Jane Chastain : Politically Direct

Valentine’s Day is a day to celebrate love.

Love is a necessary ingredient in the life of every individual. Many years ago it was discovered that tiny babies need love. Babies left in orphanages or hospitals, without the warmth of a loving stroke or tender embrace, did not thrive.

Ask most people what they want out of life and it all boils down to this four-letter word, to love and to be loved!

The use of this one little word has the power to lift our spirits or send us into the depths of despair. It’s a word that has an enormous impact on our lives. However, its true meaning is often misunderstood.
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“Select capable men from all the people – men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain – and appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens.”

– Exodus 18:21

“You brood of vipers!” Those harsh words were those of Jesus as he ran the money changers out of the temple. They were robbing the people and making a mockery out of their sacrifices.

Over 2,000 years later, we have our own brood of vipers. They’re in Washington. They aren’t simple opportunists who showed up to prey on the sacrificial tax contributions of hardworking Americans. We sent them there to mind the store as our representatives. Read the rest of this entry »

Last week, Georgia Governor Sonny Purdue held a prayer vigil in front of the state’s capitol to ask God for rain. The media had a field day. He was the subject of much ridicule and scorn – for a day. The next day it rained.

It wasn’t what folks in the south would call a “gully washer.” However, the media coverage dried up a lot faster than the parched earth. Read the rest of this entry »

I accidentally tuned into a rerun on CNN of a forum on religion, faith and politics where the Democrats’ leading presidential candidates – Clinton, Obama and Edwards – were given a chance to strut their stuff. Read the rest of this entry »

This day is called “Maundy Thursday” or “Holy Thursday.” Christians observe it as the day that Jesus served the Last Supper to his disciples and washed their feet before He was betrayed and crucified. Maundy is taken from the Latin “mandatum,” the first word of the phrase “Mandatum novum do vobis ut diligatis invicem sicut dilexi vos.” (A new commandment I give unto you, that you love one another as I have loved you.) That statement was to explain why He performed a duty that normally was given to the lowest of servants.Some 2,000 years after his death, Jesus remains one of the most controversial figures who has ever walked the face of the Earth. Read the rest of this entry »