U.S. Elections

thirty biblical reasons to vote democratic in 2020: #8 Wise Counsel

/ Apple Hill Cottage / 7 Comments

“Without counsel, plans go wrong, but with many advisers they succeed.” – Proverbs 15:22 (NRSV)

In yesterday’s post we discussed the friends one surrounds themselves with, but it isn’t only that his acquaintances and friends have been sent to prison or indicted. We also have to consider those who advised him on matters and have been fired. To disagree with this president is to lose your job. According to Wikipedia, as of May 25, 2020, there have been 415 people in the Trump administration who have been fired or resigned.

The current president often compares himself with Abraham Lincoln, but it was Lincoln who filled his cabinet with adversaries and opponents.

In 1860 Lincoln won the Republican primary over three more famous men, Salmon P. Chase, William H. Seward, and Edward Bates. Even more extraordinary was that “…He appointed all three rivals to his cabinet—-Seward as secretary of state, Chase as secretary of the treasury, and Bates as attorney general.”

That information was taken from Doris Kearns Goodwin’s book Team of Rivals about Lincoln’s cabinet. The following quote is from her book as well:

“Good leadership requires you to surround yourself with people of diverse perspectives who can disagree with you without fear of retaliation” — Doris Kearns Goodwin

thirty biblical reasons to vote democratic in 2020: #7 Advisors & Friends

/ Apple Hill Cottage / 6 Comments

The righteous choose their friends carefully, but the way of the wicked leads them astray. –Proverbs 12:26 (NIV)

I was in third grade. I remember coming home often crying to my mother about a friend who had been mean. It was always the same girl, and I didn’t understand, because we were supposed to be friends. We played together at recess, ate lunch together in the cafeteria, spent the night at each other’s houses; but then, once a week or so, she would say or do something horrible to me. I don’t remember the details of what she did; I do remember sobbing on my bed and my mother gently telling me that it was my choice to have her as a friend or not. It’s one of the most important choices we make in life, she said — Who we choose to surround ourselves with.

seagulls

With the right friends we can soar.

With the wrong friends we can hit bottom.

With friends who give bad advice, lead us astray, or simply don’t tell us the truth, we can become a shadow of the person we were meant to be.

According to Business Insider, seven of the president’s associates or friends have been convicted of wrong-doing since he took office: Steve Bannon, Paul Manafort, Michael Flynn, Michael Cohen, Roger Stone, Rick Gates, and George Papadopoulos. ABC News has found seven other friends and supporters who have been indicted.

No matter whether you count 7 or you count 14, it’s not a good look for a president to surround himself with criminals, fixers, and fraudsters.

(and come back tomorrow to see a new verse and Part Two of the theme of friends and advisers…)

thirty biblical reasons to vote democratic in 2020: #5 Forgiveness

/ Apple Hill Cottage / Leave a comment

“Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.” — Colossians 3:13 (NLT)

Ah, sweet forgiveness…

Hundreds (thousands?) of books have been written on forgiving, so how can I write just one small blog post about it? I can’t and I won’t even try. But I will show you the photograph that graced the bulletin board over my desk for three years.

Imagine the anger and the hatred that would disappear from this president if he would only forgive those he holds a grudge against. In my kinder moments, I feel sorry for him–indeed, for anyone who can’t forgive. It is a radical act, against all our selfish instincts for survival, yet it sets us so free. No longer a prisoner of our bitterness and resentment, forgiving allows us to love again.

And here’s a freebie verse: “Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven…” — Luke 6:37 (ESV)

And that is a segue into tomorrow’s final verse of this series–Colossians 3:14.