Two Brothers

                 I'll give the two men in this story names....Mitch and Dan....as I picked up the newspaper next to me and chose the first two names that I read. Mitch and Dan are brothers....a year apart in age. They shared a bedroom in their family home for about eighteen years....then lived in the family home through college and a few years after that. Both eventually married....and lived a few houses away from each other. Years pass....a few decades....with hundreds of family get-togethers. There are deaths and weddings and births.....job changes....and even career changes. 

                Somewhere along the line Mitch became a Christian. Dan....well Dan was Dan. The family just rolls their eyes....there's no way he is ever going to change....so they decided to just....let Dan be Dan. He was never likable....never ethical....never honest....even with the family....always trying to take advantage of someone for a buck....and he had had an imposing personality where he would always try to be the center of attention. More than a few times he was in legal trouble over dishonest business deals.....but always got out of that trouble.
                Mitch had become well-established in his megachurch....a sincere Christian....just trying to help people. Dan had accumulated some wealth over the years....and had a reputation of dishonest dealings with other people....but he decided that he wanted to enter politics anyway....so that he might influence some of the legislation that would benefit his investments. In order to pick up some of the evangelical vote....he started attending Mitch's church....claiming to have always believed....using that gift of manipulation that was his.
                Mitch was very uncomfortable with all of this. He read over ninety books on Dan's life....his early life....his mid life....books on all his business dealings....books on his life of unethical conduct.....wait a second....that's me reading on Donald Trump.....scratch that....let's start over....Mitch knew who Dan really was.....and knew Dan never had a compassionate thought in his life....and certainly no religious belief. He knew that Dan was scamming the people and the elders of his church.
                 Mitch tried his best to warn them....but he became somewhat of a pariah....bringing an unloving spirit into the church....for all Dan was trying to do....or so they thought....was be of help to the community. A few years passed....and Dan had essentially destroyed the church. The love was gone....the gospel was gone....replaced by politics. Many had become just like Dan....but others came to know who Dan really was....and their was a major church split....Dan became a congressman.....and never showed up at church again....until it was time for his reelection.