The CRAWFORD STAND podcast

"It’s over! Finally, Elections 2024 are over and done with.It may have been, say many American legal citizens, the worst elections ever. It was a season of negativity, lies, half-truths, slander, personal attacks, all of which adding up to national and international disgrace for our once-great country. The candidates and their conduct, almost all of them, were indeed an embarrassment to WE THE PEOPLE. Do you feel that way?Many Americans are deeply concerned. They worry, fret, and are deeply concerned with the future of our country. They worry about the future, do you? They know that most politicians say and do what they need to do in order to get elected, and then, with virtually no compunction, do what they please, join the power structures, and fly their true political colors. They worry. They are afraid. They are concerned. They have little faith in government and rulers. Are you like that? Do you, as seemingly millions of others, believe that the end is near for America, do you?Our Lord Jesus Christ has a message for you. He says emphatically in Matthew 6:25: DO NOT WORRY!""Don’t worry, Christian. Rather, move on, or as Paul says: “PRESS ON FOR THE PRIZE OF THE HIGH CALLING!”""DON’T WORRY! And more from scripture:" "LET NOT YOUR HEART BE TROUBLED, NEITHER LET IT BE AFRAID.""Our God is in control. We may not understand the means, but that control is real. All governments are ordained by God. They come about by His will. So do rulers, dictators, kings and presidents. When it comes to government, elections, and the authority given to those who exercise power:THEY ARE ORDAINED BY GOD!Nothing happens politically other than as a result of HIS WILL. Nothing. We should never forget that. If we have done everything we can for the good, for right, for justice,""we have voted, stood tall, done what we are expected to do, all the rest is up to the God of the universe.And our God reminds us, constantly reminds us: MY WAYS ARE NOT YOUR WAYS!My will, which will be done in heaven and on earth, may or may not be something you understand. We should ask for that understanding, that wisdom, and we should pray without ceasing for the answers we seek. But, if we do not understand or agree, we should always recognize that what happens, everything that happens, EVERYTHING isaccording to His will. EVERYTHING!""If then, we set our affections on things above and not on things on this earth, then and only then will we not worry. Then and only then will we not give a single thought for the morrow, for no matter how much we plan, worry, none of us can add one singlehour to his or her life, no not one. So, says Jesus of Nazareth, don’t worry, DON’T!""The more we worry, the more our Lord describes us as persons of: LITTLE FAITH" "O YE, O YE OF LITTLE FAITH.""The more worry, the less faith. The more faith, the less worry. We may worry about earthly kingdoms and kings, but Jesus admonishes us to seek first HIS kingdom and HIS righteousness, and all will be well. The structure of His kingdom, the rules and regulations, and the standards for his righteousness never change. They are eternal, abiding, consistent, always just, where love, real love, abounds. So, set your affections there, up there, in there where there is nothing but faith, hope, love, and justice, andnone of it ever changes, NEVER!""There are some who seek vengeance for wrongs done. Don’t, says the Lord: VENGEANCE IS MINE SAYS THE LORD. I WILL REPAY!Not you, but me. We, on the other hand, should:REJOICE.""And, the Apostle Paul confirms. In fact, Paul says we should rejoice in all things, and he says again, and for the second time, I say:" "REJOICE.""Think positive. Don’t let your heart be troubled. Rejoice in the Lord. GIVE THANKS IN ALL THINGS. All things. Think on those things, says Paul, which are just, pure, lovely,commendable, praiseworthy, happy, joyful, and loving. And, says Paul, always have""hope, grow and stand by your faith, and remember that everything ultimate comes down to one word:LOVE,""and especially that of the love of Jesus Christ which passes all understanding!So, don’t worry, my fellow Christian, DON’T WORRY! Render under Caesar the thingsthat are Caesar’s. Abide by the law, unless Caesar, the government and its rulers cross over from government to the spiritual realm and trespass on the things of God. Then, you are required to stand up, protest, resist, and do everything in your power to protect and defend the things of God. You are commanded to do that knowing that, with the power of our Lord,:“YOU CAN DO ALL THINGS THROUGH CHRIST WHO STRENGTHENS US.”""You can. So:REJOICE – AND AGAIN I SAY REJOICE.Live by the joy of the Lord, never lose faith, hope, or love, and:DON’T WORRY.""Our Lord tells us that he will guide us with His eye, that He will give us the words we need, that He will meet our needs for food, clothing, and shelter, and so those mighty and reassuring words in Matthew 6:25-31, which you should read, and with this absolutely necessary admoni

So many of the governments, the ruling authorities in this temporal, human world, are controlled and run by dictators. There is no freedom, no individual rights or rule of law, and no constitutions which protect the people, the citizens of that country. No freedoms at all.Those human beings, God created, have one burning priority, which totally dominates their lives. That is, the prayer, the hope, the wish for:FREEDOM.They want to live their lives, pursue their destiny, develop their talents, change without fear, and most importantly, worship as they please or not, and speak as they will without fear of retribution. That simply doesn’t happen, whether in Iran, Iraq, Gaza, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, China, Russia, North Korea, and so many of the African and Central American countries. THERE SIMPLY IS NO FREEDOM!Not so in America. We The People have, and so often take for granted, what those poor human beings pray for every day. That is, freedom in every facet of our lives, and especially the freedom to:VOTE.We American citizens can elect those who would govern, those who would exercise the power of our constitutions, to govern, interpret, and rule. We can vote for anyone we wish; or perhaps tragically so, we are not required to vote at all if we so choose. Perhaps unfortunately, should we choose not to vote, we would still enjoy the freedoms, the lifestyle, the benefits, the protections, and the guarantees which our great and one-of-a-kind America still offers. We can choose not to vote when people the world over are ready to even give their lives if necessary for the rights to choose their governments and their leaders, whatever the cost. I for one think that to be the strongest kind of dereliction of civic duty. That precious right, privilege and opportunity was ours Tuesday, November 5. We had the privilege of electing 537 men and women, leaders who would govern, rule, and make decisions for our lives for the next 2, 4 or 6 years. Those leaders would choose the next Supreme Court justice, determine our military policies and investments, secure our borders or not, protect our incredible rights under the First Amendment of our Constitution, including the freedom to worship, the freedom of speech, press, assembly, and petition, and perhaps most importantly to millions of Americans, determine in moral terms, America’s position on abortion, the murder of the unborn, whether or not we would support Israel, how deep our American debt would be, our policies on taxation, and so much more. I wonder how any individual could watch those policies unfold knowing that he or she never voted. IT IS OUR AMERICA (WE THE PEOPLE) A PRECIOUS REPUBLIC, IF WE CAN KEEP IT! I wonder if we can.Franklin Graham reminds us that the Bible clearly teaches that governments are ordained by God to restrain evil and enable righteousness to flourish (Romans 13:3-4). Graham believes that it was and is our Christian duty to pray and vote for candidates who best align with and stand for biblical principles. I hope and pray that you did just that.The Apostle Paul admonishes us, we the Christian people, in I Thessalonians 5 that:WE SHOULD TEST EVERYTHING; AND HOLD FAST TO WHAT IS GOOD.I pray we elect leaders at any time who believe just that.In recent years, the evangelical, the biblical church, has made concessions to the demands of this apparently anti-Christian culture, so much so that the power of the gospel in our society has been watered down, abused, ridiculed, and in so many ways rendered null and void. So many of the once fiery and faithful pulpits have fallen silent, refusing to speak out against the moral decay of this present time, fearing retribution or alienation. It is well past time for those in the pulpits to experience a full-boar revival and return our pulpits to the mission of the real gospel once again.But, my fellow Americans and my fellow Christians, when the elections are over, when our leaders federal, state, and local have been chosen, it is time for us to put aside partisan differences and to pray for those in office as we are so admonished in scripture:PRAY FOR EVERY ONE OF THEM!But then comes the next phase of our civic responsibilities, and as such, we should never neglect our duties as citizens or relinquish our duty as those citizens to make certain that our leaders exercise Godly wisdom in public life. We can not withdraw from public life. The Godly wisdom of biblical Christians is needed now more than ever and it is our duty to make that happen.But perhaps most importantly, never forget, my fellow Christians, the marvelous admonitions of our Lord in Matthew chapter 6 where we are admonished in verse 25:THEREFORE, I SAY TO YOU, DDOO NNOOT TT WWOORRRRYY ABOUT YOUR LIFE, WHATYOU WILL EAT OR WHAT YOU WILL DRINK.Or anything else for that matter, and especially the world of politics. We live under governments ordained by God, rulers he allows, and perhaps it is up to us, We The People who cherish the good, to do our very b

What a privilege it is to be an American citizen, really an unbelievable privilege.If you study the history of mankind, the rise of nations, the rulership of kings and queens, and dictators, and judges, and you look at the role of common human beings like you and me, in short if you compare America to any other nation in the history of mankind, there is none like her, NONE AT ALL!We are a nation based on democracy and freedom. We were founded by patriots and forefathers who knew that there was nothing, NOTHING that equaled the fundamental human priority of:FREEDOMand the building of a nation to protect, preserve, and defend FREEDOM. Our forefathers, constitutionalists, gave us a nation which they termed a REPUBLIC, a nation with constitutional protections which, no matter who was elected at any level of government, would make certain that every citizen of this great new country would enjoy the rights and freedoms, those inalienable ones divinely determined, no matter who exercised power.Our forefathers who gave us our beloved constitution and politically structured this great country counted upon the fact that WE THE PEOPLE would be lovers of freedom, even as they were. They believed that anyone who became an American citizen and had the privilege of living in America would have the blood of patriots coursing through their veins, and would do anything and everything, even willing to shed that blood, if necessary, in order to protect this great country and the freedoms which it offered. They believed that we would believe, like Patrick Henry, who said:“GIVE ME LIBERTY OR GIVE ME DEATH!”Our forefathers counted upon us to be the ultimate checks and balances holding individuals, departments, and all of government accountable, voting them out, convicting them of high crimes where necessary, and never letting any government or governmental official take away any constitutionally guaranteed freedoms including and especially the precious freedoms of the First Amendment of our Constitution. They believed that real Americans would step up and with all their might, protect the freedom of religion, and protect the freedom of speech, especially the freedom of speech, and the freedom of the press, and the right to petition our government and be heard, and to assemble in lawful groups at any time, especially churches, to discuss, worship, or otherwise socialize. Our forefathers codified that belief in our constitution, believing We The People would never take those previous rights and freedoms for granted, never assume that they would always be there whether or not we were actively involved in their protection. Those real patriots would today be shocked, utterly dismayed, broken in mind and spirit should they be able to see how We The People have put our great country in such danger, such risk of loss of the fundamental pillars of our great society.Not only is there seemingly a lack of concern among so many citizens regardless of belief, but also Christian citizens who wish no involvement in politics. But, says the Billy Graham organization, you cannot separate politics from the Bible. The Old Testament is immersed in politics. It is about God creating nations, ordaining kings and kingdoms and rulers, and with prophets rebuking kings. That is politics.And our Lord admonishes us to render under Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to make certain, as citizens, that all governments and rulers work for the good of the nation and its people. It is therefore, so very many believe, the DUTY of every Christian to be involved in politics, to make certain they function for the good, for justice for all, for righteousness, for equality, and to know that God himself created all men and women equal without divine preference or prejudice, and we the people should make certain those intentions and priorities of the creator of our universe, of all things, and of us, are carried out. THAT SURELY INCLUDES OUR FULL INVOLVEMENT IN POLITICS!The Apostle Paul says in I Thessalonians 5:21:BUT TEST EVERYTHNG; HOLD FAST TO WHAT IS GOOD!We should remember that apostolic admonition when we vote. And vote we must, for that is the ultimate act of involvement, political decision making, which is not only our right as citizens and Christians, but our duty as well. It is, in my view, the ultimate betrayal of the privileges we enjoy as citizens and Christians, if for any reason we do not vote. Where there is good to be done, it is our duty to do that good. It is our duty to vote for the very best people who will exercise the power of our governments and do the most good.Often, the choices we have are limited. The people for whom we can vote may not be to our liking or the policies they espouse may be somewhat different, less perfect than we might require. But hear the words of James Dobson and Family Talk:“I’M NOT VOTING FOR THE PERSON. I’M VOTING FOR THE PLATFORM!”That, I do believe, is good advice for we are voting not necessarily for the person. We

There comes, in some two short weeks, the most important and critical elections which our beloved America has ever encountered. Elections 2024 will determine the future, the heart and soul of America for decades to come.You, American citizen and person of faith, will vote in this election, will you not? If you are Christian, and you wish to protect your faith, the freedom you have to enjoy and practice your religion, and the free speech guaranteed by the Constitution, you have no other choice:YOU MUST VOTE!You must.Troy A. Miller, President and CEO of the National Religious Broadcasters (NRB) says unequivocally and emphatically:“CHRISTIANS HAVE A MORAL AND ETHICAL DUTY TO VOTE NOVEMBER 5!”Miller says that a Christian really has no choice but to vote. There is no option not to vote for there is a moral, Christian duty to vote. So, my fellow Americans, legal citizens, and Christians:YOU WILL VOTE NOVEMBER 5, WILL YOU NOT?Troy Miller goes on to state the following:“It’s time to get millions of evangelical voters to the polls.”Is it ever.In this election, there are seven so-called swing states, the votes in which and the electoral college numbers, pundits say, will determine the election. Listen to this tragic statistic. It was estimated that in Elections 2020, an estimated 7 million evangelicals in those 7 swing states did not participate in the election:DID NOT VOTE!That is a shocking, frustrating, and tragic statistic and it is, says Miller, one inexcusable, unpatriotic, uncaring, abandonment of civic duty and concern and love for America, and of course the freedom of the Christian faith we hold so dear.Dr. James Dobson, he of Family Talk Fame, is greatly concerned for the future of America and the outcomes of Elections 2024. Dobson also agrees fully, as do his cohorts, Michelle Bachman and Gary Bauer, that America is on the path to destruction if evangelical Christians, real Christians, do not vote, and vote right and informed for the very best candidates. So, you will vote, will you not? YOU MUST VOTE!Hear the words of candidate for President, Donald Trump:“OUR ENEMIES ARE WAGING WAR ON FREEDOM AND FAITH, ONSCIENCE AND RELIGION, ON HISTORY AND TRADITION, ON LAW ANDDEMOCRACY, ON THE FAMILY, ON CHILDREN, ON AMERICA ITSELF.”It is simply tragic to learn how many real Christians, so-called evangelicals, bible-believing and Christian-faith-practicing Christians have not voted and who do not intend to vote 2024. That is absolutely tragic, almost sabotage to our great country and an utter and total disrespect for the freedoms, the lifestyle, and the American way we all enjoy and which so many take for granted. But progressive, liberal thought and activism have contaminated the mainstream of American life and culture, and in the words of Franklin Graham:“SO MUCH SO THAT ONCE UNTHINKABLE ABOMINATIONS SUCH ASSAME SEX MARRIAGE, ABORTION ON DEMAND, AND TRANSGENDERADVOCACY HAVE BECOME DOGMA IN ONE MAJOR PARTY’S PLATFORM.”That political party is of course not Republican. I wonder if you can guess which party that would be? Various and considerable strong biblical, God-fearing, evangelical leaders have said unequivocally, that a vote for Harris-Walz, or Democrat senators or congress persons, is indeed a vote for unlimited abortion, transgender advocacy, and the curtailing of freedom of speech and religion, and the growth and power of all governments, and the drift of America towards Socialism and even Marxism itself. More from Franklin Graham:“The Bible clearly teaches that governments are ordained by God to restrain evil and enable righteousness to flourish.”And then Franklin Graham states unequivocally:“That’s why Christians should carefully pray and vote!”Like Troy Miller of NRB, and James Dobson, and so many other evangelical leaders, Graham really believes it is the moral duty of a Christian to vote, to protect America, and to elect the best possible candidates. So, my fellow Americans, legal citizens, you will vote will you not? YOU MUST VOTE! The senatorial voting and the gubernatorial decision making of Harris and Walz lead so many Christian leaders to state the following:“CAN ANY THINKING, WELL INFORMED CHRISTIAN VOTE FOR ANY DEMOCRAT?”Given what this party stands for, its platform, what Harris truly is and what she believes, and what she will inevitably do should she be elected President, will result in the most anti-Christian, religious persons of faith political administration in the history of our country. Christians have a duty to do everything humanly possible to prevent that from happening.Vote 2024, Christian, VOTE! Protect your constitutional freedoms. Stand up for what is morally right, traditionally American, and biblical truth. STAND UP! YOU and so many other, literally millions, of bible-believing, real Christians can in fact determine the outcome, up and down the ballots, of Elections 2024. YOU CAN DO THAT! So, never forget the admonitions of Troy Miller, Franklin Graham, and James Dobson:YOU MUST V

Every four years it seems, we the people are told that we will face the most important election ever held in America, that for the President of the United States, and of course, the 435 representatives of the House in Congress, and as many as 35 U. S. Senators, in addition of course to state and local elections as well. EVERY FOUR YEARS!But many politicos, and even so very many Christian and evangelical leaders do state unequivocally that elections 2024 are THE MOST IMPORTANT ever held in the history of our great country. Franklin Graham is one of them. And so is Tony Perkins. And so is Brent Bozell of Media Research Council. And very passionately so is Dr. James Dobson, he of Family Talk ministries, along with his very own Gary Bauer and Michelle Bachman. It may very well be, my fellow Americans, the most important election year in the history of our great country and so I ask:DO YOU INTEND TO VOTE?And, as you vote, will you really know the candidates, the issues, what will happen if certain individuals are elected and will you render an:INFORMED VOTE?Will you?I for one, and so many others in the Crawford Broadcasting Company, say to you, our faithful and loyal listeners and the Christians who get daily value from our stations that:YOU MUST VOTE!I believe it is your duty as a Christian, and in the case of these elections, clearly your duty as an American citizen (a legal American citizen) to:VOTE.Again, I say unequivocally:YOU MUST VOTE! WILL YOU?America, says Franklin Graham, has drifted far from the biblical values that once stood as our rock-solid foundations. We have turned our back on God and the results have been devastating.Progressive, liberal thought and activism, says Graham, have so contaminated the mainstream of American life and culture that once unthinkable abominations such as same sex marriage, abortion on demand, and transgender advocacy have become dogma in one major party’s platform! It is not difficult at all to identify to which party Graham refers. That is clearly the Democrat party, and the head of that Democrat ticket, Kamala Harris and indeed every bit as much so Tim Walz, the would-be Vice President, and so many others. That leads to the question, rightly posed:CAN ANY REAL CHRISTIAN VOTE FOR HARRIS-WALZ AND THE DEMOCRAT PARTY?The answer of course is a resounding:NO!Democrats champion government control, not only through a socialistic (socialism) approach to government, but even in some extreme ways to the brutal Marxism itself. Democrats are by no means persuaded by the realistic and right-on philosophy of Winston Churchill, Great Britain’s great Prime Minister who said:“SOCIALISM IS THE PHILOSOPHY OF FAILURE, THE CREED OFIGNORANCE, AND THE GOSPEL OF ENVY.”And more from Churchill:“THE INHERENT VIRTUE OF SOCIALISM IS THE EQUAL SHARING OFMISERIES!”The socialistic approaches of the Democrats and Harris-Walz will lead America down the path of socialism and worse in the four years to come if they are elected.Harris is an avowed, open, fully supportive advocate of absolutely no restrictions of any kind by federal, state, or local governments, on:ABORTION.Democrats do not want to leave abortion decisions to the states but wish the codification of the old Roe v. Wade so that, as binding federal legislation, it is the law of the land, and applicable in every state, all 50 states! That indeed is more evidence that no thinking, caring, spiritual, born-again Christian can vote for Harris, is it not? As US Senator, Harris was rated by GovTrack as “the most liberal senator, of all 100 senators,” THE MOST LIBERAL! Harris voted in favor of legal infanticide, she vowed to force taxpayers to fund abortion, she believes that a religious test should be applied to judicial and supreme court nominees. She sponsored the unbelievably radical EQUALITY ACT, which in many ways would put an end to religious freedom in America, she promoted legal prostitution. Harris opposed homeschooling and school choice legislation, she fully supported Planned Parenthood, and Harris openly lobbied for girl’s restrooms, locker rooms, showers, sports and even women’s prisons to be open to biological men. So, the question is posed again:CAN ANY THINKING, CARING, TRULY BORN-AGAIN CHRISTIAN VOTE FOR HARRIS-WALZ?So, if we the people, the Christian people, the real Christian people that is, wish to be the SALT AND LIGHT which our Lord tells us we must be, then we cannot vote for Harris. It seems as though our only choice is to vote for Donald Trump and JD Vance as President-Vice President, and republicans who are far more likely to uphold traditional American and Christian values.Harris and Walz are major proponents of the:EQUALITY ACT.This brutal act, if passed, would allow male-bodied transgender women (biological males) to utilize women’s private spaces such as bathrooms, locker rooms, shelters, and participate in women’s sports and sports leagues. Employers would be forced to provide healthcare insurance coverage for hormone

Are you afraid? Do you fear the future?Are you afraid or at least deeply concerned about America, the radical changes which are occurring in our once great country, and in fact the world over. Do you fear for the future, for your family and friends, for yourself? Do you fear that America has lost its way, is now in the control and political decision making of those who are anti-American, anti-Christian, and wish fundamental and radical changes in our country in every meaningful respect, are you really deeply concerned and afraid?Many are, a very many, many perhaps by the millions. That fear, to the extent it exists, can paralyze an individual on the one hand, preventing any kind of action, or it can mobilize an individual to do more, to stand up, to fight the fight of faith, and to do everything possible to prevent those radical changes, satanically influenced, from happening to our great country and then to that extent to the world at large. In which camp do you find yourself, the one who is fearful that you can do little or nothing, or the other so powerful that you will do more than you had believed you were capable of doing? Which camp, which kind of individual are you?The concern for America is real, but the fear of inevitability, resulting in a powerlessness is not. Hear the words of our Lord through the Apostle Paul:“GOD HAS NOT GIVEN US A SPIRIT OF FEAR, BUT OF POWER, LOVE, AND A SOUND MIND.”Our Lord has put power in your life, POWER! You can fight the fight of faith for both our Lord and America (God and Country). You and I are powerful through HIM and because of HIM. While at the same time we can show Christian love for our enemies, we cannot love, and we must indeed resist, evil and the devil which propagates it, so that real love can abound.You and I need, now more than ever, a:SOUND MIND.We need to be able to think, rationally analyze, understand political issues, candidates, problems and potential, and we act accordingly, VOTE accordingly. We cannot be deceived by false prophets or false advertising. We must know the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth for it is only that truth, God inspired, which can make us free and keep us free. That is a sound mind at work, always thinking, discerning, knowing the signs of the times and reacting accordingly. So that, as Christians, even as we KNOW in whom we have believed, so it is in the worldly realm, and the world of politics and government, that we are required to know in whom we can believe and trust to prevent these radical changes from occurring.I do believe that we cannot ask God to bless America, even to help America, unless WE HIS PEOPLE are doing everything in our power to champion the truth, the right, and Christian principles and values. If we do, in fact, our very best for country, than we can expect our God to hear our prayers when we ask for his help and intervention and to not only help America, but to bless America.BE NOT AFRAID! In you, there should be no spirit of fear, but only the love, the power of God Almighty! If you are a child of salvation, then you know the reality of that promise.We, his children, are warned by our Lord that because of our faith in Him, active and uncompromising, we can expect persecution. We can expect hardship. We can expect resistance, separation, disrespect. The more we truly believe and testify of the love of Jesus Christ, the more disrespect and persecution we can expect. But that faith is worth it! In fact, it is more than worth our laying our all on the altar no matter the cost. We do the best we can, but knowing all the while, that God is on the throne, in control, and so very often:HIS WAYS ARE NOT OUR WAYS.If in fact we move toward the END TIMES, as scripture predicts, then the road grows more narrow, more difficult to navigate, full of hazards, testing us, our character, and commitment, and that really is the bottom line. How much, say all these terrible events, do you love and trust your Lord? For, it is His will which will be done (on earth as it is in heaven) and when we have given our all, and done our best (two absolute preconditions), then it is our duty to trust in Him for the results as God would will. That is so for America, our world, and even the future of mankind.We should never forget that God is all wise (omniscient), all powerful, all knowing, and in control of everything:COMPLETE CONTROL.The spirit bears witness within us, leading, directing, goading, prodding when we need it, making sure we do our best for Him. That Holy Spirit makes sure we know when we do not do our best. He made us Americans, responsible for America. He gave us the opportunity to live here, to witness for Him, and we owe Him. We owe Him our best to protect what He has given us, the most unique and the finest country, government, and lifestyle in the history of mankind. Unless we completely spiritually shut down, the Holy Spirit of God lets us know that we have let him down. That is a reassuring spi

Owe no man nothing, says the scripture.The fact remains, however, that every single American is in debt, EVERY ONE OF US. Every day of every month, we owe someone something. That debt could be as normal as a phone bill, electric bill, cell phone or cable bill, or currently repayable credit card bills. But, we always owe something if we wish to live in any reasonable way in this world.What that debt admonition means is that we ought not to owe anything which we cannot repay in the present in whole or in part. None of us could own a home unless we were able to borrow a mortgage for 10, 20 or 30 years, and make the monthly payments with interest thereon. If we can repay that 30-year debt on a monthly basis and timely so, that is a manageable obligation and not the kind of debt proscribed by scripture.Debt, unpayable debt, and especially that debt which accumulates with interest, sometimes as much or almost so as the debt principle itself is crushing. It is always there, its presence a constant reminder that so much of the future has been mortgaged and that our present spending endangers and preempts our options for the future. Families are ruined by that kind of debt. So are marriages. Profligate businesses go bankrupt and governments, nations and states which over-borrow and accumulate crushing interest obligations sacrifice the future for the present. They kick the financial can down the road.And that, my fellow Americans, is the pathway and the financial condition of our beloved America. Our once great country, operating on a current budget, the financial envy of the world, the dollar the hallmark of financial stability, is now the unbelievable debtor in the amount of:$36 TRILLION DOLLARS.$36 Trillion Dollars. As incredible, hard to believe, and frightening as that number is, the interest America pays on those $36 trillion dollars of debt is now at or about:$1.3 TRILLION DOLLARS ANNUALLY.$1.3 Trillion dollars in interest alone!That means, my fellow Americans, that every American household owes as much as $275,000 of that debt. Or that also means that every tax paying person in America, every citizen, owes the sum of approximately $110,000 to our creditors, foreigners and foreign nations, and American business entities and individuals. $275,000 PER HOUSEHOLD and $110,000 PER PERSON. That is the kind of debt with interest that scripture so aggressively warns against. But we do nothing, our leaders do nothing to stop the bleeding and solve the problem. The overwhelming debt problem. But some day, we will have no choice but to deal with this horrendous financial reckoning.Economists now believe that the nation’s debt of at or about $36 Trillion Dollars is indeed an existential threat to our great country, and to us, we the people. The fact of the matter is that America does not owe this debt, we do. WE, THE PEOPLE, the citizens of this great country owe that $36 trillion dollars, with its unbelievable annual interest burdens. WE OWE THAT MONEY! And someday, we will have to pay it. What an unbelievable effect that will have on our lifestyles and our future. That existential threat threatens our very existence!But our Federal Government continues in its profligate way. It spends, and it spends more. It never seems to care because it can postpone the debt, financing even more of its spending, and it always has what it thinks is the fail-safe remedy, and that is:TAXATION.More taxation, more taxes, for we the people to pay.And more bad financial news. Economists estimate that by the year 2034, a decade from now, America will add $20 trillion dollars to its debt of $36 trillion dollars, which would put our country in debt by the staggering sum of $56 trillion dollars, $56 TRILLION DOLLARS! And some economists think those estimates are conservative, believing that the real debt will be as high as $60 trillion dollars or even more if spending continues as is. That would also mean that the annual interest alone on that staggering debt would be somewhere between $2 Trillion and $2.5 Trillion Dollars Annually, and possibly more. In the year 2034, our total debt will be approximately 120% of our Gross Domestic Product (GDP). And hear these words carefully:NO NATION HAS EVER CARRIED THAT KIND OF GOVERNMENT-DRIVEN DEBT AND ESCAPED CALAMITY. NOT ONE GOVERNMENT IN THE ENTIRE HISTORY OF MANKIND HAS EVER SPENT OR WILL SPEND WHAT WE AMERICANS ARE AND ESCAPED ABSOLUTE AND TOTAL DISASTER AND CALAMITY.Not to worry, say the Democrats in charge and in power and seeking four more years of spending privileges, assuming the election of Harris-Walz. We will simply tax the rich more and more. Even if there is a sharp rise in the tax rates for the wealthy, that meager amount of additional income would never begin to seriously pay down the debt which our once fiscally responsible America now owes and will owe ten years from now.But that day of reckoning will come when we the people will pay an unbelievable price for the profligate way our Fe

There was a time, in America no less, when true evangelicals, real born-again Christians, were of great moral influence and persuasion numbering perhaps as many as 75-80 million citizens. The Moral Majority was founded by the Rev. Jerry Falwell Sr. and it was indeed a powerful organization, politically, culturally, and spiritually.But today, far from constituting a moral majority, the evangelical Christian of today finds little tolerance, much less acceptance, by their fellow citizens, many of whom are anti-Christian to the core. The shared moral ideals of old have indeed deteriorated and no longer have the priorities they once did. That includes FAITH. Real Christianity, biblical Christianity, born-again Christianity is ridiculed or ignored by the IMMORAL MAJORITY of today’s culture. The concept and value of FAMILY are torn apart and the governments of today substitute foreign and often godless concepts and meanings which attack and depreciate traditional values and definitions. Freedom, once a burning priority, now hangs in the balance, watered down by legislation, indifference, and constant attacks on our constitution.Especially within the last decade, faithful, biblical Christians have witnessed ideological disintegration of trusted religious institutions. That has resulted in an incredible cultural compromise. Conduct and behavior that was once forbidden is now not only allowed but encouraged. So much of the freedoms Americans take for granted was relinquished during the pandemic and even church attendance, the freedom of assembly and religious worship, was also forbidden by government action.That sense of compromise and indifference even permeated the church pulpits. Church after church, pastor after pastor, seceded to the demands of an anti-Christian culture, accepting compromise and change to traditional and long accepted Christian tenets and the gospel message, once proudly preached, was seldom heard in one denomination after another. So many American pulpits fell silent, fearing retribution or alienation.Many Christian believers witnessed evangelical leaders’ quart secular acclaim by compromising on conservative Christian values and, like the false prophets predicted, preached a foreign gospel or none at all. Strong Christian values that contributed to American strength and vitality but were recast by these false prophets, outmoded and second class. New concepts, often man-made were formed to water down traditional biblical concepts of salvation, born-again, faith and works, and so much more. Those believers who held fast to strong biblical principles and concepts were often depicted as “violent enemies of democracy” because they failed to recognize, accept, and give credence to the priorities and beliefs of the anti-Christian majority which seemed to be taking place in America.Consequently, so many Christians abandoned the world of politics in their very own country. In a recent survey by the respected George Barna, more than half of the Christians surveyed reported that they did not pay much attention at all to political news, which would inevitably be essential to understanding the issues most relevant to believers. As a result, an estimated 7 million evangelicals in swing states did not participate in the 2020 presidential election. Had they done so, results would have been entirely different up and down the ballots. Barna estimates as a result of the conclusions of that survey that shockingly:AN ESTIMATED ONE THIRD OF ALL EVANGELICALS IN AMERICA SATON THE SIDELINES (DID NOT VOTE) IN ELECTIONS 2020.Even if they did, those evangelicals not paying attention to news and information about politics and government were in so many cases incapable of making informed, educated, voting decisions.The one presidential candidate who addressed the Christian audiences, spoke to the issues which concerned Christians, and otherwise collaborated with the National Religious Broadcasters was Donald Trump. Trump addressed in positive ways, the issues which really concern Christians including freedom of expression (First Amendment, Speech and Press), prayer in schools, homeschooling, America’s support for Israel, and the role of religion in public life. No other candidate for president did so. In fact, the Left has extended no hand of friendship to born-again believers. The Left has in fact elevated “unlimited abortion” as the non-negotiable priority of their policy agenda. No true Christian can tolerate such a position, and it leads to the question:CAN ANY TRUE CHRISTIAN VOTE FOR ANY DEMOCRAT?Further, and disturbingly so, many Christians will not vote for a candidate whose personality they find offensive. Many for example do not personally like Donald Trump and even though his policies are more akin to their beliefs, they will not vote for him. Many will also not vote for a candidate whose private life they do not like. Many use that excuse not to vote for Trump, at least for now a convicted felon. Perhaps even mo

Do you intend to vote in this critical November election, do you?Are you registered to vote so that, unlike many others, you are a legally qualified voter?America needs your vote, YOUR VOTE! America needs your informed vote, a vote that is educated in the issues, understands the essential workings of politics and the government, and assuming you are Christian, voting for candidates and issues with the direction and guidance of your Christian conscience.YOU MUST VOTE!For many Christians, they seem to find reasons not to vote. If those Christians find the candidates personality, or private life, or public image objectionable, that gives them reasons, really excuses, for non-participation, for not voting. And that, my fellow Americans and fellow Christians, is simply dead wrong. As Troy Miller, President and CEO of NRB, the National Religious Broadcasters Association:“I urge Christians who are so inclined to pivot from personality andtake a closer look at policy.”That is a strong message to those conservative Americans and Christian Americans that if, for example, you do not like the personality, or the private life, or the public image of Donald Trump, those are not reasons for you not to vote for Donald Trump. If in fact Trump and his party represent and will champion and defend the policies and political decisions which are consistent with your Christian values.Dr. George Barna has produced a new survey indicating that:“Theologically defined evangelicals (are you one?) are no more likely thananyone else to be attentive to news about politics and government.”That is a sad, sad indeed conclusion and I do hope that you are not one of those evangelicals who doesn’t care, isn’t involved, and doesn’t intend to vote. You and I have, so many believe, a theological duty to be involved to the extent we can in the political process and most importantly, in every meaningful election:VOTE!That Barna survey indicates that an estimated 7 million evangelicals, in swing states no less, did not participate or vote in the 2020 President Election. If those 7 million registered and potential voters actually did vote, the outcomes and elections of candidates up and down the ballot would have been entirely different. And that was in so-called swing states alone.Generally, across America and in all states, the Barna survey estimates that one third, 33%, of all evangelicals did not vote or participate in the political process in 2020! One third. If there are, as many think, as many as 75 million so-called theologically defined evangelicals in America, that means according to the Barna survey that as many as:25 MILLION EVANGELICAL AMERICANS DID NOT VOTE IN 2020!That is a startling and frankly sickening survey conclusion and they discredit and disgrace not only the privilege of American citizenship, but to our very Lord himself! As many as 25 million registered American citizen voters in 2020, says Barna, did not even simply bother to vote. To me, and to so many others, that is just simply unbelievable, UNBELIEVABLE! That led Troy Miller to state in his article:“WE HAVE A DUAL ISSUE OF TURNOUT (NOT VOTING) AND TUNE OUT (NOT PARTICIPATING IN OR BEING INFORMED OF THE POLITICAL PROCESS AND ITS ISSUES).”I do hope and pray that you, if in fact you are Christian and Evangelical Christian, are not one of those 25 million. You and I have the unbelievable privilege of being citizens of the greatest country in the history of mankind. At least, it once was. We live in a country where true freedom exists, or at least it used to. We the People, all people, including Christians, all people of faith or not of faith, have freedom of religion, complete unabridged freedom of religion, and the very same total and complete freedom of speech, and press, and no government, including and especially the Federal Government, can in any way interfere with or abridge those precious, inalienable, God-given through the constitution, freedoms we enjoy, and now have begun to assume and take for granted.We also have freedom of petition. We can say what we want, ask what we feel is right to do, complain, criticize, compliment, and express what we believe to anyone who acts as our political leader at any level of government. They are duty-bound to listen, read, understand, and respond, whether or not they do. That is our constitutional right.Perhaps most importantly as Christians, we have the constitutional and First Amendment right to assemble. That is, to form, support, attend, and be involved in the functions of a church or any type of religious organization. No one, including and especially the Federal Government, can prevent any American from worshipping as he or she pleases in any venue as he or she may wish and the slightest abridgement of that freedom is constitutionally wrong, illegal, and cannot be tolerated.WE, THE EVANGELICAL PEOPLE, are free, we have been given these freedoms, we can partake of them without fear of retribution and with those freedoms, tho

Work is good. Work is necessary for the fulfillment of every human being. Work is required of every person according to his or her capabilities and talents, so sayeth the Scripture. All of us must work to survive, live, grow and profit and be all that we can be and as God intended us to be.Our very own America was built on hard work, and is in fact itself a work in progress. The progress depends upon us, we the people, how hard we work and how we make things happen. The majority of we the American people are hard workers. And, the harder and the better we work, the better America and all of us are. To be sure, nothing comes easy in this life, nothing. Everything we have or enjoy is the product of hard work by someone, whether you, or me, or someone else. You and I must do our share, accomplish our calling for the very short time we have on this precious earth. Life, said the wisest man of old King Solomon, is but a vapor here today and gone so soon tomorrow. We should make every working day count to the fullest.Pioneers built our country. They were men and women who did little but work hard morning till night. They farmed land never before productive. They raised animals and used them for work and feed. They built houses, and churches, and City Halls. They built roads and bridges. They built autos and trucks. They built hospitals and invented medicines. They designed and manufactured clothing. They created places for entertainment and worship. They built elaborate and majestic campuses for education and things theological. They built laboratories and science centers and they sent us deep into space. They were then and we are now the workers who made America great, America, the most exciting, creative human and social experiment in all of history. You and I should be proud of them and we should be proud to be workers like they were. The more we work, the better we are, caught up, energized and thrilled by the spirit of America, our exceptional opportunity to pursue our dreams and to build our future. America and those who believe in what it stands for are indeed EXCEPTIONAL and we have been blessed by EQUALLY EXCEPTIONAL opportunity. As we work, we should do everything possible to protect and defend the opportunities, lifestyles and freedoms which America offers.How wonderful it is that the talent and ability of every individual God-Made is different, unique. It is marvelous indeed that every single person has talent and gifts which are in fact different. That is true divine diversity. None of us are better at least not in the sight of God, but different only. Each of us has our own special CALLING. So, no matter who you are, YOU are special and it is your right but every bit as importantly your duty to utilize those God-given talents to the fullest. It is your duty to fulfill your calling. So then, we should not be concerned with what others think nor should we judge what we do and how we work by the standards of others. Nor should we be inhibited by their criticism. For we need to know ourselves, be true to that special self and soul which God has created and through prayer and meditation, come to a full recognition of those talents and be the very person God intended that you and I be. We can fail, but we can bounce back. The opportunity for growth and change is still available in America, thank God. Ignore rejection and focus on your calling.So then, my fellow Americans, you may be called to be a mother. Be all that you can be as a mother for the sake of your children and do your God-given calling with all of your might. Or perhaps you are secretary, or babysitter. Perhaps you clean for a living. Recognize all such work as a calling and do your calling with all of your might. Or perhaps you are plumber, electrician, landscaper, restaurant worker. Do your calling with all of your might and as you can, as unto the Lord. Or perhaps you are lawyer, accountant, radio salesperson, financial planner. Do your calling with all of your might. And if you are the President of anything, including the President of our great United States, you perhaps have a calling with higher standards, duties and demands. No one should do a calling better than you WITH ALL OF YOUR MIGHT!So, we work, we produce and as we do, we should expect return which of course includes money and profit. We work for economic growth and benefit, for the fruit of our labors. We follow the biblical prescription that we can expect even with minimum work product the return of that work one for one. Or perhaps, five to one. Or even as Scripture indicates, perhaps as much as ten to one or more as we diligently develop and exploit those talents and capabilities through hard work. The money return from our work, efforts, creativity and initiative is blessed by Scripture. That money return is right, as we become work men and work women worthy of our hire. We plant, as Scripture says, and Mother Nature waters and it is GOD who gives the increase so the Scrip

George Barna, he of the ARIZONA CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY, may well be the most respected Christian surveyist in America. In a survey he conducted, released August 6, 2024, on CHRISTIAN EVANGELICALISM and Christianity in America, the Barna survey said the following:“The cultural awareness sparked by the Covid pandemic and the 2024 Presidential campaign has led millions of Americans to realize just how depraved American society has become. Corrupt politicians, dishonest journalists and media outlets, broken social institutions, immoral religious leaders, unconstitutional government programs and policies, and more, have generated non-stop headlines highlighting the decadence of American society and the demise of the United States.”That, my fellow Americans and fellow Christians, may be the most damning judgment of our great country in many years. The depth of the depravity in America, says Barna, is shocking. And it really is with no end in sight. The real reason for this satanic cultural decline says Barna:“is a direct result of the spiritual collapse of Christianity in our nation.”Barna is right. The once dynamic of Christianity in America does indeed seem gone, tarnished, diminished, of little force and effect, not only nationally and generally, but individually as well.The survey found that this steep cultural decline emanates from the dramatic transformation in the evangelical community in the United States during the past 30 years. Real evangelicals, however that is defined, seem to be far fewer in number and even more importantly far less biblical in their thinking and beliefs. There has come about the growth of SYNCRETISM, which is a worldview that combines core beliefs and behaviors from a variety of other well-defined worldviews such as Marxism, Secular Humanism, Eastern Mysticism, and Postmodernism. Individuals, in other words, offer their own worldview, belief system, and ultimate values with core beliefs gathered from any number of sources and the Barna survey indicates that as many as 9 out of 10 adults are in fact categorized by this CUT-AND-PASTE approach to their philosophy of life. That also means that any absolute truth claimed by scripture, THE BIBLE, is unacceptable or only acceptable in part, and Christianity, once a dynamic, monolithic force in America and the world, no longer exists. SYNCRETISM has won out over Christianity!Christians, evangelical Christians, what is left of them, now vote in far fewer numbers than once believed. They are simply far less active in the political process and seem to have little concern for results, so says Barna.And more, most evangelicals do not possess a biblical worldview with only about one third of so-called evangelicals doing so. In fact, says the Barna survey, evangelicals are more likely to be shaped by the culture around them, than they are to influence that culture or even more importantly, evangelize it.So then, the ultimate question then becomes:WHAT IS AN EVANGELICAL?If the absolute truths of the Bible, the gospel message, the old and new testaments are at best guides and syncretized with other religions and worldviews, and beliefs and values, and that affects evangelicals, what really is an evangelical and what does a real evangelical believe?Several decades ago, it was thought that there was some 60-70 million adults who were in fact bible believing evangelicals. Barna estimates that today, that figure could be as low as 25-30 million adults. I, for one, do hope and pray that is wrong, for an aggressive, moral, committed, right-thinking and living evangelical is a critical component of the American society.Barna then goes on to state, as a result of his most recent survey, that the following priorities and beliefs are foundational for the current day evangelical.First, God is the all-knowing (omniscient), all-powerful, just and perfect creator of the universe.God is the basis of all truth, and those truths are conveyed to us through the Bible.The purpose of life is to fully know, love, and serve God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength.Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life, and there is no other besides him.Satan, representing all evil, truly exists and is the author of the current immoral society.All humans are born into sin and can only escape the consequences through Jesus Christ.All such beliefs are incorporated in the Bible, its 66 books, and do in fact comprise basic tenets of belief which a real and true evangelical must embrace and adopt. Do you, as Christian, real Christian, believe in those Christian fundamental and basic tenets, do you?The Barna survey then concludes that as many as 7 out 10 so-called evangelicals do not believe in all of those tenets and of more concern, reject the idea that truth is absolute and biblically based. Small wonder that Christianity is on the decline and no longer acts as the antidote to the immoral decline in American society.It is indeed tragic that there are millions of evangelic

What makes a leader?Is a leader born, born with those natural leadership qualities, or is a leader made, made by experience, trial and error?A leader surely is one who steps up, steps forward, takes charge, one who recognizes the opportunity to provide direction, encouragement.A leader is surely one who is not afraid to make decisions, take risks, and in extreme cases, be willing to risk life and limb for what he or she believes is right.A pastor, for example, takes charge. He speaks with voice strong, courageous, especially when those words come from the Lord who has promised to those who love him:I WILL GIVE YOU THE WORDS!A leader should surely have perfected the art of:LISTENING.Surely for the Christian, one should listen for the direction, the guidance, the wisdom of our Lord Jesus Christ. The meaning of the words is then magnified, and they contain the wisdom of the Lord rather than that of a man.A leader is strong, courageous, not afraid. A real leader knows that God has not given him or her the spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind. That loving, sound mind, divinely created, is perhaps the strongest evidence of a real leader.A mother is a real leader, the captain of the children which God has given her. She trains them, this female leader does, in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. She instructs, disciplines, sets standards and values, and by her words and actions, cultivates love and respect not only for her, but for all women, for all humankind.The values she conveys are strong Christian values, clear standards of right and wrong, and no one in the household in which she is THE LEADER deviates from those standards. She lives those standards by example. She shows her faith by her deedsand her words always have value and meaning. No household, no husband or wife relationship, no father or mother at work can be all that they can be without the leadership of a mother, a true, loving, god-fearing mother.A true leader is creative. A plumber analyzes a problem and fixes a toilet. Every true blue collar person at work is creative, a leader, a problem solver, a fixer, taking charge of that situation and making it right. Fixing a broken toilet is leadership at work and that God-given ability can translate to every part of that man or woman’s life. Plumbers are leaders. Carpenters are leaders. Mechanics are leaders. Daycare workers are leaders. Doctors and nurses are leaders. They possess those God-given qualities which can translate to all of life in so many ways.It should be the task of every man and woman to understand themselves, to analyze their strengths, capabilities, creativity, and understand all the ways in life, everyday life, how they make decisions, take charge, fix problems, and lead. Every single individual God created possesses significant leadership qualities and no one, no matter their calling, career, or life’s work, should ever be disrespected, and perhaps more importantly, never disrespect themselves.A true leader is loyal. Faithful is he or she in everything.A true leader is honest. Integrity rules their every thought, word, and deed.A true leader is positive, knowing that all things work together for good to those who love the Lord. In a negative, often evil world, the positive, make-it-right attitude, approach and conduct proves to all that this man or woman is in fact a true leader.We are all born with those characteristics. They are inherent, God-given. Unfortunately, so few are recognized or ever developed. But they can be by the experiences of life, from the challenges, the difficulties, the problems which every human being will face. The true character of every person will be challenged in so many ways as life goes on. Our courage and commitment will be challenged. That is especially so if we are spiritually minded, Christian at heart, standing tall and uncompromising for the Lord Jesus Christ we love. Leaders are always at work in little things not just large. Real leaders make leadership decisions in every aspect of life, every day in every way. They follow the example of their Lord, who promised, as our shepherd, that he would lead us in the paths of righteousness, that we would fear no evil, that goodness and mercy would follow us all the days of our lives, and that we should live by those promises.That very same leader from Nazareth promised that He would guide us with his eye upon us, and in every life situation, bring out the best in us. Trust that, ask for that, believe in that.You, everyone, were given these strong leadership qualities. You can be a leader in these paths of righteousness and make every person an opportunity in your life better. Believe in yourself. Bring out the best in you, always. Pray for His wisdom, strength, and courage. And you will be all

POLITICIANS LIE!All of them. Do you know of any politician at any level of government who tells the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, all the time, do you? I don’t.It is as though for one to become a politician is for that candidate or elected official to embrace the lie. To compromise, to sell the soul, or be willing to do so, to play the game, the political game. Politicians deceive. They will do or say virtually anything to get elected, and then again re-elected. So much of WE THE PEOPLE have come to expect that, and worse, accept that. We do our best to determine facts, and truth, and we make our decisions to vote so often on the basis of faulty facts, the best alternatives, knowing that trust, ultimate trust in the candidate, the person, the platform, the promises are anything but certain once that candidate gets in office, takes power, and becomes a member in good standing of the political class, a class of individuals better than us, entitled, and almost always without accountability. It is a sad day in America as we look at anything political.Nevertheless, now comes politics 2024, elections this November, federal state and local, which will determine the future of America. That future is not decades, or even years away. Change, and radical change is a present possibility, an immediate political dagger in the constitutional heart of WE THE PEOPLE. Our freedoms, our way of life, our constitutional guarantees, our very own Bill of Rights have never been more in danger. What is sad is that, even as these forces of evil, anti-democracy, totalitarian march on, we the people, the citizens, the voters seem unaware, even indifferent, falsely believing that nothing so aggressive, fundamental, and revolutionary could ever happen to our great country, our way of life, and the freedoms not only enjoy but take for granted. We are a citizenry naïve, unsuspecting, accommodating, intimidated, lied to, and ripe as never before to radical change and the end of our democratic way of life.Words and warnings seem to do little good. The indifference of WE THE PEOPLE, the lack of involvement, real sacrificial involvement, the toleration of the lie and flat out evil is incredibly alarming. We heed not the warning of founding father Benjamin Franklin that this republic, this democracy of America can only last:IF WE THE PEOPLE CAN KEEP IT!The sacrifice, the involvement, the constant attention to the political process and the holding of wrong-doers and unfaithful politicians accountable are demanding courses of action which we seem unwilling to take. America teeters on the brink not only of change, radical change, but even outright destruction when those who take power fully exercise that power and reveal who they really are, what they think, and what they intend for our beloved America.WE THE PEOPLE are much more responsible for commitment well beyond our vote. Our vote 2024 begins the journey. Then comes accountability, follow up, demand, contact, devoting a significant and meaningful portion of one’s life to the protection of the freedoms and citizenship we now take for granted. Look at how many politicians have changed course once elected. They tell us they are evolving in their thinking (compromising), considering different points of view, developing new definitions of fairness, equity, and in fact, learning the full meaning of diversity, and equity, and inclusion so much of which means reversal of position, belief, standards and values, and the beginning of the:LIVING THE LIFE OF THE POLITICAL LIE.It is then that so much of America does nothing. It talks, complains, watches and listens to media, most of which is liberal-radical, and vows that things political in 2028 will be different. But the problem is that the America of 2028 will be radically changed from the America of 2024.These are not words of pessimism or despair only, but reality. They are words of challenge, asking all of us who care about America to stand up for the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, and to hold our elected officials, those who ask for our trust and confidence, to the very highest possible standards as they make critical decisions affecting our lives. Candidate Donald Trump already begins to change his beliefs, positions, and even former promises. Many believe that Trump is the only conservative alternative. But Trump has signaled that he is not the president he once was in 2016, so far without major change but having created enough of political and cultural differences which may be precursors of more aggressive position change to come. Watch what he says and does most carefully.Kamala Harris is a liberal, in many ways a radical liberal, woke, and already her fawning media begin the cover-up, the reinterpretation of her record as politician, and district attorney, and find ways to compensate for her total inexperience and perhaps considerable inabilities at the presidential level. The democrat lie has already b

IT TAKES A LOT TO GET JEWS TO SHUN DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATES, so says writer for the New York Post, Adam Brodsky.It does take a lot, for traditionally, most Jews vote democratic, so say the polls. But that is changing, changing more so every day and finally for the right reasons. Far too many democrats, and democratic candidates for office are anti-Israel and consequently, more or less, antisemitic. No matter what they say, their actions speak louder than words.So many today are pro-Palestinian, and consequently, anti-Israel, and as a result of that, anti-Jewish, antisemitic. The protestors demand that the United States not support Israel, not provide it with foreign aid, weapons, or justification, or defense of any kind. These protestors have no problem with present day Israel becoming the homeland of the Palestinians, even if Israelis are located or even extinguished. Jihadist radicals have no problem with that, and in fact, that may be their goal, for the motto is:EVERY JEW IN ISRAEL BURRIED AT THE BOTTOM OF THE MEDITERRANEAN!Israel has a population of approximately 7,250,000 people, which is less than the population of New York City, and a good many of them are not Jewish, but Arab or otherwise. The land of Israel is 8,000 sq. miles. It is 263 miles from north to south, and 71 miles at the very widest part, and only 6.2 miles at the most narrow. Israel, all of it, is approximately the size of the state of New Jersey. By contrast, surrounding nations, mostly Arab and Muslim, are huge in size geographically and in terms of population, and include Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, and not far away Iran, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia among others. Strange it is that none of these countries want to welcome the so-called Palestinians and allow them access and living in their very own countries. The Arab hatred for Israel and the Jews is far more important than the wellbeing of the Palestinians, so it seems.Long ago, well before the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ, himself of course a Jew, the God of scripture, THE GREAT GOD JEHOVAH, gave this land, this promised land to his chosen people and if you believe the Bible account of that land gift, said to Abraham, the father of the Jews:“I GIVE YOU THIS LAND FROM THE GREAT RIVER NILE OF EGYPT TO THE GREAT RIVER OF BABYLON, THE EUPHRATES.”Interestingly, Israel now occupies but a small part of that God-given gift. But the divine promise continues to exist and one day, in the providence of God, that land inheritance, all of it, will be fulfilled. If you believe the Bible and the promises made in the book of Genesis, Israel, THE PROMISED LAND, belongs to the Jews, to the descendants of Abraham, all of it.The world ignores October 7, 2023. That was the most horrible day for Jews and antisemitism since the holocaust. Hundreds of innocent Israelis, including women and children, were slaughtered by Hamas, jihadist radicals. It is only natural that for the first time in the lives of so many Jews, they feel nervous about America as a refuge. That fear is fueled by district attorneys, like Alvin Bragg in New York City, who do nothing, do not prosecute those who assault and physically attack Jews, political candidates almost all of whom are Democrats who rail against the Jews, and Israel, champion the protestors, and the insidious movement DEI (Divestiture, Equity and Inclusion) which, at its extreme, encourages antisemitism and hatred of the Jews characterizing them and all Israelis as oppressors and colonizers. It seems as though the radical jihadists, not only Muslims but so many other ignorant individuals, entities, institutions (colleges and others) to foster this hatred of Israel and the Jews. President Biden did nothing, other than a complete about face. When Israel was attacked by Hamas October 7, 2023, Biden aggressively told the world that he and our country would protect and defend Israel and the Jews. Just before his withdrawal as Democratic Presidential Candidate for 2024, Biden showed clearly that he had reversed that position completely, supplying additional arms and aid would be suspended or reduced and he will leave office with his famous quote:“THE PROTESTORS HAVE A POINT.”The holy day of the week for Muslims is Friday, and for the Jews Saturday, and for the Christians Sunday. Radical jihadists say the following:FIRST THE SATURDAY PEOPLE (THE JEWS), AND THEN THE SUNDAY PEOPLE (CHRISTIANS)!Our world, which now comprises more than 8 billion people, is comprised itself of 1.7 billion Muslims, and adherence to that religion seem to grow daily.Israel has always had a very special relationship with the United States. There are now some 2,500 US companies which do business with Israel in one form or another and employ some 72,000 Israelis according to the US Chamber of Commerce. This small nation of 7,250,000 people has the highest concentration of engineers, scientists, and technicians per capita and produces more scientific papers per capita than any other nation in the world.

IT’S THE ECONOMY, STUPID!Those were the famous words of former president Bill Clinton when asked what the most important issue was in Presidential Election 1992.Clinton was right, at least about that one thing. Nothing works, everything breaks down if the economy doesn’t work and it breaks down. And the American economy is breaking down, slowly but surely. When an economic crisis occurs, or a collapse occurs, no entity, no family, no individual can function normally, and everything breaks down and even grinds to a halt.Our scriptures tell us to:OWE NO MAN NOTHING!Nothing, that is, that cannot be repaid with current monies. But inflation, the insidious rising of prices, produces a lack of affordability which is even now affecting lower income Americans who cannot purchase, in some cases, even basic necessities. Inflation is the artificial rise of prices without necessarily economic justification. Inflation produces monetary crisis and virtually the end of free nations when it finally produces economic crisis. Said one economist:“THE NATIONAL DEBT CRISIS IS COMING!”And perhaps the beginning of that crisis is already here.No matter, our Federal Government continues to spend, more so every day, with impunity and without consequence. Higher prices occur from regulation, serious regulation. Because of that spending, higher taxes are necessary to raise the revenue needed to pay back debt, old and new.But, no matter, says our Federal Government, the Biden Administration, America will never run out of money because we will simply print more. The dollar is our currency, we control it, and if we need more money to pay debt, we can and we will make that happen. The result, of course, is even more inflation, less value to the dollar, and more dollars required to buy goods and services. That is inflation and debt run rampant. If we the people were STUPID (Bill Clinton), economically stupid, then our Federal Government is far more stupid as it incurs far more debt, caring little or nothing about repayment. The American debt which WE THE PEOPLE (not the government) owe is now at or about real dollars 35 trillion. That debt is projected to rise in the next decade to 55 trillion dollars which will mean that every American citizen will owe as much as $200,000 for debt repayment. The amount of the debt principal and interest is projected to rise to almost 130%, more than the gross domestic product (GDP) in its entirety. More dollars will be printed, inflation will continue to rise in rampant, uncontrollable ways, and prices of everything, EVERYTHING will rise to absolutely brutal and unaffordable levels. That debt will, as economist Gerald Seib so well said, will indeed:SINK THE AMERICAN EMPIRE.Economists warn us that Medicare and Social Security costs and obligations are simply totally out of control. They are now federal debt obligations, massive in size and growing every day. In the next decade, one out of five American citizens will be at retirement age, 65 or older, heavily if not entirely dependent upon Medicare and Social Security and both programs will in real economic terms be bankrupt, without reserve (all reserves have been spent by Congress) and in need of that new paper money which Congress can authorize and print which will raise prices, lifestyle costs, and the standard of living to totally unsustainable levels.Every individual and household will need to earn more money and depend even more so on Federal and State Governments for economic assistance. But, these economic conditions will actually result in even lower wages, not higher. Employment and the family will be in a state of total disruption and a certain chaos will reign. Unemployment in America, like in 1929 and the Great Depression, will be at an all-time high.Credit ratings will be worse than ever. Individuals will find it virtually impossible to borrow and credit cards will become obsolete or unusable. There will be, says Seib, massive defaults in mortgages, investments, even such items as automobiles and other kinds of lesser financing now taken for granted. Buying on credit will be almost impossible.In this coming economic crisis, so many economists say, there will be higher interest rates for everything, not only higher but absolutely unaffordable. There was a time once in the American economy, some 30 years ago, when interest rates rose to almost 20%, but even that ridiculously high interest rate will be far exceeded, say these economists, when the new and perhaps final American debt crisis arises. And again, the only solution will be some cut-back in spending, especially with social programs, including defense and education, the printing of more, cheap, and meaningless money to pay debt, or the insolvency and bankruptcy of virtually everything. These conditions, say these economists, are not scare-tactics, predicted by naysayers, but have already started, and they will become the new reality, THE NEW NORMAL!Our Federal Government will default on

OWE NO MAN NOTHING!So says the scripture. Good advice, not only spiritual wisdom, but secular as well. Debt, unrepayable, with its pressure and tension, ruins everyone and everything.That makes reference to debt which cannot be repaid in the normal course of business or living. Tens of millions would never own a home, or a car, or be able to afford the extreme cost of education today unless reasonable financing was accomplished. Scripture means don’t incur debt you can’t repay in the normal course of living and in the present.But, my fellow Americans, we have a debt which we know little about, and which only increases daily, and which cannot be repaid in the normal course of living. That debt is the American Federal Government debt which now exceeds the unfathomable sum of, are you ready for this:$35 TRILLION DOLLARS.Not millions, not even billions, but now TRILLIONS of debt dollars, owed by Uncle Sam, that is by:YOU AND ME.That means, says one economist and accountant, that you and I, American citizens who elect and foster the decision making of this federal government owe the unbelievable sum of, are you ready for this:$100 THOUSAND DOLLARS.$100,000! And if we think that is a problem, that number only increases daily, hourly, for this DEMOCRAT GOVERNMENT, the Biden Administration, just loves to spend your and my money and of course without ever asking.Biden Administration officials now spend and increase this American debt number by:ONE TRILLION DOLLARS EVERY ONE HUNDRED DAYS.That, my fellow Americans, my freedom-loving, freedom-from-debt-loving Americans, is an absolutely staggering financial fact and it is absolutely stunning that such a debt, this unbelievably high number is accepted, if it is even understood, by you and me. WHY?And another absolutely stunning fact. WE THE PEOPLE must now pay one trillion dollars per year, ONE TRILLION DOLLARS PER YEAR just for interest alone on that debt. ONE TRILLION DOLLARS EVERY YEAR JUST FOR INTEREST ALONE AND THAT NUMBER GROWS EVERY DAY! That interest payment alone is more than we spend as a nation on DEFENSE. It is more than we spend on the ever-declining American infrastructure. One Trillion Dollars in interest is more than WE THE PEOPLE spend on Education and more than we spend on poverty programs. It is the worst kind of debt, really unpayable unless there are mammoth and massive new taxes put in place, and the world at large comes calling for the repayment of that debt, demanding that each American citizen pay the one hundred thousand dollars each would owe if the debt were to be repaid. How in the world did we the people ever let our country, our profligate Federal Government ever get to this point, HOW?President Bill Clinton knew that we had to deal with this big long-term debt problem, but he and his administration did nothing about it. President Barack Hussein Obama knew such fiscal policy was “irresponsible” but did nothing about it. President Donald J. Trump said we’ve got to get rid of this long-term American debt, but he as well did nothing about it. Then comes President Joe Biden, a man given to the lie whenever expedient, and he tells the American people one of the largest lies he has ever told:“WE LITERALLY CUT THE FEDERAL DEBT IN HALF.”And no one, especially his supporters, liberal, woke, radical media cohorts ever challenged one of the greatest and largest lies ever told by any American President. Not only was the American budget not cut in half, but it was and is increased by one trillion dollars every one hundred days, President Biden! We Americans don’t need nuclear warfare with Russia or China or any other nation to destroy us, we have become expert at:SELF DESTRUCTION – FINANCIAL SELF DESTRUCTION!Small wonder we have had the inflation problems so recently experienced, in the last four Biden years, where the prices of everything have risen dramatically. We are on the verge as a country, of what is known as hyperinflation, an economy out of control, and a nation virtually bankrupt. It was that very hyperinflation which destroyed Germany, the German economy after World War I and produced perhaps the most evil man in all of human history, Adolf Hitler as dictator, promising to solve the hyperinflation problem and restore Germany to its former greatness. Many think there is some possibility that such a thing could happen in America at some time in the future, the end of course of our great nation and our even greater democracy.No problem says Biden. We will just tax the rich, the wealthy even more. We will get what we need to manage the debt in the present (not reduce it) from the American rich. That of course, as Biden and his cronies well know, is an absolute impossibility. The Federal Government could confiscate all the wealth, all the assets held by the wealthiest Americans, whoever they are and however many of them there are, and this profligate American debt would never, ever be extinguished or repaid. We are, my fellow Americans, a nation

I had three uncles who were Methodist ministers. They so very faithfully served parishes in the state of New Jersey.They were men who were strong Christians, biblical Christians, born-again Christians, and they were proud to be Methodists when the United Methodist Church was a biblical church to be proud of.But, like other old line protestant denominations, the UNITED METHODIST CHURCH has gone its own way, departed from the biblical way and brought its own man-made interpretation to scripture and the Christian view, succumbing to the pressure of current culture rather than the scriptural love, admonition, and standards of the Christ.The United Methodist Church General Conference voted overwhelmingly in May to disavow the once clear ban on clergy who are “self-avowed practicing homosexuals.” Such individuals can now be ordained and become full ministers in the Methodist Church. In addition, individual UMC churches can now decide whether or not to conduct and ordain gay marriages (weddings).Prior to this new and radical vote, the UNITED METHODIST CHURCH authorized any individual Methodist church to depart from the denomination and become independent. ALMOST EIGHT THOUSAND METHODIST CHURCHES DID SO, Bible believing, real Christians and real Christianity at the core, unwilling to abide by these new woke, current-culture changes.That led one critic to state:“The General Conference has as expected rolled back not just decades of United Methodist policies, but centuries of Christian teaching.”This critic, Mark Tooley, said further:“Liberal theology and politics displaced orthodox doctrine, evangelism, and exacting spiritual standards.”Founder of the real Methodists, John Wesley, would turn over in his grave!One of the nation’s largest protestant religious denominations has gone woke, has gone rogue, and once with more than 5 million members, is now a shell of its former self. When this matter came up for vote, you could say that some 8 thousand congregations, hundreds of thousands of real Christians, voted with their “feet and wallets.” To practice real Methodism, real Christianity, and real biblical teachings. Liberal, woke, protestant denominations continue to do what they have always done, adding a pious blessing and an air of divine sanction to the cultural politics of the day no matter how far left those politics moved. They followed the sexual revolution of the times, they supported abortion, and homosexuality, and transgenderism, all in the name of current and compromised “divine love.”Now, the United Methodist Church no longer believes that marriage is an inclusive and sacred union between one adult man and one adult woman. Man can marry man, and woman can marry woman. That man-made decision is of course absolutely contrary to biblical teaching and the tradition of the UMC for more than 3 centuries.Interestingly, in 1970, only some 50 years ago, THE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH claimed the following:“We do not condone the practice of homosexuality and consider it incompatible with Christian teaching.”And in 1984, the following:“Therefore, self-avowed practicing homosexuals are not to be certified as candidates, ordained as ministers, or appointed to serve in the United Methodist Church.”Forty years ago, the UMC believed, followed, proclaimed, and operated by biblical teachings and standards. Somehow, false teachers, as the Apostle Paul would say, took over, gained control, and corrupted THE WORD OF GOD, reinterpreted that and destroyed, overnight, Christian practice and belief. My three born-again uncles, once proud Methodist ministers, would turn over in their graves.The Apostle Paul was incensed at such arrogant, prideful, manmade false teaching, and he warned all to stay away from them, have nothing to do with them, and in fact, said of them:“Let them be accursed!”What a sad day. Under the great Constitution of America, and the immutable First Amendment, there is absolute freedom of religion, where any American citizen can believe what he or she wishes, and worship as they will. They can adopt any belief, see and understand God as they desire, and worship as they please or not at all. Our constitution allows no man, no government to in any way forbid any human being from worshipping as they please, establishing any religion they wish, no matter whether true or factually based. That freedom is absolute, unconditional, and cannot be abridged by any government authority. THE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH can posture any set of beliefs they wish and no one, not even their very own congregations can prevent that from happening.HOWEVER, it is absolutely untrue, the highest form of falsehood, for the UMC to declare it still remains fully Chrisitan. The UMC cannot declare itself a Christian denomination, following Christian practices, for their conduct clearly indicates they are anything but. They are now some sort of a church man-made, operating as men think, not as the Bible instructs, and surely without the wisdom and

FREEDOM!We are, America is, the home, the land of the:BRAVE AND THE FREE.We are lovers of freedom. It is, you could say, in our genes. We inherited that love of freedom from those who founded our great country, fought against the oppressors more than two centuries ago and built the foundation for the FREEDOMS we now enjoy today. Give us, we say with that great statesman and our forefather Patrick Henry, give us that LIBERTY or if that is taken away, give us death for there is no real life without freedom.For us, America is in fact exceptional no matter the indifferent attitude of Barack Hussein Obama who thinks that America is no more exceptional than any other country! But all of America and we the people are exceptional in so many ways, including our way of life and our lifestyle. Everything is okay down to the last sentence and raise and champion our great flag, and wear the American flag pin proudly, especially in the world of academia which thinks the American flag is a symbol for racism and xenophobia rather than exceptionalism.And now, we should take quality time to honor the founding documents which make us great, namely our Constitution, our Bill of Rights and our Declaration of Independence. We should honor these incredible documents by reading them, studying their content, understanding the values therein and resolving as the authors of these documents did, and honor our forefathers who provided them for us recommitting to them and the world at large that we the people will protect and preserve the freedoms contained therein, even to the laying down of our lives.In this day, there are so many who would CHANGE what we have, or even more radically so, eliminate it. There seems to be an ever-growing number of those in our very own country with little or no respect for our great founding documents, our freedoms, the principles by which we have lived and built THE GREAT SOCIETY, and especially what America has been, our glorious history. They the un-Americans wish to eliminate or erode so many of our freedoms and move this great country toward socialism. THEY are the enemy inside and they must be stopped. We the people, true Constitutional Americans energized and emboldened by our founding documents and founding fathers must make certain we do what is right for our great country, and as true patriots, protect and defend our freedoms as never before. We should do everything humanly possible to prevent socialism of any kind in thought or deed.We should remember the words of that great statesman, a founding father himself, Benjamin Franklin, who said, when asked, that he and his fellow revolutionaries have given us, Americans then and now, a Republic. Not a Democracy, but a Republic. Franklin went on to warn us then and now that this Republic was FRAGILE, and needed at all times to be protected with vigilance, vigor and valor. That this Republic of the combined United States could never be taken for granted. Nor could any citizen assume it would go on, and on. For freedom, for Franklin and the fathers, was a precious right that could only be sustained by watchful, involved and proactive citizens. We who would live in this free country and enjoy its immense freedoms must at all times be:WATCHMEN AND WOMEN ON THE WALLSNot talk, debate or discussion, but action, actively working to protect our freedoms and our way of life, willing to die in the fray if necessary. Would you be willing to die, to lay all on the altar in the cause of freedom? What would you do if ISIS or jihadists attacked America and threatened harm to your family and you? What would you do? Our forefathers never gave the matter a second thought. They, in Second Amendment fashion, took up arms to defend their country, their freedoms and their family. Would you?In fact, we AMERICANS should be so proud of our country, and our freedoms, that we as a nation are ready at all times to help others in the cause of freedom. We gave the lives of millions of young American men and women to others in the cause of freedom. Witness World War II. One Robert Whiting, an elderly gentleman 83 years young arrived in Paris by airplane. At French customs, it took him several minutes to locate his passport. The Customs Officer with sarcasm and disdain asked Mr. Whiting:“You have been to France before, Monsieur?”Mr. Whiting answered, yes he had and the smart aleck French official replied pompously:“Then you should know enough to have your passport ready!”Mr. Whiting then stared this official in the eye and said the following:“The last time I was here I didn’t have to show my passport.”To which the French Customs Official replied:“Impossible! Americans always have to show passports on arrival in France!”Mr. Whiting gave this arrogant Frenchman a long hard look and he proudly stated:“Well, when I came ashore at Omaha Beach on D-Day in 1944 to help liberate this country, I couldn’t find a single Frenchman to show a passport to!”You could have heard a pin drop. God ble

In Revolutionary times, Thomas Paine said the following:“These are the times that try men’s souls”.And indeed these are the times that try women’s souls, some at least now that the United States Supreme Court has overturned Roe v. Wade.Thomas Jefferson admonished Americans of his time that the blood of patriots must be shed from time to time in order to refresh the Tree of Liberty. In short, the Constitutional America of 1776 (Declaration of Independence) and the Constitutional America of 1787 needed new patriots, new passion, new commitments to liberty and freedom. Now more than ever that is true. The constitutional, rule of law, freedom–liberty America of old is not only under attack but becomes divided, angry and more violent by the day. Freedom and liberty we have always taken for granted are now all the more at risk and at stake.The patriot Patrick Henry provided a testimony applicable to all of us:“Give me liberty or give me death”.Henry was willing to die for freedom. He would live under no form of bondage. Oppression and bondage in his time was English. Today it comes internally from anarchists, that small virulent, violent minority which wishes the destruction of the greatest country on earth.Our forefathers fought for freedom. They gave their blood then which we can assume made Jefferson proud. They gave us the greatest ruling document in the history of mankind, THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES. That incredible document contained the First Amendment which gave every American citizen the following rights and freedoms:1.Freedom of religion2.Freedom of speech3.Freedom of press4.Freedom of assembly5.Freedom of petitionGuaranteed, unconditional, unchanging, FOREVER FREEDOMS. Every one of those sacred, inalienable (God–given) rights and freedoms are at risk today, EVERY ONE! We the People seemed to have lost our vision, our understanding, even in some cases our desire to protect and preserve this incredible country. We have become indifferent to the struggles and problems we face. So many of us are ignorant of our history, and our Constitution, and our rule of law, and how we are governed. So many of us have withdrawn from the political process. As few as 10% will vote in some elections and perhaps no more than 60% of eligible, voting Americans will go to the polls in the most serious of elections. It has become tragic how We the People take democracy for granted. It is as though freedom will always be there no matter what we do. We the People are an easy target for violence and anarchism.One of the most anti–American Americans was one Saul Alinsky. In essence, Alinsky championed the destruction of everything, every institution, every tradition, anything and everything in America so that the country could be rebuilt and reestablished. The philosophy and beliefs of Alinksy were adopted by George Soros among others and the state of objective of Soros and others was to:BRING DOWN AMERICA.Bring it down. Destroy it. Rewrite its history. Do away with its Constitution and its rule of law. Get rid of the moral standards of the country today and especially the Judeo–Christian heritage and morality of the past. Do away with it completely! Beneath the violence, disrupt, and the lack of accountability today is this Alinsky model, the destruction of America, the destruction of everything which America holds dear. WOKE better serve to wake up America, defend itself, its values, morality and principles or all will be lost. WAKE UP AMERICANS, WAKE UP. The time may be near when the blood of real patriots will be required once again in America.We the People assume that we live in a democracy. We live by democratic principles, the core of which is freedom. That is true but our government is not a democracy. Our forefathers who forged our Constitution were suspicious of democracy. They feared an intolerant majority. They created checks and balances which would prevent as much as possible the potentially crushing majority rule. They created for us a REPUBLIC. That of course consisted of a president, senate and house of representatives. It also consisted of an independent federal judiciary with the Supreme Court of essentially nine justices as final arbitrators of the rule of law. Such a republic respected democratic principles but it guarded so very well against abuse.Those founding fathers gave us the concept of federalism. That is, that each of the individual states of America, then 13 and now 50, would be protected, have rights not specifically granted to the federal government (Constitution Amendment X), and otherwise make certain that its people were protected, and larger states would have no real advantage over smaller ones. It was and continues to be a brilliant system and check and balance.The founding fathers gave us an electoral college where leaders were not elected by majority vote but by states according to their population.They gave us the rule of law, they gave us the Declaration of Independence, they ga

It is becoming difficult to know what a man is, that is the definition of a real man in this woke society of ours.The definition of a man seems to change. Once a man, by both biblical and secular-societal definitions was clear, in biblical terms created by the great G-d Jehovah, the great I AM to be like him, to be the ruler of the planet and to be head of all things. That included Eve, with the creation of the first man’s helpmeet, and the family, the children to follow. Sadly, no more.The definition of a real man has changed and is constantly in the process of change. HOMO SAPIENS can now be gay, that is homosexual; bisexual, that is having genetic desires for both man and woman; transgender, a man wishing to become a woman (i.e. Bruce Jenner); or simply queer, whatever that means (LGBTQ); or perhaps even intersexual, alternative or anything else which eviscerates the definition of a man, A REAL MAN.It is just a tragedy what has happened to God’s first man and all men. We the men, the creation, are no longer like HIM, the great creator.A real man, like a real woman, is called by God and that calling is clear, and a matter of priority. That real man is called upon to be strong, not only in body, physically, but in mind, will, spirit and soul. That real man is possessed of a body which is THE TEMPLE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, and the physical body of a real man should be honored, respected, cared for, and kept in the finest physical shape possible as the housing of the triumvirate HOLY SPIRIT.So, the real man, while like our Lord, may enjoy the fruit of the grape, the wine which Jesus drank, should never be drunken. Drinking to excess is the ruination of the Temple of the Holy Spirit. No real man can function mentally or spiritually under the influence of drugs or alcohol.The real man respects his body, and especially his sexuality, and will not be given to adultery, lascivious living, and fully respects marital intimacy.The real man constantly strives to learn, educate himself, and in all things, ask for the wisdom for decision making which only God can give. If that man really asks with all his heart, God, pure wisdom, will give that wisdom to that man.That real man is strong spiritually, learned in the Bible, studying and teaching, always growing in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. That is the only way that man can be a real father and train up his children in the way in which they should go, the way of the Lord.That real man is politically active, rendering under Caesar oversight, involvement, constructive criticism, and a demand for morality, truth, respect and honesty in all political decisions made. The real man is a watchdog, a watchman on the wall, making certain that Caesar functions in the way that Caesar should.The real man discharges his duties as HEAD OF HOUSEHOLD. That notion has become most unpopular today. Far too many men abandon their responsibilities, leaving that critical household responsibility to the wife, or others by default, often to the ruination of the family.The real man loves his wife, and children, really loves her and the relationships, the marriage and the fathering really work. The real wife, and woman, really respects her husband as the Apostle Paul says, and she can only do that if he really loves her.If the real man is privileged to have a real family, then that man, husband, father, and friend, spends time, quality time, consistent regular and respectful, with every member of that household, lovingly together, and respectfully individually. That man is involved with their training, their growth intellectually, emotionally, and spiritually, and really enjoys the opportunity, the privilege to build relationships with every member of his family-friend circle which God has allowed him to have.The real man doesn’t lie. Truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, transparency in all things is not only necessary but a way of life. When relationships are intimate, all know and easily sense hypocrisy, the phony, and most certainly the lie of any kind. No relationship can be sustained without trust built on truth.The real man, with the support of the real wife-woman, never fails to discipline. That discipline is not physical, but confrontational, always ready to say no when necessary. The governance of the household is the joint responsibility of the real man and the real woman, and the right rules and regulations must be followed. In that regard, that real man and woman must be examples, living examples, of the rules, the lifestyle, the values they insist upon.In the search for strength and wisdom, every real man, and woman, must spend QUIET TIME, time in prayer, meditation, thoughtful evaluation, and in the study of scripture and in constant communion with their maker, their God. No matter the demands of anything else, that quiet time is an absolute priority, cannot be avoided, and must be practiced on a regular, surely daily basis.Today more than ever, it is really dif

Two kinds of fathers are there.The one Heavenly, the other earthly.The Lord of Glory, the Carpenter of Nazareth said:“I AND THE FATHER ARE ONE.”What a claim. Blasphemy by a human being if it were not true. But they were ONE, and the carpenter from Nazareth told us in unequivocal terms that the CREATOR OF THIS UNIVERSE AND OUR EARTH was indeed among so many other things a:FATHERTo Him and to us. For otherwise, this Creator would be completely unknown, incapable of being known by us, but HE is. And, the Supreme Creator loves us and cares for us. To me that is a thought incomprehensible were it not for:HIMOur Lord Jesus Christ took something remote, obscure and unfathomable and made it known, personal, deeply meaningful and loving so that we, the creatures of His creation, could understand who we are, why we are, and what we should believe.We are to understand and believe said Jesus, that there is for us an ETERNAL FATHER and not merely a cosmic Creator. We are known as individuals, as sons and daughters by this Father, and we are not mere specks in the universe or dust in the wind. We have meaning. We are in fact SONS AND DAUGHTERS of this Father having claimed our inheritance as such through the SON Jesus Christ. Hard to comprehend but true.We are also told that God the Father is love. GOD IS LOVE, and that love is the essence of God and so available to us. Love is the greatest says the Scriptures, more so than faith and hope, and to know that God is love incarnate is just incredible.And we who are fathers should love the very same way. Even as the eternal Father loves us, so should we love our children. If a Heavenly Father loves unconditionally, so an earthly father should do the same, love the child unconditionally. The highest attributes of any earthly father are the embracing, heartfelt and unconditional loving openness to the child even as the Father loves the child:LOVE NEVER FAILSBut there is another side of love from our Heavenly Father, a TOUGH LOVE. That is, love at work which is ready to:DISCIPLINELove may indeed be meek, warm, gentle and forgiving, kind and open and it should be. But love must also be tough, demanding, disciplined and concerned for all things which are:RIGHTFor there are indeed prodigal sons and daughters who go astray. As such, they honor not the Heavenly Father nor the earthly. Discipline is required, firm and straight. The rod was used in the old days to accomplish discipline and to carryout punishment. But that has been taken away. Discipline today is more on the order of depriving the child of opportunities and pleasures or requiring the child to make up for the wrong and do what is right. Sometimes it works and sometimes not. But fathers can not SPARE THE ROD however the rod is determined for that is a fatherly duty. No child can grow without discipline for there is nothing worse for a father than a child spoiled and bent upon his own way. Demanding standards, the terms and conditions of sonship, are a father’s duty which can not be delegated or ignored. And the Scriptures make it perfectly clear:WHOM THE FATHER LOVES HE CHASTENSChastening is real love at work. BY THEIR FRUITS, LOVING DISCIPLINE AT WORK, YE SHALL KNOW THE FATHER AND WHO THE FATHER TRULY IS.The integrity of the father is critical. Dads must do what they say and dads must say what they mean. The father must live by the same standards he requires of the child. The father must be consistent in character, live a life with values and without hypocrisy. Nothing is harder for a child to accept than lectures about right and wrong from a father who lives by neither. So that, a father does not have to explain or justify the demands. The father does not have to negotiate with the child and in the course of discipline ask the child if it is OK.For it matters not if the child agrees with the father. If a child respects a loving father, that is all that is required. So many families seem to have so little respect for each other and rapidly become dysfunctional. But a true father, a real father is head of household. He is the one in charge, so say the Scriptures, kind, loving, considerate and respectful of all including and especially the wife-mother, but head of the household nonetheless. Discharging all of those functions gives the father the right to discipline and demand. But again, the father has earned that right by the way he lives. When the son is old and ready for his own life, the ways of the father will be his and the son in turn will perpetuate, carryon those values for his family.It is so very important for the father to incorporate the son into his life. To train up the child is to involve the child in the life, the career, the work of the father. So many sons carry on, inherit and follow the father. Father and son, or daughter, work together,learn together and the father teaches in practical ways. What the father holds dear and in which he has invested his life becomes part of the child, a very practical an

Education in America is in one sad state. Even in some cases, Christian education succumbs to secular pressure, woke-radical influence, even anti-American and anti-Christian influence but, thankfully for the most part, remains a sane and sensible option, certainly for Christians but for truly conservative Americans as well.The leading secular universities are beset with student terrorist tactics. Those once illustrious universities including Harvard, University of Pennsylvania, Columbia, UCLA, and others are campuses of lawlessness, rebellion, defiance of authority, criminal activity, and a total disregard for the rule of law and constitutional authority. What a tragedy, an unbelievable tragedy which represents the great discontent and divide between Americans today. We the people are indeed a house divided and unless we find a way to correct these problems, and once again realize that our primary responsibility is to be law-abiding citizens of this great country, this house of ours will indeed fall.These student rebellions and riots are not just mobilized by students. Leaders of these outbursts are often the very professors who are supposedly their teachers. It is simply unbelievable to see these teachers defying university authority, rules and regulations, and even the laws of the city and state. That however is professorial conduct fostered by a radical, woke, anti-American philosophy and point of view.But more, the riots we see on campus, the takeovers of buildings, and the sit-ins are fostered by outside rabble rousers, some paid to do so by men like George Soros, and his supposedly charitable, nonprofit entities, anti-American to the core. Other paid rabble rousers, rioters, and mini-terrorists are paid for by other extremely wealthy, radical businessmen who, like Soros, are anti-American-anti-Chrisitan as well. These men and women want the end of the America we have always known and loved, and are in danger of losing at least in part if not all together.But the real actors are the students themselves for the most part. They are responsible for the consequences. They are children, so many of them, without parental guidance and certainly little or no discipline. The influence of a real mother or father is missing in so many cases. They act irresponsibly, they seem to desire attention, and they are more than willing to act out. In so many cases, they really don’t understand the full meaning of why they are doing what they are doing, and acting the way they are acting, nor do they care about the consequences of their actions. There is some uneducated talk about acting under the freedoms of the First Amendment, but that is totally wrong. They talk about their rights to protest, and to assemble, and to petition for redress of their grievances under the First Amendment, but they absolutely plagiarize and corrupt the true meanings, the freedoms and responsibilities, the rights and duties, which the First Amendment allows and requires.Our beloved and special First Amendment allows for peaceful assembly, not the kind we see at Columbia, and it never allows for trespassing. There is no right, for example, on the part of any student or rabble rouser to unlawfully occupy buildings or otherwise restrict the access of others to those buildings. To do so is a violation of the law, a criminal action, and should be punished as the law requires without exception. There can be no exception for these BRAINLESS BRATS, or these radical and progressive professors, and certainly these AWFUL AGITATORS, paid by radical anti-Americans should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.These so-called protestors, really mini terrorists, violate with impunity the rules and regulations of the universities they attend, including Columbia, Harvard, and the University of Pennsylvania. They also violate with impunity the laws of the jurisdiction of the city, and the state in which the university resides. They should be punished. They should not be suspended from school but expelled. They should not be free from prosecution but disciplined and punished according to their unlawful acts.They have utterly ignored the rights of other students. They have prevented access to classes, they intimidate and even threaten, and on occasion even do harm to their fellow students. Such conduct is as wrong as it can be.They chant, bear signs which are anti-Semitic to the core. These students hate Jews and they engage in hate speech against the Jews. One hears chants and sees signs which they bluntly say:KILL ALL THE JEWS!They even wish for a reincarnation of the holocaust. They are violently anti-Jewish, and they have ignored the atrocities committed against the Jewish people by Arabs, Iran, Hezbollah, the Houthis, and of course HAMAS. It is as though October 7 never happened.They promote BDS, the boycott of all things Israel and Jewish, the divestment of all investment in Israel, sanctions against Israel, and the end of all aid, financial and mili

In 1971, Congress declared Memorial Day a national holiday to be celebrated on the last Monday in May, echoing the words and sentiments of the proclamation of General John A. Logan of the grand Army of the Republic in 1868 who stated:“Memorial Day is designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers, or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion (the Civil War) and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village and hamlet, church yard in the land.”So it is that the primary purpose of Memorial Day is to strew with flowers literally and figuratively the graves and memories of America’s daring defenders. They the fallen died for freedom, liberty, for America, for us, for YOU AND ME. We were asked to remember those who died in the great American Civil War, but the day to remember now incorporates all who have given lives in defense of our country. Far too many wars, my fellow Americans, and far too many fallen defenders by the millions who believed in America, and in its fundamental principles of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for all mankind. How grateful we should be.We are descendants or contemporaries of patriots, men and women who cherish freedom and were willing to fight and die to defend it if necessary. These warriors lived by the words of Patrick Henry who said:GIVE ME LIBERTY OR GIVE ME DEATH.Our nation was formed in the fight for freedom for there was no life worthwhile without it. There came our great Constitution and our incredible BILL OF RIGHTS, the rights and freedom amendments which are the finest in the history of mankind. But no matter the origin, it seems as though in so many ways the passion for freedom may have been lost today as they once had it. We seem to take for granted what they died for. And the courage, they the fallen had seems lost today in so many ways and the change in our country, produces in so many ways an America in decline, at least politically, philosophically and certainly passionately. Our ancestors fought for the Constitution, for the Bill of Rights and the freedoms those now 27 Amendments allow us. They were ready to die for them, but we the current people allow them to be watered down, interpreted away and often ignored without the fight or conviction to protect and defend them. Perhaps the freedoms of Patrick Henry are giving way to a slow but sure death. Perhaps we have failed to meet the challenge of Ben Franklin who told us that the Republic they created for us was a marvelous way of government IF we could keep it. I wonder if we can.So, in the midst of barbeques and baseball, it is so healthy to look back and remember. Remember a George Washington, a general, a leader, a President, a warrior, a patriot. Or a Paul Revere who rode the land warning that the enemy was coming, sounding the alarm. It seems as though we need more Paul Reveres, warning us that enemies to our Constitution and way of life are coming, and in fact are HERE. We the people should be ever mindful of the threats and sound the alarm as he did, like those who energized our country once before, THE BOSTON TEA PARTY PATRIOTS and the revolution their courageous acts energized and inspired. They took a stand against taxes and so must we. Ours continue to rise, and rise to the point of confiscation and nothing but nothing destroys freedom like taxes. President John Adams reminded us that the two killers of liberty are slavery and debt. The debt of confiscatory taxation strangles freedom and that is happening at an incredibly rapid pace today. Shame on us.It is hard for us to think back and remember the early days in America when slavery, slavery was a way of life in America to our great shame and embarrassment. We the moderns find that inconceivable, and the practice of slavery of any kind abhorrent, do we not? Right-thinking men and women fought and fell to rid America of the scourge of slavery, God bless them.And to rid the world of despots like Hitler, evil to the core, Mussolini and those who in war would destroy the freedom and liberty of all. God bless them.There can hardly be a family anywhere in America which has not laid a son or daughter on the altar of freedom. So many fought and fell, lives given willingly for us in war after war. And there were those who supported those who fought. We honor them. Many of our warriors and defenders came home hurt and damaged in body or mind perhaps for a lifetime. On Memorial Day, we honor these veterans of wars, these HEROES, these wounded warriors who gave us our freedom:WE OWE THEM!A debt we can never repay. To honor them is the least we can do, to thank them as we remember and as we encounter those in our military who follow after them. We should help and support them. They lived and died for what they believed. Whenever I encounter a member of our military, I thank them for what they did and what they do for our great country, for me, and for you, and for my friends and

Education in America is in a sad state. That is especially so with higher education, colleges and universities.Traditional education, at every turn, is being challenged, reduced, or eliminated and new educational subjects take hold. Places of higher education have become breeding grounds for radicals, revolutionary tactics, and rebellion against authority and the rule of law. Witness the takeovers and the tents, the camps, and the rabble rousers protesting, and especially exhibiting anti-Israel and anti-Semitic speech and conduct. Ironically, many of these protestors are not even college students, but rather so many paid troublemakers, paid by individuals like George Soros, and entities run by him and his cronies. They stir up hatred. They make unbelievable demands upon the administration, alumni groups, and faculty, and among other things, they demand that the universities sever all ties with the state of Israel and embrace the policy BDS, Boycott-Divest-and otherwise stop all relations with Israel and the Jews.These rabble rousers are pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel and the Jews, calling for justice on the one hand for starving and displaced Palestinians without ever mentioning the killings of Hamas, the hostages taken and still held, and the barbaric conduct of Iran, Hamas, Hezbollah, Houthis, and other Arab nations which hate Israel and the Jews. Secular education has changed and may never be the same.In addition, there is now an assault by the Biden Administration on CHRISTIAN COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES. Joe Biden, unbelievably our President, purports to be Christian and Catholic and sits back, says nothing, and of course does nothing as DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Secretary Miguel Cardona goes after these Christian schools. They, thank God, refuse to toe the line, walk the liberal walk, and refuse to endorse or support the gay agenda, the attack on the family, parenting, and especially marriage, and of course abortion, all of which the Biden Administration favors and which the DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION supports.Cardona and, unbelievably so, congressional representative Rosa DeLauro, Democrat (of course) from Connecticut are the attack dogs in the lead. Said they:“WE ARE CRACKING DOWN NOT ONLY TO SHUT THEM DOWN (CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITIES) BUT TO SEND THE MESSAGE TO THEM TO NOT PREY ON STUDENTS.”The allegations they make are that these universities “lied to students about the cost of education and their programs.” Of course, there is nothing specific, no facts involved, nothing really to refute except this horribly prejudiced, biased generalization, the suit being brought by the Federal Government against the great Christian Universities, Grand Canyon University and Liberty University, incidentally America’s two largest Christian institutes of higher education. I do suppose more will come but these so-called allegations are so minor, so frail, so fact-less and so obviously biased that they are almost laughable. But then again, so much of the conduct of our Federal Government under the Biden Administration is just that. I do wonder how any Jew, true Jew, or any Christian, real Christian, could ever vote for Biden or the democratic party that supports him and these absolutely absurd, prejudiced, anti-American views and policies. What a world.Grand Canyon University is the largest Christian university in America and a good one. President Brian Mueller describes these allegations, and the lawsuit which followed including the fine, as “ridiculous.” Not stopping there, Cardona and the DOE went after Liberty University and accused them, in a $37 million dollar fine, of “over alleged under-reporting of crimes.” Unbelievable. Of course, there were no facts, nothing specific, but only these biased, general allegations, really nothing more than anti-Christian at the core.Said President Brian Mueller:“It's interesting, is it not, that the two largest Christian universities in the country, ours and Liberty University, are both being fined almost the identical amount at the identical time.” Now, said Mueller:“IS THERE A CAUSE AND EFFECT HERE? I DON’T KNOW, BUT I KNOW IT’S A FACT.”Again, hear the words of Cardona and representative DeLauro:“WE ARE CRACKING DOWN NOT ONLY TO SHUT THEM DOWN BUT TO SEND A MESSAGE TO NOT PREY ON STUDENTS.”Cardona and his ilk want not only to fine these great Christian universities, but to actually close them:“TO SHUT THEM DOWN!”There really can be nothing more anti-Christian than such statements and such actions by this liberal, woke, radical, Joe Biden government and administration. Again, how can any true Christian ever vote for Biden or anyone who supports the policies he does? Can you?Said Jon Schweppe, a conservative spokesperson:“The Federal government’s education agenda is punishing schools that do not conform to their progressive ideology. It is time we took a stand against this egregious abuse of power.”Not so, Mr. Schweppe. It is far past time we the Christian people took a stand against this

He, the man who finds a good wife finds a good thing, so says the scripture.Any such man is blessed of the Lord when he finds the RIGHT woman and, in love, takes her as his wife. The life of any man is made complete, richer and fuller, when he shares life with the right wife.Solomon, the King, knew the value, the blessing of a good wife. The crowning joy of a woman-wife was to be MOTHER, and the husband-father rejoiced in the son or daughter who began the family. But both before and during mothering, that woman-mother remained individual, unique, special in and of herself. This right mother-wife, daughter of the living God, was a woman-wife of noble character. She was moral, faithful, trustworthy, a woman of her word. That kind of woman was worth far more than rubies, far, far more.Her husband, blessed and fortunate, had full confidence and trust in her. He was proud of her, rejoiced in her strengths and her family influence and all with whom she came in contact. She was a valuable human being.She brought good, love to her husband and her family, and to all with whom she came in contact. She was a woman of love and charity and so easily loved in return.Solomon then says that this wife of noble character worked eagerly with her hands. She was productive, not idle, contributing to the good of her family. She provided food for that family of hers and made certain as wife and mother that her family was properly clothed, fed, and protected. She was a woman who could earn, and as a merchant, frugal and sensitive to the value of money, she could like a merchant engage in trading for the profitability of herself, her efforts, her husband, and her family. Her trading, her doing business said Solomon, was PROFITABLE.She cared for the poor. She always extended help, love, comfort, and succor to the needy. In olden times, she with her husband were always welcomed and respected at the CITY GATE, the place where business and legal matters were conducted.This very special woman was a person of strength, enduring whatever came, and always with grace and dignity. She had no worry for the future, she thought little or nothing about tomorrow’s problems, and with a happy spirit she could laugh at the days to come. She was positive in all things.This good woman, constantly learning, was filled with wisdom and she spoke with wise words. She taught her family, her children, and FAITHFUL INSTRUCTION WAS ALWAYS ON HER TONGUE! She was responsible for and carefully carried on the business and the affairs of her household. She was never idle. Always busy in the work of a woman and a wife and joyfully so. She made the household a happy place in which to live, and her husband and her children were so very grateful for this God-given woman. So much so that all called her blessed, knew how special she was, followed after her spirituality, and praised her, blessed her among themselves and to all others. To her husband and children, her household, she was the best of all women, one of a kind, beautiful in the eye and the heart of the beholder. They knew, this household did, that there were many other noble women who did noble things, but for them, their mother, his wife, was the best, the very best of the best.Her beauty came from within, from a character adorned by the Holy Spirit, radiating joy, happiness, and positivity. Her life spread blessings. No matter what she looked like, she was beautiful to all who knew her.She was a woman and a wife who believed deeply in God. This woman of today had found that deep and rich personal relationship with Jesus Christ, and his love in her was spread to all others. Scripture tells children to honor their father and mother, and to obey their father and mother, and a mother like this was both easy to honor and obey. She was a lifetime asset for her family, and especially her children.So, Solomon concludes:HONOR HER FOR ALL THAT SHE HAS DONE.HONOR HER! Praise her, at home and everywhere and to everyone. Any woman like this, or even close to all of this, is more precious, more valuable, of more blessing than all the rubies and all the precious gems in the entire world.Any man who finds a woman like this and marries and takes her as wife, finds a lifetime asset more precious than gold, so says Solomon, so says the scripture, so says the great God Jehovah, the father of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the creator of all men and all women.HE THAT FINDETH A GOOD WIFE FINDETH THE BEST THING IN LIFE!

It is here now, this spiritual fight and the preliminary stages of the battle rage.The fight is with an enemy stealthy, sly, and determined. The enemy is an evil force, hateful, and determined to win this battle. It plots day and night to do just that.We, God’s people, are in this fight, and it must be with all our might. This enemy, the army of Satan, has every weapon possible available in its arsenal. It is an enemy determined to wage war with conservative America and Christian America in the political arena. It will use every governmental power possible in the fight.It will pervert everything religious, especially true Christianity, to spread doubt and fear.It will control culture and seek to change customs, beliefs, priorities, and terminology.In this era of post-truth (no truth), the LIE prevails, and the enemy will use that viciously. Mankind will find it extremely difficult to know the truth which makes us free as Christians and conservative Americans.The enemy will use hate, viciously hateful themselves, but accuse people of faith of being hateful.This vicious anti-Christian enemy has and uses every weapon possible. But, my fellow Christians, they the enemy do not have the greatest weapon of all.WE DO. WE, THE CHRISTIANS, DO!And that weapon, which can never be defeated, is none other than the greatest force, the greatest power in this world, no less than:LOVE! LOVE!We, the believers, fight the fight of faith with love. With God. For we are told from childhood that:GOD IS LOVE.God loved us so much that He sent His son, Jesus Christ, to die for us. Mythological even comical to the enemy, but the ultimate reality for us who believe.So that, in this vicious spiritual battle against the enemy, Satan himself and his legions, we the Christian opposition:SHALL NOT BE MOVED.We have on, in the battle, the BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS. We fight evil with what is right. We have from head to toe the armor of LOVE. No Weapon of the enemy can pierce that armor.We carry with us at all times the SWORD OF THE LORD. It bristles, it gleams with righteousness, and with love, and with truth. Even with this armor and carrying the sword of righteousness, we can run the race and win that race against the enemy. The power of love is just simply unbelievable, a weapon which can never, ever be defeated.We have no fear of our enemy, none at all. We look evil in the face and we say:I SHALL NOT BE MOVED!We know, with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength that the love of God in Christ:CONQUERS ALL!So that, even if any of us would lay down our life in the service of our Lord, and in the fight for our faith, we know that our Lord, our captain, our Savior, and His remaining army, will ultimately win the battle. We will never be afraid of, nor will we lose to, this Evil Enemy. The love of God in the fight of faith can never be beaten, NEVER!We his people look forward to the time when:THE POWER OF LOVE WILL REPLACE THE LOVE OF POWER!Then this world and this evil enemy will know defeat even as the LOVE of Christ will win this war of faith and peace like never before and will reign like never before.That really is the only way this enemy, Lucifer’s Legions, can ever be defeated. LOVE, the ultimate weapon, is the only force which can defeat the Anti-Christ and everything thrown against the Christ and his people, and it will, it definitely will, not only defeat the enemy but win the battle and ultimately:TRANSFORM THIS WORLD.The Love of God in Christ is so powerful.The Love of God in Christ is eternal. It is the only thing we can carry with us when we die. Love makes the end so easy. Even on the battlefield of faith, if we die, love lives on, love lives long and eternal and it alone abides eternally along with faith and with hope.But the greatest of these, the greatest of all powers in this world, the weapon which will ultimately destroy the enemy is none other than:LOVE.So, we love our enemies when they persecute us, so says the scripture. We bless them, and we do good for them, our enemies, when they do the opposite to us. For we know that:GOD HAS NOT GIVEN US A SPIRIT OF FEAR BUT OF POWER,AND LOVE, AND A SOUND MIND. WE SHALL NOT BE MOVED.So, when the enemy comes after us with every weapon possible, we fight back with the only weapon we need:

This world of ours has little joy, real joy. Perhaps there exists some sort of superficial happiness, but transient and really unfulfilling, but little more.It seems that so much of our world is sad, hopeless in feeling, even hateful. Our world is angry, antagonistic, so very jealous and greedy, negative in so many ways.I wonder, are you afraid, feeling uncertain and insecure, perhaps even from time to time hateful and angry, untrusting, are you? I wonder sometimes, how much of the joy of Christianity, rejoicing in the relationship with Jesus Christ, in possession of a thankful heart, the promises of the Son of God have been lost as the wiles of the devil seem to permeate this world.The carpenter of Nazareth, the Son of the Living God, told us quite plainly that He came not only to forgive but to bring us who believe His JOY that our lives may be full, full of that joy. How tragic it would be if once we have met him, and believed in Him, that the joy of our relationship with Him should be tarnished, even eliminated by the ever-growing hateful things in this world.And more. REJOICE, said He, and even more:BE EXCEEDINGLY GLAD.Let gladness permeate your heart, your mind, your emotions, your attitude, your entire life. Be happy, no matter what. For not only are you forgiven but you are born again into a brand-new life of joy, happiness, and rejoicing! I wonder if you take time every day, EVERY DAY, to rejoice, rejoice in Him and for the life you should have now, and you will definitely have hereafter. Do you?The Apostle Paul tells us to give thanks, GIVE THANKS IN EVERYTHING, the good, the bad, the average, the day-to-day, IN EVERYTHING GIVE THANKS, thanks to God for His unspeakable gift. Do you? The strongest possession any Christian can have is a thankful heart.And our Lord says that we should love our enemies. Is there anything harder to do in this world than that? When someone identifies as an enemy, comes at you, does you wrong, hurts you or ones you love, is there anything harder than to love that person? But, the love we have for Jesus Christ never fails, transcends everything, is stronger than anything and it is always there, always. Our God is love and we his people should love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and our neighbor as ourselves, even if that neighbor is our enemy so says the scripture. That essential principle, that basic tenet of Christianity, that emotional command, is the hardest thing for any Christian to do, but with the help of the Holy Spirit, IT IS THE MOST REWARDING! We should never accept the wrong, but we should always love the wrongdoer, thus saith the Lord. To carry a grudge, to return hate with hate, to get even, to make a wrongdoer pay, works havoc on the believer, even more so than the evildoer. Be glad, be happy says our Lord when you are persecuted for His name’s sake, when evil comes after good, and never forget, NEVER that ultimately:GREAT IS YOUR REWARD IN HEAVEN!Even, says HE, if you weep now, you will laugh sooner or later. YOU WILL LAUGH, you will be happy. Never forget that. You will laugh, you will be happy as David says in the Psalms, even as our Lord laughs at the wicked. Full belief in the love of God in Jesus Christ can do nothing but make one, the believer, be glad, rejoice, be happy and LAUGH!The smile, the facial smile, the real smile is a rarity today. The heavy heart makes for a sad face. The happy heart, the loving heart produces a cheerful face as Solomon tells us in Proverbs. Our Lord confirms that when he tells us that we should:BE OF GOOD CHEER!Life is short, so very short, and any hour of any day spent glum, sad, angry, jealous, or hateful is simply the waste of a part of THE DAY WHICH THE LORD HAS MADE! The spirit of the loving God is at the ready to help, to remind you of this part of your life which you are wasting. Be glad, says the spirit of the living God, and rejoice, and always remember, says the Lord:I AM COME THAT YOUR JOY MIGHT BE FULL!I AM COME THAT YOU MIGHT HAVE LIFE AND LIFE MORE ABUNDANTLY!And more. James tells us that the happy heart breaks out in singing, singing songs of love, praise, and joy. David confirms in the Psalms when he tells us to be glad and sing for joy. Even if you can’t carry a tune, sing anyway. Sing songs of praise every day, let your heart sing, be cheerful, be glad, be happy, and never let any part of this sad world, this world hateful, angry, jealous, and itself without joy, bring you down. NEVER!When the rich man met the Lord Jesus Christ, He sold everything he had, and he did so with JOY. Nothing mattered to him but the joy he found in Jesus Christ. Never forget, my fellow Christians, that a cheerful heart is good medicine. It heals like nothing else, and also remember the wise words of Solomon in Proverbs that:A CRUSHED SPIRIT DRIES UP THE BONES!Avoid at all costs the dry bones of Ezekiel. Every day, even all day, you can live with the joy, the happiness, the rejoicing that our L

Do you tell your spouse the truth? ALWAYS?That would be the whole truth and nothing but the truth, do you?When you communicate with spouse or children, or any family members or friends, or even in the workplace, or church, or social gatherings, do you tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth all the time? ALL THE TIME?And, do you expect others to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth when they communicate with you, do you? To tell the truth always, all of it, to everyone under every circumstance, is an extremely difficult task, if not impossible. Our communication, our cultural exchanges, our personal expectations are difficult, partial at best, and seldom if ever contain the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. More often than not, we leave out or add in. We communicate Half-Truths. The definition of half-truth is that only about half of that is true, if that. So often, we communicate with the so-called WHITE LIE. Interesting, is it not, how we give colors (black-white-gray) to falsified communication? The truth, knowing and communicating the truth, is a difficult process.Perhaps it is a journey to know, believe, and communicate the truth. No matter, it is the obligation, the duty, of a Christian to be truthful, to know and communicate the truth. THOU SHALT NOT LIE (bear false witness) say the commandments and affirmed by our Lord. When we communicate with others in word or deed, it must be with the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth to the very best of our human abilities. That is especially so in family circles. The lie sets an example, a very bad one, especially in family circles, with spouses and children. If a parent expects a child to tell the truth, then that parent better tell the truth as a matter of course, regularly and all the time, and without exception.Pilate, the governor who passed judgment on Jesus, asked the age-old question, perhaps one of the most important questions (issues) ever asked:WHAT IS TRUTH?He had his answer from Jesus of Nazareth, who told him bluntly and point blank:I AM THE TRUTH. I AM THE WAY, THE TRUTH, AND THE LIFE!That message was for all of us. Jesus told the world of that time and all of us since, that he was ONE WITH THE FATHER, in other words, God himself. That was either the biggest lie of all time, or the most profound truth, one or the other. But, said He, that is the ultimate truth and to know exactly what Jesus was, who He was, was the ultimate spiritual and divine truth. Do you know that and do you believe that?But what is the definition of truth? It is extremely difficult to define. Truth is based on fact, that which really happened. It is reality, truth is, unvarnished. It is what actually happened, what was accurately said, things not subject to interpretation or question. Truth is moral, good, and right. It is honest and reliable. Truth, real truth is not subject to question, doubt, or interpretation. It comes from the deeds and the words of an honest person. It creates no doubt.The exact opposite is the LIE. Amazing, is it not, how the lie pervades our culture, our society, our government? Our political world, worldwide and especially in America, is corrupt, knows not the truth, cares nothing about the truth, and in fact boldly proclaims that we live in the day and age of:POST TRUTH.Our leaders, almost all know more than mere politicians, power, money, and fame- hungry individuals seem to care little or nothing about the truth. They lie to us with impunity. Many pastors do the very same thing by perverting the Word of God, watering down hard scriptural truth, and failing to set the truthful and moral example which this world of ours so desperately needs. The lie, the lack of truth, pervades business, even the medical world, education, and in fact almost every aspect of our society. The lie goes on in both word and deed. Hypocrisy, saying one thing and doing another, seems part of our everyday life. We exaggerate, and we compromise. We would rather be liked than tell the hard truth or stand up, tall and strong, for what we believe. We seem to have little regard for the conspiracy factor, that we may be equally guilty of not dealing with the lie, the false, the hypocritical, when it is our spiritual duty to do so. The journey to know, believe, and tell the truth is long and difficult indeed, is it not?So often, to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, straight and without exaggeration is unpopular and such a person is often disliked. Recall how hated Jesus of Nazareth was when he confronted, challenged, and convicted so many with the message of the eternal gospel. But he boldly proclaimed himself to be the truth and he told all humankind that to know Him (Me) was to know the truth and that truth would make any believing person:FREE.Free from guilt, free from sin, free from inhibitions, weakness, and anger, FREE! And that freedom would give us courage, courage to stand f

Do you believe that the Resurrection happened?That a man, Jesus of Nazareth, actually rose from the dead, do you? We celebrate this unnatural, God – motivated event, the greatest in human history next week. But again, do you actually believe that this Resurrection, physically, bodily actually happened?The Apostle Paul says that if you do not believe, then your faith is in vain. That is, if this Resurrection never really happened, Christianity is predicated on a false premise, no better than any other so called religion and in fact maybe worse. Unless Jesus Christ rose from the dead, He was no more than a good moral teacher, and perhaps more magician than miracle worker and by no means the Savior of the World. Again, the words of the Apostle Paul:IF CHRIST BE NOT RISENYOUR FAITH IS IN VAINBut he did. So we believe, and in fact base our lives, our future fortunes on this miraculous event. But Christian faith is based on:THE EMPTY TOMB.Witnesses saw him. They touched him. They heard him speak. They dined with him, another supper after THE LAST SUPPER. They listened to him, heard his voice and believed. They saw an ascension. They felt the power of God the Father in his person. And if ever there was doubt, it was gone. And all who believed could say with the Apostle Paul:FOR ME TO LIVE IS CHRIST!The power of this Resurrection consumed them, became them and out they went to testify, to witness, boldly proclaim, never the same again and wishing the same for others. The power of the resurrected Christ, the coming of the Holy Spirit produced a movement among mankind never before and never like it again. They went, these empowered believers:INTO ALL THE WORLD TO PREACH THIS GOSPELto the Jew first and then to the Gentile. But to all men and women everywhere.But think of this man, this carpenter from Nazareth whose ministry was a short some three years before his Crucifixion. He was a worker of MIRACLES. He, the God – man, was possessed with power over nature. He commanded the seas, he raised the dead, he healed the sick, he restored sight but all of that, miraculous as it may be, was not enough.He was a great teacher, endowed with divine wisdom. His teachings, those parables would live ‘til the end of time. He brought a special divine wisdom. But that was not enough.He introduced a new social order. John the Baptist came fasting but HE came eating and drinking. He came that our joy, the happiness of the new believer should be full. That life in HIM should be merry, abundant for the earth was his and he gave it to us. But that was not enough.Some who came before him did these things. And so, for him to be special, one-of-a-kind, GOD WITH US, there came the trial by heathen men. Then came THE CRUCIFIXION, that horrible, brutal, excruciatingly painful death on the cross and the shedding of all that innocent blood. There had to come that event of NO GREATER LOVE. For we were taught in that Crucifixion that there is no greater love than that a man or a woman should lay down his or her life for someone else, for a friend. THAT WAS NECESSARY, the shedding of the blood of this innocent man for the REMISSION of all sin. The Crucifixion, this supreme redemptive act was absolutely necessary for without it, all that HE was or did was not enough.The blood of a sinless man must be shed in remission of the sins of sinful men.Even he, on that cross, felt forsaken even as we at times do. But this radical, lifechanging event was absolutely necessary in order to change the course of human history, to change the nature of all mankind. Think of all that the next time you partake of the wine and the bread.I often wonder about this man, this carpenter from Nazareth. Sinless was he, so we are told and believe, but a man nonetheless. I wonder about his humanity, what he looked like, how he acted, his personality, his ability to laugh and cry. We know he wept but we can only assume he laughed, because he loved the joy of life. We know his heavy heart and enlightened mind, his teachings serious and weighty. But surely he laughed, saw the humor in life and in mankind for his teaching parables can often be ironic or even sardonic. We can perhaps believe that even as he loved mankind, surely he laughed at their hypocrisy and pretenses.Was he, I wonder, subject to headaches, or on occasion a stomach upset. Surely he was tired. We were told he could be angry which means he ran the gamut of human emotions. I wonder how often he bathed or who may have trimmed his hair. I wonder how he prayed in all those private moments when he was alone with his FATHER. I would trade any of the four gospels for a recording of his thoughts and words in private, with his disciples, in prayer, comments on sunsets, or howling winds, or even the sporting events of the time. How wonderful it would be to know more about this MAN, this carpenter from Nazareth who was crucified for the sins of the world.But then he died. And the earth shook. The sun hid its face. One Joseph

Up the carpenter went to Jerusalem, a very special man soon to be crucified and then, in mighty triumph, wondrously resurrected from the dead.He dined with his disciples, a last loving supper with them to celebrate his body and his blood. The communion, the meaning of the Living Christ had begun.They found him, the Romans and the Sanhedrin did, they tried him, found him guilty although no man so convicted had ever been more innocent and sentenced him to death, the cruelest and most brutal death possible, a public crucifixion.They nailed him to that wooden cross. Ironic is it not that a man who lived and worked with wood died on wood.But before he died he uttered unforgettable words:MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME?WHY?Stunning, shocking words, almost impossible to believe. Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ of Glory, the SON of the Living God believed that this God the Father had forsaken him! It is impossible to know how he felt, how awful that death must have been for him. For, in that crucial moment, when worlds collided, when heaven and earth met in a tumultuous and cataclysmic way, when the most powerful earthshaking event in all of human history was about to take place, the one whose life was taken so that he could give life to all others felt forsaken! He felt abandoned by the God who sent him for this mission. He was in that sense like us, a man, a human being with emotions and feelings as we have. On that cross, he was like us.And it was in that dark moment as though God had departed, forsaken this man. It might well have been that this holy God could not look upon the ultimate and tragic event. For on that cross, in the blood and body of that person, in that death unto sin were in fact the sins of the world, all of them and all of ours. Perhaps God had in fact withdrawn until that ultimate act was finished and when done, there would be propitiation, remission, which would take away the sins of the world. Perhaps the agony, suffering and meaning of that event needed to occur all by itself.Our Lord knew what would happen. He knew what he would have to do, what God required him to do, what his mission was. And yet, he asked as a man:LET THIS CUP PASS FROM MESaying, in effect that he could only wish that he would not have to go through this monstrous ordeal. But then came the realization, that eternal realization that it was not up to him, whether or not this fate, this mission would go away and he uttered the ultimate words of submissions:NOT MY WILL BUT YOUR WILL BE DONE, FATHERThis crucifixion I endure because you would have me do it.And so our Lord, the carpenter who made living things from wood was to die on a deadly wooden cross. He would die in pain, excruciating pain, in agony, awful agony. He would die exposed physically, body naked and mutilated and subject to ridicule. He would die with ultimate humiliation, mocked by so many. He would die blood, sweat and tears everywhere, the worst possible death the Romans could deliver. And all the time innocent, guilty of:NOTHINGSmall wonder he said:LET IT PASS, PLEASE LET IT PASS!And so he died, the blood, the remission for our sins, for us complete. But, on that third day came the most miraculous, wondrous event this world of ours has ever known. There came on that third day the resurrection, the back-to-life of Jesus Christ, our living Savior and the Prince of Glory. From that brutalized dead body of a carpenter came the resurrected and risen Savior of the world. The power, the ultimate universal power of God Almighty at work.The tomb where he was buried was empty and that is the CRUX of Christianity. If Christ be not risen, says Apostle Paul, then our Christian faith is in vain, worthless. Of all men we who believe in a Christ not risen are most miserable. Then we are of all men deceived and spiritually deranged. Christianity says Paul without the risen Christ is worthless. Yet it seems so difficult to believe. Coming back to life after death is just simply not humanly possible. Except that, ALL THINGS are possible with God, all things including the resurrection of the dead. But the tomb was empty, no body found, as witnessed 2,000 years ago by three women Mary, Mary Magdalene and Salome. They came to this tomb of Joseph of Arimathea to anoint the body of the crucified Christ only to find the messenger of God, an angel who pronounced the three most important words for every believer in the risen Christ:HE IS RISENGo and tell, the disciples, and Peter, and start the spread of that Gospel, the good news to all mankind the world over. Hallelujah and praise the Lord.So we sing on Easter Sunday:CHRIST THE LORD IS RISEN TODAY!HALLELUJAH!Let us sing with praise and worship for that man tried and convicted, crucified, dead and buried was in fact, hallelujah, raised from the dead, resurrected by the power of God, eternal life in him and because of our belief in him, eternal life for us.We know, we believe that Christ is risen and we who are Christian are

That, says the scriptures, THE CROSS is an:OFFENSE.The meaning, the thought, the application of the cross is indeed an offense to the NATURAL MAN. That is, the man or woman who has no belief in Christianity. This natural person, man or woman, is offended by the notion of the cross. In fact, this anti-Christian person is offended by anything about the cross, including the blood of Jesus Christ.For Christians, the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, was the act of the son of God who laid down his life for mankind, for the sins of man and woman, and without, says the scriptures, this shedding of blood there is:NO REMISSION FOR SIN.None at all.But the concept of sin generally and the need of humankind to accept that propitiation for sin is offensive, even mythological. Some critics, atheistic, even go so far as to call the crucifixion and the shedding of blood:BARBARIC.They go back to the Old Testament, to the very book of Genesis, where there was a sacrifice of an animal, the shedding of that animal’s blood as atonement, remission for sins, declaring that to be barbaric as well. But, again, for Christians, without the shedding of blood, the sacrifice of Christ on the cross, there is no remission for sins, none at all. Sin and blood, and of course crucifixion, say the natural man and woman, is ridiculous mythology and stokes the passions of these anti-Christians in this day and age, perhaps as never before.But sin, the coming short of the glory of God is indeed a reality. In fact, it is everywhere in deed and in heart. Evil is a reality, and there really is no cure for it, except ONE! And that is the saving grace of our Lord clearly manifested to us at Calvary, Golgotha, THE CROSS. Thank God for the cross and Christ!Jesus of Nazareth was tried before Pilate, and the verdict was:I FIND NO FAULT IN HIM!But the mob cried out:CRUCIFY HIM! CRUCIFY HIM!Pilate, politician that he was, honored the tradition of the time, to release a prisoner to them and Pilate chose Barrabus over Jesus, so much for justice.To Calvary, he went. Weakened as he was, Simon of Cyrene was conscripted by the Romans to carry the cross of Christ and the Golgathan drama began. Nails were driven into his hands and feet, and there he hung, suffering, parched with a terrible thirst, the crown of thorns on His head causing his blood to drip and his spirit to yearn for the end. He felt all alone, even abandoned by His Father, as he took upon himself the sins of the world, of you and me. In that lonely state, he cried out:MY GOD, MY GOD WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME?But then, mercifully, it was over. And his parting words were:IT IS FINISHED!That ultimate act of redemption was accomplished once and for all, for all mankind, for you and for me. There were those at the time who saw the event, witnessed the horrible act of Roman crucifixion, and watched the innocent Jesus of Nazareth suffer. They witnessed his body taken down from that cross, and the man Joseph, wrapping it in fine linen and laying the precious body of Jesus Christ in that very own and special tomb.That was Friday, but then came Sunday. On the third day, this son of the living God, with the power of God, rose from the dead, and accomplished the greatest event in human history:THE RESURRECTION.Up from the grave he arose, with a mighty triumph or’e his foes. He arose the victor from the dark domain, and he lives forever with his saints to reign. Blessed are we, by the millions and millions, who have never seen but who believe, nonetheless.BLESSED ARE WE!And we are indeed, for Gentile and Jew, anyone for that matter, all humankind, can have the incredible benefits of the crucifixion and the resurrection, a life of reconciliation here and life eternal there. Death is destroyed, for there now is no more death. We who believe will live eternally with Him so that the life we now live is redeemed, cleansed, and forgiven by His BLOOD. And we will be raised like HIM in our very own resurrection morning to know HIM and to live eternally with HIM.Thank God for that third day. Life here and now is one of joy, unspeakable rejoicing, praise, worship, and thanksgiving because of this great offense, the cross of Jesus Christ, the crucifixion, and the resurrection.So, my fellow Christians, on Easter Sunday and every other day, may we praise God for Jesus of Nazareth, and:THANK GOD FOR HIS UNSPEAKABLE GIFT!

Hollywood is increasingly finding Jesus - and the results could be profound.Those are the words of Billy Hallowell, writer for the interesting publication THE WASHINGTON TIMES.Finding Jesus in the world of Hollywood can always be suspect for such a finding may be superficial and could be the finding of a Hollywood Jesus and not a Biblical Jesus. Nonetheless, it can be hoped that the real Jesus, Jesus of Nazareth, Jesus the Christ of Glory is what is being discovered by Hollywood and Hollywood-ers and that the corrupt culture of Hollywood, and the entertainment business generally, may in fact, at least to some extent, be:BORN AGAIN.What a blessing that would be, would it not?Coming out of Hollywood and the entertainment world, says Hallowell, is an “agonizing stream of debauchery and hedonism.” Indeed, it is, and if that stuff is not aggressively anti-Christian, it at least cares nothing about morality, much less Christian values. Perhaps there is a revival of some sort in Hollywood, and maybe the entertainment world and business generally, and we who believe in the real Jesus Christ can only hope that such a revival and Christian enlightenment can be based on strong and solid biblical truth, fostered by the Holy Spirit, and result in real transformation, not only of the individual but the industry itself. How good that would be.We can only hope and pray that the so-called stars, actors and actresses who wish to be famous by the tens and tens of thousands, can indeed have a real born-again experience, experience real salvation, and bring to the entertainment field the love, charity, and sense of forgiveness which only true Christianity can offer. That and only that would really make a difference. And I for one do pray that that is the Jesus which this so-called new Hollywood is finding. If so, the results could as Hallowell says, really be profound and work for real change in what is probably otherwise a god-less industry.Our culture does indeed reel with division, hatred, mistrust, and anger. If we can find leaders, men and women of character, faith, and real morality, that indeed would make a great difference in our once-great country.So many of these actors and entertainers have indeed achieved fame, notoriety, and of course money, and the more of that, the less it seems of meaning and value. So many actors, entertainers, sports figures, and personalities of all sorts, keep looking and hoping until there is a real finding of the ultimate happiness, Jesus of Nazareth. Faith and belief in Him, the salvation provided by Him, is the ultimate answer, the ultimate happiness, and it would be wonderful indeed if the entertainment world would find the REAL HIM.One of the problems the people in this industry face is that the Call of the Christ echoes loud with a summons to not be of this world, but to be transformed. To be a real Christian says the scripture, is to be in the world but not of the world. Hollywood inhabitants do not seem willing to place their all on the altar, to be willing to give up fame, fortune, money, power, influence, and stardom to follow the babe of Bethlehem and the carpenter of Nazareth. But that is evidence of real faith and that is the only way that their lives can be transformed and the industry in which they live itself can be transformed.Recently, Hollywood has produced some very interesting Christian respectful and Jesus-oriented movies and other products of a higher moral order. What example is the film:JESUS REVOLUTION.To the astonishment of Hollywood executives and businesspersons, that film was a box office hit, drew strong reviews, and made very good money. That, said Hallowell, sent “shockwaves” through Hollywood.Then there is also the TV series:THE CHOSENthat is cinematography well done, copy and storylines which are in virtually every way biblically authentic, and well watched by millions of viewers. If such programming does in fact honor Jesus Christ in a real and uncompromising way, thank God and thank Hollywood. That would mean more of this programming being produced and made available. If that in any way spreads the gospel and results in the salvation of souls, again PRAISE THE LORD. Hallowell firmly believes there is a real revival in Tinsel Town and he may be right.Now comes our celebration of Easter, the crucifixion and the resurrection of our Lord, the real Jesus, and I for one do hope and pray that anything which comes from Hollywood which in fact respectfully and lovingly represents the real biblical Jesus would be of enormous value to our angry, hate-filled, and divisive country at this critical moment in time. Jesus states clearly that HE is the way, the truth, and the life. It is HE who has come to give us life more abundant, that our joy might be full, that our rejoicing may be great in Him and that true and real happiness can only be found in Him. Amen. Amen and I hope you feel and believe the very same way, do you?Hollywood has always been ashamed of the gospe

What a joy it is to be a Christian, a real Christian. A biblically based Christian. A Christian who believes as a life-long credo:FOR BY GRACE ARE YOU SAVED THROUGH FAITHAND THAT NOT OF YOURSELVES,IT IS THE GIFT OF GODNOT OF WORKSLEST ANY MAN OR WOMAN SHOULD BOAST.That, my friends, is the real gospel, simply put as the real gospel is. The grace of God is almost undefinable, without boundaries, limits, magnificent, perhaps the chief characteristic of God the Father Almighty.The faith that saves NONES, is a simple one as well. It is faith just like that of a little child. Children, the strongest evidence of what faith means, loving, trusting, hopeful, single-minded, uncompromising, and unconfused. That is the kind of faith by which salvation occurs and lasts a lifetime. What a shame that child-like biblical faith is challenged, so often not preached in the pulpit, and is exactly what the NONES need and are undoubtedly looking for.I have little confidence in surveys, surveys of any kind, the best a survey can do is highlight an issue, a problem, a way of thinking, but when sampling the opinions of a few hundred people leads to conclusions drawn sometimes for millions, the inadequacies and inaccuracies of those conclusions are painfully evident. Now comes the most recent Pew poll.The more educated those NONES were, those who are so-called atheists or agnostics, that is the more intellectual the none-believer was as a result of education, the more it seems they believed in themselves, their own thinking, their own determination of truth, and ultimate values (if any) and the less they were willing to accept the absolute truth of any religion, and especially the gospel of Jesus Christ. The educated were more critical. They were especially critical of religious institutions, churches, denominations, and what they termed overly zealous religious people, whatever that means. These NONES thought the pulpit was weak, pastors compromised, and the power of the message missing. In many cases, they were probably right about that, but instead of looking around that, or deeper into the truth of the gospels, they simply wrote off religion and any concept of salvation, especially salvation by grace and faith. Rather than the God and the Christ of the Bible, these so-called educated NONESconstructed their own version of GOD, which had little or no relationship or similarity to the God of the Bible. They chose for themselves what they wanted to believe and discarded the rest. They happily acknowledge the fact that we live in the age of POST-TRUTH, the end of the age of absolute truth and the end of any kind of formal religion with claims to such a truth. These new NONES were part of the WOKE generation and they relished their easy god and their very own made-up religion. They embraced the fact that this new wokeness had strong elements of Marxism and although anything from the pen of Marx was totally contrary to the truth of the gospel, incorporated those Marxist generalities into their religious thinking and beliefs. Nothing could be more anti-Christian, REAL CHRISTIANITY and it is nothing more than a brand new and powerful insidious way in which the powers of evil attack the powers of righteousness and those with simple, child-like, bible-believing faith approach their beliefs.Paul reminds us that these end times will bring forth many false teachers, false beliefs, compromises to the real gospel, and challenges to the concept of salvation by faith through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is happening big time, my fellow Americans and fellow Christians. Avoid it and them like the plague.Many believe that the church has become infected with theological liberalism, woke-ism, even Marxism, all of which denied the resurrection, the bible’s authority, miracles, the virgin birth, and salvation by faith. Reconstruction and redefinition are the new rages with regard to religion generally and especially and hurtfully, the very real and wonderful Christian church. As one theologian said:‘MILLIONS OF CHRISTIANS HAVE GOTTEN DISILLUSIONED WITH CHURCHES, RELIGIOUS LEADERS, AND PASTORS WHO ARE CLEARLY ABANDONING THE BIBLE.”What people want, and especially the NONES, is truth, loving truth. Searchers for this loving truth, this real truth, want more than anything:AUTHENTICITY.The real, the real gospel. Real truth, uncompromised. So many in this generation hunger for faith, hope, and love, all of which are the essential components of the gospel of Jesus Christ. To know HIM is to know Truth, absolute truth. And there He is, ready to be known, accepted, and believed in. What an opportunity to present the gospel to this incredibly compromised, needy, day and age.David Closson, of FAMILY RESEARCH COUNCIL, said the following:WE DON’T NEED TO DRESS THE GOSPEL UP. WE DON’T NEED THE LIGHT SHOW, THE ROCK BANDS. I THINK THERE IS SOMETHING UNIQUE ABOUT THE CHRISTIAN GOSPEL (AN UNDERSTATEMENT TO BE SURE). AND IF CHURCHES AND CHRISTIANS REALLY PUSH IN

Inevitable, was it not my fellow Christians, that artificial intelligence, the so-called AI would step into the pulpit?This people-replacer, so say the experts, can be either friend or foe. It can either be an aid to the pastor in terms of preparation and time, like the concordance, the wrap-opt, the microphone, and existing sophisticated bible research software; or say the foes, AI can actually write the sermon for the pastor. If the sermon originates from a non-human source, why bother to go to church at all?The potentiality for AI use can be addictive to any pastor, to any Christian preparing materials looking for a shortcut, unwilling to invest the time for real human preparation, a God-required responsibility of any pastor, at least to this point. It is, in the words of one Jared Bridges, where:AI IS COMING FOR YOUR PASTOR!The real problem occurs when this brand-new technology doesn’t nearly aid the pastor in doing his responsible preaching, but instead does it for him! To be sure, AI indeed saves time, and to some, that saved preparation time can allow the pastor to “reroute that time to other ministry goals.”One pastor stated:‘When I need examples or applications for a sermon, I go to ChatGPT for ideas.”Having been called upon generative AI can produce applications for a sermon, not from a mind and heart dedicated to the things of the Lord but from the code base and algorithm of the AI chatbot itself. So, the question may be, is the chatbot born again, has the chatbot experienced salvation, is the chatbot led and influenced in preparing the materials by the Holy Spirit, does the chatbot have a soul, does the chatbot pray and seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit before it tells the pastor what to say?So then, if any pastor, any preacher was to use AI methodology in sermon preparation, in outline, priorities, applications, and illustrations, that is a shortcut which allows them to avoid hard work, the hard work of preparation, the pouring of a spiritually led, Holy Spirit led heart and mind to the testimony to be given to those who hear. Says the scripture, study to show yourself approved, laymen and pastor. Study don’t shortcut. Be a workman or woman for God. WORK! Work in preparation for the delivery of the sacred Word of God to a congregation entrusted to you. Then and only then will that workman, the Lord’s workman never be ashamed of anything written or prepared, delivered in the power of the gospel to those who hear. There are no shortcuts in the work of the Lord, NONE!The more AI is used, the more a pastor trusts a soul-less AI with known biases to interpret the meaning of the Word of God. By its very title, ARTIFICIAL, much of what AI produces is indeed soul-less, a matter of fact, and any sensitive hearer of the word can discern the fact that the material does not come from the heart and mind of a human being nor does it contain the real wisdom, love, and emotional impact of the Holy Spirit. There is absolutely no way that a chatbot can interpret the real meaning, the real spirituality of the Word of God, NO WAY!But that doesn’t stop the founders of Pastors.ai, or ChatGPT, or SermonAI among others. They continue to produce materials, outlines, suggestions, illustrations, and applications drawn from sources everywhere and unknown. But the sites always produce the following disclaimer:‘Since an AI generates these thesis statements and outlines, please use them with caution. Notably, AI likes to make things up so don’t trust anything it says at face value.”So, that is the bottom line. In sermon preparation, pastor, AI is untrustworthy, and should not be taken at face value, so perhaps the real issue is not don’t trust it, but the real issue is:DON’T USE IT!To be sure, AI can write sermons. They can do the work of a pastor however worthy or trustworthy. In fact, with sermon.ai, the sermon it can write for the pastor is written at the level of an honorary doctorate, so they say. In fact, AI has the capability of writing that very sermon in a different voice. It uses the illustration of voicing that sermon in the voice of none other than:BILLY GRAHAM.Can you believe that? If I were Franklin Graham of the Billy Graham organization, I would get the lawyers ready to stop that nonsense.So, my fellow Christians, do we want a sermon prepared by a machine or a human being empowered by the Holy Spirit of God, which? AI simply cannot do the soul-transforming work required of a real sermon honoring our Lord. Machine sermons cannot fully bless a congregation and this shortcut for the pastor severely curtails his own spiritual development. Lose-lose, don’t you think?There are no shortcuts in the work of the Lord. We need to fight the fight to the end, run the race to the finish line, press on for the prize, work for the night is coming, study to show ourselves approved, and in all of that, in the call of our Lord, there are no:SHORTCUTS.We the Christians, the congregations must hold our preachers to a much high

Study to show yourself approved unto God. Workmen and workwomen who know what they’re talking about, know what and in whom they have believed, and consequently are not ashamed because they really know how to understand, digest, and explain the precious INSPIRED WORD OF GOD:OUR BIBLE!What a pleasure, what a privilege, to be a Christian, especially in this dark day and age. Christian faith does not only make us a life better, but in itself is that which is:DIFFERENT AND BETTER THAN ANYTHING ELSE,anything else in this life. So, to learn more about it, to become a better, more knowledgeable Christian, intellectually and spiritually, should be priority number one in our life.

LOVE IS THE GREATEST.Even greater than faith, or hope, or any other thing.We celebrate the love of Valentine’s Day and appropriately so. That loving celebration is fun, romantic, even emotional. It is a day set aside once to live love and to express our love to all, but especially so to someone special.Love is a word difficult of definition. In fact, it has many component parts. Love is complex, defining itself, manifesting itself in so many different ways. But love is a force without which we can not live, or live right. It is the stuff of life, and without it, life is mere existence, sterile and harsh. Love is the force, the resource of God, an energy which produces the highest and best relationships with OTHERS, and, as we love ourselves, allows us to live life at its highest levels.TO LOVE AND TO BE LOVED IS THE GREATEST HAPPINESS OF EXISTENCE. So said Sydnie Smith.Love out and in is a daily process which produces the greatest happiness. It does indeed. Nothing feels better than to give love, share love, and experience love. NOTHING.If you had no one to love, you would never be hurt. But, you would never grow. You would never venture outside your own self-centered needs and perceptions. Your heart would never be cracked open so that God could enter it. To love and love unconditionally is to take risks, and especially the risk of rejection. But nothing energizes and cleanses like love.Profound words about love by a poet unknown. To love another, large or small, is the only real way that one can grow as a human being. The risk of loving produces the risk of hurt but even hurt toughens and matures love. The risk of loving another allows one to VENTURE OUTSIDE and to experience. Doing that allows your very own heart to be CRACKED OPEN so that love in its purest sense could enter, that is God Himself. Loving is always risky, and especially the risk of rejection. Rejection hurts but it is part of the loving process. The risk of love is worth it because nothing energizes like love, and nothing cleanses like love, NOTHING.Charles Dickens said that a loving heart is the truest wisdom. Knowing life at its best, the most real and the truest wisdom can only be produced by a loving heart, a heart cracked open and wanting more love.Robert Schuller said that in the presence of love, miracles happen. Love itself is amiracle and the loving miracle produces other miracles. Miracles can and shouldhappen more often and they can and will happen when:LOVE IS AT WORKTrue love allows us insight, real insight into the character and persona of another:“BECAUSE I LOVE YOU, I CATCH GLIMPSES OF THE YOU GOD CREATED, THETRUE YOU. I SEE YOUR IMPERFECTIONS AND FAILURES, BUT I CHOOSE TO SEEPAST THEM TO THE REAL YOU. LOVE CREATES A PLACE WHERE YOU ARE FREETO BECOME YOUR COMPLETE SELF.”What a marvelous statement. Perhaps we can only really know another not completelybut only with glimpses and those glimpses made possible only because of love.We are all riddled with imperfections and failures, are we not? We can see past thingsin our desire to find the real person, the real you. Love breaks down those barriersand produces eyes that truly see.Benjamin Disraeli the great English Prime Minister said that:“WE ARE ALL BORN TO LOVE. IT IS THE PRINCIPLE OF ITS EXISTENCE AND ITSONLY END.”Born to love, genetic, all that we really are, the very highest principle itself of existence.And, its only end, like the highest and greatest spiritual commandment that we shouldlove the Lord our God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength and our neighboras ourselves. In fact, we are known as Christians, followers of the Christ:IF YOU HAVE LOVE ONE FOR ANOTHERLove said another is tough, practical, and active. Love is washing the kitchen floorover and over again. Love is scrubbing the toilet and doing the laundry. Love is takingout the garbage and cleaning the refrigerator. Love is smiling when you are tired,finding reasons to laugh even when you are angry, volunteering for a dirty job, workinghard, and making the world a better place.Powerful and profound. Indeed, love is practical. Love is very much in the scrubbingof the toilet. Love is there from the one who takes out the garbage. Love indeeddelights in the dirty jobs for when you do for the least of these, you do it unto HIM.And yet more insight into the God of all love:GOD SAYS TO US, IN LOVE, I HOLD YOU IN MY MIND. I REMEMBER YOU. I HOLDALL OF THE PIECES OF YOU. THE PAST WOUNDS AND THE PRESENT. AND INLOVE, I KNIT THEM TOGETHER INTO THE PERSON I LOVE, THE PERSON ICREATED TO GIVE ME JOY:YOU.Held are we in the mind of God, remembering us even as we remember Him, all of ourvarious pieces, wounds, wrongs, and problems no matter. God knits them togetherand all become the mosaic, the person God loves, the individual and special you.Love frees us of the weight and pain of life! True love always lightens life’s heaviestburdens. True love is a force far more powerful than the weapons of any enemy.Life is a f

The greatest of all things is LOVE.The greatest, says the Apostle Paul, agreed upon by the world’s greatest thinkers, artists and poets is:LOVELove is best.The Bible book 1 Corinthians 13 is Paul’s finest expression of love by far. Read and read again those marvelous apostolic definitions of love. One of the meanings of this powerful force is spiritual devotion, a reasoning, intentional spiritual devotion such as is inspired by God’s love for and in us. To really know what love is, says Paul, can only occur as a result of a meaningful (loving) relationship with God Almighty. The longer, the deeper the relationship, the more the meaning of love becomes clear.Love is good. In fact, good is defined by love. For no mere mortal can do good without love. One may intend to live right, perhaps following the Ten Commandments and other great moral precepts. But mere intention, the act of the will is not enough for it lacks the energy, the conviction, the power of LOVE.There really is no definition of love, no simple one. Words like affection, attachment, emotion, even ultimate feelings are inadequate. So, Paul says let’s begin by defining love as PATIENT. Love is longsuffering because love is eternal. We live in a world fundamentally impatient, Type A, a world of pressure and intensity. Life as it is in the 20th Century and the people who live that life cause us to be impatient, frustrated, even angry. But if one loves and lives by the power of love, one says Paul is PATIENT. That is, no matter the circumstances, one is patient because patience is inherent, a spiritual genetic component of one who loves.Love is kind, says the open-hearted Apostle Paul. Love is gentle, easy. It avoids meaningless confrontation and struggle. Love thinks on those things which are good in gentle ways, avoids strife and is slow to anger. Our world is hard, feisty and confrontational, so often without love. But love at work is the antidote to harsh things in life. That easy love soothes. It strokes. It forces its way into the heart and opens it. Love replaces the harsh with hugs. It cares about others first and about the things of God even more. There is no gentle or kind without love.Love, God’s love in us, does not insist on its own rights or its own way. Love is not self-seeking. The natural man without love is selfish, self-centered, and egotistical. A loving person is giving, open, and caring. These standards are extremely high, and virtually impossible for any human being to accomplish without, says Paul, the love of God.Love even allows us not to take account of the wrongs or evil done to us by others. Love allows us to forgive and forget. Love allows us to love an enemy rather than to seek vengeance. Love allows us to move past righting wrongs. We can lovingly forgive even as a loving God forgave us.Love rejoices when right and truth prevail. Real love is straight, a kind of tough love structured by what is right and true. Love deals with problems in the present, and deals with them straightforwardly as truth would have it. Love can discipline and correct in truth without hurting. True love never compromises. How wonderful and joyful it is to lovingly live in truth at all times. For to know the truth of love is to be set free and allows us to live a life rejoicing and praising.Love protects and defends. It guards the hearts and minds of the young. It trains up children in the way in which they should go. It shows them the way of the Lord, the path of righteousness. Love protects and defends home and family. Love guards against false prophets and the lie. Love tolerates no evil, only the good.Love is loyal, says Paul. Love is trustworthy and trusting. Love makes character predictable, reliable, steady, and dependable. Love produces bonds unbroken, full trust unto death.Real love, says Paul, always hopes for the best, especially the best in others. No matter the evil or inconsistencies in others, or the uncertainties in life, hope for the good is always love’s objective. Love, real love is contagious. In the presence of love, real love, others participate and share and begin to feel that real love themselves. Love at work creates the belief that all things will work together for good for those who love each other, and especially those who love God. That, says Paul, is an absolute truth for:LOVE NEVER FAILSIt endures now and for all eternity. It overcomes the greatest evils in this world which combined, can never destroy love.But the Apostle Paul in his great treatise 1 Corinthians 13 also tells us what love is NOT.Paul tells us that love is not talk no matter how eloquent. Words are not love and may even have difficulty communicating or defining love. No matter how eloquent the tongue, even the language of angels, words are like sounding brass and tinkling symbols, hollow and meaningless. Even, says Paul, if words are those of the angels themselves, they are worthless without love.And Paul says that even the gift of prophecy, knowing

SHOW YOURSELF APPROVED UNTO GOD.Those are the words of the Apostle Paul, inspired by the God for whom we should study, to his brother, his son Timothy.And to you and to me and to all.Once the heart is redeemed, cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ, then comes the mind, the ability to think and to reason in a Godly way, on Godly Christ-like things and to learn how to train up that mind, make it fully effective, and use it to the best of your ability:FOR ALL THINGS GODLY AND CHRISTIAN.Many of us fail to do that. To train the mind, to really STUDY is difficult, time-consuming, a matter of real priority and commitment, difficult at first, especially when we begin to run the mental race and fight the mental fight of faith, which God requires.But there is no substitute for the study of scripture, none whatsoever. We cannot simply digest THE VERSE FOR THE DAY, or read a chapter a day as though it were enough. Daily devotionals may help but they seldom rise to the level of the scripture demand, the Godly demand, of real and true:STUDY.So, the scriptures tell us clearly that if we do not learn how to study those 66 books, our way, with the special and individual intellect which God has given us, each of us so very different, we will not be approved by God as worthy disciples functioning for HIM with all of our might, and to the best of our abilities. It is our Christian duty to learn how to think, to use the mind, to reason, to testify, to tell all what we believe, not as someone would, not as anyone else would, but the very best of us, you and me.We cannot be compared to another. Most of us are not scholars, theologians, biblical analysts, or teachers of the Word. We are lay people, saved by grace, therefore fully desirous of serving our Lord but only to the best of our individual talents, capabilities, and intellect. We are not the Apostle Paul, nor Billy Graham, nor the Pope, nor Charles Spurgeon. We are different. We have our own mission, our own priorities, our own abilities as God has given them. We study to show ourselves approved unto God interms of the abilities He has given us to do just that. THAT AND THAT ONLY, NO MORE!But we need to constantly learn how to THINK. Scripture tells us that it is our Christian duty to think on the good things in life, the good things offered to us by our Lord, the blessings, the positive, and to grow intellectually and spiritually, grow every day, to improve the mind, the brain, the ability to reason, which God has given us. So that, when the right opportunity arises for us, for you and me, we are ready, READY to give an answer, to explain who we are, what we believe, and why, and how we have been transformed. That, for most of us, is not standing behind a pulpit or on a street corner, or even necessarily talking to strangers. We can do all those things through Christ who strengthens us if that is the right thing for us to do, but that might not be our gift, our talent, and the way our mind, redeemed by the blood of Christ, requires us to live, and grow, and learn, and become fortified as better Christians mentally in every way.We should be what God intends us to be and not what any man or woman wants us to be or thinks we should be. We should be ready to give a reason for what we believe, what God has laid on our mind and heart, and how with aggressive, committed, prioritized study, we learn and grow in THE WORD OF GOD.Alone, by ourselves, the study we do is only partial. We need, in fact, we must have the guidance, the inspiration, the explanation of:THE HOLY SPIRIT.Therefore, before we enter the Word of God, before we STUDY, we must through prayer invoke the intercession, the intellectual partnership of the Holy Spirit. We must ask that the Spirit awaken us, stabilize our focus, make every inspired word of God meaningful, and know that every word in those 66 precious inspired books is the words, THE WORDS, of eternal life. They are indeed precious, unique, the words of the living God, and it is those very words that we must study, constantly study, so that our mind can be trained up in the way in which it should go, and when the wiles of evil and the culture of this world try to bring us down, plant doubt, or guilt, or spread diabolical disinformation, we know and only have believed, that knowledge dominates our mind and we will not go astray, mentally or spiritually. The mind, the brain, the intellect, firm in the Lord, cannot be changed by the forces, the evil of this world. It stands on the rock and any such attack only strengthens belief, and to the extent we are intellectually capable, our mind is totally infused, injected, energized with the Word of God and intellectually:WE WILL NOT BE MOVED!So then, we can come together and reason, the mind at work in the things of the Lord:COME NOW, LET US REASON TOGETHER.So that, whenever we are with one or more, whether in the household, among friends, in study groups, at church, anywhere and everywhere, if the opportunity ar

We who believe live in a day and age of so-called:PROGRESSIVE CHRISTIANITY.Progressive means that Christians today are subject to new interpretations of scripture, a redefinition of what Christianity is all about, a resetting of Christian values, morals, and priorities, and most of all, a battle with a foreign and antagonistic culture like never before. The Bible, always presumed to be the inspired word of God, becomes more of a moral guide rather than statement of absolute truth. The Bible is subject to mankind’s interpretation and even an individual’s sense of right and wrong, rather than the infallible standards of scripture. Christian believers have, now more than ever, ITCHY EARS, a far greater propensity to compromise and accommodate the current culture, rather than standing up for scripture, our Lord, and the absolute truths of the Bible.That is why the Apostle Paul in II Timothy says that even then, some 2000 years ago, the ITCHY EARS of believers have wandered into myths, forming a religion based upon THEIR TRUTH, not that of God Almighty. If such a trend prevails and those progressive, woke changes continue to occur, that will indeed portend the very end of Christianity itself.There is strife in the church. Denominations compromise and individual churches move on, especially when woke prevails. Christian fracturing becomes every day a more serious problem. When any church or Christians therein bow to the world’s standards and interpretations, true believers come apart and are separate from them refusing to bow to woke in any way.The bottom line for woke is that there is no such thing as absolute truth. Wokers thrive on the penance of this so-called age of POST TRUTH, compromise, the religion of the individual, and changing standards of morality and truth as individuals define them. The Apostle Paul clearly indicates this is dead wrong and, in fact even more so, a critical sign of the END TIMES.An essential question, says Joseph Backholm, of the CENTER FOR BIBLICAL WORLDVIEW, is the following:“The Question seems to be whether or not God actually wants us to repent or mostly just wants us to be happy and comfortable.In short, the new and progressive approach to Christianity attacks the concept of sin, the very reason itself for repentance, and wishes to do away with sin and the need for repentance, and instead of a redeemed mankind, one which is merely happy and comfortable. These woke changers simply do not believe that sin exists, but rather that the concepts of right and wrong are in flux and constantly changing. They have forgotten the Biblical admonition:BE SURE YOUR SINS WILL FIND YOU OUT!So, says our Lord, and the Apostle Paul, Christian believers, true believers, are obligated, indeed have the duty to stand up to the evil of woke and progressive Christianity and defend the faith, our Lord, and His scripture. It is, says Christian author Eric Metaxas, this new form of evil that must be confronted. We cannot compromise, accept, or be silent. We must speak out against it. Metaxas says the following:SILENCE IN THE FACE OF EVIL IS EVIL ITSELF!Indeed, it is. Not standing up, not speaking out, is a form of compromise, and in essence, is condoning, accepting, and not confronting the evil as it is. As Paul says in Ephesians, we the church are called to stand against the culture as we engage in the spiritual fight regarding the principalities and powers of this world. That is our duty, His command, and if we do not stand and confront the evil of woke, we disrespect HIM and we fail to do our duty as Christians.Any denomination or church which changes or modifies in any way spiritual beliefs, Biblical beliefs, and postures themselves as politically correct, and with the times, seeing itself as loving and not confronting, cannot change the non-changing and absolute truth of scripture, and the eternal truth of God’s word. That word, those principles will never change, and:“ANY CHURCH THAT CHANGES THE MESSAGE TO FIT THE TIMES, IS PREACHING A FALSE GOSPEL.”So, my fellow Christians, man or woman, remember the words in the book of James:“BLESSED IS THE MAN OR WOMAN WHO REMAINS STEADFAST UNDER TRIAL.”Never giving up, never compromising, willing to lay all on the altar, believing without woke interpretation the true and absolute truth of scripture, never deviating from that and always ready, willing, and able to defend that. What a joy, what a privilege, what insight into eternal truth is ours to be a Christian, a true follower of our Lord Jesus Christ. What a joy to abide in Him and as 1 John 2 states:“WALK IN THE SAME WAY IN WHICH HE WALKED.”More than ever, HE asks you to do that so that you can be salt and light to this world, emphatically resisting the progressive, woke, secular culture of the times and standing for Him.As Joseph Backholm further states:“WE HAVE TO DECIDE WHETHER WE ARE TRYING TO SHAPE OUR MINDS AROUND GOD’S WORD OR WHETHER WE ARE TRYING TO SHAPE GOD’S WORD AROUND OUR MINDS.”The former prod

Public schools in communities across the country have failed to educate students.Have they ever, with very few exceptions.Public schools have failed and are continuing to fail to educate students. The worst part about all of this is that there really is no solution in sight. It really seems as though public education will only get worse.Years ago, parents and taxpayers lost control. Perhaps that loss was gradual. Perhaps parents were in default, indifferent, and many others feeling simply helpless. They lost control, these parents did, to what Matthew Hennessey, Wall Street Journal Deputy Editorial Editor, called:THE EDUCATION BLOG.The blog was a quasipublic syndicate of teachers unions, government bureaucracies, brand-name credentialed institutions, and the woke and progressive media. They were determined to keep control of education and, of course, to get as much money to do that as they possibly could.In one sense, there was a public-parental awakening. That occurred in 2020, the year of Covid, and in the year of lock-downs and lock-outs. Schools were closed, education occurred online and virtually, and parents, perhaps many of them for the very first time, were forced to pay attention to what education in those public schools was really like. Millions did not like what they saw. What they saw, in so many ways, was:WASTED TIMEWOKE-INFUSED CURRICULAPOOR INSTRUCTIONamong others and so many of them, by the millions, decided change was in order, rather necessary. They decided they liked the freedom and convenience of homeschooling. They liked it so much, these parents did, they saw the benefits and they kept homeschooling alive even after the lockdowns and the virtuality ended.But, the progressives, the wokers woke up. They saw what was happening, real education, good education, quality education, and they realized the real threat to the public education they were committed to foist upon the American public. They saw the end to their control, these wokers did, and their money, and the threat of taxpayer's dollars being utilized elsewhere, and as wokers do when their backs are to the wall, they attacked. So many of these radicals preached the message that education wasn’t about helping young people reach their full potential, but rather:TO SOCIALIZE CHILDREN INTO RESPONSIBLE CITIZENSHIP.In other words, to WOKE them, change them, do away with so many traditional American values, and of course, water down individual freedom, family, and most importantly:FAITH.Millions of parents fought back.Hear the words of MSNBC personality Melissa Harris-Perry, who said the following:“SOCIETY HAS TO SHAKE OFF THE ANTIQUATED NOTION THAT PARENTS HAVE SOME SPECIAL CLAIM ON THEIR CHILDREN. INSTEAD, WE HAVE TO RECOGNIZE THAT KIDS BELONG TO WHOLE COMMUNITIES.”Can you believe that? Parents have no claim, no rights, and no ability to instruct, mold, or teach the very children they bear and bring into this world. Can you believe that? That really represents the views, opinions, and the values, the radically changing values, of the progressive educational wokers of today. That did nothing but give added impetus to the homeschooling movement.And more. Teachers’ union member Randi Weingarten said the following:“THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH PUBLIC EDUCATION THAT MORE MONEY WOULDN’T CURE.”More money for more woke education, anti-American, anti-faith, anti-Christian, anti-classics, anti-fundamentals (reading-writing-Arithmetic) among others? More money to foster all of that?Said Matthew Hennessey of The Wall Street Journal:“THE EDUCATION BLOB AND MEDIA PROGRESSIVES SEE THE GROWING POPULARITY OF HOMESCHOOLING AS A SOCIAL PROBLEM THAT URGENTLY NEEDS TO BE SOLVED.”These radicals are simply unwilling to give up their control of public education, the molding of the young American mind, and of course, the money, always the money to some extent.Homeschooling is a great remedy for the ills of public education. It is the answer to the biblical admonition to:TRAIN UP A CHILD IN THE WAY HE OR SHE SHOULD GO AND WHEN THEY ARE OLD, THEY WILL NOT DEPART THEREFROM.Children when born are the responsibility, the privilege, and the duty of the parents who brought them into this world. That, says scripture, cannot be delegated, especially to woke-radical public education.We, the Crawford Broadcasting Co., and our charitable entities believe in and support the homeschooling effort. We are proud sponsors and benefactors of:HOME SCHOOLING LEGAL DEFENSE ASSOCIATIONHSLDAThat is one good work, determined to fight any attempt of big unions or progressive education, to take away, eliminate, or water down homeschooling. We urge you to know more about this good organization, and more importantly, HOMESCHOOLING ITSELF. Whether or not you do it, or know others who do, it is a movement worthy of your time, attention, and financial support, for real American education can occur, and so can faith-based training, and the morals, values, and standards of Christianity. If publi

If you were born, human being created by God Almighty, between the years 1997-2012 you are a member, like it or not, of the newest generation in America:GEN Z.You would be of the age 11-26.Therefore, you are so informed, you and your Gen-Z compatriots have little if any interest in RELIGION, whatever that means. In the extreme, perhaps that means you have no interest in faith, or no faith in your life. Do you?I personally know a multitude of young, wonderful people that age, who are strong, passionate:PEOPLE OF FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST.Do you?And more, you Gen-Z’er. You have little interest in patriotism, so these progressive pundits say. You are not willing to protect and defend your country, your freedoms, your constitution, in fact, your way of life. If you are 30 and under, is that you? Do you have little concern, love, passion, or commitment to your country, to the America in which you are blessed to live? Is that you?Some of the most Passionate Patriots I know are THE YOUNG, 30 and under. They know what the real America is all about and are willing to do whatever it takes to protect this country, its freedoms, and their way of life, in any way possible. Is that you?Don’t you just despise generalities like that?And, you Gen-Z’er, you have little or no interest in marriage and virtually no interest in having children. Is that you? I know any number of wonderful people 30 and under who are married with children, raising families with the blessing of God, and I am privileged to have any number of them in my very own company. Do you eschew marriage and do you, man or woman, not wish to have children of your own? Such generalizations for millions of young people are ludicrous, inaccurate, false, and evenfraudulent and perhaps politically purposeful in a very negative way.And even more. You are supposedly a member of a generation that has a very poorwork ethic, cares more about self rather than others, and is negative, critical, andindifferent to the norms of society, and the morality of the past. Is that you?Again, I know dozens and dozens of human beings, God-created, 30 and under, whoare exactly the opposite.The real YOUNG PEOPLE of today are people of faith. They have strong faith in JesusChrist, living out that faith in a passionate young way. They are patriots believing inthe real America, working to change and solve its problems, all the while protecting itsfundamental concepts of freedom, liberty, the pursuit of happiness, equality, andjustice for all. They are married or will be. They will then have children, God willing.The real young Americans, the real Gen-Z’ers are workers, people of strong work ethicand commitment, workmen and work women, worthy of their hire. Those are the Gen-Z’ers I know, and like, and respect, and have the highest hopes for turning over myAmerica to them and not the stereotypes, negative and demeaning, individuals whowoke, progressive, radical, anti-Americans described and categorized in such negativeways.You and I, human beings, all, were created by the God of the universe, the Father ofour Lord Jesus Christ, as unique individuals. There is no human generalization orcategorization which can apply to any of us. Every human being thinks differently,more or less. Believes differently, more or less. Lives life differently. Works and playsdifferently. Worships differently. EVERY HUMAN BEING IS DIFFERENT! He or she isnot Gen-Z, not millennial, not baby-boomer, not a member of the so-called silentgeneration, but a unique, specially crafted, INDIVIDUAL, different from any other andstriving to be better in every way. Those are the young, the 30 and under I know,respect, and believe in. If you are of that age, privileged to be young, with many moreyears of productive life to live, I pray that you are:YOU.That you will be all that you can be and that you will never fall victim to somegeneration, age, or category classification. Just like so many of those RIGHT youngpeople 30 and under whom I know so very well, productive, faithful, patriotic, believersin marriage and children, and with a work ethic as good as anyone anywhere. Ipersonally thank God for every individual male and female in my company, 30 andunder, who brings fresh vision, commitment, passion, the dynamic of youth, and thelove for:GOD AND COUNTRY,the twin pillars of the right, ethical, and moral life. If you are 30 or under, I pray thatis you. We should be about the business of encouraging the young, educating andedifying, for they are the ones who will replace us, live in a world and an Americansociety far different from ours, face challenges not before faced, and be responsible toour God with risks and rewards intensified as never before. They will battle an enemyinternal, determined to destroy and seize power, control, and demand conformity.Their faith in God and Country will be challenged like never before. The courage theyoung will need will increase day by day and it is absolutely critical that their vision beclear, b

We live, my fellow Americans, in the greatest nation in the history of mankind. There is not, nor has there ever been, a nation like:THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.Never.It is a nation conceived in freedom. It treasures and fosters democracy. It is a constitutional nation, and it is a nation where, as Dr. Martin Luther King so well said, if in fact its citizens live up to its constitution, treasure it, believe in it, and enforce it, all men and women who are created equal can live a life to the fullest.AMERICA. What is America to you? Do you understand your country, your nation, its history, its purpose and meaning, the reality of the:REAL AMERICA?Do you? Right-thinking men and women thank God every day, EVERYDAY, for the privilege of living in America and being an American. Do you? Are you a grateful citizen, are you proud to be an American, and since this great country can do so much for you, remember the words of President John F. Kennedy, who admonished us to:ASK NOT WHAT AMERICA CAN DO FOR YOUASK WHAT YOU CAN DO FOR AMERICA!That in my opinion should be the motto of every real American.THE AMERICAN CONSTITUTION. Please read it. Do your best to understand it. Study anything which helps you understand the incredible rights, privileges, and duties which are yours as a citizen and as an American. Think always about the First Amendment to that Constitution, perhaps the finest words, rights, privileges, opportunities, and expressions of freedom ever written in the history of mankind. The First Amendment of America’s Constitution allows you full and unabridged freedom of:RELIGIONSPEECHPRESSASSEMBLYPETITIONThese precious freedoms are the very best that can be offered to any human being and they are essential, priorities, GUARANTEED to every man and woman by this Constitution and its very precious First Amendment. Read it, know it, treasure it, and thank God for it.RULE OF LAW. It is watered down, ignored, or even eliminated in this woke and radical, anti-American day and age. Lawlessness in the end times, says the scripture, prevails and runs rampant. That is happening today. Stand up, my fellow Americans, to lawlessness and insist upon the rule of law, insist upon the concept of:JUSTICE FOR ALL.There is risk in so doing, but the reward is well worth the risk.RIGHT AND WRONG. There are those today that think there is no such thing as right and wrong. There is no absolute truth. This is the day and age of:THE LIE.We live in an age which many describe as:POST TRUTH.That is, we live in a culture where there is no such thing as absolute truth and consequently, the lie, that which is not truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, is the law of the land. WRONG, dead wrong. There is right and wrong, there is truth, and never forget in this great year 2024, the words of our Lord Jesus Christ:I AM THE WAY, THE TRUTH, AND THE LIFE!I AM THE TRUTH!Believe in Him and you will know the truth indeed.STAND. Stand tall for America. Protect it. Founding Fathers were willing to die for it. Are you? Am I? Are there enough Americans left who are willing to do whatever is required to protect and defend the greatest land in the history of mankind?So much of the world despises, even hates America. Perhaps that is because we live hypocritically, we do not stand tall for our ideals, our freedoms, and our way of life, and we are not consistent, constantly compromising, and so often not holding individuals and nations accountable for their actions. We the People need to redefine who we are as a nation, make those ideals, values, and standards clear, and stand for them no matter the cost, now more than ever in the great year 2024.POLITICAL INVOLVEMENT. We the People need to be far more politically involved. Especially Christian citizens. We need to be active in government. We need to take positions of authority locally and to make certain our neighborhoods, towns, andcities, are safe, law-abiding, and true to American ideals, its constitution, rule of law, and way of life. WE THE PEOPLE NEED TO STAND UP! We need to make certain right-thinking and right-acting men and women are elected to office, who will truly represent us, and even more importantly, our Constitution, rule of law, and all that America should be. WE THE PEOPLE NEED TO MAKE CERTAIN THAT HAPPENS! If not, we need to speak out critically so, aggressively, withhold financing, and our vote, and where necessary, exercise the process of recall and do whatever we can to get elected or appointed officials unworthy of citizen trust out of office and authority. WE THE PEOPLE NEED TO STAND UP BEFORE ITS TOO LATE!WOKE, THE PROGRESSIVE, THE ANTI-AMERICAN. They are everywhere, EVERYWHERE! They are determined to effectuate radical change or even in so many cases, the destruction of the American way of life. They would water down or eliminate much of our Constitution, curtail our freedoms, control family and education, and change the way we live, think, and believe. DON’T LET IT HAPPEN

With God, all things are possible. ALL THINGS!Even an event like THE VIRGIN BIRTH.Some 2,000 years ago, an angel was sent by God to the tiny town of Nazareth in the Galilee area. The area was small, the inhabitants few, and a popular saying of the day was:CAN ANY GOOD THING COME OUT OF NAZARETH?Perhaps not before, but after the visit by the angel Gabriel to an unknown Mary, from Nazareth would come the Savior of the world.Mary the Virgin was pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The angel Gabriel said to her:GREETINGS, YOU WHO ARE HIGHLY FAVORED! THE LORD IS WITH YOU.Gabriel went on to say:DO NOT BE AFRAID, MARY. YOU HAVE FOUND FAVOR WITH GOD. YOU WILL BE WITH CHILD AND GIVE BIRTH TO A SON. YOU ARE TO GIVE HIM THE NAME JESUS.HE WILL BE GREAT AND WILL BE CALLED THESON OF THE MOST HIGH.THE LORD GOD WILL GIVE HIM THE THRONE OF HIS FATHER DAVID AND HE WILL REIGN OVER THE HOUSE OF JACOB FOREVER. HIS KINGDOM WILL NEVER END!And, rightly so, Mary was troubled and she said to the angel:“How will this come about since I am a virgin?”To which the angel responded:THE HOLY SPIRIT WILL COME UPON YOU AND THE POWER OF THE MOSTHIGH WILL OVERSHADOW YOU.So the Holy One to be born would be called the SON OF GOD.The natural man scoffs at angels but the spiritual man knows that with God all thingsare possible, including angels.Mary, now with child, the Holy Ghost having come upon her, went to the home ofZechariah and Elizabeth, relatives, and when she arrived, Elizabeth knew of thisImmaculate Conception and Elizabeth said to Mary:BLESSED ARE YOU AMONG WOMEN, AND BLESSED IS THE CHILD YOU WILLBEAR!Elizabeth knew that Mary would be the mother of her Lord and ours as well.So, the world was about to change because of that event in Nazareth. Jesus ofNazareth would soon be born in Bethlehem of Judea and this Nazarene, this SON OFTHE MOST HIGH would soon be known as THE SAVIOR, the Prince of Peace, theChrist of Glory.When Elizabeth had finished, Mary began her very own song of praise:MY SOUL MAGNIFIES THE LORDAND MY SPIRIT REJOICES IN GOD MY SAVIOR!FOR HE HAS BEEN MINDFUL OF THE HUMBLE STATE OF HIS SERVANT.FROM NOW ON ALL GENERATIONS WILL CALL ME BLESSEDFOR THE MIGHTY ONE HAS DONE GREAT THINGS FOR MEHOLY IS HIS NAME!Such powerful praise and adoration this Magnificat of Mary was. Mary, the virgin, sohumble in spirit, thought of herself as the HANDMAIDEN of the Lord, perhaps stillpuzzled as to why she was chosen to bear the King of Kings, but willing and obedientto do the will of God.And the Babe of Bethlehem grew within her. Fiancé Joseph, of the lineage of David,sought to put her away but again, an angelic message explained to him what hadhappened, foretold the birth of this Son and the instructions to him that His namewould be Jesus. Thereafter, Mary would be wife and mother for Joseph. It is incrediblydifficult to imagine how this man 2,000 years ago would react. Nothing like this inhuman history had ever happened before. He, Joseph was chosen to supervise andsupport the birth of the Savior of the world. That would be impossible for any man tocomprehend but Joseph, obedient like Mary, accepted the angelic explanation and thisdivine drama proceeded.Surely, Joseph could see the remarkable changes in Mary. For those precious months,Mary’s soul glorified the Lord. She told all that her spirit rejoices in God my Savior.Surely that glorifying and rejoicing was well noticed, even participated in by Joseph.Mary, the humble servant of the Lord knew what great things God had done for herand she was perhaps the first to live in a brand new, revolutionary state of praise andworship. Soon, that would be available to all mankind.Then came the decree from Caesar Augustus that a census should be taken of theentire Roman world. Joseph, who belonged to the house and lineage of David thereforewent to Bethlehem of Judea to register with Mary, since Bethlehem was the City ofDavid. But the town was full and there was no room in the inn so that Mary andJoseph slept in a manger. And there, in that manger, Mary gave birth to a son and asa proud and loving mother, she wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in amanger. Such were the humble circumstances of the birth of Jesus of Nazareth, theBabe of Bethlehem, the Prince of Peace, and the Savior of the world.AND THAT IS THE REAL MEANING OF CHRISTMAS! That birth of the Savior of theworld is what we celebrate at Christmas! This rabidly secular world of ours wishes tode-spiritualize this event and take CHRIST OUT OF CHRISTMAS. We who believe mustnever let that happen but rather band together in glorious praise and worship to theBabe and especially to the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ. Let not, my fellowChristians, the secularists abandon the Christ of Christmas.So, Christ was born and there began the spreading of the Word:AND THERE WERE SHEPHERDS ABIDING IN THE FIELDSKEEPING WATCH OVER THEIR FLOCKS BY NIGHTAND LO THE ANGEL OF THE LORD APPEARED TO THEMAND THE GLORY OF THE LORD

PEACE.Peace, I give unto you. My peace. Not as the world gives. Mine is perfect peace. Let not your heart be troubled and do not be afraid!The words of the BABE OF BETHLEHEM. The most reassuring words, the words, the promises, which this world needs now so desperately. All humankind craves peace now more than ever, and that peace is more elusive than ever.In the end times, so say scriptures, there will be wars, rumors of wars, and physical brutality. Hatred among mankind will replace love. Jealousy, suspicion, lawlessness, and evil conduct will be how the world is. The peace of God in the person of Jesus Christ, THAT PERFECT PEACE, will be nowhere to be found, NOWHERE!Israel battles Hamas, the proxy of the brutal land and its rulers, Iran. There is enmity between the seeds, Arab and Jew, so says the scripture. That enmity is nowhere more evident than what now happens in The Holy Land, The Promised Land. The very land where the Babe of Bethlehem was born, the Christmas ambassador of peace has really never known that peace now more than ever. We are admonished as Christians to:PRAY FOR THE PEACE OF JERUSALEM.We pray, and pray more, and earnestly so, but that peace eludes in every way. It should be obvious to all that only the Messiah, THE PRINCE OF PEACE, the Babe of Bethlehem, Jesus Christ himself the Messiah, can bring that peace. That will come only WHEN HE COMES.War goes on. Hatred increases between Arabs and Jews, between Israel and Hamas. War goes on between Russia and Ukraine, war fostered by the evil dictator Vladimir Putin and civilians die, thousands upon thousands of innocent men and women, the elderly and children. They die without cause, craving peace, begging for it, praying for it, but it eludes them as the war-like hatred, the Christ-less hatred of mankind prevails. More of this will come. China will become a serious war monger and so will North Korea, and Iran, governed by men who dictate war, hatred, and killing, with no concern for human loss but only human destruction and more of it. The conduct of this world indicates clearly signs of:THE END TIMES.There would be nothing left of this world if those days were not shortened and the only one who can do that, THE PRINCE OF PEACE returns to take charge.When He does, swords will be ground into plowshares. The prince of Peace will make certain there will be no more wars, NO MORE! But, only the Babe of Bethlehem, whose birthday we celebrate soon, can bring that peace, can change whole nations and bring them to the Holy City of Jerusalem, to learn how to cooperate, work together, and foster peace under His rule of love. Only HE can make that happen, no one else.So, we who believe, believe in Him, His salvation message of love, healing, and PEACE. You should not worry or be afraid. Our Lord, the Prince of Peace, has admonished us:LET NOT YOUR HEART BE TROUBLEDNEITHER LET IT BE AFRAIDBELIEVE IN ME! Believe in my promises. Believe that I come again and I, He says, will bring the peace, the eternal peace which all humankind craves. I PROMISE I WILL DO THAT. So again, don’t be troubled. Don’t let your heart be troubled. You believe in God, believe in Me and that promise. BELIEVE! I will bring the PEACE OF JERUSALEM and I will bring (Shalom) peace to the whole world.So, don’t worry. If God be for us, who can be against us? No one or nothing can. PEACE-SHALOM I give unto you, so let not your heart be troubled. Rather, praise God for His unspeakable gift, the gift of His Son, Jesus of Nazareth:THE BABE OF BETHLEHEM.So, like the Angels of old, as they made that unbelievable announcement to the Shepherds about this divine birth, let us say with those Angels:GLORY TO GOD IN THE HIGHESTAND ON EARTHPEACE AND GOODWILL TOWARD ALL MANKINDAnd let us praise our God for that gift.And let us worship Him as the angels do, those of us especially who believe in that Salvation message which came from Bethlehem of old.And let us be thankful unto our God for his unspeakable gift. We cannot describe in human words the wonder, the magnitude, the depth of the love of that gift but we can now and evermore give thanks, and praise, and worship, and GLORY TO GOD IN THE HIGHEST! All the while we pray for that promise of peace on earth and goodwill toward all mankind, and for the soon return, THE SOON RETURN of the MESSIAH:THE PRINCE OF PEACE.So, we thank you, Father God, I thank you for our Savior, your precious son:OUR LORD JESUS CHRISTTHE PRECIOUS BABE OF BETHLEHEM!

quit, we learned from our mistakes, and we always did our best, always with his unique and abiding strength and most importantly:LOVE.We, the Crawford Broadcasting Company, for 65 years, prayed for His blessing, even as we praised Him, and God our Father. The battles we faced were difficult and many still are, but praise and thank God, we never compromised, and stood steadfast every day of our broadcast life devoted to Him and the precious country in which He ordained we live.We made mistakes but we always corrected them. We always did our best and found those to partner with us who always did their best. Anything we accomplished past, present, and future, was as a result of: PRAYERPRAISEPEOPLE PARTNERS Those three are the anchors of our company and always will be.Faithful, prayerful people, God’s people, made this company what it is for 65 years, every success for God and Country is because of them and their calling. So many men and women devoted so many years, some virtually all of their professional lives in the service of our Lord and in Christian radio, Crawford Broadcasting style. There were and are men like Frank Franciosi (48 years), Nev Larson (57 years), Don Crawford Jr. (34 years), Mike Triem (30 years), Cris Alexander (39 years), Mike Cary (33 years), anchors, rocks like the Rock Of Ages, CALLED AND COMMITTED.Then there were men like Mark Bostic, James Kilkenny, Bob Dutko, Terry Patilla, Neil Boron, and so many more for whom CBC Christian radio was more than a calling. It was LIFE itself.So many women gave their all to our Lord in service through CBC. There were those like Paulette Peterson, Debbie Robey, Heather Hanger, Kim McMonagle, and many more who served with all their hearts, called and committed in so many ways.So many served our Lord for years unknown to those who listen. A man such as Todd Stickler served our Lord through the ministry of KBRT for years and years. In all, my fellow Americans and CBC listeners, there are some 210 individuals, servants, called-ones who serve our company and give their all every day to bring you the very best Christian and Country programming possible. There seems no adequate way to thank them for all that they have done for this company, and for their Lord and the blessed country in which they are privileged to live.We try every day with all our might to do what is:RIGHT.That is what is behind the operating philosophy of our company and its approach to money we call:THE TAILORED PLAN.We seek at all times to create economic and spiritual benefit for our listeners and no matter our mistakes, our human failures, our Lord has sustained us now for some:65 GLORIOUS YEARS.To the extent we have brought honor and glory to our Lord, we are blessed, satisfied, and fulfilled. To the extent we have done everything to protect the privilege God has given us to live in and be citizens of the greatest country in the history of the world, we are further blessed. This company began its mission in 1958 when, with the help of our Lord, WMUZ-FM Detroit was:BORN AGAIN.Even though there was no model to follow for Christian radio, we made our own with the wisdom and blessing of our Lord. We made mistakes, but we never quit. We were threatened but were never afraid. We were offered considerable sums of money to sell, but the gospel could never be purchased, it never had a price. We sought at all times to build trust with our listeners, to honor our Lord with integrity, and to the best of our human ability:NEVER COMPROMISE,NEVER!We thought of our programming as:REAL CHRISTIANITY.We modeled our programming, our approach to our Lord, and our understanding of Christianity on:THE BIBLE.The precious, inspired, unique, infallible:WORD OF THE LIVING GOD.We were never WOKE, we never tried to interpret scripture to our advantage, and we required those who shared programming with us to believe and present the same.All the while, we never shied from COMPETITION. We fought to be professional at every turn, we hired and trained men and women who wanted to be nothing but the best as they served their Lord, true professionals.We offered employment opportunity to those who would present the most compelling programming for God and Country:FOR YOUR BLESSING.They are workmen and workwomen who are worthy of their hire, but the main reason, the main motivation in their lives is to love and serve the Lord God Almighty with all their heart, soul, strength, and mind, and:THEIR NEIGHBORS, THEIR FRIENDS – YOUfaithfully every day and with all their might.So, as we continue to do our best to serve GOD AND COUNTRY, beloved listener, please know how much we love and respect you, we thank you for your support, and your belief in our company and its purposes. Knowing there are still some few who knew us when we began our mission and made it possible for so many to listen today. In a world of rapid change, short-term in thinking and demand, inpatient and searching for immediate gratification, the Crawford Broadcas

There is no greater privilege for any man or woman than that of being a:PARENT.To be the father or mother of a son or daughter is indeed life’s greatest privilege. But with that privilege comes great responsibility. Parenting, true parenting, and biblical-Christian parenting demands commitment, real commitment. When unto those parents a child is born, life’s priorities change, irrevocably change. No matter career, education, hobby or any other thing of interest, parenting becomes:PRIORITY #1So says the scripture. So says the Apostle Paul. And so says God the Father who, as the supreme example of father, sent his son to this world, to us, that we might know what the ultimate and eternal father-son relationship really is. That eternal father and son provides the perfect example of what parenting should be, heavenly and earthly.TRAIN UP A CHILD. Train him or her in the ways of the Lord, believer father and believer mother. The God-given birth of that son or daughter becomes priority #1 for BOTH father and mother. So says our heavenly father. Building a Christian home with a Christian father and mother, structuring and controlling that home, is then, at birth priority #1 and always will be.HOME, that sacred environment where there is Christian learning, loving, and listening is the very finest thing for any Christian parent.That home must be guided by REAL CHRISTIANITY. Christian principles must apply. The morality of old and new testaments must be the Lonestar, the code of ethics and honor of that home. That is why it is critical, indispensable, uncompromisingly so that both mother and father be:CHRISITAN - BORN AGAIN CHRISTIAN – REAL CHRISTIANS.For only real Christian mothers and fathers, true believing parents can:TRAIN UP A CHILD IN THE WAY HE OR SHE SHOULD GO.For, done right, when children are raised in a real Christian home by real Christianparents (both father and mother) and where the love of the Lord prevails, only then canboth principles, that Christian code of ethics, last a lifetime. Only then can the childbecome the Christian the parent is, like the Christian parent, and believe like them fora lifetime. Children will never depart from the belief of real Christian parents no matterwhat.Children are remarkably sensitive. They sense hypocrisy perhaps even better thanadults. If any parent is ‘do what I say and not necessarily what I do,’ the child rebels,acts out, disavows, and comes to believe that not only is the purported faith of theparents hypocritical, but that all of Christianity itself is hypocrisy. So, when they areold and ready to depart the home, leave their parents, and become adults on theirown, they want nothing to do with what they believe is hypocritical Christianity. Theparents, mother and father, have failed the child in the most negative way.Our Lord and the Apostle Paul have told us so very clearly that there are three greatthings in this world:FAITH – HOPE – LOVEAnd the greatest of these is LOVE. The greatest lesson any child can learn is Christianlove and that Christian love displayed between husband and wife, father and mother,that real love that exists between father and son, mother and daughter, and eachparent for each and every child, equally, sincerely, and without compromise. Theultimate expression of that love was the love between God the Father and our LordJesus Christ. Real love, parent for child is like that and when it is, or when parents dotheir very best guided by the Holy Spirit to saturate the home with Christian love, thechild learns the greatest lesson in all of life. Nothing can equal a home filled withChristian love, Christian parents loving young Christian children with that very sameChristian love. It is the greatest teacher, and the most important lesson to learn in allof life.But that takes TIME. There must be quality time between parent and child. Nothingexpresses love more, teaches better than the love between father and son, and fatherand daughter, and mother and son, and mother and daughter. NOTHING! That TIMEmust be qualitative, one on one, open and transparent, and consistent. To be a realChristian parent and train up that child in the way in which he or she should gorequires quality time as first priority and always. Nothing expresses better than timespent together one-on-one. NOTHING!The roles of father and mother are different, but they must be guided, as scriptureclearly states, by Christian principles, morals, ethics, and commandments. TheChristian home must be full of faith, hope, and above all LOVE. Real love. REALCHRISTIAN LOVE! That home environment is far more powerful than any church. Orany pastor. Or any Sunday School. Evil human beings know that as well or perhapseven better than the good, the Christian men and women. Evil men like Hitler andStalin knew the power of the home and the education provided by the parents orparent SURROGATES. The training of that young mind, heart, and soul from the firstability to comprehend, perhaps as early a

Are you a Christian, a real Christian?You are indeed if, in fact, you are a Biblical Christian, Bible-believing, following the pathway to salvation, and eternal life which the Bible clearly indicates.You are a real Christian if you are an EPHESIANS 2:8-9 Christian:FOR BY GRACE ARE YOU SAVED THROUGH FAITH, THAT NOT OFYOURSELF, FOR IT IS THE GIFT OF GOD NOT OF WORKS LEST ANYMAN OR WOMAN SHOULD BOAST.You are indeed a real Christian if you are conscious of your need, conscious of SIN, confess that sin, seek the forgiveness and repentance of Jesus Christ, and accept and believe in Him as the Messiah, the Savior, the One and Only Way to God the Father. That is indeed the salvation pathway of a real Christian. Are you one?If in fact, you are a real, Bible-believing Christian, saved by the saving blood of Jesus Christ, no further description of self or belief is necessary. We need not call ourselves EVANGELICAL, Presbyterian, Pentecostal, or for that matter anything other than BIBLE-BELIEVING CHRISTIAN SAVED BY GRACE. NOTHING else is necessary, nothing. In fact, it would then be the responsibility of every Christian, real Christian, to study the scriptures, study them well, and every day:STUDY TO SHOW YOURSELF APPROVED UNTO GOD, WORKMENAND WOMEN WHO NEED NOT BE ASHAMED, RIGHTLY UNDERSTANDING(DIVIDING) THE WORD OF TRUTH (THE BIBLE).Study that book and learn, learn more every day about what it means to be a Christian, A REAL CHRISTIAN SAVED BY GRACE.And, the real Christian believes fully and engages in a life of:PRAYER.Pray, says the scripture, without ceasing. The Holy Spirit of God indwells, accompanies, and becomes a lifelong partner of the real Christian. That very same member of the Trinity enables, strengthens, enlightens, verbalizes, and communicates the deepest thoughts, feelings, emotions, and needs of every real Christian to God the Father. The heart of a real Christian has its reasons for thought and prayer which far transcends reason itself, and THE HOLY SPIRIT makes that known as a prayer partnerto God the Father as we pray. PRAY WITHOUT CEASING!The real Christian knows that God is HOLY and therefore, takes time every day nomatter where he or she is, to WORSHIP God the Father:HOLY, HOLY, HOLYLORD GOD ALMIGHTYThe real Christian luxuriates in the daily worship of our holy God no matter where heor she is. No special place is necessary.The real Christian engages in communion anytime the Holy Spirit leads. The flesh andblood, the bread and wine of Jesus Christ, can be constantly experienced anytime,anywhere.The real Christian engages in confession of sin, and transgressions, and seeks a holylife, more so every day, knowing that salvation is permanent and secure, but desiring abetter walk with the Lord each and every day.The real Christian engages in praise:PRAISE GOD FROM WHOM ALL BLESSINGS FLOWPRAISE HIM ALL CREATURES HERE BELOWPRAISE FATHER, SON, AND HOLY GHOSTThe real Christian gives THANKS at all times, thanking God for everything,EVERYTHING! And especially:THANKS, BE UNTO GODFOR HIS UNSPEAKABLE GIFTOUR LORD JESUS CHRISTIn everything give thanks.The real Christian engages in daily meditation, the so-called quiet time. The mind of areal Christian daily meditates upon God the creator of all things, omnipotent,omniscient, and omnipresent. Wisdom and understanding flow freely in those quiet,contemplative moments. No matter how many or how long, meditation moments are avital, spiritually energizing part of the life of every real Christian.The real Christian asks and seeks at all times. Pride and ego go away. The wisdom,guidance, and direction of the Lord God Almighty are critical to every Christian.The real Christian is ready at all times to give an answer, a reason for the hope that isin him or her through Jesus Christ. When the opportunity is right, discussion of thatfaith without pretense no matter how eloquent the words, comes easily and it is thosediscussions of those faithful reasons a joy to share a real and personal testimony.The real Christian is a person of the Word, living the glorious life of those 66 books. Nowords are necessary to describe faith when any real Christian lives what he or shebelieves. The Christian life really lived is a far higher and better testimony than anywords could convey.The real Christian seldom self-interprets scripture but seeks the guidance, wisdom,and interpretation of the Holy Spirit. There is no higher wisdom, none at all.So, my friend, I ask:ARE YOU A REAL CHRISTIAN?A BIBLE-BELIEVING CHRISTIAN?SAVED IN FAITH BY GRACE?I do hope and pray you are. May you today and all of life seek first the Kingdom of Godand all the righteous things HE has to offer will be given to you!

Do you consider yourself an evangelical Christian, do you? If so, then you should understand the definition of an evangelical and you should define in full, clearly, and factually, what it is you believe, the real biblical definition of an evangelical Christian. That is critical; for as our beloved Bible states so clearly, we should always be ready to give a reason for the faith, a full explanation, clear and understandable as to exactly:WHAT WE BELIEVEIN WHOM WE BELIEVEWHYGeorge Barna, the respected pollster, himself a biblical evangelical, has defined what he considers to be the definition, THE PILLARS of evangelical faith and consequently a strong and solid definition of a real biblical evangelical. These seven cornerstones of an evangelical and one who holds a biblical worldview are as follows.1.GOD IS THE ETERNAL, OMNISCIENT, OMNIPOTENT AND JUST CREATOR. God therefore is eternal, always was, is, and always will be. The God we love and serve is without beginning or ending. Our God the Father is the great I AM. God knows all (omniscient). God is all powerful (omnipotent). God is just, a God of justice with clear rules and standards. Do you believe that? Do you believe those four things about our GOD THE FATHER of our Lord Jesus Christ? Do you?2.HUMAN BEINGS (ALL OF US) ARE SINFUL BY NATURE. From the beginning, the Garden of Eden, man and woman were of a sinful nature. We as human beings can not help but sin because of our sinful nature. Do you believe that? Do you think that is an essential component (pillar) of true biblical evangelical faith, do you?3.JESUS CHRIST GRANTS FORGIVENESS OF SIN AND ETERNAL LIFE WHEN SINNERS REPENT AND PROFESS THEIR FAITH IN HIM ALONE (ALONE). Our Lord Jesus Christ is the answer to sin, the ultimate forgiver of sin, and the granter of eternal life through belief in Him. All such happens when sinners repent (have you?) and profess their faith:IN HIM ALONE.Not of works, lest any man should boast, or a church, or a religion, or a denomination, but:IN HIM ALONE.Do you believe that? Have you sincerely repented and fully been granted the forgiveness of sin and eternal life through Jesus Christ THE LORD, have you?4.THE BIBLE IS TRUE, RELIABLE, AND ALWAYS RELEVANT. The Bible, our Bible, all 66 books, 39 Old Testament and 27 New Testament, are inspired, infallible, true in every way, and the only ultimate guide in life in the pursuit of that life and truth. Do you believe that? Do you believe it is reliable, a guide, a source, and always relevant, meaningful, current to the day, not subject to interpretation but stand-alone, do you believe that, do you?5.ABSOLUTE MORAL TRUTH EXISTS. And, that truth is defined by the Bible, by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, that essential part of the triune God, the Trinity. Do you believe that there is such a thing as absolute moral truth, do you? And, do you believe that such an absolute moral truth is in fact clearly defined by our beloved Bible, the gift of God the Father to us, do you? Do you believe that our Bible is the absolute and ultimate standard for:RIGHT AND WRONG.Do you? True evangelicals, says George Barna, do just that. Again, do you?6.SUCCESS IS DEFINED AS CONSISTENT OBEDIENCE TO GOD. Obeying God through scripture, commandments, standards, and a clear definition of right and wrong is essential for every true Bible-believing evangelical. Do you believe that obedience to God in every aspect of your life is necessary, a matter of ultimate truth and the hallmark, the cornerstone of every true Bible-believing evangelical, do you?7.LIFE’S PURPOSE IS TO KNOW, LOVE, AND SERVE GOD WITH ALL OUR HEART, SOUL, MIND, AND STRENGTH. Do you know all you should know about the eternal God, God the Father, in order to have the fullest faith possible? Do you love God with all of your heart, soul, mind, and strength, do you as every true Bible-believing evangelical should, do you? And, to the best of your ability, do you serve our God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ with all of your heart, mind, strength, and soul, to the very best of your ability and with the strength and power of the Holy Spirit, do you as every true Bible-believing evangelical would, do you?Of course, there is more to the definition of a true Bible-believing Christian, and even more to a true modern-day evangelical, much more in those 66 God-given books, MUCH, MUCH MORE! But these seven points, says pollster George Barna, are the cornerstones of a real Bible-believing evangelical and a true Christian who sees the world and the life we live through the lens of scripture (Franklin Graham) and possesses at all times a biblical worldview. Do you believe that, do you?So then, the task of every Christian is to grow in faith, the knowledge and wisdom of our Lord Jesus Christ. The life’s task of every real true evangelical Bible-believing born-again forgiven Christian is to constantly define and redefine the faith, to learn more about it, to be able to give different and better reason

Thirty percent of so-called evangelical pastors do not believe that salvation is based exclusively on confession of sins, repentance, and accepting and belief in Jesus Christ as sole and exclusive savior.In short, 30% of today’s evangelical pastors do not believe in a biblical worldview.Those were two findings by George Barna in a recent survey of 1,000 so-called evangelical pastors. Three out of ten so-called evangelical pastors today believe in:WORKS-BASED SALVATION!So, the question becomes:WHAT IS AN EVANGELICAL CHRISTIAN?WHAT DOES THE SO-CALLED NEW EVANGELICAL BELIEVE?Especially evangelical pastors.How, I wonder, can any evangelical, pastor or layperson, believe that salvation, truly born again, occurs with both faith and works? Where in the entire 27 books of the New Testament is there any biblical justification for such a position.Belief in works-based salvation directly contradicts and goes against so many passages of New Testament scripture including and especially the following:FOR BY GRACE ARE YOU SAVED BY FAITH.It is a gift (salvation) from God, and it is:NOT OF WORKSLEST ANY MAN OR WOMAN SHOULD BOAST!EPHESIANS 2:8-9Scripture makes it clear that salvation occurs as follows:1.Recognition and confession of sin2.Repentance of sin3.Accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior4.Believing totally and fully in faith in HIM!There are two fundamental and essential pillars of salvation:1.GRACE2.FAITHGrace, God’s unearned mercy provides us, all of us humans, with the gift of salvation. There is nothing we can do to earn that forgiveness, that acceptance, that new status of being BORN AGAIN, NOTHING! None of us can ever measure up to the standards of Almighty God, to His commandments, no matter what we do or how hard we try. We cannot earn forgiveness, much less complete salvation, except by faith in the shed blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. THAT AND HE IS THE GIFT OF GOD AND THE HEART AND SOUL OF SALVATION.Works indeed are essential but not FOR salvation. Works, after salvation, not in the salvation process. They are fruits of the Spirit; they show and prove our belief in our Lord and they are evidence of our deep love and gratitude for HIM. We are saved, the scripture says so very clearly, by grace and faith as a gift from God:NOT FROM WORKS.The works we do will show the world what kind of Christian we are.In biblical terms, we all have sinned and come short of the Glory of God, the standards of God, miserable human failures in any attempt for righteousness. We need help, HIM! We need CALVARY at work, in us, forgiving, cleansing, redeeming. We need HIM not WORKS! So says the scripture, our inspired Bible, over and again.No matter how hard we try, no matter how good we are, no matter how many good works we do, we cannot measure up. ALL HAVE SINNED AND COME SHORT! It is the full recognition of the fact that not only have we sinned, and with our nature as it is, and without Him, we will continue to do so, there is nothing more we can do to earn salvation. Salvation comes from Jesus Christ, for it is, says our Bible:THE BLOOD OF JESUS CHRIST WHICH CLEANSES US FROM ALL SIN!Not of works lest we would boast of what we have done to earn that salvation.If 30% of evangelical pastors believe in works-based salvation, 3 out of 10, and almost 40% do not believe in a biblical worldview, 4 out of 10, that answers the oft-asked question:WHAT IS WRONG WITH AMERICA’S PULPITS?The real, the true, the biblical definition of salvation is missing, not only in the preaching but in the life of the so-called new evangelical pastors. Far too many have been watered down, become woke, and willing to capitulate to the progressive thinking of today’s ever-growing anti-Christian cancel-culture society in which we live. These modern-day, woke, pastors are the new OURSELVES and they preach a blasphemous gospel that includes works in the salvation process.The pulpit must return to the real salvation process, the biblical process, as Franklin Graham has so well stated:“PEOPLE NEED THE TRUTH OF THE WORD OF GOD THAT HAS THE POWER OF GOD TO CHANGE HEARTS AND LIVES FOR ETERNITY.”What about your church, your pastor? Do they preach the real gospel, with the saving message of Jesus Christ and faith in Him alone, without works, do they? If not, the power of the gospel is missing, and the pulpit and the pastor are weakened. It is time for you, all of us, to stand up and demand that pulpits and pastors proudly proclaim:EPHESIANS 2:8-9For by grace are you saved through faith and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man or woman should boast!Any pastor who believes in work-based salvation is just simply not an EVANGELICAL! So says scripture.

What a man!He was the New Testament version of Old Testament David in so many ways. Paul was a Jew, a Pharisee of the highest order, completely devoted to Judaism. In his early life, no one hated Christianity or Christians more than Paul. In fact, his life’s mission was to destroy Christianity and to kill Christians, KILL THEM! He hated Christ, even though he had never met him.But then, miraculously, Paul met Jesus Christ, the Savior of the World in a way which perhaps no other man had before him. Paul was on his way to Syria from Jerusalem, traveling the Damascus Road on his mission to hunt and kill Christians, when a searing light confronted and blinded him, and a voice like one he had never heard before confronted him saying:SAUL, SAUL (PAUL), WHY DO YOU PERSECUTE ME? WHY?Paul, totally traumatized, managed to mumble:WHO ARE YOU LORD, WHO ARE YOU?I am, the answer came, the one you seek to persecute said Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ of Glory. Paul, the killer, the hater, the destroyer instantly became not just a follower of Jesus Christ, but perhaps one of the most devoted followers CHOSEN, CALLED, COMMISSIONED for a Christian calling and commission like no other. From that point forward, the Christian killer let the whole world know that:FOR ME TO LIVE IS CHRIST!You and I have never had a DAMASCUS ROAD CONVERSION but our very own conversion, confrontation with the Christ of Glory can be every bit as meaningful and life-changing. I pray your life has been changed by Him and that you serve him as:YOU ARE CALLED!Paul served his Lord every day of his new life from that day forward. Inspired by the Holy Spirit, Paul authored almost one-half of the New Testament. His writings explain, give meaning to, challenge, and inspire like no other writings before or since. His life’s motto, theme, and purpose was:FOR ME TO LIVE IS CHRIST AND TO DIE IS GAIN.At the last, he went to Rome, spent his last days in a dark, dank, freezing, Roman prison, where he announced to his adopted son Timothy:THE TIME HAS COME FOR MY DEPARTURE.Then came five words which perhaps were the epitaph for his life and that of which he was most proud:I HAVE KEPT THE FAITH!I have, he told us:FOUGHT THE FIGHT OF FAITH.I have run the Christian race and I have won with the help of my Lord. I HAVE FINISHED THE RACE.Paul sat deserted in that brutal Roman prison, with no one to befriend or defend him and he told his adopted son Timothy:EVERYONE DESERTED ME.But then, overwhelmed by Christian love, he wrote the following:BUT THE LORD (THE LORD) STOOD AT MY SIDE AND GAVE ME STRENGTH.The more we give of our lives, the more persecution, the more rejection, criticism, ridicule, and abandonment by others. Nothing but nothing, and no one would ever get Paul to forsake his faith for he proudly stated over and again:I HAVE KEPT THE FAITH.At his first defense in a Roman court, Paul told Timothy that:NO ONE CAME TO MY SUPPORT. EVERYONE DESSERTED ME.And perhaps the same with you and me. The firmer we stand for the Lord, perhaps the less likely others would come to our support. It is then, especially then, when we should remember, count on, and know for sure that, like Paul:THE LORD WILL STAND BY OUR SIDE AND GIVE US STRENGTH!Paul knew that to die was gain and he longed to see and be with his Lord. And that time came. For the second time, this man would hear the voice of his Lord, just like he heard that voice years ago on the Damascus Road. Paul was brutalized, slaughtered, and:BEHEADEDbecause he was a believer from head to toe. Paul was a man of total faith, never doubting, living a life with sure hope, knowing himself and writing to us that as great as faith and hope were, there was nothing like nor could anything equal:THE ULTIMATE LOVE OF JESUS CHRIST.He went then, and he lives now with Him in that eternal, ultimate, never-ending LOVE of Jesus Christ.What a man, what a mission, what a marvelous ending, what a loving ministry. You and I have our own, and that love experienced by Paul is available to us. That calling, that constant companionship of our Lord is available to us every bit as much as it was to Paul. I pray you know Him, that you know His forgiveness, and then perhaps most importantly, like Paul, because of your faith and hope, you know the ultimate:LOVE OF JESUS CHRIST!