Dear America,
keepin' it real.
that's what we want.
and whoever comes out being more real than the next guy, or girl, the better.
Do you really think our general spirit of goodness and charity is just by accident? a natural occurrence, an evolution of the highest order, that just comes about organically all on it's own, kinda like a Big Bang or something?
All action is preceded by a thought -- best described as the creative genius directly responsible for making all things under heaven. We NEVER do something without thinking about doing something first, even if it is only for a nano-second.
Of course, Perry was speaking to students at Liberty University -- the college where Jerry Falwell Jr. sits as Chancellor. As the article linked here makes no qualms of mentioning right from the get go, Perry was "preaching to the choir."
But you should also know, Perry wasn't just catering to a political whim of the moment, he meant every word and has no intention of stifling his authentic Christian faith in any way. He is just keepin' it real -- because it is (you know. ..real).
Excerpts from another article, out of ABCDallasnews.com adds,
For Perry, this Christian thing, isn't a costume; he isn't masking a hidden agenda; he isn't masquerading as something he's not; he is simply keepin' it real. This is who he is, at the core. This is where his beliefs and values come.
After this speech -- from a Christian candidate speaking as a Christian to a Christian crowd mind you -- it was hard to believe how the conversation last night, directed by Bill O'Reilly on Fox News (fyi: a real Catholic and Christian), quickly and unnecessarily turned into a platform for criticism.
...for O'Reilly, it was as if this Christian candidate, flamboyantly coming out of the closet like so, was the basis for having a real argument: that this Texan's faith carried the potential to really hurt him in the long run; it was as if it was just too much reality at once, or at all. O'Reilly made it seem as if Perry would be dividing the populace by showing his true, authentic beliefs -- even when those beliefs are clearly shared equally within the context of his entire audience at Liberty U -- and even when those beliefs are built into the very foundation this country was made. O'Reilly thought this sort of authenticity was just too much to bear.
welcome to the new world in America.
If our nation's Christian roots are not being viciously attacked -- they are being asked to hide, to go underground; shamed by just the idea of it, cast off as if illegitimate, discredited, mocked and ridiculed by just the thought of it, as everyday, fundamental, authentic faith through Christianity is equated to radicalized Islamic terrorists; while American Atheists are being allowed to become the new mouthpiece of secular social justice laying the foundation of our new America, making the absurdity of Freedom From Religion the people's new religion.
From one of my favorite sources of living water:
Scratch that. Maybe we learned it, but then quickly dismissed it -- or maybe little by little shied away from it -- and the more and more we turned away from it, the more normal it seemed; pretty soon things evolved and grew into a new normal, a new normal that smacks the old one right across the face as if we had grown possessed by some freak of the devil himself. As if, all of a sudden, society needed a cleansing, an exorcism of the highest order...oh my god those people believe in God!
As if, keepin' it real, keepin' it really real, is a cause for real alarm.
wow.
Our founders made America a place for religious freedom ABOVE all else. It was the very reason we had to leave England and find a new land in order to create a new world.
The "free exercise thereof" was divined within the framework of our founding documents, namely our Constitution, not as an insignificant gesture, or platform, banking upon the hope that no one would ever live according to one's beliefs -- it was real. Our founders hoped we would keep our faith in something much greater than ourselves and let that Something rise above, if not truly guide us in our every day.
This "free exercise thereof" lawfully protected all citizens to have the right to exercise their full liberty to speak their truth. While, to be sure, to exercise thereof is hardly stagnant; it is solidifying the real action required of us.
Sure, they are just words, but these words are clearly, in actuality, and fundamentally, put to good use.
These words make up the atom, that which is part and parcel of the creative thought -- the Big Bang -- back behind the very creation of this country.
These very words serve as a greater purpose under heaven.
Congress may not establish one religion; the nation may not establish one religion; but man, in and of himself, may choose his religion and speak unabashedly, and often, and with unparalleled flamboyance, making real his authentic faith at any given time. This right is protected. [and as such, given it's rare occurrence, should be admired, honored, cherished as a sign of something really cool]
So -- here we are -- everyone is talking about this crazy, fanatical Texan; people are having conversations large and small about HIS faith.
Perhaps the question we should be asking ourselves is more like this, how strong is our faith? How do we measure up in our actions, our words, our deeds when it comes to our own religion? Are we being authentic? Would our God be proud of us? Do we speak in public declaring our truths, beliefs, and values and exercise that right freely given to us thereof without concern of being ridiculed, dismissed as fanaticism, declared a total loon, or even... denied a seat in the big white house for keepin' it really real because of it?
OR do we just whither away, fading into the dusty rose wall paper of our colonial roots -- keeping watch from a position indiscriminate to the naked eye -- without saying so much as another word? And thereby, shockingly, allow secular think tanks, and atheists, and unbelievers, to not only tell us what to think, but dictate what is permissible in practice of our religious freedom, virtually stifling the "free exercise thereof" and eradicating Christianity right before our very eyes.
We are being asked to intrinsically change everything -- from our traditions and holidays, to our principles and values, to even history itself.
Looking into our future, perhaps it will be our own cultural Christianity, our conformity to a secular separation from God, that ultimately reveals the hidden contagion with the real potential to kill us. To think that this may be even possible is of course the first step for a course correction -- making way for a restoration of the fundamentals -- giving way to a new, new world that just so happens to date back centuries.
Me thinks God might be smiling down on Rick today, thinking to himself, thatta boy; perhaps it is we, ourselves, who have so little faith (or, have just grown too afraid to show it).
just sayin'.
just keepin' it as real as a little g can get.
Make it a Good Day, G
What America craves is the truth. We want real people; we want real religion; we want real conservatives; we want real change (only if that change means the same thing: fiscal order, return to solvency and a balanced budget, and limited power of the federal government allowing a return to real freedom for everyone)
for somebody who is not keepin' it real...go here.
or watch this --
keepin' it real.
that's what we want.
and whoever comes out being more real than the next guy, or girl, the better.
"America is going to be guided
by some set of values.
The question is going to be:
whose values...
[begging his audience to hold on and stay true to:]
those Christian values that this county was based upon."
Gov. Rick Perry
running for POTUS
Do you really think our general spirit of goodness and charity is just by accident? a natural occurrence, an evolution of the highest order, that just comes about organically all on it's own, kinda like a Big Bang or something?
All action is preceded by a thought -- best described as the creative genius directly responsible for making all things under heaven. We NEVER do something without thinking about doing something first, even if it is only for a nano-second.
Of course, Perry was speaking to students at Liberty University -- the college where Jerry Falwell Jr. sits as Chancellor. As the article linked here makes no qualms of mentioning right from the get go, Perry was "preaching to the choir."
But you should also know, Perry wasn't just catering to a political whim of the moment, he meant every word and has no intention of stifling his authentic Christian faith in any way. He is just keepin' it real -- because it is (you know. ..real).
“happiest moments are when I’m in communion with God"
"This country is your country, too. Don't leave it to a bunch of Washington politicians to tell you how to live your life. This is your future that we are debating today," he said.
Tailoring his message to the Christian crowd, he said: "You are blessed to live in freedom, but as the Scripture says, to whom much is given, much is expected in return."
For Perry, this Christian thing, isn't a costume; he isn't masking a hidden agenda; he isn't masquerading as something he's not; he is simply keepin' it real. This is who he is, at the core. This is where his beliefs and values come.
After this speech -- from a Christian candidate speaking as a Christian to a Christian crowd mind you -- it was hard to believe how the conversation last night, directed by Bill O'Reilly on Fox News (fyi: a real Catholic and Christian), quickly and unnecessarily turned into a platform for criticism.
...for O'Reilly, it was as if this Christian candidate, flamboyantly coming out of the closet like so, was the basis for having a real argument: that this Texan's faith carried the potential to really hurt him in the long run; it was as if it was just too much reality at once, or at all. O'Reilly made it seem as if Perry would be dividing the populace by showing his true, authentic beliefs -- even when those beliefs are clearly shared equally within the context of his entire audience at Liberty U -- and even when those beliefs are built into the very foundation this country was made. O'Reilly thought this sort of authenticity was just too much to bear.
welcome to the new world in America.
If our nation's Christian roots are not being viciously attacked -- they are being asked to hide, to go underground; shamed by just the idea of it, cast off as if illegitimate, discredited, mocked and ridiculed by just the thought of it, as everyday, fundamental, authentic faith through Christianity is equated to radicalized Islamic terrorists; while American Atheists are being allowed to become the new mouthpiece of secular social justice laying the foundation of our new America, making the absurdity of Freedom From Religion the people's new religion.
From one of my favorite sources of living water:
"In times like we are living in, ideas of radical obedience and self-denial fade into the background. Even faithful Christians become soft and more tolerant of the moral decline of the world around them. In general, most men and women think little issues of faith. Since the majority of nominal Christians don't think much about their faith or take the time to study the Bible, it should not surprise us that they are not familiar with the very foundational tenets of authentic Christian faith. Only those principles or doctrines that fit with the general tenor of the culture are observed as common practice. The truths that stand in stark contrast to the systems of the culture are almost totally forgotten. This is especially obvious when these teachings confront the problems of pride, luxury, and conformity to the culture. Even the clergy seem afraid to tread too heavily on these subjects in their preaching for fear they will be regarded as fanatics."
An adaptation of William Wilberforce's A Practical View of Real Christianity (written in 1797) retold by Bob Beltz in Real ChristianityCan you believe that was circa eighteenth century? Can you believe society has not learned a thing since?
Scratch that. Maybe we learned it, but then quickly dismissed it -- or maybe little by little shied away from it -- and the more and more we turned away from it, the more normal it seemed; pretty soon things evolved and grew into a new normal, a new normal that smacks the old one right across the face as if we had grown possessed by some freak of the devil himself. As if, all of a sudden, society needed a cleansing, an exorcism of the highest order...oh my god those people believe in God!
As if, keepin' it real, keepin' it really real, is a cause for real alarm.
wow.
Our founders made America a place for religious freedom ABOVE all else. It was the very reason we had to leave England and find a new land in order to create a new world.
The "free exercise thereof" was divined within the framework of our founding documents, namely our Constitution, not as an insignificant gesture, or platform, banking upon the hope that no one would ever live according to one's beliefs -- it was real. Our founders hoped we would keep our faith in something much greater than ourselves and let that Something rise above, if not truly guide us in our every day.
This "free exercise thereof" lawfully protected all citizens to have the right to exercise their full liberty to speak their truth. While, to be sure, to exercise thereof is hardly stagnant; it is solidifying the real action required of us.
Sure, they are just words, but these words are clearly, in actuality, and fundamentally, put to good use.
These words make up the atom, that which is part and parcel of the creative thought -- the Big Bang -- back behind the very creation of this country.
These very words serve as a greater purpose under heaven.
Congress may not establish one religion; the nation may not establish one religion; but man, in and of himself, may choose his religion and speak unabashedly, and often, and with unparalleled flamboyance, making real his authentic faith at any given time. This right is protected. [and as such, given it's rare occurrence, should be admired, honored, cherished as a sign of something really cool]
So -- here we are -- everyone is talking about this crazy, fanatical Texan; people are having conversations large and small about HIS faith.
Perhaps the question we should be asking ourselves is more like this, how strong is our faith? How do we measure up in our actions, our words, our deeds when it comes to our own religion? Are we being authentic? Would our God be proud of us? Do we speak in public declaring our truths, beliefs, and values and exercise that right freely given to us thereof without concern of being ridiculed, dismissed as fanaticism, declared a total loon, or even... denied a seat in the big white house for keepin' it really real because of it?
OR do we just whither away, fading into the dusty rose wall paper of our colonial roots -- keeping watch from a position indiscriminate to the naked eye -- without saying so much as another word? And thereby, shockingly, allow secular think tanks, and atheists, and unbelievers, to not only tell us what to think, but dictate what is permissible in practice of our religious freedom, virtually stifling the "free exercise thereof" and eradicating Christianity right before our very eyes.
We are being asked to intrinsically change everything -- from our traditions and holidays, to our principles and values, to even history itself.
Looking into our future, perhaps it will be our own cultural Christianity, our conformity to a secular separation from God, that ultimately reveals the hidden contagion with the real potential to kill us. To think that this may be even possible is of course the first step for a course correction -- making way for a restoration of the fundamentals -- giving way to a new, new world that just so happens to date back centuries.
Me thinks God might be smiling down on Rick today, thinking to himself, thatta boy; perhaps it is we, ourselves, who have so little faith (or, have just grown too afraid to show it).
just sayin'.
just keepin' it as real as a little g can get.
Make it a Good Day, G
What America craves is the truth. We want real people; we want real religion; we want real conservatives; we want real change (only if that change means the same thing: fiscal order, return to solvency and a balanced budget, and limited power of the federal government allowing a return to real freedom for everyone)
for somebody who is not keepin' it real...go here.
or watch this --
The Real Newt Gingrich from Frank on Vimeo.
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