a few thoughts on gun control

I'm frustrated with how divided this issue is. I'm hearing debates everywhere and most Americans seem to have a strong viewpoint, with very little room to meet in the middle. It seems to me that President Obama and Congress are the only ones trying to find common ground.

Just a few responses to what I'm hearing:

1. Assault weapons were not invented in the 1700's. Your right to have them is not clearly stated in the 2nd Amendment.
2. President Obama is not taking away all guns. That will never happen. If anything it'll just be more like Canada, with tougher regulations and punishments.
3. Why should civilians have assault rifles anyways? Aren't rifles and shotguns good enough to protect your homes? 
4. Teachers should never, EVER bring guns into the classroom. More guns in public to help. Yeah right. I'm fairly confident that overexposure to guns and psychotic behavior in movies, television and video games are teaching criminal behavior and normalizing violence. I'd like to find statistics to back me up. I'm sure it wouldn't be hard to find.
5. Should Christians really have this strong of views on gun rights? Seems to be missing the point.

This looks like a pretty left perspective. I'm probably a tad more moderate in reality. I'm just tired of hearing complaints from the right, though I've had that headache for 4 years now...

Not looking for a huge debate. That's Facebook these days. That's why I prefer Blogger for controversy. It's quieter here.

vischer

I've been reminded so much recently of easy it can be to lose sight of God.

Satan is so tricky.

I never go to convocation at SAU. I'm usually subbing. When I'm not, I forget about regular campus happenings such as convo. I should have today as well. I was tired from my morning reading and hours of sitting in the library. Leaving for a walk, I noticed the poster for today. Starting in 8 minutes...

Phil Vischer spoke today. You may recognize him as the founder of Big Idea Productions and the voice of half of its characters, notably Bob the Tomato.

Sure, he was entertaining, even singing the intro to "His Cheeseburger," my all-time favorite. But what got me hooked was his message: college dropout < creating Big Idea < Veggie Tales success! < MORE success < ego < slight loss of focus < bankruptcy* < wondering where God went. We don't often see the ego come in. Phil didn't. He was reminded but thought his ministry exempted him a bit. He admitted today that God wasn't always his only focus and that he needed to learn tough lessons about success and focus. His final advice to was to make God our absolute priority and to have his dreams be our dreams.

I'm not successful in a worldly sense. I'm in debt and working on a Master's degree, having never held a full-time job. But that's just it. I thought I deserved a job, a girl, success. When those didn't just happen like they were supposed to, I became discouraged. But that's just it, I was wrong. We deserve nothing. We live in a sinful world where we continually lose focus. A few years ago, I lost sight of God completely and was admittedly deist. Thankfully, I never stopped searching. Looking back, it's clear that my ego and love of self were too much for God and me to be in a relationship. So, he took a break. He's back now, especially since I'm now daily recommitting to him as never before. Because I know I deserve nothing. I have no plan now. No concrete dreams. A few ideas. But more than ever before, I just want to do whatever God wants.

God needs to be our priority over all else. Thanks, Phil Vischer. For the reminder. And for being so genuine.

* You can read what happened to Big Idea here.