Freedom Rings (Will You Answer?)

I just read an interesting story with the headline: "Man who insulted the King of Bahrain on Twitter sentenced to six months in jail." Apparently, the issue is that there are people in that kingdom who would prefer democracy to monarchy.   They are marching in protest to say that they want to have a say in how they live their lives and don't want to be dictated to by a king. This particular fellow was accused of "defaming" the king and he will now be paying a price.

I wonder what the fuss is about. How bad can it really be? Things seem to be good enough in Bahrain that this guy had a Twitter account and apparently had access to a computer to post his perceived insult, so I am guessing that he isn't starving or going without clothes. Some speculation is that he was put up to this "stunt" by those in Iran who just like to see turmoil in the region. Who really knows? 

For me, the question is this... Is it worth it, this idea of "freedom"?  Would I be willing to sit in jail, or worse, for a cause in which I believe? When people talk of freedom, emotions start to flow. We, in this country, have wonderfully eloquent rhetoric when it comes to freedom.  From the men under George Washington to those under General Petraeus and his successors, we have awesome examples of those who have been willing to pay the ultimate price for freedom. 

For generations we have written songs about "the land that I love."  I am one of those men who still sing the National Anthem, out loud, every time it is played at an event I attend. I get goose bumps and choke back tears nearly every single time. Sad to say,  I have come to notice that there aren't too many people singing along with me. At least not out loud. 

Where, for you, does the cause of freedom stand in the priority list of your life? And when you think of freedom, what does it mean? Before, I would have thought of living here in the United States of America, the home of "give me liberty or give me death." Now, my beloved country is my second thought. Don't misunderstand me, I love my country and I would fight to the death in her defense. Even so, I do have a hard time thinking in terms of real freedom.

How can I think in terms of true freedom when I am subject to a government that is supposed to be subject to me but rarely does things as I believe they should.  A government with volumes dictating all of the things I can and can't do, where I must or mustn't spend my time and money, and where they will or won't spend it on my behalf? Freedom. I can't even buy Big Gulp in New York City. Are you kidding me?

It reminds me of the Old Testament with all of the laws, which are impossible to live by and often punishable by stoning death. The difference of course is that there is also a New Testament which was the fulfilling of the law, meaning even when I get it wrong I am spared that death penalty because Jesus already paid that price on my behalf. I accept that He paid my penalty and now I am truly free to live my life. I choose to live a life for Jesus because although the kingdoms of this earth will pass away, even those in Bahrain, the Kingdom of Heaven will reign forever. And for that cause, I will not fight and die, I will love and live, eternally.  

If you enjoyed this post, please comment, subscribe or share. If you are interested in having me speak or perform for your group/event, feel free to contat me at dwaynecastle40@yahoo.com, by phone at 419-961-1265 or through my website at www.funnybutclean.com. 

The Election (Winners and Losers)

You may not have heard but we here in the USA have a little thing called the presidential election. In a few weeks we will decide who is going to be the face of our great country and lead us for the next four years.  According to polls it's anybodies guess as to who is going to win. The implications reach far beyond my corner of the globe and expand into the entire world, like it or not.

Although our collective name, United States of America, indicates one thing we are in reality a divided nation. There are those who are either in the Democrat or Republican camps or those who are third party proponents. There are the non-affiliated and the very disinterested or disheartened. To hear tell, regardless of who wins there will be anarchy, riots in the streets and life as we know it will be over. The winners will  undoubtedly gloat while being called cheats and liars. The "losers" will demand recounts and court battles or make excuses for the loss. Both the winners and losers will be called un-American.

The "winner", an imperfect human being, will be near opposite in principle from their closest opponent thus alienating all who would have voted for someone else. Furthermore, the winner will assuredly change or compromise on some of his principled beliefs, alienating those purists who expected 100% agreement with their own point of view by the leader of the free world.

This past weekend was amazing. We held a 24 hour prayer service at our church beginning on Friday night. We prayed about many things: health issues, elimination of the drug epidemic in our county, revival, and yes, even the elections (nationally, statewide, and locally.) We prayed for the protection of our leaders and for wisdom, integrity and fidelity of office, regardless of their party affiliation.  After the prayer service was over, we began a worship service with what I would call the best worship team ever. I'm a bit biased because I truly love the members of our team of gifted singers and musicians.

A team of dedicated women decorated the prayer tent our pastor thought to erect, as well as the sanctuary, all with the theme of Harvest Celebration. They set the tone for our prayer and worship in that we ought to be thankful to God for the goodness that He pours out upon us, the expectation of continued blessings, and for the hope that is to us, Jesus Christ.  Many people put time, energy and even money into this weekend. It was worth it. Every minute spent in preparation and prayer, every penny spent on setting the environment and planting spiritual seeds, all of it was worth the cost.

We believe in the Holy Spirit as a very real person, part of the Trinity with God and Jesus. Many of us felt the presence of the Holy Spirit during the prayer and worship time, conversed with Him, and were reinvigorated in our walk down this Christian path. Some were healed, some forgiven, and some were given vision for their future. We believe that every prayer was answered regardless of the visible results or the lack thereof.

Immediately after the event my wife and I left the church energized by two full days of basking in His presence and promptly hit and killed a deer with our new car. Not brand new, but new to us. We had only made a single payment on it and on top of that it was the car my wife uses for work and now she can't. Between the tragedy that befell the deer, Deborah's great sadness (she loves animals), the damage to the car and the fact that I hadn't slept but a few hours or so in the past 40, I was a bit upset. How could this happen? I just spent so much of myself worshipping God.   

"Dwayne, what does this have to do with the elections?" Great question. In politics, as in sports, there are people praying on and for each team to win. But there is only one winner. This isn't soccer and there won't be a tie. There are people on all sides hoping for a specific outcome and it will be devastation to some on the side garnering the least amount of votes. 

The outcome of our election, or our circumstances, does not change God. Whether my candidate wins or loses, it doesn't change the love that my God has for me. He doesn't love me more or less based on if I win or not. He isn't less of God because my car was damaged and a deer died. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. My faith is in Him not in my president or my team or my circumstances. I encourage you to determine if you are living a life that is only "good" when the "right" people and circumstances line up in your favor, or is it a good life, regardless of what it looks like in the moment.

If you like this post, please comment, share and/or subscribe. If you are interested in having me speak with your group,  please contact me at by e-mail at dwaynecastle40@yahoo.com, by phone at 419-961-1265 or through my website at www.funnybutclean.com.