The CRAWFORD STAND podcast

STUDY TO SHOW THYSELF APPROVED! Unto God, first and then to humankind. Work men and work women, as the scriptures say, who are not ashamed, but proud of what they know and use that knowledge for the good of faith and humanity. The more knowledge the better. In fact, what the world needs now are right thinking people who can RIGHTLY DIVIDE not only the word of truth, the scriptures, but all things happening in this world especially culturally, socially and politically. The issues of today ravage and rampage in so many ways because WE THE PEOPLE are uneducated, often indifferent and consequently ignorant of consequences when we are forced to make decisions or live with those made by others. We do not take the time to STUDY the issues and their ramifications, think them through (THINK ON THESE THINGS), and consequently articulate our conclusions. We earn the disrespect of those who know the issues, control them and utilize them for their benefit no matter the consequences to us. And the consequences are incredibly serious in this day and age of CANCEL CULTURE. So many of our once respected and objective institutions of education have become BASTIONS OF BIAS. Virtually all have come under the control of radical progressives, liberals determined to do away with American history, morals and values and religion, especially religion of the Judeo – Christian kind. Studies show that faculties of universities nationwide are far more Democrat than Republican. In fact, the latest ratio indicated that Democrat – progressive faculty has a 13–1 ratio superiority to Republican – conservative. THIRTEEN – ONE! Not only is that one voice not heard, but this oppressive majority opposition seeks to cancel that voice altogether. It moves aggressively forward to indoctrinate rather than educate. Free or counter speech is cancelled at every turn. Opposing points of view face intimidation, threats and faculty firing and student expulsion. You think the way of the new educational orthodoxy or you will be CANCELLED! That is so in spite of a well–known professional standard for college professors which states the following:“College professors are warned against taking unfair advantage of the students immaturity by indoctrinating him or her with the teachers own opinions before the student has had an opportunity fairly to examine other opinions upon the matters in question and before the student has sufficient knowledge and ripeness of judgement to be entitled to form any definitive opinion of his or her own.”That statement comes from the American Association of University Professors, originated as far back as 1915. But in fact, unfair advantage of the minds of young students is common practice at our colleges and universities which, again, INDOCTRINATE RATHER THAN EDUCATE. Most educational institutions have similar rules of their own. They are however completely ignored by the new progressive academia which has become politicized from top to bottom.And yet another educational standard violated with impunity. The Constitution of California specifically states that the universities of California:“Shall be entirely independent of all political or sectarian influence and kept free there from.”However, politicization is now seemingly routine. Colleges and universities however continue on in the pursuit of their political objectives even though they completely stifle – eliminate free inquiry, promote tribalism, erode or corrupt analytical thought. And perhaps most importantly, the emotionality of social justice, the stated aim, would replace reason, rational thinking! Universities used to be places where the major political and social issues of the day could be researched and debated. But current academia in the words of Professor John M. Ellis of the University of California, Santa Cruz:“Offers not a reasoned corrective to partisan passions, but fears, one–sided advocacy of dangerous and destructive ideas.”Real education, says Professor Ellis, has become academically adrift. A former study found that at least 45% of 2,300 undergraduate students surveyed at 24 universities are progressing through higher education today without measurable gains in general skills like critical thinking, complex reasoning and perhaps as importantly WRITING. In short, to use the title of the book by Allan Bloom THE CLOSING OF THE AMERICAN MIND, free speech, analytical thinking, contrary points of view and the flow of fresh ideas become scarcer by the day at our once glorious and respected educational institutions. Higher education has been replaced with lower political radicalism. That radical lurch to the left was rampant among graduate students who became junior professors, instantly shifting the faculty sharply leftward. The political pressure and demand for female and minority faculty appointments occasioned more young radicals hired as members of the faculty. Even as these radical changes occurred, WE THE PEOPLE continued to pay taxes utilized for education

WE THE PEOPLE, citizens of America privileged to be so, have been a free people in a free country for 244 years.Our freedom journey began in the great year 1776. Our Four Fathers fought for that freedom and so many died in the attempt. In the process, there came about incredible documents, the one our very precious DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE. The other, our beloved one–of–a–kind CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. Our freedoms embodied in those documents and amendments were given to us divinely so, inalienable rights from our CREATOR, and essential and fundamental rights of all mankind. The creators of those documents and those who verbalized our original and initial freedoms fought for the right to live free. Now it seems in America 2020, 244 years later, that we who believe in those freedoms must fight again to retain them. They are under attack from so many sources and in so many ways, and we now face head on the answer to the question and challenge of Founder Benjamin Franklin who with so many others was so proud of the freedoms we had, and challenged us to: KEEP THEM!That challenge has never been greater. Our freedoms have never been more in danger. Socialism looms, or more. Rule of law is broken with impunity. Constitutional rights are trampled upon. Healthy and respectful diversity is replaced with an angry, aggressive even militant tribalism. Irreparable division replaces true diversity and violence, physical and verbal is among us at every turn. First of all, freedom of speech, that most important inalienable right in the First Amendment of our Constitution is not only attacked, but curtailed, restricted, ABRIDGED no matter the constitutional prohibition and free speech is no longer tolerated if someone deems it to be hate speech. And without free speech, all other freedoms die, ALL! And that so surely includes: FREEDOM OF RELIGION.The Romans, rulers of the world in the time of Jesus and Paul had turned completely corrupt morally, politically and culturally. Roman lifestyles were lascivious, depraved and decadent so much so that the Apostle Paul in his letter to the Romans stated that: GOD GAVE THEM OVERto that incredibly lascivious and sinful way of life and in essence, withdrew from them. And what they did, how they lived only got worse. It seems they delighted in any form of perversion and the more and the worst the better. They denied the existence of God, even to the point of making CAESAR God. Those early Romans hated the name of Jesus and anything Christian. They were softened, spoiled no longer the robust, aggressive and feared roman empire. They were no longer, like America, the shining light set on a hill, an example for all to see. Rome, the once eternal empire, eroded and eventually disappeared. Many think that is the path of America today, the journey which will end America as we now know it. It seems to many today that God has at least begun the process of: GIVING US OVER. We the Americans to the perverse and lascivious way of life we seem to have adopted. We have like the Romans of old become a permissive society: ANYTHING GOES!The cultural structure of old, morality as it was defined, and social assumptions change by the day. Godless, even those who hate the notion of God carry the dialogue and form the new morality (immorality). Our era is characterized by lawlessness, a complete disrespect for law enforcement, for constitutional restrictions and freedoms and a total disregard for the rule of law of any kind. It seems as though men and women of goodwill have abandoned the marketplace of ideas and freedoms to those who would destroy them. The good have abandoned the political arena, or lost control and influence, and the Godless, the immoral have taken over. And this, tragically enough, may only be the beginning. It seems clearly so that the worst is yet to come.Recently, Dr. James Dobson, he formally of Focus on the Family and now the leader, director and speaker of FAMILY TALK issued an open letter in July to fellow believers everywhere. Jim Dobson is an outstanding Christian, scholar and psychologist, having spent 14 years as an Associate Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Southern California School of Medicine, and the author of some 30 books. No one questions his credentials. The Crawford Broadcasting Company played a large role in the founding, broadcasting and spreading of Focus on the Family and we have been proud to do so with Dr. Dobson the same for Family Talk. One good man, a real and true servant of our Lord is Dr. James Dobson.He reminds us in that July open letter of examples in history where peoples and societies became so wicked, so irredeemably evil at the core that GOD GAVE THEM OVER. They were like the early Romans, which the Apostle Paul identified in Rome in his time in his letter to the Romans Chapter 1:18-32. The Hearts of the Romans had become so hardened God actually left them to their own devices. He gave them over and HE was

You will vote, won’t you? I refer of course to the critical elections which require your vote: TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2020. The most critical, important vote EVER in America. No vote for 244 years will be more important, NONE. And you will be a voter, you will participate, YOU WILL VOTE, won’t you?BUT, in order to be eligible to vote, you must: REGISTER TO VOTE.Have you registered in your state? Every state has different registration qualifications and timelines for doing so. You should check the requirements of your state IMMEDIATELY and make certain, MAKE ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN you are registered and qualified to vote. Every year, people, good American citizens, show up in person to vote and cannot do so because they have not REGISTERED. Know the requirements of your state, and get that registration done now. Many think there will be considerable problems election day November 3. Problems with voting machines. Problems with those who attend and monitor the voting. Problems with waiting to vote. Problems with protestors and unruly individuals attempting to disrupt. Problems with those with different beliefs, voting for candidates and issues different from yours, who will attempt some form of INTIMIDATION. Some think there will be any number of attempts to vote illegally since the voting rolls of many states are filled with illegal, unregistered voters, some even dead and gone. Fraud in voting 2003 can be a serious problem and WE THE PEOPLE, we the voters should be aware of those possibilities. Who would have ever thought that in our beloved America, it would actually take courage on the part of citizens to vote. FRAUD can be a serious problem. Thousands, even tens of thousands of votes cast and counted November 3 could in fact be illegal. In fact, some state elections and even the electors from that state for President could be decided by those not legally entitled to vote! Virtually every state must deal with the possibility of illegal immigrants not entitled to vote, actually voting whether fraudulently in person or by absentee ballot. Some may apply for an absentee ballot, vote the ballot and then actually show up at the voting polls to vote in person. FRAUD can and most think will be a serious problem during voting November 3. Watch for that my fellow Americans, as the old saying goes: IF YOU SEE SOMETHING, SAY SOMETHING! No one should have a voice or vote in American elections except LEGAL AMERICAN CITIZENS! No one. INTIMIDATION. Violence has erupted everywhere in America. Those who are violent, so called protestors, often get away with their illegal actions. Because of their sheer numbers, many who commit criminal acts are not arrested, or charged or brought to trial. Many others are in fact arrested, charged but find that their actions are forgiven and cities, counties and states simply do not bother to prosecute. That is exactly what happened in the once great city of Philadelphia. Mayor Jim Kenney, a progressive Democrat, and his even more progressive District Attorney decided they did not have the resources to prosecute and that Philadelphia time, effort and money would be better spent in other matters and certainly not black lives matter. Protestors, many if not the majority of them violent, destructive of so much real and personal property, and even assaults on innocent citizens went SCOT–FREE, warrants and citations fully dismissed by the Mayor and District Attorney. They got away with criminal behavior and you can be sure that this precedent will encourage many others to commit the same violent, criminal acts knowing the strong possibility of nothing happening. What a tragedy for Philadelphia, the great state of Pennsylvania, and the rule of law.Radical elements control. They are visible. They are loud. They are aggressive. They do what they want, when they want, where they want often in a most intimidating way. There seems always the threat of violence whether to person or property. And that intimidation, actual or threatened, so often prevents good American citizens from political visibility, STANDING OPENLY for what they believe and for whom they will vote and the new normal political marketplace is dominated by radicals, progressives, often anti–America. These violent protestors, seemingly with little or nothing to lose, intimidate so many law–abiding citizens. Consequently, what they believe and the support they will give November 3 to the candidates of their choice is not heard or seen. It is almost as though America, we the people have succumbed to:MOB RULE. For example, many would not put a bumper sticker in support of Donald Trump or the Republican party on their car for fear the car would be vandalized. Many Trump supporters would not wear a cap with the slogan MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN, or a t–shirt with similar support language for fear of PHYSICAL ASSAULT! And that show of support and the values it represents is missing from the early political marketplace. It seems therefore that there

Are you planning to vote November 3, 2020, are you? If you love America, you better vote. Did you vote in 2018? Did you vote in the critical elections 2016 which pale in comparison to elections 2020? Did you? America needs you and YOUR VOTE now more than ever. There are people of faith, perhaps by the millions, who do not vote. Some think it is not their duty and there is no obligation to do so. Others will not vote for a candidate they deem immoral or even unlikely. Others think they are in the world but not of it. Still others think that their vote matters little or nothing at all so why bother. And the church and all other people of faith lose because of the indifference of legitimate, registered, American – citizen voters. I hope and pray you are not one of them.Scripture tells us to: RENDER UNTO CAESAR THE THINGS THAT ARE CAESAR’S. But, my fellow Americans, we are Caesar, we the people. God ordains government and Governors and HE sanctioned the creation of a marvelous experiment in democracy some 250 years ago called: AMERICA THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. Therefore, WE ARE CAESAR, we the people. We elect those among us, like us, believing a democracy to lead us. We do so because they are true representatives, elected, right–thinking, men and women of character who believe sincerely and uncompromisingly in: DEMOCRACY.Therefore, it seems clear that we the people should VOTE. In fact, that we have a patriotic and even a moral duty to vote. If you don’t vote, we the people like you lose. We abandon the SHIP OF STATE to those diametrically opposed to and very much against the thinking and philosophies of people of faith, and religion, and the practice and even the free exercise thereof, no matter the protections and the freedoms of our beloved FIRST AMENDMENT. We believe that it is perhaps the highest secular and patriotic PRIVILEGE offered any American, that of the vote. Men and women throughout history died by the tens of millions to protect basic human freedoms, among which was the privilege and freedom to choose those who govern. They fought, like our American ancestors, to protect those freedoms. They fought to protect the RIGHT to vote, elect and choose those who would have the privilege of leading. In fact, in early America, it was regarded as a DUTY to vote. If you were an American citizen, a true and real citizen, one who both loved and respected the Constitution and the rule of law, the duty to vote was first priority. But that was then. Fast forward 250 years and in some elections, no more than one out of two eligible voters even bother to vote in any elections. Those critical choices are made by 50% of Americans. ONE OUT OF TWO. How absolutely tragic, the first sign of the end of democracy.A registered, legal American citizen votes for him or herself. They vote their conscience and for whom and for what they think is right. But that vote also is critical for spouse, husband or wife. And for children, and grandchildren especially. And for extended family, and friends, and for all others in county, and state. And of course, for all Americans. Think in terms of the ripple effect of a vote and how necessary that vote, YOUR VOTE is. Without your vote, and if you don’t vote, those you love and care for LOSE. What America is and should be is lessened. YOUR VOTE MATTERS! It matters so very much. What America is and should be is incomplete without you and your voice. You and your vote may be only one out of millions, but it matters, it really, really matters! In the most critical elections America has ever faced, elections November 3, 2020, you must vote, you just must. But you should approach the privilege of voting and provide America with an: INFORMED VOTE. It is vital that you understand the issues and the positions of the candidates with regard to those issues. ECONOMIC ISSUES are always so very important. A thriving economy, one with jobs and opportunities is so essential to the American way of life. Our economy was thriving and growing under the Trump Administration. But then came CORONA, Covid–19 and that economy ground to a halt. You should know clearly which Presidential candidate would be most likely to revive and further grow the American economy.And taxes. A Trump Administration would work for lower taxes, or the same, while a Biden Administration would increase taxes overnight.And welfare, expanded by one party and not the other. And foreign policy. Do we as voters wish to MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN and put AMERICA FIRST, or do we wish to simply become one part of a larger global whole. Elections 2020 will provide clear choices for one or the other.And education, intending to be radically different than it always was. To rewrite history, to introduce new moral standards and human definitions. There are clear choices with regard to these philosophies and you should know what they are so that you can vote what you believe. KNOW THE ISSUES! Demand clarity from the candidates and thoroughly under

WE THE PEOPLE so often forget that, in our presumed American democracy, our democratic way of life that we actually live in a republic rather than a true democracy.There are controls everywhere. We presumably live by the wonderful tenets of our beloved Constitution and its 27 amendments. But in reality, our Constitution has been interpreted, reinterpreted, expanded and this original American document, once implemented by ORIGINALISM has now become ORGANIC in so many ways that the principles, language and intentions of the Founding Fathers hardly exist. Courts, many consisting of one man or one woman as judge often do as they please, what they think is right, or follow a path to a desired objective and goal which may or may not be constitutional. Opinions differ widely. In fact, they now go well beyond the old liberal – conservative divide. We have so many in positions of power who may wish to radically change our form of government, now many with deeply held socialistic points of view and philosophies, and even communistic. There are those passionately anti–capitalism, determined to control the economy through taxation and regulation. There is often deep distrust of the individual, the American citizen. The elitists, the politically power hungry and the cultural know–it–alls have growing disrespect for the common man and woman, seeking their vote, support and money at election time and virtually ignoring them thereafter. Two hundred and fifty years ago, in that aggressive revolutionary time, the indifference to any average American citizen would never, ever have been tolerated. The attitude of the early revolutionaries, the 13 states was tough, independent, involved and often highly suspicious of politicians and those in power. The key to the early revolutionary mentality was INVOLVEMENT. Citizens aggressively participated in the political process. They held elected officials accountable. They were intolerant of corruption and they were determined as the old state motto so well said to: LIVE FREE OR DIE.Having fought the Revolutionary War and won freedom, REAL FREEDOM, these early citizens of our great country, the very first Americans would never, ever give up that freedom.Two things characterize the early Americans which hardly exist in today’s cultural – political American environment. The first was involvement. Life was hard, demanding and time consuming. But these early Americans always had TIME for all things political. They trusted political leaders but only if they were ethical and lived up to their promises, following the lead and direction of the patriotic citizens of their state. Early American citizens were very concerned not only about freedom, but the economy, and of course banking and the control of funds. They were concerned with morality. They had their own views of foreign policy. For the most part, they wanted limited government, especially the federal government seeking to protect state governments and state rights at all times. They were committed to the famous statement of Patrick Henry in everyday life: GIVE ME LIBERTY OR GIVE ME DEATH.They would not live under any tyranny, bondage, political or even military pressure or control. They were politically involved in order to make certain freedom was never lost. They responded aggressively to the challenge of Founding Father Benjamin Franklin, who challenged the citizenry when asked what the Founding Fathers created in terms of the Constitution and the governmental structure. Franklin stated the Founding Fathers had given the new America a constitutional republic and then echoed his famous challenge to them: IF YOU CAN KEEP IT. If you can keep it. And what a herculean task it would be to keep that republic, to live under democratic principles and freedoms and never lose them. What an unbelievable challenge it was then and, my fellow Americans, that challenge is even greater today, FAR GREATER! The second fundamental principle demanded and aggressively followed by early citizens was ACCOUNTABILITY. If one became an elected official, that person was held to the highest standards of conduct, required to function as a true fiduciary, a true representative of the people. When that citizen trust was broken, and of course it was from time to time in those early days, that elected official was held accountable. Not only individual citizens, but states and especially the original 13 held the federal government accountable. If that government usurped too much power, and began the trampling of states rights, those states, holding the federal government accountable were ready to resist or secede if necessary. It was an aggressive, action–oriented political environment in those early revolutionary days as the new America evolved. The expectation, the demand for accountability was extremely strong. Fledgling America was an experiment in democracy, a republic at work, trial and error but with involvement by the citizenry which was so special at that tim

THOU SHALT NOT KILL!So say the scriptures and so say I, don’t you? The thou means you, my fellow American. And the thou means me, everybody! Nobody should kill, NOBODY!No matter, violence, including killing or the ever-present possibility thereof, runs rampant in America. The George Floyd era has unleashed a license in behavior, allowing if not condoning violence and that violence can well include: MURDER – KILLING!I for one despise violence of any kind, physical or verbal for that matter. I could never, ever kill another human being even if my own life was at stake, could you? I know well the arguments of defending family, friends and especially children. But I could not do that with guns and knives. I take the biblical admonitions seriously and for me, there has to be another way. What do you think, how do you act, and how do you live? But violence seems commonplace in some parts of America, expected, killing happening often with impunity. In a recent weekend, nine human beings were killed in Chicago, NINE! Four of those nine, African American, were children, innocent children. No one it seems outside of that Chicago neighborhood, Austin west of Chicago, seems to care. The country is obsessed with the killing of George Floyd but could care less about the killing of four, four innocent children in a suburb of Chicago. Three year old Mekhi James, an African American child living in Austin – Chicago, Illinois was shot in the back, killed when someone fired several rounds into the SUV his father was driving. Three years old! Where is the outrage, and where is the proactive response of Chicago’s Mayor, an American herself, African American and female. Where is the response, the caring, and the promise of justice for those four children and the five adults killed with them that weekend. WHERE IS IT? Two hours after Mekhi James was brutally murdered, that same weekend, Amaria Jones, 13 years of age was fatally shot in the neck as she sat, get this clearly now: INSIDE HER HOME!Thirteen years old, dead and gone and does anybody care about Amaria J. Jones, anybody, including Chicago’s African American Mayor. Does anybody care and will anybody do anything about it?Then killed was Jasean Francis 17 years old, a resident of Austin – Chicago, innocent but slaughtered by butchers, murderers who could care less about the biblical commandment: THOU SHALL NOT KILL!Five adults were killed in addition to the children. Violence, killing, black killing black and does anybody care, ANYBODY? I do and I have asked my Chicago stations to do something about it. ACTION NOT WORDS. All those lives matter, they matter every bit as much as George Floyd, brutally murdered in Minneapolis, Minnesota and they matter every bit as much as the killing of Rayshard Brooks in Atlanta. Floyd and Brooks were shot and killed by police officers and Mekhi James was shot and killed by black criminals, thugs, hoodlums, killers and murderers, the bottom line is the same. Floyd and Brooks could and should be alive, but so should four young African American children as well. THEY SHOULD BE ALIVE! Does anybody care, ANYBODY about these four innocent black children murdered in Austin – Chicago?In Philadelphia, the so called city of Brotherly Love (now vandals and hoodlums), gangs of rioters rolled through several neighborhoods burning businesses and cars. There was only a tepid, lackluster response from the Philadelphia Police Department as so many minorities vandalized, and violently destroyed the property of good people including any number of businesses owned by minorities. Many wondered why there was not a more aggressive response from Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw herself an African American as so many violently vandalized. Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney, a considerable liberal Democrat sheepishly condemned the violence on the one hand, but immediately seriously questioned the use of his police force to stem the violence with non–lethal tear gas. Every liberal politician must toe the line, the party line, condemning the police and police forces even though the vast majority of those civil servants are good men and women, concerned with the rule of law and determined to uphold the law and to prevent violence. They get lost in the shuffle by these radical police condemnations. These, my fellow law abiding Americans, are frightening days in our beloved country and the rule of law has never been more disrespected or ignored. Scary times indeed for we the people who love America, believe in our Constitution and the rule of law and even as we LOVE OUR COUNTRY: WE DESPISE VIOLENCE AND KILLING!We believe firmly and unequivocally that any civilized person, and especially any person of faith lives by the biblical admonition: THOU SHALL NOT KILL! New York City releases criminals charged as such without bail. The city also releases convicted prisoners because of CORONA. For the first three weeks of June, New York City, the five boroughs thereof, w

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

There is a silent enemy of the grace of the Gospel that is creeping through the American church. Pulpits are filled with those who in the name of “love” and out of fear, stay silent about, or even endorse, socialist ideology under the guise of “social justice.” The enemy is sneaky, full of slight twists and deception. Christians everywhere are taking the bait and virtue signaling their Christian family to shame them into compliance. Christian leaders and organizations are pressed more and more to continually interact with such or face economic challenges as cancel–culture not so subtly suggests… agree or be canceled. The bottom line is that the more Christians are focused on identity politics, post-modernism, and human perspectives of rightness, the more the absolute truth of the Gospel is squelched. This results in a failure to focus on individual responsibility and the personal mandate for repentance, confession, and God’s grace. Modern ideas of social justice (which is a completely subjective and arbitrary term) and the like are nothing more than legalism repackaged in a much more palatable form. Effectively proposing that “you’re only a good Christian if you act and support what they deem important.” There is also an inherent greed that perpetuates throughout the social justice movement. The idea that one has something another does not and therefore, is obliged to tip the scales to a more equitable situation, is problematic. Not only does it not rely on God as the giver of all things, but it also causes an “I deserve what you have” mentality. That is not biblical living. Again, this creates tribes and divisions that are not of biblical Christianity. I would propose a different term for those who truly have hearts for the less–fortunate, the widow, and the orphan…that is “biblical citizenship.” No true believer in Jesus would say that we are to ignore those in need. However, there is a big difference between living out one’s faith through generosity and making social justice an end in itself, which it has become.Thank God, there are some who continue to speak the truth and that we are doing whatever we can to refocus on things right. It is the Gospel of Jesus Christ that can stamp out racism, hate, and injustice…and only He can right all wrongs. Any message that claims anything different than that as its goal is a false Gospel and is empty. Right thinking, biblical, Christians across North America need to stand up, be heard, and refocus on spiritual message of the Gospel, individual responsibility, and our calling to speak truth no matter the consequences.LAMENTING THE FIRST.Recently my Pastor preached a sermon on lament. I began to think about the things I lament and how to approach those things while living in a fallen world. But, before we talk about how to biblically approach the things that weigh heavily on our hearts, let me tell you what I’m most concerned about, and it might surprise you.I am lamenting the loss of our American constitution, specifically the First Amendment. It’s gone, perhaps never to return. Yes, I know, it’s still there on paper, but in practice, its value has been eroded to nothing more than a suggestion.The First Amendment was first for very good reason. THE core principle of a free society is open, honest, and challenging debate. Benjamin Franklin rightly said, “freedom of speech is a principal pillar of a free government; When this support is taken away, the constitution of a free society is dissolved.” My friends, free speech is gone! It began on college campuses and in our education systems. The issue grew with the politically correct movement. In the name of “love”, so many bought in to squelching any type of speech that seemed to offend or hurt. You’ll see this play out in so many problems…the idea that we Christians should go along with something because it is “loving.” That’s a whole different topic for the future, but love is so much more than feel–good placation. It’s Satan’s greatest tool; to twist something good just ever so much to destroy what is right.So, the politically correct movement led to many other phenomena such as cancel culture and now, people lose careers, jobs, friends, and family over what they SAY!Now, we have a social media generation who has been educated in the politically correct cancel culture, and everyone has a platform. I’ve tried respectfully debating issues on social media. I get frustrated, not at the ideas but at the inability of people to rationally debate their position. I can honestly say, I have never been bothered by a position or an individual, it’s more that logical debate is dead. Just challenge a left–leaning assumption and watch the vitriol and hate. There is no rational and logical back and forth that is separated from emotion, which leads to logical fallacy. Every time it ends in ad hominem, straw–man, and false dichotomies…among other fallacies. The left has very effectively silenced all debate; because leftist policies ra

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 and worth

When we think of nuns, there comes to mind the vision of good ladies in habits, easily identified as special members of the Roman Catholic Church, and of course doing good deeds of mercy and kindness to others, and especially to the poor. Perhaps we also think in stereotypic terms that nuns are passive, always ready to turn the other cheek, even nonconfrontational and certainly not political. Perhaps a nun is best represented by that very special one MOTHER TERESA. What she did in her life achieved worldwide notoriety, well deserved. But by no means all of them fit this stereotype. There came the AFFORDABLE CARE ACT, which we know as OBAMACARE which required all medical insurance to cover women’s “preventive care.” The anti–religion Barack Hussein Obama and the Obama Administration immediately and progressively defined preventive care as all manner of birth control. That meant that any insurance plan, whether private or governmental was required, forced to offer and pay for birth control no matter any religious ramifications. There were indeed exemptions, such as churches, granted a full exemption. But ironically so called employers like the LITTLE SISTERS OF THE POOR were not. That organization, to be sure, was indeed religious in nature but the LITTLE SISTERS were required to offer and pay for birth control items in any medical insurance offered. They stood up and fought back. And they took on the government yet a second time.In 2017 and 2018, the Trump Administration expanded the exemption to employers who sincerely objected to paying for contraceptives. Good for you, Mr. Donald John Trump, good for you. But then, as the Wall Street Journal so well states, “in a dreary example of liberal intolerance, Pennsylvania and New Jersey sued to have the Trump exemption declared invalid, illegal and unconstitutional.” Not to be intimidated by the liberal, legal moves of these two states, the Little Sisters of the Poor, headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania moved to intervene. The case made its way through the lower courts, including the Third Circuit Court of Appeals, and it was finally recognized by the Supreme Court as a supreme legal example of constitutional importance, and a Supreme Court recognized and consolidated with other cases for review and decision: THE LITTLE SISTERS OF THE POOR V. PENNSYLVANIAThis case is one excellent example of the conflict which now exists between competing rights of the First Amendment of the Constitution, namely the CLASH between FREEDOM OF RELIGION and the extent of the power and control of the federal government. Can, this case argues, religious organizations not churches, which again are exempt, which have sincerely held religious beliefs that the use of contraceptives and birth control measures are immoral and against their religion and conscience be required to offer such and even pay for these items as medical insurances offered. Can the government? Pennsylvania and New Jersey argue that the Trump Administration exceeded its power when it granted this broad exemption to private employers. The states claim that the RELIGIOUS FREEDOM RESTORATION ACT (RFRA) and Obamacare do not authorize the creation of these exemptions to the birth control mandate. The Little Sisters of the Poor, God bless them, fought back and forcefully reminded the Supreme Court that the RFRA clearly states that if the government wants to “substantially burden” religion against its conscience, which the birth control requirement would clearly do, the government must have a compelling interest in doing such and it must also do so by the least restrictive means. Is it, the nuns ask, governmentally COMPELLING that the government require and be so involved with the enforcement of birth control no matter the unconscionable burden to religious organizations and, is requiring all such organizations to offer and pay for such the least restrictive way the government can enforce this COMPELLING INTEREST as a national requirement. The nuns say no way and so do thousands of other such organizations and entities and so many private business owners as well.By the way, the government tried to avoid the matter, the lawsuit by offering the Little Sisters a fig leaf. That is, an opt–out for them as a compromise. That might indeed solve the problem for the nuns and their organization, but it would leave undecided the much larger issue of governmental interference to religion generally and the constitutional rights of freedom of religion of so many other entities, paving the way for more litigation. Up they stood, these strong defenders of and believers in the constitution and freedom of religion and refused to be bribed. They did then and do now intend to FIGHT THE FIGHT OF FAITH. And all of us who are religious – Christian and otherwise applaud them and stand with them.The states Pennsylvania and New Jersey responded to the Supreme Court that the nuns were unreasonable, guilty of OBSTINACY. Their attorneys immediately

Closed because of Corona.Covid–19 shut our doors, say the Pastors of our land. Governors of all 50 states ordered that there be no gatherings of the believers, the worshipers. Stay home, said the Governors, and get the religious things you need from the digital world. You never know, said the Governors, whether or not the person sitting in the pew next to you has the virus, no matter the symptoms. You just never know. Closure was probably the right thing to do, at least from a medical standpoint. Perhaps the virus was a clear and present danger and at least to some extent, it still is. But it was fairly UNCONSTITUTIONAL, violated the First Amendment and at least temporarily took away the very first and perhaps the most important freedom guaranteed by the First Amendment of the Constitution: FREEDOM OF RELIGION.That is, 50 men and women, Governors all, violated the First Amendment by: PROHIBITING THE FREE EXERCISE OF RELIGION.It was not the United States Congress which did that, but the individual states. No matter, the states violated the Constitution, undoubtedly set a precedent and we the people got a taste of what America would be like without the ability to worship in mass gatherings, in churches, synagogues and mosques if and when that satanic time comes. Scriptures tell us that where as few as two or three are gathered together, the Lord is there and among them. I, said Jesus of Nazareth, am there. So that a HOUSE OF WORSHIP may not be necessary for true spirituality but it has always been and should be THE PLACE for worship as a matter of choice. And: THE PLACE SHOULD NOT BE REPLACEDby the individual and potentially arbitrary action of any Governor, much less a Congress, Senate and House. So, we the people turn to the digital world for our worship. The church goes online. And it does so without the congregation. No people, live human beings interacting, nothing personal or one on one. All of that may be helpful but IT IS NOT THE SAME, not close. There may be coming a so called NEW NORMAL, whatever that may be. But there should not be any new normal for THE CHURCH, not the church. The old model is critical and must be preserved, IT MUST. There was 2000 years ago one man, the Nazarene, a miracle worker and the world’s greatest teacher. He preached, and they came, one by one. And then there were 12. He called them disciples and they gave their all and themselves to Him, gladly, willingly, lovingly. And the fellowship began. They were together as believers. They have loving commonality. They had a very special spiritual communion. They became, those 12, one in HIM. They were the founders, the pioneers of fellowship and togetherness. And the gatherings grew, the multitudes came. Believers were added and the Gospel began to spread, beyond Jerusalem, nation after nation, and then the world. The church of Jesus Christ became a living, vibrant REALITY possessed of real people. The early church was conducted in homes. People gathered at the homes of other believers to worship. Even then, without churches or formal buildings in which to worship, believers hungered for fellowship, for association, for the AMBIANCE of worship. More than one, and more than two or three. All were welcome, invited even and a sense of communion and commonality was critical, indispensable and in today’s terminology: ESSENTIAL.ESSENTIAL to that early form of worship was the sense of: TOUCH.The touch of the brothers and the sisters in Christ was the supreme act of human love. That perhaps was the beginning of the holy hug. The Christian love among believers expressed itself with that special touch. It was undoubtedly fostered and approved by the HOLY SPIRIT working, ever working in the hearts of believers. The love they had for Jesus of Nazareth grew to the point where it had to be expressed and shared with others. In person, touch, feel was assumed to be essential and those on the front line of Christianity, as it spread among so many dangers and difficulties were the very first lovers in the church, set precedent and became the examples for all believers to follow. The men and women of that day sought to touch Jesus, whenever they could. His feet were washed with an expensive oil by an adoring woman. Zacchaeus could not touch him but climbed the tree to see him. The sick and the frail wanted only to touch the hem of his garment so as to be healed. One can only imagine how often and lovingly the 12 disciples touched their Lord. And, even today, we who believe long for: THE TOUCH OF THE MASTER’S HAND.Nothing can ever replace the personal, the interpersonal, the gatherings, the togetherness, NOTHING. We need the touch of the master’s hand. We need to taste and see that the Lord is good. We need the scent, the ambiance of the church and worship. We need to see the church in action, its people, its believers working to spread the fruits of the Gospel. And we need to hear in person from the actual believers, Pastors and Christian leaders th

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 barbecues 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 lov

I HATE DONALD TRUMP!We the people heard that over and again in 2016, did we not? I may disagree with them, sometimes passionately so, but I never hated any politician, did you? To be sure, President Trump has a most unique personality. He is straightforward to a fault, confrontational, argumentative, interruptive, always on the ready for a verbal fight. He sometimes has that turn–off look on his face. He drinks no alcohol but he sure loves his food. You can predict the way he will dress, especially those long red ties, and his hair can often look like something not his own!He won the Republican nomination for President in 2016 even though he was by no means any kind of traditional Republican. He was then, is now and always will be: HIS OWN MAN.Perhaps more a libertarian than a Republican. It is difficult at times to figure out what he is but you can judge the man by what he does. TRUMP IS A MAN OF HIS WORD! He does what he says he will do. Especially when it comes to Israel. The organization THE REPUBLICAN JEWISH COALITION (RJC) calls Trump “the most pro–Israel American President ever.” If the RJC comes to that conclusion as a result of what Trump has promised and what Trump has done, President Trump is indeed the most pro–Israel, pro–Jewish President ever.Mr. Trump has an unwavering commitment to defend the state of Israel. He understands that Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East, a strong ally of America, a buffer to radical and warlike Islamic states like Iran, and even a thorn in the side to Russia. Trump knows that it is for the good of America that Israel needs to survive and thrive. So, from the Trump Administration there comes a long litany of pro–Israel policies. In December 2017, President Trump declared Jerusalem the capital of the Jewish state. It was the capital when modern day Israel, then the land of Canaan, was occupied by the Jews and the twelve tribes. It was the capital city of David, Solomon and any number of kings thereafter. Jerusalem is steeped in Jewish history, tradition, occupancy, culture and lifestyle. It is in fact the ETERNAL CAPITAL OF THE JEWISH STATE AND RIGHT–THINKING PEOPLE. Such a declaration would never have been made by the Democrats and certainly not by Barack Hussein Obama.In May 2018, President Trump moved the United States Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. At that time, Trump publicly declared in presidential fashion that Jerusalem was: THE ETERNAL CAPITAL OF THE JEWISH PEOPLE.As such, the American embassy should be there, and not in Tel Aviv. Another bold move but the right move. Trump was loudly criticized by Democrats but for this President, the hateful harangues of critics and especially the Democrats are water off a duck’s back. That is one great strength of Trump. He ignores hateful criticism and may even welcome that. Again, in May 2018, President Trump withdrew the United States of America from the IRAN NUCLEAR TREATY. In many ways, Trump knew that this treaty was trumped up, unenforceable, a sham and one which would eventually allow the participating nations and the world to see Iran with nuclear warfare capability. It was a treaty Iran could ignore, and it did, and even while professing adherence, all the while pursue the development of nuclear capability. Trump withdrew America from that sham of a treaty much to the consternation of America’s European allies. Trumps response to that criticism was that those nations like America should also withdraw from this sham of a treaty. In November 2018, President Trump reinstituted crippling sanctions against Israel’s main geopolitical enemy Iran. Most were economic and the full effects of this bold and audacious action rippled through the Iranian economy and culture. Not only did such presidential actions and sanctions have their intended geopolitical effects, but as well the sanctions caused unrest, dissent and even a certain kind of protest and rebellion on the part of right–thinking Iranian citizens. Trump knew the effect on the entire world which Iranian nuclear capability would have. He with Israel was determined to not allow that to happen.In March 2019, the United States recognized Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights. This is a territory once Syrian but captured in war by the Israelis and kept by them ever since. Syrians and their allies would camp on the Heights and fire indiscriminately on the Israelis and their territory below, an incredible military advantage. Israelis knew they had to maintain possession of the Golan Heights for their safety and security. They were of course loudly criticized by Palestinians and by Arab nations. To this day, Israelis maintain full possession of that unique and special territory. I have been there three times. It is well fortified. The Israelis keep watch 24/7 for any Syrian military activity even as they do for Lebanon with the militant, hateful Iranian–sponsored group military activity of Hamas and Hezbollah. Israeli soldiers, the IDF charged with

CONGRESS SHALL MAKE NO LAW RESPECTING AN ESTABLISHMENT OF RELIGION, OR PROHIBITING THE FREE EXERCISE THEREOF; OR ABRIDGING THE FREEDOM OF SPEECH, OR OF THE PRESS; OR THE RIGHT OF THE PEOPLE PEACABLY TO ASSEMBLE, AND TO PETITION THE GOVERNMENT FOR A REDRESS OF GRIEVANCES.These are perhaps the most important freedom words ever authored by any government. They were crafted December 15, 1791, some 229 years ago. They are the INDISPENSABLE words of the First Amendment of our beloved Constitution. It is the first emphatic, unconditional, fundamental First Amendment, the First of Ten in what we call THE BILL OF RIGHTS. Hear these incredible words clearly. First, Congress shall make no law. That is, House and Senate of our federal government shall make NO law, none whatsoever, none of any kind, none which in any way abridges freedom of religion, speech, press, peaceful assembly and petition for government redress of grievances. NONE!But it does, our Congress House and Senate. It does make laws which abridge, qualify, condition or otherwise water down that absolutely unconditional requirement that there be no law, or any abridgement, not even the slightest qualification to those fundamental freedoms of religion, speech, press, assembly and petition. NONE. One example. The so–called HATE SPEECH LEGISLATION. Radical, progressive, anti-constitutional and anti–American progressives have found a way to convince Congress that so–called hate speech is not free speech. That has been determined as a qualification (an abridgement) to the absolute and unconditional demand of the First Amendment. And there is more, and more to come. Our country is built upon the most fundamental of freedoms, and that is free speech. We are absolutely free to state our opinions, to say whatever we wish whenever we wish wherever we wish. We the speakers, the free speechers are indeed responsible for our words but we the speakers cannot be prevented from SPEAKING! But, it is just incredible how this progressive, in so many ways anti–American day and age attacks the First Amendment and especially freedom of speech and seeks to curtail it or at least control it any way possible.That happens perhaps more often in the world of education, shockingly so. Our colleges and universities block the use on the internet of: 1,800 UNIQUE TERMSon social media pages. ONE THOUSAND EIGHT HUNDRED words no longer considered to be free speech by these learned educational institutions. And more. Secret filters automatically remove comments mentioning political figures, Corporate partners, sports teams and faculty members just to name some. Almost every college and university in our beloved country employs a certain kind of SPEECH POLICE who do nothing more than monitor, control and render null and void any speech they do not like. And more. EIGHTY SEVEN PERCENT OF COLLEGES BLOCK USERS ON FACEBOOK OR TWITTER, 87%! Don’t you find that unbelievable? College administrators abuse social platform tools to secretly and illegally censor posts and users. Eighty seven percent! The majority of top public colleges and universities use a blacklist of secret words created by no less than FACEBOOK to automatically censor comments on university social media pages. That was so when colleges were alive and active. But today, when so much of student life moves online, such censorship is even more alarming, radical and of course UNCONSTITUTIONAL. That led the FOUNDATION FOR INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS AND EUCATION (FIRE) to conclude that the vast majority of educational institutions are “impermissibly censoring public dialogue.” Are they ever. Many believe that these educational speech police are radical, progressive, even anti–American and anti–Constitutional individuals who somehow have obtained these positions of power and importance and are determined to control the dialogue with regard to local and national issues, campus controversies, criticism of the Corporate partners of the universities, and the sport teams and anyone or anything else they deem to be undesirable. And this comedy educational environment is where any and all speech, free to be sure and any and every point of view and the thinking behind it should be encouraged and fostered to grow the understanding and maturity of the young college individuals. In so many cases at so many universities, it is exactly the opposite! “There is no social media exception to the First Amendment. Government or university actors cannot sanitize public discourse, which includes American colleges filtering dissent on their social media accounts. By selectively eliminating particular viewpoints, universities are violating the First Amendment.” So said Adam Steinbaugh, a strong defender of the First Amendment and free speech. It is absolutely illegal and unlawful for colleges to ban more than 1,800 words and phrases from any kind of public use and to curtail speech in that fashion. Many of these educational institutions use the so–called profanity filte

In our world, love rules. It is the highest attribute, with fundamental characteristic of all humankind. Perhaps the finest expression of love is:MOTHER LOVEThe definition of mother, a real mother is simply put:LOVEA mother’s love is the ultimate human love.It is said that THE HAND THAT ROCKS THE CRADLE RULES THE WORLD. Perhaps so because so much of a child is formed in the early years by mother. One is in life so much of what a mother was.A real mother is part of the life of a child forever. What we learn at mother’s knee is so often what we are. Her values become ours. We are HER. The egg of a woman is the source of all life, the fundamental stuff of the universe and when fertilized by the sperm of the male:LIFEThe most precious thing of all happens. The egg and the sperm unite and become one but it is:GODWho gives life.At that very moment of conception, the life of a HUMAN BEING begins.That life is not a mere collection of cells as one biologist so flippantly said, but in reality the first moments of the life of a human being, a child on the grow in the womb.That fertilized egg is a BABY.So much for abortion which is nothing more than murder of that baby at any stage in the womb. And so the mother begins mothering, and the baby grows. The enriched womb of the mother nourishes and cherishes the baby, sensitive to every need.The morning sickness is a small price to pay for the life within. Moods and diets may change as the womb grows large and beautiful. It is really wondrous to behold the change of mother in the making with that womb at work. It is marvelous indeed to touch the nine month home of that child. The ear presses down, hoping to hear any sound from the baby.Touching, hearing, kissing, sensing life at work are really more important than any ultrasound. God at work through Mother Nature creating life is wondrous, even miraculous. Some today are actually privileged to see the baby born. Out of the womb comes a bundle of joy, of life and yet another miracle happens.The pain of childbirth is so well worth the end result. Perhaps it is the most loving moment, the ultimate loving moment when brand new baby lays firm on mother’s breasts. Having seen that, how I wonder could any potential mother abort, kill her very own child? To do so is to abort a miracle.Early on, it is the still, small voice of the mother which is perhaps the greatest teacher in life. We the infants hear that voice and remember what the voice of our mother sounds like and says for a lifetime. We do so consciously and perhaps even more importantly subconsciously. That loving voice in many ways is angelic, the early words of love. They come with touch, and they are spiritual, psychological, character forming and building.The love of a mother is every bit as important as food itself. So, in a sense, these early words are eternal for they train up the child in the way the mother wishes the child to go and to grow is not to depart from the right ways of the mother. The words of a mother to her child are melodic, soothing, comforting. They support, encourage and they make a child feel safe.A mother touches, hugs, strokes, talks and sings to her baby, episodes never to be forgotten. When all else fails and all others as well, a truly loving mother never does. She is forever, eternal.A loving mother is kind. In a world rough and confrontational, the kindness of the mother is a most necessary characteristic.A loving mother is never jealous, never envious, always willing to put the child first, in love.A real loving mother is proud of her child no matter what the child becomes.Motherly love is always positive, not negative.It looks for the best, the good and the right. But the mother renders discipline when things are wrong. The love of a real mother is tough love. That love has standards, clear, straight and simply and lovingly communicated. Real love is without compromise. A loving mother never bargains with a child.A mother explains and answers perhaps better than any teacher, helping a child to understand. A mother stretches but never pushes knowing that her child must be challenged in order to grow. There is always demand and discipline from the right mother, both easy to implement when the child knows he or she is:LOVEDA loving, Godly mother makes certain her child understands her standards and values and those of God as well.A loving Godly mother teaches the child the things of her Lord. Train up that child in the ways of faith, of Christian faith, the faith of the mother. There is no better witness for the child than a loving Christian mother, living life by those standards and the child along with her. That is faith with works, the best kind. A real loving mother gives time, quality time to the child. There is for mother and child that quality time to talk and much more importantly, and especially for mother, to:LISTENIn an age of cell phones, babysitters, fast foods, carpools and demanding social life, all of that and everything els

Things in our beloved USA will never be the same, so say the pundits. The Coronavirus, the so called Covid-19 will, when it is finally over and done with, usher in a new age, a new technological era. This change was already happening, step by step, slowly, manageable, understandable and beneficial. Corona however has made this new technology king of the road. There will be a NEW NORMAL. We who have always had our feet on the ground will now have our: HEAD IN THE CLOUD. Virtual will become the priority over real. The internet with all of its incredible number of products will rule. It will be in many ways Americas first priority. Social media will expand faster than ever. Facebook so it seems is now the new American bread and butter. REAL TIME will never again have the meaning it once had. The changes in how we do business, our lifestyles and our persons will be more comprehensive, faster and dominating. The Coronavirus has ushered in a new day and age virtually overnight. There comes a new normal for the world of business. A goodly portion of our business world will change, some of it radically, others more the methodology than the substance, that is how business does business rather than a fundamental change in the nature of the business. And, the new technology will take the weak, the aging, the overly expensive part of our business model and do away with it once and for all. There were businesses which were able to function pre–Coronavirus, now shut down never to return. We the people will need to adapt to those changes and in fact become part of them.So much of the business world is under lockdown. If it is not ESSENTIAL (I wonder who defines what is essential), the business, its owners and employees are quarantined, forbidden. So many of our businesses struggle even now to be deemed essential so that they can operate. The federal government and every one of our 50 states have considerable regulations and requirements, tougher by the day and everyone non–essential is continuously urged and admonished to: STAY HOME.We are allowed to travel, drive our cars if we are essential but otherwise, unless we go to the grocery stores or pharmacies, we are required by Presidential or Governor mandate to STAY HOME. Whenever we venture out in public, virtually every state requires us to wear a mask and gloves where possible. The mask seems to protect others from any bacteria or virus we may have but seems to have little effect, very little protection against the mask wearer contracting the virus. But the mask does help so wear it. And of course, wash our hands. Wash them thoroughly, learn how to really wash your hands and as importantly, dry them. It seems as though the virus has a liking for the wet. So wash, and use disinfectants wherever you can. GOOD ADVICE! But, restrictive and often times difficult.This little virus, the Coronavirus, invisible to the human eye has not only changed the world in so many ways, but done unbelievable harm to the economies of the world and our very own country. Federal and state governments have had no choice but to provide financial aid and support to businesses and individuals as the economy virtually shuts down. There has never been an unemployment situation in America like the one today, not even The Great Depression of 1929. As of Friday, April 17, 23 million people, 23 MILLION PEOPLE had filed for unemployment insurance. That staggering number crashed computers, overloaded states and the federal government agencies dealing with labor and unemployment and made it impossible to stay current with the demands and needs of the people. America, we the people were totally unprepared for this little flu–like virus and it radically impacted every aspect of our lives and lifestyles politically, socially, spiritually and perhaps long run most importantly ECONOMICALLY. It will probably take months for our economy to begin to open and return, and literally years before there is any kind of normalcy. The word Corona will live in infamy the world over. A lasting phenomenon from Covid–19 is the new business model: WORK AT HOME.That was a phenomenon growing gradually pre–Corona. But when the virus required business lockdowns, literally millions more began to work from home. Businesses and corporations, once lukewarm to working at home and remotely, offered the opportunity gladly so that the business could be done at least to some extent. A new flexibility for working became the new business model. So many could now do their work at home, on their schedule, as long as they did what was required. Actual hours worked became secondary. Everything about the business was accessible by computer, laptop, iPads and even iPhones. There was little need to go to the office. And, it seemed that Americans embraced the opportunity to work at home.It gave them, so many said, better balance, the balance of time between their personal and professional lives. There was more time for family, for sharing, for lovin

HE IS RISEN!Haven’t forgotten that, have you? Just because we celebrated Easter and the Easter message of resurrection even though virtual Sunday, April 12, just can’t let you and me ever forget that. It’s not just April 12, it’s every day of 12 MONTHS.HE is the only man who ever triumphed over death and the grave, none before Him and none since. THE ONLY ONE! That resurrection, that bodily resurrection, that ascension, that VERIFIED – WITNESSED resurrection and ascension is crucial, pivotal, revolutionary, life changing, essential and indispensable to the belief of every Christian. Morning, noon and night, every day of all 365, the living, resurrected Christ LIVES within the hearts of every Christian believer. And every believer, the Christ has promised, will live with Him now, in this life, and in the life WITH HIM to come. Incredible, is it not?Wonderful, glorious, jubilant, to every believer. But to the natural man:FOOLISHNESS, Absolute and altogether foolishness. It is absolutely ridiculous, says a natural man, an atheist or agnostic, that a mere human being, a carpenter from Nazareth no less, who came from dust and shall return to dust as the scriptures say should rise from the dead. It is just simply not possible. And of course, the myth of the resurrection and the myth of the virgin birth and even for many the myth of the crucifixion all are nothing more than fairytales or as the scriptures say IDLE tales. One can readily see how a natural man, one not drawn by THE HOLY SPIRIT, with eyes closed and ears blocked would scoff, mock and ridicule the EASTER story. If you want, as physicist and astronomer Steven Hawkins would say to believe in a myth of fairytale, that is your right. But the world of science, says Hawkins, astronomy and the so called reason and rationality of the mind dismiss a resurrection possibility out of hand. It didn’t happen, says Hawkins. IT CAN’T HAPPEN!And, to that, the Apostle Paul says if in fact the resurrection did not happen, then:YOUR FAITH IS IN VAIN.Worthless. No better than any other belief system, if even that. If Christ be not risen, any professing believer is not only deceived but becomes him or herself a DECEIVER. Such a believer testifies to a lie, perhaps the biggest lie in all of human history and consequently, becomes a conspirator in the spread of evil and duplicity. So that, not only is the believer’s faith in vain, but the guilt of the false belief of others lies upon him or her as well. When you or I profess to be Christian, we must therefore champion the resurrection with all of our heart, soul and mind. There can be no doubt. NONE!Perhaps that is why the nonbeliever dislikes, even hates Christianity and as a consequence the Christians who follow it. Nonbelievers hate the concept of sin. They see no need for forgiveness. They deeply resent the demands of Christianity and the Christ who boldly proclaims:NO MAN OR WOMAN COMES TO THE FATHER BUT BY ME!Nonbelievers hate that demand, that exclusivity. For it rules out everything else, every other form of belief, in fact every other religion. The crucifixion at Golgotha was merely the death of one man, perhaps even justified. The man who died was a revolutionary, a seditionist, constantly conspiring to get THE PEOPLE to resist and rebel against Rome, the political system, Herod and Pilot on the one hand and the religious authorities, the Pharisees and Sadducees on the other. And he even admitted he came to stir up trouble, to turn one family member against another. He called Herod the Tetrarch of Rome a FOX, cunning, deceiving and lying. The religious establishment despised him because he referred to them over and again as nothing more than hypocrites, or whited sepulchers, empty inside. If any mere man deserved to die, and die in an excruciating way, it was this mirror man Jesus of Nazareth. It was with HIM then as it is now love or hate. You embraced him, believed in him, gave him your all. Or you despised, even hated him nothing more than a rebel or rabble rouser, deluded, even perhaps insane a man in no way to be taken seriously. WITH OR AGAINST. And, written off by Him who again boldly even arrogantly stated:HE THAT IS NOT WITH ME IS AGAINST ME.The world, the secularists, the natural men and women accommodate Christianity one weekend, three days each year. From Good Friday through resurrection Sunday, those who believe in fairytales are allowed their celebration. But then comes Monday and it is back to business as usual, criticizing Christianity, attempting at every hand to get Christians, Christian beliefs and Christianity out of the public square, out of the marketplace, confined if at all possible to the four walls of a church. They are determined, these rabid, progressive secularists to curtail or eliminate Christian witness, any form of evangelism for they the enemy have determined that all Christian speech is:HATE SPEECH.They are determined to destroy, eliminate any form of testimony, any message which

That is a polite way of saying that far few go to church these days. FAR FEW!Thousands of churches close across the United States. Most of them are large, old, traditional, historic:DENOMINATIONS.Like Methodist. Like Baptist. Like Presbyterian. There has even been a steady and regular decline in the Roman Catholic Church. It’s not a good time for the old folk, and that term is used by any number of writers deliberately who patronize and continue to believe in the old denominations. They have little or no attraction to the younger generations and especially the Millennials. WHY? Many reasons to be sure. One writer proclaimed that people seek to live faithfully and WORSHIP IN A LESS STRUCTURED WAY, whatever that means. There is one sure way to do that. That is, become part of a non–structured, newly formed, non-denominational church which is now springing up virtually everywhere.Those who search for more meaningful worship should realize that non–denominational evangelical churches are growing in number and are they ever. Those numbers were 54,000, FIFTY–FOUR THOUSAND in 1998. That alone is a staggering number. But, in only 14 years, by 2012 there were:EIGHTY–FOUR THOUSANDnon–denominational churches in America and counting, according to the Pew Research Foundation. And, equally unbelievable, almost half of all those churches, some 26,000 of them, reported that they were:ON THE GROW!When these churches felt the fire of the real Gospel, they grew. They called that growth:CHURCH MULTIPLICATION.That is, a new church would commit to start several smaller churches. In 2015 some 4% of all these new non–denominational churches were multiplying. But last year, 2019, 7% were in fact multiplying, starting smaller churches. That percentage sounds small but each percentage point upward represents some:THREE THOUSAND CHURCHES,so that there is a total new church multiplication number of NINE THOUSAND! Such numbers and such evangelical growth are changing worship in America, changing the core, even the heart and soul of the church itself. That led Ed Stetzer of Wheaton College to state in 2008:“Sometimes churches die and sometimes they should. A new church, not a reboot of the old, should be started in its place.”And that seems to be exactly what is happening. New churches, Evangelical and non-denominational, can design and form their missions to cater to the specific needs of the people they intend to serve. For example, there is a church formed exclusively for employees of Disney World. There are any number of Spanish–language services in many churches, not just those dedicated to Hispanics. There are special church services for athletes before sport activities on Sundays. And, more than ever, there are:HOUSE CHURCHES,which are comprised of neighbors meeting for informal services in homes living rooms. Such “congregations” are small in number but they worship in highly individualistic ways so as to get the very best of REAL CHRISTIANITY. If the denominations won’t bring the Gospel to the congregation, the individuals in the congregations will find a different and better way to get the Gospel on Sundays and every day of the week!Writer Ericka Andersen in the Wall Street Journal states the following:“The success of new models (non–denominational evangelical churches) shows significant groups of people looking for ways to live faithfully albeit in a less structured way.”True indeed for there must be much more to religion in a real, vital and life changing way. Mere tradition, formality and practice are not enough, especially for the Millennials. Studies seem to show that Millennials are significantly less religious than previous younger generations. Even though Millennials comprise the majority of the NONES, those who do not believe in any kind of religion or have any faith for that matter, such Millennials are still young, and many have yet to mature, marry, have children and families, settle down and then make a permanent decision regarding faith and church, often to return to the so called religious fold. What a welcome addition – return that would be. Experts believe that those who return will not return in any significant numbers to the denominations. Rather, they will be much more attracted to the life and vitality of the new non–denominational evangelical churches.Both evangelical Protestants and Muslims are increasing in number. One, Protestant, is far less structured than a denomination. Islam is more structured and formal. Both ends, both extremes of the religious spectrum seem attractive, one or the other, in this day and age. Interesting phenomenon, don’t you think?THE BILLY GRAHAM CENTER INSTITUTE found that those who do not attend church are receptive to the invitation of a friend to attend the church of the friend. Perhaps that is so because most people believe that faith is “good for society.” So many of the NONES, and the Millennials, and those with no religious affiliation or belief are at least OPEN to invi

Up the carpenter went to Jerusalem, knowing full well why. It was time, HIS time, the time, the eternal time as appointed when a world changing event would happen.It was to be the end of his earthly journey, a time for the transition between the Jesus of history and the Christ of Glory.There came that time in the Garden of Gethsemane where he went to pray. He asked his disciples to participate, to watch with him, to stay awake with him. Not knowing the incredible events about to happen, they slept. But the Master prayed, communed with the Father. How wonderful the humanity of Jesus the Christ in Gethsemane. As man, he knew the incredible suffering and agony to come, the crucifixion which would happen and he prayed to the Father:LET THIS CUP PASS FROM MELet there be another way to introduce your love and saving grace rather than crucifixion. But the answer was clear, the plan in place. There would be no change.Perhaps that was the greatest expression and revelation of the WILL of God at work. The plan of salvation would begin with Him, Jesus of Nazareth so that all men might know that He was indeed the SON OF GOD.And so, in blessed surrender, the soon to be Christ of Glory uttered this incredible prayer:NOT MY WILL BUT THY WILL BE DONEOn earth even as it is in heaven. He was ready, and willing.Jesus of Nazareth loved Jerusalem as all Jews do. There stood the temple, the holiest place on earth to the Jews, the earthly abiding place of the HOLY OF HOLIES. It was ordained so by the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and it was the place, the center for the longing, the love and the passion of all Jews. Jerusalem, the one and only Jerusalem, the City of David.Jesus of Nazareth poured out His love on the city and its people so very special to him. He passionately lamented how he would love to take the city and its people under his wing and to show them what he firmly believed was the way, the truth, and the life, all new things. There would be from God through him a new creation possible, all things and people born again, a fresh and vital spirituality. But before these new gifts from God could become universal, a tragic and horrific event must occur followed by the most miraculous and wonderful event in the history of mankind.HE had dined in Jerusalem with his disciples, a loving Last Supper to commemorate the event to come, the celebration of his body and his blood. That communion of the disciples and the Lord, that spiritual fellowship celebrated vicariously with bread and wine, was the end event for them but only the beginning of a lifelong celebration for us.Roman soldiers found him in Gethsemane. There came the mockery of trial and interrogation before Pilate and Herod. The world knows of the hands–washing, the refusal to make the decision of death for a just and innocent man and the offering to the people of a choice between Jesus of Nazareth and a convicted criminal. The crowd of course chose the criminal.Then came the walk to the cross, the VIA DOLOROSA, the way of sorrow still today commemorated in Jerusalem by the 12 Stations of the Cross. When His cross became too heavy to bear, another carried it for him. Crowds lined the way, watching and listening, some mocking, some wailing, all perhaps sensing this was no ordinary man nor would there be any ordinary crucifixion. But none could know that the world could change.And so, the cruelest and most brutal death possible occurred for an innocent man, a public crucifixion. Roman soldiers nailed Jesus of Nazareth to that wooden cross.It seems ironic indeed, does it not, that a man who lived and worked with wood died a brutal death on wood itself.He hung on that cross for hours, a criminal on each side. The sky grew dark and it was as though the earth and all in it mourned. The Christ of Glory hung in utter agony, and the horrific pain he experienced caused Him to utter these unforgettable words:MY GOD, MY GOD WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN MEWHY?So alone, in utter agony, feeling even that the FATHER had forsaken Him. It is impossible to know how He felt, how awful that death must have been for Him. But He was man, human. We as humans like him can understand the cruelty of man and the suffering and agony he suffered in death as many of us have. HE took on the suffering of mankind on that Golgotha Hill. So many who loved him watched, mourned and prayed, never really knowing that this tragic crucifixion would turn into a glorious Resurrection.It seemed indeed that in that darkest moment, God Himself had departed, forsaken. Perhaps it was, as some scholars think that this Holy God could not look upon the ultimate and tragic event as they were laid on him the sins of the world. On that cross, in the blood and tortured flesh of the body of the Son of God, in that death unto sin were in fact the sins of the world, all of them and all of ours. That final bloody act of remission and propitiation had to be finished. There had to be that tumultuous and cataclysmic collision of worl

It has been my privilege my fellow Americans and my fellow Christians to have done THE STAND now for some 28 years.The purpose of the Stand has been to honor:GOD AND COUNTRYThe Stand represents, of course, my personal beliefs, values and convictions and as well, my company the Crawford Broadcasting Company and its employees. Although we may differ politically and culturally to some extent, we are AS ONE in the service of the God of the universe and our Lord and savior Jesus Christ. We are traditional Americans, believing very much so in the foundation and founding of our country based as it has been for some 245 years on Judeo–Christian values. All that matters has been based on those values and the vast majority if not all of our Founding Fathers who gave us our Declaration of Independence and the worlds greatest document the Constitution of the United States believed the same way. Today, 245 years later, not so much.As Americans, we took for granted that we the people and our elective leaders would follow the Constitution, its precious and vital amendments, and the rule of law, and the values which have characterized the fabric and structure of America from the beginning. We so often took for granted the freedoms especially granted by the First Amendment of the Constitution. That would include unabridged FREEDOM OF SPEECH, unabridged FREEDOM OF RELIGION, unabridged freedom of publication, print and media and FREEDOM OF RELIGION. Ironically, 245 years later, all such freedoms are under attack, at times simply ignored, or ABRIDGED no matter the constitutional prohibition of any kind of ABRIDGEMENT. And the worst is yet to come.We live in an era which drifts toward socialism, a failed political, social and cultural way of life but for some obscure reasons, attractive to the younger generation including and especially the so called Millennials. The culture of today can be described as anti–religion, perhaps such feelings well stated by Bill Maher who hollered in shrill fashion DEATH TO RELIGION, or at least a–religion, that is where religion of any kind and perhaps especially Christianity is viewed as irrelevant and without social or personal meaning. Witness the NONES who today just simply ignore religion and have nothing to do with it. Such indifference really is anti–religion for, in the words of Jesus of Nazareth:HE THAT IS NOT WITH ME IS AGAINST ME.In other words, you are for something or if not, you are in fact against it. There is no middle ground. Neutral you cannot be.The bottom line is that Christianity and perhaps all religions as well are on the defensive. There is now Christian persecution the world over, and even in America, every attempt is made to neutralize Christianity, churches and Pastors and above all:TO GET CHRISTIANITY OUT OF POLITICS AND THE MARKETPLACE.There is every attempt to squelch free speech, especially free religious speech, much of which today is characterized as HATE SPEECH. There is at work a vicious and hateful secularism which is determined, as secularist and communications influencer Ted Turner said, to rid the world of religion so as to make it a better place. But the world continues its incredible moral decline and in terms of personal conduct, ANYTHING GOES replaces anything moral. Freedoms are replaced by license and selfish and self-centered individualism runs amuck. That produces devastating effects on the rule of law and our Constitution, gradually and essentially permanently compromised. It is a day and age where more than ever, in politics, education, and personal lifestyles, the influence of Christians and all people of faith must be revived, a true political revival so that America can continue to remain:THE LAND OF THE BRAVE AND THE FREE.More than ever, Christians and people of faith must STAND up. That is the purpose of THE STAND and the constant and continuous message of our company. People of faith must experience a revival, a reenergizing, a renewal of commitment to traditional and constitutional America. People of faith must:INFLUENCE THE CULTURE.They must enter, control and redirect the course of politics no matter the vicious, verbal onslaught of the rabid secularists. People of faith must, as one apologist said:REDEEM THE VOTE.That is enter the voting process any and every time the vote, the voice of the people can be heard. That is, a Christian vote for the candidate who best will champion values and morality, and honor the Judeo–Christian foundation of this country. THAT RELIGIOUS VOICE MUST BE HEARD POLITICALLY THROUGHOUT AMERICA AND EVEN THE WORLD.When asked about loyalty and allegiance, Jesus of Nazareth said:RENDER UNTO CAESAR THE THINGS THAT ARE CAESAR’S AND TO GOD THE THINGS THAT ARE GOD’S!But today, it seems like virtually every issue and matter of importance is that of God and not Caesar. Education turns secularist and anti–Christian. Pornography becomes more and more accepted. The young are taught the new morality and encouraged to believe a

There was an old song which so well described the purpose of America. That song invited anyone anywhere to come to America and BECOME AMERICANS. The most pungent line in that song so beautifully identified WHY. That is, whoever they were, they were human beings who were:YEARNING TO BE FREE.That was why anyone would want to come to America. So that they could live free and enjoy the freedoms which America offered to all no matter who you were.My own father was an immigrant, naturalized, passionate about living in America and himself yearning to be free. He gladly and willingly ASSIMILATED. He adopted American ideals. He honored and cherished the Declaration of Independence and The Constitution, and when he became a citizen, he swore allegiance to the greatest country in the history of mankind. He came out of the melting pot a born again American. He willingly and gladly adopted the American slogan:E PLURIBUS UNUM.From many, out of many, ONE. One nation with all citizens together, and indivisible living under freedoms guaranteed and with justice for all. That was the highest ideal to which any individual could pledge allegiance.But then came multiculturalism. It came as a direct threat and challenge to the American ideal of assimilation and oneness. Multiculturalism came as a concept, a philosophy, and a false idea that America should be nothing more than a fragmented collection of groups. We the people were at the bottom line groups defined and divided by race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, specific political philosophies and of course, religion. Religion or no religion at all (NONES). Multiculturalism defined and popularized TRIBALISM, fragmentation with the hope that so much of traditional America would be ignored or better yet destroyed. Why this new progressivism happened and how it gained traction is difficult to understand. Fragmentation replaced unity. This new destructive progressivism attempted to pit Americans against each other. And perhaps worst of all, this new, destructive progressive ideology became the dominating political and philosophical force of the new LEFT, that which seems to have virtually taken over the democratic party. Nothing could be worse for America, nothing.This new multiculturalism was the same as identity politics. Politics, and the core of America should be shaped to the individual, to groups, to tribes and the good of all is replaced by the beliefs and desires of the individual. Central to this new belief was OPEN BORDERS. Anyone anywhere should be permitted to enter America no matter who they were or why they came. Each new entrant brought a different kind of tribalism, beliefs, and added to more and different group identity. Open borders and illegal immigration only increased the power and scope of multiculturalism providing further and additional attacks on our Constitution, way of life, standards, beliefs and ideals.This new progressivism, this new multiculturalism arose, the proponents stated, as a result of the dominance, the discrimination, the sexism of WHITE MALES. They were the cause of all of the problems in America and any influence in power they had must be done away with. This new progressivism saw the Founding Fathers of our great country as chief of those oppressive white males and even now the multiculturalists would do everything possible to water down, eviscerate or even do away with the constitution these white males so brilliantly created and constructed. The Declaration and the Constitution were deemed to be racist and sexist at the core and therefore must be destroyed. The full implementation of constitutional principles produced the oppressed and victim groups rather than individual citizens, yearning to be free, and in fact living with freedoms and inalienable rights never before available in the history of mankind. That was America, its promise, its guarantee and its deep and passionate concern for the individual and governments everywhere which would exist for the purpose of assuring life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. And that was for all, all assimilated Americans, ALL OF THEM. That has been what America essentially was, and still is.But now comes a new radicalized LEFT which seeks to divide us along racial, ethnic and gender lines rather than unite us around common principles and natural rights. These new radicals see America as a society of victim groups instead of self–reliant individuals. They have no belief in the AMERICAN IDEA. They care little or nothing, this new Left, about the Constitution or its freedoms. They promote and foster a cultural civil war, encouraging hatred and aggression, and of course division. They know that a HOUSE DIVIDED CANNOT STAND and they wish the traditional America of 250 years to be destroyed. This new multiculturalism, this hateful tribalism conceives of society as a collection of cultural identity groups, again:ALL OPPRESSED BY WHITE MALES.And this new hatred, political and cultural, will i

Do you know what that is, the Electoral College? And, perhaps more importantly, do you know how fundamental the Electoral College and the function it performs is to the American political process and the election of the President of the United States?It is, my fellow Americans absolutely necessary that you understand for this extremely important political mechanism is under severe attack. There are many who wish to eliminate the Electoral College in favor of a popular vote as the main election procedure. And, you can be certain that those who are against the EC are: THE DEMOCRATS THE PROGRESSIVES THE RADICALS who wish to do virtually anything to get and retain power, absolute power over the political process in America.Each of our 50 states has its own voting procedures. And, that includes not only the popular vote, but the Electoral Vote which follows thereafter. ARTICLE II of our beloved Constitution provides as follows:“Each state shall appoint, in such manner as the legislature thereof may direct, a number of Electors, equal to the whole number of Senators and Representatives to which the state may be entitled in the Congress: but no Senator or Representative, or person holding the office of trust or profit under the United States shall be appointed an Elector.”So, if a state has two federal Senators, and it does, and thirteen Representatives for the House, that state would have a total of fifteen Electors who would cast their votes for President presumably based on the outcome of the popular vote IN THAT STATE (not our country at large). Such total votes in this case fifteen would be the Electoral Votes of that state which would be counted toward denomination of the candidate for President of that political party. So that, every serious candidate for President must take into account every one of the 50 states and the Electoral Votes it offers for the nomination of any individual as party candidate for President of the United States. No state can be ignored. That puts the smallest states on a par, at least procedurally with the largest states and it prevents states like California and New York from dominating the political process with their sheer number of citizens and residents removing the political voice of the smaller states. In essence, the Electoral College procedure is a true democratic mechanism, ensuring that the political voice and opinion of the smallest states and its citizens will be heard at the national level, and will be counted, and will matter in terms of formulating the thinking of denominating party and its final candidate. THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE POLITIAL PROCESS really works and has worked most efficiently and effectively since 1787. It is a fundamental principle of our Constitution, and represents the clear and clairvoyant thinking of our Founding Fathers who were concerned that there not be any sectional or special interest majority domination, but rather all things fair and equitable across the county. In terms of sheer numbers, America could be dominated by the populous states of California, New York, Texas, Florida and others without any real representation or political expression from smaller states like North and South Dakota, New Mexico, Montana and others. In a constitutional way, Wyoming can be every bit as important in electing the candidate for President of any party as New York or California.Radical, progressive Democrats, many of them socialists wish to replace the Electoral College, what they term the “18th century anachronism” with a straight popular vote. They claim that in a true democracy, it is only the majority that counts. But, no democracy functions well or is in fact fair unless the political voice of all is heard. Progressives decry the fact that Democrats achieved a larger popular vote than Republicans in 2016, but the Electoral College saw to the election of the Republican candidate Donald Trump who won the Electoral Vote in the right number of states. That election and its results were exactly what the Founding Fathers had in mind when they established the Electoral College as a fundamental part of our Constitutional political process. The Electoral College works, it is good, it is protective, it is fair, it is democratic and it is right for America and its 50 states. IT SHOULD NOT BE CHANGED! In reality, it would be almost impossible to eliminate the Electoral College. The Constitution requires for any amendment that three quarters, 75% of the states approve the amendment or the elimination of an existing constitutional provision and that would mean that some THIRTY–EIGHT STATES would have to approve such a constitutional change. That would never happen. The smaller states would never vote for such a change for they would then be completely dominated politically by the larger states. The popular vote of United States citizens is contained within the state in which the voter lives and no matter how many voters, a state like California only has so many Ele

Do you know what that is, the Electoral College? And, perhaps more importantly, do you know how fundamental the Electoral College and the function it performs is to the American political process and the election of the President of the United States?It is, my fellow Americans absolutely necessary that you understand for this extremely important political mechanism is under severe attack. There are many who wish to eliminate the Electoral College in favor of a popular vote as the main election procedure. And, you can be certain that those who are against the EC are:THE DEMOCRATSTHE PROGRESSIVESTHE RADICALSwho wish to do virtually anything to get and retain power, absolute power over the political process in America.Each of our 50 states has its own voting procedures. And, that includes not only the popular vote, but the Electoral Vote which follows thereafter. ARTICLE II of our beloved Constitution provides as follows:“Each state shall appoint, in such manner as the legislature thereof may direct, a number of Electors, equal to the whole number of Senators and Representatives to which the state may be entitled in the Congress: but no Senator or Representative, or person holding the office of trust or profit under the United States shall be appointed an Elector.”So, if a state has two federal Senators, and it does, and thirteen Representatives for the House, that state would have a total of fifteen Electors who would cast their votes for President presumably based on the outcome of the popular vote IN THAT STATE (not our country at large). Such total votes in this case fifteen would be the Electoral Votes of that state which would be counted toward denomination of the candidate for President of that political party. So that, every serious candidate for President must take into account every one of the 50 states and the Electoral Votes it offers for the nomination of any individual as party candidate for President of the United States. No state can be ignored. That puts the smallest states on a par, at least procedurally with the largest states and it prevents states like California and New York from dominating the political process with their sheer number of citizens and residents removing the political voice of the smaller states. In essence, the Electoral College procedure is a true democratic mechanism, ensuring that the political voice and opinion of the smallest states and its citizens will be heard at the national level, and will be counted, and will matter in terms of formulating the thinking of denominating party and its final candidate. THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE POLITIAL PROCESS really works and has worked most efficiently and effectively since 1787. It is a fundamental principle of our Constitution, and represents the clear and clairvoyant thinking of our Founding Fathers who were concerned that there not be any sectional or special interest majority domination, but rather all things fair and equitable across the county. In terms of sheer numbers, America could be dominated by the populous states of California, New York, Texas, Florida and others without any real representation or political expression from smaller states like North and South Dakota, New Mexico, Montana and others. In a constitutional way, Wyoming can be every bit as important in electing the candidate for President of any party as New York or California.Radical, progressive Democrats, many of them socialists wish to replace the Electoral College, what they term the “18th century anachronism” with a straight popular vote. They claim that in a true democracy, it is only the majority that counts. But, no democracy functions well or is in fact fair unless the political voice of all is heard. Progressives decry the fact that Democrats achieved a larger popular vote than Republicans in 2016, but the Electoral College saw to the election of the Republican candidate Donald Trump who won the Electoral Vote in the right number of states. That election and its results were exactly what the Founding Fathers had in mind when they established the Electoral College as a fundamental part of our Constitutional political process. The Electoral College works, it is good, it is protective, it is fair, it is democratic and it is right for America and its 50 states. IT SHOULD NOT BE CHANGED!In reality, it would be almost impossible to eliminate the Electoral College. The Constitution requires for any amendment that three quarters, 75% of the states approve the amendment or the elimination of an existing constitutional provision and that would mean that some THIRTY–EIGHT STATES would have to approve such a constitutional change. That would never happen. The smaller states would never vote for such a change for they would then be completely dominated politically by the larger states. The popular vote of United States citizens is contained within the state in which the voter lives and no matter how many voters, a state like California only has so many Electora

Wealth tax legislation would give government, its bureaucrats and agencies (the swamp) the right to invade your privacy. Government would have the right to examine your home, storage facilities, brokerage accounts, bank accounts and anything and everything else you may own to determine if you have:CROSSED THE WEALTH–TAX THRESHOLD.The information you would be required to file would allow the government to access the records of everything you have bought or sold. In short, EVERYTHING YOU OWN. The net result of this kind of democratic produced socialism would in fact, in the words of Steve Forbes of Forbes Magazine:PRODUCE THE ROAD TO SERFDOM!Unfortunately for we the people, Democrats and even some Republicans (RINOS) do not understand the crucial role that PROFIT plays in a vibrant economy. That is an economy with real opportunity, growth possibilities, choices and reasonable risk to riches. Profit for Democrats is essentially evil. Democrats, especially radical socialists like Sanders, think of profit as:GREED.Democrats cannot envision profit as the REWARD for hard work, smart work, creativity, the creation of things different and better for our country and the world at large. Profit is not stored under the mattress of Jeff Bezos. Virtually every dollar is reinvested, grows the economy and opportunity and:CREATES JOBS.The current American employment is vibrant, profitable and opportunity exists everywhere. PROFIT PRODUCES THAT! Profit creates resources. Builds equity. Grows corporations and business entities. Without profit and the ability to make it, the economy not only does not grow but inevitably there come recession and then depression and so much of EVERYTHING is destroyed. That includes the spirit, creativity and positive attitudes about life and lifestyle for so many. A Sanders or Warren Administration would produce higher taxes everywhere. Higher income taxes of course, not just for the wealthy but as far down the economic ladder as the plundering politicians could go. There would of course be higher business taxes, higher taxes on corporate earnings and corporate assets, especially liquid assets. There would be higher payroll taxes. Both employer and employee would pay more. Those higher taxes would include social security payments, now a disaster, retirement and disability and any other way the government could get its money even to the point of double taxation. And of course, estate taxes would increase, the so called death tax and the exemptions now afforded especially to certain individuals now with an estate at or about $5 million and family businesses under similar circumstances would be reduced or eliminated. Where this newfound money would go no one really knows. The Democrats promise so much FREE. Free college, room, board and tuition, FREE. As though it were the right of high school graduates to get some quarter million dollars so that they could learn. And, says Sanders and company, FREE HEALTH CARE. Medicare and Medicaid would be greatly extended (MEDICARE FOR ALL) and the new cost would be astronomical, perhaps more than $2 trillion. And free daycare. And of course, guaranteed huge and ever–growing MINIMUM WAGES no matter the economic effects. The socialist government proposed by the Democrats would give, and give even more of your and my hard–earned money all the while it takes more and more of what we earn and produce. If a Democrat is elected President, and Democrats control the House and Senate of our federal government, America will not only change, but America will never be the same and capitalism, constitutionalism and the rule of law as we now know it will be gone forever. Small wonder the millennials and Gen Z should be concerned about the future, their economic future. It is indeed surprising, even shocking that so many of them seem to think so favorably of socialism, and especially the radical socialists (Marxist) candidate Bernie Sanders. Nothing could be worse for America than a Sanders presidency, NOTHING! Plundering politicians would have free economic reign. Tax rates which once approached 90% of income, NINETY PERCENT would be a real possibility. And a new depression, a new 1929 depression would be an ever present possibility indeed. But back to profit. We the people work with the expectation that we will not only keep our jobs but grow in compensation. That is, make more as we earn more and deserve more. We the people at every level are concerned with growth, with PROFIT. Profit is not only necessary for expansion and growth in existing businesses. But profit must be made in order to replace the capital lost by failed businesses, especially those which are destroyed by new technology (creative destruction). Take for example the wealth once held by legacy newspapers and magazines. Along comes the internet and with its incredible successes, destroyed tens and tens of billions of dollars in such print wealth. The same so called creative destruction occurs in the automobi

Are you wealthy?Are you rich?What really is wealth and what really are riches? There are any number of definitions of WEALTH. When we think of wealth and the wealthy, we Americans think of Bill Gates, Warren Buffet and now the richest man in the world, the whole wide world Jeff Bezos he of Amazon, we think of men who are worth billions upon billions of dollars. If we compare ourselves, mere, average working Americans to them, obviously we do not think of ourselves as wealthy. The standard for UBER–WEALTH used to be millions of dollars. Today however, it is billions of dollars. Individuals and corporate entities can easily be worth many billions of dollars and we have come to take that for granted, we Americans.Forbes Magazine has compiled what is called the RICH LIST. That list, believe it or not, lists over 400 individuals who are:BILLIONAIRES.FOUR HUNDRED! Years ago, only men were billionaires. Today, there are any number of women who are themselves billionaires. The American economy and the opportunity it creates has become fully diverse and equity, equal opportunity rules. The so called glass ceiling which limited the opportunities for women hardly exists anymore anywhere for any woman, bright and hardworking can rise the economic ladder and do so rapidly, a good thing. Wealth, well produced is a good thing, a very good thing for the opportunities it creates for all men and women is what makes AMERICA GREAT.But, what really is wealth? The dictionary says wealth is AFFLUENCE. That means that an individual or a corporate entity is loaded with money and much of it excess. It also defines wealth as riches. We the people have a common man and woman definition of riches, often our own way but often unclear and without explicit standards. But perhaps one of the most useful definitions of wealth is:EXCESS BEYOND NEED: LUXURY.EXCESS. That means when all bills are paid for necessities in any given month, anything left over (excess) can be considered wealth. No matter what you make or your household produces, all income produces as such, anything you have left over can be considered wealth whether you do or not. In short, you have capital, money, liquidity beyond need and you can engage in luxury spending or savings as you wish. To that extent, you are wealthy, or at least you have a certain kind of wealth whether you think so or not. The irony is that most people who may only think of Gates, Buffet and Bezos as wealthy have a certain low–level wealth themselves. And that is good. Now comes a better and newer automobile to the family. Or the latest flat screen television set. Or new clothes, or that special vacation, or dining out, or off to the movies. Almost every American family has some luxuries, some excess beyond need and to that extent, that family is:WEALTHY.Many families and individuals buy property. Real estate. Or personal property like stock market investments. Or have certificates of deposit with banks. Or insurance. And they hope for the appreciation and growth of those property assets, those real assets. Any growth produces wealth and more of it. The Trump economy for the last three years has produced considerable wealth for tens of millions of Americans. What wealth you may enjoy cannot be produced nor survive unless it is nurtured and nourished by a healthy, vibrant, growing economy. America and we the people have that now thanks to the Trump economy and the economic decisions Donald J. Trump has made.But now come the democratic PLUNDERING POLITICIANS as Steve Forbes of Forbes Magazine calls them. It is standard fare for democratic politicians to attack wealth and the wealthy. That message, old, seriously abused and hackneyed somehow continues to resonate with many Americans who do not believe they share in the American wealth to the extent they think they should. To attack wealth of any kind seems just. If a Jeff Bezos of Amazon is worth $130 billion as the richest man in the world, that is far too much for any individual no matter how hard the man worked, or smart he is, or even how much benefit he may have produced for so many Americans. Too much is simply too much especially for the plundering politicians and somehow, that wealth must be redistributed, no matter the effect on the economy or the affected individuals. That of course is done by taxation, and the democratic party is the master of taxation and the more the better. So many of these democratic candidates propose new taxes, higher and even higher than that taxes and especially taxes on the rich. They propose serious and seriously harmful WEALTH TAXES in their effort to SOAK THE RICH in the words of Steve Forbes. But a tax on the wealthy, whoever they are, never ends there. The tax man eventually goes after the so called middle class, and seeks to identify wealth wherever he can find it and tax it. If Bill Gates pays a wealth tax, sooner or later the union worker will pay the same tax at the same rate, less money but the same tax. The

The great theologian Paul Tillich said:FOR THOSE WHO LOVE, TIME IS ETERNITY. LOVE IS GOD’S FINGER ON MAN’S SHOULDER. LOVE IS LIKE A RUNNING BROOK THAT SINGS ITS MELODY TO THE NIGHT. TO WAKE AT DAWN WITH A WINGED HEART AND TO GIVE THANKS FOR ANOTHER DAY OF LOVING. LOVE IS A SYMBOL OF ETERNITY. IT WIPES OUT ALL SENSE OF TIME, DESTROYING ALL MEMORY OF A BEGINNING AND ALL FEAR OF AN END.Brilliant and accurate. Paul then tells us that words without love are like sounding brass and tinkling cymbals. Hollow, meaningless, perhaps doing more harm than good. Better by far to LISTEN:THE FIRST BEAUTY OF LOVE IS TO LISTEN. LISTENING, REALLY LISTENING IN A CARING WAY, MAY VERY WELL BE THE HIGHEST ATTRIBUTE OF TRUE LOVE.More brilliant insightful words from theologian Paul Tillich. Real listening really is the highest attribute of true love, real love. We allow the heart of another to crack open, pour out, empty so that there is nothing left but love.Paul then says the act of the will can motivate an individual to give to the poor, to tithe and use money well, or even give your body, to lay down your life for another. But if any or all of that is done without love no matter how good, Paul says without love it means little or nothing.But love indeed is risky. The great writer C.S. Lewis said:TO LOVE AT ALL IS TO BE VULNERABLE. LOVE ANYTHING AND YOUR HEART WILL CERTAINLY BE WRUNG AND POSSIBLY BROKEN. LOVE BREAKS DOWN ALL BARRIERS, OPENS WIDE THE HEART, EXPOSES TRUE INNOCENCE AND RISKS THE RINGING AND THE BREAKING OF THIS MORE PRIZED POSSESSION. REAL LOVE DEMANDS THIS, CONSTANTLY.Sir Alfred Lord Tennyson said:“Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.”Life without love is a life never really lived at all. “If you love until it hurts, really hurts, there can be no more hurt, only more love,” said the wonderfully loving Mother Theresa. The Apostle Paul would fully agree.Love is not jealous, said Paul. It envies no one or nothing. Rather, there is rejoicing when the very best things happen to others. And we in love can help them. The Poet Emily Dickenson said the following:IF I CAN STOP ONE HEART FROM BREAKINGI SHALL NOT LIVE IN VAINIF I CAN EASE ONE LIFE THE ACHINGOR COOL ONE PAINOR HELP ONE FAINTING ROBININTO HIS NEST AGAINI SHALL NOT LIVE IN VAIN!So beautiful, and so true.Love never controls. Rather, it lets go. It never holds on and it encourages others to be all they can be. Love is not possessive. If we love, we let those we love be perfectly themselves! We have no fear of hurt because of the actions of others. The more one loves, the less there is of which to be afraid.And love is humble, says Paul. Never boastful or bragging. Love really has no ego. Love allows us to be about others more than ourselves. Content are we to be immersed in the love of God.That allows us to live modestly, humbly and joyfully.Then, Paul deals with anger and reminds us that love is not easily angered. Not that one never gets angry, for we do. But that anger is slow to occur, slow to wrath. Love allows us to be angry, but only in the extreme. Love allows us to turn the other cheek and move on, pressing on for the high calling. Love more than anything is powerful energy at work, always.So remember, says Paul, that of faith, hope and love, love is the greatest. It is eternal, never-ending:LOVE NEVER FAILSAnd as one poet says:LOVE IS THAT WHICH MAKES THE SKY BLUE, THE SUBSTANCE OF THE SONG OF THE BIRDS IN SUMMER, THE WHISPER OF THE WIND IN THE TREES, THE SILENCE OF THE SNOW AS IT FALLS. LOVE IS THE VOICE OF GOD CALLING TO US ENDLESSLY AND PASSIONATELY THROUGH ALL HIS MARVELOUS CREATION.Love is everything said the writer Ralph Waldo Emerson, never self-possessed or prudent. LOVE IS ALL ABANDONMENT. Or as the Poet William Wordsworth said:LOVE BETTERS WHAT IS BEST!Does it ever.We the Crawford Broadcasting Company hope for you the best, the greatest, love and especially the love of God. Live in love and share it, my fellow Americans. Open a cracked open heart to it. Feel the miracle, the energy and the power of love.Those who love deeply never grow old. They may die of old age, but they die young at heart said Sir Arthur Pinero. But in death comes the completion of love:KNOWING FACE TO FACEThat ultimate encounter with God the Creator and Jesus Christ:ULTIMATE LOVEWhat a day that will be.Looking back, said one writer, I have this to regret. That too often when I loved, I did not say so. Love uncommunicated is love aborted. It is there but never shared. More time is spent judging people which leaves less time to love them.Don’t be like him. Allow Valentine’s Day and Valentine’s week, the love days to be reminders of what really matters. For in the end, nothing matters but:LOVEFind out how much love your heart can hold!

Pundits ask the question, almost sardonically:WHAT HAPPENED TO FAITH IN AMERICA?Why the rise, they ask of the NONES, the APATHETICS. What happened to Religion? And the church? And tradition, and religious holidays and meanings – WHAT HAPPENED!One reason they offer is that America is following the economic grow taken by Europe centuries ago. The Industrial Revolution in Europe, if not before, brought about the increase in wealth and economic prosperity. Lifestyles increased. Goods were readily available and luxury goods became more prevalent. Basic needs were met and the human population had time, leisure time to ENJOY LIFE. It seemed that the more secular enjoyment the less religious participation. The more pleasure, the less Religion. The more pleasure, the less the NEED for Religion. Money, too much of it corrupted the church in some significant ways. That was not lost on those who eventually became the unaffiliated, the APATHETICS. Religion was used only when it was useful. But it became less and less necessary and it seemed to become more ritual rather than faith based. It began to have less substance, less meaning, becoming what the new NONES now think of as irrelevant or at least not compelling and necessary. Why go to church Sunday when there was a good football game to be had.Other studies have shown that:“The practice of Religion and affiliation was always tenuous!”That is, the lack of value and necessity were never fully expressed by those either apathetic or in part or altogether unaffiliated. It was simply socially convenient to acknowledge continued affiliation no matter how real or vital. Consequently, so called statistics were doctored and consequently failed to disclose the true facts. That of course continues to exist today where hypocrisy reins and so many simply do not state the truth and the whole truth about their religious beliefs or the lack thereof.And yet another reason is that the Christian church has become polarized. Liberals and progressives have left in droves which means that in so many cases only conservatives remain. Protestant denominations continue to splinter and divide, and small groups band together united behind their own theological versions of truth. There is in some cases some very significant division and disagreement within the Catholic Church itself. It seems not fully unified as it once was and of course ridden by the scandal of pedophile Priests. Some of Judaism has become highly secularized and at least some of the religious practice has become obsolete or abandoned. What remains in these once great Religions becomes all the more unappealing and irrelevant to the new NONES and APATHETICS. The secular culture constantly and consistently criticizes and mocks the miraculous. That is especially so with regard to Christian tenets such as the Resurrection, the virgin birth and much more. Much of the Old Testament seems to be regarded in many circles as stories only, old fashioned perhaps even fictional and in today’s modern and secular society, irrelevant. As this polarization continues, theological camps harden, positions become more extreme so that to the moderate or even the searcher, there comes a constant wave of theological put–off and off they go, confirmed in their belief that Religion, the church becomes more irrelevant and meaningless by the day.Listen to these staggering facts. In 1976, mainline Protestants made up 30% of the country. Now they represent:TEN PERCENT.And, predict the pollsters, within a decade, before the year 2030, mainline Protestants will represent FIVE PERCENT of the total American population. Can you believe that? This polarization which so deeply affects Religion in America perhaps comes at least in part from the American world of politics. We are indeed, America is, one deeply polarized and divided country. There is little or no dialogue but only argumentation, put–down. We do not discuss issues but we pontificate on right and wrong. We care nothing about political compromise even where it is justifiable but only the self-interest of political parties and political philosophies. Politics seems to be a matter of winning or losing and never compromising. And so with the churches. Some matters of course cannot be compromised and never should be. But other issues, theological and otherwise can and should be discussed in order to make certain that truth, all of it occurs for the benefit of all. That seems to happen nowhere in American politics or theology. And especially RELIGION! One factor is certainly part of the equation. People are spending less time connected to, affiliated with or attending their churches and the services offered. Much less time. In the American past, a congregant would buy and large worship Sunday morning, perhaps even Sunday school before, and perhaps attend a Sunday evening service, attend very special services during the week and perhaps even a prayer meeting or Bible study on a Wednesday night. Now it seems th

The greatest of all things is LOVE.The greatest, confirmed by the Apostle Paul of old, and agreed upon by the world’s greatest thinkers, artists and poets is:LOVELove is the best, even says Paul better than faith or hopeThe Bible book 1 Corinthians 13 is Apostle Paul’s finest expressions of love by far, perhaps the finest writings in all of his letters. But even Paul acknowledges that there is no really complete and definitive definition of love. But Paul says what real love, ultimate love is, can only occur as a result of a meaningful, experiential, loving relationship with God the Father and the Son Jesus Christ. The fulfillment of that comes eternally, but here and now, the longer, the deeper the relationship with HIM, the more the meaning of love becomes clear. That, says Paul, that relational love is ultimate reality.Love is good. In fact, good is defined by love. For no mere mortal can do good without love. One may intend, willingly so to live right, perhaps following the Ten Commandments and other great moral precepts. But that mere intention, the act of the will is not enough for it lacks the energy, the conviction, the power of real LOVE, total love.For as one poet has said:GOD SAYS TO US IN LOVE: I HOLD YOU IN MY MIND. I REMEMBER YOU. I HOLD ALL OF THE PIECES OF YOU. THE PAST WOUNDS AND THE PRESENT. AND IN LOVE, I KNIT THEM TOGETHER INTO THE PERSON I LOVE, THE PERSON I CREATED TO GIVE ME JOY:YOUMore. Love says Paul is patient. Love is longsuffering, not easily provoked. Love knows how to wait, fully observe, and listen, perhaps most importantly LISTEN. Love sees and hears the other. As the poet Thomas Merton said:THE BEGINNING OF LOVE IS TO LET THOSE WHO LOVE BE PERFECTLY THEMSELVES, AND NOT TO TWIST THEM TO FIT OUR OWN IMAGE. OTHERWISE, WE LOVE ONLY THE REFLECTION OF OURSELVES WE FIND IN THEM.In a world angry and hateful and growing worse, love is the only antidote, the ONLY! With his heart wide open, the Apostle Paul says love is KIND. The life of a lover is lived easy, gentle, avoiding confrontation and struggle wherever possible. Said the writer Sydnie Smith:IF YOU HAD NO ONE TO LOVE, YOU WOULD NEVER BE HURT. BUT YOU WOULD NEVER GROW. YOU WOULD NEVER VENTURE OUTSIDE OF YOUR OWN SELF-CENTERED NEEDS AND PERCEPTIONS. YOUR HEART WOULD NEVER BE CRACKED OPEN SO THAT GOD COULD ENTER IT. TO LOVE AND TO LOVE UNCONDITIONALLY IS TO TAKE RISKS, AND ESPECIALLY THE RISK OF REJECTION. BUT NOTHING ENERGIZES AND CLEANSES LIKE LOVE, NOTHING!Love, says the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 13 allows the lover to dwell on good things. The lover avoids gossip and negative language. Love stays silent in the face of false accusations as Jesus did. The communication of a lover is positive as Rod McKuen said:IF YOU LOVE SOMEBODY, TELL THEM! THE TELLING UNLEASHES THE ENERGY AND THE POWER OF LOVE.Does it ever. It seems difficult for so many to say distinctly, clearly and unconditionally:I LOVE YOUFor that is the ultimate exposure, “a heart cracked open.” But those three words are perhaps the most powerful in the English language.Love then says Paul does not insist on its own rights or its own way. A loving person gets more out of giving, and caring than getting. To love someone is to see a miracle invisible to others. So said the writer Francois Mauriac. Love is a miracle, miraculous in its absolutely powerful and transforming effect. That kind of giving, other-ness is truly the love of God at work which both constrains and motivates.Love says Paul, never keeps a moral balance sheet. Lovers take no account of the wrongs or evil done by others. Love forgives and forgets. It is difficult to forget but Paul says if you live in love, you can forget. That is so even for the most difficult object of love, an ENEMY. It seems hard to believe that we could love an Islamic terrorist or an angry political opponent or even a hateful family member or friend. We really can’t, but we can do so with the power of a loving God working within us who himself forgave us, forgot what was wrong with us and only in return, asked us to forgive others.The theologian Reinhold Niebuhr said the following:WE ARE SAVED BY THE FINAL FORM OF LOVE, WHICH IS FORGIVENESS. FORGIVING AND FORGETTING ARE THE HIGHEST ACTS OF LOVE RESULTING IN OUR SALVATION. THERE WAS ONE YEARS AGO DRIVEN TO THE CROSS BY THE LOVE OF MANKIND PROVIDED IN HIS DEATH, THE LIFE AND THE LOVE WE LEAD. THE CROSS WAS THE FINAL AND FORGIVING FORM OF LOVE.Was it ever. The crucifixion of the Christ on the cross was indeed the ultimate act of love.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. It helps them to resist the devil who in the face of love will flee and not return.Love is loyal and always at work. The great writer St. Augustine said the following:WHAT DOES LOVE LOOK LIKE? WHY, IT HAS HANDS TO HELP OTHERS. IT HAS FEET TO HASTEN TO THE POOR AND

Do you know what a NONE is?No, it is not a female member of a Roman Catholic Order. In fact, just the opposite. A NONE is:AN INDIVIDUAL WITH NO RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION WHATSOEVERNone! A NONE is someone who is either totally indifferent to anything religious or even antagonistic to it. A NONE is different from an Atheist or an Agnostic, an individual who at least wrestles with Religion, the one denying there is a God and the other claiming not to know. A NONE doesn’t care either way.A Catholic Priest, one Rev. Stephen M. Koeth believes in many ways that modern day NONES are pagans. They have, says Koeth, “no knowledge, no practice, no anything.” He goes on to say that for most if not all of them:“Religion just has no meaning whatsoever.”No meaning. No relevancy. Nothing real about Religion for them or their lives. NOTHING FOR THE NONES.Recent surveys, if you believe them, have shown that for the first time ever in 2019, the NONES are the largest demographic in the United States, representing 23% of the population. TWENTY THREE PERCENT! The NONES, again the largest religious demographic in the United States have overtaken the Catholics and the Evangelicals. In short, there are more NONES in the United States than there are Catholics or Evangelicals. If that is true, doesn’t that shock you? It does me. We the Americans have always assumed that our country is populated with people of faith, of all faiths and that those who were Atheist, Agnostic or no Religion at all were simply the small minority. Well, guess what. THE NONES ARE NOW THE MAJORITY AND THE LARGEST DEMOGRAPHIC WITH REGARD TO RELIGION IN AMERICA! The largest. Unbelievable.The NONES are made up largely of millennials and especially the so called GEN Z young Americans. Apparently, they have seen the underbelly of RELIGION and they want no part of it. They see no reason whatsoever to bother with Religion. That led one writer to call them:THE APATHETICS.The apathetic does not attend church services. They ascribe to and believe in NO creed, doctrine or statement of faith and they have virtually no familiarity with the FAITH WORLD. Even more startling, perhaps even scary is the fact that their numbers seem to be growing by millions every year. Small wonder that the church is in disrepair, especially old–line Protestant denominations. Attendance and perhaps even commitment to the Catholic church is also on the decline while other forms of belief seem to be stagnant in terms of growth.THEY ARE TERRIFYING. Those the words of Ryan Burge, a political scientist at Eastern Illinois University (EIU) and a Baptist Pastor. Burge says of the NONES:“They have very low levels of income; low levels of education and they have sort of checked out from modern society. THEY ARE SCARY! They are the people who are isolated.”Religion and church worship have been such a vital and integral part of all that is America now for almost 250 years, more or less. But such history and tradition means little or nothing to the NONES, the APATHETICS where there is nothing about Religion which is of any interest to them. The church, formal worship, religious tradition and standard need and commitment are all severely challenged as far as they are concerned. The NONES want no part of any of it.Part of the reason is the intrusion of CULTURE. The American cultural scene has moved more liberal and progressive, far less conservative and of course with that far less religious and in fact, in many ways, the culture attacks Christianity especially encouraging all to abandon Religion directly or indirectly and live life in every way without it. In Hollywood, Christianity is often portrayed somewhere between a comedy and a disease (so said one pundit). Nothing is sacred, the person responsible for Christianity is mocked, even blasphemed and the name taken in vein with impunity. It is as though there is something wrong with any person who adopts and practices any religious faith, especially Christianity no matter the benefits. Perhaps that is partially because Christianity is so far flung, with so many different sub–faiths and therefore without any religious corporate muscle to fight back, resist and challenge any such cultural attacks. Roman Catholics, more church corporate and with larger clout as a result and perhaps Jews and Judaism fare better if and when the Hollywood culture comes after them. The NONES, the APATHETICS are well aware of this clash and constant attack and it simply fortifies their belief that Religion is irrelevant and meaningless. It is a day of change, perhaps even a fundamental religious revolution in America. The NONES are now the MAJORITY with all of the implications thereof for politics, policy, culture and especially RELIGION. Laws are changing. The Constitution is reinterpreted. Fundamental freedoms are in danger of being lost. All the more reasons for the NONES, the APATHETICS to withdraw, to become isolated from the fundamental democratic processes which govern our coun

It was the shot heard round the world.Martin Luther King, Dr. Martin Luther King was assassinated on April 4 in 1968 by James Earl Ray, a crazed racist. Dr. King had begun to emerge as the face, and more importantly the voice for America and even the world over for racial equality. King was an eloquent spokesman, learned academically, Christian in belief and determined to make a difference. He would never know the difference he would make.The assassin’s bullet, deadly and accurate, was the beginning in many ways of a new awareness of racial inequalities primarily black and white, but really more than that. It was perhaps the beginning of a new consciousness, a new awareness of differences, diversity where all right-thinking men and women, of good faith, colorblind and Constitutional would begin to learn a new respect for each other and learn how to build different and better relationships. They would learn that the color of one’s skin mattered not, but only the content of one’s character, as Dr. Martin Luther King so eloquently said.The King assassination triggered a new Constitutional awareness of equality. All men and women says this precious document and of course words framed in our Declaration of Independence, are created equal, and each, EACH ONE has the Constitutionally guaranteed right to:LIFE, LIBERTY AND THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESSWe the American people have heard those words over and again, perhaps too many times for them to be the living, life-guiding words they were meant to be. Equality between black and white existed on paper only. That was the problem. Frederick Douglass, the former slave in America eloquently stated the real problem:“THERE IS NO NEGRO PROBLEM. THE PROBLEM IS WHETHER OR NOT THE AMERICAN PEOPLE HAVE LOYALTY ENOUGH, HONOR ENOUGH, PATRIOTISM ENOUGH, TO LIVE UP TO THEIR OWN CONSTITUTION.”What we the American people had lost or perhaps never had was a loyalty, a faithfulness to our very own Constitution and Declaration of Independence. We had forsaken Constitutional commands and gone our own way, accepting slavery, injustice and inequality. We had lost our honor, our dignity as human beings and we saw too many people of color as UNEQUAL.We had lost our desire to LIVE UP to our very own Constitution and that disloyalty, dishonor, lack of patriotism and courage to live up to our Constitution was the real problem, the real cause of:RACISMIn fact, we the people had become unspiritual. We had failed to recognize that equality was divinely inspired, required and built as a fundamental precept into our Constitutional rights. The right of equality, and the pursuit of life, liberty and happiness was divine, inalienable, unconditional and it was un-American, un-Christian not to understand and LIVE UP to that great command. We had lost our way. Martin Luther King attempted to point us back, encouraged us to GET BACK to our roots, the fundamentals of America and begin anew to:LOVE THY NEIGHBOR AS THYSELFWe made progress as a people. We abolished slavery. We began to learn how to live together, work together, forge bonds with one another although the progress was slow, and often painful. So slow, in fact, that it birthed the message of Martin Luther King in 1968. We listened to this eloquent champion of civil rights, equality and we respected not only his oratory, but the core and substance of his message. And, more progress was made even after his assassination. His ways were peaceful but many arose who chose violence as the answer, antidote to anger. We saw the rise of the Black Panthers and other aggressive, militant entities determined to get even and not necessarily get equality. But there were, in the day of Martin Luther King calm, still voices working, hoping, enduring and believing, like the NAACP and perhaps like the church itself. Martin Luther King was pastor, the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King. Churches, black and white adopted his message and proclaimed the Constitutional truth of equality. We listened, inched forward, painful progress but real, nonetheless. Churches became mixed, neither black nor white but for all persons regardless of color. Men and women, previously distant, became one in the love of Jesus Christ. That love grew relationships and destroyed the barriers of misunderstanding. It was the dawn of a new day where race relations were BORN AGAIN.Something better was on the way.Jesse Jackson, the Reverend Jesse Jackson, a disciple of Martin Luther King, took over. He soon, however, many thought, lost the King vision of peaceful resistance and progress stalled. Suspicion and untrust ruled when there should have been new understandings. Other leaders, black and white did perhaps some good but it seemed as though the fundamental, underlying animosities continued to exist. It took action by individuals, by right-thinking private entities, by men and women one-on-one to begin to forge new relationships, new understandings, constantly chipping away at racism. It seemed a nev

Do you know what WOKE means?I thought it meant a state of being after a good night sleep. But this new four letter word WOKE is now the new buzz word of the progressive, liberal Protestant, even evangelical theologians who wish to put a new take and interpretation on the 2000 year writings of the Apostle Paul. This great Apostle, confronted by the Christ on the Damascus Road and converted perhaps like no other seemed to have made it clear to all who wish the salvation experience, in his very special epistle to the Ephesians the following:FOR BY GRACE ARE YE SAVED THROUGH FAITH, AND THAT NOT OF YOURSELVES: IT IS THE GIFT OF GOD, NOT OF WORKS, LEST ANY MAN (OR WOMAN) SHOULD BOAST. Seems rather clear, does it not that salvation in the real Christian sense comes as a result of the grace of God, through the faith of the one accepting the saving grace, and not as a result of anything that man or woman does but only, salvation is, as the result of the GIFT of God and Paul then makes it very clear that salvation is: NOT OF WORKS.So that, good works like prayers, sacraments, pilgrimages, rituals, sabbath observances, food laws and even circumcision may be good but they are irrelevant to salvation. They are good deeds and worthy from a religious standpoint, but they contribute nothing to the attainment of salvation. All such good works are the proper response, the natural spiritual reaction to that gift of God, the saving grace bestowed upon the accepting individual. That seems quite clear to me, does it not to you?But beginning in the late 1970s and early 1980s, a small group of Protestant biblical scholars have indicated that such an interpretation of the writings of Paul is wrong and they began to develop what they called: THE NEW PERSPECTIVE ON PAULSuch liberal and progressive thinkers were led by men like D.G. Dunn, E.P. Sanders and N.T. Wright. They were the ones who championed the new definitions for salvation, and for the seemingly dichotomy between grace and works. They essentially argued, these scholars, that Paul was trying to show how Jesus Christ broke down CULTURAL BARRIERS especially between Jew and gentile and that inclusion in the new church was a salvation message for ALL and that the doing of good works, as was typical in early Judaism was not necessary to salvation. In short, THE NEW PERSPECTIVE interpretation seeks to make Paul’s message of oneness and inclusion the whole Christian Gospel, equal components of grace and works. The so called sinner is justified (salvation) simply by being included in the new church. This new theological perspective began to gain rapid acceptance among a significant number of divinity faculty and seminarians in the 1990s and the early 2000s.But then came the inevitable push back. Those who deeply believed in the traditional Protestant definition of salvation (grace – faith – gift – not works) began to champion once again the clear theology of Paul with regard to salvation:NOT OF WORKS,so that no man or woman could boast or brag. They resisted the tendencies of young Protestant Ministers who would rather preach inclusion and breaking barriers than dare to challenge the individual with the concept of sin. It was pointless, they pointed out, to try to erase sin by a regimen of good works. In fact, Paul said elsewhere that all of our righteousness, all of our good works is as: FILTHY RAGSin the sight of God. All such good works, they pointed out with strong scriptural backup, were the fruits of the spirit, the natural reactions of a spirit – born man or a woman who wished to work out the wonderful salvation by grace and gift by giving back, by doing. All such good works were the result of salvation and not as a means of attaining it.And the battle goes on. Even as culture, politics and society at large turn more permissive, materialistic, nontraditional and radical and progressive, so the same thinking occurs in the church, Protestant and Catholic. The times demand change, and often radical change not only in political thinking, but religious as well. The Apostle Paul warned over and again about those who would pervert the Gospel, preach it their way and by their interpretation, leading many astray. You could say that Paul was warning against this new progressive, social justice known as WOKEISM, continually reminding us that there is no other way, none whatsoever for salvation other than by grace and by the gift of God through Jesus Christ.Listen to those words and Ephesians again my fellow Christians:FOR BY GRACE ARE YOU SAVED THROUGH FAITHAND THAT NOT OF YOURSELVESIT IS THE GIFT OF GODNOT OF WORKSLEST ANY MAN OR WOMAN SHOULD BOASTThe larger concept is the grace of God at work, the unmerited, undeserving favor of God. Salvation, should you choose to claim it, comes to you through faith and faith alone, NOT WORKS. Salvation is a GIFT of God, free, unmerited, unworked for. And therefore, clearly as Paul states, nothing about salvation is of works. It is: NOT OF WORKSso

We made it my fellow Americas.We made it alive and living in the greatest country ever in the history of mankind as we begin the third decade of the 21st century. God is good even though humankind is another story.No year in the world at large and in our great country has ever been more challenging, would you not agree? Or more divisive. America has seen anger and angst more so every day. We the people are divided down the middle politically, culturally and spiritually and:NE’ER THE TWAIN SHALL MEET!So it seems.But we had opportunities perhaps as never before. Technology exploded. New media, like social media dominated and the FACEBOOK of a young Harvard student became perhaps the most dynamic communication vehicle of all time. We saw the impeachment of President Donald Trump by a rabid, radical democratic party (House of Representatives) with the circus of a trial yet to come. History was rewritten in so many ways and education changed dramatically. Traditional America was excised at every opportunity.But through it all, so many of us heard the clarion words:MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN.That process began elections 2016 and still continues today. The House, Democratic and the Senate, Republican did virtually nothing, other than bicker, argue and seemingly do anything to get and keep power. America politically is a laughing stock worldwide.We fought with North Korea. They do have the missile capability of destroying America but we get nowhere with negotiations. And China, ever more militaristic stands against us in every way. President Trump finally stood up to them and made the demands which should have been made years ago with regard to fair trade, tariffs and taxes. A price had to be paid but if not now, when? China may be the most troubling political force in the entire world.And the great Black Bear woke from a long winters nap and once again became a dominant military and political force in the world. Russia allied with Iran, and is now a force to be reckoned with in the Middle East even as it waits for the right time to become dominant in the Syrian conflict. In some ways, either Russia or China is supplanting America as the worlds most dominant force.And socialism was on the rise as never before. It becomes increasingly dominant in European politics. It raises its ugly head even in our beloved America, threatens our traditions and has captured the political and cultural hearts of the democratic party. We have seen the rise of politicians like Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, and even a less radical socialist like Joe Biden thirstily compete to become the democratic candidate of choice and then the ultimate step, our very own President. We are told that if democrats capture White House and Senate, America will never be the same again. Elections 2020 bring choices for WE THE PEOPLE like never before.And we have seen one assault after another on our beloved Constitution. And that is especially so with regard to our First Amendment. Radical organizations, like the ones funded by the billions of men like George Soros attacked freedom of speech. The constitutional ramrod was the mantra HATE SPEECH, and the attacks for the use of hate speech were directed primarily against Judeo – Christian organizations which stood for marriage between a man and a woman and biological gender rather than gender by choice. For Christian organizations to ask a man or woman to wrestle with the concept of sin was hate speech at its highest and so many attempts were made to muzzle Pastors and shut down the pulpit. Those assaults continue unabated and will so no matter the elections.Our once objective press became blatantly biased, prejudiced to the core. Publications, television and cable and so much of our news content took one side or the other. The New York Times battled The Wall Street Journal and The WashingtonPost did the same verbal battles with The Washington Times. We the people so often turn to alternative media for any objective news, including and especially our beloved radio. Thank you for listening to radio and particularly to the radio stations of the Crawford Broadcasting Company. We are grateful to you for that even as we go forward with our difficult but inspirational mission to serve:GOD AND COUNTRYWe saw the further weakening of Christianity, especially conservative Christianity. The Gospel and its basic concepts were watered down and we battled with those who would delegitimize Israel and the Jews as God’s favored nation and people. We saw the incredible rise of anti–Semitism once again, the slaughter of Jews hardly seen since the Holocaust and much more to come. We are called upon as never before to bless Israel and the Jews as we are instructed in the Book of Genesis. These for them are most dangerous of times.And we saw the emergence of a thing called:WOKEEssentially a lethal mixture of works and grace as a new formula for salvation, with even an emphasis upon works. This new form of heresy even blasphemy s