Email dialogue with a Key West amigo I’ve known a few years, triggered by my recent “Dreams” post. One of my few Christian friends, Tim attends the church started by our former Mayor Morgan McPherson, now pastored by Morgan’s brother, Michael. I met Tim when he was running the storefront Lighthouse Ministry for teens next to Tropic Cinema in Key West. A sculptor, husband, father and fishing guide, he’s been getting tested pretty good by God himself.
During my run for the county commission seat held by Sonny McCoy in 2008, Tim said he dreamt he saw me surrounded by a dozen or maybe more bruiser angels arrayed in body armor carrying heavy ordnance. They were protecting me and I must be doing something right, to deserve that kind of protection. Because of prior experiences, I understood they were what I sometimes refer to as God’s Navy SEAL angels. Tim’s comments are in italics, to distinguish from mine.
Sloan, sometimes you just have to look into your heart; as deceiving as it may occassionally be. As far as I know, God doesn’t look at your campaigns as victories or losses, but he does look into your heart and a willing obedience pleases him. TMC
Not sure looking in my heart I would find a desire to run again for office. I don’t think Jesus wanted to be crucified. He submitted to it when he understood it was God’s will. I will submit to running for office, if I’m convinced that’s what God wants me to do. It looks like it’s headed that way.
My experience, God hardly ever asks me to do what I want to do (or think I want to do). Au contraire. I get asked to do what I don’t want to do. The Bible is full of stories of people being asked or told by God to do what they didn’t want to do. Except for the lunatic, Paul, none of them seemed thrilled to be asked to do it.
I understand. How about this angle; you will continue to be hammered day and night until you run a campaign to win. No dropping trau, no crazy talk, just a full on effort for victory, for real. Until you actually get in a position of political power to do God’s work for the people; he’s gonna keep his thumb on you. Remember when John babtised Jesus? The sky split open and God’s voice claimed “this is my son in whom I am much pleased”. Maybe when you win an election, fair and square, you can get one of those from Him. He may even take you home so that you don’t even have to serve. But I think he may actually want you in a position of civic power so that you can accompl;ish some things for his people. Just an idea, TMC
Hi, Tim.
You think if Jesus had run for public office, he would have gotten elected?
I have run every campaign as directed from Above. Except the one in 2004, when I announced as a write-in candidate against Sonny McCoy. Alyson Matley (Crean) wrote a very nice piece in the Keynoter about my entering that race.
Then, God started trying to teach me a new way of expressing myself, and I kept screwing it up and getting hammered really hard for it. After several weeks of that, I started coming unraveled and began to doubt I was supposed to be running against Sonny. I felt the Devil had put me up to it, and I pulled out of the race.
God knew I was confused and did not step in and hammer me back into clarity and line. The hammering came a few months later, after it was too late to straighten it out, and I was nearly two years getting back on online. That’s when I ran against George Neugent in 2006.
Maybe if I had run that 2004 race to completion against Sonny, I would not be writing this email. Maybe it would be over for me, running for office.
If God wants me in public office, God will put me there. It won’t be because of anything I did other than what I was told to do during a campaign.
I like the idea of being taken home. I’m exhausted. I feel bad most of the time. I detest bureaucracy and political posturing. I have no patience for people who are all me, me, me. And for people who talk, talk, talk, and don’t take a breath to listen. I can’t imagine putting in the hours and dealing with all of the private citizens and government agencies and county staff a county commission job requires.
It looks, though, like I am going to be made to run again. God doesn’t ask me to do anything, as in, I can decline. It’s like a corporal being asked by a general to, say, storm a machine gun bunker. It’s not a request.
I’ve been mulling how I would use my introductory remarks at candidate forums. Something like,
“The only reason I’m standing here before you is because God told me something bad would happen to me if I did not run for office again. That alone is reason enough for you to elect me: I don’t want the job.”
I’ve also been mulling how to qualify. Someone suggested I get petitions signed this year, rather than pay the filing fee. He said I could put a copy of the petition on my websites for people to download, fill out, then send in, either to me or the Supervisor of Election’s Office.
I’ve found myself thinking maybe I might write something along the lines: “If you want me to run, get me enough petitions signed to qualify me, and I will run.”
I’ve also been thinking of simply running as a write-in again. Full circle, back to 2004, when I aborted that write-in candidacy. Maybe write-in would be the backup method, if not enough petitions were signed.
Or, maybe I would be told to pay the filing fee.
And would it be on a party ticket, or non-partisan? I’ve always run non-partisan. I think both major parties are screwed up religions, and no minor party appeals to me.
Sloan
(I wish)