Southwest Missouri has long been known to be a more conservative area politically.  We are kind of no nonsense people and we don’t want slicksters messing with our communities.  This past wee…

Source: Outside Influences

Southwest Missouri has long been known to be a more conservative area politically.  We are kind of no nonsense people and we don’t want slicksters messing with our communities.  This past week we once again found ourselves out voted by the bigger and more liberal St. Louis and Kansas City.  We also were treated to a group coming out of St. Louis to place a satanic group in a public school in Springfield.  It amazes me that in such a big state we can’t just all agree to live in the parts of the state that suit us and let the other parts live the way their communities want to.  I want to just take a quick look at these two situations.

First the election, mainly the governor’s race.  We now have a Democrat running on the Republican side.  Greene County overwhelmingly went for John Brunner, however St. Louis and Kansas City and a few other liberal counties I am sure, went for Greitens.  So now our Republican candidate has lived most of his life as a Democrat.  While I am grateful for his willingness to serve in the military, I don’t like his style and his actions in running for office and I wish we would have picked a CONSERVATIVE.  Oh well, at least Greene County did the “right” thing.

Secondly, the group Satanic Temple of St Louis, has asked the Springfield School Board to approve their after school group. There is some question as to their motive however their name seems to indicate a satanism theme and the leader, Nikki Moungo, has said that it will look like any other club with arts and crafts.  Though she also said,  “obviously we will be teaching them the tenets that we, as adults, have chosen to live by”.  Now there is some  speculation that they are an atheist group looking to infiltrate and get Christian clubs, such as the Good News Club, removed from schools.  Because of the world we live in these things will become a more frequent issue.  I would just say whether they are atheist or satanists, we should remember to hold this group in prayer, that God will turn their hearts to him.  We should pray over our children any time we send them out into this world and tell them about the power in the name of Jesus.  I think Nikki Moungo requires some very fervent prayers to be said to bind the powers of darkness of this world from being spread by her and her group.  Our best form of action is speaking out publicly against these clubs, but even better is PRAYER for OUR COMMUNITY.

As time goes and more and more people move into Southwest Missouri it will continue to diversify.  I don’t really like it, but that’s what we see.

If your child is in a public school, there may be a time that requires you and your child to TAKE A STAND for JESUS, publicly.  Prepare yourself by reading the Word and Praying constantly.

Here’s a couple of pictures on our way home from Virginia.

Thanks for reading.  God Bless.

Next week we will be having a primary election for state offices.  Here are my choices: Some of these will have districts or wards that may be different than mine. My choices are from the Greene Co…

Source: My State Primary Choices

Next week we will be having a primary election for state offices.  Here are my choices:

Some of these will have districts or wards that may be different than mine.

My choices are from the Greene County Republican Ballot.  You can find copies of these on KSGF or KY3 sites.

United State Senator:  Roy Blunt

Governor:  John Brunner

Lieutenant Governor:  Mike Parson

Secretary of State:  John (Jay) Ashcroft

State Treasurer:  Eric Schmitt (no competitor)

Attorney General: Josh Hawley

United States Rep in Congress 7th district: Matt Canovi

State Rep 130th District:  Jeff Messenger (no competitor)

Greene County Commissioner District 1:  Harold K Bengsch

Greene County Sheriff:  Jim Arnott ( nocompetitor)

Greene County Assessor:  Rick Kessinger

Greene County Treasurer: Justin Hill (no competitor)

Public Administrator:  Lee Ann Walker (no competitor)

There may be other issues in your area.  You can look it up and find out.

I didn’t go into a lot of detail but I have done some research on my own to decide who I wanted to vote for.  Pray over your decisions.

I had written a long blog earlier today and could not get it to publish.  I am now glad because after rethinking it my thoughts would have come across as angry, bitter and condemning.  My last thought on the elections for now is that no matter who my friends and family vote for, I REFUSE to let it cause divisions.  We all have to make our own decisions and I am well aware of what a hard election season this is.  God Bless you all and thank you so much for reading.

Coming in the next few weeks I am hoping to share more stories with you of times that have made an impact on me.

Times are crazy and sometimes it’s hard to tell good from evil, just remember deep in  your core, you know right from wrong.  If someone tries to convince you otherwise Take a Stand firmly on the sight of good and right.

Thanks for reading!

These are pictures of a vintage suitcase project I did for Erica, Alana and Alana’s doll Angelina.  It was a fun project and fairly easy.  Luggage with personality!!

I have waited awhile between postings because of wanting to see what happened at the RNC Convention held last week in Cleveland.  I believe God worked things out for me to be in Virginia Beach, VA visiting my daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter while the convention was happening so that I was very busy and distracted.  It would not have been healthy for me to watch what I see as the destruction of the Republican party that I have been a part of.   I have just reached the  realization that I don’t fit with people who think that whatever candidate has an R by their name is who I need to vote for.  I intend to vote my conscience.

Ok, allow me to address the Ted Cruz non-endorsement of Donald Trump.  I totally support his decision not to endorse a man that attacked his wife and father in a personal way.  I am sure that most of us have enough family loyalty that we wouldn’t just let that slide, especially without an apology.  Please don’t insult me by trying to tell me that Cruz attacked first, if so, he would be in jail for consulting with a PAC.  Trump knows it’s a lie every time he says it.  I watched Trump the day after HE WON THE REPUBLICAN NOMINATION FOR PRESIDENT.  Who did he attack and talk about for the majority of a press conference?  Ted Cruz, not Hillary Clinton or  Bernie Sanders.  Why?  Because Cruz got under his skin by telling voters to vote their conscience.  He didn’t say what that means but by the reaction of the public and the attendees and Trump supporters they obviously think that means voting your conscience is not voting for Trump.  I didn’t see it that way.  I am disappointed to not have the opportunity to vote for Cruz for President, however, I see that wasn’t in God’s plan. He gave us a choice and we once again threw it in His face.  Now what do I do?

The definition of conscience is: one’s moral sensibilities or scruples. I took this definition from the Life Application Study Bible.  I looked into scriptures about conscience and the one (there are several) that spoke to what I am trying to say is a sentence from Paul when giving a defense of his actions in Acts 24:16.  He said, “So I strive always to keep my conscience clear before God and man”.  This is what I try to do in my decisions and actions.  I would like for man to approve, however the most important is the peace I have when I feel I have followed the will of God for my life.  It’s wonderful that each of us can have a personal relationship with God and feel the peace when decisions are made according to the principles God gives us to live by.

When Moses was overwhelmed and could no longer settle all the disputes of the people God told him in Deuteronomy 1 to chose some wise, understanding and respected men from each tribe to set over the people.  This verse shows some great qualities to look for in a leader. ” They are wisdom, understanding and respect.  Not the ones we often use nowadays such as good looks, wealth, popularity or willingness to do whatever it takes to win.” (taken from the Life Application Study Bible)  I think these are some really good characteristics.  So if we use these let’s compare the two main candidates, Donald Trump for Republicans and Hillary Clinton for Democrats with these criteria.

Wise or wisdom:  Hillary Clinton will at times tell you she is competent to lead this country and has far superior knowledge to Trump.  At other times, she says she doesn’t even know how emails work or how to tell if a document is classified or not.  Donald Trump is successful in business, however is he wise?  His choice to attack others and talk endlessly about polls and his numbers doesn’t show wisdom.  He has said some fairly dangerous and outrageous things that as our president could put lives in danger.  I won’t take time to list them.

Understanding:  Hillary can appear to be very understanding of others problems and will reassure them that the government can help them. However, for the mothers and families of the Bengahzi victims, she lied directly to their face on the day they met at the hanger for the caskets to be claimed.  As for understanding issues important to our country’s security………I have one word, Benghazi.  Either she doesn’t understand the threat of Islamic terrorism or she just doesn’t care.  Unfortunately, I think she may have just not taken the situation seriously enough.  Donald Trump has done some charitable things which are endlessly pointed out by the religious leaders to humanize him.  Giving money and truly understanding the “normal” people isn’t the same thing.  As for if he  understands foreign policy, Christian Conservatives, the importance of the Constitution and that not every one will agree with him on everything, he appears to  lack understanding.

Respect:  Hillary has respect from very few.  She is not liked and has not earned respect because she is corrupt and dishonest.  The only respect that she has is from feminists that want a woman president.    In all her actions she is untrustworthy.  Donald Trump would say people respect him.  He DEMANDS respect from those who want to hang around him.  He must be called Mr. Trump as a sign of respect.  I do not respect this man.  He hasn’t earned respect from me.  He has built a lot of large buildings and been successful monetarily and has a scary amount of power.  Would I classify him as worthy of respect of  a President?  No , to me  his actions are those of a narcissistic bully in the school yard.

So if these are our choices, in my opinion, I cannot at this point support either one.  I wouldn’t allow my children to act like Trump in public.  I cannot support a person that I cannot trust to handle problems without throwing a temper tantrum.  Donald Trump isn’t a man of his word.  He changes positions and promises every day.  I cannot vote for him, unless in my prayer and seeking God’s face on this I receive peace to do so.  I know many evangelical and religious leaders have come out supporting Donald Trump and that is fine for them.  My vote is between me and God.  I hold no man in higher regard than God.

I also would never vote for Hillary.  I think that’s enough said on that.

So who will I vote for?  I am not sure.  My plan will be to pray until November and where God leads. Possibly a write-in ( I’m not sure who) or vote the down ticket and not presidential.  I will be praying sincerely for my personal answer and encourage you all to pray and let God lead your conscience.

In the past week, since the convention, I went back and watched some of the key speeches. I was not at all comfortable with the way Christian conservatives were represented.  I hated the part of Trump’s speech where he threw a bone to the Evangelicals because it was on the teleprompter.  This was after he had said he doesn’t need Cruz’s support or the evangelical vote.  I am not as comfortable as some in just taking the word of religious leaders that he has been saved.  I want to hear Donald Trump renounce his statement that he has never needed God’s forgiveness.  I pray for him and I hope that it is true and there has been a transformation, at this point, I see no fruit or behavioral changes.  I don’t expect perfection and God forgive me if I am judging to harshly, however, MOST people, when they are first saved, have a desire to share it with the world and a humbleness that is reflected in their actions.

One last word about all the accusatory vote bullying going on, I am done with it.  I have spent the last year of my life watching all these campaigns, c-span, listening to everything possible to know as much as I can about the issues, how the process works, the little tricks going on behind the scenes and the history of the candidates.  I am a Christian Constitutionalist Conservative  and I will not compromise on those principles laid out in the Bible and Constitution of the United States of America for no one.  God is my leader and while I live by the laws of the land, I do not believe God expects me to elect the lesser of two evils.  It is still evil.  I know the consequences are that Hillary may win and nominate Supreme Court Justices.  I also know that I serve the One True Living God that can move mountains, that cause peoples hearts to change, that can heal the sick and raise the dead. Though there is no guarantee what will happen to the United States under these two people, I know that God will sustain His children and He will protect my family if I honor Him and stand for what I know to be right.

I know this is long and I apologize for that, however, I feel I wanted to put this out.   I hope that when praying for this election we pray for peace and unity.  That we pray for Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton to turn to God, and that America will once again bow on it’s knees before God and pray for healing of our country.

Tomorrow I am going to do a blog of random election tidbits that have been piling up and I want to get them out so that I can just let this all go.  Also, there is a primar election coming up next week in Missouri for state offices.  I will be doing a blog on that on Thursday.  Then I hope to use my blog for some things that are more inspiring than politics and elections.

Thanks for reading.  No matter what your decision on voting, line it up Biblically and then TAKE A STAND!!!

This past Tuesday, my sister, Tamara and I joined about 7,000 other concerned American citizens at a rally with Franklin Graham on the steps of the Missouri Capitol Building in Jefferson City.  It was a very rainy trip up to Jefferson City and the weather stayed rainy and cool for the whole rally.  The colors of the umbrellas  were like a rainbow and the joy of seeing so many citizens willing to stand in the cold rain to join in prayer for our country was very inspiring.  The United States of America is in moral decay and it can be traced back to the removal of prayer from our schoolhouses.

When you remove God from public view, you lose the opportunity to share the gospel of love with people who won’t otherwise hear it.  When you remove the Ten Commandments and any mention of God from our public buildings of government, schools and the public displays of honor there is no moral standard to strive to achieve.  We have dishonored God in our country and we are in danger of incurring God’s wrath and judgement.

It was very encouraging and offered hope as we stood in the rain  with thousands singing, “Lord, I lift your name on high…..”  as the service began.  To stand on the Missouri Capitol lawn singing, “How Great Thou Art”, not only with Christian brothers and sisters but with my beautiful sister and share such a special time together.  Unfortunately, Debby couldn’t go with us, but her heart was definitely there.

Franklin Graham took to the stage to give a very inspirational message about praying for our country and doing our civic duty to vote, so that Christian’s (GOD) has a voice in the political realm of our country.  At the beginning of this election season, Franklin decided that his role would be to bring Christians together in prayer for our country.  In the last few months he has been to 23 or 24 states and has rallies scheduled in all the rest of the 50 states.

After a short sermon about being an example to those around us and remaining involved and after a prayer with everyone praying aloud confessing the sins of our country and repenting for those sins, Mr. Graham gave the chance to those who were unsaved to become a Christian.

Before finishing up, Mr. Graham asked everyone to sign the pledge he has on his website, Decision America Tour 2016.  You can go to that site and sign the following pledge:

What I came away with from the rally was as Christians sitting on the sidelines is not an option any longer.  We need to be out in the public with our faith, our positions on issues and we must not hide our light from those around us.  We are called to preach the gospel, to be fishers of men and to spread the message to turn from evil and run to God and His salvation. We left the rally singing “God Bless America” as we walked the sidewalks on our way back to our vehicles.

As we choose what to do with our votes this year, we must realize that we must work that out with God.  One way God leads us in this is through His word.  The Biblical principles are an excellent guideline.  Biblical principles and morals don’t change with the times, they are consistent throughout and we should use them as a standard for morality and trustworthiness today.  If you don’t have a candidate that fits those principles then I’d be in serious prayer about what to do.  We have until November before we vote and we must continue to pray for guidance.  See what rules are in your state.  If you can write in, that’s another option.

Your vote is your vote and you cannot be pushed into voting for someone who represents non-biblical, un-Christian ideas.  Supporting a candidate or voting for a candidate is an approval of that person’s leadership.  In voting for a candidate you are condoning and endorsing their plans and their words.  That is why you must pray and ask God to give you peace in your vote.  Do not feel bullied or pressured by a church or religious leaders or media or friends or family or a political party to vote if you don’t feel peaceful about it.  Don’t go against where you feel GOD is leading YOU.  You have a personal relationship with Him and He will speak directly to you.  Listen for His guidance.

Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. 1 Corinthians 16:13

One more thing to think about this week is, who do you influence?  Each person has a sphere of influence.  Your sphere may include church, work, community, and most importantly your home.  In that sphere, people respect your words and ideas.  They may look to you for advise and guidance.  As a Christian, your example should proclaim God’s word as the final authority on how to deal with issues.  You are not less important than your minister.  Your example is important.  This week, think about where you can Take An Unapologetic Stand for God and His principles.  Take a Stand wherever possible for God and He will give you the strength and knowledge you need.

Here are a few photos from the rally:

I also found this in a little booklet at home and wanted to share it with you all.

Have a wonderful week.

All I have seen teaches me to trust the Creator for all I have not seen.  Ralph Waldo Emerson

I have been trying since Tuesday night to decide what I want to say about Ted Cruz dropping out of the Presidential race.  I have been asked by some people what I think because they know I do this …

Source: My Prayer: God Save America

I have been trying since Tuesday night to decide what I want to say about Ted Cruz dropping out of the Presidential race.  I have been asked by some people what I think because they know I do this blog and post on Facebook about the race.  I am a proud supporter of Ted Cruz.  I didn’t support him because of his personality or because I thought he was a perfect Christian or man.  I didn’t support him because he was the only alternative to Donald Trump.  I supported him because since 2008 when this country and a whole lot of Christians fell for the Obama line of hope and change, I have been praying for  God to give us a Christian Conservative who loves the Constitution of the United States and would uphold his pledge to protect and defend that Constitution.  At first I wasn’t sure because there were other choices such as Huckabee, Carson, Rubio, Perry, and Walker that were also known as Christians and most of them have been fairly conservative with the exception of Huckabee whose policies as governor of Arkansas ran to the side of big government more often than not.

So I began praying and trying to figure out which candidate I would support.  Which one closely aligned with my faith and which one could I trust (as much as anyone can trust someone who is running for office)?  One day I was watching a rally of Cruz’s and I have to admit up to that point I really wasn’t that interested in supporting him.  He didn’t seem to be able to lighten up and he seemed very serious.  I knew from watching for years that he had bucked the establishment any time they tried to grow government or to take powers that weren’t theirs in the Constitution but he just wasn’t EXCITING.  However, as I watched this rally, I felt God was speaking to me.  He was impressing on me that this was the man to protect and defend the religious freedoms in our Constitution.  I felt that this was our chance to do the right thing and elect a man who can explain to you his moment of salvation through Jesus Christ and can explain to you that he has always known the importance of protecting the unborn.  A man who was raised memorizing the Constitution and Bible verses.  A man who has fought in front of the Supreme Court on several cases  defending life, our right to bear arms and others.  He also argued for the right of a veteran’s memorial to keep a cross at their memorial.  Like I said, no man is perfect but there was a man who was easy for a person whose faith informs my decisions to support and I know God led me in that direction.

This next part is difficult for me to write and I have tried to get around it in every way I know possible, however, I feel in my heart that God has given it to me to share.  When Christians have a choice between good and evil, right and wrong, black and white, hot or cold,  you know that it is a choice between two.  We can’t ride a fence.  The scripture that we all know is Revelation 3:15-16, “I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.  So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of my mouth.” In looking at this race, I felt that it was a time when God would give us 2 VERY CLEAR choices.  We wouldn’t have to guess where each person stood and then America would choose God or once again turn away from him toward godlessness.

To me I saw this as either happening in the general election in a Hillary Clinton versus Ted Cruz match up.  I mean, what could be a clearer choice?  We all know what both of these people stand for.  But, I was wrong.  The choice was actually given to us in the primary election on the Republican side.  You all can dislike me or what I am saying, but I am TAKING A STAND and saying now, our choice was between Cruz , a conservative Christian and Trump a man who says he needs no forgiveness, even from God because he’s done nothing to ask forgiveness for.  As a Christian, how can that in itself not be a clear choice.  Then add in the stances on issues by these men.  Cruz, pro-life his entire life, no exceptions.  Trump, pro-abortion, even partial birth for many years and still to this day would fund planned parenthood and make exceptions.   Cruz on the Supreme Court says he would pick a strict Constitutionalist while Trump has said, when first asked, his sister who is pro gay marriage and pro choice.  After his “advisers” told him that wasn’t good, he changes to someone in the vein of Scalia.  On the moral issues, even to the bathroom issue for transgenders, Cruz has said, no grown men in the girls bathrooms while Trump says, everyone should use the one they feel they should.

I could go on and on with this, however, I am actually pretty tired of trying to point this out.  Even today, after Cruz is out and now “miraculously” Kasich is out, Trump has started changing positions.  On the minimum wage, he now thinks it should maybe even be more than $15 and hour.  As a small business owner who tries to be very good to our employees, I can tell you that any law that caused us to have to pay that high of a minimum wage would certainly keep us from hiring new employees and probably would cause a layoff of non-salary workers…such as part time jobs for students, teenagers or even elderly needing some extra work.  Trump also changed from self-funding to now accepting public money and fundraising.  That was one of the things people loved about him, “He can’t be bought”.  He hired a Democrat donor from Goldman Sachs to head up his finance committee.  ETC……………………………….

To finish my point on the choice that was given to us, I believe that America has chosen and I believe we chose judgement.  If there had been no clear choice, if all the men had not been Christians, that would be different.  But there was a clear choice and because we chose to ignore the man who spoke of honoring God for a man who has now said he doesn’t need the conservatives and don’t want our votes anyway, we once again pushed God out of the process. There is very little choice between Hillary and Trump, although,  the media, establishment GOP, political leaders and religious leaders have worked really hard and convinced even some of the most staunch religious people that the only choice we really had was between Hillary (evil) and Trump (good).  That is a lie and although I know it’s tough to say this, I believe people have been led astray by religious men for their own purposes.

The night before Cruz dropped out, I felt I should delete my twitter account.  I now know why.  I would’ve said things in anger that would have been mean and hurtful and would not have reflected good on God.  As a matter of fact I know I would have sinned in my anger.  My passion for this country is strong, but not for the reason most people think.  Yes, I love America and am very proud when we are a “shining city on a hill”, but it is far more than that.  I know that God gave us this country, a safe place for His children to be able to worship and share the gospel without fear of governmental punishment.  My heart longs to have many more years to win souls to God, to give more and more people the opportunity to experience God’s love.  I had hoped that God would give us more time to prepare others for eternal life with him.

Now, am I saying that I know FOR SURE what God has in store for our country?  I would never presume to know what God’s plans are.  We can read the Bible and see signs of the times, but God is a merciful, loving God and I believe that if we will begin honoring him and humbling ourselves and pray for this land, he can heal it.  I am praying that we will get another chance to show him that when given a choice we, especially Christians, when given an obvious choice according to Biblical principles, will choose Him.

Oh yes, there is one more thing I want to address.  There are many articles online and Facebook posts and new reports telling Republicans that we HAVE TO vote Trump or that means we vote for Hillary.  Mike Huckabee said that if we won’t support Trump that we should just leave the Republican party.  A person on Facebook shared a post by a girl named, Charlotte that was trying to scare all the Cruz supporters that if you didn’t vote for Trump we will lose the Supreme Court.  To Charlotte, I say, I did my part to secure the Supreme Court by voting for Ted Cruz.  Your vile page full is full of vulgarity and disgusting posts and yet I am supposed to look to you to tell me who I have to vote for?  I think not.

I do not know who I will vote for.  At this point I will say, of course I would never vote for Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders (a socialist).  I can also say that I will not vote for Trump.  If anybody wants to browbeat me for that, feel free.  I will work that out between me and God.  It is only May and we have until November to see what happens.  I don’t know what tomorrow holds but I know who holds tomorrow and no weapon formed against me will prosper so after years of living a life shrouded in fear, I will not make a choice out of fear.

I know this is long and isn’t a pleasant blog.  I hope it doesn’t cause anyone to feel that I  am angry at them.  We all have a vote and we all have to work it out with God.   A lot of people voted for Trump because they were angry with our system, but we know that most decisions made in anger come back to haunt us.

Find a way and Take A Stand for God this week.  Thanks for reading!

These past two weeks have been sort of a reflecting time for me.  Looking back at what I’ve done over the last few years and all the “stuff” I’ve accumulated was eye opening.  Looking through our storage room, I found box after box of “stuff” that at the time it was acquired held a lot of importance to me.  Now, the majority of the stuff holds very little value to me and has no usefulness at this point in my life.  Therefore, I have been purging the stuff from my house to simplify life.

While going through the process of purging the unnecessary items from my house, it becomes a time of soul searching and spiritual purging also.  The emotions, attitudes and ideas that accompany stages of our lives can weigh down our faith and can distract us from our day to day relationship with God that is the very foundation of our life. No man can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one , and love the other; or else he will hold to the one and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon (money/stuff) Luke 16:13.  I find that stuff doesn’t matter and I have no attachment to most of the material items in my house and my “old ways” of serving and worshiping need to be replaced with a new dedication to study and prayer time.  God is so patient with us all and I am so grateful for His mercy.

My physical home is becoming less cluttered and I am going to be focusing on new attitudes and ways that God  wants to use me and my heart and life.  In all things I trust God completely and focus on this verse that is over our office door.

This is the time for next year’s High School Seniors to plan their senior picture sessions.  I would love the chance to do some sessions because these are my favorite because every person is different because we can focus on the PERSONALITY of the senior.  It’s so much fun to plan and come up with unique ideas.  Here’s what I am offering:

2 hour session

2 locations (your choice locally)

2 outfits

props that represent your interest, sports, activities are welcome

You will receive 30 fully edited photos on digital storage with release for printing.

(I do not print to keep the cost down.)

My Price for this session is $150.00

call me or text 417-619-2744 or 417-866-6246 to schedule a session

Here’s some samples of my Senior Photos

TAKE A STAND TO HELP SOMEONE IN SOME WAY THIS WEEK!!!

Have a great week.

Last night I spent a lot of time on social media commenting on FB stories and tweeting on twitter posts about the election.  There’s much misinformation out there and I wanted to add my opinion to the mix.  All in all, I don’t pander or mince words, but I try not to be insulting in a personal way.  However, I know last night I was very straight forward on a couple of posts.  Here’s a devotional I missed reading yesterday that caused me to pause and rethink my approach.

I pray for God’s help that in stating an opinion or trying to shed light on this election process that I will be helpful, not harmful.  That while speaking my opinion on the media, candidates and our overall country that I will cause people to stop and contemplate rather than tune me out.

Over the last 15 years or so  I have been a truly devoted 24/7 viewer of Fox News.  At time it drove my family nuts with it’s constant presence in our home.  It is with much regret that I have now turned it off.  The regret is because for anyone who has been a stay at home parent or who spends a lot of time alone at home, your “TV noise” becomes like a friend to you.  I have turned Fox News off because of a lack of credibility in this election process.  Although there is a definite bias and cheering of Trump constantly, this isn’t the main problem.  Even worse than being Trumpeteers, they are being irresponsible and dangerously inciting their viewers.  The issue of HOW election process works is something that goes to the very fiber of our country.  To have a channel full of hosts that have represented themselves as friendly to conservative principles betray the constitutional conservative value of our Republic by endorsing changes to our system of governing by removing the emphasis on states rights is disgraceful.  Some of the worst examples are hosts such as Sean Hannity, Eric Bolling, the crew of Fox and Friends, the Outnumbered women, and Bill O’reilly.  Now even Megyn Kelly is softening her attitude toward a Trump candidacy after facing, literally, threats to her well-being by his campaign.

The election process is not a secret.  If you are a responsible voter, I challenge you to learn about it. Use your computer or go to an actual library and LEARN.  It is each voters’ INDIVIDUAL RESPONSIBILITY to know the process and to not buy into the anger being riled up by a media that couldn’t care less about the foundation of our country being saved and strengthened.  Fox News is a dangerous propaganda tool that will have blood on their hands if there is violence at a contested convention in Cleveland.  With their irresponsible rhetoric and hosts, they are causing Americans to think they are being cheated.  There is a political process that is playing out right now and that is NOT NEW and Fox News knows that.

Having said all that, part of the narrative is now going to be that Cruz has no way to win. That is SIMPLY NOT TRUE.  He may not be able to win before a contested convention, although, as I pray to God for a righteous man, I have faith that He can cause anything to happen.

Look at Trump and Cruz.  If, as Christians, we pray and ask God to send us a righteous leader and we have these two choices before us, does one fit the righteous description more than the other?  I believe so.  While Ted Cruz may be the person I believe God has given us for this time, I put NO FAITH in the MAN to heal our land.  ONLY GOD can heal our land through willing vessels.

One of the candidates, Trump, boasts of his wealth and accomplishments achieved by any means available to use.  The other candidate, Cruz, in a speech last night encouraged “we the people” that we don’t need him if as a people we join together to preserve this wonderful gift of America we’ve been given.  The scripture in Proverbs 16:8 says that “Better is a little with righteousness than great revenues without right”.

Donald Trump has denied needing God’s forgiveness and said this past week that his favorite Bible passage is “an eye for and eye”.  Ted Cruz can tell you his salvation experience and his need for daily forgiveness and leadership.  Which man do you, as a Christian, trust to follow God’s direction.

Proverbs 15:18 says, “A wrathful man stirreth up strife, but he that is slow to anger appeaseth strife”.  Most Trump supporters are angry that they have been cheated and mistreated.  Ted Cruz supporters mainly say they are concerned for the future of America and our Constitution.

So on a day when the world tells us that we should accept an election between two of the same, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump who have both been Democrats for years, I saw this scripture reference twice in one hour, by different sources and I thought hmmmm…. that seems important.  What I saw was:  “For no word from God will ever fail” Luke 1:37. Another version of that verse more widely known is: “For with God nothing shall be impossible”.  Either version rings true that God will keep the promise of 2 Chronicles 7:14, “If my people who are called by name shall humble themselves pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways: then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land”.

So many people have said that Ted Cruz is unlikeable that people wouldn’t support him, well if he is what he professes then God will help him find favor even with those who don’t like him.  In Proverbs 16:7 scripture says that, “When a man’s ways please the Lord, He maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.

This week I suggest we TAKE A STAND.  If you believe in a certain candidate, put it out there.  It’s easy to sit back and wait to see what happens.  If you believe in a candidate vow to pray daily for that candidate and for our country.  Pray for America to become humble, to acknowledge God in public places, to stop killing our unborn and to stand unashamedly with Israel.  Take a stand for the sake of our religious liberties in this country and express your belief that only God can heal this land.

I want to thank my Heavenly Father for knowing the heart of a worried mom and Mema and giving me comfort.  He heard all the prayers and has placed Erica and her family in a safe neighborhood and school.  That is a comfort to Eric and I since we are far away from them.  Thank God for his blessings on our family.

TAKE A STAND this week and have a great one!