Election Debate 970

1 Kings 1: Election Debate 970 BCE
Presented to Swift Current Corps of The Salvation Army

By Captain Michael Ramsay, 21 October 2012.
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Today’s pericope is about an awkward family situation and an awkward political situation. Now, I don’t really follow politics like I used to once upon a time. I no longer put my faith in the idea that whoever happens to win a popularity contest every so many years will or even can do anything to better a nation. On the contrary, as a 21^st Century Christian, I recognize as the Scriptures say that ‘I know from where my help comes; it comes from the maker of heaven and earth’ – not from some politician (Psalm 121).

That being said, there have been some interesting things happening in our world in politics recently. We in this city are in the throes of a municipal election and while no one is officially challenging Mayor Jared Schafer and the work he is doing, there are 11 people – I believe – vying for just six city council jobs and there are school board elections as well. In Ontario, I understand that there is quite a tempest brewing in that the relatively recently re-elected premier has just offered his resignation. In the United States, they have just finished another round of presidential debates and they are in the midst of another very close election.

The situation in the United States right now actually does have some parallels to our text today and it has even more parallels to elections south of the line where a sitting president isn’t up for re-election. Does anyone remember the election campaign highlighting Al Gore and George W. Bush? That was a very tightly contested race. In the end it was actually left up to the courts to declare who would be president of their country.

Then and there you had a sitting President, Bill Clinton, who was no longer able to wield his official power. He was on his way out. His own party put forth his Vice President as a possible successor to him and the other political party put forth the son of another past president as their choice. There are many states that always seem to support the same party and only a few swing states for the taking in any election. That country then, like their country now, was divided.

It is the same in our text today. Read more: http://sheepspeaks.blogspot.ca/2012/10/1-kings-1-election-debate-970.html

God In Action: Doctrinal Bible Study

http://www.sheepspeak.com./ONE%20ARMY%20Bible%20Study%20Lessons%201_4.pdf

Community Care Ministries

Sunday is CCM Sunday here: http://www.saministryresources.ca/community-care-ministries

Matthew 22:1-14: Thanksgiving Earring

Presented to Swift Current Corps of The Salvation Army, 07 Oct. 2012

By Captain Michael Ramsay

Today is Thanksgiving Sunday. It is often a time to get together with family, make new memories and recall old ones. Maybe this is why my mind drifted back to my teenage years this week. I remember when I was 16. It was the 1980s on the west coast. Things are a little bit different there and things were a little bit different then. I remember when I got my ear pierced. Now, I haven’t worn an earring for years. It probably wouldn’t go so well with my uniform. When I was a teenager it was a little bit different than today. Today I see men and women, boys and girls – especially in the large urban centres – with either or both ears pierced, noses pierced and even eyebrows pierced. I have even seen cheeks or tongues pierced as well, in not only teenagers but in adults and children alike. Now, when I was a teenager, teenage boys were just starting to have one ear, their left ear pierced.

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I remember one Saturday when I was 16....

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Read more: http://sheepspeaks.blogspot.ca/2012/10/matthew-221-14-thanksgiving-earring.html