I'm Back...Again!

O.K. I know that I have been away for a while - this time on vacation - but it is good to be back. Took the family to Disney World and had a blast.

When I'm gone there always seems to be plenty of news out there that I would love to comment about. Rather than comment one one thing lets take a look shall we:
McCain picks Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin for VP
RNC Convention - Nation tunes in to hear McCain & Palin
Convention Bounce - Palin gives McCain a huge bounce following RNC
Dems Smear Palin - This topic has been covered by several news agencies (nothing new)
Hurricanes Just Keep on Coming
Federal Govt. Bails out Fannie May & Freddie Mac (I thought these were govt. loans anyway)
Caylee Anthony - Will somebody please get to the bottom of this?
Tom Brady Out for the Season - I don't know who is more upset - Patriots or the NFL?

These are just a few of the headlines that I had waiting for me when I came back home. If you think those are interesting - it's only going to get more and more interesting/ridiculous.

Since starting this blog I have made it a point to share various topics because I want all of you to know the things that interest me - politics, sports, family, faith, etc. Sometimes I am very sharp in my criticisms when it comes to politics and current issues (to the disdain of my wife) but it's the way I'm wired. You can call me opinionated if you like but at least you know where I stand. As long as we live in a free country that defends free speech then we can talk about all of the issues. Right? I thought you would agree.

To address all of the McCain/Palin items would take several days and I simply don't want to do that. However, I will admit to being impressed by Alaska's governor and have been for some time. How often do you hear of a woman (a woman governor for that matter) who knows how to shoot a gun and does so to hunt, has 5 children one with special needs, goes to church, takes on political corruption, all the while wears a dress to speak in public unlike other women who feel the need to put on the pant-suit? I'm impressed by her convictions, how she carries herself, and her determination. If you are a fan of politics (which I'm not) John McCain just pulled a great one. Sarah Palin gave him the bounce he needed AND finally energized his party to give him the backing he needs. This is going to be an interesting election year. As far as Palin is concerned the smears against her have been ridiculous and hideous. If they want to take her on over policy then go for it - otherwise give it up.

A few words about the recent bail-out by the federal government for Fannie & Freddie. WHAT??? There used to be a time when banks and loan institutions only lent out money that could be covered but not anymore. And why did Wall Street find the government taking over housing loans as a means of security. The government can't handle social security, their own spending, nor the deficit. Why in the world do we trust them to handle mortgage loans? If I'm not mistaken isn't Freddie & Fannie a direct result of the government saying that we need to make home loans accessible to everyone even if they can't afford a home? The fact of the matter is that whoever wins the White House will have this thing sitting on their desk when they get in office and they will have to deal with it. ***I'm not saying that everyone who gets a loan through these two institutions should not have a home - I'm simply stating that the reason so many have loans through them is because government thought lending should be open to everyone.

Hurricanes. This isn't because of global warming. It's Hurricane season. You can count on it every year around this time. The change in the seasons always bring about the possibility of hurricanes. We simply pray for those who are in the path that we don't see great loss of life or damage to properties.

Caylee Anthony. I'm sure that many of you have heard about this story. I have my own opinion that I do believe her mother knows exactly what has happened to her and she's is not telling. I do pray that something is found out quick and that justice is served.

The NFL. I'm a fan of pro football. Anyone who knows me knows that I'm a Steelers fan (no apologies). The NFL over the past few years hasn't been able to market itself without the use of a big name player. With Tom Brady's season ending knee injury there has been as much talk on the sports shows about how it impacts the patriots as well as the NFL. #1 - I don't like to see any player have to endure these types of injuries. But don't you think the NFL will survive? Sure it will. I guess they will simply have to find someone else to place all of their hopes on.

Now that I have caught up on a few things, allow me to share with you a verse of scripture that got my attention while I was away.
Jeremiah 24:7, "Then I will give them a heart to know Me, that I am the Lord; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God, for they shall return to Me with their whole heart."
I'm not going to get into a great discussion about the verse other than to say that I pray the Lord will do this for His people today. Oh, how our churches need to have a heart to know Him. If we have a heart to know Him then everything else will fall in to place. If we have a heart to know Him then we won't squander opportunities, we won't be so easily entangled with everything else, we won't be concerned with our own agenda. I pray today that God gives you that heart. The Bible tells us that He will be found by us if we will seek for Him with all of our heart!

Have a blessed week.