Barack O'Pocalypse?

You probably don't know this, but Barack Obama is being sworn in today. I'm a little dismayed at the lack of media coverage myself. You would think it would be covered on every single channel or something. Psh...

This election was a crazy one, wasn't it? Never in my lifetime has there been such excitement and energy about choosing a new leader for our country. I'm not really interested in politics too much, but as election day closed in, even I was comparing the candidates, weighing my options. In fact, even my dad voted for the first time in all of his 57 years.

Throughout the months leading up to the election, much mud was slung from one side to the other. Suddenly our friends and neighbors became political experts. Everyone was desperate to convince us that their candidate was the right choice, and that the other candidate was trash.

Some people even tried to tell us that Barack Obama is the Anti-Christ.

Before I go further with this post, I need to make a few things clear. First, I don't think Barack Obama is the Anti-Christ. Has it occured to me that he might be? Sure. BUT I've also wondered if Oprah or Bono or many others are the Anti-Christ. (I don't discriminate: black women, white men, they're all considered for the role!) Second, this isn't some crazy attempt to slam Obama on his big day. After I weighed all my options, opinions, etc., I chose him over McCain. I know this is an exciting time for America, and I am not trying to put a damper on the day.

People have been trying to identify the Anti-Christ for hundreds of years. Since the ressurection of Christ, it seems like there has been someone shouting from the street corner that Jesus is coming soon - The End is Near! Generations upon generations of people have lived in expectation of the second coming, and died having never seen it.

I believe that one day Christ will return, and a whole cavalcade of awful events will usher in His coming. I believe that there will probably be an Anti-Christ, but I'm not 100% sure on who it would be, what he or she will be like, etc. There are hordes of people out there who have very exact images in their minds about how this all will go down, and I'm sure a lot of that certainty comes from their reading of the popular Christian fiction series "Left Behind." There are probably even a few people out there who have opinions on the end times based on eschatological studies. (Did I just make up a word? I don't even know...) I am neither of these. I am simply a Christian who waits, and lives in the meantime.

I am certain of one thing though, and that is what I want to make very clear to you today. Nothing we do will change these events. Let's just say for the sake of argument that Barack Obama is indeed the Anti-Christ. Does anyone really think that by keeping him from becoming president, we might hinder his demonic abilities? Do we really think that we can keep Jesus from coming back by keeping Obama out of the White House? I don't think so. I'm not a theologian by any stretch of the imagination, but I really don't think it would make a big difference.

If you really think the Anti-Christ is coming, why not channel that anxious energy into some serious, hard-core evangelism? If the end really is near, shouldn't we be doing all we can to show our friends and family the truth about God?

What do you think? Agree? Disagree? I look forward to your comments...

50 Nifty United States

When I was a kid, I used to keep a checklist of all the states, and proudly cross them off when I had visited or driven through them. For some reason this still is fun to do, and now technology makes it a little more interesting! Below is my "big girl" checklist:


visited 28 states (56%)
Create your own visited map of The United States or try another Douwe Osinga project

"Visit all 50 states" is officially added to my bucket list!