God uses people I would never vote for...

In my life transformation that began two years ago and continues to expand today -I now reflect on my life and I now have a perspective on so many things I never had before. Call it gaining wisdom or call it coming clean in pure honesty, you decide. Now, everything filters through being effective in fulfilling the Great Commission in world redemption for the sake of Jesus' death, resurrection, and redemption of lost people.

In my pastorates I often made comments about the elections so as to be a good spiritual shepherd for my congregation, as if, people cannot think for themselves. However, those very acts have contributed to hurting our message and incarnational witness in America. Let me explain -lest you write me off as insane or worse -a Butt. I love saying that word (butt) because I could not say it in my last pastorate without getting some stick in the muds into a feeding frenzy.

God has throughout history used people I would have never voted for. He will continue to use people I will never vote for. We have so-spiritualized our pastoral and christian duty to vote or tell people to vote a certain way. It now sickens me to the point of vomiting. Sorry!

If I were pastoring I would refuse to get involved in mixing politics with worship and teaching. I would not hand out voter guides nor would I solely stand with and proclaim my endorsement of a particular party. My party affiliation or lack thereof is my business and only my business and something you are not going to be privey to. I will vote and when I do, I will do so with the information I have gleaned and the promting I receive for God. By the way, that direction from God may and even (likely) surprise you.

Handing out voting guides is a subtle (and even direct) and manipulating action to affect the outcome of the election. If it wasn't - why would anyone print them, mail them and ask us to distribute them? Just a thought!

Can a "Christian" be democrat or republican or libertarian or ? (see Bill Hufhine's blog post by hitting his tab link to the right of this post for the ?). I love to read Bill's thought provoking/challenging stuff.

NOW I'M GETTING ANGRY: Out of the horses mouth I heard about this (really) in a Church in America this last Sunday: The pastor of a good sized church announced to his congregation that they could see how he (the pastor) would be voting next week by simply going to the "such and such"website. They handed out voter guides to inform the congregation of who voted how and where and if. I'll say it again, this is manipulation/controlling or am I just easily angered?

What I am opposed to here, is how we in the "Christian" community use manipulation and control and power to somehow advance the gospel in political venues. Isn't it time for all of us (if this applies to you) to leave our evil - manipulative-controlling and power - hungry ways? I long for every believer in America to get out of anything that hurts our powerful ability to show Jesus to the world. If Jesus were here on earth (in the flesh), I believe He would be appalled at the way we use the bully-pulpitand quickly give up the witness of His name. We abuse and hurt Christ and His cause ( and our witness) when we polarize ourselves from the very people we are trying to reach. We are so good (not really good) at times when we reduce ourselves to unloving, manipulating, and controlling actions that produce nothing more than "worsening" ineffective influence in the world.

We may have thought it worked in the past (which I now know didn't) but I predict with absolute certaintly it will not work in the present or future either. We may win elections -but we lose in the reputation and influence department. Most of all - in our victories -Jesus loses in His redemptive mission. As we are labeled negatively in the world (and America) we become positive only to ourselves while the world misses Jesus. People are not stupid -they see through us and when they do -they better see Jesus. And when they don't see Jesus -they see a counterfeit. I condemn what I have done to contribute to the problem and I have repented of it as you see.

God uses people I would never vote for, so when I vote you'll never know what holes I punch. I refuse to ever again resort to manipulative and controlling abuse in the body of Christ and in the world - at the expense of Christ and His reason for dying so painful a death.

Now shoot me, beguile me, criticize me, label me, condemn me, ignore me, and pray for my soul if (you think I desperately) need it.

You get one shot -so use it wisely. I will return fire "if and as" necessary. I love this -can't you tell?