Day 13 - It's almost November.

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It's been increasingly difficult to watch TV in my free time.  Between news about the economic bail-out disaster, and the most biased election reporting I've ever seen coming from both Fox News and MSNBC--I'm trying to keep myself away from that horrid idiot-box.  Sadly, though, it keeps drawing me back in.

I want to be an informed voter.  I want to be a good American citizen who makes a difference and has a say in the future of his country--but I don't really feel like the two party system is doing anything to enable that.  Either you're left, or you're right, or you're STUCK inexorably in the middle.  I don't agree more completely with McCain or Obama on any issue or set of issues to the point where it's orchestrating my vote.  My vote isn't swayed by ridiculous superficial things like the race or gender of my potential president or his running mate.  I guess, when push comes to shove, I need to get more informed about the little issues--because the big overarching bull-crap doesn't help me choose a president.  Neither does horrendously biased reporting from the major news networks.  MSNBC and Fox News have no credibility whatsoever.  Commentators spout editorialisms and insults like they are facts.  I'm not talking about horrible shows like Crossfire where one side is trying to act partisan, and doesn't claim total objectivity.  I'm talking about the EVENING NEWS!

My apologies for the fiery rant.  Sometimes you just have to vent!

In other news--hah--I dropped my car off at the shop to get it inspected in the morning.  I'm hoping by tomorrow afternoon I will get a phone call with an idea of how much the car repairs will cost and how long they will take.  Please be praying that they will not need to keep the car through the weekend--and that the repairs are reasonable.  It's been a never-ending battle to get myself mobile again, and I just want it to be all over.  This is the kind of situation where I need to remember that my time is in God's hands.  TRUST!

Today's bible study in Matthew really clarified the importance of being a good steward of what God has given us.  When Christ says to give to Caesar what is Caesar's and give to God what is God's, I feel that he is reminding us that we should not only yield our money to the government without complaint--since it is, after all, the governments money to begin with.  But we should be yielding our gifts and the things that God has entrusted us with to serve Him.  After all, everything we have is God's to begin with.  It is my desire to be a servant for Christ, and make myself low so that he can be exalted in my life.  Unfortunately, reading the gospels means reading about the Pharisees and Sadducees, and realizing how often I act like they did.  It's easy to put all the importance on the action of obedience, and forget that we need a heart that wants to obey.

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

The heart that is pure sees God more clearly.  That means that when we put God first in our hearts--and we WANT to live for God and in a way that's pleasing to God--He will reveal himself in much more noticeable ways.  I believe this idea is very literal as well as spiritual.  All I know is that I could use a lot more revelation in my life.  God is shaking things up for me, and I want to see clearly what He is doing, and the reasons for all these changes.  I'm praying right now for God to give me direction, because I'm in a place where I could do whatever I set my mind to, but I don't know where to start.