Some Things Change; Some Don’t

I’ve lived a long life – “through many dangers, toils, and snares” to quote hymn-writer, John Newton.  In the early years, with my father serving as a WW2 Army Chaplain in Germany and my mother confined to a Tuberculosis Sanitarium, I lived with my Grandparents in Bellmead, Texas.  My Grandad was a yellow-dog Democrat and an elected Steward in the then, very conservative Christian Church (better known as Disciples of Christ). These were the FDR years.  When my family got back together post-war, there was Democrat Truman (and the famous Truman joke (They made a stamp with his picture on it.  Why didn’t it stick? Turns out people were spitting on the wrong side).  Then I was surrounded by “I Like Ike” buttons.  With the Republican, Dwight Eisenhower being one on our nation’s most popular Presidents.  One of my best early teen-age friends, Mark White, became one of several Democrat Governors of Texas, along with Governor, “One Tough Grandma” Ann Richards.  Then came the Republicans, on state and national levels, led by the Bush family.  Then it was the Democrats again – Clinton, Biden and Obama, followed by the Trump Republicans. Now, after more than thirty years in power in Texas, Republicans have yielded to the blue wave Democrats. So, I have lived through the ups, downs and sideways, of my country and state political climates – “Happy Days are Here Again” through MAGA, and “on Election Day we are not calling a Pastor, we’re electing a politician” and “No te dejas.” These two things I have learned over the years: (1) “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8) and (2) “The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know. Pray especially for rulers and their governments to rule well so we can be quietly about our business of living simply, in humble contemplation. This is the way our Savior God wants us to live” (1 Timothy 2:1-3, The Message).