Rick Beggs welcomes you back to the Compass with Debbie Whatnow
Rick Beggs Welcome to the Compass. Navigating the public square together with faith, truth, and conviction. Well, we welcome you back to another episode of the Compass. My name is Rick Beggs. I'm one of your hosts. My co host is always Debbie Whatnow. She's the president of iVoterGuide. So say, hey, Debbie.
Debbie Wuthnow Well, hey, Debbie. Hey, Rick. I have to say, this is so much fun to be sitting together with you in the room, recording this in
Rick Beggs person from Tupelo, because usually we're in different cities or we're in a city together doing.
Debbie Wuthnow Or even in different rooms in the same city.
Rick Beggs That's right.
Debbie Wuthnow This is pretty exciting. So. So how.
Rick Beggs And we're with our producer, Willie B.
Debbie Wuthnow Right across the table.
Rick Beggs I know. It's very fun.
So how was your Father's Day? Hope you have a great one
Debbie Wuthnow So how was your Father's Day? Hope you have a great one.
Rick Beggs Well, thanks for asking. It was. It was very, relaxing.
Debbie Wuthnow That's what it's supposed to be.
Rick Beggs Yeah, I really liked it. Matter of fact, I got to go spend a little bit of time by myself, which was kind of nice.
Debbie Wuthnow Did you get to see your kids?
Rick Beggs I saw one of them, spoke to all of them, but saw, the grand girls for a while, and that's always very special. Yeah. And, you know, Father's Day brings back so many memories for me. if I can get a little personal here, you know, I had, two fathers growing up. I had a father who was. Wasn't around very long. not a very nice man, so he wasn't a good father. And then I had my stepdad, who I really would consider my dad or my father. And he was wonderful. But he died when I was 21, so we didn't. I didn't have a lot of fatherly parents, but at the right time, God prepared me for that. So I have my own experience about fatherhood, which sometimes is not a good pattern for all of us.
Debbie Wuthnow Perfect example of a godly pattern.
Rick Beggs And I know a little bit about your story, too, in you and your relationship with your dad, which was not always necessarily a pleasant one. But having said that, I. I just count it so special when you finally understand a heavenly father.
Debbie Wuthnow Yeah.
Rick Beggs That we have. And I know for a lot of people out there who are listening, they had wonderful fathers. And like I said, I had one who was. But I know Father's Day, Mother's Day as well, isn't always a good thing.
Debbie Wuthnow It can be a hard day.
Rick Beggs It can be very hard day.
Debbie Wuthnow Lost your father, you lost your mother.
Rick Beggs Yeah, yeah, yeah. Or it wasn't a pleasant experience having that Father. And even for men who wish they could be a father or fathers who lost kids, I mean, there's all kinds of ways.
Debbie Wuthnow So many layers.
Rick Beggs But I like that you asked me because it was a wonderful day for me.
Debbie Wuthnow You deserve it.
Rick Beggs Well, thank you. I, I always loved the verse where God is the father to the fatherless. And I think that's always a comfort once you truly understand.
You wrote an article about a father's vote this week
Another thing that really struck me this week was that you wrote an article.
Debbie Wuthnow Yeah.
Rick Beggs that came out in email and also was in the stand. Right.
Debbie Wuthnow Yeah.
Rick Beggs About a father's vote. Why don't you share a little bit with our people about that?
Debbie Wuthnow Well, you know, fathers are. They're role models for their children. They're. They set examples for their kids. I mean, they teach them in. My dad would do lectures. We used to number them. There's. Oh, 63 is coming out again. But it's more so how they live their life. That's the role model. And so the whole point of that article was that fathers, model a lot of things. Work ethic, how to love your family, love your wife. But also there's citizenship aspects of that. You know, are they participating in, Voting is one of them. So the whole article was about, you know, a dad taking his kid to the voting booth with them. The kid can't vote yet, but dad's just showing by example that this is a priority for me, that this is important for me, maybe even, you know, showing him how I'm researching my candidates and how I'm being prepared, that it's not something I just, you know, Rolodex in or, you know, Russian roulette in, to figure out who I'm voting for, to be diligent in that. So that was the whole point of the article, was that, you know, appreciating your fathers and as you're a father, to challenge you to be a role model and an example in all areas.
Rick Beggs You know, I think when I read the article, I was thinking to myself, I think this happens probably to a lot of dads. I wish I would have. But there are a lot of things that I did that I thought, oh, Lord, thanks so much that you. You know what?
Debbie Wuthnow We all do the best we can.
Rick Beggs Yeah.
Debbie Wuthnow And, And, you know, maybe you plant that seed with your kids or your grandkids of I wished I had. Or if I could do it again, I wish I would do this. because we all learn lessons. Nobody comes out of the womb knowing all of those things. You just learn them through example through practice, through trial and error, and try to do the best you can.
When Christians give their life to Christ, they become a steward
Rick Beggs Well, that sort of leads me to our topic today. Last week we really expressed the idea that if good men do nothing, we're in a lot of trouble.
Debbie Wuthnow That's when evil will flourish.
Rick Beggs That's when evil flourishes. And I think that we end up, having the opportunity not only to steward our kids, but really to steward our own gifts and opportunities that God's given us. I think Christians don't truly understand when they give their life to Christ, they become a steward.
Debbie Wuthnow Yeah.
Rick Beggs You don't get to choose whether you're one or not. You are one. Because why you, you turned your life over. It no longer is yours. And God is saying to us, you trust in me. I, want it all.
Debbie Wuthnow Well, Jesus is the Lord of your life. And what part of your life is Jesus not lord over?
Rick Beggs Well, being a steward, as you understand it, it truly means you own nothing.
Debbie Wuthnow He owns it all.
Rick Beggs God owns it all. And so now what I'm doing is stewarding what God's given me. My life.
Rick Beggs My kids, my resources. We always think when somebody mentions stewardship that, well, this has got to be about money.
Debbie Wuthnow And that's part of it. But it's certainly not all.
Rick Beggs No, it's not. But we all think that way.
Rick Beggs Because there's nothing worse. When you show up for that Sunday service, when you go to a new church and they're having stewardship Sunday, and you go, oh, gosh, why did I show up for this thing?
Debbie Wuthnow I think the pastors think that as they're going to run these people out.
Rick Beggs That's right. But stewardship is our whole life. Once you turn that over, you've, you have chosen that God is now going to be the ruler of your life and you're just stewarding his stuff. Now having said that, I think a lot of Christians truly don't understand that about their own life, that you are stewarding his stuff, which means you own nothing.
Debbie Wuthnow Well, and it's, it's, it's your, it's your treasures, but it's also your times and your time and your talent. Are you giving of your time? Are you giving of your talents? All of that belongs to God.
Rick Beggs Yeah. And what you're doing is you've relinquished all your rights to him, to Jesus.
Debbie Wuthnow Yeah, that's true. But you know, that's kind of the, that's the cup half full. You're giving him lordship over all of it.
Rick Beggs Yeah, but I, I mean, I look at it that, I don't get a chance to take back all these things that I gave him when I gave him my life. And sometimes that's the big wrestle of life is you're always trying to pull back what you know belongs to God now, but somehow you want to be able to control it. And it's really all about control.
Debbie Miller: What does stewardship look like as a citizen
But we wanted to talk about stewardship, especially in regards to I voter guide and voting. What does stewardship look like as a citizen? Because that's a part of our life that we should be turning over to God. So how do we do that, Debbie? How do we steward that part of our life, our Christian life?
Debbie Wuthnow Well, I look at part of it from the teaching about the parable of the talents. So there's many aspects of citizenship, stewardship, but specifically with voting, I would point to that parable of the talents where, you know, Jesus told the story of the master who gave one person gets five talents, one gets two, one gets one. And then he goes away and says, you know, return these work, put these to work for the kingdom. And when he comes back, the guy who had five had, you know, worked it, invested it and he doubled it. Same thing with the guy too. And the guy with one said, you know, I don't trust that you're gonna, you don't want me, you don't reap what you don't sow. And I'm going to just bury this and I'll give it back to you with no interest. And Jesus was not happy the two had returned her well done, good and faithful servant. I trust you with small, I'll give you more, and to me, that's your vote. Your vote is like your talent. Are you going to bury it? Are you going to maybe not vote? you're going to skip, a race on your ballot? Or are you going to be a poor steward of it and not do the research and not really know who you're voting for and for what and for why?
Rick Beggs Well, and we are trying to play that role at ivoterguide. We're trying to help somebody who doesn't have the time. And we all know we don't have time to research candidates. We really have done that for them.
Rick Beggs And now you can not only be a good steward of that vote, but the research is done for you. And now you just could, you can make a decision based on what you've read. Right.
Debbie Wuthnow And we do make it easier to execute that responsibility. It's not just a right, ah, to vote. It's a responsibility to be a steward. And we seek to make that a more informed choice to, help you to engage in society and to vote wisely and not bury your talent, really.
Rick Beggs And I know a lot of people think that their vote means nothing. I mean, you and I at nauseam have talked about how many races have been won, by tens of votes or many.
Debbie Wuthnow Just one.
Rick Beggs I know.
Debbie Wuthnow So every vote matters at all levels of it. So don't ever think your vote. And you know, maybe your vote is just being an example to your kid as a father, of what, how you need to engage. So it does make a difference.
Rick Beggs And I would hope that when we do those types of things with our kids, those things are stamped as memories for them that they remember their father voting or their mother voting. You know, I, think, I think it works for, all parents to model these things for our kids. I think that's what stewardship of our children really is about. Now, I, do know that a lot of people just want to disengage from this whole what we would call political process, and so they blame it on politics as a reason not to engage. And we know differently than that. I think that's. We talked about this last week. We. This is not for pastors to say. I'm just going to bury my head in the sand about this. Not let my. My flock know they ought to engage. Yeah. In voting. But my goodness, Debbie, we have so many pastors, so many churches that do not promote this citizenship, the stewardship of what God has given us to be able to vote freely. I mean, how many countries don't get to vote?
Debbie Wuthnow Well, when I look at the countries where they do get to vote, and they're so proud of it, you know, they get their finger turned purple and they're showing it up and pony that I did my part. And, their turnout in elections is 80, 90% of voters. And in America, that just does not. It's sad that that doesn't.
Rick Beggs It's sadder yet that the church doesn't. Yeah, that's. I think that's what I, have a real burden for. That the church won't take the time to do this, or the people of the church won't take the time to do it. And of course, and we're not saying
Debbie Wuthnow nobody does as a general rule, you
Rick Beggs know, but there's too many. We've run into, yes, there are talking about this around the country.
Debbie Wuthnow And our mission is really to change that number, really to encourage more of you to do your part, to share it with your neighbor, with your pastor, with your elders in your church, to move that needle to get the church more engaged. But it's not 100%. No.
Rick Beggs I do know that we have put ourselves in a position where last big vote, we were close to 4 million people, under 4 million people that came and used iVoterGuide last election cycle.
Debbie Wuthnow Yeah.
Rick Beggs And I'm hoping with radio shows and us speaking around the country, articles, you doing a lot of radio spots, a lot of interviews, that we could increase that, you know, it needs to double or more. Yeah, yeah. I mean, I, I don't understand. For a free tool. Did I say free?
Debbie Wuthnow Free and easy to use.
Rick Beggs Free use it. It's right there for you. We've done all the work and you can go find out about each candidate in your area.
What happens when people disengage from this process? Scripturally speaking
what would you suggest or what would you talk about, even scripturally, what happens when people disengage from this process?
Debbie Wuthnow Well, it's that whole quote we kind of talked about a little bit last week, that if good people, the only thing for evil to flourish is for good people to do nothing. So when the people are. Do nothing, or when the, the godly people are not stepping in, the ungodly will step in and use and take that authority. So it's, it's that stewardship responsibility of those who are godly to, to speak their voices, to step, into the gap, fill the vacuum, to make their voices heard.
Rick Beggs I know that there's many scriptures where I think of one in Judges, where a whole generation changed. Where the parents were godly, they followed the statues and laws of God, and in one generation it all changed. And I think about how even today we see that, where parents didn't take seriously this stewardship of passing these things on to their kids. And so you, you have a generation that begins to lose hope that voting really doesn't matter. And I don't see my parents vote.
Debbie Wuthnow Yeah.
Rick Beggs So.
Debbie Wuthnow Well, and so it happened in the book of Judges, right. If we look in chapter two at verse 10, it said that after that whole generation had been gathered to their ancestors, another generation grew up who knew neither the Lord nor what he had done. Then the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord and served the balls. So, so in one generation they m. Stepped away from serving God. Could it be because their parents didn't give the role model, didn't give them a good example, didn't teach them actively and passively? and ask yourself what Am I doing, am I doing my part in all of that? So we all have a role to play in doing that because that's what moves, the needle, really. That's what keeps us tried and true and serving the Lord in all that we do, not just in part of what we do.
You asked God what he wanted you to do when you started programming iVoterGuide
Rick Beggs when you got involved with ivoterguide, did you ever sense the heaviness of what this was going to be like when you started programming for them? Because, I mean, look at now, so many years later. You're now president of this.
Debbie Wuthnow Yeah, I truly, I mean, I've said before I learned from Henry Blackabe and experiencing God that God kind of guides your steps. But also the scripture says, be a light unto my path and a light unto. I can't remember the specifics God doesn't get. It's not a flashlight giving you the whole plan. It's a lantern shining on the next step. So you ask God to show you that next step, and then you determine my answer's gonna be yes. I had no idea that when I said yes to working for Jim on the technical stuff, that I was just, you know, from being a stay at home mom, no idea what would come. But I did know. I asked God what he wanted me to do. I felt like he gave me the open door. And then you just step into it. And then for every day, God, what do you want me to do next? And then once he shows you, your job is to move, move into it, do it.
Rick Beggs Yeah, I, I'm always amazed when you even tell your story about how you got involved in this, that you, you really were just looking for extra income to help
Debbie Wuthnow with college, something to do with my empty nest. I just, you know, I'm not a person who wants to sit and play games. And I was so, focused on my kids and I knew that I was a disciple of Christ and he'd planned out all those things for me, but I didn't know what they were supposed to be. So I said, you better show them to me, God. And, you know, when you ask him to show you something, you better, your answer must be yes when he shows you.
Rick Beggs Well, I just think of people even listening to our broadcast now. And we've said this probably on the first or two broadcasts that we did, that there may be people out there going, what do I have to offer? And, you know, you got involved in this item of life, which is about voting and being a good citizen, with where God has placed you, but there are moms and dads out there who can hear our voice. And they're wondering, is this amounting to anything?
Debbie Wuthnow Well, and it can be overwhelming because it's like you don't go from having no children to six kids. You step into it. You do it step by step. So just ask God. You know, we have many scriptures of how God has ordained all the days for us before one of them was born. From Psalms 139. we know that he's planned all the works in advance for us that we would step into them. So ask him to show you, what he's planned. We, know his plans are best. He knows the whole picture. and then don't be overwhelmed over the anxiety or worry because trust God. He is trustworthy and he will keep us safe and on his path, which, you know, sometimes it'll be a little hard. It's been challenging at times, but knowing you're doing what God wants you to do is where you find peace and fulfillment.
Rick Beggs Yeah. And I think he, as you mentioned many times, he will fill in the gaps.
Debbie Wuthnow Yes, he will. he doesn't call the equipped. He equips the called.
Rick Beggs Well, well said.
Debbie Wuthnow Thank you. It's not for me. I know somebody said that first, but it was pretty good, so I remembered it.
Rick Beggs That's right. Well, if you say it long enough, maybe it's you.
Debbie Wuthnow Did you say that first?
Rick Beggs I've said it.
Debbie Wuthnow Okay.
Rick Beggs But that doesn't mean I said it.
Debbie Wuthnow Okay.
M. M. Bennett: First of all, go to God first
Rick Beggs Anyway, I also have a verse to share with you, and it comes out of Isaiah 59, verse 14. Justice is turned back and righteousness stands far away. For truth has stumbled in the street and uprightness cannot enter. And that is what happens when we don't engage with truth.
Debbie Wuthnow Justice is turned back.
Rick Beggs Yeah. Ah, that's not what I. It's real easy to see. For truth has stumbled in the street, and my goodness, we are in a place of stumbling.
Debbie Wuthnow Truth. Yes. And truth is our number one primary value because we want to keep truth, not stumbling, we want to propagate that.
Rick Beggs So there are consequences when we don't engage. There are consequences when the church doesn't engage. There are consequences when we are not truth telling to one another, and there are consequences when we just ignore it like it did it. It doesn't happen or it won't matter if I do it or I don't do it. I would suggest when people get involved in this and they don't know who they want to vote for, and we're going to talk about this a little bit over the next Couple weeks. I would suggest, first of all, you probably should go to the Lord in prayer.
Debbie Wuthnow Always a good first step.
Rick Beggs Because I think we're not considering that God really would be interested in telling us.
Debbie Wuthnow He. He desires relationship. That's why he created us. and so he wants us to ask Him. He wants to give us wisdom. He wants to give us direction. Many scriptures, you know, say just ask and I'll give you.
Rick Beggs Yeah. And. And he's easy about that. It's not like he wants to hide it from us.
Debbie Wuthnow Okay.
Rick Beggs So I. I just know that, we need to really, concern ourselves with the idea that this is really what God has asked of us and we ought to move into it and engage in it. I know I would rather not engage in a lot of things, but there are certain things about citizenship and it may be age and stage for me where I really feel like now in my life, I know how I engage in certain things at this point in time. Really matter. Really matter. Whether it's the walks I take with my grandson, or granddaughter and have conversations, the things that I do. And I know they're watching me. So this is a generational thing. And as you read in Judges, it just takes one generation for it all to go to bad. Yeah. And I want to be more intentional about those things in my life.
Debbie Wuthnow That's convicting. We all need to be intentional about everything we do. And we can get so busy and not pay attention to that. But, God owns everything and we need to be good stewards of every part of.
Rick Beggs Also seems to me too, that a lot of times when you engage in this political process, if you don't start with prayer with the Lord, it becomes partisan. We start thinking, well, we're doing it
Debbie Wuthnow in our own strength. And that can get us off track. Actually, our message on Sunday was about this guy was teaching about going to God first. And he said. And I started writing the sermon and realized two hours into writing that I hadn't asked God first. So we can get even though we know we need to go to him first. It's a hard habit to set. if you have a different one,
Rick Beggs James 1:5 talks about if you have lack any wisdom to go and ask and he will give, and he will give generously. M. Generously. And we all like a generous giver.
Debbie Wuthnow Yep.
God, trust God, and don't be anxious about what's going on
Rick Beggs anything else that you want to bring up? I know, there's so many things to talk about here, and we're running quickly out of time. I do know that, we will discuss these Things probably into the future beyond belief. because you almost have to repeat this stuff over and over again for people to truly understand how important.
Debbie Wuthnow And there's themes that we'll keep coming back to. But I would say God, trust God, and don't be anxious about what's going on in the world. you know, God's in control. Do your part. and Philippians 4. I love Philippians, and especially this verse. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, present your request to God, and he will, give you the peace. The peace of God which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. So don't be anxious. You know, we can get worried, but God's in control.
Rick Beggs And, because God sets kings up and he takes them down and he
Debbie Wuthnow moves them like the streams of water.
Rick Beggs Yeah. We really only have to do what he asks of us to do. He really, truly is in control.
Debbie Wuthnow I'm so glad it's him and not me.
Rick Beggs Oh, me too. Glad it's not on me. Actually, I'm glad it's not on you either.
Debbie Wuthnow Well, and vice versa.
Rick Beggs Well, I think you know what that sound means.
Many states have early voting going on ahead of June's primaries
Debbie Wuthnow Is it election update time?
Rick Beggs It's election update time. And so I know we're in the primary season. We're also coming into a lull of it. But what's happening this coming week?
Debbie Wuthnow Okay, well, so this week, which, will be June 27th. Today, this Saturday, which, will be June 27th. In Louisiana, you have a primary runoff election. So your polls are already open. They're open till, 8pm tonight. And then this coming Tuesday, June 30th, Colorado's Republican primary is going to have happen. iVoterGuide's got your voter guide available. Go to ivoterguide.com Enter your address to get your personalized ballot, and polls are open from 7am to 7pm M. But there's also many states where you have early voting going on. So if you live in Arizona, early voting is underway for your primary on July 21st. If you live in Georgia, early voting is beginning for your special election. This won't be the whole state, but it's anybody in Congressional District 13, because your election's on July 28th. Now, Virginia, your early voting has already started. Your election's not until August 4th, but ivoterguide's not gonna release the research and the evaluations until about July 8th. So hold onto that ballot, sign up for our emails, and we'll let you know when that information is available for [email protected] so, Vermont, you also have early voting under your way for your Aug. 11 election. Such long periods of early voting. Hold onto that ballot and we will get you that information hopefully by about July. So we're wrapping up some key elections, and then we're going to have a little bit of a lull, and we'll be, back to tell you more next week.
Rick Beggs And it'll allow us to celebrate the 250th birthday.
Debbie Wuthnow I can't wait.
Rick Beggs Of our country. You've been listening to the Compass. we are the radio show for I VoterGuide.com iVoterGuide.com is where you can get your ballot. If you just put your address in, your ballot will come up and you'll be able to see all the people who are running for offices in your particular voting space. AFR.net is where you can find our other shows and AFR the app. Make sure you get that app. If you have that app, you can listen to everything afr. And if you have any questions for us, Debbie, where. Where should you go to get.
Debbie Wuthnow You can email questions to compassivoterguide.com or you can contact us on our website,
Rick Beggs ivoterguide.com you know, we're grounded in God and rooted in research and our producer, who we love, Willie B. Brent Austin. And remember, Jesus is our true north.
Rick Beggs welcomes you back to the Compass with Debbie Whatnow
Rick Beggs Welcome to the Compass. Navigating the public square together with faith, truth, and conviction. Well, we welcome you back to another episode of the Compass. My name is Rick Beggs. I'm one of your hosts. My co host is always Debbie Whatnow. She's the president of iVoterGuide. So say, hey, Debbie.
Debbie Wuthnow Well, hey, Debbie. Hey, Rick. I have to say, this is so much fun to be sitting together with you in the room, recording this in
Rick Beggs person from Tupelo, because usually we're in different cities or we're in a city together doing.
Debbie Wuthnow Or even in different rooms in the same city.
Rick Beggs That's right.
Debbie Wuthnow This is pretty exciting. So. So how.
Rick Beggs And we're with our producer, Willie B.
Debbie Wuthnow Right across the table.
Rick Beggs I know. It's very fun.
So how was your Father's Day? Hope you have a great one
Debbie Wuthnow So how was your Father's Day? Hope you have a great one.
Rick Beggs Well, thanks for asking. It was. It was very, relaxing.
Debbie Wuthnow That's what it's supposed to be.
Rick Beggs Yeah, I really liked it. Matter of fact, I got to go spend a little bit of time by myself, which was kind of nice.
Debbie Wuthnow Did you get to see your kids?
Rick Beggs I saw one of them, spoke to all of them, but saw, the grand girls for a while, and that's always very special. Yeah. And, you know, Father's Day brings back so many memories for me. if I can get a little personal here, you know, I had, two fathers growing up. I had a father who was. Wasn't around very long. not a very nice man, so he wasn't a good father. And then I had my stepdad, who I really would consider my dad or my father. And he was wonderful. But he died when I was 21, so we didn't. I didn't have a lot of fatherly parents, but at the right time, God prepared me for that. So I have my own experience about fatherhood, which sometimes is not a good pattern for all of us.
Debbie Wuthnow Perfect example of a godly pattern.
Rick Beggs And I know a little bit about your story, too, in you and your relationship with your dad, which was not always necessarily a pleasant one. But having said that, I. I just count it so special when you finally understand a heavenly father.
Debbie Wuthnow Yeah.
Rick Beggs That we have. And I know for a lot of people out there who are listening, they had wonderful fathers. And like I said, I had one who was. But I know Father's Day, Mother's Day as well, isn't always a good thing.
Debbie Wuthnow It can be a hard day.
Rick Beggs It can be very hard day.
Debbie Wuthnow Lost your father, you lost your mother.
Rick Beggs Yeah, yeah, yeah. Or it wasn't a pleasant experience having that Father. And even for men who wish they could be a father or fathers who lost kids, I mean, there's all kinds of ways.
Debbie Wuthnow So many layers.
Rick Beggs But I like that you asked me because it was a wonderful day for me.
Debbie Wuthnow You deserve it.
Rick Beggs Well, thank you. I, I always loved the verse where God is the father to the fatherless. And I think that's always a comfort once you truly understand.
You wrote an article about a father's vote this week
Another thing that really struck me this week was that you wrote an article.
Debbie Wuthnow Yeah.
Rick Beggs that came out in email and also was in the stand. Right.
Debbie Wuthnow Yeah.
Rick Beggs About a father's vote. Why don't you share a little bit with our people about that?
Debbie Wuthnow Well, you know, fathers are. They're role models for their children. They're. They set examples for their kids. I mean, they teach them in. My dad would do lectures. We used to number them. There's. Oh, 63 is coming out again. But it's more so how they live their life. That's the role model. And so the whole point of that article was that fathers, model a lot of things. Work ethic, how to love your family, love your wife. But also there's citizenship aspects of that. You know, are they participating in, Voting is one of them. So the whole article was about, you know, a dad taking his kid to the voting booth with them. The kid can't vote yet, but dad's just showing by example that this is a priority for me, that this is important for me, maybe even, you know, showing him how I'm researching my candidates and how I'm being prepared, that it's not something I just, you know, Rolodex in or, you know, Russian roulette in, to figure out who I'm voting for, to be diligent in that. So that was the whole point of the article, was that, you know, appreciating your fathers and as you're a father, to challenge you to be a role model and an example in all areas.
Rick Beggs You know, I think when I read the article, I was thinking to myself, I think this happens probably to a lot of dads. I wish I would have. But there are a lot of things that I did that I thought, oh, Lord, thanks so much that you. You know what?
Debbie Wuthnow We all do the best we can.
Rick Beggs Yeah.
Debbie Wuthnow And, And, you know, maybe you plant that seed with your kids or your grandkids of I wished I had. Or if I could do it again, I wish I would do this. because we all learn lessons. Nobody comes out of the womb knowing all of those things. You just learn them through example through practice, through trial and error, and try to do the best you can.
When Christians give their life to Christ, they become a steward
Rick Beggs Well, that sort of leads me to our topic today. Last week we really expressed the idea that if good men do nothing, we're in a lot of trouble.
Debbie Wuthnow That's when evil will flourish.
Rick Beggs That's when evil flourishes. And I think that we end up, having the opportunity not only to steward our kids, but really to steward our own gifts and opportunities that God's given us. I think Christians don't truly understand when they give their life to Christ, they become a steward.
Debbie Wuthnow Yeah.
Rick Beggs You don't get to choose whether you're one or not. You are one. Because why you, you turned your life over. It no longer is yours. And God is saying to us, you trust in me. I, want it all.
Debbie Wuthnow Well, Jesus is the Lord of your life. And what part of your life is Jesus not lord over?
Rick Beggs Well, being a steward, as you understand it, it truly means you own nothing.
Debbie Wuthnow He owns it all.
Rick Beggs God owns it all. And so now what I'm doing is stewarding what God's given me. My life.
Rick Beggs My kids, my resources. We always think when somebody mentions stewardship that, well, this has got to be about money.
Debbie Wuthnow And that's part of it. But it's certainly not all.
Rick Beggs No, it's not. But we all think that way.
Rick Beggs Because there's nothing worse. When you show up for that Sunday service, when you go to a new church and they're having stewardship Sunday, and you go, oh, gosh, why did I show up for this thing?
Debbie Wuthnow I think the pastors think that as they're going to run these people out.
Rick Beggs That's right. But stewardship is our whole life. Once you turn that over, you've, you have chosen that God is now going to be the ruler of your life and you're just stewarding his stuff. Now having said that, I think a lot of Christians truly don't understand that about their own life, that you are stewarding his stuff, which means you own nothing.
Debbie Wuthnow Well, and it's, it's, it's your, it's your treasures, but it's also your times and your time and your talent. Are you giving of your time? Are you giving of your talents? All of that belongs to God.
Rick Beggs Yeah. And what you're doing is you've relinquished all your rights to him, to Jesus.
Debbie Wuthnow Yeah, that's true. But you know, that's kind of the, that's the cup half full. You're giving him lordship over all of it.
Rick Beggs Yeah, but I, I mean, I look at it that, I don't get a chance to take back all these things that I gave him when I gave him my life. And sometimes that's the big wrestle of life is you're always trying to pull back what you know belongs to God now, but somehow you want to be able to control it. And it's really all about control.
Debbie Miller: What does stewardship look like as a citizen
But we wanted to talk about stewardship, especially in regards to I voter guide and voting. What does stewardship look like as a citizen? Because that's a part of our life that we should be turning over to God. So how do we do that, Debbie? How do we steward that part of our life, our Christian life?
Debbie Wuthnow Well, I look at part of it from the teaching about the parable of the talents. So there's many aspects of citizenship, stewardship, but specifically with voting, I would point to that parable of the talents where, you know, Jesus told the story of the master who gave one person gets five talents, one gets two, one gets one. And then he goes away and says, you know, return these work, put these to work for the kingdom. And when he comes back, the guy who had five had, you know, worked it, invested it and he doubled it. Same thing with the guy too. And the guy with one said, you know, I don't trust that you're gonna, you don't want me, you don't reap what you don't sow. And I'm going to just bury this and I'll give it back to you with no interest. And Jesus was not happy the two had returned her well done, good and faithful servant. I trust you with small, I'll give you more, and to me, that's your vote. Your vote is like your talent. Are you going to bury it? Are you going to maybe not vote? you're going to skip, a race on your ballot? Or are you going to be a poor steward of it and not do the research and not really know who you're voting for and for what and for why?
Rick Beggs Well, and we are trying to play that role at ivoterguide. We're trying to help somebody who doesn't have the time. And we all know we don't have time to research candidates. We really have done that for them.
Rick Beggs And now you can not only be a good steward of that vote, but the research is done for you. And now you just could, you can make a decision based on what you've read. Right.
Debbie Wuthnow And we do make it easier to execute that responsibility. It's not just a right, ah, to vote. It's a responsibility to be a steward. And we seek to make that a more informed choice to, help you to engage in society and to vote wisely and not bury your talent, really.
Rick Beggs And I know a lot of people think that their vote means nothing. I mean, you and I at nauseam have talked about how many races have been won, by tens of votes or many.
Debbie Wuthnow Just one.
Rick Beggs I know.
Debbie Wuthnow So every vote matters at all levels of it. So don't ever think your vote. And you know, maybe your vote is just being an example to your kid as a father, of what, how you need to engage. So it does make a difference.
Rick Beggs And I would hope that when we do those types of things with our kids, those things are stamped as memories for them that they remember their father voting or their mother voting. You know, I, think, I think it works for, all parents to model these things for our kids. I think that's what stewardship of our children really is about. Now, I, do know that a lot of people just want to disengage from this whole what we would call political process, and so they blame it on politics as a reason not to engage. And we know differently than that. I think that's. We talked about this last week. We. This is not for pastors to say. I'm just going to bury my head in the sand about this. Not let my. My flock know they ought to engage. Yeah. In voting. But my goodness, Debbie, we have so many pastors, so many churches that do not promote this citizenship, the stewardship of what God has given us to be able to vote freely. I mean, how many countries don't get to vote?
Debbie Wuthnow Well, when I look at the countries where they do get to vote, and they're so proud of it, you know, they get their finger turned purple and they're showing it up and pony that I did my part. And, their turnout in elections is 80, 90% of voters. And in America, that just does not. It's sad that that doesn't.
Rick Beggs It's sadder yet that the church doesn't. Yeah, that's. I think that's what I, have a real burden for. That the church won't take the time to do this, or the people of the church won't take the time to do it. And of course, and we're not saying
Debbie Wuthnow nobody does as a general rule, you
Rick Beggs know, but there's too many. We've run into, yes, there are talking about this around the country.
Debbie Wuthnow And our mission is really to change that number, really to encourage more of you to do your part, to share it with your neighbor, with your pastor, with your elders in your church, to move that needle to get the church more engaged. But it's not 100%. No.
Rick Beggs I do know that we have put ourselves in a position where last big vote, we were close to 4 million people, under 4 million people that came and used iVoterGuide last election cycle.
Debbie Wuthnow Yeah.
Rick Beggs And I'm hoping with radio shows and us speaking around the country, articles, you doing a lot of radio spots, a lot of interviews, that we could increase that, you know, it needs to double or more. Yeah, yeah. I mean, I, I don't understand. For a free tool. Did I say free?
Debbie Wuthnow Free and easy to use.
Rick Beggs Free use it. It's right there for you. We've done all the work and you can go find out about each candidate in your area.
What happens when people disengage from this process? Scripturally speaking
what would you suggest or what would you talk about, even scripturally, what happens when people disengage from this process?
Debbie Wuthnow Well, it's that whole quote we kind of talked about a little bit last week, that if good people, the only thing for evil to flourish is for good people to do nothing. So when the people are. Do nothing, or when the, the godly people are not stepping in, the ungodly will step in and use and take that authority. So it's, it's that stewardship responsibility of those who are godly to, to speak their voices, to step, into the gap, fill the vacuum, to make their voices heard.
Rick Beggs I know that there's many scriptures where I think of one in Judges, where a whole generation changed. Where the parents were godly, they followed the statues and laws of God, and in one generation it all changed. And I think about how even today we see that, where parents didn't take seriously this stewardship of passing these things on to their kids. And so you, you have a generation that begins to lose hope that voting really doesn't matter. And I don't see my parents vote.
Debbie Wuthnow Yeah.
Rick Beggs So.
Debbie Wuthnow Well, and so it happened in the book of Judges, right. If we look in chapter two at verse 10, it said that after that whole generation had been gathered to their ancestors, another generation grew up who knew neither the Lord nor what he had done. Then the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord and served the balls. So, so in one generation they m. Stepped away from serving God. Could it be because their parents didn't give the role model, didn't give them a good example, didn't teach them actively and passively? and ask yourself what Am I doing, am I doing my part in all of that? So we all have a role to play in doing that because that's what moves, the needle, really. That's what keeps us tried and true and serving the Lord in all that we do, not just in part of what we do.
You asked God what he wanted you to do when you started programming iVoterGuide
Rick Beggs when you got involved with ivoterguide, did you ever sense the heaviness of what this was going to be like when you started programming for them? Because, I mean, look at now, so many years later. You're now president of this.
Debbie Wuthnow Yeah, I truly, I mean, I've said before I learned from Henry Blackabe and experiencing God that God kind of guides your steps. But also the scripture says, be a light unto my path and a light unto. I can't remember the specifics God doesn't get. It's not a flashlight giving you the whole plan. It's a lantern shining on the next step. So you ask God to show you that next step, and then you determine my answer's gonna be yes. I had no idea that when I said yes to working for Jim on the technical stuff, that I was just, you know, from being a stay at home mom, no idea what would come. But I did know. I asked God what he wanted me to do. I felt like he gave me the open door. And then you just step into it. And then for every day, God, what do you want me to do next? And then once he shows you, your job is to move, move into it, do it.
Rick Beggs Yeah, I, I'm always amazed when you even tell your story about how you got involved in this, that you, you really were just looking for extra income to help
Debbie Wuthnow with college, something to do with my empty nest. I just, you know, I'm not a person who wants to sit and play games. And I was so, focused on my kids and I knew that I was a disciple of Christ and he'd planned out all those things for me, but I didn't know what they were supposed to be. So I said, you better show them to me, God. And, you know, when you ask him to show you something, you better, your answer must be yes when he shows you.
Rick Beggs Well, I just think of people even listening to our broadcast now. And we've said this probably on the first or two broadcasts that we did, that there may be people out there going, what do I have to offer? And, you know, you got involved in this item of life, which is about voting and being a good citizen, with where God has placed you, but there are moms and dads out there who can hear our voice. And they're wondering, is this amounting to anything?
Debbie Wuthnow Well, and it can be overwhelming because it's like you don't go from having no children to six kids. You step into it. You do it step by step. So just ask God. You know, we have many scriptures of how God has ordained all the days for us before one of them was born. From Psalms 139. we know that he's planned all the works in advance for us that we would step into them. So ask him to show you, what he's planned. We, know his plans are best. He knows the whole picture. and then don't be overwhelmed over the anxiety or worry because trust God. He is trustworthy and he will keep us safe and on his path, which, you know, sometimes it'll be a little hard. It's been challenging at times, but knowing you're doing what God wants you to do is where you find peace and fulfillment.
Rick Beggs Yeah. And I think he, as you mentioned many times, he will fill in the gaps.
Debbie Wuthnow Yes, he will. he doesn't call the equipped. He equips the called.
Rick Beggs Well, well said.
Debbie Wuthnow Thank you. It's not for me. I know somebody said that first, but it was pretty good, so I remembered it.
Rick Beggs That's right. Well, if you say it long enough, maybe it's you.
Debbie Wuthnow Did you say that first?
Rick Beggs I've said it.
Debbie Wuthnow Okay.
Rick Beggs But that doesn't mean I said it.
Debbie Wuthnow Okay.
M. M. Bennett: First of all, go to God first
Rick Beggs Anyway, I also have a verse to share with you, and it comes out of Isaiah 59, verse 14. Justice is turned back and righteousness stands far away. For truth has stumbled in the street and uprightness cannot enter. And that is what happens when we don't engage with truth.
Debbie Wuthnow Justice is turned back.
Rick Beggs Yeah. Ah, that's not what I. It's real easy to see. For truth has stumbled in the street, and my goodness, we are in a place of stumbling.
Debbie Wuthnow Truth. Yes. And truth is our number one primary value because we want to keep truth, not stumbling, we want to propagate that.
Rick Beggs So there are consequences when we don't engage. There are consequences when the church doesn't engage. There are consequences when we are not truth telling to one another, and there are consequences when we just ignore it like it did it. It doesn't happen or it won't matter if I do it or I don't do it. I would suggest when people get involved in this and they don't know who they want to vote for, and we're going to talk about this a little bit over the next Couple weeks. I would suggest, first of all, you probably should go to the Lord in prayer.
Debbie Wuthnow Always a good first step.
Rick Beggs Because I think we're not considering that God really would be interested in telling us.
Debbie Wuthnow He. He desires relationship. That's why he created us. and so he wants us to ask Him. He wants to give us wisdom. He wants to give us direction. Many scriptures, you know, say just ask and I'll give you.
Rick Beggs Yeah. And. And he's easy about that. It's not like he wants to hide it from us.
Debbie Wuthnow Okay.
Rick Beggs So I. I just know that, we need to really, concern ourselves with the idea that this is really what God has asked of us and we ought to move into it and engage in it. I know I would rather not engage in a lot of things, but there are certain things about citizenship and it may be age and stage for me where I really feel like now in my life, I know how I engage in certain things at this point in time. Really matter. Really matter. Whether it's the walks I take with my grandson, or granddaughter and have conversations, the things that I do. And I know they're watching me. So this is a generational thing. And as you read in Judges, it just takes one generation for it all to go to bad. Yeah. And I want to be more intentional about those things in my life.
Debbie Wuthnow That's convicting. We all need to be intentional about everything we do. And we can get so busy and not pay attention to that. But, God owns everything and we need to be good stewards of every part of.
Rick Beggs Also seems to me too, that a lot of times when you engage in this political process, if you don't start with prayer with the Lord, it becomes partisan. We start thinking, well, we're doing it
Debbie Wuthnow in our own strength. And that can get us off track. Actually, our message on Sunday was about this guy was teaching about going to God first. And he said. And I started writing the sermon and realized two hours into writing that I hadn't asked God first. So we can get even though we know we need to go to him first. It's a hard habit to set. if you have a different one,
Rick Beggs James 1:5 talks about if you have lack any wisdom to go and ask and he will give, and he will give generously. M. Generously. And we all like a generous giver.
Debbie Wuthnow Yep.
God, trust God, and don't be anxious about what's going on
Rick Beggs anything else that you want to bring up? I know, there's so many things to talk about here, and we're running quickly out of time. I do know that, we will discuss these Things probably into the future beyond belief. because you almost have to repeat this stuff over and over again for people to truly understand how important.
Debbie Wuthnow And there's themes that we'll keep coming back to. But I would say God, trust God, and don't be anxious about what's going on in the world. you know, God's in control. Do your part. and Philippians 4. I love Philippians, and especially this verse. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, present your request to God, and he will, give you the peace. The peace of God which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. So don't be anxious. You know, we can get worried, but God's in control.
Rick Beggs And, because God sets kings up and he takes them down and he
Debbie Wuthnow moves them like the streams of water.
Rick Beggs Yeah. We really only have to do what he asks of us to do. He really, truly is in control.
Debbie Wuthnow I'm so glad it's him and not me.
Rick Beggs Oh, me too. Glad it's not on me. Actually, I'm glad it's not on you either.
Debbie Wuthnow Well, and vice versa.
Rick Beggs Well, I think you know what that sound means.
Many states have early voting going on ahead of June's primaries
Debbie Wuthnow Is it election update time?
Rick Beggs It's election update time. And so I know we're in the primary season. We're also coming into a lull of it. But what's happening this coming week?
Debbie Wuthnow Okay, well, so this week, which, will be June 27th. Today, this Saturday, which, will be June 27th. In Louisiana, you have a primary runoff election. So your polls are already open. They're open till, 8pm tonight. And then this coming Tuesday, June 30th, Colorado's Republican primary is going to have happen. iVoterGuide's got your voter guide available. Go to ivoterguide.com Enter your address to get your personalized ballot, and polls are open from 7am to 7pm M. But there's also many states where you have early voting going on. So if you live in Arizona, early voting is underway for your primary on July 21st. If you live in Georgia, early voting is beginning for your special election. This won't be the whole state, but it's anybody in Congressional District 13, because your election's on July 28th. Now, Virginia, your early voting has already started. Your election's not until August 4th, but ivoterguide's not gonna release the research and the evaluations until about July 8th. So hold onto that ballot, sign up for our emails, and we'll let you know when that information is available for [email protected] so, Vermont, you also have early voting under your way for your Aug. 11 election. Such long periods of early voting. Hold onto that ballot and we will get you that information hopefully by about July. So we're wrapping up some key elections, and then we're going to have a little bit of a lull, and we'll be, back to tell you more next week.
Rick Beggs And it'll allow us to celebrate the 250th birthday.
Debbie Wuthnow I can't wait.
Rick Beggs Of our country. You've been listening to the Compass. we are the radio show for I VoterGuide.com iVoterGuide.com is where you can get your ballot. If you just put your address in, your ballot will come up and you'll be able to see all the people who are running for offices in your particular voting space. AFR.net is where you can find our other shows and AFR the app. Make sure you get that app. If you have that app, you can listen to everything afr. And if you have any questions for us, Debbie, where. Where should you go to get.
Debbie Wuthnow You can email questions to compassivoterguide.com or you can contact us on our website,
Rick Beggs ivoterguide.com you know, we're grounded in God and rooted in research and our producer, who we love, Willie B. Brent Austin. And remember, Jesus is our true north.
💬 Show Notes
In this episode of The Compass, hosts Rick Beggs and Debbie Wuthnow come together in person for a heartfelt discussion reflecting on Father’s Day and the significance of fatherhood in shaping future generations. As they share personal stories, they highlight the importance of being role models for our children, especially in civic responsibilities like voting. They delve into the concept of stewardship, emphasizing that our lives, resources, and votes are entrusted to us by God, and it’s our duty to engage actively in the political process.
Rick and Debbie explore the parallels between the parable of the talents and our civic duties, urging listeners not to bury their votes or disengage from the political landscape. They discuss the critical role of the church in promoting civic engagement and the consequences of apathy in a democratic society. With insights on how to approach voting as a faithful steward, they encourage listeners to seek God’s guidance in their decision-making processes.
As the episode wraps up, they provide updates on upcoming elections and remind everyone that every vote matters. Join them on this enlightening journey as they navigate the intersection of faith, citizenship, and responsibility.
00:00 - Rick Beggs welcomes you back to the Compass with Debbie Wuthnow
00:51 - So how was your Father's Day? Hope you have a great one
03:17 - You wrote an article about a father's vote this week
05:14 - When Christians give their life to Christ, they become a steward
08:08 - Debbie : What does stewardship look like as a citizen
13:46 - What happens when people disengage from this process? Scripturally speaking
16:00 - You asked God what he wanted you to do when you started programming ivoterguide
19:31 - : First of all, go to God first
23:40 - God, trust God, and don't be anxious about what's going on
25:15 - Many states have early voting going on ahead of June's primaries
✍️ Episode References
iVoterGuide
https://ivoterguide.com
Philippians 4:6-7
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage
Isaiah 59:14
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage
Judges 2:10
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage
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