Thoughts on Symbolic Structures

My longtime friend, Hleb Yermakou is a Belarusian Christian who serves the Lord as a translator, guide, and advisor with Encouragement International as well as pastoring a congregation in Portugal composed primarily of Ukrainian emigres. He sends along a few observations relevant to the historic ideals of liberty in American culture.

Writes Hleb, “My ministry with Encouragement International takes me to various places in Europe where I help communicate between U.S. missionaries (and others from the West) and the local people. This past August, for instance, I escorted a group from Arizona helping on a church construction project in a Belarusian city. Taking a tour around the city, the Americans found a statue of Lenin, the Communist leader who was almost worshipped during the old Soviet times. Some of them were surprised. I explained that nearly every little town still has a statue of Lenin in the very center, usually next to the city government building. And, sure enough, the Americans wanted to take a picture of themselves next to the statue of Vladimir Lenin.

The next morning the team leader’s daughter saw one of the pictures posted on Facebook and suggested how illustrative of the Christian mission it was to show a picture of missionaries next to the statue of a Communist dictator. Her comments got me to thinking about the power of symbolic structures. I realized that when we Belarusians (or other Eastern Europeans) travel in Western Europe, we desire to have our photos taken next to the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Colosseum in Rome, and the Bundestag in Berlin. But when we are blessed to travel to the United States, our fondest wish is to commemorate our trip to the center of democracy, freedom, and the rule of law by having our photos taken with the New York City’s Statue of Liberty in the background.  For so many people throughout the whole world, that grand and beautiful statue is the symbol of America, something that stands for so much more than history, more than an architectural achievement, more than the fame of a politician or military hero.

Indeed, the Statue of Liberty has long represented to the world their most cherished hopes: justice, religious and political freedom, and opportunity.

I wonder…do Americans themselves still see this in their national symbol? And do they still feel the passion for the ideals she has long represented to the whole world?”

Noteworthy Dispatches from the Culture Wars

* “Euthanasia for kids kicks off in Belgium” (Michael Cook, Mercator)

* “Hollywood to Red State America: Drop Dead” (Christian Toto, Hollywood In Toto)

* “Obama Admin Says You’re ‘Racist and Intolerant’ If You Believe in Religious Freedom” (Micaiah Bilger, LifeNews.com)

* “Women’s shelters must admit ‘transgender’ men: Obama admin rule” (Ben Johnson, Life Site News)

* “It’s no longer safe for the city’s senior citizens to go outside” (Shari Logan, Shawn Cohen and Daniel Prendergast, New York Post)

* “Hillary Clinton Would Rather Blame Free Speech than Islam for Terrorism” (David Harsanyi, National Review)

* “Sweden in Chaos: Number of ‘no-go zones’ increased as police lose control over violence” (Lizzie Stromme, Express)

* “Man v rat: could the long war soon be over?” (Jordan Kisner, Guardian)

Don't Miss These!

* “15 Facts About US Poverty the Government Hides” (Robert Rector & Sheffield, Daily Signal)

* “Obama won’t acknowledge terrorism — and it’s great news for Trump” (Michael Goodwin, New York Post)

* “It’s Time We Faced the Facts about the Muslim World” (David French, National Review)

* “Planned Parenthood claims abortion is only 3% of what they do and that their priority is ‘women's health care.’ But does their math add up?” (Live Action)

* “Clinton Foundation AIDS Program Distributed ‘Watered-Down’ Drugs to Third World Countries” (Richard Pollock, The Stream)

* “Netanyahu’s (mildly triumphant) last goodbye to Obama” (David Horovitz, The Times of Israel)

* “Marine Colonel's Letter to NFL Commish for Allowing National Anthem Protests — Absolutely Blazing” (Justen Charters, Independent Journal Review)

Media Masquerades

In this remarkable age of alternative media, people have the opportunity to read news stories, political views, and cultural commentary that is oriented to reality...despite the best efforts of the Left to hide, disguise, ignore, and distort the truth.

Here, for your weekend reading, are a few important articles.

* “Civil Rights Commission: ‘Religious Liberty,’ ‘Religious Freedom’ Code Words for Intolerance, Homophobia, and ‘Christian Supremacy’” (Penny Starr, CNS News)

* “The legacies of Barack Obama” (Victor Davis Hanson, Jewish World Review)

* “Last Gasp of Birther-Mania” (John Hiunderaker, Power Line)

* “Obama’s Parting Gift to Planned Parenthood” (Casey Mattox, Daily Signal)

* “Senator Slams Pro-Abortion Media: They Just Want to Abort Disabled Babies With Zika” (Katie Yoder, LifeNews.com)

* “A Deal to Finance the Iranian A-Bomb” (Daniel Doron May, PJ Media)

* “Syrian Christian Refugees to US Still in Line Behind Muslims, and Obama’s Just Fine With That” (Nancy Flory, The Stream)

* “Boycott the NCAA” (Paul Mirengoff, Power Line)

Staying in the Loop?

Here are a few important articles to keep you in the know:

* “When ‘Liberty’ Forces 18 Girls Into a Single-Stall Shower Room” (James Gottry, Daily Signal)

* “Obamacare now has a transgender mandate” (Michael Cook, Mercator)

* “Obama Proposes Rule Prohibiting States From Defunding Planned Parenthood” (Steven Ertelt, LifeNews.com)

* “U.S. military: Iranian behavior getting worse in Persian Gulf” (Kristina Wong, The Hill)

* “The U.S. military has a huge problem with obesity and it's only getting worse” (Andrew Tilghman, Military Times)

* “This Senator Wants to Ban Doctors From Dismembering Unborn Babies in the Womb” (Leah Jessen, Daily Signal)

* “A Trump Rally: Reality vs the Associated Press” (John Hinderaker, Power Line)

* “Here’s how homeschooling is evolving in America: More than 1.5 million children have opted out of formal schooling in the U.S.” (Kyle Greenwalt, Mercator)

Okay, What's the Deal with Religious Freedom?

This is an excellent, enlightening, and well-balanced video clip. Well worth the 4 minutes to watch...and well worth the 3 seconds needed to pass it along in your Facebook posts. Thanks to Nebraska Family Alliance for this great primer on religious freedom.

Keeping Pace: Key Articles for Your Weekend Reading

Here's a few not-to-be-missed articles from recent days:

* “A Celebration of Death” (Alexandra DeSanctis, National Review)

* “Nancy Pelosi: We Will Oppose Zika Virus Funding Unless Planned Parenthood is Funded Too” (Micaiah Bilger, LifeNews.com)

* “How Liberal Judges Took Control of 70% of US Appeals Courts” (Philip Wegmann, Daily Signal)

* “How the FBI went easy on Hillary Clinton” (Paul Sperry, New York Post)

* “Are video games killing work for young men?” (Carolyn Moynihan, Mercator)

* “Hillary calls ‘half’ of Trump supporters ‘basket of deplorables’” (Carol Brown, American Thinker)

* “Entire Media Freaks Out After Trump Over-Performance in Forum” (Ashe Schow, Observer)

* “Iran May Have Received as Much as $33.6 Billion in Cash, Gold Payments From U.S.” (Adam Kredo, Washington Free Beacon)

Swinging Into Autumn!

Today was the first presentation of the month for a new volume of “When Swing Was King.” But then again…every volume is a new one! You see, we have 24 basic programs that we’ve created, but we constantly make changes as the 2-year rotation comes round. For instance, in the latest case, I changed about a 1/3 of the 250+ photos therein and 4 of the 12 songs. Thus, we are giving the residents of the 12 senior care facilities we visit every month the most top-notch entertainment program we can.

And boy, do they let us know how much they appreciate it!

Today’s show (at Life Care Center in north Omaha) was extra special for another reason too. It was the first time we brought along copies of our 4-page “When Swing Was King” newsletter which we will be printing up and distributing to residents every quarter. We were thrilled to see how excited and appreciated the newsletter was by both staff and residents.

(By the way, you can read more about the first issue and the purposes we’ve created it to serve right here.)

Like the “When Swing Was King” shows themselves, this fun and nifty newsletter is given to the care facilities free of charge. And, among other things, that means we would sure appreciate any donations to Vital Signs Ministries so that we can keep this outreach going strong. Thank you.

And, oh yes, two more items. 1) This month’s song list is printed below. (It’s a terrific list!) And 2) The schedule of all of the September “When Swing Was King” shows can be found right here…just in case you’d like to come along and help us bring some cheer into the lives of our community’s seniors.

1) Glenn Miller Orchestra (Ray Eberle, vocals) -- “When You Wish Upon a Star”
2) Nat King Cole -- “Let’s Face the Music and Dance”
3) Harry James Orchestra -- “Crazy Rhythm”
4) Artie Shaw Orchestra (Helen Forrest, vocals) -- “I Have Eyes”
5) The Andrews Sisters -- “Rock-a-bye Baby” (Photo Theme: Babies)
6) Tommy Dorsey Orchestra (Frank Sinatra, vocals) -- “What About You?”
7) Guy Lombardo Orchestra (Kenny Gardner, vocals) -- “For Me and My Gal”
8) Ella Fitzgerald -- “Where or When”

9) Glen Gray & the Casa Loma Orchestra -- “Blue Room”
10) Gene Krupa Orchestra (Carolyn Grey, vocals) -- “They Wouldn’t Believe Me”
11) Benny Goodman Orchestra (Dottie Reid) -- “Paper Moon”
12) Bob Hope and Shirley Ross -- “Thanks for the Memory”

“When Swing Was King” Goes to Press!

Goes to press?

I thought “When Swing Was King” was the entertainment/visitation outreach you guys took into senior care centers. So, what’s that headline all about?

Well, here’s the deal. We have just printed the first of our “When Swing Was King” news sheets for the residents of the 12 senior care facilities we visit each month. It is a 4-page, big-print publication which we will pass out four times a year. Each issue will provide interesting and fun facts about the music, performers, and the times of the big band era as well as seasonal quotations, a bit of poetry and Scripture, and a short personal note from Claire and I.

There are three basic purposes for this new project.  1) We hope to extend our ministry by giving our audiences something to read, think about, and share with friends and family. 2) We believe it will serve as a winsome promotion for the “When Swing Was King” shows themselves. And 3) It allows us yet another avenue to touch on matters of the heart and spirit as we deepen our friendship with the residents.

What’s in our first issue? There’s a ten-question quiz, a brief spotlight on bandleader Ozzie Nelson, a few quotes from Duke Ellington, several beautiful quotations and Scriptures about autumn, a poem from Robert Louis Stevenson, the best-selling records in the fall of 1945 and 1955, fun facts about the song “Stardust” by Hoagy Carmichael, and a few “don’t you wish you were there when” items.

Oh, yes; there’s also the note we include from Claire and I. Here it is.

As we reach the autumn of our lives, we often become more nostalgic, even if we realize that the “good old days” were not always that good.  As someone put it, people sometimes get nostalgic about things they weren’t all that crazy about the first time around!  And, of course, our nostalgia creates mixed emotions: sadness for the loved ones we miss, regret over good times that have gone by, frustrations brought on by the changes in our culture and in our own bodies.  

But there are also pleasures in remembering and appreciating and in being grateful for the blessings God has given.  As one “When Swing Was King” fan told us, “Your shows bring back so many memories.  Some of them are happy. Some of them are sad.  But they’re all mine and I’m truly grateful for them all.”

That’s what we hope our programs provide for all of our audiences – great music, entertaining information, interesting and fun photographs, the blessing of friendship…and memories that are all yours! 

In this autumn season when we appreciate the harvest, enjoy the unique beauties of color and change, celebrate Thanksgiving, watch a little football, and prepare for the Christmas season and the rigors of winter, we pray God’s abundant blessings on you all.

By the way, the news sheet is printed on one long sheet of paper and folded. And it’s printed in black and white. Both of these things make it rather inexpensive to print. (Also, because we mention that it is printed by Oh-K Fast Print on 120th & Center, they give us a 10% discount.) But, just as important perhaps, is that this method allows YOU to make copies which you could pass out to the folks in the senior care center (or anywhere else) in YOUR area. We would be delighted to send you a hard copy or a pdf file and you could get started right away. Just let us know if you’re interested.

Crème de la Crème: The Weekend’s Best from the Alternative Media

* “The Coming Christian Collapse” (Rod Dreher, The American Conservative)

* “Football, National Anthem & Christianity” (Mark Tooley, Juicy Ecumenism)

* “Unlike the NFL’s Colin Kaepernick, Frederick Douglass Loved ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’” (Jarrett Stepman, Daily Signal)

* “The Global Poor Aren’t Dominated by Markets — They’re Excluded From Them” (Michael Matheson Miller, The Stream)

* “Eugenics: the skeleton that rattles loudest in the left's closet” (Jonathan Freedland, Guardian)

* “Muhammad Tops Official List of Most Popular Baby Names in London” (Donna Rachel Edmunds, Breitbart)

* “Obama’s hometown carnage: Crime and casualties in Chicago escape the notice of the president.” (Tammy Bruce, Washington Times)

* “For Too Many Students, College Education is a Waste of Time and Money” (Alex Chediak, The Stream)

Dark Clouds Gathering -- Here are Some Helpful Reports from the Culture Wars.

* “Kaepernick Ignores Much History in America, Cuba” (Mike Gonzalez, Daily Signal)

* “John Kerry: ‘Media Would Do Us All a Service If They Didn’t Cover’ Terrorism as Much” (Lauretta Brown, CNS News)

* “The Super-Secret Handshake of the Black Community” (Allen West, Town Hall)

* “Planned Parenthood Caught in Fraud Scandal, Overbilling State by Tens of Thousands of Dollars” (Micaiah Bilger, LifeNews.com)

* “Marie Stopes abortion services suspended in UK” (Michael Cook, BioEdge)

* “3 Reasons This Bill to Protect Planned Parenthood Is Bad” (John-Michael Seibler, Daily Signal)

* “Huma Abedin’s mom linked to shocking anti-women book” (Paul Sperry, New York Post)

* “ISIS buried thousands in 72 mass graves” (Lori Hinnant & Desmond Butler, AP)

The Biblical Case for Work

Last Sunday I preached at Hope E. Free Church with the topic being the biblical
case for work. The sermon traveled through a variety of Scriptures (Genesis, Proverbs, the gospel parables, the pastoral epistles) and so I don’t have space here to go through them all. However, I thought some of you might be interested in the summary points of the sermon. I post them below.

* We are workers because we’re created in the image of God.
* We are called to perform our work for the Lord. It is a part of our worship. And we must depend on Him for strength and success in our work.
* We work now under difficult circumstances but that’s not God’s fault; it’s ours.  One day, when the curse is lifted and all creation is reconciled to God, our work for Him will be fully adventurous and fulfilling and delightful…as it was originally designed to be.
* All work, if done for God, pleases Him and moves forward His kingdom.  There are no divisions between types of work just as there is no true division between the secular and sacred.  He is Lord of all.
* The Bible teaches in both example and precept a strong work ethic.  It condemns laziness and lack of planning.  It also condemns the exploitation of labor.
* Work, properly performed, is an ennobling thing – a virtue that God applauds and will reward in the life to come.
* One motive of work is to be able to help others in need.
* We are taught the seriousness of being a skilled worker.  This includes care, learning, wisdom, planning, and preparation.
* We are to continually invite the Lord to be in our work.
* The frequent emphasis on the performance of good works in the Lord’s Name isn’t just about “religious” activity. It includes our occupations, our housework, our lawn work…all of our work.

If you'd like, you can hear the sermon right here.

A Fw Reads for the Weekend

Here's a few Really Relevant Reads for your weekend:

* “America’s Lost Boys” (Samuel D. James, First Things)

* “America’s Lost Girls?” (Chelsen Vicari, Juicy Ecumenism)

* “Abortion Clinic Files for Bankruptcy After Losing $6.5 Million Botched Abortion Lawsuit” (Micaiah Bilger, LifeNews.com)

* “Pro-choice puritanism” (Jennifer Roback Morse, Mercator)

* “Brendan Eich, Fired From Mozilla for Defending Marriage, Has a Brave New Web Browser” (Michael Brown, The Stream)

* “This Year, the Deficit Is Rising Faster Than Predicted” (Michael Sargent, Daily Signal)

* “Confrontations reveal Obama’s nuclear deal having little effect on Iran’s behavior” (Guy Taylor, Washington Times)

* “A Voice for Women Oppressed by Sharia: An Interview With a Former Child Bride” (Stephen Herreid, The Stream)

* “Another Travel Fiasco Courtesy of the TSA” (Genevieve Wood, Daily Signal)

* “Black Lives Matter Has Officially Cost Mizzou 2,200 Students” (Blake Neff, The Stream)

Why Voter Fraud Is Still a Massive Problem

From the editors of National Review comes this brief but important video clip. It's definitely one to watch, to pass along, and to be very, very alarmed about.

The Latest on the Culture Wars

From the alternative media, here's a few more articles dealing with culture war issues. Relevant, insightful stuff.

* “Men Are Getting Weaker…because We’re Not Raising Men” (David French, National Review)

* “For sale, the most brazen president money can buy” (Wes Pruden, Washington Times)

* “Voter Fraud Is Real. Here Are 4 More Cases.” (Peter Tapsak & Jason Snead, Daily Signal)

* “CNN (Castro News Network) Celebrates Fidel’s Birthday” (Humberto Fontova, Town Hall)

* “Signs of the Times: Liberal Hypocrisy in 2016” (Steven Hayward, Power Line)

* “Her Health Plan Was $257 a Month. Now Her Obamacare Plan Could Be $650 a Month.” (Melissa Quinn, Daily Signal)

* “‘The War Won’t Be Over Soon’: Ukraine’s Long Fight Against Russia for Freedom” (Nolan Peterson, Daily Signal)

* “$104 million lawsuit against Christian activist threatens to chill free speech in Canada” (Lea Singh, Mercator)

“Will Embryonic Stem Cells Ever Cure Anything?”

“Will Embryonic Stem Cells Ever Cure Anything?” is a skeptical headline which
you would expect to read in a conservative journal like the National Review or the Weekly Standard. However, it is a bit surprising to find it in the MIT Technology Review, in a profile of Douglas Melton, a Harvard stem cell scientist. 

From the article — “No field of biotechnology has promised more and delivered less in the way of treatments than embryonic stem cells. Only a handful of human studies has ever been carried out, without significant results. The cells, culled from IVF embryos, are capable of developing into any other tissue type in the body, and therefore promise an unlimited supply of replacement tissue. Sounds simple, but it hasn’t been.” (Michael Cook, Bioedge)

Recent Reads of Worth

Among the recent articles you may have missed (but shouldn't) are these:

* “Hillary Clinton Is No Champion of Religious Freedom” (Alexandra DeSanctis, National Review)

* “American journalism is collapsing before our eyes” (Michael Goodwin, New York Post)

* “Embryonic Stem Cell Hype --Was Hype” (Wesley J. Smith, National Review)

* “Nancy Pelosi: I support funding Planned Parenthood because I love babies” (Ben Johnson, Life Site News)

* “And the Darwin Award Goes to Leftists Who are Too Obsessed with Global Warming to Want to Reproduce” (John Hinderaker, Power Line)

* “Clinton releases tax returns; earned nearly $240M since leaving White House” (Stephen Dinan, Washington Times)

* “How Republicans Feed the Beast of Political Correctness” (John Fund, National Review)

* “3 Ways to Talk About Conservatism With a Liberal” (Beverly Hallberg, Daily Signal)

Don't Miss These Gems

* “Conservatives Must Get Busy Living or Get Busy Dying” (David French, National Review)

* “‘Pokemon Go’ Players Blamed For Damage At Historic Massachusetts Fort”  (CBS Boston report)

* “Euphemisms abound in the Democratic platform on abortion” (Trevin Wax, RNS)

* “One Woman’s Struggle for Freedom in Castro’s Cuba” (Andrew Egger, Daily Signal)

* “Pope Francis and the Decline of the West” (Dennis Prager, Town Hall)

* “A Month of Islamic Terror” (John Hinderaker, Power Line)

* “What Lawmakers Can Do to Protect Rights of Pro-Life Medical Professionals” (Jana Minich & Elizabeth Slattery, Daily Signal)

* “Full List of Hillary’s Planned Tax Hikes” (John Kartch and Alexander Hendrie, Americans for Tax Reform)

The Latest "When Swing Was King" Songlist

1) Glenn Miller Orchestra — “A String of Pearls”
2) Chick Webb & the Savoy Ballroom Orchestra — “Stars and Stripes Forever” (Photo theme: Honoring Old Glory)
3) The Andrews Sisters — “Begin the Beguine”
4) Artie Shaw Orchestra — “Out of Nowhere”
5) Ozzie Nelson Orchestra — “I Must See Annie Tonight” (Photo theme: Classic Hollywood Anns & Annies)
6) Harry James Orchestra — “Hernando’s Hideaway”
7) Ella Fitzgerald — “Blue Moon”
8) Benny Goodman Orchestra — “Here’s Love In Your Eye”
9) Frank Sinatra — “The Coffee Song” (Photo theme: A 1940s Look at Coffee Drinking)
10) Larry Clinton Orchestra, Bea Wain with vocals — “Heart and Soul”
11) Lawrence Welk Orchestra — “Hoop-Dee-Doo”
12) Fred Astaire — “The Way You Look Tonight” (Photo theme: A Fred Astaire Retrospective)

Come check out our latest volume of “When Swing Was King” at any one of the 14 senior care centers where we will be showing it this month. The residents and staff would love to have you come and be a part. The schedule is right here.

3 Key Responses to Good Preaching

The typical sermon in today’s evangelical church makes everybody feel safe, comfortable, and happy. Like the music that opens and closes the Sunday morning service, the sermon is designed to entertain, calm, and lift one’s self-esteem. The audience need not worry about too much theology, too many moral demands, or too many counter-culture exhortations. Learning? You can get that from the History Channel. Sacrifice? It’s time you increased your financial donations. Stretching?  That’s for the ladies’ yoga class that meets in the multi-purpose room on Tuesday mornings.

But what if you are among the few that have the blessing of listening to solid, biblically-centered teaching on a Sunday morning?  Then may I suggest you make sure you are observing three things.

1) Good preaching should be appreciated.  Thank God for the Word and for a preacher who honors God’s revelation enough to study it, submit to it, and faithfully share it with his congregation.  Show your gratitude also by follow the example of the Bereans of Acts 17:11; namely, to study the Bible yourself and consistently extend its applications to your life.

2) Good preaching should be applauded.  An expository preacher, one well equipped in hermeneutics and holy living, should be hearing from those that benefit from his teaching.  He should be supported, encouraged, defended, helped, and honored – to his face, as well as among other church members and to outsiders.  So many preachers who bravely stand against the culture (including the soft-headed, me-oriented themes predominant in modern evangelical circles) end up standing alone.  Come alongside and give them a hand.

3) Good preaching should be applied.  It’s not enough to hear good sermons or even to pat the preacher on the back.  The whole purpose of God gifting you with a good Bible preacher is for your ongoing sanctification.  His sermons are to give you solutions to moral and intellectual problems, to equip you to do the work of ministry in your various spheres of influence, and to change you more into the image of Christ.

So, if you have a preacher who is studying to know, live, and effectively preach the Word of God?  That’s terrific.  Appreciate those sermons.  Applaud that preacher.  And apply the lessons he teaches you from the holy text.

And if you don’t have that kind of preacher?

Go find one.