Category: World Events

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I Never Expected To See “the Snap” With My Own Eyes!

(Another entry not meant for my regular readers, but for those left behind after witnessing something extraordinary and terrifying…the sudden, inexplicable disappearance of a sizable percentage of Earth’s population.)

So it actually happened. Millions of people across the world just disappeared without a trace. What happened? What does it mean?

It means the Bible is true.

It means that over the next…probably 7 years or so, humanity will witness a level of destruction not seen since the days of Noah and the ark. I can’t put an exact timeframe on it because I don’t know for sure where the Rapture (the sudden disappearance of Christians) falls in relation to the seven years known as the Great Tribulation.

(One of the many confusing things about this era is going to be the fact that there are still people who thought they were Christians who are still left behind. The inconvenient truth they’ll have to face up to is the fact that even if they attend church regularly and do lots of “religious things,” they have not trusted Jesus Christ as their savior.)

I’ve written about this before, but it’s a pretty heavy duty topic, and I’d love to be able to help provide some direction for the people that are still here. If the Rapture actually happened, I’m not here anymore, so I can only help you through stuff I’ve already written or stuff I can point you to. Here’s the part that sounds crazy, but since you’re probably pretty desperate for answers, I’ll just come out and say it. When I say that you’ve been “left behind,” here’s what I mean. God created the world. Humanity sinned and sort of broke the deal that God had with us. For awhile we got by with presenting sacrifices to Him (the days of the Old Testament), but it wasn’t until Jesus Christ came to become a permanent sacrifice on our behalf that it changed our relationship with God. After He rose from the dead and ascended back to Heaven, He left the Church here to do His work until He comes back to take the rest of His followers away so they don’t have to endure the Great Tribulation, which is where God cleans house and lets loose on whoever’s left for thousands of years’ worth of stubborn disobedience.

Don’t worry, there’s still hope for you! The Great Tribulation will see unprecedented levels of both Christian revival and persecution of Christians. Keep an eye out for the Evangelists. There are going to be street preachers, people that hold meetings in big tents, in warehouses, in schools, in sports arenas, people that spread the news about Jesus. They’ll use whatever are the most popular tools of the day to spread the news. Go to them. As long as what they’re saying agrees with the Bible (and no other religious books), they’re steering you toward the truth. (But be careful, 2 Timothy 4 says that many people will be deceived by false teaching during this time.) In the meantime, track down a Bible and start reading it. Start with the New Testament…read Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. These are four books that cover the same material, so don’t be confused when Jesus dies four times. Those four books are collectively called “the Gospels.”

To read a little more about what you’re living in (the End Times, the Great Tribulation, the Apocalypse, Armageddon), check out the last book in the Bible; it’s called Revelation. You’ll probably need to read it a few times, and you’ll learn a lot more if you have some kind of study Bible with notes or some kind of Bible commentary. A few other books in the Bible cover the End Times and provide more info…check out the books of Ezekiel, Daniel, Zechariah, and First and Second Thessalonians (again, study Bibles, Bible commentaries, and online resources will be tremendously helpful). Here are a few of the things that are coming, but not necessarily in this order:

  • Mass death. Not only are the four horsemen of the apocalypse real, but one of them is given the power to kill a quarter of humanity (Revelation 6:7-8). Later, four imprisoned fallen angels (demons) are released to kill a third of humanity (Revelation 9:13-15). If we have 8 billion people on the planet right now and this happened, the horseman takes out 2 billion people, and then the fallen angels take out a third of the remaining six, cutting the population in half from 8 to 4 billion.
  • You think the idea of climate change is scary? Earth’s ecology gets absolutely demolished in Revelation chapter 8. The wind even stops in chapter 7.
  • God pours out so much wrath on the planet and its occupants that people abandon large portions of it and move somewhere else (picture Detroit as its population fell, but on a much larger scale). Of all places, Babylon, code for the famous city of Rome, becomes very important; I’m not sure if it actually becomes the global capital or if it sort of becomes symbolic of global debauchery and sin, sort of like how Vegas is for the U.S., and people consolidate there (Revelation chapters 16ish to 18).
  • At least one off-the-scale earthquake takes place (Revelation 16:18).
  • Slavery makes a comeback (Revelation 18:11-13).
  • There will be two missionaries that are invincible for a time, who speak truth to power so effectively that people can’t stand hearing their testimony and try unsuccessfully to kill them. They defend themselves like something you’d see in an X-Men movie, but watch out for the guy that eventually does kill them…he’s super bad news and will seem like he’s awesome, but believe me, he’s not somebody you should follow. Those two witnesses/missionaries also won’t let death keep them down. There will be some worldwide celebration for a few days after they’re killed, but the world will get a shock when the two of them get up again three and a half days after their death (Revelation 11:1-12).

Look, I don’t envy you. I’m writing this in August of 2022, and the past couple years have been pretty nuts from my perspective, but they pale in comparison to what you’re living through. Dig into the Bible, spread the word, and find other believers to encourage and be encouraged by. Dark days are ahead, and you’ll be hunted. If you turn to God, repent, and give your life to Him, He’ll give you what you need to make it to the end.

Don’t give up. It’s going to be worth it.

Want to learn more about specific Biblical references on the End Times? See http://peoplegetready.org/end-times/150-chapters-bible-times/

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A Sneak Peek at the 2024 Election

I know we’ve still got a midterm election to get through this year, but let’s just jump ahead a little bit to the 2024 presidential election.

If you’re a Democratic strategist, you’ve got a dilemma on your hands. From a polling perspective, President Biden is a disaster. Elections aren’t won by Democratic voters or Republican voters; they’re won by independent voters, and those voters have abandoned Biden in droves.

Let’s take a look at the landscape. Less than 25% of those polled earlier this week believe the country is headed in the right direction. The average cost of a gallon of gasoline has nearly doubled since Biden took office, the supply chain problems still aren’t fixed, we’re heading into a recession, the war in Ukraine is having all kinds of ripple effects, the southern border is a hot mess, the Afghanistan withdrawal was completely botched, the prioritization of social issues over actual education in schools means kids are able to do less and less academically, we don’t know if inflation has peaked yet, and a variety of other minor crises are inflicting damage on the president’s credibility. Many in his party think he’s become too radical, and other members of his party think he’s not radical enough. He’s the oldest person to ever hold the office; while there are some people that could do the job at his age, Americans are increasingly realizing that he’s simply not one of those people. Barring a string of miracles in his favor, there are very few scenarios where Joe Biden can win re-election. The last time a Democratic president with inflation numbers like this who were in office during a time with a general sense of national gloom like today’s ran for re-election, he got absolutely stomped by a Republican candidate who offered an optimistic vision for the country.

So, Democratic strategist, what do you do?

Let’s be honest. You can’t begin serious talk of ditching him for another democratic presidential candidate until after the midterms. There are some feelers out there now, and that’s sort of a way of introducing the idea to the public and seeing how the idea is received. Democrats are likely to take a beating in the midterms, and at this point that’s almost a foregone conclusion. Many people are sick and tired of President Biden, but those election results will provide part of the justification for beginning the process of dumping him.

Personally, I think it’s safe to say at this point, just over four months before the election, that the Democrats will lose the House, but I’m not sure by how much. Once that happens open rebellion in the Democratic Party will follow, but I’ll add that the magnitude of the loss will help determine how civil the mutiny is. If the president can be convinced to avoid running again, I honestly think that would be the best thing for the Democrats. If he decides to stick it out, there will be a messy civil war among the Dems, and just trying to fend off a challenge could take so much out of the President that it seriously affects his health. If voters get enough traction to conduct a primary for the Democratic candidate for President, President Biden will lose it and he won’t end up receiving the nomination in ’24. If not, and Biden’s the candidate, he’ll lose in the general election against pretty much anyone.

What about over on the Republican side? I think that’s also lined with pitfalls. The big question mark, of course, is Donald Trump. I’m inclined to think that he’ll announce his intentions soon after the midterm elections. He’s developed a personal following that’s unheard of for Republican politicians, but his support seems to vacillate widely. Some people were so turned off by his style that they voted for Biden in ’20 just so they wouldn’t have to see news coverage of him anymore, but now that they’re living with the fallout of that decision, they may be open to voting for Trump and his policies next time (cheap gas, secure borders, a stable economy, making the lives of Americans better before we make the lives of people in other countries better, etc.). On the other hand, nobody truly knows for sure what kind of “revenge tour” he’d go on if he were sworn in once again. It’s tough to imagine he’d completely ignore the actions of people he perceives as having wronged him.

There are a couple of very capable contenders on the bench. Mike Pence has plenty of experience and has many of the same policy stances as former President Trump, but without the drama. I believe he could beat Biden, but he’s very vanilla and lacks any sort of charisma, which, sad to say, would be enough to allow someone that’s all flash and no substance to beat him in ’28.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is someone to keep an eye on. Lots of Republican politicians (George W. Bush and Mitt Romney, to name a few) felt that if they played nice, the media would respect them and eventually treat them well. That belief is nowhere near reality. Donald Trump figured out “the media’s never going to love me, so why bother playing the game their way?” He did it his way, but he did it so brashly and coarsely that it made some voters ignore the success of his policies and fixate only on the persona. Governor DeSantis is not afraid to push back against the media and some of the loud voices on the left, but he’s able to do it effectively and in a way that’s more palatable to voters. Since he embodies many of the same policy positions that Trump does, this makes him particularly dangerous to Democrats.

The Republican side has a number of additional contenders beyond those early frontrunners (Nikki Haley, Ted Cruz, Mike Pompeo, Tim Scott), though I’d offer that governors tend to make better presidents than senators because they already have experience leading large multi-agency government organizations that have competing interests. Unfortunately these days, you don’t need to have good experience, you just have to be funny or cool on late-night talk shows and you’ll probably win the election.

This raises an obvious question on the Democratic side: if not Biden, who?

The bench is not nearly as deep. The Democratic Party is in sore need of some new blood. Hillary Clinton and Nancy Pelosi come to mind, but their age and baggage are also concerns.

Kamala Harris seems to be a VP of more style than substance. President Biden has put her in charge of such things as addressing the border surge, passing the voting rights act, and most recently, the “Ministry of Gender Truth.” Her efforts may be spun as exceptional, but results seem to be lacking.

Pete Buttigieg is an up-and-comer, but he’s still trying to shake off the bad optics of taking nearly two months of paternity leave while the nation floundered with its supply chain crisis…not a good look for the Secretary of Transportation.

Strangely enough, there are some people from outside the political world that could make a strong showing. With the right campaign manager, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson would have a great shot in the general if he could somehow beat everyone else in the primary. Billionaire Mark Cuban could also make a splash, but Washington political animals tend to shrug off the idea of helping a non-politician lead their party. Retired Admiral William McRaven could be a dark horse.

All this to say…the midterm elections are probably going to be the beginning of the end of President Biden. Whatever your political persuasion…do YOU want to be working one of the most demanding jobs in the world when you’re blowing out a birthday cake that has 80 candles on top? I don’t think I’m alone in saying that it would be beneficial for Democrats if the president didn’t run in 2024. Retirement can be a wonderful thing, but it’s way more enjoyable if you get there on your own terms rather than being forced into it.

Lord, we know that nobody ascends to power without your permission. We’ve got a very divided nation right now, and our land is sorely in need of healing. For both the midterms and the next national election after that, please make it clear to us who will either honor You directly or who will establish conditions that allow many others to honor you. I ask in Your name, Amen.

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What can Those in the 2020s Learn From 1980s Sports Figures?

It’s aggravating to me to see the way people intentionally ratchet up tensions, even stoking violence, toward others that don’t share their same view of the world. Sadly, this is the new norm now, and it seems like it’s intensifying. Sometimes it’s tempting to use this site as a platform to unload on the people doing it. Rather than indulging in that right now, though, I thought I’d share a fun four-minute video I recently came across.

In the early 1980s, before Michael Jordan got hugely famous, some of the most dominant names in professional basketball were Irvin “Magic” Johnson of the Los Angeles Lakers and Larry Bird of the Boston Celtics.

These guys could not stand each other. Both were exceptional talents, but they had a way of getting under each other’s skin and they developed a professional relationship that extended past rivalry and into hatred.

So in 1985 when the athletic shoe company Converse hired the two to shoot a commercial featuring the superstars playing each other one-on-one, nobody quite knew what to expect (least of all Johnson and Bird).

This video, Magic And Bird: A Rivalry Gives Way To Friendship, shows what can happen when some humanity is injected into a hate-filled situation.

There’s a radio station I listen to sometimes that says “the world is full of good people. If you can’t find one, be one.”

Hang in there. Better times are coming.

God, it’s bad out there. People seem like they’ve absolutely lost their minds. Please help us know when we should stand up and push back, and when we should be willing to take it on the chin. Help our pride not get in the way as we try to reflect You in the course of our daily lives, even if it means the other guy/gal walks away thinking they got the better of us. Their eternal destination is far more important than our bruised ego. In all things, may Your name be praised. Amen.

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Explainer: Supreme Court’s Leak

Greetings all…a quick update on some current events, just in case you haven’t been following recent developments regarding the leak of the Supreme Court’s pending decision on abortion.

I haven’t followed things super closely and I’m not well-versed in all aspects of this, but I’ll toss out some info you’re probably not hearing in the news.

Some quick background. Back in the early 1970s, Texas had a law that banned abortions. In a landmark case, Roe vs. Wade, the then-Supreme Court struck down the law, which effectively legalized abortion at the federal level (making it legally impossible for states to ban the practice in its own legislatures). I’m a little fuzzy on this part, but I believe there was some doubt among the public about the constitutionality of the decision. In other words, since the Constitution doesn’t mention abortion (or anything like it), how can laws about it be ruled unconstitutional?

The result was that this contentious issue, which at that point hadn’t really become the widely discussed issue it is now, was suddenly settled without even really having a national debate. Fast forward almost 50 years to where we are now. The issue has somehow come before the court once again (it’s not totally clear to me how the same issue can come before the court twice), and if this leaked decision is accurate, it looks like Roe vs. Wade will be overturned.

While this is great news for unwanted fetuses in our country that are just trying to make their way in this world, it’s easy to see how this will cause even more division in a country that’s already severely polarized. From a legal standpoint, the Supreme Court looks like it’s restoring the issue to neutral. That is, if there’s no federal stance on the matter, states are free to make their own laws about it. I heard someone describe the court as trying to legislate morality. Actually, it’s quite the opposite; this decision would unlegislate the existing pro-choice morality and enable state legislatures to decide according to the will of the people and representatives of those respective states. I think almost half of the states are set to ban abortion if the leaked decision is accurate.

Just touching very quickly on the leak itself. Decisions like this should not be leaked ahead of time. Whoever did it should be held accountable. With a conservative court, this decision doesn’t come as a shock; I’m inclined to think that whoever leaked it did so with the express intent to fire up the progressive base to the point where society would become so unhinged that the justices’ fear of societal meltdown would make them reconsider their decision. It’s meant to intimidate the court. As far as I know, no Supreme Court Justices read this blog, but if I’m wrong, your honor, I’d just like to remind you that there’s a reason this likeness is associated with the justice system:

If this leak turns out to be accurate, please let me offer one piece of advice. Don’t gloat. Yes, I know the pro-choice crowd would gloat if this decision comes down on their side, but that doesn’t mean pro-lifers should. Access to abortion can still be made law at the federal level if enough Senators and Representatives vote for it and get it to President Biden. It’s not looking likely at this point, but things can certainly change. Elections have consequences. In a cycle where Democrats are poised to take an absolute shellacking in the mid-terms, this is one of the key things they’ll latch onto, so expect to see and hear lots of advertisements about it as we draw nearer to elections in November. (Incidentally, Joe Biden voted to overturn Roe vs. Wade as a senator.)

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the pregnant women that consider or undergo abortions. Of course pro-lifers don’t want abortions to occur, but that doesn’t mean you write off someone that’s done it. Many of the women or teens that get abortions are emotionally fragile, scared, and are being pressured by others to just “make the problem go away.” If they terminate the pregnancy, of course it’s a sad thing, but abandoning or shunning someone who’s had one isn’t going to help a shattered would-be mom heal from the grief that follows. If you’re a loved one of someone who recently had an abortion, please help them through this time that’s already very difficult without having someone they trust turn their back on them.

To those with unwanted or unplanned pregnancies, here’s a message you probably don’t hear enough: having a child when you’re not ready for it is a terrifying thought, but you can do this. Yes it’s going to be hard, and yes it’s going to be scary, but you know what? You can do it. The time in which we live is the most empowered that women have ever been, and you will be strong enough to make it through the hard times. Society doesn’t associate strong women with pro-life, but that’s a mistake. Even in the face of all the pressure you may be facing to just end it…there’s a child whose life depends on your decision. As a former fetus myself, I’m rootin’ for you, and for the lil’ guy/gal you’re carrying. You can do it, but you have to believe you can do it.

Lord, this country feels like it’s on fire, and society won’t get any more calm if abortions start getting banned. Please help the justices to focus only on the legal considerations of the question before them, and if the leak turns out to be accurate, help our nation as it adjusts to overturning nearly 50 years of norms. Finally, please encourage and strengthen the girls and women that are considering or have had abortions. Help them have hope, help them find support, and bless them in a special way. I ask in Jesus’ name, Amen.

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The Dangerous, But Predictable, Erosion of Truth

Last week I talked about the shifting ground underneath our feet and the importance of having solid footing. “That’s all well and good,” you may say, “but what’s that look like in the course of living daily life?” Today I’d like to talk about an application. Today let’s examine the erosion of truth.

We’ve got an “Emperor’s new clothes” situation here. Our culture as a whole is afraid to define what a man is and what a woman is. Today’s topic has gained so much traction that even our most recent Supreme Court Justice during her confirmation hearing wriggled out of answering the question of defining what a woman is. While I certainly understand wanting to avoid being caught in an obvious trap during a confirmation hearing, the fact that anyone at this level of government was able to avoid answering such a simple question by saying “I’m not a biologist” testifies to the sad state of truth in our world today.

This post contains nothing hateful, but I imagine some will imply otherwise because of its “close minded, binary thinking.” America’s experience with COVID gave rise to the phrase “follow the science,” so I don’t see it as unreasonable for that phrase to apply in other areas of life.

Back before science got politicized to the degree it is today, this was an easy topic to address. Politics shouldn’t affect science. Biologically speaking, a human female has two X chromosomes, and a human male has an X and a Y chromosome. There is no fluidity in moving back and forth from one to the other, it’s established and set before birth. If you were born with an X and a Y chromosome, you are, and always will be, a dude. If you don’t like living as a dude, you might try to hide it, but you won’t ever change the fact that you’re a male. Dudes are able to undergo medical procedures and take hormones to make changes to their body, but they can’t change their chromosome makeup. If you’ve decided to undergo such things, medically speaking, you’ll always be a dude with an X and a Y chromosome that’s modified your body. (To be clear, this is a post about truth. It’s a completely separate discussion from your right to live according to your desired lifestyle.) Your appearance may fool me in some cases, but you can’t convince me that you were born a male and are now a female.

“That’s hateful!” Bullfeathers. Facts aren’t hateful, but they’re inconvenient if you embrace a worldview that’s based on things that aren’t true. Follow the science.

One of the clearest examples of this right now is the collegiate swimmer Lia Thomas. Lia Thomas was born with an X and a Y chromosome and got into competitive swimming. He then decided he wanted to compete in women’s swimming. Is it a sexist thing to say that Lia Thomas, born a male and possessing the musculature of a man, has an unfair competitive advantage over swimmers that were born females? I don’t know if “sexist” is the right word for it, but people definitely don’t want this thought expressed. Cranking up the fear to generate hesitation in speaking out against things like this is not an accident. If anyone is controlling your thoughts, they’re effectively controlling you, now aren’t they?

(As a brief aside here, if everyone’s concerned about fairness, the obvious solution is to move from a two-division class of sports (male and female) to an eight-division paradigm. One for males, one for females, one for those born male but now living as something they describe as other than male, one for those born female but now living as something they describe as other than female, and my favorites: the same four classes, but with all manner of performance-enhancing drugs being fair game. [I say that jokingly, but c’mon, out of those eight classes, which would YOU rather watch? Just don’t grow too attached to any of the competitors; I can’t imagine any of them will have a terribly long lifespan…])

“A person’s gender isn’t based only on science. It’s based partly on them knowing, and having a connection with who they really are.” Hmmm. Okay. How do you validate that knowledge? If you suspect you are something other than what your chromosomal makeup dictates, how do you confirm your suspicions? What test can you perform on a newborn that provides empirical results for this type of thing? If you want to use that line of thinking, what do you think about anorexics or bulimics that “know” they need to lose more weight? If they don’t even have the strength to get out of bed because they’re so underweight and undernourished, yet feel very strongly that they weigh too much, you must also believe they’re correct based on their strong feelings, is that true?

Regardless of gender or sex, every single person alive right now needs the love and forgiveness that comes from a relationship with Jesus Christ. I’m not saying the people discussed in this post can’t be geniuses, amazing friends, or really good people…I’m highlighting the degree to which the truth of something so basic has eroded in our society.

This is a single example of blurring the line between truth and lies. What is the ultimate goal of creating this uncertainty? As a religious fellow, I believe it’s ultimately Satan’s goal to taint every aspect of what God stands for and of how a person gets to Heaven. Lots of people believe in God or in Heaven and Hell, but they think that the way you get to Heaven is by being a good person or by living a good life. They have no idea that being a good person has nothing to do with it. According to the Bible, the single most important truth anyone can hear is that acceptance of Jesus Christ, who was both fully God and fully man, as their personal savior is the only way to enter Heaven and spend eternity in fellowship with God. You can never be good enough on your own.

If you’re Satan and you viciously hate everything about God, yet are powerless to harm Him, you will do everything within your power, working over the course of thousands of years, to distract from, water down, or erode that central truth. If the process of doing that requires you to employ a scorched-earth policy that causes confusion by eroding all basic truths, then so much the better.

I’ll say it again. According to the Bible, the single most important truth anyone can hear is that acceptance of Jesus Christ, who was both fully God and fully man, as their personal savior is the only way to enter Heaven and spend eternity in fellowship with God. You can never be good enough on your own. Let that truth ring out loud and clear, be repeated constantly, and define how you live your life.

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History in Progress

Let’s talk Ukraine for a little bit.

Things have gotten out of hand there lately. Although there’s been plenty of turmoil in the world lately, it feels like it’s been awhile since there were outright military engagements between nations.

This is only the most recent example of a world whose occupants have fought with each other since Adam and Eve were forced out of the garden. Ever since the two of them, our enemy has been working to pull humans away from fellowship with God.

Awhile back I wrote about why Satan benefits from the deaths of both those that don’t follow Christ and those that do. When unbelievers die, it cements their status as someone who has not received Christ; they have no additional opportunities to accept His gift of salvation, and Satan revels in the twisted joy of having prevented God from spending eternity with someone He loves. Conversely, Satan rejoices at the death of Christians because those that belong to Christ are more likely to play a part in snatching souls from his fold. Christians are equipped with the Holy Spirit and spiritual gifts, tools which can cut deep into our adversary’s kingdom. Can you blame him for celebrating when mighty warriors of the faith pass from this life, even if it means they graduate into God’s presence?

In light of this “death is good” mentality, it would make sense for Satan to do everything in his power to foment war, famine, and disease. Individual deaths are okay in his eyes, but death on the scale of thousands is something for him to aspire to. A shooting war is a good start for him, but it’s made better by the disease and famine that accompany combat conditions in an area under siege.

It’s hard not to wish ill will on Vladimir Putin. If it’s God’s will, Putin could choke to death on a pretzel today and have this whole invasion fall apart quickly. Maybe that’s the plan, but in the meantime, it’s important to remember that Putin would not have risen to be Russia’s president without the Lord allowing it.

Even though us mortals can’t see right now how God’s plan will play out in this situation, we are getting a better picture of what’s been happening. I saw a news report where a captured Russian soldier claimed to have been told by his superiors that Ukraine had been overrun by Nazis. If that claim is true and that’s what the whole invasion force has been told, we’ve got a whole bunch of misled, but well-intentioned, troops getting in firefights with people trying to defend their homeland. It’s easy to see how patriotic Ukrainians would then put together raids to hit Russians manning the stalled miles-long Russian convoy.

The whole time, in the background where we can’t see…there’s our supernatural adversary, snickering and rubbing his hands together gleefully each time there’s a death on either side or among noncombatants.

Hopefully this post serves as a reminder…there’s a lot on the line here…not just in Ukraine, but in the world today. Don’t forget about the urgency with which we should view this fleeting life. Eternity hangs in the balance, and you might be the only way the Gospel can reach some people.

Lord, the lies and injustices in this world make us long for Heaven. Some day You’ll return or call us home, but until that day comes, please help us to have the right focus, to use our spiritual gifts and talents, and to help raise God-fearing generations that will likely live in darker times than we do. Please end the violence in Ukraine and prevent things from getting any worse than they already are. It’s easy to become overwhelmed with the things we see in our world, so we thank You for allowing us to cast our burdens at Your feet. We ask these things in Your name, Amen.

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Schools That get a Failing Grade

Boy, I’d really like to get away from politics and get back to telling stories about doing SERE stuff in the Air Force or jumping out of airplanes or something, but the world just seems to insist on going crazy.

It looks like it’s happening again. Another Virginia county’s school system is passing policy changes that will result in boys being authorized to use the girl’s restroom (and vice versa). Before you tune out on me though, hang in there just a bit longer.

You know, at some point you have to ask…since this fails the common sense test, what’s really going on here?

A little background first. Prince William County Schools Superintendent Dr. LaTanya McDade is citing safety as a reason to create an environment that physically endangers students. (Here’s my last post, which shows how well that idea works.) At a school board meeting earlier this month, she said “All Prince William County students have a fundamental right to access educational programs and facilities that are safe and supportive of their physical, emotional, social and academic needs…” She also said “It is our mission to ensure every school community is inclusive, appreciates diversity, students have a sense of belonging and are affirmed in their identity.”

Affirmation is that important, huh? Affirmation is supposed to be used when somebody does a good job at something. To the parents out there…if your kid comes home and tells you about some kind of destructive behavior they’re getting into, YOU are the one with more life experience and YOU are the one that can help guide them. You don’t need to let them figure everything out by themselves. I’m all for letting kids make their own mistakes at the smaller level so they learn about consequences and critical thinking, but I’d say that no-questions-asked affirmation isn’t always the way to go, you know? “Hey, Mom/Dad, look, Johnny from school gave me a cherry bomb and said I should light it and throw it into traffic!” “Oh, wow, that’s wonderful news! Here’s a lighter!”

Now, the school system has some legal basis for doing this. A lawsuit settled in the Virginia Supreme Court established that public schools cannot use gender identity to deny a transgender student the right to access the school’s programs and facilities consistent with the student’s gender identity. Whether you agree or disagree, the court is saying “hey, you need to provide every student an opportunity to use school programs regardless of what gender they claim to be.” The decision effectively made this the law in Virginia. That being the case, I’d expect more Virginia school systems to start heading this direction.

The “Common Sense Fail” comes in recognizing the status of a non-binary student but still forcing them into using a binary system. If you have an X and a Y chromosome but identify as something other than a male, you shouldn’t get to compete in girls’ sports. That same person gets to use the girl’s restroom because it makes them feel affirmed, yet there’s apparently no concern for the other girls who feel uncomfortable or afraid to be alone in the bathroom with that person.

To inject some common sense back into the debate, if you’re going to recognize an unlimited number of genders, that’s fine, but you’re going to need to provide separate bathroom facilities for each of them. You’re also going to need to have separate sports leagues for each of them. Prohibitively expensive? Yep. Wildly impractical to have a league that has only three athletes in the whole county? You betcha. Fairer and safer for the girls and boys in school? I think so.

It’s not about fairness though, is it? Nobody’s actually interested in solving this problem, they’re interested in exacerbating it. Our kids can’t even perform basic math proficiently. Meanwhile, China’s out there firing hypersonic missiles. Don’t worry, though…at least the U.S. has its first transgender four-star admiral. That leads me to the deeper question…what’s this really about? What’s the real reason this is happening? Like I said two posts ago, there’s opportunity in chaos, but who’s poised to take advantage? Those that are dividing are looking to seize something they don’t yet have, while those that are trying to unite are trying to make more opportunity available for everyone.

Another point to ponder. The Virginia Supreme Court has effectively legislated from the bench. The Court has decided what the law should mean. If you live in Virginia, the only way to alter this reality now is to elect politicians that will write laws that modify the current situation. If you’re legally registered to vote in Virginia, you have the opportunity to do exactly that in less than two weeks. Only two states are holding gubernatorial elections this November, and Virginia is one of them (New Jersey is the other). You have the chance to help choose who will make the laws over the next four years.

Lord Jesus, thank you so much that we can rest knowing You’ve got your hand on the wheel. I pray for protection for all those that will be affected by this policy change, for good people and common sense to prevail, and for God-fearing people to be elected, not just at the state and local level, but at high levels as well. Amen

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Saying This Could Only Happen in a Third-World Country Insults Third-World Countries

On a local Christian radio station here in Northern Virginia, a couple of the afternoon hosts play a game called “Bible or Not.” They have three short phrases that sound kind of wise or religious, and a listener calls in and tries to determine whether they’re from the Bible or from somewhere else.

Let’s play a similar game. I’ll tell you a true story, and you guess whether it’s from Soviet Russia, Communist China, or present-day America. The story itself is true; you’re just trying to guess where it took place.

Ready? Here we go.

A school in the country was adopting a controversial policy that upset many parents. Many of the parents feared the policy would allow students to be physically harmed, and protested the change. The people in charge wanted the policy anyway, though, and it was enacted despite the parents’ concerns.

The parents ended up being right. One student took advantage of the policy and committed a crime against another student. Not just a little crime, a particularly heinous, “put you away for a long time” crime.

The crime was largely kept quiet. The next time the school board had a public meeting, the victim’s father showed up, hoping to shine a light on how the policy change had enabled the crime. Someone at the meeting asked if there had been any problems related to the policy change. The school board leaders said “not to my knowledge.” Enraged, the father relayed what happened to his child. Another attendee at the meeting informed the father that she did not believe the child’s claims, going so far as to insult the child’s mental capacity.

At that point the argument heated up, and law enforcement tried to escort the man out of the meeting where he could calm down. Wanting to stay and shed more light on the crime, things quickly escalated from a heated argument to several officers restraining the father and putting him in handcuffs.

He was charged with disorderly conduct and resisting arrest, and found guilty of both charges. The court sentenced him to 10 days in jail, all of which was suspended, contingent on one year of good behavior. The top prosecutor involved in the case then pursued a fine and anger management training for the man. This seems excessive for a man that simply wanted to share how a controversial policy brought physical and emotional harm to his child.

This man’s name is Scott Smith. He lives in Loudon County, Virginia, where the public school system allows students to use whatever restroom they’d like. He alleges that his daughter was sexually assaulted in the girls’ bathroom by a boy wearing a skirt. The nature of the allegations is extremely graphic and violent. The school system apparently tried to cover up an incident where a girl was beaten and raped in a public school. At the very least, school administrators claimed no knowledge of it, suggesting incompetence of the highest degree. I don’t really blame the cops for arresting him (they never know the back story, they only see what’s happening in front of them), but it’s unsettling that a pro-leniency prosecutor chose this incident to make an example out of, apparently trying to silence someone to help preserve a controversial agenda.

The daughter’s assailant was moved to a different school, and has allegedly assaulted a second victim.

And now, Scott Smith is near the top of someone’s list of domestic terrorists. Citing the case of Scott Smith, among others, the National School Boards Association has requested help from the U.S. Department of Justice to prosecute parents that get rowdy at school board meetings while protesting controversial items.

Your right to free speech doesn’t disappear overnight. It’s taken away little bits at a time. Elections matter. If there isn’t a good candidate in your local race, maybe you should throw your hat in the ring.

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The Art of Strategic Subversion

Christian influence used to dominate American culture. When you take a look at where our country is now, you can’t help but wonder: “how did this happen?”

It’s actually very interesting, in a terribly sad and depressing kind of way. This is a tactic that’s been used regularly throughout history. I’ll explain it a little and then show a couple of examples that one country has used recently. This is something that’s been done by insurgent groups, multiple nations throughout the world, and even the US.

When you have an existing political or social order where one force or social norm dominates the landscape, and a minor force or social norm desires to gain an increase in power relative to the dominant one, one of the strategies available to the underdog is a process called Strategic Subversion.

Strategic Subversion is a four-step process that can upend societies, and I believe that in America it has both already been done, and is still ongoing. I don’t know if this is the intent, or merely a side effect, but I believe its current use in America is leading Americans away from Christianity and Judeo-Christian values. (To be clear, I believe Americans have the right to practice any religion they choose so long as it doesn’t harm or infringe on the rights of others, but it’s something else entirely when someone intentionally pursues the widespread undermining of a religious system.)

There are different names for the four steps, but Strategic Subversion follows this basic sequence: Preparation, Destabilization, Flashpoint, Restabilization.

In the Preparation phase, the aspiring entity builds a network of players that prepares to seize opportunity and consolidate power when the time is right. Think of it as prepositioning allies to pick up the most important pieces when the existing system weakens and breaks. During the summer of 2020’s crazy civil unrest, flyers started showing up in my neighborhood. They said something like “think what the police are doing is unfair? Text ‘prosecute’ to xxxxx.” Why would anyone want a bunch of people texting them? It’s not a scam and they don’t make money from those texts, but what they’re doing is building an army. They’re gathering a list of phone numbers of sympathetic individuals that they can feed cherry-picked information to, aiming to inflame the emotions of people and inciting them to some sort of mass action at a later date.

Synchronize Watches!

During Destabilization, the aspiring entity sows the seeds that will allow for the Flashpoint to occur. It might include pushing the boundaries of what’s acceptable for the sake of seeing where the dominant power draws a line. In a revolution, the lesser power might attack government institutions (physical attacks, cyber attacks, or any other means of overwhelming the institution’s ability to conduct normal operations) in an attempt to demonstrate the current power’s inability to effectively provide services (electricity, water, food, safety, security, or any other basic need) to the populace. A benign example would be a college prank where a large portion of the student body checks out the maximum allowable number of books from the school library over time, and then everybody returns them all during the same half hour on a prearranged date. The library’s staff would not be able to provide normal services because they’d simply be overwhelmed by all the incoming books. Now imagine the same concept, but on a much more serious level, like engaging in a large number of crimes in a short amount of time. The police simply cannot get to all of them in a timely manner.

The Flashpoint is the most crucial of the four steps. It’s an unmistakable crisis that essentially causes mass confusion among the general populace and sets the plan in motion. During the confusion, the prepositioned players execute their pre-assigned tasks, which could be something as simple as intentionally making a bad situation worse, or could be as bad as assassinating a key figure. This is the phase that moves quickly…the people in the know seem to miraculously seize power before the general public has even figured out what’s going on.

Restabilization is the consolidation of the new order. It’s the cementing of power that makes it difficult or impossible for the deposed power to mount a counterattack and reclaim what it lost. Assassinations, imprisonments, sweeping new laws, reports of sudden swings in public opinion (which may or may not be true)…these are the things that make it very difficult for remaining pockets of the old order to bounce back. If all goes according to plan, the aspiring power has now become the ruling power and most of the serious challenges to its authority are eliminated or minimized through various means.

One of the artificial islands in the South China Sea

China can provide two recent examples. Ten to 15 years ago, the South China Sea (SCS) was highly disputed territory…many nations in the area had claims to its waters simply by virtue of their close proximity. Plenty of nations are closer to the SCS than China, but China wanted to expand its territory for various reasons (natural resources, additional buffer space, control of one of the busiest shipping regions in the world, etc.). As fishing vessels from different nations continued getting into disputes with each other in the area, China started sending armed vessels to the area to protect its fishing vessels. Soon after, it began putting armed troops in ankle-deep water on shoals in the SCS to stake claims to maritime features. Fast forward to today, and it’s manufactured islands in the area that now include military airstrips, from which China intends to consolidate Chinese control over huge swaths of the SCS, something to which China would otherwise have no authoritative claim. International maritime courts have declared China has no right to territorial claims near these manufactured islands, but the nation largely ignored the ruling. Officially, this territory is not internationally recognized as Chinese territorial waters, but if everybody stays out of the area, that’s essentially the new reality. That’s why the United States still conducts “Freedom of Navigation” cruises through the SCS; we send US naval vessels through territory China claims as its own, but which the international community does not recognize. China of course raises a stink each time we do it, but Chinese leaders know they have no legal claim to the area. If nobody sails through the area, China’s vision becomes the new order.

A more current example involves Taiwan. If you’re not up to speed on this one, the quick and dirty version is that when Communists rose up against the government and took over China in the late 1940s, the deposed government fled to an island roughly 100 miles off the coast…Taiwan. Ever since then, mainland China has been under Communist rule while a Democratic version of the pre-Communist Chinese Government has remained in place on Taiwan. As China gained power, many in the international community navigated this sticky situation by acknowledging only one of the governments, the Communist People’s Republic of China on the mainland, as the rightful China. The Democratic government still communicates with the U.S., but if we set up an American embassy on Taiwan, China would view this action as tantamount to an act of war. The fact that China, with all its might, has for the past 70+ years been unable to reclaim Taiwan and abolish the Democratic upstart just off its coast, has been a national embarrassment to the government. China intends to reclaim Taiwan by force, if necessary, and we could all be surprised by how soon this occurs. During the Trump administration, China played things a little cooler with Taiwan and would only send a few planes every now and then into Taiwanese airspace. Now, though, during the administration of a president China perceives as weak, bogged down with foreign and domestic crises, and unable to demonstrate military force or resolve, China regularly violates Taiwanese airspace with larger and larger incursions. This past Monday, 56 Chinese aircraft entered Taiwan’s airspace without permission. China is clearly challenging the norm in preparation for the Flashpoint, when it seizes Taiwan by force, arrests or kills Taiwan’s key leaders, destroys or takes over the island’s defenses, and sets up a naval perimeter the U.S. Navy would be hard-pressed to breach. At that point it will be difficult, if not impossible, to fight and recover Taiwan (and still have pre-flashpoint Taiwanese leaders reclaim power). I don’t believe the plan was to do it this early, but China may choose to seize the initiative before Australia builds up the submarine assets we’ve heard so much about in the news recently (the deal the French weren’t happy about), at a time when the U.S. administration will be reluctant to commit the U.S. Navy to the crisis, and when America is embroiled in domestic challenges to the point where its citizens don’t care about what’s happening on the other side of the world.

I use China as an example, but it’s certainly not the only nation employing the tactic. Remember how this post started out: how did such a pro-Christian nation get to where we are now? Slowly and persistently. This happens inside our own borders, by those who wish to tear down the existing power structure. The next time you find yourself standing palms up with shrugged shoulders, mouth agape, asking “what is happening?”, you may find yourself in the tail end of a destabilization phase. Chaos is the goal, because in chaos lies the opportunity to make big changes. Take a look around and ask yourself “who’s doing the dividing, and who’s doing the uniting?” The people doing the dividing are likely players (at least pawns) in the aspiring power’s plan.

Here’s one of the main takeaways from this post. This strategy is most effective when the people in the dominant role (the position being undermined) are not being proactive. I’d guess most Americans just want to go to work, get paid, raise their families, and try to improve their situation. That’s wonderful, but it probably means that if they’re focused on that, they’re not out to change society. Other people are, though. Don’t be passive. When you see evil or those with ill intent, confront it and/or call it out.

I don’t believe we’re anywhere near the horror of the Holocaust, but I bring it up to make a point. The situation for the Jews in 1940s Germany started getting bad way before concentration camps. By the time they were forced to walk around with yellow stars pinned on their clothes, it was too late. Don’t be afraid to learn from history, to push back (while you’re still able to), and to start moving this country back toward becoming a God-fearing one.

God, it’s getting bad down here. It feels like the country has turned its back on You. I know there are other Christians out there, but I sure don’t hear them as much as I hear everyone else. Help us collectively turn back to you as a nation and help us point others to You in the process. Amen

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How Does He Bounce Back?

It’s been a rough few weeks for President Biden. Let’s take stock of the current political situation.

A stalled domestic agenda. The botched Afghanistan withdrawal. The first time ever that France recalled its ambassador to the US. Rising inflation. The crisis on the southern border (both the normal border crossers and now the Haitians huddling under the bridge in Texas). Trying to manage the optics of mandating vaccines for Americans while releasing unvaccinated illegal immigrants into the US. Even the press is starting to politely turn against him.

Many politicians view election results as the American public delivering mandates. That is, if there’s a large party swing after an election, it’s normally interpreted as the public saying “we want to go in the other direction,” and giving the new majority party license to do so. There’s a problem though. It’s one thing if your political party trounces the other; that outcome suggests the American public is willing to go along with your proposed agenda. However, in this case, this majority is one of the slimmest majorities in recent memory. In fact, the House majority is the narrowest it’s been in about 75 years. In the Senate, party lines are as close as they can possibly be; if a single Democratic senator disagrees, becomes incapacitated, or otherwise doesn’t show for a vote, Dems won’t have enough for even a simple majority, and that simple majority requires using the Vice President to break a tie. Despite this incredibly narrow margin, Democrats have approved and are pursuing highly controversial agenda items that would normally only be undertaken when holding significant majorities. (In the 2010 midterms, for example, after Democrats signed the controversial “Obamacare” into effect, President Obama admitted to the House taking a “shellacking” when they lost about 60 seats to Republicans.)

President Biden’s poll numbers are taking a beating. My sense is that it has to do with his identity crisis. Historically (prior to serving in his role as Vice President), Joe was pretty moderate. Why is it that he’s now gone full radical left? I’d guess it’s because, while he may have his personal political views, the people around him know how to persuade him to do what they want. Joe Biden is a likable guy, but he’s obviously not the one calling the shots. It seems he’s not permitted to engage in unscripted events, and he’s repeatedly made remarks about how he’s “not supposed to” interact with the audience or take questions. This is, like, puppet government stuff (think “Weekend at Bernie’s,” but set in the White House).

If I’m a democratic strategist, I’m looking at this situation and thinking that it’s probably best to wring everything possible out of President Biden (in terms of agenda), but then do my best to make sure someone else, maybe with a more moderate record, is the Democratic nominee running in 2024 (maybe Virginia Senator Mark Warner, if he can raise his profile between now and then).

The problem for Democrats…if Joe Biden leaves office for any reason during this term, Vice President Kamala Harris gets promoted to the big chair, and she’s not yet ready to carry the torch in a Presidential election. She might be ready by the time the election nears, but there’s still much work to be done. It took her a full three months to even visit the border after her boss put her in charge of the border crisis. That’s a fail, even if the border visit didn’t actually accomplish anything. She recently embarked on an official tour through Asia, which should give her some more experience with foreign policy. Time will tell if she’ll be groomed for the role of President.

Let’s say you’re a strategist working for the democratic “kingmakers.” You have President Joe Biden, a man with plummeting poll numbers, but you can pretty much get him to do whatever you want him to do. That benefit isn’t worth anything if he’s voted out of office, however. You’re almost definitely going to have a Republican-controlled House of Representatives after the midterm elections, and possibly a Republican-controlled Senate. What’s your call here? Do you go all in, trying to implement a Democratic wishlist that will get you voted out in the short term, but perhaps return you to office in the long term, or do you focus on trying to retain the White House even if it means tossing Biden (and possibly Harris) overboard in favor of a new ticket? Who do you have on the bench that can be used on the national stage?

Historically speaking, the President’s party loses House seats in midterm elections. (It’s just how it goes; it’s more of an anomaly when this does not happen, like when Republicans gained seats during the 2002 midterm elections…in the wake of 9/11 and the start of the conflict in Afghanistan.) My original prediction would have been that even though it’s predictable, President Biden will get saddled with the blame for losing the House and maybe the Senate, then in the midst of that blame game, the powers that be will demand a Democratic primary for the 2024 election, which he will not win. Judging by the way the press is openly questioning the White House, though, that plan may take too long.

I’m not saying that this part will happen, but it’s something to keep an eye on. There are four Republican House members that are planning to introduce articles of impeachment against President Biden in respect to the Afghanistan debacle and the catastrophe that’s happening on our southern border. They can introduce whatever they want, but it doesn’t mean it’s going to go anywhere. If we start seeing these articles get traction from Democrats, it won’t mean they believe there’s dereliction of duty going on; it will mean that they’ve wrung what they could from Biden and now it’s time to get rid of him in the hopes of having a better shot during the next election. It’s not the way the system should work, but it may be the way it gets used. Again, time will tell, but I don’t think Joe Biden will serve a full four years.

I don’t really like doing political posts here, but I feel it’s important to keep up with what your government is up to. The way I see it, this is more “political analysis” than posting political material.

A lot can happen between now and the next presidential election, and I expect that it will. I don’t believe that President Biden will run for re-election, but at this point I don’t know how that set of circumstances will unfold.