Author: Terry Thompson on America

I have a broad area of expertise and interest stemming from a diverse background and a wide range of experience. I am a career military officer and a former pastor. I am an adjunct professor of economics with the John Brown University Soderquist College of Business. I am married to Linda Thompson and have a blended family of three sons and a daughter who have provided us with eight precious grandchildren. My blog posts are a collection of intriguing, diverse, and sometimes controversial topics that impact Americans. The topics provide insight into the ever-changing landscape of our nation’s culture. They highlight current news reports, the economy, religion, history, the military, health, and nutrition. They are meant to be informative, intriguing, inspiring, thought-provoking, and cautionary. They will not necessarily be politically correct or complimentary, but they will be civil and respectful. Hopefully, they will generate dialogue and counterpoint.

One Reason I Love America

The story I’m about to tell has been told to numerous people, but never shared publicly until now. I ponder often why God blessed me with birth in the greatest country in the history of mankind. America is a unique nation where almost anyone can dream almost anything and attain it. This is a story of an epiphany moment when I realized how blessed I was to be an American.

I was born and raised in a small town in rural northwest Arkansas. I graduated high school with 24 other students all educated for mediocre jobs, mostly having to do with chickens. College didn’t seem in the realm of possibilities. My two older brothers became airplane pilots, and I became infatuated with flying. A flying club in my home town of Decatur had a small plane, and I learned that I could work three part-time jobs and afford flying lessons while in high school. I mowed lawns, mopped floors, loaded lumber, caught chickens, and drove chicken trucks during my sophomore to senior years. All my wages bought time in the air. I got my pilot’s license at age 17. My only life goal was to work at an airport somewhere and fly small planes for a living. I couldn’t wait to get out of school and pursue that dream. But something miraculous happened in the summer after my graduation.

For no reason that I can remember, I drove my 1955 Plymouth to Fayetteville on registration day. I had the $100 for the first semester at the University of Arkansas and $90 for a dorm room and board. I had no expectation of even finishing the semester, but I was suddenly driven to give the impossible a chance. Since I was flat broke, I started immediately looking for a job. What I didn’t know was that all the jobs had been taken by those smarter students who applied for work before arriving on campus. After a week of searching, I was depressed and ready to go back home. I passed by an old but elegant mortuary and noticed a young man washing a hearse in the driveway. I inquired inside about possibly washing hearses. That last desperate try landed me a full-time job while living in the mortuary–salary that would pay for college and a place to live as a bonus!

At the U of A, in those Vietnam war years, ROTC was manadatory for all male students. I signed up for Air Force ROTC thinking surely there would be airplanes associated with it. I was so naive as a small town bumpkin, I literally didn’t know what ROTC was and had hardly heard of the Air Force. Suddenly, I was in a blue uniform marching once a week and in a military classroom twice a week. I somehow made it through my freshman year while working eight or more hours a day helping with funerals and assisting the embalmers. My freshman grade point average was 1.9. During my sophomore year, the ROTC class earned me my only A. The Air Force officer instructors began showing Vietnam film footage of air combat. It began to dawn on me that I had a slim possibility of flying jets and getting paid for it if I could graduate with an officer commission. With my abysmal grades, no leadership experience, and no connections to enhance an application, it would be a really long shot.

Fast forward to June of 1969. I stood proudly in a campus auditorium on graduation day in dress blues while my wife on one side and the ROTC colonel on the other pinned on my second lieutenant bars. I had orders in hand to report to Vance AFB, Oklahoma, for Air Force pilot training. So long, chickens. So long, mortuary. So long, four brutal years of college. Hello, jet pilot!

I thought college was tough. But I had never known the performance demands like I experienced in pilot training. One-third of my class had washed out by the half-way point of the one year program. We would lose almost half of the class by graduation. Some couldn’t meet the performance standards, others had physical and emotional issues, and others just wanted to get out of the pressure cooker. I thought about quitting several times but was always determined to go for one more day. The picture above was taken a few weeks before pilot training graduation, when I began to realize I was going to make it.

One of our last training flights was a solo “out and back” to a base in Texas. We were to depart late afternoon, fly to the Texas base, refuel, and fly back to Vance at night–alone for both flights. On the return flight, in a quiet and peaceful moment 24,000 feet over southern Oklahoma, I became overwhelmed with emotion. Looking over my shoulder at my right wing, the red blinking beacon was illuminating the block letters, USAF. It hit me that I was being entrusted to fly a muilti-million-dollar supersonic jet alone in the dark of night as an officer and pilot in the mightiest military in the history of mankind. I was just a 23-year-old nobody who, five years earlier, was a clueless kid catching chickens in Decatur, Arkansas. My glowing flight instruments blurred. I had to raise my visor to wipe the tears from my eyes.

Praise God Who led our founding fathers to birth a nation where all people have the freedoms to be what they dream to be, do what they have the gifted nature to do, and to overcome barriers they have the will to shatter. Let us celebrate our awesome experiment in liberty, democracy, capitalism, and equality that is the inheritance of every American.

Happy 250th Birthday, America!

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We Are Kowtowing to Iran

The Ceasefire MOU with Iran has been signed by President Trump and should be of concern to every American. I have been a staunch supporter of our president, but I consider this MOU and follow-on “negotiations” to be dangerous for America and the rest of the free world. Let’s look at the 14 points of agreement and why they all should be unacceptable.

An MOU (memorandum of understanding) is a non-binding agreement on a shared goal and actions to reach it. It lays the foundation for a future binding agreement.

Here is a thumbnail summary of the MOU points and the concerns that most Americans including me have with them.

  • Terminate military operations on all fronts including Lebanon.
    • Making the ceasefire permanent is good, but we should not be so arrogant as to assure Israel will not defend itself against the Hezbollah. This gives Iran incentive to continue to support Hezbollah. The situation in Israel and Lebanon should have nothing to do with the US-Iran MOU.
  • The US and Iran must respect each other’s sovereignty and not interfere with each other’s internal affairs.
    • Very little will change in the long run as long as the current regime is in power. Trump promised the Iranian people from the beginning that we would give them a path to democracy and freedom. Iran’s theocracy government will continue to kill their domestic protestors as we turn our backs on them.
  • The US will continue to negotiate toward a final deal for sixty days with provision to extend indefinitely.
    • This is crazy! Iran has proven for decades to lie and string out meetings with no ultimate decision. They are a defeated country playing the victor, and the US is going along.
  • The US will remove the blockade of Hormuz within 30 days of signing the MOU and remove its forces from the region upon signing of the final deal.
    • The US should not allow Iran to transit Hormuz until they have signed a final deal. That is the only thing that will keep the negotiations from stretching on for months if not years.
  • Iran will ensure safe passage of all ships of other countries through Hormuz for 60 days, after which Iran and Oman will collaborate on future administration of the strait.
    • Again, crazy! This means that, after 60 days, Iran and Oman can decide to charge fees or be selective on the transit of ships through the strait. The UN Law of the Sea has long declared Hormuz to be international waters owned by no particular country.
  • The US and regional partners will provide at least $300 billion for Iran’s reconstruction and economic development. Details of the source of these funds will be negotiated in the final deal within 60 days (or more).
    • It is up in the air as to how much of, or if, the funds will be contributed by the US. As is often said, money is fungible, and Iran can use it in any manner to build back its arsenal. Iran should not receive a dollar until it has signed an acceptable final deal, and adequate verification by the US is assured for decades to come.
  • The US will terminate all sanctions against Iran as part of the final deal.
    • Sanctions should be lifted sequentially as Iran adheres to the final deal agreements over the next few years. Iran has no integrity as proven over the last half-century. Why would they change now, unless forced to do so?
  • Iran affirms it will not procure or develop nuclear weapons. The current enriched material disposition will be negotiated as a part of the final deal. Other matters pertaining to Iran’s nuclear needs will also be negotiated.
    • Iran could still end up with nuclear capability for energy and other “peaceful” uses. How can we ever trust this evil government to be transparent about any remaining nuclear material. They should have NO nuclear material.
  • Pending the final deal, the US and Iran will maintain the status quo of its nuclear program, and there will be no new sanctions imposed on Iran.
    • Iran has been successfully deceptive in numerous ways for decades. Why would they not be currently producing more missiles, drones, and other weapons at a surging rate? But we are trusting them. The MOU should have included hundreds of US inspectors roaming their country immediately.
  • The US will allow immediate crude oil exports by Iran.
    • Resumption of oil exports by Iran will gain them up to $150 million per day or about $9 billion during the 60-day negotiation period. Oil export bans, along with denied access to Hormuz, should be the case until the final deal is signed. Immediate, unrestricted exports means no incentive for Iran to finalize the deal.
  • The US will immediately release all frozen assets to Iran.
    • Frozen assets should remain frozen until the final deal is reached. Again, this would be a great incentive for Iran to complete the deal. These frozen assets amount to over $100 billion worldwide. This, plus the $300 billion offered in point six above should be a huge carrot to hold in front of Iran during negotiations, instead of just handing it over to them for signing an MOU.
  • The US and Iran will develop a mechanism to monitor the success and compliance of the MOU and the final deal.
    • The mechanism should be mandated by the US in the MOU, not a mutual agreement.
  • After beginning immediate actions toward the ceasefire, opening Hormuz, release of frozen assets, and mechanisms of compliance; negotiations will begin on the other aspects of the MOU.
    • There should have been no MOU, but just a final deal that included the best interests of the US and the free world with little regard for one of the most evil nations in world history.
  • The final deal will be endorsed by a binding UNSC resolution.
    • A UN Security Council resolution is meaningless; it is just a formality with no enforcement power.

The US was in position to take down the blight of the entire world, virtually eliminate terrorism, foster real peace in the Middle East, and raise the global economic tide, but we are settling for a rather hollow MOU and a wink-wink promise from Iran to behave rationally.

I fully understand that there are many below-the-surface nuances about this conflict and the deal-making of which I have no knowledge. Our leaders in Washington are certainly closer to the issue than I. But, I am not alone in my concern. A Fox News Poll last week shows Americans of all political persuasions doubting the deal’s ability to stop Iran’s nuclear program. The majority of Democrats (73%), Independents (69%), and Republicans (53%) are not confident in the deal.

Iran’s Shia clergy ruling class is about as far from American culture as can be imagined. These mullahs care little about their country’s people, the non-muslim world, or international standards of moral behavior. They live for their own personal power and the survival of Islam. Lying, cheating, deception, and killing are a way of life for them. The only thing they respond to is overwhelming power and destruction. I don’t believe the MOU and subsequent negotiations will ever bring results acceptable to the US. We will either revert to more military action or accept conditions far short of our interests in the region. In my opinion, we are the greatest, most powerful country in history presently kowtowing to an impotent, yet wicked and corrupt, country that needs to be taken down for the sake of the civilized world.

Furthermore, if President Trump doesn’t finish the job in Iran according to his original objectives, the mid-term and general elections will be devastating for Republicans.

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American Idol 2026: Bellwether of America’s Course Correction

Monday night, American Idol fans placed Hannah Harper on the coveted roll of annual winners of the nation’s top singing competition. Probably lost on most viewers was the anomaly that the three finalists out of 127 competitors were outspoken Jesus followers with Christian music backgrounds. I believe this is yet another indication of America’s cultural trend back toward faith, religion, and dependence on God.

Since the show’s debut in 2002 rocketing winner Kelly Clarkson into years of celebrity status, the fan-based voting has launched singing careers of the likes of Carrie Underwood, Jennifer Hudson, and Adam Lambert among many others. Winners and top contenders over the 24 American Idol seasons have reflected the broad societal trends of our nation. American values in general and the Christian faith in particular have been on a roller coaster ride for that quarter century. American Idol has been a snapshot of what different parts of the country admired, related to, or aspired to in different moments of the period. In the early 2000s, rural America voted heavily for country-oriented artists like Carrie Underwood, Scotty McCreery, and Lauren Alaina.

Later, winners and finalists increasingly reflected America’s racial, ethnic, and stylistic diversity as they chose contestants like Fantasia Barrino, Jordin Sparks, and Ruben Studdard. This showed broader national support for black performers across multiple genres. With the expansion of social media, appitite for the offbeat, and rejection of societal norms, fans migrated away from tradition. This major cultural shift could not have been displayed more blatantly than in 2009 when the top two finalists were Kris Allen, a clean-cut Christian worship leader, and Adam Lambert, a gay, highly tatooed, hard rock singer. Allen narrowly eclipsed Lambert, but it was Lambert who went on to fame and fortune with numerous successful albums over the next several years. Winners and finalists varied broadly over the succeeding years with genres from rock to country. There were very few contestants with Christian music backgrounds, and those that did compete were usually gone by the top twelve cut.

Not only was it the contestants that were relections of our society, but the judges who cycled through the show’s seasons were indicators of the fans’ values. After the first eight seasons with semi-traditional Simon Cowel, Paula Abdul, and Randy Jackson, the producers replaced Abdul with controversial lesbian, Ellen DeGeneres. Season 10 executives replaced Cowell with Aerosmith rocker, Steven Tyler, an extreme, often-vulgar, non-comformist judge. Season 12 brought on Nicki Minaj, the skimpy-clad, unpredictable rapper.

After nine years of moral bankruptcy at the judges desk, ABC promoted what they called a revival era with a completely new slate of judges, Lionel Richie, Katy Perry, and Luke Bryan. The viewer base responded with a sigh of relief from many fans like me, although Katy Perry still gave many of us cause to often shake our heads. Then, two years ago, Season 22 began with Carrie Underwood replacing Katy Perry. The producers must have licked their fingers and raised them in the air to test the cultural atmosphere and found faith and family values to be the priorities of the majority of their television audience. That meant millions of voters were preferring singers with less provocative characteristics in everything from dress to song choices to family background. American Idol had always been a mirror of the American soul and spirit. Thankfully, the show is now seeming to align with the gradual shift of the nation toward traditional faith and family values.

It was not by chance that this year’s three finalists were Hannah Harper, Jordan McCullough, and Keyla Richardson, all publicly professing Christ during the entire season of competition. One entire episode was totally praise and worship songs. Underwood took to the stage with her iconic, “How Great Thou Art,” that night. Monday’s last two standing finalists, Hannah and Jordan, continued the spiritual theme in their selections for their last competing songs. Hannah sang an original song, “String Cheese,” about a depressed mother who found value in just helping her child open a string cheese wrapper. Jordan sang, “The Goodness of God,” remembering how faithful God had been throughout his life.

American Idol has changed a lot in 24 years…I believe for the better. I am so grateful to God that it appears to be a reflectiion of our American cultural change during that time…I believe for the better. Even though countless aspects of our society have descended into dark places recently, I am encouraged that there are many signs of spiritual revival. Flowers are blooming among the weeds. Let’s watch for more of those signs and pray for God to show Himself even more pervasively in the months and years ahead.

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A Time to Maintain Balanced Perspective

Like most Americans, I was deeply disturbed by President Trump’s recent social media post depicting him as a Jesus figure. The AI image, although quickly taken down, was beyond sacrilege, offensive to Christians, and inexcusable. This is not the first time I have had no words of defense for the president. But I also urge every American to maintain a balanced perspective on this lapse of common decency relative to our global situation and potential future. Please consider my following thoughts.

I have often expressed that I struggle with the frustration of my president’s narcissistic personal character being at odds with my strongly held opinion of him as the best president of my lifetime. It is a constant paradox for me. But, at the end of the day, I tolerate and forgive his many shortcomings, in favor of his governing our great nation in a way that corrects many wrongs and best benefits our society. I believe he truly loves America and tirelessly serves its citizens. Some of what I wish to convey here comes from a recent social media post, Kate’s Unsafe Space, which articulates my opinion and concerns.

I think a lot of us need to take a deep breath and do a reality check right now. So many are mad at Trump for so many things. We must zoom out of our narrow focus and realize what is at stake. Criticism is fair when it is earned. And Trump has earned plenty of criticism. But mean tweets, poor taste statements, and offensive image posts must not distract us from the bigger picture. There is a massive differrence between holding the president accountable and completely abandoning him and the mission. The alternative to Trump that was available in 2024 would have transformed America into much worse than where we are now. And the loss of a Republican majority this November in the House or Senate, or both, would reverse the gains of the last 15 months and greatly diminish Trump’s initiatives, if not get him impeached.

Think of what Democratic controlling victories this November and in 2028 would bring us: mass amnesty, open borders, violence in our cities, kowtowing to other countries, a revived Iran and other terrorist nations, opened door to Socialism, federalized abortion on demand, gun control, loss of patriotism, degraded religious freedom, deemphasis of the nuclear family, more gender confusion and mutiliation of children, transgender and LGBTQ ideology in schools, and many more devastating loses just as horrific.

If the other side regains full control, it won’t just be a rough few years. The damage will be so catastrophic, we won’t recognize the America we now know. It won’t be like times past when the parties changed presidents and congressional majorities. We didn’t have the political craziness on the left then that we have today. We must maintain what little conservative edge we have now.

So, yes, feel frustrated and disappointed when the president commits those social blunders. Call him out when he deserves it. But let’s not lose our balance of perspective. The party that hates Trump and all the good that America stands for should offend us much more than anything President Trump has said or done. The party that despises Capitalism, law and order, and the sacredness of life itself should worry us more than our president’s posts and profanity.

If you agree, please share.

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Why You Should Watch the Super Bowl All-American Halftime Show

Call it a protest, boycott, or whatever. Sometimes Christians just need to take constructive action in support of what is wholesome, moral, and uplifting. We should also be alert for ways to send a strong message of our beliefs and reduce the footprint of public indecency. A great opportunity to do that will occur at this Sunday’s Super Bowl halftime. You can switch to an alternative broadcast between halves.

You have probably encountered a lot of hype recently about the Turning Point USA “All-American Halftime Show.” I covered this in detail in my February Newsletter, but more information has been released since that email. Last October, the NFL announced the headline entertainer for this year’s Super Bowl halftime will be “Bad Bunny,” a Puerto Rican rapper who performs in Spanish with lyrics usually laced with obscenities. This came as a shock to many who complained about last year’s halftime featuring rapper, Kendrick Lamar, whose performance was bizarre and included a bunch of “adult” lyrics. Apparently, the league’s attempt to appeal to the youth and the woke is abandoning the core Super Bowl fans.

Shortly after the Bad Bunny announcement, Erika Kirk, widow of the late Charlie Kirk and CEO of Turning Point USA, declared that Turning Point USA would host an alternative Super Bowl LX halftime show with a faith, family, and freedom theme. The alternative show will be aired on the Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) beginning immediately after the Super Bowl’s first half (around 7:30 p.m CT) and ending just before the second half kickoff. TBN is a basic channel on DISH and Direct TV and some cable providers. It is also on the streaming platforms of Apple TV, Fire TV, and Roku. It is not on the YouTube TV streaming platform. It is available online through a free TBN+ app and at the TBN YouTube channel.

Four popular entertainers will share the stage for the All-American show. Kid Rock is a super-star singer and rapper. Brantley Gilbert sings country rock. Lee Brice is a country classic performer. Gabby Barrett sings pop country and is an actor. These four may be accompanied by a surprise guest or two. Everything will be family friendly and produced with excellence.

I urge you to choose this alternative halftime programming. Check out your TBN access beforehand and make arrangements as necessary to have it available. It is important that NBC and the NFL see a massive swing off the NBC network during halftime in their algorithms. Leaving your TV on NBC during halftime even though you watch the alternative show on another device will not record your switch. So, either turn your channel or turn off your TV set at the beginning of halftime. If you choose to watch neither halftime shows, still change channels or turn your TV set off during that time.

Let’s show the country that wholesome, family entertainment still wins in America.

For more information, go to https://tpusa.com. Please share this blog post.

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Bible Reading: An Essential Life Pattern

Our circumstances seem to increasingly alert us to the need for personal stability and hope. We yearn for a North Star–something we can depend on in a world so uncertain. That something always has been and always will be the absolute truth of God’s Word. Reading and meditating daily on the Bible is the beginning of peace and contentment. Getting serious about the Bible requires commitment to a structured reading plan. The best plan I have tried is the Crossgate Bible Reading Guide. It is free! You can print or save it at https://crossgate.org/resources.

For almost seven years, I have consistently used this guide for my daily devotional time. It involves reading one chapter a day, five days a week. A typical chapter takes only about five minutes to read. If you desire to go a little deeper, the Guide also explains the H.E.A.R method to journaling. Journaling is writing a short impression you gained from each chapter. It is a great help in applying the reading to your personal life. Another step you can take is to memorize a verse provided for each week of the plan. The reading, journaling, and memorizing can usually be done in less than 30 minutes if you choose all three. I encourage you to end with a time of prayer and praise.

If you haven’t been reading your Bible daily in a structured, disciplined way, I urge you to begin using this Guide today. It is scheduled by date, so you can just start at the current week. In two years, you will have read the entire Bible except for a few chapters that consist only of lists or genealogies. Some people use a read-the-Bible-through-in-a-year plan. That is commendable, but it involves reading multiple chapters each day, seven days a week, and can be stressful. The Crossgate Bible Reading Guide is a comprehensive plan with a reasonable commitment and a comfortable pace.

Feeding your soul from the Bible each day will change your life for the better. It will give you encouragement, hope, peace, and stability. It will also help you understand your Creator and His love for you as well as His best plans for you. If your time with the Lord is not what you wish it was, please try this plan for a month. See whether it works for you. Click https://crossgate.org/resources now. Print or save it and try it. You will be better for it.

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Grand Scale Spiritual Warfare in America

Today, America is divided more than at any other time since the Civil War. Meanwhile, the world is engaged in protracted wars and conflicts on several fronts. Billions of people around the globe are placing their hope–their only chance of survival–on a perceived strong and stable United States that is actually unraveling. What is happening in America is too irrational and bizarre to be anything but unleased spiritual warfare. Satan knows that, as America goes, so goes the world.

With every succeeding newscast, the mindset and behavior of tens of milllions of Americans demonstrate flourishing insanity. We are getting a daily overdose of lawlessness bordering on anarchy. Misguided political leaders at every level fill our screens with provocative hate speech and calls for disobeying laws and law enforcement. They invoke mayhem. They support criminals and berate crime victims. Protestors and rioters chant slogans and carry signs that show a lack of even a basic knowledge of social and political issues. They only know what they learn from liberal social media and biased mainstream news. They reject proven civil processes and governance in favor of rebellion and violence.

This didn’t happen overnight. Our spiritual enemy is strategic and patient. It began in the late 20th century with a national movement away from biblical morality and respect for authority. But our society digressed into an exponential freefall in family values and civility in 2015 when the highest court in the land legalized same-sex marriage nationwide. My blog post at that time predicted that this single ruling would cast a dark satanic cloud over America that would rapidly move us into deeper separation from God’s protection and blessings. Soon came the transgender focus with children and adolescents in hormonal therapy and subjection to physical mutilation. The sports realm forced females to compete with males in their own sports programs. Showers and locker rooms became co-ed.

Established laws were ignored. Throughout the Biben Administration, our borders were wide open with an estimated 20 million illegal immigrants entering our country mostly unvetted. Many of those who invaded every state were felons from their countries of origin who have continued violent crimes to include human trafficking, rape, and murder.

America has overspent like there is no tomorrow, leaving future generations to pay the bill. Our national debt has more than doubled in the last 10 years and will soon surpass $40 trillion. Most of the borrowed funds have gone to entitlements to individuals and interest on the debt itself (Yes, we are going into debt to pay interest on our debt!).

The only explanation for America, which for over two centuries touted itself as a “Christian nation,” falling so abruptly into such an ungodly culture is our nationwide acceptance of Satan’s influence. His foot-in-the-door of our national character has evolved to a bold entry through the door we have opened widely. This spiritual warfare between good and evil is waging in the lives of American citizens across our land. Law and order is no longer a priority for many liberal cities, and entire blue states have declared themselves “sanctuaries” for illegal immigrants. Again, many of these immigrants are hardened, convicted criminals. State and local law enforcement officers are prohibited from assisting lawful federal law enforcement operations. Arrested dangerous perpetrators are being released by the courts immediately. Generally, our nation of laws has become a nation of complete chaos. However, recognition of this spiritual attack is not an excuse for retreat. It is still our sacred responsibility to fight the rebellion.

Thankfully, there is a current surging counter attack in this spiritual war. It is an evangelical revival movement of the greatest magnitude in decades. Pockets of revival in schools and colleges were gaining notice as Charlie Kirk’s Turning Point organization surfaced. I believe Kirk’s assassination was a literal turning point in the nation’s spiritual struggle. However, as Christian momentum builds, the evil deceiver is pulling out all the stops.

The spiritual enemy is irate and has turned up the heat. Hateful behavior, obscene talk and action, totally illogical rhetoric, and the popularity of incompetant, ignorant so-called leaders can be observed at every turn. And these traits are being condemned by few and celebrated by many.

For godly people with rational minds and hearts to prevail, the darkness that dominates our nation and world at present must be overcome. If it continues or worsens, I must assume we are ushering in the end-times tribulation period described in the Bible. We are presently witnessing almost all the biblical harbingers. It wouldn’t take much today to trigger a new world order and a one-world leader–the immediate precursor for the tribulation.

The last words of the Bible are: “He (Jesus) who testifies to these things says, ‘Yes, I am coming soon.’ Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people. Amen.” (Revelation 22:20-21 NIV)

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6

What Is Truth?

Throughout history, one of the most elusive questions of mankind has been whether absolute truth can be known. On the day of His crucifixion, Jesus testified before the Roman governor, Pilate. The apostle John recorded that Jesus said He had the attention of everyone who knows the truth. Pilate replied, “What is truth?” Two thousand years later, the world is still asking that same question.

A 2025 report by the Cultural Research Center of Arizona Christian University found the 66% of American adults “reject or doubt the existence of absolute moral truth.” In a 2025 survey by Pew Research Center asking whether moral rules are absolute or depend on the situation, 55% said moral judgments often depend on the situation (i.e. are not absolute), while only 44% said there are clear absolute standards.

A recent article by Mike Turner, pastor of First Baptist Church of Stamps, Arkansas, provides the following interesting insight into the question of absolute truth:

Abraham Lincoln once used a very clever ploy to teach some people about truth. They had come to him with a decision that was based on suppositions rather than truth. After hearing their logic, Lincoln asked, “How many legs would a sheep have if you called its tail a leg?” They quickly answered, “Five!” The president then replied, “No, it would have only four legs. Calling a tail a leg doesn’t make it one.”

If you don’t believe in absolute truth, then you might say, “To me, rocks are soft; water is dry; and grass is orange.” But just because you may believe it with all your heart, it does not make it so! Truth is something that is always true!

Many people struggle with truth today. Just because a man calls himself a woman doesn’t make it so; he is still a male. Just because a mother says an unborn child is an unnecessary blob of tissues doesn’t make it so; it is still her baby. Just because two homosexuals called themselves “married” doesn’t make it so; it is still a sinful union. Just because an illegal alien calls himself a citizen doesn’t make it so; he is still a criminal trespasser. And just because a cultist calls himself a “Christian” doesn’t make it so; he is still a perverter of the gospel.

Jesus had earlier answered Pilate’s question about truth. When praying to God for His disciples, He proclaimed, “Thy Word is truth.” (John 17:17). Whatever God has declared in His Word is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. It is about time we stopped counting tails as legs and started believing the Word of God!

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America’s Archilles Heel

One of the caravans of illegal immigrants in Mexico headed to the American border during the Biden Administration

The illegal immigration crisis of recent years has been the worst assault on Americans in our lifetime–worse than 9/11 or COVID. There are 18.6 million illegal aliens in the U.S. You will be shocked at how much you are paying in taxes to support these infiltrators. Illegal immigration is a key link in the movement toward socialism in our country. Let’s review the massive impact this criminal activity is having and its support by the Democratic Party.

The Cost

I’ve done a little numbers crunching for you. The 18.6 million illegal immigrants within our borders is an extensively researched estimate by the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR). The economic impact of this 5.5% of our total population is currently $151 billion net per year according to FAIR. The “net” is calculated because the annual gross government expenditure on illegal immigrants is $182 billion, but the illegals supposedly contribute $31 billion per year in taxes, leaving $151 billion in net yearly costs. With our present population of 342 million, it is costing each man, woman, and child in America $441 per year in taxes to support illegal immigrants. Since only about half of Americans pay taxes (163 million), that amounts to $925 per tax payer, per year. Since the average family unit in America consists of 3.15 persons, the average tax-paying family pays $2,914 in taxes each year to pay the bill for the 18.6 million people who are within our borders illegally. Bottom line: multiply the number of total people in your household by $925, and that is how much you are paying in taxes each year for those in our country who are not allowed by law to be here.

The taxes we pay subsidize the illegals in a number of ways. Our federal and state governments have decided these millions of criminal trespassers will be provided government food subsidy payments, discounted housing, legal assistance, and use of almost all government public services. They receive emergency medical treatment through Medicaid. Their children are educated in our public schools and access our school meal programs. Federal, state, and local governments pay millions of dollars for law enforcement dealing with illegal immigrants. U.S. government agencies estimate the cost of investigating, apprehending, and removing a single illegal immigrant is $10,900 to $17,000.

The Threat

Although most of these illegals are not homeless or committing heinous crimes, they are all criminals. They all entered our country purposely and illegally. Most have taken jobs from Americans under false pretences. More importantly, many are horrendous criminals. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) says that over 13,000 of them have been convicted of murder in their countries of origin. So, there are foreign murderers among us by the thousands. Hardly a day goes by without a breaking news story of another homicide or violent crime by an illegal immigrant. There have been over 500 violent crimes by illegal immigrants so far in 2025. Human trafficking is at its highest rate ever in America, and most of it is coming through our national borders. Recently, two deadly semi-truck and car accidents have revealed that thousands of commercial truckers licenses have been issued to illegal immigrants who speak no English and cannot read road signs. The Trump administration has essentially stopped the wide-open borders that had been inviting virtually unchallenged passage to thousands daily under the previous administration. But the multiple millions of unscreened invaders who are already in our cities and rural areas across our land will create agonizing domestic problems and spiraling costs for years to come.

The Question

With that statistical backdrop of America’s societal landscape, how can any sane person side with the Democratic Party and the leftists? The liberal left half of our nation supports and protects these criminal immigrants with a vengeance. What possible explanation is there for their vehement hate speech and often violent attacks defending what is an obvious blight on our country? Why do they rage against law enforcement that is simply performing their sworn duty according to democratically established laws?

The Answer

I believe there are two related answers to these conundrums. First, the rising young Democratic liberals have largely become radical socialists bent on destroying democracy, capitalism, freedom, and the traditional American way of life. Their vision is a socialist America with the eventual evolution to communism. The strategy to such a coup begins with creating anarchy, disregarding moral standards, demonizing capitalism, deemphasizing religion, broading their base by diluting society with maximum immigration, and indoctrinating our nation’s youth in marxism. We need to look no further for evidence of this decay than the anti-ICE riots, the government shutdown, federal judge injunctions, and socialist Mamdani’s election as mayor of the largest city in the U.S. The other associated answer lies in their hatred of President Trump. America was trending to the left until a majority of its awakened citizens rose up in last November’s election and inflicted heavy damage on the leftist socialism movement plot. For the past year, the Democrats have demonstrated only one major objective–to quash everything Republican and President Trump in particular. They know their plan cannot succeed with Trump in the White House. They must render him ineffective in order to progress. There is no other rationale to their destructive behavior.

The Hope

Hope for America is only in God’s mercy and grace along with conservative patriotic action in opposing the unraveling of democracy by the Democrat radicals. Don’t view each Democratic offence in isolation; view them all as a master plan to make America the pathway to socialism in the Western Hemisphere. Apathy is no longer an option for conservatives. Illegal immigrants must be held accountable for their invasion, and the House and Senate majority must be strengthened in 2026. It’s your move!

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Mission Impossible President

After 738 days, the final 20 living Hamas hostages are home! And the entire world is giving America’s president the well-deserved credit for it. Furthermore, on the periphery of the celebrations around the world are the promising signs of a broader peace among most of the Arab nations and Israel. President Trump’s peace plan may be the catalyst for a positive transformation of epic proportions in the Middle East and Western Asia.

As soon as Israel became an independent nation in 1948, it was plagued by intense opposition from surrounding nations. Within hours of the British release of their claim to Israel, the nations of Iraq, Egypt, Jordan, and Syria invaded the new country, which started the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. After the war, unrest continued, constantly fomented by the Arab nations. Blockaids of Israel threatened the Jews with starvation. The Six Day War in 1967 handed devastating defeats to Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, and Iraq. The Yom Kippur War of 1973 was in response to Egyptian and Syrian forces attacking Israel in the Sinai and Golan Heights. That fierce fighting lasted less than a month when the aggressors declared a cease fire. Between all these wars, Israel constantly suffered skirmishes, territorial incursions, random invasions, and terrorist strikes. The massacre of October 7, 2023, when Hamas savagely murdered 1200 civilians and kidnapped 251 Israelis crossed Israel’s red line as they vowed to destroy their enemies completely. During the two-year war, Israel was constantly attacked by missiles, rockets, and drones from Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis.

Seventy-seven years of international hatred expressed through wide-spread anti-semitism and the continuous barrage of attacks from Arab-Islamic nations would seemingly never cease. Every U.S. president of that period–14 of them–made attemps to secure peace in the region. Only one succeeded. It took him all of ten months, during which time he also settled wars in seven other sites. Without question, President Donald Trump has the rare wisdom and skill to influence world leaders to attain peace and prosperity out of war and ruin. It is rather mysterious, but I think I know some of the reasons for his success.

There is no other head of state like President Trump. I’m not sure there ever has been. He has a passion for peace. That passion is manifested in his agressive pursuit of tranquility abroad and law and order in America. He has little tolerance or patience with bureaucracy and foot-dragging. He pushes the limits to get things done, and quickly. He dispises traditional politics and nontransparent civil dialogue. He says what he thinks and means what he says. He is a consumate risk-taker. He is not reluctant to make decisions that could backfire if there will be great reward for success. He has a wry sense of humor that often knocks his opposition off balance. It is frenquently flustering and can turn political posturing to his advantage. His behavior is unpredictible. This keeps his opponents and the world off-guard and unable to assume his response to anything. His unconventional approach to high stakes diplomacy is his strength. These personal traits, backed up by the overwhelming power of our great nation, make him one of history’s most impactful American presidents and world leaders.

With such attributes, though, come many criticisms. It is difficult not to focus on his repulsive side. Yet, his phenomenally positive policies and actions cannot be denied and have radically changed the world for the better. An honest assessment of pre-Trump versus post-Trump America has to acknowledge and celebrate his improvements in quality of life globally.

I will admit that I don’t like Donald Trump. I cringe at his egotism and borderline narcissism. I wince at his speech. I don’t even like his mannerisms. But I realize fully that his ability to elevate American life, regain America’s respect, and generally make the world a better place is dependent on his unorthodox and often offensive character. His rather eccentric personal traits are what draw other leaders to him. I have come to accept him for what he is and welcome what he is doing for my friends and family as well as my country and the entire world.

I have to challenge those who would say that, because he is not exactly a godly man, we should reject his leadership. The Bible has several examples of God using less-than-godly leaders to the advantage of His people. Sixth century BC King Cyrus of Persia was a pagan. Yet, he released the Israelites from Babylonian exile and provided them excessive supplies and protection as they returned to their promised land. Two hundred years earlier, the prophet, Isaiah, wrote that God said the future Cyrus would be “My anointed one” who would free the Hebrew captives. God used Cyrus to bless His own people. Can God not use President Trump, flaws and all, to make America great again and the world a better place?

The Trump derangement syndrome will continue, because there are radical Democrat liberals whose world view is to condemn everything Trump does. My hope is that more will begin to see beyond his personality and demeanor to the breakthroughs he is making for the betterment of all concerned. Let’s tolerate the man and joy in the results.

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