The week at Little Eden is a series of repeated traditions. Today we kept the visit to Point Betsie Lighthouse alive. We plucked a few lake rocks from the shoreline, tromped around in the sand, and generally enjoyed the warm summer weather. Afterward, we traveled to Beulah to the L'chayim deli for lunch, which was quite fabulous. Judy and I share the "Syria", which is pastrami with vegetable cream cheese and chopped red onion on a onion bagel. We spent the afternoon bending wire, making puzzles, napping, cards, or whatever the spirit led us toward. For dinner, we stood in line with the rest of the campers for burgers and brats, macaroni salad, chips, watermelon, and cookies: always a camp favorite. After dinner, we took a spin around the lake in the boat. The soft evening and warm wind calmed our spirits. I'm now awaiting evening worship service.
Addendum: Johnny's message tonight encouraged the faithful to get involved in the political system because the country needs saving. It needs to be saved from aborted babies (1,000,000/year), human trafficking, males competing in women's sports, drag queens lecturing in schools, Use of correct pronouns (or else), Libraries full of sexually explicit materials, CRT being taught, coaches being fired just for praying with a team after games, affirmative action, and criminals running free, while the good guys suffer. All of this was couched in comparison to Nehemiah, who was just a cup bearer for the King that saw injustice and did something about it, with, of course the blessing and guidance of God's word. Message: Become Nehemiah ( like Johnny).
Johnny threw in a couple canards: he claimed a British man (I missed the name) ended slavery. he also claimed not to understand how fund raising works in politics.
Most of his talk tonight gave the back story of how he left the pulpit and entered politics. He was raised in an Amish/Brethren tradition that forbade pledging allegiance to the flag because that was counter to the first commandment: Thou shall have no other gods before me. Alfter moving to Lilburn, GA and living right downtown, he saw (like Nehemiah) things that needed correcting. He took action. Others supported him. He ran for office, served as city councilman and mayor for three terms. He ran unsuccessfully three times for state legislature. He is currently attempting to regain the mayor position.
It's more clear to me now what issues the evangelical crowd holds dear. Sadly, I think they'd hitch their wagon to any republican candidate (much less a flawed human like Trump) because the liberal agenda is the path to certain ruination. Johnny claimed that this country of ours is not the country of his youth. History tells a different tale, as does my experience. It's much the same as it's been since the tea was thrown overboard. In my view, while the republic created by our forefathers has its flaws, and our forefathers didn't foresee modern problems, there is no better place or system on the planet. I prefer to believe what Ben Franklin said, "It's a good system, if we can keep it." And for me, a poor pauper birthed to a teenage mother who currently lives like a king, life is pretty good, especially today.
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