Rejecting "Blasphemy" Laws

There are spiritual forces at work all around our world who seek to undermine the one true God, and we have to be aware that those who serve this Almighty King have opposition from those who have aligned themselves with systems and philosophies that are aligned with the one who desires to destroy our witness and thwart the work of the Kingdom. In John 18, Jesus declared before Pilate about the nature of His Kingdom:

36 Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here."
37 Pilate therefore said to Him, "Are You a king then?" Jesus answered, "You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice."
38 Pilate said to Him, "What is truth?" And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews, and said to them, "I find no fault in Him at all.

The spread of radical Islam beyond the Middle East is a danger to our world today. And, out of fear, ignorance, or both.  It was reported on the Worthy News website in March that:

British Christian leaders and politicians fear a new working group advising the government on “anti-Muslim hatred /Islamophobia” will lead to blasphemy legislation that would further limit freedom of expression.

In a statement obtained by Worthy News, Britain’s Deputy Prime Minister, Angela Rayner, said that the “rise in anti-Muslim hate crime is unacceptable and has no place in our society. That’s why we’ve committed to defining Anti-Muslim Hatred/Islamophobia as a crucial step forward in tackling it and creating a society where everyone feels safe and welcome.”

David Alton leads Britain’s Parliamentary Committee on Human Rights, issued a stern warning: “The U.K. should tread very carefully before incorporating anything which resembles a blasphemy law into British Statute,” adding, “In jurisdictions which have such laws, I have personally seen how they can be misused against people of other beliefs or no belief – including death sentences and long-term imprisonment.”  

The article mentioned the examples of Pakistan and Iran, "where Christians and others have languished in prisons for years for alleged blasphemy against Islam while some have been killed."

Danny Webster, director of advocacy for the U.K. Evangelical Alliance, is concerned about the prospect of such laws being put in place, stating: "Any definition of anti-Muslim hatred, or Islamophobia, has to safeguard the freedom of others to criticize religious belief and support the freedom for people to change their beliefs..." He went on to say, "It is vital that we encourage good relationships between people of different faiths, and this is fostered by accepting deep differences and allowing free expression, rather than either criminalizing disagreement or pretending it doesn’t exist..."

The Middle East Forum website reported:

A British court has ruled in favor of a Christian street preacher prosecuted by the police on charges of blaspheming against the Qur’an, Islam, and its founder, Muhammad.

The judgment is a major setback for the Labour government and its Islamist supporters, who are attempting to implement a “blasphemy law” that would limit criticism of Islam by imposing a wide-ranging and disputed definition of “Islamophobia.”

The article quotes from Tim Dieppe, who is a researcher with Christian Concern.  He related that, in the words of the article, the ruling "was a major blow to the attempts by Islamists and the Labour government to impose a controversial definition of 'Islamophobia.'"  The article goes on to say:

“Allegations of ‘Islamophobia’ have been used to silence or criticize legitimate criticism of Islam the religion, which does not imply any hatred or discrimination against Muslims as people,” Dieppe warned. “The very term ‘Islamophobia’ is problematic since it conflates ‘Islam’ the religion, with Muslims the people.”

“Adopting an official definition of ‘Islamophobia’ will privilege Islam over other religions and serve to legitimize two-tier policing of speech relating to Islamic beliefs or practices..."

Again, laws of this type have been used to persecute Christians.  We should always be devoted to speaking the truth, and as Ephesians 4 directs us, to speak in accordance with God's truth "in love." Christians should be known for our conviction, but also our compassion.  Even though we may be walking in love, our devotion to truth will make us distinctive, and we should not back away from that.  We should always speak and act under the direction of the Holy Spirit. 

There are those who will reject the ways of Almighty God.  We should always love Muslim people, but we should be willing to speak the truth to those who do not believe in our Savior, with the hope that they would one day they would accept Christ and come into the kingdom of God.  And, as I have reported to you, God is moving among those who are followers of Islam throughout the world, and it's exciting to hear about the passion that new converts to Christ possess, even though there are countries who will punish, even to death, those who embrace our Savior. 

Empathetic?

We can certainly see that the Bible teaches us to possess a sense of Christ's compassion toward those who are suffering. But, if actions and attitudes are not genuinely empathetic and expressed for the wrong reasons, then it can cause damage. Romans 12 tells us:
15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.
16 Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion.
17 Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men.
18 If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.

But, just a few verses earlier in the chapter, in verse 9, we can read: "Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good."

Jesus directed strong words toward those who were hypocritical, those who attempted to show kindness for the wrong reasons, just to show people how holy or righteous they were, without possessing the proper heart attitude. 

A Christian Post article from last November opened this way:

Empathy, a virtue Christians are called to exemplify, is being redefined in an era of increasingly polarized viewpoints and weaponized to undermine moral clarity — and the ramifications are devastating.

That’s according to Allie Beth Stuckey, author, speaker, commentator and the host of the BlazeTV podcast "Relatable" who, in an interview with The Christian Post, opened up about her latest book, Toxic Empathy: How the Left Exploits Christian Compassion. In it, she delves into the distinction between compassion grounded in biblical principles and an empathy that, she says, can cloud moral clarity.

The article goes on to say:

Her critique is aimed at what she described as a one-sided empathy that, for instance, focuses solely on the immediate fears of a woman considering abortion without weighing the life of the unborn child. Stuckey believes that such empathy, when encouraged uncritically, can motivate people to affirm actions at odds with biblical teachings.

In the book, she applies this "faux" empathy to several issues. The article quotes her as saying: “Love is defined in 1 Corinthians 13 as a lot of things, but one of the things is that it never rejoices in wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Empathy really has no concern with what is actually true. It's only concerned with how someone feels, which can only get you so far..."

Theologian and college professor Joe Rigney, author of a book called, The Sin of Empathy: Compassion and Its Counterfeits, wrote at WORLD Magazine:

When it comes to upholding strict standards of justice, empathy is a liability, not an asset. It’s why in certain circumstances involving gross error and high-handed sin, God’s law forbids empathy and pity. If someone—even a close family member—enticed Israel to commit idolatry and abandon the Lord, God told them that “you shall not yield to him, or listen to him, nor shall your eye pity him, nor shall you spare him” (Deuteronomy 13:6–10). It’s why some of us have taken to warning about “toxic empathy“ and “the sin of empathy.”

Rigney led by using an example from the National Prayer Service, in which a minister, Mariann Edgar Budde chastised in the incoming Administration. He writes:

In the halting and syrupy tone of a schoolmarm, Bishop Budde concluded her sermonette by pleading with President Trump to “have mercy on the people in our country who are scared now,” singling out gay, lesbian, and transgender children who fear for their lives, as well as illegal immigrants who fear deportation.

Rigney wrote: "Bishop Budde’s exhortation was a clear example of the man-eating weed of Humanistic Mercy, untethered from what is true and good. And it was enabled by the feminist denial of the complementary design and callings of men and women."

He also wrote in the piece:

Make no mistake, compassion and mercy are virtues but only when anchored in truth and tethered to justice. C.S. Lewis described the relationship well: “Mercy, detached from Justice, grows unmerciful. That is the important paradox. As there are plants which will flourish only in mountain soil, so it appears that Mercy will flower only when it grows in the crannies of the rock of Justice: transplanted to the marshlands of mere Humanitarianism, it becomes a man-eating weed, all the more dangerous because it is still called by the same name as the mountain variety.”

Those who would point out the poisonous potential of empathy were taken to task recently in an article at The Guardian, in which Stuckey and Rigney were both mentioned.  So was Elon Musk. And Joe Rogan. The article said:

“The fundamental weakness of western civilization is empathy,” Musk continued to Rogan, couching his argument in the type of pseudoscientific language that’s catnip to both men’s followings on X. “The empathy exploit. They’re exploiting a bug in western civilization, which is the empathy response.”

So, Musk said it, the media seized on it. His comments here are consistent with the comments of Stuckey and Rigney.  The article also stated: 

“We’ve got civilizational suicidal empathy going on,” Musk said. “And it’s like, I believe in empathy. Like, I think you should care about other people, but you need to have empathy for civilization as a whole and not commit to a civilizational suicide.”

The writer of this Guardian piece, Julia Carrie Wong, continues her verbal assault on those who have challenged misplaced empathy, writing:

Susan Lanzoni, a historian of psychology and author of Empathy: A History, said by email that through all her research into the intellectual history of empathy, she had “never seen empathy vilified in the way it has been in these current sources”.

“The disparagement of empathy is the flip side, I believe, of a deliberate effort to set up a permission structure to dehumanize others, and to narrow the definition of who should be included in a democratic state, or in a Christian community,” she said. “To me, this disparagement marks a step in the destruction of our multicultural democracy, and provides a path from the verbal dehumanization of others to open discrimination and maltreatment.”

Indeed, the rightwing critique of empathy is not an attempt to find a better way to achieve altruistic ends; it’s an excuse to turn away from altruism entirely. We are witnessing the construction of the ideological architecture to excuse violence and suffering on a mass scale. While the religious right attends to a moral justification, the secular right is hard at work on a pseudoscientific one.

And, the last paragraph is quite telling: "Empathy is not a sin, a toxin, or an evolutionary dead end. It is a tool, and like all tools it can be a weapon. We are going to need it."  That is exactly the type of virtue-signaling that is described with the term, "toxic empathy."  The writer is setting herself up to be the one who is true, righteous, and virtuous.  Is she saying that her version of "empathy" should be weaponized in the way that she would claim that view of others is?  

In a WORLD Magazine interview, Stuckey said:

... toxic empathy is the use of empathy as a kind of a mallet of manipulation, so a tool by which those in power in media exploit and extort people into taking on a particular position by saying, in order to be a good person, in order to be a compassionate and kind person, this is the stance that you must take."

She added: 

... it is actually the love of Christ that compels us to be compassionate and other-centered and loving. And so I think really the emphasis that our culture puts on empathy in general is kind of just like misplaced and misguided. But in itself, it is really neither bad nor good. Because empathy can also—if I put myself in the shoes of someone else, and I am so staunchly in their feelings, and I am exclusively blinded to everyone else's perspective because I only feel what that person feels, well, then I can't make very good decisions. Because if I only feel what the media's designated victim feels, well, then I'm not paying attention to the rights and the needs of the well-being of other people.

The love of Christ is never manipulative.  We view all people through the lens of love, which means that we are called to put the needs of others above our own,  even though we may disagree with that person. We are always called to see that person as someone with value, someone who is a creation of God.

But, in an effort not to "offend," we have adopted words and phrases that are more "sensitive," more empathetic, if you will.  Even, Mother's Day has been turned into a politically-correct circus, in which moms become "birthing people."  And, a proposal by the governor of Wisconsin said that mothers-to-be by virtue of artificial insemination are "persons inseminated," as Madeline Fry Schultz of the Washington Examiner pointed out in a piece published at the Independent Women's Forum website. 

So, we have to dispense with virtue-signaling to make people think that we are being compassionate or empathetic.  We can rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep in a genuine manner. But, if those are not empowered by the Holy Spirit, with the intent of sharing the love of Christ, then these are counterfeit and poisonous pursuits.

Feeling Stranded

When we are experiencing rejection or even loneliness, perhaps in a state in which answers are hard to come by, we can know that God has not forgotten us and that we are not alone, as long as we know Jesus and rely on His indwelling presence. We can find this reassuring passage from Isaiah 43:
1 But now, thus says the Lord, who created you, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel: "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are Mine.
2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you.
3 For I am the Lord your God, The Holy One of Israel, your Savior...

Butch Wilmore is an American astronaut who was essentially stranded in space with fellow astronaut Suni Williams.  As FoxNews.com explains it:

Wilmore spent nine months aboard the International Space Station (ISS) with fellow astronaut Suni Williams, beginning in June 2024. The pair were stuck there for over 280 days, though they initially planned to be there for only eight days.

After landing at the ISS, the astronauts' Boeing Starliner spacecraft encountered technical issues, which led NASA to decide it was unsafe to return the astronauts to Earth. The Biden administration was blamed by critics for leaving the astronauts stranded, and Williams and Wilmore returned to Earth on the SpaceX Dragon capsule on March 18.

The Fox article featured comments from Wilmore at a press conference following their return to earth. In fact, he was asked about his faith.  Here's the interchange:

"I heard that you were still attending your church services from space. Can you tell me a bit about why that was important for you to do?" the journalist asked.

"Well, goodness, the Word of God … I need it," the astronaut began. "My pastors are the finest pastors on or off, in this case, the planet."

"And to tie in and to worship with my church family was vital," Wilmore added. "I mean, it's part of what makes me go."

Wilmore also shouted out a Tennessee church, saying he would watch their services while aboard the ISS.

The article continued, stating:

Wilmore described the weekly services as "invigorating" and emphasized how important Christian fellowship is to him.

"Part of what I need, as a believer in Jesus Christ, to continue that focus – a system, day in and day out, because I need that fellowship, even though it's fellowship from afar," Wilmore explained.

He added, "And it's not like being fellowship up close, but still I need it."

Baptist Press related that Wilmore, "the elder at Providence Baptist Church in Pasadena, Texas...watched live-streamed services and even took part in a Bible Institute class last semester, his pastor, Tommy Dahn, told a Houston Fox TV affiliate."

It went on to say:

The experience has given Wilmore the opportunity to speak openly about his faith, both since his return and while he was aboard the ISS.

“It’s bound in my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He is working out His plan and His purposes for His glory throughout all of humanity, and how that plays into our lives is significant and important, and however that plays out, I am content because I understand that,” he said.

When life feels uncertain - and I would imagine that being stranded in space would certainly qualify - we can rely on the certainly of the presence of God.  When we feel out of control, we know who is in control, and He is the One who will keep us grounded. 

Now, most of us are not going to be stranded in space.  But, there may be circumstances in life in which we find ourselves rejected or alone, not quite knowing what the future might bring. Butch Wilmore said, according to Baptist Press, at one point as the calamity progressed, “… I don’t know that we can come back to Earth at that point...I don’t know if we can. And matter of fact, I’m thinking we probably can’t.” There are going to be the "can't'"s in our lives from time to time - but we can be convinced that God can, and that He is working for our good and His glory.  We can find comfort in the presence of the Holy Spirit, even when we feel stranded.

A Tested Faith Can Be a Growing Faith

Even in times of crisis, we can see that God is making Himself known to us. We can seek His face and walk in His light and be confident that Christ is in us and walking with us. 2nd Corinthians chapter 4 states:
6 For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.
8 We are hard pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;
9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed--
10 always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.

Sports fans have been anticipating the NFL Draft for quite some time, and the selections of players for the National Football League recently occurred in Green Bay, Wisconsin, where crowds estimated at over 600,000 showed up for the three-day event, when Cam Ward was the 1st pick, selected by the Tennessee Titans.  Ward was one of two quarterbacks taken during the 1st round, in contrast to last year, when 6 QB's were selected.  That 2024 mark tied the record that was set in 1983.  That's according to Topps.com, which related that three future Hall of Fame quarterbacks were drafted that year: Dan Marino, John Elway, and Jim Kelly. 

Kelly had a religious upbringing and an awareness of God, but he was repelled by Christians, according to a recent Christian Post article, featuring quotes from the "Grace Begins" podcast.  The article says:

After playing in the NFL, getting married and having three children, Kelly's life became more challenging after their son experienced medical problems throughout his short life, which concluded when he died in 2005 at the age of 8.

"Every time I would come home, there was … four or five people in the house because nurses, doctors, people were always coming around the house to take care of the kids," he recalled. "Me and my wife, we pretty much lost interest in each other even though Hunter was the only reason that we were still married."

Kelly admitted he had been unfaithful in his marriage. He said the experience of losing his son had a negative impact on his faith in the short term.

"I said to my wife, 'If being a Christian is being like you, I don't want to be one.'"

He said, about his wife, Jill: "She knew when to talk to me about it and when not to, and she slowly got me into it," referring to Christianity, which was something that he disliked having "forced on" him during his NFL career. The article goes on to say:

Kelly cited an intervention from his mother-in-law about 18 years ago as the reason he got his life back on track.

"She said, 'If you don't change your life, you're going to lose everything,'" he explained.

Kelly concluded that if he did not change, "I'm going to lose my wife, I'm going to lose my kids, everything I've worked for, my name, my foundations that I set up."

But, Jim Kelly has withstood the trials and grown closer to the Lord.  The Christian Post piece relates:

Kelly discussed his four battles with cancer and credited God with ensuring his survival even though he was told he had a less than 2% chance of beating cancer and endured a 12-hour surgery.

"When I went through all that and I knew what God was doing in my life, I now know why He put me through all that — to test my faith and if I'm ever going to give up on Him."

"He's the reason not only I'm still here but my wife, my daughters and the life I live now, I thank God every day for it," Kelly added.

Jim was baptized in 2023, and a Christian Post article reported:

"Becoming a Christian is the best decision I've made in my life," Kelly stressed. "I wish I would've come to him sooner. But, His timing is perfect."

"Finally, I was baptized. I have so many people to thank especially all of the people who have prayed for me for so long. THANK YOU."

In his post, Kelly thanked his friends and his men's fellowship group for helping him to "be a better man."

He also expressed gratitude to his wife, Jill, for never abandoning him and encouraging him in his faith and thanked his two daughters for helping him be a better dad.

Jim Kelly returns to speak at this year's Gridiron Men's Conference in Huntsville in June, along with Jeff Foxworth, Phil Waldrep and others.  You can learn more at gridironmen.org.  

Jim and Jill Kelly lead a foundation called Hunter's Hope, in memory of their young son who died.

On this Friday before Mother's Day, I wanted to make a note of a wife and a mother-in-law who were faithful to speak truth to Jim Kelly.  We can be thankful for those times in which a mother, like my own, who has gone home to be with the Lord, has demonstrated the love of Christ.  A godly wife who is devoted to raising children to know the Lord can help a man become a better father.

We also recognize that the fact of the matter is life can be challenging at times - and we need to know and experience the power of God.  God will use our times of trial to bring us closer to Him, and that is a key component of Jim Kelly's life story.  But, we could reject the promptings and power of God and turn away from Him during those tough time.  Or, we can admit that He knows what's best for us and is working for our good.  

And, we might just need to be broken, as well - Jim had rejected Christianity, in general, and God humbled him through trouble.  Just as God was longsuffering toward Israel, which is beautifully stated throughout the Old Testament, He is longsuffering toward us - but He loves us greatly and wants to us to know Him deeply.

Believe in Your Heart

God is calling men and women, boys and girls, across the globe, into a relationship with Him by accepting Jesus as their Savior.  And, there are indications that people are responding.  The apostle Paul wrote in 2nd Corinthians 5:

(19) ...God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
20 Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God.

Several verses later, in 2nd Corinthians 6, we can find these words:
2 For He says: "In an acceptable time I have heard you, And in the day of salvation I have helped you." Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.

As you look around and hear the stories, you can conclude that God is moving in an incredible way in our midst.  Consider this from a recent Movieguide article about a survey conducted by the Barna research organization:

Over two-thirds of all American adults said they made a “personal commitment to Jesus that is still important in their life today.” This indicates a rapid increase in the last few years. In 2021, only 54% of Americans said the same.

The research group believes this indicates a “spiritual renewal” in America. The difference in number amounts to about 30 million more adults claiming to have a relationship with God.

“Undeniably, there is renewed interest in Jesus,” said David Kinnaman, CEO of Barna. “Many people have predicted the growing irrelevance of Christianity, however, this data shows that spiritual trends have a dynamism and can, indeed, change.”

And, the bulk of the action is occurring among the younger generations.  The Movieguide article, which includes quotes and material from the Barna website, states:

Most of the believers are Gen Z and Millennials. Since COVID-19, the younger generations have risen in their beliefs while older generations, especially Boomer and Gen X females, have remained flat.

Another trend Barna discovered is that younger men are more likely to believe in Jesus than women. Gen Z males’ beliefs jumped up by 15% between 2019 and 2025, while the percentage for Millennial men spiked by 19%.

What an tremendous opportunity for spiritual growth that we see here.  But, while there are references to believing in Jesus, that doesn't necessarily translate to an understanding of what it means to be a Christian.  Kinnaman is quoted as saying:

“At this time, we are seeing interest in Jesus that is growing among those who do not otherwise describe themselves as Christians, indicating that many of the new followers of Jesus are not just ‘recycled’ believers,” Kinneman said. “Along with younger generations coming to Jesus, this is another strong sign that interest in Jesus is brewing in new population segments of society.”

Movieguide states: "About three in 10 people who say they’re not Christian say they’ve made a personal commitment to Jesus. It indicates that many are open to faith but are hesitant to identify with an organized religion."  It goes on to note:

A 2022 study by the American Bible Society found that while many young people believe in Jesus or that He existed, some of what they believe about Him is biblically inaccurate. For example, about 40% of Gen Z believed that Jesus was a sinner, which is contrary to scripture.

This indicates a distinct need that those who come to Jesus and make a profession of faith need discipleship.  People will accept the Lord and say they have received Him into their hearts, but really don't have much of idea of the decision they have just made.  So, they need someone - members of the local Church - to come alongside them to teach and train and help them to really recognize what it means to be a follower of Jesus. 

Greg Laurie, Pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship and speaker on A New Beginning weekdays at 2:00 p.m. on Faith Radio, commented on the influx of young men into his church in a CBN feature article, based on an interview with CBN's Wendy Griffith.  The article says:

...more young people, especially young men, are attending church than in years past. Harvest Church, like many others across the country, is seeing Generation Z, the under-thirties, show up in much bigger numbers.

Laurie is quoted as saying:

"Yeah, without question. And usually, the people that respond to these invitations are on the younger side. I was just talking with a teacher yesterday who teaches in a public school, and she has a little Bible club on campus where the Christian kids meet. She said, 'I've never seen anything like this in all my years of teaching, 28 out of 30 of them were boys.' And that's so unusual Wendy, because hey, girl power, you girls lead the way in spiritual things and guys are sometimes passive, at best, or resistant. But there's been a complete shift," Laurie said.

The CBN piece goes on to say:

Even the New York Times is reporting that more young men are returning to church. Laurie calls it an exciting sign.

"And I think one of the reasons for it is just men have been so beaten down in the last decade or so. They're tired of being brow beaten and young men specifically being told it's bad to be a man, it's bad to be masculine. And there's been a reaction. And I think it's a good reaction," Laurie said.

We can rejoice in these promising signs, and recognize the hand of God at work.  We can also be cognizant of how God is moving in our lives.  We know that He lives in us and walks with us, so we should always be pressing in, sensitive to His leadership and obedient to His call.

More Babies

We serve a God who is dedicated to order - creation operates according to certain laws, and His principles are true and reliable. If we violate the divine order of God, we will face the consequences. So, we have to discern the will of the Lord and do it. The apostle Paul was so confident in his obedience to God that he wrote these words in 1st Corinthians chapter 11:
1 Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ.
2 Now I praise you, brethren, that you remember me in all things and keep the traditions just as I delivered them to you.
3 But I want you to know that the head of every man is Christ, the head of woman is man, and the head of Christ is God.

In my conversation with Delano Squires of the Heritage Foundation and The Blaze at the NRB Convention this year, we discussed the violation of God's divine order with regard to the family - when you turn aside from the sexual ethic we find in Scripture, you find couples who meet, move in together, and even have a child together - all outside of the bonds of marriage.  This dilutes the strength of the family in our culture.

Now, a piece from The Washington Stand that was also published at The Christian Post explored a warped view of fatherhood, combined with a commitment to natalism, which is a devotion to having more babies. But, while we support life and a culture of life, we have to be careful that the children who are conceived are raised in the right environment, according to the principles of Scripture. 

The writer, Dan Hart of Family Research Council, was responding to a piece at the Wall Street Journal about the fatherhood practices of the richest man in the world, Elon Musk.  Certainly, I appreciate his attempts to cut the size of government and his staunch opposition to the transgender agenda.  But, he possess a flawed view of parenthood, I believe. 

Hart writes:

Musk, who is currently unmarried, has fathered at least 14 children by four different women, some through in vitro fertilization, with the “true number [likely] much higher than publicly known.”

What’s more, according to an in-depth report from The Wall Street Journal published last week, Musk appears to be consumed by the idea that in order to counteract the world’s decreasing birthrates, humans must increase in population so that they can inhabit other planets in order to “ensur[e] the long-term survival of humanity and all life as we know it.” Musk has therefore taken it upon himself to father as many children as possible with high intelligence, even arguing that babies should be born via caesarean section to allow for larger brains.

Hart goes on to say:

...we must address the first fundamental error that Musk is making in his quest to repopulate Earth in his image. It is evident that Musk believes that the propagation of children is primarily a means to an end, that children of advanced intelligence must be sired in order to save humanity. But God does not hold this utilitarian view of humanity. Human beings are in fact the pinnacle of His creation with dominion over the Earth (Genesis 1:26), made in His image (1:27). We derive our dignity as humans not from our usefulness, but from the fact that our Heavenly Father first loved us into being (1 John 4:19) and knit us together in our mother’s wombs (Psalm 139:13). We are not merely products of conception geared solely toward continuing our species; we are universes unto ourselves, gifted with an immortal soul with limitless depth and meaning.

He writes, "This leads to the second critical error that Musk has made. Our Creator is a loving Father who is intimately concerned with the smallest details of our lives." Here's the explanation: "... In the same way, all men who become fathers are called to care for their children in the manner that God the Father cares for all His children. A good father intimately knows the unique personalities and attributes of his children so that he can more effectively care for their particular needs, thereby genuinely loving them. A father can only achieve this by spending as much quality time with his children as possible in his home."

And, the third error? As Hart writes, "Every child has only one father and one mother." He adds: "Inherent in this reality is that every mother deserves the father of her child to father her child exclusively with her so that the child will flourish and so she is not forced to become a single mom. Just the same, every child deserves to be loved by her married mother and father. Unfortunately, the Musk fatherhood model is a grave injustice to both the mother and the child."

So, for someone who is regarded as being highly intelligent, there is this flaw with regard to his parenting practices.  The article says: 

Musk often talks about the importance of reasoning based on first principles and sound logic. But in his model of fatherhood, he does not appear to take into account what social science data shows. The data in fact demonstrates that children from married intact families have lower rates of depression and anxiety, graduate from college at higher rates, earn more money, and enjoy a host of other benefits that children from unmarried or non-intact families do not enjoy. In other words, children thrive most when they are raised exclusively by their married father and mother.

So, for all the admiration going around for Elon Musk - and the anger, as well - he has embraced a very dangerous and ungodly viewpoint toward having children.  Children are not like electric cars, to be mass-produced for the furtherance of the human race and to inhabit other planets.  Musk is a futurist, at his core, and possesses some radical ideas on the human brain and embraces combining the human brain with technology to somehow create an amalgamation of man and machine. 

To me, it seems all too Margaret Sanger-ish.  Even though Musk claims to be on the road to becoming a Christian, which I would welcome, he certainly possesses a warped view of sexuality and humanity itself.  Sanger tried to create a super-race through reproduction.  Musk seems to be trying to create a super-race through technology.  Both have flaunted the laws of God. 

While we embrace the sanctity of life, we do so with a reverence for our Creator, not for what human beings can attempt to "create" or manufacture.  While population statistics as of late are quite concerning, this is not the way to change direction, especially when a more troubling agenda is at play.  

WEF's "Reset"

We read in Genesis 11 about the peoples of the earth coming together to build a monument to human strength and ingenuity. The Scriptures say:
2 And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar, and they dwelt there.
3 Then they said to one another, "Come, let us make bricks and bake them thoroughly." They had brick for stone, and they had asphalt for mortar.
4 And they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth."
5 But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built.
6 And the Lord said, "Indeed the people are one and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them.
7 Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another's speech."
8 So the Lord scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and they ceased building the city.

The apostle Paul, in Acts 17, declares:
26 And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings,
27 so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us...

We also read that in the last days a strong world leader devoted to global government will set himself up as a supreme ruler in defiance of God.

While there are some powerful people who espouse global governance - including an economic and even a religious system predicated on human sovereignty, nevertheless there is still one true God, who will thwart the schemes of humanity.

For years, Christian leaders have pointed out these globalist organizations that have attempted to subvert the autonomy of other human beings and to wipe away the borders that Paul himself referred to in Acts 17.  One of those consortiums is the World Economic Forum, which is getting new leadership.

The Daily Signal reported:

Klaus Schwab, the founder and chairman of the World Economic Forum, resigned on Easter Sunday amid a whistleblower report about alleged misuse of Forum funds, and the globalist organization’s board voted to launch an independent probe into allegations against him.

“Following my recent announcement, and as I enter my 88th year, I have decided to step down from the position of Chair and as a member of the Board of Trustees, with immediate effect,” Schwab said in a statement Sunday.

The article's writer, Tyler O'Neil, stated:

In addition to the Paris agreement and DEI programs, the World Economic Forum has advocated a host of social and political changes that critics say would empower elites at the expense of personal freedom and economic progress. Schwab co-wrote the book, “COVID-19: The Great Reset,” published in July 2020, which outlines how the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted social and economic systems and calls for sweeping changes “to create a more inclusive, resilient, and sustainable world going forward.”

The website article also noted:

Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts traveled to Davos, Switzerland, for the Forum’s annual meeting in 2024, and condemned its globalist advocacy. He faulted the World Economic Forum for claiming that climate change poses an existential threat to humanity, that illegal immigration is positive, and that there is no public safety threat in large American cities.

And, it mentioned the words of newly-elected President Donald Trump, who addressed the gathering virtually this year. The article said: 

Among other things, he touted his withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accord—which the World Economic Forum supports—and his moves to “abolish all discriminatory diversity, equity, and inclusion nonsense”—another ideological initiative the Forum wholeheartedly backs.

About the 2024 WEF meeting in Davos, Switzerland, Ben Johnson of The Washington Stand wrote:

Although legacy media apologists insist the World Economic Forum (WEF) “has no authority to enforce” its mandates, the WEF claims it unites “the foremost political, business, cultural and other leaders of society to shape global, regional and industry agendas.” WEF’s most recent conference left no doubt that the world should resist being shaped by the secular-progressive, globalist agenda on display, included taking part in a pagan ritual, advocating for a universal and biometric ID and a global tax, “public-private” government censorship of the internet, and reining in elected officials’ ability to deliver for their voters.

While Klaus Schwab may be stepping aside, that doesn't mean there are not fellow globalists waiting in the wings to provide leadership.  From the United Nations to the World Health Organization, who embrace taking steps to override national sovereignty in favor of world domination by secular ideologies, we must continue to recognize that there is a Savior who is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, who will ultimately rule the world under His authority.  

While those devoted to the ways of this world would want to exert their power over humanity, there is the One who created us who has established principles by which we can live effectively for Him.  While globalists believe that the ways of humanity - mankind's wisdom - possess the answers to the quandaries that we face, those who hold to the teachings of Scripture look to the way that leads to life in order to govern the way we live in this world.

A Spirit of Reconciliation

The impact of godly mothers can seemingly be seen everywhere.  Perhaps you can recount in your own life or have observed in the life of someone you know the product of a mother who was dedicated to the Lord and praying for her child or children.

Timothy was certainly one of those - Paul wrote in 2nd Timothy chapter 1:
3 I thank God, whom I serve with a pure conscience, as my forefathers did, as without ceasing I remember you in my prayers night and day,
4 greatly desiring to see you, being mindful of your tears, that I may be filled with joy,
5 when I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded is in you also.

I came across a story that can communicate the willingness to reconcile a broken family relationship - in this case, a mother-daughter years-long rift that involved a daughter driving across the country to make things right.

The TODAY Show website told the story of Ashley Alnissa, who, at the age of 32, knew something was wrong in her relationship with her mother, but she wouldn't pick up the phone to call her mother, Dukezha Morris.

The website shared:

Alnissa began working nights as a security guard at a warehouse overlooking a cemetery. Alnissa had harbored resentment against her mother over what she calls a traumatic childhood that included abusive behavior committed by Morris’ then-boyfriend. Though she was angry with Morris, the thought of never seeing her again felt suffocating.

“When you’re staring at gravestones, it makes you think,” Alnissa recalls. “I asked myself, ‘Do I want to go the rest of my life without a relationship with my mom? And the answer was immediately, no.’”

As the story goes: 

A week later, Alnissa packed up her car and drove 37 hours from Covina, California, to Norfolk, Virginia, to surprise Morris. The emotional reunion, was captured on video and went viral on TikTok.

On Jan. 2, Morris was walking home from church when she saw Alnissa standing on the sidewalk with a big smile. Had God worked that quickly? Morris had spent the entire service asking for guidance and strength to heal the rift between her and Alnissa.

Morris took off running.

“I didn’t know I had it in me to run that fast!” Morris says.

The hug was filled with love and relief.

Now, Ashley and her husband are considering moving their family to Virginia to be near her mom. She relates: "I thought holding on to my anger made me strong, but once I let it go, I discovered true peace," adding, "Forgiveness is where the real power lies."

A Meeting House guest from last year's Christian Product Expo in Indiana wrote a few years ago about a reconciliation story between a mother and her daughter, both of whom have also been on The Meeting House on Faith Radio.

Julie Sunne stated on her website:

That relationship between a mother and daughter proves powerful yet unpredictable, especially in the teenage years when emotions tend to run high. Angry or hurtful words from either party spew all too easily, putting distance between a mother and daughter. And when a heart is wounded, restoration is needed.

The Lord is a god of restoration, and hope survives even when you doubt the relationship can.

She continued:

Maybe, despite everything you do, restoration with your mother or daughter remains elusive after years of trying. Hope still abounds, because pursuing restoration refines and transforms our own hearts, not simply those whom we desire a relationship with. Future generations will be positively impacted as we establish a healthy pattern of relating to those we love.

Julie went on to share about the story of Blythe Daniel and her mom, Helen McIntosh, who wrote about their relationship in a book called, Mended: Restoring the Hearts of Mothers and Daughters.  Julie shared:

Mended lays out a process of restoration and reconciliation. This important resource encourages mothers and daughters to seek common ground, choosing to value the relationship above differences, ask permission before offering advice, pose the right questions, and pray. Filled with personal stories of the authors’ own successes and failures, Mended keeps circling back to the importance of valuing the relationship above all else. Blythe explains that “the goal of our exchanges is restoration, not being right or wrong.”

Mother's Day, and Father's Day, as well, can be opportunities to consider these relationships between parents and their children.  If there is a need for reconciliation or for forgiveness, this can be a wonderful reminder.  And, even for those whose parents are no longer living, the Lord can minister a spirit of forgiveness and remove the root of bitterness spoken of in Hebrews. 

We can also recognize that any mother has been called to do incredible work for the Lord, being devoted in the sphere or spheres of influence to which God has called her, including her influential, nurturing role in the home.  As we embark on this week prior to Mother's Day, we can consider how we can effectively honor our mothers and recognize the incredible work that they have done, even though they may have been imperfect.  And, where there has been brokenness, we can come to the healer who desires to repair and restore. 

Call God

I was talking yesterday, for the National Day of Prayer, about the importance of calling upon the Lord and how He is calling us to spend time with Him, to have quality time that is uninterrupted by the distractions of this world. The Bible says in Isaiah 55:
6 Seek the Lord while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near.
7 Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts; Let him return to the Lord, And He will have mercy on him; And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon.
8 "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways," says the Lord.
9 "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.

Psalm 105:1 says: "Oh, give thanks to the Lord! Call upon His name; Make known His deeds among the peoples!"

There's a slogan that was going around during this year's college basketball season, and it was associated with one particular team.  It's a very simple two-word phrase: "Call God."

One of the players noticed at practice, according to 24/7 Sports, that certain players would "hold up their hand, thumb up and pinky out." That player, Dylan Cardwell said, "I didn't get the invite..." He noticed that primarily Johni Broome, Miles Kelly, Tahaad Pettiford and Drake Cardwell, his younger brother, were displaying the gesture.

The article relates:

During Auburn basketball's stellar first couple months of the season, the Tigers could be seen on the floor and on the bench with the same celebration, over and over again during games. When Pettiford was announcing his presence with 3-point bombs in the huge win at Houston in November, he made the call. When Broome was on his back after a game-winning putback basket against Iowa State in Maui, he made the call. When the Tigers were splashing 3-pointers and handling business in the SEC-opening win over Missouri on Saturday, they made the calls.

24/7 Sports traces the origins of this symbol and its meaning:

One day during workouts, one of Auburn's student contributors on the strength staff, Caleb Jones, walked in while a handful of players were lifting. As Pettiford explained, Jones, who elicited a smile and laugh from the Tigers while recalling the story, simply strolled into the weight room with one thing to say.

"Call God!" he exclaimed to the Tigers. Then Jones promptly walked out.

Obviously, the practice caught on. The article says:

As random as it seemed, it was a message that Auburn found it could use to further unify. Several players this season — namely Broome, Cardwell and Chaney Johnson — have repeatedly referenced their religious faith during press settings.

"Everybody on this team is revolved around God and having a relationship with God," Kelly said. "So that's a big part of why everybody is doing it."

Cardwell said, "It's unique to see guys use their platform to glorify God, especially just a small gesture like that," adding, "... I'm just grateful for the opportunity to put that message forward, rather than harp on our own successes."

Cardwell is also mentioned in an April article at Relevant Magazine: 

According to senior center Dylan Cardwell, the Tigers hold mandatory 9 a.m. team breakfasts that include time in Scripture together. It’s become a rhythm that’s shaped more than just their mornings—it’s shaped the team’s entire culture.

“We really bought in,” Cardwell said.

Chaney Johnson says: "As young men, it’s always preached to hide your emotions and keep everything inside,” adding, “but with the Bible studies, we’re learning about God as well as how to be a better Christian as well as being able to sharpen each other through stories and the experiences we’re going through. We better ourselves through the Word and with God.”

And, as the article notes, this emphasis on spiritual things comes from the Head Coach, Bruce Pearl; it notes that, "Pearl, who is Jewish, has encouraged a space for spiritual growth to occur."  The coach referred to the "Call God" gesture, according to the article, which said:

Those gestures, Pearl says, create space for deeper conversations about integrity and character.

“Now what that also does, it gives me an opportunity as a teacher to say, ‘OK, listen, if we’re going to call God and we’re going to do that, then we can’t act this way or that way.’” 

The article also noted the impact of the team's chaplain, Jeremy Napier, who was a guest on The Meeting House on Faith Radio following the Unite Auburn event in 2023. About him, Johnson says: "I don’t think I can put it into words how big of an impact he’s had on this team,” adding, “He’s bringing a lot of guys to Christ in a very ethical manner, slowly but surely. A lot of the players on this team believe in Christ, but Jeremy pushes us to believe a little bit harder."

So, what started out as a slogan at practice has become a symbol of something deeper - a faith in Christ that bonds players together, that reminds them to depend on Him - on the court, as well as in their personal lives off the court.  And, when we think about "calling God," that speaks to the essence of our devoted Christian life. 

Yesterday, I spoke about the call of God to come before Him in prayer.  The Bible instructs us that we can actually enter His presence - we can communicate and commune with Him, and we can have that expectation that He will speak to us in our hearts and minds, to give us the wisdom and direction we need.  

So, when we face challenges in life - call God.  He is faithful.

When we see Him show up and bless us in some way - call God.  Give Him the glory for what He has done.

And, when we desire to grow closer to Him and deeper in our Christian walk - remember: call God.

Called Away

On this National Day of Prayer, it might be useful to evaluate our own prayer lives and consider not only the amount of time we spend with God each day, but the quality of that time. We can be challenged to step away from the distractions of this world and focus on communicating with Him. In Matthew 6, before He lays out for His disciples a template for prayer, Jesus said:
6 But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.
7 And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words.
8 Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.

For this Survey Thursday for the National Day of Prayer, I went searching for some indicators about people's prayer lives.  I found some recent data from Pew Research and its latest Religious Landscape Study.  Its summary said:

Fewer than half of Americans (44%) say they pray each day. This is a substantial decline from the first Religious Landscape Study (RLS) conducted in 2007, when 58% said they prayed at least once a day.

Here are some tidbits of information from the survey:

• 33% of U.S. adults often or always say grace before meals.
• 29% read scripture at least monthly...

Also:

• 28% read other holy texts, devotions or inspirational literature (aside from scripture) at least monthly.
• 19% participate in prayer groups, scripture-study groups or religious educational programs at least monthly.
• 18% share their views about religion with people from other religious backgrounds at least monthly.

Among those who identify as Christians, 60% said they pray daily.  64% of Protestants say they do, including 72% of Evangelicals. 51% of Catholics report daily prayer.   Just over 1 out of 5 Americans say they read the Bible daily outside of worship services - that includes one-third of Christians, just over 4-in-10 Protestants, and slightly over half of Evangelicals. 14% of Catholics say they read the Bible daily.

Going back to a 2023 article at The Christian Post, with research gathered in September of 2022, we find this statement:

According to a study by Lifeway Research, 65% of Protestant churchgoers intentionally spend time alone with God at least daily, with 44% saying daily and 21% saying more than once a day.

And, here's something that may surprise you: "Most churchgoers, 83%, say they are more likely to talk to God through prayer rather than reading from the Bible or a devotional (39%)."

Let's talk about that: I don't see prayer and Bible study as an either/or, but a both/and.  We grow in our Christian walk through not only talking to God, but engaging in two-way communication with Him.  That means there is a certain amount of listening that we ideally should do - God speaks to us through His Word, and the Holy Spirit will illuminate the Scripture to us.  We can fine-tune our ability to hear from the Lord by spending time in His Word.  And, when we pray God's Word, we can be confident that we are praying in accordance with His will.  There is a connection, and we can be using these powerful resources that the Lord gives us in order to grow closer to and deeper with Him.

With fewer than half of Americans saying they pray on a daily basis, I think that coincides with the spiritual condition of our nation.  And, in both these surveys, it appears that only about 6-in-10 professing Christians actually communicate with Jesus on a daily basis.  And, that doesn't even mention the quality of the conversation.  If we're distracted, with so many things on our minds, consumed with daily activity, it lessens the quality of our prayer life.  Now, I'm all for praying and communing with God through the ebb and flow of life.  But, I do believe that He is calling us away consistently, for the purpose of enriching our walk with Him.

Hiding in the Dark

We have the capability to combat the lies of the enemy with the truth of Scripture. But, we have to be discerning and sensitive to the false narratives that are all around us. Then, we counter those with the truth that we find in God's Word, in partnership with the Holy Spirit. Jesus taught in John 16:
13 However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.
14 He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.
15 All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you.

This is the spiritual battle being faced by a Florida family.  Recently, January Littlejohn, who has been a guest on The Meeting House on Faith Radio, was recognized by the President at his address to Congress. A CBN.com article states:

“This started for my family at the height of COVID in 2020,” January Littlejohn told CBN News. “Our daughter fell prey to the lies of gender identity ideology and that she was born in the wrong body in May of 2020. And so this was shortly after three of her friends at our local middle school had also started suddenly identifying as some form of transgender.”

She said: "Like so many parents, I trusted the school,” adding, “I had no reason at that time not to, and, in fact, I was volunteer of the year at the school. I was a huge proponent for public schools and teachers. I dedicated hundreds of hours to volunteering in the classroom.”

The article goes on to say:

Littlejohn said she reached out to her daughter’s teacher and disclosed what was happening with her daughter. She told the educator she was “not affirming any kind of false sexual identity” and that she was engaging a counselor to assist.

“We did know that our child was struggling and we were very concerned as her parents, because nobody loves and knows their child more than a parent does,” she said. “So we were handling this as a family.”

Littlejohn has been embroiled in a legal challenge rooted in what she claims happened after her initial email to the teacher. She said her daughter met with the school without her knowledge and was asked questions about restrooms, among other issues.

CBN notes: "Littlejohn said a transgender transition plan was essentially created 'behind closed doors' with a social worker, school counselor, and assistant principal — and that she had no idea."  And, she cites this action by the school:

“They asked her which restroom and locker room she preferred to use, which sex she preferred to room with on overnight field trips,” she said. “And they put the burden of whether or not the parent will be notified or even aware that these type of secret social transitions occur because they ask the child, ‘How should we refer to you when speaking to your parent? Should we use your birth name and pronouns or your preferred name and pronouns?'”

Littlejohn said these types of plans are being crafted all over the country, and argued the school district in question took her ability away to keep her daughter safe.

As far as the status of that court challenge, last month, a three-judge panel of the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against the Littlejohns in their lawsuit against the school district. The New York Times reported:

...two of the three judges who heard the case for the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit rejected the argument made by Ms. Littlejohn and her husband, and upheld a lower court’s decision to dismiss the case.

“Even if the Littlejohns felt that defendants’ efforts to help their child were misguided or wrong, the mere fact that the school officials acted contrary to the Littlejohns’ wishes does not mean that their conduct ‘shocks the conscience’ in a constitutional sense,” Judge Robin S. Rosenbaum wrote in the majority opinion.

A lawyer for the couple did not say whether the Littlejohns would appeal, but said “we cannot allow this assault on parental rights to remain unchallenged.”

Even one of the judges that voted to rule against the Littlejohns was troubled by the school district's actions.  The Times said:

In his concurring opinion, Judge Kevin C. Newsom said he considered the actions taken by the school district officials “shameful.” But the question at hand, he wrote, was “whether it was unconstitutional.”

“If I were a legislator, I’d vote to change the policy that enabled the defendants’ efforts to keep the Littlejohns in the dark,” he wrote. “But — and it’s a big but — judges aren’t just politicians in robes, and they don’t (or certainly shouldn’t) just vote their personal preferences.”

Senior Judge Gerald Bard Tjoflat, who dissented, warned that the decision “ignores bedrock separation of powers principles, waters down fundamental rights and flies in the face of our prior panel precedent rule.”

This case shows the extent to which people in power who embraced this harmful gender agenda will go - while some would say that the teenager was not forced to make a decision, the secret nature of the conversations with school officials clearly suggests coercion - plus, keeping the parents in the dark is a bold rejection of parents rights and responsibility before God to raise their children. 

As we live out the Christian life, we have to make sure that we are devoted to shining the light of truth into our situations.  We mustn't allow the enemy to gain a foothold, and we counter his lies by knowing and standing on truth.  

One further note: we have to make sure that we are not attempting to hide from our Heavenly Father, as Adam and Eve tried to do in the Garden - it's an exercise in futility.  He knows all, and by His Spirit, He is revealing ways in which we do not conform with His principles, exposing those hidden places that we may not even see or consciously recognize.  We must take seriously the admonition to walk in His light. 

Pressurized Cabin

Life can become a pressure cooker sometimes, and it's important that when things are on the verge of spiraling out of control, that we appropriate the peace of God. And, we don't take out our troubles on the people with whom we interact! Ephesians 4 contains these reminders:
29 Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.
30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
31 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice.
32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you.

Bible teacher and apologist Alex McFarland, a guest on The Meeting House on Faith Radio recently, in a conversation from the National Religious Broadcasters Convention in Dallas, wrote a piece at The Christian Post a few weeks ago.  He tells the story of being on a packed flight from Salt Lake City to Chicago, which he describes as "full — of passengers and stress."

Alex had been "bumped" to First Class, describing it as a "rare joy."  But, there was not much joy being experienced by the man next to him.  He writes:

Besides the delays, my neighbor was angry about the meal offered in First Class. “You call this food?” he asked. Then he loudly announced, “I wouldn’t feed this to a dog!”

His increasing anger — and vitriol leveled at the cabin’s two servers — made everyone uncomfortable. One of the attendants, patiently offering the man every conceivable food or drink option, was rebuffed numerous times. “I paid for First Class,” he barked. “Get some decent food on the plane, for God’s sake!”

McFarland continues:

Everyone else in the cabin (me included) tried to compensate by smiling and profusely thanking the attendants. But it seemed the harder they tried, the more abusive the man became. I spent the majority of the flight praying — praying for the angry businessman and for the beleaguered attendants.

We've probably all been there in some form or the other - we just have to make sure we are not like the fellow traveler.   Perhaps we should emulate either the innocent bystander or one of the flight attendants with whom Alex interacted when the plane was on the ground.  He recounts:

Arriving at O’Hare airport in Chicago, I noticed that “grumpy businessman” didn’t de-plane as the rest of us passengers hurried to exit. For whatever reason, he sat while everyone else left, and I remember thinking I’d pray for him one last time: “Lord, please bring some joy to this man’s heart, and help him with whatever he’s dealing with ...”

A while later, rushing through the airport, I saw the flight attendant who had been the primary recipient of the businessman’s vitriol. “Excuse me,” I began. “You handled that guy so graciously. I’m sorry for the way he acted.”

He added, “I think several of us were praying for you...And for him.” He said the flight attendant "...explained that the man called the two attendants to himself and ... profusely apologized. 'We were kind of speechless,' she said. 'Everyone was off, and the man just begged our forgiveness.'"

McFarland says that...

...She explained that the man confided he was under much stress about some issues, and that he was sorry for his treatment of the flight attendants. “I have no excuse,” he told them. “But please forgive me.”

The piece begins to wrap up as Alex states:

I believe that God’s Holy Spirit and those prayers prompted his amends.

It did not surprise me that the flight attendant — who had graciously endured his treatment during the flight — was quick to accept his apology afterward. A small cross emblem was pinned to her uniform, so I assumed she was a believer. But her actions were the most vivid Christian witness of all.

Proverbs 19:11 tells us that, “It is a glory to forgive an offense.” Just as God forgives us, we should be quick to forgive others. Better yet (and I am preaching at myself, here), we should live so that no offense is displayed in the first place.

His last sentence, "Dear Lord, help us all to be kind to one another!"

Notice the response within three individuals: the angry traveler, the flight attendant, and the innocent bystander.  The businessman brought stress with him and the increased pressure of a packed and delayed flight caused what was on the inside to flow out - and affect others.  The flight attendant continued to show grace and mercy and did not respond in kind to his verbal assault.  And, the bystanders, the other travelers - well at least the Bible teacher on board and perhaps others were praying.  

We may find ourselves in one of those three positions throughout our lives.  And, ideally, as believers in Christ, we should allow the Holy Spirit to keep our emotions in check and not let stress, anxiety, and anger, flow out of us to harm others.  It's not a good witness, and doesn't honor God. But, he did salvage at least something by issuing what seems to be a heartfelt apology - and that's a helpful principle, too: we should admit when our actions do not reflect the presence of Christ and apologize.  And, if we're on the receiving end - we can be firm, but we can strive to be kind, even though that may be a difficult ask.  We can also recognize that, when we observe a situation where there is conflict and we're not directly involved, we can go to the Lord in prayer.  There is much that can be accomplished in the way that a believer responds in a tense situation.

Embracing the Challenge

The Holy Spirit resides in the heart of every believer, and we have been dispatched by God and empowered by the Spirit to do the work of bringing healing and restoration through Jesus. Following 40 days in the wilderness, Jesus endured temptation and returned to Galilee, specifically to Nazareth, "in the power of the Spirit," the Bible says in Luke 4. The chapter also contains these words:
18 "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed;
19 To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord."
20 Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him.
21 And He began to say to them, "Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."

A home in Brooklyn, in New York City, was designed in 1919, according to The Christian Post, for a Clara Van Vleck - it was described as a "stately" home.  

In was sold in 1960 to a man who had sensed a call of God to move to New York City. The article says that man, David Wilkerson, "said he felt called by God to come to New York City to minister to gangs after seeing a photograph of seven teenage gang members in Life magazine. The teenagers were being prosecuted for the murder of a crippled boy named Michael Farmer. All but one of the teenagers were convicted."  Wilkerson, who was a preacher, asked to speak with the teens - the judge sent him away. 

Wilkerson departed the city, but returned to launch a ministry called Teen Challenge. The house became the headquarters of that ministry.  Wilkerson went on to write a famous book that was made into a movie called, The Cross and the Switchblade.

The Christian Post article notes:

Nearly 70 years later, there are now 1,400 Teen Challenge centers around the world with more than 35,000 beds for individuals seeking “freedom from addiction and other life controlling issues” through the power of faith in Jesus Christ.

And inside the building where the first one was started, Wilkerson’s vision to save addicts with the Gospel is still thriving as the Brooklyn Adult & Teen Challenge with a graduate of the ministry at its helm.

The building was recently renovated, and the Teen Challenge center just moved back in a few months ago.  The executive director of that ministry in Brooklyn is Paul Burke.  The article states:

As a 2009 graduate of the program who struggled with 18 years of addiction before getting his life together, Burke is a poster child for the program’s success, but he embraces it with grace and temperance. He is also extremely grateful for the life God has given him. He is a married father whose wife is also a graduate of Teen Challenge.

“I always tell people that I'm still in the program,” he said when asked how he managed to stay grounded as a former addict inside his office that used to be Wilkerson’s apartment.

The attitude of dependence the Burke displays can be instructive for all of us - he says, "I struggled for 18 years on and off. Now, I'm at 17 years of sobriety. So, 35 years around addiction, I know how deadly it is. I'm not fearful of addiction, but I respect that if I don't stay committed to my devotional life with the Lord, if I don't stay committed to growing and learning and still being teachable, there's nobody that is beyond falling or failure again..."

The Christian Post says that Burke...

...explained that the home, which has 58 beds, dedicates more than half of them to men who commit to the one-year addiction recovery program free of charge. It's a regimented deal in which participants learn how to do life better with regular prayer, Bible study, and church attendance. Some 60% of participants fail to complete the program but those who do, said Burke, usually find success in overcoming their addiction.

Even though David Wilkerson may have suffered a setback early in his ministry, he did not allow that to permanently deter him - as the article pointed out, Wilkerson believed that freedom from drug addiction was possible through Christ.  He pursued his calling with vigor.  He also pastored Times Square Church in New York City.  His story can remind us of the faithfulness of God to guide our steps as we respond to His direction.  If we desire to walk in obedience, He gives us the power to fulfill His call.

We can also recognize that the ways of the Word are superior to the ways of the world.  Biblically-based substance abuse programs offer the recipient the power to change - through the inner change of the born-again experience and the presence of the Spirit, enabling former addicts to walk in triumph over the addictions.  

Whether its substance abuse or any number of types of sinful behavior - manifestations of the flesh - God is present in the hearts of the believer, and adherence to His Word and yieldedness to the Spirit can produce fruit to God's glory.  We can overcome the sins in our lives because Jesus has overcome sin's power.  We can try to change in our own strength, but we need the superior power of the indwelling Holy Spirit to see true transformation occur.

Kingdom Mentality

In our growth in Christ, we should all strive to be more disciplined, possessing a focus on the Lord and honoring Him in all things, as He gives us the power. In 1st Corinthians chapter 9, the apostle Paul uses two sporting analogies to underscore the importance of spiritual discipline; he writes:
24 Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it.
25 And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown.
26 Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air.
27 But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.

Antonio Vargas is a professional athlete - he is also a Christian, and strives to be disciplined in both areas.  A Movieguide article relates:

Pro boxer Antonio Vargas worships from the ring, but he told Sports Spectrum’s Matt Forte that he makes honoring God in all areas his lifestyle.

“God delivered me about 23, 24, and that’s why, every time you see me in the ring, I come out to Christian music,” Vargas said while on the podcast. “I worship. That’s not something I just do just to fight. It’s a lifestyle. In private, I don’t listen to worldly music. I watch what I hear. I watch what I see. I’m always guarding things, always reading scripture.”

He provides a Biblical perspective on his work, saying:

“My job as a fighter is to shine the light of Christ and to lead people to Christ because you see a lot of hypocrisy in the church and stuff like that, and I’m like, ‘Lord, I want to practice what I preach. I want to walk the walk,'” he declared.

The article noted how Vargas shares his faith on social media:

In a post he shared on Instagram, Vargas included Psalm 128:1-2: “Blessed are all who fear the Lord, who walk in obedience to him. You will eat the fruit of your labor; blessings and prosperity will be yours.”

“This is going to be a good year for me🙏🏼 All glory to my God, Jesus,” Vargas added in the caption.

Vargas put his faith into action in a recent fight; the Movieguide piece says:

In Vargas’ last fight, he was knocked to the ground in the second round.

“I’ve never been hurt like that in my life. I was hurt bad,” he told Sports Spectrum, adding, “But when I fell on the ground, I remember I said the name of Jesus. I’m like, ‘Jesus, help me.'”

Vargas got up, experiencing double vision and “wobbly” legs.

“This fear hit me,” he recalled. But then he prayed, “Lord, I know if I’ll make it out of this round.”

He went on to win the fight in the 10th round via a TKO - a technical knockout. 

Vargas possesses a Kingdom mindset (he uses the word on Instagram), a mindset that we should all strive to possess - he recognizes that his profession, his sport, is not something separate from his Christian walk, but that his faith in Christ should be integrated in all that he does. The Bible tells us that in whatever we do, we are to do it for the glory of God.

There is certainly a spiritual parallel here - Paul noted it in 1st Corinthians 9: we are all called to be fighters; Vargas actually is a physical fighter, but we have spiritual battles that we fight.  Fortunately, when the devil knocks us down and we may be tempted to give up or give in, we can rely on the depths of the resources that God makes available to us.  When the lies of fear and discouragement beset us, we can dig deeper into the well of living water that the Lord promises to us. 

What's Not to Like?

The day known as Easter, or as some call it, Resurrection Sunday, is clear - while it's been repackaged to culture at large as a celebration for children, complete with bunnies and eggs, the true meaning of the observance is at the core of our faith - the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, so that we might have new life. Romans chapter 6 says:
8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him,
9 knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him.
10 For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God.
11 Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The Lifeway Research website relates the findings of a recent YouGov poll - it states:

According to YouGov, 95% of U.S. adults say they’ve heard about Easter, the same percentage who recognize Father’s Day or Independence Day, ranking it just outside the top 10 most well-known holidays in the U.S.

Around 2 in 3 Americans (66%) say they like Easter, while 8% dislike it and 21% are neutral toward the holiday, according to YouGov. The favorability score of Easter places it 12th among holidays.

It also reports that:

In another YouGov study, 13% of Americans say Easter is their favorite day of the year and 34% say they enjoy the day more than an average day. More than a third (38%) say they enjoy Easter about as much as an average day.

And, then, there's this statistic:

According to the National Retail Federation (NRF), around 4 in 5 Americans celebrate Easter each year, including 79% who say they plan to in 2025.

The NRF noted that Americans planned to spend just under $190 per person on Easter, for a total of just over 23-1/2 billion dollars in 2025.

And, there's an impact on church attendance; the Lifeway Research story said that "Half of U.S. Protestant pastors (52%) say their churches typically have the highest attendance for their worship services on Easter, 30% say Easter ranks second, and 8% say it’s third, according to a Lifeway Research study."

But what does the celebration of Easter really mean?  What are we celebrating?  The article notes:

...the most recent State of Theology study found 2 in 3 Americans believe Easter celebrates a historical event. Two-thirds of U.S. adults (66%) say the biblical accounts of the physical resurrection of Jesus are completely accurate.

And, how about this nugget of data: "Nine in 10 Americans who attend a religious service at least monthly (90%) say they believe the biblical accounts of Jesus’s resurrection."

For the Christian, when you really consider the meaning of this holiday, what's not to like?  It's the celebration of a cornerstone principle of our faith - we were spiritually dead in our sins, but Jesus died for our sins and rose from the dead so that we could have new life in Him.  That is a clarion call to all Christian believers to celebrate what Jesus has done for us.  Without His crucifixion and His subsequent resurrection, we have no salvation and no hope - it's a total package.  He had to die to pay the penalty that each of us incurred, but had to live so that we could be raised up with Him and to possess salvation - the resurrection represented the defeat of sin and death. 

So, again, when you get right down to it - what's not to like?  It's a great time for churches, families, and individual believers to celebrate what our Savior has done.  And, we can be reminded to live out the power of the resurrection, allowing Jesus to live through us. 

Rooting Out Bias

We can continue to pray for open doors to share the gospel and open hearts to receive. We have been through the Lenten season, and the celebration of Easter has been all around us and present within the culture. We have the chance to really make it count, to demonstrate the presence of the risen Lord. In Colossians 4, Paul writes:
2 Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving;
3 meanwhile praying also for us, that God would open to us a door for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in chains,
4 that I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak.
5 Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time.
6 Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.

Throughout the past few years, I have related instances to you where governmental entities have shown hostility toward people of faith.  But, a recent Politico article indicates a different sort of story, opening up with these words:

The Trump administration has ordered State Department employees to report on any instances of coworkers displaying “anti-Christian bias” as part of its effort to implement a sweeping new executive order on supporting employees of Christian faith working in the federal government.

The department, according to a copy of an internal cable obtained by POLITICO, will work with an administration-wide task force to collect information “involving anti-religious bias during the last presidential administration” and will collect examples of anti-Christian bias through anonymous employee report forms.

This document bore the name of Secretary of State Marco Rubio and a task force was scheduled to meet yesterday. Michael Farris, General Counsel for National Religious Broadcasters, was present and testified at the meeting - he offers his comments in this Facebook post.  Attorney General Bondi, on her website, gave a summary of the meeting. The Politico article goes on to state:

The department instructions say that examples of anti-Christian bias will be collected to meet the requirements of the executive order but that the department also will collect examples of anti-religious bias of all forms for its internal purposes.

“Although the E.O. focuses on anti-Christian bias, targeting anyone for their religious beliefs is discriminatory and is contrary to the Constitution” and various federal laws, the notice states.

Politico states:

The executive order Trump issued in February tasks all federal agencies to root out “anti-Christian bias” from the government.

In an age in which there have been attempts to curtail freedom of religious expression, this comes as a welcome development.  CBS News included this content from the cable that was sent out: 

"The task force is soliciting examples of anti-religious bias, particularly from the past four years, where the Department targeted anyone for their religion, including discrimination, harassment, exclusion, disciplinary action, adverse security clearance determinations, or any other adverse action, or in retaliation for exercising their religious rights," the cable said. "This includes anti-religious bias committed by department employees in their official duties against members of the public."

Examples of potential violations include formal or informal actions taken against a person because they requested religious accommodation "from taking mandatory vaccines or observing religious holidays" and "mistreatment for refusing to participate in events and activities that promoted themes inconsistent with or hostile to one's religious beliefs, including policies or practices related to preferred personal pronouns," according to the cable.

Again, this content is a reminder of the unjust punishment that Christians have been subjected to and the attempt by the government to restore a more Constitutional viewpoint.  It shows why we, according to 1st Timothy 2, should pray for our leaders, that we should be left alone to practice our faith.  While we recognize that those who live a life of godliness should expect persecution, it is not right for government agencies and authorities to be the ones doing the persecuting - they have been established by God in order to carry out His mission, to reward good and punish evil.

But, ultimately, God is our protector - He will vindicate us, even when man's authority might not. But, we are living in an age where there is a great opportunity for Christians to practice our faith openly - from the removal of the years-long Lemon test in a course that furthered hostility to religion to a signs such as this one in which government officials have welcomed religious expression.  Now, we can consider how we can leverage this opportunity to see people come to Christ.