The Salesman's Call

     "In all our encounters with our fellow human beings, what must never be forgotten is that the person with whom we are speaking, whatever else he or she is - sailor, soldier, salesman - is first of all an image bearer of God. This is most basic." - Andree Seu Peterson. 

I call upon Americans to bend low before

God and to go to their knees as Washington

and Lincoln called us...years ago. No nation

is ever taller than when on its knees.

Hidden Blessings

     "The spiritual benefits of suffering are well known: the destruction of our illusion of self-sufficiency. Spiritual purification and deeper trust in God. The awakening of spiritual seriousness. Writing from a quadriplegia after a diving accident, Joni Eareckson Tada describes disability itself as both grievous and spiritually transformative." - Lynn Vincent

Socialism's Salesman

     "While Mamdani's socialism no doubt appeals to many Jews in New York City, this largest Jewish community outside of Israel should not rest easy while pro-Hamas Mamdani runs the city." - Howard Killion, Ph, D.

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Isaiah Knew Him First 

     "He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter." - Isaiah 53:7. 

     Jesus was falsely accused, unjustly beaten, publicly mocked - and He stayed silent. Not because He was weak, but because He knew who and what He was fighting for. He trusted the Father who led him from birth, especially his last three years. 

     Hanging on the horrible cross, He said, Father, forgive them. 

     Forgiveness is not an emotion; it's a decision to obey. We're still human. We can't erase our own memories. 

     What do we do? We pray to God, "Help my emotions catch up to my obedience." We can forgive (like Erika Kirk) despite the emotion we don't feel yet. Silence is not weakness; it aligns with the Lamb who was silent while taking the punishment that saves those who trust and obey.  

Mostly provided by our pastor

Did You Know?

Treasury secretary Scott Bessent blocked $99 million that had been sent to deceased people year after year. 

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Communist Cuba runs a global ideological campaign to turn people against the United States. Seeding into our radical left, subversive narratives, and terror. We thought Cuba had forgotten communism. 

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Mrs. Donut celebrated her birthday this week, with best wishes from two friends here in Florida, two in New York (where she lived long ago), two in South Carolina (where we lived long ago), one in Colorado (another old friend), and one in Israel (an old friend once in Pennsylvania) and an unexpected greeting from Pennsylvania. Of course, women can talk endlessly, but Mrs. Donut made time for me take her out to dinner. 

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New language: infrastructure, computational, footprint, usage and hyperscale. Whatever. You won't find such language here.  

         Jimmy

 

Power for a Poor Nation

     On Tuesday we wrote about loving others, caring for our neighbors. 

     How about caring for people on the other side of America who have no electricity? Our power company sent 18 employees to "Light Up Navajo 7" 1,800 miles from Florida. A nationwide effort, the Florida crew energized 18 homes in two weeks. They worked in challenging conditions, often spending hours digging through rocky terrain to install power infrastructure.

     For many families, this is life changing. Among them is an 86-year-old. "Seeing the smiles and gratitude from families is something that stays with you forever," said the team leader, a district manager in our county. We take our electricity for granted - except for occasional outages. We appreciate crews who work into the night when a storm cuts off power to a whole neighborhood.  

     Crews considered it a privilege to provide electricity to the Navajos who have lived without power for generations. Electricity enhances safety, educational opportunities, and improves quality of life. 

     My dad and two uncles had degrees in electrical engineering. During the depression, dad and a crew provided electricity to farmers. It wasn't that long ago. Thank George Westinghouse and an employee who learned how to provide electric power over thousands of miles. Well, electricity doesn't go anywhere, except lightning, and rapid back and forth when a power plant "excites" it. Thomas Edison created the light bulb. Westinghouse put it to use, for the whole world.   

        Jimmy

 Wednesday

Proof - God Exists 

     He made the antelope, beaver, bear, beetle, bison, chinchilla, centipede and the cheetah which can race 60 mph. He made the calf, caribou, cat, crusado, cow, deer, elk, fox, frog, goat, grizzly, gorilla, gazelle, guanaco and the gila monster. 

     God also made the human, horse, hare, jaguar, kangaroo, lion, lynk, lamb, longhorn beetle, leopard, mole, monkey, mouse, okapi, ox, penguin, porcupine, rat, red squirrel and red lechwe. There is the snake, snow leopard, spider, tiger, toad, wolf, woodland deer, wild boar and zebra. 

     We might have included the alligator and crocodile, but they spend too much time under water. So, we'll stop at 54 including humans...we creatures who often act like animals, or worse. Humans can't run 60 mph, or bite like a gorilla, but we can invent things that harm others, out of hatred, or financial gain.  

     There is a lake with 1,400 animal species, but we can't fit all that in a blog. Sorry. Nor can we list some 500 different birds, or unknown numbers of creatures living in the ocean. 

     What's with the Bold animals, above? 

     In the book of Isaiah, 11:6-8, God tells us the wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, cow with bear, calf and lion together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. This, and a child can play next to the hole of a cobra, when Jesus takes over the world for a millennium of grace and teaching.   

 Return to Our Founding Ideals?

   Part 3

     It begins with the church, Senator Lankford says. "The church and what God is doing is still the hope of the earth. Washington D.C. doesn't change the country. Washington is just a mirror of our culture. The country changes Washington."

     "The first responsibility is what the church is doing in communities, made up of families and individuals. The church was ablaze 250 years ago for what was true and righteous. The Great Awakening occurred right before the revolution. Preachers were traveling around the colonies challenging people of faith."

     "So, the influence of the church (or lack of) has been central from the very beginning. We need churches that are vibrant and alive, loving people and caring for their neighbors and setting an example. I never want to see a church that excludes people based on political beliefs."

     "God cares about government. But the hope of the earth is not government. It's the hope found in Jesus of Scripture. He alone can transform people - and nations." 

Wednesday: 54 proofs of our Creator

 Monday

Working on a More Perfect Union

  Part 2 

     Sen. James Landford says, "Division is driving us away from each other. People who disagree with us are also people loved by Jesus. They are created in the image of God. Christians have a right and responsibility to speak out. But for some reason there is a belief that if I yell loudly enough, they'll be persuaded." 

     "That doesn't work for me and most others. Our culture idolizes the angriest, most bitter, divisive person. You get the most likes if you say the snarkiest things. As Christians, we don't gleefully attack. We speak the truth in love and in compassion to persuade, to convince."

     "There are Bible studies all over Capitol Hill every week with staff members, and people in both House and Senate. There are gatherings of people coming together for prayer all over the Hill. There are multiple churches in Washington, D.C. that are seeing a tremendous number of baptisms right now for people who are coming to Christ. Many are coming in from all over the country, to work, and while they're here, they're actually encountering Christ." 

     "God is still sending people into Washington, D.C. That tells me He's not done here. By no means a majority of people, but God has not left us without a witness."

Tomorrow, conclusion

How would we begin to live up to our founding ideals?