his own likeness.

All human life is sacred.  It is set apart with special purpose and yet we value it so lightly.  Slogans and tag lines such as Black Lives Matter or Cops Lives Matter let us rally support for our causes while ignoring the heart of the matter.

Human life is a precious thing. 

The child in the womb or walking the halls of a high school is precious.  Parents, encouraged by society must bring their children up in the way they should go—valuing life.

The 95 year old woman in a nursing home is holding on to a sacred thing—life.  From inception to death, we must regard this thing we call life as a precious gift from God.

The soldier or Marine that gives his life to save his buddies knows what he is giving up.  He knows the value of his ultimate sacrifice; yet does it any way.

The surgeon who fights off anger towards the shooter and anguish for the family in order to focus on removing bullet fragments from the victim of a drive by shooting understands the sacred task entrusted to him.

Why do so few have eyes to see life as a gift from God?

The answers to shootings and violence in America will not come from protests and new laws.  The answers lie in recognizing the gift that life truly is and then teaching our children to value it.

The answers to violence in America will not come from legislatures and executives but from homes where God is once again first and the gift of life that he gave us is valued as the precious thing that it is.

It will come from homes where fathers are the spiritual leader.  It will come from homes where godly values take precedence over top television shows or the most graphic video games.

Answers reside in families that seek God, his kingdom, his righteousness, and pray for his continued grace.

If you are looking to your favorite lobby or congressman or the president for answers, you will be disappointed.   They will fall short.  Their options do not include the condition of the human heart.  

Senseless violence stops when we value life enough to cherish it and pass on these values to our children.

Life—from inception to very old age—must be regarded as a precious gift from God.

To stop the violence we must value the gift of life once again and stop letting the world teach our children other values.

Let's commit to bringing up our children and grandchildren in the way they should go.

239 years of liberty: 1 year of maturity

As I consider the most recent birthday celebration for the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave, otherwise known as the 4^th of July or Independence Day, the following thoughts come to the forefront of my mind.

We have enjoyed 239 years of liberty but can’t seem to muster 1 year’s worth of maturity.

Grow up America!  It is time to deal with real issues and put our liberty to good use instead of the insane squabbles that seem to be centermost in our culture today.

Let’s grow up America and start tackling the real issues of our nation and the world.

Libertarians as the modern nuclear deterrent

If I were forced to classify myself politically, it would be as libertarian.  I think that government should be as small as possible and individual liberties maximized to the fullest extent.

I also know that in this 21^st century, my political leanings are not practical for governing.  At best, I can describe them as a nuclear deterrent.  Two hundred years ago, we could have come close to a libertarian society.  Today we live in a far too complex world.

I don’t like the fact that the government can and probably does listen to all of my electronic conversations; however, I like it less when some radical hijacks a jetliner and flies it into a skyscraper.

I know that the cost for “Big Brother” looking out for my security is high, but that to drop all of our high tech surveillance in this age would be an invitation for invasion on multiple fronts.

So what is a libertarian to do in this post modern era?

Join the conversation. It is just that simple.  Unique perspectives add collective strength.  Insistence on an exclusively libertarian stance is as absurd as the opposite extreme.  Our system was set up for a dialogue of dedicated servants.

Our system works on balance not extremes.  Extremes within the system are good so long as they do not bring things to a halt or are likewise ignored because they are not in the majority.

I want libertarian views heard, considered, and worked into the mix.  I do not want them as the mainstay of modern government.  They are at best a nuclear deterrent when used in standalone mode.  As part of the grist for the governmental mill, they make for a better meal mix for the people that must consume these products of law and regulation.

We libertarians were born two centuries too late to get our own way, but we would still like to influence the overall health of our republic.

We don’t want to nuke the system and leave our country devastated, but we know that we must turn around from the heading that we have been on too long.  We need to be a serious part of the discussion without insisting on our own way every time.

Top quality needed in a job candidate

A short list appeared in the context of an article on Christian colleges and several college ads in the  March 2015 issue of Christianity Today.  It was titled the Top 10 Qualities Employers Seek in a Candidate.

The list was purported to be the output of a 2013 employer survey and included many of the usual suspects:  communication, teamwork, decision making, organization and prioritization of work, information skills, proficiency with computer software, writing skills, as well as the ability to influence others.

I doubt that lists from other sources would vary much.  I doubt that such lists have varied much in the past two decades.

Is there a problem with consistency?

Perhaps.  What if employers have been blind to one of the most defining qualities in a candidate?  What if this blindness has become institutionalized?

What was missing?

Honesty?

Integrity?

Faith?

Hope?

Love?

What?  What could have the bulk of employers in this nation have missed for so long that could be brought to light now?

How about efficacy!

Efficacy?  Most employers and job candidates don’t even know what the word means.

Efficacy is the power to effect desired change.  When working with others, we might call it leadership; however, for new hires the power to effect desired change in one’s self is of utmost importance.

Job applicants that come out of college or the military or other sources come with a specific set of knowledge, skills, and abilities.  In most cases, they have one thing in common.

They won’t be enough.

Education, experience, and work history can only take you so far.  You must be able to make desired changes as you take on greater responsibilities and positions.    You must be able to make desired changes in yourself.

Sometimes that is more education.  Sometimes it is becoming more assertive.  Often it involves becoming a better listener or a better delegator of tasks and responsibilities.  Sometimes the task master must learn to be the trainer or inspector.

Some folks find difficulty in adapting and hold on to their initial skill set as if it were sacred.  Others understand that degrees and certificates form the starting blocks and not the finish line.

The power to effect desired change in one’s self—self efficacy—might just be the most needed quality in a candidate for a job and it did not even make the list.

The casual observer might just chalk this up to the casualties of the modern job market.  The candidate looking to separate from the crowd might just highlight this quality of self-efficacy on his or her resume and have sufficient examples to back it up during interviews.

The candidate with the power of self-efficacy seldom remains a candidate for long.    These are the take charge men and women who find the best jobs and are always contending for promotion.

There is no decision to make. Put rounds on target!

Dear Mr. President,

You have used your war making powers without much regard for the laws of our land up to this point.  You are not alone in this course of action.  Your predecessors have done this for half a century.

Realize this:  Now is not the occasion to suddenly decide it is time for a protracted discussion on what to do next with regard to ISIS and other terrorist groups that threaten our American service men and women.

ISIS is closing in on 320 United States Marines.  What you do is send everything within your command to support them.  The end state of this engagement is dead enemy terrorists.  Period.

Discuss the merits of whether these people have engaged in ruthless killings because they don’t have jobs, want to revisit the crusades, or because they thrive on evil (most of us know this is the answer) at your leisure after you send everything that turns beating hearts into bleeding ones and put it on target.

We know where these armed extremists are.  Put rounds on target.

If it looks like it’s going to be a fair fight, then our Commander in Chief needs to be tried for treason.  We engage our enemies with everything we have.  The world may or may not respect us for the many humanitarian missions that we conduct, but our enemies must fear us.

Our enemies must fear us!

Inaction on your part is an invitation to attack when and where they please.  The greatest armed forces in the world have no commander in chief.

It is time to get this part of you presidency right.  Be the commander in chief and destroy the enemies that believe you don’t have the backbone for combat leadership.

Semper Fidelis,

Thomas R. Spence

Major, U.S. Marine Corps (Retired)

'Tis the Season

And so the season of the Marine Corps Birthday and Veterans Day gives me pause to contemplate our nation, our legacy, and our future.

We are still the land of the free.

We have an all volunteer force drawn from the home of the brave.

We have fought in every clime and place so we may enjoy peace at home.

We have repelled evil, liberated the oppressed, and sometimes fought just because we were sent.

Our political leadership has sometimes missed the mark.

The young men and women who go in harm’s way hit what they aim at.

While our political masters may sway with public opinion, the Soldier’s course is straight.

The Marine charges ahead without question.

The Airman rigs the laser guided bomb with surety.

The Sailor sets to sea without looking back.

The Coastguardsman will rescue in waters and weather unbounded.

Our fighting men and women remain the best in the world.

No other forces are better trained and equipped.

No other services lead from the front like we do.

No other country teaches their officers to care for their troops as they would their own children.

Our resolve and effectiveness are sound.

Our national leadership remains adrift.

What then can we say of our future?

Do we know who we are as a nation?

Do we know which battles to fight?

Are we so comfortable at home that our nation can be at war and we hardly notice?

Congress has relinquished the power to declare war.

The president acts unilaterally.

The people complain but get on with their lives.

There was a time when the course of this nation in international events was felt by all Americans.

Rationing, converting civilian plants to meet military needs, and even the draft brought our wars into the homes of Americans.

That’s where they belong.

When we go to war, the entire nation must go to war.

It must be a national effort.

Everyone must contribute.

It must be a difficult thing to begin and something that must not be done lightly.

When we go to war we go to win.

The entire nation must pay the price.

There is no safe haven.

There are no unilateral decisions save winning once we have decided to go to war.

It has become too easy to go to war.

It has become too easy to spill the blood of the volunteer.

It has become too easy to just live as if we are not at war.

Our future is darker because we can go to war too easily.

This most fundamental tenant of government has been taken away from the people in the land of government by the people.

Soldier, Sailors, Airmen, and Marines stand ready to fight any enemy at any place at any time. 

They go to win.

They will pay the price.

Those who send them have forgotten the price.

The future of this nation lies less in what rights we hold on to and more in what price we are willing to pay for government that wields the most powerful military in the world as an instrument of personal not public will.

We the people should be less concerned about how our leaders impact our jobs and interest rates and more attentive to what they do in our name as they dabble in warfare.

We have the best armed forces in the world.

Honor, courage, commitment are real words with real implications for these men and women.

The valor of these patriots is unquestionable.

The blood spilled to maintain the land of the free and home of the brave is sacrificial.

The legacy of this nation in unmatched in all of history. 

We have preserved the union.

We have fought our battles on someone else’s shore.

We have kept our citizens safe.

But in the process, we have buffered them from responsibility.

We have let them complain without action.

We have sent too many men and women to war without the consent of the governed.

That fault lies not with the president who orders the troops.

It lies not with the legislature that only whimpered slightly when it’s powers were usurped.

It lies with each of us who remains comfortable while our servicemen fight and die and hold the line.

We complain of the long lines on Black Friday.

Now is the time to be a citizen of this republic once again.

Now is the time to step out of our comfort zone and become a government of the people again.

Now is the time to send elected officials home who serve only their interests.

Now is the time for men and women of courage to take on the mantle of leadership at all levels.

Now is the time to put God first in our lives.

Now is the time to serve others over ourselves.

Now is the time to have eyes to see not only the liberties that we enjoy but the cost attached to them.

Now is the time to take stock of our lives and our duties and fill the void in the latter.

We have been protected and pampered far too long.

We must keep our nation strong.

But we can no longer afford to pamper ourselves.

We must once again understand words like:

Service

Sacrifice

Honor

Courage

Commitment

We can look back and be proud of our nation’s legacy.

We must look forward with honor and courage and commitment if our children’s children are to look back with pride also.

It is the season of contemplating our legacy and our future.

I choose honor and courage and commitment and service and sacrifice.

I choose to live as the creature we know as an American.

Will you join me in preserving all that is good about this country as we take on the current century?