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Remembering the Goodness of God Our Culture Has Forgotten

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Were those kids ever taught the Bible?

Did their parents take them to church?

Did they pray at home?

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

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

*The Bible Is the Thread that Ties Generations Together

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Satan never stops!!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Please leave a comment here.

July 20, 2026
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Why God Created Fathers and Two Grieving Fathers!

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Next Sunday is Father’s Day when we honor fathers, stepfathers, grandfathers, great grandfathers and maybe men who have been like a father to us. I’ve observed that sometimes we make more of a celebration on Mother’s Day than Father’s Day. Does that happen in your family?

Sadly, many families are fatherless and Father’s Day can be a painful time. More than 20 million children live in a home without the physical presence of a father. Millions more have dads who are physically present, but emotionally absent. It’s been said that if classified as a disease, fatherlessness would be an epidemic worthy of attention as a national emergency.

My father was a California Highway Patrolman killed with his own gun when I was ten. My mother never remarried, so Father’s Day was always tough for me growing up. But I divorced when my own daughter was only two-years-old and I didn’t remarry until she was nineteen and headed for college. So both of us were raised in single parent households without a father. We were one of the statistics.

God’s Plan for Fathers in Families

Spiritual and Emotional Purpose

Fathers are created and commanded to share God’s love with their children, offering care, guidance, and protection from harm while helping children navigate life’s choices and challenges. They serve as a living example of God’s authority, provision, and protection, showing children how to balance strength with gentleness.

Fathers should be the first heroes a child knows, influencing their emotional, moral, and spiritual development.

My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline or be weary of his reproof, for the Lord reproves him whom he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights. Pr. 3:11-12

To Reflect God’s Character

God is described as the perfect Father —a loving, merciful, just, and faithful disciplinarian. Fathers on earth are called to imitate this love and discipline, showing patience, kindness, and correction that builds character imitating God’s character.

Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? 8 If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all. 9 Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live! 10 They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness. 11 No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. Heb. 12:7-11

Practical and Relational Roles

God envisioned fathers to be providers and protectors, performing both practical and nurturing tasks. They’re expected to care for the family, make important decisions, and support their children in everyday life—from teaching skills to offering comfort and encouragement. Their presence helps children feel secure and valued, while their guidance and measured discipline shapes character and resilience.

Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. Eph. 6:4

Identity and Development

Fathers play a crucial role in helping children understand their identity, particularly in terms of gender and personal development. Boys often look to their fathers for a model of masculinity, while girls rely on fathers to affirm their femininity and sense of self. This influence helps children grow into confident, well-rounded individuals secure in how God created them.

If we had more fathers taking on this role in their families, there would be far less identity and gender confusion among children.

 The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice; he who fathers a wise son will be glad in him. Pr. 23:24

Biblical and Kingdom Perspective

From a biblical standpoint, God calls men to fatherhood as part of His plan for building and managing a family, reflecting His kingdom principles on Earth. Fatherhood is a responsibility that mirrors God’s governance, teaching men to lead, nurture, and cultivate a loving household while preparing their children for life and spiritual growth. Raising children to be progressively independent of their parents and permanently dependent on God.

Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it. Pr. 22:6

Summary

In essence, God made fathers to protect, provide, guide, discipline, and inspire, combining strength with love, authority and discipline with care, and practical support with emotional presence. Fathers should be a role model in the family, shaping children’s lives and reflecting God’s character in tangible ways that children can follow in their own lives.

Specifically to boys fathers are created to be the role model of masculinity, leadership, and spiritual as well as physical strength. A father of girls is to be the role model of the kind of husband she should one day seek who treats her with kindness, respect, and reflects godly life principles.
 As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him. Ps. 103:13

The Father of Lies!

Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. 44 You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. 45 Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe me! John 8:43-45

I described earlier the ideal plan God had for fathers and families. But because of the fall when sin and evil entered the world in the Garden of Eden, our culture often follows Satan the father of lies resulting in abusive, abandoning, or absent fathers.

Maybe you had a father like that and it’s hard to think of God as a Heavenly Father. Please know that God is a loving caring Father who wants to help you carry your burdens.

God is Our Heavenly Father

The Bible Wisdom Hub has a great discussion of God, the Father, in the Bible. Here’s an overview and would make a great Bible study.

The term “Father” is mentioned numerous times throughout the Bible, carrying various meanings and connotations depending on the context in which it is used. In the Old Testament, “Father” often refers to God as the creator and sustainer of all things, emphasizing His authority, care, and love for His people. The paternal imagery is particularly prominent in the Psalms and the Prophetic books, where God is portrayed as a caring and protective Father to His chosen people.

In the New Testament, the term “Father” takes on a new dimension with the introduction of Jesus as the Son of God. Jesus frequently addresses God as “Father” in his teachings and prayers, highlighting the intimate relationship between believers and their heavenly Father. This relational aspect of God as Father is central to Christian faith, emphasizing the idea of God’s paternal love, mercy, and provision for His children.

The concept of God as Father is further developed in the writings of the apostles, particularly in the letters of Paul and John. Paul speaks of believers being adopted as sons and daughters of God through faith in Christ, emphasizing the spiritual kinship and inheritance that Christians have as children of God. John, in his Gospel and epistles, emphasizes the Father’s love for His children and the importance of living in harmony with God’s will as obedient children.

In the New Testament alone, Jesus referred to God as “Father” around 165 times. This emphasizes the importance of the father-son relationship between Jesus and God in Christian theology. The term “Father” is mentioned over 1536 times in the Old Testament, reflecting the significance of this relational aspect of God’s identity and His role in the lives of believers.

Whether as the Creator and sustainer of all things in the Old Testament or as the loving and merciful Father in the New Testament, the concept of God as Father serves as a foundational theme throughout the biblical narrative, shaping the understanding of God’s character and the believer’s identity as His children.

Overall, the theme of God as a loving and caring father is prevalent throughout the Bible, emphasizing the intimate relationship between God and His people.

My Earthly and Heavenly Father

In the opening, I mentioned that my beloved father was murdered. The next year, I was invited to a church youth camp where the Pastor’s wife and my camp counselor sat on my cot and said, “We know you’ve lost your earthly father. Would you like a Heavenly Father who will never leave you or forsake you?” They helped me work through my grief and brought something good out of tragedy as I accepted the LORD as my Savior. After all these years, I can still remember that moment of God becoming my Heavenly Father.

I pray that when I go to heaven, I will again be reunited with my earthly father, but I am so grateful that my Heavenly Father watches over me and guides me through my mistakes and victories, heartaches and celebrations, and literally led me to the godly man I married 33 years ago who became a stepfather to my daughter.

One of our grandsons had personalized bookmarks at every place setting at his wedding. On my husband’s bookmark our grandson wrote, “You must’ve been a great father to raise my awesome dad!”

Two Grieving Father’s Stories!

“𝘈𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥, 𝘐’𝘮 𝘰𝘬𝘢𝘺. 𝘐𝘵 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘮𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘦. 𝘋𝘰𝘦𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯 𝘐 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘩𝘶𝘳𝘵. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘮𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘦.”

Jeff Metcalf, father of Austin and his identical twin Hunter, spoke publicly after Karmelo Anthony was convicted of stabbing Austin to death at a Frisco, Texas track meet in April 2025. Austin was 17. What Metcalf said in the interview was not about the sentence or the verdict.

𝐈𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐤𝐞𝐩𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞.

Almost a decade ago, Jeff Metcalf was diagnosed with cancer. Doctors did not expect him to survive. “𝘛𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘺𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘭𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘨𝘰. 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘮𝘺 𝘸𝘩𝘺, 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘪g𝘩𝘵. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘺𝘴, 𝘐 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘺 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘤𝘶𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘨𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘪𝘯.”

 𝐇𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐢𝐭. 𝐇𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐝. 𝐇𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐠𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐝𝐨𝐦, 𝐭𝐨 𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐰, 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝.

At a press conference after the murder, Austin’s dad tried to extend a Christian olive branch to the Anthony’s to say he forgave Karmelo and offered to pray with the family, but the Anthonys had the police remove him. The person who lost his son was then harassed, swatted 6 times, and the victim of DARVO, Deny Accuse Reverse Victim and Offender.

Watch this Christian father, Jeff Metcalf, speak to Rob Schmitt on Newsmax after the trial and contrast him with how the father of Karmelo Anthony is reacting.

Here is wise advice from a black man to black fathers, but it applies to every father and parent…

“Dear Black Americans wondering what to tell your sons after what happened to Karmelo Anthony:

This is what you tell them:

Do not be like Karmelo Anthony.

Do not bring a knife to school.

Do not bring a knife to a track meet.

Do not fight at school.

Do not bully, threaten, or provoke other students.

Stay out of trouble and walk away when you can.

Teach your sons to respect people of every race. Do not teach them to hate white people because of their skin color or because of things that happened in the past that today’s white children had nothing to do with.

Teach them self-control, accountability, and the value of human life. Being angry does not give anyone the right to pull out a weapon.

A school fight should never end with one child dead and another spending years behind bars.

Stop making excuses after tragedy happens. Start teaching our children how to avoid the tragedy in the first place.”—Terrence K. Williams, black comedian being quite serious.

One father will be visiting his son’s grave on Father’s Day, and one father will be visiting his son in jail. It didn’t have to be this way.

“The world needs more kind people in it. And if you can’t find one, then be one.” Jeff Metcalf

PS: There won’t be a Monday Morning blog next week as I’ll be spending time with our son who is coming to visit us for Father’s Day. Have a blessed Father’s Day. Remember to honor and celebrate your Heavenly Father EVERYDAY!

Please leave a comment here and I’ll reply.

June 15, 2026
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An Open Letter to James Talarico

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I don’t typically write open letters…

Dear Representative Talarico,

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

1. Concerning Your Statement That God Is Non-Binary

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

5. Concerning Your Statement That Jesus Was a Radical Feminist

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

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

6. Concerning Your Statements About Biological Sex

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

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

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

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

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

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

8. Concerning the Danger of Reshaping Christianity to Fit Culture

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

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

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

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

The Biblical Responsibility of Leaders

Representative Talarico,

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

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

They certainly humble me.

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

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

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

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

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

We will stand before God and give an account.

Respectfully,

Jeff Mullen

Pastor Emeritus

Follower of Jesus Christ

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

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

June 1, 2026
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What Will Be Your Legacy?

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

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

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

I’ve been thinking a lot about legacy recently.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Famous Legacies

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Leaving a Spiritual Legacy

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

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

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

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

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

–Biblical and Faith-Based Perspective

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

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

–Key Components of a Spiritual Legacy

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

–Practical Implications

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Have you thought about what your spiritual legacy will be?

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

Please leave a comment here.

May 11, 2026
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FlashPoint Where Faith Meets Current Events!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Israel

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

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

–Trump is the Great Interrupter!

“Occupy Until He Comes” Luke 19:13

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

—Don’t be preoccupied—occupy!

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

Islam

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

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

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

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

–We have no agreement with Muslims.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Iran

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

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

—We’re in a season of fear vs faith.

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

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

—Fear comes from lies.

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

Keep America Great By Keeping It Good and Godly!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Please leave a comment here.

March 16, 2026
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Only Jesus Can Fill the Spiritual Vacuum in America!

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Last week’s blog was Pray for America to Remain: One Nation Under God! I hope you have read it, but if not, maybe stop and read it now because our nation is under attack from the enemy and that enemy has a name, Satan!

Satan has already mastered lower hanging fruit like Europe, Canada, Australia, Iran, Russia, Mexico, and much of the Middle East, but the prize for the Devil would be the United States of America. The only thing preventing his success are righteous, patriotic, Bible-believing, God-fearing, Holy Spirit filled, Jesus Christ Followers.

  • Not simply “Christians.”
  • Not “Religion.”
  • Not Government.
  • Not Conservatives.
  • Not Republicans.
  • Not Politics.
  • Not the White House.

I hope most of you gave a resounding “Amen” because Jesus is clear, if you’re not with Jesus all the way, you’re against Him which means you’re with the Devil.

“Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. Matt. 12:30

We’re still one constitutional Republic of America, but after the Super Bowl Halftime fiasco, it’s obvious we’re not one nation culturally or morally. You have to wonder how an American iconic formally family-friendly venue deteriorated into a demonic X-rated anti-American gay-gyrating, crouch grabbing, filthy Spanish-speaking event broadcast on national television and streaming waves.

How did Jesus followers let it go this far wrong?

You might think I’m overstating, but I’m not. Yes, I know “Bad Bunny” (that was the first clue he should’ve never been given this platform) is technically a Puerto Rican American, but his show did not represent or celebrate America. While we didn’t watch it at our house, I’ve read enough to know it was an attack on ICE removing illegal criminals from our country and finding lost children! His lyrics were in Spanish because they were so sexually explicit and vile I couldn’t read the translation. Children who know Spanish heard that trash. Currently the FCC is going after the station and the NFL for violating decency standards on television. I hope the fines are large and serious.

An Unexpected Artistic Testimony!

Watching the continual demise of the NFL, and specifically the moral decay of the Super Bowl halftime shows, was Charlie Kirk’s “obsessive” concern. What for many years was an American family sport and tradition right up there with the Flag, Mom, and apple pie has descended into demonic halftime shows with little pushback and this troubled Charlie greatly! Turning Point USA in Charlie’s honor offered a family-friendly alternative halftime show, watched by 6.5 million on YouTube alone with millions more watching on social media, OAN, Daily Wire, Real America’s Voice, or like us on TBN.

There were no commercials or advertisements at TPUS’s All American Halftime Show, just country music as a celebration of “faith, family, and freedom” with an unexpected artistic testimony which sent the liberals spinning.

TPUSA incurred pre-game criticism advertising Kid Rock as their lead performer. I too was curious about that, but I heard him interviewed the prior week where he said he would have a surprise during his performance. He also framed the contrast between the two halftime shows: “He’s (Bad Bunny) said he’s having a dance party, wearing a dress, and singing in Spanish? Cool. We plan to play great songs for folks who love America.”

The week before the Super Bowl, the NFL asked Bad Bunny to tame down his show, which he had touted as a tribute to queerness, so maybe that’s why he didn’t wear a dress.

During the TPUSA halftime show, we endured Kid Rock’s first performance of one of his early distasteful songs while wearing shorts and a fur coat with smoke and flashing lights on the stage. Then there was a beautiful husband and wife instrumental hymn presentation on a cello and violin, which at first, seemed like an odd follow up to Kid Rock’s wild performance.

Then “Robert James Richie” was announced and there stood “Kid Rock” in blue jeans, a jean jacket, and a Detroit trucker’s hat strumming a guitar under a single spot light. If you didn’t watch it, here is what he said. “One Sunday morning I woke up thinking about the song, ‘Til You Can’t.’ Something or someone spoke to me that there was another verse that needed to be added.”

“There’s a book that’s sitting in your house somewhere that could use some dusting off.”  There’s a man that died for all our sins hanging from the cross. You can give your life to Jesus and He’ll give you a second chance. ‘Til you can’t.’”

He then sang the entire song and with the permission of Cody Johnson, added the new verse at the end that God gave him, which he wrote after the assassination of Charlie Kirk. The performance ended with photos of Charlie Kirk and his widow, Erika, and their two children followed by the Bible verse Isaiah 6:8 “Here am I send me.”

As we know, God can and does use the people we least expect to share His message. Kid Rock definitely has a checkered past, yet that same man looked into the camera and told America to dust off their Bibles, give their lives to Jesus, and take their second chance while they still can.

It seemed like Kid Rock was showing with the first song, this is where I was, and with the last song as his given name Robert Richie, this is who I am now in Christ, my second chance. The left chose to criticize his first song, completely missing the point of the instrumental interlude before the last second-chance gospel song.

A Facebook friend described this so well:
“He [Kid Rock] was once lost like all the people he was naming in the first song but is now born again thanks to his faith in Jesus. Professing the name above all names and showing through a public display who his life belongs to now. That was pretty epic in my opinion!! Great job, Robert Ritchie. The old is gone and the new has come. He is a new creation in Christ Jesus!

 To put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, 23 and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, 24 and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. Eph. 4:22-24

 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”– 2 Corinthians 5:17

“Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy.” – Micah 7:18

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”– 1 John 1:9

And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” –John 8:7

Many were quick to throw the first verbal stones because those without Christ don’t understand mercy, grace, repentance, forgiveness, and salvation. They hang onto everyone’s past while often ignoring their own.

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Romans 3:23

The Gospel is Spiritual NOT Political!

Sharing the Gospel at TPUSA was labeled by some on the left and lying media as “political.”

Folks, that’s the crux of our problem. We’re letting the left and the media define spiritual as political just like the Romans and spiritual leaders did in Jesus’ day. They’ve politicized what we know is spiritually and morally wrong and Christians haven’t fought hard enough to keep political out of spiritual. We let the liberal God-denying left intimidate us and we even tolerate their complete misunderstanding that there is nothing about separation of church and state in our Constitution or Bill of Rights.

So many Christians have used this lie as an excuse not to stop the evil the liberal left has imposed on our nation. They fight harder for evil than we fight for good. Evil is celebrated and God is demonized in our culture today!

We’ve let this spiritual vacuum occur as Satan fills people’s brains with demonic beliefs and practices.

  • Sadistically murdering innocent babies and calling it “women’s healthcare.”
  • Same sex marriage an abomination to God.
  • Perverse sexual grooming of children in schools.
  • Mentally ill children sexually mutilated and their symptoms tolerated instead of treated.
  • Sexually explicit and morally degenerate alternate lifestyles permitted in entertainment.
  • Unvetted illegals invading our borders and our communities.
  • Wokeness
  • Attacking ICE for arresting illegal criminals and rescuing 3364 unaccompanied missing children in Minnesota alone.
  • Storming churches.
  • Too many evils to list.

The only English words in Bad Bunny’s horrible presentation were a token “God bless America” after he had just trashed America and named Latin American countries waving their flags including Canada and Puerto Rico.

When asked about him speaking the entire show in Puerto Rican Spanish, BB said, “English is not my first language. But it’s okay; it’s not America’s first language either.” This is where the left is taking us and Christians have allowed this spiritual vacuum to occur.

Don’t Let the Ungodly Fill the Spiritual Vacuum!

After BB had just showed hate for America, there was a closing sign in English, “The only thing more powerful than hate is love.” The decisive factor in that phrase is it’s always the devil’s definitions of love and hate. I’ve been called a hater for sharing godly biblical principles and love. Maybe you have too. The Bible to unbelievers is a book of hate. Anything they don’t agree with is hate. We’re hated for showing the love of salvation that only Jesus offers.

Franklin Graham is also sounding the call to action to fill this spiritual void to save America. He warns that the moral foundation of our nation is cracking and this is no longer a distant threat.

“We are standing at a crossroads. The darkness isn’t just coming; it’s already here—entering our homes, our schools, and our hearts.”

Graham says what we’re witnessing—social unrest, hostility toward people of faith, and deep cultural confusion—is not merely political or social. It’s spiritual. A real battle for truth is unfolding, and discernment has never been more urgent.

He cautions that deception doesn’t only come from outside the Church, but often from within—where “itching ears” prefer comfort over repentance, affirmation over transformation.

“There are many who have the appearance of godliness but deny its power.”

His call is clear and uncompromising:

📖Examine your heart

📖Know your Bible

📖Return to the Ancient Paths

📖Be ready for the return of Jesus Christ

This is not a time for lukewarm faith or cultural Christianity. It’s a time for repentance, truth, and courage.

America doesn’t need better messaging.

It needs a spiritual awakening.

🙏May we hear the warning—and respond while there is still time.

Til You Can’t!

Our pastor today made a comment as we studied John 7:37-38. “When you’re thirsty enough, you’ll drink from anywhere. People are so spiritually thirsty today they’re drinking from streams that are making them spiritually sick.” They need to hear about the fountain of living water, Jesus Christ.

On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” John 7:37-38

If you’re a Jesus follower, have you shared Jesus with someone who is spiritually thirsty? Have you spoke out and stood up against cultural and spiritual atrocities? Islam is strategizing and positioning to fill the spiritual vacuum and thirst in America. It’s a spiritual race between Allah and Jesus. We know who wins in the end, but who are we going to let win in America in our lifetime?

Please leave a comment here.

February 16, 2026
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Christ or Chaos: The Choice Is Yours!

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We’re at a crossroads in America today. Will we choose the lawful Truth of the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ and His Word, or the chaotic unlawful lies and demonic deception of the father of lies, Satan?! Thanks to social media and cell phones, we’re watching people’s choices play out in real time. Many people are willfully choosing satanic chaos even to the point of protesting against those who choose Christ, His ways, and His will for how we should live as citizens of this world.

By now, you’ve seen the videos of Black Lives Matter Marxists terrorizing worshipers during Sunday morning worship service at Cities Church in St Paul, Minnesota. You could watch it because fired CNN podcaster Don Lemon conspired with rioters to film the entire chaotic storming of the church. Lemon foolishly posted himself outside the church having donuts and coffee as the activists gathered to strategize their attack. He kissed the cheek of far-left Marxist agitator, Nekima Levy Armstrong who has since been arrested, and mentioned he had her on his podcast a few days prior where she probably told him her plans to invade the church, which is why he just “happened” to be there filming the entire travesty.

Interviewing her outside the church, Armstrong told Lemon they intermingled white protesters with black so it wouldn’t look like a black gang invading a mostly white church. She said they choose “unsuspecting targets” for the element of surprise.

They chose this church because they thought one of the pastors was working with ICE. Exactly, what does that have to do with BLM you might ask? Nothing! It’s simply an opportunity to create chaos. An excuse to attack Christians.

Some of the rioters planted themselves inside the church then jumped up when their cohorts ran through the doors yelling, screaming expletives, calling the parishioners white supremacists, Nazis, and unworthy Christians. The rioters blocked the stairs prohibiting parents from getting their children from Sunday school. Children were crying as families rushed out to their cars where antagonists followed berating the terrified children that their parents were going to burn in Hell as they surrounded their cars. One woman fled for safety out the backdoor of the church and broke her arm.

During all of this chaos, Don Lemon stuck a microphone in Lead Pastor Jonathan Parnell’s face who asked Lemon repeatedly to leave and told him, “This is shameful. We’re here to worship. We’re here to worship Jesus, because that’s the hope of these cities. That’s the hope of the world is Jesus Christ.”

Not deterred, Lemon continued deliriously chastising the pastor. Lemon maintained the terrorists had a “first amendment” right to be there and that he himself was a “Christian”?!  Lemon later tried to turn this travesty into a “racist” incident slandering the worshippers as “white supremacists” for gathering in church on a Sunday morning to worship Jesus!

Satan is Normalizing Chaos!

A headline as I write this blog reads “Minnesota Chaos.” Another headline screams “Chaos in the streets.”  Yet another, “Chaos on Court” where a middle school basketball game in Kentucky turned into a chaotic brawl with parents joining in as the announcer casually announced “They just tased Ryan,” like he was calling a play in the kids game!

An ICE agent told a group of chaotic Minneapolis screaming whistling agitators, “You’re trying to stop us from arresting a child molester! What’s wrong with you people?” That’s a good question. One protester said she was a mother of eight. She doesn’t want murderers and child molesters arrested to make Minneapolis safer for her children!?

When I watch these agitators literally acting like crazy people, I’m reminded of how the Bible describes someone possessed by a demon. Doesn’t Luke 9:39 describe the protesters you’re watching prohibit law enforcement from protecting their communities.

An evil spirit keeps seizing him, making him scream. It throws him into convulsions so that he foams at the mouth. It batters him and hardly ever leaves him alone. Luke 9:39 (I literally saw a woman protester foaming at the mouth)

Videos of agitators and rioters are one long bleep covering their vile profanity. The “F” bomb has become their most frequently spewed obscenity, which godly Jesus-followers wouldn’t or shouldn’t ever use, so that’s the first clue Satan is influencing them.

There are only two spiritual realms in the world. You’re either Holy Spirit filled or demonic spirit filled.

If you’re not walking with Jesus, you’re walking with the devil. There is no in between!

The Bible refers to Christians as “children of God.”

  • John 1:12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—
  • Galatians 3:26 “So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith.”
  • Romans 8:16 “The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.”
  • 2 Corinthians 6:18 “I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.”

Satan also has children!

There’s a clear distinction between the children of God and the children of the devil. 

  •  1 John 3:10 This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not God’s child, nor is anyone who does not love their brother and sister.
  • 1 John 3:8 Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil.
  • John 8:44 You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

Just as Christians have the Holy Spirit guiding us, demonic spirits guide those who reject Christ. They forfeit discernment and become easily deceived.

The term “demon possession” in Scripture describes a spiritual reality in which an individual is under the control of a demonic being suggesting oppression or direct indwelling by an evil spirit, resulting in physical, mental, and spiritual distress. They often yell and scream much like you’re watching people in the streets of Minneapolis. Or if you’ve heard William Kelly, a perpetual agitator showing up at many riots in other states and was arrested along with Nekima Levy Armstrong and Chauntyll Louisa Allen for their roles in storming Cities Church. Kelly’s profane viral posts sound like these Scriptures.

That evening many demon-possessed people were brought to Jesus. He cast out the evil spirits with a simple command, and he healed all the sick. Matt 8:16

 Just then there was a man in their synagogue with an unclean spirit; and he cried out, saying, “What business do we have with each other, Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are—the Holy One of God!” And Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be quiet, and come out of him! Mark 1:23-26

When evening came, after the sun had set, they began bringing to Him all who were ill and those who were demon-possessed. Mark 1:32

When He got out of the boat, immediately a man from the tombs with an unclean spirit met Him, and he had his dwelling among the tombs. And no one was able to bind him anymore, even with a chain; Whenever he was put into chains and shackles—as he often was—he snapped the chains from his wrists and smashed the shackles. No one was strong enough to subdue him. Day and night he wandered among the burial caves and in the hills, howling and cutting himself with sharp stones. Mark 5:2-5 [Think of the people wrestling with and resisting ICE]

Without Christ, Satan Creates Chaos!

We’re living in a world where rampant deception fueled by the liberal biased media fills the airways with lies. Liberal media hates Donald Trump and anyone who supports him, so they have deceived themselves into believing that nothing is too devious or evil to present Trump in a nefarious light and by association all conservatives and Republicans. Trump Derangement Syndrome isn’t a joke; it’s real. I believe Satan created TDS and uses it effectively to deceive people not grounded in the truth and discernment of Jesus Christ.

As an example, this past week there was a story of a 5-year-old boy pictured with ICE agents. Immediately the fake news ran with a story that was full of lies and no facts. They cried into the screen that ICE was now arresting innocent 5 year-olds or using them as bate, as they showed the picture of the young boy with his cute cap getting into an ICE car.

Truth: ICE tried to apprehend the little boy’s father who used his son as a decoy and took off running abandoning his son. ICE tried to return the boy to his mom. She refused to open the door and let him come back inside the house. ICE took care of the boy, getting him food until he was reunited with his father.

But because the lying media never retracted their original false heart-wrenching story, anyone who only watches lame stream media never discovered the truth and most people don’t take the time to research before they react.

As I’m writing today a protester with a loaded gun and 2 full magazines of bullets accosted ICE agents who were trying to arrest a criminal. The protester physically interfered with ICE and was shot. The criminal escaped. Gov. Walz and Mayor Frey’s press conference gave the impression the protester was unarmed and the media reported that lie. I saw some Minnesota Christians berating ICE for “killing an unarmed man” because they hadn’t done their homework before posting. That’s how the devil uses deception to even fool Christians if we’re not relying on the Holy Spirit to guide us before we speak and act.

A good friend of mine posted this truth on Facebook:

“Many are asking… How can they not see what seems obvious. Their minds have been governed by lies that they choose to believe.

Both sides will see the above statement and agree with an astounding, YES!!

But how is one to know if their heart has deceived them? Who is right?

We are a world that trusts our emotions and feelings and that becomes our truth. But the Lord warns us “Our heart above all things is deceitful, who could know it?”

Proverbs 4:19 The way of the wicked is like darkness; They do not know what makes them stumble.

Proverbs 3:5-8 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, Lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.

Whatever path you choose be careful it’s the path of truth and not emotions. The days are just going to get more and more deceitful and if we follow our hearts, we are sure to be deceived. Jesus is the truth! Guard your mind with truth!”

I couldn’t agree more!

Christ or Chaos?

The Rev. Joe Rigney, who lived in Minnesota for 18 years and helped plant Cities Church in St. Paul, now serves as associate pastor at a church in Moscow, Idaho. Rigney urged Christians to continue proclaiming the Gospel amid what he discerns as an escalating cultural hostility in the United States, leaving “Christ or chaos” as the only two options.

Rigney said there’s “escalating violence on the Left of normal Christian people, and I just want to underscore that piece of it.” He noted that, “This [Cities Church] is not a political church. These are normal, Bible-believing Evangelicals, their mission is worshiping Jesus, loving one another and seeking the good of the Twin Cities.”

Rigney went on to observe “there’s a deep sickness in our culture some in government authority are encouraging and only Jesus can fix.“

“They’re terrorizing normal, law-abiding citizens, and then they’re encouraging the lawless and the lawbreakers,” he said of government officials who refuse to punish evildoers. “And because of that, it’s bubbling up. It’s bubbling over, and it’s tragic. It really is tragic. And the only way out is for people to turn from their sins and to turn back to Christ. That’s the only hope this nation has. That’s the only hope for any of us.”

“When you think about the last 20 years and the escalating collisions we’ve seen in our country — about say, sex, sexuality, and people being harassed just because they won’t make a cake or because they won’t do flowers for a gay wedding — and you see that kind of escalating collision as Christians just try to live faithful lives,” Rigney said.

“The lawlessness spreads, and now it doesn’t matter if you’re a leader or not. It doesn’t matter if you’re prominent or not. You could just be what normal people going to church on a Sunday in an American town, and now you’re going to be harassed and intimidated,” he continued, but exhorted Christians “to keep preaching the Gospel, just like the early church.”

I agree with Rev. Rigney. Christians must always be actively fighting off the influence of the devil. We cannot let our guard down as we watch the fall of pillars in the church who thought they were invincible, like Christian author of What’s So Amazing About Grace Philip Yancy, who recently admitted to having an affair with a married woman for eight years! The devil can take down anyone who isn’t following 1 Peter 5:8-9.
8 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.

Ephesians 6:10-12 reminds us our battle is not against fellow humans, but against the devil.
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

Please leave your comments here.

January 26, 2026
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Saving Women’s Rights and Sports!

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I’m reading Charlie Kirk’s last book published posthumously, Stop in the Name of God. The first chapter is titled Genesis 1:1 with the opening Scripture, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” You might think that’s elementary since most Christians know this verse, or should, but Charlie devoted the opening of his book to reaffirming this fact. Sometimes, even Christians need to go back to the basics of the creation story, including how God in Genesis chapter 2 created a man and a woman as unique and separate individuals.
 Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. Gen. 2:7

But for Adam no suitable helper was found. 21 So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs[b] and then closed up the place with flesh. 22 Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib[c] he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. Gen. 2:20-22

Since the beginning of time, the physical distinctiveness of male and female has been an established biological, scientific, and biblical fact established at conception and revealed at birth until science invented ultrasound to determine sex in the womb during pregnancy and gender reveals became the rage.

When I was pregnant, the ultimate surprise was in the delivery room when the doctor announced to a panting exhausted new mother that she had just given birth to a boy or girl. That might seem archaic to some now, but other moms will remember with me how we waited with great anticipation to learn the sex of our new baby. While anticipating the birth of our baby, we decorated with neutral colors and enjoyed the birth gifts when friends and family learned whether we needed pink or blue baby clothes.

I’ll admit though that ultrasounds have been used to save many babies lives as the expectant mother sees her baby is a real little person developing in her tummy with fingers, toes, arms, legs, eyes, ears, a nose, and mouth. So even though God’s sex reveal at birth is outdated now, the redeeming value is more babies born. Praise God!

However, sci-fi wasn’t satisfied with knowing pre-birth sex, they started trying to play God by altering the foundations of humanity. First psychologically. Then ideologically. Ultimately physiologically. The medical community who take the Hippocratic Oath to preserve life decided they could dabble in genetics and try to distort and transform men into women and women into men, while originating a new term “trans.”

But no amount of chemicals, drugs, hormones, surgeries, or brainwashing will ever alter or transform a person’s DNA, chromosomes, muscle, body and bone structure that God created for every individual within their mother’s womb. The heretical, immoral, unethical, evil people in the scientific, psychological, and medical field making trillions of dollars with patients for life will never replace God, but God will judge them.

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. 14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. Ps. 139:13-14

“If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea. Matt. 18:6

Do not those who plot evil go astray? But those who plan what is good find love and faithfulness. Pr. 14:22

The vocal rainbow coalition activists combined with the abuse of modern medicine to create, deceive, and foster genetic confusion and bodily castration and mutilation with the fallacy that just wanting to identify as a different sex is achievable. It’s not! Unethical psychologists and physicians saw this as the cash cow that it is and political lobbyists for the homosexual community created a cult where schoolteachers were forced to use the language of a world gone mad.

The downfall into denouncing God and the Bible started with the legalization of same-sex marriage under the Obama Administration. It’s become diabolically degenerating since then with rampant pedophilia, child sex trafficking, men in women’s bathrooms, spas, dressing rooms, locker rooms, private areas, and sports. Even conjuring up terms like “furries” “trans” and “cis-woman.” The confirmation of Supreme Court justices like Ketanji Brown Jackson who can’t define a woman, even though she is a woman herself is insanity! [The Bizarre World of Ketanji Brown Jackson by Everett Piper]

Or recently, when Senator Josh Hawley asked OB-GYN Dr. Nisha Verma, a woman, for a simple yes or no if men could get pregnant, she wouldn’t answer! More insanity!

Coming off Obama’s disastrous years, coaches and school administrators fearing cancel-culture refused to protect girls and keep men out of women’s sports. Parents were often rebuffed if they complained, even when their daughters were forced to room with men on travels. The girls who were brave enough to protest were shamed, silenced, and told they had to acquiesce to men playing on women’s teams if they wanted to play sports. But one by one, especially after swimmer Riley Gaines lost her trophy to a man who she tied because the political optics were better for him to be in first place, girls started speaking out.

The liberal left and Democrats have made this a political issue and tried to cancel or fire anyone who wouldn’t go along with trying to eliminate God from His creation by allowing men to be publically recognized and treated as women. There’s no such thing as a “transgender woman or man.” God only creates men and women!

Currently a Democrat man is masquerading as a woman in Congress and in Idaho one is running for governor! Sadly, even some churches decided to become more culturally and “socially” correct than biblically correct, which would require eliminating most of the Bible starting with Genesis 1:1.

Saving Women’s Rights and Sports

Title IX was passed in 1972 to insure equal opportunities for women in sports. But over the last decade, men have invaded women’s sports as fake gender ideology has seared consciences and culture. Title IX was passed because men and women are different. The Biden Administration tried to alter Title IX’s definition of sex to include gender identity but it didn’t pass. Still most blue states deny women their Title IX rights.

Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron. 1 Tim. 4:2

Idaho and West Virginia established laws protecting women in sports in their states. The Supreme Court heard two cases last week involving men suing to play in women’s sports in these two states. Girls had their day in court!  

I’m proud to say that Idaho, where we’ve lived for almost fifteen years, was the first state to take legal action to protect our girls in sports in March 2020 by passing House Bill 500 “Fairness in Women’s Sports Act” implementing the nation’s first transgender policy barring trans female athletes from playing on women’s sports teams. West Virginia then passed a similar law. Alliance Defending Freedom’s (ADF) helped draft those bills, as did the Idaho Family Policy Center in Idaho.  

Male students “identifying as women” challenged the state’s laws and the ACLU represented them. Idaho and West Virginia appealed to the Supreme Court, which accepted both cases. SCOTUS usually doesn’t take on two similar cases, but because they each bring up different issues, one against the Constitution and one against Title IX, SCOTUS heard both in the same day.

Since President Trump signed an executive order specifically restricting federal funds to schools that allow males to compete on women’s teams under Title IX, 32 states have passed laws to protect women in sports. Despite the majority of states now banning men from women’s athletics, 18 states still allow males who claim transgender status to compete on women’s sports teams, posing a risk to the safety and fairness of female athletes. 

I encourage you to listen to this short interview Defending Biblical Truth in Women’s Sports, with ADF’s Kate Anderson and Fearless’ Cissie Graham Lynch, Franklin Graham’s daughter.

SCOTUS Showdown: ACLU lawyer stumped by basic biology

During the Supreme Court hearing arguments on the Idaho and West VA cases, Justice Alito asked ACLU a simple question: “What is a man? What is a woman?”

Their answer? “We don’t have a definition.”

Yes, you read that correctly. This was the definition debate heard around the world.

If the so-called guardians of “civil rights” can’t even define sex, how can they claim to defend it? This is the collapse of common sense, live in the highest court of the land.

It was hard to hear some of the judges like Amy Coney Barrett using non-terms like “trans women” and “cis women” instead of men and women. I’m sure she would call herself a woman, not a cis woman! Men pretending to be women are not “trans” or “women.” They’re mentally disturbed men, have a fetish, or can’t excel in men’s sports so they want to eviscerate women. Whatever their reasons, it’s wrong and not normal, legal, moral, or biblical!

Testosterone levels do NOT determine, define, or erase biological sex, bone and muscle structure, strength, or DNA, which is what the opposing side was trying to argue to SCOTUS. Listening to the side who can’t define a man or a woman was pathetic. Women are more than hormone levels!

It was also disappointing to have so much time given to the “feelings” and “fairness” of men being excluded from women’s sports. Identifying as a woman does NOT make a man a woman. There should’ve been more discussion given to the feelings and fairness to women who lose scholarships, scholastic and career opportunities, trophies, medals, not to mention being exposed to lewd voyeur men who still have all their male parts in locker rooms, showers, and private areas. In what world is that fair or safe for women?!

Let me mention also that even though Governor of California Newsom has admitted in interviews with both Charlie Kirk and Ben Schapiro that men in women’s sports isn’t fair and he can see the other side, I’ve read his excuse for allowing men in women’s sports in his state is because he has a “trans godson.” Just because our child, grandchild, or godchild chooses an alternate lifestyle doesn’t make it okay to inflict it on others. Enabling a confused child instead of engaging mental help for them does more harm than good.   

In last week’s blog, Respect and Appreciate the Men and Women Who Keep Us Safe by Enforcing the Law, I introduced you to Janet Elaine Parks. I hope some of you started following her on social media. Here are some of her remarks last week about SCOTUS hearing the women’s rights cases.

Protecting Women’s Rights (Because Women’s Spaces Should Stay Female)

This is one that the left loves to weaponize… But conservatives are not “anti-anyone” for saying a basic truth:

Men are men. Women are women.

And women deserve:

  • private spaces
  • fair competition
  • basic safety protections

This administration supports keeping biological men out of women’s sports, bathrooms, locker rooms, and private spaces.

  • That isn’t hateful.
  • That’s reality.
  • And pretending biology doesn’t exist doesn’t make society “inclusive”…
  • It makes women pay the price.

Women fought for decades to earn:

✅fair sports opportunities

✅safe boundaries

✅sex-based protections

And now the left is trying to erase those protections by calling women “bigots” for wanting what we already had: A protected category called WOMEN.

Bodies Play Sports, Not Identities

In the opening picture of this blog, former champion gymnast Jennifer Sey, a seven-time member of the United States women’s national artistic gymnastics team and the 1986 U.S. All-Around National Champion founder of the XX-XY Athletics brand, is sounding the alarm arguing women’s sports are for women and warning that “identity affirmation” is replacing fairness and safety. I encourage you to read more of her comments here.  http://dlvr.it/TQP5Py

I want to thank Idaho for defending women not just in our state, but going all the way to the Supreme Court to protect women in every state for our daughters and granddaughters in the future.

Pray SCOTUS stands by biological women’s rights, protection, dignity, and recognition that mentally challenged men cannot challenge women in sports or erase womanhood. Pray for wisdom and discernment as the justices deliberate. The cases before SCOTUS last week are not just about isolated incidents in two states. The justices’ decision will shape how our girls are able to do what they love—and feel safe doing so—for generations to come.

This is not a political issue. It’s a Genesis issue and comes down to the biblical definition of God creating us male and female. Together let’s stand fearlessly for what’s right. Let’s pray the Supreme Court determines that girls are girls and boys can’t become girls in Idaho, West Virginia, or any state in America!!!

An article to read. We Were College Athletes Supreme Court Must Listen to Our Case and Save Women’s Sports written by two female college athletes from Idaho, Madison Kenyon and Marky Kate Marshall, defendants in the Idaho case heard by SCOTUS last week. Here’s their opening and I encourage you to read the rest of the article from girls who have experienced the heartbreak of having men in women’s sports and taking over 890 medals from female athletes.
 “Imagine if the U.S. Supreme Court was asked to rule on whether the law of gravity still applies, even in these early years of the 21st century. After all, some people are uncomfortable with their size. They feel sluggish and weighed down by that pull from the Earth. Why shouldn’t they just be able to ignore gravity and float along as easily as they please? Why should any law of nature be allowed to constrain how light and thin someone feels inside? If that sounds ridiculous to you, imagine how female athletes have felt in recent years, having to compete against males just because they’ve been told that feeling like a woman can make them so.” 

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January 19, 2026
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How “They” Killed Charlie Kirk!

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Most of us will never forget where we were when we heard that Christian apologist and freedom crusader Charlie Kirk was assassinated the day before we were to honor the memory of 9/11. I had just picked up my cell phone and the first post on my “Home” page was the video of Charlie being shot as he sat under his “Prove Me Wrong” tent taking questions from students at Utah Valley University. I wish I’d never seen it, but it’s now embedded in my memory.

I, like many of you, were in shock as I began to pray that this horrific demonic act of violence would not be fatal. I knew that Charlie had so much more work to do for the Lord and the conservative movement reaching the next generation that surely he would survive. I saw in the video that Charlie had reached for his neck and then the video went dead. It was surreal.

It wasn’t long before my daughter Kim and granddaughter Katelyn were texting me. Katelyn had attended Charlie’s Turning Point USA event at her college Boise State University last spring. She and her friends were so excited to see him in person that they arrived early and were right up front of the tent where Charlie sat. Their smiling faces appear in many videos and pictures posted on the Turning Point website. She’s a member of BSU campus Turning Point USA.

Far too soon, I received a call from my husband who heard on TV and a text from my daughter that Charlie had died. I think I said something like “Oh, God, no!” My daughter told me not to call Katelyn because she was crying and had to leave class to compose herself.

I’m sure you’ve read many tributes to Charlie’s love for his wife and young family, America, conservative values, but above all, his love and devotion to Jesus Christ and the Bible. As recent as June 29, he answered a question by host Jack Selby on “The Iced Coffee Hour” about how he wants to be remembered if “everything completely goes away?” Charlie answered, “You mean when I die? I want to be remembered for courage for my faith. That would be the most important thing. The most important thing is my faith,” he emphasized.

That’s exactly why so many Christians are mourning his tragic and untimely death. One of our brothers in Christ was felled by a radicalized deceived demented man with a targeted bullet meant to not only silence Charlie, but to silence anyone with conservative Christian values bold and courageous enough to voice and defend their beliefs in the public square.

Charlie was a fellow believer and brother in the family of God. We were thrilled for this young conservative influencer who founded Turning Point USA at eighteen and became close to President Trump and good friends with VP Vance and many of the cabinet members as well as conservative newscasters and influencers. Charlie was taking the Christian and conservative message to the corners of the earth and specifically into the lion’s den of today’s colleges.

That’s exactly why he was martyred! Many are calling it a political assassination, but it was also a spiritual assassination for his faith in Jesus Christ. Charlie vocally and unashamedly supported candidates who shared his conservative biblical values and was encouraging college students to consider those values in their own life and vote accordingly. President Trump and both his sons have publically said that Charlie was instrumental in getting out the younger generation’s vote that helped President Trump win the 2024 election and he would’ve done the same for the upcoming midterms and future elections.

In my opinion, that’s why “they,” brutally took him down. He was an influential voice “they” couldn’t control. Only 31 with a promising future. Some predicted he would be president someday. “They” couldn’t tolerate such a threat to their power.

Who Are The “They”?

Newscasters, commentary and opinion authors, podcasters, and public speakers reporting on Charlie’s assassination repeatedly pepper their discourse with the inclusive “they” because the opposition isn’t composed of a singular person, group, or entity. Yes, it seems one radicalized man shot the bullet, but who are “they” that influenced and indoctrinated him to commit such a brutal vicious satanic act? Every time I hear “they,” I ask myself, “Who are ‘they?’”

“They” is a compilation of Marxist/Communist and Islamist ideology in academia, media, social media, and government. Let’s look closer.

“They” are the college professors, schoolteachers, and administrators like assistant campus director at George Washington University who took to social media shortly after the assassination of Charlie Kirk and said it is “fair” that Kirk was gunned down due to his support of gun ownership and the Second Amendment.  “No thoughts no prayers,” the GWU employee added. 

Heather Mac Donald, Thomas W. Smith Fellow at the Manhattan Institute told Fox News Digital that it is “hard to imagine” Kirk was killed for “any other reason than that he was breaking the stranglehold of anti-Western ideology on college campuses and beyond. . . It was sadly fitting that he was killed at a college campus, and not even one known for its leftward leanings, since colleges are the seed bed of modern day speech suppression and the false equations that political contrarian speech = hate speech and that hate speech may be snuffed out—apparently by any means necessary.” 

Mac Donald continued, “The killer apparently agreed with those would-be censorers.  The self-centeredness and historical and moral ignorance of coddled American students has bloomed into something more pernicious, as the beatification of Luigi Mangione already showed.”

The suspected killer was a former Utah State University student and attended Dixie Technical College.  Was he radicalized there or maybe before? We’re aghast at Palestinian Arab children being taught antisemitic hatred and to glorify anti-Jewish terrorists or terrorists using young people as suicide bombers at early ages and yet this same hatred of Jews, Christians, conservatives, and God is being taught right here in the USA! Crooks died trying to assassinate President Trump at 20. Charlie’s shooter is 22.

“They” are the Illian Omar’s who vulgarly said Charlie brought his murder on himself for daring to speak out against wokeness and called his supporters s**t.

“They” are the governors like Walz who said our rights come from government not God. Pritzer who said Charlie’s free speech brought on his own death.

“They” are the Democrats yelling, “NO” to praying for Charlie in Congress the day he was murdered as one Republican congresswoman yelled out “you caused this.” I agree “they” absolutely have caused Charlie’s death with their radical, liberal, godless, immoral policies, and violent rhetoric.

“They” are the Democrats’ spouting hypocrisy with canned statements of “there’s no place for political violence.” They were the very ones calling for violence against conservatives, putting a bullseye or 86 target on President Trump with 2 assassination attempts. They told restaurants and businesses to say conservatives weren’t welcome. They were silent while Teslas and dealerships were vandalized, and cities burned during rioting protests. They’ve called Trump, Charlie, and MAGA followers a Nazis cult, fascists, KKK, racists, white supremacists, toxic, deplorables, Christian nationalists, right-wing extremists, and an existential threat to democracy, terms algorithms pick up and flood the phone screens of the impressionable and unstable.  

If Charlie was a liberal, there would’ve been violence in the streets across the nation condoned by the left. But what did our side do? We held prayer vigils across America and 17 countries, with police protection from liberal harassing protestors. That’s the difference between “they” and us.

“They” are the liberal progressive left who have tried to redefine morality and rewrite the foundations and history of our country, eradicate the Constitution, deny the biological reality of two sexes, legalize the murder of innocent babies, destroy the family, emasculate men, sexualize children, and eliminate God from the culture.

“They” are the liberal lying legacy media propaganda. Here’s a summary from the Media Research Center and a few I added of how some of them reacted to Charlie’s assassination:

Some outlets showed basic decency. But the usual suspects fell back into their worst habits. MSNBC’s Ken Dilanian blamed Trump’s immigration enforcement for stretching FBI resources, as if border policy caused Charlie’s murder. Nicole Wallace claimed democracy itself made it harder to track domestic threats, twisting mourning into an indictment of voters.

CBS Morning Host Burleson asked former speaker Keven McCarthy, “Speaking of this tragedy, is this a moment for your party to reflect on political violence? Is it a moment for us to think about the responsibility of our political leaders and their voices and what it does to the masses as they get lost in misinformation or disinformation that turns in, and spills into, political violence?”

ABC’s Kyra Phillips recited a laundry list of Charlie’s “controversial” statements — DEI, Jews, women, LGBTQ, people of color — as though disagreement justified violence. Aaron Katersky suggested Charlie’s presence “divided the campus,” ignoring the overwhelming majority who welcomed him.

At CNN, Oliver Darcy smeared conservatives for “partisan gain” while himself reducing Charlie to a “right-wing activist” with “contrarian” views. This is the Alinsky playbook: accuse others of what you are guilty of.

MSNBC host Matthew Dowd was fired for his comments right after the shooting, “He’s been one of the most divisive, especially divisive younger figures in this, who is constantly sort of pushing this sort of hate speech or sort of aimed at certain groups. And I always go back to, hateful thoughts lead to hateful words, which then lead to hateful actions,” blaming Charlie for being assassinated. Cold. Evil.

MRC concludes, “These responses reveal what we already know: the media’s ideology outweighs their humanity. Even in tragedy, they cannot rise above their loathing of the right. This is the challenge we face. The political Left and their media allies have normalized hostility, treating conservatives as enemies rather than fellow Americans. It must end.”

“They” are the late-night liberal hosts who have turned what once was comedy into a constant barrage against President Trump, Republicans, and conservatives.

“They” are social media where people are exposed to hate and vitriol, especially if you hold conservative views. Young people are often indiscriminate on who and what they follow. Friends of Charlie’s killer say he was radicalized in “the deep dark corners of the internet, the Reddit culture.”

“They” are BOT Farms, which I just learned about. Bots, not real people but electronic BOTS programmed to respond automatically on social media to escalate furor. Russia uses BOTS as does China especially on Tik Tok. Large facilities where people work to inflame situations to damage the US.

“They” are the dehumanizing gaming industry glorifying killing and death that many young men, including the assassin, are addicted to like cocaine.

“They” are those who are fostering and financing politics as a cultural rage.

“They” are the evil side of the spiritual war we now find ourselves embroiled in and to which Charlie Kirk became a wounded warrior. Charlie fought the battle with grace, joy, humility, wisdom, honesty, persuasion, and truth, yet “they” killed him. The Bible clearly defines what fuels “they.”

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” (Ephesians 6:10-12)

The “They’s” Killed Charlie Kirk, But We Will Carry On His Legacy!

“There is an enormous difference between hate speech and speech that ‘they’ hate!” Pastor Craig Adams

One or more of the above “theys,” conceived and manipulated by the powers of darkness and spiritual forces of evil, influenced Charlie’s assassin. Who knows which “they” influenced the killer most, but it was probably a combination of many or maybe even others.

Evil hates good. Satan hates Christians. Charlie was a fearless and bold Christian who unashamedly shared how to become a faithful follower of Jesus Christ. While he was firm and resolute in his delivery, you never heard him lose his temper, yell, or swear. He was courteous and kind even to those who disagreed vehemently with him. He was a bridge between both sides, with many saved at his TPUSA events.

Minds and hearts were changed to embrace Christian conservative values. Satan hated Charlie for that and for his biblical worldview. The devil found a willing soul to radicalize and fill with deadly hate to the point of killing in cold blood someone he’d never met. He could’ve picked up the microphone to debate with Charlie, but instead he cowardly picked up a gun to viciously kill him.

Charlie would want us to pray for his killer to be saved. He always said to pray for your enemies, which is something hard for most of us to do right now in our righteous anger and grief for a precious life taken far too soon.

“Conservatives will not be silenced,” Heather Mac Donald, told Fox News Digital, adding that Kirk “would not have been silenced” so conservatives should “emulate his courage.”

Mac Donald added, “It is a cliché and self-serving to say: they fear us because we are winning, but presumably, there is less of a perceived need to efface someone who is losing a cause anyway. Kirk was feared because he was winning.”

Charlie is still a winner! He has received a martyr’s crown with Jesus hugging him and welcoming him into heaven as a good and faithful servant. In Charlie’s own words, “All death can do to the believer is deliver him to Jesus.”

We’ll see you soon Charlie, but until then we’ll carry the torch of freedom and faith you passed down to us. We are Charlies Now! We are Onward Christian Soldiers!

Anyone who has followed my writings knows I’ve been sounding the call for the church, and that means Christians, to bravely and boldly take a stand for God and truth in the public square. I’ve also said that good can never unite or compromise with evil.

The battle lines are clearly drawn, and every American must choose if you’re on the Devil’s side of evil and violence or if you’re in the Lord’s army. Are you with the “they” side or are you on the Lord’s side? There’s no middle ground.

For those on the Lord’s side, we will not be shaken. We will not be silenced. We will put on the armor of God, take up the Word of God the “sword of the Spirit,” and we will prayerfully fight for Jesus’ Truth and Righteousness in this spiritual battle until the Lord returns.

Sweet Testimony from the Next Generation!

I leave you with the words of my nineteen-year-old granddaughter Katelyn when I asked if she had seen Erika Kirk’s eulogy to her husband. Here was my sweet Katelyn’s response. She represents the young “Charlie’s” who will continue his legacy.

“She [Erika] is so inspiring that in the face of true evil and probably the biggest tragedy she will ever have to face, she still said God is good and even though she doesn’t know what this means, He does. She’s truly an incredible and strong woman and 100% the type of woman I want to be. But ya know it was still really sad.”—Katelyn Mancini

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September 15, 2025
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7 Ways Satan Stops You From Reading Your Bible

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Satan works overtime in trying to stop us from reading our Bible because he knows better than anyone that it’s God’s written Word, “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Eph. 6:17). It’s our only offensive weapon in spiritual warfare. A treasure chest of wisdom, teaching, knowledge, encouragement, and equipping for service in God’s earthly kingdom. The Bible is a love letter to those who believe in Jesus Christ and a spiritual resource for seekers.

We may not even recognize Satan’s assault on our lives with deception, distraction, and discouragement. But when we become aware of the enemy’s tactics, we can neutralize him. Here are seven ways Satan tries to keep your Bible closed and strategies to outmaneuver him.

  1. Not Taking Your Bible to Church

      As the pastor prepared to start his sermon, he told anyone who needed a Bible to raise their hand and they’d be given one to keep. No hands went up! The parishioners knew that every Scripture the pastor used in his sermons was on a handout in the church bulletin, as well as projected on screens at the front of the church. Why would they need a Bible?

      Sadly, this has become the norm in many churches today. Congregants become passive instead of participants, as they’re spoon-fed Scriptures and feel there’s no reason to bring their Bible to church. Can churches still be considered “Bible churches” when no one opens a Bible, sometimes not even the pastor?

      Regardless if your church projects Scriptures on a screen, take your Bible to church and look up Scriptures the pastor uses in his sermon. Make notes in the margin or underline passages in your Bible that God uses to speak to you. If you’re not sure where a book in the Bible is located, check the Table of Contents. The more you interact with your Bible, the quicker you’ll learn your way around it. Some people put index tabs in their Bibles to locate the various books. You may prefer having a Bible on your phone instead of a hard copy, but still open and read from it.

      I’m fortunate to attend a church where people bring their Bibles. What a blessing to hear Bible pages turning and the joy this must bring to our Lord.

      As we grow in our maturity and relationship with Jesus, taking our Bibles to church, looking up Scriptures, writing notes in our Bible, reading along in our Bibles also sets a godly role model for our children and grandchildren. Flashing Scriptures on a screen or printing them in a handout often tossed after church, will never replace knowing and reading the written Word of God from your personal Bible.

      I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. Ps. 119:11

      2. Dark Churches

      Several years ago, I wrote an article “Why Is the Church Going Dark?” The single most repeated comment was from people complaining they couldn’t read their Bible in dark churches. Even though churches may slightly raise the lights during the sermon, it often isn’t sufficient to locate or read Scriptures in your Bible. Many said they gave up and relied on the screens.

      Usually, the justification given for a dark church is to attract the younger generation. I haven’t seen any studies supporting that premise. Church youth rooms are brightly lit. We’re called to mentor the next generation using God’s Word to teach them the value of knowing and reading their Bible to develop their own personal relationship with the Lord. Sitting in a dark room looking at a screen, or maybe at their phones, robs them of the opportunity to discover and interact with the intertwining wonders, prophecies, symbolisms, and foreshadowing of Jesus in the Bible.

      Some parishioners say they prefer it dark so they can worship without being seen or distracted, but one of the purposes of church is corporate worship and fellowship with the family of God. Families don’t sit at home in the dark. If you attend a dark church and you can’t read your Bible, talk to the pastoral staff and ask them to turn up the lights during the sermon.

      Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path. Ps. 119:105

      3. Relying on Devotionals

      Like many of you, I enjoy reading a daily devotional in my quiet time with the Lord. But it can become expedient and convenient to read the devotional without ever opening your Bible. We might be tempted to let the devotional suffice as our daily Bible reading, especially when time is limited. If this becomes a regular habit, we could go days, weeks, months, or even years without ever reading from our Bible.

      Devotionals often include Scripture references without printing out all the specific verses. This sneaky way looks good, but also keeps your Bible closed, and that’s not good. One way to interact with a devotional is to look up in your own Bible all the Scriptures referenced and read them in context from the Bible. Ask God how He wants to apply the passages to your life, not just from the devotional author’s perspective.

      A devotional is inspirational, but it’s the author’s viewpoint and discernment on a particular Scripture or passage. Someone else’s interpretation of verses they’ve read in their Bible. God wants us to study, read, and research in our own Bibles. Never let devotionals replace devotion to your Bible. Devotionals have their place, but let it be said of us . . .

      I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word. Ps. 119:16

      4. Time Pressures

      We live in a fast-paced, urgent, and over-committed world. God definitely doesn’t want us racing through life with pressures that don’t offer an opportunity to sit for a moment and read a few words from Him before we head into our day. Satan does want us living over-committed and stressed. He wants us to struggle through days with a heavy burden that causes many to turn to unhealthy addictions instead of to God who says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Matt. 11:28

      Satan tells us to get up and get going or we’re a slacker and a loser. God says, give me a few minutes of your time and I’ll help you enjoy the day relaxed, refreshed, and productive. Some people, like me, wakeup with a to-do list on our mind or fresh ideas for a project. We’re tempted to make coffee or tea and get to work. Maybe you identify. I’ve learned if I take a few moments to open my Bible and ask God to reveal His plans for me through His Word, my day goes smoother and often a Scripture will be exactly what I needed.

      Remember your word to your servant, for you have given me hope. Ps. 119:49

      5. Don’t Know Where to Start

      The Bible can seem intimidating when you first begin reading. It’s actually a compilation of 66 separate books! Maybe you’ve tried starting at the beginning in Genesis and the reading goes well until you get to Leviticus and Numbers. Satan plants doubt in your mind of why everyone is so inspired with this Book of animal sacrifices and genealogies. Soon the Bible is back on the shelf collecting dust.

      Instead of abandoning the Bible, reach out for help. Mentoring from a spiritually mature believer can offer suggestions and guidance like starting with a Life Application Bible, which offers explanations and ideas of how to personalize Scriptures.

      Unfortunately, there aren’t many Christian bookstores available to peruse and look at different Bible translations, but you can shop on websites with peak inside views to find a translation that resonates with you. When I first started reading the Bible, I actually chose an illustrated Children’s Bible and I recommend this even for adults. Jesus tells us to come to Him as little children. Eventually, you can progress to a more mature translation that suits you best.

      Joining a Bible study at church allows you to study and learn different books of the Bible with fellow believers who share wisdom and discernment in how to apply Scripture to life and world events.

      The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple. Ps. 119:130

      6. Feeling Like a Failure on a Reading Plan

      It’s a new year and you’re going to read the entire Bible in a year! You have the best of intentions. Maybe you select a daily reading plan with some of the Old and New Testament, adding in a Psalm and Proverb.  You’re excited and stay on track for the first few weeks, then life happens. You miss a few days and feel the serpent chiding with thoughts like, “You’re never going to make it through the year.” Or, “You’re so far behind, you’ll never catch up now. You might as well just give up.” Or, “Why do you want to do this anyway? It’s too much.”

      Sound familiar? It does to me. Here are some suggestions.

      • Join an online group reading the Bible in a year to provide encouragement that you can do it.
      • Put your Bible in a place where you see it as a reminder to pick it up and start reading.
      • Ask a friend or family member to join you. Doing things together is always better.
      • Some people are auditory learners and do better listening, so find a reading plan online that offers auditory daily Bible reading. I like to use my ear buds and listen to the Bible while I’m walking or on the treadmill. There’s usually sound effects and different people reading various roles with inflection and emotion. The Bible comes to life.
      • Even when you fall behind, keep going. No rule or statute commands reading the entire Bible in a year. Maybe it’ll take a couple of years. That’s okay. Every time you do read, God will speak to you in a new fresh way or reveal something you hadn’t noticed in the last reading of the same passage. An adventure with God. He’s not grading you on how fast you read; He just wants you to do it!

      I rise before dawn and cry for help; I have put my hope in your word. Ps. 119:147

      7. You Doubt If the Bible Is Relevant or Inerrant

      One of Satan’s most notorious lies to convince you not to read your Bible is to plant the seed in your mind that it’s an archaic book of fables written by men and has no use or relevancy in today’s modern culture. Sadly, even some pastors and theologians have fallen into Satan’s snare and abandoned the timeless inerrancy of the Word of God.

      G. Campbell Morgan once preached a sermon titled “Famine for the Word of God.” He said maybe there was someone in the congregation who, “You have become hardened to the touch of God, unconscious of the fact of God; and though His Word is living and quick and powerful, and sharper than a two-edged sword, it fails to affect you.”

      When we stop reading our Bibles, we’ll suffer the fate of spiritual famine by losing our appetite for God’s Word, the bread of life (John 6:35). “The time is surely coming,” says the Sovereign Lord, “when I will send a famine on the land—not a famine of bread or water but of hearing the words of the Lord.” Amos 8:11 NLT

      Just as Jesus used Scripture to respond to Satan’s temptations in the desert before Jesus started His ministry (Matthew 4:1-11), the best way to combat Satan’s lies is with God’s own Words.

      God wrote all Scripture through human willing hands and hearts. 16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. 17 God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work. 2 Tim. 3:16-17 NLT

      Jesus Christ is the Eternal Word of God. In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God. John 1:2 NLT

      Jesus and the Bible never change. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Heb. 13:8 NLT

      No one should ever add or subtract from the timeless inerrant Bible. And I solemnly declare to everyone who hears the words of prophecy written in this book: If anyone adds anything to what is written here, God will add to that person the plagues described in this book. Rev. 22:18 NLT

      We never reach a place in our faith where we know it all. God’s Word is new every morning and every reading. Never let Satan lie to you that the Bible is intimidating because the truth is that God’s Word is always inspiring! f you want to hear God, you need to engage with Him through the way He communicates: Prayer and His Word, the Holy Bible.

      “If we want to grow in our love for the Lord, we must draw near to Him through His Word. As we learn to know Him intimately, our love will increase and we’ll desire to obey. Unless we invest in Scripture, our fervor for the Lord will fall short of what it could be. And if you ever feel disappointed that your love for Christ seems small, open the Word of God and obey whatever He says, He will abide with you and disclose Himself, thereby increasing your capacity to love and know Him more.” Dr. Charles Stanley, In Touch Magazine, April 3, 2018

      A revealing of Jesus, the Messiah. God gave it to make plain to his servants what is about to happen. He published and delivered it by Angel to his servant John. And John told everything he saw: God’s Word— the witness of Jesus Christ! How blessed the reader! How blessed the hearers and keepers of these oracle words, all the words written in this book! Time is just about up. Revelation 1:1-3 The Message

      Please leave your comment here.
      You might also be interested in my latest Crosswalk article as the summer starts winding down. 4 Ways to Get Back into Church and Spiritual Practices after a Busy Summer

      August 18, 2025
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