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Ways to Help a Woman on the Breast Cancer Journey

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October ushered in fall with thoughts of pumpkin pie, pumpkin lattes, and harvest colors, but for many women like me, it’s also a reminder that October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. I was first diagnosed with breast cancer in October 2002, with recurrences in 2009 and 2011.

With the upcoming election on my mind, I almost missed acknowledging my breast cancer sisters this month and warning every woman over 40 to not let the year end without getting your annual mammogram. Because I’m high risk, I get either a mammogram or MRI every six months without fail. Last night, the Lord reminded me that breast cancer should be the topic of this week’s blog when I saw a Facebook post from a long-time friend who was just diagnosed with Stage 4 breast cancer.

I found purpose in the pain of my first diagnosis by writing the book I wished I had going through my own journey, Dear God, They Say It’s Cancer: A Companion Guide for Women on the Breast Cancer Journey.  The hardest chapter to write was “It Could Come Back.” But come back it did, twice! Any fears I had that my friends and family couldn’t, or wouldn’t, go through this ordeal with me again, were unfounded as they rallied around me each time with love, caring, support, and most importantly, prayer.

I have suggestions below for how you can do the same for the breast cancer friend or family member or neighbor, or fellow employee, or acquaintance you barely know who is being treated for breast cancer. Unbelievably, statistics have not changed from 24 years ago when I was first diagnosed . . . 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime! We all know at least one woman who has cried out in anguish, like my friend and I did, “Dear God, They Say It’s Cancer!”

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“I’m sorry…but you do have breast cancer.”

Those shocking words crackling through my cell phone rocked my world twenty-four years ago. I was running errands…trying to outrun suspected bad news. After the doctor’s parting words, “You’ll be fine,” I fired up the car engine and started driving and dialing. The first person I called, after I told my husband, was my best friend, but she couldn’t comprehend the diagnosis. “A positive biopsy doesn’t mean it’s malignant, does it?” she asked.

It’s hard to know what to say or do when a friend or relative drops the bombshell news that she has breast cancer. Often our natural response is to recoil and retreat. Maybe it’s the fear of facing our own mortality or the time and emotion required if we do get involved. We ease our conscience by thinking: she would rather be alone right now anyway. Or she needs her family at a time like this. Or she has so many friends; I know someone will help her.

We may send a card or make a call offering to help, closing with “I’ll be praying for you,” then on we go about our life while her life crumbles.

Yet the Bible clearly tells us to, “Help each other in troubles and problems. This is the kind of law Christ asks us to obey” (Galatians 6:2).

How can we put that verse into practical terms?

What does it truly mean to help each other in troubles and problems? Perhaps you can glean some ideas from the ways my friends and family came along side me during my initial breast cancer journey and two recurrences, and I might add with my recent complicated hip replacement surgery.

Helping Her with the Bad Days

Don’t Just Offer to Help—Do Something Tangible

Most of us find it difficult to receive help; we are hesitant to impose on others. When asked the generic question, “How can I help you?” our common response is, “I’m fine, but thank you for asking.” Truthfully, we need everything, but we don’t know if the person is offering to mop our floors or pick up our kids from school—both of which we need, but are afraid to ask.

Another well-meaning comment I received was, “Just call me if you need anything.” Now how many women are going to pick up the phone and ask for help, especially if they’re not feeling well? Again, we don’t know what the person is willing to do for us, and we don’t want to be a burden.

So instead of offering to help—just jump in and do something. If you know your friend well, you know where she needs help; and even if you don’t know her well, you know where all women need help. If she’s in the midst of cancer treatment, she is going to need assistance with every area of her life, especially if she is single. Here are some practical ideas:

  1. Schedule her friends, family, and church to bring meals. Use your lunch break to take her lunch and eat with her.
  2. Offer to drive her to doctor’s appointments or treatments and take notes for her.
  3. Shuttle her kids to and from school or find someone who can.
  4. Sit with her during chemo treatments or accompany her to radiation. Talk, read a book to her, or just hold her hand.
  5. Take her children on a play date or to your house.
  6. Do her laundry.
  7. Do her grocery shopping. If she is too sick to dictate a list, take an inventory of her refrigerator and cupboards and make your own list.
  8. Answer her email.
  9. Bring her a gift that makes her feel feminine.
  10. If she feels like talking, sit and chat with her. When she doesn’t feel like talking, just be a presence in her home so she doesn’t feel alone.
  11. Babysit her kids so she and her husband can have some private time.
  12. Clean her house or pay someone to do it.
  13. Go with her to pick out a wig or prosthesis.
  14. Pick up prescriptions.
  15. Run errands.

My first surgery and treatment extended over the Christmas holidays, and we had six grandchildren at that time. I had bought their presents already but couldn’t imagine wrapping them. So my friend took all the presents home and wrapped them, as well as organizing other friends to deliver meals for three months. During my recuperation, she sat on my bed with my laptop, read my emails to me, and then sent my dictated answers. Later, she accompanied me to radiation, fixed my hair when I had a frozen shoulder, and stuck beside me through the entire cancer ordeal, even though she admits that her first reaction to my phone call on that dreaded diagnosis day was, “Lord, I don’t want to do this.” God assured her that she could do it, and she did.

Don’t Say, “I’ll Pray For You,” Unless You Mean It

At church a couple came up to greet my husband and me and asked if they could pray for us. That meant so much to me as we wrapped our arms around each other, and there on the church patio, this precious couple prayed for my recovery and Dave’s strength for the journey. When we finished, the wife asked where we needed help. I hesitated because I knew this woman didn’t like to cook, but Dave quickly interjected, “We could use a meal.” She didn’t flinch. She said they would be over the next night with dinner, and they were…and they prayed for us again.

“I’ll pray for you” is said too often with the casualness of “Have a nice day.” But a promise to pray isn’t just a feel good phrase. We are telling someone that we will petition God on her behalf, and we are living falsely if we don’t. I find it’s best to stop in the moment and pray right then. It keeps me honest and blesses the other person.

Helping Her Enjoy the Good Days

Be Happy with Her When She’s Happy

Cancer is a grim word. Overnight life becomes serious, tense, and laden with fear. There is very little laughter during those first shocking days following the “dreaded diagnosis.” But life continues and there are going to be good days interspersed with the bad. An insightful friend will capitalize on the moments of reprieve when there is an opportunity to laugh or smile. Be ready, because it may only last a moment, but the break from pain and fear is immeasurable.

If your friend is having an especially good day, avoid topics that you know will bring her down. You aren’t minimizing or making light of the seriousness of the situation, but you are giving her a recess from the intensity. Don’t fake happiness, but take advantage of humorous or lighter moments. Smile. Laugh. Be happy.

Don’t let the serious eclipse the humorous.

I remember laughing at myself one day in the shower when I realized that I was so carefully not shaving under my left arm because of the lymph node surgery, that I also wasn’t shaving my left leg. I frequently retold that story so people could laugh with me.

Nurture the Little Girl Inside Her

When I was in the hospital, the nurse in charge of the breast-care unit gave me a white stuffed toy sheep named “Fleece.” Taking Fleece with me everywhere, I held him as a shield in front of my sore breast, tucked him under my arm as an armrest, and snuggled next to him in bed. For six months, I indulged my childish need for security, and no one chastised me for it. In fact, they acted like it was normal. And I discovered when I was writing my book, Dear God, They Say It’s Cancer, that it was normal! One woman who shared her story in the book had a black stuffed sheep named “Lamby” that she cuddled in her hospital bed. Another received a baby-sized pillow, and she recalls, “That pillow became a part of my wardrobe for eighteen months.”

Comfort and Security Gifts

  • A stuffed animal, pillow, or quilt.
  • A favorite food.
  • A game she loves to play and play it with her.
  • A movie she loved as a kid and watch it with her.
  • A surprise reunion with childhood friends.
  • A tea party.
  • A fun hat—even if she hasn’t lost her hair, she might not feel like fixing her hair.
  • A new nightgown that buttons down the front.
  • An ice cream cone.
  • A nightlight.

Shower Her with Love

Kay Warren shared with me about her breast cancer experience, “I don’t know how we would have gotten through this difficult time without the outpouring of love and support from so many. I have not felt alone at all…which is such an amazing gift!” And that it is…love is the best gift you can give to your friend suffering with breast cancer. Don’t desert her when she needs you most. Right now, she requires extravagant love, and God will help you when your heart is breaking or it just seems too sad or too hard. John 13:34 tells us to love one another just as God has loved us. God is the author of love and He knows just what your friend needs, and He will show you how to love her when she is feeling unlovable.

Surprise her.

What woman doesn’t love an unexpected gift or demonstration of how valuable she is to us? We were in the midst of a messy kitchen remodel when breast cancer assaulted me the first time. Everything in my life seemed out of control. But I felt so loved the day I returned home after the painful needle biopsy and spotted amongst the rubble—gift bags full of treats with balloons attached and a card from two girlfriends assuring me they had been praying during the ordeal.

Ideas For Showering Your Breast Cancer Friend With Love

  • A Spa day at a salon, which treats women with breast cancer.
  • If she wears a hat or scarf, wear one too.
  • Tell her how much you love her and what a great friend she is.
  • Stick with her even when the treatment lingers on. Her biggest fear is that others will not endure the journey.
  • Include her in as many activities as she feels up to.
  • Go to a breast-cancer support group with her.
  • Plan a girls’ day or night out, when she feels up to it.
  • Sit and watch old movies with her—even if she falls asleep.
  • Do her makeup.
  • Pray for and with her.

The Bible assures us in Proverbs 17:17 that “A friend loves at all times.”

What a privilege it is to put that verse into practice for your precious friend with breast cancer. You probably won’t be able to do everything I suggest and I hope you have ideas of your own, but as a three-time breast cancer survivor, I assure you there are three things that will endure through the good and the bad times—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.

The Top Thirteen Things to Do or Say and NOT to Do or Say to Someone with Breast Cancer

Breast Cancer Support

Article includes excerpts from Dear God, They Say It’s Cancer: A Companion Guide for Women on the Breast Cancer Journey.

Please leave a comment here.

If you haven’t read my last two blogs, please do before you vote.

You Have a Role in Saving Babies This Election

If It Doesn’t Make Sense, It’s Spiritual Warfare!

October 26, 2026
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You Have a Role In Saving Babies This Election!

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I’m going to be blunt and direct in this blog. God’s been prompting me to write about abortion because it’s literally on the ballot in every state.

We live in Idaho a baby sanctuary pro-life red state.

Planned Parenthood, abortion lobbyists, and wealthy East Cost liberal donors like Bloomberg are trying to flip Idaho’s pro-life abortion law just as they did in Ohio. If they can do it here, they can do it anywhere!

Idaho was the first state after the fall of Roe v Wade to pass a strict law banning abortion except for rape or incest during the first trimester, treatment of ectopic or molar pregnancies, removal of a fetus or treatment of miscarriage with no cardiac activity, or threat to mother’s life in which case they try to save the baby’s life also.

After our anti-abortion, do-no-harm, pro-life law was enacted, Planned Parenthood left Idaho because they could no longer slaughter babies in Idaho under the facade of “healthcare.” But they didn’t go resolutely and now we have Prop 1 on the ballot in November that would make abortion easier in Idaho then it was with Roe v Wade!

Many people have opinions on the Pros and Cons of Prop 1. My husband and I are vehemently against it. As I’ve interacted with those who are a “Yes” on Prop 1, it’s clear they don’t understand the current law or don’t believe or accept the following:

  • God created every baby in His image.
  • Science has agreed that life begins at conception.
  • Every baby receives DNA, unique characteristics, and a soul at conception.
  • A developing baby is not a clump of cells or fetus, she or he is a human being.
  • A baby is not a “health condition” or tumor that needs removing.
  • A baby has the same rights as the mother.
  • A baby’s body is separate from the mother’s body.
  • Abortion is a barbaric, torturous death of another human being.
  • God has a plan for every human baby.
  • Abortion is NOT healthcare and it’s NOT an “intentional miscarriage.”
  • Abortion isn’t a “medical decision” between a woman and her doctor. It’s intentional murder and the government is obligated to prevent murder.

Why Do I Say Abortion is On the Ballot in Every State?

Abortion bills, propositions, or amendments are specifically on the November 2026 ballot in Idaho, Nevada, Virginia, and Missouri, but abortion is actually on everyone’s ballot because if the Demoncrat Communist Islamists take over Congress, they will codify abortion!

If you heard the town hall with Democrat Socialist and heretic James Talarico running in Texas for national Senate, he made the erroneous statement to a constituent that “the Bible is silent on abortion.” He has even said that “trans” people need abortion rights. The woman he was talking to corrected him that the Ten Commandments specifically says, “Thou shalt not murder.”

Brian Ottinger of Love Live.org counters some of the typical liberal political talking points:

A BABY DOESN’T HAVE TO BE WANTED TO BE WORTH PROTECTING.

A mother’s circumstances don’t determine her child’s value.

A father’s willingness to take responsibility doesn’t determine his child’s humanity.

Poverty doesn’t erase human dignity. Neither does inconvenience, fear, or an unexpected pregnancy.

The value of a human life isn’t determined by whether someone wants that life.

Every preborn child deserves protection.

Every mother deserves genuine love and support.

“People’s feelings change. Circumstances change. What someone considers unwanted today may become their greatest blessing tomorrow. But the value of a human life does not change with someone else’s feelings. Being wanted has never been a qualification for being human, and it should NEVER be the standard for deciding who gets to live and who dies. Human dignity is not determined by popularity, convenience, or desire. Every human life has value because every human life is made in the image of God.” Brian Ottinger

How many of God’s children who He knit together in their mother’s womb and had great plans for them to rescue our world in medicine, health, science, education, leadership, preachers, fathers and mothers of future generations have been slaughtered before they could take their first breath?! Or horrifically even murdered after birth, which could happen if Prop 1 passes in Idaho!

God creates and has a plan for every child conceived. That’s not just a “religious belief” as I’ve heard argued and one pro-abortion SCOTUS said during the Roe v Wade turnover. It’s a reality. God has a plan for everyone!

For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. Jer. 29:11 NLT

The pro-abortion attorney in the Dobbs case also tried to argue that “the burden of parenthood is an obstacle to women’s success” even as she addressed this absurd argument to Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett a mother of seven, including two adopted children.

A man and a woman should carefully consider parenthood BEFORE having sex, not after a child is conceived. Only secular cultural worldly thinking considers success outside the home more valuable than success in the home as a parent.

You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. 14 Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it. You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. 16 You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. Ps. 139:13-16 NLT

When liberal SCOTUS Sotomayor compared a baby in the womb to a brain-dead person, she actually admitted that a pre-born baby is a person! Satan tries to seduce with deception by calling the baby a “fetus,” which sounds clinical and not like a human being. 

I’ve never heard a woman say she’s pregnant with a fetus, a brain-dead person, or a blob of cells. An expectant mother says she’s going to have a baby: a precious, fragile, defenseless human being that according to current laws in 37 states and Washington, D.C., she can “choose” to murder.

A scientific discovery is now confirming what Christians have always known that life begins at conception when sperm fertilizes an egg. A human being is created. A video reveals what appears to be a fluorescent display of fireworks taking place at the moment of conception. The ‘flash of light’ is created when zinc is released and binds to tiny molecules that “emit a fluorescence,” only viewable by microscopes. This discovery is nothing short of a breathtaking display of our Creator’s hand at work in creating each of us with a soul and a purpose.

Science and technology now confirm that by six weeks, a child has a beating heart, a developing brain and spinal cord. At ten weeks, the child has arms, legs, fingers, toes and can kick. By fifteen weeks, the baby has a nose, lips, eyebrows, eyelids and can feel pain, yawn, and suck a thumb. If you’ve watched the movie Unplanned, you know the baby feels pain in an abortion and struggles to get away from the suction tube. It’s heartbreaking.

Before ultrasounds and heartbeat monitoring, women bought into the lie they were told that it’s just a blob of cells that can’t feel pain. But now, we know that’s not true. We can see the human baby developing and hear the heartbeat at six weeks. We know, without a doubt, that life begins at conception. Yet many still want the “right” to kill that human being, even after the baby takes its first breath! Inhuman barbaric depravity is actually celebrated by liberals, Hollywood, and some state governments.

18 states plus DC have no gestational limit on abortion! Woman were actually photographed clapping and smiling when Massachusetts female governor signed a bill allowing abortion at any stage up until birth and in Minnesota even after birth! Tell me that’s not murder!

Abortion has become the accepted crime of unbridled passion and lust.

There’s no right way to do the wrong thing. There’s no justification for having sex and killing a baby because the sex was convenient, but the baby is inconvenient.

Our culture today is playing God by choosing who can live and who should die. That’s not going to end well.

Abortion is Not a Constitutional Right

The Constitution says everyone has a right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness and that includes unborn human beings.

Let’s review some common deceptive talking points because maybe you’ve been deceived yourself.

  1. “A woman’s right to choose.” In 99.9% of situations, a woman does have a right to choose . . . if she’s going to have sex or not. That’s her choice.
  2. “Reproductive rights” start with the right to say yes or no to sex. Sex leads to reproduction. A scientific and biological fact and a right God gave to every man and woman who chooses to have sex.
  3. “Healthcare.” There’s nothing healthy for a woman to have a baby poisoned, burned, dismembered, or sucked out of her womb. A doctor’s role is to save both patients, the mother and the baby.
  4. “It’s my body.” It’s not her own body. She didn’t create herself. God did by her parents having sex to create her. Then she used her body to have sex and create a body separate from hers with its own soul, heartbeat, eyes, ears, mouth, nose, brain, organs, skin, arms, legs, sensitivity to pain, cry, and tears.
  5. “Bodily autonomy is a human right.” Autonomy does allow a woman to choose to have sex with her body, but when she creates another body, that little body has autonomy and a human right also.
  6. “Abortion is morally good.” When murder becomes morally good and justified, we’ve definitely regressed to barbarism and savagery. Promiscuous sex is morally wrong. Two wrongs do not make a right.
  7. “It’s a decision between a woman and her doctor.” When a girl or woman goes into Planned Parenthood, they don’t see the doctor until they’re in stirrups and he’s killing her baby. And often it’s not even a doctor performing the abortion. No doctor should agree to murder a baby.
  8. “Prochoice.” The argument is between prolife and prodeath advocates!
  9. “A war on women.” How about we stop the war on babies, both male and female.

For Those Woman Who Have Already Had an Abortion

My friend Patti Smith wrote a blog about the devastation of her own abortions: Nobody Told Me the Truth. Maybe that’s you and you were misled or misinformed. Patti learned that God is the God of forgiveness, grace, and mercy as she learned the truth about abortion, repented, and asked Jesus for forgiveness and salvation.

After your own healing, like Patti, God may use your past to help another woman not let abortion become her future.

I’ve also heard good things about Project Rachel: Hope After Abortion.

What’s Our Role As Christians?

Abortion is the brutal and barbaric execution of a baby. Don’t be bullied into accepting this demonic atrocity and don’t be silent in stopping it. Work hard to protect the unborn!

Every Christian, Conservative, Patriot, Parent, Grandparent, Bible-Believing God fearing American should be registered and vote in this November 3, 2026 election!

Remember the Democrat “Big Tent” of Socialists, DSA, Marxists, Communists, and Islamists want to codify abortion and their entire platform is anti-God.

Vote for the innocent.

Vote for those who cherish life.

Vote your values.

Vote biblically not personalities.

Vote!!!

Speak up for the innocent!

Here’s a powerful quote from a Gen Z woman writing to a friend on why she’s voting NO on Idaho’s Prop 1 . . .

“I recently learned that nearly 1/3 of Gen Z in America was aborted. Depending on the age range you use for Gen Z, between 16 million and 20 million lives were lost. That’s 16 to 20 million young Americans who could have been around our age today, that never even got a chance for their stories to unfold. That is a generational genocide, and I don’t want to let that happen to the next generations.”

If you haven’t read my last blog, here it is If It Doesn’t Make Sense, It’s Spiritual Warfare!

I just received an email about a true story Christian film starting in theaters October 16th. Perfect timing for the election. Here’s a link to check out Conceivable!

Please leave a comment here.

October 19, 2026
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Church Conflict is Inevitable. Our Response Should Be Biblical

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My husband Dave and I often watch Kirk Cameron’s TBN show “Takeaways.” July 13, 2026, his episode was titled “Healing From Church Hurt.” Kirk interviewed Dr. Carmen Joy Imes and Pastor Joe Dobbins, author of Hope After Church Hurt: How to Heal, Reengage, and Rediscover God’s Heart for You. You can watch the full episode on YouTube. The summary was a discussion of how to heal biblically from being hurt by the church, or people in the church doing hurtful things, and the importance of staying connected and engaged with a community of believers.

This episode hit home since our own church is going through a difficult transition and chances are you’re either in a church where you’ve experienced conflict or you will be in one someday. Because churches are comprised of imperfect people, including you and me. Like any entity we participate in from family, work, neighborhoods, and yes, even church, conflict is inevitable but as Christians our response should not be worldly, it should always be biblical. Sadly, that’s not always the case.

Healthy conflict can be good! It often clears up misunderstandings and helps everyone deal with negative feelings if handled in a positive biblical way. Unfortunately, many of us go through life trying to avoid conflict, while others might try to create conflict. Neither response is biblical or beneficial in relationships.

In my Bible study, Face to Face with Euodia and Syntyche: From Conflict to Community, I discuss the short passage in Philippians 4:2-3, where we meet two Christian women who experienced conflict while serving in Paul’s ministry in Philippi. They couldn’t work it out on their own and needed a mediator. They hadn’t yet learned the art of agreeing to disagree biblically.

Now I appeal to Euodia and Syntyche. Please, because you belong to the Lord, settle your disagreement. 3 And I ask you, my true partner, to help these two women, for they worked hard with me in telling others the Good News. They worked along with Clement and the rest of my co-workers, whose names are written in the Book of Life. Phil. 4:2-3 NLT

Euodia and Syntyche probably were charter members of the church at Philippi. They worked with Paul as church planters and were influential women for Paul to mention them by name. Their argument was a big enough issue that Paul heard about it 1000 miles away in a Roman jail. We cannot minimize the significance of Paul addressing these two women in a letter he knew would have a public reading to the entire church, and quite possibly to surrounding churches. Arguments among Christians in churches are a big deal!

Often we’re unprepared to deal with conflict because we never learned healthy conflict-resolving skills and react in ways the Bible calls sinful. Whatever the root cause of conflict in the church, if it’s not resolved biblically, the result can resemble carnal secular culture, the opposite of how God wants us to respond.

Here are 5 sinful ways congregants might react to church conflict accompanied by scriptural ways Christians are called to react.

Gossip

A perverse person stirs up conflict, and a gossip separates close friends. [Also separates good churches] Pr. 16:28

Sadly, gossip might not just be a reaction to church conflict it might be the cause of it. We tell everyone else about the problem, except the person with whom we have the issue. Maybe we hope others will tell her or him for us or we want to download our problem onto someone else hoping they’ll side with us. The consequence: we indulge in the sin of gossip and slander. Because each side is so sure they’re right and justified, they may not see the sinful way they’re responding.

Or we hear a rumor of a disagreement at church and magnify it by talking to others about our opinion rather than talking to God in prayer. There should be a gossiping check in our spirit when a conversation starter is, “Did you hear the latest about…?” Or, “Someone just told me…”

Another way the sin of gossip occurs is when we don’t like the way something is happening at church and instead of talking to the pastor or elders, we complain to other church members. Just like the childhood game of “telephone,” the more gossip is repeated the more distorted it becomes. God knew we would have the potential to gossip so He included many Scriptures warning of its danger and the sinful repercussions.

The words of a gossip are like choice morsels; they go down to the inmost parts. Pr. 18:8

A gossip betrays a confidence; so avoid anyone who talks too much. Pr. 20:19

Without wood a fire goes out; without gossip a quarrel dies down. Pr. 26:20

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. Eph. 4:29

Disunity

Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand. Matt. 12:25

Unresolved church conflict always results in disunity in the body of Christ as congregants take sides. The enemy seeks to divide before it destroys relationships and the church falls prey to this sin when they reject unifying solutions to issues. Disunity is Satan’s way of hindering the effectiveness of the church’s gospel witness. How can a church that claims to be united as believers in Jesus Christ attract others to Christ when they’re divided and arguing amongst themselves?

The following verses remind us of the dangers of the sin of succumbing to Satan’s schemes to create conflictual disunity in the church and the importance of the church reflecting peace and unity in Christ.

I urge you, brothers and sisters, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them. Rom. 16:17

 I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought. 1 Cor. 1:10

Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. Eph. 4:3

Pride

Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall. Pr. 16:18

Disagreements in the church or personal life usually stem from each side’s desire and determination to be right in their own eyes. Conflict festers when people sinfully and pridefully determine their way is the only acceptable way and refuse to accept that only God is sovereign. The Bible warns repeatedly that pride is a sin and that it will lead to a fall in our life and in the life of a church.

Congregants can become entrenched in their own self-centered convictions over maybe something as innocuous as the color of the carpet or the worship music. It can lead to a tug-a-war of ideas and wills resulting in people leaving the church or even a church split. In Acts 15:1-5, Paul and Barnabas had to settle a conflict in the church as to whether believers had to be circumcised. Later in verses 36-41, the two men had such a sharp disagreement themselves over whether or not to take John Mark on a mission trip that they separated and went separate ways, which in the end resulted in multiplying their ministry. In 1 Corinthians 9:6, Paul refers to Barnabas as a “fellow worker” indicating they did reconcile later.

However, in a church split, there are often raw and hurt feelings and one of the churches may close.

In their own eyes they flatter themselves too much to detect or hate their sin. Ps. 36:2

Do you see a person wise in their own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for them. Pr. 26:12


When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom. Pr. 11:2

Unkindness

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Gal. 5:21-22

Anger is not a sin in itself. Even Jesus felt anger, but what we do with anger becomes the sin. In the midst of conflict, tempers may flare and unkind words spew. Perhaps ungodly words slip out. There might even be a desire to hurt the other person emotionally or physically. That’s when righteous anger turns into sinful revengeful behavior.

Maybe anger erupts at a church board or elder meeting or congregants argue with each other. As Christians, there’s never a good excuse to become unkind in words or actions, but it happens. We’ve all experienced church conflict. In our humanness, we may take our anger out on someone instead of taking our feelings to the Lord to help us resolve the conflict in a kind and gracious way.

Just like in the previous sinful ways we react to church conflict, God has many wise words for letting the Holy Spirit and not temperament guide actions.

Whoever is patient has great understanding, but one who is quick-tempered displays folly. Pr. 14:29

Stop being angry! Turn from your rage. Do not lose your temper—it only leads to harm. Ps. 37:8 NLT

A person’s wisdom yields patience; it is to one’s glory to overlook an offense. Pr. 19:11

Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. Eph. 4:31 NLT

Unforgiveness

For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. Matt. 6:14-16

Conflict by its nature as we’ve seen in the previous points is more than a difference of opinion. The reaction can even lead to retribution or retaliation if taken to its most negative expression. Feelings are often hurt, harsh words spoken, defiance, disagreement, revenge are the antithesis of how the Bible tells us to relate to each other. Someone needs to be the first to apologize and ask for forgiveness. As Christians, we ask God to forgive us for all our past horrific sins, yet often we’re not willing to forgive others, even in the church. That’s wrong.

I was hurt in church once and couldn’t even return. Then one Sunday morning, I realized how wrong it was for me to let someone else’s actions prevent me from worshipping. When I walked into church that day, one of the people who had hurt me admitted they were wrong and asked for my forgiveness. That was huge when this person accepted responsibility. How could I not then forgive? Even if they hadn’t asked, I needed to forgive in my heart to release myself from the sin of an unforgiving hardened heart.

Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Eph. 4:32

Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Col. 3:13-14

Conflict Resolution Recognizes God’s Grace

None of the 5 sinful ways of reacting to conflict discussed is appropriate for followers of Jesus Christ. The Scriptures are clear that God has provided healthy biblical ways for Christians to resolve conflict and avoid the negative consequences of unresolved conflict.

Acknowledging the potential for conflict allows us to determine that we’re not always going to agree, but God has outlined for us how to respond biblically. Sadly, in today’s culture, we see all ages, from children to aging adults, who don’t know how to engage in debate and disagreements without verbally, and sometimes physically, attacking each other. Many have never learned how to work through conflict in a way that both sides feel heard, even though they may end up agreeing to disagree.

Everyone in church is at different spiritual levels and degrees of maturity. Some may have misguided higher opinions of themselves, thinking they know more than others do. Some are young Christians still learning what the Christian life is and isn’t. Others might not be Christians at all.

Even if the person you’re in conflict with isn’t a Christian, or doesn’t believe in the Bible, if you stay calm and react biblically, as we always should as Christians, you might find the other person responds appropriately. At least, you know that you did.

Learning how to resolve conflict the biblical way allows us to keep our cool and humbly communicate in a peaceful, loving, grace-filled manner—Christ’s way. Unresolved conflict can cause gossip, disunity, pride, unkindness, anger, unforgiveness, and even revenge—Satan’s way. When we resist Satan by adopting Christ-like behavior, the enemy retreats—at least for the moment. He’ll be back with a new strategy, but don’t allow him to get a foothold in your church.

It’s important to remember that “the church” is God’s house or gathering place, and He is the head of the household, the family of God. The only perfect person in His house is Him! The rest of the church, including the pastor, elders, and leadership are imperfect people. They make mistakes. They have a higher calling and so their mistakes can have long lasting repercussions, for which they will suffer the consequences. Sometimes, we set the pastoral staff on a pedestal and expect more from them than we expect from God. That will always lead to disappointment.

“Peace is not the absence of conflict. It’s Jesus in the middle of the conflict.” Pastor Rob McCoy

Fools mock at making amends for sin, but goodwill is found among the upright. Pr. 14:9

*I wrote parts of this article under the title 5 Sinful Ways We React to Church Conflict for Crosswalk in August 2025

Please leave your comments here.

Note: I’ll be taking a break from Monday Morning Blogs for the month of August and possibly September. I’m having a hip replacement on August 12 and appreciate your prayers. Have a blessed remainder of your summer, my favorite season, and Lord willing, I’ll be back in the Fall.

July 27, 2026
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Remembering the Goodness of God Our Culture Has Forgotten

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The title of this blog is actually the subtitle to my book Forsaken God? Remembering the Goodness of God Our Culture Has Forgotten, without a doubt one of the most important books I’ve written. Unfortunately, the publisher didn’t use my original title, How Good is God? I Can’t Remember, which I think was a more engaging title and would’ve put the book in more people’s hands, hearts, and minds.

In the book, I have a section “Generation to Generation,” which is what I want to focus on in this blog and here’s what got me to thinking about this topic . . .

Last week, our neighborhood well pump was clogged for several days. We were asked to reduce our water usage: no watering yards and gardens even with temperatures in the 90s, no dishwasher, laundry, even showers. It was a hardship, but we were all in it together, including the board members who are our neighbors.

Periodically, we have water issues, or the power goes out, in our rural mountain community. It makes you realize how much we take for granted when normally we can turn on the faucet and run water or flip a switch and have light. Things we don’t typically thank God for on a regular basis until we don’t have these necessities and we pray to God they’ll be back working soon.

This made me think about how blessed we are with all the things we take for granted. Things that are typically readily available to Americans that aren’t available in other countries. I remember when one of our daughters lived in Italy, the heat in their 4th floor apartment during the winter was regulated. They had no control over it. There was no air conditioning in summer heat. No ice.

Air conditioning, ice, and cold drinks were things visitors to the World Cup marveled at here.

Now there’s a Socialist/Communist mayor in New York City telling New Yorkers to set their A/C units to 78 during a heat wave while the temperature in his office is cool and comfortable. He wants to tax the rich to pay for all the free stuff he offers while he budgets for a raise for himself and his staff. That’s the difference between socialism and a free Republic. In our neighborhood water situation, we all suffered together, even those in charge. Under Socialism, those in charge–the government–and elites never suffer, just their constituents.

So like you, I’ve been wondering why the younger generation is so enamored with a government ideology that wants to take away their individual rights and make government their god? I’ve come to believe it’s because one generation isn’t passing down to the next generation why America is such a blessed country and why they’re so blessed to live here!

We’ve let social media and liberal schools take over the role of parenting. Where are the parents of the weird and freaky young people protesting in the streets and making TikTok videos about tearing down the country that allows them to say and do things that would put them behind bars or worse end up like the 50,000 killed in Iran?!

Were those kids ever taught the Bible?

Did their parents take them to church?

Did they pray at home?

I’ve always said it only takes one generation neglecting to pass down a heritage to the next generation for a way of life or belief system to vanish.

Is this what’s happening to freedom in America? That chilling fact underlines the magnitude of our responsibility to share the goodness of God with our children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren, and for them to do the same: “Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it” (Pr. 22:6).

*The Bible Is the Thread that Ties Generations Together

When we think about what our churches are ‘leaving behind’ for our cities, we shouldn’t be thinking of ministry plans or church buildings, but kids. The children in our church are the first ones that God has given us to win for the Gospel. Because they are the inheritance we are leaving for our city, the single most important task we have as a church is to teach the next generation the Gospel. –Dr. J.D. Greear

The Bible is a resounding call to remember God’s goodness throughout all generations. It’s a recorded history of our Christian faith reminding us why we believe and what we believe.

Thanks to the saints who have gone before us, you and I have the privilege of reading the same Scriptures and biblical accounts our ancestors read. Now it’s our job to ensure that God’s unchanging Word prevails and reigns through future generations. We need to pass on the hope we have in Christ by equipping the next generation to read and understand the Bible and accept Jesus as their personal Savior—not encumber them with rules easily broken, but guide them toward a relationship they wouldn’t forfeit or jeopardize for anything or anyone.

The Bible is a thread that intertwines us with previous generations who didn’t have radios, television, smartphones, computers, Skype, Google Hangout, chatgbt, texting, What’s Up, tablets, FaceTime, or even electricity or running water! They heard Bible stories told to them or read the Bible by the fire or candlelight, the same Bible you and I read today. No other book in history has traversed the centuries, crossed cultures, and enjoyed such worldwide renown—even people who don’t believe in God acknowledge the Bible is a historical book.

Praise God, some states are recognizing this as they bring the Bible back into school curriculum. From the first writings of Moses in Genesis, to the last recordings of John in Revelation—and every prophesy, disciple, and apostle in between—there’s a charge to remember God. Yet, each writer knew we would have a propensity to forget God’s words and forsake His ways unless one generation passed down the biblical truths to the next generation and lived out those truths.

God specifically and repeatedly tells His people to pass down to future generation all the awesome wonders they saw Him do because the younger generations weren’t there. The same goes for the history of our country. This younger generation didn’t live through the horrors of 9/11 perpetrated by the Islamic terrorist organization al-Qaeda against the United States when nineteen terrorists hijacked four airlines. Then flew one into each of the Twin Towers at the World Trade Center, one into the Pentagon, and the one headed for the White House was overtaken by the passengers and crashed into a field. Over 3000 people died in the attacks and rescue efforts.

Yet, because that story isn’t told often enough, New Yorkers have elected an Islamist Democrat Socialists of America (DSA) mayor who is hiring and endorsing members of the DSA that wants to dismantle and destroy America from the inside. This is a dire consequence of one generation not teaching world history to the next generation.

One generation commends your works to another; they tell of your mighty acts. Ps. 145:4

Each generation has become more and more lax in upholding, enforcing, and passing down God’s truths, which have been the foundation of America since its inception. Even though there are those that deny that truth, they’re either uneducated, liars, atheists, Communists, Islamists, or a mixture of all.

When I hear people lament about our corrupt world today, I encourage them to read the Bible. The truth is our world has been steadily deteriorating morally ever since Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden. Each generation pushes out the boundaries of sin and immorality a little further in the name of a progressive, tolerant culture, which is now progressing to embrace communism with the Trojan Horse of Democrat Socialists of America.

The twentieth century’s sexual revolution has made sex outside of marriage, homosexuality, and abortion “acceptable.”

My state of Idaho was one of the first states to enact the strictest abortion banning law in the country after SCOTUS put the responsibility on the states. Today, we have Prop 1 on the November Idaho ballot that would be one of the most radical pro-abortion baby-murdering laws in the country! Prop 1 is originated and funded by liberals, the abortion lobby, and Planned Parenthood which left Idaho after our abortion law eliminated their baby-killing business.

Satan never stops!!

The Twenty-first century’s norm now becomes casual hookups, unwed pregnancies, transgenderism, gay marriage, attempted gender change, and taking a pill ordered online to flush your baby down the toilet! What one generation does in moderation, the next generation does in excess, and sadly that’s been true since the beginning of time.

There have been periods of revival in our history, usually at times when culture has sunk to an all-time moral low or there’s a national crisis like 9/11. Suddenly, much of the world turns to God and begs His mercy and grace. As people flock to churches, unity and synergy bring communities together seeking God’s peace and comfort. But when the shock deadens over the moral atrocity, or the crisis passes, the church attendance steadily declines and the liberal agenda regains momentum.

As a nation, we said we would never forget 9/11 but as a culture, we did forget. Islamist DSA political candidates can go on media interviews suggesting America deserved that horrific attack, and few people call it what it is: insurrection or even treason!

We’re now in an era of political violence where a young man trying to share the truth through debate with the next generation is assassinated by the very generation he was trying to reach. Instead of universal mourning for the murder of Charlie Kirk, evil liberals and radicals cheered.

But our hope remains that, as bad as it is, God is still on His throne. Even though the world moves farther away from God, there are still people who will seek God, and we need to be ready to share the Gospel with them. The church is NOT dead, but it needs to awaken from its slumber.

As Christians, God calls us to live holy lives separated to God, separated from the world, and separated for God. Our responsibility is to help a generation that thrives on conforming want to conform to God’s standards and not to the secular world!

Don’t think you can’t make a difference. You can. Sure, you can’t transform the whole world, but you can make a difference in your world.

Steve Green wrote a song with the chorus, “Oh, may all who come behind us find us faithful.” Someday we’ll all just be a memory, but let’s make sure that memory points everyone to Jesus.

In your sphere of influence, starting with your family and church family, tell them everything you’ve seen God do and about His unchanging truths. Influence the next generations to love and obey God with born-again, Holy Spirit-filled hearts, and to remember the goodness of our Great God!

My people, hear my teaching;
    listen to the words of my mouth.
2 I will open my mouth with a parable;
    I will utter hidden things, things from of old—
3 things we have heard and known,
    things our ancestors have told us.
4 We will not hide them from their descendants;
    we will tell the next generation
the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord,
    his power, and the wonders he has done.
5 He decreed statutes for Jacob
    and established the law in Israel,
which he commanded our ancestors
    to teach their children,
6 so the next generation would know them,
    even the children yet to be born,
    and they in turn would tell their children.
7 Then they would put their trust in God
    and would not forget his deeds
    but would keep his commands.
8 They would not be like their ancestors—
    a stubborn and rebellious generation,
whose hearts were not loyal to God,
    whose spirits were not faithful to him. (Ps. 78:1-8)

*A portion of The Bible Is the Thread that Ties Generations Together came from my book, Forsaken God? Remembering the Goodness of God Our Culture Has Forgotten.  

Please leave a comment here.

July 20, 2026
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Standing Triumphantly Against the Spirit of Deception

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It’s easy to become overwhelmed with the deception in the world today, sometimes even in the church. If you have the Holy Spirit living inside you, and every true Christian does, it’s easy to decipher the enemy’s attempt to deceive. Sadly, many are falling into Satan’s sly trap.

A favorite tool of the enemy is using words and semantics to hide evil. Here are some examples:

  • “Pro Choice” means pro-abortion. A woman choosing to have her baby never calls this “pro-choice.” She says, “I’m going to have a baby!” No baby chooses their own death
  • “Women’s Healthcare” is used to disguise abortion where one of the patients, the baby, always dies. Murder not healthcare.
  • “Trans rights.” Trans is a concocted word to describe a mentally ill or perverted man or woman who feels they have the right to impose their confusion or perversion on others. They don’t have that right.
  • “Immigrants” or “Undocumented” used to disguise illegals who broke into our country illegally.
  • “Calling Islam a religion.” Islam is a political deadly ideology whose goal is to wipe out Jews and Christians, and to replace the Constitution and rule of law with Sharia law.
  • “Democrat Socialism” is a soft word for Communism. They added “Democrat” so they could run as Democrats in elections. When they win, they’ll drop Democrat and destroy the Democrat party from within.

Democratic Socialists of America have officially adopted a radical platform that includes:

1. Abolishing the Senate

2. Granting full amnesty to all illegal aliens and noncitizens allowing them to vote

3. Replacing the President and Supreme Court with bodies subordinate to Congress

4. Defunding and destroying the Department of Defense, the Pentagon, and our military

5. Ending ICE and deportations allowing open immigration

6. Defunding the police

7. Government control over housing, industry, and private property

The deceived try to defend “Democrat Socialism” as taking care of the poor. Do you see anything about helping the poor in the above platform? Under socialism and communism, everyone becomes poor except for the elites in control of government and the money.

The Democrat Socialists’ plan is to destroy the Constitution and Bill of Rights and replace our Republic with a socialist state.

Already Mamdani, the Communist /Islamist NYC mayor, is calling for a 16% increase in his annual salary and a raise for other senior government officials while not providing any of the “free stuff” and “affordability and “progressive economic policies” he touted in his campaign.

Communists, Socialists, and Islamists lie and only the undiscerning believe them!

People my age lived through the threats of the cold war and Reagan’s famous “Mr. Gorbachev tear down this wall” between communist East Berlin and free West Berlin. We were taught in school America’s true history and the perils of communism, yet there are actually boomers today deceived by Communist propaganda.

America is no longer in a political battle between Democrats and Republicans. It’s a spiritual battle between good and evil.

The discerning and the undiscerning.

One side believes our rights come from God and government exists to protect us. The other side are atheists who do not believe in God but believe government is the highest power, their god, and your rights are whatever the people in charge decide to let you have.

Ronald Reagan famously and discerningly said, “Government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem!” Amen!

They can change the label: Socialist. Democratic Socialist. Communist. National Socialist. Fascist. Islamist. It all means the same thing: loss of individual rights and freedom.

Remember, NAZI stood for the National Socialist German Workers’ Party.

USSR stood for the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.

Cuba was sold as a people’s revolution and became a communist dictatorship that generations of people risked their lives to escape.

The point is not that every socialist is Hitler, Stalin or Castro. The point is that every generation seems to produce another group of people who think THIS TIME they can give government enormous power and somehow human nature will be different.

It never is.

Discerning people know Socialism/Communism’s rudder is envy, jealousy, and the desire for power.

Lack of Discernment Fuels Conspiracies

Last week, during the preliminary hearing, we relived the horrors of Charlie Kirk’s assassination. Much of the incriminating evidence presented against Tyler Robinson was known last year. Robinson’s confession in person, in letters, and texts. The rifle wrapped in a towel with his DNA. His own parents recognizing him in videos before and after the murder convinced him to turn himself in to the authorities.

Yet, since Charlie’s untimely and tragic murder, ridiculous deceptive conspiracy theories have been highly publicized and believed by the undiscerning.

Conspiracy theories are prevalent against Israel, Iran, Jews, Christians, Patriots, and just about anybody. Before Senator Lindsey Graham’s cause of death was even known, the media and social media was rampant with conspiracy theories.

And that’s the heart of most deception!

Lying, deceiving media that gives voice to the devil and people who should know better like boomers, Christians, bloggers, podcasters, and even pastors falling into the devil’s trap.

How Do You Resist the Spirit of Deception?

Resisting the spirit of deception requires vigilance, discernment grounded in God’s Word, and prayerful reliance on the Holy Spirit.

The Bible repeatedly warns believers about deception. From the earliest chapters, deception is portrayed as a tool of Satan, as seen when the serpent deceived Eve in Genesis 3, leading to humanity’s fall.

The Apostle Paul cautions in 2 Corinthians 11:3 that believers’ minds can be led astray from devotion to Christ, echoing the danger of subtle deception. Paul also instructs in Colossians 2:8 to avoid being taken captive by human philosophies or empty deception, highlighting the importance of grounding faith in Christ rather than worldly ideas.

Jesus Himself warns in Matthew 24:4-5 about false prophets who will mislead many, emphasizing the prevalence of spiritual deception. Jesus told them, “Don’t let anyone mislead you, 5 for many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah.’ They will deceive many.“

The Holy Spirit is essential for discernment, as Jesus promises in John 16:13 that the Spirit will guide believers into all truth. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future.“

Ephesians 6:10-18 describes the Armor of God: the belt of truth, breastplate of righteousness, shoes of the gospel of peace, shield of faith, helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. Tools to stand firm against the devil’s schemes.

Dave and I pray the Armor of God every morning. I’ve often said, I might not be alive today had we not started this spiritual practice when we were first married 33 years ago! I highly recommend you add it to your devotional time if you don’t already.

1 Peter 5:8 tells us . . . “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.“

Sadly, many people you and I know have been devoured by CULTure. I hope and pray it’s not you.

Believers are instructed in 1 John 4:1 to discern whether information aligns with Scripture.
“Dear friends, do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit. You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes from God. For there are many false prophets in the world.“

It’s important to remember though that even the Devil knows Scripture and people like James Talarico, the heretic running for Senate in Texas, has misused and misinterpreted Scripture. He actually is part of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), which is not a church of God. 

My Faith Votes “Friday Five” on 7/10/2026 discussed the 226th General Assembly, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) approving a resolution supporting expanded access to gender-affirming medical care for transgender individuals and opposing state laws that restrict such treatments, particularly for minors. The resolution also builds upon the denomination’s recent approval of an amendment adding gender identity and sexual orientation to its constitutional anti-discrimination provisions, pending ratification by its presbyteries.

As Christians, right away your discernment antennae should go up not only against the deception of this denomination, but Talarico falsely portraying himself as a “Christian.”

Unfortunately, there is a growing challenge facing many churches today: whether we will stand on the unchanging truth of God’s Word or allow CULTural pressures to redefine what God has already established.

There’s no redefining or reinterpreting Scripture that plainly teaches God created mankind “male and female” and while every person is worthy of love, dignity, and compassion as one made in His image, we must also lovingly uphold His design for humanity.

The enemy delights in sowing confusion, division, and deception, but Jesus declared, “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32).

Jesus is our discerning guiding light to separate truth from the enemy’s lies.

Psalm 37:1-3 encourages us to . . .

Do not fret because of those who are evil
    or be envious of those who do wrong;
2 for like the grass they will soon wither,
    like green plants they will soon die away. 3 Trust in the Lord and do good;

Practical Steps to Stand Firm and Triumphant Against Deception

Prayer and Spiritual Warfare: Targeted prayers, especially during quiet or reflective times, can break the influence of deception. Prayers can include asking God to expose lies, dismantle strongholds of deceit, and protect your mind, will, and emotions from demonic influence. Seek the Holy Spirit’s intervention and clarity.

Scriptural Grounding Against Deception: Regular study of the Bible equips believers to recognize false teachings. Being rooted in God’s Word allows you to distinguish truth from lies, even when deception appears subtle or convincing. That’s why it’s vital that Christians read their Bible daily more than listening to the news or scrolling on social media, which can be so deceptive. 

It isn’t enough to sit in church on Sundays. If you’re not opening your Bible everyday . . . you will be ripe for deception. 

Nehemiah 6 illustrates how steadfastness, prayer, and discernment help resist manipulation and false accusations. Stop right now and read how Nehemiah stood firm against deception. I love the Book of Nehemiah. 

Renouncing Deception: Actively rejecting lies, false visions, or misleading influences through prayer and declaration strengthens spiritual protection. This includes renouncing any agreements with deception, whether knowingly or unknowingly, practically or even in your mind. I actually find myself denouncing lies in the name of Jesus that I hear on the radio or TV.

Walking in Love and Truth: Love for others and adherence to God’s truth serve as defenses against deception. By prioritizing Scripture over human opinions and worldly philosophies, believers maintain clarity and spiritual integrity.

However, some are so deceived, words will never change their mind. Only the Holy Spirit can do that. So earnest prayer is the hope they someday see the truth.  

Whether the deception is political, conspiracy theories, media propaganda, social media, or even in your family or church, this is no surprise to God. Numerous Scriptures warn us to depend on the Holy Spirit, not the CULTure of the world.

    Prayer to Stand Strong Against Deception

    Heavenly Father, in the Name of Jesus, I thank You that You are the Way, the Truth, and the Life. I take a stand against any deception trying to take root in my mind, heart, and soul. I bind every lie and shatter every false vision sent to mislead me. Holy Spirit, search my heart and reveal any area where I have believed a lie, replacing it with Your unchanging truth. Please help me to always walk in discernment, love, and faith, protected by Your Word. Give me Your Words to use when standing firm against the evil of the enemy. I have hidden your Word in my heart that I might not sin against you. (Psalm 119:11) Amen

    Please leave a comment here.

    July 13, 2026
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    Celebrating America’s 250th Birthday and How It’s Being Destroyed from Within

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    We were at an 80th birthday party chatting with one of the couples we know from church. They said they were leaving Thursday for Washington DC. I asked if they were going for the 250th celebration and they both excitedly responded “Yes!” They were in DC for the 200-year celebration and said it was fabulous! They’re expecting 250 years to be even more spectacular.

    These sweet fellow boomers both show their respect for America by dressing in red, white, and blue from shoes to shirts for all the patriotic holidays. They love the Lord and they love America. So refreshing contrasted with the boomers at “No Kings” protests and other anti-American events. The same boomers who were taught in school the true history of America, unlike the current younger generations.

    Our senior generation knows that the celebration on July 4th is about freedom from a real tyrannical king and foreign intervention in our young colonial republic. We’ve also lived through the threat and fall of Communism and should therefore be voting against the Democrat liberal party that is opening the door for Socialism, Islam, and Communism to take away the freedoms so many veterans have fought and died for over the years.

    I don’t understand such stupidity and ignorance, but I’ll save more about that for the end of this blog. For now, let’s take a closer look at what our dear DC bound friends are going to celebrate this weekend and many of us will celebrate in our own hometowns.

    What the 250th Anniversary Represents

    The Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776, and in 2026, the nation marks 250 years of striving toward the founding ideals of liberty, equality, and self‑government. The anniversary invites reflection on how those ideals have evolved — and how they’ve been challenged — across generations.

    How Americans Are Celebrating

    Across the country, communities are planning events that blend history, culture, and civic engagement:

    • National exhibitions — museums and institutions showcasing the founding era.
    • Local festivals — parades, concerts, fireworks, community gatherings, picnics, BBQ’s.
    • Educational programs — schools and libraries teaching the story of 1776, hopefully.
    • Historical reenactments — bringing Revolutionary War moments to life.
    • Civic initiatives — encouraging volunteerism and community involvement big in our small community.

    I Love This Poetic Reflection

    America rises at 250,
    a long breath drawn across centuries,
    a nation still stitching its story
    into the wide cloth of time.
    She stands where history meets horizon—
    thirteen stars grown into fifty,
    a chorus of millions
    carrying hopes that once fit
    in a single room in Philadelphia.
    She is contradiction and courage,
    grit and grace,
    a restless dream that refuses to sleep.
    From the quiet ink of the Declaration
    to the thunder of cities that never dim,
    from prairies that hum with wind
    to coastlines that cradle the dawn,
    America moves—
    always becoming, never finished.
    At 250, she does not ask for applause.
    She asks for remembrance.
    She asks for honesty.
    She asks for imagination.
    For the hands that built her,
    the voices that challenged her,
    the hearts that believed she could be better
    than her hardest days.
    And so this milestone is not a monument—
    it is a lantern.
    A light passed forward
    to those who will write
    the next verse of her story.
    America at 250 is a promise whispered:
    We are still learning.
    We are still striving.
    We are still free enough to try again.

    But Will We Remain Free?

    A Facebook friend, Debra Tucker, wrote about the threats we’re facing even as we celebrate our 250 years of freedom. There are evil forces from within that want to bring governmental and ideological tyranny back into America. Here are Debra’s thoughts, and I couldn’t agree more . . .

    “I’ve been thinking a lot about where our country is headed, and I wanted to share something that’s been on my heart.

    I keep seeing the same pattern, and honestly, it looks like a playbook for how to destroy a society from the inside out.

    • You make men weak.
    • You push women to be masculine.
    • You confuse the children.
    • You destabilize families.
    • You make dependency normal — like people can’t survive without the government.
    • You make indecency the standard, and call it ‘progress.’
    • You turn education into indoctrination.
    • You make truth offensive, so nobody can speak it.
    • And finally… you push God out of everything.”

    My Opinion

    President Trump issued a dire warning to the nation at The Faith and Freedom Coalition 6/26/2026:

    “This is the most serious threat to our country since its existence, in my opinion, 250 years ago… These ruthless communists will attack all religions, but in particular, Christianity.”

    “Isn’t it ironic, we’re celebrating a very important Birthday, and instead of speaking about Christ, Freedom, and Victories of all different kinds, we’re speaking about yet another threat to the Foundation of America. These ruthless Communists will attack all Religions but, in particular, Christianity—They always do. . . They will close your Churches; they will kill your people. This is what they’re about. This is the Greatest Threat to our Country since its founding 250 years ago!”

    Jacob M Wright added a thought regarding President Trump’s speech, “One part he [Trump] misses is the Islamic/Communist alliance. These two ideologies are ultimately diametrically opposed, yet form a tactical ‘the enemy of my enemy’ alliance. Their enemy is the West. Once they achieve the goal of its eradication, only one can win against the other. In the case of Iran in 1979, Islam annihilated the Communists and created the Islamic sharia dictatorship.”

    Before some of you might turn up your nose at the mention of our President, how you feel about the President should NOT influence how you feel about your country!

    I was appalled every single day of Biden’s stolen 4-year administration, as I was watching America being invaded by unvetted illegals many of whom came here to either do us harm or freeload from our generosity. Liberal ungodly policies were destroying our country, which made me pray harder and help get the vote out to change the trajectory we were on.

    I didn’t like the President, because I loved America.

    We’ve heard the World Cup guests to America saying on camera how deceived they’ve been about America from the lying propaganda mainstream media. They’ve been told what a horrible country we are and instead they find we’re the land of good and plenty. They couldn’t believe places we take for granted like Walmart and “COSTCO museum.” Free cups of ice and Big Gulps with free refills. One man said in exclamation, “You can buy bread, milk, and an air gun all in the same store!”

    They talk about how friendly and welcoming Americans are and the beauty of our cities, “each one like its own state.” They’re constantly pointing out to us how fortunate we are to have the freedoms we enjoy. The very freedoms the voters in New York, Maine, Minnesota and other blue states want to forfeit to Communists offering everything for free, while they take ownership of everything and make citizens slaves to poverty and a godless government.

    Be proud of this wonderful country God gave you to live in and don’t be intimidated by those whose brain and heart have been infested with godless hate and envy for the joy in the Lord you’re experiencing.

    When someone tries to intimidate you by slinging a slur like Zionist for supporting Isreal or Christian Nationalist for your love of God, family, and freedom simply respond, “Thank you. I receive that and I wear it proudly.” Or “Thanks for affirming me.” Or “Thanks for noticing.”

    Don’t take the bait and don’t try to debate. Just take their attacks as a compliment. They won’t know what to say. As the Bible instructs, it’s like pouring hot coals on their head.

    “On the contrary: “Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” Romans 12:19-20

    Proverbs 14:34 – Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin condemns any people.

    We’ll be watching as much of the DC celebration as we can DVR and enjoying a play in the evening of the 4th at our local outdoor theater where we’ll watch an amazing fireworks show around 10:15 PM when it finally gets dark in Idaho.

    “God bless America, land that I love. Stand beside her and guide her through the night with a light from above! From the mountains to the prairies. To the Oceans white with foam. God bless America, my home sweet home!”—God Bless America

    How are you celebrating America’s 250th Birthday? Let me know.

    Please leave a comment here and I’ll reply.

    June 29, 2026
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    Women and Pastoral Roles in the SBC Debate

    9

    When I told an older pastor at Saddleback, the Southern Baptist church where we were members, that I was starting seminary, he hesitated. Then he said, “Well, I guess you could work in a church office.”

    That comment perplexed me because I did not intend to ever work in a church office. That was not why I was going to seminary.

    I had recently rededicated my life to the Lord, and like many, I thought if I just learned more about God and the Bible, I would find it easier to stay on track with my faith. Little did I know back then, the plans God had for me in the future.

    If you’ve heard my story, you know I became a Christian at the age of eleven and was baptized at 18 before heading to college. I was a devout Christian until after my divorce when I ventured out into the world and backslid for seventeen years before rededicating my life at a Greg Laurie Harvest Crusade in Anaheim, California. Shortly after, I married my godly husband Dave. A story for another time, which you can read about on my website.

    Back to my seminary story.

    When I registered for seminary, no one had a problem with me being a woman. I wasn’t directed into any particular major, but I did have to pick one. I knew I didn’t want to be a pastor, so I ruled out a Master of Divinity.

    As I browsed through the other options, I saw a new major the seminary was offering, a Master of Arts in Christian Leadership. Since I already had an MBA, this seemed perfect for me.

    But the MACL major had three tracts and I had to choose one. The choices were:

    Youth Ministry—No—Aged out and not my gifting.

    Church Office Management—No, but I had a flashback to the pastor that told me this was where I would fit into the church.

    Equipping the Laity—that left this one and I’ll admit I had to look up the meaning of “laity”:

    1. Lay people, as distinct from the clergy.
    2. Ordinary people, as distinct from professionals or experts.

    I was definitely an ordinary person!

    So after three years of taking classes at night while working and a new bride and stepmother, I graduated with a Master of Arts in Christian Leadership, Equipping the Laity emphasis.

    Now what?

    I had no idea, but God did.

    Again, you can read my “Feed My Sheep” story if you haven’t heard it before of how God led me into starting the Woman to Woman Mentoring Ministry as a layperson leading other lay people in fulfilling the Scriptures that instruct one generation to teach and train the next generation.

    Similarly, teach the older women to live in a way that honors God. They must not slander others or be heavy drinkers. Instead, they should teach others what is good. 4 These older women must train the younger women to love their husbands and their children, 5 to live wisely and be pure, to work in their homes, to do good, and to be submissive to their husbands. Then they will not bring shame on the word of God. Titus 2:3-5 NLT

    One generation commends your works to another; they tell of your mighty acts. Ps. 145:4

    As the founder and leader of the Woman to Woman Mentoring Ministry, I never had the title of pastor or minister, but instead I was a ministry leader.

    I was not on staff or on the payroll.

    I developed and led a ministry that God had plans for far beyond Saddleback Church. As I began to write and speak about how we were having a successful women’s mentoring ministry, churches around the world began starting Woman to Woman Mentoring Ministries from resources that I wrote which are still in churches today 31 years later!

    I didn’t need a title or a paycheck to fulfill God’s plan for a ministry that would change the lives and destinies of thousands of everyday women around the world. It was my honor and privilege to fulfill God’s destiny for me by serving Him, my church, and the women He brought into the ministry. The Lord opened doors for me to use gifts I didn’t even know I had to write and speak for Him!

    About His Work Ministries was birthed and God provided for our family, even when we were both unemployed! It’s a God miracle story.

    Why am I telling you my story here?

    Women’s Role in the Church is a Hotly Debated Topic Right Now

    The Rev. Albert Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, plans for the fourth year in a row to propose a constitutional amendment at the Southern Baptist convention this week. The amendment would clarify that no participating Southern Baptist church can allow women to serve as senior pastors or even have the word “pastor” in their staff title, or the church will be disfellowshipped, as Saddleback was in 2023 for ordaining women and calling women pastors on their website.

    Mohler’s proposed resolution re-states the stance against women as pastors, “to reaffirm that the office of pastor/elder/overseer is limited to men as qualified by Scripture.”

    The resolution goes on to give thanks “for the indispensable service, discipleship, evangelism, missions work and ministry contributions of women throughout Southern Baptist life and encourage churches to continue affirming and deploying women in biblically faithful ways.”

    It also calls for “pastors to teach and uphold the biblical pattern of church leadership, which includes exemplifying the qualifications of godly character and conduct prescribed in 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9.”

    Because of the proposed Mohler amendment at the Southern Baptist Convention this week, my Facebook feed has been inundated with opinions for and against it. Maybe you’ve read some of the various arguments. My purpose in this blog is not to argue or debate the issue but to present some information for you to pray about and decide on your own.

    Honestly, I can’t find anything in the Bible that says we should even have denominations! Not to mention denominations with their own rules and guidelines. They all claim the Bible supports their differing viewpoints, which often result in disunity instead of unity.

    Since the Bible never changes, how can it be that denominations vary in how they interpret God’s Word?

    But the word of the Lord endures forever. 1 Peter 1:25

    Since moving to Idaho 15 years ago, we’ve attended a nondenominational Bible Church, but even they have by-laws that members and church leaders dispute. It makes you wonder if God wants us going back to house churches?!

    Should Women Be Pastors?

    If you enjoy listening to podcasts, I highly recommend this one with Stephanie Shott and Rebecca Fussell, “Should Women Be Pastors,” where they discuss what the Bible actually says in context. In context, is important. Often writers or speakers, even pastors, use a Scripture to support their point, but in context, it takes on a completely different meaning and intent.

    Here’s also an in-depth article by Jill Monaco, “Can Women Hold the Title of and Function as a Pastor?”

    I’ve always ascribed to the simple explanation that Jesus is the head of the church. Senior pastors are thus male heads of Jesus‘ church, as the husband is the head of the home. I have no problem with that, even though as a single mom for 17 years, I know moms often step into the head of the home role, but that isn’t God’s plan for the family.

    I could only find the word “pastor” used in one Scripture, Ephesians 4:11-13.

    So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

    Interesting that the proposed Southern Baptist constitutional amendment is labeled “Truth and Unity” but it’s fostered disunity. When asked about women podcasters, Mohler, the author of the amendment replied:

    “If she is functioning as a pastor, then she is assuming the role of a pastor, and I think that’s what’s implied here. And yes, I do see that as a problem. I don’t think the church should ever lean into offering confusion on this issue, but should lean into clarity. … If this person is functioning with other pastors as a pastor, the title really doesn’t matter all that much. That’s because the biblical conception of pastor is both the title and the function, the title and the role. And so avoiding the title doesn’t mean you’ve avoided the problem.”

    That seems extreme to me. Many people interpret the words “shepherd” and “teacher” in the Bible as pastor and yet women in ministry often shepherd and teach as authors, podcasters, speakers, and leaders in the church.

    My Experience

    When I was leading a Woman to Woman Mentoring conference in Alaska, a church in the area heard I was coming and asked if I would speak at their Sunday service. I agreed. It was a bit intimidating as the church pastor was sitting in the front row. I can’t even remember my topic, but I’m sure it had something to do with my spiritual calling to encourage everyone to “Share Life’s Experiences and God’s Faithfulness,” which is my tagline and the subtitle of my book Mentoring for All Seasons. That pastor had no problem with a woman guest speaker in his pulpit. I didn’t present myself as a pastor and neither did the church. I would do it again.

    I would love to hear your thoughts. When it comes to women pastors are we relying on tradition, denominational constitutions and restrictions, or biblical intent?

    PS. I hope you read my blog last week, An Open Letter to James Talarico.

    Perhaps you’ll understand where Talarico’s bizarre perverted “Christian” views originate when you read this alarming article. Presbyterian Church Faces Internal Revolt after Proposing Clergy Must be in Monogamous Relationships! This is the Presbyterian Church (USA). The same denomination that Talarico attends, preaches in, and is going to their seminary.

    Presbyterian USA not only allows women pastors, they’ve also ordained homosexuals since 2011, allow homosexual marriage since 2014, and allow pastors to be in polyamorous sexual relationships! The progressive Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is facing internal backlash over a proposed rule requiring ordained clergy to be in monogamous relationships, sparking fierce debate and outrage from progressive church committees and polyamorous groups.

    Progressive activists within the denomination, including More Light Presbyterians, have aggressively lobbied against the monogamy rule, arguing that it reinforces exclusionary standards and harms the queer community, while pushing for theological studies on gender, sexuality, and relationships instead.

    “The Advocacy Committee on LGBTQIA+ Equity also argued that the monogamy rule reinforced White privilege. The group claimed the mandate imposes “a narrow, culturally specific understanding of family” that “privileges a dominant cultural framework over the lived realities of communities of color and global Christians.”

    So the Presbyterian Church (USA) is going to vote at their General Assembly this summer in Milwaukee on this “controversial” rule, submitted by the Sierra Blanca Presbytery, stating that PC(USA) pastors must “display moral character” and, “if engaged in any relationship of a sexual nature, living in a monogamous one.” 

    Promiscuous sex is fine for their pastors as long as it’s just one person at a time, but that’s even being protested in favor of staying with polyamorous sexual relationships!

    Can you even believe this???

    Crazy! Unbiblical! Satanic!

    Why even call themselves a church? They’re certainly NOT Christians following God’s Word.

    This “Progressive Christianity” professes that “The Bible can (and should) be reinterpreted by each individual and generation in accordance with their views of truth and their cultural and personal needs. The intended original meaning of the biblical text, so we’re told, is either unknown, unknowable, and/or irrelevant.”

    The liberals love to make up new terms to accommodate their godless carnal secular views. In my opinion, there’s no such thing as progressive Christianity. It’s satanic heresy and blasphemy. That’s why one gay Presbyterian woman pastor was on television saying she would like to remove pages of the Bible. Of course, those would be the ones calling her lifestyle a sin.

    For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 2 Tim. 4:3

    Now you can see how Talarico comes up with his crazy progressive satanic heretical blasphemy and false teaching. He’s trying to make the Bible justify a godless liberal perverse political agenda just like he was taught at his Presbyterian USA church. Sick and twisted.

    So, the Southern Baptists are voting to extend their ban on women pastors to include speaking on faith-based podcasts and the Presbyterians (USA) are voting to require gay pastors to be in monogamous sexual relationships!

    Please leave your comments here. I’d love to hear from you.

    June 8, 2026
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    An Open Letter to James Talarico

    11

    I woke up early Saturday morning with James Talarico on my mind. As I tried to go back to sleep, I literally said, “Lord, I don’t want to be thinking about James Talarico!!”

    I couldn’t go back to sleep, so I got up, made a pot of coffee, and started to scroll on my phone through Facebook as the coffee was brewing expecting to sit down and have my quiet time with the Lord.

    But what was the first thing I saw?! The following open letter from Pastor Jeff Mullen to Texas State Representative James Talarico. I wasn’t a follower of Pastor Mullen, although I am now, but one of my Facebook friends had shared this letter.

    I knew this couldn’t be a “coincidence.”

    I too have been posting about the false teachings of Talarico who claims to be a Christian pastor and seminary student while running as a Democrat for a Texas Senate seat. What has frustrated me, and maybe you too, is not only the way Talarico twists Scripture to endorse his party’s radical progressive liberal godless agenda, but that many people are gobbling it up because he’s trying to use Scripture to endorse sin.

    They’re calling his false teachings “real Christianity” when it’s actually “real satanic.”

    What I appreciated about Pastor Mullen’s letter below is that as one Facebook follower commented: “Such relevant insights, written in love while proclaiming truth.”

    The only thing that Pastor Mullen didn’t address is Talarico referring to women as “neighbors with uteruses” and that his favorite people are trans children!

    Talarico also recently gave the opening invocation as a current Texas State Rep where he addressed God as a “Holy mystery” with “so many names.”

    He stated: “The Torah calls you Creator. The Quran calls you Peace. The Gita calls you Destroyer. The Dharma calls you Truth, and the First Epistle of John calls you perhaps the most beautiful name of all, Love.”

    My response to him is the Book of John does NOT call Jesus “Love,” and He didn’t call himself Love. John opens with calling Jesus “the Word.”

    In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. John 1:1

    Exodus 20:3 states, “Thou shalt have NO OTHER Gods before me!” Talarico must’ve missed that important commandment.

    Whether or not you live in Texas, it should upset you as a Christian that Talarico’s blasphemy is being passed off as “Christianity.”

    You may be wondering, like me, why the Democrat party would try and run such a controversial candidate in the state of Texas. As I thought about it several reasons came to mind.

    1. The Democrat party before the 2024 election hired a very expensive “Christian” consulting firm to advise them on how to attract the Christian vote since their entire platform is anti-God and anti-Christian. But this firm was actually liberal woke. I remember laughing when I heard this.
    2. The Democrat party is so clueless about Christianity that they think Christians will vote for anyone who calls themselves a “Christian” even though he espouses and stands for the complete opposite of biblical doctrine.
    3. The Democrat party underestimated real Christians who can’t be intimidated, tricked, or manipulated.

    The positive that’s come out of the media coverage of the Democrat darling Talarico is that more and more Christians are speaking out with the truth that counters Talarico’s false teaching. Like Pastor Mullen, many on social media, conservative news programs, and Bible believing Christians are countering Talarico with contextual biblical truths.

    I hope you’ll read Pastor Mullen’s letter below and share this blog. It will also give you biblical responses when you encounter people who are believing Talarico’s heretical abuse of Scripture.

    Remember even Satan knows Scripture and twists it to tempt and deceive.

    Here is Pastor Mullen’s Open Letter to James Talarico . . .

    I don’t typically write open letters…

    Dear Representative Talarico,

    My name is Jeff Mullen. As a pastor who spent thirty years shepherding God’s people, I have learned that what we believe about God shapes everything else. That is why I am writing this letter.

    I do not write as a political opponent, but as a fellow citizen concerned about the growing confusion surrounding faith, truth, and Scripture. Because you frequently speak about Christianity, quote the Bible, and present your views as expressions of Christian conviction, I believe those claims deserve to be examined in light of God’s Word.

    One of my greatest concerns is that many people know you are currently pursuing a Master of Divinity degree at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary while serving as a Texas State Representative and working toward ordination in the Presbyterian Church. As a result, many people understandably assume that your theological conclusions represent historic biblical Christianity. Your words, therefore, carry weight far beyond politics.

    When theological claims are presented in the name of Christ, people naturally assume they are hearing biblical truth. My concern is that some of the positions you advocate may lead sincere people away from the clear teaching of Scripture and toward a version of Christianity that reflects the spirit of the age more than the Word of God.

    Over thirty years of ministry, I have sat beside hospital beds, preached funerals, counseled struggling families, and watched countless people wrestle with questions of faith. One lesson stands above the rest: when we drift from Scripture, confusion always follows.

    James warns that those who teach will be judged more strictly (James 3:1). That reality has humbled me throughout my ministry, and it should humble anyone who publicly speaks in the name of Christ.

    For that reason, I offer these thoughts—not as an attack, but as a pastoral appeal for biblical clarity and faithfulness.

    1. Concerning Your Statement That God Is Non-Binary

    God is spirit and transcends human limitations. Christians agree on that. The question, however, is not how modern culture categorizes God but how God has chosen to reveal Himself. Throughout Scripture, God consistently reveals Himself as Father. Jesus taught His disciples to pray, “Our Father in heaven” (Matthew 6:9). Christ is the Son, and the Church is His Bride. These are not accidental descriptions but part of God’s self-revelation.

    Every generation faces the temptation to reshape God according to its own values. Ancient cultures carved idols from stone. Modern cultures often carve them from ideology. Faithful Christianity begins by allowing God to define Himself rather than redefining Him according to cultural preferences. We do not improve upon divine revelation; we submit to it.

    2. Concerning Your Statement That Other Religions Are Circling the Same Truth

    Respect for people of different faiths is a Christian virtue. Surrendering truth is not. The suggestion that multiple religions ultimately lead to the same God stands in direct conflict with the words of Jesus Himself.

    Jesus declared, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). Peter echoed that truth when he proclaimed, “There is salvation in no one else” (Acts 4:12). Christianity does not teach that all roads lead to God. It teaches that God has provided one Savior for the world. We can love our neighbors of every faith while remaining faithful to the exclusive claims of Christ.

    3. Concerning Your Statement That the Bible Is Silent on Abortion

    While Scripture does not use the modern term abortion, it speaks clearly about life in the womb. David wrote, “You knit me together in my mother’s womb” (Psalm 139:13). God told Jeremiah, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you” (Jeremiah 1:5). John the Baptist responded to Christ while still in his mother’s womb (Luke 1:41).

    The consistent testimony of Scripture is that unborn children are known by God, created by God, and valued by God. The question is not whether the word abortion appears in the Bible. The question is whether the child in the womb is a human life bearing God’s image. Scripture answers that question repeatedly and clearly. Christians have historically defended the unborn not because of politics, but because every human life belongs to God.

    4. Concerning Your Use of Mary’s Consent to Defend Abortion Rights

    Mary’s response to Gabriel was not an assertion of autonomy but an expression of surrender. When told of God’s plan, she replied, “I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38).

    The entire story of the incarnation celebrates the acceptance and protection of life within the womb. God Himself entered humanity through the womb of a woman. Mary’s example is not about the right to end life but the willingness to trust God with it. To use the incarnation as support for abortion requires reversing the very message the story proclaims.

    5. Concerning Your Statement That Jesus Was a Radical Feminist

    Jesus elevated the dignity of women in ways that challenged the culture of His day. He taught women, ministered to women, welcomed them among His followers, and entrusted women with proclaiming His resurrection.

    Yet calling Jesus a radical feminist places a modern political label on One who transcends every political movement. Jesus did not come to advance an ideology; He came to save sinners and establish the Kingdom of God. Every political movement must ultimately be measured against Christ—not Christ against a political movement.

    6. Concerning Your Statements About Biological Sex

    Conversations about sex and gender involve real people and often deep personal struggles. Christians should approach them with compassion and humility. Yet compassion cannot require the abandonment of truth.

    Scripture teaches that humanity was intentionally created as male and female. Genesis declares, “Male and female He created them” (Genesis 1:27), and Jesus reaffirmed that truth (Matthew 19:4). The Christian understanding of sex is rooted not in cultural tradition but in God’s design. Our identity is not ultimately discovered through self-definition but through submission to the One who created us. God’s design is not restrictive; it is wise and good.

    7. Concerning Your Support for Same-Sex Marriage and the Reinterpretation of Biblical Sexual Ethics

    Few issues create more tension in modern Christianity than sexuality and marriage. The temptation is either to compromise truth in the name of love or abandon love in the name of truth. Scripture calls us to neither.

    From Genesis to Revelation, marriage is presented as a covenant between one man and one woman. Jesus affirmed this design when He quoted Genesis and declared that the two become one flesh (Matthew 19:4-6). The New Testament consistently teaches that sexual intimacy belongs within that covenant.

    These teachings are not expressions of fear or hostility. They are expressions of God’s design for human flourishing. The call of discipleship is not the affirmation of every desire but the surrender of every area of life to the Lordship of Christ.

    8. Concerning the Danger of Reshaping Christianity to Fit Culture

    The deeper concern behind these issues is the temptation to reshape Christianity so it aligns more comfortably with the values of the age. The Church has faced this pressure for two thousand years. The source changes; the temptation remains the same.

    Paul warned Timothy that a time would come when people would seek teachers who tell them what they want to hear rather than what God has said (2 Timothy 4:3-4). The role of Christian leaders is not to make Scripture acceptable to the culture. It is to faithfully proclaim Scripture, whether the culture applauds or rejects it.

    During my years in ministry, I learned that God does not call pastors to make Scripture popular. He calls us to make it plain.

    When culture becomes the lens through which we interpret Scripture, truth is eventually replaced by preference. The question for every generation is not whether the Bible aligns with the culture, but whether we are willing to align ourselves with the Bible.

    The Biblical Responsibility of Leaders

    Representative Talarico,

    Politics is temporary. Elections are temporary. Legislative victories are temporary. Souls are not.

    Scripture teaches that those who influence others bear a greater responsibility before God. James warns that teachers will be judged more strictly. Jesus warns against leading others astray. These truths should humble every pastor, teacher, author, influencer, and public servant who speaks in God’s name.

    They certainly humble me.

    For thirty years, I stood behind a pulpit knowing that one day I would answer to God for every sermon I preached and every truth I taught. The same is true for anyone who publicly speaks about faith and Scripture.

    The older I get, the less interested I am in winning arguments and the more concerned I am about whether people know the truth.

    My concern is not your political party. My concern is whether the Jesus being presented to the public is the Jesus revealed in Scripture or a version reshaped by the spirit of the age.

    America does not need progressive Christianity or conservative Christianity. America needs biblical Christianity—faithful to God’s Word, centered on Christ, and unafraid to proclaim truth in love.

    My prayer for you is the same prayer I pray for myself: that every belief, every ambition, and every public statement would be brought under the authority of Scripture. Because one day neither of us will stand before voters, political parties, commentators, or public opinion.

    We will stand before God and give an account.

    Respectfully,

    Jeff Mullen

    Pastor Emeritus

    Follower of Jesus Christ

    To follow Pastor Jeff Mullen on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/jeffrey.mullen

    What are your thoughts on this blog? Please leave a comment here.

    June 1, 2026
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    What Will Be Your Legacy?

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    Yesterday was Mother’s Day. I enjoyed some of our Mother’s Day traditions with my daughter, two granddaughters, and myself getting a pedicure together. Something we started when the girls were just toddlers. Even though this year I was slightly limited with the surgical wounds on my left leg, I still managed to have a wonderful partial pedicure with the girls.

    We also had a lovely dinner together. I brought the family’s favorite Chex Mix for snacks, which goes back to my mother-in-law’s recipe that our kids loved. There was always a big bowl of it when we visited her. I was surprised the next generation, my grandkids, also love this timeless treat! When asked what he’ll remember about family gatherings, my grandson held up the bowl of my Chex Mix.

    So Chex Mix is definitely a traditional legacy building memory in our family. Even though my mother-in-law cooked it in the oven for an hour stirring every 15 minutes, which I did too for many years, I now have it done in 10 minutes in the microwave!

    I’ve been thinking a lot about legacy recently.

    My husband’s cousin Pete’s wife passed away several weeks ago. A godly woman that I, and many, agree epitomized a Proverbs 31+ woman. She was 92 years-old when she went to be with her Savior passing away quietly in her sleep. She and her husband had been married 72 years!! They had 5 children, 18 grandchildren, and 22 great-grandchildren. Her name just happened to also be, Janet.

    I remember vividly meeting Janet Hermanson over 30 years ago when Dave and I were newly married and attended a family funeral in Iowa where Dave is from and the Hermansons lived. Janet and her husband Pete picked us up from the airport and from the first greeting, I knew I was going to love my new namesake relative.

    Janet welcomed me lovingly and graciously into the family and showed me how to make traditional Norwegian cookies, which I never was able to make as good as her. Janet’s warm welcoming kindness and hospitality rooted in her love for the Lord, for her husband, for people, her community, her state, and especially family and extended family made such an impression on me as a new wife.

    I remember she had a “wall of brides” with pictures of her five children’s weddings. I was so impressed with this beautiful display of love that when our four children all married, I too created a wall of brides.

    Because Janet and her husband Pete lived between Iowa and Arizona, we didn’t see them often, but they would always let us know when they were in our vicinity and we would get together as family loves to do.

    Thanks to technology, Dave and I were able to listen to the livestream of Janet’s beautiful memorial service. Tears flowed as her brother-in-law shared fond memories of Janet before he read the verses about “The Wife of Noble Character” from Proverbs 31:10-31 and John 11 where Mary and Martha’s brother Lazarus had died closing with …
    23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”

    24 Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”

    25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; 26 and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”

    27 “Yes, Lord,” she replied, “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.”

    There were fond memories shared from a son-in-law, and a daughter-in-law who admired all the many gifts of Janet, which she admitted could be a little intimidating. A grandson fought back tears as he shared his memories and those of his sister of their loving grandmother. A son shared how his mom parented with love and clever firm discipline. Many shared “Janetisms.”

    One person said it seemed like Janet’s oven never turned off, as she always had her famous lemon bars, lasagna, cookies, cherry pie, and delicious treats coming out of her kitchen. She sewed, sang in the choir, helped others with tax preparation, was a bookkeeper on the farm and often went out in the field to help or drive truck or tractor, volunteered at church, supported 4-H, Sons of Norway, quilted, hosted family and friends, all while raising a family of five and welcoming dozens of nieces, nephews, and guests into her home.

    She was witty, funny, spiritual, kind, godly, loved traveling, a loving wife sitting next to her hubby in their chairs even when they were no longer able to be in their home. Her children rose up and called her blessed and her husband praised her.

    I could go on and on about sweet Janet Hermanson. Her memorial was a blessing to so many and her legacy filled the church.

    Her children arise and call her blessed;
        her husband also, and he praises her:
    “Many women do noble things,
        but you [Janet Hermanson] surpass them all.”
    30 Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
        but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
    31 Honor her for all that her hands have done,
        and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.     Pr. 31:28-31

    When I was sharing this story of Janet Hermanson’s memorial at the Women’s Revelation Bible Study at my church later that afternoon, the leader said she had just gone to the funeral of another Proverbs 31+ woman too!

    Famous Legacies

    Joni Lamb passed away last week at only 65. She was the President and cofounder with her first husband Marcus of Daystar Television Network back in the 70’s with the dream of using media to spread the gospel, which eventually became Daystar. A ministry that has blessed thousands over the years and many have come to know Jesus as their Savior. Joni helped build a platform that carried the gospel into homes across the world. She hosted conversations, encouraged believers, gave visibility to Christian leaders, and became one of the most recognizable women in Christian media.

    With all the good it did, there was also controversy. But I want to focus here on the memory I came across on Facebook from Brooke Landreth who was a social media marketer and stylist at Daystar for 8 years. I’ve read many memories on Facebook from those who knew Joni, but this one especially touched me. Here is part of what Brooke wrote about Joni:

    When I think about Joni, my eyes fill with tears because of the impact she made not only around the world, but on everyone she encountered, including me. Joni was someone whose presence made an impact simply through her ability to see people through God’s eyes. In the middle of the day, when I would pass her in the halls of Daystar, she would stop to give me a hug and always ask me how I was doing, despite wherever she was headed to next.

    People were never the obstacle of ministry but truly the goal of ministry! And through her life, many encountered Jesus because of it!

    She was a woman who was passionate about spreading the Gospel around the world and took a stand for truth no matter the cost. She brought out the gold in people through the words she spoke. She was a woman of generosity who often gave without expecting anything in return, and the unconditional love and heart she had for her family ran so deep.

    I honor Joni for giving her life to the Gospel and for the legacy she is leaving behind. She will truly be missed by so many, but my prayer is that her children and our staff would carry the torch forward to bring Him glory!

    I love you, Ms. Joni, and I will see you again in glory!

    Charlie Kirk left a legacy of Turning Point USA as his wife Erika and the team carry on today. Charlie and Joni Lamb both have numerous videos and presentations that will be watched and shared for years to come to carry on their legacy, as will many others in public and private ministry.

    Leaving a Spiritual Legacy

    “From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded.” Luke 12:48

    Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. 1 Peter 4:10

    Whether we’re famous or known only to our family and friends, we’re all known to God. Each of us will leave a legacy of what we did with the gifts, talents, and family the Lord gave us while we were here on earth. I like this definition of a “Spiritual Legacy”:

    “A spiritual legacy goes beyond material possessions, encompassing the beliefs, values, teachings, and love you impart to others, shaping their spiritual growth and life choices. It reflects the influence of your faith and character on family, community, and future generations, creating a foundation for others to follow. This legacy is often intentional, involving consistent actions, mentorship, and the sharing of spiritual truths.”

    A spiritual legacy is the lasting impact of your faith, values, and character on others, especially across generations.

    –Biblical and Faith-Based Perspective

    In the Christian context, a spiritual legacy is deeply rooted in Scripture.

    For example, Deuteronomy 6:6-7 emphasizes teaching God’s commandments to children, ensuring faith is passed down through generations. The Apostle Paul highlights generational faith in 2 Timothy 1:5, noting how Timothy’s grandmother and mother influenced his spiritual life. Proverbs 13:22 also underscores leaving a godly inheritance for children and grandchildren, emphasizing spiritual blessings over material wealth.

    –Key Components of a Spiritual Legacy

    • Faith and Values: Demonstrating the importance of belief and moral principles in daily life.
    •  Acts of Kindness and Compassion: Small, intentional actions that inspire and positively affect others.
    •  Mentorship and Teaching: Guiding others in spiritual growth through example, prayer, and sharing personal experiences.
    •  Family and Community Influence: Passing down traditions, stories, and practices that strengthen spiritual identity and connection.
    •  Global or Cultural Impact: Extending influence beyond immediate circles through service, social justice, or humanitarian efforts. 

    –Practical Implications

    Creating a spiritual legacy involves mindful living, reflecting on your values, and intentionally shaping your actions to benefit others spiritually.

    Spiritual legacy encourages personal growth, strengthens relationships, and ensures that your faith and principles continue to influence future generations.

    Whether through prayer, teaching, mentoring, or example, a spiritual legacy is a lasting testament to the life you lead and the values you uphold.

    I’ve always said that I pray my legacy to my family is that Mom, Grammie, Great-Grammie loved Jesus as her Lord and Savior and loved her family well.

    To my friends, I pray I was as good a friend as you were to me.

    To Woman to Woman Ministry and About His Work Ministries, I pray you’re always looking for someone to mentor and someone to mentor you.

    For now, I’ll keep on writing this blog and making Grammie’s Chex Mix!

    Have you thought about what your spiritual legacy will be?

    PS: The above picture was AI generated from the context of my blog. I just shared it here for fun, this isn’t me or my grandkids or anyone I discussed in the blog but look at all the brides on the wall LOL!!

    Please leave a comment here.

    May 11, 2026
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    FlashPoint Where Faith Meets Current Events!

    3

    Today’s Monday Morning Blog is going to be a bit different. Dave and I had the opportunity to attend FlashPoint Live Boise March 12-13, 2026, and I’m going to share some of the highlights with you.

    If you’re not familiar with FlashPoint, here’s a summary of their weeknight broadcast where host Gene Bailey always closes with: “We’re always to the right of center.”

    What is FlashPoint?
    This is where faith meets current events!

    FlashPoint is a unique melting pot where we dive into the news, current events, and pressing political issues of our time with Christian politicians, pastors, business leaders, and influencers to press into what God is saying in this season.

    The world and the church are in a new season, do you sense it? The call of Reformation has gone out! Our call is to speak the Biblical truth, pray, activate, and equip our viewers to affect culture for Jesus!

    Listen to interviews, expert analysis and genuine conversations. Live Monday through Friday nights at 7 PM CT. FlashPoint goes where mainstream media and churches are often too afraid to go.

    How to Watch Flashpoint
    Dave and I watch FlashPoint nightly on the Victory Channel or YouTube. They’re also on Rumble or go here to learn of other broadcasting sources.

    It isn’t a joke that much of mainstream media spouts nothing but Fake Anti-Trump news and sadly many gullible viewers believe their unverified, distorted, biased, liberal leaning lying commentaries. Even  FCC chair Brendan Carr warns broadcasters must ‘correct course’ on ‘news distortions’ before license renewals!

    That’s why we get our news with the truth and a biblical perspective at FlashPoint.

    We’re also looking forward to going to Israel with FlashPoint at the end of next month and I’m sure I’ll have much to report from there. Please pray for us as this trip is still going forward. For now, let me share some important points made during Flashpoint Live Boise.

    Israel

    —Ezekiel 12 tells us that the devil hates God, His People and Israel. Podcasters like Tucker and Candace Owens are dipping into the occult as they speak against Israel.

    —The conflict in Ezekiel is a war of conquest, but there’s also hope of redemption because God Himself will awaken the earth.

    –Trump is the Great Interrupter!

    “Occupy Until He Comes” Luke 19:13

    What you don’t occupy will be occupied against you!

    –Example the Boy Scouts have been going “spiritually gay for a while.” They’re now offering Scouts an “Islamophobia Awareness Month Badge (IAM)” in collaboration with the Muslim Scout Fellowship. Scouts learn about Islam and connecting Scout and Islamic values!

    –We’ve traded righteousness and truth for tolerance and apathy. We need to be less tolerant of evil and more direct and intolerant of sin like Jesus who was divisive!

    —Tolerance comes from Satan. Tolerance=acceptance=gottcha dominance.

    —Satan and his minions only attack what he’s afraid of which is why the enemy is going after children [I wrote about this last month The Devil Always Reveals What He’s Afraid Of]

    –Demons attack the church wherever we’re tormenting them.

    –Wherever there’s a spiritual vacuum, a demonic imposter rises up to fill the void. Education is a perfect example as students are being taught to hate America, each other, and the body God gave them. [I wrote about this last month too. Only Jesus Can Fill the Spiritual Vacuum!]

    —Pietism in the church says Christians are supposed to remain separate from culture. That’s not biblical. We’re to be in the world to make disciples, but not of the world. When we give up ground, Satan grabs it. We all have spiritual gifts. When we fail to use them to occupy for Christ, Satan steps in and takes ownership.

    —The spiritual battlefield is whatever your gifts are wherever your giftedness takes you! You have to disturb the peace of complacency. If you believe in something, you have to do the hard things even when it’s not popular.

    —The Democrats know that much of MAGA are Christians and 70% of Trump’s cabinet is Christian. They also know that 30% of Christians don’t vote because they’re fooled by pietism thinking it’s not our job to get involved we’ll be raptured anyway. The Bible doesn’t support Christians not taking ownership of the culture. [I wrote last week about the liberal left trying to promote a fake faith twisting the Bible to match their liberal ungodly platform. Christian beware! We’re Living in the Birth Pangs of the Endtimes]

    —Wherever hell has the most influence, the church must be involved. Go Ye into the culture to take territory for Christ. Like Moses had help holding up his arms while Joshua went into battle to claim territory, the church should be supporting those who are on the spiritual and political battlefield.

    —Don’t be preoccupied—occupy!

    —Age doesn’t restrict you from getting involved for the Lord. Wherever your passion is, God can use you. Maybe as an intercessor.

    Islam

    –We’re inviting wolves into our domain by not standing against Islam.

    —Democrats are embracing an unlikely partnership with Islam to block out Christians and their political influence.

    –Another example: “Queers for Palestine” are opposing twin demonic spirits. They link up around their hate for God and the West with a mutual goal of destruction of Judeo/Christian values. That’s what draws two forces together that have nothing in common. In Palestine, the queers would be thrown off buildings and they still will be when Hamas is done with them.

    —Islam is incompatible with the West. It’s a death cult.

    –We have no agreement with Muslims.

    —A reply to the “islamophobia” argument you might receive: “In America we have Christian freedom. Name an Islamic country where we could go and practice Christianity?”

    —A reply to you’re supposed to love your neighbor: “There’s nothing in the Bible that says we’re to tolerate sin or evil that subverts the public good.”

    —A reply to you’re intolerant and not accepting: “There is only One God and the 10 Commandments tell us to have no other gods but our God.

    —How do we say no to today’s culture? We refuse to tolerate ideologies that oppress Christianity. Islam is a political oppressive ideology masquerading as a religion to take advantage of “religious freedom” in America. What if MS13 says it’s a religion? Would you say we have to honor it as a religion?

    –Is there any Muslim nation people are trying to get into?

    –Why Not Sharia Law? (A FlashPoint digital free download)

    Iran

    —Trump is the providential leader raised up by God to take down tyrannical rule in Iran.

    –The Lord will march forth like a mighty hero;
        he will come out like a warrior, full of fury.
    He will shout his battle cry
        and crush all his enemies. Isaiah 42:13 NLT

    —We’re in a season of fear vs faith.

    —Christians need to focus on what God is doing NOT Satan.

    —Cowards are the first people thrown into the lake of fire in Revelation 21:8.

    —Fear comes from lies.

    —Trump is our era’s Elijah as he calls out false prophets of the lying fake news, which tries to invoke fear. The devil dominates through fear.

    Keep America Great By Keeping It Good and Godly!

    —As the dark gets darker, the light gets lighter (2 Tim. 3)

    –Jesus’ kingdom is here on earth with Christians who are occupying now. The closer Jesus gets to earth, He’s invading Satan’s darkness which pushes Satan closer near his end.

    —Be expectant! Heaven’s closer than it’s ever been!

    —Learn how to say “Yes” to saying, “No” to anything that goes against the sovereignty of God and America. As Americans, we accept no other gods but God, and no other rules and laws of other countries here in America.

    –We say “No” to our kids doing harmful or wrong things because we love them.

    —We must learn how to say “No” to anything that offends God or threatens America!

    If you haven’t read last week’s blog, I hope you’ll read it now.

    If you would like to listen to all of Flashpoint Live Boise, go to 3/12/26 on YouTube  and 3/13/26 YouTube or Flashpoint website. Be sure and checkout their events page to see if there’s an upcoming FlashPoint Live in your area.

    Please leave a comment here.

    March 16, 2026
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