Why I blog

I've had several people ask me recently why I decided to start this blog so I thought I'd come clean.

Very quick background: I don't consider myself a bleeding-heart liberal Democrat. Likewise, I'm not a greed-is-good Republican either. I'm technically a libertarian who believes in limited (small) government, an equitable tax structure, diplomacy over bombs, and balancing the budget followed by paying off the debt. I actually prefer governmental gridlock--I think the less government "works", the less taxpayers get screwed.

Romans 14:13 says, "Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother's way."

As is pretty clear, I attend North Point Community Church in Alpharetta, GA. It bothers me walking through the church parking lot every Sunday morning where 90% of the minivans & SUVs have bumper stickers touting either Bush/Cheney '04, "W", or both. That is a huge stumbling block to me. My first thought on how to respond to these stickers was to apply a politically offensive one (an "F the President" might have caught someone's attention), but my wife convinced me otherwise pointing out that I would have been guilty of the same offense as the others. My wife is the rational one in our family, so she put a "God is not a Republican... or a Democrat" sticker on her minivan.

I had a Mennonite friend ask me last summer why I attend such a "Republican" church, and my response was, "you go where the need is greatest." I do like to hear Andy Stanley preach, but his occasional love-fest with our president usually prompts a letter from me.

So I really decided to start this blog because I needed a place to vent. It's helped me articulate my frustration with our government. If I open and influence a few hearts and minds along the way, that's great too. Of course the topics have evolved over the last 6 months, but I'll never stay quiet for long, especially when a christian demands the authority to torture. No wonder christianity has such a bad rap in the middle east--first the crusades, and now this!