On Local Political Engagement

Some have asked why I have become less politically involved over the years. There were a number of reasons that brought me to this point. The first, my family grew in size, and I want to spend as much time focused on them and shaping the next generation. The second reason is that I saw all of the voices shouting for your political attention and realized that people are getting enough of that. I want to focus on the parts of life that are not partisan.

The local political landscape changed too. When I first became involved, members of the community liked seeing a young person engaged even if we did not always agree on every issue. Power changes though brought individuals front center who expected ideological purity and the expectation of complete conformance to their views.

One issue that I feel strongly on is the hyper-partisan state we have turned our schools and municipalities into. We have created this cycle where we have drawn up the battle lines and engage in partisan bickering; because if we don't, the other side will walk all over us and win the day. It isn't that I deny that this exists; rather, I grieve the toll this has taken on our children and communities.

I am blessed to reside in a community where at one time was less partisan bickering. Recent elections though have sadly demonstrated that people locally want to bring the tensions we see at the national level down into our local communities, and that both saddens and disappoints me. We live in paradise down here, and our home should be a place where we find rest and strength. What I would like to see in the future are elections where both candidates - not just one - truly embody a spirit of let's focus on our vision for the community and not tearing down the opponent that I have decided to run against. I do find hope in that following this latest cycle of elections there have been quite a few people say, that was too brutal. Elections of that nature are not what we as Okaloosans want to see from our candidates.

Operating from a position of perceived strength, some (not all) in our local Republican Party have taken steps to inject partisanship into domains where partisanship did not previously exist. Today, we are facing this issue in Crestview where one candidate is registered as a democrat and the other a republican. Without knowing the two individuals, their philosophies, or even their voting histories, the local Republican Party has decided to endorse the registered republican in what is supposed to be a non-partisan race. Sadly, their meddling only serves to more deeply drive wedges into our community and further disenfranchise people that I believe could be brought into the fold.

Several years ago, I presented my beliefs countering the introduction of needless Republican partisanship into non-partisan elections. The result of this was that I received threatening messages from someone connected to the local Republican Party. They, then messaged a few of my friends telling them to distance themselves from me, and they called the individual that they believed was my boss and said that I needed to be fired from my job.

For no other reason than I dared disagree with them on a single issue, the party that asserts that it is the one that stands for economic opportunity and family values tried (but failed) to attack my ability to earn a living that my young and large family depends upon. At that point, I realized significant involvement in local politics not only kept me focused on things other than my family but also presented a threat to my ability to financially support them.

There are wonderful people serving Okaloosa County in elected capacity. Periodically, I use this page to highlight their contributions and views. Also, there are some rare occasions when the negatives need to be highlighted. In previous years, this county has struggled with corruption. When that resurfaces, it needs to be exposed so that we do not repeat the mistakes of our past. But, one thing I would encourage you to do is push back on the partisan narrative. Not everything has to be turned into a republicans versus democrats debate. We have let that invade too much of our lives, and we are destroying relationships and communities.

In the last couple of years, I have debated on whether to use this forum for any political discussion. Part of me says, it should be completely non-political. That, however, limits a forum where valuable information exchange can be had though. Ultimately, what I have decided is that this forum will be mostly positive and mostly non-political with a few political interjections here and there as appropriate.

A Reflection on Psalm 24

Psalm 24 considers the King of Glory and his Kingdom. For the Jewish people, this Psalm would be sung in the temple courts on Sundays, and they specifically consider this a Psalm for the first day of the week. Written into the Psalm is a call and response format, one example that we see is found in verse three, where the question is asked, “Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord?” The people in the temple would then sing back, “He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, nor sworn deceitfully.” Through this process of call and response the Psalmist answers three questions for us. 

The first question answered here in verses one and two is, “Who is subject to this King?” The response of the Psalmist, “The earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness…” The Psalmist does not stop there though; the Lord’s ownership is not limited to just the earth and nature, “The world and those who dwell therein” are also part of his domain and Lordship. Simply put, Yahweh’s (YHWH) kingship is found in his creation. He founded this creation, and naturally, he owns, upholds, and maintains it. This is in direct contrast to the false deities worshiped in the lands surrounding Israel. In their world, minor deities scrambled for control and engaged in petty rivalries with one another in a desperate and pathetic fight for control. Similarly, today, we are told by secularists that the only higher source of moral authority is our own self, and we should do what makes us happy. The result, we see an onslaught of rivalry as we piteously scrounge trying to play the role of mini-deity ever-engaged in a rat race to expand our dingy private kingdoms. This is not our Father’s plan for us, and it is no wonder so many in our world find themselves lacking in joy and happiness. Instead, we should seek that joy that comes through seeking to fulfill our created purpose worshiping and honoring our heavenly Father. 

The Psalmist then answers what should be our natural follow-up question. If this is the King of Complete Dominion, then who can approach this holy God? The text states, “Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who may stand in his holy place?” The Psalmist’s response is simple, “He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, nor sworn deceitfully.” There is an expectation that we must intentionally pursue holiness and purity. This is a call to action. Yet it is not a call to action for showmanship. Apart from God, we have no goodness, and in our humble state we certainly are able to offer no benefit to the Creator of the Universe either. Instead, this pursuit is simply to receive the blessings of God. This one, “Who has clean hands and a pure heart,” the Psalmist states, “He shall receive blessing from the Lord and righteousness from the God of his salvation.” The simple state of being conveyed by these words offers the idea that as worshipers of God, we are to be permanent guests of God on his hill. True worship of our God is not a process that we enter and exit at our convenience, and we should set our eyes upon Christ the only man with a truly clean heart and hands as he is the personification and fulfillment of this question.

Something remarkable begins to happen upon answering the question, who may approach the King. We see, “Lift up your heads, O you gates! And be lifted up you everlasting doors! And the King of glory shall come in.” Creation and the worshipers of the true God YHWH begin preparing for the entrance of our Lord. It was no accident that the Jews would sing this Psalm in their temple on Sundays and that Christ’s triumphant entrance into Jerusalem would also occur on a Sunday. The King has made himself known to us. This King of Glory, “YHWH strong and mighty… YHWH mighty in battle” has entered our midst attending this jubilant worship. And, here we see the final question answered, “Who is this King of Glory?” He is, “YHWH of hosts,” this King, who has mercifully opened up the gates for the people and his creation to worship him, this Creator of all things surrounded by worshipers, “He is the King of Glory.”  

As we go through the rest of our week, the questions we should ask ourselves when we worship are these:

1. “Are we worshiping with the knowledge that the King of Glory, the Lord of all Creation has entered our midst and made himself known to us?”

2. What implications does/should this knowledge have on how we worship from here on out?