I have long been fascinated with the many stories of miracles during the Christmas season in our American wars.  I know what it is like to be away from home at Christmas during the war.  I know the loneliness and the longing to be with family, and although you were with your band of brothers, you found yourself filled with emptiness and a void they could not fill.  But that is life in the warzone, and you battle through it.

The eight years of the Revolutionary War have more stories than one could relate to or even know.  However, the Christmas Miracle of General George Washington’s troops stands out.  It was, possibly, the defining moment in the war that paved the way for the unthinkable victory by the undermanned and under-equipped colonists. 

Christmas was not widely celebrated during the Revolutionary period due to the Puritanical ban, but some had become more open to the celebration.  One colonist recorded in his diary some interesting thoughts regarding Christmas.  On Christmas Eve in 1775, from Staunton, Virginia, he described the pastimes of the holiday celebration.  He said, “The evening I spent at Mr. Guys. I sang for an hour, at the good people’s desire, Mr. Watt’s admirable hymns.  I myself was entertained; I felt myself improved. So much love to Jesus is set forth so much divine exercise.”  That is truly what the Christmas focus should be, Jesus, not simply His birth but the entire journey of bringing salvation to man.

December played a crucial role in the war effort on numerous occasions.  The Congress established the Navy in November 1775, and in December, King George III issued his royal proclamation closing the American colonies to all commerce and trade.  That edict was to be implemented in March 1776.  It was also in December that Congress learned that France might be willing to aid the colonist in the war with Britain.

In early December 1776, the British captured the naval base at Newport, Rhode Island, and then on the 11^th of December, Washington’s daring crossing of Delaware took place.  On December 25, 1776, General Washington conducted his infamous surprise raid on the 1500 British Hessians at Trenton, New Jersey.  The battle lasted only about an hour, with the Hessians surrendering and a thousand enemy troops captured.

It was Christmas in 1783 when General Washington chose to step down as the formal head of the Continental Army.  The peace treaty had been signed in November, and Washington longed to go home to private life.  In a measure, that too was a miracle because Washington was so revered that he could have remained as the head of the Army and become King of America. Still, his heart was for Freedom, and he rejected the idea of an American monarchy.  

In a very real way, Christmas brought us the Prince of Peace and the freedom to worship Him in the manner we choose as a free nation.  The fight for individual freedom and liberty was the prize sought and, if you will, the gift given to America at Christmas.

Christmas has played a role in the time of war. In World War I, we find the story of the Christmas Truce.  On Christmas Eve at around 4 PM, the soldiers were in the trenches waiting to be relieved after dark.  Suddenly, they heard singing and merriment and were surprised.  News slowly filtered down the line that the German and English officers had agreed to a truce and began giving each other a concert. Lance Corporal R.S. Coulson of the London Rifle Brigade wrote to his mother that they sang every song they could think of.  A bonfire was lit, and everyone walked about as though they were at a picnic. 

On Christmas Day, the men and officers entered each other’s trenches and exchanged smokes and souvenirs.  Some tried to arrange a football game between the opposing forces.  During the truce, both sides were able to retrieve their casualties.  The Germans brought the dead English troops from some of the houses near their trenches.  It was tranquil and unthinkable that such an event could transpire.

German newspapers picked up the story and pointed out the dangers of fraternization. An order was issued that no future such event was allowable, and any violation would be considered high treason.  War is not a sport, but this heartwarming story reveals the humanity of the men with boots on the ground on both sides.  The men in the trenches were not the men in Hitler’s headquarters seeking to dominate the world.  They were doing what they were told and movingly celebrated Christmas.

Looking back through the annals of history, I find some interesting events that transpired on Christmas Day. 

• On Christmas Day, 800 AD, Pope Leo III crowned Charlemagne “emperor of the Romans” at St. Peter’s Basilica. 
• On Christmas Day, 1066 AD, William the Conqueror was crowned king of England. 
• On Christmas Day, 1776, General George Washington and the Continental Army crossed the Delaware River. 
• Christmas Day 1814 The Treaty of Ghent ended the War of 1812. 
• Christmas Day, 1868, President Andrew Jackson issued the final pardon to Confederate soldiers. 
• Christmas 1914 was the WW I Christmas Truce. 
• Then, on Christmas Eve, 1968, Apollo 8 entered the moon’s orbit. 

A broadcast aired with the three astronauts Borman, Lovell, and Anders reading the opening lines from Genesis and ended with the famous line, “Merry Christmas, and God bless all of you, all of you on the good earth.”  Today that would be disallowed, and the astronauts vilified.

My blog today is focused on Christmas, and I hope these simple recounts of history reveal that there is hope for mankind.  There is hope when we focus on something higher than ourselves, politics, and our differences.  There is hope when we allow the love of God to be superimposed on our human hearts.  If we could see the incredibleness of God’s Gift to mankind through the birth, life, death, resurrection, and soon return of Jesus, we would find the path to peace. 

So, I say, MERRY CHRISTMAS, and may the Love and Peace of God fill your heart, home, and life this Christmas Season and every day of the coming year.  We are more than our differences if we will embrace God’s incredible love and forgiveness.

God bless you, and God bless America!

We, the people, have been repeatedly reminded of how important strong articulate candidates are.  Ronald Reagan was one of the best at articulating conservative views and turning the tables on the liberals.  We have had few since Reagan that were able or willing to do that.  Frequently, the Republican candidate clamors for the media’s approval and fears being called derogatory names.   We were, once again, reminded of how dangerous the behind-the-scenes shenanigans are in election outcomes.  Is that new?  No, but it is another painful reminder.

I have heard some articulate their view of what was actually on the ballot in these past elections.  Some of the postulations I can endorse, and some I find a bit beyond my ability to embrace.  Without getting into the myriad of opinions and offering my own, I will bypass the pundits’ opinions and share what I see.  If it resonates, excellent, and if not, then either toss it aside or modify it. It is your privilege to do so. You have the right and ability to think, so think!

There was supposed to have been a ‘red wave’ tsunami that would sink the ship of the Democrats and return control of both the House and Senate to the GOP.  That did not happen, and I was very apprehensive leading up to the elections.  I viewed some of the candidates as less than optimum and knew there would be unseen and sometimes seen manipulation of the vote.  I thought both would play a significant role in the outcome, and both did. 

I do not want to make this about cheating as an explanation of why the GOP failed miserably in this election.  That does not mean I do not believe there were some less-than-honest activities, but I will not make that the reason only a part of the reason for the failure.  At the risk of sounding like a conspiracist, I have observed the mastery of ballot harvesting, the use of mail-in ballots, the media, and blatant fraud by the Democrats.  The attempt to cheat is not new and will not go away in the foreseeable future.

The current occupant of the White House, Joe Biden, bumbles and stumbles over words and seems incapable of putting together two coherent consecutive sentences when he speaks.  We see reports from all sides that about three-quarters of America view the path America is on as wrong and dangerous.  Yet, the Left still held the Senate, and the House’s margin is razor thin.  How could that have happened?  What was there for us to learn in this electoral process? 

The adage “money talks” is germane and unmistakable in this electoral cycle. The massive amounts of taxpayer funds used to bribe voters to support the Democrats are real.  You could argue that doing so has exploited the Achilles’ heel of too many GOP candidates.  The ineptitude or unwillingness to get down and dirty and faithfully and forcefully articulate the conservative and often Christian view has been costly.  The Democrats are winning the rhetoric and spin war.  The GOP frequently has the deer in the headlights look and offers few, if any, alternatives. 

When the charges were hurled by the Democrats that engendered fear, the Republicans either seemed to ignore them or had no embraceable or viable response.  The accusations akin to those we have heard in the past were hurled with almost no reaction and reasoned counter by the GOP.  Why?  I suppose they thought that with the state of the economy and the dissatisfaction of many voters, they did not need to. They were wrong, very wrong!

Rush Limbaugh used to call the masses who tend to vote for the Democrats irrationally as low information voters.  Ignoring the diatribe, rhetoric, spin, and fearmongering is a pathway to defeat, even if that is the case.  That is a lesson we have been taught repeatedly without changing the approach. 

There was a simple and easy response to the charge that the Republicans were seeking to drive the stake in the heart of the senior vote about Social Security. Unfortunately, only crickets came from the GOP. The sound of silence was deafening.  There was an easy explanation regarding abortion, and a teaching moment could have been seized regarding the ruling of the SCOTUS that it was simply returning it to the constitutionally proper purview, the states, but not a peep.  The charge about crashing the economy was a slam dunk, but almost no Republican took the time to educate and elucidate the issue.  It was a bird’s nest on the ground, and they walked past it.  Thus, the uninformed sheep believed the fabrications and cost the Republicans in more than one race.

The charge that Democracy was on the ballot was true if by Democracy you meant monstrously big government and bureaucracy.   I will not waste your or my time explaining that we are not a Democracy but a Republic.  If anyone cannot grasp that, tossing those pearls would be a waste of time.  However, the Free Constitutional Republic was on the ballot.  If the Republicans truly stand for smaller government, they must learn to articulate the reason, the value, and the process to achieve that. 

I continue to suspect that they believe in smaller government only in the sense that it results in a minuscule reduction, not Limited Government.  The GOP must draw a line in the sand and resist all attempts to redistribute the wealth.  They must fight against the strangulation of unnecessary and damaging regulations being imposed.  They must find a way to reduce the entitlement rolls and make it more palatable to have a job than sit on the couch enjoying the government dole.  We need to help needy people, but we do not need to become enablers to encourage them to be idle. 

The Bible speaks to that in 2 Thessalonians 3:10, “The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat.” and 1 Timothy 5:8, “Anyone who does not provide for their own household, has denied the faith….”   Does that mean anyone on the welfare role is to be regarded as a sluggard and apostate?  No, it means that if a person can work, is willing to work, and has the opportunity to work and refuses, that person should be allowed to feel the pinch of their decision.  Choices have consequences, just like elections.

This election was, in a measure, about personal responsibility versus a free ride.  The younger voters are always emotionally, rationally, and politically in a state of flux.  They, like everyone else, are tempted by the dangling of the freebie carrot being continually offered by the Left.  They have been inundated with the indoctrination of public schools and institutions of higher learning.  They have yet to hear the rationale behind individualism, personal responsibility, constitutionalism, and conservatism.  They have not been taught the value of the Free Market and the truth about that baby in the womb.  Many of them have been taught for more than a decade of their lives that the Bible is just another view of life.

Ronald Reagan understood that if he was going to win the hearts and votes of the public, he had to be personable and articulate his values and the values of the Republican platform.  Maybe it was his background as a screen actor, his baptism into politics in being Governor of California, or his personality, but it worked.  We need to find candidates who can articulate the values most of us hold and are willing to fight for them.  That is a lesson we should have learned, and once again, we see the reality that Elections have Consequences. 

America, I pray that we will return to God, to moral rightness, to integrity, and a commitment to Constitutional governance.  If we do, we will see things move toward a better place.  If we do not, we will watch America become a memory.

God bless you, and God bless America!

Before you blast me as a doom and gloom prognosticator, let me present my views, and then you think what you must.  In Ecclesiastes 12:13, we are enjoined to hear the conclusion of the whole matter before deciding, and that is all I ask, that you hear me out.  If, after you have read what I write and you disagree for whatever reason, that is your right and choice.

I love America!  I love God!  I love my family!  I love people in general.  I am very pro-America and will do everything I can to see this nation restored to the place of honor and prominence she has held in the past. America can be saved, but only if certain things transpire. We are dealing with self-inflicted wounds in this nation and wounds that can be healed if the right mindset and actions are embraced and pursued.  So, can America be saved?  Yes, but only if…

That’s where the rubber meets the road for me, ONLY IF.  But what is or what are the only ifs of which I am thinking?  Presentation of those may be a more arduous and laborious task than I am capable of achieving in a short article.  I hear people say regarding certain things in their lives, “it’s complicated.”  That would be applicable regarding detailing the ‘only ifs’ in saving America.  However, I would like to present a few thoughts and hopefully challenge you to expand the list.

If we are going to save America and maneuver the ship of state away from the looming abyss of destruction, we must include the God factor.  I realize that some immediately dismiss that, but our history and the history of the world reveal the dramatic difference between nations that make God central and those that do not.  We see the light and darkness in human relations, economic prosperity, and individual rights and freedom.  Where God is acknowledged, there is far more liberty than where He is not.

The moral climate of our nation is lower than it has been in my lifetime, and I suspect our history.  There has always been immorality and will be as long as unregenerate humans walk the planet.  When I speak of moral climate, I am not just talking about sexual immorality but the total state of man and our interpersonal relations with others.  The loosening of our moral moorings opens the door for lust, greed, hate, perversion, cheating, and stealing and makes prevarication the norm rather than the rare.  Man becomes the center of his universe, and his self-focus allows him to devalue the rights and lives of others.  When the self is the center, everything else takes a lower position of value. 

Without the God factor, America will continue to plunge into the black hole of corruption. Politicians will continue to seek power for their purposes rather than feeling any restraint or pricking of their consciences.  The rouge will become more rogue, and the diabolical devious power seekers will utilize every tool to attain the pinnacle of power and control.  America will be forever lost if we allow this to continue as the norm and become business as usual. 

I do not desire to make this a sermon, so let me move to another ONLY IF that must be addressed if America is to be saved.  I see several obstacles preventing the restoration of limited government and constitutional governance.  If these are not addressed, the Democrats will keep the House, Senate, and White House long enough to fundamentally transform America, and our Republic will no longer exist as founded.  In that globalist world, socialism or some variation will replace the free market; rights will be deemed to come from the ruling powers rather than being inalienable.  America will be lost and unredeemable if that continues.

One of the things that must be addressed is the easily corrupted system allowing mail-in ballots and ballot harvesting via the lack of oversight and verification of identity.  Our method of elections must be verifiable, and every vote verified if we are to salvage America.  I believe that anyone desiring the elections to be legitimate endorses voter identification. If mail-in ballots are to become a part of the process, we must develop a means of authenticating those votes.  Unfortunately, I do not see a means or willingness to do that in today’s political world.  Having a method to cheat is alluring to the nefarious, and the elitists will do all they can to protect that opportunity.

If you look back to the mid-terms in Obama’s first term and this time, the glaring difference was the enhancement of opportunities to cheat through mail-in ballots and ballot harvesting.  The Republicans won sixty-three seats from the Democrats in Obama’s first mid-term and have gained almost none this time.  I believe that until and unless we have verifiable votes, America will be lost. 

One thing the Republicans could strive for is presenting to the Supreme Court this issue as a part of a voter disenfranchisement case.  Will they seek that pathway?  It is unlikely that with the current establishment, people in leadership positions and controlling the congressional actions of the party. In places like Arizona, Nevada, Michigan, and Pennsylvania, if people like Fetterman, Whitmer, Kelly, and others can win, the actual vote is immaterial. 

In Arizona, mail-in ballots were sent to Runbeck Printing Company to scan the ballots before being sent to the County, with no observers.  The possibility of fraud is so great that it should cause everyone concern.  In the deciding Maricopa County, the ballots were sent to Runbeck before going to the Maricopa County Elections Center.  That is unacceptable and makes saving America incredibly difficult, if not impossible.  The argument is that the company has super high-speed scanners.  It does not matter; oversight is mandatory if we are to have legitimate elections.

Suppose we continue to allow the disruption and diminishing of the family, the enhancement of an entitlement mentality, and political correctness that leads to thought policing and censorship. In that case, we place an obstacle in the path of saving America.  If we continue devaluing life, such as the life in the womb, we will gravitate toward euthanizing other groups.  If we continue trying to be smarter than God, we will watch our nation’s devolution, and our republic will be lost. 

Finally, can America be saved?  Absolutely, but only if we place our trust in God, not politicians.  We must become people who pray. We must take pains to become informed.  We must return to the original intent of giving oversight to the elected, and if they violate the constitution, we must show them the door.  We must pray as if everything depends on God (it does), work as if everything depends on us (we have a role), and invest our time and energy in participating in the electoral process.  If we fail to acknowledge God, do what we know to do, and participate in the process, we will lose our republic.  If we do those things, we can save America.

God bless you, and God bless America!

I am quite serious in my question regarding my beloved nation.  Is there a solution for what is wrong in America politically, economically, socially, morally, educationally, and in every facet of our society?  The short answer would be yes, and the long answer would be that it’s complicated and involved. 

Some of the solutions I see, others snarl at because they are rooted in my faith and constitutional originalist view.  Those who want God exorcised from everything, public and private, detest any mention of Him as our solution.  Those who believe the constitution is a living and evolving document moldable in the hands of politicians reject my solutions because they do not want to live within the constraints of that document.  Even some who claim to be originalists and Christians, at times, find my solutions unpalatable.  The reason for the latter’s hesitancy is that they believe we are to be overly inclusive and tolerant of everything and anything.

As I attempt to offer some of my concerns and views as to the solution or solutions and what happened in the mid-terms, I must answer some questions in our minds.  We cannot embrace the necessary change or adaptation without posing penetrating queries and attempting to answer them.  What are the questions?

The Red Wave that failed to become a reality, what happened?  There are more possible caveats of that failure than I can or would dare to advance.  One of the immediate things that I saw in the primaries was the efforts of the Democrats to pick the Republican candidates their candidates would face.  That cannot be overlooked.  The Republicans have done the same in the past, and it proved effective. 

Another element that I believe was revealed was that the Republican Establishment wanted it to be just the way it was.  Why?  Because they detest Donald Trump and do not want an outsider influencing the party they have controlled for decades.  I cannot fathom allowing personal or personality bias to become so strong that you would shoot yourself in the foot.  However, I believe that the Establishment of both parties are two peas in the same pod and have power, control, and personal wealth as their goal, not America or the American people.  That will be very difficult to offset and will continue to create a hostile environment for We the People.

I suspect that the Republican Establishment hoped for a razor-thin majority in the House and possibly a single vote in the Senate.  They did not want the Trump candidates or those who were conservative enough to powerfully resist the policies of Biden over the next two years.  Maybe they think or thought that small steps to impede him would provide impetus to their plea in 2024 to oust the Democrats from the White House.  They could argue that we did not have a strong enough majority to impede his agenda, so we need to have the White House, a larger majority in the House, and take back the Senate.  Will that work?  The next two years will be telling.

We pay the price when politicians focus more on their personal agendas and reveal their globalist views.  When politicians abandon sound constitutional reason and turn their backs on moral rightness, we pay the price.  We pay the price when politicians forget whom they are supposed to be working for.  I don’t know what happens when people go to Washington, but something transpires to alter them, or they finally reveal who they were.

I mentioned that the Republican Elitists helped manufacture this failure in the mid-terms and that the Democrats crossed over in the primaries, helping choose whom they would face.  Another factor is the mindset of the American public.  We have been inundated with the diatribe, rhetoric, and drivel of the Left for so long that many are drinking the Kool-Aid of deception.  The educational system has been offering dumbed-down curricula from nursery school to graduate school with a visible Leftists bias.  We have more than one generation who have been indoctrinated, and we see the fruit of their labors.

Many believe, and I am concerned, that early voting may contribute.  Although I have enjoyed the convenience of voting without the normal lines of election day voting, I am concerned.  Many have argued that it gives both parties an advance picture of how many voted and whom they voted for.  It also indicates the leaning of those who have yet to vote and are targeted doggedly.  It reveals how many votes will likely be needed, and a massive roundup begins.  Some would argue that is good, but with voter fraud, it does raise concerns.

It is nothing short of amazing to me how angry many people were leading up to the election and yet still voted for those who did the things that caused their anger and pain.  We could say that a definition of insanity was demonstrated in the results of the mid-term elections.  When seventy-five percent of the nation states that they believe the country is headed in the wrong direction and view the economy as poor, how could there not be a massive purging of those whose party created the dilemma?  But that is not what happened.  Instead, many of that seventy-five percent voted to keep the ones who did the damage in power.  That is beyond nonsensical.  Was the hate for one man that strong?

We should be concerned about the legitimacy of the elections.  We should be cognizant of the need to have verifiable methods to ensure that there is one vote for one person and that those voting are legitimately qualified to do so.  There were locals in which the Establishment and the cross-over primary shapers were not able to influence the vote.  In those areas, the Red Wave transpired. 

Suppose we allow the Establishment to maintain its grip on the party’s platform and agenda. In that case, we will watch as the Elitists Professional Politicians of both parties move America farther away from our founding principles and moral moorings.  The result will be the destruction of the Republic.  I cannot sit silent as that transpires without raising my voice, beating my drum, and sounding the alarm.  I hope millions join me.

What is the solution for America?  I said solution, not solutions because one excellent solution will impact and shape all the other needed remedies.  What is that?  It is a return to God and to moral rightness, strong families, and recognition of where our rights truly come from.  Our Declaration of Independence said it powerfully when the founders identified that we have a Creator, and He grants every human certain inalienable rights.  God, not the government, is our solution.

Politics and legislation will not solve the problems in America. They cannot affect the human heart in the way required for true change and restoration to transpire.  Only God can do that.  I believe in God.  I am a Christian in every dimension of my life.  My political, moral, economic, and social views are shaped by what I believe, and what I believe is rooted in God’s Word.  Therefore, I am renewing my commitment to intercede for America and pray that God’s people will make 2 Chronicles 7:14 a cornerstone in their lives.  We can see restoration and resolution of the myriad of negatives in America, but not without God.

God bless you, and God bless America!

I recently said that to a group of people, and one scoffed and said, “What’s new about that?”  Nothing and everything would be the appropriate response, but you deserve to know what I am addressing and referring to.  While each of us makes decisions daily and often multiple times each day, sometimes something stands out that captures the imagination.

We are in December, the last month of the year 2022.  In many ways, I am glad to see it go into the record books and turn the page for 2023.  However, with some hesitation, I am hopeful for the coming year.  I keep hoping the elected officials will somehow discover a spine, a moral fiber in their soul, and become devotees of the document they swear an oath to protect and defend, the Constitution. 

But my Christian faith is rising to the surface as I present my decision in this article.  My beliefs form my convictions, my ideological views, and my worldview.  I am not compartmentalized and do not have spiritual, relational, financial, or political compartments – I am a composite of all I believe and think.  Everything is rooted in and connected to my belief in God, His Precepts, and His Word. 

I have been thinking about kindness and how impactful acts of kindness usually are.  Some today are jealous of everything and covetous of anything possessed by others if they do not have it.  They are proponents of sharing the wealth unless it is their wealth, then the view is what is mine and mine alone.  When I see kindness acts or am the recipient of an act of kindness, I am always moved deeply.  It inspires me to reciprocate by extending kindness to others who need empathy or compassion. 

We are in the Christmas month, and everywhere we see the commercialization and promotions for gifts and things to buy.  It is the latest, greatest, and most desired thing known to man, and surely you want one or know someone who would love to have one.  Commercialization has been developed into a science, and marketing is continuously honed scientifically to attract the most buyers.  The idea of Christmas as being a celebration of the Savior’s birth is obscured by things, things, and more things. 

The Bible teaches that giving is better than receiving, but as one man said, “Giving may be better than receiving, but I enjoy getting so much, I think I’ll stick with getting.”  That is the view of many, even if they do not realize it or acknowledge it.  I want, I want, and give to get is the root of many philosophies. Like the saying I heard long ago, “Get all you can, can all you get, sit on the lid and poison the rest.”  Greed is ugly, and covetousness is destructive!

That is not only present in society it is prevalent in politics, what is in it for me.  The view is seldom what is good for the whole of society but what it provides for the politician or their political party.  The government loves to appear benevolent by using the taxpayer’s money or borrowing beyond any hope of being able to repay.  Acts of government benevolence seldom have any resemblance to kindness.

Therefore, I want to put it into practice and inspire others to do at least one act of kindness daily.  I know that many do those multiple times per day, and I strive to be kind and show care and concern, but I seek to step that up and, through this Holiday Season, strive to do something unsolicited for someone.  I want to show Christian kindness and demonstrate Christ’s principle of giving not for the sake of getting but out of a genuine desire to bless others.

I am not a wealthy man in terms of this world’s goods, but I am rich beyond imagination in the Gift God has given me in Christ.  I am wealthy in friends and family.  I am wealthy in the opportunity to share His love and demonstrate His heart in simple acts that might seem almost inconsequential but can impact a life and possibly save their life or restore their belief in humanity. 

We all have people around us who are less fortunate than us.  Some may argue I do not; I am needier than anyone I know.  I have no desire to argue that point, but whenever I feel I am the neediest person I know, I inevitably meet or see someone more in need than I am.  I am asking the LORD to cause me to see needs and enable me to do something, even if it is as small as helping someone to their car, unloading their packages, or just offering an encouraging word.  Other times, it might be to buy some groceries for a struggling family I know.  It could be as simple as paying for someone’s meal in a restaurant.  There are many things we can do.  It could be a simple smile and greeting.

We have lost touch with our neighbors.  We have become so busy and focused on ourselves that we even lose contact with those within our households.  I have also decided that I am going to do something for others in the name of my immediate family.  They may receive a Christmas card telling them they gave something to a needy person.  If I do that, they may not appreciate that gesture, but hopefully, it would inspire them.  I did not say I will do nothing for them, but I will do the other as an act of kindness.

I would like to know what our nation would look like if we decided to be kind to one another and treat others as we would like others to treat us.  They may not be Christians and may not celebrate Christmas, that is not the point, but with our kindness, we can manifest something sorely missed in this world. Let’s start a trend that causes people to pause before hurling vitriolic insults and allowing hate to boil over in the heart.  We might find that our kindness became infectious, and rather than growing hate, we plant a harvest of civility.

I know I am not addressing America’s political needs and problems.  However, the issues in America politically, societally, socially, and economically are not likely to find resolution in legislation. If we recognize other people as fellow members of the human race who need kindness, we may break down walls and barriers and then impact the political. If people were less prone to hurl ideological daggers, we could restore America to a time from eons ago when people helped each other. Let’s turn back the clock and refresh the importance of individual rights. 

I hope I have not lost readers but instead inspired others to try this, may not daily but once per week or even once per month, and determine that you are going to do an overt act of kindness.  I know how it impacts me to receive kindness and how it impacts me when I give kindness.  I am rewarded far beyond what the cost might be.  There are many acts of kindness one can do that cost nothing.  As the saying of old, “Try it; you just might like it.”

God bless you, and God bless America!

I guess that depends on whether you want to fundamentally transform our republic and system of government or you want to preserve what we have and make it better.  If it is the former, then the Constitution has no value to you.  If it is the latter, it is a vital and precious document that we must make every effort to preserve it.  Only you can answer that question. 

I saw a quotation that speaks to this issue.  It was from The Invisible Pyramid by Loren Eiseley.  “I, like others of my generation, was born in an age that has already perished. At my death, I will look my last upon a nation that, save for some linguistic continuity, will seem increasingly alien and remote. It will be as though I peered upon my youth through misty centuries. I will not be merely old; I will be a genuine fossil embedded in onrushing man-made time before my actual death.”  If you think about that, it is penetrating.  Have we already allowed our society and age to become fossilized?  I hope not, but fear we are dangerously near that place.

Our Founding Fathers envisioned a system of government forming a Republic that was unlike anything in the annals of human history.  The nearest thing to it was the formation of the nation of Israel, yet quite different.  Israel was a theocracy, and the American experiment was a representative democratic system of government.  It did not place the church at the apex but also did not exclude the influence of the church, religion, or God.  Those who do not value our system of government and our constitution want to exorcise God from America in the public square. 

Without the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, we become a totalitarian despotic system of government, an oligarchy of elitists, or dissolve into anarchy.  The constitution provides the restraints to provide a platform whereby we can have self-governance with the oversight of “We the People.”  With it, we have recognized inalienable rights that can be and are catalysts to success personally and nationally.  With it, we have a system of checks and balances that prevent rogue governmental agencies or politicians from the overreaches they have the propensity to seek.

Ronald Reagan wisely said, “Freedom is not passed on to our children in the bloodstream.”  You may be born in America and be a citizen by natural birth, but the freedom that America’s constitution declares is not inherited by birth; it is won and kept by diligence and observance of the directives of the document.  I rarely can accept the idea of coincidences governmentally.  Why do I say that?  I say it because there is a concerted effort to manage us and control us, and they are following a carefully scripted plan.  This has been in the works for well over one hundred years and is coming to fruition in today’s world.

I do not want to appear a conspiracist and see a conspiracy in every action, edit, law, and effort.  However, I am fully convinced that those seeking to transform the world into a global community under one central government have been engaged in actions that have slowly eroded our foundational fabric.  They have sectors of society they have been targeting for a century.  Despotism, under the influence of the forces of darkness, always targets the weak links and most vulnerable to achieve their objective. 

There have been governmental actions that weakened the home and family.  Programs that virtually forced the father out of the home so the mother could receive the sustenance and entitlements from the government desired.  That left many boys and girls who became young men and women without the strength and guidance of father and mother in the home.  That stripped the life example of the family and home from the equation and resulted in largely undisciplined generations.  We are paying the price for that. 

What does that have to do with the Constitution?  It has much to do with it.  The actions taken were beyond the allowable scope of the constitution.  It was an overreach, and had the constitution been followed, the Supreme Court would have struck down the edicts and laws that facilitated the hidden agenda of capturing the children and reshaping our values.  We allowed it to happen.  The church did not see the danger and sound the alarm.  Politicians enjoyed the control and the graft that came with many actions, as well as building solid voting blocs, so it continued.  Today, it is cancer destroying our Republic and rendering the Constitution valueless.

I have been deeply disappointed in George Bush, Paul Ryan, Mitch McConnell, and a myriad of other supposedly conservatives and Republicans.  They either endorsed or opposed things that were not good for America or Americans.  They exposed themselves as globalists and elitists politically.  We do not need political elitists in office we need Americans who love this nation and want to preserve our Constitution and system of government, not their version of it.  The Constitution to be of value must be interpreted with the original intent of the founders in mind.  Thomas Jefferson contended for that, and so do I.

I refer to the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and say the idea was good in asserting that no one should ever be discriminated against based on race.  However, the more time has passed, race and racial identity have become political weapons to shape elections.  If those using racial issues were truly seeking to bring our society to a place where we all adopted the idea presented in our Declaration of Independence that all are created equal, it would be acceptable.  It is not; it has become propaganda to achieve political gains and control, not a better society.

Basing jobs or entry into educational systems on race is not the design of the constitution or the rulings of the Supreme Court.  We moved from the Plessy v. Ferguson separate but equal doctrine to the Brown v. Board of Education decision.  That means we are not supposed to base entry or opportunity on race.  However, if you examine the admissions of universities such as Harvard, George Washington University, and others, you find it prevalent.  Asian Americans, not based on test scores but in unbalanced favor to others, find their ability to enter difficult.  This won’t be received well, but Harvard’s admission for Black students is double that of Asian American students.  Is that not what we sought to move away from, discrimination or favor based on race? 

If we follow the Constitution and keep the checks and balances in our government, we can slowly reverse the trend and damage done for decades and prevent the globalist from achieving their designs.  Will we?  That is the hope and the need, so I keep praying that enough people will awaken from their slumber and band together to return to constitutionalism and moral sanity in America.

God bless you, and God bless America!

In my beloved America, I believe there is an epidemic that is far worse than any pandemic disease that we have faced or will face.  I am not minimizing the devastating effects of disease and the rise in premature deaths for many known and unknown reasons in America.  We have serious problems including violence.  Our political, social, ideological, and even religious society is daily dealing with this epidemic and if not held in check or rectified, it will destroy us as a Free Nation.

This epidemic will do more than destroy the Republic, it will destroy homes, and individual lives like nothing else. Some will disagree with my assessment and say, “Roy, you have put on your preacher hate and longer a commentator on issues of the day.”  You might be right, but my faith hat is the only hat I can faithfully wear.  My faith defines who I am, and it shapes every view that I hold about everything.  I do not and will not run from that.  I will stand on God’s Word and declare what I see.

What is the epidemic of which I speak?  It is what those on the Left accuse those on the Right of engaging in when they offer counterarguments politically.  It is what those on the Right accuse those on the Left of engaging in when they offer counterarguments politically.  It is not one-sided but each side views the issue myopically and improvidently.  We cannot see the beam in our own eyes but believe we see the speck in those we disagree with eyes. 

I am concerned that this issue or epidemic is a word that, like many others today, has been bandied about so frequently it has lost its meaning to most people.  Self-justification is a tool we use to argue that our attitude, actions, and position are justifiable.  It is akin to the usage of the word racist or racism, so frequently used and used in so many inappropriate situations it has become almost meaningless.  Not that racism is meaningless but the usage of the word.

We use the word Love ascribed to virtually everything from loving hamburgers, cars, clothes, or something to loving people and have diluted the power of the word.  I believe in Love and believe that the Bible reveals the incredible power of that attitude, emotion, and demonstration.  If I say to someone, “I love you” I am not saying that my feelings or attitude toward them is the same as when one says, “I love hamburgers.”  They are not a slab of meat on a bun, they are human beings and worthy of the highest recognition possible. 

What am I saying?  The overuse of any word and the use of it inappropriately diminishes the power and worth of the word. I believe that words have meaning and when used appropriately with understanding, they convey the depth of the mind, heart, and soul.  Jesus said, “The words that I say unto you, they are spirit and life.”  The words were calculated and targeted at specifics.  They were not veiled justifications or insincere platitudes.  Jesus’ words were produced to bring Life like His sacrifice was to bring about Redemption.

Okay, Roy, what does this have to do with the situation in America?  Everything!  The epidemic that I will finally address is described in another four-letter word Hate!  I believe that hate is the single most destructive thing in the United States of America today.  

Politicians and activists seem to have the propensity to make accusations toward their opponents and detractors accusing them of hate while stirring up animosity from their followers.  Politicians may not call for violence directly, but in their vitriol, they inspire it and many of the followers believe the rhetoric so strongly they justify their intense animosity – HATE!

I have encountered professing Christians who justify their hate for those who are not of their religious, political, or social order.  They justify it by saying that those they view as their enemy are evil and justify their animosity believing they are biblically justified.  We cannot reach any semblance of true bipartisanship so long as both sides engage in hate. 

The writer of Proverbs said, “hatred stirs up conflict, but love covers all wrongs.”  (10:12).  The apostle Paul urged in Ephesians for all believers to guard against allowing language that corrupts to come out of their mouths.  Rather speak words that build up and encourage. (4:29). Then the writer of Proverbs gave a powerful summation, “People may cover their hatred with pleasant words, but they are deceiving you.  They pretend to be kind but don’t believe them.  Their hearts are full of many evils.  While their hatred may be concealed by trickery, their wrongdoing will be exposed in public.” (26:24-26).

Jesus used a disturbing analogy in Matthew 18 when he said, “If your hand or foot causes you to sin, chop it off and throw it away!  You would be better off to go into life crippled and lame than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into the fire that never goes out.”  (18:8).  In Matthew 5 the Lord addressed the flaw in thinking hate could ever be justified.  “You have heard people say, ‘Love your neighbor and hate y our enemies.’ But I tell you to love your enemies and pray for anyone who mistreats you.  Then you will be acting like your Father in heaven.  He makes the sun shine on the just and unjust.  He sends rain on those who do good and those who do evil.”  (5:43-45).

In our present world, we have allowed the Epidemic of Hate to split our nation in two.  I have heard people on both sides of the political aisle use such abusive language towards those with whom they disagree it inspires violence.  When national figures, no matter their political bent use inflammatory rhetoric laced with hatred what can we expect but outcroppings of violence?  It has become an epidemic.

If we want to salvage our Republic and restore Constitutional governance, we must address the problem of the heart and the mind individually and collectively.  I long to see the church address the problem and seek to inspire believers to walk in love.  No, I did not say become doormats but tit for tat will only produce more divisiveness and ultimately separate us to the point we cannot reach any agreement. 

Compromise is sometimes a very ugly word, but if we view it as an attempt to find commonality and points from which we can work together rather than abandoning our core convictions we can make it a useful word.  If we will recognize that hate poisons the person who hates.  It produces chemicals in our systems physically that affect our health and our brains.  In a very real sense, we are killing ourselves and destroying America by allowing ourselves to engage in and justify hate. 

I wish am so disturbed by the prevalence of hate; I have committed myself to intercession for America.  I am praying for the dampening of hate and for an outpouring of the Spirit of God to bring us back to God and our moral moorings.  I am praying for a resurrection of rational reason and sound logic in our thinking.  We have the inalienable right to Freedom of Speech which includes freedom of thought.  We do not have the inalienable right to hate indiscriminately.  Hate destroys and prevents any hope of even hearing what those we hate are saying.  If we learned to listen again, we just might find that God will help us become restored.

God bless you and God bless America!