Fight On?

I have a message from God in my heart concerning the sinfulness of the wicked: There is no fear of God before their eyes.

In their own eyes they flatter themselves too much to detect or hate their sin. The words of their mouths are wicked and deceitful; they fail to act wisely or do good. Even on their beds they plot evil; they commit themselves to a sinful course and do not reject what is wrong.

Your love, Lord, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies.Your righteousness is like the highest mountains, your justice like the great deep. You, Lord, preserve both people and animals. How priceless is your unfailing love, O God! People take refuge in the shadow of your wings.They feast in the abundance of your house; you give them drink from your river of delights. For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light.

Continue your love to those who know you, your righteousness to the upright in heart.May the foot of the proud not come against me, nor the hand of the wicked drive me away. See how the evildoers lie fallen – thrown down, not able to rise!

(Above is Psalm 36- So appropriate for today as I see this nation tearing itself  apart once more.)

Seduced Again

It happens so easily, almost without thinking about it. The fusion of church and politics leads to many of us at times going farther than we ever thought it would take us. Dividing hearts, homes, and friendships, our political views blend into our theological ones until it is difficult to tell where the Gospel begins and where the politics do. Stand up for the truth? Always! Make our political candidate our God? Never! Michael L. Brown explores the difficulties around us in The Political Seduction of the Church. Definitely a must read!

Under a Blood Red Sky

Scary as Hell! Blood red and black- the colors of Adoph Hitler and the symbol for demonic presence in films. Looking like Star Wars bad guy Governor Palpatine, our President Joe Biden makes yet another mistake while spouting off his Soul of America words. What were they thinking? This set-up communicates evil oh so clearly. Somebody needs to be fired at the very least. With sincerest apologies to U2.

The Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln We Could Have Had

Disneyland's iconic Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln almost captures the full brilliance of our nation's beloved president. While the Disney Imagineers worked with a large team to bring this together, the recorded speech chosen represents some of Mr. Lincoln's wisdom. This is only a small portion of his incredible insight into human nature. 

By necessity Lincoln's became somewhat marginalized in Walt Disney World at the Magic Kingdom in Florida due to the sheer number of Commanders in Chief on stage in Liberty Square's Hall of Presidents, but his words below are as important today as they were when first written in March of 1863 for this proclamation. Perhaps even more so:

One of many attraction posters for this show.

----------

By the President of the United States of America.

A Proclamation.

Whereas, the Senate of the United States, devoutly recognizing the Supreme Authority and just Government of Almighty God, in all the affairs of men and of nations, has, by a resolution, requested the President to designate and set apart a day for National prayer and humiliation.

And whereas it is the duty of nations as well as of men, to own their dependence upon the overruling power of God, to confess their sins and transgressions, in humble sorrow, yet with assured hope that genuine repentance will lead to mercy and pardon; and to recognize the sublime truth, announced in the Holy Scriptures and proven by all history, that those nations only are blessed whose God is the Lord.

And, insomuch as we know that, by His divine law, nations like individuals are subjected to punishments and chastisements in this world, may we not justly fear that the awful calamity of civil war, which now desolates the land, may be but a punishment, inflicted upon us, for our presumptuous sins, to the needful end of our national reformation as a whole People? We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of Heaven. We have been preserved, these many years, in peace and prosperity. We have grown in numbers, wealth and power, as no other nation has ever grown. But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace, and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us; and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us!

It behooves us then, to humble ourselves before the offended Power, to confess our national sins, and to pray for clemency and forgiveness.

Now, therefore, in compliance with the request, and fully concurring in the views of the Senate, I do, by this my proclamation, designate and set apart Thursday, the 30th. day of April, 1863, as a day of national humiliation, fasting and prayer. And I do hereby request all the People to abstain, on that day, from their ordinary secular pursuits, and to unite, at their several places of public worship and their respective homes, in keeping the day holy to the Lord, and devoted to the humble discharge of the religious duties proper to that solemn occasion.

All this being done, in sincerity and truth, let us then rest humbly in the hope authorized by the Divine teachings, that the united cry of the Nation will be heard on high, and answered with blessings, no less than the pardon of our national sins, and the restoration of our now divided and suffering Country, to its former happy condition of unity and peace.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the seal of the United States to be affixed.

Done at the City of Washington, this thirtieth day of March, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, and of the Independence of the United States the eighty seventh.

By the President: Abraham Lincoln

William H. Seward, Secretary of State.

--------------------

If you want to see all the versions of the attraction posters for his epic presentation, go here.

Thought I'd Never See the Day

Can this be real? USA Today is known for being a pretty biased news source. Yet, after doing some fact checking on President Biden's speech to Congress, they have determined that there were too many important factual errors about his accomplishments. In fact, many of the things he claimed he did, he actually did not. I'm honestly shocked. It's like expecting Fox News to be fully objective on Donald Trump.

See the full article here before USA Today pulls it due to pressure. 

Lessons Learned from Presidents Biden and Trump

President Joe Biden gave one classy, and hopefully honest and heartfelt inaugural address. It was full of the proper decorum necessary to be President of the United States, and it showed respect to the office he now holds. Something that was missing from the Trump presidency. If Biden can truly accomplish what he has said yesterday, there's reason to be hopeful. I've learned some lessons over the last few weeks, but the application of them may surprise you.

I will not vote for Donald Trump or support his new third party. His actions in the last several months threatening our democracy will not be supported or tolerated by me. 

Freedom of speech must be sustained. It was disheartening at best to see Big Tech show their might by pulling communication channels of those they disagree with. I'd rather know what groups of people are thinking then have that hidden from me. Let me make my own mind up. Do not filter my media or news. Sadly, not a single prominent Democrat spoke up in disagreement with this move by Big Tech. This inaction does not communicate a desire for us to live in diversity but instead clearly diactates we must live in uniformity. The very opposite of what President Biden has just told us.

I am happy to see that the glass ceiling for women and women of color has been broken by Vice President Kamala Harris. She is the just wrong woman for the job. I am happy for the breakthrough as I was with the election of President Obama for the same reason. Her election communicates to the women of this world they are valued and any job is available to the most qualified person. But like him, she is the wrong person for the job. 

Any politician who is bound to an organization founded to eliminate Black people through abortion is not worthy of my vote. Ever. Period. Yes, that is founder Margaret Sanger's Planned Parenthood. The sanctity of life is foundational in serving a God who loves the people he created. I heard a very misguided Christian tell me that until the adoption crisis can be fixed, abortion is the only viable option. That's humanism leading the way. Our call as believers is to trust God and be obedient, leaving the results up to Him. Imagine if we as a nation decided COVID-19 cannot be conquered easily, so until we could, it's best to euthanize the elderly and those most likely to be impacted. After all, that would follow the same pattern of thinking. Choosing extremist California Attorney General Xavier Becerra to lead Health and Human Services is not a good beginning to building bridges of unity. Pure and simple, until the Democratic Party puts to death their marriage to abortion, they will not win the votes of the majority of conservative, Bible believing Christians.  

That said, the church must step up its game and put into greater action what they say they believe. We as Christians have done much good in the world feeding the poor, building hospital and wells, and creating agencies that support adoption of orphans. There's more work to do. It's one thing to have the Biblical beliefs and even teach them. It's another to do something with them. For too long, only a few of us have served the underprivileged and bettered their lives and also shared the good news of Jesus. It's not an either or. They both go together. Too many of us have sat on the sidelines and let the government do our work. Look where it got us. The poor, the widow, the immigrant all need to be cared for. All the helpless do. And who is more vulnerable than those in the womb who have no voice?

I do want to see better guidelines and a more open inviting country when it comes to immigration. All are welcome, but come in legally. If you don't, do not expect to be treated with the benefits that come from citizenship. But regardless, do expect to be treated with respect.

Respect is a basic human right because all of us are created in the image of God, although not all choose to acknowledge Him or live by His standards. This is why Jesus came to earth to die in place of a broken people He loves. One by one. Freedom of religion and the ability to worship and live life in a manner that supports individual spiritual beliefs is paramount to a healthy society. 

There's much more to say, but this will suffice for now. As with all presidents, I will pray for my country's current leader. He is my president, but like all politicians and all humans- including you and I- he is imperfect, broken, and has areas of being misguided. As with those before him, God has allowed this president to be in power for His purposes be it correction or blessing or a mixture of both. Let's discover what they are and seek God's heart and will in all matters.

Why Disney Needs to Keep the Hall of Presidents Open

With respectful disagreement to both Robert Niles of Theme Park Insider and Josh Young of Theme Park University, the tragic and disappointing events of yesterday in Washington D.C. are exactly the reasons why the Hall of Presidents attraction at Walt Disney World needs to remain open. 

Our nation, our Republic, has been preserved. Democracy works. President Elect Joe Biden was not my choice, but I respect the results.  

As for what happened yesterday, it was deplorable. These were fringe activists and do not represent the Republican Party just as Antifa and left-wing extremists do not represent the Democratic Party. They should be punished to the full extent of the law.

The Hall of Presidents and the American Adventure stand as testimonies of the perseverance of  American people and the triumph of democracy in the face of conflict of all types. Their removal would be "cancel culture" and exactly opposite of what needs to be done. 

Let the show change back to Abraham Lincoln speaking after the role call. Removing all but one president would also remove Barack Obama from the attraction. Black American youth need to be reminded it is possible for those of any race to rightfully earn the top spot in American government. 

We cannot reward extremists by destroying something that so well represents who we are. 

(Photograph copyright Mark Taft.)

America Gone Crazy

Starting with President Donald Trump, it's time for America to grow up. Stop the violence. Say what you will, but violence accomplishes nothing. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was right. Our great democracy was founded on godly principles. We have moved so far from what God intended. We are seeing the fruit of that. It's time to look within and act with humility before God. We are sinners, and the current state of Washington D.C. and our nation prove it. Human life is sacred. But when a nation chooses to kill its unborn children, kill its elderly, and lynch and enslave and degrade those because of their skin color- and that's just the beginning- we've lost our sense of decency and humanity and purpose. Is it any wonder why we find violence acceptable? We've become animals. I'm disgusted, and you should be as well. Can President Elect Joe Biden and company bring real unity to a nation gone mad? I doubt it. Neither could Barack Obama. It must be a work from God- and we must each look inside first... and repent before God.