College Students and Ron Paul: My Story
Let me be honest with you. Are you ready? Okay, I voted for Barack Obama in 2008. Now, before you cut me down or stop reading this post, stay with me. I was an almost typical college student, not the partying and such but the ideology and brain washed one. Professors love to talk to college students and “sway” them. But see, I was at a very, very conservative college when the election of 2008 was going on. But the friends I had there were not the conservative ones.
Also, I am very influenced by people. I have tried to get over that and lately have gotten a lot better, but back in the day I was influenced very easily by people with their own personal views. I was not influenced with drugs, alcohol, and the like, but ideologies, theologies, and other views. This caused me to quickly jump on the Obama train and turn into a liberal before I really knew what I was getting myself into. (But of course who can’t love Obama’s awesome rhetoric and speaking during the campaign, haha!)
But, this year I’ve began to think about things. I do not consider myself a republican at all. I don’t agree with the neo-cons that call themselves republicans in today’s election. I refuse to vote again just to vote or vote for someone I really really do not want to keep Obama out.
Liberty is one important thing that America has been on the verge of possibly losing (at least some) because of several laws that are being passed in Congress and signed by the President. Our Constitution is all about liberty and freedom. We split from England because of freedom and liberty.
Ron Paul brings this back to us. He is a Constitutionalist. Everyone says they do not like him because of his foreign policy and his “isolationist” views. They let all of that hold them back. Now, I love his foreign policy. He is not isolationist, he wants us to defend our land. But, he does not believe we should be “world police”. People are AFRAID of Ron Paul’s somewhat “radical” views. Why is it so radical?
Could it be radical because we have gotten so far off course in our country that it seems radical to come back?
Add comment January 24, 2012
I’m not a blogger…..
Ha, that’s an understatement. I’m not a blogger. I tweet. I facebook. But, I don’t write blogs. I like to write, but not something that can be put on a blog. Plus, I really don’t have the time to sit down and write a blog once a day or once a week.
I said I was going to be more active with this blog and give little tidbits and such, but that hasn’t been the case. I just can’t get into a habit of writing blogs on a regular basis.
So, I’m writing this to apologize to anyone who HAS visied this site and not found much. I post things on big “occassions” (i.e. Uganda Trip), but I won’t have time to post little snippets every week. I hope you come back every now and then just to see if I have anything.
If I find something interesting or if I think about something, I will post it on here for the world (or my world, ha, what’s that) to see.
Thanks for sticking around,
Andrew
December 24, 2011
Tell Them Now
I received this poem in an email and just wanted to pass it along for anyone who might read my blog.
If with pleasure you are viewing
Any work a man is doing,
If you like him or you love him tell him now.
Don’t withhold your approbation
Till the parson makes oration
And he lies with snowy lilies on his brow,
For no matter how you shout it
He won’t really care about it
He won’t know how many teardrops you have shed
So if some praise is due him
Now’s the time to slip it to him
For he cannot read his tombstone when he’s dead.
More than fame and more than money
Is the comment kind and sunny
And the hearty warm approval of a friend,
For it gives to life a savor
And it makes you stronger, braver,
And it gives you heart and courage to the end.
If he earns your praise, bestow it
If you like him, let him know it
Let the words of true encouragement be said.
Do not wait till life is over
And he’s underneath the clover,
For he cannot read his tombstone when he’s dead.
~Berton Braley~
July 24, 2011
Uganda 2011 Slideshow
Slideshow
Hey all,
I have been back from Uganda for a week now. Sorry for just now posting on the blog. I do not really plan on posting much on the blog because, frankly, I’m not sure if I have many readers or not. Also, I would much rather just prefer to “tweet” little small nuggets throughout the day, week, month, and year about my life or whatever instead of “blog” about it. Just a preference. Anyways, I did want to share some photos with whoever reads the blog and if you’re not on Facebook. So the slideshow is below, take a look and leave any comments if you wish.
In Christ,
Andrew
June 20, 2011
Uganda Bound, It’s Official
Just wanted to say that myself and the team are officially Uganda-bound. The plane tickets are being processed and ordered so that money is taken care of. The only thing left is the money for stuff needed over there and shots and such. We are getting closer and closer to the date and I am getting more and more excited. Thanks to those who are praying for the team and the trip!
Andrew
March 12, 2011
Uganda Trip
Some of you might already know and some of you may not know, but I am going to Uganda this summer with a team from Living Hope Church in Mobile, AL to help out at several orphanages (the main one being Sonrise Baby Home). Sonrise Baby Home is in Jinja, Uganda.
As I mentioned in my last post about my “vision” and calling for my life and how I wanted to start this I said that I wanted to at least kick it off somehow this year. Well, this is one of the ways I am doing that. Children and youth all around the world need the Gospel presented them, they need caring for, and they need to see Jesus’ love. These children and youth in Uganda are struggling to even eat. American kids and youth have other kinds of problems, for sure, and they absolutely need to be reached to. I plan on doing both in my lifetime to the best of my ability.
However, this Uganda trip takes a lot of money, especially the plane ticket. I have been saving up and such, but still going to be trying different ways to fundraise and raise enough money to go. I do not like to ask for money at all. If you decide you would like to donate money to help me go to this trip, please understand that 100% of it will go to the trip, either behind the scenes to get there or if enough left over then getting stuff taken care of there.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me either by leaving a comment on here or by contacting me through email at andrew_williams[at]me.com (add the @ symbol yourself, its for spam purposes).
Thank you! And I will absolutely keep you informed on pre-trip, maybe during trip and for sure post-trip.
Andrew
January 6, 2011
2011: Resolution & Vision
The fifth resolution of Jonathan Edwards, an early theologian, is “Resolved, never to lose one moment of time; but improve it the most profitable way I possibly can.” Basically, we need to cherish and use every minute of the day for God’s glory and never waste anything. We do not need to be wasting our lives with garbage. We are like a mist in the world and God can take us away very quickly.
2011 will be an important year for me, I believe. I have been on my own fully for half of 2010 so 2011 will be a complete year of being on my own. That is a big thing, but there’s more important things. I have one major resolution in 2011 that will, hopefully, start my “vision”, or calling. In two words, my resolution is to “Make War” as the Tedashii song goes.
Now, for the record, this doesn’t mean to go to war physically and shoot people. Read Colossians 3:5. We are to “put to death” all sins (and it lists them out in categories of types). This is what the “make war” means. And this is a HUGE resolution. It is part of my vision because I need to make war to all the sins that are in my life to prepare myself for something even greater.
I also believe 2011 will be an incredible year in the life of my church, Living Hope Church (ourhopeisalive.com). The city of Mobile is like a belt loop in this “Bible Belt”, but it is a lost city. People are able to hide in churches more in Mobile, than in cities where churches can be somewhat scarce.
As I start “making war” to these sins and putting them to death (and I will always be doing this because I am human), I want to also pursue my vision that I believe God has given me. Well I at least want to start it because I know it will not be complete or even close to climax by the end of this year. I have shared with a few people that my “vision” or calling is to reach children and youth in today’s culture. I have a heart, I believe, for children and youth. I love kids. And our children/youth in today’s culture have so many things bombarding them that this year and next year will probably be crucial to what path they end up taking.
So I do not know exactly how this “vision” will start, but I know it needs to start now. I do not believe this will be a typical, American “youth ministry” but we will see what God lays on my heart. I am going to Uganda this summer to work with several orphanages there. I am very excited about this and to be able to reach out to the kids and youth over there. But, I can’t just stop there. Those children and youth need Christ and hope. But so do our children and youth here. In fact, our children and youth have this “false hope” they are being bombarded with in America, actually several “false” hopes. So I can’t just stop after the Uganda trip. I can’t just check that off my list. That is only the beginning of something amazing.
I leave you with this. Pray for me. Pray that God will keep showing me this vision I have. Pray for the children and youth in America, but also around the world that need Jesus and need this true Hope that can only be found in Christ.
Grace abounds.
January 3, 2011
I’m Thankful for……Grace.
The typical Thanksgiving post would include being thankful for family, friends, your pets, your house, your church, or and then God. Well, why not be thankful for God’s wonderful grace. As a totally depraved sinner, I am very thankful for God’s grace. So, remember, be thankful everything but most importantly be thankful for God’s wonderful grace. Just wanted to post something short and sweet.
November 25, 2010
Work: For God’s Glory
Work is a common thing in today’s world. In fact, it is pretty much required to survive, to make money to survive that is. I’m not saying money is what makes you survive, but unfortunately money is required in America (maybe more than it should be, yes it is). People go to work every day and do the same thing, they get in this routine. They wake up at 6AM or so and they get in terrible traffic to beat their boss by 8AM or so. We do not even think about why we work for the most part, it just goes by so quickly and then we head home and wake up and do it again. What if we thought differently more often?
Let me add some personal touch to this. First off, I love my job. I know it was God-given for this time of my life. I know it isn’t where I need to be all my life, but for now God placed me here for a reason. For those of you that don’t know what I do, let me kind of set it up. I work in healthcare, particularly a dialysis clinic. Patients come in every day and have their blood recirculated through a machine that acts as a kidney to clean it because they have renal failure (kidney failure). To put it simple, without us, these patients would die if they didn’t have a transplant.
My job is to fix the machines, keep them in working order, keep the clinic in working order, do a lot of compliance stuff because of government regulations and such, etc. The “etc” part is a big part because things get added to my job description every day. It gets hard not to “burn out” from my job some days and it has happened a lot lately. So much stuff as been added to all of the technician’s plates that it is seeming like we are just set up to fail. I hate that feeling. I hate thinking that everything I do is for not and I will lose in the end. It’s a sorry feeling.
So, I have to catch myself and tell myself “God has me here for a reason, focus on that reason and DO IT.” The reason in the long run is to glorify God. That is actually our reason in this lifetime, but specifically I think my reason is just to do my job, grow patient, grow stronger as a man of God by being in a secular environment and in the big picture to help save patients and give them a little longer to live (or for some, a lot longer).
So, my goal for this post is just to remind you to work for God’s glory. He put you in your position and your company for a reason. Figure out your reason specifically and do it. Don’t sit back in your mundane life and be repetitive and go back and forth Airport Blvd (Mobile, AL people) and scream at traffic.
Do something.
November 14, 2010
Genesis: The Beginning
The beginning of my blog should be rooted in Scripture. At least, that is how I am going to do it. Genesis is the first book of the Bible, the story of Creation, and much more. God created the Earth and everything in it in 7 days and said “it is good”. I can only imagine how awesome Earth was right after God created it. But, as you know the story (or if you happen to not, read the book of Genesis it will blow your mind) it didn’t stay that way for long. Adam and Eve were told they could eat anything in the Garden except from ONE tree and that was the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
Well, we have this serpent in the Garden (Satan) who tempts Eve to eat the fruit of the tree and be like God. She fell for it and got her husband to as well (where was the leadership of the man, Adam?). God kicked them out of the Garden of Eden and sin entered the world. The world was tainted now and no longer perfect. I’m sure the world was still beautiful because God is beautiful and you can not stop God from being beautiful. Just like today, we have incredible things in our world today that are beautiful. But, they are also tainted. That is why we need Jesus. He saves us from that taint we call sin and gives us an incredible hope.
So, where am I going with this you may ask. A blog first started (or even “re-started” like mine) is beautiful. It is clean. It is simple. But, it has no taint and no corruption. Now, I know the analogy breaks down, they always do, but stay with me. My goal for this blog is to keep it that way, to keep it beautiful and clean and simple. But, not only that, but to make it something people can learn from or uplifting, not for my glory but totally for God’s glory. I don’t want a taint of sin on this blog. Now, I am human and sinful and bound to make mistakes. But that is where you come in. If I ever get some readers, I hope you will keep me accountable. Register to the blog (for security you have to register) and then leave comments. I want debatical comments (if need be), positive reinforcements or negative constructive criticisms if I am totally wrong and/or out of line. Also, grammar comments would be appreciated. I am not an English major. On my last blog, my buddy Joel critiqued me on grammar on almost every post. I am trying to learn from those comments and I hope he re-joins so he can keep it up. 
I hope the first post wasn’t too boring, I wanted to start with Scripture first and my last blog (whenever that may be) will also end with Scripture, I hope.
November 5, 2010