Category: Christianity

Christmas Day 2024: “One Solitary Life” Made All The Difference

On By kingsjesterIn Christianity, PoliticsLeave a comment

“Tis the season for Christmas movies.

From the Hallmark romance movies to Bill Murray’s “Scrooged” to “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation”, there are movies to be found on television for everyone’s taste. However, there is none quite like Frank Capra’s “It’s a Wonderful Life”, the Holiday Classic starring Jimmy Stewart.

In the movie, Stewart plays the role of George Bailey, an average man whom, through a series of circumstances, finds himself living a life which he had never really envisioned himself leading. When dire circumstances arise, he contemplates killing himself, only to be stopped by an angel named Clarence, who shows him what his hometown would be like if he had never been born.

After viewing the difference which he had made in his sphere of influence, Stewart prays to the Lord to return him back to his family and his life.

The movie ends happily, with all the people whom he had helped over the years coming to his aid in his moment of crisis.

The last time I watched this movie, I had not seen it in quite a while and I found myself with tears in my eyes at the end of it.

It was then that I realized that God puts us where He wants us to be.

It is up to us to navigate around the pitfalls of life caused by our own Free Will by using the Gift of Discernment which we have been blessed with and by listening to that Still Small Voice which resides within each and every one of us.

Each and every one of us can make a difference within our own sphere of influence.

However, there remains only One who walked this Earth in human form who is still making a difference and whose birth we celebrate today.

Many stories have been written about Him.

On this Christmas Day, please allow me to present to you one of the best and the gentleman who wrote it.

Dr. James Allan Francis was born in Nova Scotia, Canada. He became a pastor at age twenty-one and served in ministry for the remainder of his life. His first pastorate was in New York City at the Riverside Baptist Church, and after serving in other varied pastorates in the East, he came to Los Angeles in 1914.

Though he had a busy life as a pastor, Francis was able to publish a handful of books: Drops from a Living Fountain (1895), Christ’s Mould of Prayer (1924), and Christ is All And Other Sermons (1928). His publications are full of passionate encouragement for Christians to know their Lord, to rely on him, and to follow his example.

Francis’ most famous words, now known as “One Solitary Life,” originated as part of a sermon that he delivered on July 11, 1926 to the Baptist Young People’s Union at a Los Angeles Convention. A friend transcribed the message titled “Arise, Sir Knight,” and Dr. Francis published it that same year in a collection called The Real Jesus and Other Sermons.

Today, we celebrate the birth of Our Savior Jesus Christ.

As you spend today with your family and friends, please stop for a moment and say a prayer for our nation and those who are away from home, protecting you and me.

Please allow me to close with one of my favorite Christmas songs, featuring a remarkable performance by the man who wrote it, Mark Lowry.

God bless us, everyone.

Here is a man who was born in an obscure village as the child of a peasant woman.

He grew up in another obscure village.

He worked in a carpenter shop until he was thirty and then for three years was an itinerant preacher.

He never wrote a book.

He never held an office.

He never owned a home.

He never had a family.

He never went to college.

He never put his foot inside a big city.

He never traveled two hundred miles from the place where he was born.

He never did one of the things that usually accompany greatness.

He had no credentials but himself.

He had nothing to do with this world except the naked power of his divine manhood.

While still a young man the tide of popular opinion turned against him.

His friends ran away.

One of them denied him.

Another betrayed him.

He was turned over to his enemies.

He went through the mockery of a trial.

He was nailed upon the cross between two thieves.

His executioners gambled for the only piece of property he had on earth while he was dying, and that was his coat.

When he was dead, he was taken down and laid in a borrowed grave through the pity of a friend.

Nineteen wide centuries have come and gone and today he is the center of the human race and the leader of the column of progress.

I am far within the mark when I say that all the armies that ever marched, and all the navies that were ever built, and all the parliaments that ever sat and all the kings that ever reigned, put together, have not affected the life of man upon the earth as powerfully as has this one solitary life.

Until He Comes,

KJ

From The Innkeeper’s Point of View

On By kingsjesterIn ChristianityLeave a comment

Luke 2: 1-7 (ASV):
1 Now it came to pass in those days, there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be enrolled.
2 This was the first enrolment made when Quirinius was governor of Syria.
3 And all went to enrol themselves, every one to his own city.
4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David;
5 to enrol himself with Mary, who was betrothed to him, being great with child.
6 And it came to pass, while they were there, the days were fulfilled that she should be delivered.
7 And she brought forth her firstborn son; and she wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

I remember it like it was yesterday. Caesar Augustus had come up with the bright idea that a census should be taken of the whole Roman Empire, in order to more effectively tax the stew out of all of us.

It especially hurt small businessmen like me. You see, I’m nothing but a lowly innkeeper, barely keeping my head above water, working 16 hour days. Oy! I could continue to gripe, but who would listen?

Anyway, like I said, Caesar decreed that everyone should get themselves registered for the Census. In terms of business, that actually turned out to be a good thing.

I was about to lock up for the night, when a young man and woman came to the door.

He was a strong,rugged-looking young man. I think he was a carpenter. She was a beautiful, pregnant little thing. Bless her heart, she looked like she would deliver at any moment.

Their names were Joseph and Mary.

My inn was packed, for once, and I had no rooms available. But, some part of my heart told me that I just couldn’t send them away.

So I offered them my stable, which would at least offer some protection from the elements.

What happened that night was wondrous.

Men are still talking about it to this day.

A precious little baby boy was born that night, and the most miraculous things happened. People said that animals actually spoke!

And, the local shepherds said that angels came to them and told them about this baby.

They sang His praises and told the shepherds that they needed to come to my stable to see and worship that little baby.

Three wise men, sent by Herod, showed up later, bearing gifts for that special infant.

They were overcome by that little one and decided that they would not report back to Herod, but, instead, would return to their homes.

It was quite a remarkable time. As the years went by, I heard stories about that child.

They named Him Jesus.

He grew in knowledge and stature. At 12, his parents lost Him. They found Him in the synagogue, teaching the old men that should have been teaching Him!

Can you imagine?

He grew up working beside His father in his carpentry business and when He was 30, I heard that He was baptized by that wild man, John The Baptist.

According to witnesses, the heavens parted, and they heard the voice of God saying:

This is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased.

For three years, He traveled with a group of twelve disciples, performing miracles, preaching and teaching about God’s love and His plan for mankind.


And, now I’ve heard that just yesterday, they nailed Him to a cross, executing Him as they would a common criminal.

So sad.

But, you know, there is a still, small voice inside of me that’s telling me that His story is not over, yet.

I truly hope that you enjoyed this post today. I originally wrote the preceding story 14 years ago today in honor of this special night.


Tonight, we celebrate the birth of Our Savior Jesus Christ. In closing, I want to share two videos with you. The first is a video entitled, “That’s my King!”, as read by Dr. S.M. Lockridge. The second video is a song that I’ve had the privilege of singing in choirs many times, “The Hallelujah Chorus”, which has become a favorite of Believers everywhere.

Merry Christmas to you and yours! And may God bless us, everyone!



Until He Comes,


KJ

Thanksgiving 2024: For Our Past and the Right to Determine Our Future, Americans Should Give Thanks

On By kingsjesterIn Christianity, PoliticsLeave a comment

Thanksgiving Day.

Simply saying the words to myself brings back a flood of precious memories…memories of Thanksgivings past, as a child, surrounded by aunts, uncles, cousins, my sisters, and my Mother and Daddy…smells of sage dressing and oven-roasted turkey…followed by the feeling of having an over-stuffed stomach…all topped by the sounds of laughter and the sight of my aunts and uncles, all members of America’s Greatest Generation, being led in a penny-ante poker game after the Thanksgiving meal by my Daddy, the finest man I have ever known…all of them enjoying each other’s company as they reveled in the wonderful completeness of being a family.

Regardless of what the idiots on the Far Left are saying, it is not about sharing a bunch of Talking Points about President-elect Trump being “Hitler” and the 80 million Americans who voted for him being “uninformed and ignorant”.

Thanksgiving is a uniquely American Holiday…as unique as the nation which celebrates it.

In 1621, a small group of Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Indians shared a feast celebrating the autumn harvest. This is acknowledged today as one of the first Thanksgiving celebrations in the colonies.

However, Thanksgiving is much more than this.

Thanksgiving is a day when Americans thank their Creator for the blessings they have received during the year, while holding hope and expectation in their hearts for the blessings yet to come.

The Father of Our Country expressed his thankfulness concerning God and America, when he announced this holiday in 1789:

Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor – and Whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested me “to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness.”

Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday the 26th day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be – That we may then all unite in rendering unto him our sincere and humble thanks – for his kind care and protection of the People of this country previous to their becoming a Nation – for the signal and manifold mercies, and the favorable interpositions of his providence, which we experienced in the course and conclusion of the late war –for the great degree of tranquillity, union, and plenty, which we have since enjoyed – for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national One now lately instituted, for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed, and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and in general for all the great and various favors which he hath been pleased to confer upon us.

And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech him to pardon our national and other transgressions – to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually – to render our national government a blessing to all the People, by constantly being a government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed – to protect and guide all Sovereigns and Nations (especially such as have shewn kindness unto us) and to bless them with good government, peace, and concord – To promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and Us – and generally to grant unto all mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as he alone knows to be best.

Given under my hand at the City of New York the third day of October in the year of our Lord 1789. – United States President George Washington.

On November 15, 1985, in the first year of his second term, President Ronald Reagan issued the following proclamation…

Although the time and date of the first American thanksgiving observance may be uncertain, there is no question but that this treasured custom derives from our Judeo-Christian heritage. “Unto Three, O God, do we give thanks,” the Psalmist sang, praising God not only for the “wondrous works” of His creation, but for loving guidance and deliverance from dangers.

A band of settlers arriving in Maine in 1607 held a service of thanks for their safe journey, and twelve years later settlers in Virginia set aside a day of thanksgiving for their survival. In 1621 Governor William Bradford created the most famous of all such observances at Plymouth Colony when a bounteous harvest prompted him to proclaim a special day “to render thanksgiving to the Almighty God for all His blessings.” The Spaniards in California and the Dutch in New Amsterdam also held services to give public thanks to God.

In 1777, during our War of Independence, the Continental Congress set aside a day for thanksgiving and praise for our victory at the battle of Saratoga. It was the first time all the colonies took part in such an event on the same day. The following year, upon news that France was coming to our aid, George Washington at Valley Forge prescribed a special day of thanksgiving. Later, as our first President, he responded to a Congressional petition by declaring Thursday, November 26, 1789, the first Thanksgiving Day of the United States of America.

Although there were many state and national thanksgiving days proclaimed in the ensuing years, it was the tireless crusade of one woman, Sarah Josepha Hale, that finally led to the establishment of this beautiful feast as an annual nationwide observance. Her editorials so touched the heart of Abraham Lincoln that in 1863 – even in the midst of the civil War – he enjoined his countrymen to be mindful of their many blessings, cautioning them not to forget “the source from which they come,” that they are “the gracious gifts of the Most High God…” Who ought to be thanked “with one heart and one voice by the whole American People.”

It is in that spirit that I now invite all Americans to take part again in this beautiful tradition with its roots deep in our history and deeper still in our hearts. We manifest our gratitude to God for the many blessings he has showered upon our land and upon its people.

In this season of Thanksgiving we are grateful for our abundant harvests and the productivity of our industries; for the discoveries of our laboratories; for the researches of our scientists and scholars; for the achievements of our artists, musicians, writers, clergy, teachers, physicians, businessmen, engineers, public servants, farmers, mechanics, artisans, and workers of every sort whose honest toil of mind and body in a free land rewards them and their families and enriches our entire Nation.

Let us thank God for our families, friends, and neighbors, and for the joy of this very festival we celebrate in His name. Let every house of worship in the land and every home and every heart be filled with the spirit of gratitude and praise and love on this Thanksgiving Day.

On this Thanksgiving Day 2024, I’m thankful for average Americans who are still making a difference: “Average Americans” who still love God and country and stand on principle with their feet planted on a Solid Rock, and not on shifting sands.

The “Average American”, the 9 to 5′er, working himself into the grave to try to provide for his family.

It was this same “Average American”, who fired the shot heard around the world and began the War for American Independence, who stormed the beaches of Normandy on D-Day in World War II, who waded through rice paddies in Vietnam, and who swallowed sand in Desert Storm and Desert Shield.

The same “Average American” who, as a New York City Policeman or Fireman, ran up the stairs of the World Trade Center on 9/11/01, instead of running down them.

The same “Average American”, who simply wants things to be easier in this life for his children and grandchildren, than he had it.

It is this same “Average American”, who takes family and friends in, when they are in the midst of a life-altering tragedy.

The same “Average American”, who volunteers on a soup line or at a Senior Citizens Home, or, who begins a successful business in his basement.

They are the reason we remain, in spite of all that has befallen us as a nation, the Greatest Country on the Face of the Earth, despite those who tried to “radically change” our Constitutional Republic” and take away our right as Americans to live and raise our children and grandchildren as we see fit.

And, most importantly, I am thankful for the One who gave us this country and endowed us with certain “inalienable rights” is the Rock upon which America was built.

Thank you, God, for giving us another chance to make this Sovereign Nation great again.

And, for that, we can all be thankful.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Until He Comes,

KJ

A Pope, a Country, a World, a Falling Away

On By kingsjesterIn Christianity, Politics2 Comments

“In a line that may once again stir reaction in more traditional Catholic quarters, Pope Francis on Friday wrapped up a three-day visit to Singapore, a country with large pockets of at least five different faiths, that “all religions are a path to God.”

“They are like different languages in order to arrive at God, but God is God for all,” the pope said, who had set aside his prepared text and spoke largely off the cuff. “Since God is God for all, then we are all children of God.”

The pontiff made his remarks during a interreligious meeting with young people held at a Catholic junior college, just prior to departing Singapore for his return flight to Rome.” (Courtesy cruznow.com)

When the leader of the Catholic Church said this, the ears of Christians all over the world perked up. I know mine certainly did. You see, in Sunday School, Christians are taught (at least they used to be taught) that the Bible is the Living Word of God.

That being said, I can remember one of the first verses that I was taught was the following…

6Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” – John 14:6

Now, I may be slow, but shouldn’t the leader of the largest Christian denomination in the world be following the teachings of the Son of God?

This current Pope has been known to take positions that are less than biblically-based in the past. So, this is nothing new.

However, what the Pontiff said struck me as being the main reason that the civilized world is beginning to crumble around us.

Both Europe and America are in danger of losing their entire cultures to an influx of migrants from other countries and other faiths.

While the Bible tells us to love one another as God has first loved us, it did not say to accept and adopt things that were not of the Christian faith whether they be be sexual practices or other religions.

All paths do not lead to the God of Abraham.

“THE BODY OF MUHAMMAD lies enshrined behind gold mesh and black curtains at the Mosque of the Prophet in Medina, Saudi Arabia. The remains of Confucius are buried in a cemetery in Qufu, Shandong Province, China. And, after Buddha’s body was cremated, his relics were placed in various monuments, like the Temple of the Tooth in Sri Lanka, where his followers may visit his “right tooth relic.”

In sharp contrast, there is little to show for Jesus’ burial place. Like hotels whose claim to fame is that an important person once slept there, two different sites in Jerusalem claim to be the place Jesus’ body lay during the three days before His resurrection. But Jesus had no need of a permanent tomb; He needed only to borrow one for a few days. The angel set the record straight: “He is not here; He is risen.” (Courtesy weslyan.org)

Have you ever wondered why those who look at traditional American faith and values as passe are attacking average Americans as being Christian Nationalists?

It’s because they know that Americans have a Heritage of Faith, which began with the Christian faith of our Founding Fathers.

It’s as simple and profound as that.

America was not built on shifting sands. Our Sovereign Nation was built on The Solid Rock.

As long as you come in here legally and pledge to be a good American citizen, Christian Americans will gladly help you become a part of the American Fabric.

However, a house divided against itself can not stand.

In order for America to survive, we must return to the faith of our Founding Fathers.

And, as far as Pope Francis is concerned, just like each one of us, he will have to answer to a Sovereign God….the One he is supposed to be serving.

Until He Comes,

Kj

Welcome to Babylon: What to Expect During the 2024 DNC

On By kingsjesterIn Christianity, PoliticsLeave a comment

The Exhibit of Human Oddities, also known as the Democratic National Convention, kicks off tomorrow.

3 days ago, breitbart.com posted the following

“Stars of RuPaul’s Drag Race are reportedly set to make an appearance Monday at a DNC-themed party thrown by Equality PAC, which raises money for LGBTQ candidates for Congress. The PAC has also held Drag Queen Story Hour events for children.”

Yesterday, Breitbart.com posted that

“A Planned Parenthood clinic will be offering people free vasectomies and abortions during the Democratic National Convention (DNC), which is set to be held next week in Chicago.

Planned Parenthood Great Rivers (PPGR), the Chicago Abortion Fund, and The Wieners Circle will be “providing FREE vasectomies & medication abortion” at Planned Parenthood Great Rivers’ mobile health clinic, PPGR announced in a post on X.

According to the New York Times, the mobile health clinic will be set up “blocks away” from the DNC.

PPGR, which is part of the St. Louis Region and Southwest Missouri are described as being “the leading provider, educator, and protector of sexual and reproductive health care in the St. Louis region, Missouri Ozarks, and beyond,” according to the website for Planned Parenthood Great Rivers.”

Meanwhile, those in charge in Chicago have cordoned off the location of the convention for blocks because of the threat of protests turning into riots by useful idiots such as the Pro-Palestinian crowd, who as we have seen on college campuses, have a history of anything but peaceful demonstrations.

All of the pop culture icons and the denizens of Hollywood will at the convention demonstrating how cool, woke, and with it they are.

Obama and Mooch will be there on behalf of Kamala attempting to convince Americans that she’s an intellectual genius and that somehow she was legally put into place in an end-around around our constitution.

President Incommunicado Joe Biden will be there as well, mumbling something incoherent and saring off in a space with a creepy smile that you would normally see in a horror movie.

It all promises to be a big wing-ding that hasn’t been seen since Babylon.

Meanwhile, out here in Realityville, we’re still paying 30 to 40% higher for our groceries, mortgage rates are out of sight, and gas is almost twice as much as when President Trump left office.

Kamala herself only had 250 people in what amounted to a large studio to announce her wonderful Socialist Economic Plan, while former President Trump had thousands of average Americans at a rally in Pennsylvania yesterday promising to make America great again.

Americans need relief from our horrible economic situation, and all the Democrats have to offer is bread and circuses.

The Democrat Elite has changed out lead clowns, but their mission is still the same.

The Democrats want to turn our country into a mixture of Red China and Sodom and Gomorrah.

America, a land and people “endowed by our Creator,” can not survive 4 more years of what we have seen and endured during the last 4 years.

We must save America from useful idiots who have no clue what they are voting for.

Meanwhile, God is shaking His head.

Until He Comes,

Kj

The War Against Christianity: Mocking The Last Supper at the Paris Olympics

On By kingsjesterIn Christianity, PoliticsLeave a comment
Last Supper, one of the most famous artworks in the world, painted by Leonardo da Vinci probably between 1495 and 1498 for the Dominican monastery Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan.

As of 2023, Christians number 2.4 billion on this terrestrial ball.

What happened at the opening of the 2024 Paris Olympics was not only blasphemous, it was evil.

For the past decade, America has been battling against the same sexual deviency and perversion against people who claim to be the smartest people in the world while championing debauchery.

All the great civilizations in the history of the world that have crumbled from within, like the Roman Empire and ancient Greeks, fell apart because of an embracing of relative morality and situational ethics.

What happened to them is not only being witnessed in our country but in Europe as well, as was televised by a clueless Olympic committee.

With all the upheaval in Eastern Europe and the Middle East which led to an Western migration of Muslims, Europe has seen their own invasion and their culture sublimated to almost the point of nonexistence by the faith of Islam.

What was it that kept Europe a Christian continent for all those centuries?

It wasn’t fear.

It wasn’t going along to get along.

It was faith. It was the belief in the Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost.

And now, thanks to those who believe themselves to be their own gods, Europeans  find themselves being run over by the followers of Muhammad.

The reason for their demise is the fact that they have forsworn the faith of their fathers.

Sound familiar?

The pundits tell us that America is slightly over 50% Christian.

I have a difficult time believing that to be true simply because being a Christian does not necessarily mean that you are presently participating and attending a church on a Sunday morning.

People worship in their homes and read their Bibles in their homes and have withdrawn from congregations for various reasons.

I am not championing that in any way, as we are supposed to keep ourselves in the company of believers.

Like the rest of the world, America is in the middle of a war between princes and principalities.

What we all witnessed in the opening of the Olympic Games was Satan showing off.

The devil wants us to believe that he is winning.

It may seem so right now.

However, those of us who have read the Bible know how all this ends.

It won’t go well for all those who were laughing at Christianity around the world on Friday night unless they seek forgiveness and repent.

However, that is difficult to do for people who believe they know everything.

Until He Comes,

KJ

Sunday Morning Thoughts: Trump and the Grace of God

On By kingsjesterIn Christianity, PoliticsLeave a comment

“As I said earlier this week, I stand before you only by the grace of Almighty God. That’s true. I shouldn’t be here.” – Former President/Republican Presidential Candidate Donald J Trump, Grand Rapids, MI Rally, 7/20/24

He is absolutely right. He shouldn’t.

Last Saturday night, a bullet fired from an AR-15 struck the top of Trump’s right ear, nearly missing entering his brain by a quarter of an inch per Congressional Representative and former White House Doctor Ronny Jackson.

Have you ever experienced God’s grace?

It’s something indescribable and something unexpected.

For those who believe, it is the realization that God cares and is watching over us.

Non-believers usually brush it off as pure dumb luck or a happy coincidence.

What happened to former President Trump can only be explained by the grace of God.

It has been interesting to watch the news people and pundits at MSNBC and CNN try to explain what happened last Saturday night by claiming that it was shards of glass instead of an assassin’s bullet, and brushing off Trump’s near death experience as nothing of the sort, simply a minor injury.

What happened can not be scientifically explained, not even if you make the science up like Fauci and the rest of the Democrat “experts” did with the regulations during the COVID-19 pandemic.

If you carry the presumption that this was an act of God’s grace, then that means that God has a plan for President Donald J Trump, just as he does with all of us.

I can hear the political experts on social media screaming now about how God could use Donald J Trump with all his faults and brash behavior?

Even though they will tell you that they have, it is quite evident that those who railed against Donald J Trump and the idea of God using him have never read the bible.

Throughout God’s Word, there are instances of him using imperfect men to fulfill his perfect plans.

King David is an example that easily comes to mind. However, he was not the only one.

The thing is, the God of Abraham has used imperfect men throughout history.

He has used them in the history of our own country.

America was founded by imperfect men and women who valued religious freedom and the rights of the individual, including the right to worship Our Creator as they saw fit.

Former President Donald J Trump and his Vice-President pick, J.D. Vance, are not perfect.

There was only one Perfect Man, and He gave His life as “the expiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world”. (1 John 2:2)

I have a good friend who keeps reminding me that politicians are not the ones who will save America. God is in control.

I believe that this past week has been a reminder to those who are willing to pay attention.

Until He Comes,

KJ

War on Christianity: Atheist Group Wants Bible Verse Removed From Police Department Wall

On By kingsjesterIn Christianity, PoliticsLeave a comment
Courtesy WREG.com

“MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Words painted on a wall in the Bartlett Police Department have led to a complaint. Now, a letter has been sent to the police chief, demanding a Bible verse be taken down.

Posts on social media from the Bartlett Police Department welcome two new employees, but the words behind them are causing a complaint.

The Freedom from Religion Foundation, a nonprofit working as a state and church watchdog, based in Wisconsin, sent a letter to Chief of Police Jeff Cox, requesting the department paint over the bible verse.

The verse is Matthew 5:9 which reads, “Blessed are the peacemakers. They shall be called the children of God.”

“This statement seems to imply that God gives them their power, not the government, not the people,” said Hirsh Joshi, Attorney for the Freedom from Religion Foundation.

Joshi says that Bible verse is unconstitutional.

“The separation between church and state, that’s exactly what we are arguing here. By having the bible on their walls the BPD disrespects the separation between church and state,” said Joshi.

They complained about this after seeing some of the posts and ads with employees in front of that quote.

When asked what comes next, Joshi replied, “We hope the BPD will respect our nation’s constitution, but from there, we will have to see.” (Courtesy WREG.com)

Bartlett is a bedroom community right outside Memphis, Tennessee.

The Freedom From Religion Foundation was founded in 1978 by a bunch of bitter atheists who decided that their mission was going to be to remove God from all aspects of American life, concentrating on academics, sports, and as you can read from the above article, anything having to do with government.

I have never understood Atheists, especially the so-called activists among them.

Our Constitution provides for Freedom of Religion.

According to the Supreme Court, in their Ruling abolishing School Prayer, Atheism is a religion, which the Americans who embrace this nihilism are free to practice.

So, why the continuous full-blown attack on the Faith which our Founding Fathers wrote so eloquently about, and which has sustained this “shining city on a hill” through times of internal and external strife?

In other words, why are activist Atheists (and Progressives) so intent to either limit or completely eliminate Christianity’s influence on everyday American Life?

Why don’t they attack the political/religious ideology of Islam with the same fervor?

The answer to this question is simple:  Cowards will always tell you whom they are afraid of. They will avoid them, like one avoids a child with Chicken Pox.

Additionally, they expect Christians to allow them to take control by “turning the other cheek.”

Evidently, they never read the scriptures which describe Jesus running the “money lenders” out of the temple, overturning tables, and expressing his righteous indignation in a way in which no one could mistake it for anything else.

Or, perhaps, it’s the overwhelming overestimation of their own intelligence, which results from ignoring the influence of the God of Abraham in their life.

So, what drives them in this “Unholy Crusade”?

Bitterness, emptiness, and an unfulfilled longing in their soul, which they can not put a finger on, is the only explanation.

Otherwise, why would they fight so hard against the influence of and worship of Someone whom they don’t personally believe in?

The Bible verse on the wall in that building honors the men and women inside it.

There is no reason for the Bartlett Police Department to paint over it.

Anyone who is offended by it should simply not look at it.

Until He Comes,

KJ

Trump at Faith and Freedom Conference, “The Radical Left is Trying to Shame Christians, Silence You…”

On By kingsjesterIn Christianity, PoliticsLeave a comment

“Former President Donald Trump told a national gathering of Christian conservative activists Saturday not to let the secular left “silence” and “shame” them in a bid to keep them from voting, saying Christianity would be in “tatters” if President Joe Biden is reelected.

On Saturday, Trump addressed the Faith & Freedom Coalition’s Road to Majority conference in Washington, D.C., encouraging attendees to do all they can to encourage fellow Christians to vote in the upcoming November election, bemoaning that not all Christians vote.

“We need Christians to turn out in the largest numbers ever to tell Crooked Joe Biden … ‘Joe, you’re fired,'” said Trump, the 2024 presumptive Republican nominee for president.


“The radical left is trying to shame Christians, silence you, demoralize you and they want to keep you out of politics. They don’t want you to vote. That’s why you have to vote,” he maintained. “If you vote, we cannot lose. They don’t want you to vote. But Christians cannot afford to sit on the sidelines. If Joe Biden gets in, Christianity will not be safe in a nation with no borders, no laws, no freedom, no future.”

After predicting that “your religion certainly will be, I think, in tatters,” Trump highlighted the criticism the Trump administration has faced regarding its treatment of Catholics.

Trump asked, “What’s going on with Catholics?” He lamented that “they are being persecuted.”

“What is that all about?” he inquired before suggesting that Biden, a Catholic, “has no idea what the Hell is happening.”

“I don’t think it is him. I think it’s the people that surround him, the fascists, communists,” he said. “They’re young, very smart, vicious people.” (ChristianPost.com)

Former President Trump was spot on.

For what now seems like an eternity, those on the Far Left Democrat side of the Political Aisle have focused their attention on “radically changing” America.

They soon realized that they simply could not do it through popular culture and educational indoctrination, inundating America’s children with both overt and subliminal imaging designed to countermand the Traditional American Values that they were being raised with, in normal American Households, out here in “Flyover Country”, otherwise known as America’s Heartland…or “the Red States”.

Far Left Democrats soon figured out that the way to program Americans into believing that “all paths lead to God” and that cradle-to-grave Nanny-State Government were the new American Standards for living our daily lives, was to turn Christian American Houses of Worship away from being instructors of the Word of God and a sanctuary in which to worship Our Creator, to, instead, being purveyors of the joys of Popular Culture. Wednesday Night Bible Studies were soon replaced by Yoga Classes and Encounter Groups. Religious Leaders were soon quoting philosophy, instead of the Bible in their Sunday Morning Sermons.

And, instead of taking a stand against those things of the world which were directly opposed to what is found in God’s Word, these “new, enlightened” churches started standing up for the “right” of a woman to have her baby prematurely yanked out of her womb with a set of tongs, standing up for the right of Adam to “marry” Steve, when the Bible states that marriage is between a man and a woman, and standing up for the equality of all faiths, when the Son of God firmly states, in John 14:6, that
I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

America remains a nation whose population consists of a majority who proclaim Jesus Christ as their Personal Savior and who believe in God.

However, church attendance is way down.

Being filled with human beings, churches have made a lot of mistakes, However, they have also done a lot of good in the name of the Lord.

Churches today have to walk a fine line.

The spiritual battle, the influence of American Popular Culture and those seeking the Will of God in their lives, takes all the strength…and prayer that Christians can muster.

Far Left Democrats seem to have great difficulty comprehending the role that Our Creator, the God of Abraham, played and plays in this Grand Experiment, known as the United States of America.

Why have Democrats ratcheted up their anti-Christian vitriol and negativity since January 21, 2009?

Why are they so focused on removing America’s Christian Heritage?

Well, as is usually my wont, I have been doing some “reckoning” about this.

It seems to this ol’ Southern Boy, living here in the Heartland, that America’s Christian Heritage and the very real fact of His influence in building and shaping America’s growth into the greatest country on the face of God’s Green Earth, not only stifles and interferes with Modern Liberals’ “anything goes”, “share the wealth”, “hive-mind”, “man is his own god” Political Ideology, but the reality of God’s very existence, somewhere deep in their miserable, bitter psyches, scares the mess out of them.

Why else would they be trying so hard to fight against the influence of Someone Whom they really don’t believe in?

I see them every single day on the television, on the Internet, on Facebook Political Pages, posting stupid meme (a picture with words on it) after stupid meme, attempting to make fun of The Great I Am and those of us who have given our lives to Him.

They are so hateful and filled with such bitterness that it is difficult to engage them in “conversation”.

Perhaps, somewhere in their back of their minds, all of these Far Left Democrats realize that they are fighting a losing battle.

Christianity continues to thrive in America despite their best efforts.

For, as Justice Scalia stated so eloquently,
“God has been very good to us.”

However, if Christians do not stand up for themselves in the Political Theater, then they may soon have no rights whatsoever.

America was built upon a Solid Rock.

To ignore our nation’s faith-based foundation and heritage is to live in purposeful ignorance.

As President Ronald Reagan said,
“If we ever forget that we are One Nation Under God, then we will be a nation gone under.”

And, as Hebrews 13:8 tells us,
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”

Regardless of the political machinations of Far Left Democrats, God will have the final word as to our country’s future.

He always does.

Until He Comes,

KJ

My Wish for Father’s Day 2024

On By kingsjesterIn Christianity, UncategorizedLeave a comment

D-Day, also called the Battle of Normandy, was fought on June 6, 1944, between the Allied nations and German forces occupying Western Europe. To this day, over 79 years later, it  still remains the largest seaborne invasion in history. Almost three million troops crossed the English Channel from England to Normandy to be used as human cannon fodder in an invasion of occupied France.

Among the young men who stepped off those boats, in a hail of gunfire, was a fellow named Edward, whom everyone called Ned, from the small town of Helena, Arkansas.  Already in his young life, Ned had been forced to drop out of school in the sixth grade, in order to work at the local movie theatre to help support his mother, brother, and sister, faced with the ravages of the Great Depression.

He later went on to help build the US Highway 49 Helena Bridge across the Mississippi River.

He was a gentle man who loved to laugh and sing, having recorded several 78 rpm records in the do-it-yourself booths of the day. And now, he found himself, a Master Sergeant in an Army Engineering Unit, stepping off a boat into the unknown, watching his comrades being mercilessly gunned down around him.

Ned, along with the rest of his unit who survived the initial assault, would go on to assist in the cleaning out of the Concentration Camps, bearing witness to man’s inhumanity to man.

The horrors he saw had a profound effect on Ned.  One which he would keep to himself for the remainder of his life.  While his children knew that he served with an Engineering Unit in World War II, they did not know the full extent of his service, until they found his medal, honoring his participation in the Invasion of Normandy, going through his belongings, after he passed away on December 29, 1997.

He was my Daddy.

Today, all across the world, Fathers will be honored by their children, natural, adopted, foster, and those whom they took in as one of their own.

Did you ever wonder how this Global Remembrance got started?

There are two stories which are attributed as being the origin of Father’s Day.

According to the first tale, it all began in 1910, when Sonora Smart-Dodd of Spokane, Washington, tried to figure out a way in which to honor her dad, a remarkable man, who had single-handedly raised six children. Sonora, naturally, loved her dad with all her heart, and wanted everyone to recognize him for what he had done for her entire family. She made the decision to declare day of tribute, a Father’s Day, if you will, on her father’s birthday – June 19.

The next year, Sonora contacted the local churches in an attempt to get them to throw their support behind the celebration, but they simply laughed her off. After that setback, it took a while before Sonora’s proposal once again started gaining attention.

A bill in support of a national remembrance of Father’s Day was introduced in 1913. The bill was approved by US President Woodrow Wilson three years later. The bill received further support from President Calvin Coolidge in 1924.

This brought about the formation of a National Father’s Day Committee in New York within the next two years. However, our Federal Government, not exactly being strong in the pursuit alacrity, took another 30 years before a Joint Resolution of Congress officially recognized Father’s Day. Then, implementation of the bill was postponed another 16 years until President Richard Nixon declared third Sunday of June as Father’s Day in 1972.

The second story of the origin of Father’s Day involves Dr. Robert Webb of West Virginia. According to this version, the first Father’s Day service was conducted by Webb at the Central Church of Fairmont in 1908.

Around my house, we always thought that Hallmark and Walmart invented it.

Like you other fathers out there, I am asked every year what I want for my Father’s Day Gift.

The one present I want…I can’t have.

I wish that I had one more day with my Daddy.

My Daddy was the most important man in my life and remains so to this day.

He taught me how to love others through his actions every day of his life. He was a wonderful Christian man, who led me to Christ.

He was also the bravest man I have ever known.

My Daddy worked hard all of his life. He worked for Sears for 20 years. He taught me what hard work was and yet he always had time for me.

I wish that I had one more day to walk through Court Square Park in Memphis, Tennessee feeding the pigeons and the squirrels with my Daddy.

I wish that I had another opportunity to sit on the living room floor at Christmas and play Rock ’em Sock ’em Robots with him.

I wish that I had another chance to stand over to the side on Thanksgiving Afternoon and watch him, as he played Penny-ante Poker, “cutting up” with my mother and my aunts and uncles.

I wish that I could hear him singing “The Old Rugged Cross” in the kitchen again, with his beautiful tenor voice.

I wish that I could watch him again, sitting at the breakfast table simultaneously looking through his old Cokesbury Hymnbook and his Book on Hymnology, researching those great old hymns and taking notes, so that he could tell his 150 member Sunday School Class about the hymn which he was going to lead them in singing that Sunday Morning.

I wish that I could watch my Daddy playing with my baby daughter again, sticking out the lower plate of his dentures, as she tried to grab it.

I wish that I could see them again out in the driveway, sitting in his 1978 Chevrolet Caprice Classic with her in the driver’s seat as they waited for the school bus to pick her up for pre-school.

I wish that I could spend another Christmas Morning with him to watch the fun as he gave my sister her yearly “gag gift”, just to watch her jump and squeal as the “snake” or “mouse” jumped out of the box.

I wish that I could sit and watch Saturday Morning Memphis Wrestling and then another Johnny Weissmuller “Tarzan” movie with him on a Saturday afternoon…or maybe a Three Stooges Short, just to hear him laugh.

It’s funny, y’know.

I look in the mirror at 65 years old… and I see him.

I look back over the years at the things that I did with the children that God brought into my life to care for and I remember the tines that I shared with my 16 year-old grandson, and I see my Daddy in myself.

Nowadays in America, it is harder than ever to be a Dad. Any male who is not impotent can sire a child…as is being proven daily across our country.

However, it takes a man to be a Daddy, a Papa, a Pop, a Pops, somebody’s Old Man, or simply, a Father.

I’ve had the privilege of having a hand in raising three step-sons, one nephew, and one very special daughter.  I would not give back one moment of those experiences for anything that this world can offer.

I was not a perfect role model.  I made mistakes…a lot of them.  But, looking back, I know, in my heart, that I’ve made a difference in their lives. And, I thank the One Who Made Me for that opportunity.

I pray that I was able to pass along at least some of my Daddy’s Legacy of Christian Love to those I have had a hand in raising.

Dads…it costs nothing to pay attention….and give love.

Train up a child in the way he should go,
And when he is old he will not depart from it. – Proverbs 22:6

Daddy, I wish you were here so I could tell you how much I love you and miss you.

I hope you’re proud of me.

Every good thing that I am, came from the life lessons which I learned from you and the Love and Amazing Grace of my Heavenly Father.

Today, while you’re up in Heaven, I hope you hug Mother and tell her,

That’s “Baby Brother”!

I love you very much, Daddy.

Happy Fathers Day.

Love,

“Brother”

Until He Comes,

KJ