Is this an Election Season?

Wow - can you say POLITICAL CAMPAIGN! Between the ads, pundits, campaign calls, and polling surveys it's starting to feel like we've been in this election season for... oh about 3 years now. BUT HANG IN THERE! Don't get too tired and turn off completely. Voting is way too important in a free democratic society like ours. I know you’ve heard it before but it’s true – voting is a great privilege! So tough it out, get informed, and plan to vote wisely. Ok, that's my mini-sermon for today.

Seriously, as you know there are some very important positions to be elected this year. So in case you're still trying to figure it all out here are some tools to help you.

1. If you're not yet registered - then GET REGISTERED RIGHT AWAY! The deadline is October 8. Here is a link to the Secretary of State's office where you can print out a registration form and mail it in. Also, here's a link to CitizenLink.com, a profamily organization run by Focus on the family. There you can register right on line and hit send.

2. If you're confused about the Presidential candidates here are a couple of resources. About six weeks ago both candidates participated in a Civil Forum at Saddleback Church in California. They each answered the same questions posed by Pastor Rick Warren. Here is a link to watch the entire hour and a half Saddleback Civil Forum. It's very informative about the key policy positions and personal values of both candidates. Plus here is a link to watch small sections of the forum broken down by individual questions.

3. At the CitizenLink.com site you can also find out information about state & federal legislators and candidates for state offices.

4. On Sunday, November 2, I'll be sharing a message titled "The Kind of Leadership America Needs." It's based on a message given by Rick Warren to his church following their Civil Forum. Don't worry - I'm not going to be telling folks how to vote. (They wouldn't listen even if I did!) But I will help us examine what the Bible teaches about how to choose leaders. We'll close the service by spending time praying for our nation and for the election.

So I encourage you to get registered (if you're not already), get informed, pray, and be a part of the process. God blessed us so much by choosing that we would live in this nation - at this time in history! Don’t blow it by not helping to select our leaders.