A Sigh of Relief

Yesterday Dan and I went to our polling location to cast our votes at 11:40. We were surprised when it took us only 10 minutes to complete the process (including waiting in line for about 7 minutes while one elderly couple tried unsuccessfully to find their names on the list of registered voters).

Our ladies had met for Bible study and prayer earlier in the morning, and from that time on I felt very much at peace with whatever happened in the election. However, I did wind up staying up until 4:00 a.m., hoping for some kind of finality before going off to bed. And I got up at 7:00 and watched the election coverage some more. When I learned shortly after 11:00 a.m. that Kerry had conceded to Bush, I was very much relieved. The last thing we needed as a country was a long, drawn-out legal process of contested elections. I thank God it's all over.

I think there are some important things that happened in this election.

• All eleven states that had referendums on their ballots concerning gay marriages voted to BAN same-sex marriage. I think the Democratic Party underestimated the core values and morality of most Americans. It is heartening to see that there is still a sense of right and wrong in many of our states and in the country as a whole.

• Almost 60% of eligible voters actually voted. This is the highest voter turnout since 1968. Both political parties should feel good about that. People seem more passionate about politics than ever before. It's always a good thing when people get involved in what's going on. There's still a long way to go. Wouldn't it be wonderful if we got to the point where 80-90% of eligible voters actually voted? Everyone's opinion is important. And they ought to have an opinion.

• George Bush received 3 1/2 million more votes than John Kerry. Bush received more votes than any president in the history of this country — more than Ronald Reagan; many, many more than Bill Clinton. For four years people have been claiming Bush was an illegitimate president who stole the 2000 election. Well, now they'll have to acknowledge that he does indeed have a mandate from this country, like it or not. Maybe we can finally move on from the division of 2000.

• John Kerry, unlike Al Gore, had the grace and class to admit when the race was over. I respect a man who refuses to whine about his loss, who refuses to call for recounts and legal maneuvers to win the presidency. It was good to see someone put the good of the country above their own self-interests.

• Osama Bin Laden's threat seemed to have little impact on our elections. One commentator today made the astute observation that the most Bin Laden could do to influence our election was to make a video tape. Remember Spain? He wreaked havoc with Spain's elections through terrorism. Does anyone feel any comfort in the fact that he was unable to physically harm us in order to influence our election? Maybe we're winning this war on terror after all.

Is there room for improvement in the way President Bush has pressed his policies? Well, sure. I don't know of anyone who can't improve. Hopefully he's learned some things over the past 4 years. America has affirmed that they're behind him and are willing to follow his leadership. So, what now?

We have an obligation as God's people to pray for those in leadership. If you don't pray for your president every day, you don't really have a right to criticize him. He needs to hear from God. He needs to do what is right, not what is popular. And the only one who knows what is right is God himself.

God is doing great things around the world

For decades now the church in America has been declining. If we were to judge the impact of Christianity solely on the basis of what we see happening here, we'd have good reason to be depressed. But take heart! God is doing a great work all around the world. In the article "The Global Classroom" by Ted Haggard in this month's Ministries Today magazine, we are reminded once again that the world —and Christianity— doesn't revolve around the United States of America. He writes, "There are currently 480 million Christians in Africa, and 313 million in Asia, compared with 260 million in North America.... In 1900 Africa had just 10 million Christians out of a continental population of 107 million—about 9 percent. Today the Christian total stands at 360 million out of 784 million, or 46 percent.... by the year 2025... 50% of the Christian population will be in Africa and Latin America, and another 17 percent will be in Asia."

There was a time when missionaries from the United States were the primary vehicles God used to spread the Gospel throughout the world. That's no longer the case. Christianity is spreading like wildfire around the world apart from our direct influence. Now WE are the mission field. However, we tend to be very self-centered. We think the situation here is indicative of the situation around the world. But it's simply not true. God is moving in powerful ways all around the globe. The church is expanding exponentially. According to Haggard, "researchers estimate that more than 178,000 people come to Christ every day. Among these are some 28,000 in Communist China alone."

I'd like to think that the revival the rest of the world is experiencing will eventually touch us here at home. But it won't come by spending more money or coming up with more fancy programs. It will come when the Church stands up and becomes the Church, allowing God to purify us and fill us anew and afresh with His Spirit. When the rest of America sees we believe in something that is real and life-transforming, they'll want to know more. As 2 Chronicles 7:14 says, we (God's people) will need to humble ourselves, and pray, and seek God's face, and turn from our wicked ways.

But who knows what it will take for us to get to that point. Persecution? More terrorist attacks? A total collapse of our economy? The Church must wake up from her slumber! We need to get on board with what God is doing. He'll continue to draw people to Him —with our without the contribution of the American Church!

Thoughts on the Presidential Election and Voting

A couple weeks ago I wrote a long, impassioned essay for this blog on the upcoming election. But, when I tried to run a spell check, I lost the entire thing. Since I never had anything like that happen before, I took it as the Lord telling me not to publish it. But here I sit at my computer once again with election thoughts on my mind and wanting so much to share them with you.

I guess what really bothers me is the attitude of so many Americans and the blatant lies of so many politicians. Admittedly, many of this year's voters don't care about their candidate -- they just don't want "the other guy" to win. Many voters are so misinformed on the issues, and so trusting of the obviously biased press, that you wonder if they should even have a right to vote. And don't even get me started on all the "disenfranchised" voters who may lose their "right" to vote because they didn't sign their voter registration applications or failed to check the box verifying they were indeed American citizens. Will we ever get to the point in this country where we're willing to say if you're not smart enough to fill out an application then you're not smart enough to vote? In the last presidential election, before I was a Florida resident, I felt similarly about all those hanging chads, dimpled chads and the like. If you can't even punch a hole in a ballot and make sure it goes all the way through, do you really think you're competent to judge between two candidates on the vital issues facing our nation?

This week I stopped by one of the political party headquarters here in town to pick up some stickers. The folks in the office were nice enough, and the woman there offered to send me some information via e-mail (I'm still not sure why, since I had obviously already determined for whom I would be voting). She sent me three e-mail messages on various issues. I had to reply to two of them because they were "urban legends," e-mail hoaxes that were obvious enough to send me immediately to www.snopes.com to check them out. Honestly, can't we stick to real facts and figures without making up information to try to make the other guy look bad? Doesn't anyone check on information before passing it on anymore?

I am so glad there's only one more day of all this. I am so tired of all the TV ads distorting the records of candidates and present reality. I find myself arguing with the television on a daily basis. Some of the accusations are downright irresponsible. What is wrong with us as a country when we put up with this stuff?

So, tomorrow is the big day. We all get one vote (well, I guess some will get two or three). All I can say is make it count. Pray about your decision. Some say it's a choice of the lesser of two evils. Maybe they're right. But I do believe there is a clear choice for those who are Christians. We need to ask ourselves which candidate is more likely to honor God in his decisions. Which will move our country toward righteousness? Which will treat God's church as a friend and not a foe? Which has more integrity? I've heard Christians of late stating how there's more than one issue involved in this election, and how poverty, the environment and the war in Iraq are just as important as abortion, stem cell research and homosexual marriages. Really??? If this is how Christians think, then we're in sorry shape as a nation. It would serve us right for God to give us over to depraved minds (see Romans 1). No wonder we have so little influence on our culture here in America.

Whoever wins the presidential election tomorrow (or next month, if this ultimately winds up another close one), we can be sure that God is in control. His thoughts are higher than ours and He knows what He's doing. But remember: sometimes His punishment is to give us what we ask for. He sometimes gives us what we deserve instead of what we need. Maybe that's what we need in order to finally wake up as the people of God.

So, whatever you do, please VOTE. If you're fuzzy on the issues, ask someone who has looked at both sides. The issues we're facing as a country are too critical to leave up to chance.