John's Purpose for Us 

     In his Gospel, a fisherman, John, wrote "that you may believe and have life in His name." Whose name? He who educated John and other uneducated disciples some 50 years earlier...Jesus, the Christ. 

     It is likely John was writing to believers, that they would resist the world and continue in their belief and fellowship with the Father and the Son. Two millenniums later, we believers also benefit from John's information, and others, and face the same challenges as those in the church's first century.

     More highlights from John chapter 1:  

But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born - not of blood (parents), nor of the will of man, but - of God. 

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory.

For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son...He has declared Him. 

 

Column by Mike Pence and Mike Pompeo 

     "The unexpected death of Iranian President Raisi should remind the world that no oppressive regime can last forever, as they are intrinsically unstable. Just as the Soviet Union collapsed under the weight of its own sins, so too will this be the fate of the tyrannical regime in Tehran. 

     "The United States must be prepared when that day inevitably arrives - and that requires supporting the courageous Iranian citizens who continue to resist the regime from within.

     "Raisi's appointment as president in 2021 was widely viewed as a sign of the regime's growing frustration at its inability to quell growing dissent within its own borders. 

     "Despite Raisi's bloody crackdown, the resistance only grew stronger. In recent years the resistance mounted the most sustained anti-establishment demonstrations since 1979, Thousands of teachers, workers, retirees, and students courageously took to the streets across the country. 

     "America and her allies should have learned by now, the regime is incapable of moderating on its own. Every olive branch extended by Western nations over four decades has been snapped in two. Tehran cannot be nudged in the right direction by the naive left running the Biden administration, just as they were undeterred by the same cast of characters in the Obama administration. Only a campaign of maximum pressure can change the future of Iran.

     "President Biden should make it clear that Iran will pay a steep price if it continues to escalate the war in Israel through its terrorist proxies. The president should fully support Israel's effort to eradicate Hamas and secure the border from Hezbollah in the north. 

     "We know beyond a shadow of doubt that Iran can be a great nation once again." 

Views  appreciates this message from two trustworthy men. However, there is another concern. Iran/Persia is or will be under the thumbs of Gog and Magog (Ezekiel 38 and 39) in the last days. Gog and Magog appear elsewhere in the Bible. Here, this may refer to high ranking demons, with hatred toward Israel. God will "bring" the enemy from "the far north," then destroy it.   

 

Jesus' Best Friend 

     Christians especially are interested in the life and writings of John, a fisherman, called by Jesus to be a disciple. And 50 years - more or less - after Jesus returned to heaven, he wrote his Gospel. 

     In an inner circle with Peter and James, John outlived all the disciples. Jesus, dying on the cross, told John to care for his mother, the once virgin Mary, then a widow. (Mary's other sons were not chosen.) 

     Unbelievers should explain how John could write what he did 50 years after Jesus departed. From time to time we will provide some of John's special insights, possibly written to counteract heresy about the person and deity of Jesus. Beginning with chapter 1:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.

     We will skip over most of John's letter, sharing exceptional passages that John left for history. Not to suggest that you skip over the rest of his letter in your daily reading.  

     This last and best friend of Jesus from his generation emphasized truth. Look here for more "truth" to feed your faith. 

Freedom From Woke Ideology? 

     Clay Travis, conclusion 

     "Some women are being taken advantage of by men pretending to be women...and by the woke cheer leaders in media and elsewhere. Women need to be tough and speak the truth.

     "Women fought for a long time to get equal numbers of athletic scholarships. Those hard-won gains are being sacrificed on the altar of left-wing orthodoxy...more accurately described as a kind of mental illness rooted in a denial of reality. 

     "Men, and especially fathers, must speak out in defense of women's sports. A big part of the solution must be women who summon the courage to defend the truth.  

     "The woke Left talks about so-called white male privilege, but is anything more unjust than men claiming the right to compete in women's sports? This radical denial of scientific reality undercuts the ideals of excellence and meritocracy in sports competition throughout history. 

     "I believe that one day soon - even in sports media - we will free ourselves from woke ideology and return to reality and speaking honestly. Only when that happens will sports return as a source of unity rather than division in American culture."

Next: a surprise 

Left Wing Politics   

     Speech by Clay Travis, continued

     "When it was not denigrating America, the National Basketball Assn. was cozying up to communist China. The NBA forbids a negative word about China (where it has expanded its audience and profits).

     "The NBA supports the transgender movement. The league pulled its 2017 All Star Game out of North Carolina, because the state passed a bill to protect women by keeping men out of their bathrooms. Meanwhile, it held games in Middle Eastern countries where being gay is a crime punishable by death.

     "An overwhelming number of Americans have tuned out professional basketball. You may be unaware of this, because the sports media in our country is even more woke than mainstream political media. Those who embrace woke ideology are turning their backs on truth and on sports ideals of excellence and meritocracy. 

     "There are many large and wealthy organizations and companies (with attitudes like the NBA). I like to remind people what happened when Bud Light hired a man who claims to be a woman to sell its beer. Many consumers quit drinking Bud Light. Consumption dropped by 30 percent.

     "By definition, men's sports are never going to include women who pretend to be men. It's simply a fact. And men won't allow women to define what masculinity is." 

Tomorrow: Men taking advantage of women

Unity or Division? 

     A question for Americans: Do sports unify us, or divide us? 

     This blogger is a lifelong Ohio State fan. A man who sits near me in church is a Michigan fan. Serious opposition but we are united in occasional sports entertainment. We know the rules, and we accept the outcome, if disappointed. And we are united in faith. 

     Clay Travis, host of a radio program and founder of a sports media company, spoke at Hillsdale College in April. He talked of woke people who are dividing Americans through sports. Some highlights:

     "In 1998, almost 36 million viewers watched Chicago play Utah in game six of the National Basketball Assn. finals. A record. At that time there were 70 or 80 million fewer people in America than today. 

     "Fast forward to the 2020 finals. Lebron James and the Los Angels Lakers defeated the Miani Heat in another game six to win the championship. This was the least watched finals game in generations, with only 7.4 million viewers. The NBA lost 80 percent of its audience during a time when the U.S. population grew by 30 percent. 

     "What explains it? The NBA embraced woke ideology. 

     "The league painted the slogan 'Black Lives Matter' on its basketball courts. It postponed a playoff game because a black man, a serial domestic abuser, armed with a knife, was shot by police. The police had been summoned to the scene by a black woman who called 911 because she was terrified of the man. 

     "WNBA players wrote the man's name on their jerseys. Then players in both leagues began replacing the names on their jerseys with left wing political slogans. Professional basketball identified itself with the belief that America is systemically racist, rotten to the core."

Tomorrow: NBA and communist China

     

Ancient Israel/Today's America 

        Part 3

     What's old B.C. got to do with our A.D.? 

     The Lord described Saul before he was appointed king. Saul was a regular man, even humble, who became a dictator and tried to kill David.

     What do we see in the Lord's descriptions? Never mind the chariots and horses, grain and vintages, menservants and maidservants, cattle and donkeys. 

     Today we have airplanes and aircraft carriers, computers and drones, satellites and atom bombs, printing presses and television, elevators and moving walkways. Same inclinations as those in B.C.  

      Do you see communism, Marxism or any other dictatorship in the Lord's description of Saul, the coming king? 

     This is America, you say. We have a constitution, freedoms of all kinds. We have elections. 

     On paper. Today's Democratic Party has zero interest in our constitution. They "defend" it daily, by voice. Not by allegiance. 

     The Republican Party isn't as driven. Even if a pro-American is elected this fall, dictatorial people will still occupy seats in Congress, the Dept. of Justice, Education, Defense and other agencies. 

     Not until permissive God comes to reign and Satan is in shackles will life be good, as God defines good. We look forward to the new heaven and new earth (Revelation 21, 22).  

               Jimmy