FRIENDS, ENEMIES, ELECTIONS, AND PRAYER.

Brad Klopfenstein interviewing Libertarian Senate candidate Lucy Brenton at post-election party at Scotty's Brewhouse, Indianapolis on Nov. 8, 2016.

Watching the returns election night in 2016 was a unique experience. No, it had nothing to do with the Presidential race between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. My focus was on the scroll on the bottom of the screen, going through the other races, such as Indiana governor and U. S. and State House and Senate.

Usually, I'm sitting at home or work (more usually the latter), but in this case I was at Scotty's Brewhouse during the post-election party for the Libertarian Party. Instead of quietly sitting in a chair by myself, I was mingling with various members of the state party, most of whom I met during the year. 

Among the cast was U.S. Senate candidate Lucy Brenton and Congressional candidates Steven Mayoras, Rich Turvey, and Drew Thompson, all part of the Compact for Liberty signing a couple of years ago. Also in the mix was Mark Rutherford, who would be the LP's Secretary of State Candidate in '18 and who I met at a local Libertarian meeting, Donald Rainwater who had a successful campaign (for a Libertarian) for Governor in '20, and Sam Goldstein and the late Bill Bean who I worked with at the LP booth during the '16 Irvington Fall Festival.

As I looked at the results, I saw other names I was familiar with. Long time friend Andrew Horning, who was at the Compact for Liberty signing, along with Donna Dunn, Pepper Hulette Snyder, and Russell Brooksbank, all of which were running for office. Rex Bell and Karl Tatgenhorst, who were the Governor and Lieutenant Governor candidates. I spent the summer and fall that year promoting those candidates and sharing their posts on Facebook.

Then it hit me. I was watching the results in a way I never saw them before. Typically, I'd look at interest at people I was rooting for and see how they're doing.

That Tuesday night, I was watching to see how my friends were doing. 

When I posted three days after that election, I suggested a radical concept: Shouldn't our Congresspeople and Governor candidates, etc., be our friends? Wasn't this to some extent what the Founding Fathers had in mind, for us to be represented by our peers, as opposed to being ruled over an aristocracy that is out of touch with the populace?

That was six years ago. Around the time of the '22 elections, Becky made a comment that she needed to be praying for our President, and that it is basically praying for our enemies. 

Is she far off? 

When 2023 starts, Becky and I will have a different U. S. Representative, State Representative, and State Senator than we do now, all due to the post-census redistricting. Two of the three are ones we think share our interests. Not any more.

But here's the bottom line - We're to pray for our leaders (1 Timothy 2:2), whether they're friends or enemies. (The NT epistles were written when Nero was Caesar.) We're to honor and give thanks for all people (1 Peter 2:17; 1 Timothy 2:1). And just as important, we're not to put our trust in princes but in the Lord (Psalm 146:3-5).

 

REMEMBERING PEOPLE I WISH I HAD KNOWN BETTER

  

Bill Bean (left) with Sam Goldstein, working at the LP booth at the Irvington Festival, October 29, 2016

 

This is Memorial Day weekend. Usually, Memorial Day is just a day off. As usual for the Sunday of this end-of-May weekend, the Indianapolis 500 is being run on the West end on town. So? If you gave me a choice between the 500, the Kentucky Derby, and the annual Zoopolis race between Galapagos Tortoises ... I'd say the 500 would be in distant third place. It also would lose out to the Chihuahua race each year in Chattanooga, and the lizard race in Lovington, New Mexico.

As far as the real reason for the day off, I applaud us taking a day to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country. But that is an ideal. I am at least a third generation non-military. I do not personally know anyone who died in a war. Thus, the holiday doesn't really get close to me.

I do think that there's a place for the Church to remember the martyrs who went before, both in church history and those who are enduring persecution here and now. Should Christians hijack Memorial Day for this? All Saints Day and International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church - the former being the first day of November, the latter being the first Sunday of November - come close, but All Saints Day recognizes all saints, not just martyrs, while the other focuses on those who are living. 

But that's not the point of this blog. Instead, I'd like to take this time to remember three people who I knew for a short period of time who died before I could get to know them better.

The first was Chris Finchum (left). In 2009, I was putting together the second annual festival at Arlington Avenue Baptist Church in Indianapolis. He contacted me at a point where I had all the slots filled. Four years later, he again contacted me, and we had a spot for him that year. He also was asked to share in music the following day. He made an impression on me and on pastor Richard Walton, who thought he would be a good choice to fill in whenever he and the family went out of town for worship (his wife, Trish, does the song leading).

Less than a week later, he was in heaven, after going on 43 years here. Yes, it was unexpected.

The second was Bill Bean (above). I met him at the annual Irvington Festival, working the booth for the Libertarian Party with him. I also saw him a few weeks later at the election-eve party at Scotty's Brewhouse. He later became the  chairman for the Marion County branch of the Party.

Early 2018, he called and asked me to join him for breakfast, which I did. My first thought was he wanted to ask me to run for office. No. The reason was that Bill realized that the Libertarian Party and the Church were suspect of each other and wanted to work on ending the divide. I was honored for him to ask.

Then, in July, he got ill, and he went home to the Lord by the end of the year. How I wish I could have known him better.

The most recent is Christopher Pole. He was one of three gentlemen who took turns teaching the Living Stones Class at Northside Baptist Church. Becky and I just joined Northside early last year (2021), and started attending the class in the fall. Early this year, he was diagnosed with cancer. He's now in heaven too. I wish I had the opportunity to have more fellowship with that beloved brother.

One joy for a Christian is to believe death is not the end. I WILL have opportunity to know them much better in heaven. And I can praise the Lord that none of these had a prolonged time of struggling with their illnesses. 

And so I remember these brothers this Memorial Day.