The Surefire Investment Plan: Get Yourself a 'Paradise Portfolio'

If you were to believe the advertisements of many brokerage firms and insurance companies, you would think that a safe, even luxurious, future was yours if you simply sign on the dotted line with them. But that certainly doesn’t make sense for those who can hardly keep up with expenses now.

The truth is in the numbers; a fellow who lives from paycheck to paycheck just doesn’t have enough to build up a cushion for retirement.

Now don’t get me wrong. Financial planning, frugality, savings, and prudent investments are all good things.  But the best investment plan of all – and the only surefire one – is the one explained by Jesus when He explicitly told us to lay up our treasures in heaven.  This is a fantastic opportunity for us!  Indeed, all of God’s children are saved from the penalty of sin through faith in God’s grace alone.

However, the Scriptures are also clear that believers will receive heavenly rewards by living lives of obedience, trust, and love.  And that heavenly savings account (I’ve taken to calling it my paradise portfolio) is completely safe from thieves, natural forces, and all the sin-stained politics of this earth.

This investment plan, by the way, has nothing to do with your income, your pension, your Social Security or Medicare.  It has only to deal with your faithfulness to God.

No, after paying our bills, we may not have a nickel left over to put into stocks, bonds, or precious metals. But we can always make investments in heaven, adding every single day to that glorious paradise portfolio that the Lord is saving for us as part of our forever inheritance.

Now that is great news!

A Thank-You Letter Regarding American Energy Independence

After reading this Fox News story a few days ago, "How American engineers unlocked the impossible beneath the Gulf of America," I wrote letters of commendation both to Chevron and Transoceanic. After all, innovation and hard work that pays off for America deserves appreciation. Right? The basic letter sent to both companies is below.

Dear Transoceaan, 

The recent accounts of your amazing breakthroughs in the Gulf of America with Deepwater Titan and Deepwater Atlas have made for a particularly relevant success story as we prepare to celebrate the 250th birthday of the United States of America. Your optimistic and innovative work is paying off for your company AND for the grand goal of securing America’s energy independence.

That, of course, is also wonderful news for the average American whose savings accounts will be nicely helped as energy costs decline

Perhaps businesses do not receive many thank-you notes, but the Transocean team certainly deserves them So, as both a consumer and an American patriot, I send my thanks for the very impressive achievements you have made in partnership with Chevron and others. A good grip of the science. Boldness. Courage. Hard work. A unified team. Perseverance. You are truly to be congratulated and again, to be thanked.

Tournier on God’s Presence in All Vocations

“The valuable thing is to see our job as the task which God has entrusted to us, and to accomplish it in that spirit, allowing ourselves to be guided by Him. The valuable thing is to see our jobs, as well as all our other activities, as an adventure directed by God. In religious circles people have gotten into the habit of restricting the idea of vocation to the call of the ministry in the church or perhaps to a medical or teaching career. This tendency clearly indicates the distinction we make in our minds between the things of the Spirit and secular things.

For the fulfillment of His purpose God needs more than priests, bishops, pastors, and missionaries. He needs mechanics and chemists, gardeners and street sweepers, dressmakers and cooks, tradesmen, physicians, philosophers, judges, and shorthand typists. “My brethren,” writes St. James, “show no partiality as you hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory.” (James 2:1) Having a vocation means approaching everything one does in a spirit of vocation, looking upon it as an adventure shared with God. “In all toil there is profit” (Proverbs 14:23) or, as Calvin put it, in his pungent style, “there can be no work, however vile or sorted, that does not glisten before God, and is not right precious, provided that in it we serve our vocation...Every man in his place ought to deem that his estate is, as it were, a station assigned him by God.

I do not serve God only in the brief moments during which I am taking part in a religious service, or reading the Bible, or saying my prayers, or talking about Him in some book I am writing, or discussing the meaning of life with a patient or a friend. I serve him quite as much when I am giving a patient an injection, or lancing an abscess, or writing a prescription, or giving a piece of good advice. Or again, I serve Him quite as much when I am reading the newspaper, traveling, laughing at a joke, or soldering a joint in an electric wire. I serve him by taking an interest in everything, because He is interested in everything, because He has created everything and has put me in His creation so that I may participate in it fully.” (Paul Tournier, The Adventure of Living, page 209-10)

See also -- Tournier on Work as a Divine Gift (& Calling)

Letter-Party Update (With Examples!)

A couple of days ago, the Vital Signs Ministries quarterly letter-writing parties were held at our home with 7 letter-writers in attendance at both the morning and evening editions. And beyond those present, there are a couple more concerned Christians who will be using our information to write letters themselves in the next few days. (And we sure hope you might join them Just let us know and we will send you the target sheet and the appropriate address list.)

Our targets this time around? Here’s the prepared list:

1)) To the President, Cabinet members, Senators, and Congress: Abortion Pill...F.A.C.E. Act... Persecution of Christians...Confirming Trump’s nominees...   Pursuit & prosecutions regarding RussiaGate...Getting out of the United Nations...Border policies...Lawlessness...etc.

2) To the President, Cabinet members, Senators, and Congress: “Attaboy” messages: thanks, encouragement, prayer reminders (and reminders of unfinished business)

3) To friends, pro-life heroes, Christian ministries, and others: “Attaboy” messages: thanks, encouragement, prayer reminders

4) To the Nebraska Attorney General: Opposing abortion pills, the effect of abortion pill “shield laws,” lawlessness, and 7-OH (“gas station heroin”)

5) To the Texas Governor: Appreciation and encouragement for redistricting actions

6) To Disney/ABC and Steve Harvey: Protest of Celebrity Family Feud

7) To Chip & Joanna Gaines: Protesting their promotion of same-sex “marriage”

8) To Fox News: Enough of the establishment media and “bikini body” stories

9) To companies retreating from DEI & LGBTQ foolishness: Good move (so far)

10) To Congress, Nebraska AG: “Gas Station Heroin”

And how about a few sample letters from our efforts? Here you go...

Dear Mr. President,

Thank you, President Trump for all the ways you are making America great again! However, I do want you to pursue further and faster getting rid of the FACE Act and stopping the distribution of the deadly abortion pill. In our ministry we are working hard every day to help moms and their babies and seniors who have been discarded by our society; we are asking you to please help us in that enormous but oh-so-critical mission. Thank you, Mr. President. CH

Dear Secretary Kennedy,

Thank you very much for opening an investigation into abortion pills. Unlike medicines which help diagnose, cure, or prevent disease, these pills kill innocent babies as well as endangering the lives and damaging the health of the mothers. Please continue to lead a thorough investigation to uncover and reveal the truth about abortion pills. As a Christian, I thank God for and pray for you. Thank you for seeing if the pills can at least be regulated if not banned. Thank you very much. Sincerely, IS

To Nate Grasz and the team at Nebraska Family Alliance who are continuing to fight the good fight,

Thank you is not adequate but, nevertheless, thank you for all you are doing to stand for righteousness in these days. God sees you as you honor Him. Thank you for continuing to seek Him for wisdom and discernment. He will continue before you, guide, and strengthen you as you serve Him. Thanks to His work through you, great things are happening in Nebraska. With love and respect. MR

Dear Tractor Supply,

I am so pleased that you changed your unfair DEI policies and got back to hiring people who are best at what they do. We have a Tractor Supply store near us and I will enjoy ending our boycott and going back to shopping there. Thanks again. Good move! CH

To Director Gabbard,

I want to thank you for your hard work in declassifying documents that demonstrate the high crimes that have been committed by our intelligence agencies against the American people and against President Trump. This is incredibly important work that you are doing and we can but imagine the fierce headwinds that oppose you -- spiritual and natural. I want you to know that I am very grateful and I pray for you regularly that you would have divine strategy and courage and guidance. I also pray that God will guard your heart soul and body. Regards, JM

Dear Disney/ABC,

Okay, so I do not watch your channels. Well, not since the days of Fess Parker portraying Davy Crockett anyway. And I suppose I still feel a bit disappointed because my sleeveless shirt didn’t fit the dress code of Disneyland back in 1968. However, it is now on grounds of morality that I will be speaking to family, friends, and fellow church members about the debased nature of your programs in recent years. I have cautioned folks before, but this most recent travesty was really over-the-top. I’m referring to the episode of Celebrity Family Feud in which profane innuendos were exchanged between the supposedly Christian host Steve Harvey and an all-transgender team who were trying to win money for prostitutes! Good grief! When I first heard of this, I figured it was some kind of spoof, something cooked up by SNL or the Babylon Bee. But alas, I discovered it was all too true.

And so, I will be encouraging my friends to drop ABC, drop Disney, drop any plans they might have had for your amusement parks and merchandise, and to pass the word along to others. Please reverse course. You have already shamed Mickey and Minnie and Goofy and all the rest by your bizarre actions, so please stop it. And reverse course. DH

Dear President Trump, 

I want to thank you for your tireless efforts in the many areas that you are trying to build back America, including fighting against the satanic influences that are staining and endangering our country. We pray for you and your entire cabinet that God will bless your efforts. I especially applaud your support of Israel since they are the most obvious indicator that God is in control of history and that His plan (as shown in the Bible) is heading towards its ultimate climax. God bless you and your family. Ephesians 2:8-9 JL

To the John Deere Company, 

This letter is to express my appreciation for your company’s decision to retreat from the DEI and LGBTQ foolishness you had been following. Your changed position will certainly prove to convince consumers that supporting your company once again is a good thing -- and it will result in financial success for your company as well. Thanks again. Respectfully, MW

Dear Secretary Hegseth,

Thank you very much for defending the United States. Especially thank you for supporting Israel, stopping Iran, and containing Russia. I’m a Christian and a Republican...and I pray for you and others in the government. Please continue to support a strong stand for our ally Israel and defend them against their enemies. Please also do what it takes to stop Putin in Ukraine. Thank you for stopping so many extreme terrorists and, in doing so, making the United States and the world a safer place. Sincerely, IS

Dear Vice-President Vance,

Thanks for your bold, inspirational leadership. You are providing our nation -- and the world -- the kind of honest, courageous, and relevant service we have so long needed. Stay the course!

A few of the issues that most concern me? Much stricter regulation of the abortion pill... the repeal of the FACE act...the diligent pursuit of lawbreakers including the lying schemers behind RussiaGate...the complete and permanent defunding of the mega-abortion corporation, Planned Parenthood...serving as the best advocate of persecuted Christians (both here and abroad)...and getting a real grip on the lawlessness that so sadly marks our nation nowadays. Thank you for your attention to these matters. DH

Dear AG Mike Hilgers,

I’m writing to express my concern over the sale of “gas station heroin” (7-hydroxymitragynine, aka 7-OH) in some retail outlets in our state. The incredible risks to our youth need to be addressed quickly. Thank you. JL 

PS: I am also very opposed to abortion pills and their distribution in the state. What can be done about that?

Governor Pillen,

I have recently become aware of a new opioid threat to our community. 7-OH,  a derivative of the kratom plant which is reportedly 13 times as potent as morphine! This product is sold and marketed to children in the form of candy flavored gummies. I’ve asked Attorney General Hilgers and want to ask you as well -- is there anything we can do about this product? The thought of our young people being harmed by this is just too much. I hope we can do something...and soon! Regards, JM

Texas Governor Greg Abbott,

Thanks for your strong leadership for conservative values and the rule of law in your state. It is so refreshing to have governors stand up to the whiny, America-belittling, America-blaming Democrats. Keep it up! We are praying for you. CH

Dear Mr. Lindstrom,

As citizens from the district you represented well when in the Nebraska Unicameral, we are very interested in your candidacy for Nebraska’s 2nd District in the U.S. Congress. However, we were disappointed that we were unable to find anywhere on your website a strong and clear statement regarding your pro-life position. Did we miss something? Or perhaps, are you missing something; namely, the chance to underscore your pro-life positions which we know would attract and energize the pro-life organizations, churches, and communities which will be necessary for your successful candidacy? Sincerely, DH

Our First Pachyderm Luncheon

Claire and I attended the Greater Omaha Pachyderm Luncheon yesterday, an event sponsored by a local G.O.P. group that, it turns out, hosts these luncheons the second, fourth, and fifth Monday of each month at the German American Society. The luncheon costs $25 (which will certainly limit our attendance) but yesterday's experience was excellent: enlightening, challenging, and helpful to the max. Thank you so much to John Sieler for the heads up about this opportunity. 

Yesterday’s program presented a panel of three Nebraska state senators who answered a variety of questions from the audience. Those senators were Rick Holdcroft (District 36), newly-elected Bob Anderson (District 49), and our own state senator Christy Armendariz (District 18). Claire and I were favorably impressed with the knowledge, conservative conviction, skill, and passion presented by all three yesterday as they discussed in detail various issues -- state finances, the abortion amendment fight, election integrity, OPPD, school choice, the Electoral College, and the complicated ways the “Unicameral machine” tries to do its work. 

As conservative Christians who recognize more than ever the need to be effective ambassadors for Christ in the public square -- as well as in church and our prayer closets -- we were very grateful we attended this event. We urge others to utilize the opportunity as you are able.

Oh yes, we had a delightful reunion there with a gentleman who is not only a Nebraska hero, but a friend and mentor, Hal Daub. That alone was worth the price of our admission!

Want to Fight Poverty? Then Fight for Freedom.

An excellent, eye-opening primer on the relationship between prosperity and freedom. Pass it on to your "progressive" friends.

Lifting One's Voice...Through Letters

Instead of taking a lunch hour today, I had coffee and a protein bar and, with the
extra time, wrote these letters. Check 'em out and consider following through with a couple of your own.

Dear Senator Armendariz,

Wow. We are hearing from a few sources in Lincoln that the pro-life promise of your campaign may not be of the strength that we once trusted in and which was the primary reason that we (and several of our neighbors) voted for you in the November election. I certainly hope that isn’t the case and that you will be fervently, faithfully taking every opportunity that is available to promote the sanctity of life, saving every preborn boy and girl possible from the barbaric violence of abortion.

For instance, Senator Armendariz, we ask you to please stand firm for the Heartbeat Bill as it was originally written and oppose the severely damaging amendments that are being suggested.

Thank you for your consideration of this urgent request.

----------------

Dear Bud Lite,

I read this morning about your new partnership with Dylan Mulvaney. Wow. To try to be so “woke” as to link your product with such a bizarre transexual activist whose aggressive agenda is so dangerous to the mental health of young adults – and even children – is a foolish and immoral move. 

Really unbelievable. 

There will be no Bud Lite in my refrigerator from now on. And I’m passing the word along.

-------------------------

Dear Baker’s Supermarkets,

I have recently learned that your parent company Kroger has joined the ranks of those businesses that have capitulated to the “woke” foolishness promoted by the radical left, going so far as to paying thousands to employees to help them pay for abortion expenses, selling the “morning after” pill (very dangerous to mothers and, of course, lethal to preborn boys and girls), and firing employees, who for traditional religious convictions, didn’t want to participate in LBGTQ promotions.

Therefore, please know that we have stopped shopping at Baker’s stores even though they have been our “go-to” grocery for decades. We have also informed our doctors that we are no longer using the Baker’s pharmacy. And we will be passing the word along to others.

P. S. And yes, I’ve contacted your parent company as well.

----------------------

Dear Kroger,

I have recently learned that your company has joined the ranks of those businesses that have capitulated to the “woke” foolishness promoted by the radical left, going so far as to paying thousands to employees to help them pay for abortion expenses, selling the “morning after” pill (very dangerous to mothers and, of course, lethal to preborn boys and girls), and firing employees, who for traditional religious convictions, didn’t want to participate in LBGTQ promotions.

Therefore, please know that we have stopped shopping at Baker’s stores (here in Omaha) even though they have been our “go-to” grocery for decades. We have also informed our doctors that we are no longer using the Baker’s pharmacy. 

And we will be passing the word along to others.

“Oh, What a Tangled Web”

You’ve seen it many times. A group of teenagers is walking together down a street or in a shopping mall, but none of them are talking to one another. Instead, each person’s eyes are glued to the small screen shining out from their individual “smartphones.” 

Or what about the family you notice across a restaurant? They too are ignoring the opportunity for real-time, real-life conversation because their attention is fixed on those small but remarkably powerful computers they hold in their hands. But what about your lifestyle, attention span, self-esteem, relationships, learning abilities, and peace of mind? Have they not all been dramatically altered by the lure of the games, videos, chat, memes, social media platforms, “speed and convenience,” ad-filled articles, and other elements of the wondrous “world wide web?”

Let’s be honest? Has our immersion in the new technology made us smarter? Are we more sociable? More helpful to one another? More interesting? More in tune with God? Have we become more or less human?

You’ve probably guessed my answers to these questions. And so the primary reason I’m writing this post is to announce that Claire and I have decided to tread much more conscientiously in this “brave new world” that is dominated by Big Tech and the worldview it creates. In fact, this public declaration includes our intentions to return as much as possible to pre-Google, pre-Facebook, pre-smartphone habits – habits that kept us happier, healthier, and more engaging.

Of course, some of our friends would argue that we are already troglodytes. After all, we read books. We listen to music on CDs and even vinyl records. We highly value physical activity and interaction with God’s creation. We host dinner parties, visit with our neighbors, and meet friends for stimulating conversations over coffee. Good grief, I still have a flip phone. And Claire says I wouldn’t even carry that around if gas stations still had phone booths!

Nevertheless, I’ve been noticing for quite awhile that the entangling powers of the web have had way too much effect on us too. The splintering of our powers of mental concentration. Too much dissonance and diversion. Too little worthwhile content. The temptations to reduce our reading, praying, conversation, resting, thinking. But recently there’s been a few things that have intensified our awareness all the more. Those things include my preparations for a couple of recent sermons plus reading 3 very enlightening (and alarming) pieces: Anthony Esolen’s book, The Politically-Incorrect Guide to Western Civilization; Malcolm Muggeridge’s book, Confessions of a Twentieth-Century Pilgrim; and especially, an Atlantic Magazine article by Nicholas Carr, “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” I heartily recommend them all.

And so Claire and I have decided to take purposeful steps to start cutting our entanglements from the web, thus freeing ourselves from the web’s theft of our time and its re-shaping of our minds. The first part of the plan? 1) From now on, we will be spending substantially less time messing with Facebook. After all, Facebook is intrusive, shallow, misleading on several fronts, and militantly slanted against conservative ideas and information. So, if you don’t notice us “liking” your Facebook posts anymore, don’t take it personally. It’s simply that we’re not going to be there very often.

2) We are certainly not unplugging ourselves from the news of the day. But we are going to spend less time in trying to keep up with every detail of the culture wars. For, as you know, trying to stay abreast of every outrageous headline (let alone trying to respond to them with prayers and principled protest) is impossible. What kind of balance will we be trying to establish then? Well, I will still check Fox News, Powerline, and Lucianne.com on my computer in the morning. And I will still read the emails I receive from a few conservative news and opinion organizations as well as those coming in from selected Christian ministries.

I will do these things not only for my own awareness, but also because I take seriously the responsibility to be a “watchman on the wall” who desires to help others better deal with the spiritual challenges before us. And that leads me to #3 below.

3) Both as the Director of Vital Signs Ministries and simply as an older Christian who desires to help his fellow believers to accurately know their culture and to avoid being “ignorant of Satan’s devices,” I will continue to provide relevant information and biblical counsel to others. I will, for instance, still post on Vital Signs Blog (cross-posted also on my Twitter and Facebook accounts) the links to a few of the most important articles I come across as well as my own devotional and exhortational posts. And I encourage you to check out those links and posts to help you navigate the troubled waters without feeling swamped by the flood. And make sure that you are on the Vital Signs email list too because we will be sending out every week a Top 5 list of our highest recommended articles.

4) In order to better defend our minds from the distracting, maddening effect of the internet sites which use pop-up ads, distracting sidebars, and other bells and whistles, we are using Brave as our search engine (We're going as Google free as possible.) and we’re right now experimenting to find the most effective ad-blocker devices too.

5) Okay, the changes mentioned before are mainly in the subtraction category. But what are we adding in their place? Well, it’s mostly a matter of rededicating ourselves to tread the familiar paths we’ve long followed. Reading books. Face to face conversations. Prayer. Times of reflection. Service to others. Physical exercise. Appreciation of nature, music, cooking, entertaining, and beauty. Indeed, the best antidotes to the damaging effects of Big Tech on our brains, our time, and our relationships come from commitment to the well-trod paths of relevant, purposeful, and more harmonious involvement with God.

The web’s entanglement is powerful indeed. No doubt about it. But we can, with prayers, a devotion to resist worldliness, and the pursuit of healthier alternatives to the sinister influences of the internet and Big Tech, break those ties that bind. Want to join us?

"Lighthouse" Letters: Examples from Vital Signs' Latest Letter-Writing Party (1)

As promised in this post from yesterday, I’m printing below a few samples of the letters and cards that were written at the two Vital Signs Ministries letter-writing last Monday. They represent, by the way, several different letter writers.

Today’s notes deal with various pro-life, religious freedom, and morality issues and I certainly hope they might motivate you to write some letters on your own. Vital Signs Ministries always stands ready to help you do so with information, tips on letter-writing, addresses, and so on.

* Dear Coca-Cola,

For a great deal of my long life I have enjoyed Coke products.  However, as your company has gone further and further down the path of radical, unnatural “wokeness,” I have decided to forego the pleasure. No more Coke from now on…unless you quickly reconsider this counter-productive path and get back to making quality products as opposed to pushing an extreme ideological agenda that is so at odds with the best ideals of Western civilization.

* Dear Walgreen’s,

I am a pro-life woman who has shopped and even worked at Walgreens for many years. I am writing to request that you do not dispense pills that cause the deliberate death of an unborn baby and have the potential to gravely harm the mother.

This matters deeply to millions of pro-life persons who up to this time have been regular customers of yours. But you’re certainly going to lose a lot of them if you do start dispensing pills that kill preborn boys and girls.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and I implore you to reconsider doing anything that would take a life.

* Dear State Senator DeBoer,

I am a retired woman who lives in your district.  I am also a strong pro-lifer, believing that abortion is the murder of innocent lives. As a young teenager many years ago, I was faced with an unwanted pregnancy.  I was fortunate to have a godly mother who helped direct me to an agency that dealt with adoption.  This happened before Roe v Wade and abortion was illegal but I never would have chosen that anyway.

My daughter eventually found me, and she is now a wonderful mother and grandmother to 6 lovely children.  How thankful I am to know I gave my child life and do not have to look back with regret of choosing to kill my child.

I pray you will turn from your liberal views and realize the value of each pregnancy as a human being and see abortion for what it is, the murder in a brutal way of an innocent child.

* To the Permanent Representative of the People’s Republic of China to the United Nations.

Dear Mr. Zhang Jun,

This is just a brief but impassioned note asking that you use your influence to persuade China to exercise greater restraint, mercy, and justice in dealing with religious freedom.  

We sincerely ask you to act against imprisonment and other harsh treatment of peaceful, productive citizens who simply desire to worship the Lord Jesus Christ.

Thank you for your consideration of this critically important matter.

* Senator Ricketts,

Congratulations on your new role in the U. S. Senate.  I was very pleased with your terms as Nebraska’s Governor, particularly in cutting taxes, preserving our freedoms, opposing federal government overreach, and restricting abortion zealotry. You have done a stellar job and I encourage you to continue those fights in D.C.

One particular issue I’m presently concerned about is keeping away the World Health Organization’s intrusion into our national sovereignty.  This is of the utmost importance.

I continue to pray for your courage to stand against the globalist agenda.

* Dear President Biden,

Wow -- you have certainly made a mess of things in these two years and, of course, your most grievous action has been your turning against the Catholic teachings you once claimed to be so important to you. 

I urge you, Mr. President, to please reverse course and begin to honor God, speak the truth, defend the sanctity of all human life, protect America’s borders, and keep us free from entangling relationships with rogue nations.

* Dear State Senator Hunt,

Please vote against the following bills:

LB179 – Forces counselors to affirm transgenderism and same sex attraction in children.  Counselors should be allowed to practice using their own thoughts and skills and not being forced by law to say “yes” to a disorder that needs attention not promotion.

LB169 – Sexual orientation and gender identity protected class.  This undermines constitutional freedoms, unfairly targets small businesses, and gives men unfettered access to places that were formerly safe for women.

LB316 – Replaces husband and wife with spouse 1 and spouse 2.  Marriage between one biological man and one biological woman has always been the truth since God created it and even if we try to change it, it’s still going to be the truth.  Please leave this God-given institution alone.

LR26CA – Removes the definition of marriage from the NE constitution.  This also undermines the truth.  This was placed in the state constitution by over 70% of voters.

Megan, I’m praying for you.  God has allowed you to be in this position and you are accountable to Him. Jesus loves you and created you and He’s the One Who has given you opportunities, skills, and abilities. But you must choose whether to serve the Lord or the self.

John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world that He gave His One and only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting live.” You are included in the world, Megan.  Jesus gave His life for you and He rose again to prove the efficiency of His salvation offer.

* To the FBI,

With your absolutely unconscionable targeting of pro-life Americans instead of concentrating on what should be the priority of your agency (namely, protecting the citizenry from genuine criminals), you are bringing shame and scandal (even ridicule) to what was once one of our nation’s most respected institutions.

Please get back to the real business of the FBI…protecting the United States from the “bad guys” like terrorists, counterfeiters, kidnappers, bank robbers, sex traffickers, and murderers. And leave the innocent, peaceful, and productive citizens (like Christian pro-life advocates) alone.

And again, I’ll have a few more examples tomorrow.

Truth Will Not Be Destroyed

In the wake of yesterday's disappointing election results. the November LifeSharer letter from Vital Signs Ministries makes for very relevant reading. Check it out at this link.

Prophets vs Profits: Principled Protests to Businesses

Here's a couple of letters I recently sent to businesses that have completely lost their moral bearings. Why write? Because it's a response decidedly more consistent with Christian sanctification (including the proclamation of God's truths to the world) than is tolerant silence, indifference, or other moral compromise. Indeed, I post these letters in hopes that others (including yours) will be forthcoming. Have at it!

The first letter was directed to Postmates, Burger King, Dr. Pepper, and Cottonelle for recent ads they promoted as part of their "Pride Month" advertising. Those ads included "humorous" references to homosexual acts.

Dear Burger King,

I recently read the details of your recent use of explicit homosexual references in what you considered humorous ads for your products.  We are only two of many who find that particularly crass and mean-spirited. We will be demonstrating our protest through our consumer decisions and will pass along the word to others.

And this next letter was sent to companies whose response to the reversal of the evil Roe v Wade law was to scream loudly against any and all restrictions to abortion and then to go so far as to pledge the financing of an abortion and related expenses to their employees who decided to have an abortionist destroy their babies. Unbelievable.

Those companies? 

* Amazon.com    * Bank of America (The nation's second-largest bank)
* Cigna    * CNN    * Comcast (The parent company of NBC/Universal)
* CVS Health     * Dick's Sporting Goods    * Estee Lauder 
* Hewlett Packard     * Ikea      * Kroger      * Lyft
* MasterCard     * Microsoft 
* Paramount (The media conglomerate which owns CBS News)
* Patagonia     * Paypal     * Procter & Gamble    * Starbucks 
* Target    * Tesla    * Uber     * Walt Disney     * Yahoo

Dear Dick's Sporting Goods,

I write to express my extreme disappointment for your cruel zealotry regarding the dismemberment and poisoning of preborn boys and girls. I refer, of course, to your support of Planned Parenthood, the nation's #1 abortionist, and your support of unlimited abortion without the slightest regard to the little innocent children which will be abortion’s victims. That is so very mean-spirited...and sad. But to then go further in the actual enablement of that horrendous violence by financing the abortions of your employees goes even further beyond the pale.

We are but two of the many Americans who will also express our disappointment with your cold-hearted company by our consumer decisions. And, yes; we will pass the word to others.

An Open Letter to Just One of the Companies that Support Planned Parenthood

Dear PepsiCo officers,

I see that that your otherwise reputable company is continuing to give money to a most disreputable business; namely, the abortion conglomerate that is Planned Parenthood.  This, of course, is the same Planned Parenthood that continues to lie about providing mammograms and other health care when they do not provide such care, that works incessantly against traditional sexual morality and parental authority, that has been engaged in the grisly and illegal selling of fetal body parts, that presents the most graphic and profane "sex ed" materials even to school kids, and that destroys in their mother’s wombs hundreds of thousands of preborn boys and girls through the barbaric means of curettes, suction machines, and poisonous chemicals. 

Please stop debasing your company (and our culture) by giving money to this mega-abortion corporation.  Until you do, I will continue to forego purchasing your products and doing business with restaurants which contract with PepsiCo. And I will continue to pass the word to family, friends, fellow church members, blog readers, and others of your grossly unwarranted support of Planned Parenthood.

A Few Open Letters

Dear Governor Ricketts,

We have been blessed to have benefitted from your bold, principled, and wise leadership these last several years.  You will be greatly missed as our governor, but we know your public service is far from over.

I’m writing tonight, however, at the Vital Signs Ministries’ letter-writing party to especially thank you for your pledge to recall the Unicameral if the Supreme Court should reverse Roe v Wade in order to vote again on LB933.

Thank you for this…and for everything else.

Dear Pfizer,

We were not completely surprised to learn about the terrible dangers of your Covid drugs or about the lack of honesty and transparency with which you conducted those oh-so-lucrative deals.

Why?

Because we have long been aware of your wanton disrespect for human life. After all, you have shamefully supported the lethal violence perpetrated daily by the mega-abortion corporation that is Planned Parenthood.

And as long as you continue this ruthless policy, we will urge friends to forgo any dealing with your company.

(Note -- I wrote a similar letter to Johnson and Johnson.)

Dear Chief Justice Roberts,

A quick but impassioned request for you to do the right thing for the Constitution and the rule of law, the right thing for preborn kids, and the right thing in the sight of God; namely, voting with the strict Constitutionalists of the Court to reverse the awful Roe v. Wade decision.

Thank you.

Project Veritas,

Just a quick word of thanks for the immensely valuable service you have provided for the right to life cause, religious freedom, journalistic ethics, and political honesty and transparency.

You guys are true treasures and you’re all in our frequent prayers.

Dear Justice Thomas,

We’re sending along a word of deep thanks for your noble, courageous, and wise leadership for the Court…and for America.  We so appreciate your devotion to the rule of law, to the ideals of Western Civilization, and especially your defense of the sanctity of human life.

You are in our frequent…and increasingly fervent prayers.

Blessings,

Dear President Biden,

What a striking contradiction your current policies are to the Democrat policies of the past. I mean, think back to FDR, Harry Truman, JFK, RFK, Scoop Jackson, Tip O'Neill, and so many others. As a matter of alarming fact, Mr. President, your current policies on energy, the Middle East, immigration, lawlessness, and especially the sanctity of life are a contradiction to the policies you yourself once espoused!

C’mon, man; do the right thing! Stop playing patsy to your loony left "handlers" and become a President that God can richly bless.

The Nursing Home Business: It Shouldn’t Be Mere Business for Christians

The nursing home in your neighborhood is, of course, a business. It is concerned with making money (even if the primary source of that money is from government) and it can only stay in business if it “earns” more than it spends in staff, building maintenance, equipment, supplies, and promotion. However, every senior care business deals uniquely with morality for, besides the issue of profit, it is supposed to provide critical services to many of the most fragile souls in our population.

And may we never grow callous to the fact that the aged, infirm, and severely injured in the human family require not only a lot of help, they also deserve that help to be marked by generosity, kindness, respect, and efficiency. Indeed, they deserve much more from the care facility business (and from all of us too) than they usually get.

Nursing home residents deal with a variety of traumatic problems: pain, fear, disorientation, an infuriating loss of mobility, boredom, frustration, loneliness, depression, a humbling dependence on others, confusion, and a loss of self-esteem that can be as debilitating as any physical burden. And most nursing home residents suffer several of these terribly difficult challenges all at once. 

Are these businesses doing well financially? Certainly so. And more are built every month. However, plainly stated, many of the nursing homes and other senior care businesses are, not serving seniors well. The primary problem? The care facilities are woefully understaffed and ill equipped. The employees there (even when they genuinely care) are undertrained and way underpaid. How terribly common is it then that they are absolutely overwhelmed by the needs of the hurting people in their care. Even with their best efforts, they cannot give quality care to the persons who so desperately need it. And thus the extremely high “burnout” and turnover rates. 

Is the lack of quality, sensitive care to be blamed on the facility staff? No. The responsibility goes to owners and managers and, in some cases, even shareholders. For while it is certainly the case that, along with the peaches on the staff of our nation’s nursing homes, there are also a lot of bad apples. But the foundational fault comes from the top where company profits are more desired than providing quality care. And until senior care businesses are held accountable for the vast differences between what they promise in their brochures and the actual services they provide, the tragedy of the elderly and infirm going without the best of care will continue to get worse.

This will remain the case in the nursing home business until the culture as a whole rediscovers a sincere respect for the sanctity of life. For only a spiritual ethic that values every person (no matter their age, abilities, status, size, color or creed, physical or mental health) as created in the image of God and is therefore of inestimable value and deserving of our most attentive, compassionate, and skilled care can create a culture that is truly humane. Mere sentiment is not enough; what is needed is action of the most committed and consistent kind. 

Sadly, the Church has played an ignoble part in this deterioration of a respect for life. Modern Christians do not honor our parents and grandparents as we should. We have let our insistence on material things, leisure, entertainment, and other freedoms from “the ties that bind” contribute to the breakdown of extended family. We have also let these things determine our priorities in lifestyle, in career choices, in where we spend our money and time. Nothing is left over to invest in caring for the most needy among us.

Consider these questions. Why did the Church abandon its historic stewardship of hospitals, nursing homes, orphanages, adoption agencies, and homes for unwed mothers to the government and government-dependent businesses? It’s a sad legacy. In terms of more organic change, why aren’t Christians in the West producing more nurses, more medical technicians, and other persons willing to take on the challenge of the caring professions? Why in our homes, churches, and Christian schools do we fail to extol the noble professions of caregivers, thus encouraging the generation to come to embrace them as a way to love God, to serve one’s neighbor, and to shine as winsome lights of the gospel in the darkened world around us? After all, the holy Scriptures teach compassion and mercy and sacrifice for others as primary virtues. The Lord Jesus demonstrated over and again the beauty of caring for others (in both their physical and spiritual needs) and He commands us to fully identify with His mission. We are also specifically told that the zenith of authentic Christianity is to make the service of widows and orphans a priority of our ministry. 

More questions. Why does the Church not consider supplementing the meager salaries of caregivers in the senior care facilities so that more Christians could afford to work there? Why do we believe it so important that each of the innumerable churches in a city erect its own expensive building (the space of which is largely wasted during the week) and thus ignore the enormous opportunity to serve the sick, the aged, the unintentional poor and needy around us?  Why do we believe it so necessary that each of the innumerable churches in a city provide salaries and benefits to preachers, assistants of various sorts, and then assistants to the assistants, all the while letting the needs of the widows and orphans in our midst go unmet? 

At the very least, why aren't more of the ministers and laypersons in our churches involved in “mercy ministries” in our town’s nursing homes, hospitals, and with the homebound – ministries like worship services, Bible studies, taking prayers and communion to patients, personal visitation, entertainment, “adopt-a-grandparent” programs, volunteer assistance, and so on?

By the way, my remarks on this topic are not made lightly. Indeed, they come from my wife’s and my own intensive work with seniors: caring for our aged parents, our creation of the popular “When Swing Was King” outreach which has served 8-12 senior facilities every month for 12 years, and to four decades of various other programs of Vital Signs Ministries performed in senior care facilities. And my purpose in writing (yet again) about these matters is 1) because things are not getting better and 2) because I sincerely believe that the Church (even individual believers) could make an enormous difference in the lives of seniors if there is a humble willingness to change our attitudes and ministry strategies, engage in fervent prayers relevant to the need, and begin taking bold, new steps towards helping those who so desperately need our help.

You say that we can’t change the culture’s attitudes, institutions, and moral atrophy overnight? Of course not. We may not, despite our best efforts, change the general culture at all. But that shouldn’t stop us from trying. And it most definitely shouldn’t stop us from taking what action we can right now to help improve the lives of seniors in our immediate area. Let’s get started.

Alternatives to the "Great Hunkering Down"

Church being cancelled last Sunday was the shot across the bow.  Yesterday’s directives from the governor and mayor prohibiting gatherings of more than 10 people hit even closer.  But then this morning, when I pulled up at 6 in the Panera parking lot only to find that the public was locked out (except the drive-through), I realized there was going to be no escape from “The Great Hunkering Down” of Spring 2020.

Are we dealing here with an inevitable plague, the sword of the Wuhan CV dangling above us by a hair?  Or is this an overreaction steeped in panic, politics, corruption, conspiracy, nanny state bureaucracy, the domino effect of peer pressure, or a combination of any or all of the above?

Who knows? Not me, certainly. However, whatever the cause, there is no denying that the world is facing a terribly severe crisis.  So far in the U.S. this has meant economic disaster – no small thing, certainly – but (particularly in Italy), the Wuhan Coronavirus has taken thousands of lives.  Thus it is a plague of horrible proportions dealing out suffering and death, widespread economic erosion that could well become ruin, and increasing fear and despair.

How then should we respond?  Well, at the close of this note, I’m posting 4 links where I’ve found particularly helpful answers to this crucial question.  They are meaningful, hopeful, and imminently practical messages from Joni Eareckson Tada, Sean McDowell, the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, and Dr. Abdhu Sharkawy. Please check them out.

The perspectives of these people spell out our basic and most important responsibilities in this present crisis.  Indeed, they are foundational.  However, I also think it helpful that we make plans to deal with the “Great Hunkering Down” part of the challenge; that is, how do we best “redeem the time” (as Scripture puts it) in these next few weeks in which school closings, event cancellations, quarantines, work from home orders, and social distancing are part of the scene.

So it is that my counsel here doesn’t concern hand-washing techniques, but rather how to avoid hand-wringing in worry or, what is sometimes just as bad, thumb-twiddling in boredom for the duration.  I have four general suggestions.

1)  Find better uses for your extra time than “binge watching” a television series which, as you are well aware, is one of the main recommendations popping up on your computer screens.  Instead of wasting these days in cultivating mindlessness, do something productive.  Have any home projects or your to-do list?  Anything like cleaning the windows?  Clearing out the drawers?  Lightening the load in your storage room, basement, or garage?  Preparation for lawn and garden projects?  Even in your entertainment choices, think creatively and in terms of true, lasting value.  Work on a jigsaw puzzle with the family.  Put a model together.  Read quality books.  Think of how much better off you’ll be, if and when normalcy returns, with productive projects completed and time well invested.

2) Service to others.  We will all be experiencing various degrees of quarantine (either self-imposed or frustratingly imposed upon us by others) but that doesn’t mean we can’t spend some of our “hunkering down” time in meaningful ministry.  Among the options?  Writing letters and cards.  Phone calls, especially to those who could use an uplifting word of encouragement.  Baking cookies or preparing in-home meals for seniors and others – even if the “social distancing” might mean you freeze them for later distribution.  You get the idea.  Look for opportunities and the Lord will provide them.

3) Be careful where you get your news.  A major reason for the panic being felt by the American public is because of the panic-heavy agenda promoted by the alarm-loving, leftist media.  So, for your own sakes as well as all of those in your sphere of influence, find the best (that is, fact-based) information on the virus and its effects.  My recommendations?  Power Line, The Federalist, Daily Signal, Fox News, the Stream and yes, the White House website.

And finally, and certainly not the least crucial, 4) Prayer.  However, this isn’t just a repetition of the theme as you’ll see it in the links I’m providing below.  No, here too I’d like to encourage you with a few practical helps.  For instance, connect your worries to quick prayers; that is, throughout the day, as you hear or read virus-related news items, pause and say a prayer.  But also take two or three times a day to more carefully pray for God’s deliverance, strength, and holy purposes to be revealed to mankind.  Thank Him for His sovereignty and wisdom.  Thank Him for the glorious and secure reality of heaven.  And pray that the crisis be a marvelous awakening of non-believers and backslidden Christians.  Other options?  Take a prayer walk.  Make a call and spend a few minutes in prayer with a friend.  Be a bright example to your kids of how to go confidently and joyfully before God in moments of trial.


Guys, the “Great Hunkering Down” doesn’t have to be the description of our lives in these next few weeks. Instead, it can be a time of spiritual peace, growth, and genuine accomplishment.  And, as we pursue holy purposes in this time of challenge, we are presenting a winsome witness to a frightened, confused world.  Let’s do it.

Those links?

1) A Calming Word During the Coronavirus by Joni Eareckson-Tada

2) A Calming Word During the Coronavirus by Sean McDowell

3) 3 Billy Graham Quotes to Help Fight Coronavirus Fears from the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association

4) Letter from Toronto: An Infectious Diseases Specialist Reflects on COVID-19 by Dr. Abdhu Sharkawy.

What About That "Christmas Card "Edition of VSM's Letter-Writing Nights?

At tomorrow night's special "Christmas edition" of Vital Signs Ministries' letter-writing series, we will be sending letters and Christmas cards to:

* Christian heroes expressing our appreciation for their good work;

* Public officials and business leaders who have done good service in pro-life, pro-family causes also to express our thanks...

* Public officials, business leaders, and others of influence who have yet to act justly in relevant social issues or, even worse, who are championing wickedness. These we send letters and Christmas cards expressing advocacy, reasoning, and principled protest...

* Veterans of America's military branches expressing our appreciation for the efforts to keep our nation safe...

* First responders expressing our gratitude for the good work they perform in taking care of life, safety, and property...

* The U.S. State Department, other U.S. political officials, ambassadors and diplomats from countries engaging in persecution of Christian believers, and letters to newspapers and magazines to highlight the needs of the persecuted Church.

* Christians who are suffering unjust imprisonment and other persecutions expressing our gratitude for their loyalty to Jesus, promises of prayer, and promises to advocate justice in their behalf to the powers that be...

Regarding this last category, we utilize the resources at Voice of the Martyrs and
Open Doors to get specific names, stories, and addresses. These sites even help you send your messages in the prisoner's own language! We urge you to check them out and add this ministry to your family's "brotherly love" activities. For that matter, try and involve your church, your youth group, your seniors group, your Sunday School Class, your fellowship groups... you name it.

And, of course, we would be delighted if you'd like to come join our party too!

What will our Christmas cards say tomorrow night which will then be sent to believers languishing in prisons in China, Eritrea, Iran, Pakistan, and
Tajikistan? (And remember, along with the English phrases, VOM allows us to also send the translations in their own language.) Note also that we will send beautiful, colorful cards with Christian Christmas scenes -- that will be a blessing in itself -- and we send 3 cards to each prisoner on our lists.

Message 1) Psalm 37:7 Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass.

Romans 8:18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

Revelation 21:4 And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”

Message 2) When one part of the body suffers the whole body suffers. Many Christians around the world are standing with you. You are fighting a good fight. May you keep the faith and finish the race.

Psalm 37:4 Delight yourself also in the LORD, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.

Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

2 Corinthians 4:17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory,

Message 3) My prayers are with you as you endure the fellowship of suffering. My heart rejoices that you are strong in the Lord. May your light reveal the truth to those around you.

Romans 8:35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

Hebrews 12:2 Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

1 Peter 4:13 but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy.

Melinda Gates a Heroine? An Open Letter to Costco

Dear Costco,

I have appreciated your general policy in keeping your company out of the intense controversies that so divide the country. Therefore, I was greatly disappointed to see you feature Melinda Gates, one of the most prominent and powerful proponents of abortion, in the cover story of the May issue of your magazine. To hail someone who has championed so ardently for surgical and chemical abortion (under such deliberately deceptive terms as “family planning” and “reproductive health care”) is to join in the sorrowful business. And that’s much different than avoiding the tensions of the culture wars.

The article does emphasize that there are grave, complicated problems that need to be addressed throughout the world. And those problems do include health care, malnutrition, housing, transportation, empowerment and responsibility. But the answers to such difficulties will never be solved by organizations that so utterly fail to appreciate the inherent right to life of all human beings...including the unborn children that are so crassly dismissed by pro-abortion organizations like the Gates Foundation.

By the way, one of the photos that accompanied that story showed Gates involved with a project organized by Marie Stopes International, one of the largest, most notorious abortion businesses in the world. Very sad.

I humbly suggest that Costco be more sensitive to the moral convictions of so many of your family and faith-oriented customers and therefore carefully avoid highlighting people, organizations, and ideologies that present such extreme and, in this case, such unjust and violent actions as destroying preborn boys and girls.

Thank you for your consideration of this very serious matter.

Rev. Dennis Hartford
Director, Vital Signs Ministries
Omaha, Nebraska

Green with Envy: The Best Articles on the Democrats' "Green New Deal"

* “The 10 Most Insane Requirements Of The Green New Deal: The Green New Deal isn't just un-American, it's also completely bonkers.” (David Harsanyi, Federalist)

* “Green New Deal Backers Embrace Their Fantasies” (Jonah Goldberg, National Review via Town Hall)

* “‘New Green Deal’ = New Green Hoax” (Tammy Bruce, Washington Post via Fox News)

* “The Same Old Deal” (The Editors at National Review)

* “Green New Deal Would Barely Change Earth’s Temperature. Here Are the Facts.” (Nicolas Loris, Daily Signal)

* “The Green Raw Deal” (Erick Erickson, Town Hall)

An Old Idea is New Again (But It's Still a Bad Idea)

Inez Feltscher Stepman, Director of the Education and Workforce Task Force at the American Legislative Exchange Council and a senior contributor to The Federalist, comments on the new popularity of an old (and very bad) idea; namely, socialism.

"Earlier this week, The Washington Post ran an article by Elizabeth Bruenig titled ‘It’s Time to Give Socialism a Try,’ in which she argues that the current flailings of liberal democracy should be replaced with socialism. Although the author stridently and probably sincerely denies being a “totalitarian nostalgist,” the reality is that socialism requires totalitarianism. A system so incompatible with human nature cannot exist without an increasingly-ruthless enforcement mechanism. And as we see with the rising illiberal left in America, nice-sounding ideas quickly turn into demands, and demands into law, backed by the full force of government.

Not to get too personal here, but this kind of ‘let’s try it again’ rhetoric really chaps my behind. Both of my parents grew up under the communist regime in Poland, and my grandfather logged time in a Siberian gulag. They came to the United States seeking a freer life, not to hear more of the same old siren song.

There’s nothing romantic about life under socialism or communism. We know where rhapsodizing about socialism leads. It’s not new, and the Post and the New York Times shouldn’t treat it like the trendy flavor of the month.”  (Inez Feltscher Stepman at Bright, an email update provided by The Federalist)

A Post-Branson “Catch Up” (Part Two)

Here's more of the best reads on the web from recent days.

* “The Left’s New Plan to Gut Religious-Liberty Protections” (Margot Cleveland, National Review)

* “The Bergdahl Deception” (Scott Johnson, Power Line)

* “Conservatives Fault Senate Republicans for Slow Confirmation of Trump Nominees” (Casey Ryan, Daily Signal)

* “Tech vs Trump: the great battle of our time has begun” (Niall Ferguson, The Spectator)

* “Harvey Weinstein Helped Pay for Bill Clinton’s Legal Fees During Monica Lewinsky Scandal” (Joshua Caplan, Gateway Pundit) (And, near the end of the article, you’ll see who else in Hollywood helped pay Bill’ s bills.)

* “Hollywood's Masculinity Deficit” (Andrew Klavan, PJ Media)

* “Harvey Weinstein—Shameless Communist Propagandist to Boot” (Humberto Fontova, Town Hall)

* “Are you weak if you make your man a sandwich? This is why real men don’t marry feminists” (Suzanne Venker, Fox News)

* “Scalia's Legacy” (Mona Charen, Jewish World Review)

* “WSJ Editorial Board Accuses ‘Beltway Media’ And Democrats Of Trump Dossier ‘Coverup’” (Chuck Ross, Daily Caller)

* “As monopolies, airlines just want to ‘own it all’” (Kevin Burke, The Hill)