My 11th Presidential Election Vote

Today I voted in my 11th Presidential Election. Our state started the early voting process today.  I’m glad they offer this service.  The wait today was about 40 minutes and the line was out the door; however, the line moved quickly.  

I am not ashamed to tell you that I voted for Kamala Harris.  Why?  I’m just tired of the junk and division created by Donald Trump.  Is Harris the perfect candidate?  No, but I feel that she is the better choice.

(Don’t bother trying to comment with hate.  I have turned off the comments.)

When I checked in with my ID and registration, I was given instructions by the poll worker on how to use the equipment.  I thanked her for the job she was doing.  I know these poll workers are under intense scrutiny and I am thankful for them.  

Do I trust the election process?  I have to.  There isn’t any other choice.  I just have to hope that my vote is fairly counted like every other vote.  

So how have my past votes fared?  Out of 11 Presidential Elections only five have won.  Yikes.  I did abstain from voting in 2016 (big mistake) and I will never make that mistake again.  

We all worry about what is going to happen with the election and when the votes are certified but my wife and I can only do our part and vote.  We have no other control over the outcome or what happens next.  

I am just mostly tired of all of this election stuff. It is emotionally draining.  I want it to be over.  I don’t want to worry about my country.  I’m tired of us being our own worst enemies.  I’m just done with it all.

 

Who Would Jesus Vote For?

Like it or not, the 2024 Presidential election is upon us. Lines have been drawn and sides have been chosen. So it is now time for us to choose.

So who would Jesus vote for?

Would He cast His vote for Donald Trump or would He choose Kamala Harris?

While there are some evangelical leaders who have called one of the candidates the “chosen one”, the truth is that neither candidate in this election before us is the perfect Christian choice.

If you attend a church with a preacher who tells you who to vote for, you need to find another church. If your Bible lifts up a person or a country you need to get another Bible.  Jesus is not American and believe it or not, the United States of America is not his chosen people.  It is not his mission to lift up a country or a political candidate, His mission is the same as it always has been to go into ALL the world to preach the gospel and save those who are lost.

Jesus would not vote for either.

Jesus is not going to tell us who to vote for. This is our free will choice and we will have to live with who wins the election. Jesus didn’t come here to establish an earthly kingdom. He didn’t do it before and He isn’t doing it now. We are repeating the same misinformation as the Jews had when Jesus came.  They assumed that Jesus was coming as an earthly king who would overthrow Rome. Even when pressed about government matters, He told the disciples to render to Caesar what belongs to Caesar.

Many are under the assumption that a candidate is going to be the one who makes the United States a Christian nation.  Do we really want a government to force everyone to be Christian?  How well has that policy worked out in the past?  You can’t force people to accept Jesus and believe.  Sure, it would be nice if everyone did but we need to be realistic and know that this isn’t going to happen.  Forcing a Christian Nationalism will ultimately backfire.  We can’t vote for a candidate simply because we believe they appear to be pro-Christian.  Let’s not forget that the anti-Christ is going to deceive many in the same way.

So if Jesus wouldn’t vote should we?  Yes, we should absolutely vote.  Some are afraid of what may happen during this election but I continue to tell them that all we can do is vote.  Just do our part.  We can’t control everything else that may or may not happen.  As believers, we have spent too much time distracted by politics and candidates pandering to evangelicals rather than the main thing.

Political candidates will pander to the evangelical vote but let us not be deceived into thinking someone is going to usher in some utopian Christian nation.  Why are we thinking that things are going to get better when we are in the end times and we know that it will only get worse?  We can’t be deceived or distracted here!  God loved the world (not just America) so much that He gave His only begotten Son that anyone (Republican, Democrat or Independent) who believes in Him would not perish but have eternal life.  

It has grieved my heart to see how politicians have divided believers.  We judge someone’s faith based on their choice of political party.  What we don’t see is that Satan has successfully entered in to divide us because he knows that this is how he can weaken the effectiveness of believers.  When I see how we have become divided, I go back to an old Christian song which was recorded by the group First Call.  The title of the song was “Undivided” and I will leave you with the lyrics.  You can also listen to the song here: https://youtu.be/-SIeLvSpJrI?si=3yM3EAHiBaJ3guBT

We may worship different ways
We may praise Him
And yet spend all of our days
Living life divided

But when we seek Him with open hearts
He removes the walls we built
That keep us apart
We trust Him to unite us

In our hearts, we're undivided
Worshiping one Savior, one Lord
In our hearts, we're undivided
Bound by His spirit forevermore
Undivided

It doesn't matter if we agree
All He asks is that we serve Him faithfully
And love as He first loved us
He made us in His image

And in His eyes, we are all the same
And though out methods they may be different
Jesus is the bond that will remain

In our hearts, we're undivided
Worshiping one Savior, one Lord
In our hearts, we're undivided
Bound by His spirit forevermore
Undivided

Not All Miltons Are Bad

 

My name is Milton.  I have NOTHING to do with the hurricane.  Thanks Hurricane-naming people.  I really didn't need my name attached to this current storm.

I have had that name all of my life.  I was named after my mother's father - my grandfather - Milton Oscar Sweat.  While I have been proud to be named after him, it has been used in different variations over the course of my life.  This name has been butchered and - at times - a source of irritation.

People have assumed - wrongly - that they could call me "Miltie" or - heaven forbid - "Uncle Miltie".  I worked in an office before when a co-worker would yell "Miltie" down the hall, but I would not respond.  When she came to my door and declared she had been calling me I said, "My name is Milton.  I don't respond to anything else."   She soon got the message.   I have let people slide with calling me "Milt" in the past, but I have always instructed people to call me "Milton".   I mean, that IS my name.  I also had a co-worker who called me "Uncle Miltie" and I stopped and nipped that in the bud immediately and he got mad at me about it.  

My name has been an issue at times, but it has been unique.  I haven't met many Miltons in my life.  The first was one in high school who wasn't very nice.  In fact, we had an exchange which led to him sucker punching me in class.  (Of course, I shouldn't have told him to shut up either.)  The other Milton was a man named Milton Tomlinson who, at the time, was the leader of the Church of God of Prophecy denomination.  The one and only time we met was went my grandfather took me to meet him.  Three Miltons in one place.  I am surprised the world didn't quake at that moment.

There have been some famous Miltons (besides me of course):

Milton Berle - was an American comedian and actor. Berle's career as an entertainer spanned over 80 years, first in silent films and on stage as a child actor, then in radio, movies and television. As the host of NBC's Texaco Star Theater (1948–55), he was the first major American television star and was known to millions of viewers as "Uncle Miltie" and "Mr. Television" during the first Golden Age of Television.

Not my favorite "famous" Milton because of him I had to endure the "Uncle Miltie" tag.

Milton Friedman - was an American economist who received the 1976 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences for his research on consumption analysis, monetary history and theory and the complexity of stabilization policy.

Now this was a pretty smart dude that I don't mind sharing a name with.

Milton Hershey - was an American chocolatier and philanthropist. Trained in the confectionery business, Hershey pioneered the manufacture of caramel, using fresh milk.

Maybe this explains my love for chocolate.  Another Milton I don't mind being associated with.

Milton Bradley - was an American business magnate, game pioneer and publisher, credited by many with launching the board game industry, with the Milton Bradley Company.

Not bad to share a name with this game legend and his company.  

Some not so famous Miltons (for me anyway) are these characters in television/movies:

Milton the Monster - was a Saturday morning cartoon character in the 60s which featured a Frankenstein-type monster who was really a big kid.

Milton Waddams - from the movie "Office Space" is a shy, neurotic employee that stutters constantly who works at Initech. He was actually let go from his job, five years prior to the events of the film, but no-one ever told him about it so he kept turning up to work. Due to a glitch in the payroll system, he kept getting a paycheck.

Milton Schlabb - is one from a Hallmark movie called "Love in the Limelight" who is a disgruntled college professor who has petty complaints against another professor.

I'm sure there are others I have missed but Miltons are unique, smart and - sometimes - quite odd.  I won't ever be a "famous" Milton, but I have a name that I share with others who have done a lot with the same name.