Black Friday

Ok, so I’ve never been into the whole Black Friday thing, partly, because I don’t enjoy shopping in general. I am all about great deals, but I firmly believe it does not require me to be involved in such a ridiculous practice. I have no problem with crowds, I love NYC. I do have issues with determined shopping crowds though. I know my view is not the American norm, thus the existence of Black Friday. However, my view is strengthened when I see the news at the end of Black Friday each year. I understand anything of large scale carries some incidents. I guess in perspective the incidents are a low percentage, but what discount is worth a person being trampled to death in Wal-Mart? What bargain brings value to two dying in a shooting? Both incidents were reported in today’s news. So, I say to the tradition of Black Friday, “No thanks.”

Worship

"Then the temple of the Lord was filled with a cloud, and the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the temple of God. (II Chronicles 5:13b-14)"

No service, but I’m sure worship was not lost. We express worship in many ways, but this verse had me wondering when I last was brought to stillness from the overwhelming awe of Who God is. Consider: a loved one delivering a eulogy often pauses to hold back tears or a parent unable to express the grandness of their love for the sleeping newborn they rock. The moments are so real to the heart that a form of expression becomes impossible to find and so we pause. The last moment I recall not being able to find an expression other than my quiet and amazed heart for God was a few months ago when I was sitting on a dock surrounded by the night. Overwhelmed, I sat in silence and just recognized. I knew in my heart it was an amazing moment of worship and words would only cheapen my heart’s cry.

What moment has ceased your outward expression? I would love to hear the testimonies of others’ awe.

Campaign Trail (Part 2)

Campaigning is over and I’m glad. Election Day began with waking up at 5 AM and standing until the polls closed at a voting location. The locations became packed out well before voting opened. I was drained by the end of it. I had spent the previous days finishing door to door promotions and I now know this city better than ever before. We also had to relocate the majority of the promotional signs to the precincts the night before. My legs didn’t want to allow me to stand anymore by the close of Tuesday.

I did enjoy meeting other candidates of other positions and talking with people I had voted for. It’s encouraging to really enjoy the company of the people you vote for and it’s great to connect on a more personable level with those that you share values and issues with.

The funniest vote he got was from a woman that walked out and pointed to the sign my dad was holding and said she voted for her. My dad informed her he was Pat and the woman said, “What?! I was only voting for women!”

The results (3 positions to fill):
Pat Bentley…26.15% (4089 votes)
Stephany Eley…24.57 % (3842)
Bill Mettrick…26.44% (4134)
Damian Wilson…22.84% (3571)

Verse for Thought

"Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and joy in his dwelling place. (I Chronicles 16:27)"

Is my walk with God leaving me in awe of His splendor and majesty? I believe it’s easy to become casual in the walk and drift to numbness toward these attributes. Is my walk with God filling me with the strength and joy that are found in His presence? Unfortunately, I often create my own barriers to experiencing the fullness of these gifts. It can be a frustrating thing because I want to rest in who He is, and the only thing between them is me. It comes down to releasing my own guard and staying open and true in my walk with God. Why do we drift from the One that is essential to completing who we are? This verse simply expresses traits of God but it challenged me and I hope it challenges others.

Campaign Trail (Part 1)

Today was spent campaigning at an early voting spot. Tomorrow’s agenda looks the same and of course Tuesday will be a long day. I’m well aware of the record number of people voting this year, but today I observed American citizens pouring in to cast their votes. I vote absentee for every election so I don’t have to wait in the lines and I’ve never been so glad until today. I would place the average wait time just over three hours for those coming to the polls early. One voter informed us he had waited in line for four hours. Reminder, early voting has been open for a few days now and these are work days. I’m not sure what to expect tomorrow and Tuesday.

For those who don’t know my dad is running for city council, so I have been campaigning for a while. I’ve worked in previous years for campaign stuff as well. I hope my dad is happy that he at least got one of his children interested in political things like he is. Anyway, when you do these things you can expect to have people honk and cheer for your candidate and sometimes receive fingers and booing. City council is a smaller scale but people wave a lot for my dad’s signs because of the rep our council has on the news here and the desire to have someone new. It’s cool when people tell you they’ve studied up on him and he has their vote. I thought it was funny to get the thumbs down for the first time today from a driver. I don’t take things personally, but it was it dawned on me it was not just an issue or candidate that I was for…it was my dad. He has a hater! haha

You meet others out campaigning for different things and it can be fun even when you know the signs contradict. One lady today from a neighboring city apologized she was not able to vote for my dad since he was not running in her city. Within my mind I informed it was okay because I did not vote for the candidate she was promoting either, even though I did have the option as he was running for a higher position that includes my district.

Awkward moment of the day: I was stared down by some dude as he rode by in the back of a cop car. It was caged in but the window was open. He was actually leaning forward in the seat with his face against the caging as he slowly rode by me.