To All Veterans:
Thank you for your service.
Tuesday, November 11, 2025
Sunday, November 9, 2025
Where do you Stand?
Once, there was a young couple that was engaged to be married, and they asked me whether I was a Republican or a Democrat. I said I was neither – I was a Christian.
Of course, I did not mean that a Christian could not also be a Republican or a Democrat. Many Christians affiliate with one party or another. It is not mutually exclusive for a person to be a Christian and also to be a Democrat or a Republican.
What I meant was that I examine how a candidate or a party stands with regard to the issues and compare it with the truth of God's Word. If a party or a candidate is advocating for something that is contrary to God's Word, then I do not vote for them.
When I vote for a candidate or contribute to a political party I try to find the candidate or party whose positions are closest to the principles and values taught in the Holy Bible. In doing so, I feel that I am taking a stand for what is right. There are those who say that Christians should not impose their religion on other people. I believe that Christians have as much right to advocate for their point of view as others have. We must not allow others to shut us out of the public discourse.
Democrats have sought to change society to fit their vision of how things should and ought to be. Republicans do the same thing. There are many Muslims in Europe and the United States who want to be governed by Suria law. Atheists want to remove all reference to God from the public square. Capitalists advocate for private property and a market driven economy. Communists want to abolish private property and have a centrally managed economy.
In a free society, everyone should have the opportunity to advocate for their point of view in the marketplace of ideas. Then, the strongest argument should be allowed to prevail in free and fair elections, and in the deliberations of a representative government.
Therefore, I have no problem with advocating for the Christian point of view in the marketplace of ideas, and I hope that those ideas will prevail ... in public opinion and at the polls. Like the country song says, “You've got to stand for something, or you'll fall for anything.”
This calls for people to use patience and tolerance. If the ungodly prevail, temporarily, those of us who disagree must continue to advocate for Christian values. We must use the legal, nonviolent alternatives available to us to influence society and public policy. We must trust that God will to win out in the end. No one, Christian, atheist, Republican, Democrat, capitalist, or socialist should resort to violence. That is not God's way, and it is not the way of a free people.
Listen - if you will - to the Prophet Isaiah. God's truth rings out through the prophet's words. Please take heed. If our country does not listen to God, we will end up on the trash heap of history.
“I and the children the LORD has given me serve as signs and warnings to Israel from the LORD of Heaven’s Armies who dwells in his Temple on Mount Zion.
Someone may say to you, “Let’s ask the mediums and those who consult the spirits of the dead. With their whisperings and mutterings, they will tell us what to do.” But shouldn’t people ask God for guidance? Should the living seek guidance from the dead?
Look
to God’s instructions and teachings! People who contradict his word are
completely in the dark. They will go from one place to another, weary and
hungry. And because they are hungry, they will rage and curse their king and
their God. They will look up to heaven and down at the earth, but wherever
they look, there will be trouble and anguish and dark despair. They will be
thrown out into the darkness.” (Isiah
8:18-22 NLT) (emphasis added) [1]
Saturday, November 8, 2025
Joy
In a televised news program yesterday Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi (D-California) announced that she would not seek reelection. With no disrespect intended, her announcement filled the hearts of many Americans with joy and a profound sense of relief.
There is, however, a fly in the ointment. Given the results of the mayoral election in New York City a few days ago, we should be concerned about who to the liberals in San Francisco might elect to replace her. Instead of a far-left liberal, we could end up with a far-left radical. Please pray it does not happen.
Caution should be used when interpreting the results of the recent elections in New York City, New Jersey, and Virginia. These are places where the Democrats usually win. Furthermore, the Republican candidates made a stronger showing than they usually do there. In the same vein, we can expect the people of San Francisco to elect a Democrat to replace Mrs. Pelosi.
Chances are the voters in
San Francisco will not elect a centrist to replace Rep. Pelosi. Therefore, it
is incumbent upon Republicans, independent conservatives, and other good people
with common sense to get out and vote in the 2026 midterm elections. We can't
sit back on our laurels and expect conservatism to prevail in that election.
Indeed, we must redouble our efforts. From the current deadlock in Congress, it is plain
for everyone to see that conservative presidents need a strong conservative
majority in both houses of Congress to get anything permanent accomplished. Please elect conservative candidates in 2026.
Tuesday, November 4, 2025
Spiritual Discernment
“Dear friends, do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit. You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes from God. For there are many false prophets in the world. This is how we know if they have the Spirit of God: If a person claiming to be a prophet acknowledges that Jesus Christ came in a real body, that person has the Spirit of God. But if someone claims to be a prophet and does not acknowledge the truth about Jesus, that person is not from God. Such a person has the spirit of the Antichrist, which you heard is coming into the world and indeed is already here.
But you belong to God, my
dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the
Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the
world. Those people belong to this world, so they speak from the world’s
viewpoint, and the world listens to them. But we belong to God, and those
who know God listen to us. If they do not belong to God, they do not listen to
us. That is how we know if someone has the Spirit of truth or the spirit of
deception.” (1John 4:1-6 NLT) [1]
Saturday, November 1, 2025
SOS?
Morse code is an internationally recognized cipher used around the world as a method of communication. SOS is recognized worldwide as a distress signal. In Morse code it looks like this:
… --- … [1]
Here in Idaho, there is a strongly held conviction among many that SOS stands for “shoot on site” when applied to wolves, (erroneous material removed 11/02/2025). People who feel differently about that have often migrated here from blue states and are trying to bring their liberal politics along with them. They continue in this effort despite the fact that liberalism has ruined the states they came from - like California. But I digress.
President Donald Trump seems to have employed “shoot on sight” against drug traffickers trying to bring illegal drugs into the United States. Politicians who sit on the left side in both houses of Congress have raised objections about the administration's use of lethal military force to interdict vessels in international waters that may be bringing illegal drugs into our homeland. They are alleging that the actions of President Trump, (by blowing them out of the water), are illegal and unconstitutional.
Those who support the president site the horrific number of deaths in the US resulting from illegal drug overdose. They point out that more Americans die each year from illegal drug overdose than have been killed in combat around the world since the Korean War. Good point. The American people have a right to self-defense. Further, there are strong arguments that the constitution and the law give the president the right to use military force to defend our people.
I am not a legal scholar, and I have not had the “benefit” of a legal education. Therefore, I will let the courts decide the legality of the president's actions. Until then, I will give qualified support to the president and agree in principle that his actions are legal. Furthermore, it seems that self-defense makes common sense.
There is, however, a 500-pound gorilla in the room. That gorilla is the blatant fact that there would be no cartels, or terrorists if you will, trafficking drugs and human beings into the United States of America if there was no market for it.
I am definitely not a liberal, and I do not blame all of the world's problems on the United States. Unlike former President Obama, post-colonialism is not part of my worldview. Nevertheless, the truth is the truth. The fact is that the criminal activity bringing illegal drugs and trafficking human beings into our country is funded by American dollars spent by some of the American people who refuse to obey the law.
Within the constraints of
the rule of law, we should do everything possible to stop those who are
smuggling illegal drugs and trafficking in human beings. Illegal drugs are
killing our people. During the Biden administration, illegal migration resulted
in the deaths of thousands of illegal migrants each year.
However, in a land with a representative government the people bear a corporate responsibility for the actions of the government we elect. Therefore, we must do what we can, within the limits of the law, to accept the responsibility to act to ensure the legality of our government’s efforts to end the sale and use of illegal drugs and the rewards our society offers to people for illegally entering the United States.
We must also elect government officials who oppose illegal entry and who wholeheartedly support law support law enforcement. This means fully funding the police, the courts, and the infrastructure necessary to secure our borders, end illegal migration, interdict illegal drug trafficking, and to destroy those who refuse to stop poisoning our people.
The struggle is not between conservative and liberal. It is not between those who have and those who have not. The struggle is between good and evil. As a people, we must do everything we can to make the United States of America a force for good in the world.
I am asking our elected officials to set aside partisan politics and to act in the best interest of the American people first; with fundamental fairness to the rest of the world. The first duty of government as described in the constitution is to defend our people. It is time, and well past time, for positive action to be taken.
Monday, October 20, 2025
Fruit Inspectors
In today's world, it seems that it's getting harder and harder to tell the good guys from the bad guys. Often, we find ourselves having to choose between the lesser of two evils.
What are we to do, then? Sometimes we sit and shake our heads, and we bemoan the current state of affairs that we find ourselves in.
Jesus told us not to judge others. Some commentators that I have read interpret that to mean that we shouldn't pass sentence on others or condemn them out of self-righteousness. Jesus himself provided the answer:
“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.” (Matthew 7:15-20 ESV)
It is by a person's actions, and the outcomes of those actions, that we may know whether a person's motives are good or evil. We are not required to suspend all critical thinking or discernment. We can choose whether to associate with a person socially, do business with them, enter into marriage with them, or to defend against them. (2Corinthians 6:14) However, it is for the Lord to decide whether people have served God or the Devil.
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.” (Matthew 7:21-23 ESV)
How can we usurp the prerogative of Christ by judging others to the point of condemnation? We must not. Some people may appear to escape justice now, but we must trust in God’s justice. We must remember that we all have fallen short of God’s righteous standard. Those who are saved escape God’s just punishment for our sins because Jesus paid “a debt He did not owe by paying a price we could not pay,” and our names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. (Revelation 20:11-15) That is why with hearts filled with love for Him, in the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit, we do the things He has planned in advance for us to do.
“Once
you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. You used
to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the
commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in
the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. All of us used to live that
way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By
our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else.
But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus.
God
saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this;
it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we
have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s
masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good
things he planned for us long ago.” (Ephesians 2:1-10 NLT)
Acknowledgement: The Bible verses shown were copied from https://biblehub.com/
Sunday, October 19, 2025
Life Through the Holy Spirit
So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit.
Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace. For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws, and it never will. That’s why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God.
But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.) And Christ lives within you, so even though your body will die because of sin, the Spirit gives you life because you have been made right with God. The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.
Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.
So you have not received a
spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when
he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.”
For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. (Romans
8:1-16 NLT) [1]
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