The Top 5 (Plus) June 21

1) “Abortion Supporters Unleash Torrent of Hatred Against 1-Pound Baby Chance: We’re living in a nightmare.” (Ellie Gardey Holmes, American Spectator)

From the article -- One would have thought that once baby Chance was born and was lying in an (actual) incubator in a NICU, such disgustingly evil talk would cease. Usually, once a baby has a birth certificate and a Social Security number, pro-abortionists are content to admit that a child has a right to life.

Well, no. Since news of Chance’s birth broke earlier this week, many abortion supporters have responded by wishing for the little baby’s death. The amount of traction this opinion has gotten online is truly sickening.

2) “Israel, Iran, and the Trump Doctrine: President Trump is already engaged in an old war -- and he wants to make sure the U.S. wins it.” (Brian T. Kennedy, American Mind)

From the article -- There is a disagreement now over what America’s role should be, if any, in supporting Israel after its preemptive strike on Iran. President Trump has authorized the use of American air defenses to stop Iranian attacks on American assets and citizens: our military bases in the region, our consulate in Tel Aviv, and the Americans living in the surrounding area. This is not an endorsement of the Israeli strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities and personnel. It is designed to protect the lives of Americans; the U.S. is well within its right to do so. It should be noted that we do not have an embassy in Iran, and for good reason.

Responses by the American Left to condemn Israel were not unexpected, as the Left has long sympathized with the anti-Western, anti-American hatred propagated by the Islamic world. More surprising is the reaction of some in the America First/MAGA movement, who seem to perceive President Trump’s policy as a betrayal of his promise to keep us out of new wars...President Trump, therefore, has not endorsed the start of a new war. He is engaged in an old war—one that may well be seen, in retrospect, as World War III. He wants to make sure it is won by the United States.

FYI -- Two other excellent articles related to this critical matter is “The Return of the Neocon Canard: Israel’s war with Iran has given an ancient blood libel a new lease of life” (Melanie Phillips, Jewish News Service) and “Trump’s Careful, America First Approach to Iran’s Nuclear Weapons Program: Trump’s MAGA base trusts his judgment—even if stopping Iran’s nuclear threat means a one-time strike, not a new war.” (Fred Fleitz, American Greatness)

3) “Politics of the Cradle” (John O. McGinnis, Law & Liberty)

From the article -- Few debates matter more to the West’s future than the widening divide between left and right over the simple act of having children. Inside an April pronatalism conference in Austin, the roster stretched from the more traditionalist Catherine Pakaluk to libertarian Bryan Caplan. Outside, left-wing protesters branded the gathering “neo-Nazi.” The answer to the question of whether children are worth having will shape everything from fiscal policy to cultural identity. The roots of the quarrel are worth tracing.

That even childbirth now falls under the old slogan “the personal is the political” may shock. Yet it follows naturally from each camp’s bundle of larger ideological commitments. For conservatives, increasing fertility in the West is part of the defense of its civilization. Europeans and other groups that were at its heart are no longer reproducing themselves. Across the OECD, the total-fertility rate has slid to 1.5 children per woman; in Italy and Spain, it hovers near 1.2, and even in the United States, the latest CDC release puts the rate at just 1.63—far below the 2.1 replacement benchmark. For many conservatives, every newborn is a vote that the West remains worth inheriting.

4) “Can the Left Ever Stop Its Craziness? The more the left rages, the more Trump rises -- while Democrats trade policy for tantrums and canonize chaos in place of compromise.” (Victor Davis Hanson, American Greatness)

From the article -- Instead, why do Democrats throw two-year-old temper tantrums to howl nihilistically at everything Trump says and does? One, exasperated Democrats lack all levers of political power—the Congress, the White House, and the Supreme Court. So, they take to the media and the streets.

Two, Democrats are permanently frustrated that the more they scream and stomp, the more polls show radical declines in public support for their party.

Three, their nemesis, 79-year-old Donald Trump, seems impervious to Democratic lawfare, threats, and smears. Despite the hysterical attacks, he is still polling now about where prior presidents like George Bush and Barack Obama were at similar junctures in their second terms. The more Trump is smeared as a fascist or dictator, the more polls—like the latest liberal Economist/YouGov survey—show him gaining public support for securing the border and deportation.

And the more the left damns Trump as a racist, the more he wins unprecedented Black and Hispanic support. In recent Rasmussen tracking polls, Trump garnered 54 percent approval from Black voters and 53 percent from Hispanics.

Four, Trump proves a hard-to-hit, moving target for the frustrated left. He cannot quite be pigeonholed as a predictable right-wing bogeyman.

5) In the fifth spot this week are a trio of very illuminating (and troubling) pro-life articles. 

* “We Found Out How Easy It Is To Order An Abortion Pill. The Results Are Shocking.” (Katelynn Richardson, Daily Caller)

* “UK Vote for Abortions Up to Birth is Sparking Massive Pro-Life Backlash” (Elise DeGeeter, LifeNews.com)

* “Planned Parenthood Kills the Babies of 97% of Pregnant Women Who Go There” (Brad Mattes, LifeNews.com)

* “Did Planned Parenthood Commit Yet Another Felony?” (Ben Johnson, Washington Stand)

The Top 5 -- Plus (June 14)

I’ve got an unusual Top 5 for you this weekend and not only because I added links to yet another 5 articles at the conclusion of this post. No, the other thing about today’s compilation is that the Top 5 all come from one source, Harbinger’s Daily. I’m doing this to underscore the importance of this source for those looking to making “biblical sense” out of the day’s headlines. I am finding it a tremendous help in interpreting the culture I live in and then to better inform others, advocate righteous causes, pray more wisely, and live more responsibly. I hope you also find it of value.

Now I’ll also explain that it isn’t the only online news and commentary source I appreciate. Oh no. There are many others, the most important of which are Power Line, Lucianne, the Federalist, Breitbart, City Journal, The Stream, LifeNews, Newsmax, Insta Pundit, American Spectator, Daily Signal, Fox News, Hot Air, Washington Stand, and Decision

But now...on to this weekend’s Top 5.

1) “In The Midst Of Los Angeles Chaos, Biblically Understanding Immigration and Borders Is Critically Important” (Greg Laurie, Harbinger’s Daily)

From the article -- We are all alarmed by the rioting, looting, and destruction happening in Los Angeles and other cities across the country. This violence is tearing apart communities, hurting the innocent -- and is just flat out wrong.

In the midst of this chaos, some of us Christians might be wondering: What does the Bible say about immigrants? It’s important for us to align our worldview with the Bible, and Scripture has a lot to say about the many issues we’re facing right now in culture. That includes immigration, border policies, and order.

So, what does the Bible say about immigrants? It’s true we find talk about welcoming a stranger in the Old Testament, but that’s only half of it. It doesn’t mean that our nation cannot have order in the process of doing so. In fact, the expectation communicated in Scripture is that the stranger abides by the law of the land and assimilates. There is a right way to come into our nation...

2) “God’s Word vs Man’s Opinion: Why the Church Can and Should Speak Authoritatively on Abortion” (Ken Ham, Harbinger’s Daily)

From the article -- Dr. Wright was asked a question about abortion on his Ask NT Wright Anything podcast (I wrote last year about the terrible answer he gave on that program to a question about science and the Bible). And his answer was biblically and theologically atrocious! But that’s not surprising because I find that when a person compromises Genesis with outside beliefs (like evolution/millions of years), it has a detrimental effect on other areas such as we see here regarding his answer on abortion...

Dr. Wright took about 10 minutes to answer to question—and never once quoted the Bible. That’s right, this young lady asked for “Christian reasoning” on this issue and got nothing more than N. T. Wright’s opinion with no reference to God’s Word and only a passing comment of starting with a “sense of respect for God’s creation in all its rich variety.”

Because he refused to stand on the authority of God’s Word and apply biblical principles, Dr. Wright and his cohost just danced around the issue. Over and over, they made sure to point out that abortion is a “hugely sensitive” and “difficult issue.” The cohost even said at one point, “We can’t assume this is a black-and-white answer when every case is going to be somehow different.” In his introduction, Wright said, “When [abortion is] presented as ‘you are killing, you are murdering, an unborn child, I think we do have to be very, very careful.” In other words, you can’t call abortion what it really is because “it’s sensitive” and “difficult.”

3) “Bible Prophecy and the Days of Noah: Is the Earth Once Again ‘Filled With Violence’”? (Breanna Claussen, Harbinger’s Daily)

From the article -- When Jesus’ disciples asked Him what the signs of His return would be, the Savior of the World gave a detailed list. Recorded in Matthew 24 and Luke 21, Jesus stated that there would be wars and rumors of wars, distress of nations, and lawlessness. These days, Jesus described, would also be like “the days of Noah.” In Genesis 6:5, 11, we read that in the time before the flood: “God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually… The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.”

Is the earth once again being “filled with violence,” just as Jesus forewarned? A brief look at the recent events leads to a sad and unmistakable answer.

In the arena of antisemitism, it was Hamas’ barbaric massacre of over 1,200 Israelis that served as the catalyst for the normalization and acceptance of violence against Jews. Equipped with GoPro cameras, the terrorists gleefully committed unimaginably brutal executions; October 7th has rightly been called “the most well-documented massacre in history.” What followed shortly after was perhaps even more startling. Despite the ease with which people could witness the scale of Hamas’ crimes, individuals across the globe began to justify and celebrate the terrorists.

4) “Spiritual Warfare is the Driving Force Behind The Headlines of Our Day, But Most of the Church is Unaware” (Jonathan Brentner, Harbinger’s Daily)

From the article -- The Lord’s warning reveals at least a couple of truths that pertain to our day:

The current epidemic of unawareness should not surprise us; it fulfills Jesus’ prediction for the last days.

Most people will remain in this state of blissful ignorance until the Rapture occurs and another extended time of God’s judgment begins. Even then, the majority will refuse to repent and put their trust in Jesus.

Sadly, many believers fail to recognize that they live in biblical times despite the myriad of signs pointing to the rapidly approaching seven-year Tribulation. I believe a primary cause for such unawareness stems from a lack of understanding regarding the nature of the spiritual warfare that’s driving world events toward an inevitable conclusion. Jesus’ words in John 10:10 certainly concern our walk with Him, but do they not also include Satan’s behavior throughout our world? “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”

The rest of the New Testament makes it abundantly clear that redeemed New Testament saints have an enemy, Satan, whose sole objective is to “steal and kill and destroy.” The Apostle Peter describes our adversary as a “roaring lion” who is constantly seeking victims to “devour” (1 Peter 5:8).

The devil continually strives to disguise the existence of the warfare that rages around us, which not only makes believers vulnerable to our enemy’s devices and attacks against them personally, but also accounts for their inability to identify the same driving force behind the headlines of our day.

5) “Unwavering Faith in God’s Sovereignty: Astronaut Barry Wilmore Recounts Test of Faith 250 Miles Above the Earth” (Reprinted from Decision Magazine by Harbinger’s Daily)

From the article -- The spaceflight was going as planned until moments before the capsule was supposed to dock onto the ISS some 250 miles above the Earth. That’s when the first thruster failed. As the Starliner got closer to the space station, the second thruster was lost. Then the third and fourth thrusters died.

Wilmore says that before NASA Mission Control commandeered the spacecraft for its final approach to the space station, at 17,500 miles per hour, he briefly contemplated whether aborting the mission and returning to Earth was even possible.

Yet in the midst of an extremely precarious situation, Wilmore was at peace.

“I completely understand God’s sovereignty,” he tells Decision. “That He is in control of all things at all times. And I felt that. I thought that very thing as we were losing those thrusters. The Lord’s got this, and if it means He takes me today, so be it.’ And that’s the way—even before we launched, my wife and I, our daughters, we understand that and we’re OK with that because, if the Lord doesn’t return first, we’re all going to go one day. And if He chooses to take us in certain scenarios, that’s OK. 

“He’s working out His plan and His purpose, and how we fit into that is wonderful. Because ‘eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him,’ and we do” (See 1 Corinthians 2:9).

Other Recommendations This Week? 

* “Rape Gangs and Liberal Silence” (B. Duncan Munch, Tablet)

* “The Ten Warning Signs: A huge change is coming” (Ted Gioia, The Honest Broker)

* “Summer of Love 2.0: Democrats Unmask Themselves at Riots” (John Kass)

* “Pope Leo XIV Drops Papal Supremacy, Urging ‘Full Communion’ with ‘All Christians’” (The Stream)

* “Trump’s Words -- and the Silence of Others -- on the Persecution of Christians” (Raymond Ibrahim, The Stream)

The Top 5 Plus (June 7)

1) “Who Really Are the Lawless and the Dictatorial? The left cries ‘dictatorship’ while wielding the courts, agencies, and media to undermine laws, crush dissent, and call it democracy.” (Victor Davis Hanson, American Greatness) 

From the article -- The left is in its usual sanctimonious but schizophrenic mood.

The media claims daily that the Trump administration has usurped power. It is supposedly destroying democracy. It tramples on the rule of law and thus has created a virtual dictatorship. Yet at the same time, Democrats high-five the most recent district court judge who has put a stop to the current Trump executive orders—which the Trump administration abides by as it files appeals.

There are two clear conclusions from the flurry of the lower-court liberal justices’ orders: 1) Trump has obeyed their record number of interventions as the appeals go forward; and 2) rarely in the history of the republic has a pool of some 300-400 left-wing district judges exercised such nationwide control over the executive branch and indeed the entire nation. Yet consider the array of double standards.

2) “‘Unethical And Dangerous’: Over 80% of Abortion Pill Emergency Room Visits Were ‘Miscoded As Miscarriages’” (Harbinger's Daily)

From the article -- Women have been told lies about the reality of life in the womb. While left-leaning groups claimed that unborn babies are merely “clumps of cells,” they also advocated for women not to be shown ultrasound images of their children prior to abortions.

Abortion pills—especially with safeguards removed—offered a perfect scenario to block women from coming to realize the human life they would be destroying. In the cases where women reconsidered their decision, Democrats also worked overtime to demonize Pro-Life groups offering women the chance to reverse the process after taking the first of the two-pill regimen. While simultaneously convincing women that the pro-life reversal drugs were medically questionable, the FDA used corrupt means to shield the public from the dangers of abortion drugs.

Like so many other issues in our culture, this is a spiritual battle. Jesus warned that Satan is “the father of lies” and a “murderer from the beginning” (John 8:44).

3) “How the Pride war was won” (Don Surber)

From the article -- LGBT has gone from a darling to coyote ugly this year as corporations gnaw their legs to escape the trap. Newsweek asked, “What Happened to All the Corporate Pride Logos?” It said, “In a notable shift from recent years, a number of blue-chip corporations and sports organizations are quietly scaling back their public-facing support for LGBTQ+ Pride Month in 2025.

“About 39% of corporate executives say their companies are reducing public Pride efforts this year, according to a recent survey from Gravity Research. That includes less frequent use of rainbow-themed logos, fewer social media posts and scaled-back sponsorships of Pride events.”

4) “Taking Advantage of Our Rare Status: Culture Is Downstream From Politics... For Now” (J.D. Rucker, America First Report)

From the article -- When one thing is downstream from another, it’s a one-way relationship. This is true in the real world and it’s generally true in the philosophical world.

The late and great Andrew Breitbart said, “politics is downstream from culture.” He was and still is absolutely correct. If you want to make political changes that can stick, you must change the hearts and minds of enough Americans from a cultural perspective.

But here’s the thing. “Culture” is no longer a transparent characteristic. Thanks in large part to a combination of wide political gaps, ultra-biased legacy media, polarized social media, and the rise of cancel culture, we can no longer look to perceived public opinion to get a sense for what is real. Opinions are changing very quickly. We need to take advantage of it before they have political reasons to change back.

5) “The ‘Merwede’ Climate Nightmare: The EU/Europe builds its green comfort Gulag.” (Thomas Kolbe, American Spectator)

From the article -- When we look at the civilizational development of societies, two basic patterns emerge. On one side is the free society — decentralized, subsidiarily organized, and sustained by individual responsibility. Opposite stands its antagonist: a centralized power structure built on control, planning, and regulation. Despite lip service to freedom, the EU/Europe has firmly embraced centralized control.

Centralized statist powers have a limited half-life. The rise and fall of tyrannical regimes are best understood through examples like the Soviet Empire, the Third Reich, or the many socialist projects of the 20th century. Faced with their inherent economic decline, the elites of these decaying bodies respond aggressively with increasing control, interventionism, and an unraveling media apparatus tasked with stabilizing the falling regime narratively.

Other Quality Reads:

* “Intifada Here! Intifada Now! The evil consequences of appeasement and enabling calls for violence” (John A. Lucas, Bravo Blue)

* “Depo-Provera’s Alleged Link To Brain Tumors Should Make You Wonder What’s In Your Birth Control” (Jordan Boyd, Federalist)

* “DOGE’s Next Chore: Time to end funding for government social programs that don’t work” (Steven Malanga, City Journal)

* “Antisemitic Words Have Morphed Into Violent Actions… And It May Only Be The Beginning” (Olivier Melnick, Harbinger's Daily)

* “Taking Sides: Wikipedia Advances Anti-Israel Narratives” (Aaron Bandler, RealClearInvestigations)

Praying for the U.K.

In reading about the ongoing troubles in the United Kingdom of late (especially their horrid troubles involving violent crime, the wholesale repression of free speech and Christian expression, the government's embrace of abortion, and increasingly ugly anti-Semitism), I decided to write a few of our friends in in that country. And because it underlines specific prayer points that might stimulate others to uphold our brethren there, I decided to print it.

Just a quick word from your old friends in the States. It is first of all, a word of thanks for your ongoing testimony for the Lord Jesus Christ -- a testimony of faith, integrity, and wise investment in His everlasting Kingdom which has stimulated so many to “love and good deeds” in Christ’s Name. We are grateful to be among that company. 

Secondly, we send a word of encouragement regarding the increased lawlessness and speech restrictions you have been encountering. I would love to join in the optimism that believes such conditions will be only temporary. After all, such policies are so blatantly unjust and reveal such remarkable hypocrisy and irrationality that one might expect them to collapse from their own weight of folly. But alas, as we know all too well, such assessments often clash with the realities of a modern culture that is immersed in what our dear brother Francis Schaefer would have called “stupid-wicked.” Furthermore, the Scriptures describe the earth’s “last days” to be full of disdain for Christian doctrine and values, and we may be seeing these prophetic Scriptures coming to pass in our day. 

Therefore, though we are fervently praying that the UK (and Europe) may yet come out of this tailspin, the encouragement we send you is of a deeper, stronger quality. It is simply this: Jesus is the Lord of our salvation; He is the conquering King Who sustains His children in all troubles; and He is the Lord of hosts who defeats evil and death even as He ushers the redeemed souls (with their glorified bodies, of course) to the paradise He has carefully prepared for them. It’s a paradise where they will live victoriously, harmoniously, and amid peace and beauty and marvelous splendor forevermore! Hallelujah! 

Appreciating these grand promises are of the utmost importance for us if we desire to withstand the attacks launched at us from this polluted and pernicious culture. And we need to embrace those promises in order to effectively, consistently hold high our Lord’s banner as the standard of hope for all who have yet to bow the knee and receive Christ as Savior. And as the darkness deepens, our light shines all the more brilliantly.

No, I’m afraid that these closing days of our spiritual pilgrimage will not be very easy or comfortable. After all, the challenges posed by aging and marginalization, the sadness resulting from disappointments and bereavement, and the grievous changing of the world we once knew into one that is more crude, corrupt, and cruel must undoubtedly make for some difficult days. Yet, in the Lord’s noble plans and by the Spirit’s empowerment, they can yet be our very best days as we intensify our relationship with our returning King -- and as we seek to share wisely and winsomely His glorious, liberating light to others.

We are stepping up our prayers for our brethren across the globe (including those tempted by timidity and carnality here in the United States) but Claire and I wanted to write our pals in the UK to let you know we have a special interest in your well-being and your ministries. We have been asking God 1) to protect you from the evil one, 2) to lift burdens from your hearts and strengthen your faith, 3) to answer the prayers of your hearts concerning your family, and 4) to grant you peace and health and triumphant joy.

Finally, we want to remind you that if you’re ever looking for a little respite, a little re-charging of your spiritual batteries, we have a guest room here that is all ready for you! And with it comes a well-stocked kitchen and even a dependable vehicle by which you could “tool around” the lovely city of Omaha, Nebraska! Indeed, we would love to have you visit.

Stay the course, dear friends. Our redemption most truly does draw nigh.

The Top 5 (May 31)

1) “By Appeasing Rogue Judges, Trump Legitimizes Leftists’ Judicial Coup” (Shawn Fleetwood, Federalist)

From the article -- Leavitt’s evasive answer prompted Hemingway to once again pressure the press secretary about how the White House intended to fight back against activist judges’ efforts to sabotage the will of the more than 77 million Americans who voted for Trump last year. “You’re saying you’re responding to each and every one of these actions, efforts by these judges to delay or thwart the implementation of the agenda. But is there going to be anything more than that, or is it just going to let this operation continue even though it could delay everything for years until the presidency is over?” Hemingway asked.

Leavitt’s answer was less than reassuring.The press secretary said the administration “is operating under the directive given … from the president that we need to comply with the court’s orders,” and added that the White House intends “to fight them in court, and we’re going to win on the merits of these cases, because we know we are acting within a president’s legal and executive authorities.”

In other words, Trump and his administration have no current plans to end the judicial coup at all. They’re going to continue abiding by these rogue lower court judges’ overreaching edicts, thereby giving legitimacy to the unconstitutional effort crippling Trump’s presidency and America’s separation of powers.

Related article: "Trump Should Buck Rogue Judges, Not Buckle To Them" (Brianna Lyman, Federalist)

2) “Indoctrinating Children Into The Demonic: It’s Past Time For A Total Rethink Of ‘Education’” (Alex Newman, Harbinger's Daily)

From the article -- As the Newman Report has been documenting for years, paganism and anti-Christian religious indoctrination have become a staple of what passes for “education” in government schools today, all across the nation. Aside from Hinduism, Buddhism has also been invading classrooms nationwide under the guise of “meditation” techniques and “mindfulness” education.

In fact, peddlers of these programs openly boast of teaching this supposedly “secularized” Buddhism and Hinduism to government-schooled children across America. In a video on “Mindfulness in Education” by expert Amy Burke, the very first quote comes from an Indian guru and so-called “World Teacher” by the name of “Jiddu Krishnamurti,” from his book “Education and the Significance of Life.”

The decision to quote this particular guru offers significant insight into what this is all about. The guru, adopted and trained by the head of a Luciferian cult known as the “Theosophical Society” that inspired the National Socialist (Nazi) movement, was blunt about his pagan agenda. “You want to have your own gods – new gods instead of the old, new religions instead of the old, new forms instead of the old – all equally valueless, all barriers, all limitations, all crutches,” Krishnamurti explained.

3) “The Party of Ba’al and Jezebel” (Kevin Finn, American Thinker)

From the article -- In my debates with Democrats, I like to ask them for their Top Ten List of things their party has done to make America safer, stronger, more prosperous, and more united. Only one person has ever listed ten, most list a few and then change the subject. But even the items they list turn out to have been ultimately harmful or ineffective. Obamacare is high on the list, as are the COVID “vaccines,” public schools and welfare.

When I look at that party’s history I see a consistent and frightening pattern. Southern Democrats owned the slaves, started the Civil War, formed the KKK, opposed passage of the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments, and passed Jim Crow laws and the Great Society legislation that decimated the nuclear family. They currently promote the losing side of every 90/10 issue facing America, such as championing MS-13 gang-bangers and Islamic terrorists and placing graphic pornography in K-12 schools.

How likely is it that a party would consistently choose actions that are harmful to those they claim to serve? “Once is happenstance, twice is a coincidence, three times is enemy action.” (Ian Fleming) Promoting evil for personal gain is as old as humankind and people have always looked for the source. Scripture warns us that we "…do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places."

4) “On The Moral Misanthropy of the Left: They operate on a single principle: nihilism and civilizational regression.” (Jason D. Hill, Front Page Magazine)

From the article -- Against the backdrop of all this decades ago, a friend of mine told me of a paradox he presented to a friend of his. His friend is a female pediatrician in her 60s who is childless. He asked her: Do you think there is anything paradoxical about pro-choice vegans who are committed to the inviolable dignity of chickens and fish, to the point of refusing to eat hens’ eggs or caviar on moral grounds, but not extending that moral principle to protecting fertilized human eggs?

Her reply was: What are you talking about? There is no connection between the two! He replied, In both cases an egg is destroyed, and in the case of the abortion, the egg is fertilized. The pediatrician replied, In reference to the fertilized human egg: It’s not a human being, so don’t even go there. And you’re a male, so you don’t get a say in the matter.

5) “How And Why Southern Baptists Are Losing Confidence In The ERLC” (Elle Purnell, Federalist)

From the article -- Criticisms of the ERLC mostly fall into two categories: allegations that the commission is useless and ineffective on the right political issues, and that it actively devotes resources to the wrong ones...

“They’ve been completely absent on the big fights over big issues,” Sen. Mike Lee told Basham earlier this year. As Basham noted, Lee has been at the forefront of several legislative battles over the issues the ERLC purports to focus on. Rachel Bovard, a Federalist contributor and Hill veteran, told Basham a similar story. “In 12 years on the Hill I don’t ever remember hearing from the ERLC,” she said. “They really are not viewed as being actively helpful on advancing conservative politics on the Hill,” added Mike Whitehead, the ERLC’s former general counsel.

The Top 5 (May 24)

1) “The Messed-Up World of People Who Believe Abortion Is Love” (Ellie Gardey Holmes, American Spectator

From the article -- Figures like Scarlet A author Katie Watson, as well as the #ShoutYourAbortion movement, remained at the level of arguing that abortion was a great benefit to society in terms of safety and resources. Yet, at this time, other members of the pro-abortion movement began to push the narrative, arguing that abortion, more than being societally beneficial, was a loving act.

In November 2019, a blog post published by the National Women’s Law Center asserted that “abortion is love” in the strongest terms possible. “The media often paints abortion as a divisive political issue,” said the author, “but here’s the truth: abortion actually is an act of love, an act of compassion, an act of healing, and an act of selflessness.” The author was, she said, “sick and tired of having to justify why we need to be able to get an abortion.”

2) “The Closer Israel Gets To Victory Over Hamas, The More The Nations Rage” (Amir Tsarfati, Harbinger's Daily)

From the article -- Europe, I love so many of you. But I’m sorry to say that most of your governments and media elites are a flat-out mess. Case in point – Eurovision. For those of you on the western side of the Atlantic, Eurovision is an annual song contest between nations. Each country sends a representative who presents their song, and the contestants are voted on. These votes come in two kinds. There is a five-person jury from each country. They are media elites who are very political and very biased. Then there is the public, which is made up of normal, everyday people. Israel’s representative was Yuval Rafael, a young lady who had been at the Nova Festival on October 7 and survived by hiding under dead bodies. Yuval sang beautifully, winning the hearts of the televoting public who voted her to the number one position by a wide margin. The political jury vote, however, placed Yuval all the way down in a tie for 14th place. This is not surprising.

Even before the competition, the Slovenian broadcaster of the program demanded that Israel be excluded. Spanish, Icelandic, Belgian, and Irish broadcasters said that removing Israel from the program must be discussed. Spain’s prime minister declared that Israel should be banned, as did a spokesperson from Belgium. Former contestants weighed in also, with 72 previous participants signing a letter that Israel be removed from the competition. In fact, this year’s winner, JJ from Austria, said that next year, the event should be “in Vienna and without Israel.” The antisemitism wasn’t just surrounding the contest; it was heard during it. While Yuval sang in her final performance, boos sounded from the audience.

But despite this brainwashed anti-Israel bias, the votes don’t lie. The fact that the public voted Israel number one says that not everyone in Europe has fallen into the devil’s trap of antisemitism. Sadly, they aren’t the ones pulling the strings of their countries’ governments, where the hatred of Israel is palpable.

3) “I’m a Yale free-speech champion -- arrested for words I never said” (Lauren Noble, New York Post)

From the article -- I never thought I’d end up in handcuffs and a jail cell for something I didn’t say. But last May, police in New Haven, Conn., arrested me — because a parking attendant falsely claimed I had used a racial slur against him nearly a year earlier. I denied it. I asked the cops to check the parking lot’s surveillance video.

They didn’t — and the state charged me first with disorderly conduct, then with three counts of breach of peace in the second degree.

It took almost a year, tens of thousands of dollars in legal fees and endless stress before the nightmare ended on March 27, when the prosecutor finally dropped all charges. Why? “Insufficient evidence,” “inconsistencies,” “credibility issues,” video that “clearly contradicted” the accuser’s claims — and a possibility that I wasn’t even the right person. The judge dismissed the case.

If this can happen to me — a First Amendment advocate with resources, legal counsel and a public reputation to defend — it can happen to anyone.

4) “House passage of bill defunding Planned Parenthood draws excitement, caution from pro-lifers.” (Ryan Foley, Christian Post)

From the article -- The measure's fate now rests in the hands of the Republican-controlled U.S. Senate. Republicans currently have a 53-47 majority in the Senate, meaning that if support for the legislation comes down along party lines as it largely did in the House, they can only afford to lose the support of three senators for the bill to pass...

While most reactions to the measure from the pro-life community have been overwhelmingly positive, Katie Brown Xavios of the American Life League maintained that "this bill is not the full win it's being portrayed to be." Xavios expressed concern that the House-approved "big, beautiful bill" will "still fund Planned Parenthood for abortions in the cases of rape, incest, and the mother's health." 

"Give Planned Parenthood an inch, and they will take a mile," she warned. "If the exceptions are the only way Planned Parenthood will get paid, you had better believe that every abortion will now become a life-or-death situation so that Planned Parenthood ensures that it will get its money."

5) “Reflections on Radical Discipleship -- Re-Visited” (Denny Hartford, Vital Signs Blog)

From the article -- I continue to hope that the days of “great awakenings” are not all behind us. We are, after all, promised that the mercies of God are new every morning. Therefore, revolutionary change can yet occur in individual lives and even in culture, if we simply unplug ourselves from the world and connect our minds instead to the glorious Creator God Who gave His Son for our salvation.  So, please come with me for a look at 5 themes marking the radical discipleship of the early years of the Christian Brotherhood.

Reflections on Radical Discipleship (Re-Visited)

Yesterday I was honored to present the sermon at a memorial service for a fellow alumnus of the Christian Brotherhood, Jim Fisher. It was a duty greatly ennobled by Claire and I spending time  a couple of days earlier with his remarkable family. They all represented very persuasive evidence of the sincerity and depth of Jim’s life in Christ. And thinking about Jim and the other Brotherhood friends we saw at the event got me to thinking about a piece I originally posted here on Vital Signs Blog (with photos, no less!) back in 2016. That article examined the 5 basic strengths the Lord used in making the Christian Brotherhood such a powerful discipleship ministry. Knowing some of you might find the post of interest, I re-print it below.

Reflections on Radical Discipleship

Last month Claire and I were blessed to participate in a reunion party involving people from the Christian Brotherhood’s early years. It was a momentous event as more than 50 of us celebrated the grace of God poured out upon America during the days of the Jesus Movement in the early 1970s.  We celebrated too the Lord’s ongoing grace as He has continued to lead, protect, correct, and use the lives of many believers who came through the unique ministry that was the Christian Brotherhood.

In reading through the printed testimonies, talking to people at the reunion party, and then reflecting on our common experiences over the last few weeks, I couldn’t help but compare what happened to us in those exciting days with what’s happening or, more to the point, what’s not happening with Christian youth today.  As a result of those reflections, I decided to address the topic of radical discipleship in this month’s letter. For I continue to hope that the days of “great awakenings” are not all behind us. We are, after all, promised that the mercies of God are new every morning. Therefore, revolutionary change can yet occur in individual lives and even in culture, if we simply unplug ourselves from the world and connect our minds instead to the glorious Creator God Who gave His Son for our salvation.  So, please come with me for a look at 5 themes marking the radical discipleship of the early years of the Christian Brotherhood.

1) A dramatic change of identity.  The converts to Christianity in those heady days of the Jesus Revolution wholeheartedly embraced the chance to be forgiven, to be made completely different from what they had been, and to live completely different from the culture in which they had previously walked.  Nowadays, I’m afraid, too many Christians boast in being just like everybody else. They downplay, even mock, the idea of a radical lifestyle change.  In fashion, in entertainment choices, in accepting the aggressive liberalism of the government schools, in chasing the constant lure of advertisers, in language and demeanor, young people in the church tend to copy their non-Christian peers. But the young people involved with the Christian Brotherhood were delighted to be different. We willingly accepted the responsibilities of living counter-culture lifestyles because, after all, we knew all too well that the world had nothing to offer us.  We had been there and done that. Thus, we jumped at the chance to exchange darkness for light, lies for truth, slavery for freedom.

We stopped boozing and doing drugs. We ended our promiscuity and criminal behavior.  We moved away from bad influences. We stopped watching TV, not because it was necessarily evil, but simply because we now had a host of other things to do…things that were interesting and active, things that were pure and beneficial. I believe we need a new sense today of how peculiar (the Bible’s word) a people we are; how set apart and set against the cosmos we are; how revolutionary should be our outlook on life, truth, God, the future, and the world around us.

2) A solid theological foundation. The Christian Brotherhood gave us a strong, unshakeable theological foundation.  This was somewhat unique among other Jesus People ministries as it featured Bible classes that were taught by skilled and experienced Bible scholars, including instructors at Grace Bible Institute who came into the inner city to deliver expositional, exegetical Bible classes to us several nights a week.

And we couldn’t get enough of it!  We not only listened intently, we filled our spiral notebooks with the notes we took from those lectures. And it wasn’t easy stuff either.  No cream puff Christianity here. Indeed, we learned later that the Grace instructors were giving us the very lectures they gave in their upper level theology courses at the college.  But, unlike many of the Grace students, we new converts would eagerly listen, carefully study our notes, and then compare them with what we were learning in our personal Bible study. We would also discuss them in depth with one another.  We knew we had an awful lot to learn…and a lot to unlearn too. Indeed, we sometimes fell back into patterns from our past and so our sanctification required us to regularly repent and even make restitution when possible. But God’s grace kept moving us forward and we took our duties as disciples very seriously.

Do you see much of that in today’s churches?  Young people so eager to learn that they forsake entertainment and sports and social media in order to attend hard-edged Bible studies?  Young people crowding into the front rows at church (as the Brotherhood kids did when we went together to hear Darrell Scott at Pleasantview Berean Church), kids holding well-marked Bibles along with pens and notebooks to learn more?  Young people who added to lectures and sermons their own studies in apologetics, church history, evangelism, and comparative religion?  Young people being stretched intellectually, held accountable for their beliefs and lifestyles, and challenged to learn to pray and serve and be ever conformed to the image of Christ?

Or do you see instead church youth of today isolated in their own age groups,
being coddled and pampered, given heavy doses of comfort and fun, protected from sacrifice and hard work, promised popularity and prosperity?  Such a state is a far cry from the discipleship required of young Christians throughout history. And it’s a far cry too from the discipleship undergone by most young believers in Third World churches today. Isn’t it time the Western Church embrace again the biblical ideals of radical discipleship? For our sake as well as God’s?

3) Godly fellowship. The discipleship process at the Christian Brotherhood was very strong on fellowship.  But our fellowship was not about fun and games, even though there was often a fun element to it.  Rather, it concentrated on our common participation in the new adventure we were enjoying in the Lord.  Bible study.  Giving witness to the gospel in the parks and on front porches.  Praying.  Commiserating with one another over our past hurts and failures while taking bold actions to change.  Talking about what we were reading.  Involvement in various ministries. Worshipping together with guitars and choruses and old hymns.

We quickly realized we needed frequent stimulation to love and good deeds, the spur to keep learning and maturing. We also knew we needed an accountability factor to help protect us from the easily-besetting sins of our past.  And, as a bonus, this kind of intimate, energizing fellowship taught us what our spiritual gifts were and how to best use them in ministry.

4) Practice in Christian service.  As was the case with the apostles who walked with Jesus in the 1st Century, the new converts at the Christian Brotherhood learned from precept, from example, and from direct participation.  We were young (most of us) and very inexperienced, yet we welcomed the activity the Lord brought our way in evangelism, prayer, counseling, physical labor, developing study habits, getting involved in church, repairing the damage we had caused in our families. The writer of Hebrews describes mature believers as “those who by practice have had their senses trained to discern good and evil.” We also were being trained as we practiced our faith in the real world.  Oh, yes; there was a lot of uncertain and amateurish action on our part and plenty of learning through our failures.  But learn we did.

5) Reading and reflecting. There’s one more item that was crucial to my early
discipleship, one so influential that it deserves special note.  And that is that the Christian Brotherhood “baptized” me into books! I had been an avid reader in my youth and, even in my otherwise wasted years of high school, I found pleasure and value in literature. But in my sad spiral downward after high school, I had stopped reading altogether.  And even when I was converted to Christianity in the early spring of 1970, I was very slow to get serious about books.  That all changed dramatically when I hitchhiked into the strange town of Omaha that summer of 1970.  For within 24 hours of hitting town, I was living at the Christian Brotherhood and directed to start reading Harry Ironside’s commentary on The Book of Acts. That was followed by a dozen more Ironside commentaries and then books by C.S. Lewis, Dwight Pentecost, Howard Hendricks, Donald Grey Barnhouse, and Anthony Hoekma.  I also began to buy my own Bible study books: concordances, commentaries, a Greek/English interlinear New Testament, the 5-volume ISBE, and more.  And towards the end of my time at the Brotherhood, I discovered Francis Schaeffer and others that were part of L’Abri. Those books opened up an adventurous new chapter in my learning…and my life.

Those books provided a strong foundation for me, one that only grew stronger in the decades since as I was introduced to other writers who rocked my world (notably G.K. Chesterton), as I read more widely (including a return to classic literature), and as I learned the value of re-reading.  Books have contributed greatly to my life and ministry.  They have enriched my relationships. They have given me great personal pleasure.  They have been a key defense against the moral pollution and intellectual debilitation brought on by watching too much television and modern film.  And, again, that all started at the Christian Brotherhood where I was blessed beyond measure to receive a radical discipleship.

A healthy Christianity that yields peace, happiness, and confidence? A holy lifestyle that lights up the darkness instead of being compromised and covered up by the surrounding cosmos? I’m convinced that these things begin with a regimen of radical discipleship highlighted by the five themes I’ve described: 1) A dramatic change of identity.  2) A solid theological foundation.  3) Godly fellowship.  4) Practice in Christian service.  5) Reading and reflecting.    If the Church has any hope of reclaiming its power to influence the world, it must bring these things back into play for our congregations.  And especially for our youth. We must pray to that end. But, in addition to our fervent intercession, you and I must act in whatever ways we can to advocate, and model, and encourage radical discipleship in the cause of Christ.

General Patton on "Defensive" Warfare

“While the command post was at Etain, I visited the Verdun battlefields of World War One, particularly Fort Douaumont. This is a magnificent, though futile, monument to heroism. You can see all over the ruinous fragments where brave men died to maintain something they could have saved much more easily by attacking period to me. Douaumont epitomizes the folly of defensive warfare.” (George Patton, War As I Knew It, published 1947, page 127)

“Pacifists would do well to study the Siegfried and Maginot Lines, remembering that these defenses were forced; that Troy fell; that the walls of Hadrian succumbed; that the Great Wall of China was futile; and that, by the same token, the mighty seas which are alleged to defend us can also be circumvented by a resolute and ingenious opponent. In war, the only sure defense is offense, and the efficiency of offense depends on the warlike souls of those conducting it.” (George Patton, War As I Knew It, published 1947, page 238)

The Top 5 (May 17)

1) “We May Have Seen Political Revival, But If the People Don’t Repent, There Is No Hope for America” (Jack Hibbs, Harbinger’s Daily)

From the article -- We’re on the brink of insanity, ladies and gentlemen! The direction this country is going is nothing short of insane. We are on the brink, I believe, of God judging this nation for the wicked sins that we have committed as a country. We need to repent.

In the house of God, we need to cry out to the Lord and intercede for every American, even those who do not believe. As a church, if pastors do not wake up and blow the trumpet of warning, it is going to be too late.

This is the reality even under Trump’s administration. Forget about the government for a moment. If we, the people, do not turn back to God in short order, I don’t believe there’s hope for America. We have had a political revival—that’s great. And yet, where’s the church? Islam is rising in America. Bizarre immorality is rising in America.

A related article: “American Churches Turned into Mosques — But Who’s Really to Blame?” (Raymond Ibrahim, The Stream)

2) “Warren Buffett Walks Away From Wall Street -- But Not From Butchering Unborn Babies. The Oracle of Omaha may be retiring from Berkshire Hathaway, but he won't give up his other title -- the biggest funder of abortion in history.” (Hayden Ludwig, American Spectator)

From the article --The billionaire’s secret is masking his abortion funding as “philanthropy.” Since 2002, he’s poured a vast fortune into a set of foundations deeply involved in bankrolling abortion-on-demand groups — including Planned Parenthood — and the United Nations’ population control crusade in poor, non-white countries.

One of these you know: the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, 39 percent of whose revenues actually come from Buffett. Much of that wealth goes toward anti-human advocacy groups such as the Population Council, created in the 1950s to depopulate the Third World. 

The Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation, however, does a much better job of hiding its radicalism. The group’s website advertises “college scholarships for Nebraska students” and “does not respond to other inquiries.”

This same “benign” education philanthropy has poured $76 million into Marie Stopes International (MSI), a far-left purveyor of abortions overseas for girls as young as 16 — some of them illegal. MSI, incidentally, is named for Britain’s version of Margaret Sanger, a eugenicist who wrote love poetry to Adolf Hitler. (Really.) Virtually all of its clinics are based in African and Asian countries that restrict abortion or enshrine the right to life for the unborn in their national constitutions, such as Kenya.

3) “The Decivilizing of America” (Victor Davis Hanson, Blade of Perseus)

From the article -- But in the last two decades, our major cities have been de-civilizing. Citizens are told not to flush non-biodegradable plastics down their toilets, both to preserve the environment and to ensure municipal septic systems work properly. They are reminded to pick up their pets’ excrement on sidewalks and in parks. For purposes of collective health, they are taught not to urinate, spit, or defecate in public areas.

Is all that for naught? After all, our mayors and city councils in our biggest and most iconic cities simply destroyed centuries of such health protocols and allowed tens of thousands of homeless people with impunity to inject, urinate, defecate, and fornicate in or on storefronts, streets, gutters, parks, and sidewalks. The stench, flotsam, and jetsam have utterly transformed American inner cities. Central Seattle, Los Angeles, parts of San Francisco, Portland, and Washington, DC, now resemble medieval London or Paris—as if a millennium-long knowledge of basic public health was simply ignored or mocked. In truth, the centers of America’s big cities are spaces where public health protocols are no longer enforced, where all the ancient and hard-won rules of civilization no longer apply. It would likely be safer to walk through Dickensian London of 1850 than to take a nocturnal ride on the New York subway.

Another hallmark of Western civilization was the creation of a judiciary that gave the state the power to enforce laws, ensure justice, and deter criminals by swift punishment, unaffected by ideology, bias, bribes, and personal vendettas. From the law codes of Justinian to the American Constitution, ascendant civilizations rose with a codified legal system applied uniformly, disinterestedly, and fairly. Not any longer. Ideology has turned the American legal system into a commissariat of sorts in which relativism is now the norm...

4) “Hawley ‘Stunned’ by DOJ’s Sudden Shift on Key Abortion Pill Case” (Suzanne Bowdey, Washington Stand)

From the article -- As far back as last year’s Republican National Convention, Americans have watched with surprise at the mixed messages from Donald Trump on abortion. The man widely considered the most pro-life president in history has sent confusing signals since campaigning for a second term. And unfortunately for pro-lifers, one of the biggest gray areas is also one of the most dangerous: chemical abortion.

The news that the president’s Justice Department urged the court to drop a case racing to protect women from the horrors of the abortion pill made both sides’ jaws drop. But is the DOJ’s move the disappointment conservatives think it is — or is this part of a more complex legal strategy than the Trump team is letting on? The Left certainly thinks so. In the legacy media, several outlets are warning liberals not to get overly excited by the shift. The headlines may be “welcome,” NBC concedes, “but supporters of abortion rights shouldn’t celebrate too much.”

Lost in all of the hype, Susan Rinkunas cautions, is that “the Department of Justice didn’t say anything about whether it thinks the drug should remain available.” And, she adds, “[T]here’s no guarantee the right-wing judge assigned to the case will dismiss the lawsuit, and there are many other ways the administration and its allies can still restrict abortion pill access.” So yes, “while it’s true that the Trump DOJ sided with the Biden administration, it did so only on the technical details of who sued and when, not on the merits of the case.”

A related (and more hopeful) article is this one: “HHS Secretary RFK Jr. Orders ‘Complete Review’ of Abortion Pill After Shocking Study” (Katherine Hamilton, Breitbart)\

5) “Planned Parenthood Is Performing More Abortions Than Ever While Getting Record Federal Funding” (Michael Snyder, America First Report)

From the article --The blood of the children that are being slaughtered is crying out for justice. But the federal government is not against what Planned Parenthood is doing. In fact, the federal government is the primary source of funding for what Planned Parenthood is doing.

According to the numbers that Planned Parenthood just released, the organization got nearly 800 million dollars in government funding in just 12 months…

-- $2.522 billion in net assets, up from $2.517 billion the previous year.
-- $792.2 million in government funding, up from $699.3 the previous year.
-- More than $2 billion in total revenue, almost equal to the previous year.
-- $27.4 million in excess revenue (calculated by subtracting total expenses from total revenues, down from 178.6 million the previous year).
-- $684.1 million in private contributions and bequests, down from $997.5 million reported the previous year.

Every year, hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars go to Planned Parenthood. And every year those of us that are against abortion ask the federal government to stop doing that. But every year our politicians in Washington just keep showering Planned Parenthood with more cash.

Related articles: “Planned Parenthood Killed 402,000 Babies. It’s Just an Abortion Business” (Randall O'Bannon, Life News) and “Planned Parenthood Claims Abortions are Just 4% of What It Does. That’s Totally False” (Steven Ertelt, Life News)

Other recommendations this week?

* “One Of Trump’s Most Important Executive Orders Went Entirely Unnoticed” (Issues & Insights Editorial Board)

* “Trump’s Drug-Price EO Should Have Happened Decades Ago – What’s ‘free market’ about Americans paying the tab for the rest of the world’s prescription drugs?” (Scott McKay, American Spectator)

* “Republican Looks To Dismantle 'Eyesore' White House Peace Vigil. The decades-old encampment has sat on federal land since 1981.” (Jon Levine, Washington Free Beacon)

* “Germany’s Catholic Bishops Approve Blessings for Pansexual and Transgender Couples. New rules permit Church to employ defrocked priests even if they are cohabiting with a man or a woman.” (Jules Gomes, The Stream)

* “The War on Womanhood: Women, not ‘birthing people,’ are God’s design.” (Denise George, Decision)

The April LifeSharer Is Up (VSM's Monthly Letter)

Dear friends of

Vital Signs Ministries,       

                     
Whoosh — there went April! And given the winds we have experienced this past month, whoosh seems the perfect word to describe how swiftly it carried us along. And, now that I think about it, whoosh also seems an appropriate word to describe the pace of ministry activity we’ve kept up these last few weeks. Those ministries have ranged from hosting 20 people for the Assure Women’s Center banquet, to singing Easter hymns during our prayer and sidewalk counseling sessions out in front of the Planned Parenthood abortion business, to holding the hand until the ambulance crew arrived of an elderly woman who had fallen at a volunteer appreciation breakfast held at Pacific Springs. And yes, there was a whole lot more. Indeed, let me review for you a few of those ministry activities.

* The Sunday afternoon church services at Aksarben Village Senior Living continue to go “swimmingly well.” The music is always fantastic — as attested by the increasing numbers of you asking us to send the links to the songs we use on Sundays. The sermons are short but spot on. And the fellowship afterward (enjoyed along with coffee, lemonade, and Claire’s chocolate chip cookies) is always lively and refreshing. Alas, we have lost several beloved members of our congregation recently yet, at one of our recent services, we had 23 in attendance, not counting the members of our visitation team that day.

* In addition to our church services, we were honored to create and conduct a Good Friday service for the Aksarben Village residents. Plus, we have been blessed to make a few personal visits to friends who are no longer able to make it to church.

* As you know, we take the ministry of correspondence seriously and April saw us writing 92 letters and cards of advocacy, encouragement, gratitude, etc. Included in that number were a few “open letters” to political figures and business leaders; that is, letters that are not only directed to specific recipients but also published through our social media.

 * In addition to the Assure banquet mentioned earlier, Claire and I were honored to attend the Lincoln Pregnancy Center fundraising banquet with Kevin and Samantha Sorbo. They were fantastic speakers! (Thank you, Deb.) There was also a profoundly sobering luncheon of the Pachyderm Club where we heard Douglas County Attorney Don Kleine speak about the rampant, violent lawlessness which has become a defining element of America’s cities, including Omaha.

* Our regular duties outside the abortion mill continued in April and we had to endure some most un-springlike weather. Yipes. The month also saw my continued participation on the Board of the Business and Professional People for Life. We conducted a BP4L Board meeting; we arranged the date and venue for the next luncheon; and I provided items for the group’s newsletter. Oh yes, April also involved Claire and I hosting at our home the Vital Signs Board members for dinner and our quarterly meeting.

* The quarterly Vital Signs Book Brunch was this past month with Diane, Mary and Christopher, Ruth, Karla, and Claire and I discussing Randy Alcorn’s terrific Lord Foulgrins’s Letters over coffee and tea — and pumpkin muffins and cream puffs and lemon tarts and chocolate chip cookies!

* Our fellowship ministries in recent weeks have included a wonderful time with old friends from the Christian Brotherhood days; a group prayer meeting in a friend’s hospital room; a quick visit to an “art show” of another friend; the regular Tuesday Zoom conversations with members of my family; and several breakfasts, lunches, coffees, and back-porch visits with a terrific assortment of friends and colleagues.

* Our April “When Swing Was King” shows were super with larger crowds than usual. Indeed, a presentation at Sterling Ridge drew 42 residents, the largest we’ve ever had for that facility. Also, we have added 2 new senior living facilities to our monthly schedule.

* Claire’s visit to a dermatologist ended up with his removing quite a few “brown spots” from her arms. But, in two places — one on her left arm and the other on her forehead — he told her he “didn’t like the look of them at all” and he dug those out deeper for biopsies. The one on her forehead required 4 stitches to close. Thank the Lord, however, that the subsequent tests for cancer were much better than he expected.

* Among Claire’s April tasks were her figuring out the taxes for Vital Signs (and for us). And, blessed with the help of a good friend (Thank you, Hope!), everything worked out just fine.

* Among our exhortation efforts through social media in April was an effective alert about the pro-abortion positions of Omaha mayoral candidate, John Ewing. There was also the Top 5 compilation posted and sent every Saturday; the open letters I mentioned earlier (Trump, Fischer, Bacon); and several articles posted on Vital Signs Blog and/or the VSM website. The five articles from this past month we most recommend are:

1) “Keeping the Main Thing the Main Thing” (April 30)
2) “I Knew Every One of Those Songs!” (April 28)
3) “The Earth Is the Lord’s” — Arbor Day vs Earth Day (April 22)
4) Is One’s Salvation A “Done Deal?” (April 13)
5) Chastity: The 5 Most Frequently Asked Questions (April 9)

 * And finally a few “home life” items from April — We have been busy with the lawn…..A conscientious, persistent team of mechanics at Woodhouse Hyundai finally discovered (and fixed!) a major problem that had “grounded” our Hyundai since late October…..A visit from our “furnace guy” resulted in him fixing a dangerous leak that we knew nothing about….We purchased one of those “revolving photo frames” and really love it…..Claire’s cookies continue to find their way to bless so many people…Among our free time pursuits this past month? Music, of course, but also several swashbuckling, silent movies starring Douglas Fairbanks, Ozzie and Harriet TV programs, and Jack Benny radio shows…..And finally, our April reading included Lord Foulgrin’s Letters (Randy Alcorn) and Artists in Crime (Ngaio Marsh) for Claire and then Failure Is Not an Option (Gene Kranz), Lord Foulgrin’s Letters (Randy Alcorn), The God Who Is There (Francis Schaeffer), and Dombey and Son (Charles Dickens) for me.

Okay, I see I have no room for a genuine signature here, let alone the space to adequately tell you how much we appreciate your prayers and support. But we do! Until next time,

Denny & Claire

The Top 5 (May 10)

1) “An Entire Generation Has Turned Feral: The teenagers of yesteryear are not like the feral kids of today.” (James Fritz, American Spectator)

From the article -- Naysayers will argue that teenagers have always acted like teenagers. Besides, this country has a long history of unrest and rebellion. The anti-war protests, Woodstock, the civil rights movement, the anti-nuclear protests, the anti-Apartheid sit-ins. Kids have always taken to the streets and fought against the Man. So, just give them space and let them grow out of it. Right?

There are three differences between the teenagers of yesteryear and the feral kids of today. The first is that many teen gatherings in the past were purpose-driven. Anti-war activists protested the Vietnam War and burned their draft cards. Civil rights organizers marched for racial integration. Concertgoers at Woodstock went to listen to The Who, Hendrix, and the Dead. Today, 17-year-old girls storm Michigan Avenue in Chicago and twerk on top of police cars. What’s the political statement there?

The second difference is that of logistics and technology. Before the internet, it took days, weeks, and months to plan a protest. Organizers had to print fliers, make phone calls, hang up posters, and spread the word. This gave local governments and law enforcement time to prepare. Now, teenagers are able to chat on social media, meet at a specified location, and overwhelm the authorities — all within minutes. When police officers finally do arrive on the scene, most of the troublemakers have already fled...

The third and most important difference...

2) “Omaha Planned Parenthood struggles as departing staff blame the corporation itself” (Cassy Cooke, Live Action)

From the article -- Earlier this year, The New York Times published an exposé on the ‘crisis’ facing Planned Parenthood. According to The New York Times, the abortion chain is facing frequent employee turnover, financial problems, low patient numbers, and patient lawsuits. And now, the Omaha Planned Parenthood is coming clean about similar troubles.

One nurse, Sabrina Stratman, said she was pressured to assist in surgical abortions on more than one occasion, violating Planned Parenthood’s own standard operating procedures. To commit a surgical abortion, the facility is supposed to use an abortionist, two nurses, and several support staff; in these instances, Stratman was the only nurse. She was made to participate even though she told management she felt uncomfortable. Though she eventually left Planned Parenthood, she still supports legal abortion.

“(Planned Parenthood is) kind of creating a ban of its own,” Stratman said. “I didn’t leave because I didn’t believe in the work,” she said. “I left because the environment became unsustainable.”

Note: The link to the Omaha-based article from which the Live Action piece was written is right here -- “Dysfunction, turnover at Omaha Planned Parenthood clinic further limiting abortion access in Nebraska” (Sara Gentzler, Flatwater Free Press)

3) “The Pulitzer from hell” (Scott Johnson, Power Line)

From the article -- On the morning of October 7, I was at home in my small studio apartment in Kibbutz Kfar Aza when Hamas terrorists burst in, shot me and dragged me across the border into Gaza. I was one of 251 men, women, children, and elderly people kidnapped that day from their beds, their homes, and a music festival.

For almost 500 days I lived in terror. I was starved, abused, and treated like I was less than human. I watched friends suffer. I watched hope dim. And even now, after returning home, I carry that darkness with me – because my best friends, Gali and Ziv Berman are still being held in the Hamas terror tunnels.

So imagine my shock and pain when I saw that you awarded a Pulitzer Prize to Mosab Abu Toha.

This is a man who, in January, questioned the very fact of my captivity. He posted about me on Facebook and asked, “How on earth is this girl called a hostage?” He has denied the murder of the Bibas family. He has questioned whether Agam Berger was truly a hostage. These are not word games – they are outright denials of documented atrocities.

You claim to honor journalism that upholds truth, democracy, and human dignity. And yet you have chosen to elevate a voice that denies truth, erases victims, and desecrates the memory of the murdered.

4) “Illinois Forces Pro-Life Organizations to Hire Pro-Abortion Employees” (Alliance Defending Freedom)

From the article -- During debates about the new bill, sponsors in the Illinois House of Representatives and Senate made it clear that the Act’s exemption for religious employers would not protect “crisis pregnancy centers” that were “religious” or “Christian” but not “affiliated with any particular denomination.” The bill still passed both chambers, and rather than vetoing it due to its clear First Amendment violations, Gov. Pritzker approved it. Attorney General Kwame Raoul expressed excitement that the bill would help make Illinois a “haven” for abortion.

The new bill forces PCC of Rockford and the Diocese of Springfield to hire employees who don’t share their beliefs about the sanctity of life, and it prohibits them from disciplining employees if they choose to have abortions themselves. Both the pregnancy center and the diocese are committed to living out the teachings of Scripture in every respect, but that goal would be undermined if their employees do not affirm Christian beliefs about the sanctity of life.

In addition, the statute prohibits organizations from expressing certain messages about abortion that could be deemed “offensive,” and it requires organizations that offer accommodations for new mothers to also provide accommodations for women seeking abortions.

5) “Bad Day Sunshine? Climate Dimwits Declare War on the Sun: UK scientists want £50M to dim the sun and fight climate change—because nothing says “solution” like blocking out the thing that keeps us alive.” (Thaddeus G. McCotter, American Greatness)

From the article -- Standing with both hands extended for a £50 million squeeze of the public teat, United Kingdom scientists claim the sun you celebrate in song contributes to “runaway climate change.” And these white-robed high priests of perfidious Albion’s climate cult have a novel idea to control the weather and forestall the impending apocalypse: dimming the sun. (Apparently, for these climate cult dimwits, sunshine on their shoulders makes them anything but happy.)

“Everything we do is going to be safe by design. We’re absolutely committed to responsible research, including responsible outdoor research… We have strong requirements around the length of time experiments can run for and their reversibility, and we won’t be funding the release of any toxic substances to the environment.” (Author’s Note: The professor is not funding anything. The British public is.)

See? The only thing going up in flames is someone else’s money. Besides, what could go wrong when prospectively using “stratospheric aerosol injection” that “would see scientists launching sulfate particles into the Earth’s lower stratosphere at altitudes up 12 miles high?” Unforeseen consequences, you say? Please. Next, you’ll claim that COVID resulted from a lab leak.

And a few other options I recommend?

* “What Is The Point Of Having A GOP Congress?” (Shawn Fleetwood, Federalist)

* “The New Pope’s Far-Left Takes On Immigration, Climate, Covid, And Race Relations” (The Federalist Staff)

* “Report Damns FBI Spin of 2017 Congressional Baseball Game Shooting” (Joshua Arnold, Washington Stand)

* “How Can You Be a Cop in a City That Hates You? In Chicago, the number of police suicides is far higher than anyone knew: 53 in the past decade. ‘It’s so overwhelming because there’s all these outside people pointing fingers at us.’ (Olivia Reingold, The Free Press)

* “The Rise and Fall of Russell Moore: It’s Time to Say, ‘No Moore.’” (David Mitzenmacher, Founder’s Ministries)