"Of Cabbages and Kings..."

A lineup of presidential hopefuls spoke at the National Rifle Association meeting in DC this week. Any group that has 4 million members is a target audience (no pun intended) for those looking to the elections of 2008. It got me thinking about the nature of the country and the founders' intent.

Two hundred thirty years ago, when Washington, Jefferson, Franklin, Adams, Madison and so many others--lesser known, but thoughtful patriots all--framed the documents we still revere, the core value that won the day was freedom. Specifically, individual freedom---to speak, to worship, to congregate, and so on. The system they designed to ensure that freedom was democracy.

I love a free country. Love to vote, to move about freely, to express my opinions, to live out my convictions. But, one only has to visit Capitol Hill for a day to see that the democratic process is absolutely inefficient. The House has 435 opinions; the Senate is slow; the President can veto whatever the House and Senate finally agree on; it takes a 2/3rd majority vote to over-ride him; and, if it's a Constitutional issue, the Supreme Court weighs in. We call it checks and balances, so that too much power doesn't end up in one place. In truth, we have a democracy because we didn't want a king. Been there, done that, got creamed, not going there again.

Kings have a history of starting out as liberators and ending up as despots. Read any major history...or...take a shortcut to I Samuel 8. But, there's the tension. When I start following Jesus, I run head-on into a king. I love a democracy, but I am designed for a Kingdom. I live out my years on earth, but I am bound for heaven.

How do I deal with that? What does Kingdom-living really mean?