Who Will Win the Election? | Eastern North Carolina Now

The truth is: NOBODY KNOWS FOR SURE!

    Here in NC we are focused on the Hagan / Tillis race for the Senate. The Koch Brothers are putting much money into our state even though they are not residents. They have a big stake in Fracking. They are running their own ads for Koch Industries --- as if they are the great friends of the public who are only "selling good stuff to make life better."

    I am told there are equally "deep pockets" folks funding the Hagan Campaign. With current disclosure laws supposed to make Campaign Finance more transparent, we have a TOTAL FAILURE. Nobody can tell for sure without hard detective work. The average givers to elections are like the average givers to churches ---- too often neglected!

    I was the son of a Baptist minister who believed that all the flock are equally important in the eyes of God. His first test came in a small town in SC where I was born. It seems 2 prominent businessmen belonged to the First Baptist Church. Everyone in town knew they were having affairs with the same lovely woman! It was a "southern secret"---shall we say.

    On a Saturday night one of the men got drunk at home and decided to end the competition with a gun. He went to the other man's place of business which was still open. He fired his pistol from the sidewalk into the man's place with the intent to kill. "Drunk and pistol" meant he missed! The other businessman was prepared for any trouble with a shotgun under his counter loaded with buckshot. He fired back and hit the man in the chest dead center. There he was ---bleeding to death in the street before everybody on a busy Saturday night. Needless to say, the secret was out now!!!!!

    What was my father to do?

    He could have checked the financials at church to see which of the 2 contributed most. The truth was that both contributed almost nothing in his show of religion on the outside. Everyone assumed that, with their business prominence, they had to be the "big givers." My father, nor I as a Pastor, chose to invade the giving records because it would alter our outlook on ministry. We BOTH chose to help all equally as a Servant Minister.

    As if it were a Soap Opera (no TV then --- so it WAS a Soap Opera), my dad was quickly called to the funeral home where a new widow and children grieved at both the disclosure of an unfaithful husband/father and a dead one. She probably knew, but chose to ignore the rascal's ways. After all, he kept her in nice clothes and a nice home with prominent social position.

    Next, my father visited the other man at the jail where he was quickly taken. He had the same issue. Word was out that both men were squiring the same woman and keeping a dark secret. Since Baptists love to "confess the sins of others" the gossip phone lines were more than busy as word was passed "only so we can pray for these poor people." The Methodists and Presbyterians were equally busy with their "spiritual caring."

    My Father was in a "Mell of a Hess." People could not wait to see which side he chose and how he dealt with 2 prominent families in the same church! Their real curiosity was to see what he preached at the First Baptist Church the next day! You see, in small southern towns, pretense is the biggest game in town. Everyone knows what the gossip is. They can't wait to see how a new minister handles it this time around. In fact, my Father told me of talking with his predecessors at the first SC State Baptist Convention after he got the call to that church. They all agreed: "If I had a choice between living Eternity in Hell or Pastoring that church again----I WOULD CHOOSE HELL with a smile on my face!"

    This coincides with the political question asked at the beginning----WHO WILL WIN IN NOVEMBER????

    If you are backed by corrupt people wanting to cover their sneaky and crooked business dealing, you have a clear bunch of choices after elected---- "Which bunch of corrupt crooks and pretenders will you favor????"

    My father knew every word spoken from the pulpit would be analyzed and examined. The crowd --- certain to be present --- was trying to figure out who he favored and how he would keep the honesty of Christ in the picture, if it were possible! He had the greatest opportunity --- and danger --- of his young career as a Baptist minister. What would he do????

    Here was his story of his great dilemma in what seemed to be the biggest and best church he had yet pastored.

    "I chose to go to manuscript preaching so my words were carefully planned and clearly spoken. I hated preachers who read from a manuscript, but it was essential for many Sundays to come. I preached a sermon on forgiveness and the danger of gossip. The Bible is crystal clear about the danger of the tongue. Paul described it as a 2-edged sword. It speaks of the tongue as a small thing like a rudder on a ship which, though small, directs the entire ship. It can bring that ship through a storm with a wise Captain at the wheel. It can steer the ship sideways to waves --- and all get drowned if it is in the hands of an inexperienced trainee at the helm. In the toughest storms, the Captain takes command of the lowly helmsman's job himself."

    Franklin Roosevelt is remembered as one of our best Presidents because of his "Fireside Chats" on the radio. The Great Depression was still on when he took office. In a few years Hitler was threatening Europe and Japan was threatening China in the Far East. "The only thing we have to fear---is fear, itself" is his most memorable word to a troubled nation.

    ONLY a wise and experienced sailor can save the ship! All the people on board are depending on him for their safety and survival.

    My wise father ministered to BOTH FAMILIES EQUALLY! The next Sunday the sermon dealt with "judge not that ye be not judged. He who is without sin cast the first stone---as Jesus did with the woman caught in the act of adultery. The crowd wanted to stone her to death."

    Believe it or not, the Bible is full of examples of Kings and leaders who made mistakes, but were used of God DESPITE their human failings. They always got in trouble when they acted only on their whims and desires --- and tried to cover their own faults and evil.

    I shall end the story here as well as the observations. I have given you enough "food for spiritual thought" as we enter the last month of political campaigns.

    Needless to say, my Father was able to stay at one of the worst churches for immorality in the state. It had ended the careers of his predecessors who chose sides and covered the sins of the AFFLUENT small town. They had lived in the Hell of a Small Town prominent church, demanding the highest integrity possible from its influential Minister. They had played politics --- telling each person what he wanted to hear --- rather than setting an example --- and telling them what the Bible said!

    "The LOVE of money is the root of all evil," Jesus said.

    One of the small children --- after that drama --- came to his mother and said, "I just saw God walking by." The mother asked, "What do you mean? God doesn't walk around among us." When he took his mother to see --- it was my father walking by on his way to the church! He quickly told me, "I am certainly not God, but that child saw someone who did his best to represent Him as he moved about that small town and preached each Sunday --- from a carefully worded manuscript so no one could say, 'He takes sides --- and is just a puppet of the rich and influential in this town.' "