This post-primary election break has proven very pivotal and profound for me. Since Tuesday’s big wins for myself and those I (and many others) worked hard for, I have had the opportunity (and have some more time coming during the month of May) to just slow down, seek God, and do a lot of thinking and praying. Though most of my writings are political in nature, I really wanted to share my thoughts on why it has been important for me to look back, to look at now, and to look ahead. Reflection, Reality, and Risk.

Reflection – the past

 My past has been full of so many ups and downs. Celebrations and disappointments. Happiness and sadness. Success and mistakes.  Smiles and hurts. Reflection on these moments, for me, continues to show me about how God’s strength carried me through it all – even when I wasn’t faithful; even when I thought He wasn’t there. For me, the people I’ve met – those who I have let go and those who I am still connected with – have been huge part of my past and who I have developed to be. Reflecting on the good relationships and the bad ones; the ones I have had to let go even when I didn’t want to – all of them have shaped my life.

 At this point in my life, my past looks crazy and erratic – but I would not trade it off for another path. I have walked through so much with so many people. I have learned who I could be open with and trust, and who I needed to break ties with. I learned how to care for myself and for others. I received dreams and visions for my life. I learned how to be a man. Most importantly, I learned who I am in Christ Jesus. My identity is secure, and my focus certain – I know who I am. Although I obviously don’t have everything figured out in this area, when I did figure out the basis of who I am and who God is in me – my life was revolutionized and my focus shifted. Matthew 6:33 (NKJV) comes to mind when I reflect on that: “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” By making my top priority and focus Jesus, all of life will come into place; What I will do, where I will live, who I will marry, and every other aspect. That doesn’t mean we can’t dream and ponder the future, it just means that when we focus on Jesus first – the rest is guaranteed to come into place.

Reality – the present

I am continually in shock (albeit happy and grateful) where God has brought me to this point. A political leader, a cultural transformer… and yes – a campaign junkie. Getting a chance to work at the Indiana Republican Party’s House of Representatives elective arm is such and honor – and I am quite excited for the road ahead! Now, more than ever, do I realize my relationship with Jesus and my relationship with certain people close to me are so vitally important to my present and my future. Not just politically, but as a friend, a worker, a leader, and future husband and father, and as a testimony of what He has done in me. Sure, politics is my job – it is the realm I am called to and one day will run for office. However, that is only the third rung of my life. Jesus, my family and my close relationships, and then comes politics. Keeping this perspective gives me purpose and priority.

The people who are close to me are so important – to celebrate life and to walk with you through every aspect; the highs and low. All of it – not just work, but all of life. God sends us these people, and I cannot be more thankful and excited about the people who are in my life right now; no matter how near or how far.

Risk – the future

You might ask why I am labeling the future as “risk.” We don’t know what is in store for us. What we do know is who holds the future. Everything up to now in our life, the past and the present, will shape our future. We know what those things are and generally how they come into play. What we don’t know is the variables that will be thrown in along the way. While we don’t have a choice to walk forward- we take risk in doing so, not always knowing what the next step will be or what the next season will look like.

What will I be doing in the next 5 years, 10 years, 20 years? Where will I be living? Where will I be working? Will I be married? Will I have children? Who will be in my life? I tend to ask myself these questions a lot. I am the kind of person who can’t stand not knowing the next step. I am a planner – I set goals and the path to get there, and then I get going. What I have learned over my 24 years on this earth is that I have to live by faith – not always knowing the path or the outcome, but just walking and trusting. As unsettling as that sometimes is for me, it truly is the only way to live. By giving my future completely to God, I know I will be in the right place that He has for me.

It’s funny – As I sit here writing this closing statement, my Apple TV is streaming K-Love and one of my favorite songs : “God gave me you.” The line “God gave me you for the ups and downs, God gave me you for the days of doubt” so resonates with what I wrote about today. The “you” in that song can be filled several people in our lives – Whether it is Jesus, a special person in our life, a parent, a pastor, or a friend. Ultimately, God gave us everything we have – and He will not leave us without direction – if we will just trust and have faith; putting the Reflections, the Reality, and the Risks completely in His hands. That is the only way to truly live.

At some point, I usually post my personal endorsements for a particular election cycle. I usually only endorse in races that effect Lake and Porter counties. I am not making an endorsement in the Presidential race since my original endorsement, Rick Perry, is now out of the race. If a race you are looking for isn’t listed, I am either not taking a position purposefully, or I do not know enough about the race or candidates.

* Please note, these are personal endorsements, and in no way reflect the position of the Lake County Young Republicans or the Indiana Federation of Young Republicans. *

United State House of Representatives (District 1):  Joel Phelps

District 11 State Representative: Rick Niemeyer

District 15 State Representative: Harold (Hal) Slager (unopposed)

District 19 State Representative: Dr. Ron Johnson (unopposed)

Lake County Commissioner, 2^nd District: Jerry Tippy

Lake County Surveyor: Eric Krieg

Lake County Coroner: Andy Koultourides (unopposed)

Lake County Recorder: Pamela J. Drangmeister (unopposed)

Porter County Council: Joe Wszolek

Over the past month, I have dealt with a couple of surprising disappointments. Of course, God used these things that have opened new doors, and truthfully, put me in a better position that I was before (funny how that works… especially when you trust God and release people). In doing this though, God opened my eyes to something else that is greatly disturbing to me.

 (WARNING: I AM ABOUT TO OFFEND SOME PEOPLE) There is a certain portion of people within Christianity that is so legalistic, so religious, so judgmental, and so manipulative that if you are serving in certain portions of society and not spending as much time participating at their church events, wailing in sackcloth and ashes, and only speaking scripture, they guilt you into throwing away your dreams and calling – saying they are not Christian. What they don’t realize is that dreams and callings are God-given and God-driven, and He is just as pleased when they are fulfilling and participating in them. Spending more time at church events and speaking more scripture than someone DOESN’T make one more “holy” than another.

 That’s what I like about the “Seven Mountains of Culture” model. People are called to participate in and reclaim the areas of Arts/Entertainment, Business, Education, Family, Government, Media, and Church. Let’s do some connecting of the dots before I continue to make my point. The scriptures claim that Jesus is Lord over all:

Acts 10:34-36 NIV- “Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism, but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right. You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, announcing the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all.”

It is really like a math equation. If Jesus is Lord over all, and if the Seven Mountains of Culture is part of “all,” then Jesus is Lord over the Seven Mountains of Culture. What is disturbing is that there are Christians who think that the only thing other Christians should be doing is spending all their time in a closet or at Church events, and never impacting their world in what God has called them to do. They think that if you aren’t out preaching at a street corner or out passing out tracks, that you aren’t doing the work of Jesus. When Christians say that they shouldn’t be involved in certain areas of culture because they are viewed as “worldly,” un-Christian, or label them as a lost cause, they also are declaring that Jesus isn’t really over all those areas, thus saying Scripture is wrong. 

For me, being involved in the Governmental world as my primary calling and showing the love of Jesus through the actions of my life while dealing with the real issues facing our nation with saved and un-saved people is just as important and just as pleasing to the Lord because ultimately it is still giving glory to the Lord. People who are called to the Church and all of its functions (which don’t misread my heart – it is a very important part of culture and there are those called there as well) don’t have the monopoly on giving glory to the Lord and are not the only “hands and feet of Jesus.” Does that mean I don’t, when lead, reach out to people with scripture or tell people about the Savior King? I totally do. But that doesn’t mean I ignore my calling, which at times, can ultimately lead other to Christ as well. God made me good at certain things and God has me doing what I am good at. 

There are those in the Church mountain who are not like this, so don’t take this as a slam to all those who are involved in this calling. But for those that are, they are doing a misconstruing who Jesus is, manipulating and guilting Christians into being involved only in their events, and derailing the callings of other Christians. 

Now, the blame isn’t all theirs. There is personal responsibility in this whole deal too. If you do not know who you are in Christ or having an identity crisis, you are more susceptible to things like this. This also applies to Christians who try to ignore or change what they are called to, even when they know it in their heart. They try to hide it or change it so they will be accepted by somebody else or some group, when in fact, they are basically more worried about approval from certain people rather than what God thinks and has for their life. This is just as dangerous. 

I hope and pray that those of you who are dealing with this being to seek the Lord to figure out who you are and what you need to be doing. It may happen overnight, it may not. Who knows? But you can’t ignore God for long…. resistance is futile! (Please don’t sue me Star Trek).

It has been a while since I have blogged anything! With the time-pressure demands of the 2011 campaign season, my post-election vacation, the holidays, and now prepping for 2012, I have done very little writing. Let’s change that, shall we?

Last week in Pastor Jon’s lifeGroup, we were individually discussing how we felt about 2011 and it’s impact in our lives. When it was my turn to discuss, I already had the answer pretty much ready to spout off. As I discussed, 2009 was the worst year of my life. God came down harder on my (in love) than any other time in my life. The list of people I could trust was dropping faster than stock market (couldn’t resist). But that year spurred the happenings that were 2010, which became the best year of my life (thus far). It pushed me to get together with a core group of people who together created the Young Conservatives Alliance – and which led to amazing and unprecedented connections, relationships, results, and favor. 2010 seemed to be so easy to do anything and build anything. It felt like all God was looking for was willing and open hearts, and he took those people everywhere with no or little effort. 

So with that preface, I started to talk about 2011. It was a great year, but I noticed that it took more work to build relationships and to continue to build our momentum than before. Not to say that we were not successful in what we were aiming to do, it just wasn’t as easily attained as in 2010. Then, in true Mike Neal fashion, I made a sarcastic characterization of the situation. “2011 felt like what happens to you when you get off of the moving walkway at the airport. You are just gliding along moving fast with little effort and suddenly you hear that computerized warning voice saying ‘the moving walkway is ending.’ At that point, you step off the walkway. You are walking just as fast as you were before, but you aren’t moving nearly as fast because the ground isn’t moving under you. Your legs get that weird feeling of actually having to do work.” After laughing off the comment, the point was made that the statement was a great characterization of portions of the Christian walk.

 As seen in scripture, God calls those who, in the eyes of the world are unqualified, and He takes them places they never dreamed they would have ever gone to. Just to cite one example, the disciples. They were all just regular people living their lives in one way or another, and God took them and used them in ways they never imagined, despite all of their shortcomings. God often puts us on a fast-track to give us kind of a ‘head start’ in a specific area of life. The feeling of moving that quickly with little or no effort of your own is amazing. Accomplishments and connects rack up one after another, and you feel fully alive in your calling. Sometimes, with things that take 5 years for the normal person takes only 6 months to attain. Then you finally hear “the moving walkway is ending,” and you realize that even though your destination is exactly the same, you now have to work and fight to maintain the path God has set you on. Does that mean that God has left you? Absolutely not! He gets you to a particular place and then he sets you loose to continue to advance His agenda. The dream and the goal doesn’t change, but the work that it takes to get there may increase.

 God won’t do everything for us. “Faith without works is dead.” There are always practical steps and actions we must take IN FAITH! Just remember, when the moving walkway ends, keep moving forward strong and confident that God has you on track. You never know when the next moving walkway will pop up for you to jump on, or when you reach a milestone that changes the entire journey!

You know, I have to admit: The Occupy Wall Street Movement has some legitimate points. They really do! But for every legitimate concern they have 4 bogus points that make the entire deal ridiculous and unsustainable. There are actually too many to refute every single one… but I will hit a couple of them, and as more of them surface and tick me off, I will write about those later. 

 Let’s start with this one (keep in mind they are talking about banks and corporations):

 They have taken our houses through an illegal foreclosure process, despite not having the original mortgage.

  I don’t understand what point they are trying to make here. When a bank loans money for someone to purchase a home, it really means that the bank owns the home until you pay the loan back. If you breach the contract that you sign for the loan, and after all payment agreements and options the bank has for you are exhausted, your house is foreclosed upon. It is simple common sense: If you can’t pay for what you promised to pay for, you don’t just get to keep it. Remember that people have invested their money into a bank so that the bank can loan money and so that the investor can make money. Just because you can’t live up to your end of the obligation does not mean that the bank, depositors, and investors should take a loss of their money simply because you say so. This isn’t heartless, this is simple common sense. Is this economy hard? Yes, absolutely. Should banks do all they can to help people stay in their homes by working out hardship payment plans, deferments, etc? Yes, absolutely. Should the bank, depositors, and investors be held responsible for your lack of work, lack of willingness to work, or lack of want or ability to pay? Absolutely not. There are options for help, many of them. However you don’t just get to keep things you can not pay for after promising to pay for it and demand that someone else pay for it. That is the “hooray for you and screw everybody else” mentality.

 They have continuously sought to strip employees of the right to negotiate for better pay and safer working conditions.

 I can’t say that people aren’t out to end Unions, but the right to work movement is not to end Unions. It is to keep public sector employees from holding up the work and business of the people of their State and our Nation by demanding they get certain things. It is also to protect rights of those who are non-union. They are sent there to do the work of the taxpayer at a rate set by the taxpayers through the House and Senate of the Nation or of their respective State, not to be held hostage by sometimes greedy people. The OWS movement often demands that people have been stripped of certain rights, but they claim that you only have a right to work if you are in a Union. What a hypocritical statement. Unions are good when they are organized and operated properly, but they are detrimental to the economy and to the individual when they act like thugs to keep their power and when they try to control and corner the work market. Unions should be forced to be competitive with non-union workers just like the rest of the working world. They should have to participate in the free market economy just like everyone else. No special treatment. Everyone should be given a chance prove they are capable of doing a job if chosen for it at a competitive price. 

 They have held students hostage with tens of thousands of dollars of debt on education, which is itself a human right.

 Since when was education free? Someone show me where it says that education is both a right and free in the Constitution. That’s because you won’t find it. Is college super-expensive? Yes. Does it need to come down. Yes. Does that mean that it is ok to rack up thousands of dollars in loans and school bills and then not pay them? NO! The American dream is built with hard work, not handouts. If you don’t want to be “held hostage” then don’t sign the loan documents, and don’t go to college. 

 This is not even close to the Tea Party Movement. Occupy has had thousands of arrests, breaking of the law, and tearing stuff up. It makes it impossible to take them seriously.

Almost 2 weeks ago, I took a trip to Washington D.C. with elements of the Hoosier Congressional Policy Leadership Series VI. As many of you know, nothing gets me pumped up more in the political arena than conducting business in our nation’s capitol. We had an opportunity to do a lot of cool things, including:

- Met with 5 Members of Congress and 1 Senator, all from Indiana
- Had Breakfast and lunch on the Hill. Met with key lobbyists.
- Had a private tour of some restricted parts of the Capitol with Pence
- Had a historical tour with the “redcoats” (aka the tour guides)

From a political standpoint, this is any political junkies dream. Trips like this are very rare even for the high-end professional in government or business. However, with all this fanfare about the great things I got to be a part of on the trip, none of these were actually the top highlight.

When we were being given our private tour of the Capitol by Congressman Pence, he pointed out several historical God-centered things about the Capitol. For instance, inside the chamber of the House of Representatives, the wall contains a large sculpture-like depiction of the face of Moses. Above the main doors outside of the House Chamber is the Ten Commandments, prominently displayed above the entry way. In the Capitol Rotunda, every large mural has depictions of historical moments of people praying, raising a Cross in worship, or performing acts of humility in service to our nation. One mural portrays architects of the Constitution praying to God for guidance. Another shows Pocahontas (yes – the Indian women depicted in the Disney movie) praying and giving her life to Christ, while others prayed for and with her. In the House Chapel is a piece of stained glass with a picture of George Washington on his knees praying. Around the picture is Psalms 16:1 (Reserve me O God, for in Thee I do put my trust.) There is a statue in our Capitol of a Pastor who after giving one of the best sermons about freedom and the providence of God in his life, took off his robes and underneath was a military uniform. He led the males in his congregation to war for the freedom of America, and the Glory of God.

Are you starting to get the picture? The Foundations of this nation are undeniable, they are not ignorable, and they are perfectly clear. This Nation was founded upon the principals of God and the Bible. Even in the imperfections of the men who formed the Constitution, God’s Word was instilled in the laws and the founding of this nation. Did you know that EVERY SINGLE states constitution (yes, all 50) give Glory to God in the opening preface of the documents? Oh, and so does our National Constitution. The difference between right and wrong, the institution of Marriage, the writ of personal responsibility: they all come from the Bible and they are the foundation of our law. That’s why this “Occupy Wall Street” movement is so ridiculous (I won’t rant on that today… that’s for my next blog later this week). Personal responsibility and self-government according to the scriptures and the laws is what built this nation. When a person needs help, then yes… help that person, but don’t do everything for them. Don’t catch fish for a man, teach him how to fish.

This is absolute truth and fact. Our God-centered foundation is undeniable.

The Attorney General of the State of Indiana is heading back to court to defend Indiana’s decision to cut-off state funds to organizations who provide limitless abortions such as Planned Parenthood. 

Read the story about the states efforts here.

Local media and supports of Planned Parenthood have demonized the movement and the new law, spouting that the pro-life movement doesn’t care about women and their health. They say that defunding organizations like Planned Parenthood will keep women from getting the check-ups and medical attention that they need. 

Here is the problem. We have allowed ‘Family Planning’ to be misdefined. Abortion is not Family Planning. It is family destroying. The government should not fund organizations that hand-out limitless abortions, especially those who are unable to control themselves and figure that murder is an easier alternative than responsibility. I am all for giving women as much medical attention that they need, and making sure that there is help for those who can not afford it. However, abortion should not be subsidized by the government as a Family Planning tool. 

If Planned Parenthood and organizations like them are so committed to providing true Family Planning services, then they should be more than willing to separate their abortion services from their Family Planning services so that they can continue to receive state dollars to help those who need it. That way, the abortion portion can stand alone for its own funding (which we all know it would not). What Planned Parenthood has done is tricked the government and the taxpayers into subsidizing their abortion-driven division in the name of helping women and Family Planning. They use the ruse of claiming to ‘help people’ to provide a destructive procedure within their organization. They know that a stand-alone abortion organization would not stand a chance of getting properly funded, so they cover it up as a “minor addition” to their Family Planning services – using the money intended to help people to actually destroy people.

The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago should restore the state’s RIGHT to define Family Planning and pay out tax dollars accordingly. They must realize that abortion is not Family Planning, it is Family Destroying and that it is breeding irresponsibility. It is Planned Parenthood’s (and organizations similar to theirs) choice to provide abortions with no state dollars or to separate their abortion provider services and receive state dollars for their Family Planning organization only. It’s that simple.

This is the excerpt from Gov. Daniels new book Keeping the Republic that has every Lake County Democrat (and those who don’t actually pay attention to what happens in Lake County) up in arms:

“Culturally close to Chicago in both economics and politics, and with a reputation for governmental corruption and labor union aggression, our northwest corner is a place employers are more likely to flee than invest in.”

I was born in the Region. I have lived here all my life. I love where I live and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. Unfortunately, the Governor hit the nail right on the head. The Governmental corruption that plagues Chicago has spilled over and directly effects Lake County. Lake County has now grown its own style of political and cultural corruption that has caused the unfriendly business environment and the huge entitlement base that plagues northern Lake County. Let’s face it: In modern history, there have been over 50 elected Lake County Democrats  who have been convicted of breaking the law and have gone to jail. Let’s also not forget the newest indictments of former Lake County Clerk and current Coroner Thomas Philpot and the 3 sheriff’s deputies that were under Dominguez’s watch. 

Then the Democrats (namely Hammond Mayor and Lake County Democratic Party Chairman Thomas McDermott) have the audacity to slam Daniels for his comments, saying that he has thrown the region “under the bus.” Truth hurts sometimes, doesn’t it? Sometimes you just have to call it as it is. We can’t keep lying to ourselves and saying that Lake County is fine, burying our heads under the sand, hoping for this to all go away. It must be taken head-on, or it will never reverse. Now, it’s not that Republicans have been perfect. We all have our bad apples. However, at some point, when a trend starts to form, you must think to yourself – what is the problem? Now the Democrats are a bit scared because their corruption has been given a national spotlight – thanks to Gov. Daniels. Let’s not even get me started on the problematic labor unions here in NWI. That’s a whole other problem that really needs to be addressed separately.

Now, there are some good Lake County Democrats. I am friends with some of the honest ones. We must, however, not ignore the fact that until we make tough changes county-wide in our local government, we are going to continue to spiral downward and Gov. Daniels point will continue to be made. Unbalanced county budgets, missing money, missing assets, late tax bills, dysfunctional government, overpaid government workers, too many government workers – just a few problems in Lake County Government.

It’s time to take this thing head on! Thank you to Governor Daniels for making light of the issue across the state and the nation. 

I recently saw a blog post that was very disturbing to me. Although I have the utmost respect for people and their individual beliefs, that doesn’t mean that they aren’t misguided in what they are saying.

I had the distinct privilege to be a part of the lobbying efforts at the Indiana Statehouse this year to help create constitutional protection for marriage between one man and one women. Although I had already held that idea dear to my heart, I learned so much more on the importance of traditional marriage both on the couple but also on the family and our society. Even outside of the Biblical standpoint, marriage between one man and one women makes scientific sense, but let’s review all the major points.

The Definition of Marriage

The Bible contains very specific details about marriage and how it is supposed to function (1 Corinthians 7 and Matthew 19 just to name a few). When we talk about marriage we must first understand that Government has no right to redefine it, because Government simply did not create the institution of marriage. God – as outlined in the Bible – created Marriage. We the creation do not have the right to change the definition of something God has created, no matter how much we feel we should. What Government has done is that they have subsidized Marriage with tax incentives and other rights. That does NOT give them the right to change anything about the actual institution. That is like saying that the Government has the right to change the name of the town you live in because they subsidize you with tax money; that they have the right to redefine the identity of the place in which you live. The creation does not have the right to change the Creator’s creations.

Pro-creation: Not the only benefit of Marriage

Although God commands that pro-creation take place within the bonds of Marriage, that is not the only reason He created marriage. He also created it for the proper formation of a family in which children are raised to serve God, shape society, and pro-create themselves. He created Marriage for a lifetime companionship between a man and a women. God is specific about that, and there is no way to argue around that. Now, I am not saying that non-traditional couples do not have genuine love, and I am not speaking to the issues of other types of partnerships, but we can not allow a very small minority hijack institutions we hold dear.

The Family Balance

As President Obama has stated, there are many inner-city social problems with individuals and families. The reason that children turn out negatively and that a family degrades is because there was no father in the home. There may have been a male in the home, but being a male does not constitute fatherhood. Along with that, fatherhood is balanced out by motherhood. Proper fathering of a child can not succeed without proper mothering as well, and vice versa. Two dads or two moms can not properly offer a balanced future for children. They can not offer the love, nurturing, correction, or proper Biblical foundation a child needs to be successful in life or to fully serve God to their fullest potential.

Traditional Marriage and Balanced Families Benefit society

Many recent studies show that proper marriages and strong families are what fuel a thriving society, both socially and economically. I am not saying that is time to go back to “Leave it to Beaver” days where you basically where a suit and tie to bed, however we can operate a strong family within a modernized society. A strong family raises successful children despite economic circumstance, and believe me, I have seen it work. Those children serve God, add benefit to society in both social and economic ways, and they take those values through life when they create their own family.

Strong traditional marriages and families are what made our society what it is, and anything else will only degrade it.

Welcome to my personal website and blog. I usually rant on Facebook about pretty much everything, and I thought it might be time to centralize everything and write in a more professional manner.

I will be posting both political and personal thoughts as often as I can. I will also post links to my articles on Twitter and FB.

Thanks for reading!
Mike