Ray Fowler .org

President George W. Bush and President-elect Barack Obama meet in the Oval Office of the White House Monday, Nov. 10, 2008. White House photo by Eric Draper.

From Reuters: “After 12 years at Fox News Channel and four decades in the news business, Washington managing editor Brit Hume will leave ‘Special Report’ and daily journalism for a quieter life, spending time with his grandchildren and following his Christian faith (the anchor still will contribute to the network as a political analyst).”

Hume made the following coments about his faith in Christ:

I certainly want to pursue my faith more ardently than I have done. I’m not claiming it’s impossible to do when you work in this business. I was kind of a nominal Christian for the longest time. When my son died (by suicide in 1998), I came to Christ in a way that was very meaningful to me. If a person is a Christian and tries to face up to the implications of what you say you believe, it’s a pretty big thing. If you do it part time, you’re not really living it.

And from a separate interview interview with The Insider:

The Insider: How do you envision life being different on a day-to-day basis? What will you do?

Mr. Hume: I thought about the three G’s: God, granddaughters, golf. That’s not comprehensive, because obviously I have a chance to spend more time with my dear wife, who worked with me here for so many years and was a vice president and bureau chief. She retired two years ago. … And since my son died, I have been, really, I felt rescued by God and by Christ. I have an intense desire to pursue that more ardently and have it be a bigger part of my life than it has been.

The Insider: How will that translate?

Mr. Hume: It’ll translate into Bible study. It’ll translate, I think, in the fullness of time, into work that I might be able to do, like to find the right cause, and so on. It’s a big world out there. A lot can be done.

HT: Between Two Worlds

You know it’s Monday when …

the tag says, “No turkeys were destroyed to make this product.”

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Yesterday’s message in the Called series was titled Called to Pray. Here is a brief outline of the message:

I. Prayer is a privilege.
    A. We enter God’s presence. (Psalm 84:1-2; Hebrews 4:16)
    B. We address him as Father. (Matthew 6:9)
    C. We are invited to ask. (John 16:24)

II. Prayer is a discipline.
    A. Our sin nature gets in the way. (Romans 7:18-20)
    B. We don’t always see results. (Luke 18:1)
    C. We are called to persevere. (Matthew 7:7)

III. Prayer is a responsibility.
    A. Prayerlessness is sin. (1 Samuel 12:23)
    B. People depend on our prayers. (Romans 15:30)
    C. God works through our prayers. (Ephesians 3:20-21)

Note: Click on the Sermons tab at the top of the blog for this and other messages.

POST-ELECTION EDITION.

President-elect Barack Obama in his acceptance speech Tuesday night: “What began 21 months ago in the depths of winter cannot end on this autumn night. This victory alone is not the change we seek. It is only the chance for us to make that change. And that cannot happen if we go back to the way things were. It can’t happen without you, without a new spirit of service, a new spirit of sacrifice. So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism, of responsibility, where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves but each other … If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible, who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time, who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer.”

Senator John McCain in his concession speech Tuesday night: “Senator Obama and I have had and argued our differences, and he has prevailed. No doubt many of those differences remain. These are difficult times for our country. And I pledge to him tonight to do all in my power to help him lead us through the many challenges we face. I urge all Americans who supported me to join me in not just congratulating him, but offering our next president our good will and earnest effort to find ways to come together to find the necessary compromises to bridge our differences and help restore our prosperity, defend our security in a dangerous world, and leave our children and grandchildren a stronger, better country than we inherited … I am also, of course, very thankful to Governor Sarah Palin, one of the best campaigners I have ever seen, and an impressive new voice in our party for reform and the principles that have always been our greatest strength … Today, I was a candidate for the highest office in the country I love so much. And tonight, I remain her servant. That is blessing enough for anyone.”

Anthony Carter writes eloquently about the poetic providence of God. “Forty-five years ago a terrorist bomb ripped through the walls of a church in Birmingham, AL, killing four young blacks girls (Denise McNair, Cynthia Wesley, Carole Robertson, and Addie Mae Collins) just getting out of Sunday School. This bomb not only ripped through the church, but it also ripped through the heart of America. It tore a wound in the fabric of our country that has been a long time healing. Since then, laws have been passed, schools have been desegregated, and in 2000 the court system finally brought to justice some of the racist men who were responsible for the demonic act. Yet, our nation still grieved for those little girls because we knew that justice still had not been done and healing could not take place. Redemption for this heinous act has been hard coming – until now. God has taken forty-five years to bring some level of redemption and healing to our hearts. Someone has said that the moral arc of the universe is long, but it bends toward justice. God’s redemptive purposes sometimes ripen slowly in our estimation, but they do ripen nonetheless. You see, with the election of Barack Obama, we will soon see two little black girls, Malia and Sasha Obama, running the hallways and playing on the lawn of the White House. Hearts that were broken with the tragic murder of little black girls in a house of worship will be somewhat mended by the playful laughter of two beautiful young black girls in the White House.” (Carter goes on to share his thoughts about abortion in relation to the election.)

James Howell writes about the morning after the election (written before election day). “The election is over. For the Oval Office, one winner, one loser. But neither is a loser. Both are people who offered themselves for public service, and have lived under a microscope, under intense scrutiny, with a schedule that would exhaust the most energetic of us … If you believe that the election of Candidate X will be catastrophic, if you think Candidate Y’s policies are faulty, then you would be wise to begin to pray, today, that you turn out to be wrong. The morning after an election – and every morning for the believer, prayer is in order.”

Daddypundit describes Obama as our first post-modern president. “President-elect Obama is our first post-modern president. By that I mean that he successfully tapped into people’s emotions and won over people’s hearts more so than their minds. This was an election about style over substance. Obama has a tremendous presence and is an incredibly gifted speaker. But there was very little meat in terms of policy proposals in his campaign. Thus, it’s not clear how he will govern. Democrats will feel emboldened to enact a liberal legislative agenda. But the fact remains that America is still a center-right country. Obama himself understood this and positioned himself as a center-right candidate … He’s also got the problem of extremely high expectations. People want change. They are worried about problems that the country faces. He’s going to have to have some quick successes or the honeymoon may be over before it starts.”

Hugh Hewitt writes about Obama’s first CIA briefing as President-elect. “President-elect Obama is receiving his first full CIA brief this morning, the same one President Bush is receiving. While I am certain President-elect Obama and his team have been studying up on the Islamist threats around the world, today begins his certain responsibility for protecting the U.S. against it, and with that responsibility I expect to see a significant change in the president-elect and his team. I have long thought that President Bush’s lack of partisan response to many partisan attacks has been rooted in his deep awareness of the conditions in the world, and I expect that awareness will change President-elect Obama quickly and towards the same sort of anti-partisanship that Bush has displayed except in the very last months of the electron cycles of ’02, ’04, and ’06.”

Jeffrey Scott Shapiro (former legal intern for John Kerry) says the treatment of Bush has been a disgrace. “The treatment President Bush has received from this country is nothing less than a disgrace. The attacks launched against him have been cruel and slanderous, proving to the world what little character and resolve we have. The president is not to blame for all these problems. He never lost faith in America or her people, and has tried his hardest to continue leading our nation during a very difficult time. Our failure to stand by the one person who continued to stand by us has not gone unnoticed by our enemies. It has shown to the world how disloyal we can be when our president needed loyalty — a shameful display of arrogance and weakness that will haunt this nation long after Mr. Bush has left the White House.”

Here’s the trailer for the new Pixar movie Up, releasing May 29, 2009. The trailer doesn’t grab me a whole lot (except for the montage at the beginning), but then neither did the trailer for The Incredibles, and I ended up loving the movie. In fact, I have yet to see a Pixar movie I didn’t like. How about you?

In this “coming of old age” story, a seventysomething hero, alongside his clueless wilderness ranger sidekick, travels the globe, fighting beasts and villains, and eating dinner at 3:30 in the afternoon. (HT: Trailer Addict)

Billy Graham turns 90 years old today. That makes him a nonagenarian. Happy birthday, Billy! Here is a nice tribute song to Billy Graham sung by Terry Taylor and Gene Eugene.

Click “►” button to play | Length: 1:13
[audio:SwirlingEddies_ BillyGraham.mp3]
(“Billy Graham”; from the album Outdoor Elvis)

“BILLY GRAHAM” – by Terry Scott Taylor/Camarillo Eddy

I don’t know about those other guys
There’s somethin’ in the back of their eyes
But Billy, you’re the man
Who don’t use slight of hand
Ain’t wearin’ no disguise
I love you, Billy.

I love the simple things you say
And you never seem to get in the way
No one is quite like you
Compassionate and true
“Just as I am”, I say
I love you, Billy.

Note: Billy’s grandson Tullian Tchividjian is celebrating “Daddy Bill’s” birthday over at his blog. Feel free to drop on over to read or add to the comments.

Related articles:

• Ruth Bell Graham – Poems
• A Quote from Billy and a Quote from Ruth
• Billy Graham Museum Opens in Charlotte, NC
• The Day I Met Billy Graham

• WEA General Assembly. The World Evangleical Alliance closed its first general assembly in six years last week with a renewed commitment to world evangelism and six major resolutions setting out an evangelical response to religious liberty, HIV and Aids, poverty, peacemaking, creation care and the global financial crisis.
• Orcs Are Back! British film makers are hoping to recreate the magic of the Lord of the Rings trilogy in a low budget movie inspired by JRR Tolkien’s books. Born of Hope is a prequel to the fantasy novels and tells the story of the Dúnedain, the Rangers of the North, before the return of the King.
• Brain-Computer Interface. People who are completely paralyzed due to illness or trauma are getting help communicating with a new technology that connects their brains to a computer.
• TV and Sex. Research suggests that pregnancy rates are higher among teens who watch a lot of TV with sexual dialogue and behavior. Teens who watched shows with sexual content were twice as likely to become pregnant over the next three years as those who watched few such programs.
• Jesus Creed Moves. Scot McKnight’s Jesus Creed blog has moved to Beliefnet. The new web address is: http://blog.beliefnet.com/jesuscreed/
• How to Make Maple Syrup. Yum.

This was pretty neat — Wolf Blitzer conducting a live interview with reporter Jessica Yellin via hologram on election night.

(Video length: 3:57)

Update: Whoops, looks like this was not a real hologram after all. Apparently we could see Jessica on our television screens, but Wolf Blitzer could not see her in the studio.

Grace to You Ministries is graciously making John MacArthur’s entire 3500 sermon archive available for free. You can download free mp3s of John’s sermons starting today at the Grace to You website.

HT: Between Two Worlds

Congratulations, Senator Obama! You ran a long and strenuous campaign, and you have now won the 2008 Presidential Election. You were not my candidate of choice, and I strongly disagree with many if not most of your policies. However, you are the duly-elected next President of the United States. Therefore, I will give you the full honor and respect due your position and pray for you accordingly. At the same time I will continue to work and vote for those policies I believe are best as is my right and duty in a representative government. I wish you all the best and will be praying for you and your family.

Sincerely,

Raymond E. Fowler
Feeding Hills, MA

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“Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.” (Romans 13:1)

“I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone — for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.” (1 Timothy 2:1-4)

Click here for more posts on Politics.

Here is a prayer for election day I shared with my church family earlier today:

Father in heaven,

I pray that you will give us wisdom today as we go to the polls to cast our votes. Help us as we make difficult decisions on a variety of issues and as we seek to elect godly men and women to positions of authority in our state and in our nation. Help us to trust you with the results. We pray against any voter fraud or corruption and ask that justice be done in each election.

We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Remember: pray early and often, but only vote once!