Welcome to this day, where even in my world Tuesday happens to fall on a Tuesday this week.

I actually noticed it right after I sent it out. I did put Tuesday in yesterday's blog, at least in one place. I saw it right after I hit the send button. But it wasn't Tuesday then, but it is now, and I welcome you to it, on this December 6, 2011. This is a good reminder that none of us are perfect and it is also a better reminder that getting something back or changed after it has been distributed is not so easy. I've known many folks who have wished they could get an email back. Even a live communication in person or on the telephone can be devastating but having one in print that lives on and on, well, it gives us all reason to choose our words carefully and to think about the influence and impact of our words. But, in my case, it was just a typed miscue. I had to laugh at some of the criticism of Bill O'Reilly, the Fox News Channel conservative mega star. He recently co-authored a run away non-fiction best seller on the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. The critics found some errors in one or two dates and one factual misstatement. These typically are not even mentioned in a book of this size and while they were immediately corrected for the second printing, those who dislike Mr. O'Reilly could not let it slide. Even the Washington Post internal watchdog chided his paper for making a big deal out of nothing. He said most historical books have many of these and they are typically corrected but hardly ever mentioned as major issues. Why did the liberal press go after this book that has received such widespread glowing reviews from historians? They don't like the author. It has remained in the top 1, 2, or 3, on the NY Times bestseller list for weeks now but they have not even shown it the courtesy of having it reviewed. Folks, I'm no fan of Bill O'Reilly and I certainly don't see him as a model conservative but this I do know, these incidents are not isolated because the culture wars are raging, and it does matter for the cause of traditional values that many of us believe in.

A very thoughtful man that I greatly respect made an interesting comment to me Sunday morning. We touched on the political quagmire at work in our system today and he said this, "I don't think any of those serving at the current time deserve to be reelected and that includes every single one of them." That pretty well sums up the attitude of many American voters at this time. The foul smell emanating from the seat of our national government is so putrid it has made the collective response of our people ready to throw up. Never in our history have the senators and representatives seemed more intent on proving the veracity of President Reagan's words: "Government is not the solution to our problems. Government is the problem." President Obama has lower approval ratings than President Carter had when Carter's administration was at its lowest point. But that's nothing compared to the less than 10% who approve of how the Congress is handling the country's business. I have friends who think we need to be careful in our criticisms of the Republicans because of how bad the alternative would be. They all ought to be ashamed as far as I am concerned and that includes the Administration and both houses. No wonder the President is running against a do nothing congress. He has no positive record to run on but with the way things are today, his strategy may well pay off. Sad. Yes, sad, but true, according to my way of seeing it, you know, the view from here and all of that.

I suppose I had better find a stopping point on the political analysis because as we all know, there's no end in sight. But, this is the official Christmas time of the year and we can all be thankful for what this Day represents. Because of God's promise to send His Son, you and I can have these strong feelings about the political realm we find ourselves in while at the same time we do not lose hope because our hope is not in an earthly ruler but our confidence is in the Lord Himself who is Lord of Lords and King of Kings. In a world where disappointment and hurt seems to constantly be on the prowl, it is refreshing to know that God is in total control and He will see to it all, in His own good time. Sometimes we don't feel like this is the way it really is but that is how our flesh works and feelings are the worst possible indicator of truth. Truth is found in trusting God and He has given us His Word, therefore, His Word is our basis for understanding life and all that is going on around us. Here's a common response: "I kind of know that brother but I really don't spend that much time consulting God's Word." Yes, that is an issue for each and every believer and that is why we have to seek God's help to help get us to get into His book because that's where we can find truth that we can depend upon for this life, and the next. A good reminder for us all, including yours truly, that we should desire to know the truth and live by it which can only be found by seeking God through the reading and study of  His Word. Amen.      .....More later.