Let Earth Receive Her King!!

  I am exceptionally proud of myself this Christmas season.  I did not once venture out amongst the sea of people and fight for my life in a loud, warm, Cinnabon, pumpkin spice latte smelling shopping mall.  No driving around aimlessly for hours trying to find the perfect parking space.  No standing in line listening to rude children berate their mothers for not getting them an Ipad or a smart phone.  And best of all, no getting sprayed in the face by an overly ambitious perfume sales girl.  I guess that's one of the benefits of being an empty nester.  You're free to plan things out more thoroughly without over sugared little children running around in a constant state of euphoria and excitement.  Yeah, ok so I miss that!  That will come back to us as grandparents when we can totally spoil them rotten then leave after a weekend to complain to their mom and dad why they can't be more like grandma and grandpa!  Anyway, you can shop online or in my case have a very organized wife who handles everything for our brood every year.  Now this is not to say I have been sitting around drinking copious amounts of eggnog in my ugliest Christmas sweater and jammies either watching the Hallmark channel 24 hours a day.  Instead I have been very busy in my annual yuletide bake fest.  Alone in my kitchen lab with my trusty laptop and archived top secret cookie recipes, I whip, stir, fold, incorporate, mix and bake until I have enough cookies and cheesecakes to cause an outright epidemic of sugar comas. 
  But enough about me already.   As my wife is downstairs putting all the trays together for our annual delivery route to family and friends, I want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year and pray God blesses each and every one of you this season and upcoming new year!  Now, I wouldn't be me if I didn't remind you to make sure to take the time to slow down and worship the true meaning of the season, the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ.  I know in the midst of all the headlines recently especially in Newtown CT, the fiscal cliff, the insanity in the middle east, the endless attacks on this Holiest of Seasons and all of your life issues each day that it's so easy to lose sight of Hope.  But believe me folks, He's there!  He grieves when we grieve, He smiles when we are happy, He loves us more when we are struggling and picks us up when we fall.  How do I know?   Because He does it for me and you everyday and you may not even realize it.  For every calamitous and tragic event there is always an outpouring of love and support afterwards that is more than human based.  It is divinely infused into the situation to bring calm and peace in the midst of anguish.  How else do you explain the massive outpouring of relief, love and sympathy in each of these occurrences?  He alone stands watch over and gives charge to His angels and us, His earthly children to mend and heal the brokenhearted.  We do so time and time again which reinforces in our hearts a greater love than we are capable on our own of giving.  So get away, pray, go to church, sing joyous carols to His glory and give honor to the King of Kings this season.   For that little manger in a dirty lowly stable over two thousand years ago is more than the centerpiece of a nice nativity scene on your lawn or in front of your church.  For placed in that manger by His heavenly father is the reason hope is still alive!  He is the King of Kings and His kingdom will have no end and He is coming very soon.  So from our family to yours may God keep you and make His face to shine down upon you and your family this joyous holy season!  Peace to you all!

Luke 2 9-14
An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.  But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.  Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.  This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."  Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,  "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."

Keep Your Hands Off My Nativity Scene!

At first I was mad, I mean hopping mad at that.  These ungodly people and their annual war waged on Christmas and it's truly Christian and American tradition!  Who do they think they are?  The illustrious "Freedom From Religion" organization, the "Free Thinkers" or the usual suspect the "American Atheists Society."  All groups whose sole mission is to disrupt, redefine and all but remove anything associated with our beliefs and the singular most joyous and spiritual season of the year.  They not only want to separate and purify us all from the goodwill and renewed hopefulness of celebrating the birth of our Holy Savior but in doing so they believe they are doing us a favor.  What boils my blood more than anything is they are winning some battles and in doing so, we like sheep are not putting up much of a protest.  We need to be careful here people.  In this case our silence is deafening to the Ears of Heaven.  Using in many cases activist judges and their own self serving interpretation of the constitution, they harass and bully people by a well orchestrated campaign of shock and awe.  They are rude, crass and often times disruptive as well as gratuitously inviting themselves into communities where they don't personally live or raise there own children to overtly destroy decades of tradition.   What's most disturbing is the influence they have in the rapidly deteriorating and progressively evolving public education system by bypassing parental taxpayer influence and bulldozing all too eager and cowardly school administration officials into removing almost all references, programs, music and activities for Christmas.  Right now they are concentrating on public property issues i.e. schools, city parks, state and local government buildings, public monuments etc.  But wait, and mark my words it's only a matter of time before they start badgering private land owners about their outside displays of nativity scenes, lighted crosses and openly Christian symbolism because it offends them as they're driving by their house and totally disrupts their already sad and lost day.
  If you don't believe this will happen then just look around at all the American flags that have been forced to be removed from houses in neighborhoods because they were either to offensive to certain local immigrant and ethnic groups or in one case "in excessive prominent display."  Let me tell you what we are removing here and you tell me what's wrong, okay?  We are removing the only true symbol of hope and salvation man has ever known, Jesus Christ.  Here is all He did to deserve this.
He raised the dead to life, healed the sick, fed the poor, forgave people of their faults and behavior, loved unconditionally, gave us tried and true wisdom and purpose for life, ordained the sanctity of the family unit, set forth fair and just laws for us to live and govern by and never, ever, ever once turned anybody away.   For this He was and in many ways is still being crucified.  Even if Jesus could ever be disproved, and He can't and won't be, you need to find the bones first gang.  We won't because He is completely alive and sovereign and will soon come again to judge and reign forever!  Those are facts and frankly we should be thankful God is so patient with us giving us more chances to change our hardened hearts.  But mankind is now more hellbent than ever to shake it's collective fist at God.   We here on earth are just fabulous without Him or His merry, goofy and sadly lost band of believer's who still worship, go to church, give time and hope to others, pray earnestly and have lives that are fulfilled and full of deep spiritual meaning.  Hah!  The jokes on you atheists and look around you as soon a cruel one it will be.  We are rapidly collapsing under our blasphemous, atheistic and progressive freedoms in this world.  Our rush to self govern with no moral restraint and absolution is sending us headlong into the abyss.  I for one, will stay focused on He who saved a wretch like me.  I will love more, appreciate more and give more this year than last.  I will give Him all the credit because my life is better because of His love for me.   So stand up be proud to call God your father and honor Him this season of joy.  Celebrate Him who lives, came and died for you!  Don't be politically correct be spiritually pure!  Now if you'll excuse me I have to bake some Christmas cookies and go work on my "Freedom From Atheists" website! ;)

John 3:18
He that believes on him is not condemned: but he that believes not is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

Give Thanks Not Your Credit Card!

   Well as I sit down to write this I am a bundle of emotions.  You see for the first time in 28 years I am home back in Illinois for more than just the usual visit with "La Famiglia"!  Melissa and I are back here for awhile to stay until God moves us out on His next mission and great adventure.  It's not if that happens but when and those stories will be for your enjoyment on another day.  But in the meantime we are settled in to my parent's lake home on Fox Lake for the time being and care taking it for the winter.  I must tell you, even though they have both gone home to the Lord, I feel such an overwhelming presence of them here.  Their influence is everywhere in both the house and on the property and I am steeped in the memories of so many past seasons of family events and years of laughter, life lessons, a few tears and lots of grand babies.  My thankful quotient keeps rising along with my appreciation for their lives lived with such grace and blessing.  As we approach Thanksgiving tomorrow and all of you are rushing about cooking, shopping, packing or traveling, I urge you to slow down a bit and get way to give some thanks in private.  In private please!  That's right, not through the customary grace at the dinner table hurried through as to satiate the hungry masses drooling over the bounty of food and desserts.  That's fine but mostly ceremonial.  I mean alone, seeking Him before the day gives way to organized chaos, turkey and football games or should I dare say it, shopping! 
   If you are planning on going out tomorrow to shop and pander to the endless supply of soul sucking, money grabbing, greedy retailers that have now breached the sanctity of Thanksgiving too, then my friends you simply have your priorities screwed up.  Why would you leave the warmth of a family gathering and all it's joy and fellowship to venture out into the dog eat dog world of holiday retail madness.   That is an exercise in masochism of the highest order.  Let's run down the list shall we?  Fights in aisles, trampling over people to the point of death, running over people in parking lots, and shootings, yes shootings.  Not to mention, very aggravated petulant retail sales people forced to work on one of the last true holidays on the calendar not totally but almost degraded by the secular masses and their profit first, family second mentality.  I have three words for you all.  Don't do it!  If you are arranging your day around what deals you must absolutely have to buy for your loved one's because their lives are going to be so enriched by the material and temporal possessions of this world, instead of spending time in fellowship and food than I suggest you check yourself immediately and take stock of your life!
   I grew up when businesses were closed on Sundays and survived.  I grew up when you didn't have computers and the internet to shop, bank, work and conduct your entire life life on and survived.  I grew up without smartphones and the ever increasing annoying attention and self dependent crutches they have become.  I grew up when all my parent's talked about was the Christmas Season and all the the joy of family time and fellowship.  My mom and dad without the modern conveniences of 24 hour a day shopping and blockbuster deals, specials and Black Friday door busters, somehow managed to pull the entire season together and we never noticed any difference!  We ate, we laughed, we got together with loved one's and yes we even miraculously had presents to open on Christmas morning without the benefits, neigh strike that, the curse of this sanitary modern world!  So, if you think that substituting precious time with loved one's for a dose of UFC retail fight night is what you are desiring then I feel sorry for you.  I will look around the room, grab another slice of pumpkin pie, laugh and cry, complain about the Bears and look up and thank my precious Lord for the real gifts of the season.   Do it for yourselves but more importantly do it for your children and their children.  Time with God, with each other and in thanks and fellowship will better equip you and your families for life's challenges.  It will strengthen the tie that binds more than an Ipad will!  Be blessed and may God abundantly bless you this most sacred season!

2nd Corinthians 9:6
The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.

Pastor or Politician, Is There A Difference?

   The other night on the news there were two prominent pastors on that were the guests on a segment about endorsing political platforms that support positions that conflict with christian doctrine and biblical values.  As I was listening to the commentary I was appalled to say the least and it spoke volumes to me about the state of affairs in many churches today in America.  The host was asking if the pastors had any hesitation or qualms about endorsing their candidate despite the fact he endorses Planned Parenthood's existence and funding and is openly pro choice.  Now, we all know that the abortion issue is the great unspoken tragedy in our society, like it or not, that happens in our country to the tune of almost 3,000 babies a day.  It's real, shocking and absolutely appalling to me as a christian man, father and human being.  Even more so these pastors are African American and in their own communities the abortion rate is as high as 6 out of 10 babies.  That means that their own population and existence is dwindling as a vital part to our country.  Needless to say the influence these men have over the congregations they are preaching to is powerful and dangerous in it's hypocrisy. 
   This is not an essay on race and the problems of individual ethnic and racial groups in our country.  Across the board racially and ethnically I am just stating a fact that is highly relevant to the issue.  However, this stark example brings me to the crux of my argument.  Many in the pastorate, many not all folks, have taken watered down positions socially that are in direct conflict with both church doctrine and biblical teaching.   The unmitigated dangerous rhetoric fostered through their weekly teachings and sermonizing is causing many a rift between the church and it's members.  When you have a belief system that is based on morality, ethics and a daily standard to live by, in this case the teachings and Lordship of Jesus Christ and The Holy Bible and you accept His gift of redemption and salvation wholeheartedly, then you believe or preach the opposite I am sorry but you are a hypocrite of the highest order.   You have no credibility and you have compromised your position as church leader and need to step down.   How many people today sit in church and are being taught false doctrine and manipulated scriptural references that modify their faith.  Too many! 
  Jesus reserved some of His harshest criticism for the religious leaders of His day and spoke of the importance of having a pure heart and mind in order to be a church leader.  Too often today there is little or no preaching about conviction of sin and the order of approaching the cross for forgiveness.   Pastors speak half truths and tell us all that we are all good and salvation is in order for us all regardless of our current depraved state.  We are leaving out the vital part of the salvation process and that is the changing of heart, mind and body for His royal service.   Church attendance is down and in many cases the belief systems and moral codes that defined our society have been under attack and changed by very progressive and secular forces for decades now.  The largest population sector in our country that has no religious affiliation whatsoever is the 30 and under group.  That fact alone is chilling, as this significant voting block and citizenry has the ample power to affect elections for the next generation or so.  What do you think that does for the Christian principles and values for America?
  The last book of the bible, Revelation deals with seven letters.  Those letters are not addressed to kings, presidents, governors or leaders of countries, but rather churches.   They are scathing in their critiques and cut to the heart of where we were then and where we are today.   Some of the harshest judgement will be unfortunately be reserved for the shepherds that have led the flocks astray.  I suggest you read The Word and see for yourself.  We need to be careful in what we say, how we believe and what we endorse and why.  Our own personal motivation is always in conflict with our faith walk and service to the Lord.   I've said it before and I'll say it again if we want to effect change then it begins with each of us.  Our leaders for the most part both in secular society and now the church have bought into the world system and that my friends is terminal and without cure.  There is no hope without the One who created hope to begin with.

Matthew 7: 21-23

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

  

Goodbyes Are Never Easy

   Wow, does time ever sure fly by!  It seemed like just yesterday we were arriving here in California for our working vacation and epic summer of fun.  If there was a family that needed to get away for a bit it was us.  As many of you know the past several years have been very trying emotionally for our beleaguered bunch, but our God is an awesome God and through the valleys we've come, stronger both emotionally and spiritually.  But it is time to leave our second home to return for a time to our first home, the midwest.   For my wife especially the visit has been somewhat bittersweet.  Her reunion albeit brief this summer has been full of laughs, stories, hugs and a few tears.  Now, she is leaving her beloved mom and dad, sisters, cousins and many lifelong friends.   That is never easy to do, as like my own immediate family they are very close.  Couple that with the sudden loss of both my parents the past fifteen months reinforcing the sad fragility of life, and she realizes that a goodbye this time could be her last with loved ones especially her mom and dad.
  Both Melissa and I realize that with each passing day the yesterdays add up and the tomorrows lessen a bit.  This sensitivity to our own mortality makes this summer and the time we have spent here especially precious to us.  For me the time spent with two of our daughters Alicia and Rebecca has been priceless.  No longer small children scampering around  but beautiful and gifted young women with their own designs on the world and their lives.   Our time together up at the lakes this summer or out to dinner or watching the sun set over the mountains has been to a word fulfilling.  The generosity of my sister in law Jennifer and her husband Jeff to open up their home to us these past four months will not be forgotten.  I have enjoyed my time reconnecting with them and helping my sister in law at the golf course this season.  Our nieces and nephews have grown up with absolutely gorgeous families of their own.  My inlaws Joan and Ole both show the change in years physically but their zest for life and boundless love has not diminished. They are and continue to be treasures indeed.  The world and certainly we will be a sadder place when God eventually calls them home.  But we leave them with God's infinite protection and holy seal upon them all.
  Finally, we leave the beloved mountains of NE California and their awe inspiring beauty.  So many good friends welcomed us back to their version of "God's Country" when we arrived earlier this summer.  I was quick to remind them all that NW Wisconsin is also God's country in spite of the Packers! lol   All of you need and should see this divinely beautiful area of California and visit Lake Tahoe once, you will never forget it!  So, it's off to Chicago on the next stop for God's Express.  We are excited and anxious all at once but know that the adventure continues.  To all my brothers and sisters we'll see you soon.  To our children, well, we can't wait to spend the upcoming Christmas season with you all!  So goodbye for now to our California family.  Parting is never easy but the solace is in the sweet memories and anticipated reunions.  God Bless you all richly.   Next stop the Windy City!

John 14.1-7
Jesus said to his disciples, "Don't be worried! Have faith in God and have faith in me. There are many rooms in my Father's house. I wouldn't tell you this, unless it was true. I am going there to prepare a place for each of you. After I have done this, I will come back and take you with me. Then we will be together. You know the way to where I am going." Thomas said, "Lord, we don't even know where you are going! How can we know the way?"

"I am the way, the truth, and the life!" Jesus answered. "Without me, no one can go to the Father. If you had known me, you would have known the Father. But from now on, you do know him, and you have seen him."

Numb and Number!

   I was busy at work last weekend, I am a sous chef at a resort in Northern California, and was abruptly struck by something I had observed while passing through the dining room.  We have two very large flat screen tv's on opposite ends of the clubhouse.  One is over the fireplace and the other is right over the bar.  Since we work at a golf course one always has the golf or sports channel on and the other has local or national news.  It was right on the tail end of the breakfast hour and we had a big tournament going on so we were quite full.  As usual the tvs were on and I noticed quite a few people watching intently one of them.  It almost looked like an old E. F. Hutton commerical where everyone in a restaurant abruptly turns around and looks when someone says, "My broker is EF Hutton and he says...  But to my surprise, it was the golf tournament not the news story that was on that diverted the attention away from the many tranquil tableside conversations.  It was a players golf shot not the incendiary meltdowns raging in the middle east and around the world against our country that captured their interest.  For a moment it struck me as odd, then normal, then odd again and sadly odd at that.  Now, I am not trying to downplay the importance of personal enjoyment and fellowship with friends over a great meal and good times on the golf course.   But these people are usually at the course almost every day as they are retired and seasonal residents of the area.  I mean they live golf!  It's not as if this is a privileged event, on the contrary it's their lifestyle.   These folks are mostly retired and worked hard for their money, raised their children and now are enjoying their golden years, but the irony of the moment seemed to be a microcosm of the world today.
   We act like we don't care or simply have accepted the sad fact that other people's or society's problems are not ours and won't be either.  We go on as if we have blinders on and run around conducting our lives as if we were a bunch of ostriches burying our heads in the sand.  Certainly I am not judging these folks as the vast majority of them are very nice and good people.  But this is a conditional problem that is seeping into our very souls and it's the greatest hinderance in my humble opinion to the restoration of our country and world in these very precarious and troubling times.  You've heard it before if you've read my blog.  It's the worst kind of malady and it's called apathy.  Because of modern technological advances in communication and entertainment we are bombarded by images and stories of tragedy, sorrow, rage, catastrophe and wars all day every day.  We have become shockingly numb and tragically naieve to their impact.  Yet so many suffer and we are beginning to see the ripple effects of a fallen and rebellious world here in America.  We are like the captain on the Titanic who boldly proclaimed that, " Even God can't sink the Titanic!"  I and my family have been through enough personally in the last five years as most of you know to maybe have my antenna raised a bit more to the warning signs.  But I am alarmed at how indifferent we have become overall to the world around us.  The dark cold is seeping in and we must fight back!  We have the most important election in probably our nation's modern history, severe and I mean severe problems economically, morally and ethically across the board both here and abroad, yet we seem to be as disenfranchised and disconnected as I can remember in my 52 years here on earth.
  Do me a favor, in the middle of your busy and sometimes overwhelming lives, take a few moments and look around.  It won't take you long to see the numbing side effects of chronic apathy.  We need to get more involved, now, not tomorrow.  Wake up from our false sense of security and start caring about our nation and the direction it is going.  Our once great lamp is running out of oil and the flame of what we stand for is dying.  Render yourselves worthy to personal and spiritual renewal.  Committ time to your faith walk or beginning one if you haven't.  Seek the One who has the answers to our problems and hopelessness.  Become passionate again from your inside out and replace apathy with sympathy, empathy, and action.  Most of us have children and grandchildren who are inheriting this mess and the dire repercussions of it's failings.  Do something while you have life and breath.  My wife and I have committed our lives to spreading the hope and glory of Jesus Christ.  Because where man fails time and time again, He does not.  Jesus is the seat of our future government and it will rest upon His shoulders.  But we can do more and if we would walk in His light we could do much of His work and help others who are lost and need it too.  God has plenty of time for you to enjoy your lives and He wants you to rest and laugh and fellowship.  But the adversary to His kingdom is busy and satan knows his time is short.  That's why you are seeing the rage of evil spread so quickly around the world.  One of satan's greatest weapons is your false sense of security and indifference.  If he can keep you from doing anything good or choosing Christ as your savior, it's as much a victory to him as you becoming inherenty evil.  Don't let that happen to you!

Matthew 34: 37-3
As the days of Noah were, so the coming of the Son of Man will be. ³⁸ For in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah boarded the ark.

Real Change Is Within You.

This past week or so many Americans, myself included, have been watching with rapt attention the two major political conventions going on in Tampa and Charlotte.  Every four years we go through the same process of endorsing the incumbent on one end and formally nominating their challenger on the other.  The platforms are ratified, the delegates assembled, the speakers arranged and filed out with seemingly endless wisdom and solutions for our ailing country.   It's flawlessly choreographed into one spectacular extravaganza that culminates with the sitting president or his challenger laying out their plans to unify, rectify, and satisfy we the people but ultimately only end up glorifying themselves.  Hollywood it seems has nothing on Washington DC for pure unabashed fantasy and entertainment.  I, for one am not amused anymore.
   You see people I don't care what political affiliation you are or what your personal ideology is.  But I do care what you think and feel and experience everyday in your lives.   Because contrary to the illusions and delusions painted by many of our failed political leaders living in their ivory towers, it's we the people who stand unprotected against today's endless storms.  How many of them have watched a family crying as the sheriff's sale notice is posted on the front porch of their soon to be foreclosed home.  Or a father or mothers entire career is wiped out and they can't find work.  Your savings and retirement accounts are decimated and you don't have anymore lifelines.  Families and households are crumbling under the stress and enormous debt
of ruined lives.  College aged adults have nearly one trillion dollars of student debt and can't find decent jobs.  The elderly feel that nobody cares about them and the unborn don't have even have the basic precious protection for the sanctity of human life.  Our once great industrialized nation has outsourced entire industries overseas which will never come back.  I could go on and on but why wallow in the misery.  Now what I am going to say next may shock you but just think about it for a minute.  Your vote on November 6th will not make a difference at all!  There I said it.  I didn't say not to vote, no.  We as citizens of our nation should all vote in every election so we can make a difference.  What?  Has Rick lost it?  No, on the contrary I have never in my adult life had a more clear outlook and perspective on what I believe is needed to turn our nation around.
  All the problems I mentioned up above have affected almost everyone of you or someone you know to a degree.  You can relate to the pain and hopelessness on a somewhat personal level.  I for one, have experienced most of them.  I don't overtly blame President Obama, Congress or the Supreme Court although they certainly are accountable to a great degree for the continued degradation and lack of integrity in dealing with our crisis.  I blame WE THE PEOPLE.  That's right folks us.  This government so Divinely inspired and created was formed for we to be the guardians of government, business, schools, churches, financial institutions, courts families and human lives.  It is we that have failed.  Just look around you and see what watering down and secularizing every major aspect of our society has done for us.  In the absence of restraint and Moral Absolution we have become a backstabbing, wheeler dealing, take one step forward and two steps back flimflam man of a country.  We have no credibility because instead of being good stewards of our bountiful blessings, we have become self serving, apathetic and wasteful.   Too concerned about me and not about we.  Too harsh for you?  I know.  I thought so myself until God said to write it anyway.  You see Jesus knew that in order for us to establish His kingdom here on earth we had to be like minded.  Honesty, charity, compassion, unconditional love, hope and forgiveness all describe Him perfectly.  They should describe us but they don't by a long shot anymore.  No matter what you may think, His life. what he stood for and ministry is indisputable even by the most skeptical of historians.  Because He cared about us first His decisions were always just and fair.  They served the common good and benefited all mankind.  He preached that we should love our neighbors and help the poor and downtrodden but to not give pearls to swine either.  We are quite simply to live our lives in faith with moral restraint.  Not our own, ours is too depraved and compromised, but in His.  Let Him be our guide and helper.  America can see quite clearly now where this unfortunate separation from our Lord has gotten us.  So, if we want to defeat the enemy and rise again as a nation we must change.  Each one of us, from the inside out.   The communists used to say to win a war you don't need guns you need to change the minds and hearts of your enemy.  How did Godless tyrants have more wisdom then We The People?  I urge you please, to reflect on where we are at and renew your faith in Christ.  If you don't know Him introduce yourself.  If you've rejected Him really examine the tenets of your life and how they benefit anybody but yourself overall.  Politicians can't help you there is but one way out of this mess and you can begin to fix it today one very personal heart at a time!

Psalm 119

 Blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the Lord! Blessed are those who keep his testimonies, who seek him with their whole heart, who also do no wrong, but walk in his ways! You have commanded your precepts to be kept diligently. Oh that my ways may be steadfast in keeping your statutes! ...