Being like Jesus politically

**I tried to back off of politics, and then bad stuff came out on a certain candidate. I was horrified at the defense and the outrageous statements being made by said candidate's supporters, and I let myself be dragged into it again. However, I am seriously going to step back now.... I may have to un-follow some people until this mess of an election is over (already have!)  but I am going to step back. And this post is an attempt to say why.

 I did a series of sorts of ways or areas we should be like Jesus. I haven't done one for a while, and since this has been on my mind lately, I decided to attempt one on being like Jesus politically.

   People love to say what Jesus would and wouldn't do:
Jesus would vote Republican

Jesus would vote Democrat

Jesus wouldn't vote at all

Jesus would....

and on and on

  But what would Jesus be like politically?

   Israel during Jesus' time on earth was under Roman rule. The Jews definitely did not vote in their rulers. Their rulers had come in and taken over the country. I have read stories about how the Romans treated the Jews, and it was bad. It wasn't unusual for them to crucify anyone who dared speak up or attempt an uprising.

  John the Baptist spoke up against Herod for his adultery, but we have no record of Jesus speaking up against Rome or Roman rulers. When asked about paying taxes to Rome, He said to give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God. Other than that, there doesn't seem to be a record of Jesus saying anything about politics or political figures.

 So what would Jesus be like if His earthly ministry was going on today in 2016 America? Would He vote for the party intent on killing babies in the womb because He is pro-life,  or would He vote Democrat because they want to open the borders and liberals say Jesus would be for that? Would He vote for the very corrupt Hillary Clinton, or the corrupt and immoral Trump? Would He be so dedicated to a political party that He would vote for the candidate no matter what they did or said? Would He vote for a third party candidate who doesn't seem corrupt at all, and lines up with Biblical principles, or would He not even vote at all?

  Would He post things on Facebook defending immoral behavior in a candidate? Would He post things on Facebook condemning either candidate for their acts and words? Would He post anything political on Facebook at all........ would He even use Facebook? (He may actually do that one, but sparingly and for only good).

  How would He act towards someone voting differently than Him? Would He call them names and labels for not voting as He thought they should? What would be important to Him in a candidate: morals and character, or keeping our freedoms intact?

  Would He un-friend those who spoke differently about a candidate than He did?

    I am not answering those questions because I don't know for sure (though I do have opinions), and I am not going to be one of those saying "Jesus would" or "Jesus wouldn't" in an attempt to prove my views are correct and someone else's are wrong. I do believe there are Biblical principles to guide us, and I am doing my best to abide by them.

  You may disagree with me on this, but if Jesus was here doing His earthly ministry in 2016 America, I don't believe He'd be paying much attention to the political scene, if at all. He was all about loving people. He'd be doing His thing: healing people, loving people, speaking, and ticking off  the religious leaders. He likely wouldn't register to vote, nor tell people how to vote.

    There is a Christian ministry called Hope for Wholeness. It is for people dealing with unwanted same-sex attractions. I have gone to two of their conferences they have in the summer, and found them helpful and encouraging, and made some new friends. I am in their Facebook groups, and interact and pray for people in those groups. The leader of the ministry has become very pro-Trump and anti-Hillary, and posts some pretty intense political posts on Facebook on his own page.  I messaged him recently and politely pointed out that even though I am against Hillary, he may want to tone it down.. that he may turn away the very people he is wanting to help if they are for her and/or against him. He thanked me, but then posted on his page what I had said (not by name) and said just because he is a ministry leader, it doesn't mean he should be quiet about politics.

   But is he right? What if people are coming to him for help with same-sex attractions, and are turned off by his anti-Hillary comments or his support and defense of Trump, if they are disgusted by him. What if people seeking help with their same-sex attractions walk away from him and his ministry because of him being political?

   I know what you're thinking (well, maybe some of you) ...and you are correct. What if non-Christians are turned off by any of we Christians being political. What if your friend Betty May loves Hillary, and has been watching your life. Election time comes and suddenly you become a raging machine against Hillary. She sees what you say about Hillary and her supporters, and how you act towards them. What will she think of your Christianity then? What if your friend Billy Bob has been watching you and wanting to talk to you about Jesus, but then election time comes and you support and defend things in a man that he finds indefensible. He sees how you act towards,  and what you say to those who don't like your candidate... will he want your religion after the election is over?

  And no, I am not leaving one out. What if Billy Bob or Betty are watching we #nevertrump people? What if they are curious about our Christianity, but see what we say about people supporting Trump, and how we act towards them? Will they want to know our Jesus after the election? Will they think Christians and the church is too concerned about politics, and not enough about people?

 There have been some very vicious things said by Christians on every side this election: pro-Cruz, anti-Cruz, pro-Carson, anti-Carson, anti-Hillary, pro-Hillary, pro-Trump, anti-Trump. What must the world think of we Christians when they see how we act towards each other and towards politicians we don't agree with, or agree with too much?

    If Jesus was posting just like you and I during this election, saying the same things as you and I,  acting the same way as you and I.... how much time would He have to be doing His ministry. How much time would He have left to love and heal people? Would people be following Him everywhere, or would His actions and words during this election time turn them off and they wouldn't want anything to do with Him?

  I admire the Christian leaders who are taking what I believe to be the right stand this election: Max Lucado, Beth Moore, Albert Mohler, and some others. But there are others I admire even more: the people who are leaving politics off of social media. I have friends who post a lot against Hillary, a lot who post a lot against Trump, some who post a lot in support and defense of Trump....... but what if the ones being quiet about politics are the ones being most like Jesus during this election?

  What is more important to us, being like Jesus, winning people to Christ, having people see Jesus in us..... or winning a political argument, shaming those who vote differently than us, and having our candidate win at any cost? Seriously. I don't care if your'e for or against Hillary Clinton, for or against Donald Trump, if you're voting third party or not at all.... if we are putting politics, country, and freedoms above God, then we have made politics, our freedoms, and our country into a god.

  And it would appear that many of us are doing exactly that.

  Yes, it is nauseating to see Christians defend things that we have stood against before this election.
And yes, I am sure it is irritating to have people point out why you should not vote for a candidate.

  But where is Jesus in all of this? Ben Carson said sometimes you have to set your Christian values on hold get the work done.....it would seem too many of us have set our Christian values aside this election, no matter where you stand on either candidate. And Carson is wrong, by the way.. you never set your Christian values on hold.

  We would be better off to not even vote, get the worst candidate the liberals could come up with, yet keep Jesus and our Christian witness; than to be too obsessed with politics and lose friends and turn people off on our Christianity and our Jesus.

 Some day we will stand before God. On that day, it won't matter who won the 2016 election. The Supreme Court, gun rights, or politics won't matter....... but it will matter how we treated people and if we loved.

  How would Jesus be politically? Nothing like we have been this election season.

Walk two

  There are certain Bible verses we like to quote. We all love John 3:16, and with good reason. Another one that is very popular today and more loved than John 3:16 is "judge not". But then there are other verses that we don't tend to quote and forget about. Here are a couple of examples:

Matthew 5: 38-42 38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’[f] 39 But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. 40 If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also. 41 And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two. 42 Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away.

And similarly worded in Luke 6: 27-31 27 “But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you. 29 To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also. And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either. 30 Give to everyone who asks of you. And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back. 31 And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise.

  How often do we think on these verses and apply them to our lives? Most likely the majority of us rarely or never do.

   I can honestly say no one has ever asked me for my coat, or any of my clothes for that matter. Neither has anyone ever asked me to walk a mile with them. I'm not even sure under what circumstances the latter would occur. "Mark, could you walk a mile with me?" "Uh, how about I walk two with you instead....."

 Though this seems mostly geared for our enemies, I am going a different direction that I believe also fits here:

  What if people ask us for other things though. What if they ask us for our time? Wouldn't this Biblical principle apply to that scenario also?

  I had the house to myself for a couple of hours Wednesday evening. Since I had a couple of book reviews I needed to do, I decided to knock them out. Just as I was finishing the last one, I got a message from a friend:

Him: hey Mark!
how are you?

Me: hey bro, good here, How are you?

Him: doing pretty good!

you busy?

Me: nope, was just finishing a book review... it's done 🙂

Him: ok

you have time for a phone call?

if not don't worry about it...

  My friend, who lives several states away, is married with a family. He also deals with the same issue I do.......same-sex attraction. He was away from home for a week, and staying in a motel..... and feeling tempted. I have read that when men spend time in a motel, they are often tempted sexually.... and my friend was. He did the smart thing and reached out. I am sure he could have found someone better than I, but hey, he reached out. :)

  We chatted for about 30-35 minutes, and he thanked me saying I had helped and encouraged him. The feeling was mutual. I promised to pray for him, and hung up. 

 Now I could have done something else. I could have told him I was going to alphabetize my Christmas CDs...... I do have enough to do that, and I had actually done that last weekend. I could have had a book I was going to read, a movie I was going to watch..... but I knew he was alone in a motel room and most likely needed to talk..... plus, he's a cool guy. We chat often on messenger and occasionally on the phone.

  We are too busy. It doesn't take much to encourage someone and be a friend. An email, card, gift card, taking someone out for coffee or lunch, a phone call, or just listen.. but most of us don't have the time, or we don't want to take the time.

 In this day of modern technology and time saving devices, we seem to have less time than ever. We have hurting and lonely people all around us, and we never have time - or sometimes don't want to take the time - to help and encourage someone.

 Someone I follow on Twitter shared this today, and it was another nudge for me to do this blog post:

  And isn't that true?  There are tons of self-help books, but there aren't that many books on helping others....and most of us wouldn't be too interested in that kind of book anyway.

  A lot of us are truly too busy to do much, but we can all do something. There are things that would only take a few minutes, and could make a difference in someone's day, or even in their life. And if we appear too busy and uninterested, we might be the last person someone might consider asking for help if they need it.

 Be there for others, even in small ways, and do more than they ask if they actually ask.

Walk Two

Verse 1

An old friend or a stranger stops you in the street 

Or asked just that you'd  listen to his cares

Jesus said “when you've done it for the least, you've done it for me”

Or could it be an angel unaware?

Chorus:

So if he asks you to walk a mile with him, walk two

If he asks you to lend an ear to him, listen the whole night through

And if he says “please, would you pray?”

Then call his name, night and day

And if he asks you to walk a mile, walk two, walk two

Verse 2

Jesus asked you to intercede for Him at the midnight hour

Or asked just that you'd listen to His voice

It's not always easy to obey or make the sacrifice

And count it an honor that you'd be His choice

Chorus:

So if he asks you to walk a mile with him, walk two

If he asks you to lend an ear to him, listen the whole night through

And if he says “please, would you pray?”

Then call his name, night and day

And if he asks you to walk a mile, walk two, walk two

I don't want to be normal

  I have been working on this post for a few days. It is similar to my blog post I recently posted " Thankful for who I am", but is different enough that I decided to finish it and post it.

   Several years ago, Christian author and speaker Patsy Clairmont wrote a book titled "Normal Is Just a Setting On Your Dryer." I never read the book, but the title always amused me. After all, just what is normal?

    I've been dealing with this "used to be secret" same-sex attractions for years. I prayed and prayed for God to make me "normal", and  I would look around at the guys all around me who I considered normal. It never happened, and I finally accepted this as my cross to bear. Along the way at some point, I realized that even the guys I viewed as normal have struggles. Millions of guys who have never experienced being attracted to another guy have their own struggles and weaknesses.

 I'm not normal, and I am OK with that. I'm not a normal man, and I am also OK with that.

I hate sports - really hate them.

I love to read....and shop.

I like to decorate - just my own place.

I have stuffed animals........for decor. Except a teddy bear - everyone needs one of them (who said it isn't normal for adult men to have a teddy bear anyway?)...a stuffed Toad from the Mario games (gift from my nieces), stuffed Angry Birds (gifts from my nieces and nephews.....)

I cry in movies. I cry in books. I cry during some songs. I cry when I think of this election.....

I'm grossed out by a woman's breasts, but struggle not to look at a scantily clad man.

I can sew a button on, but can't do much more than change a tire and check fluids on a car.....or change brake pads if I really have to.

I play the piano, not something a lot of "normal" guys do.

I'm more vulnerable than "normal" guys, or more than they will admit.

I think superhero movies are cool (Captain America rocks!)

   I am definitely not what people would label a "normal" guy.... but you know what? I wouldn't change that. Sure, there are things I'd like to change some things about me..... I'd like a full head of hair, I'd like to have more talents and skills, I'd rather be thinner.....

   But the other stuff? I am OK with that, even if it makes me abnormal. Being a more sensitive guy is alright with me. Reading seems like such a better use of time than watching a bunch of overpaid guys playing a sport. Even the same-sex attraction thing...... it makes me depend more on God than I would otherwise..... and the idea of marriage sounds like a trap to me...... having to be around someone that much..... ugh. Maybe my cross is a blessing......... :)

  None of us are normal. We tend to fear and avoid those who are different than us. We consider ourselves to be the normal ones, when others may be looking at us and thinking we are weird and abnormal. Many of us lock away parts of us from the world that may not seem normal to them..... but what if what we consider odd are our strengths?

  I have spent so much of my life hating the guy in the mirror, being afraid of what people thought of me, and I am finally coming to realize I am not that bad of a guy. Sure, I can be weird. Sure, I tell jokes a lot of people think are stupid, but that is me.

  There may be a danger of working so hard at being "normal" that we lose ourselves and become someone else, something else.

 Maybe instead of considering ourselves weird or abnormal, we should consider ourselves unique, and embrace that uniqueness.

  I look at where I used to be not that many years ago, and am amazed. I am not longer insecure, shy, thinking no one likes me. I no longer worry about people finding out my struggle. I no longer feel like I have to be like other guys and like the same things they like and be good at the same things they are good at.

 And I no longer worry about being normal. Normal sounds boring, ordinary, like everyone else. Believe me, I am not like everyone else. I am not normal...... and it feels great.

Just call me Nicodemus

  There is a  popular article used to slam and attempt to shame we who are not voting for Donald Trump that drives me crazy. It targets Max Lucado by name, and anyone else who is against Trump and calls us Pharisees. I could come back with a very good response that wouldn't be kind at all, so I will refrain from that. I am going to go a different direction and talk about a Pharisee.

   In the third chapter of John, a Pharisee came by night to visit Jesus. This visit resulted in the most well known of all Bible verses.... well, other than "judge not"..... For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes on Him will not perish but have eternal life.

  One might look at this passage and think Nicodemus a coward. Really, sneaking off to see this man that his buddies wanted to kill...It could be that we judge him too harshly. These religious leaders were very much against Jesus and considered him a blasphemer and troublemaker. It would almost be like a Muslim Iman going to talk to a Christian pastor and expressing interest in his teaching. I had to take a lot of guts to admit he might be wrong, and a even more guts to go through with going to see him. I doubt it was a spur of the moment thing. He may have been thinking about it for days, trying to talk himself into it, and then out of it. We don't know how long it took him to decide to do it, but we know he finally did.

  Nicodemus is only mentioned two other times outside of John 3. In John 9, the Pharisees were asking why Jesus had not been arrested for words He had said. Nicodemus spoke up and pointed out that the law was supposed to give a man a fair hearing before they judged and tried him. That is no coward speaking up. It earned him an accusation of being from Galilee also.

 The other mention of Nicodemus comes after Jesus' crucifixion. If you read the account of the crucifixion, you won't see any mention of the disciples when they took Jesus' body down. Joseph of Arinathea asked for Jesus' body, and Nicodemus came bearing spices to bury Him with and helped bind the body of Jesus and put Him in the tomb.

 The men who openly followed Jesus were not around. They were hiding, while two men who had followed Jesus secretly came out of hiding and pretty much announced to the world that they were followers of Jesus. It would appear these men were also at the crucifixion. They both came through when it mattered. They were faithful when it mattered. While Jesus' disciples were deserting Him and hiding in fear, Nicodemus (and Joseph) were there for their Savior. When Jesus' faithful followers were being not so faithful, Nicodemus came through.

 
   So call me a Pharisee for standing by my principles. Call me a Pharisee for being consistent and opposing the GOP nominee for the same reasons I would oppose him if he was still a Democrat.

   I have not always been faithful. I have been unfaithful for more of my life than I have been faithful, I have tried to serve God out guilt and out of fear of going to hell. I doubted His love for years, and my relationship with Him was shallow at best, if you could call it a relationship.

 That all changed a few years back. I finally came to believe God loves me, and it has changed everything. I am still not perfect and fail God occasionally, but I finally have a relationship with Him and don't serve Him out of the fear of going to hell.

 I've not always had the right attitudes about Trump voters, and I want to be careful how I say what I want to say here... and I am not calling anyone anything.

I would be very careful throwing the Pharisee (the non-Nicodemus kind ) label at people:

If you condemned Bill Clinton, Gary Hart, Anthony Weiner, and other politicians for their moral lapses, but don't condemn Trump.

If you were silent about Trump's treatment of Cruz and Rubio but are offended at what people say about Trump.

If you are against porn, but aren't bothered that Trump and his wife were both in porn

If you are angry that jobs are going out of the country, but ignore the fact that Trump has his clothing line made in other countries.

If you are offended by vulgarity in others, but defend it in Trump

If you say character matters

If you have a problem with liberals furthering gay rights, but not with Trump doing it

If you believe strip clubs are evil, but don't have a problem with Trump having them

If you have more problems with me for not voting for Trump and supposedly voting for Hillary by default, than you do with Trump supporting Hillary and Bill for years and saying she'd make a great president

If you claim to be against women being objectified, abused,  and used by men, but are offended by people bringing up what Trump said about women and has done to women.

If you're pro-life and have no problem with Trump saying the biggest abortion clinic in the country "does a lot of good"

If you think the liberal media is evil for their coverage of Trump, but are fine with the conservative media exposing the same things in liberals.

If you're angry with people posting political posts against Trump, but you post positive things about Trump.

If you claim we need Trump to save guns and the Supreme Court, but are vowing to vote against any Republican who doesn't support Trump

If you have stood up for something right, but oppose those who are doing it in this election

If you're more offended by Trump's faults and moral lapses being pointed out, than by what he actually said and did

If you judge us for being wrong for "judging" Trump

If you are OK with judging Hillary, but not OK with Trump being judged

  I could go on, but you get the point. Now back to Nicodemus....

  What if the #nevertrump Christians ARE doing the right thing? What if we are right to put principles above country and our freedoms? What if we are being more faithful to God by refraining from voting for a man like Trump, than the ones supporting him to stop Hillary Clinton?

 What if we against Trump are like Nicodemus, standing with God and against evil, as all of the other followers desert him, in this case to go after an ungodly immoral man?

 What if it is better to let a person like Hillary become president, than for the church to support a man like Donald Trump just in an attempt to stop her from being president?

   Now I am just asking questions. I am making no statements..... just trying to make a point. People who live in glass houses, should not throw stones.

  So I'll take that pharisee accusation as a compliment. Just call me Nicodemus, one who was faithful when it counted.

**as much as I am against Trump and believe that Christians should not vote for him, I get that not all people voting for him have the same mindset as I have addressed here.

Thankful for who I am

  Thanksgiving is still over a month away, but November may be a crazy month for me with buying a house and moving into it.

   I have always found it way too easy to put myself down. No matter what area of my life it is, I wish I was better in it and feel I am not any good because it isn't something I excel at.

    I had the house to myself for a while this evening, so I went up and sat down at the piano. I didn't start taking piano lessons until I was 17 years old. Maybe it was just because the other kids picked on me already, but I got made fun of a lot by my fellow students at school. A boy taking piano lessons? That was just more fodder for them to pick on me. Now all of these years later, I am so glad that I didn't let them cause me to stop. I took lessons for two years, then stopped when I went to Bible college. I took another year or so later, and at times have wished I had taken more lessons......but I have gotten better without lessons.

   Playing in church makes me nervous, so I try to avoid that. I mostly play for my own amusement, or sometimes when the family is together playing music.

    As I sat at the piano tonight, I played whatever came to my mind. I can read notes, but not as well as I'd like. However, I do play by ear very well. It was kind of a weird combination of styles and genre's that  I played:

Amazing Grace
You Raise Me Up
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
It Is Well
Top of the World
I Will Always Love You
No Other Word for Grace
Redeeming Love
and more

   I'd go from playing a Southern Gospel song to a country song, from a Christmas song to a hymn, playing whatever song came to mind....... or trying to play. Just because one can play music by ear does not mean they can play every song they know. Hearing my mother coming home, I ended my playing......since I was playing some Christmas songs,  she would not be appreciative of hearing them this early......

   I came downstairs and finished reading Tim Tebow's book, Shaken. The subtitle is "Discovering your true identity in the midst of life's storms." Even though I hate football, I admire this guy and it was a great book - not as much about football as finding your identity in Christ and being all you can be for Him, and not trying to be like someone else.

   As I closed the book, my piano playing came to mind. Sure, I wish I could play better than I do, but I play well enough that people have told me they enjoy my playing. I enjoy playing for my own amusement, and though I am not so great at playing music out of a book, unless I am familiar with the song, there are many pianists who play a lot better than I do who can't play without music in front of them. If I had to pick between those two, I'd pick playing bye ear. There is just something about sitting there with no music in front of you and playing pretty much whatever comes to mind.

 I thought on that for a while, and thought about what I have been reading in Tim Tebow's book. I can't flip a switch and change my thinking overnight, but I realized that I can't constantly be putting myself down, wishing that I was better at this or that, or that I had a certain skill, etc. If I constantly wish I was different, better, and like someone else, then I will never truly be who I am...... if that makes sense. (It did in my mind.....)

  So even though Thanksgiving is still a ways off, I am thankful for who I am. The things that comprise Mark Buzard and make me tick. God didn't goof  up when He made me, and it is time I accept and like the me that I am.

Nothing can separate me

  It is not easy to stop long held beliefs. I lived so much of my life believing God didn't love me or even like me, that it is difficult to completely be free from that thinking. I tend to view God in human terms at times, and view Him as vindictive and petty, a God who holds grudges and has a scale of good and bad I do that affects His love and view of me.

  That sounds a bit bizarre, but it is often the way my mind works.

   There is something I have been praying about, a need that is pretty big to me. I bounce back and forth between having faith that God is going to work it out, and fearing that He won't. Lately, I have noticed a trend in my praying and thinking. I seem to have this idea that if I mess up at all, that God isn't going to answer this prayer and is going to weigh my misdeeds and good deeds when considering my request.

   No, I don't believe in a works salvation. I just have a difficult time believing in the love, grace, and mercy of God for me. I get frustrated easily with people over some things, so I tend to think God is the same way with me. "Really, Mark... again? Will you never get it right?" Part of me knows God isn't like that, but old habits are very hard to break.

   I have been reading the latter part of Romans 8 a lot lately. Calvinists like to use it to claim once-saved-always-saved, but that is not what these verses mean. They do mean that nothing can make God stop loving us. We can walk away and stop serving Him, but He will still love us....even me.

 I don't have to be perfect or reach a certain level of Christian maturity for God to love me and answer my prayers. I do have to be obedient and follow Him daily..... but even when I disappoint Him or fail Him, He still loves me, He still has grace and mercy, and will never stop loving me.


35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 As it is written,

"For your sake we are being killed all the day long;
    we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered."

37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.  Romans 8:35-39 (ESV)

November 9, 2016

**Note: this is a political post, but stick with me and read it. I am hoping I can say what is on my heart and mind in an articulate way.

  Most conservatives and Christians in the Republican party would probably agree with me that this has been the most divisive and vicious election that we have seen in our lives. Whether you support Donald Trump or not, if you are 100% honest, you would have to admit he has divided Christians and conservatives in a way that no candidate has ever done in our lifetime.... and perhaps ever.

   A lot has been said on both sides. Both sides have shown more anger and bad attitudes than we should have. But what is going to happen on November 9th when the election results are announced? When the fat lady has sung, what happens then?

  If you support Trump, you will not agree with me on this, but I believe without a shadow of a doubt that Hillary Clinton will beat Donald Trump in a landslide. I won't take the time or space to say why, but I do believe that, and I am not alone in that.

 As things stand now, I can make a few predictions that I don't think anyone could disagree with me on:

Scenario #1 If Hillary does indeed win:

Trump supporters will continue their angry tirades against #nevertrump people and blame us for Hillary winning because we didn't vote for DT.

#nevertrump people will continue their angry tirades against Trump supporters and blame them for Hillary winning because they didn't vote for a conservative candidate. Many of them will say "I told you so."

 Anger and blame will abound on both sides. Friendships will be lost, people will be blocked on social media, and Christians and conservatives will be even more divided than we are now.

Scenario #2 If Trump wins:

Trump supporters will be crowing their victory and many of them will be very obnoxious about it, rubbing it in the faces of those who didn't vote for him. 

#nevertrump people will be angry that DT won and they will be stuck with a guy for president that they view very incapable of leading our country, a man who they despise for his past political affiliations and immoral life. If their predictions turn out true for what kind of president he will be, they will be angrier and "I told you so's" will flow like a river.

Friendships will be ended, and people will be blocked.

  Where is love in all of this? Putting aside who is right or wrong about DT, where is our Christianity, our love for each other, the family of God? Is who becomes president more important than treating each other the way Jesus wants us to? Does politics give us a special right to hold a grudge against those who are not voting the same way as we are?

 I've been too harsh.... I admit it. I am trying to tone it down, and temporarily un-following some people is helping in that area. (did I just admit that in public?!)

  But seriously people, when did who becomes president become so important that we set our Christianity aside and think we are OK to do so?

 Our country and freedoms are at stake, and both sides of the DT issue disagree on the answer and outcome. Yes, we should care who becomes president, but if we are going to resort to grudges, name-calling, shaming, blocking, and everything else we have been doing, we would be better off to ignore politics, not even vote, and leave it in God's hands. We should do the latter anyway, no matter who we are voting for, or if.

 And this post isn't aimed at anyone, or maybe I should say it is aimed at EVERYONE: Trump supporters, Rubio supporters, Cruz supporters, McMullin supporters, #nevertrump people, Hillary supporters, and anyone else.

 When the dust settles and at least half of America and half of conservatives and Christians are unhappy with the results, life will go on. We will all have to deal with whatever the results are, and we will have to live with them.

   But how are we Christians going to act? Will it be more of the same that we have done lately, and worse? Unfortunately, I fear that will be the case. It just shows that we are all putting politics and country before God. It shows that we need a revival, not a political savior. It shows that we all - Trump supporters and #nevertrump people - need more of Jesus and need to love more. It shows that we all need to take a step back and leave it in God's hands. It shows we need to show more grace to those we disagree with and that we need to trust God even for this election and what happens after it.

 And make no mistake, I have not changed my views and feelings on DT. I am still not voting for him - or Hillary. I will still be disgusted at defense of him for certain things, and irritated when people accuse me of voting for Hillary since I can't vote for him, and I am still thoroughly disgusted at this whole election......... but I shall do my best not to add to the vitriol and hatred that is brewing among Christians and conservatives.

 How will we act on November 9th and beyond with those who didn't vote the same way as us? Will we act like Jesus, or will we set aside our Christianity so we can "let them have it"?