Sunday, December 29, 2024

The Lost Week of the Year

 

"See that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil." - Ephesians 5:15-16


"The last week of each year tends to become the lost week.

Have you noticed? Once we turn the corner of Christmas, everything blurs. From December 26 to January 2 we slip into a state of "hyper-holiday suspended animation." As far as truly fruitful living is concerned, we might as well have spent the week on Mars.


I've prepared a list of suggested activities to allow you to keep enjoying the spirit of the holidays, while still making solid use of those transitional days. 

Lord willing, these suggestions will help keep the blur out and the focus in! This week--call it 'Countdown Week' as we approach the New Year--you might give a day or a part of one to any or all of the following."



Image courtesy of Pixabay

The Jealous King and the Wise Men

  


He was a madman. He exiled or killed off all of his wives. A master of manipulation, he worked to gain the favor of the people above and below him. Known as a “ruthless fighter, a cunning negotiator, and a subtle diplomat,” (Nelson’s Bible Dictionary), he was the first of six King Herods, Roman rulers in Palestine around the time of Jesus’ life. The biblical account presents Herod the Great, a self-designated title, as the narcissist in the Christmas story. He was so bad that when people recognized the leadership potential of his son, the buzz around Jerusalem became, “Herod is great, but his son is greater.” To eliminate the competition, he ordered the assassination of his son.

In direct contrast to the magi, the joyous kings, who came to worship the newborn King of the Jews, Herod was the jealous king. The Herod spirit is an insecure, manipulative, self-serving one.

Narcissism, a term derived from Greek mythology, designates a person obsessed with themselves. Modern psychologists even designate a narcissist disorder for some people, though many people would simply be described as having narcissistic tendencies.

Unfortunately, the church is not immune from this reality. I’ve spent more than twenty years studying the effects of narcissistic ministry leaders on churches and people. I’ve seen it surface in a senior pastor. I’ve experienced it in a pastor’s wife (not my own!). I’ve seen it in a church treasurer. And likely, you may have too. The manipulation and politicking I’ve occasionally – not often – seen in churches by someone with narcissistic tendencies rival anything that happens in Washington, D.C.! And it leaves much damage in its wake.

Earlier this year I read Chuck DeGroat’s recent release from InterVarsity Press, “When Narcissism Comes to Church.” DeGroat offers several characteristics of the narcissistic ministry leader.

Decision-making centers on them. They must keep their hands in the decision-making, and they are offended and angered when people make decisions different than what they would choose.

Impatience and lack of ability to listen to others. He may call his impatience decisiveness, but he lacks curiosity, empathy, and compassion.

Delegating without giving authority. She wants people around her to carry out her wishes, resulting in micromanagement. She may call a team together and ask their opinions, but at the end of the day she instructs them to do what she wants in sundry subjective details.

Feeling threatened or intimidated by other talented people. DeGroat says they often “feign connection in order to woo followers.” They pour it on to people they want to sway, yet they are deeply threatened by someone who does not seem to need them.

Need to be the best and brightest in the room. The narcissistic ministry leader wants to outshine others. In a healthy team, when one person wins, it makes everyone look good. In an unhealthy one, jealousy and turf wars erupt when one person shines. The narcissist needs to be special, needed, and the hero. Henry Cloud writes in his new book, “Trust,” that narcissistic “people have a great investment in being seen as ‘ideal’ or ‘perfect.’ They must be adored and idealized by others in order to feel secure and trust.” A narcissistic parent will even feel threatened by the success of other people’s children and may even target them.

Intimidate others. Highly insecure, “they are always on the watch for disloyalty, and when they find it, they punish it severely.” They see their opinions, views, and the way they would do things as the “right” way. And they will not hesitate from using intimidation to try to back you down into your corner.

Praising and withdrawing. She will pour it on to praise the person that she feels approves or her, submits to her, and can be controlled by her. But watch ought if you disagree with her, because she cannot tolerate disagreement. To her, it is disrespect and worthy of correction. Her correction. When she realizes you will not be controlled, she withdraws – and often begins plotting how to get you out of her system.

The narcissist works hard to control themselves, their family, and those around them. However, staying in control will attack your spirit of joy. Herod was crazy in part because he would not give up control. He tried to perfect his life by controlling everyone around him. But the spirit of joy is in direct contrast to the spirit of Herod.


The Bible describes the magi, after their 1000-mile journey that likely took six to nine months, as being “filled with joy” (Matthew 2:10 NLT). Unlike Herod the Great, they focused on One even greater – the true King of Kings. Seeing themselves as one part of a much grander plan, they served others, valued input from others, and helped others to accomplish their goals.

And the young Child born in the manger modeled the opposite of the Herod spirit. The Creator of the universe came to earth as a vulnerable baby, needed to be carried, nourished, and helped by the very humans He created. Giving up His rights, and giving up any need for acclaim, He humbled Himself.

And because He did, you and I can know everlasting joy. The spirit of great joy comes from submitting to and worshiping the King of Kings - and serving others with your life. Give up your control and trust Him.


Read Lessons Learned from Church Hurt


Pictures used courtesy of Pixabay.

Top 14 Favorite Christmas Movies and Specials


One of my favorite December (and sometimes January) traditions is watching Christmas movies and specials. HERE ARE MY FAVORITES!!!

1. The Homecoming (1971)

2. A Christmas Carol (George C. Scott – 1986)

3. A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965)

4. It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)

5. The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)

6. The Star (2017)

7. Christmas of Many Colors (2016)

8. The Nativity Story (2005)

9. White Christmas (1954)

10. Elf (2003)

11. Christmas on the Square (2020)

12. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964)

13. A Muppet Family Christmas (1987)

14. How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)


Saturday, December 28, 2024

Letting Go of Christmas

 

It is always hard for me to let go of Christmas. 

The fall months are my favorite time of year – all leading up to Christ’s birthday.  For our family, the celebrations begin with birthdays for my wife and I in August and September.  Then each year fun marks October as our children pick out costumes to wear on Halloween.  As the bright leaves of October begin turning into November’s duller hues, my oldest son has a birthday the first week.  After that celebration, we anticipate Thanksgiving, trying each year to give the holiday more attention than simply one Turkey Day.  I pull out some CD’s with traditional Thanksgiving hymns, and we read stories of the Pilgrims.  Thanksgiving Day (or the weekend thereafter) our family works on our Thanksgiving tree, each one writing down specific matters of thanksgiving on construction-paper leaves. 

Thanksgiving afternoon includes Daddy pulling out the sale papers and making strategic plans for Black Friday!  Christmas is the only season when I really enjoy shopping (and when I give myself permission to really splurge and enjoy spending).  Black Friday finds me most years leaving the house hours before the rest of the family awake.  And over the course of that weekend, as Thanksgiving hymns give way to Christmas ones, the Advent season comes alive once again! 

Our family enjoys the various aspects of December.  Tree-decorating always stands out as one of our favorite experiences.  We love unpacking the various ornaments – many that we have forgotten since packing them eleven months ago – and enjoying the memories associated with them.  We have fun Hallmark collectibles ranging from superheroes, Disney characters, and movie nostalgia.  There are classy, blown-glass ornaments including Santas, manger scene people, and drummers from Colonial Williamsburg.  Small treasures adorn our tree as keepsakes from the places we have traveled – a clear holy family that we obtained at The Biltmore House on our honeymoon, a small Ryman Auditorium from Nashville, a beautiful one replicating the barn at The Billy Graham Library in Charlotte, and a red round ball with the inscription “Thomas Road Baptist Church” which we bought to remind us of our December-trips to Lynchburg, Virginia.  There are even ones that remind us of friends from long ago – childhood friends, our families of origin, a star that deflects the light of the tree that was given to me in memory of a dear old friend, Gloria Taylor (the person who gave it called it my “Glo Star” to remember that sweet woman).  During the month we can hear Kermit the Frog sing the rainbow song, the Indiana Jones theme song, and Linus repeat the Christmas story as our children press various buttons on the ornaments with batteries!  What fun are Christmas trees!


We enjoy reading books about Christmas.  One series we have used in recent years explains from a Christian perspective the traditions of the candy cane, the Christmas stocking, the Christmas tree, and the history of Saint Nicholas.  What a rich heritage surrounds Christmas.  I suppose one reason that Christmas is so wonderful is that, whether the world understands it or not, it is as if the modern world adjusts their lives for one month to remember and celebrate what happened at Bethlehem.  You can turn on virtually any radio station – country, rock, classical – and hear people singing about Jesus Christ.   On our CD players we hear The Robert Shaw Chorale singing “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen,” The St. Olaf Choir sing “O Come O Come Emmanuel,” Nat King Cole roll out “The Christmas Song” and “A Cradle in Bethlehem,” Kenny and Dolly frolic and play with “I’ll Be Home with Bells On” Michael Buble croon with “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas,” Alabama share “Christmas in Dixie,” and The Oak Ridge Boys add my children’s favorite from this year – “A Peterbilt Sleigh!” 

People often take time to be friendlier, to show generosity, compassion, and goodwill during December.   People share their goods with the needy and hungry, often purchasing toys or meals for children or families in want.  Church services abound with songs about Jesus, festive lights and colors, and genuine wishes of cheer and blessing to one another.  Dickens also said, I have always thought of Christmas as a good time; a kind, forgiving, generous, pleasant time; a time when men and women seem to open their hearts freely, and so I say, God bless Christmas!

In early December our family celebrates the birthday of our daughter, often by taking a road trip to Lynchburg, Virginia, to experience The Virginia Christmas Spectacular, a fantastic Christmas show at Thomas Road Baptist Church.

Yes, to me it is the most wonderful time of the year.  Charles Dickens wrote, “There seems a magic in the very name of Christmas.”

I enjoy giving.  I often don’t have the money to give the type of gifts through the year that I would like to people I love.  But Christmas offers an opportunity to find ways to express your love and appreciation to those around you.  I find it a great yearly joy to prepare and give those over-the-top presents for my own children and to enjoy their pleasure in them.  (We chuckled happily at our seven-year old falling on the floor as though he were fainting when he saw that Santa had left him not one or two but six Star Wars action figures!)

The few days before and after Christmas offer time to devote almost completely to the family.  For my wife and I, that may be the best gift of all.  To have a few days to spend in almost uninterrupted leisure together – that is surely a taste of heaven on earth.   Each year I am surprised afresh at how little I long for the outside allurements around Christmas.  Email and surfing the internet hold little appeal, I don’t want to spend any more money on anything after the gifts are purchased, there is little pleasure in engaging the outside world of stores, shopping, and the like.  I suppose it is because when you have focused on Jesus and His coming for weeks, when you have given your best to those you love, and when you take time to really enjoy the people around you – that indeed is  a blessed, contented taste of heaven.  Time to play long with the children without feeling the need to "hurry it up."  Time to say, "What do you want to do," and mean it!  Time to get on the floor and engage the children and play with their toys in their world.  Time to talk with your spouse and enjoy the blessings of marriage!

Oswald Chambers rightly says that the real test of spiritual maturity is not how well one does on the mountain but how well he descends the mountain.  As we walk forward with the afterglow of Christmas 2012  on our backs and still ringing in our ears, may we remember the words of Charles Dickens, “I will honor Christmas in my heart and try to keep it all the year.” 

May we remember and live our lives in light of the things that really do matter.


- Written in 2013f



Images used courtesy of Pixabay

Wednesday, December 18, 2024

Homeplace Celebrates 30 Years of Hospitality

 

Dianne Catoe sat in church one Sunday in 1994 and sensed a nudge from the Lord to turn her barn into a live nativity to tell the story of the gospel. Since then, hundreds of visitors come to her homeplace every November to experience Bethlehem Marketplace.

The Homeplace Bed and Breakfast, located along Highway 9 in the Tradesville area between Lancaster and Pageland, contains a rich history. Built in the 1800s, the original rooms are still found in the house’s center, which displays some of the eighteen-inch logs and wooden pegs that constructed the cabin almost 200 years ago. Yancy and Lou Catoe bought the home in 1920, where they raised their twelve children, including Dianne’s husband Roy Charles, who lived in that house all of his life and whom the family called Charlsie. Still living today are Elsie Lowder of Florence and Billy Catoe of Tradesville.

Decades ago, the family hosted an open house in conjunction with the debut of the Tradesville Fire Department’s cookbook. They baked items from the cookbook and hosted people from the community. Charles and Dianne enjoyed practicing hospitality. They often opened their home to evangelists, missionaries, and other family members. Charles always found places for the traveling ministers to speak while they stayed at the home.




Through the years, the family made additions to the homestead, including a full-size basement, three more large bedrooms with en-suite bathrooms, an upstairs study, and a new living room. In 1994, when their three children, Marvin, Peggy, and Vickie, were adults and married, Charles and Dianne established the Homeplace Bed and Breakfast. Hospitality came naturally to them, and they found great joy in opening their home to visitors.


Since then, countless guests enjoyed the Catoe style of Southern hospitality. Scrapbookers, crafters, quilters, church groups, family reunions, and visiting pastors have come through the homeplace. They even once hosted Lulu Roman of the television show success Hee-Haw.

When Dianne sensed the Lord’s instruction in 1994 to begin a live nativity, the phrase that came to mind was, “Jesus came as a baby and is coming again as a king.” That same year, the family enlarged their ministry of hospitality and put on their first-ever Bethlehem Marketplace. Inviting people to come and tour the house, enjoy refreshments, and watch a live nativity in the barn outside, they hosted more than 1000 people over several weekends. Thirty years later, the tradition continues.

After several years, the Catoe family settled on the weekend prior to Thanksgiving for the event. This year, November 29-30, the Homeplace Bed and Breakfast celebrated its 30th anniversary of Bethlehem Marketplace. Over 400 people came to savor the smells, sights, and tastes of Christmas. People tell the family yearly, “This is the start of my Christmas season.”


Entering the large, 33-room house, guests walk through two floors, each room decorated for the holidays. The number thirty-three seems to be significant for the family, as there are thirty-three grandchildren of Yancy and Lou Catoe and thirty-three decorated Christmas trees in the house. In one room, thirty-three houses in a Christmas village line the shelf.

Vickie Brecht, the thirty-third grandchild, shares that returning guests tell them, “It makes me cry every time I come. I feel at home here.”

Leaving the warmth of the house, visitors go outside to experience a live nativity show, including animals, costumed characters, and music. Vickie’s sister-in-law, Sheranna Catoe, wrote two of the songs: “Shimmering Star” and “Born to Be.” The play includes a brief overview of the life, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, consummating with a rider dressed as Christ on a white horse, while the soloists sing “The King is Coming.” Children run across the lawn wearing white robes, all reminding guests of the Bible’s promised coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.


Putting on such an event is no small task. At least thirty family members come together to make this happen, as well as numerous friends from the community and Dianne’s church, Spring Hill Baptist. It takes most of the month of November to decorate the house. Catoe family members participate in the weekend, ranging from Billy Catoe, who stays in the house’s original rooms, telling guests of his family’s history, to preschoolers. Brecht says, “We want to put the love of doing it in the little ones, so we try to incorporate them as much as possible.”

When asked why she continues hosting the event, Dianne says, “I love people to be happy. They share how much they enjoy coming and seeing it all. And I want to share the gospel, and this is one way I can do that.”

All in all, it’s a Tradesville and Catoe family tradition.


Click here to find out more about the Homeplace Bed and Breakfast.



Thursday, December 12, 2024

Christmas Moments - Inspiring and Encouraging Stories

 

Looking for a good, easy Christmas read for you or someone you love?  I've enjoyed contributing to three Christmas books in the Moments series by Grace Publishing.

Christmas!  For many people the holiday season is steeped in traditions such as decorating, family gatherings, food, Christmas programs, parties, and carols.  

The books Christmas Moments,  More Christmas Moments, and Merry Christmas Moments are great coffee-table books filled with encouraging and inspiring stories of the Christmas season.  Authors share personal stories about the joy, excitement, change, sorrow, loss, and beauty of Christmases.

In Christmas Moments, I share a story of God's provision for me one Christmas.


In More Christmas Moments, I share about one of the favorite gifts I ever gave my wife the year we agreed to not spend any money on presents.

In Merry Christmas Moments, I share 5 ways that parents can impact their children spiritually during December.


All proceeds from the books support Samaritan's Purse ministry.  Books are available from Grace Publishing, Barnes and Noble, and Amazon.

Simple Ways to Remember Christ this Christmas

 

Everybody is rushing this time of year.  Last Friday, we had an outpatient surgery, a basketball game, a piano recital, and a choir rehearsal all in one day.  Whew! 

We all need simple ways to help us reflect on Jesus during the December days.  As we go about the weeks before Christmas, let's take time to worship Christ in our spirits - and take opportunities to share Him with others.

Some simple things that help me experience Jesus in the midst of a busy December . . .


1.  Make sure and start every day with the Lord - with some prayer and Bible meditation.  I often remember Johnny Hunt's words, "If you give your time to the Redeemer, He will redeem your time."
 

2.  I love Christmas music, as does my family.  However, in the midst of the "fun" holiday music, I keep a CD or two in my car or computer of Christmas music that says a lot about the Lord.  For my personal tastes and wiring, no Christmas music helps me worship Jesus any more than the classical kind.  I keep CD's handy of The Robert Shaw Chorale and the St. Olaf Choir.  They bless me greatly  as they sing classic Christmas carols about the Lord - His redemption, incarnation, birth, holiness, etc.  My tastes may not be yours - but find something that helps your spirit worship Jesus - even in the midst of holiday rush.  Today I was listening to BEAUTIFUL STAR by The Centurymen.



3.  I keep some easy reading handy - on my desk, in my bathroom, in my backpack, in our den.  By easy reading I mean Christian writing that is not too elaborate.  I have a few simple books by Max Lucado, Jack Hayford, and others that contain simple meditations that can be read in 2-5 minutes.  I read one this morning over breakfast on Jesus being the Bread of Life, and my mind and spirit have meditated on it all morning as I have been doing other things.  One of my favorites is Come . . . and Behold Him! by Pastor Jack Hayford.


4.  It always helps me in December, after everyone has gone to bed, to sit down by the lit tree for just a few minutes and "be still and know that [He] is God."  A few quiet moments to reflect, give Him thanks, and perhaps read a few Scriptures.


Perhaps these simple things may help you, in the midst of the holiday rush, to connect with Christ.  It is as we connect with Him that we have something to share with others.

Wednesday, December 11, 2024

"Ring Those Bells" Christmas Album

 

Rhett and Tracey Wilson released a Christmas album in 2021 called “Ring Those Bells.” Recorded at the Daywind Studios in Hendersonville, Tennessee, the album features old Christmas favorites such as White Christmas, O Holy Night, and Sweet, Little Jesus Boy as well as some new ones, like Circle of Love and Joseph

This is the third album recorded by the Wilsons. In 2007, they released “Lead Me On,” a collection of popular Christian music hits, and “Offered Praises,” a compilation of all-original songs written by Rhett, in 2008. All three albums are available for purchase in person or at their site: www.rhettwilson.org

Rhett, a freelance writer and editor, works as Senior Communications Director for Leighton Ford Ministries in Charlotte, North Carolina, and as a co0vocational pastor at Spring Hill Baptist Church in Lancaster, South Carolina. Tracey serves as the Director of Music Ministries at Spring Hill. 

You can purchase a bundle of all three albums here.

Tuesday, November 26, 2024

Thanksgiving through the Years

 

"George Washington was first in war, first in peace, and in November 1789, the first president to proclaim a national day of thanksgiving, openly acknowledging God as the source of all 'the great and various favors which He has been pleased to confer upon us.'

Among the 'favors' were a Declaration of Independence that inspires us to the present day, a remarkable military victory over the most powerful nation in the world, and an ingenious Constitution of checks and balances that places 'we the people' at the center of our government.

For the next fourscore and seven years, most states honored a November date as a day of prayer and fasting, but there was no national celebration. Of the early presidents, only James Madison, in 1814 and 1815, issued proclamations."

Read Lee Edwards' entire article here at The Daily Signal.


Picture used courtesy of Pixabay

Monday, November 25, 2024

Here’s Why We Should Still Celebrate the Pilgrims at Thanksgiving


"For most American families, Thanksgiving is a time to gather with loved ones, eat delicious food, and perhaps watch some football.

But not everyone is pleased with the celebration of this holiday, and some have taken to maligning its 'originators,' the Pilgrims.

An editorial in Al Jazeera labeled Thanksgiving a 'thoroughly nauseating affair,' one that is 'saturated with disgrace.' Other articles have called the Pilgrims genocidal toward Native Americans, or argued that the original idea of a Thanksgiving feast is a 'myth.' ”

Read the entire article by Jarrett Stepman at The Daily Signal here.

Picture used by permission from Pixabay.


Remembering Thanksgiving


Thanksgiving is one holiday that avoids commercialism, brings people together, offers fantastic food, and calls us to forsake our selfishness and instead practice gratitude.  Don’t lose the spirit of gratitude.  Claim it, prepare for it, and practice the art of that holiday.

As we plan for Thanksgiving, here are a few ways to intentionally lead your family to be thankful.

1. Create a Thanksgiving tree.

Create a simple, construction paper tree with a brown trunk and several colored leaves. The goal is for every person present at our house on Thanksgiving to have five leaves.

Following the Thanksgiving meal, pass out the leaves and pens. Each person writes one thing for which they are thankful on each leaf. After a few moments, go around the table and read our leaves. They don’t have to all be spiritual or serious things. A typical year may include gratitude for health, friends, or jobs - as well as action figures and tickets to Dollywood.

Tape the tree and leaves onto a prominent wall in your house, leaving it up for several months.  It serves as a regular reminder of God’s blessings.

Remember some spiritual heroes.

Take time to teach your children about spiritual heroes - and also to take time to remember some of our own heroes in our lives. Don't just let these days float by as missed opportunities while the culture is already trying to make money off of Christmas.  Redeem this time and use it as a stepping stone into the holiday season. Spend time learning some new spiritual heroes - and being thankful for some familiar ones.

Talk around the supper table about a godly person from history.  Or, share some stories from your own pilgrimage about heroes in your life.  The website Christian History Institute is a great resource.  For several years I have used Barbara Rainey’s book Thanksgiving: A Time to Remember to teach our children about the spiritual heritage we have as Americans from the Pilgrims and the First Thanksgiving.

Engage in meaningful conversation.

One educator said we live in a day of hurried loneliness.  We have hundreds of Facebook friends but not two with whom we think and share deeply.  Families rush from one activity to another.  People go to Grandma’s house, eat lunch, and then bury their heads in their phones. To some people, the idea of a family sitting down together and leisurely sharing a meal is an idea from a Norman Rockwell painting.

Dads and Moms, we must plan to make meaningful conversation happen.  The word intentionality is a great one to challenge us parents.  Without intentionality, family devotions, meaningful conversation, and disciplines of thanksgiving won’t happen.  We will just stay busy. 

This Thanksgiving, stop for a few moments and make a plan.  Ask, “How will I intentionally help my family practice gratitude the next two weeks and have some meaningful conversations?

That will produce beauty greater than the autumn leaves.



Sign up for Rhett’s e-newsletter, Faith, Family, and Freedom here

Monday, November 18, 2024

“Not to Act is to Act” - Bonhoeffer


In 1947, Carl Henry, a key theological shaper of 20th century evangelicalism, warned post-World War II believers that “historic Christianity risked losing cultural influence because of the church’s hesitancy to apply the gospel to ‘pressing world problems.’” Evangelicals were withdrawing from the public square, retreating into their churches instead of engaging culture. David Closson writes, “Henry encouraged Christians to engage the public square by applying the fundamentals of their faith to the full range of issues to which the gospel speaks – including government and politics.”

Even into the 1950s, the Supreme Court made decisions with the argument that America was a “Christian nation.” For more than sixty years, however, two movements aggressively pushed biblical principles and intelligent biblical reasoning to the periphery of the public square. These movements are secularism, which means living life without acknowledging God, and the sexual revolution. Both fronts shared an opposite view of reality than biblical Christianity. And both movements worked to minimize the church’s influence in just about every area of public life: education, entertainment, the media, business and government.



In my lifetime, I’ve seen politics move largely from the arena of policy issues to that of moral and spiritual matters. In most of the twentieth century, both the Democratic Party and the Republican Party shared a basic, common worldview. To compare party platforms for many decades, you would find a common basic understanding about fundamental matters. However, in the twenty-first century, a massive shift occurred in worldview between parties, as the Democratic Partly largely embraced both secularism and the sexual revolution.

Albert Mohler says, “Secularization, just sociologically defined, is the decline of the influence of religion, but in the case of the United States, of historic Christian theism in the culture. And so that means that the message preached by evangelical Christians and other Orthodox communities of faith is more out of step with the direction of the culture than would have been the case in the 1950s. In the 1950s, the leadership of the [church] and the leadership of the United States and Congress or corporate America or all of us would have been seen as part of the same world. That’s not so much the case now.”

Today, instead of the church having a robust biblical and practical theology about influencing the culture, Christians often adopt the lie thought in public, “It’s not polite to talk about religion and politics.”

Adolf Hitler used a similar strategy. In the 1930s, he knew in order to advance his agenda, he must control the German church. By fear and intimidation, the Nazis scared the clergy into not speaking out about Hitler’s regime. At first people didn’t want to believe the “conspiracy theories.” Finally, by the time good people realized what was actually happening, most were too afraid to rock the boat. A few pastors and Christians, like Dietrich Bonhoeffer, realized that to be faithful to God meant to speak out against the Nazi party and Hitler.

Angel Studios will release in theaters on Thanksgiving Day a movie called Bonhoeffer: Pastor. Spy. Assassin. I encourage you to view it as well as read Eric Metaxas’ companion books, Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy and Letter to the American Church. Metaxas believes Bonhoeffer should serve as a model for Christians living in Western culture. He says, “Silence is not an option. God calls us to defend the unborn, to confront the lies of cultural Marxism, and to battle the globalist tyranny that crushes human freedom. Confident that this is His fight, the Church must overcome fear and enter the fray, armed with the spiritual weapons of prayer, self-sacrifice, and love.”

Today we’re told it’s good for a Drag Queen to hold a children’s story hour, a biological man wearing panty hose and taking hormones really is a woman, we’re wrong to insist on border laws, babies can be aborted into the ninth month, parents should have no authority if their children want to “transition” to another gender, and patriotism is a bad thing.

Politics has moved full-force into the realm of moral and spiritual issues. When politics simply deals with policy prescriptions not requiring a biblical moral judgment, the church as an organization is wise to not make official statements. However, when politics seeks to prescribe, influence, and control areas that clearly move into biblical moral and spiritual judgments, the church – and Christians and pastors – are not being faithful to our calling if we do not speak with clarity into the public square.



The German church in the 1930s kept silent in the face of blatant evil. Bonhoeffer and a remnant of Christians, however, realized that obedience meant standing up to cultural Marxism and opposing the Nazis.

In the 1800s, many churches in England and the USA were reluctant to speak out publicly against slavery. They didn’t want to get involved in politics! Some brave abolitionists arose, like William Wilberforce, who spent decades in the British Parliament working to overturn the slave industry. In the 1960s in the American South, many Christians and churches refused to get their hands dirty and rock the boat by speaking out about Jim Crow laws. A few faithful ones like Billy Graham and Martin Luther King, Jr., paved the way for the Civil Rights movement.

May we learn the lesson from courageous believers like Bonhoeffer, who said, “Silence in the face of evil is itself evil. God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act."


Click here to find out more about the Bonhoeffer movie.

Sign up for Rhett’s e-newsletter, Faith, Family, and Freedom here


Images used from Angel Studios



 

Wednesday, November 6, 2024

Why Donald Trump and the Red Wave Blanketed the USA


Sometimes I realize the event I’m standing in looms much larger than just my corner of the world. Such was my feeling this morning after witnessing Donald Trump decisively win the Presidency of the United States.

Millions of Americans realized the dismal spiral our country was on the past four years. What we experienced into the early hours of Wednesday morning was a loud repudiation of the Leftist elites and their terrible and harmful ideas the past 4+ years.

Sixteen years ago on Election Night, President-elect Barak Obama promised that America was about to be fundamentally transformed. For much of the past two decades, hard-working Americans grew tired and irritated at this “change.”

Obama, perhaps now the Godfather of the new radicals, was mentored by Communists in the Saul Alinsky playbook. While his charm was smooth as silk, he initiated a Leftist charge. Since then, steel workers, grocery clerks, accountants, school teachers, homeschool moms, entrepreneurs and business owners from metropolitan cities to small town America have been sold a bill of goods that didn’t deliver.

And with event after society-shaking event, the common sense blue and white collar folks began to realize that in some fashion there was a little man – or several of them – standing behind a curtain. And though the Great and Powerful Oz screamed louder and louder, “Pay no attention to that man,” our concentration slowly shifted from the narrative told to us – to what was actually happening.

We’re Tired

And we’re tired of it. Weary of the illusion and over the narrative. And with the election of 2008 and subsequent years, the silent majority arose and began to speak out.

Tired of being told the United States is a fundamentally evil country. Tired of the 1619 Project, Critical Race Theory, and Black Lives Matter narrative that everything hinges on racism and slavery. Tired of hearing the lie that America is fundamentally racist and systemically corruptWe’ve realized those movements are rooted in Communist-thinking and Christianity-opposing ideologues who want to undo both America and people of faith.

(Click here to see A Biblical Response to Critical Race Theory with Meeke Addison.)

Tired of identity politics. Obama pushed this agenda like no other President until Biden. We’re over the idea that we should vote for someone just because of their skin color, gender, religion, or other identity. Identity politics gave way to the DEI tsunami, which in many ways has backfired. Kamala Harris’ campaign is a strong example of DEI gone wrong.


Tired of Leftism taking over liberalism – and the Democratic Party allowing it.

Tired of the legacy media. What’s happened in recent years has exposed the man behind the curtain. Last night’s election results proved that their ability to set the narrative has been exposed and destroyed.

Tired of the insane and immoral agenda. Leftism is not good nor godly. It is unwholesome. It hates freedom, religion, and will destroy everything that is good. It destroys. We’re appalled when some states want to allow abortion up to the ninth month – and allow a doctor to kill a baby if it is aborted live.

Tired of the government wanting more influence than the family. Incensed at the idea that if a dad and mom don’t want their nine-year-old to “transition” to the opposite sex (remember, there are only two) that the government could take the child from the parents.

Tired of the now idiocy of the Left and the Democratic Party. The same people who say, “Trust the science,” refuse to acknowledge the science in how to define gender. They have succumbed to feelings over facts. Recent years proved the Democratic Leftists no longer have a mooring on reality.

Tired of this out-of-control "woke" culture that emasculates men.

Tired of the trans-craze and men in women’s sports. We’re over being polite about allowing a girl to be pummeled in a sport by a biological male, resulting in brain injury.

Tired of redefining everything. That is nothing more than deconstructionism – one of the main weapons of the Communist Left.

Tired of the attack on free speech. 

Tired of apologizing for America, patriotism, and American exceptionalism. We believe in our flawed but great country, we place our faith in God, we stand for the flag and national anthem, we respect our elders.

Tired of being told that wanting our faith, values, and religion to influence the public square, government, and laws makes us radical “Christian nationalists.” In spite of modern attempts to rewrite our history, we know America was largely founded by Christians who expected the Bible's teachings to influence our nation. And until the 1950s it was accepted in society that America was a "Christian nation." We know that if America is not good, America ceases to be great. So we must vote our values.

Tired of the Left using fear to intimidate people who don't go along with their agenda.

Tired of excusing and supporting criminal activity, like the looting and rioting of cities in 2020 and the tearing down of statues in Orwellian nature. We’re not fooled by bad border policies, allowing criminals, drug cartels, and enemies of America to slip in and sow seeds of destruction. We’re all for legal immigrants – let’s close the wall and enforce legal immigration.

Tired of irrational fiscal policies that hurt American people. Ready to be energy-independent, realizing that energy costs drive up the cost of everything else.

Tired of being told this is about party or partisanship. Trump and Republicans swept the White House and Congress aided by the strong support of Hispanic, Jewish, black and female voters – as well as former Democrats and some secularists. This is about, as the RNC’s 2024 platform states, a return to common sense.

Tired of a weakened military and world presence.

Tired of the corruption in our government agencies like the CIA, FBI, and Department of Justice. We’ve watched a weaponized government go after Donald Trump and people who support him – while ignoring blatant criminal activity from Leftist figureheads like the Clintons, Obamas, and Bidens.

And tired of the insane accusations. Just days ago, Tim Walz warned people that if Trump was elected, he would set up concentration camps and do away with further elections. The Left thrives on deception. And their weapon of warfare is to libel their opponents. And we’re tired of it. We've been told that Trump is a Nazi, facist, dictator who will create a blood bath. We're tired of the lies, and we reject them.

America Has Rejected Them

The pundits from CBS, ABC, and like-minded legacy media outlets who push identity politics are already claiming the reason Harris lost is because of race and gender. Don’t be fooled by their rhetoric. We voted on principle, policy, and party platforms. The majority rejected the dangerous policies and platform of the DNC. As Matt Walsh posted, “Last night was a total repudiation of leftism. A crushing defeat for the forces of moral insanity. America has rejected them utterly.”

In an election night that felt somewhat similar to 2016, we saw that the people have spoken. Americans voted their values.



The election broke Godfather Obama from having a fourth term.  The Daily Wire shared on Election Night that Trump was the coroner after Obama wrecked the country. And the man from Chicago – or wherever he came from – will no longer control the future of his party.

In my Bible reading this morning I meditated on the account of Israel’s crisis when the Assyrian king Sennacherib surrounded them (found in the books of 2 Kings and Isaiah). Faced with the threat of extinction, King Hezekiah, Isaiah the prophet, and the Jews had to ignore the threats and “fake news,” embrace truth, cry out to the Lord, trust His Word, stand firm, and watch Him work. The Bible says, “That night the angel of the LORD went out to the Assyrian camp and killed 185,000 Assyrian soldiers. When the surviving Assyrians woke up the next morning, they found corpses everywhere. Then King Sennacherib of Assyria broke camp and returned to his own land” (2 Kings 19:35-36).

Occasionally, God responds to millions of prayers at a critical time, steps in, and stops a people from the brink of destruction.

Leftists, Obama, and other radicals – you can keep your change.



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