Let the countdown begin...11 days

Ok so I realize its been five weeks since i've last posted. I know all of you are thinking, "What the heck, Bek?" Well its been a busy 5 weeks on the campaign. There is tons I would like to share but I have decided go put that after the campaign because I cannot disclose too much information while its going on and I would like to wait on that anyways. But we've got 11 days left...I won't be giving you specifics of the inside view of the campaign but how about a little snapshot into my world and what I will be doing over the next 11 days?

wake-up early, drive to work, spill coffee in car on my white shirt, arrive at work, work for a few hours, use punching bag at frustrating times, eat lunch, make phone calls, help volunteers know what to do, ask ryan (campaign manager) at least 30 questions, stay late doing work, help volunteers, maybe eat a 7-11 brownie, eyes glaze over from staring at computer or call list to long, wait, wait, wait, ryan drives me home, sleep for a few hours, pete and repeat.

I said a little snapshot, didn't I? This is the busiest time of the campaign. And that really doesn't even show how busy we really are...Don't you worry - they'll be plenty more where that came from and when I have time, it will get written about. Well, I am going to make some phone calls asking for people to support Ben in this upcoming november. Hopefully next time, a post will be more inspiring....

19 more days (Post Election)

So, this was a post I had started during the middle of the campaign but I chose not to post it at the time because I wanted to wait until after November 2nd.

Here is what was written 19 days before election day..
"But my life has been consumed by the campaign. I've actually started writing earlier about the campaign but I have to be careful with how much I share before its over, for several reasons but one of the main reason is I don't want to publicly process through it while it is still going on. Something I've learned while working on this campaign is that its a roller coaster of emotions, busyness, constant work, etc. Before I move too far down the road of doing something I just said I wasn't going to, I'm going to stop there.
Something the campaign has challenged me with that I'm going to expound upon in this post actually has more to do with my faith. As I have gotten more and more involved in the campaign, I talk more and more about it. I tell people daily what Ben stands for and why I am voting for him. It has hit a point of passionate zeal in my life, which is to be expected with my involvement and personality. But the other day, I was writing to some friends about it and a question hit me like a ton of bricks, "Bek, are you this passionate about Jesus?" I was completely halted in my tracks by this pondering and in a way I still am. After a conversation with my fellow coworker, Ryan, we expounded on the idea of "canvassing for Jesus." Basically applying the standard election get-the-word-out-about-your-candidate procedures. I'm sure you can simply imagine on your own what these might involve and some faiths even practice door-to-door sharing customs. Although our conversations and thought process went beyond this standard application and dove further into the subject of focusing on the amount of passion for talking about our faith in Christ.
I've hit the point where I no longer fear telling people that I am both working and supporting a democrat, even in situations where I know that it may be frowned upon because it is an important part of my life. But how often do I restrain myself from sharing my faith with strangers or in those same type of frowned upon situations? Why do I refrain or give short answers if I so choose to mention it? Fear.Awkwardness.Rejection.Persecution.Worry.etc. The list could literally go on probably for days. These same excuses could be given when applying it to sharing Ben's message, yet they rarely stop me.
This is something that has been on my heart in different ways over the past few months. I spent some serious time this summer looking into an organization called GoCorps. Similar to PeaceCorps but with the mission of sending recent grads out on the mission field for two years. On their website, a message hit close to home. The Great Commission is command, not an option. We often will hesitate when someone challenges us with the great commission verses by saying, "I"ll pray about it." Which often means for me at least pushing it off to the side because it makes me uncomfortable. Yet the Great Commission is not an optional command, it is just as relevant and important to follow as the 10 commandments or others that Jesus speaks to us."

Now post-election day...
This topic is something that has been a pretty constant theme in my thoughts right now. How often did I purposefully bring up the subject of politics just to talk to Ben and why you should vote for him verses how much do I purposefully bring up God to give Him the glory in how he has worked in my life? With all that said, I do not think I should feel bad for how much I talked politics and the Lowe for Congress campaign. It really is just a point of reference that I can easily access and compare it to.
My challenge to you, (and even more so to myself) is to not live in fear or worry about what people will think when you bring up God in everyday conversation. My challenge to you is to not just pray about the Great Commission, but act it out as Jesus commands. My challenge to you is to think about how willing you are to bring up other controversial subjects like politics compared to how much you end up sharing The Gospel. While I was a part of the campaign and even still now, I took every opportunity to share Ben's message with the people of the 6th District. I persuaded, argued, conversed, shouted, whispered, and shared as much as I could. Ultimately Ben's campaign is over for 2010. Will I take this opportunity to persuade, argue, converse, and share how Christ has changed my life and can change yours? How much longer will I be able to share the message of Jesus Christ with those around me? I don't know that time line. But what I do know is what Jesus said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. (Matthew 28:18-20)