Have a “Meaningful Memorial Day!”

I remember as a kid going to the cemetery every Memorial Day to put flowers and flags on my father’s grave, a World War II veteran, and on other soldier’s graves. There was always a ceremony. I don’t know how much that tradition continues today. It should. Our small town has a memorial wall at the park where people can purchase and place a brick in memory and honor of a local Gold Star family’s fallen soldier. There’s also a ceremony in their remembrance.

Memorial Day is often “celebrated” as the beginning of summer, with a day off, BBQ’s and parties. But it’s actually a very solemn day to pay tribute to and mourn members of the military who died in service to their country. It’s a deeply personal day for many Gold Star families who lost loved ones in military service. It’s a day to honor those who sacrificed their lives for the country they loved.

If you’re a Gold Star family, Memorial Day is truly a personal day of remembrance of your loved one and an ache in your heart that never completely goes away but may soften with time . . . or not.

As we honor the life of brave men and women who paid the ultimate price for our freedom, instead of saying “Happy Memorial Day,” can I suggest it’s more appropriate to say, “I wish you a Meaningful Memorial Day.”

National Law Enforcement Appreciation Month and Memorial!

May is also the month to honor those who lost their lives protecting us from harm domestically. The entire month of May is National Law Enforcement Appreciation Month. May 15^th is National Peace Officers Memorial Day and the week in which May 15 falls is National Police Week.

Far too often, we hear Police Chiefs tearfully making statements like, “We’re heartbroken to make this announcement of the shooting of three of our officers. We ask for your support and prayers for our fellow officers and their families as we try to cope with yet another tragic event in our police family.”

I understand the toll this job can take on the officers and their families. I was so proud of my handsome father when he put on his California Highway Patrolman uniform and badge. Until the morning I woke up to wails and sobs coming from our living room filled with people. Even as a ten-year-old, I knew intuitively my father was gone. When he kissed me goodbye as he left for work that evening, it would be the last time I ever saw him alive. A reality our family lived with every day, but one we never thought would happen to us, until it did.

The job of a peace officer is to run toward danger, at the risk of his or her own life, to save and protect strangers. It once was a noble respected profession, but today’s culture has come to expect that many will die senselessly. Their death barely makes the local news.

President Trump is changing that when last week he awarded the new “Medal of Sacrifice” to the families of three fallen Florida police officers. “Congressman Brian Mast has introduced a bill to ensure this new medal will be awarded to any law enforcement officer or first responder who gives his or her life in the line of duty,” President Trump said.

“For the first time in our nation’s history — all of our first responders, all of our law enforcement, all of our firefighters — we’re going to recognize that sacrifice from the office of the presidency,” said Congressman Mast. “And that has never taken place before.”

We can also honor all police officers by using respectful words when talking about and to them. Pray when you see police officers patrolling or a police car on the road. Don’t pray for yourself that they don’t pull you over, but pray because you don’t know what awaits them the next time they make a traffic stop. When you hear a siren, pray. We never know when we, or our loved ones, might be the life they’re rushing to save.

Four Prayers for Police Officers and Their Families

Prayer for Protection

Lord, we don’t know why You implant in the hearts of brave men and women to choose a profession that requires walking into danger and putting their life on the line to stop lawlessness and crime. You’ve given them a willingness to enforce the law to protect the communities where they serve. Are they fearless? Unintimidated? Thrill seekers? Or do they truly love their neighbor more than themselves and want to do their part in justice for all?

Only You know for sure, Lord, what motivates them, but we do know they need a band of angels surrounding them with a hedge of protection. Lord, they face evil and the dark side of life every day. They see the worst of people and people at their worst. Their work tools are weapons. We pray Lord for their safety as they walk up to a car or house or unknown situation never knowing what danger awaits them. If they know You Lord, remind them to say their own prayer of protection and ask You to intervene against any foe. Perhaps something like David prayed, “I come to you for protection, O Lord my God. Save me from my persecutors—rescue me!” (Psalm 1:7 NLT).

When they emerge safe and victorious, Father, as David did when he was rescued from Saul, give them a heart to give You the glory. If they don’t know You as their Savior, become real to these officers. Let them know You took the bullet for them. Amen

“God’s way is perfect. All the Lord’s promises prove true. He is a shield for all who look to him for protection.” (2 Samuel 22:31 NLT)

Prayer for Wisdom and Guidance

Lord, police officers’ days are filled with uncertainties and unknowns as they make quick and often life-changing or life-threatening decisions. Help them to be wise and invoke all their training and experience before moving or speaking. When they have the opportunity to investigate a situation before taking action and engaging, give them patience not to rush to judgement or anger. If they discern a quick decision or movement is required, direct them to move swiftly but safely. If they need to wait for back up or ask for help, don’t let them be prideful or rash but consider the best outcome for everyone involved.

For those who have a relationship with You, remind them that You’re always there for them, “If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking” (James 1:5 NLT).

Guide them with their conscience and their code of conduct. Help them remember the protocol and give them the courage to do the next right thing for the best outcome. When they need to take orders from their chain of command, give them humble but steady hearts and guard their words.

Give them compassion when they determine there is no ill intent but also a keen awareness for deception. Remind them that they may not have all the evidence to make a final decision. Help them to see the good in people, and don’t let their hearts become hardened and calloused by the deceit and dark-side of life they encounter daily. Amen

“I am your servant; give me discernment that I may understand your statutes.” (Psalm 119:125)

Prayer for Their Families

Father, You’ve graciously given two families to every police officer: their personal family and their professional family. To their personal families, please give strength to endure the demanding schedule of a police officer. Provide understanding and flexibility for the times when their officer isn’t available for special occasions.

Instill the family with compassion when he or she doesn’t want to talk about their work and give the family intuition to know when their officer needs the space to decompress when returning home. May the family never minimize the significance of a police officer’s work. Let home be a place of solace when he or she returns safely but perhaps scarred by what they’ve seen and experienced.

Lord, it takes a special kind of love and patience to live with police officers. Remind the family members to pray for their officer daily and to let him or her know they’re prayed over, appreciated, and loved. Help family members to be alert and responsive when their officer is showing signs of stress, overwork, and trauma and encourage them to seek help. Likewise, Father surround the family with those who will notice the tenuous relationships that can develop within the family members.

Father, these precious and brave families make sacrifices few understand. Fill their homes with love, peace, joy, grace, and closeness because they support a police officer even at their own sacrifice.

Lord, every officer also has a close work family bond. They’re a team who have each other’s back and depend on one another for support, encouragement, skill, and camaraderie in facing the challenges of the job. Lord, bring unity and synergy to these men and women as they guard each other’s lives while working together to keep the streets of their communities safe and free of crime.

“Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.” (Romans 12:10)

Prayer for Mourners of Those Lost in the Line of Duty

Father, there are no more heart wrenching screams than, “Officer down.” Except perhaps the torment of a family opening the door to see two fellow officers of their officer standing with grim faces and tears welling in their eyes as the family falls to its knees with guttural shrieks, “No God, please no!” Or maybe You hear them wailing, “Why God, how could You do this when they were only trying to protect our community?” “Lord, where were You when they were dying?”

Lord, how does anyone comfort this family? Like Jeremiah they wail, “My grief is beyond healing; my heart is broken” (Jeremiah 18:18 NLT). There are no human answers to satisfy or soothe their agonizing wounds of grief, anger, and sorrow. Only You can Lord. Psalm 147:3 assures, “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” Psalm 34:18 NLT confirms, “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.”

We beg of You to surround them with love. Bring others to their side who’ve experienced their pain and understand the deep ache in their heart to pray with and for them. Keep away those who patronizingly tell them everything will be all right, because for this family, it will never be all right again.

Father, You know the fellow officers who mourn with the family, especially those who were with the fallen officer. Remove the repeated nightmares of asking themselves what they could’ve done differently or why wasn’t it them in the coffin. Lord, You know that the death of their fellow officer will always haunt them and the memory will never fade. Father guide them to the help they need to recover from what they’ve seen and don’t let it cause division among the unit or place any in danger with fear and hesitancy. Guide them in keeping their focus on work when they’re on duty and help guard their minds from the “what-ifs” when they try to sleep at night. Help them rest and renew their resolve to do their job to the best of their ability.

Father, we know You mourn with these families. Give them whatever they need. Walk beside them Father. If they know You as their Lord and Savior, draw them into Your embrace and fill them with a peace that passes all understanding. For those who don’t know You, open their eyes to seek You, the only source of relief from their anguish. Let them feel Your presence grieving with them. Your tears. Your hugs. Your love. Amen

Note: I want to thank all of you who prayed for my husband and me while Dave went through another major spine surgery six weeks ago. I’ve been busy caretaking for him so you may have noticed there were no Monday Morning Blogs. Hopefully, I can get back to writing, but I will be discontinuing my About His Work Ministries Newsletter that appeared on the last Monday of the month.

Please leave a comment here.

May 26, 2025

Return to top of page

What’s Your Part in the Everyday?

Today I’ve invited my friend and fellow author Cheri Swalwell to share a guest post with you. I know you’ll enjoy it as she asks, “What’s Your Part in the Everyday?” Here’s Cheri . . .

I love the account of Esther in the Bible. Seven chapters weaving a story of faith, courage, and ultimately God’s display of His justice for the Jewish people. People, even nonbelievers, know how Esther was born for such a time as this, (Esther 4:14b). While that is one-hundred percent true, she wasn’t the only hero of the story. Readers remember her bravery and courage to step in front of the king, knowing she could be put to death if he didn’t extend his gold scepter to her, but I believe that act of bravery was birthed in the years beforehand.

The Bible doesn’t go into detail about her childhood except that Mordecai, her cousin, “had taken her as his own daughter when her father and mother died.” (Esther 2:7). Throughout the seven chapters of Esther, we see Esther listening to and obeying Mordecai’s wisdom, (Esther 2:10 and 2:20) as well as Mordecai staying close “to find out how Esther was and what was happening to her.” (Esther 2:11). The Bible paints a picture of a loving adoptive father and an obedient adopted daughter.

We’re also told of a time when Mordecai was sitting outside the king’s gate, keeping a protective ear out for Esther, and he uncovers an assassination attempt on the king’s life. “But Mordecai found out about the plot and told Queen Esther, who in turn reported it to the king, giving credit to Mordecai.” (Esther 2:22).

When Mordecai reaches out a second time to Esther, this time to reveal Haman’s plot to destroy the Jews, Esther reminds her uncle that if she approaches the king without being summoned, it could be her death sentence. Mordecai’s answer is one many readers are familiar with: “Do not think that because you are in the king’s house you alone of all the Jews will escape. For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:13-14).

Esther then tells Mordecai to pray and fast for three days while she and her attendants do the same. The story ends with Esther setting a trap in front of the king to uncover Haman’s wickedness. But before her trap could be completed, God reminded the king of when Mordecai saved his life. He was so grateful he chose to celebrate Mordecai’s good deed. The final scenes include the Jews being allowed to fight back against the attack set in place by Haman’s wickedness, resulting in Haman and his ten sons ultimately being impaled on the pole Haman originally built to impale Mordecai.

We all remember Esther being born “for such a time as this.” However, let’s not forget Mordecai’s wisdom, love, and dedication to Esther, the king’s desire to honor those who rescued him, as well as the king’s humility to revise the edict he issued under false pretenses. I truly believe that without everyone choosing to do their part, Esther’s moment in history would have been much harder to fulfill.

Obedience in the Little Moments Strengthens our Faith

In December 2019, I received a prayer jar from my Sister-in-Christ for Christmas. I was excited to begin using it at the start of the new year, but felt God was calling me to “pray with a twist.” Instead of simply saying, “God, I need help with …” or “God, please fix …,” I started each prayer request with “Thank You, God, You’re going to heal …” or “Thank You, God, You know the answer to this toughie …”

Fast forward three months and we started the now infamous lockdown. When the general atmosphere of the world turned anxious, I turned to God. Not knowing at that time how long the shutdown would actually last, I felt God telling me to put my “Thank You, God” prayers to the side and change the prayer jar to a blessings jar. I knew God was using this avenue to help my family collect the blessings we saw during this season in history instead of focusing on all they were missing out on or the fear spiraling around us.

I also began to notice various ways people were stepping up and out of their comfort zones. Church members were volunteering at food banks, teachers were riding on school buses to hand deliver food to students who wouldn’t otherwise have a meal, while other strangers started fundraisers to help those in need.

I was still working full time from home, surrounded by my kids in various stages of online learning, and we were taking care of my in-laws, which meant trying to keep germ exposure to a minimum. However, it’s not in my DNA to sit idly by while others serve. My prayer became one of “What part do You, Lord, want me to play in this season of our lives?’ And then I waited.

It Started with a Song and a Prayer

January 2020, I had a close group of friends, all teachers from the same school. The month before the shutdown, a mutual friend and I invited a group of those teachers to our church for a women’s breakfast – a time of eating and fellowshipping together. It was the first time we did that, and we weren’t sure if anyone would show up. We were pleasantly surprised that not only the ones we invited came, but they brought others along as well. We filled two full tables at the event.

It was so much fun! We added another friend to our group that morning, a young mom who was new to the area. When we moved to the sanctuary to begin the service, she happened to sit in the row that had been taken over by all my teacher friends. The best part? She fit right in.

When I asked God above what my part was to play during the lockdown, His answer came quickly. He told me to text a worship song and prayer every weekday morning to each of my friends, including the new mom I had met a month earlier. Even though we couldn’t be together in person, we could still start our day “together” focusing on God’s promises, instead of life’s problems. We could be encouraged to see God in our everyday moments instead of saving Him for special occasions or once a week.

Days turned into weeks; weeks turned into months. The lockdown ended, people reentered the work force and life looked a semblance like it used to. Monday through Friday, I continued to text my group of friends as a way for us to keep growing our relationship with God through praise and worship and prayer. The list grew from ten, to twenty, and beyond.

I chose to text them individually versus a group text, so that if they had specific prayer requests that might be more personal, they didn’t have to worry about the whole group reading about their struggles. The group grew from my teacher friends to include old childhood friends and new friends I acquired through normal interactions. After faithfully texting people each weekday, one ordinary day God took my heartfelt prayer, “What’s is my part?” to the next level.

What started as a way to stay connected during the lockdown soon became a monthly membership to help others experience that same growth in their relationship with God. Every week we read and apply God’s Word (the Bible), sing praise and worship to God, spend time in prayer, and learn about relevant topics from a biblical viewpoint. Altogether, it keeps our focus on the ways He blesses us throughout each and every day, filling our lives as described in John 10:10: “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” (NKJV)

In June 2021, JESUS in the EVERYDAY was born. The heart of the membership is to help people recognize Jesus hugs (blessings) throughout their day, celebrating the blessings of God instead of zeroing in on what went wrong. It gives people a chance to grow their relationship with God at their own pace, enjoying the journey instead of rushing through as though it’s a race. It’s a way to arm ourselves with God’s promises and truth before stepping out into the world. It helps prepare us with biblical answers to tough questions to help point our friends and family to the truth.

God’s heart is for His children. He desires that we all accept Jesus into our hearts, surrendering our lives to Him, and be forever together with Him in heaven. “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9).

Some people think the salvation prayer is a “one and done prayer,” but that one prayer is only the beginning. The most important mission we have on earth is to follow Jesus’ example found in Luke 4:43: “But he said, “I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent.”

What’s Your Part?

Thankfully, the lockdowns are behind us; however, there are even more people who are lost, broken, and hurting than ever before. They desperately need to hear the truth of God’s message of hope and salvation. I want to encourage all of us to ask God in our quiet time “What’s my part?” in helping those who are lost and desperately need to know how much You, God, love them.

I get excited when I think of the endless possibilities of how God will use you to share His good news to this hurting world! Like Esther and Mordecai, everyone remembers Esther and the famous words: “For such a time as this,” but Mordecai’s role in the story was equally important. Ask God to show you what you’ve already been doing to help further His kingdom. You might be surprised at His answer. Maybe it’s the little things you do daily that He is pleased with the most.

I continually ask God, “What’s my part?” in pointing people to Him during each changing season of our culture. Is that a question you’re willing to ask, and then step out in obedience, when He answers?

Come join the monthly membership and our community as we each seek to grow closer to our Heavenly Father. We’re excited for you to become part of our family as we celebrate seeing JESUS in our lives, everyday!

Bio:

Cheri Swalwell is a Christ follower, writer of Christian fiction and nonfiction, Cheer UP Podcast co-host, JESUS in the EVERYDAY YouTuber, and JESUS in the EVERYDAY monthly membership hostess. Visit www.cheriswalwell.com to learn more about the ministry and for encouragement to see JESUS in your everyday life.

Please leave a comment here.

April 21, 2025

Return to top of page

The Bible Is Offensive to Those Who Tolerate Sin

Have you ever been in church and felt like the pastor was talking just to you? You wonder how he knew what you were going through or what sin you were wrestling with in your life. Probably he didn’t know, but God knew. He breathed out the words of the Bible to guide, counsel, encourage, scold, convict, and offer help to those who hear or read it. Hopefully, your pastor was preaching accurately from a passage that spoke to your situation.

¹⁶All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, ¹⁷so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. 2 Tim. 3:15-17

The Bible wasn’t written to condone our actions, but to teach us right from wrong and how to lead a holy and righteous life. Since we were all born with a propensity to sin, only the Holy Spirit living in our hearts can help us overcome sin and choose God’s good in our life. Many people are good, but God wants redeemed people, not just good people. I’ll say it again, without God, you can’t be or do good as God defines good. That statement might offend some of you right now so let’s look at what the Bible says.

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast.” Eph. 2:8-9

“If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.” 1 John 1:8

Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. ⁸But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. ⁹And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation. Rom. 5:7-9

So you may be wondering if I’m saying that anyone who hasn’t accepted Jesus and received the Holy Spirit will lead a sin-filled life? Yes, that’s exactly what I’m saying and that’s going to be offensive to every nonbeliever. Without God, there’s no plumb line of God’s expectations for His people and their spiritual alignment with His Word. That’s why it’s so important when you read the Bible to know the context and whether it’s directed to the believer or unbeliever.

So God’s rest is there for people to enter, but those who first heard this good news failed to enter because they disobeyed God. ⁷So God set another time for entering his rest, and that time is today. God announced this through David much later in the words already quoted: “Today when you hear his voice, don’t harden your hearts.” Heb. 4:5-7 NLT

The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right; his ears are open to their cries for help. ¹⁶But the Lord turns his face against those who do evil; he will erase their memory from the earth. Ps. 34:15-16

Pastors’ Challenge

Today, many pastors acquiesce to the secular culture’s demands to be “inclusive.” In an attempt to not be offensive, they avoid preaching on biblical sin. The Bible calls that a false teacher. A pastor’s godly commission is to counter cultures’ lies with biblical truth. The righteous pastor tells the truth in love. If he doesn’t share the truth, he isn’t loving his congregation.

A pastor who avoids boldly covering the hard offensive places in the Bible is looking for the congregation’s affirmation not God’s confirmation. You can’t teach the Bible without offending someone. The Bible is clear on what is sinful and why we should strive to not sin. Believers don’t expect our sinful choices to be excused or legalized but instead confessed and forgiven. Unbelievers who might be in the congregation need to hear that Good News and believers need to live by it.

God is not “inclusive.” He’s actually very exclusive. All are welcome to spend eternal life with Him and His Son Jesus Christ, but there’s a qualifier. Only those who believe Jesus Christ died on the cross, rose again three days later, as we will celebrate on Easter, and confess their sins, ask for forgiveness, and turn from their wicked ways will be saved. (John 3:16)

Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. John 14:6 NLT

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Rom. 6:23

For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. ²⁴Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. ²⁵For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. Rom. 3:23-25 NLT

The entire concept of salvation is confessing and repenting of our sins and accepting Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. The word “sin” is used 1,364 times in the NIV Bible translation, but when’s the last time you heard a pastor preach about sin, even though forgiveness of our sins through Jesus Christ is the foundation of our faith? Think about it. Paul understood the importance of us recognizing our sins.

When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, ²⁰idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, ²¹envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God. Gal. 5:18-21 NLT

Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. . . Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. ²⁷In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error. . .²⁹They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, ³⁰slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; ³¹they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy. Rom. 1: 24-27, 29-30

We also know that the law is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, ¹⁰for the sexually immoral, for those practicing homosexuality, for slave traders and liars and perjurers—and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine ¹¹that conforms to the gospel concerning the glory of the blessed God, which he entrusted to me. 1 Tim. 1:9-11 NLT

Jesus talked about sin.

He [Jesus] went on: “What comes out of a person is what defiles them. ²¹For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, ²²adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. ²³All these evils come from inside and defile a person.” Mark 7:20-23 NLT

Satan is using the secular left to legalize and champion sinful lifestyles and intimidate and silence the church on the one thing Satan uses to destroy God’s civilization—sin. I grew up going to church and I knew from a very young age what was sinful versus what was pleasing to God. In my backsliding days, while I might’ve been resentful of anyone calling out my sin, I knew I was breaking God’s heart because in my heart I knew I was sinning. How many people are sitting in woke churches today living under the lie that if culture says it’s okay and my pastor doesn’t call it wrong, it can’t be all that bad.

Have you heard a message in your church lately on why abortion, the murder of unborn babies, is sinful and wrong? Pastors often don’t teach on the sin of abortion because it might offend someone, so they skip over the Old Testament sacrificing of children to Baal and Moloch. Today, babies are burned or dismembered before they’re even born. With 1 out of 5 pregnancies ending in abortion, there probably will be a family touched by abortion in the congregation, but what if that pastor had been speaking all along about the sanctity of life and why God wants every baby He creates to receive the gift of life. Pastors could be saving babies’ lives. And for those women suffering with the guilt of killing their own child, the pastor could help them find comfort and forgiveness from Jesus. When pastors are afraid to touch that sinful painful subject, babies keep dying and women keep suffering.

Or has your pastor approached the subject in a sermon of why men should not be competing in women’s sports because no man can ever be a woman? Has he talked about what the Bible says about homosexuality, perverse sexual lifestyles, and exposing young children in school to this sin? No, you say. Well, why not? The Bible has a ton to say about it and because pastors don’t discuss it, the number of children experimenting with the rainbow mafia has skyrocketed. Children believe the devil’s lie that they can change their sex surgically or medically, when girls’ genetic XX chromosomes and boys’ XY chromosomes will NEVER change. These children will become patients for life instead of receiving help from Bible-believing pastors, psychologists, and counselors.

Or what about the mutilation and sterilization of children. Has your pastor talked about the deception of parents allowing young children to make such life altering permanent changes to their body that will NEVER change their God-given sex? Someone is probably dealing with this right now in your church.

God’s church can’t and shouldn’t avoid difficult issues. It’s a sin!

I know it sounds like I’m putting the onus for much of the culture’s woes on the church and actually that’s exactly what I’m doing. No one should leave a church sermon with a warm fuzzy feeling that nothing needs to change in their life. That’s a milk toast church. Pastors should be teaching what the Bible says about evil and sin. While it might be offensive to some, God’s Word is the ONLY way to eternal life with Him.

In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! ¹³Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. ¹⁴But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil. Heb. 5:12-14

Many people wrongfully think that politics and spirituality should stay separate and that’s a lie straight from the enemy. Politics has invaded the church by normalizing or even legalizing what we all know is sin. Gay marriage. Abortion. Sexual perversion. Child mutilation. The war against women.

No one is perfect. We see many pastors falling in their personal lives. They’re tempted by sin like any of us. Maybe if they were studying the Scriptures and preaching accurately about overcoming sin, they too would be convicted to live by all of God’s Word. Pastor Jack Hibbs advises pastors, “You don’t avoid the difficult Scriptures, you look for Jesus in them!” The Apostle Paul gave a commission to every pastor.
I declare today that I have been faithful. If anyone suffers eternal death, it’s not my fault, ²⁷for I didn’t shrink from declaring all that God wants you to know. ²⁸“So guard yourselves and God’s people. Feed and shepherd God’s flock—his church, purchased with his own blood—over which the Holy Spirit has appointed you as leaders. Acts 20:27-28 NLT

The Lord appears to every believer through His Word, the Holy Bible, and unbelievers can meet Jesus there. Don’t rely on your pastor; rely on your Savior. You might be offended by what you read, but God loves you enough to tell you the Truth.

This morning in church, we heard a message on 1 Samuel 3 and we sang in church the old hymn “It Is Well With My Soul.” I’m closing with 1 Samuel 3:21 and a stanza from the song.

The Lord continued to appear at Shiloh, and there he revealed himself to Samuel through his word. 1 Sam. 3:21

“My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!”

Please let us know if your pastor helps your church family in overcoming the sins of this world, even when it’s offensive. Leave a reply here.

April 7, 2025

Return to top of page

‘Maybe’ Is Not In God’s Vocabulary!

I was praying last week with the Jack Hibbs LIFT daily morning prayer, which I’ve mentioned in blogs before, when he said something that caught my attention. He said you won’t find “maybe” used in the Bible. Actually, it’s in there but only three times, and never used by God or Jesus. Twice ‘maybe’ is used as a taunt to deny that God exists in 1 Kings 18:27 and Jonah 1:6, and another time in 1 Kings 18:5 by Ahab saying maybe they can find grass for the horses and mules. That’s it!

So think about that. God is never indecisive, wondering if maybe we should do one thing or another. His Word, the Bible, is always specific, confident, instructive, definitive, and direct. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. 2 Tim. 3:15-17

We’re the ones that interject maybes into the Scriptures and question the intent of what God is actually saying. Sometimes we want to give the benefit of the doubt or question His intent, but God says I tell you the Truth and you should absolutely follow it in your life. Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. ³²Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:31-32

You might question that many people interpret the Bible differently. That’s true. The Bible might speak to each of us differently in our individual situation. But if we rely on the Holy Spirit’s guidance in exegesis of Scripture in context, and not on what we want the Bible to mean, Christians will usually agree on the interpretation.

A good example of misinterpreting Scripture is people saying that God is the God of love, so you need to love everything everyone does because God loves them. That’s what someone wants the Bible to mean, not what God actually says.

If you counter and ask, “Where does God say, ‘maybe’ it’s okay to sin in this area because I love you?” Of course, they can’t find anywhere it says this because God hates sin. Sin destroys the ones He loves. What God does say is that He loves us all so much, He sent His only begotten Son to die on a cross for those of us who ask for forgiveness for our sins, repent, and become followers of Jesus for eternity. (John 3:16)

When you look at all the red-letter words of Jesus in the Gospels, you won’t find Jesus ever using “maybe.” His words when he preached and taught are full of unqualified, unambiguous, unquestionable, and unwavering wisdom, lessons, and truth to live by.

Jesus didn’t say ‘maybe’ He was the only way to heaven and there could be other beliefs or ways. Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6 No maybes.

Jesus didn’t say ‘maybe’ if you follow me, you might be saved. He said you will be saved. I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved.” (John. 10:9)

Jesus didn’t say you should ‘maybe’ repent and turn from your wicked ways. He said you must repent to be His follower. “I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners and need to repent.” Luke 5:32

Jesus didn’t say ‘maybe’ that one sin will be okay because overall you’re a good person. He said go and sin no more. Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.” John 8:11

We’re the ones that try to soften the Gospel and Jesus’ own words by interjecting doubt or suggesting that ‘maybe’ Jesus didn’t really mean what He said.

Sadly, many pastors today want to make their congregations feel good about their sinful lives, insinuating that maybe it’s not all that bad if it makes you happy or it’s not hurting anyone. That’s a false gospel by a false teacher.

God is much more concerned with our holiness than our happiness.

Maybe In Our Vocabulary!

‘Maybe’ is noncommittal, non-decisive, and reluctant. Maybe we’ll come to your party. Maybe I’ll read the Bible. Maybe I’ll follow most of what the Bible says. Maybe we’ll go to church this weekend. Maybe we’ll come visit.

The Christian life is committed, decisive, and never reluctant. The antithesis of ‘maybe.’

God is looking for bold Christians who are fully committed and fully decisive in their spiritual and personal life. No maybes about it!

Our family rule at the Thompsons is let your yes be yes, and your no be no. All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one. Matthew 5:37

‘Maybe’ and ‘try’ are ways to keep all your options open without making a full commitment. Maybe you will, maybe you won’t. Or other times you don’t want to tell the person no, so you use ‘try’ or ‘maybe’. When I hear those two words, it means the person isn’t reliable. They’re not being forthright. I can’t count on them.

When you ask someone about anything that has a yes or no answer and they answer with “Maybe,” or “I’ll try,” they most likely mean no. They’re just afraid to give the honest answer, “No.”

If someone says for example, “I’ll try to be on time.” I’ll counter with “That doesn’t sound very committed. Are you going to be on time or should I not expect you?” I want an answer I can depend on, knowing that circumstances can change but they’re going to make an effort. Just tell me yes or tell me no, but don’t say try or maybe.

A favorite stall of some is I need to check my calendar, but since most people today have a calendar on their phone, that’s pretty easy to check. I would prefer to hear, “We won’t be able to make it, but thanks for thinking of us.” Then they can always call later if their plans change and that’s always pleasant news.

There are certain situations where we want to pray before committing. That’s often advisable. In fact, many of us can think of a time we wish we had taken time to pray before saying yes. If that’s the case, then give a timeframe where the other person can expect you to respond. Stick to that time commitment.

Do you think that’s too strict or not flexible enough? Well, God is strict in His commands to us knowing that if we follow them with commitment, perseverance, and diligence, we’re going to be a better witness to others and live a fuller life in Christ.

How many of us who are married would’ve answered, “I’ll try” or “Maybe” when the pastor asked if we would love, honor, and cherish our spouse? If we want the ceremony to continue and the marriage to last, we say, “Yes” loudly, boldly, and committed.

Sometimes we say “maybe” because we’re really not sure what we want. It can mean numerous things, from “I’m not sure I want to do this,” to “I want to do that, but I’m not sure if I can” to “this doesn’t sound like how I want to spend my time” to any number of combinations that make us unsure.

Many times, kids that have lived with divorce and are trying to please both parents find themselves saying maybe or I’ll try because they don’t want to hurt either parent by saying no. Or even worse say “I’ll try” or “maybe” to both parents knowing they can’t be at both places. They live with that worry and angst hanging over them because eventually one of the parents is going to be disappointed when they don’t show up. It would’ve been better to tell one parent no but let’s make other plans to get together. That’s a hard lesson to learn.

If we can learn to say no when it’s not a sure yes, there’s clarity for everyone and actually much less stressful.

Like me, most people are looking for truth they can depend on. If we want to be good witnesses for Christ, we need to be the kind of people others can depend on to live by our words. Sometimes, we’re so uncomfortable saying no, we think we need to give long explanations to justify our reasons. That can lead to lying or making up a story. Not necessary. Not godly. Leviticus 19:11 commands “Do not lie. Do not deceive one another.”

When you know your maybe really means no, you’re essentially lying to the other person. That’s why “maybe” and “try” are not in God’s vocabulary, but “yes” and “no” are. God never vacillates in the way He wants us to live. He sets boundaries and guidelines for us. We need to go and do likewise.

Freedom isn’t the ability to say maybe. It’s the ability to say no or yes and own it.

Please leave a comment here.

March 24, 2025

Return to top of page

What Should Christians Do In The ‘Golden Age’?

At the start of President Trump’s Inaugural address on January 20, 2025, he promised, “The Golden Age of America begins right now!”

The nation would be safe, secure, and prosperous again. Trump also vowed to eliminate DEI and that “Almighty God” would again be honored in America. He has since established a White House Faith Office and created a task force under Attorney General Pam Bondi to investigate “targeting of Christians and eradicate anti-Christian bias. At the National Prayer Breakfast in D.C. President Trump said, “Without God, we are isolated and alone, but with God, the Scriptures tell us, all things are possible.”

Trump’s diplomatic goal for our country is restoring an era of American exceptionalism in which the U.S. is an economic powerhouse, common sense the rule, and traditional values centered on God, family, and freedom are celebrated. The Golden Age.

Origins of Golden Age

Golden Age is a term used to describe a period in history where a culture, society, or nation experiences a period of prosperity, peace, and advancements. This era is characterized by significant achievements, significant contributions, and a collective sense of prosperity and unity. Major advances in science, technology, art, and literature often mark golden ages.

Wikipedia describes ‘Golden Age’ as a metaphor for a time considered as a peak in the history of a country or people when the greatest achievements were made. The term originated from early Greek mythology and Roman poets who used it to refer to a time when mankind lived in a better time.

Characteristics of a Golden Age

While there is no strict definition of a Golden Age, it typically exhibits certain characteristics:

• Profound economic prosperity: The era is marked by stable economic growth, trade flourishing, and widespread wealth creation.
• Cultural achievements: Art, literature, music, and science experience significant advancements, contributing to the development of civilization.
• Peaceful relations: There is little conflict or war, with nations and groups coexisting harmoniously.
• Innovative spirit: New ideas, inventions, and discoveries drive progress, pushing the boundaries of what is possible.

Historical Golden Ages

Hellenistic Golden Age (323–31 BCE)
European Renaissance (14th-17th century)
Age of Exploration (15th-17th century)
Golden Age of Islam (8th-13th century)

Recent Golden Ages

Digital Age (late 20th century-present)
Biotechnology and genomics (late 20th century-present)
Space Age (20th century)
The American Century, the period since the middle of the 20^th century has been largely dominated by the United States in political, economic, and cultural terms and may be taken to represent a golden age of global cultural influence and political hegemony.

To many of us, the last four years under the Biden Administration was a demonic dark age.

Our national debt close to bankruptcy.
DEI and evil woke policies reigned throughout government and businesses.
Murdering babies from conception through birth considered a “right.”
Perverted decrepit sexual practices normalized and taught to young children in schools.
Lines blurred between biological and biblical definitions of men and women.
Children sterilized and castrated with drugs and surgical mutilation.
A war on women with men invading women’s and girls’ sports and private spaces.
A “new green deal” climate hoax forced on Americans.
Government censorship.
A lack of diplomacy, military readiness, or supremacy on the global stage.
People forced to take an experimental vaccination to keep their jobs or children to attend school.
Businesses, churches, schools closed by the government.
Terrorists funded, including Iran a country that hates America.
Our closest ally Israel snubbed and defunded during their horrific crisis.
Our border invaded by illegals, terrorists, and criminals.

I could go on, but you and I both lived through the insanity and tyranny. Certainly NOT a Golden Age. It was a dark, demonic, evil age and anyone who spoke or acted against complying with it was threatened, silenced, censored, or even imprisoned. This and so much more is what the American people voted against on November 5, 2024.

So yes, as we watch all of President Trump’s Executive Orders coming out of the Oval Office reversing the evil of the past administration, it does certainly feel like the dawning of a Golden Age. Many of us wake up every morning celebrating the return to sanity and common sense in America as corruption, fraud, and abuse is discovered and eliminated by DOGE.

Last week, we watched the first Cabinet Meeting begin in a beautiful prayer given by HUD Secretary Scott Turner where he prayed, “Father the Bible says, ‘Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord’” and he ended with, “In Jesus Name, Amen.”

What a blessing. What hope. What grace and mercy the Lord is granting America.

In today’s Golden Age, spiritually correct is politically correct. Hallelujah!

But we must remember that as good as this feels, our current Golden Age isn’t God’s future Golden Age. It’s like saying heaven on earth, knowing that as good as it might get here, this isn’t eternal Heaven.

God’s Golden Age

When I told my husband I was writing on the Golden Age, he said he had just bought a book by Dr. David Jeremiah titled, you guessed it, The Coming Golden Age: 31 Ways To Be Kingdom Ready. Wow, what timing! Notice the word “coming” in the title. While we might be living in America’s earthly Golden Age, and let’s pray it continues, the Lord’s Golden Age is in the future. Dr. Jeremiah’s book is prophetically timed because it was published in October 2024 before Trump’s Golden Age for America inaugural speech.

You won’t find the term “Golden Age” in your Bible, but you will find it inferred prophetically. Let me share a few quotes from the Introduction to Dr. Jeremiah’s book.

“Recently I’ve been digging them up—hundreds of verses about the coming Golden Age, the impending thousand-year reign of Jesus Christ on this planet. Some commentators say it is the single most mentioned subject in all of God’s Word. Ten centuries when the world will be peaceful, prosperous, and under the power and authority of Jesus Christ! This Millennium of time is ahead of us. It’s the epoch between our Lord’s return to this planet and the onset of the new heaven and new earth of the eternal age.”

“If you belong to Jesus Christ, you’re included in the future He’s designed. There is a coming Golden Age, and it gets even better after that!”

Dr. Jeremiah describes the timeline before the Millennium starting with the Rapture of the church in 1 Thess. 4:13-18. This could happen at any minute. Maybe even before I finish writing this blog! “The vanishing of millions or billions of people will traumatize the nations, leading to a global power shift and worldwide war (Rev. 6:1-8). A cunning one-world ruler [Antichrist] will emerge, triggering seven years of Tribulation on our planet (Dan. 9:27; Rev. 6-18).”

Revelations 15:1 and Zech. 14:2 describes what Jesus called “great tribulations, such as not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be” (Matt. 24:21 NKJV). This will climax in the battle of Armageddon (Rev. 16:16.) “Just when Israel appears on the verge of annihilations, Jesus Christ will appear in the sky and destroy the hostile forces of the Antichrist (Zech. 14:2; Rev. 19:11-16). Our Lord will literally speak the victory, and He will deliver His people.”

Those already raptured will be with Jesus and see Him descend onto the Mount of Olives (Zech. 14:4; Acts 1:11) as He gloriously enters Jerusalem and assumes the reins of world government for one thousand years (Rev. 20:4-6). The Millennium. God’s coming Golden Age.

As Dr. Jeremiah explains, “It’s the kingdom to come, the fulfillment of all the promises God made to Israel in the Old Testament. It’s also the bridge of time that will take us into the eternal enclaves of the new heaven, the new earth, and the everlasting capital of New Jerusalem.”

The Christian Golden Opportunity

The earthly Golden Age for Christians should mean more to us then an easier life where we feel less threatened and more supported. We should take every opportunity to proclaim the name of Jesus to anyone and everyone who will listen, and even those who won’t!

“The time has come,” he [Jesus] said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!” Mark 1:15

I recently heard a pastor pray asking God that we wouldn’t just experience the next four years of President Trump’s Golden Age, but we would have a Golden Age for the next four generations. I’m not sure why he limited it to four generations, except maybe it synced with four years. Many of us pray the Rapture comes before that.

I agree with those who believe God has granted a reprieve with President Trump. Christianity will be celebrated and not berated or silenced so that reformation and revival can occur publicly and profusely.

God wants as many people as possible saved before they die or the Rapture, whichever comes first. Today, we clearly see many blatantly endorsing and choosing evil. A denial of God. Yet, God wants them saved too. However, if they continue to rebel against Him, He will leave them to their own demise (Romans 1:18-32).

Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done . . . They not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them. Rom. 1:28, 32

The earthly national Golden Age is our Golden Opportunity as Christians to share the Gospel to as many people as possible. Look at unbelievers in your family, friends, neighbors, fellow workers, or acquaintances with a new conviction to spare them from eternity in Hell when they die or experiencing a time when God’s wrath will pour out on the world during the tribulation for anyone left behind after the Rapture.

The thought of this fate is what kept me on my knees praying daily for six years for my daughter, which I describe in Praying for Your Prodigal Daughter. I love her so much. I couldn’t, and wouldn’t, settle for her going through the terrible tribulation, or if she died before the Rapture, going straight to Hell.

There is no second chance to change your mind after death. No in between. No reprieve. People can become believers during the Tribulation, but they’ll be tortured and probably killed by the Antichrist for not accepting the Mark of the Beast. Even today, we hear of Christians in the Congo beheaded for their Christian faith.

You’re probably thinking how did we go from opening this blog with a joyous Golden Age era and ending up talking about Hell?! Because Hell is as real as Heaven. Don’t be fooled thinking everyone who dies goes to Heaven. Only those who have accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior here on earth will be with Jesus in eternity.

“You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell^[a] is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. ¹⁴But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it. Matt. 7:13-14 NLT

Sharing the truth of the Gospel is our job as Christians during this relief from governmental persecution of faith. Now is the time to unashamedly tell your testimony that Jesus saves! So never be ashamed to tell others about our Lord. 2 Tim. 1:8 NLT

It’s no coincidence you and I are living during this earthly Golden Age. God wants us to take advantage of the freedom to spread Christianity. There’s no guarantee it’s going to last four generations as that pastor prayed or even four years. Jesus doesn’t tell us the hour or the day when God says He has had enough. People have had a chance to make their decision and it’s time to take His people home. I’ve given you a lot to consider and pray about. Jesus doesn’t want anyone lost. Let it be said the same of us.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. John 6:39

If you don’t receive my weekly newsletter, you can read the opening article in the February issue, “God Knows What A Woman Is!” here. Also, signup for the newsletter on my website.

Have you read my latest blogs? Make America and You Healthy Again! Or Making America Godly Again!

Please leave a comment here.

March 3, 2025

Return to top of page

Make America And You Healthy Again!

I’ve been rooting and praying for all of President Trump’s cabinet picks, but one I especially was excited to see pass all the Senate scrutiny and interrogation and eventually be confirmed was Robert F. Kennedy Jr. also known as RFK Jr. Even when he was running for president as a Democrat, I enjoyed hearing him talk about his goal of researching the cause of chronic illnesses, especially in children, and his stumping for eating real food, avoiding processed food, and investigating the additives in our food. The Democrats tried to prevent him from being on the ballot, denied him Secret Service protection, and were so mean to one of their own, I knew he must have some good qualities if they were that against him.

RFK Jr. ended his presidential campaign and is now the head of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. While I don’t agree with some of his political views, I’m completely onboard with him joining President Trump’s team to Make America Healthy Again, otherwise known as MAHA.

My MAHA Story!

First, a little of my history and explanation of why I’m so excited to be a “MAHA Mom.” Actually, I was a MAHA Mom, MAHA Wife, and now MAHA Grammie, long before there was MAHA!

My first career out of college was as a hospital clinical Registered Dietitian. I have a Bachelor’s Degree in Food Administration, a one-year internship at the Santa Monica VA Hospital and UCLA, passed a grueling registration test, and maintained a continuing education requirement for many years.

I was naive when I entered the nutrition field back in the early 70’s. I was going to be the Florence Nightingale of Dietetics, so sure that R.D.s would have the respect of M.D.s after all the education it took to become a Registered Dietitian. Doctors would surely treat me as a peer in the medical treatment process. Patients would be eager to learn how they could overcome or even prevent many of their illnesses by simply eating healthy.

My lofty aspirations of people wanting to help themselves by eating healthy turned out to be the most disappointing, degrading, deflating and unfulfilling career I’ve ever experienced. It’s even easier being an evangelist now helping people turn to Jesus to save their spiritual souls than it was back then trying to help people save their physical bodies.

Both doctors and patients it seemed would prefer depending on pills, shots, surgeries, and repeated hospitalizations rather than including a healthy diet in their treatment plan. Patients accused me of taking away their favorite foods thus their reason for living! Often, I got to know patients well because it was like a revolving door of them returning back to the hospital worse than when I last saw them.

I would counsel wives that they were loving their husband to death by feeding him unhealthy food and not following the prescribed diet. I was shocked when most of the wives just looked at me with eyes that conveyed, I’m going to feed him whatever he likes because it’s his love language. I pleaded, “Even if it kills him?”

Doctors didn’t respect R.D.s and patients resented us. After several years of this career abuse, I realized I couldn’t do this for the rest of my life. After dipping my toe into sales, I discovered I was good at it, so I became a manufacturer’s rep for dietetic products and my customers were those poor berated R.D.’s in hospitals.

But once a dietitian always a dietitian as my family will attest to in how I feed them! Times have changed and nutrition has become more popular, yet still Americans are the most overweight and unhealthy people in the world?! When RFK Jr. abandoned his presidential aspirations and teamed up with Trump and I heard their joint goal was to Make America Healthy Again, I bought the MAHA trucker’s hat and started cheering for RFK Jr. to be successful. I wasn’t alone.

I wore my Make America Healthy Again hat everywhere during the election campaign, especially when we went shopping. Now, I wear it victoriously. People often stop me to say, “I love your hat!” Or even, “I’m praying for them.” Sometimes it’s just a knowing smile or nod. When I wore it on vacation, I even had a radiologist tell me how happy he was that soon government officials would be taking steps to eliminate additives and unhealthy ingredients in our food, especially processed foods. I was thrilled to hear a doctor onboard with MAHA!

I’ve always been a huge proponent of reading all food labels. If there’s more than five ingredients, dyes, sugar, or ingredients you don’t recognize, don’t buy it or eat it. Especially, don’t give it to your growing children. Fresh is always best.

I now write a Nutrition Nook column in the bi-monthly Idaho Christian Living Magazine. It’s fun to still share my nutritional knowledge and passion. Maybe in the future, I’ll post some of those columns in this Monday Morning Blog.

Who is Robert F. Kennedy Jr. And What is His Spiritual Testimony?

I watched the swearing in of RFK Jr. as the next HHS Secretary by Justice Neil Gorsuch in the Oval Office and President Trump signed an executive order establishing the Make America Healthy Again Commission, which will be led by Kennedy. I was super impressed to hear Kennedy give God the glory in his remarks, “For twenty years I’ve been on my knees every morning praying that I could end the childhood disease epidemic and God gave me President Trump.”

The night of his swearing in, Kennedy was interviewed on the Laura Ingraham program. You can watch the interview @ RFK: We’re In A Spiritual Crisis; “People Feel Disconnected, And That’s Fueling Depression, Addiction & Chronic Disease” | Video | RealClearPolitics. Here’s a snippet of the opening.

INGRAHAM: Before we get into the priorities on day one, you talked about prayer today in the Oval Office with all of those paintings from Reagan to Andrew Jackson to Abraham Lincoln, Washington all around you. Why did you go to that moment?

KENNEDY JR.: Well, you know, I think it’s relevant because we’re not just in a health crisis, but we’re in a spiritual crisis and those things are connected. And you know, so many times during my campaign, traveling across the country, I sense that that people are feeling disconnected.

You have a whole generation of kids that feel alienated, dispossessed. They are in an existential crisis, not only because their health is, you know, 77 percent of our kids can’t qualify for military service. There is no purpose in their lives and no sense of usefulness or effectiveness or connectedness to their communities. And that drives also the chronic disease epidemic, and the epidemics we’re seeing of depression, of suicide, of alcoholism, of drug addiction. I think we have to address all of those things at the same time. We can’t just say we’re going to make you physically healthy.

INGRAHAM: That’s a tall order.

KENNEDY JR.: Yes, well, I think, you know, we all have to learn. You know, we need to get up in the morning and not think about, what am I going to do to make myself happy today? We have to get up and say, what am I going to do to make myself useful today, to be useful to my friends, to my family, to my community and that paradoxically is ultimately the path to happiness connected to this, you get from doing, you know, from doing good things, from being of service to others.

In the interview, Kennedy told Laura that he’s been a recovering addict for 42 years and goes to meetings every day. His references to God both during his swearing in and this interview made me want to delve a little deeper. Here’s what I found in an article in the Western Journal “RFK Jr. Talks About His 14-Year Battle with Addiction and How He Overcame It Through Faith in God.” The author Richard Bledsoe wrote the following words July 11, 2023, while RFK was still running for president himself.

“Politicians often evoke God for cynical reasons. They may be trying to appear pious, claim divine approval for some policy proposal, or fit in with the priorities of their constituents. However, when it’s a personal story of how God impacted a life, and the visible evidence supports that claim, it’s possible even a politician can bear witness to God’s love.”

The addiction RFK Jr. struggled with began when he was 15, a year after his father was assassinated in 1968, although on the Ingraham Angle he made the statement he always felt he was born with a propensity to an addiction.

In a podcast interview with MIT research scientist Lex Fridman, Kennedy spoke about his addiction and recovery. “When you’re an addict, you’re living against conscience,” he said. “I was always trying to get off of drugs, never able to. But I never felt good about what I was doing.”

The addiction grew despite Kennedy’s religious upbringing. He had to find his way back to God before he could beat it. After learning that addicts who believe in God have better recovery rates, Kennedy chose to behave as if he were a believer, even though at first it was a pretense. “I just started pretending there was a God watching me all the time,” he said.

Kennedy said then God accomplished the impossible for him.

“I had a spiritual awakening and my desire for drugs and alcohol was lifted miraculously,” he said. “And to me, it was as much a miracle as if I’d been able to walk on water because I had tried everything earnestly, sincerely, and honestly for a decade to try to stop and I could not do it under my own power.

“And then all of a sudden, it was lifted effortlessly. So I saw that early evidence of God in my life … and I see it now every day of my life.”

I agree with Bledsoe who wrote, “Opening up about the role of faith in his life, and not being afraid to discuss his flaws, makes Kennedy seem more real than other politicians.”

After hearing more about Kennedy’s faith journey, his humble surrender and dependence on God, and his willingness to talk openly about his past addiction, I do believe RFK Jr. is sincere about wanting to Make America Healthy Again. Especially to discover why children and adults have so many more chronic illnesses and shorter lives than the rest of the world even though we’re one of the wealthiest countries.

What Are the Goals of MAHA?

If you would like to read more, I would encourage you to read RFK Jr.’s Top Health and Wellness Priorities As Doctors Share Input. The goal categories are Reforming Food Policy, Improving Healthcare Access, More Accountability for Pharma Companies, Restoring Medical Freedoms, Advocating for Physical Activity, Promoting Personal Accountability.

Here’s a little more from the Ingraham Angle Interview:

Kennedy: “I believe in freedom of choice. If you want to eat Twinkies, you ought to be able to eat them. But you ought to know what’s in them. So, a lot of what I’m going to do is about being transparent—radical transparency. What I’m about is I want people to understand and empower them to know that if you eat that, it may seem cheap, but it’s gonna cost you in the long run. You might get diabetes etc.”

We have 10,000 additives in our food. Europeans have 400. Many of our additives are illegal in Europe.

Ingraham asked if we were going to become a “nanny state.” She brought up that Pres. Trump likes Big Macs. “You’re not going to take those away, are you?” she asked him.

Kennedy: “McDonalds ought to be incentivized to use beef tallow fat when it’s cooking its Big Mac so that they’re good for people. Rather than using seed oils or some other cooking oils that are actually probably going to make you sicker. So, we want to do a number of things but not take away choice from people.”

“The one place where I would say that we need to really change programs is SNAP [Supplemenal Nutrition Assistance Program], food stamps, and school lunches because they are federal programs and, in many cases, we’re paying for it, and we shouldn’t be subsidizing people to eat poison!”

Kennedy’s message resonates with me. The young enthusiastic altruistic “Florence Nightingale R.D.” who became so disillusioned all those years ago, still has the burning desire to help people nutritionally fuel their body, God’s holy temple. As Kennedy says, and I echo, “For too long, we’ve been stuck in a passive disease management system that treats symptoms instead of addressing the root causes of illness.”

Kennedy’s, and my, message is the same as it’s been since God created our bodies, “Your health is your responsibility. The government won’t fix it. Your doctor won’t fix it. Big pharma certainly won’t fix it. It’s on you.”

God will help anyone who is willing to help themselves. “The Bible is like food for the inner person. It is milk (1 Peter 2:2), solid food (Hebrews 5:11-14), bread (Matthew 4:4), and honey (Psalm 19:9-10).” Warren Wiersbe

“I think one’s feelings waste themselves in words; they ought all to be distilled into actions which bring results.” Florence Nightingale

Why do you spend your money on junk food, your hard-earned cash on cotton candy? Listen to me, listen well: Eat only the best, fill yourself with only the finest. Pay attention, come close now, listen carefully to my life-giving, life-nourishing words. Is. 55:2-3 The Message

Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies. 1 Cor. 6:10-20

PS If you want to learn more about MAHA Moms here’s an interesting article. The ‘MAHA Moms’ Behind Kennedy – The Kennedy Beacon

Please leave a comment here.

February 17, 2025

Return to top of page

Praying for President Trump: A Call to Action

As you read this blog, you may be getting ready to watch President Trump’s inauguration as the 47^th President of the United States, or maybe you’ve already watched it. Regardless, history is being made as he becomes only the second president in United States history to win non-consecutive terms as we launch into a new era that Trump has called the “Golden Age.”

Most of us would agree that the past four years have been hard, but we made it. I personally can see many reasons that God had President Trump wait until this year to reenter the White House and perhaps I will save that for a future blog. Today, I want to do something a little different and suggest a call to action to pray for success, protection, and wisdom for our new President and all those who will be serving our country with him and his family who love and support him. So, pray with me please and feel free to add any prayers the Holy Spirit brings to your mind in the comments.

Dear Heavenly Father,

We come together today using these humble written words and Your Words to praise You and pray for newly elected President Donald J. Trump, Vice President J.D. Vance, cabinet members, and additional staff who will be serving the American people in the federal government. And we pray for all their families.

Father, You tell us in 1 Timothy 2:1-4 that You command us to pray for those in authority because it is vital to the success of any leadership, and we want this administration to be successful. You say, I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— ²for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. ³This is good, and pleases God our Savior, ⁴who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.

As Your followers who want to live peaceful and quiet lives, we pray that our national, state, and local governments would rule with godliness and holiness and seek You always for wisdom, guidance, and discernment in governing.

The Lord frustrates the plans of the nations and thwarts all their schemes. ¹¹But the Lord’s plans stand firm forever; his intentions can never be shaken. ¹²What joy for the nation whose God is the Lord, whose people he has chosen as his inheritance. Ps. 33:10-12

So first, we pray that President Trump, his advisers, cabinet, and team would look to You, Lord, as they make and execute their plans for our Nation. That they would humbly and patiently seek Your will and not their own. We trust Father that if they would simply ask You will help them with all the decisions and policies they will be making, changing, or discarding. The king’s [President’s] heart is like a stream of water directed by the Lord; he guides it wherever he pleases. (Pr. 21:1)

For those, Lord, who refuse to seek You, we pray for their removal from positions that would inflict anything on constituents which goes against Your Word and Your will. We especially pray for eyes to open and hearts to break for the imperative need for righteous protection of the unborn. The removal of evil teaching policies and sexual grooming in the education of our children and grandchildren and that You, Lord, would be brought back into our schools along with a patriotic love for our country. We pray that marriage and sex would be governed as you designed in creation and not as man has “reimagined” and distorted it.

Lord, Your Word tells us in Proverbs 29:2 that, When the godly are in authority, the people rejoice. But when the wicked are in power, they groan. Lord, we have been groaning now for four years under a heavy burden of wickedness and unrighteousness with evil, lies, and injustice in our government. We identify with Old Testament people as they vacillated between bad and good judges and kings. We praise You and give You gratitude for hearing the pleas of over 77 million Americans who voted for a return to civility, common sense, and biblical principles and values in our country as our founding fathers envisioned in the Constitution and Bill of Rights.

We praise You, Lord, that there are some godly people now in positions of authority. We pray not only that they would not bend or break in their devotion to You in all their actions, decisions, words, and policies, but that they would also be a witness of the power of Jesus Christ in their life as they serve along some who may not know you personally. Let the faithful never be afraid to share that their hope, strength, and power originates from You, Lord. “Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. ³³But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven.” Matt. 10:32-33)

Please let each official who knows You as his or her Savior remember Your counsel to live by and govern with a biblical worldview and be ready to explain the reasons why. 1 Peter 3:15-16 advises how to do this. But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, ¹⁶keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.

We pray Lord that You will protect President Trump from physical, spiritual, emotional, and intellectual harm. We know that the worst of all the world’s enemies is Satan who prowls around like a roaring lion night and day looking for someone to devour. We’ve watched satanic evil target President Trump in assassination attempts to take his life and lawfare to falsely slander and imprison him. Yet still he has prevailed. We see in his words that he understands it is You, God, who has saved him physically, and we pray he is saved spiritually. Let all the attempts of the evil one against President Trump, his family, his cabinet, and his team bounce off their shields of faith and boomerang back on the assailants. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Eph. 6:16

Every word of God proves true. He is a shield to all who come to him for protection. Pr. 30:5 NLT

Franklin Graham reminds us that, “As we pray, remember above all that our hope is in the Lord, not men. Only [You] God can save souls and only [You] God can bring revival to the nation—a moral and spiritual transformation that brings stability, true peace and God’s blessings.”

Oh Lord, You never fail and You always achieve Your good and rightful purpose. Let us be people who continue to pray for our president and government not just on Inauguration Day, but every day. Even when we can’t see clearly what You’re doing, You tell us to partner with You in praise, prayer, and purpose. So, we now humbly submit and commit to You that we will do just that to the best of our ability. We will give You all the praise and glory for the blessings You have given each of as American citizens currently and Heavenly citizens for eternity.

“We have no King but Jesus.” John Adams

If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. (2 Chr. 7:14)

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. ¹²Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. ¹³You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. Jer. 29:11-13

Amen

If you would like to add a prayer thought or leave a comment, please click here.

January 20, 2025

Return to top of page

God, NOT The Government, Controls the Climate!

You can’t turn on the news today without hearing about the “LA Apocalypse” of wind and fire that has destroyed thousands of homes, displaced over 100,000 people, and taken 24 lives as of this writing. The LA sheriff expects the loss of life count will go up when they’re able to search through the ashes for those who have gone missing. Not to mention the wildlife that couldn’t escape. The pictures we see of charred cars, burnt homes and businesses looks like the fictional movies depicting the apocalyptic end of the world.

Certainly, it could seem like the end of their world to those impacted by these horrific fires with the loss of keepsakes, treasures, possessions, clothes, shelter, homes, and maybe even lives. We need to be praying for the first responders, firefighters, and residents—rich or poor—who only escaped with the clothes on their backs and maybe a computer and pets.

What’s Predictable is Preventable

What has infuriated many watching and experiencing this crisis unfold, is California government’s neglect to prepare the residents and take preventive preparation when the National Weather Service had issued numerous red flag warnings of a dangerous situation brewing. Finger pointing, excuses, lying, and blaming instead of taking responsibility and showing leadership is the government response. There’s an apparent lack of sincere compassion and caring by the governor and mayor whose job it is to protect the residents of California. Instead, they seem more concerned about their own political futures or defending their political agenda.

When the righteous thrive, the people rejoice; when the wicked rule, the people groan. Pr. 29:2

Then there’s the liberal politicians in Washington who immediately start touting the climate change hoax as the cause, which helps no one and is a lie straight from the devil.

Remember back in the Garden of Eden where Satan tempted Adam and Eve with the idea that they could be God. That didn’t work out well for them and it doesn’t for us either. No matter how smart or scientific man thinks he is, God created climate, the weather, and the wind. In the Bible, wind is mentioned 247 times and in 41 Books in the Bible. The first time was right after Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit after Satan told them they could be like God (Gen. 5).

When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man and his wife heard the Lord God walking about in the garden. So they hid from the Lord God among the trees. Gen. 3:8 NLT

Winds became violent in biblical times too. For example, Job 1:19, 23; Jer. 4:11, 13:24; Ex. 14:21, 26. And who can forget Jesus quieting the winds with the disciples in the boat during a storm. These might’ve been 100 mile per hour winds too, maybe worse.

He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. ⁴⁰He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” ⁴¹They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!” Mark 4:40-41

Wind isn’t new. Seasonal weather changes aren’t new. Fire isn’t new. Sadly, man thinking He can control what only God controls isn’t new either.

What is new is . . .

Dry fire hydrants with no water!
The LA water chief admitting her work is guided through an ‘equity lens.’
The LA fire chief touted as a “lesbian” whose goal is to make the fire department more DEI staffed.
The LA mayor being on a junket to Ghana and cutting the fire department’s budget by $17 million.
The governor cutting fire management budget by $100M a few months before the lethal fires!
Because of budget cuts, using prisoners and firefighters from Mexico to help battle the blazes.
The governor sending rain and snow water out to the ocean and shutting down four dams in the state while nearby reservoirs are empty.
And on and on…

Over the years, man’s atheistic attempt to corral and control the weather has been called climate change, climate control, global warming, greenhouse gasses, climate crisis, climate emergency, climate breakdown, polar vortex, and the latest “green new deal,” which climate cult alarmist AOC said in 2019 we’d all be dead in 12 years if not followed. Before AOC, others made similar wild predictions that never materialized.

When AOC and liberals first proposed the green new deal, it was considered a ridiculous joke. Yet today, liberal states like California have used it to create an environment safer for fish than for people! They’ve wasted billions of dollars to satisfy environmentalists while not clearing brush, doing controlled burns, logging, or collecting the rain and snowfall God sends to help put out fires.

Man tries to predict the weather that God sends, but that weather forecast can change minute by minute. In the case of California, high velocity Santa Ana winds were predicted in the LA area and winds often lead to fire from fallen power lines or arsonists, maybe even terrorist, who use the winds to nefariously and satanically start fires.

Before moving to Idaho almost 14 years ago, I lived my entire life in SoCal. I’ve experienced earthquakes, Santa Ana winds which I thought was going to rip off my roof the night before my wedding, fires which caused several evacuations in an area where we had a cabin, and mudslides when the rains come after the fires. So, I understand California weather and I know it’s important to vote in government officials who care more about protecting their constituents and the land then the latest DEI or progressive liberal ideology.

Here’s what I also know about God and weather regardless of the state you live in.

God created fire and it’s a significant symbol of divine manifestations in the Bible. God appeared to Moses in a burning bush and the pillar of fire led the Israelites by night through the desert, representing the presence and power of God.
We see other Demonstrations of God’s power and authority, such as Elijah’s sacrifice and fiery furnace in Daniel, showcase the divine ability to consume and protect through fire.
The Holy Spirit descending as tongues of fire at Pentecost signifies spiritual empowerment and the purifying work of God in believers’ lives.
The Lake of Fire serves as a cautionary warning for believers and unbelievers, reminding them of the consequences of rejecting God, His Son, and His righteousness.

Everyone Needs the Lord Now More Than Ever! Is God Trying to Get Our Attention?

We’re experiencing weekly, sometimes daily, crises and catastrophes. While many of us remain hopeful that progressive woke, DEI policies, illegal invasion, terrorism, and crime will be contained under a new presidency, only God knows the future. We need to put our trust in Him and not in our government. Government will surely fail us because they often forget they’re NOT God. Listen for the still small voice like Elijah heard after the wind, the earthquake, and the fire.

“Go out and stand before me on the mountain,” the Lord told him. And as Elijah stood there, the Lord passed by, and a mighty windstorm hit the mountain. It was such a terrible blast that the rocks were torn loose, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. ¹²And after the earthquake there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire there was the sound of a gentle whisper. 1 Kings 19:11-13

The True Meaning of Apocalypse

Tom Gilbreath wrote in “A Message From HalLindsey.com” On January 12, 2025 . . .

The word apocalypse means “reveal” or “revelation.” We associate the word with massive, fiery disasters because of the horrors described in the book of Revelation. But the first five words of that book tell what it’s really about — “The revelation of Jesus Christ.”

With the real definition in mind, I hope that Los Angeles and California, along with the rest of America, will view this as a wakeup call. Actor Dennis Quaid, on a local television news report Friday night, said, “I think there’s a spiritual awakening on the other side of this.” May it be so. May there be a real apocalypse — a revelation. May Christ be revealed, and may America see the light.

I wrote this blog on July 18, 2022. Only God Decides the End of the World

Victor Davis Hanson lives in California. Victor Davis Hanson: California’s Catastrophic Wildfires Are ‘A DEI, Green New Deal Disaster’

Pastor Jack Hibbs, I wrote about in last week’s blog 2025 A Year of New Beginnings, that I’m praying with him on Facebook live every morning, was fired up in his Sunday morning message on January 12, 2025. He doesn’t hold back. Here’s a clip of who he thinks should run for Governor in California and LA mayor.

The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,
    because the Lord has anointed me
    to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
    to proclaim freedom for the captives
    and release from darkness for the prisoners,^[a]
²to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor
    and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
³    and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
    instead of ashes,
the oil of joy
    instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
    instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
    a planting of the Lord
    for the display of his splendor.

⁴They will rebuild the ancient ruins
and restore the places long devastated;
they will renew the ruined cities
that have been devastated for generations. Is. 61:1-4

Please leave a comment here.

January 13, 2025

Return to top of page

We’re Not Called to Be Christians; We’re Called to Be Disciples!

When I first heard Christian comedian John Stein say on Flashpoint, “We were never called to be Christians,” my ears perked up and I was thinking, “Say what?” Then, when he followed it with, “We were called to be disciples!” I said aloud, “Yes!” Christian outreach and mentoring. The heart of the Christmas and Easter stories.

At this time of year, we hear the Christmas story in sermons and read in our Bibles of how Jesus sacrificed his home in heaven to be born as an infant in a smelly earthly manger. Aren’t we grateful that Jesus’ teenage mother Mary didn’t have access to abortion clinics or abortion pills, but instead welcomed a child, the Savior of the world, at an extremely inconvenient and embarrassing time. She didn’t count the cost of the sacrifice of reputation and marital plans. She and fiancé Joseph both trusted God.

Then at Easter, we remember the reason Jesus came to earth was to die a painful humiliating death on a cross and rise alive three days later to offer those who believe in Him forgiveness of their sins and eternal life. But salvation comes with a responsibility as a “Christian.” Before ascending back to heaven, Jesus’ parting assignment to His disciples and to all Christians is The Great Commission.

¹⁶Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. ¹⁷When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. ¹⁸Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matt. 28:16-20.

Jesus didn’t say go and make Christians. He said go and make disciples and then teach them what it means to be a Christian so that they in turn will disciple others. During his three-year earthly ministry, Jesus discipled men and women who then became His faith-filled followers: Christians. The term Christian doesn’t even occur in Scripture until after Barnabas and Saul (later named Paul) had been discipling the church.

Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, ²⁶and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch. Acts 11:25-26

Jesus never called his followers “Christians,” he called them disciples. Jesus’ divine plan for each of His followers was to multiply Christianity through discipleship and mentoring. Likewise, He called each of us who know Jesus as our Savior to be disciples. That should be a sobering and challenging thought and a commission for us this Christmas season.

How Can We Be Disciples?

Share Your Faith by Witnessing What Jesus Has Done for You

Christmas is an easy time of year to share our faith through conversations, Christmas cards, at parties, social media, wishing store clerks and everyone we have conversations with a Merry Jesus Christmas. But the real test of our faith is whether we take advantage of opportunities to talk about Jesus when it’s not Christmas or Easter.

Every Christian has a story to tell of how Jesus became his or her Savior. Why don’t we tell that miraculous divine story more often? People are intrigued to know more about each other. We ask questions like: How did you meet your husband or wife? How long have you been married? How long have you lived in this city or neighborhood? What kind of work do you do? How long have you attended this church?

Why don’t we ask: “How long have you been a Christian?” “How and when did you ask Jesus to be your Savior?” “What’s your faith story?” “What are you doing for Jesus today?” “How are you discipling others?”

Even if we’re not asked, why don’t we spontaneously tell our faith story of becoming a discipling Christian? Some might say that’s too personal. Jesus warns us against hiding the light of Jesus in our life.
“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. ¹⁶In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. Matt. 5:14-16

Asking Jesus to come into our heart should be THE most important highlight of our life. It should define us! It’s our identity! We’re called to be disciples sharing Jesus. Not Christians who keep the greatest news in the world as a private secret.

In my blog last week, The Battle to ‘Fight, Fight, Fight’ Has Just Begun, I mentioned Pete Hegseth who is President-Elect Donald Trump’s cabinet choice for Department of Defense. As Pete encounters a media smear campaign, the Lord has given him tremendous opportunity to share his faith. Pete repeatedly says to reporters and cameras, “I am not the man I was ten years ago because of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” Or he’ll say, “Jesus Christ saved my life.”

Hegseth is using an unfair persecution to disciple the public. He’s not just saying, “I’m a Christian,” which he actually does say on his Facebook profile. He’s discipling the world by telling what Jesus Christ did for him personally and offering hope that the listener’s life could also experience the same divine intervention.

Recently Boise State University’s football team won the Mountain West Championship and the first words out of the coach’s mouth when interviewed was, “Thank you Jesus!” Which my husband tells me the coach says after every win. The BSU running back Ashton Jeanty also gave all the glory to “Jesus for saving my life” when he was interviewed. Thousands of viewers heard these discipling moments and only God knows the young people or people going through a hard time who also gave their heart to Jesus after hearing these athletes use their platform to share Jesus.

“I thank God, man. I never thought I’d be in this position,” Colorado’s Travis Hunter said when accepting the Heisman Trophy, wiping away tears on Coach Prime’s shoulder.

These men understand discipling and how to publically and unashamedly give the glory to God for what He’s done, and is still doing, in their life! We marvel at them and yet they’re discipling us to also be just as proudly bold about Jesus. Not just at this time of year or when it’s convenient, but every opportunity, everyday.

Be a Mentor; Find a Mentor

Another word for discipling is mentoring. I like to paraphrase Titus 2:3-5 “Teach what you’ve been taught so others can go and teach or disciple what you taught them.” I always sign my book, Mentoring for All Seasons, “Be a mentor, find a mentor.”

Life is full and diverse. We encounter seasons and God helps us through each one so we can help someone else going through something similar. The subtitle to the book is my tagline and the perfect description of mentoring, “Sharing life experiences and God’s faithfulness.” Who do you know who needs you to disciple or mentor them through a life experience right now?

What Will It Cost to Be a Disciple?

While ruminating on the concept of being a Christian disciple and how I would write about it, I came across my Facebook friend Christine Trimpe’s meme, which is the opening picture I’m sharing with her permission. There is a cost of discipleship. Our time. Energy. Effort. Maybe even persecution.

While Jesus called us to be disciples, He also warned us of the sacrifice.

A large crowd was following Jesus. He turned around and said to them, ²⁶“If you want to be my disciple, you must, by comparison, hate everyone else—your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple. ²⁷And if you do not carry your own cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple.

²⁸“But don’t begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it? ²⁹Otherwise, you might complete only the foundation before running out of money, and then everyone would laugh at you. ³⁰They would say, ‘There’s the person who started that building and couldn’t afford to finish it!’

³¹“Or what king would go to war against another king without first sitting down with his counselors to discuss whether his army of 10,000 could defeat the 20,000 soldiers marching against him? ³²And if he can’t, he will send a delegation to discuss terms of peace while the enemy is still far away. ³³So you cannot become my disciple without giving up everything you own. Luke 14:25-32. NLT

We may suffer for being a discipling Christian.

However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name. 1 Peter 4:16

“Anyone who isn’t with me opposes me, and anyone who isn’t working with me is actually working against me.” Matt. 12:30 NLT

Peter was saying what the opening picture of this blog depicts. We need to completely surrender our heart to Jesus and be ready to go wherever He sends us, talk to whomever He puts in our path, and be ready and willing to tell the Greatest Story ever told! “Once I was lost, but Jesus found and saved me and He wants to save you too.”

After dark one evening, he [Nicodemus] came to speak with Jesus. “Rabbi,” he said, “we all know that God has sent you to teach us. Your miraculous signs are evidence that God is with you.” Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.” John 3:2-3

Jesus answered [Thomas], “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:6

Who do you know this Christmas who needs to hear discipling truths?

Please leave a comment here.

Note: I’m taking off the next two Mondays, but the Lord willing, I’ll be back with a Monday Morning Blog on January 6, 2025, and my December end of the year About His Work Ministries Newsletter will be out on December 30.

Merry Jesus Christmas and Happy Discipling 2025!

December 16, 2024

Return to top of page

Don’t Let Politics Cancel Thanksgiving This Year!

I know all of you don’t receive my monthly free About His Work Ministries Newsletter, so I wanted to share with you the November opening article that posted today in case you missed it. It’s so important that we don’t let politics or an election cause us to boycott or ghost friends and relatives on a day that’s all about thanking and praising God for His goodness to us. Don’t let anyone persuade you differently. If you’ve already read this article in the newsletter, I hope it blessed you. If you haven’t read it yet, here you go. Have a blessed and joyful Thanksgiving from Dave and me!

14 Ways to Celebrate a Peaceful Prayerful Post-Election Thanksgiving!

An extended family member was surprised we were celebrating a family Thanksgiving this year. She had heard the ludicrous decree that families and friends with differing political views shouldn’t celebrate Thanksgiving?! She believed this outrageous proclamation as fact and surveys show she’s not alone. A quarter of Americans say they’re canceling Thanksgiving plans over political clashes. Pathetic and tragic.

Much of the mistruths, lies, and gas lighting made from the liberal side of the aisle works to disintegrate and divide friends and families instead of uniting them around the things they do agree on like loving your family regardless of their political or faith beliefs. Family is stronger than politics and God tells us to love those who don’t agree with us, even though we don’t always love their actions or beliefs.

Absolutely, we’re having a joyous family Thanksgiving celebration! We have much to be thankful for this year beyond the election. So yes, I’ll be making my famous sweet potatoes for those who love them. And I’ll be bringing my Thanksgiving tablecloth, which you can read about at the end of this article. We won’t let political or faith differences prevent us from giving praise, glory, and thanks to our Lord and Savior for another year of life together.

In the fragile aftermath of a volatile election, I imagine many of you are having similar concerns and conversations. I remember my mom cautioning that if you want to keep the peace, don’t talk about religion or politics. As a kid, I never understood that warning. Believers are supposed to tell everyone about Jesus. Since being a Christian is our first identity . . . how could we not talk about our Savior? Likewise, if we’re happy about our vote resulting in political policies that align with our faith and beliefs, then we shouldn’t have to stifle our joy.

I’m bold about my first role in life: being a born-again Christian. All other roles come second. As I wrote in Forsaken God? Remembering the Goodness of God Our Culture Has Forgotten, “Bold doesn’t mean obnoxious. It simply means not being afraid to speak the truth, even in the face of adversity: ‘Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold’ (2 Cor. 3:12).”

For example, if someone asks what I write, I answer, “Christian living nonfiction.” Or, “I’m a Christian author and speaker.” My response often opens the door for further discussion of my books. If someone asks if I’m happy with the results of the election, I respond with a resounding, “Ecstatic!” I recently wore my “Make America Healthy Again” hat on vacation, as I do around town when home, and I’m inundated with smiling people loving my hat. I worked hard and prayed hard for the outcome that represented my biblical worldview, and I’m not ashamed. I do understand others are disappointed, just like I was in 2020, but we still had Thanksgiving that year too!

For I fully expect and hope that I will never be ashamed, but that I will continue to be bold for Christ, as I have been in the past. And I trust that my life will bring honor to Christ, whether I live or die. Philippians 1:20 NLT

So never be ashamed to tell others about our Lord. And don’t be ashamed of me, either, even though I’m in prison for him. With the strength God gives you, be ready to suffer with me for the sake of the Good News. 2 Timothy 1:8 NLT

Is Thanksgiving a Religious Holiday?

That could be an awkward question in some circles. I was with a group of people and mentioned how I hoped people would set their differences aside on Thanksgiving Day, and one person said, “It’s just a time for eating a lot of food, watching football, and shopping online anyway.”

Me: “I’m pretty sure the first pilgrims who celebrated Thanksgiving didn’t have TV or Amazon.

Another responded: “Well at least Thanksgiving isn’t a religious holiday.”

I asked: “Who then are we thanking?”

Complete silence.

Of course, the answer is: God. Abraham Lincoln made it an official national holiday “as a day of thanksgiving and praise to Almighty God, the beneficent Creator and Ruler of the Universe.” The English colonists we call Pilgrims celebrated days of thanksgiving as part of their religion as days of prayer, not feasting.

Yes, it’s a time of family and friends gathering, but as we sit around the feast together, we can’t thank each other, or aliens, or the “big bang” for giving us life, the sun, moon, trees, food, the earth, water, sky, sweet babies, and all the blessings we enjoy.

We read in Genesis that God spoke everything into being, and yet, many of us will be sharing turkey and dressing with people who don’t believe or discount the existence of God. They don’t know where they’re going when they die or where everything we enjoy on earth came from . . . and maybe they don’t even care.

They’ll walk out of the room when we pray before the meal, and may try to bait us into an argument over who we voted for and why. Maybe after a few drinks, their conversation will turn ugly, even though innocent young eyes are watching how the “adults” interact.

Daily, not just at Thanksgiving, my husband and I pray beseeching God to prepare us to be a light in the darkness . . . not to avoid the darkness because that would be the cowards way out . . . but to help us respond as if Jesus was standing behind us speaking through us. You’ve all been in situations where it seemed like Satan was standing behind or speaking through the other person. So how can we let Jesus reflect through us? Granted, some might not recognize Jesus . . . but they’ll see there’s something different about us.

14 Ways to Maintain Peace and Joy on Thanksgiving

As I prayed and talked to the Lord, here’s a list I hope will help all of us. I’d love to hear your ideas too.

Don’t worry what to say—“Whenever you are arrested and brought to trial, do not worry beforehand about what to say. Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit.” Mark 13:11 (Jesus was talking to his disciples if they were arrested, but I think it could apply to us too if we felt our faith or political beliefs was being tested or put on trial.)
Speak kind words—“Kind words are like honey— sweet to the soul and healthy for the body.” Pr. 16:24 NLT
Strive for peace—“If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” Romans 12:18
Don’t instigate or respond to antagonistic discussions—“Interfering in someone else’s argument is as foolish as yanking a dog’s ears.” Pr. 26:17 NLT
Play with children present—“We will tell the next generation about the glorious deeds of the Lord, about his power and his mighty wonders.” Ps. 78:4 NLT
Don’t drink—“Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit.” Ephesians 5:18 NLT
Smile, Smile, Smile—“Fix my eyes on God— soon I’ll be praising again. He puts a smile on my face. He’s my God.” Psalm 42:5 The Message
Listen—“Fools think their own way is right, but the wise listen to others.” Pr. 12:15 NLT
Take a deep breath and think before you speak—“There is more hope for a fool than for someone who speaks without thinking.” Pr. 29:20 NLT
Less is more—“The more words you speak, the less they mean. So what good are they?” Ecc. 6:11 NLT— There’s “A time to be quiet and a time to speak.” Ecc. 3:7 NLT
Pray mind prayers.—^“Pray continually.” 1 Thess. 5:17
Have a sign or word with others that signals: Change the subject if the conversation gets heated or move into another room.—“Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor.” Ecc. 4:9
If you’re hosting—Thank God for each guest. Pray over your home and each chair at the table. Pray as you normally would at the meal, your guests know they’re coming to a Christian home.—“Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.” 1 Peter 4:9
If you’re a guest—As you approach the home, pray to be a blessing. If your hosts don’t pray before the meal, bow your head and pray over your food as you normally would. — “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” Gal. 5:22-23

Thanksgiving is a day for harmony and focusing on God and giving Him thanks and praise in whatever way He leads. Fiction writers have a saying: “Show don’t tell.” You don’t always have to speak Jesus with your words. Show Him with your actions. People will want what you have!

Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and praise his name. Psalm 100:4 NLT

I give thanks for each of you who follow me on this Monday Morning Blog. I pray you have a joyful, peaceful, and God-filled Thanksgiving Day.

Memory Making Thanksgiving Tablecloth

In Forsaken God?: Remembering the Goodness of God Our Culture Has Forgotten, I share how to use your tablecloth as a conversation piece and a way to make memories for generations to come. Here is an excerpt from the book. I hope it gives you some ideas. I’ll be taking our Thankful Tablecloth with us this Thanksgiving to my daughter’s house. My grandchildren love to look back at their tiny handprints and drawings when they were toddlers and the comments written over the past twenty-one years.

When my breast cancer journey started, I became keenly aware of making memories with my family. At times like that, you think seriously about your mortality and the legacy you want to leave with your loved ones. You appreciate each new day of life. The sun rising every morning is an act of God to celebrate.

Holidays like Thanksgiving have new meaning. Typically, Thanksgiving is a celebration where family and friends gather for a feast, and everyone says what they’re thankful for in the past year. But after finishing the dishes and putting away the leftovers, how many really remember what everyone said?

Please leave a comment here and I’ll reply!

November 25, 2024

Return to top of page

National Law Enforcement Appreciation Month and Memorial!

Four Prayers for Police Officers and Their Families

Obedience in the Little Moments Strengthens our Faith

It Started with a Song and a Prayer

What’s Your Part?

Pastors’ Challenge

Maybe In Our Vocabulary!

Origins of Golden Age

Characteristics of a Golden Age

God’s Golden Age

The Christian Golden Opportunity

My MAHA Story!

Who is Robert F. Kennedy Jr. And What is His Spiritual Testimony?

What Are the Goals of MAHA?

What’s Predictable is Preventable

Everyone Needs the Lord Now More Than Ever! Is God Trying to Get Our Attention?

The True Meaning of Apocalypse

How Can We Be Disciples?

What Will It Cost to Be a Disciple?

14 Ways to Celebrate a Peaceful Prayerful Post-Election Thanksgiving!

Is Thanksgiving a Religious Holiday?

14 Ways to Maintain Peace and Joy on Thanksgiving

Memory Making Thanksgiving Tablecloth

Search This Site

Receive My Weekly Blog

Blog Archives

Grab and Share My Button

Golden Scrolls Finalist

BibleGateway

Categories

Latest from My Weekly Blog

Subscribe by Email to my Blog

Subscribe to Our Weekly Blog

Contact Janet

Topics of Interest

Meta