Light-bearing Letters vs Darkness Unopposed

Sure, we all know the old maxim that it’s far better to light a candle than merely curse the darkness.  But both the state of the culture and the compromising mediocrity of the modern Church suggest we haven't been very diligent in applying the exhortation.

However, Vital Signs Ministries still takes this charge quite seriously.  And though we do so with seriousness of purpose, we also do so with lightness of heart for it is in the Lord’s Name and in the power of His spirit that we act.

Our candle-lighting ministries include our pro-life witness and sidewalk counseling outside the abortion mill; visitation and entertainment in the nursing homes; information and exhortation via speaking, writing, and the internet; and a variety of other evangelistic and discipleship activities. We also light candles by encouraging citizen advocacy -- a practice that includes quarterly letter-writing parties like the one we hosted last night.

Our letter targets last night included, as one would expect, the defunding of Planned Parenthood and principled, courteous protests of anti-life and anti-family actions recently committed by businesses, television programs, and publications. Also on the table were such issues as corruption, vote fraud, education and welfare reform, religious freedom, and a few more.  And, as always, there were also several thank you cards sent along to people who are lighting candles themselves.

We invite you think about the topics mentioned and to scan through a few sample letters (taken from the 65 written last night) which I post below as inspiration for you to write a couple of letters yourself. Also, think about joining us for our next party and even to imagine the profound light that could illuminate the cultural darkness were you to organize a letter-writing party for your own church, small group, Sunday School class, whatever.

Here's the promised sampling.

1) Dear Mr. President,
Stay the course!
Drain the swamp!
And please keep as priorities the need to expand religious freedom, to protect the sanctity of life, and to reduce the coercive power of government.

Thank you.

2) Dear General Mattis,

I’ve been keeping my attention on this transgender debate with amazement.  I have 2 grandsons in the Marines and 1 granddaughter in the Air Force, and they do not want to be taking showers with the opposite sex no matter what gender those persons, at that particular moment, “identify with.”

It’s hard for me to grasp that this is actually something that needs debating in our military.  I am asking you as a brave soldier to nix this folly of counter-productive political-correctness.

Praying you will stop the madness and not allow transgenderism to weaken yet further our military’s readiness.

Sincerely,

3) Dear Ms Grossman,

Because of Weight Watchers’ continued sponsorship of the disgusting Fox TV show “The Mick,” I will not be buying your products or utilizing your services.  When even a particularly irresponsible and offensive episode (one in which Planned Parenthood was promoted and the outrageous lie touted that the mega-abortion business provides health care to 3,000,000 women) doesn’t bother your company, it’s time for the public to spend their money elsewhere.

Please reconsider and drop “The Mick.” Give your advertising dollars instead to more family-friendly, wholesome, culturally enriching programs. That would be better for the culture…and better for Weight Watchers too.

4) Dear Governor Ricketts,

A couple of quick but very fervent questions: 1) Why haven’t Nebraska’s conservative officeholders yet gone after defunding Planned Parenthood…as other states have effectively done?

And 2) Why haven’t Nebraska’s conservative officeholders boldly promoted welfare reform that includes work requirements as other states have effectively done — work requirements that help the economy as well as those needy individuals who get forever stuck in the welfare cycle?

These are questions that are not only on my mind a lot, but that come up frequently in conversations. So, what are the answers?

Crucially curious,

5) Mr. President,

I recently read a description of several of the winners of the National Endowment for the Humanities latest history scholarships for youth.  Projects extolling Margaret Sanger.  Rachel Carson.  Mother Jones.  And so on.  As the opening line of the article stated, “Well, we’ve had our first glimpse of Trump’s NEH and it looks a lot like Obama’s NEH.”

Could you please redouble your efforts to drain this particular part of the swamp by eliminating this largely useless, wasteful, and counter-productive agency.

And then do likewise with the NEA.

Thank you so much, Mr. President.  Stay the course.  You’re in our daily prayers.

6) Dear John Bryant,

I am writing to express my disappointment in your company’s decision to pull advertising from the conservative website Breitbart. I have 4 children and we would prefer not to boycott Kellogg’s. Please don’t choose sides in the culture wars.

Thank you.

7) Dear Mr. Legere, (T-Mobile)

I recently learned that your company was one of those sponsoring Fox Television’s remarkably insensitive, offensive, and deliberately misleading episode of “The Mick” in which the show’s characters promote Planned Parenthood by claiming (quite falsely) that the mega-abortion business provides health care for 3 million women.  Of course, that’s a canard that has been proven to be grossly wrong….over and over.   But then supporters of Planned Parenthood, the gigantic business whose main business and primary profits are the violent destruction of preborn boys and girls, have forever suppressed the truth about Planned Parenthood’s origins, business practices, profits, and criminal actions.

But your company doesn’t have to play that game.

Therefore, I write to urge you to use your influence as a major sponsor to dissuade the program’s blatant misleading of their audience.  For if your business continues to promote such offensive, untrue, and socially damaging programming, the public has little recourse except to 1) turn off the program, and 2) turn off its advertisers.

Thank you for your consideration of this matter.

8) Dear General Mattis,

Enough please of the political correctness and gender experimentation and the use of the American military as a sophomore social project.  Please.  Let’s get back to a strong, wise, and on target approach to defending America and her historic ideals.

Thanks.

Catching Up

* “Strange Death of Europe: If population ‘suicide’ continues, European culture may also die.” (Elliott Abrams, Mercator)

* “Irina Ratushinskaya: Poet of the Valiant Heart” (Faith McDonnell, Juicy Ecumenism)

* “Freeing the Captives” (Mark Tooley, Providence)

* “Voter Fraud Database Tops 1,000 Proven Cases” (Jason Snead & Emily Hall, Daily Signal)

* “Terror at the Temple Mount Puts the Lie to Palestinian Rage” (Eli Lake, Bloomberg)

* “Salvation Army Has Its Bell Rung by NYC” (FRC’s Washington Update)

* “ The ‘having it all’ fantasy fails our girls...and boys” (Joy Adan, Mercator)

* “Judge Fines David Daleiden $137,000 for Exposing Planned Parenthood Selling Aborted Baby Parts” (Steven Ertelt & Micaiah Bilgier, LifeNews.com)

* “Reagan’s Evangelism” (Mark Tooley, Juicy Ecumenism)

From Whence Cometh Progress?

From an article in the Iona Institute archives:

“In the West we are doing our best to destroy our Christian heritage but in China, Chinese intellectuals are coming around to the view that it is precisely this heritage that has made the West so successful. Former editor of the Sunday Telegraph, Dominic Lawson, in a review in the Sunday Times of Niall Ferguson's new book, ‘Civilisation: The West and the Rest’, carries a quote from a member of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in which he tries to account for the success of the West, to date.

He said: ‘One of the things we were asked to look into was what accounted for the success, in fact, the pre-eminence of the West all over the world. We studied everything we could from the historical, political, economic, and cultural perspective. At first, we thought it was because you had more powerful guns than we had. Then we thought it was because you had the best political system. Next we focused on your economic system. But in the past twenty years, we have realised that the heart of your culture is your religion: Christianity. That is why the West is so powerful. The Christian moral foundation of social and cultural life was what made possible the emergence of capitalism and then the successful transition to democratic politics. We don’t have any doubt about this.’”

Doing Justice

Praying and winsomely presenting hopeful pro-life options to people who have abortion appointments continues to be an important part of Vital Signs Ministries (as we were doing on this very warm morning) as does the ongoing entertainment and visitation outreach we conduct in the senior care facilities (as we will be doing on this very warm afternoon).

“Vindicate the weak and fatherless; Do justice to the afflicted and destitute.” (Psalm 82:3, NASB)

“Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.” (James 1:27, NASB)

Just Go As Far As You Can

Climbing a mountain doesn’t happen quickly. Indeed, it is a slow, laborious process which challenges the hiker’s strength, patience, resolution, and perseverance. And faithfully living out our lives for Jesus requires these same virtues.

The 14, 265 foot Mt. Quandary almost did me in last week.  In fact, there were several times that I decided I wasn’t going to make the top. There was no way. It was too steep, too far away. Yet I had made a vow to the Lord (and to Claire and especially encouraging friends like Dick, Pat, John, and Allen) that I would “go as far as I can.” And that vow I wanted to diligently keep.  So, I kept getting up after every rest, prayed for strength, and proceeded to go a little further.

My wish, of course, was to get to the summit.  But that wish, that hope wasn’t my immediate goal. No, my goal throughout that very difficult morning was only to get a bit higher, to be faithful to my pledge, to put one foot in front of the other for a wee bit longer.

You know, there's an important lesson there. For this is all that God asks of us in any test – not necessarily to be successful in how we might define success, but only to be faithful to do our best.  To obediently, keep on the course He has set before us and lean upon Him for strength, endurance, wisdom, and joy.

In a real sense, the journey is the destination.  It is all that He requires of us. It's the only thing we have to deal with for our success, our reward – those matters are all in His capable hands and set for His perfect time.  And what an assuring, comforting, even motivating force that can be.

That I did eventually make the summit of Mt. Quandary was a special gift of His grace, one which reinforced the lesson for me. One foot before the other...one challenge at a time...simply doing what you can do. Then God works with our efforts to bring about blessings in our lives that are way beyond our own abilities. Sometimes they're even beyond our hopes.

So, please be encouraged, dear saints of God, to keep the Faith in whatever trials and tests the Lord has allowed in your lives. Anxiety, loneliness, illness or disability, loss of freedom, disappointment, a ministry without visible results, being wrongfully defamed, unjust treatment...whatever. Our Father merely asks you to hold onto His Hand, take one step at a time, and rest assured that His love and grace will take you into a glorious, victorious future.

Don't look at the mountain's peak. Instead, look immediately ahead, call upon His Name for help...and go just a bit further.

The Summer "When Swing Was King" Newsletter

Follow this link to read the latest “When Swing Was King” quarterly newsletter. It is filled with Big Band trivia, quotes and Scriptures dealing with summer, a spotlight on “Stardust,” and a personal note from Denny & Claire.  These fun, inspirational letters have proven to be a real hit this year with the audiences at the 12 senior care facilities where we present “When Swing Was King” every month. Check it out.

And see how well you do on the Big Band quiz that’s in there.

(Don't worry — the answers are on page 3.)

Another Birthday. Another 14er.

To celebrate my 65th birthday on July 5th 2016, I returned to Colorado (the land of my admittedly misspent youth) and hiked up the 14,065 foot Mt. Bierstadt. For almost two years I had been doing a lot of walking here in Omaha (over 7 miles a day, several days a week) but I soon learned that walking a level, paved course wasn't nearly enough to prepare an elderly fellow for the challenge of hiking far above timberline. Yet, by the gracious permission and provision of God, I managed to make the summit.  (The pictorial review of that adventure can be viewed here.)

And so...for my birthday this year, I decided to try again. Here, in photos and brief descriptions, is the story of our quick trip trip to Golden, Breckenridge, and Mt. Quandary.

1) After a lovely day driving out to Denver, a day including conversation, prayers, in-car picnics, and a Louis L'Amour audio book, we went on into Golden, the town where I went to Junior High School and where my Father's and Mother's bodies are buried. Claire and I stopped to buy some fresh decorations for the grave and then spent a little time at the cemetery before heading on to Breckenridge.

2 & 3) Claire found us a great studio apartment to stay in Breckenridge and at a surprising price. It allowed us to fix our own meals, enjoy an unusual but pleasant shower, and experience a delightful view of the mountains. Early the next day (Tuesday), we ate breakfast at the Columbine Cafe and then found a place along Main Street to watch the 4th of July parade. To be honest, we found last year's parade in Frisco to be bigger, more fun, and more decidedly Americana, but this one was okay. The photos below show the town's fire engine, a high school marching band, and a portion of the very large crowds that the event drew.

4 & 5) Following the event, we drove south on Colorado 9 into the long grassland valley that is South Park in order to check out the trailheads for the two hikes I was considering. Along the way were the towns of Alma and Fairplay. Just south of Hoosier Pass, we stopped to snap a few photos. The first is looking south into the valley. The next photo is facing west and shows Claire with the gorgeous backdrop of North Star Mountain.

6-10) After our drive, we returned to Breckenridge. It was a refreshingly cool evening in which to saunter around and soak up some of the Rocky Mountain atmosphere we both love so much. The following photos were taken on the grounds of Beaver Run Resort where we were lodging -- or in the forest nearby.

11) And now the hike. I had chosen Mt. Quandary, mainly because of the information we had learned the day before from a forest ranger we met on our drive west of Alma towards Kite Lake where you begin the trail for Mt. Democrat. Because of the late snows in Colorado this year, the road was worse than usual (it's never good) and that meant that people were having to park 1.5 miles away from Kite Lake. The prospect of adding 3 miles onto the already daunting hike made my decision for Quandary pretty easy. The photo below shows Mt. Quandary, named by a group of miners in the 1860s who were unable to identify a certain mineral they had found.

12) I was up at 4:30, breakfasted and out of the hotel by 5:15, and actually on the trail just before 6. I took this photo maybe a half hour later to capture the exciting moment when the sun first slipped above the mountains.

13) The newly awakened sun illuminates this steep (but clear and well-travelled) part of the trail. It's a big help emotionally because I had been unpleasantly surprised by the sharp ascent I had encountered so early in the day.

14) It was really exhilarating when the sun rose high enough to brighten up the whole mountain.

15) Here's a look up the valley showing the Blue Lakes reservoir fed by Monte Cristo Creek. At the photo's left is the north face of North Star Mountain and deeper into the valley is the rise to Mt. Wheeler.  On the far right is Mt. Quandary. The trail is a bit rocky here but still quite clear. I would soon encounter a lot “rockier” going.

16) I've been hiking for 80-90 minutes before getting beyond timberline and getting my first real clear “peek of the peak” that is my goal. I've inserted an arrow so you will notice some of the hikers that are already ahead of me...way up yonder.

17) I meet another hiker on the mountain. Cute, isn't she?

18) Here's the first of 3 snow fields that needed to be traversed. Because I hadn't packed in spikes (I was, in fact, wearing tennis shoes), it was super slick and a bit tricky. I had the day's first fall here.

19) I took this shot after making it through the first snow belt. It looks east and back down the mountain towards Highway 9. I've put in an arrow marking where the hikers parked their vehicles. If it looks like an awful long way away, believe me, it was longer still!

20) The goal is in sight. Yes, it's a sharp ascent through a lot of rocks and still quite a long distance off...but I can at least see it. However, for some time already, I've been praying for strength just to make it a little further, then a little bit further, then...you get the idea. Tackling 14ers as a 66-year old Clydesdale (I'll explain the reference when you ask me) is a tough go.

21) Looking across the rocks of Mt. Quandary towards the northeast towards Gray's Peak and Mt. Evans.

22) Here's a loooong look down the south face of Mt. Quandary towards the Blue Lakes Reservoir. What a crazy place for a guy with vertigo to be hanging out, huh? The reservoir is at 11,700 feet while where I'm standing (nervously holding my camera out) is somewhere around 13, 500 feet

23) I've been climbing for almost three hours but there's still quite a way to go. And every time I look up, it seems farther away! (The truth is that I know it's farther away than even what it looks -- because the actual summit is a little ways past this “false summit” that you can see from the trail.) 

24) Talk about a tough job! There were four young people (2 guys, 2 gals) scraping away rocks, shoving big rocks into place to make “stairsteps,” and filling in the worst of the snowmelt ruts.

25) A breathtaking view to the southwest.

26) The final snow field is ahead. Just past it is the way to the top.

27) Atop Mt. Quandary looking west. I'm almost moved to tears with the beauty, the immense relief of finally making it, and the deep sense of gratitude to my Lord in giving me this amazing gift.

28) It's a party atmosphere at the summit yet, at the same time, there is a shared sense of solemn awe. Here is a 360 degree video clip.

29) The highlight of my birthday? I guess so!

30) I hang out at the summit for quite awhile -- resting, eating a bit, taking more water, and being almost overwhelmed by all elements of the experience. I also take a few more photos including some, like the one below, that again begs the question, “What in the world is a guy with vertigo doing up here?”

31) Okay, on the way down now, I occasionally look back and wonder how on earth I just managed to get up there!

32) It was a hard and slow climb down. It took two hours just to get back to timberline and, with my legs going “all noodly” on me, it took even longer for me to make it back to the car. Thank You, Lord, for bearing me up through the ordeal and for giving giving me patience, hope, and encouraging friends like these to cheer me up on the way down.

Because we had several things going this weekend (including a wedding reception for Jake and Tricia Malek on Saturday, teaching a Sunday School class and preaching the sermon at Lighthouse Baptist Church on Sunday morning, writing the monthly letter of Vital Signs Ministries, etc.), we left Breckenridge early Thursday morning and got into Omaha in the early evening. Our way home was helped by listening to an audio copy of Who Built That: Awe-Inspiring Stories of American Tinkerpreneurs by the incomparable Michelle Malkin. Terrific.

To all of you who prayed for my protection and for success in this venture, I express my deepest thanks.