Be Sure and Vote but Please Choose Wisely

This past week at LifeChurch, lead pastor Craig Groeschel talked about the tough choices we will all be facing as we vote in a few days. His message wasn’t about which candidate or even which type of candidate we should consider, but rather for everyone to focus on what type of person God wants us to be.

The message hit home, especially at a time when I have been struggling to figure out the reasons we have had such a decisive campaign season. I have been around for several campaigns over the course of my decades of living, and this has been by far the most baffling of the Presidential campaigns during my adult lifetime.

Craig said we need to focus on being a good Christian person – an ambassador for God. The message brought back memories of when the political parties were more clearly defined. The Democrats were known as the party of every man and woman. The Republicans were built around being the party of God.

Fast forward to now when both parties have trotted out candidates that neither electorate is thrilled about having to choose from next week. Representing the Democrats is Hillary Clinton, who has positioned herself for the past two decades to be the nominee for President. Emerging from the Republican race is Donald Trump, who has gone from businessman to entertainer to a serious Presidential candidate.

Clinton has been accused of a myriad of illegal activities, none of which have proven to be true thus far. Those who oppose her claim she is not to be trusted, and her track record of being open and trustworthy has been spotty at best. Much of Clinton’s baggage seems to stem from her husband Bill’s past and the fact that she stood by her man throughout all of it. And it has been a common complaint from those who believe the Democrats reflect their values that Clinton’s nomination was something that was forced down their throat.

On the Republican side, Trump was a three-times bankrupt businessman who started with his dad’s money and connections. Trump cashed in on the opportunity to become an entertainer and springboarded that into multiple bids for the presidency. Just this year alone, Trump has alienated minorities and women all while complicating international relations between the U.S. and Russia, Mexico and China. Ironically enough, Trump has businesses in Mexico and China.

What has astounded me has been what some would call a progressive evolution of the two parties. However, neither party should feel proud of what they rolled out as candidates this election cycle. The best candidate for the Democrats is a former First Lady, U.S. Senator and Secretary of State, so her experience is not in doubt. However, she has been under investigation several times and has lacked the trust of the voters going back to her time in the White House. While many of the social media posts attacking her seem to be a stretch or a complete fabrication of the truth, she still seems to have some inconsistencies that make it tough to support her.

Do we truly consider the Democrats a party for all people? Sure, they have stepped up far more when it comes to minorities and women than have the Republicans. And I’m not just saying that to anger people. I worked for nearly 10 years entering in legislative data at the State Capitol and I can assure you the Republican-filed bills in general lacked compassion for those truly in need. And they were far out-weighed by the bills filed to give tax cuts to the rich. But if Hillary Clinton is the best the Democrats can roll out for this election cycle for the most powerful job in the world, then it is hard to believe they are working on behalf of the poor and underprivileged.

As Christians, do we really believe Trump is representative of the Christian values Republicans were once known for? Those crickets you hear is the overwhelming response we all know to be true. He didn’t even know how to correctly say the chapters of the Bible. And we should never forget about the atrocious things he has proposed that would be against the message preached in the Bible. Are we serving as an ambassador to God if we vote in favor of a man who we all know has treated women as servile and has consistently encouraged the discrimination of minorities? In your heart, the answer here is obvious even if your mouth or your mind is manipulating you to believe something else.

So, yes, we have a pair of candidates from the major parties to choose from in just a few days. Craig said we need to focus on being an ambassador for God moving forward. The question is, which of these candidates can get your vote while you stick to the values you know you should maintain? It’s your choice, but you should choose wisely.

How One Man is Putting an End to Conservative Values

It is just weeks before the Presidential election and a video came out showing Donald Trump talking down on women in terms unheard of publicly from any valid U.S. President candidate. I have read some atrocious statements made since that time and it has made me wonder what exactly is in peoples' minds when it comes to Trump's behavior.

What I would like to do is paint a scene of a typical conservative Oklahoma household where the daughter of a life-long conservative voter comes home with questions about something she overheard at school.

Suzie:  Mommy, Johnny at school said Donald Trump is a pervert who should never be allowed to run for President.

Suzie’s Mom:  Johnny is a brainless nitwit whose dad is a flaming, Godless waste of a life.

Suzie:  Johnny has no brain?

Mom:  I’m sure he does, honey, but he doesn’t know how to use it. If he had his way, you wouldn’t be alive and his family would just live off the government for the rest of their lives.

Suzie:  Why wouldn’t I be alive?

Mom:  Because those liberals all believe in killing babies and not working.

Suzie:  Liberals don’t sound very nice, mommy. Is that what makes his dad a flaming, Godless waste of a life?

Mom:  His dad supports lifestyles that are an abomination to God. Just like all of those liberals.

Suzie:  What lifestyles does he support?

Mom:  Those homosexuals that God hates.

Suzie:  I thought God loved everyone.

Mom:  Not them. He wants them to go straight to Hell for what they do.

Suzie:  I don’t want anyone to have to go to Hell. So, why did they say that about Donald Trump? Isn’t that who you want to be President?

Mom:  They’re just mad because Trump said what everyone else is thinking.

Suzie:  Johnny said Trump liked to grab women in their naughty places.

Mom:  Johnny should be executed for saying something like that. All Trump said was what all guys talk about in the locker room.

Suzie:  Like the gym teacher at school? Does he talk like that?

Mom:  God, I hope not! No, honey, I am just saying that when guys get around each other in the locker room, they make comments about things they would never say anywhere else or would actually ever do. That’s all that Donald did.

Suzie:  Johnny said some women came out and said he had done those types of things to them before.

Mom:  They paid those women to say that! Plus, Bill Clinton is the one who goes around raping women. That is what the media should be focusing on!

Suzie:  Who is Bill Clinton?

Mom:  He was President of the United States in the 90’s. He ruined America with his behavior, going around raping women all the time.

Suzie:  The 90’s? When was that?

Mom:  Before you were born, honey. In fact, I was not much older than you back then. I should consider myself lucky to be alive after what Bill Clinton did to us.

Suzie:  What did he do? It must have been awful!

Mom:  Just like I said, honey. He was sleeping with women left and right, just absolutely ruining the country.

Suzie:  Sleeping with them, like a sleepover? Is it bad for the country for me to have sleepovers?

Mom:  No, honey, you and your friends can always have sleepovers. What Bill Clinton did was more than just sleeping. I’ll explain it to you more someday when you’re older.

Suzie:  So, is what Bill Clinton did 20 years ago causing problems now?

Mom:  Well, honey, the problem is the media is making a big deal now about Donald Trump’s behavior and they know it is no worse than what Bill Clinton was doing.

Suzie:  So, it’s OK for guys to grab women in their private areas?

Mom:  Never! That’s what I’m saying. That kind of behavior is inexcusable, just as I was saying. We can’t have a man like that in the White House.

Suzie:  Donald Trump? I thought you were voting for him?

Mom:  No, I’m saying Bill Clinton.

Suzie:  Bill Clinton is running for President?

Mom:  No, honey, his wife, Hillary, is running for President. Ugh, I don’t even like saying her name.

Suzie:  Does Bill Clinton treat Hillary the same way he did those other women?

Mom:  I don’t know honey. But Hillary supported his behavior by staying with him. I wouldn’t be surprised if she actually encouraged it.

Suzie:  Why would she encourage it?

Mom:  Those liberals are like that. They get off on that kind of stuff.

Suzie:  Get off? What do you mean?

Mom:  Nothing, honey. All I’m saying is that we need to support Trump. Johnny doesn’t know what he is talking about and you just need to stop talking to him.

Suzie:  Because he is a liberal?

Mom:  Exactly.

Suzie:  And liberals are bad because they don’t want to vote for Trump?

Mom:  That’s right, honey. Trump is what is best for America. Or at least he will keep the liberals out of the Supreme Court and the White House.

Suzie:  Do liberals make the White House a bad place?

Mom:  Yes, honey. The last eight years have been awful. And it will be even worse if Hillary wins.

Suzie:  OK, mommy. Thank you for talking to me about this.

Eight-year-old Suzie walks away, wondering why her mom thinks the past eight years have been so awful. And the first step in creating the next generation of liberals begins with the narrow-minded thinking of those who support men like Donald Trump.

Walking a Mile in Someone Else's Shoes

For most who know me, I have attended Life.Church for many years. A few weeks back, lead pastor Craig Groeshel talked about a desire to trade places with a person whose life was much more simple. It was an interesting thought when my mind immediately entertained the thought of Craig living a day or maybe a week in my shoes.

 

The thought passed and was just a lost moment in time after a few days. Except, lately I have been having more and more moments when I wished some of the people around me could walk a mile in other people’s shoes. Even mine.

One example is the recent debate surrounding the #BlackLivesMatter movement. With all the outrage on both sides, I found myself wishing that those people who wholeheartedly supported the police could see this issue from the perspective of black people who had to be nervous every time they were pulled over by a cop. We all get some level of anxiety when we get pulled over, but black people legitimately have to be concerned about more than just getting a ticket or hearing a lecture while receiving a warning.

On the flip side, I wish those who blamed the cops could walk a mile in their shoes so they could get a better understanding of what motivated them to pull the trigger in those instances when the killings occurred. I don’t know what was in their minds but I would absolutely embrace the opportunity to know the truth behind what motivated them in those situations.

Being able to walk a mile in someone else’s shoes might also help some of us understand why our friends and family members choose to support one Presidential candidate over another. It might help explain why a person who has lived paycheck-to-paycheck for their entire adult life might vehemently be in favor of the trust fund millionaire. It might provide some insight as to why someone who is tired of career politicians would choose to cast a vote for the candidate whose nomination was forced down the throats of the voters.

What was interesting about Craig’s proposal was that he was seeking simplicity. I have no doubt he is a workaholic who overschedules himself and doesn’t allow himself enough time to spend with his family. That alone is enough to drive a person to want to give up some of themselves so that they can have more of what means the most to them.

The problem with that premise is that lives that appear to be simple probably are anything but simple. A day with my life may seem less busy for Craig but he would also find a different set of complications that he doesn’t have to deal with on a daily basis. Money struggles. Job issues. Health problems. Not knowing what the future will provide. The only part of our lives that may feel the same would be the lack of enough time spent with family, which usually consists of a few hours a week for me.

Perspective is a major piece that seems to be missing from the lives of so many of us. We look around and wonder what it would be like if we had someone else’s life. The truth is, you don’t want it. Just accept what you have and be the best possible person you can be. Then, live your life.