Is this the ‘Change’ Barak Obama is talking about?

I received this email today from a friend and thought I would share it with you all.  I would love to hear your thoughts. Isn’t it amazing what Americans are doing today?

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Each year I get to celebrate Independence Day twice. On June 30 I celebrate my independence day and on July 4, I celebrate America’s. This year is special, because it marks the 40th anniversary of my independence.

On June 30, 1968, I escaped Communist Cuba and a few months later I was in the United States to stay. That I happened to arrive in Richmond on Thanksgiving Day is just part of the story, but I digress.

I’ve thought a lot about the anniversary this year. The election year rhetoric has made me think a lot about Cuba and what transpired there. In the late 1950s, most thought Cuba needed a change, and they were right. So when a young leader came along, every Cuban was at least receptive.

When the young leader spoke eloquently and passionately and denounced the old system, the press fell in love with him. They never questioned who his friends were or what he really believed in. When he said he would help the farmers and the poor and bring free medical care and education to all, everyone followed. When he said he would bring justice and equality to all, everyone said “Praise the Lord” And when the young leader said, “I will be for change and I’ll bring you change,” everyone yelled, “Viva Fidel!”

But nobody asked about the change, so by the time the executioner’s guns went silent the people’s guns had been taken away. By the time everyone was equal, they were equally poor, hungry, and oppressed. By the time everyone received their free education it was worth nothing. By the time the press noticed, it was too late, because they were now working for him. By the time the change was finally implemented Cuba had been knocked down a couple of notches to Third-World status. By the time the change was over more than a million people had taken to boats, rafts, and inner tubes. You can call those who made it ashore anywhere else in the world the most fortunate Cubans. And now I’m back to the beginning of my story.

Luckily, we in America would never fall for a young leader who promised change without asking, what change? How will you carry it out? What will it cost America? Would we?

Manuel Alvarez Jr. Sandy Hook

Obama/McCain Civil Forum Revealing

The Saddleback Church Civil Forum was revealing. It showed the world what these two men are really about. In this forum, truth was revealed. You saw a statesmen with a world of experience. You saw two men wanting to be president, but only one with the experience needed to fill the position.

Why do I say this?

Let’s look at the issues talked about in the Civil Forum.

Abortion: John McCain is pro-life. He told us life begins at conception. That’s one area where John McCain has been conservative. Barak Obama stammered around having a difficult time talking about his pro-abortion stance that he calls pro-choice.

Federal funding of Faith Based Organizations: McCain says faith based groups are more equipped to help the poor and needy. He says the government should help with no strings. Obama says faith based groups need to be careful that they don’t discriminate with federal funds. In other words, churches would be required to follow federal guidelines — unable to proselytize and hire individuals that share their faith.

Moral Failings: McCain was open about his moral failing — the failure of his first marriage. He sounded dejected, but open about that. However, Obama said the only moral failing he had was that he was selfish.

It was clear from my perspective that one man was ready to be president — the other is just doing the right things and saying the right things to get elected.

How does this relate to Christian radio? It relates because Christian radio should have overwhelmingly aired this two hour political event. I know Moody Radio air the Civil Forum from Saddleback, but how many others did the same?  I’m guessing most music stations didn’t air the forum.

My question is — when do music radio stations take ‘the leap’ and do something just because it’s the right thing to do?

What do you think?

Has Sean Hannity replaced Christian radio influence?

I have become a huge fan of Sean Hannity. I’m sure you’ve heard of him. He’s a conservative talk show host and co-host of Hannity and Combs on the Fox News Channel. He notorious for calling a spade a spade. He’s also committed to conservative values. He isn’t afraid to step on toes. Hannity’s radio show is obviously right leaning, but the man goes out of his way to be fair.  His commitment to ‘truth’ is inspiring. His desire to get the truth out about political candidates, political issues and every day life makes me realize that perhaps he has replaced Christian radio in effectively educating the Christian public about who people should vote for in the upcoming election.

For those of you who know me, I’m an advocate of Christian radio providing comprehensive news coverage. Like the Sean Hannity Radio Show and Fox News, I believe Christian radio should be helping their listeners understand news from Christian perspective. Like Hannity, Christian radio broadcasts need to stand by their convictions and have a desire to educate their listeners about important issues like the presidential election, legislation that affects religious freedom, and every day current events.

Why? How can Christians be relevant if they don’t understand the issues of the day? How can Christian know who to vote for if someone is not telling them about each candidate? How can believers get active in their community, if they don’t know where to make a difference.

Comprehensive news from a Christian perspective is important. While Hannity professes to be a Christian and has demonstrated his faith in a number of ways both on the air and in his every day life, his focus is more on conservatism — not Christianity. However, his beliefs are evident as he converses with his guests and this listeners.

My question is, why aren’t more Christian radio stations being more proactive in helping their listeners understand the issues facing them?

Many music radio broadcasters believe Christians listening to their radio stations want to hear music. They contend, “If they want news, they can tune in to the local news-talk station to get their news.”  Why would you want them getting their news and information from a non-Christian — someone’s who’s worldview isn’t shared by us?

Perhaps Christian radio should take some cues from Sean Hannity. Perhaps in the morning or afternoon drive shows they should begin talking about these important political issues — rather than only focusing on information and other drivel that really doesn’t mean anything in the end. Does that mean I think all breaks should focus on politics — no! I love to laugh. I love fun as much as the next guy. But, why wouldn’t we want to help our listeners understand important issues that could make a difference in the lives of our families?

God is sovereign. I believe that totally. But, I also know He choses to use us to accomplish His sovereign will — that’s clear in His Word. Perhaps an element of programing you have on your station will be what God uses to help accomplish His purpose.