More Buried Treasure

In other words, here are more of the latest stories the establishment media hope you'll never learn about.

* "Biden’s Banana Republic: The tragic case of Matthew Perna, and its terrible implications." (Robert Spencer, FrontPage Mag)

* "Maria Bartiromo’s Sources Are Right: The Biden Administration Is Actively Partnering With Putin On Climate And Iran" (Emily Jashinsky, Federalist)

* "Looming food shortages is the next ‘slow-moving disaster’ to hit world" (Glenn H. Reynolds, New York Post)

* "Biden’s budget bill funnels millions in pork to vulnerable Democrats" (Haris Alic, Washington Times)

* "Biden’s Real Problem Isn’t His Russian Oil Policy, But His American One" (Daniel J. Flynn, American Spectator)

* "Social-Justice Lingerie: Victoria’s Secret ditches physical beauty for left-wing activism." (Christopher F. Rufo, City Journal)

Taking a Closer Look at Today's News

Here, from the alternative media, are a few excellent articles about the affairs of the day -- stories the establishment media does NOT want you to know. Check 'em out.

* "It's time to stop viewing Disney as a family-friendly company" (Andrea Widburg, American Thinker)

* "American education’s new dark age: Colleges have abandoned real learning for wokeism" (William Deresiewicz, UnHerd)

* "Biden’s Handlers Are Preparing to Eject Him (and Kamala)" (Roger Kimball, American Greatness)

* "Women’s Rights vs Transgender Power Politics" (Cory Franklin, John Kass News)

* "Benjamin Weinthal on Germany's Increasing Support of the Iranian Regime" (Marilyn Stern, Middle East Forum)

* "Joe Biden’s Iran plan is a total disaster" (Michael Goodwin, New York Post)

The March Newsletter from Vital Signs Ministries!

The March letter from Vital Signs Ministries was one full of “news and reviews” which included several photographs too. It's a pretty exciting letter, we believe, as it illustrates just how multi-faceted is our work.

You'll find that letter (and more photos) at this link.

P.S. You'll also find there the story behind the fuzzy bunnies shown here!

“Rejoice in the Lord Always." (Really?)

“Rejoice in the Lord always.  Again, I will say rejoice.”  (Philippians 4:4)

Really, Paul? With the world falling apart, with my finances taking a dive, with my family in disarray, with my physical health deteriorating, and now with raccoons making their home in the attic, you’re telling me to rejoice? And to rejoice always? And to rub it in further, you say it yet a second time? 

Well, that’s exactly what the apostle Paul is saying in this verse.  And remember, he knows that obedience to this exhortation is do-able. After all, Paul is writing this letter, remember, while in a Roman prison.  And remember too that Paul’s past experiences with trials and sufferings is intense and of longstanding. He has endured ongoing persecution, beatings, stoning, shipwreck, poverty, homelessness, slander, hunger and thirst, betrayal, fatigue, worry, disappointment, and the ongoing agony from his “thorn in the flesh.”  

The apostle is not guilty of naiveté here.  He isn’t urging his Philippian brethren to just “put the best face on” the trials and temptations of life. Nor is he pointing to an ethereal ideal that cannot be practically applied. No, Paul is telling them that rejoicing is truly possible -- even in the toughest of circumstances -- when it occurs in the correct context; namely, “in the Lord.”

For rejoicing “in the Lord” does not mean you can begin rejoicing only when the world stops spinning in sin or when your health improves or when the raccoons relocate to your neighbor’s house. You see, Paul’s exhortation is always in force because that little phrase that is connected to it (“in the Lord”) involves several earth-shaking realities. Among the most important? The infinite and all-powerful God Who created the universe is also a personal and compassionate God who offers you an intimate relationship with Himself. Indeed, that all-wise and ever-present Sovereign “so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him might not perish but have everlasting life.”

God has graciously adopted into His family any and every person who, by childlike faith, has believed that promise. For, in doing so, the sinner is not only forgiven, the very righteousness of Christ is imparted into him and he is indwelt by the Holy Spirit. Furthermore, the Christian can walk in the fellowship of the Triune God, experiencing God’s power to overcome even the fiercest of trials. We have a Helper. We have an Intercessor. We have a Defender. We have an Advocate. We have the practical help of God’s Word. We have the stimulation, encouragement, and assistance of the Church. And we have a citizenship in heaven, that forever paradise where we will live in a new and glorified body in the midst of a new and a redeemed creation. And our eternal fellowship will include God Himself, His angels, and the whole family of saints from throughout all of history. Wow.

All of these things (and more) create the context and foundation of that three-word condition, “in the Lord.” All of these things thus provide the motivation, the power, and the triumphant purpose of the command: “Rejoice in the Lord always.  Again, I will say rejoice.”  

Oh Lord Jesus, help me to see and fully embrace the divine truths behind the crucial command of Philippians 4:4. Give me faith to keep moving forward in my faith, even in the midst of my present sufferings, rejoicing in the many, glorious effects of my relationship with the almighty God. Help me to keep a divine perspective on my fleeting life as compared to the eternal life to come in which I will dwell with You in the New Jerusalem forevermore. And in so seeing these realities by faith, help me to rejoice always in the Lord. Amen.

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.

March 14 -- An Open Letter to President Biden

Dear President Biden,

Come on, man!

Get started on a critical reset of American government, business, and social ethics ASAP.

How? You can begin with these 7 steps.

1) Stop your detestable promotion of the violent evil of abortion.

2) Start protecting the national borders.

3) Turn loose American ingenuity, entrepreneurship, and hard work to solve our energy crisis. (And you can begin this campaign by turning on the pipeline! )

4) Get the U.S. military back to full strength for its mission of protecting America – not for the foolish business of politically-correct sensitivity training.

5) Cut off the counter-productive cronyism between your administration and the teachers’ unions, Big Tech and Big Pharma, the would-be tyrants of the Deep State, and the rest of the "blame America first" crowd.

 

6) Stop wasting money!

And, for goodness sake,

7) Stop printing money!

Please, Mr. President, before it's too late for America, begin governing rightly.

Denny Hartford, 

Omaha, Nebraska

In the Era of Putin's Aggression, Remember Alexander Solzhenitsyn

The injustice and cruelty of the Soviet Union’s vast organization of labor camps in the 1930’s and 1940’s are now well known. But that knowledge didn’t have to surface. Indeed, without the grace of God acting through such heroic individuals as Alexander Solzhenitsyn, the truth might well have remained buried by Communist cover-ups.

Solzhenitsyn's was the foremost voice raised against the grandiose and oppressive Soviet machine. Through rare courage and sacrificial efforts, he managed to alert the whole world to the barbaric injustices committed against countless numbers of human beings.

Solzhenitsyn’s most famous (though not often read) book is the riveting 3-volume Gulag Archipelago. In that incredible work, the former slave camp worker documents the massive catalog of outrageous lies, violence, and criminal corruption that were the “very stuff” of Soviet Communism. In the Gulag (and even in his fiction), Solzhenitsyn serves primarily as an historian. It is enough, he insisted, to simply record what happened, to give the truth an open hearing. He had a bold faith in the triumphant power of truth and he therefore believed that when people learned the real story of Soviet tyranny, they would never again allow the devil an open door to such blasphemy and brutality.

It is in this sense that Alexander Solzhenitsyn is hailed as a prophet – not as a foreteller of future events but as a “forthteller” of what had already happened. He held up the banner of truth and, simply by performing that service, he helped change the world.

Solzhenitsyn’s play The Love-Girl and the Innocent is set in a forced labor camp in Siberia in 1945 and it features one of the persecuted men listing just a few of the monstrous crimes performed by Soviet thugs that he had personally witnessed. The prisoner is beside himself with fury, feeling utterly helpless to do anything about this all-enveloping injustice. But in response, Pavel Gai, an imprisoned ex-soldier who has experienced more than his own share of horrors, answers him with chilling authority. “What can we do? Remember – that’s all.”

And that's precisely what Alexander Solzhenitsyn did.  He remembered.  In fact, it was his constant plea to God to help him remember specific events, people, and situations so that he could record the true history of the Soviet Union's crimes against humanity and God. Solzhenitsyn desired more than anything else to be a faithful historian in order to effectively honor the gulag’s victims, and perhaps more important, preserve and proclaim the truths about Communism that could set the future free.

Ronald Reagan was one of those inspired by those revelations and he acted on the knowledge that Solzhenitsyn had so bravely preserved. The camps were emptied. The Wall finally came down. Truth, just a simple presentation of the truth, can indeed destroy the darkness.

And now in our day, with Vladimir Putin’s savage return to the dark lies of totalitarianism, persecution, and terrorism with which he is trying to drown the truth of Communist Russia’s corruption, inefficiency and failure, Alexander Solzhenitsyn's example and exhortations are as valuable as ever.

Note: I am undertaking a re-read of Solzhenitsyn’s Gulag Archipelago this spring and summer. Anyone interested in joining me?

A Happy Sunday, Indeed

It was another wonderful Sunday with a good deal of the morning spent at the rehab center where Carol Coppi continues to improve from her brain hemorrhage stroke 5 weeks ago. What dear, dear friends she and Quint have been to us (and many more!) over these last decades. Quint’s family has already relocated him in a beautiful place in Florida with Carol to follow suit as soon as she’s able to travel. And that might even be this week! We will miss them terribly but we applaud the family’s compassion, generosity, and effort invested in taking good care of them there.

And then we went on to our regular Sunday afternoon church service at Aksarben Village Senior Living. Our congregation today was 16. Joining us for the visitation before and after our 35-minute service were some of the “standards” of our team: Allen, Ruth, and Don. The sermons (always only 13-15 minutes long) have lately been from the Book of Philippians and today I spoke of Philippians 4: 4-5 (“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.  Let your gentle spirit be known to all people. The Lord is near.”) 

Our YouTube musical selections today were “All Hail The Power Of Jesus’ Name” (Choir and Orchestra of First Baptist Church, Dallas), “You Must Be Born Again” (The Ferguson Family out of Mount Dora, Florida) and “A Mighty Fortress is Our God” (Gracias Choir, originally from South Korea). Claire closed in prayer and we enjoyed the cookies, coffee, lemonade, and plenty of lively fellowship for another half hour or more.

It was a terrific time.

By the way, we always pass around sheets with the order of service, the song lyrics, and the sermon text to everyone and we encourage them to take them back to their rooms to use as devotionals. But we have recently stepped that outreach up by using what used to be blank spaces to print other items of interest. One week, for instance, we printed several D.L. Moody quotes. One week was a Charles Wesley poem. And today, in honor of St. Patrick’s Day coming up, was an edited version of this Vital Signs Blog post (The Real St. Patrick) was itself edited from a radio script I wrote long, long ago. Check it out. 

Your Letter Makes a Difference

Regular visitors to Vital Signs Blog know I frequently pass along action alerts designed to get you involved in grassroots advocacy. In those posts I describe what's happening, why your response is valuable, contact information, and sometimes even show you a sample letter.

Why? 1) I’m convinced that “shining” is a lot more responsible than just “whining.” It’s healthier too!

2) Letter-writers become more informed, more alert, and more eager to pass the word along in other venues too.

and 3) Letters actually work!

These are the reasons that one of Vital Signs Ministries' first activities (way back in 1983) was the beginning of letter-writing parties regularly scheduled meetings where we would spend a short time of prayer together and then, while we kept the coffee and tea hot, we wrote letters and cards.

Vital Signs carries on this tradition to this day. And we’ve stimulated individual churches and Sunday School classes to join in the fun. Why? Because letters work.

But don't just take my word for it. Give a listen to this interesting 5-minute lecture by business entrepreneur and politician Omar Ahmad. If you find it motivational -- and you will -- then print off this helpful letter-writing primer and get started making a difference.

Thinking About Psalm 2

My old friend and pro-life colleague John Malek has been thinking about Psalm 2 and it's application to today's culture. Give a listen...

Why are the leaders of the nations in an uproar devising new ways to control and rule people and lands and resources? Virus’, Socialism, wars, shutdowns, shortages, Marxism, drug trafficking, historic revisionism, Communism, tyranny, etc., They take positions and counsel together against the Lord and His people, saying lets free ourselves from their constraints. Their bible, their “truth”, their moral absolutism, their insistence on a God who made us, their sense of justice and righteousness, is all holding us back from progress. 

Let’s throw off those constraints, constraints on morality or biology or history and go our own way. We can forge a better morality that takes us into a bright new future of hope and promise and progress in improving our lives and our planet, purifying mankind and endowing them with new superpowers.

The Lord who is in Heaven, laughs and scoffs at them, thinking they know better and are morally better, but He speaks to them and terrifies them with His anger and fury and they would be wise to take heed, because He has installed His own King over the nations, Jesus (indeed the begotten Son of Father God), who sits on Mount Zion – His holy mountain. He has given Him all the nations even to the furthest ends of the earth as His inheritance to rule and reign, not the petty kings who are now plotting against the children of God. 

God has given Him the authority to break the rulers of the nations with a rod of iron and to shatter them like clay vessels, so again, they would do well to heed the warnings from God and worship Him with reverence and rejoice in Him for the temporary authority He has given them in their nations. They should pay homage to the Son of God, so that He does not become angry with them and they perish as He removes their scepter to rule. It is likely His wrath will soon be kindled, so blessed are those who take refuge in Him. 

This is my layman’s paraphrase of Psalm 2 and it is why I see God as the one who will come to rescue us from the evil that is infesting all the earth. Isaiah 60:2 – For behold darkness will cover the earth and deep darkness the peoples; but the Lord will rise upon you and His glory will appear upon you.

Oh, My; Did You Miss These? (Part 2)

* "COVID Vaccine Bombshells You Probably Missed" (Debra Heine, American Greatness)

* "The Clinton campaign’s plot to politically assassinate Trump" (Peter Van Buren, Spectator)

* "How Biden has empowered evil in both Russia and Iran" (Melanie Phillips, Jewish News Syndicate)

* "What We Learn From Democrats’ Failure to Pass an Extreme Abortion Bill" (Nicole Russell, Daily Signal)

* "Special Counsel Finds Mark Zuckerberg’s Election Money Violated Wisconsin Bribery Laws" (Margot Cleveland, Federalist)

* "Europe’s ‘green’ transition put it at Russia’s mercy" (Christopher Barnard, Spectator)

Oh, My; Did You Miss These?

* "While America watches the war in Ukraine, Biden finalizes a dangerous Iran deal" (Eric Mandel, The Hill)

* "One year without Rush Limbaugh – 5 lessons he left us on how to handle the left" (Diana Allocco, Fox News)

* "A Canadian Pastor Is Imprisoned for Talking to Truckers" (George Neumayr, American Spectator)

* "The media's war on Clarence and Ginni Thomas" (Mark Paoletta, Washington Examiner)

* "Rap and drill music is part of America's racial problem" (Juan Williams, Fox News)

* "Facial recognition firm Clearview AI says it will soon have 100 BILLION photos in its database to ensure 'almost everyone in the world will be identifiable' and wants to expand beyond law enforcement" (Alex Hammer, Daily Mail)

When Swing Was King "Swings" Into March

Well, the March schedule of “When Swing Was King” gets underway as we will present the program at Esprit Whispering Ridge Assisted Living and Memory Care. It will be the first of 8 shows that are on the current rota and, though that is way down from the pre-Covid days when we did 12 shows a month, we are delighted to be able to have these opportunities.

For those of you who don’t know about this outreach, let me give you a quick review. “When Swing Was King: The Sights and Sounds of the Big Band Era” is a sentimental journey back to the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s, the heady days of youth for most of the residents of today’s retirement centers and nursing homes.  It is a wholesome, fun program that brings comfort, awakens memories, and lifts the spirits.  I suppose, however, that “When Swing Was King” is actually a combination of four things: 1) Some of the very best music produced during the swing era; 2) Power Point visuals recalling American life and culture in those decades; 3) Entertaining commentary to go along with the original hits and provocative photographs; and 4) A splendid opportunity for reflection, conversation, and the development of new friendships.

In addition to the nearly 200 photographs, the current show will feature these outstanding hit songs:

1) “Pennsylvania 6-5000” (Glenn Miller Orchestra)

2) “Flying Home” (Lionel Hampton Orchestra)

(Photo Theme: “Things That Fly”)

3) “It’s Been a Long, Long Time” (Harry James Orchestra with vocalist Kitty Kallen)

(Photo Theme: WW II Home Front)

4) “Blue Room” (Glen Gray & the casa Loma Orchestra)

5) “Deep Purple” (Larry Clinton Orchestra with vocalist Bea Wain)

6) “Satin Doll” (Duke Ellington Orchestra)

(Photo Theme: Hollywood Leading Ladies)

7) “Stardust” (Artie Shaw Orchestra)

8) “Till Then” (The Mills Brothers)

(Photo Theme: WW II Years)

9)”Avalon” (Benny Goodman Quartet)

10) “Cha Cha Cha d’Amour” (Dean Martin with Nelson Riddle Orchestra)

(Photo Theme: Dean Martin’s Career)

11) “Opus One” (Tommy Dorsey Orchestra)

12) “Danny Boy” (Dennis Day”

(Photo Theme: The Emerald Isle)

We always appreciate prayers that everything goes right, that the residents come in good health and spirits, that the staff is helpful, and that the Lord blesses us with opportunities to have substantial visits with our guests. And, of course, if you’d like to drop in for one of the shows, by all means do so. You’ll find the schedule on the Vital Signs Ministries website.

Friday Morning's Best

Here's a compilation to go with your coffee. It's a selection of some of the best (and most important) articles from the alternative media.

* "Arsonist Who Murdered Father of 5 Got Reduced Sentence. You're Not Going to Believe Why" (Rick Moran, PJ Media)

* "The Olympic Spirit Isn't Doing So Well in Beijing" (Dan Hart, Family Research Council)

* "How China Spies on Nations Throughout Western Hemisphere" (Mateo Haydar, Heritage Foundation)

* "Cultural Depravity on Display: The 2022 Superbowl Half-time Show" (Jeff Davidson, Flag & Cross)

* "Biden Pays Army Salaries to Iranian Ally" (Tony Badran, Tablet)

* "Chicago teenager, 16, wearing an ankle monitor carjacked a Lyft and murdered 15-year-old boy by shooting him in the head and nine times while he was on the ground - right after appearing before judge on weapons charge." (Gina Martinez, Daily Mail)

"Serious Issues Here" Yet They're Ignored by the Establishment Press

* "'These are serious ethical issues': James O'Keefe demands answers after FDA executive officer is caught on Project Veritas hidden camera admitting Biden will force an ANNUAL Covid shot that would be a 'recurring fountain of revenue' for drug firms" (Michelle Thompson & Natasha Anderson, Daily Mail)

* "Canada’s Justice Minister: Trump Supporters ‘Oughta Be Worried’ About Frozen Bank Accounts" (Paul Bois, Breitbart)

* "Finnish lawmaker being charged for expressing her religious views speaks out, calls the case 'dangerous'" (Kelsey Koberg, Fox News)

* "Why Nearly 40 Percent of Gen Z Identify as LGBTQ" (Vince Coyner, American Thinker)

* "Pentagon Report: Iraq’s Security Forces Overrun by Iranian-Backed Militants: Iraq’s security forces are overrun by Iranian-backed militants, the Pentagon disclosed for the first time publicly in a report indicating Tehran’s anti-American militias have long been cashing in on U.S. taxpayer funds." (Adam Kredo, Washington Free Beacon)

* "After-school 'Satan Club' takes new aim at archenemy: Christian clubs for kids. The Satanic Temple is fighting against Christian-focused after-school clubs — and children are in the crosshairs." (Lauren Green, Fox News)

* “A Pleasure to Burn”: We Are Closer to Bradbury’s Dystopia Than Orwell’s or Huxley’s" (David S. Wills, Quillette)

What is "Dreaming Forward?"

"I had finished my brief sermon for our Sunday afternoon church service at Aksarben Village Senior Living and the last music video had been played. That clip, by the way, was a rousing rendition of the southern gospel song, “I’ll Have a New Life” performed by Tennessee Ernie Ford, Johnny & June Cash, and the Statler Brothers. The reception to everything in the service had been wonderful, but that last song, with its promises of new bodies, new minds, and a whole new creation to live in, was especially embraced by our elderly congregation.

And then, as we do every Sunday, we passed out the coffee, lemonade, and cookies (Claire’s chocolate chip cookies were on the menu that afternoon) and began visiting. In one of those conversations, Doris and I were talking about that last song and the supernatural comfort it provided for those dealing with the traumatic trials so commonly involved in growing old. Doris, is a dear nonagenarian (FYI, that’s someone in their 90s) who loves Jesus and has a firm hope of heaven. However, she was candidly sharing with me about how hard it is, not only to have one’s body and memory fail, but to have one’s sense of purpose and significance fade away also.  She then asked me if I had any thoughts about how to face these problems.

My reply, as I remember it, centered on 3 things..."

Interested? Then please read the complete Vital Signs Ministries February letter right here.

My, My; There Are Some Genuine Reporters Still Alive

Here's a few of the most important articles from my recent surveys of the new media. Great stuff.

* "10 Most Absurd Excuses From Democrats Caught in Mask Scandals" (Andrew Stiles, Washington Free Beacon)

* "Climate Tyrants' New Tactics" (Richard Morrison, Law & Liberty)

* "Has Covid Been Good for Women?" (John Hinderaker, Power Line)

* "Biden To Set Free Would-Be 9/11 Hijacker" (Adam Kredo, Washington Free Beacon)

* "Now Is the Time for Conservatives to Combat Big Tech’s Totalitarianism" (Kara Frederick, Daily Signal)

* "The Chilling Effect of Big Tech Censorship" (Donald Kendal, Issues & Insights)

* "The Left Is Weaponizing 'Misinformation' to Silence Dissent" (Angie Speaks, Newsweek)

Praying God’s Arrows Will Fly

In recent years my intercessory prayers have included specifically “targeted” prayers against the mindless, nihilistic lawlessness which is spreading across the world – lawlessness seen not only in riots, looting, and increased homicides in our cities, but also in the rebellion of the general culture against God’s distinct and holy laws regarding sexuality, sanctity of life, respect for parents and the “ancient boundaries,” modesty, humility, just punishment for criminal acts, and the exclusivity of the gospel.

These prayers have frequently utilized a biblical metaphor that I was drawn to in our reading of Psalms and Job; namely, the arrows of God.  Let me give you a couple of examples.

“Your arrows are sharp; the peoples fall under You; Your arrows are in the heart of the King’s enemies.”  (Psalm 45:5, NASB)

“If a man does not repent, He will sharpen His sword; He has bent His bow and made it ready.  He has also prepared for Himself deadly weapons; He makes His arrows fiery shafts.”  (Psalm 7:12-13 NASB)

“He sent out His arrows, and scattered them, and lightning flashes in abundance, and routed them.”  (Psalm 18:14 NASB)

“For the arrows of the Almighty are within me. Their poison my spirit drinks. The terrors of God are arrayed against me.”  (Job 6:4 NASB)

I have been praying, therefore, for the arrows of God’s judgment to fly into the heart of the King’s enemies, that the corrosive poison they possess would weaken and overcome the wicked purposes devised by the devil.  For those who will not repent, who will not submit to the holiness and mercy of God, I pray that His fiery shafts will fly swift and sure into their ranks, bringing about confusion, deflation, and defeat.

But I’m not praying for these things in general. I’m praying that these divine arrows fly into the heart of certain key strongholds of the enemy. In fact, here are the specific targets in my list.

* Islam and other false religions (including Communism and the various other strains of Marxism).

* The apostasy, syncretism, cowardice, and love of the world’s approval which increasingly marks the churches of our day.

* The mega-abortion corporation that is Planned Parenthood.

* The lying, manipulative media.

* The Democrat Party and its fellow travelers who have completely sold out to abortion, sexual perversion, religious intolerance, the coddling of criminals, and anti-Americanism.

* The monopolistic and irreligious powers of government educators.

* The malevolent powers of Big Tech (Google, Twitter, YouTube, Amazon, and others) which are, like the “old guard” media, going all out to suppress the truth, to persuade people to believe lies, and to mock all things godly.

* The Deep State.

A couple of things to note – If you feel uncomfortable with this kind of prayer, perhaps it is because you have paid more attention to the prayers you normally hear in church than to the prayers you find in Scripture.  I would suggest you read through Psalms (prayers for God’s judgments upon the wicked absolutely abound there) but also in the prophets, the New Testament epistles, and Revelation.

Also keep in mind that the pattern of prayer Jesus gives His disciples in Matthew 6:9-13 and Luke 11:2-4 includes an appeal for God’s will to be done on earth as it is in heaven.  That means dispensing holiness and justice in Washington, D.C., Beijing, the Kremlin, Damascus, and everywhere else. (Don’t forget, however, that the faithful disciple of Christ desires God’s will be done also in one’s home, business, entertainment decisions, finances, the kids’ education, etc.) So, make no mistake. Prayers for God’s judgment upon sin and rebellion are not only always in order; they are our duty.

Finally, remember always the cautionary promise of Romans 12:19. “‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord.”  That’s a promise that first appears in Deuteronomy 32:35 but it is repeated in Psalm 94:1-3, here in Romans, and in Hebrews 10:30. It is obvious, then, that God wants us to appreciate that the dispensing of judgment isn’t a bad thing at all.  That is, unless we try to deal it out ourselves.  No, our hatred and anger, our cursing and complaining; any dirty tricks we might want to play on our enemies – none of that serves the cause of justice. Indeed, none of that pleases God in the least.  However, vengeance delivered from the throne of God is another thing altogether.  God’s vengeance is wonderful, holy, and eminently just. It is a comforting promise that underscores both His righteousness and His power.  And so it’s a good thing to pray for. 

Lord, let Your arrows fly into the heart of Your enemies.  Let their wicked schemes crumble and fall apart. And in the confused fight from their destruction, let many souls turn to the liberating, cleansing power of the gospel message.  Yet, even so, Lord Jesus; please come soon for Your Church.

I invite you to join Claire and me in this intercessory campaign against these (and other) demonic strongholds. 

More Must-Reads from the New Media

* "Biden offers Putin access to NATO bases: President says he will let Russians verify that there are no US Tomahawk cruise missiles in Romania or Poland to ease tensions" (Daily Mail)

* "Lockdowns only reduced COVID-19 death rate by .2%, study finds: 'Lockdowns should be rejected out of hand'" (Paul Best, Fox News)

* "The COVID Narrative is Falling Apart" (James Stansbury, American Thinker)

* "The Betrayal: Biden Handling of the Withdrawal from Afghanistan." (Paul Mirengoff, Power Line)

* "Amnesty International Wants to End the Jewish State" (Richard Kemp, Gatestone Institute)

* "The Left’s Moneybag" (Theodore Roosevelt Malloch, American Greatness)

Through the Fog (More News the Left Hopes You Never See)

* "So why did so many American mainstream media outlets IGNORE a reputable university's study that lockdowns didn't work? New York Times, Washington Post, ABC, NBC and CBS all failed to run the story because they 'have their own narrative written'" (Daily Mail)

* "Did Dismissals of Safe Outpatient Drugs Cause Needless COVID Deaths? Dissenting doctors say, “Yes.” (Clayton Fox, American Greatness)

* "Why Planned Parenthood Is Pushing Chemical Abortions" (Virginia Allen & Lauren Evans, Daily Signal)

* "Remembering the Black woman Biden blocked from the Supreme Court" (Marc A. Thiessen, Washington Post)

* "Airbnb Blacklists Michelle Malkin – and Her Husband" (Alana Mastrangelo, Breitbart)

* "Suicide: Helping China in Space" (Gordon G. Chang, Gatestone Institute)

* "Why I Don't Accept the Whoopi Goldberg Apology" (Greg Crosby, Jewish World Review)

8 Major Reasons Why I Oppose Planned Parenthood

1) Planned Parenthood kills preborn babies for profit. Hundreds of thousands of babies. And by payments to surgical abortionists and sales of chemical abortifacients, Planned Parenthood is raking in millions of dollars every year. They are the largest abortion providing, abortion promoting business in the world.

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.

And, oh yeah…Number 8) Planned Parenthood makes about $100,000,000 every year from American taxpayers.

Let's Get a Little Light On These Subjects

* "What Does Vladimir Putin Have on Joe Biden?" (Lee Smith, Tablet)

* "Scared, Stupid, And Easily Manipulated: What COVID Has Revealed About The Nation’s Young" (Issues & Insights Editorial Board)

* "The abortion industry plans its next push: Over-the-counter abortion pills" (Carole Novielli, Live Action)

* "Germany is catering to Russia and is a pathetic excuse for a US ally" (Rich Lowry, JWR)

* "Thanks to Biden Administration's Weak Leadership, Iran-China Threat Growing" (Majid Rafizadeh, Gatestone Institute)

* "Americans Are Sick of Authoritarian Mandates" (Jeffrey H. Anderson, American Greatness)

Behind the Scenes: More News the Establishment Media Won't Report

* "The End of America? It's Not That Hard to Imagine" (Frank Miele, Real Clear Politics)

* "As Biden doubles down on his War on Energy, prices keep shooting up" (New York Post Editorial Board)

* "Have you ever prayed to be wrong?" (A Covid-related article) (Terry Paulding, American Thinker)

* "Chicago schools training says sex 'not rooted in biology,' -- tells teachers to hide gender pronouns from parents" (Sam Dorman, Fox News)

* "Cuomo health department admits New York nursing home deaths topped 12,743 - 49% HIGHER than previously reported" (Stephen M. Lepore, Daily Mail)

* "California trans child molester, 26, gets 2 years in juvenile facility thanks to progressive DA Gascon" (Audrey Conklin & Michael Ruiz, Fox News)

Oh, My! (The Latest Compilation of Must-Read Articles)

* "The border gets worse and worse" (Byron York, Washington Examiner)

* "GOP can’t complain about Biden’s migrants when they’re not stepping in" (Miranda Devine, New York Post)

* "Biden’s mask has slipped" (Freddy Gray, Spectator)

* "The COVID-19 Storyline Is the Greatest Scam in World History – The Truth Is This Is a 'Pandemic of the Vaccinated'" (Wayne Allyn Root, Town Hall)

* "Joe Biden and the Uses of Nihilism: America is battling an epidemic far worse than the Omicron plague." (Victor Davis Hanson, American Greatness)

* "Anti-Asian Discrimination at the Heart of the Progressive Education Agenda" (Wenyuan Wu, Minding the Campus)

* "The BBC Quietly Censors Its Own Archives" (Charles C. Cooke, National Review)

Walking for Life...with Friends

Now in trying to name the dear friends we saw today at the Walk for Life in Lincoln, there's clearly a problem. And that's because of the mask mandate applicable to the Capitol City, we probably saw a lot of old friends without really knowing who they were! Nevertheless, I'll give it a try.

 First of all, the Vital Signs Board members present included Quint (and Carol) Coppi, John Malek, Patrick Osborne, Keith (and Carol) Moran, Allen (and Cindy) Nelson, Karla Struble, and Mary Roberts (and daughter McKayla). And from our church (Grace Bible Church) there was Stephen Goodspeed, Chester & Amy Davis and their 5 kids, and our pastor Dan Hauge.

Others? Well, among the Nebraska pro-life leaders there was Chuck Conrad, Barb McPhillips, Julie Lostroh, and Nebraska Right to Life President, Sandy Danek. 

But that's just scratching the surface. There was Ruth Denzler, Coach Ron Brown, Elaine Olson (and daughter Karis), Pastor Steve Stout, Jeff and Pat James, Keith & Barb Huizenga, Doreen Wagenaar, Pat & Carol Eberly, Ken Filbert, Joe & Louis Ferrante, Bob Bjorklund, Suzanne Gage, Steve & Debbie Wiemeyer, and probably a truckload more that I can't remember offhand.

And what a crowd -- easily one of the biggest ever. 

The political leaders present were many and most of them had stirring remarks to deliver to the crowd. The guest speaker, actress Ashley Bratcher, was outstanding. And the numbers coming by the Vital Signs booth to chat awhile and take away free copies of terrific pro-life material -- well, that was great.

Thank you, Nebraska Right to Life and pro-life champions from around the state for making the 2022 Walk for Life such a winsome, prayerful, and effective statement for the sanctity of human life.

And yes, if you would like to hear the speeches (and I especially recommend Ashely's talk given at the UNL Student Union), please check out the videos uploaded onto the Nebraska Right to Life Facebook page.

The January Vital Signs Letter: A Wrap Up, a Preview, and a Close Call

The January edition of the LifeSharer letter, Vital Signs Ministries' monthly essay sent to friends and supporters is on the VSM website right here. 

Included in the letter is a review of our bountiful Yuletide activities, previews of the upcoming Walk for Life and our next Book Brunch, and then a description of a dangerously "close call" we experienced while peacefully protesting abortion.

Interesting stuff!

Check it out.

We Remember. We Mourn. And We Rededicate Ourselves to the Fight for Life.

On this anniversary of the tragic and woefully unjust Roe v Wade Court decree, we joined friends this morning in praying outside the abortion business in northwest Omaha. 

We prayed, reflected on the many decades we've been fighting to promote the sanctity of human life, and gave a winsome, colorful witness to those driving by. Lord, please lift from our nation this wicked and barbaric scourge.

The News They'd Prefer Buried

* "Team Biden’s plan to ‘ensure scientific integrity’ should start with itself" (Glenn H. Reynolds, New York Post) 

* "U.S. murder rate highest it's been in 25 years as big cities shatter records" (Stephanie Pagones, Fox News)

* "Are Democrats Becoming a Fascist Party?" (John Hinderaker, Power Line)

* "What’s With the Left’s Attempt to Abolish Work?" (Douglas Blair, Daily Signal)

* "Americans are Being Sold Out by Government Insiders" (Betsy McCaughey, The Stream)

* "Is America heading for a systems collapse?" (Victor Davis Hanson, Jewish World Review)

* "USA Today: Pedophilia Is Merely ‘Inappropriate,’ ‘Among The Most Misunderstood’ Conditions In America" (Ben Johnson, Daily Wire)

This Just In...

* "A Gift to Putin: Biden’s Disastrous Response on Ukraine" (Jim Geraghty, National Review)

* "Joe Biden Doesn’t Know What You’re Talking About" (Matthew Continetti, Washington Free Beacon)

* "Biden’s press conference was terrifying -- his internal monologue said out loud" (John Podhoretz, New York Post)

* "Union Pacific Official Blames L.A.’s Far-Left Policies For Massive Train Thefts, Considers Leaving L.A." (Ryan Saavedra, Daily Wire)

* "Greed between the Lines of NBA's Politics" (Tony Perkins, Family Research Council)

* "False Positives for Genetic Disorders in Prenatal Testing Unacceptably High" (Tara Sander Lee, Daily Signal)

* "Hunter Biden, former Biden aide invested in Chinese company tied to Communist Party, NBA China" (Cameron Cawthorne, FOX Business)

100 Years Ago, Chesterton Wrote a Book for Today

The next Vital Signs Book Brunch is scheduled for Saturday morning, February 19th at 10 o’clock. And unless there’s too many to handle, it will be at our home. The book under discussion will be Eugenics and Other Evils by G.K. Chesterton. 

This fascinating, enlightening, and well-written 185-page book is more relevant today than it was when first published exactly 100 years ago and I’ve no doubt that both the reading and the discussion will be of great value to you. 

However, please note 3 important things: 

1) The book can be easily and cheaply found. Indeed, Kindle readers can download it for free. 

2) RSVPs are of serious importance. 

3) And please – read the book! It’s still a wonder to me how so many people love the idea of joining a book club, yet cannot be bothered with actually reading the books. Sigh.

The Latest "Wow" Articles (Part 3)

* "Social Media Censors Ignore Islamist Hate Speech and Incitement to Murder" (Raymond Ibrahim, Gatestone Institute)

* "Woke Capitalism, Unilever Edition" (John Hinderaker, Power Line)

* "Homeland Security launches 'climate change professionals program' amid historic illegal border crossings surge" (Peter Aitken, Fox News)

* "'I Can't Answer That': Asst. FBI Director Refuses To Answer Ted Cruz Questions About January 6" (4-minute You Tube clip)

* "The ungracious --- and their demonization of the past" (Victor Davis Hanson, Jewish World Review)

* "American Traitors: Academics Working for China" (Gordon G. Chang, Gatestone Institute)

* "CNN shifts COVID narrative to ‘what many independent-minded Americans have been thinking’ all along" (Brian Flood, Fox News)

The Latest "Wow" Articles (Part 2)

* "Is Biden's Legacy Really Going to Be the Dismantling of Democracies and the Free World?" (Richard Kemp, Gatestone Institute)

* "McConnell Fact-Checks Biden" (Scott Johnson, Power Line)

* "More COVID School Closures Spell the End of Teachers Unions Empire" (Lindsey M. Burke & Corey DeAngelis, Heritage Foundation)

* "Taliban orders beheading of store mannequins as Afghan women fume over Biden 'betrayal' -- Afghan women feel 'like the whole world is abandoning them" (Charles Creitz, Fox News)

* "Biden’s War on Unvaccinated Is Un-American" (Armstrong Williams, Daily Signal)

* "Mike Rowe on record 4.5M quitting their jobs: This will impact 'every single American'" (Kristen Altus, FOX Business)

* "Cell phone radiation expert says FCC 'in denial' of health risks, demands 'full, independent investigation'" (Yael Halon, Fox News)

The Latest "Wow" Articles

* "'While Reagan healed the sick, Biden has infected the healthy!' -- The Gipper's top economist Art Laffer slams Joe Biden for doing 'exactly the opposite' of what's needed to tame inflation, as it rises to 7% - the highest for 40 years" (Keith Griffith, Daily Mail)

* "More Government, Less Religion -- the Progressive Doctrine" (Star Parker, Daily Signal)

* "Insurance CEO says deaths up 40% among working age people, and it's not just COVID" (Margaret Menge, Just the News)

* "The Woke Plans to Rebuild Notre Dame" (John Stonestreet and Glenn Sunshine, Breakpoint)

* "NYT report fuels concerns that many abortions are based on false test results" (y Christine Rousselle & Katie Yoder, Catholic News Agency)

* "Biden Administration Making Lists of Religious Vaccine Objectors" (Sarah Parshall Perry & GianCarlo Canaparo, Daily Signal)

* "Pro-Life Student Sues School After Teachers Called Her 'Bigot' for Starting a Pro-Life Club" (Micaiah Bilger, LifeNews.com)

A Perfect World? It's Coming!

The final song in our next “When Swing Was King” program is Judy Garland’s gorgeous 1939 rendition of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.”  It is, as you well know, a hauntingly beautiful song, one that underscores the human yearning for home, beauty, innocence and wonder.  Our audiences love it…and we do too.

Nevertheless, it must be said that when the song ends, the listener is left only with the yearning, a sweet wishful longing that there might be a place of safety and bliss “somewhere over the rainbow” instead of this dark, troublesome, and increasingly decadent world we live in now. Actually, there are many songs that touch our hearts in this same way, songs that resonate with our oh-so-human longing for beauty, love, purity, peace, perfection.  “There’s a Place for Us.”  “Somewhere, My Love.”  “Rainbow Connection.”  “A Summer Place.”  “Up, Up and Away.”  “Moon River.” “Bali Hai.” “There’s a New World Coming.”

What is behind this? I believe Randy Alcorn points to the answer in his marvelous book, Heaven. Writes Randy, “We are homesick for Eden. We're nostalgic for what is implanted in our hearts. It's built into us.”  He adds, “Desire is a signpost pointing to heaven…I’ve never been to heaven, yet I miss it. Eden is in my blood. And the best things of earth are souvenirs of Eden, appetizers of the New Earth.”

Donald Bloesch in his Theological Notebook (1989) writes, “Man’s greatest affliction is not anxiety, or even guilt, but rather homesickness – a nostalgia or ineradicable yearning to be at home with God.”

I couldn't agree more with these remarks. Indeed, two of my favorite authors C.S. Lewis and G.K. Chesterton also speak of his matter eloquently and often. The undeniable fact is that man is created in the image of God and is wired for paradise. We lost Eden through sin but God, in His great mercy and to glorify His Name, has offered mankind something even better than Adam’s garden. Through the promise of the gospel, the Lord offers us the wholeness, security, love, and bliss which will be ours forever in the New Jerusalem. Wow. And wow again.

So, while I certainly wouldn’t suggest you stop loving songs like “Moon River” or “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” I do urge you to remind yourself often of the rock-solid reality that is our eternal inheritance, one that the apostle Peter describes as “imperishable and undefiled [which] will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you.” And, in celebration of that immeasurably wonderful home that awaits us (a home that our Lord Jesus is personally creating and customizing for us!), may I offer you a song full of confident, joyful expectations of that stronger, weightier, infinitely more beautiful home beyond. Take a couple of minutes and listen to "I'll Fly Away."

So, How's Our "Little Church" Going?

Yesterday was our first Aksarben Village church service of the new year and it was a delight – a splendid example of how valuable an element of Vital Signs Ministries this has become since we started it last February.  

True, the congregation is smaller than at our highest point as the fears of the virus, the hassles of the protocols, the fact that members of the memory unit are not longer allowed to attend, etc. have all taken their toll.  There is also the reality that we’ve lost 2 of our congregation to more intensive nursing facilities and 2 to the welcome of heaven itself.

Still, we had 12 of our friends on hand for yesterday’s worship service (plus 4 of us from Vital Signs) and we had a wonderful time with an Epiphany-oriented sermon about the magi’s worship of the Messiah and 3 terrific music videos.  

That’s how we do church service here and both we and the Aksarben residents love it.  I search high and wide for inspirational music presentations from various formats, ages, and places around the world.  And, since we pass around handouts each week with the song lyrics, several of the residents join in the singing.

Yesterday’s selections?  “On Christ the Solid Rock I Stand” performed acapella by The Allen Family down in Branson; “Is He Worthy?” beautifully performed by a small youth choir from Charity Baptist Church in Inchon, South Korea; and “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus” performed at a Great Hymns Concert in Cape Town, South Africa by Loyiso Bala, Neville D, and the late Ivan Siegelaar.

And, as always, our ½ hour service is then followed by a rich time of visiting as we pass around cookies, coffee, and lemonade.  The friendships formed through this combination of Word, worship and warm-hearted conversation have become of eternal significance and we are so, so grateful to God for leading us into this particular outreach.  

Of course, Claire and I maintain all the other aspects of Vital Signs Ministries, including the street witness at the abortion mill, “When Swing Was King, and all the rest.  Therefore, squeezing in the sermon prep, the song search, the baking of cookies, and everything else needed for the Aksarben Village church service, has made for some pretty intense weeks this past year.  But we are so pleased and encouraged by all that the Lord is doing there and so we can’t help but look forward to the next steps in this grand adventure.  Thank You, Lord.