He has told you, human one, what is good and
        what the Lord requires from you:
            to do justice, embrace faithful love, and walk humbly with your God. – Micah 6:8

I had a post just about ready to go for today, and I’ll let it stand after this new introduction. But then I woke up this morning thinking, “What issues matter the most to you on election day, Derek?” And I kept coming back to the following – not so much “issues” but neccessary qualities in those we elect to serve.

1. Integrity.
2. Humility.
3. Honesty.
4. Open-mindedness.
5. Teachability.
6. A willingness to reach across the aisle.
7. A disdain for manipulation.
8. Someone who does justice.
9. Someone who loves mercy and embraces faithful love.
10. Someone who walks humbly with their God.

Today’s Elections:

So it is election Day, 2018. Mid-terms. Lots of races. Tons of stuff to think about. Billions, literally billions, of dollars spent in advertising. I’d be cautious about those ads, though, there sure is a lot of obfuscation going on in politics this fall.

Here’s the thing. How about we vote thoughtfully? And if you’re not sure because all the policy stuff you want to be thinking about has just gotten too complicated, or too muddied, I’d like to suggest that we vote based on the simple general idea of decency and character.

I’d like to suggest that we vote based on the simple general idea of decency and character.

Here’s the interesting truth. None of us are right all the time. Most of us – and I’m likely not much better than average in this regard – are wrong the majority of the time about the majority of things. This is why we would be doing ourselves a favor if we voted for people more inclined to listen than to pronounce judgment, and more likely to reach across the aisle than to double down on the party line.

Compromise and humility:

Think about the United States Constitution, for example. Do you believe for a minute that a delegate from one state had the thing written out just like we see it today, then argued and argued, yelled and screamed, pitched fits, belittled and put down everyone else, retrenched his position, riled up his base, and repeated all this again and again until the other twelve states finally agreed that he was right?

Of course not. Compromise – informed, properly debated, prayed over, chipped away – was the order of the day.

If you want your party/leader/position/argument to be right all the time then what you need is a dictatorship not a United States of America.

That, I believe, is what this election is all about. I believe it is about justice, about mercy, about faithful love, and about walking humbly with God and with one another. I believe that our national character is on the line.

– DEREK

He has told you, human one, what is good and
        what the Lord requires from you:
            to do justice, embrace faithful love, and walk humbly with your God. – Micah 6:8