We are back from our trip to visit the kids in Pensacola, FL.  It was a quick but really good trip.  While on the trip, I saw the news about Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia’s death.  Wow, what a surprise and what bad news for his family and our country.  I had to work hard to get it off my mind and back on my family visit.  It did cause me to think about what is important in life.

Our relationship with God is the of the highest importance and should be prioritized over everything else.  In Matthew 16:26, Jesus is talking to the disciples about following Him and giving up everything in order to do so, and He asks, ” For what shall it profit a man though he should win the world, if he lose his own soul? (the Geneva Bible)  The importance of serving Him and leaving everything at the foot of the cross and not seeking worldly goods or importance at the loss of our relationship with him is something worth striving for, no matter what we may want as human beings with flaws.  In the NIV Life Application Study Bible, it suggests that a good way to look at life is through an eternal prospective.  It tends to change some of the decisions and directions we would choose.

I thought about the death of Justice Scalia and was dismayed because of his strong Constitutionalist approach to judicial decisions.  The Conservatives had a strong ally in Justice Scalia and with his death it now means another judicial nominee from President Obama who has shown disdain and been reprimanded by lower courts that he has exceeded his constitutional power over and over.  He sees the Constitution as a document of suggestions, not laws.  Justice Scalia saw the document as the fundamental foundation of our republic and it shouldn’t be litigated over and over and definitely not changed by political activists.  Now we definitely are at the crossroads and on the verge of a constitutional crisis in the United States of America.  Our very foundation is in danger of collapsing depending on who is appointed.  It is even more important to elect a president that will appoint a justice that will honor the Constitution.  We cannot be guaranteed that Donald Trump would.  He has suggested his own sister, who is pro-abortion and liberal in her moral stances to be a justice.  This is getting very serious and when praying on who to vote for, this should be your main priority.  If we lose to a liberal (or fake conservative) the balance of our country will topple toward socialism quickly.  THIS IS IMPORTANT!!

When looking at the scripture above, I also thought about the very candidates who are running and some of the absolutely inane explanations of why Christians would vote for Donald Trump over Cruz, Rubio or Carson.  The latter three have professed their faith in Jesus Christ while one feels no need to ask for God’s forgiveness. Even though I support Cruz completely, I wouldn’t feel wrong in supporting any of the three.  I am struggling with whether I could even cast a vote for Trump and if I did it could only be because my trust is in God and not in a man and I know He has a plan for me and His sons and daughters.  However, when given a choice of Godly men or not, I can tell you that no economic policy that TRUMP could  “get done” can outweigh the importance placed on honoring life and marriage as God intended us to do.  Therefore, if I voted for Donald so he could “make America great again” based on the economics of it all, I feel it would be giving up my soul for worldly gain.  My soul is more important and from eternal aspect, we all will have to answer for who and what policies we advocated for, especially where innocent life is concerned.

Missouri will have a Presidential Primary on March 15, 2016.  This will be for Presidential Only.  This will decide who Missouri will support at the nominating convention.  I have always thought of this as the heart vote.  This is where you vote with your heart who best represents what you feel in your heart is right.  I will be voting for Ted Cruz because of all the candidates that I have seen, he closest represents how I feel.  Also, for anyone who would look at Cruz and think, no one likes him, he must be nasty, mean, a liar and numerous other things you might have heard, just let me ask you…. aren’t a lot of Christians looked at that way because they stand for principles that the world doesn’t always understand or like?  As Christians, we know, we won’t always be liked.  Anyway, do your homework and get out and vote on March 15, 2016.

On  August 2, 2016, Missouri will have a Primary Election for Governor of the State of Missouri.  I am going to be doing some homework before then and listening to some interviews and I will give you my opinions of who my choice would be sometime before then.  If you would like to listen to interviews, you can go to KSGF to the election tab or Nick Reed show and scroll through his podcasts for the interviews.  There are candidates for other offices also that you should learn about if you choose to exercise your duty to vote.  KSGF will have a sample ballot as soon as it is available.

Now, last but not least in any way, my trip.  Spending time with the kids was wonderful.  Eric and I got to attend a race at our granddaughter’s school.  She ran and came in first among the girls and about 5th overall out of about 80 first graders.  They didn’t give awards, which I think is a mistake.  Kids will do better if they have a goal and a reward that they earn.  Anyway, it was wonderful to get to be there for her school activity.

We also went to the Pensacola Lighthouse Museum on the Naval Base.  The top of the lighthouse is 191 feet above sea level and there are 177 steps up a wrought iron spiral staircase to the top. I have always loved lighthouses and think often about the song we used to sing.  Maybe because of my fear of storms when I was a kid, lighthouses have always seemed like a comfort to me.  We went in and there was a big warning sign about who shouldn’t attempt the climb and I probably fit about 3 or 4 of them.  I wasn’t as worried about the claustrophobic aspect as I was about the physical stamina to make it up there.  Wow!!!!  Eric and my daughter both encouraged me and the princesses’ little face looking down at me from the stairs above was inspirational and I thought, if I get part way up and need to I will just stop.  So about 3 spiral levels from the top and after a few breaks to gather myself, my daughter called out that I was almost there.  I told her I thought I would just start back down.  She told me no, that I would and could do it and I would be so happy when I made it.  So, because I didn’t want to let them all down and I did want to make it, I started saying, in my head, “God has not given me a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” and “I can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me”  and before I knew it, I was at the top.  I stepped outside and took 5 photos.  Promptly turned and started down.  I had done something with the help of family and God that I didn’t think I could do.  His word played the most important role because that is where my strength lies.  The following pictures are from the trip.

Remember this next week to TAKE A STAND for what you know in your heart and soul to be RIGHT and do not compromise for worldly acceptance.  Eternity is worth TAKING A STAND FOR.