Good Morning All & Happy Tuesday (Election Day In America)!
Well, it is indeed another General Election in America today, an every four year civic ritual that we experience as a democratic republic, one of just a handful of nations who are blessed with being a true democratic republic. It’s a privilege to have the right to vote as I wish, as an expression of the power that each private citizen can exercise in order to maintain a government, as President Abraham Lincoln so eloquently put it, “of the people, by the people and for the people.” No matter the outcome of today’s election, as a believer in Jesus Christ, we are asked to submit to civil authority, while at the same time understanding that our ultimate allegiance is to the Creator of the Universe and His eternal Kingdom, not of this world. The pastor of our church fellowship in Spokane recently put it this way and his words are an encouragement not only to we as believers but to anyone searching for the answers to life’s questions:
“On the eve of this election let us keep in mind this exhortation from the Apostle Paul:
“First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior (1 Timothy 2:11-3)
Things are clearly tense and divided in our nation right now and we need to remember to be people of peace and prayer and Godliness. Here are few quotes from an article by Trevin Wax that were passed on to me that I think are very helpful.
“We must remind ourselves that our King is not up for election, that our faith is global not national, and that politics—while important—is not ultimate. In other words, we lift up the prominence of King Jesus in our thinking and demote the politics of this world. We are to engage in the political process out of love for neighbor, not out of fear or anger. We vote, we serve, we participate, but we do so as exiles and sojourners, not as people who pin all our hopes to any party or politician.”
“The church has a grand opportunity: to show a watching world what a community looks like where allegiance to Christ transcends the political differences of the current moment. We can push back against the trend of making nearly everything in life political, and of reducing people to their political views.”
Our God is sovereign and good—Let’s rest in Him together,
Carey Hughes, Pastor Christ The Redeemer Church, Spokane WA (www.christredeemer.com)
Speaking of today’s election, an beloved Australian friend of ours, Peter Hayward, offered an interesting perspective on our country’s current political situation that I thought you might enjoy reading (this from the vantage point of someone who lives “Down Under.”)…If any of you have Australian friends, you know how great a sense of humor they have and the way they look at life is generally more “carefree” than we Americans…we can take a few lessons from them, don’t you think???…
“It is time to bring it in close and give me your thoughts. As the designated “the seer of seers, prognosticator of prognosticators” (if you remember the line for “Groundhog Day”), can you please explain what the USA is up to?
Firsts, can you please let whoever is writing the script for the current Presidential election, that they have already won all the various awards? It is hard to make it all up, but it is a compelling narrative that has even taken over our Australian news. That local view is that we have the best reality TV program in the history of broadcasting.
Second, for the first time, many more sober, serious observers appear genuinely worried about the trajectory of political and community life in the USA. Historically the brilliance of the American system was that it was self-correcting. The inevitable extreme edges of any society were over time tempered by the generous instinctive goodwill of the “middle” stabilized life. But the social media silos, the loss of moderate voices in a sea of outrage and victimhood, has seemingly left the country bereft of a wise, articulate consensus. More telling, the institutional political structures seem creaky and no longer fit for purpose. This is especially so in a time when all answers to life are seen through a political lens. The result is political life is now asked to carry a weight that it was never designed (to carry). The habits and agreed values that regulated personal and community interaction are themselves contested. The reason for this is that there is no longer a capacity to determine what it even means to be human, with everyone’s identity a matter of cultural conditioning mixed with a powerful self-discovery. I could go on, but I won’t.
So, to the point of the e-mail…Give me your best guess as what is going to happen in two weeks. Who wins? Will it be decisive? Will it be a mess of competing lawyers at ten paces in every law court in the land for months to come?
Lastly, as Christians, we have greater confidence in the eternal purposes of God that are good and certain so that you can base your whole life on the Gospel of the risen Lord Jesus Christ…”
Here’s the culinary tip for the day:
Judy & I are always on the hunt for a place that serves an awesome breakfast (or what we call “the ultimate breakfast experience) and we think we found one of the best the other day at Lefevre St. Bakery & Cafe in Medical Lake WA of all places. It’s located at 123 S. Lefevre St. (the main street) in Medical Lake. For those of you unfamiliar with Medical Lake, it’s a bedroom community for Spokane and Fairchild Air Force Base. It’s located just west of Spokane off of I-90 (you’ll see the exit for Medical Lake)—we go through Medical Lake on our way to the Washington State Veterans Cemetery where my dad is buried. It’s in a great looking building and the inside is inviting. The food is “killer,” the wait staff is personable & welcoming; and the service is terrific. What more could you ask? They have an extensive breakfast menu and lots of delicious bakery items from which to choose. Judy had “The Classic” and I choose the “Chicken Biscuit Sandwich.” Those two choices were a great combination (we usually order different items and share). We also included one of their mouth-watering cinnamon rolls. It made for a complete breakfast experience that was sublime, to say the least. You can find out more about them by visiting www.TheBakeryInMedicalLake.com or by calling (509) 299-3843. We’ll definitely be spreading the word about this gem. Check it out…you’ll be glad you did!
Happy Birthday wishes go to former kidnap victim and victim rights advocate Elizabeth Smart, who turns 33 today; actor Dolph Lundgren (he’s one BIG man), who is 63 today; to former New York Giants football great Phil Simms, who is 65 today; to musician Adam Ant, who turns 66 today; to comedian Dennis Miller, who is 67 today; and to actress Kate Capshaw, who turns 68 today. Here’s to all of you on your special day of celebration!
I read in our local newspaper the other day that Ronald Shurer, a Washington State University graduate who earned the nation’s highest military honor in 2018, was laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery last week. During the 2008 battle in Afghanistan’s Shok Valley, Shurer, a Special Forces medic, scaled a mountainside under fire to reach the wounded members of his unit. He was shot in the arm and another bullet hit his helmet. In 2018, as Shurer battled Stage 4 lung cancer, President Trump presented Shurer the Medal of Honor. He died May 14th at 41. Miranda Shurer described her husband as an “unprecedented man.” She said she had recently been telling their sons, Cameron, 12, and Tyler, 9, about her husband’s dedication to his role as a medic. During their first Christmas together as a couple, Ron gave her a big teddy bear. “Sometimes he would use that teddy bear to practice checking for wounds and calling in a helicopter evac. That was pretty adorable,” she said…Here’s to Special Forces medic and husband/father Ronald Shurer, a big reason for us to honor his memory by voting today, don’t you think?
Here is the trivia question for the day:
Q: What is the name of the most expensive photograph ever sold…”Phantom,” “Migrant Mother,” “Morning on the Danube,” or “Tank Man?”
A: In 2016, an anonymous buyer purchased Australian photographer Peter Lik’s black-and-white image titled “Phantom” for an unprecedented $6.1 million. The photo was taken in Arizona’s Antelope Canyon, and shows a shaft of light penetrating the slot canyon. The image sale beat out the previous record holder, “Rhein II” which sold for $4.3 million in 2011.
With election anxiety in the air, especially today, I thought I would end this day’s “Thoughts For The Day From Papa ‘a” with words from one of my favorite Christian songs “I Know Who Holds Tomorrow”…
“I don’t know about tomorrow…I just live from day to day
I don’t borrow from the sunshine…For the skies they turn to grey.
I don’t worry for the future…For I know what Jesus said
And today I’ll walk beside him…For he’s what lies ahead.
Many things about tomorrow…I don’t seem to understand
But I know who hold tomorrow…And I know who holds my hand.
Every step is getting brighter…As the golden stairs I climb
Every burden’s getting lighter…Every cloud is silver-lined.
There the sun is always shining…There no tear will ever dim the eye
At the ending of the rainbow…Where the mountains touch the sky.
Many things about tomorrow…I don’t seem to understand
But I know who holds tomorrow…And I know who holds my hand.”
Alison Krauss & The Cox Family, “I Know Who Holds Tomorrow”
Here’s to a great Election Day in America & lots of love and good wishes always!
Press on,
Papa ‘a (Dad, Uncle Mark, Mark, etc.)