(seb) Ocean City Bus Trip

Saturday, September 15, 2012

Bus departs The Commons Circle @ 8:30am

All Guests = $15.00

(seb) New York City Bus Trip

Saturday, September 22, 2012

Bus departs The Commons Circle @ 8:00am

All Guests = $30.00

Ephesians 2:6 (NIV)

6And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus,

Colossians 3:1-4 (NIV)

1Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

Reflection

The use of the past tense is striking. While we are here waiting for heaven and our resurrection, we see that we are already seated with Christ and we have already been raised up with Him! This doesn’t mean that this is all there is to heaven and we have nothing beyond this to look forward to. The opposite is true. We have been changed and transformed. We have been given new life and are participating in heaven realities. But the result of this is that our longing for heaven would grow. We long to see and experience these things now while we are on earth. But even more long for heaven to come in full. No wonder we are restless with the things of the world. They can’t satisfy our hearts. Only God and the things of heaven can.

Responding to the Transmission

As we have already received life, let’s ask that our whole perspective would be changed. The things of earth are not meant to satisfy and never can. May our hearts be drawn again and again back to God and the things of heaven. Let’s ask that we would experience the realities of heaven now, but that as we do we would have the burning desire to see Christ revealed and heaven come in full.

This is my 10th political convention…and they seem to get crazier each time.

The odd cheer-leading infomercial that you see on your TV sets at home is even more surreal when you witness it up close and in person.

Behind the images of adoring delegates waving red, white and blue placards, is a peculiar supporting cast.

There are 14,000 journalists chasing the same story being hemmed in by thousands more police and security personnel.

Dissension is drowned out in the name of ceremonial harmony.

The boisterous energy of the partying partisans inside the convention arena is a stark contrast to the vast empty security perimeter that extends for blocks like a DMZ around the event site.

Tuesday was the (hurricane delayed) opening day of the Republican convention and the eager delegates were anxious to get the Mitt Romney show on the road. Unfortunately many of the day’s speakers were uninspired and listless.

Notable exceptions were red meat partisans Ohio Governor John Kasich and the keynote speaker, New Jersey’s oversized Governor Chris Christie. They roused the delegates in the room with their sharp barbed anti-Obama rhetoric. I am less certain their aggressive tone was similarly as effective at winning over the moderate voters watching on TV.

The Republicans also scored a coup by securing former Democratic Representative from Alabama, Artur Davis to speak. The African -American gave a stinging rebuke of Obama’s 2008 campaign of hope to a very receptive crowd.

But the star of the evening was, no doubt Mitt Romney’s wife Ann, who looked every bit of the model Republican. She was striking in her physical appearance,-clear eyed and ready smile- and effective in her message. She gave a friendly, firm endorsement of the man she married. While virtually all of today’s speakers seemed to be reading out of the same partisan playbook, Ann Romney came across as sincere and individual. She no doubt is and will be a political asset to the Romney campaign.

Check back in tomorrow for other news from the craziness in Tampa.