AUGUST 31, 2008

I WON'T BE VOTING IN THE 2008 ELECTION!

I don't care about John or Barack, Joe or Sarah. The polls affect me not at all. I voted in many elections. I was faithful in voting...got my little sticker to wear on my lapel each time. Got up early and off to the fire station because I knew I would never make it in time after work.

Campaign speeches were important to me, but not anymore. Sometimes I loved all the hoopla at the conventions, but even there, sometimes I just got sick of it all and turned the TV off. You may not know it, but I once worked to get Barry Goldwater into the White House...I didn't do much, but I did hand out bumper stickers and pins. It was very important to me. I felt that as an American I needed to be involved. At the same time, I admit with chagrin that those years of waving the flag were rather thin on reading the Bible.

But it is different now. Unusual peace has taken the place of patriotism and worry and mental preoccupation over the whole election process. Believe me, though once I was intensely opposed to Hillary and Bill and others like them, I couldn't care less about them and all the rest now. Speaking with the highest form of conviction, I have left America in the hands of Almighty God.

My mind is on other things. Let me name a few. First and foremost, my eyes are fixed upon the Lord Jesus Christ. Second, I am dedicated to worshiping Him with my whole being. And thirdly, after all those years of being emotionally involved with a process of which I had no control, except for one vote, I am taking it easy...physically, mentally and in every other way.

UnAmerican, you say? Yes, most certainly. All my life, and increasingly so as I got older, I have known that my citizenship was somewhere else. I heard about city that has foundations whose Builder and Maker is God and again, as I got more along in years, a longing set in for that place. I loved America once upon a time, but now I love heaven.

The other day, I was talking to Bill, a man that I led to the Lord when he was dying with Multiple Sclerosis. We had a nice chat, but the thing that touched me most was what he said when we hugged goodbye.

"Thank you for your faithfulness in telling me about the Lord Jesus, and especially for that day when you came to talk to me when you heard I was afraid to die. That was the day I prayed to become a Christian. I can never thank you enough."

Elections come and they go. Our guy gets in or he doesn't. A year later we're either happy or sad. Eight years later, we go through it again...we're either sad again or we bounce back. But like the Super Bowl, ten years later, it doesn't matter what happened. Except when you are telling The Story. Then it matters.

I've been gone for two years now...to the day...August 31, 2006 to August 31, 2008. Ike and Richard and Harry...I don't care diddly squat (I used to say that all the time down on earth) about them...I haven't seen any of them yet, but of course, there are a still a lot of people for me to meet. But I am glad about Bill and Mike and Helen and Billy Kumzie and the rest who heard about the cross and Jesus and heaven and hell from my lips.

Thanks for listening. Much love. Ken