As We Enter 2012...

The 2012 political year is now officially underway. It is a long time until November 6 and most of us will become inordinately tired of the attack ads on radio and television. The Iowa Caucuses really did very little to clear the Republican picture. Rick Perry and Michelle Bachmann, because of their poor showing, will reassess their campaigns and, in all likelihood, will both drop out of the race before the week closes. That leaves four still standing: Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum - who finished in a virtual tie, and Ron Paul and Newt Gingrich. These four will leave to campaign in New Hampshire and then in South Carolina and Florida. By the end of January the race will be down to two. It will be interesting to see how quickly, if at all, the Republican Party will coalesce around its candidate. Stay tuned, it could be an interesting year politically.

Over the Christmas week our Congress did it once again - kick the proverbial can down the road a little further. This time the can was kicked out for two months as the extension to the payroll tax roll-back was approved through February. What does that mean? It means that Congress, upon its return from the Christmas break, will once again wrestle with how to reign in spending. There seems to be an intense fear in Washington to do the right thing; so all I am anticipating is another kicking of the can down the road for another few months. This will certainly become one of the great campaign issues of 2012.

Meanwhile tensions continue to mount in the Middle East. Without an American military presence in neighboring Iraq, Iran now has the latitude to become the regional bully that it has desired to be. Just yesterday the Iranian government threatened to close the Straits of Hormuz if American warships re-enetered the Persian Gulf. I don't think Iran wants a war, but it feels free to intimidate. The Iranians know that Americans would not readily accept another Middle Eastern War. Thus the strong talk backed up with just enough military muscle that others will back away. The response from the Saudis was a request, which was granted by the Obama Administration, for purchase of more F-15 fighter jets for the Saudi air force. The Saudis simply do not trust the Iranians.

Also yesterday the Palestinian Authority and Israelis sat down in Amman, Jordan, at the invitation of King Abdullah, to attempt to reignite the peace process. Nothing was accomplished. The Palestinians came with a long list of preconditions - including a freeze on all Israeli building in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, along with agreement to the 1967 borders as initial boundaries. Of course Israel refused to accept these pre-conditions, but politely attended. King Abdullah is wary of what might happen on his western border if Hamas and Fatah create a unified Palestinian government. In many ways King Abdullah is trying to fill that vacuum left when Egyptian President Mubarak was overthrown last February. Time will tell if there will be any success, but I highly doubt there will be.

Speaking of Egypt, yesterday marked the third phase in the election of a new Egyptian Parliament. According to an article I read in this morning's Minneapolis Star-Tribune, the Egyptian military is conversing with the Muslim Brotherhood about some kind of unity government. Friends, the handwriting is on the walls: the new Egypt will not look like the old Egypt; the new Egypt will be governed by Islamic Sharia Law. The result will be a continued and increased persecution of Christians living in Egypt. So much for the 2011 "Arab Spring."

One final note, 2012 will prove to be an interesting year for Europeans. The European Union is still reeling from the collapse of the Euro and the near financial collapse of Greece, Italy, Spain, and Ireland. Will other nations join in teetering near the edge in 2012? I would not want to bet against it.

As we enter into 2012, many are talking about this being the year that the world comes to an end - December 21, 2012. Friends, this is our opportunity to share with people that there is still time for them to put their trust in Jesus Christ. There is hope to be found only in Him. There is peace to be found only in Him. Let us not become people filled with despair, but let us seize the moment - carpe deim - and live triumphantly for Jesus Christ as we await His soon return.