Always Reforming

I don't think I can Fall asleep  Without you Anymore. Your warmth Is My warmth, Your skin  Is My skin. I don't think I can Face the day Without you By my side. Your blood  Is  My blood, Your soul  Is  My soul. I don't think I can Be myself Without you Anymore. Your life Is My life, Your strength Is My strength.

We all know what's going on. We all know that Washington is full of criminals. We all know that fiscal responsibility is a laughable, distant memory. We all know that politicians pretend to care about us while enriching themselves. We all know that our political process is a partisan joke. We all know that our economy is a house of cards, endlessly tottering on the edge of collapse. So, we make memes. We make memes about toilet paper. We make memes about Jeffrey Epstein and Twisted Tea. We watch cat videos.  We watch sports while drinking light beer and spiked seltzer. We debate whether Jordan or LeBron is the GOAT while Western Civilization crumbles around us. We all know. Or maybe we don't. Maybe there are people out there who are just that blind.  Maybe there are sheep out there longing to be herded. Maybe there are zealous adherents to the religion of politics, worshipping at the feet of politician priests.  I'm not sure which is worse.  

Since details of the new stimulus package began to emerge, the Internet has been abuzz.  Not only was the lengthy bill handed over with far too little time for our representatives to read it, but, like the first bill, it allocates billions of dollars for large corporations and other special interests.  As one would expect, many folks are bemoaning the fact that we are again bailing out the billionaires .  I have seen many of my friends, from both sides of the aisle, upset with this fact, and rightfully so.   What is frustrating is that many of my liberal friends view this is as Left vs. Right issue.  The woke, socialist-leaning generation seems to think that fiscal and political conservatives are deeply imbedded in a love affair with the Wall Street billionaires that rule the world.  The Left, they tell us, cares about the working class, common man, while the Right cares only about helping the rich get richer.  They look at the poor on the Right a...

Written in 2016 after the birth of my son. Remember, my son, You are your father, His strengths will gird you up, His weaknesses must be overcome, Try your best not to resent, Nor idolize, him, Learn from his humanity. Remember, my son, You will marry your mother, Find someone who will love you that much While supplementing your shortcomings, Always put her first, Always kiss her goodnight, Never let her go. Remember, my son, Sometimes you just can't win, Others will disappoint And be disappointed by you, The criticism will confuse you, And break your heart, But they still love you. Remember, my son, To forge your own path Without abandoning the truths Passed down by your fathers, Pursue your passions, But use them to serve Your God and your family. Remember, my son, You're imperfect and finite, You cannot do everything, Embrace your limitations, but Determine to overcome them, Choose a direction and Give it all of your heart. Remember, my son, To practice moderation, Don't...

Written in December of 2016. Hey, Mom, I guess it's that time of year again, Time to write my annual melodramatic poem about you, I think I forgot--just for a moment--that you died on Christmas day, Then I remembered again, Oh, yeah, I thought, That's why I'm not really that into Christmas, Or maybe that's just my excuse. I sat and read your obituary the other day, I let myself cry, Sometimes it just hits you, The warm air was blowing in my face as I drove down Cleveland Ave, Christmas lights lined the busy road, The tears came as I Know You're Out There Somewhere Played on the radio. I guess we all end up as just another article In the back of the newspaper, But you were so much more to me.

Rest a moment, My soul, Just learn to be still, Let the chaos Roll past you, Let the Peace  Of the Lord Be your strength. Rest a moment, My lips, Just keep your silence, Let the strife Disappear, Let the Word Of the Lord Be your song. Rest a moment, My mind, Just humble yourself, Let go of Distractions, Let the Truth Of the Lord Be your guide. Rest a moment, My feet, Just stay in one spot, Let the world Keep moving, Let the Way Of the Lord Be your path.

Cases. All we hear every day is cases .   Cases, cases, cases, cases, cases, cases.   Every time I hear that word I wonder how many of these cases were: Asymptomatic False positives later shown to be negative Presumptive cases Cases diagnosed virtually Repeat positives while trying to obtain a negative. At this point there are only two things of which I am confident.  Firstly, I am confident that there is no way to know what the real numbers are.  Secondly, I am confident that government bureaucracies are screwing everything up, per usual.  None of this is to say that COVID isn't real or that it isn't a big deal .   My point is simply that there is a perfectly valid reason that some of us are skeptical of the the cases count the minister of propaganda posts every day.    We aren't heartless or unscientific.  We're cynical. We're not crazy conspiracy theorists.  We just don't trust the numbers. We don't trust anything the...

This poem was written in December of 2017, on the eve of my 28th birthday. Like yesterday I recall That Xmas day, That thief, That cheat, That day that stole you from me, From us. Yesterday I tried  To imagine how life Would be If you had never been sick, I couldn't do it, Come to think, I never really knew that kind of life, Such a simple life, So uncomplicated by Blood clots and Coumadin and Extended hospital stays, All I know for certain is that I would be different, And people would get along differently, If you were still here. Yesterday It struck me What this year means, 28-years-old, 14 before, 14 after, Motherless for exactly Half my life, A milestone Marked by tears, A journey Marked by tattoos and Turmoil and Bad decisions and Opportunities for growth. What a strange way to end a poem, So confusing and open-ended, But that's just how this works.

1) There are many things in this world that are far more important than entertainment. 2) The vast majority of people in the Unites States are sheep who long to be herded . 3) Statists gonna state, whether they're Democrats or Republicans (I'm looking at you, Fuhrer DeWine). 4) You don't know what you have until you have nothing with which to wipe your butt . 5) Mankind's existence was not designed to be socially distanced . 6) Social media is pretty much of the devil . 7) Neighbors will turn on each other if the propaganda is right. 8) The medical system in the United States is about many things, but maintaining good health is not one of them.  9) Wearing a mask is significantly more obnoxious if you wear glasses. 10) Boy, do Americans love their fast food/take-out! 11) Rules are for the common man, not the elite ruling class . 12) Viruses have the ability to distinguish between celebrity funerals and normal-people funerals, between people walking in a resta...

This past Sunday was the first day of the Christian season known as Advent.  Advent is technically a season of penitence, or acknowledgement of and sorrow for sin, but it is defined by our expectation of the birth of the One who came to be save us from the guilt and corruption of our sin.  Had you asked me about Advent 10 years ago, I would most likely have responded in arrogant ignorance.  I imagine myself making a snide remark about Christians copying pagan holidays or something like that.  That definitely sounds like me at 20.  Now, here I am at 30, not only looking forward to celebrating Christmas as a religious holiday (a holy day on the Christian calendar), but actually observing the season of Advent itself.  2020 certainly has been full of the unexpected! For many Christians, observing Christian holidays is a way of expressing and experiencing our Faith.  The Church Calendar is a tool we use to deepen our personal faith by drawing us closer to G...

Anger, Why so much anger? This palpable anger, Pent up, bound up, Working its way out. Angry At him, At her, At God, At everyone Including yourself. This tension Is tangible, This blood, our blood, Is spilling On pages written And Feelings hidden. Dead ends, The deep end, How far will you go In your search for Contradiction? Where is the boundary To self-deceit? In time The time will come To consider the Next generation.

Thankful, I am thankful, For my wife, My companion, For her love, For the children Whom she bore, For their smiles And their hearts,  I am thankful. Grateful, I am grateful, For family, My society, For a legacy,  For a myriad  Of siblings, For aunts and uncles And cousins, I am grateful. Blessed, Oh, I am blessed! With a church, My brethren, With freedom, With a lifetime of Preventing grace, With wealth material And spiritual, I am blessed.

Mother, should I trust the government? This immortal question was asked by Pink Floyd in an era defined by anti-establishment sentiment and general distrust of government; it's a question no less applicable in 2020 than when it was penned by Roger Waters in 1979.  Our nation was founded because our forefathers asked this same question in the 18th century.  Practically speaking, every nation throughout the history of the world has had a reason to ask this question at some point.        Anyone who trusts the government simply hasn't read much history. History tells the story of governments consistently failing to justify the trust placed in them.  Nearly every government throughout the history of the world has suffered from some level of corruption or incompetence, or, more often, a combination of the two.  When the government gets involved, bad things usually happen, and the government is usually the worst possible entity to accomplish any given ta...

Dear Governor DeWine, It has been a few days since your press conference wherein you reinforced your mask mandate, so I've had time to calm down and collect my thoughts.  In an effort to maintain brevity, I have distilled my thoughts into these four points. Firstly, I want to acknowledge that, while I have disagreed with your handling of COVID-19, I do believe that you love the people of Ohio and that you are trying to do your best to guide our great state through this crisis, perceived or real.  I believe that you are trying to do what is right, before God and  man.  I do not envy the position that you, or any other elected official, is in at this time.  It is noteworthy that you have restrained yourself from becoming the kind of despot that the citizens of some other states, like New York, California, and Pennsylvania, have been forced to endure.  Thank you for being intentional about not forming a police state. Secondly, I want to take a weight off of yo...

Behold, the perfect meme!  I don't know who made it, but you deserve kudos, buddy. For those who have seen the film, Braveheart , you know that this is from one of the most potent betrayals in all of cinematic history.  William Wallace, played by Mel Gibson, the greatest actor of all time, turns in battle to see that his fellow countrymen have chosen subservience to invading feudal lords over fighting for their freedom.  I cannot vouch for the historical veracity of this scene, but it certainly strikes a cord in the heart of American Libertarians. The message of 2020 is clear: people love slavery. This is the reality that we freedom-loving, conservative Americans need to face.  The majority of Americans would rather have safety and security than freedom and responsibility.  They prefer the Socialism lite of Europe to the arduous American dream.  Instead of holding forth the American flag as a standard in battle, they want to be swaddled in it by Uncle Sam a...

Love, my love, Love me lest I languish in a Land of loneliness. Dear, my dear, Dearly drunk, I'm drinking in a  Draught of dewed delight. Heart, my heart, Heart in hand, Hold me in your arms, Here I have found home. Love, my love, Love me lest I languish in a  Land of loneliness.

I know no one cares, but writing these thoughts down keeps me from fixating on the election, so here you go.  Here are my random thoughts on the 2020 election. 1) No matter how you slice it, about half of the voting constituency in the United States voted for Biden.  That is depressing.  Really, it's mind-blowing.  Biden is corrupt and senile.  He is a consummate career politician.  His campaign was, frankly, a joke, and yet, half our nation threw their support behind him. 2) Hate won.  Regardless of who ends up as the next PotUS, hate won the election of 2020.  Many people voted for Trump because they hated Biden.  Even more people voted for Biden because they loathe Donald Trump, mainly because they media has told them they are bad people if they don't.  This election was fueled by hate and fear, and that doesn't bode well for the future of our nation. 3) The fact that the presidency matters this much means we've already lost the...

Gloria, whose soul in glory dwells, Far above this terranean hell, Should I pity your life cut too short? No, but envy, of the righteous sort, I feel.

Darkness, Emptiness, Shadow and void, Suddenly, light, Chaos gives way to order, The landscape free of life Becomes paradise  With a Word. Innocence, Fruit forbidden, The serpent's tongue, The Great Descent, Darkness returns, This world newly formed Is grossly deformed With a bite. Brokenness, Rebellion, Nomads and slaves, Prophets and kings, Temples destroyed and rebuilt, A people corrupt of heart Are driven apart With a sword. Hope, Angels singing, A feeding trough, A Servant King, Captivity taken captive, Victory over sin is won And the serpent undone With a cross. Silence, A sepulchre, Hades, Resurrection, Heralds commissioned, Estranged brothers reunited And the Creation arighted With a Church.

Shallow breaths,  A shallow grave, Living death, Who can be saved?

My last two posts were explanations of why I am not voting for Trump and Biden .  My Libertarian friends most likely agreed whole-heartedly with my criticism of both major candidates, but they may be wondering why I won't be voting for a third-party candidate, like Jo Jorgensen.   Well, this post is going to be the shortest of them all.  Why am I not voting for Jo Jorgensen?  Why can't I vote for Jo Jorgensen? Abortion . That's it.  That's the only reason. Many of my fellow Christian with Libertarian leanings can probably identify with me here.  Abortion is the reason so many people continue to vote for Republican candidates instead of the Libertarian alternatives. Libertarians run on a platform of unabated freedom.  You want to do drugs?  That's your right.  You want to be a racist business owner who doesn't hire certain kinds of people?  That's you're prerogative.  You want to own nuclear weapons?  By George, this is A...

I recently shared why I am not voting for Donald Trump because, as a conservative who often criticizes the Left, some people might get the impression that I am a Trump supporter.  Lest there is any misinformed individual out there who took my rejection of Trump as an endorsement of Biden, here is why I am not voting for Biden. My reasoning is simple, really.   I am a Christian.   I am a conservative.   I believe leaders should be honest.   I believe in freedom and equity for all people.   I am distrustful of the American aristocracy. If you agree with those statements, you should not vote for Joe Biden. Joe Biden, if he stands for anything at all, stands against everything that the historic Christian Church has taught.  He vocally supports abortion and the LGBT agenda, which should be enough to keep any Christian from voting for him.  He is not a Christian, nor is he a friend to the Christian Church. Joe Biden has embrace...

Well, I filled my mail-in ballot in a couple of nights ago.  My cat subsequently knocked a cup of water over onto it (one of her favorite activities is knocking over the half-full cups of water my children leave about the house), but it dried out and I'm ready to send it in.  As has been the case since I was first eligible to vote back in '08, I have chosen not to vote for either major candidate.  Knowing that voting for a third party candidate is pointless, I choose instead to write in silly candidates as a form of protest against our binary political system.  Over the years I have written in such names as Tim Tebow, Jim Harbaugh, and now, Phil Collins.  I hope whoever counts my vote gets a chuckle.   I will say, I was this close *imagine my thumb and index finger really close together* to voting to reelect our current president.  Four years ago I was firmly in the "never Trump" camp, but this time around I was genuinely tempted to vote for him....

Hours spent, Memories made, Blood, sweat, and tears Invested in their hearts, Dreams redefined, Priorities realigned By the smiles  On their faces, A lifetime spent Chasing this Metamorphosis, This elusive selflessness, I may not be perfect, But at least they know They are loved.

If you want to understand the power of propaganda, look no further than the Biden/Harris ticket. Progressives are calling for change, but Biden & Harris, two career politicians, are the epitome of the status quo.  Biden has literally been in politics for 20% of our nation's history.     Progressives are crying for social justice for all races, but Biden has consistently used objectively racist speech and was literally a proponent of segregation during the civil rights era. Progressives are rallying around the BLM movement, but Biden and Harris both have a history of creating and perpetuating the judicial system that capitalizes on the incarceration of blacks. Progressives call President Trump a liar, but Biden has a documented history of plagiarism and Harris openly admitted that her statements about Biden during the primary debates were not necessarily factual because, after all, they were made during debates. Progressives accuse Trump and his family of corrupti...

Why have so many Americans supported a belligerent, caustic personality like Donald Trump?  Why are Evangelicals and other conservatives so eager to reelect a man with such questionable character and such a checkered past?  Why do they prefer him, and vocally so, to the alternative offered by the Democrats? Much like the situation back in 2016, this election is clarifying many voters' primary grievance--Americans are sick of the status quo.  And what is that status quo?  Our hidden aristocracy . Perhaps hidden is the wrong word.  Maybe unofficial is a better word for it.   This nation was founded upon the idea that all men are created equal.  Our revolutionary forefathers rejected the monarchy and the aristocratic society that surrounded it, eliminating class distinctions in their new land of opportunity and promise.  No longer would a person's last name be enough to grant him office or opportunity.  No longer would a House of Lords ex...

Studying history is vital. Studying history is dangerous. Studying history encourages critical thinking. Studying history is simultaneously frightening and comforting. Studying history reminds you that men have always been greedy, evil, and gullible.   Studying history shows that societies run through cycles. Studying history enables you to identify where your own society falls within these cyles. Studying history disillusions you. Studying history transports you to eras, cultures, and places that you could never visit otherwise. Studying history allows you to transcend the narrow-minded conceptions of your own era. Studying history cures you of cultural and temporal narcissism.   Studying history reminds you that things have been much worse. Studying history informs the future. Studying history will either paralyze you or stir you to action. Studying history is vital. 

Before I proceed to answer the question proffered in the title, allow me to clarify something.  I do not consider myself a Republican.  I have never voted for a presidential candidate from either major party, nor do I intend to vote for Donald Trump this year, though the Democrats are doing their best to change my mind. So, why is abortion such a big deal?  Why is abortion turning conservative Christians into  one-issue voters, forcing them to support the likes of Donald Trump?  Why is abortion worse than other violations of human rights? The fact that I have been asked these questions, by Christians no less, is indicative of the underlying problem.  The problem is three-fold, and so is my answer. 1) Abortion is horrendous.  Abortion is an unfathomable evil.  In a bygone era proponents of abortion convinced our nation that terminating a pregnancy was simply disposing of a blob of tissue.  This classic tactic--dehumanizing the victim--was mor...

When are we going to stop falling for it?   When are we going to stop being so gullible? How much more can we take before we get sick of being misinformed and manipulated? When will we stop listening to the mainstream media? Ahmaud Arbery. George Floyd. Breonna Taylor. They lied to us.  They willfully and/or negligently reported events in a false and inflammatory manner.   They stoked the flames.  They perpetuated the riots.  They fomented insurrection.   When will they be held accountable for their lies?  How do you hold them accountable without devolving into tyranny? When will we as a nation learn to be patient?  When will we learn to react slowly and respond cautiously?  When will we learn to wait for the rest of the story  before picking a side and sticking to our guns? When will we have had our fill? When will we learn to recognize the bias? When will we stop listening to, watching, and reading their nonsense? When w...

Many Christians today have an unfortunate aversion to being considered extreme .   They want to be liked.  They want unbelievers to view them as fair and balanced.  They want the world to see them as reasonable .   Now, Christians should certainly be loving and kind and fair.  Our Faith is certainly reasonable, but Christians need to make peace with the fact that to be a Christian is to be an extremist. To be a Christian is to pick up your cross and to follow Jesus Christ. Our Faith, if it is a living faith, will impact every aspect of who we are, what we believe, and how we behave.  It will leave no portion of our lives undisturbed. When you embrace the Christian Faith, you are not joining a club.  You are joining an army, a body, a nation.   You are joining a Kingdom.   You are submitting to a King, a Lord. We are called to serve our Savior.  It is His opinion alone that should concern us and motivate our choices. H...

In the United States we have a polarized political system predicated on hate.  Now, this is nothing new, and I'm sure that this is not a malady that is unique to our nation, but this issue has become more pronounced in the Age of the Internet.   Republicans and Democrats, from elected officials to commonplace voters, openly declare that they do not like their own candidate--they simply hate the other candidate.   Consider sitting President, Donald Trump.  With few exceptions, his supporters generally do not view him as a man of virtue or truth, but, rather, as a vanguard against the forces of Liberalism, Marxism, religious persecution, etc.   They don't love Trump; they simply hate the alternative to Trump.    The other side of the aisle is even worse.   There are essentially zero human beings on this planet who truly believe that Joe Biden would lead this nation effectively. Rather, his own party views him as a vanilla candida...

Get out and vote!   Voting is your civic duty! Your voice matters! Does it?   Does every voice matter?   Does every citizen of the United States who has arrived at the age of majority really have a valid opinion on matters of state? Maybe universal suffrage is a bad idea. The media is telling you that you need to vote.  Anytime the media is saying it, you probably have reason to doubt it. LeBron James and the rest of the NBA are telling you that you need to vote.  I guess being an athlete qualifies you to say such things. Facebook and Instagram are begging you to go out and get registered to vote.  There's no way they have an agenda! I've been rethinking democracy lately.  Maybe this whole "everyone has a voice" thing is a bad idea.  Maybe there's a reason that the United States is not, properly speaking, a Democracy.  Maybe our founding fathers created a Constitutional Republic to avoid the pitfalls of naked democracy. If you ...

Is it not now apparent that the American experiment has failed?  Secession seems inevitable as the only path to peace and around totalitarianism.  The multiculturalism of which we are so proud in this nation has proven untenable, as it has in many other nations.  It is the multiplicity of worldviews, not skin colors or social classes, that truly divides us. We have different values, different goals, different expectations.   The United States of America were [note the plural] initially separate sovereign powers coming together for their common good, not indistinct tendrils of a unilateral oligarchy.   Gradually the Federal government encroached upon the autonomy of the States, establishing a national identity.  Instead of viewing ourselves primarily as citizens of our home States, we now view ourselves primarily as  Americans.   This transcontinental identity is simply too bloated to remain stable. We are witnessing the collapse of ...

Vote for Trump  or our economy will collapse!   Maybe we need an economic collapse to cure us of our materialism and effeminacy.   Vote for Trump  or it will be the end of Western Civilization as we know it!   Maybe the demise of Western Civilization will make way in our hearts for the Kingdom of Christ. Vote for Trump or we'll lose our religious freedom!   Maybe the Church needs persecution to purify her and to renew her sense of purpose. Vote for Trump or we'll lose our way of life!  Maybe the American Dream is a house built on sand. Vote for Trump or everyone will suffer! Maybe pain and want will strengthen our weak minds and bodies. Maybe we need to be rid of our stuff. Our distractions. Our idols. Maybe we need our priorities realigned. Maybe what we need most is what we most dread. Our fears define us. Do we fear discomfort more than we fear damnation? Maybe our flesh needs to endure the fire so that our souls do not.

There is a generation of young Christians who believe that their political and social worldview is informed by the principles of Scripture, particularly by the direct teachings of Jesus Christ, but who have actually imbibed the tenets of Humanistic Marxism taught to them in government schools and leftist colleges. Conversely, there is an older generation, Boomers , if you will, who believe that they lay claim to the truly Biblical worldview, but who actually hold to the religious politic (or political religion) of American Nationalism . These views are, of course, not strictly differentiated by generation, but there is nevertheless a large generational divide when discussing political and social issues. The Biblical perspective aligns perfectly with neither of these ideologies, nor with any other political movement.  In fact, devotion to Biblical principles regarding political and social issues does not require adherence to any specific economic, social, or political system devise...

On Sunday August 17, 2020 my wife and I were confirmed as Anglicans at St. John's Anglican Church in N. Canton, OH.   Five years ago I couldn't have imagined that I would ever write that sentence.  Scratch that--one year ago I couldn't have imagined writing that sentence. You see, I grew up in a Reformed Presbyterian church.  I was a Reformed Presbyterian.  Not only were we Reformed Presbyterians, but we believed (and still do) in paedocommunion, which means children partake of the Lord's Supper as full members of the Church.  We spurned the concept of Confirmation.  In fact, we accused our credocommunionist brethren of being Roman Catholics and/or Baptists because they required a form of Confirmation before giving their children the Table. And here I am in 2020 as a confirmed Anglican.  The Lord works in mysterious ways, my friends.  2020 has been a strange year.  It has been a humbling year.  It has been a year of pain and sufferi...

Finishing a long book can be so bittersweet.  If you're like me, you feel accomplished and edified, but you also feel a little sad.  If it was a good book, you may have grown accustomed to the sight and smell of its pages, and closing it for the final time feels like saying goodbye to an old friend.  This is particularly true when the book is as powerful as Stephen Charnock's classic work,  The Existence & Attributes of God .  Today I am going to tell you why you, and every Christian, should read this book. I remember being a young boy and seeing this book sitting on my father's bookshelf.  It seemed so daunting, so out of reach.  I wasn't much of a reader until I reached my 20s, so a book of 1130 pages seemed unattainable, especially a book of such depth and archaic language.  When my father recently discovered that he had an extra, unopened copy, I was quick to claim it.  I started working my way through it sometime last year.  I...

The commands of God found in the Scriptures are often at odds with our personal inclinations.  This is to be expected; it is the unfortunate reality of post-lapsarian existence.  If you read the Bible and do not find anything insulting to the desires of your flesh, you're reading it incorrectly. For Americans this is perhaps most apparent when we comes to the sections of Scripture that instruct us to submit to our governing authorities.  When we read passages like Romans 13:1-7 , Titus 3:1 , or 1 Peter 2:13-17 , we may feel the natural man rising up against the clear command from God to honor and submit to the authorities, whether civil, religious, or familial, that He has placed over us.  There is nothing mankind loathes more than submission.  Our parents' first sin in the Garden is often identified as pride, but it was rebellion against the sovereign authority of our Creator that truly plunged our race into the darkness of guilt and sin. At the same time, ...

History is the story of cultures endlessly vacillating between tyranny and anarchy.  Mankind has continually sought to find  the delicate balance between these two extremes, but all societies have been and still are comprised of flawed, sinful people, which inevitably prevents this balance from being found.    If, upon rare occasion, this elusive equilibrium is found, it is quickly lost.    The sins and flaws inherent in our societies mimic the extremes of the tyranny and anarchy to which they lead.   Men are greedy and lazy, power-hungry and irresponsible, complacent and rebellious.  Our nations are macrocosms of the individuals of which they are comprised.    For those who claim the name of Christ, our duty, no, our privilege, is to advance the cause of Christ regardless of where our society falls on this political spectrum.   We are to serve Christ as faithfully under oppression as when liberty reigns.   We are to lo...

If you're active on social media, you're aware of the controversy and panic that rules the Internet right now.  From news articles to sarcastic memes to conspiracy theories, many people are acting as if 2020 is the worst year in the history of the world.  We've had celebrity deaths, race riots, and a plague!  Certainly these are signs of the Apocalypse, right?! Today, however, I want to ask one question: "Is 2020 really that bad?" Think about it for a moment.  Consider all that we've endured this year.  Is 2020 really as bad as the Internet would have us believe? No.  It's really not that bad. "You're blind!" you say.  "You're in denial!" you insist. Nah.  Think about it.  What have we experienced in 2020 that hasn't occurred before? A pandemic?  The COVID-19 pandemic has consistently been blown out of proportion due to incorrect assumptions about transmission and the subsequent manipulation of statistics.  Manki...