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Politics, Government and Christianity
G’ mornin’ Folks! Awake yet? I’m brewin’ up my usual pot of French Roasted Columbian made French Press style. Be with you momentarily.
‘Scuse me for a minute. Della likes her coffee with honey in it, and I try to have it ready for her when she comes into the kitchen.
OK. Here we go.
In today’s popular culture, to listen to the leftist media, you’d think that mixing politics with Christianity is an absolute no-no. I’ve got a story to tell you about politics in Alaska that will maybe make you rethink things. This is a true story. These things really happened to me, as well as to the folks named.
It started in the spring of 1977. I was in Anchorage, making necessary preparations to move to Barrow to set up headquarters for the Christian Broadcasting Network-Alaska, Inc. One morning, I was awakened about 4:00 o’clock. The Lord spoke to me and said, “I want you to go to Governor Hammond and give him this message.” He then outlined the word I was supposed to deliver to the governor.
You’ve got to understand that political activism at this point in my life was limited to the voting booth. I’d met very few politicians or leaders in government and didn’t particularly care to. Nevertheless, this was a compelling message I was being instructed to convey.
My first reaction was, Ohhhhh, Riiiiiiigghhhhttt !!! I can just see me waltzing into the capitol in Juneau, walking into the governor’s office and saying, “Governor, I have a word for you from the Lord.” Suuuuurre !! I’d more’n’ likely get tossed out on my ear.
So I said to the Lord, “OK, Lord! If this is real, and not the product of a superheated imagination, or eating chocolate-covered dill pickles, then you’ll have to orchestrate the meeting. I can’t see me going to Juneau to do this.” And I promptly put the whole thing on the shelf and went back to sleep.
A couple of months go by. It’s about 5:50 in the morning when the phone rings. On the other end of the phone is a friend and fellow-pastor by the name of Jim Brenn. (Jim, by the way, served for four years as Chaplain for the Washington Redskins, and now pastors Skyline Foursquare Church in Anchorage with his wife, Yvonne.) “Hey, Regner. Jay Hammond is in town for his annual Governor’s Prayer Breakfast. Want to come with me?”
Whoaa! The word I had received a couple of months earlier flashed back through my head, and I knew the Lord had taken me at my word. He was setting things up. “Sure, Jim. I’ll be ready in 15 minutes if you want to stop by and pick me up.”
On the way to the hotel where the meeting was scheduled, I briefed Jim on needing to share with the Governor, although I didn’t tell him what I had to share. He said, “I know Jay Hammond personally. I’ll introduce you.”
During the breakfast, the Governor shared his personal testimony and his dependence on the Lord Jesus Christ for guidance in the affairs of state. The breakfast concluded and Jim turned to me and said, “Come on. I’ll introduce you.”
It was then that I said to Jim, “I have a word from the Lord that I need to share with the Governor, and I’d like for you to stay and listen while I share with him.” He nodded his assent, and we went forward to meet him.
After the introductions I said, “Governor, I have a word for you from the Lord.” He straightened up, stepped back and said, “Say on!”
I proceeded to tell him that the Lord had told me that there would arise strong opposition to him from within the Republican Party. There were those within the local party leadership who resented his stance as a Christian, and some who even referred to him as the “Alaska State Evangelist” rather than the Alaska State Governor. I said to him, “Governor, a strong effort to unseat you will take place prior to next year’s primary. It will appear that you have lost your bid for a second term. The word of the Lord to you is to ignore all that you see and hear. God has purposed a second term for you. You have been faithful in honoring Him during your first term, and He is going to be faithful in honoring you with a second term.”
He grabbed my hand and shook it vigorously. “Brother, I really appreciate that! You have no idea what that means to me.”
As we walked away, Jim Brenn said to me, “Brother, did you ever bite off a hunk! Are you sure about that?” I said to him, “That’s exactly what the Lord said to me.” He shook his head and said, “Whewww!”
A couple more months go by and I get another telephone call – this time from Alaska’s former Lieutenant Governor, Red Boucher.
“Regner, I hear that you delivered a word from the Lord to Jay. Is that true?” I told him that it was true.
“Man, we need to talk. Can I meet you for lunch?” I agreed and we met that same day at Denny’s.
“I need to hear about this,” he said. So I related to him what I’d shared with the Governor. Red scratched his head and said, “OK. So where does that leave me? You know I’m supposed to be announcing this week that I’ve accepted the Democratic Party’s nomination to run on the Democratic ticket against Jay. I’ve got a press conference scheduled for Saturday. What you’re saying is, it doesn’t matter: I’m going to lose this election. God has already determined the outcome.”
I did my best not to chuckle, and with as straight a face as possible said to him, “Red, I’m not telling you not to run in this Election. I’m just telling you what the Lord instructed me to say.” He stared off into space for a few minutes and then said, “I’ve got to think about this one.”
The following Saturday was a day to remember in Alaskan politics. Red Boucher conducted his press conference as scheduled. What he said, however, shocked the living daylights out of both Democrats and Republicans.
“Ladies and Gentlemen, I know you’ve all been expecting me to announce my candidacy for Governor of Alaska on the Democratic ticket. However, I am withdrawing my name from consideration and I’m asking all of my supporters to cast their support for Jay Hammond.” Less known to the general public, but known to a number of political insiders was the fact that Red Boucher had accepted Jesus Christ as his personal Lord and Savior.
It was an earthquake for the Democratic Party. Never, in the history of Alaskan politics, had the leading Democratic candidate stepped out of the race and thrown his support to the Republican opponent – for any office! Come to think of it, I’m not sure I’ve ever heard of it happening anywhere – from either side of the political aisle.
Fast forward now to the Primary. Walter Hickel, a millionaire hotelier in Anchorage, had gained the support of many Republican leaders and set out to unseat Jay Hammond. Most of the polls showed him leading by enough of a margin that it appeared he would unseat Jay.
Sure enough, the morning after the Primary election, the Anchorage Times headline read, “Hickel Wins, Hammond is Defeated.” With all but about 3,000 votes still to come in from the bush communities, Hickel was leading Hammond by roughly a thousand votes. Nobody in their wildest imagination expected enough change from the bush to alter the outcome.
Red Boucher called Jay Hammond that morning and said, “Jay, have you read the newspapers this morning?”
“Yup! I have.”
“Remember that word from the Lord that Regner Capener shared with you?”
“I sure do.”
“Jay, I think it’s time for us to go fishing. I’ve got a condo in San Diego. It’s going to take them a week to count those remaining ballots. We can come back when they’ve finished.”
And so they did! Red Boucher, former political enemy of Jay Hammond, and now brother in the Lord, went fishing for a week with the Governor. They returned to Anchorage the day the Election Commission announced the vote totals. Now the newspaper headlines read, “Hammond Wins by 91 Votes.”
Sure enough, the Lord had kept His word to Jay Hammond. He went on to win the General Election in November by a landslide against a replacement Democratic candidate.
The following January, I ran into the Governor at Anchorage International Airport as he was getting ready to board a flight for Juneau.
He saw me and came over to shake my hand and thank me.
“Regner, if you hadn’t given me that word from the Lord when you did, I’d have thrown in the towel and conceded the election to Walter when the original totals were announced.
Thank you for being faithful and sharing that word.”
It was 1976 when Alaskan voters had voted in support of a savings account – a percentage of Alaska’s oil revenue – to be set aside for some future date.
No plan had yet been implemented. In 1980, Jay Hammond signed into law the Alaska Permanent Fund Corporation and the Alaska Legislature approved a special payment from the Alaska General Fund of $900 Million to kick off the savings plan.
Today, the Alaska Permanent Fund has roughly $30 Billion in assets.
Alaskans pay no state taxes, and receive an annual dividend of approximately $1,000 for every man, woman and child.
Alaska’s state government operates entirely from a portion of the interest on the savings.
Alaska is one, if not the only, state that operates entirely debt free. Alaska is a lending state – not a borrowing state.
Here’s a link for you to click on, if you like. Take a look at the “official” story of Alaska’s Permanent Fund.
http://www.apfc.org/publications/pfhistory.cfm
When you read the story, remember what happened behind the scenes.
It happened on Jay Hammond’s watch as Governor of the state. It happened because of his faithfulness to the Lord, and God’s promises to a man who wasn’t afraid to let folks know that the government was upon the shoulder of the Lord Jesus Christ.
That’s it for today, folks! Finish that cup of coffee, and get ready for the best day of your life!
Regner A. Capener
EKKLESIA HOUSE
RR-15, Box 6180
Mission, TX 78574-9589
(956) 583-5355
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This article may be reprinted, reposted, copied and re-used – in whole or in part – with proper attribution.
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