President Isn't the Only Office on the Ballot!

I'm watching the debate tonight, but I will not be voting for either candidate.

This isn't sour grapes because my favorite candidate didn't make the cut. It comes down to the simple notion that I'm tired of voting against somebody.

I want to vote FOR somebody. But President Thomas J. Whitmore simply isn't available

(Best. Speech. Ever.)

I'm convinced that voting for a bad Presidential candidate is voting twice:

1. For a candidate I don't believe.

2. To validate a broken two-party system.

The Republican and Democratic parties are attempting to convince people that failing to vote for their candidate is a vote for the other. I refuse to throw my vote away by pulling the level for someone I don't believe in.

I'm not a registered anything, but instead I vote my principles of faith, life, and liberty. When we vote to deny someone the Oval Office, we perpetuate the lie that this two-party system is as good as it gets. Even the term "third-party" indicates that someone is gaining a voice that doesn't belong.

Don't forget there are IMPORTANT OFFICES, both locally and nationally, that must be filled. Educate yourself and find out who the candidates are in your area. Learn more about your potential Senators and Representatives, and vote your principles for these candidates. Just ask Bill Clinton in 1994 if congressional races matter.

I'm not sure what I'll do on the Presidential slate. At most, I'll vote for a "third-party" candidate with no chance, or potentially write in my vote. Don't think for a moment that party analysts won't be tracking how many votes went to neither of the main candidates. I'm not asking for a perfect candidate...just a principled one. 

I Write For the Dead

You shouldn't be able to read this.

I shouldn't be writing this.

I should be dead.

I was scheduled to die on a Tuesday in 1977.

But my teenage mother chose life, and so here I am.

I have been used to impact lives and souls.

I was the first in my family to graduate college.

I have allowed my heart to go walking outside my body on 3 separate occasions.
(My favorite quote on what it's like to have children)

I have led churches.

Don't try to tell me that one life doesn't matter. 

Many will allow an issue like the economy or national defense to drive their votes in November. And while I believe those are important issues, how did protecting life ever fall from #1?

We have forgotten who we are. We are a nation that was founded to provide opportunities for "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." And yet, we find all three terribly skewed in 2016 America. I could write for an hour on those points alone.

What if our two terrible presidential candidates are a result of losing some great leaders among the 58 million U.S. abortions since Roe v. Wade? Imagine every person in California and Florida suddenly vaporized. That's 58 million people. 58 million ideas and dreams never permitted to strengthen America.

Will I be voting for President this year? No, because I'm tired of voting AGAINST a candidate instead of voting FOR a someone. But, I will be voting. Research your candidates. Vote for local office. Cast votes for strong congressional leaders to impact Washington. America is much more than a President. And voting for a candidate you don't believe in only sustains our broken two-party system. 

Abraham Lincoln said we are government of the people, by the people, for the people. It's time we acted like it as an informed, engaged, and voting electorate.

During this election season, there are many important issues we need to consider as a nation. However, no issue will define us more than how we treat the most innocent and helpless among us. As one who escaped our own national holocaust, I want to speak loudly with my voice and my vote that LIFE MATTERS!

Train Up A Child...And Stand Back!

When my kids were toddlers, I was pretty sure I knew what the parents of teenagers should be doing to correct their behavior.

Now I'm simply the bewildered parent of teens myself.

It seems that unless you've experienced a situation, you should not presume to speak about it much. And so as my children grow, I'm trying to figure out how to grow them into godly and responsible young adults. My fear isn't about the choices they'll make under my roof; my fear is regarding the choices they'll make when they move out.

Parents of grown children often ask me how they can get their children on the right path. You can pray for them, and you can certainly encourage them and speak truth into their lives.

But you can't make any choices for them.

"He [Manasseh] prayed to him, and God was moved by his entreaty and heard his plea and brought him again to Jerusalem in his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord was God." 2 Chronicles 33:13

Manasseh was a king of Judah. He had been brought up by a godly father named Hezekiah. Now Hezekiah had his moments of faithlessness, as we all do, but he ultimately declared God to be the ruler of his kingdom, and not himself.

But Manasseh didn't walk that path in his younger days. He was only 12 when he suddenly became king. He lived as the most evil of pagans, worshiping and sacrificing to idols. Finally as an adult, Manasseh's evil was punished by a terrible defeat to the Assyrians. And in that moment, he didn't just ask God to make things better. He humbled himself before God. He acknowledged that his issue was in allowing himself to grow distant from God in the first place.

Hezekiah's influence, even after he was dead and gone, likely played a big part in leading Manasseh to repentance. So we can pray and influence our children, but we must remember that just as with any person in need of repentance, our greatest responsibility is to keep truth before them. No one can make their choices for them.