Jagged Little Pillen (I will never give him my vote)

GET OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE!

Over and over again since I have felt called to become a public voice, I have found myself asking God, "You want me to do what?" That is what I was asking when I felt like God was calling upon me this morning to begin my message by singing. I don't sing for people. Not publicly, nor privately. I never have. But I have learned to trust God whenever he calls me to act outside of my comfort zone. This was definitely outside my comfort zone, but I've also learned that the only judgement that should concern me is that of God. So I will try to continue to do as I feel called, even when it is something that I would not choose for myself. (This was hard for me to do, but I'm glad that I did it.)

When I felt called upon to share this message, I was reminded of one Sunday a few weeks back when Michael Connely, Rex Schroder, and I were campaigning together out west and we visited a church service one morning. Michael felt that we should go, but I was reluctant about it because I didn't want to seem like we were pandering for votes, especially since I don't even belong to a church myself. It was made clear to us right away why we were directed to attend that church that day. There was a message in it for us. We hadn't been there ten minutes before some of the members of the church began asking us about our views of abortion. The views that were held by some of the people of that church were abhorrent. They were pro-abortion, and especially so when it involved black babies. I was appalled to hear such things being spoken, especially in a house of God.

The energy that was felt in that church was dark to me. There was an absence of light in a place of worship. As I said, I do not belong to a church, so I seldom attend a church service. If this is what our churches have become, then it is no wonder that our country is in such peril. I had even noted to Michael and Rex that day that there was no emotion nor joy expressed in the hymns that were sung. (I don't have any problem singing in a crowd, where I feel I can blend in.) People were just going through the motions. We could not get out of there soon enough. (To be fair, there were a few in that church who showed us kindness, but the overall energy was not good, and the presence of evil there was definitely felt by all three of us.)

The few bars of a hymn that I sing at the beginning of this video are very brief, but the message that I take from God asking me to do it is twofold. One is just a furthering of the message that I have felt called to share in the past about the importance of us using our voices--that unashamedly using our voices for God is where we will find relief and the answers that we seek. And the second part of the message in this, I think, is that we need to be very discerning in where it is that we seek our guidance, for the places and the people that we place our trust in may not truly be worthy of it. We will not find the guidance of God in a church that has rejected Him. And we should be careful about the faith that we put in those within our political party to uphold our values as well.

"I'm frustrated by your apathy
And I am frightened by the corrupted ways of this land"
-- "All I Really Want" (Track 1 on Alanis Morissette's 'Jagged Little Pill')