{"id":40,"date":"2016-11-09T21:57:00","date_gmt":"2016-11-09T21:57:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/felixculpa\/2016\/11\/truth-and-unity-my-post-election-thoughts.html"},"modified":"2016-11-09T21:57:00","modified_gmt":"2016-11-09T21:57:00","slug":"truth-and-unity-my-post-election-thoughts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/felixculpa\/2016\/11\/truth-and-unity-my-post-election-thoughts.html","title":{"rendered":"Truth and Unity: My Post-Election Thoughts"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

Well congratulations, America, on your very own Brexit. We\u2019ve shocked the media and caused quite the upset.<\/p>\n

The silent majority, the ones who have been afraid to voice their support for fear of violence, pushed Donald Trump to victory, in my opinion. And if you think about it, that\u2019s a good thing. Because it means that those who are feeling oppressed \u2013 no, being <\/i>oppressed \u2013 still have a voice with their vote. I\u2019ve been saying all along that Obama\u2019s relentless push for political correctness has been an outright attack on our freedom of speech, and I hope he and his supporters have learned that yanking away Constitutional freedoms is not the way we do things here in America.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell such and such is not what we as Americans are all about!\u201d<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t know how many times I\u2019ve heard President Obama say that. Not just in relation to speaking our mind, but when it comes to many traditional, healthy American ways. Like keeping enemies at bay. Being the best of the best. Having a hefty, healthy military. Loving our veterans. Etc. And I would think \u2026 yeah, actually that IS what we as Americans are all about. What country, what planet, are you from, Sir?!\u00a0<\/i>

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<\/i>Anyway.<\/p>\n

I want to be a humble, gracious winner. But honestly? I don\u2019t necessarily see myself as a winner. I voted for Trump as a way to defend myself, my children, my grandchildren, unborn children, and the future of America from Hillary Clinton. Not because I thought Trump was so super duper. The other reason I voted for him was his VP pick. I\u2019ve always said that if Trump\u2019s running mate was any<\/b><\/i> indication of they type of people he will elect for his cabinet and the Supreme Court, then it\u2019s worth it to vote for him. And frankly, I thought a Trump vote was worth getting Pence in the lineup for a possible future POTUS.<\/p>\n

So I see myself as a possible <\/i>winner, if Trump will carry through with his policies that he laid out on his website, elects officials with a Pence-like character, and lays off of the rough, crass, vulgar speech<\/i> that in no way will assist him in building the bridges that so badly need to be built. Or at the very least, repaired.<\/p>\n

As for his women problems, look. I get it. My Trump vote is in no way an approval of his language or lasciviousness. As far as I could tell, there was never any prosecution in any of the accusations that got thrown around about sexual assault or rape. I understand his mouth is, or at least was, very filthy. I didn\u2019t take that lightly. I also understand his sexual past is anything but pristine.<\/p>\n

But.<\/p>\n

I also understand that people change. Not saying he has<\/i> changed, but I am saying it\u2019s at least possible. As far as we know, the last ten years, he has been faithful to his wife. Having said that, if he gets in office and invites playboy bunnies over, I can\u2019t say I will be shocked. But if he gets in the White House and by all accounts, he turns out to be the family man he and his entire family claims<\/i> he is, then again \u2013 I won\u2019t be surprised.<\/p>\n

I simply came to the conclusion that I had no way to judge where Trump is right now, morally. It\u2019s a big question mark in my mind, and frankly, I left it to God. And I prayed.

<\/i>Lord, please give me peace about my vote.\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n

That peace didn\u2019t come overnight. In fact, for months, I pouted. My guy was out. Cruz lost. I told the people in my precinct that if they elected me as a delegate in the caucus, they needed to know that I was a NeverTrumper.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt violates my conscience, and I will never, ever vote for Trump! So if all y\u2019all want Trump, fine. But if you send me as your delegate, you should know that I\u2019ll be voting against your wishes. As your delegate, I\u2019m voting Cruz no matter what.\u201d<\/p>\n

As I said in my video on Facebook the other day \u2026. never say never. My peace came. And on November 3rd, I carefully used a black pen to fill in a white circle next to the names of Trump and Pence. And then I expressed my deep down feelings with this meme:<\/p>\n

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I fully believe that God uses imperfect people to rule over nations. When Obama won twice (insert big Snoopy cry here), I believed that. If Hillary won, I would still believe that. He holds the king\u2019s (or queen\u2019s) heart in His hand, and He turns it wherever he wishes. I hope those of you who lost take comfort in that.<\/i> Even though I am on the \u201cwinning\u201d side, so to speak, I will be taking comfort from that. How do I know that Trump will do any good? I don\u2019t! I don\u2019t know<\/i> anything. All I know is that his policies (donaldtrump.com!) line up with Scripture more than Hillary\u2019s. It\u2019s not even a contest. And though I know that Trump\u2019s rough exterior is hard to swallow, I think we can all say that even as the election cycle has worn on, he has shown improvement. He has toned down his speech, treated others more respectfully than he did in the beginning, and has in a lot of ways been humbled. If (big IF, I know!) he stays on that track, then perhaps he will make a half-way decent POTUS.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s not going to happen if we stop praying. So whatever side you are on, please keep talking to God about your concerns.\u00a0The battle we\u2019ve been in for the last year and a half isn\u2019t over. <\/b>It\u2019s just begun. Our country needs prayer. It needs humble people. It needs repentant people. We have so much mending to do in our relationships, and that\u2019s going to require talking to God and to one another with grace rolling off our tongues, understanding, and a willingness to listen<\/i>.<\/p>\n

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In the meantime, I\u2019ll be waiting for an apology from the media. No matter what side you are on, you have to admit that Trump was right \u2013 the media is crooked and biased and they tried every last trick in the book to get their candidate elected, Fox News excluded, or at least mostly excluded. I realize hell will freeze over before that apology comes, but I wanted to point out that not everything<\/i> Trump has been hammering on is stupid or crazy or hateful. It\u2019s just truthful. At least part of the reason he won is that he wasn\u2019t afraid to chuck PC out the window and just say it like it is. Americans are tired of being terrorized by radicals and having their President outright deny it. They\u2019re tired of illegals freely coming in, trying to change the way we do things and mooching off of us, to boot. Our gates are open. <\/i>But only to those who are willing to respect and adapt to our way of life. Our language. Our values. Our laws.

<\/b>I\u2019ve had people come live with me, for free, who have attempted to change the way my house is run. Not a fun situation to be in. If you\u2019re my guest, I want you to feel welcome and loved. But that doesn\u2019t mean I am required to change my entire way of living, and it especially does not mean that you get to live here, eat my food, drive my cars, and then lounge around and play Call of Duty 24\/7. You have to go to work, or contribute in a positive to way to the small society we call the Coats Household. If you don\u2019t like that, okay. Go to someone else\u2019s house. But don\u2019t roll out your sleeping bag, empty my pantry, and then expect me to revamp my way of life to accommodate your laziness. If a man does not work, a man does not eat. <\/i>That\u2019s Biblical. Yes, it\u2019s also Biblical to keep the gates open in an effort to make disciples. But the most frustrating thing in the world is when you bring a hopeful disciple in who doesn\u2019t want discipled. <\/b>And what I have learned, is that once it\u2019s plain as day that the guest\/disciple does not want to be discipled, doesn\u2019t want to change or adapt, doesn\u2019t want to grow in the grace and knowledge of God and in fact wants to suck the life out of you and your family, then all deals are off. At that point, we can\u2019t call the arrangement discipling. Or loving. It\u2019s simply enabling sin.\u00a0\u00a0<\/i>

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Trump\u2019s words on immigration were rough and unkind, at first. But give him some credit for changing his tone. He has corrected himself to clarify that illegals are in fact welcome in America, but they are not welcome to come in and change our ways and\/or suck us dry. I agree with him on that issue. Because this issue, my friends, is a large part of what\u2019s wrong with America. We have either become enablers or, on the flip side, have become entitled. Enabling is not charitable and cultivating an entitlement attitude is not loving. No. Enabling is a great way to crash the economy. And sporting an entitlement attitude is just a great way to tick off those who are working hard day in and day out to provide for their families.<\/p>\n

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I could go on and on about the issues, and I will as time goes on. For now, I\u2019m resting in the fact that God is on the throne and we the people have spoken. Some are already calling this a revolution that we haven\u2019t seen since the Reagan days. Is it that big of a deal? I don\u2019t know. I hope and pray it\u2019s a complete turning away from the direction we were going \u2013 as a people and as a president. That has been my prayer.<\/p>\n

Time will tell.<\/p>\n

In closing, I\u2019ll just say so long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, adieu to Miley Cyrus, Whoopie Goldberg, Cher, and many other disrespectful, ungrateful Hollywood-ers. I hope you find what you\u2019re looking for in other countries. I\u2019m sorry you feel so unfortunate to be living in the land of opportunity and freedom. We are not a perfect nation, but our wish is to be one nation under God, indivisible<\/i>, and your attitude doesn\u2019t contribute to that end. My advice to you is to either get on the peacemaking boat that we\u2019re all so desperately trying to row, or swim to another shore. But don\u2019t divide. Don\u2019t drag us underwater by being ungrateful for the hard fought freedoms you are blessed with every day. <\/p>\n

I know, I know. You point the finger and say that we are the ones who are divisive. Funny how everyone believes they have the truth, huh?<\/p>\n

Hillary Clinton referred to the truth of Galatians 6:9 in her concession speech:<\/p>\n

And let us not grow weary in doing good, for in due season, we will reap, if we faint not.<\/i><\/p>\n

The question is: what is good?\u00a0<\/b><\/i>

<\/b><\/i>To find that answer, we have to search the rest of the Scriptures. We can\u2019t just take one verse and make it our motto with the assumption that our hearts instinctively know what is good. Why? Because our hearts are deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked<\/b><\/i>. (Jer. 17:9)<\/p>\n

We all need God to tell us what is good. And what we think i<\/i>s good or even what we want<\/i> to be good is not good enough. We are called to set aside our own ideals and say \u201cThy will be done.\u201d<\/p>\n

I think Hillary\u2019s mind is cluttered with what she wants to be good vs. what is truly good. To some extent, all of our minds are cluttered. The waters are muddy, and it\u2019s because truth in this nation hasn\u2019t been upheld. So when you want to know who is right on gay marriage? Search the Scriptures. When you want to know who\u2019s right on the abortion issue? Search the Scriptures. When you want to know which policies line up with truth and goodness and mercy? Search the Scriptures.<\/p>\n

If you abide in my Word, you are truly My disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.<\/i> ~John 8:31-32<\/p>\n

My prayer is that the commander in chief will be respected,<\/i> but Christ will be followed<\/i>. Be happy or sad or whatever you are at the election results. But the truth is \u2026 Jesus is King. If we follow Him, our focus will change, the things of this earth will grow strangely dim, and our relationships with one another will go from bitter to sweet.<\/p>\n

Can we at least be unified in that<\/i>?<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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