Merry Christmas from AVA

Thanks for dropping by. As you can see, I'm not participating in this week's In Other Words. I literally ran out of time!

We are in the process of moving to the other side of the world - from Australia back to the Middle East by way of the United States, so this blog as well as the rest of my site, will be quiet or a time.

I want to take this opportunity to thank all the bloggers who participate in In Other Words, and who have welcomed me into their little corner of the world. You have truly been a blessing this past year and I thank God for each of you. You've given me insight and cause for pause, you've made me think and you've encouraged me to grow in my faith and knowledge. Thanks!

Altho I likely won't be participating for awhile, I will be dropping by from time to time to read what you have to say, and as soon as things are settled again, I'll be back!

In the meantime, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! May God bless you this holiday season.

AVA

Priorities by Deborah Shank

Deborah over at Chocolate and Coffee has a terrific post about Black Friday and God and priorities. A great reminder to us all, especially during the busy holiday season!

Priorities by Deborah Shank
The Thanksgiving holiday was awesome! I was on vacation for most of the week although it didn't seem like there was much time to rest. The church is completely decorated for the holidays and my home is 90% finished. I will put the finishing touches on it by the end of this week.

I decided I would be a part of those crazy folks who rolled out of bed before dawn on Black Friday and participate in the stressful shopping experience. I am not sure that my purchase was worth all the hassle but I did manage to secure my grandson's Christmas gift. When my son-in-law and I rolled into the Wal-Mart parking lot at 4:50 am there were already hundreds of people standing in line waiting to get inside the store. I was amazed. We learned that many of those in line had been there since 2 am! For what? So they could get one of the special deals in electronics!

Let me ask you a question. How many people do you know who have gone to church three hours before the service was scheduled to begin so they could get a great seat? How many of us would roll out of bed at 3:30 am to get to a church service at 5 am? Where are our priorities?

As I stood in that line with hundreds of others on Black Friday I thought about how disappointed God must be with us. We can roll out of bed before dawn to make sure we get a fantastic deal on a television but we cannot get to a church service on time, or sometimes not at all, because we have to much to do.............

Our Christian walk is all about prioritizing what is most important to us. What is most important to you today?

Blessings!

The role of God in Kentucky's government

There's an interesting and growing debate going on in Kentucky about the role of God in government and the separation of church and state.

Seems that State Rep. Tom Riner slipped a little God into a piece of Homeland Security legislation back in 2006. With new leadership coming on board, the addition is getting some new attention.

According to a piece in the Lexington Herald-Leader,

Homeland Security is ordered to publicize God's benevolent protection in  its reports, and it must post a plaque at the entrance to the state emergency operations center with an 88-word statement that begins, "safety security of commonwealth cannot be achieved apart from reliance upon almighty God."

Riner is quoted as saying, "This is recognition that government alone cannot guarantee the perfect safety of the people of Kentucky. Government itself, apart from God, cannot close the security gap. The job is too big for government."

What do you think? Is the recognition of God as the ultimate protector appropriate? A good idea? Constitutional? Worrisome?

And where do you stand on the division between State and Church?