* "America Wakes Up to Woke" (Victor Davis Hanson, Daily Signal)
* "Naked Men Freely Expose Themselves To Kids At Pride Because The Right Bought The Left’s ‘Tolerance’ Lie" (Jordan Boyd, Federalist)
* "Chemical Abortion Drugs Aren’t Safe: Here’s Why" (Bradley Evans, Alliance Defending Freedom)
* "When Do We Reach Peak Climate Insanity? It Needs To Be Soon" (Issues & Insight Editorial Board)
* "Communicating the Pro-Life Message" (Randy Alcorn, Eternal Perspective Ministries)
I started laughing too because in my oh-so-brief tenure as a Scout, two disasters stand out quite vividly. Now, be assured that I do not lay any blame for these fiascoes at the feet of my Scoutmasters -- they were, as they had pledged to be, eminently trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent fellows. But then again, there are limits to what even the best mentors can accomplish when forced to work with real numskulls.
My first memorable moment came when my troop went up into the Colorado mountains to learn some outdoorsman skills, play a wide-ranging game of "Capture the Flag", and cook our own dinner. We were also supposed to fill our canteens from the stream at the foot of the hill for our evening’s repast. Always on the lookout for an unconventional way of getting things done (especially if it was easier), I opted to open the spigot on a water tank at the south end of the building. Cool...at least until I took a big swig of the stuff to wash down my baked potato only to discover that I had filled my canteen with gasoline! I thought I was gonna’ die. Well, I didn’t but I did smell like a refinery for a week. And my taste buds didn’t really get back to normal for a month. Yipes.
The other disaster happened, I think, on the very next outing we went on. My troop (#448 -- why I remember that when I can’t remember the names of neighbors, teachers, or cousins, I’ll never know) visited a place we called Paradise Valley where we planned to spend a whole weekend camping out. I can’t remember clearly but I think our Troop had four or five different patrols and I was one of the members of the Panther Patrol. That group, it turned out, included the “rogues’ gallery” of our neighborhood. True, one of those Panthers would eventually spend a successful career in law enforcement, but I know all too well that at least three of us would spend some time on the other side of the law. It may well be that the disastrous weekend was but a foreshadowing of things to come.
First of all, the Panthers were denied their choice spot of a campsite because the Beaver Patrol (our troop’s elite corps, comprised of older and more serious Scouts) was given rights to the spot by our Scout leaders. Feeling wronged, we decided on a plan of revenge. That night we used our little shovels to dig a trench from the stream straight into the Beaver Patrol's tent. After witnessing some pretty satisfying results (our only real success of the weekend), we were named as the culprits. Who else? We were scolded, shamed, properly punished, and warned that we had only one more chance. We agreed.
But, like I hinted earlier, there are some boneheads that just aren’t cut out for the Scouting life. We behaved ourselves pretty well the next day but Saturday evening spelled our doom. The initial problem was that they tried to teach us how to make a small barricade of logs that would reflect our campfire’s heat back into our tent. Neat idea, but ours burnt up. Three times.
Next, we got to fooling around a little while making dinner and somehow I managed to brand Jimmy D. with a hot wiener. Ouch! Of course, it really was an accident. Scout’s honor. After all, Jimmy lived across the street from me back in the city. Who cared that he used to wear a nylon hose over his head (weighted with a bar of soap in the toe, no less) in order to train his hair to lay down a bit? He was still my buddy. Anyhow, Jimmy played the good Scout about the whole business and didn’t rat me out. What’s a flaming hot dog between pals?
But the comedic complications of the camping trip weren’t quite over for the troubled Panther Patrol. That night, it rained. Hard and plenty. And while the other patrols stayed dry and warm, our guys did not. We thought we had done everything right, but it seems that we had not only pitched our camp on a slope, we hadn’t secured the tent close against the ground. Thus, when the water came down, it came under our tent and ran beneath the polyethylene sheets we had lain under our sleeping bags. Before we knew it, the water had carried two of us down to the creek as nicely as if we were playing on a Slip n’ Slide. Bob B. and I both woke up in the stream!
That was the last straw for our Scout leaders and, if I remember correctly, most of the Panther Patrol was dismissed from Scout duty -- permanently. In fact, what I heard later may be true; namely, that our names and photos were distributed to the national B.S.A. with the warning, “Under no circumstances should a troop undertake to make Scouts out of these rascals. They are a serious danger, both to others and to themselves.”
But before you conclude that the Boy Scout lore and training I received in my short jaunt was wasted, let me finish my Scout memoirs with this important observation. Ever since that time, I have been careful to never, ever let go of a sharp object (like a hatchet) until the person I’m handing it to tells me “Thank you” or gives some other acknowledgment that he does, in fact, have control of the object. It was my mentors from Troop 448 that stressed that helpful bit of advice and I’m pleased to say that I still have all ten toes.
The moral of the story? Even numskulls can learn a thing or two.
And about that letter to the Christian university official? Well, I sent it, telling him these same stories. But whether or not he ever used my testimony, (bless his heart) he was just too polite to say.
* Hunter Biden and the corruption of the liberal media (Brenda O'Neill, spiked!)
* Grassley: Plea Deal Ignores ‘Significant Body Of Evidence’ Of Hunter Biden’s Other Criminal Schemes (Tristan Justice, Federalist)
* In Canada, the West’s Suicide Is Becoming Literal (Jarrett Stepman, Daily Signal)
* France: Submission to Islamism Quickly Gaining Ground (Guy Millière, Gatestone Institute)
Want more details? Well, I’m going to print just a few of the brief letters from Tuesday’s parties below in hopes they might stimulate you to say some prayers and even write a few letters of your own. And then, if you’d like to check out the “subject sheets” we handed out Tuesday, you can find them on the Vital Signs Ministries website. Just click the June 2023 Letter-Writing Guide under our Taking Action section.
Okay? Here’s those sample letters.
1) To the U.S. Food and Drug Administration,
Alas, your approval of the dangerous drug mifepristone was one of the most tragic mistakes in your existence. And, as you know, you had to break your own rules of health and science to do so. You are protecting abortion – not human health & lives.
2) To Republican National Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel…
Dear Mrs. McDaniel,
What a wonderful “breath of fresh air” you have been for the party. We especially are encouraged by your defense of the preborn and your wise counsel to other Republicans to do the right thing. For when carefully, calmly explained, pro-life is a winning strategy. Thank you.
3) To Target,
I would have thought big companies would have learned from the disaster of Bud Light’s campaign and they would have been more circumspect in what they try to push down the throats of their customers. Well, the customers are speaking up and walking away. Apologize and chage your sale tactics if you want to see people come to your store again.
4) Attention Kohl’s CEO,
I was a faithful shopper at Kohl’s. I would like you to omit participating in any “Pride” collection at your stores. As long as your “woke” ideologies continue, I will not return to your stores.
5) To the Director of Samaritan’s Purse & the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, Franklin Graham
Dear Franklin,
I so appreciate you calling sin, sin no matter who it pertains to. I agree with you that none of us are better than anyone else, but instead are better off as a result of Jesus Christ being our Lord and Savior. I love what God is doing through your ministry. So many are majorly blessed as the Good News is preached to all the world. My deepest prayer is for God’s blessing of protection on you as well as His anointing. May His glory fall all over this messed up world.
6) To Wendy’s management,
Really? Flying a “Pride” flag at your corporate offices and thus offending (quite unnecessarily) a good deal of your customer base? Bad move. And until you get back to the basics (i.e., burgers and shakes) and away from the leftist “woke” ideology, we’re no longer using your restaurants.
7) To the Essential Pregnancy Services staff,
Thank you all for what you are doing and will do in protecting human life. We love the new facility the Lord provided for you. When we are praying at Planned Parenthood, we are encouraged by your waves and smiles. May the Lord bless you all!
8) To the Speaker of the Nebraska Legislature, John Arch
Dear Senator Arch,
Thank you! Thank you! Your leadership in the Unicameral this past session was outstanding. You sure had some tough fights on your watch, but you handled them well. There will be more babies saved in Nebraska because of the passage of LB574. Blessings.
-------- And finally, I close out these latest in our sample letters with one I sent to 21 federal agencies who have, in various ways, gone out of their way to unfairly embrace “wokeness.”
9) To the directing officers of the U.S. Justice Department,
I write as a taxpaying citizen who has a lifetime love for the historic ideals of America’s founding fathers to politely (but firmly) protest your participation in “Pride Month” and other tax-funded endorsements of homosexual and LGBTQ lifestyles. I believe your actions are irresponsible, unnecessarily divisive, and morally offensive to the majority of Americans and so I appeal to you to end your inappropriate use of taxpayer monies to “celebrate” such activities.
After all, government agencies are already woefully underperforming in their primary purposes. Indeed, many are abjectly failing in their duties. Therefore, to spend time and money on the advocacy of ideological “woke movements” which, by their very nature, tend to unravel our already tenuous social bonds, ensures that your agency will continue to fall behind in what you owe the American people.
Please, get back to the work that you’re supposed to be doing.
* “The more the wind rages the more you feel that the anchor holds you.”
* “Storms help to make the sailors sturdy, and trials help to make Christians strong in faith.”
* “Child of God, you cost Christ too much for Him to forget you.”
* “You always need divine protection and, believer in Christ, you shall always have it.”
*“Times of trouble send our hope deep down into fundamental truths.”
*“The sweetest prayers God ever hears are the groans and sighs of those who have no hope in anything but His love.”
* “I would sooner walk in the dark, and hold hard to a promise of my God, than trust in the light of the brightest day that ever dawned.”
* “When you go through a trial, the sovereignty of God is the pillow upon which you lay your head.”
* “I have learned to kiss the waves that throw me up against the Rock of Ages.”
* “No faith is so precious as that which lives and triumphs through adversity…You would never have believed your own weakness had you not needed to pass through trials. And you would never have known God’s strength had His strength not been needed to carry you through.”
* “Doubt not His grace because of thy tribulation, but believe that He loveth thee as much in seasons of trouble as in times of happiness.”
* The Left Has Captured Most of Government. Republicans Must Cut Off the Gravy Train (David Ditch, Daily Signal)
* Bioethicists: Euthanasia Okay for ‘Unjust Social Conditions’ (Wesley J. Smith, National Right to Life News)
* FDA Flouted Its Own Approval Process for Chemical Abortion Drugs (Ryan Bangert, Alliance Defending Freedom)
* God Is Sovereign Whether We Choose to Believe It or Not (Randy Alcorn, Eternal Perspective Ministries)
Plus this bonus: Quickly, Name 8 Reasons to Oppose Planned Parenthood (Denny Hartford, Vital Signs Blog)
2) Planned Parenthood is the most aggressive promoter of abortion rights in the U.S. and abroad. It’s influence in Congress, the United Nations, in state governments, in social service agencies, and among government educators is huge.
3) Planned Parenthood promotes (and enables) sexual promiscuity, even among very young teenagers.
4) Planned Parenthood promotes sexual perversion and does so with obscene and blasphemous materials.
5) Planned Parenthood holds firm to the racism and elitism of its eugenics founders.
6) Planned Parenthood has been caught on many occasions in criminal cover-ups of statutory rape.
7) Planned Parenthood operates many unsafe, unsanitary abortion clinics. It has had several abortionists who have killed adult women through botched abortion. It dispenses very dangerous abortifacient drugs in an unprofessional manner like over the phone and through “at home abortion kits.” It works continually against parental rights and control. It works continually against any and all limitations on abortion.
8) Planned Parenthood makes about $100,000,000 every year from American taxpayers.
* Remembering the Horrors of D-Day (Victor Davis Hanson, Daily Signal)
* Your Sins, Your Enemies, and Your Fears Will Be “Cleared Away” (Denny Hartford, Vital Signs Blog)
* Here’s The Single Most Important Question 2024 GOP Presidential Candidates Must Answer (Ben Weingarten, Federalist)
* 60 Companies That Are Celebrating LGBTQ Pride Month More Quietly (Gigi De La Torre, Daily Signal)
Now, there’s a passage to lift your spirits! For remember, all who have trusted in Jesus Christ’s sacrifice to pay the penalty of their sins, whether they be Jew or Gentile, are “grafted in” to the covenant God has made with the spiritual Israel (Romans 11, et al). And that means that these exquisite, exciting promises are yours!
And here are a few more points to ponder:
1) The judgments of a holy God against your sins are “taken away” -- completely and forever -- because the Redeemer Jesus has paid for them with His death on Calvary’s cross. John the Baptist rejoiced in this glorious truth when he saw Jesus coming to him at the Jordan River: “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” What an exhilarating miracle -- our sins and guilt and lack of righteousness are taken away where they will condemn and shame us no more! No wonder the prophet Zephaniah calls for the people of God to shout for joy.
2) The above promise has a twofold fulfillment. One is for now. One is for the future. One points to what theologians call the “positional truth” of our salvation. If you have received Christ as Savior (that is, trusted in His sacrifice to atone for your guilt before God), then you are saved, born-again, forgiven forever, adopted into God’s family, grafted into the covenant, etc. It is a done deal. From God’s perspective, the believer is, at the very moment of faith, cleansed from sin, redeemed, and sealed with his Spirit. Furthermore, the Bible teaches that with your complete trust in Christ, God actually imparts His righteousness into you. Wow.
But, you say, you still struggle with sin. That’s correct. Having your sins forgiven doesn’t mean that you will be free from sin in this life. But when this part of the adventure is over, you will be. And there is the double fulfillment -- the penalty of your sins are taken away right now but, in the day when you are ushered into the presence of God, the very presence of sin will be taken away…and forever.
3) A double fulfillment is also in play with the promise of God “clearing away” our enemies. Our enemies, of course, are all too obvious: our carnal nature, the devil, the rebellious world around us. And those enemies have, in our past, enslaved us. But, in Christ, we have been made new and the shackles of our old slavery have been broken. We can now, by the power of the Holy Spirit (which was given us at the moment of our salvation), walk in newness of life and victory. We are free. In this important sense, the Lord has already “cleared away” our enemies. Even the macabre and frightful enemy of death has lost its sting for we are guaranteed the same resurrection which Jesus experienced.
But again, through unbelief, rebellion, cowardice, selfishness, and other sins, we surrender over and over to our old enemies. Our aching need is to live free, to live for the Lord, to live like the people He has created us to be. And, one great day, we will do so without any stumbling or backsliding. Ah, yes…this is why we can “rejoice and exult with all our heart” as Zephaniah bids us. For in that glorious day of Christ’s triumph, all of our enemies will be “cleared away” completely and forever!
4) Fears of disaster regularly assail us in this life and drain us of confidence and joy. They deter us from lives of selflessness and mercy. We fear failure, sickness, loneliness, shame, disability, disappointment, the seeming victory of evildoers, and so much more. Yet here too we rejoice in the twofold nature of God’s promise. On the one hand, we look forward with great hope and happiness to that glorious day when all disasters are defeated, when all fears are swallowed up in our eternal bliss. O rejoice indeed!
And because of that splendid future, we can so much more confidently deal with the disasters of this life. This is not all there is. We have a future. We have an inheritance that is glorious and liberating and beautiful. And it is forever. And why can this be? Zephaniah tells us, it is because “the King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst.” Yes, the Lord is with us at this very moment as our Savior, Advocate, and Helper, But the day will soon be here when we will join our Sovereign Conqueror and Almighty Lord in the New Jerusalem with all sin, all enemies, all fears defeated and destroyed forevermore.
“Shout for joy, O daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem! The Lord has taken away his judgments against you. He has cleared away your enemies. The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst; you will fear disaster no more.” (Zephaniah 3: 14,15)
Here's the June edition of VSM's monthly newsletter -- "Passage of a Pro-life Bill and What Do Nebraskans Do Now"
* The Left Has Pushed the Envelope (Victor Davis Hanson, Daily Signal)
* Left-wing extremism linked to psychopathy and narcissism (Alex Mitchell, New York Post)
* It’s Not Just Going to End (Mike Sabo, The American Mind)
* Is the Sleeping Conservative Dragon Finally Waking Up? (Victor Davis Hanson, Daily Signal)
* The Thirst For Truth: Big Picture Explanation of What Happened in the Past 15 Years That Flipped the Social, Cultural, Media, Leftist and Govt Relationship (The Last Refuge)
And one more as a bonus pick…
* Legalization Of Polygamy Was Always The Logical Consequence Of Obergefell (Jonathan S. Tobin, Federalist)
* On June 20 there will be 2 letter-writing parties held at othe Hartford home. One meeting is a morning brunch from 10-11:30. And then our regular evening P.A.L. Night will be from 7-8:30. And, of course, your RSVPs are very important.
* The next Vital Signs Book Brunch will be at our home on Saturday morning, June 24 at 10. The book under discussion is the classic by C.S. Lewis, That Hideous Strength. Trust me, the relevance of this novel is greater than ever before and a discussion of it (by thoughtful people who actually read the book) will undoubtedly prove to be of significant value. Please let us know soon if you’re interested.
Uh, really? Here's just a handful of recent happenings that certainly suggest otherwise.
It turns out that our FBI improperly used warrantless search powers against U.S. citizens more than 278,000 times in the year ending November 2021...It's not just government-funded libraries that are hosting drag queen exhibitions. The First United Methodist Church in Sherman, Texas got into the perverted action by sponsoring a "Pride Prom" which they billed by as a "family-friendly drag show."...Though Republicans make up over 60% of registered voters in Nassau County, New York, a "printer error" is being blamed for over 976,000 voter registration cards (that's every voter in the county) being marked Democrat...
Only 13% of eighth graders in America can pass the citizenship test the U.S. requires of naturalized citizens...Democratic North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper declared a "state of emergency" in a totally inappropriate attempt to stop a school choice bill from passing the state legislature...A high school in Missouri allowed a high school yearbook to feature a page extolling casual sex, abortifacient drugs, smoking, drinking, etc...The CEO of Target brags about his company's going all in for the "woke movement," claiming that it represents "just good business decisions, and it’s the right thing for society, and it’s the great thing for our brand...."
The Durham Reports clearly reveal that President Obama and Vice-President Biden knew that the stories claiming Donald Trump's collusion was a complete and malicious hoax. And yet these key "public servants" perpetuated the lie...The totals from 2022 are now in on the loss of U.S. business inventory due to circumstances such as retail theft. It's almost $100 billion. And it's getting nothing but worse...
Communist thug Vladimir Putin is going to put "tactical" nuclear weapons in in Communist Belarus...Under the Biden administration’s direction, the Department of Homeland Security has funneled $40 million taxpayer dollars away from bona fide anti-terrorism programs and into a weaponized operation aimed at destroying the reputations of prominent Christian organizations, several highly respected conservative public policy groups, a major cable news network, and even the Republican National Committee....
An Indiana abortionist committed an abortion on a 10-year old girl and was $3,000 fined by the state's medical licensing board -- NOT for the murderous deed itself, but only for publicly talking about it....And the Los Angeles Dodgers are honoring the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, a group of "queer and trans nuns," during a June 16 event...
Had enough? Me too. Here's this week's Top 5 recommended reads.
* Planned Parenthood's Legacy: It's Worse Than You Think (Denise Harle, Alliance Defending Freedom)
* Surgeon General: Social Media Poses a ‘ Profound Risk’ to Mental Health of Minors (Dan Hart, FRC's Washington Stand)
* The Hate Industry (Edward Ring, American Greatness)
* The Left Has Pushed the Envelope (Victor Davis Hanson, PJ Media)
* The scandal that's hit America and will be bigger than Watergate (Newt Gingrich, Fox News)
And a couple of bonus stories: 5 things conservatives need to know before AI wipes out conservative thought altogether (Dan Schneider, Fox News)...‘They’re Forced to Celebrate It’: Parents of Girls Losing to Boys Speak Out (Suzanne Bowdey, FRC's Washington Stand) and a real doozy, Ex-social worker faked brain cancer to dodge justice after false tip councilwoman molested toddler (Emma Colton, Fox News)
* The Durham Report Leaves No Doubt: The FBI Is A Mortal Threat To Democracy (John Daniel Davidson, Federalist)
* Pro-Life Groups Challenge Trump’s Suggestion That Florida’s Heartbeat Ban Is ‘Too Harsh’ (Mary Margaret Olohan, Daily Signal)
* America's men are in crisis and it's rooted in one big lie (Senator Josh Hawley, Fox News)
* Israel under Fire and The West's Pusillanimous Response (Richard Kemp, Gatestone Institute)
* The Christian Pilgrimage: My Hand in His (Denny Hartford, Vital Signs Blog)
And a bonus link -- The Administrative State: The Lawmakers No One Votes For -- The unchecked power of the administrative state presents a serious threat to liberty, democracy, and republican government. (Lathan Watts, Alliance Defending Freedom)
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Remember the opening verse of the great hymn, “Jesus Paid It All”? “I hear the Savior say, ‘Thy strength indeed is small. Child of weakness, watch and pray. Find in Me thine all in all.’” By the power of the Holy Spirit, our pilgrimage can be steady and blessed and fruitful, no matter what comes our way. The weakening of our bodies, the wounds that come from loss and disappointment, the wolves that are ever abroad in this decadent world – all of these assail us with regularity and increasing force. Yet in Christ, we truly can find our “all in all.”
In Him we can find confidence, joy, and the supernatural power to rise above circumstances as we exercise faith towards our Lord and love in action towards others. We cling tighter to He Who is our help and hope -- and we keep moving forward. Moment by moment. Step by step. One act of kindness, one recitation of a Scripture verse, one word of encouragement to others, one smile in anticipation of the heavenly rewards awaiting us, one fervent prayer…at a time.
Our pilgrimage is a journey, but we are not alone. We have the loving help of Jesus Christ, including the blessed gifts of His Word and the fellowship of His other adopted children. And never forget that our pilgrimage has a destination -- a glorious, wonderful, and forever destination that isn’t actually an end, but an exciting and eternal beginning.
“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, ‘Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.’” (Revelation 21:1-4)
By the way, I write these words after a week which included visits to my little sister who is suffering from severe and accelerating dementia plus another very difficult day in which we sat with a friend in the emergency room for 10 hours after having to call the rescue squad for help. There were yet other visits to ailing friends in hospital and in a rehab center as well. It was also a week with prayers and a public pro-life witness outside an abortion business, writing letters to friends dealing with various challenges, and many conversations with elderly friends living in care facilities following our “When Swing Was King” shows and our Sunday afternoon church service at Aksarben Village Senior Living.
However, it was also a week with such happy moments as the wedding of two remarkable friends and a successful, inspirational fundraising banquet for Assure Women’s Center. And, more in the middle as concerns emotions, the week saw a lot more of what you could call “pedestrian” activities: mowing the lawn, getting the car fixed, reading, sermon preparation, editing material for the Vital Signs Ministries website, meal preparation…you get the idea.
In other words, it was a week one might understandably interpret as moving from highs to lows, from happy moments to horrid, from successes to sorrows. But that would be an illusion for, as I’ve explained above, the true perspective is to see the Christian life as an ongoing series of adventures – a step by step pilgrimage with the Lord Jesus Who will give us all we need to pass each test, to escape every temptation, to take advantage of every opportunity to lay up treasures in heaven.
We are not straws in the winds of fate. We are not slaves to our surroundings or emotions. We are warriors on a mission. And no matter the specific challenges we encounter, His purposes and enabling power remain constant.
“Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let’s hold firmly to our confession. For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things just as we are, yet without sin. Therefore let’s approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace for help at the time of our need.” (Hebrews 4:14-16)
“Therefore, since we also have such a great cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let’s rid ourselves of every obstacle and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let’s run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking only at Jesus, the originator and perfecter of the faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” (Hebrews 12: 1-3)
Nevertheless, the response from Joe, the lone gentleman in yesterday’s audience at Immanuel Courtyard Assisted Living, was particularly moving to us for he not only seemed transfixed with every number, but his endearing smile and sparkling eyes throughout the program really touched our hearts. And in our conversation afterward, Joe was terrific fun. “Oh, oh; that was wonderful! That was so beautiful. I knew so many of those songs and I loved even the ones I didn’t remember so well. And those pictures! They were so real – just like visiting my family and old friends…I felt like I could almost reach out and touch them! What wonderful, wonderful memories! Oh, if you could only start and play it all over again!”
Our subsequent conversation covered Joe’s family history, his work, the unique cane he was using (which he made and decorated himself), and more of his commentary about his life-long love of music. My favorite observation of his? “You know, when I was a young boy, my family was poor. Very poor. But I didn’t know that – that didn’t bother me. And you know why? It was because there was love in our home. And because we had 2 things which we all loved, two great blessings that made me feel like I was rich – a dog and a radio! And oh, how my father loved that radio – the music and the programs – but mostly the music. And so we loved music too. And I think the dog did too! Oh, yes, we were rich because of that music and you and your wife brought all that back to me today! Thank you, thank you. Please come back soon!”
Ah, the blessings of “When Swing Was King”!
On the news front? The border crisis becomes worse and worse while President Biden laughingly insists there's nothing at all wrong. And yet, if there IS anything wrong, it's Donald Trump's fault!...The vandalism against pro-life pregnancy clinics now includes the grotesque bodies of decapitated animals scattered on the lawns...A special needs student at a California high school was called a "bigot" by her teachers for not using preferred pronouns, objecting to participating in a lesson about "scissoring," and refusing to get undressed near male teachers...In Colorado, a school created a secret club for sixth-graders that claimed too be an art club but turned out to be a gender and sexuality awareness club where radically obscene matters were presented to the kids...Communist Belarus is escalating its already horrendous persecution of Christians (Example: 7 young Protestants were arrested, handcuffed, detained at the police station for over 8 hours, fined and handcuffed the seven, took them to Central District Police Station, and then fined about two months' average wage each. The crime? They were caught talking to others on a city street about the meaning of Easter.)
This week's Top 5?
* A Pastoral Response to Gender Confusion: Caring for Those Caught in the LGBTQ Religion (Jesse Johnson, Master's Seminary Blog)
* How anti-Semitism became unleashed in the West (Melanie Phillips, Jewish World Review)
* Prayer as Thought Crime: Stop and pray on the street in front of an abortion facility in England or Wales and you could find yourself under arrest. (Alliance Defending Freedom)
* The Culture War Isn’t The Most Important Issue Of 2024, It’s The Only Issue (John Daniel Davidson, Federalist)
* Weaponizing Death (Victor Davis Hanson, Daily Signal)
A few cases in point -- How about the skyrocketing rates of church vandalism, legislation targeting church sacraments, and the FBI and other government agencies going after people of faith? One example from this week was Saint Francis Health System, the 12th-largest hospital in the U.S., being told by the feds that its solitary candle in the chapel was a safety hazard and, unless it was snuffed out forthwith, it would lose its ability to accept Medicare, Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program.
More men, dressed as women and claiming to be such, are taking home more of the championships in women's athletic contests. And the media, once champions of women's sports, applauds.
The Democrats are intensifying their attacks on the Supreme Court, one of the few institutions it doesn't already dominate.
Teachers are leaving the government schools in droves because of uncontrollable students and the ridiculousness of gender politics. But the administrators? They're staying put.
Democrats in Oregon passed a bill that, among other things, would allow minors to undergo sex reassignment surgery and obtain abortions without their parent’s permission.
Oh yes, to deal with the severe shortage of young citizens going into the military, the U.S. Navy hired a "nonbinary" drag queen to be a "digital ambassador." Yeah, that'll work.
Government school teachers in Colorado passed a resolution calling for an end to capitalism because capitalism "inherently exploits children, public schools, land, labor, and resources." Also in Colorado, the Democrats there voted against a measure that would enhance criminal penalties for indecent exposure in view of a minor. Why? Because some claimed it could be used to ban drag queen shows.
The thug wanted for murdering 5 people in "execution style," (including an 8-year-old child) is an illegal alien who has been deported 5 times.
And finally, it turns out that the saintly American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), is sitting on hundreds of millions of dollars (including millions in offshore Caribbean accounts) and doling out six-figure salaries to employees -- while giving just 2% of its budget to pet shelters!
Let's move on to my Top 5 for this week.
* American Maoism. Rage meets self-pity as the permanently offended root out false thought. (Daniel J. Mahoney, American Mind)
* Patriots Are Starting to Hate America, Too. (CNN, of all places, just released a survey that shows something true.) (Scott McKay, American Spectator)
* Unrigging Our Elections (Mark and Mollie Hemingway, American Mind)
* To Protect Free Speech, We Must Preserve Language. It may at times seem tedious or trivial, but those committed to speaking and living the truth must not disengage from the conflict over language. (Lathan Watts, Alliance Defending Freedom)
* Beyond Fate: How America Can Fulfill Its Destiny and Illuminate the Path to a Better World (Armstrong Williams, Daily Signal)
The Top 5:
1) The inhumanity of the green agenda: The ‘sustainability’ regime is impoverishing the world. (Joel Catkin, spiked!)
2) Do We Even Know We Are All Socialists Now? In the end, perhaps the best definition of socialism is simply “The endless war against merit.” (Victor Davis Hanson, American Greatness)
3) Who was the real Martin Luther King, Jr.? King: A Life is the first comprehensive biography of the black civil rights hero to appear in more than thirty years (David J. Garrow, Spectator)
4) Top Republicans Explain: How GOP Candidates Should Be Talking about Abortion (Suzanne Bowdey, Washington Stand
5) Right here is a link to the first in a series of 5 Hillsdale College lectures on the Inklings. It is "Who Are the Inklings?" By Bradley Birzer.
* Silicon Valley’s moral bankruptcy (Victor Davis Hanson, New Criterion)
* Can We Do Anything About America’s Decline?: The remedies are agreed upon, but the needed medicine is feared more than the disease. Because today, the government is the cause of our many crises. (Victor Davis Hanson, American Greatness)
* The Useful Veneer of the Aging Democrat (Victor Davis Hanson, Daily Signal)
* Open Letter to an Emotionally Abused World (Lori Weintz, Brownstone Institute)
* Surgeon Castrating ‘Gender-Diverse’ Eunuchs Manifests The Evil Of Transgenderism: The idea of ‘eunuch’ as a gender identity that needs to be affirmed with surgical castration is obviously insane. (Nathaniel Blake, Federalist)