So you’re disappointed with the current options for President of the United States.

You are thinking about either sitting out this election, or a write-in protest vote for someone with zero chance of victory.

See if any of the following apply to you:

– You believe our nation and its citizen’s benefit from a healthy tension between state and federal government powers and interests. However, states should not be bullied by the federal government for decisions best left to the elected representatives of each state.

– You are concerned about the erosion of religious freedom in your community and nation.

– You are alarmed by the aggressive promotion by the federal government and judiciary of sexual revolution, transgender bathroom insanity and abortion.

– You are getting tired of a national government that appears to be more loyal to the interest of global elites than to that of middle and working class families.

Our Wise Benevolent Overlords

Remain sober-minded and alert. (1Peter 5:8)

The mass media and the radical political and cultural elite see themselves as the wise benevolent rulers of the ignorant masses who are not as enlightened as themselves.  They use their considerable powers to manipulate public perception as we approach the November elections.  They focus excessively on peripheral issues and side-show theatrics while misrepresenting or ignoring the important policy positions of a candidate they oppose.  This can leave voters distracted disconnected spectators of a political reality show.

But now more than ever we need to remain “sober-minded and alert.” The stakes could not be higher.

Whatever a particular candidates shortcomings, the upcoming election is not so much about an individual. The next administration will make key judiciary appointments, including Supreme Court justices that will shape the court for generations to come. This election presents the opportunity to begin to turn back the radical anti-life and anti-human agenda imposed under force by an administration and judiciary committed to advancing the sexual revolution and the erosion of religious rights.

The Gathering Storm Clouds

Consider recent Supreme Court decisions and Obama administration directives:

-On June 27th ruling on the Whole Woman’s Health vs. Hellerstedt  case, the Supreme Court struck down a Texas law that the Governor and elected representatives of that state passed to protect women and their unborn children from predators like abortionist Kermit Gosnell.  Radical pro abortion ideology takes precedence over reasonable states rights and the health and welfare of Texas women and children.

– On June 28^th the US Supreme Court denied to hear a case involving pharmacists in Washington State who, for religious reasons, declined to dispense Plan B, a contraception that can in some cases induce an early stage abortion of a fertilized human embryo.

Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. in his dissenting comments said:

“…this court does not deem the case worthy of our time. If this is a sign of how religious liberty claims will be treated in the years ahead, those who value religious freedom have cause for great concern.”

– On May 13, the Obama administration declared that every public school facility must give students access to all activities and facilities consistent with their gender identity.  The majority of United States citizens are being forced to make radical and unsafe accommodations to the small number of individuals who suffer from gender confusion.

Let’s Realize What’s at Stake in this Election

– Will we remain a republic rooted in our Judeo Christian heritage and grounded in times tested principles of just and sound governance and a healthy relationship between state and federal powers?

– The victor in November’s presidential election will quickly form their administration and make future judicial appointments. Which candidate will put the interests of far left social justice warriors ahead of the real concerns of most of our nation’s hard working families?

– What future presidential administration will but the interest of United Sates families ahead of political and business leaders with no loyalty to our nation and it’s citizens? Who is more likely to advance the sexual revolution, especially abortion, and their twisted understanding of gender across our nation and world with an evangelical fury?

Don’t fall into the trap of looking for the perfect candidate.

Look beyond the hype and spin and see which candidate is most likely to form an administration and appoint federal and Supreme Court judges that will respect the constitution, not be allies of the sexual revolutionaries and abortion industry, and fairly balance state and federal interests.

Vote for a president and administration that will respect and protect the religious rights of all citizens, regardless of their faith, but will not be bullied by those who want us to abandon the treasure of our nation’s Judeo-Christian moral and religious heritage.

For if this is what is done to green wood, what will be done when the wood is dry? Luke 23:31

By Kevin Burke, LSW

Many miles away

Something crawls to the surface

Of a dark Scottish lake

– Synchronicity II, Sting

CNN reports that fifty percent of teens and twenty-seven percent of parents feel they are addicted to their mobile devices.

Comedian and social critic Louis CK says we can turn compulsively to the distraction and superficial affirmation of the social media world to avoid looking at the darker places within.

In an appearance on Conan he shared about an experience driving with his cell phone:

You know, underneath everything in your life there’s that thing…You know, it’s down there.

Sometimes when things clear away, you’re in your car and you go, oh, no, here it comes that I’m alone… But people risk ruining their own and taking a life because they don’t want to be alone for a second.

I was in my car one time and Bruce Springsteen came on…I was listening to “jungle land”…And I go, OK, I’m getting sad. I’ve got to get the phone and write hi to 50 people…You know what, don’t.   Just be sad.

The nature of many modern jobs means that cell phones and ipads keep workers perpetually connected and accessible to their employers and clients. The 24/7 demands of some jobs leave little time to disconnect, to be emotionally present to loved ones, and refresh the soul.

From CNN a founder and chief executive of a public relations firm feels the need to be continually available to clients:

“I had taken my son to a movie, and he turned around to me and said, ‘Are you serious…? We are at the movies and you are still on your phone?’ ”

Some of the latest research also suggests this immersion in the virtual world of social media, emails and texting may also be connected to the release of dopamine in the brain:

Holland Haiis, who wrote Digital Detox Program, shares:

“The dopamine in our brains is stimulated by the unpredictability that social media, emails and texting provide…”

This can leave us perpetually distracted and even serve as a type of self-medication for any painful or unsettling feelings and memories we are trying to avoid.

Opening the Windows of Your Soul

As Louis CK points out, this obsessive use of devices can also deny us the natural human experience of being deeply moved by something, and allowing powerful emotions to surface, even if they are initially painful. The body rewards the expression of grief with endorphins and the peace and relief that flows naturally from that process.[1]

Facing those deeper waters can lead us to ask questions about the ultimate meaning of life, our priorities and relationships.

In the journey to those places of emptiness and sadness you may discover there is a hunger for a deeper meaning that can never be filled by entertainment, social media and pornography.

Experts suggest setting strong boundaries around the use of phones and ipads and replacing the dopamine rush of social media with a walk, jog or bike ride.

Taking time for meditation, contemplation and prayer will also help free our minds, souls and bodies from an unhealthy attachment to this virtual reality.

We may begin to recognize that we are actually spiritually starving and begin to make time to feed our souls with prayer, study and worship of the One who gave us this gift of life.

The Cost of Denial

You may be surprised to learn that a past abortion experience can contribute to technology over-use and addiction.  This is a sensitive wound that many women and also men will go to great lengths to repress and deny.   People expend a lot of psychic energy to keep the memories and feelings buried, but over time this exacts a high cost.

Perhaps this constant immersion in our devices is working hand in hand with this denial.   In such a constant state of distraction you may never have that space to make the connection to an area of hurt or loss that requires reconciliation and healing.

Even though the journey to healing a past abortion, or multiple abortions, may arise from a time of solitary reflection, you will need the encouragement and support of others who have made this journey before you.  A trusted abortion recovery program is the safest and most effective way to recover from that loss.

[1] Dr. William Frey at the Ramsey Medical Center in Minneapolis discovered that reflex tears are 98% water, whereas emotional tears also contain stress hormones which get excreted from the body through crying. After studying the composition of tears, Dr. Frey found that emotional tears shed these hormones and other toxins which accumulate during stress. Additional studies also suggest that crying stimulates the production of endorphins, our body’s natural pain killer and “feel-good” hormones.” [Citation from:  Judith Orloth M.D.]