My Life: #15 My Stint in Politics.

My doctorate dissertation was birthed through my consulting politicians with a Biblical worldview. To my amazement, God advanced Himself in my weaknesses.

Since I had been advising a political team at the capitol for, at the time, the past five years, serving two governors and a Senator friend, I was invited to become the nation’s first Faith-based Representative, which turned into becoming the President and CEO of the state’s new non-profit, Arizona Alliance for Community & Faith-based Action (AACFA).  This organization was the first of its kind to network and provide representation for faith organizations in Washington, DC.  Needless to say, my political career was now launched. Little did I know what was to come!

A LITTLE HOUSEKEEPING

I am being tutored as a Substack writer. I am in the process of bettering my writing and posting skills. Since you are one of my readers, please take a moment to pick the best answer. Thank you!

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POLITICS OR JESUS

My doctorate dissertation was birthed through my consulting politicians with a Biblical worldview. While I was serving on the Arizona “Faith-based Steering Committee,” the thesis began to unfold. This resulted in my final dissertation - “The Faith-Based Initiative, Re-uniting State & Church.”

To my surprise, this gained the attention of the governor of Texas, George W. Bush. I was invited to a “sit down” with his office. The God-ordained proposal was openly accepted by his team. This meeting led to many new friends and colleagues that were about to change the face of America.

As history reveals, Mr. Bush became the President, and with his arrival at the White House, came the Faith-Based Initiative, which provided the privilege of advising the President and his appointed workers.

I spent five years serving in this position, commuting to DC every three weeks being a representative for the nation’s first initiative to integrate faith and politics.  However, after the tragic event of 9/11, everything changed.

After serving five years under President George W. Bush with his campaign “Faith-based Initiative,” I became restless and disillusioned by national politics.  The “back-stabbing,” persecution, and policy stealing ultimately moved me to resign from my post in Washington, as well as my position with AACFA.  It was during my final year with the White House team that a friend of mine, at the time, the Director of Labor, recommended that I set up a separate non-profit that fit my spiritual beliefs – with that, IOM America was formed.  Even though I was invited back into the Initiative under President Obama - due to his objectives and views of faith & leadership, proposing to turn the initiative into a “one world” faith movement focusing on Universalism, I declined.  This was a confirmation to focus on building the ministry of IOM America.

Meantime back on the home front.

Jane had become a “political widow.”  I was so focused on this initiative and my newfound political influence I left my precious wife in the dust of a murder trial, the loss of no longer being a pastor/ministry wife, was rejected from family/friends, and on top of all that – a husband lost in the world of politics.  It was certainly time for God to refocus me and the actual ministry He called me to function within. 

I cannot tell you how arrogant and stuffy I became during those years of being in politics.  Even though I agreed with the White House, in order to keep me out of the media, that my name be “silenced” as I worked for them, the influence I was given boasted my flesh like no other.  I became friends, attended meetings, and socialized with some of our nation’s most “powerful” influencers – both in the faith industry and politics, yes, I said “faith industry.”  I discovered that most American megachurches and ministries are into one thing – selling Jesus for the prosperity of self-indulgence.  From my perspective, I arrived at my own measurement of success and power, and as you might guess – I hated it.

THE BIG NO - NO!

On one of my last trips to Washington, sitting in a meeting with the President, the Lord tapped me on my conscience and said go back to your room.  I respectfully waited until the meeting was over and quickly told my co-worker I would not attend our meeting with Senator Santorum, which I was to chair.  With him thinking I was crazy for breaking protocol, I left.  When I got to my room, I sat on the edge of the bed, baffled and bewildered, not understanding why God would require such a thing.  I immediately became overtaken by sleepiness.  I fell back on the bed and found myself in a “dream/vision” that opened my spiritual eyes.  The dream entailed me standing on the corner of a busy DC street, watching thousands of hands come at me.  This went on for several minutes, and behold, one single hand (large hand) connected to a body in a draping white robe (exactly like the vision I had in fourth grade) appeared out of the center of all these little hands.  With that, I woke up and spent the next 15 hours on my face before God, begging Him to show me what this meant, resulting in silence from God. 

The next day I decided to attend my previously scheduled meeting with the Director of Health and Human Services.  Arriving at the complex and finishing my meeting – the Director invited me to his office.  While standing in this man’s office, taken by the personal pictures of him and the President, I noticed one particular picture behind his desk.  It was a picture of a boy sitting in the President’s chair in the Oval Office – a chair I, too, have sat in, with the President standing behind him, pointing to the boy in the chair – as if to say, our future President.  Standing there in a bit of a trance, the Director asked me what I was thinking.  I told him that I believed I had an unction from the Lord.  Hesitant to tell him, he almost demanded that I did.  I told him that the Lord had a special mission and commission on this boy’s life.  The boy turned out to be his son, and he said I was the third person to tell him this.  As he was standing there in tears, he shared with me his born-again experience with Christ.  As expected, that opened the door for a deep and rich discussion as brothers in the Lord. 

An angel or what…

After I left the building, flying high as a kite, I went to the street to secure a taxi, and due to rush hour, I could not get a ride.  Realizing I would have to walk back to the hotel (several miles away), a black limousine pulled up next to me, and the driver asked me if I needed a ride.  Thinking this was a pay-per-trip service, I said no thank you.  He quickly told me this one is on me.  I got in, and before we got a half a block away, he looks in the mirror and asks me if I was a born-again Christian.  Thinking I had a “nut” on my hands, I played into it.  After answering affirmatively, I asked him the same question, to which he replied - you could say that.  Well, for the next 40 minutes, this man began speaking into my life, telling me things about myself that only God knew.  I listened carefully, knowing God was in charge of this trip.  He spelled out exactly what God had called me to do for the rest of my life and to stop following the hands of man.  By the time we got to the hotel, I was sobbing uncontrollably.  I asked him for his name and contact information in order to continue our discussion.  He said my name does not matter and you will be hearing from me soon.  Whether you believe me or not, after he opened my door and I gave him a hug, I walked to the hotel entrance, and while the doorman was opening the door for me, I turned around to get one last look, and there was no limousine to be found.  Now either I had a time warp moment, or something much more spiritual just happened.

I immediately went to my room and wept all the more, during which time the Lord said I, the Lord, have spoken; resign your post and do what I have asked you to do.  Well, as soon as I got back to Arizona, I resigned from my position with AACFA, and all my chair positions with the Governor and began to develop the non-profit IOM America, which is the ministry I serve today.    

An interesting note about the limo driver – 2 months after resigning from my post at the capitol, I received a call from the Governor’s office.  The secretary said there was a gentleman here who needed to talk to me, asking me to come downtown.  Not being able to cancel a meeting I was about to attend, she put him on the phone.  Guess who it was?  You got it, the limo driver.  He proceeded to tell me where I needed to start my ministry work and gave me ministry projections for the next ten years.  The crazy thing about these projections, all these years later, is that is exactly what our ministry is doing throughout the world.  There still are a few mind-altering details that must unfold with the Lord’s work between Israel, and several nations networking indwelt believers, but I am here to tell you, Mr. Limo driver was/is spot on.   

I still remain active in politics as an “armchair” advisor. My mission is simple, to encourage those who are in authority over us. This is accomplished through imparting the Life transforming elements of who the believer is in Christ. While I keep my hand on the pulse of politics, I am fully invested in the Lord of Hosts is largely in charge of both the corrupt and righteous leaders of our great nation. Until next time…