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Socialists are convening in Brazil this week to celebrate the shaming of big business and the world's bankers and to call for the redistribution of wealth. In Oregon, it's not so different; on Tuesday voters passed propositions to increase taxes on the wealthy and businesses. Yet, even while Democrats control both Congress and the White House, passionate conservatism is growing in America, and its force is being felt from sea to shining sea.

Brazil:
Demonstrators marched out in crowds of thousands in Porto Alegre, Brazil on Monday for the first day of the annual World Social Forum. And by "social" they don't mean tea cakes and chitchat. A 22-year-old Brazilian man longing to lift "the poor out of misery" put one purpose of the gathering into words, saying, "We want to distribute the riches to people. We're fighting for a more equal society and we're saying 'Down with hunger' and 'Down with war.'"

Oregon:
Socialist ideals were framed in budget-related terms on Tuesday, as Oregon voters decided to increase taxes on businesses and the state's richest folks. Voters approved Prop 66, which will increase the personal income tax on the states' wealthy by almost two percentage points. Prop 67 also passed, and will affect businesses by raising the state's minimum corporate income tax. "Tax the rich" proponents say the tax increases are necessary to pay Oregon's bills. They say they fear the state would otherwise cut funding to schools, hospitals, and poor people. Those against the tax increase argue that it will hurt small businesses, pushing them out of the state and resulting in loss of jobs and even higher unemployment.

Conservatives Stepping Up:
The socialists in Brazil may delight in the perceived failure of American capitalism. The Oregon voters may choose to play Robin Hood. Both houses of Congress as well as the White House may be held by the Democrats. And yet. Conservatives are not just pressing forward in America, they are getting serious attention.

Massachusetts:
Republican Scott Brown made huge news last week when he captured the Massachusetts Senate seat held for 47 years by the late Edward Kennedy. Not only did Brown break the Democrat's supermajority in the Senate as the 41st Republican, renewing the Republican power to filibuster, but he did so in a state that has not elected a Republican to the Senate since 1972.

Brown is not an especially conservative person, even for Massachusetts. He does, however, provide the one vote necessary to put a stick in the spokes of government run healthcare – at least in its current version. Yes, there is voter discontent with the economy, and yes the Democrat contender Martha Coakley made some terrible gaffes during the race. But the healthcare overhaul may have well been the issue to push Brown into the US Senate. After all, Massachusetts voters hired him knowing exactly what he represented and was at stake in the race. 

Twenty-something Alice Fallon commented from an Irish pub after the race. "Everyone thinks Massachusetts is so liberal," she added. "And coming from outside, I see it as a very split state, with no middle ground." Last week, that split state sided against the health care bill.

Tim Tebow:
Tim Tebow is making big news again, and this time it's not for winning the Heisman trophy as a sophomore. It's not for winning NCAA's QB of the Year in 2007, or the Maxwell Award (he's won it twice) or, most recently, being chosen MVP of the 2010 Sugar Bowl. The Florida Gators quarterback will be starring in a Focus on the Family-sponsored commercial with his mother – a commercial that will promote family values – commercials scheduled to air during the Super Bowl.

Tebow was born in the Philippines to parents serving as Christian missionaries. Tim's mother became seriously ill with amoebic dysentery while she was pregnant with him. The drugs used to treat the illness also caused the placenta to detach from her uterus, and doctors recommended an abortion to save Mrs. Tebow's life. She insisted on carrying the baby to term, allowing Tim, her fifth child, to be born. The 22-year-old football player said, "That's the reason I'm here, because my mom is a very courageous woman."

Liberal women's groups are upset because they suspect there will be a pro-life message involved in the Super Bowl ad, and they don't want it aired. CBS has decided to air the ad anyway. Tebow responded to the controversy by saying, "…I don't feel like I'm very preachy about it, but I do stand up for what I believe, and at least you can respect that, because I do stand up. Unfortunately in today's society, not many athletes tend to do that, to at least stand for something."

Considering that more than half of Americans now call themselves pro-life, it seems likely that protests against the ad will get drowned out by the applause on Tebow's behalf.

In The News:
In the third week of January, Fox News not only beat out the CNN and MSNBC news channels in ratings, but FNC topped every other cable network in prime time viewers. Coverage of Haiti and the Senate election in Massachusetts won FNC an average of 3.2 million viewers in primetime. USA came in second in primetime for the week, the Family Channel came in ninth, and ESPN ranked 13th. In contrast, CNN and MSNBC landed at the 22nd and 25th spots respectively.

America's growing conservative movement has shown up in a variety of ways. In Utah, the incumbent Republican is facing four challengers in the primary because he's not seen as conservative enough. The Tea Party movement has remained strong and its clout has been widely felt. Those who favor a limited government continue to organize marches and protests through online communication sites like Facebook and Twitter. Thousands turn up at marches, and they present a challenge not only to liberal Democrats, but to big-government Republicans.

The real issue isn't Massachusetts or Utah or the Super Bowl or Tea Parties. The real issue is that liberalism in America has long been losing its appeal, and the silent majority has found not just one, but many megaphones. In a wide variety of ways, conservatives are standing up and making their voices heard, and they are finding that there are a great many more people who agree with them than they had ever realized.

"Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." John 14:27

Tragedy is a reality in this world. We lose things; houses, cars, savings. We lose people we love, sometimes very suddenly. We get that phone call, that knock on the door, that diagnosis, the one that shoots cold pain into the centers of our stomachs.. We remember those gut-twisting moments for the rest of our lives. The worst thing about them is not just the loss we've experienced, but the perpetual fear of future losses. Anticipation of "the worst" can taint every day of our lives for years. Yet, God tells us to not fear, but to trust wholly in Him. How does that work when the fear is there and very real? How can it work? 

Fear is natural, and it is a normal response to uncertainty and danger. Yet, fear is not a virtue like caution or prudence. Fear simply robs our lives of joy.. The question is therefore, how do we face joblessness or drive on bad tires we can't afford to replace? How do we remember the loss of a child and not cling desperately to the children we have left? How do we live in peace and victory?

Certainly trusting God and putting Him first is the answer. But, while it is easy to say we need to trust God, it is often much harder to do. Simon Peter knew Jesus personally and had watched him perform many miracles, and yet as he walked out to Jesus on the water, he was still frightened by the wind and waves, and he began to sink. We understand Peter; we're just like him.

So, how can we stop being afraid of the wind and waves when they are loud and crashing into our faces?

We learn about God.

"All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness."  -2 Timothy 3:16

"Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.  He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you." -John 16:13-14

It's difficult to trust a stranger.  If we want to conquer fear, we need to start by truly getting to know who God is by prayerfully reading through His Word.  We also need to ask God for the guidance of His Spirit. God is glad to give us His Spirit to help us (Luke 11:11-13).

We believe God loves us.

"There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment." -1 John 4:18

When God says He loves us, we believe Him.  It's not humble to say, "Oh, I'm not important to God."  God knows the number of hairs on our heads (Matthew 10:29-31).  We are extremely valuable to Him. No matter what we feel (feelings come and go with hormones and food), we need to just start taking God at His word.  He said He loves us, we should believe Him.  

[He does love us. He lavishes us with value. He loves us so much that He allowed His precious Son to be mocked and beaten and slaughtered in order to buy us back from death. It wasn't a whim. It was the amazing, deep, true love of a mighty God. We need to choose to believe that.]

We also need to remember that He doesn't love us because of how good we are. He loves us because of how good He is. That means that when we've had a really rotten day and we've messed up, we don't have to run and hide from Him. We can run to Him and seek His healing and cleansing right away. 

We love God back.

"We love him, because he first loved us." - 1 John 4:19

How do we love God? We obey Him (John 14:15). And when we fail, we quickly confess and repent from sin.  We listen to Him. We trust Him. We worship Him. He gave His Son for us, which alone is worth all the rejoicing in the world. 

Praise and worship bring amazing results.  We can say, "I believe you love me," but turning that into, "Thank you for loving me," makes all the difference. We can praise God for His protection, thank Him for His love, delight ourselves in Him. It is safe in His arms. It is safe living in the center of His will, no matter where His will leads us. And as we praise Him and worship Him and enjoy Him, the fear cannot remain.

We remember that our lives are not our own.

" What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's." 1Corinthians 6:19-20

One song's lyrics say: "Thank you, Jesus, for the life you've given me. Thank you, Jesus, for the things I cannot see. I will worship you, the great and might Prince of Peace. I will honor you, Lord of Love, King of Kings. Here's my life a sacrifice to you. Here's my life a sacrifice to you."

When our lives truly belong to Christ and we are wholly given over to His purposes, then we know that every thing – even tragedy – will be used for excellent, wonderful things. He can use it all. As Paul said:

"For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal." -2 Corinthians 4:16-18

Fear sometimes seems unbeatable. To us, our fears are very real, and the salt water up our sinuses can be painful each time we crash under the ocean waves. But, in God's power, in God's eyes, they are nothing. To God, the terrible monsters that rise up above us to destroy us are merely origami tigers. They look fierce, but in God's hands they are no real danger. God does not need a good economy to provide for us and pay our bills. If He sees fit to give us a broken down car to drive, then He is capable of holding that broken down car together for us. He can protect our children and our loved ones. He alone can heal our hearts, and He is never worried.