Needless to say, today is a GREAT day for the Pensacola area! The stagnant, 'status quo' form of government that had been in place over 80 years has been OVERTURNED as of last night.
This is the first time I have gotten heavily involved in the political process. Many have questioned, been perplexed (even in our own church) why I as a Pastor would dive into such volatile waters. I took some harsh shots from the PNJ article, very personal attacks from people who have never met me. It stung, but was a great "re"-introduction to the REAL world beyond church and the safety our church borders seem to provide.
At the SAY YES campaign party last night, Brian and Crystal Spencer, who spearheaded the crusade said, "Thank you Bob, for sticking your neck out and taking hits for something this important. In your position, that is dangerous."
My reply?
"There wasn't an option. Anyone else who understands how important this is would do exactly the same and more."
I am vested here. I believe God has a desire to prosper and bless our area. I am violently opposed to everything that blocks that and keeps things stagnant. On one hand, I have been involved with the (divinely timed) Pray For Pensacola movement that Joe Miller spearheaded 3 years ago. But on the other hand, I needed to be involved with the SAY YES movement, the boots on the ground, visible side of things.
Change was being stopped up by the structure. To see change begin, you start with changing the governmental structure that will ALLOW change to start happening. Leadership will arise with vision and the ABILITY to execute that vision.
And THAT, my friends, in a nutshell, is why I dove in.
To be quite honest, this was an eye opener. I spent a good part of Monday and Tuesday making calls to people who hadnt voted in the East Hill area, the area I was assigned. I took off the "Pastor" hat and put on my "Citizen" hat and worked the phones. It was shocking how mean and negative some were. Trust me when I say that politics really does bring out the worst in some people!
On the other hand, it was great to see over a 1000 people head to the voters office downtown to cast last minute votes. I am convinced the last 2 days of pushing by everyone on the team did it. I learned alot about not quitting, as the polls as of Monday morning had this not passing, as the under 40 crowd was not showing up.
God gave me a promise a year ago as I prayed for our City. In the next 10 years, people will not recognize Pensacola, so great will the changes be. Strongholds that have been entrenched for almost a century are being overturned. I am excited about the future, for our church, for the churches....for our city.
After much prayer from so many through the years, a new season is finally upon us....!
Grace,
PB
There have been a number of attempts to come up with a figure about how many U.S. home mortgages are under water -- in other words, the value of the home loan is more than the value of the house.