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.
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.
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)
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!
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!
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.
This silly term, “gerrymandering,” has garnered a lot of media hype lately. You probably have a general knowledge of it, but you need to become very familiar with it. Gerrymandering will play a significant role in the mid-term elections next year and in the 2028 general election. It is legal, but unfair, and it may determine the next House of Representatives majority as well as the next president.
The word gerrymandering originates from Elbridge Gerry, Massachusetts governor from 1810 to1812. He earlier signed the Declaration of Independence. At the end of his term as governor, he approved a political district so strangely shaped, many thought it resembled a salamander. Later the word, “gerrymander,” became a derisive word describing the manipulating of electoral boundaries to get candidates of a particular party elected.
State districts for our national House of Representatives congressmen and congresswomen are divided into areas of nearly equal population. Presently, each district has around 760,000 people. Districts are based on total population, including non-citizens, rather than the number of voters (yes, even illegal immigrants are part of the count). These districts are subject to redrawing or redistricting of boundaries after each 10-year census. The boundaries are usually adjusted due to population growth, decline, and shifts based on the new census. Occasionally, districts will be eleminated in one state and added in another. It’s all in the Constitution. Total number of districts was set by Congress at the current 435 in 1913. Redistricting does not involve the two-per-state Senate.
This redistricting is normal and fair as long as it is done without partisan bias. However, gerrymandering occurs when the practice is manipulated for partisan gain. How does that happen? Well, the partisan majority legislature may get creative in how they draw the lines. One method is called “cracking.” Almost every state will have areas of consentrated Republicans and areas of consentrated Democrats. For instance, states may often have large inner-city populations of Democrats while outlying suburbs and rural areas have a Republican majority. A majority Republican legislature can draw boundaries in which the inner cities are divided up with a small portion combined with a large rural area. That gives Republicans a majority in the district and, therefore, virtually guarantees a Republican congressman. Conversely, a majority Democratic legislature can draw boundaries that encapsulate a large city population of Democrats and smaller population of rural Republicans for an almost sure Democratic congressman. Another method is called “packing” where large groups of opposition voters are drawn into one district leaving all other districts to the favored party. When gerrymandering occurs, the result is districts with very odd shapes and sizes. All that is necessary is that each district has close to the national average district population.
Why would the Constitution contain a process that is inherently unfair? The founding fathers were assuming the post-census adjustments would be minor and bipartisan and only to accommodate small population changes. I doubt they ever imagined gerrymandering. Both Republicans and Democrats have been using this loophole to their advantage for decades. My own state of Arkansas has sprawling, gerrymandered districts designed to essentially guarantee more Republicans than Democrats in every district, even though the state’s voters are about 35 percent Democrat.
The legality of gerrymandering was challenged in the Supreme Court in 2019. The court ruled that what states did in their redistricting was beyond the reach of federal courts. Only redistricting for racial purposes is prohibited by the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Therefore, each state legislature still determines what is allowable and not allowable redistricting in its own state.
Texas’ legislature recently passed a second redistricting plan since the 2020 census which they believe will gain them five Republican congressional seats in the 2026 and 2028 elections. The move has caused an outcry from several Democratic majority states. Texas can do this because the Constitution calls for redistricting after each census, but doesn’t specifically prohibit redistricting between censuses. The California governor immediately countered the Texas move by announcing a redistricting effort that would create five new Democratic seats. Redistricting midpoint in the census cycle is rare and is drawing the angst of some leaders of both parties.
California legislature approved an independent redistricting commission in 2008 to reduce partisan interference. So, if California follows through on their threat to counter the Texas move, it will require a statewide vote to reverse the 2008 law. Missouri is also considering midterm redistricting. Other states, particularly Democratic states, are studying the option closely. We may see a gerrymandering war across America over the next several months.
Although I applaud the current Supreme Court for most of their decisions, I believe they were wrong in not ruling against gerrymandering. The practice can impact federal congressional elections. Only federal courts can rein in the unfair process. The skewing of U.S. congressional seats based on manipulated state congressional districts just doesn’t pass the smell test for fair elections in my opinion. So far, the practice has benefited my party in my state, but, in all fairness, it opposes fairness. The Supreme Court or the U.S. House of Representative should ensure that all states form a bipartisan, independent redistricting authority to make any necessary electoral district adjustments after each ten-year census. Such authority should be only activated after each census with no adjustments permitted between census cycles. We should achieve a level redistricting playing field across America. As Charlie Kirk would say, “Prove me wrong.”
America has had three “Great Awakenings” in the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries respectively. God seems to spur His people to wide-spread repentance and spiritual fervor about every hundred years. Although unlike what sparked the first three, responses to the Charlie Kirk assassination over the last several days have rekindled the hopes of Christians that a fourth Great Awakening has begun.
The first Great Awakening covered a period from the 1730s to the 1770s. It was largely led by the passionate preaching of colonial preachers like George Whitefield and Jonathan Edwards. Their strong evangelical messages centered on individual relationships with Jesus Christ. They challenged many of the traditional church practices and governance structures. New denominations like Baptists and Methodists grew out of this movement. Thousands turned to faith in Christ and strong commitment to His teachings. The movement is seen by historians as greatly influencing the American Revolution.
The next Great Awakening ignited from the Protestant revivals that peaked during the early 1800s. At the turn of the 19th century, evangelical revivals were spreading like wild fires, mainly among the growing Baptist, Methodist, and Presbyterian churches. Out of this spiritual renewal in America sprang new institutions such as presently well-known colleges, seminaries, and mission organizations. Changes of hearts in many Americans contributed to the questioning of the morality of slavery and other national issues. Scholars are still discovering new levels of impact this Awakening had on the Civil War.
Usually considered the last Great Awakening, the third nationwide revival occured during the late 1800s to the early 1900s. Again, it was experienced mostly among the more conservative Protestant denominations. It focused on strict biblical doctrines, living a more holy life, and social activism with emphasis on personal evangelism. An outgrowth of this movement was greater interest in worldwide missions, the Holy Spirit, and Pentecostal spiritual healing and worship. This era saw the enactment of prohibition and the national commitment to World War 1.
For most of my adult life, I have joined other Christians in lamenting that America has not experienced another Great Awakening in our generation. I often hear that God appears to have given up on us in the 21st century. Have Americans not shown enough serious interest in nationwide revival, or in revival, period? Have we drifted so far from God as a nation that He considers us unworthy of His intervention and subject moreso to His wrath? It is not much of a stretch to conclude that we have not just drifted, but rather have fled, from Him over the last several decades. Prior to this year, I had concluded that, instead of looking for the next Great Awakening, we should be preparing for God’s imminent judgment and Christ’s Second Coming.
However (and I’m so thankful for this “however”), observations over the past few months have renewed my hope that America may be healing spiritually. Without getting too political, I’ll just say that I believe our government is beginning to make more morally sound decisions. Many influential Americans are seemingly more comfortable sharing their faith openly. Then there was the tragic assassination of perhaps the most powerful spokesman for Christ in our day, Charlie Kirk.
Most of us didn’t realize the magnitude of influence for Christ and family values this man had on our society, especially the younger generations. That was obvious at his awesome memorial service attended by over 100,000 followers listening to some of the most powerful and prominent people in the world testify to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Cell phone activity monitors showed at least another 100,000 in the immediate vicinity of the stadium. And that is trivial compared to the tens of millions who watched it on television and the internet. It was the biggest revival service in history!
Even more impressive are the 60,000+ requests within hours to form Turning Point USA chapters throughout the country. Charlie Kirk’s assassination and immediate reactions have caused a tsunami of spiritual awareness and interest in the gospel. This could certainly be the catalyst for another Great Awakening across America. Statistical data were showing a turning of our population toward Christ, particularly Gen Z young adults, before Kirk’s untimely death. Now, it appears that trend is on the verge of exploding. We may be seeing an answer to the appeals of millions of prayer warriors during recent years.
Whether this movement erupts into a fourth Great Awakening throughout our land will be known soon. It depends on our letting God work through us. He has surely given us a flame to fan into a raging fire for His Kingdom. This may be a final test for America. Let us pray without ceasing for a massive shift of the population from the pursuit of what the world offers to the ways of Almighty God. Pray and become an activist for Him.
I had a timely blog article ready to post when I got the news of Charlie Kirk’s tragic murder. That post can wait. I am so emotionally charged right now that I must make a public statement. For the last few years of liberal Democrat insanity, I have strived to keep my posts civil and respectful when I really wanted to sink to their level of rhetoric and behavior in opposition. But enough is enough.
It is time for all conservative patriots of faith to call out and aggressively oppose the unmitigated madness and hate-filled attacks that have taken over our great nation. Americans can hardly get through a day now without hearing of some senseless, brutal murder by a radicalized killer. The killer is usually a social misfit basket case who is not even supposed to be within our borders. And virtually every time, the perpetrator is an extreme liberal brainwashed by the mainstream media and Democratic extremists. Typically, they are repeat offenders quickly released from previous crimes. Videos of the heinous acts are taken by those who are more interested in filming the brutality than in rescuing the victim. These videos usually show many bystanders sitting or standing around watching without any attempt to stop the deadly violence. What has happened to the sanctity of human life?
Wednesday was the darkest day for our country in a long, long time–and we have had a lot of dark days recently. Charlie Kirk was the predominant spokesman and defender of the young adult and teen conservative, Christian, and familiy values movement. He was a peaceful protagonist. On the national stage, he championed the wholesomeness of biblical character and American heritage. He brought light to the darkness. But the evil ones of this world, including the liberal, hate-spewing politicians were not going to let him influence their coming-of-age generation Z. Their speech and actions influenced a crazed assassin to snuff out the light of a renowned godly man, husband, and father.
Almost all that is going wrong in America today has a common denominator. Our nation’s cultural sicknesses can be diagnosed as having a common catalyst: the misguided radical socialist Democrats. These ultra-liberals appear to hate everything our country represents.
I hope and pray this will be the “Turning Point” for Christian conservatives. If there is still a chance of saving our country, we have to resort to some of the enemy’s tactics. No, not violence, but we have to become angry enough to do whatever it takes to break the grip that the other half of the country has on us. Review your spheres of influence and press into them proclaiming American values and denouncing the hatred, wokeness, and lunacy of the left. Call out sin for what it is. Be courageous enough to denounce publicly the sins of transgenderism, homosexuality, gay marriage, abortion, violence, antisemitism, and thievery. Stop being silent when you see behavior that is patently wrong. Come to anyone’s rescue who is being bullied or attacked. If you don’t have a concealed carry permit, consider getting one. I carry not only to protect myself and my family but also to intervene if someone else’s life is being threatened.
Finally, and this should have been first, pray for God’s intervention to bring His light into this dark world of spiritual warfare. Pray for peace and security in the America He graciously gave us to steward and preserve. Pray for His protection as we do what we can to protect ourselves and others. I believe God may be waiting to act in a mighty way until He sees us collectively rise up out of desperation to take our country–His country–back.
President Trump has just directed the Department of Commerce to plan for a new census that would exclude illegal immigrants. Whether that is possible is questionable, but the record high number and percentage of illegal immigrants currently in America and counted in the census is a travesty. Most of these “criminals” reside in blue states adding to the states’ population which determines their number of congressional seats.
After four years of the Biden administration’s open invitation for illegal immigrants to invade America, the consensus is that we now have an estimated 18.6 million illegals inside our borders. This is after a major surge of illegal border crossings in 2024. Other estimates are 20 to 30 million. That amounts to about six percent of our population living here illegally. With a largely disproportionate amount of these illegals in blue states where they are treated with all kinds of protection and entitlements, Democratic congressional seats are obviously benefited. Congressional seats are based on state population as reported by the Census Bureau, which counts everyone, legal or illegal. Is there any doubt why Democrats champion illegal immigration?
The Census Bureau has historically counted every nose in the country regardless of status. But who would have ever thought we would someday have 20 million unauthorized immigrants that would be counted. And they shouldn’t be counted. They are here only because we can’t find them and deport them fast enough. Yet, they are a political advantage to their state of residence in that they count toward the state’s population which determines how many congressmen the state has. How unfair is that?
Although Texas and Florida have a large number of illegal immigrants simply because they are states with the most illegals entering, California has the highest number with almost three million. Also, at the top of the list are blue states New Jersey, Illinois, and New York estimated at around a half-million each. Each U.S. representative represents an average of 780,000 constituents. If the 20 million illegal immigrants, concentrated in the blue states, were no longer part of that number, many districts in those states would shift to Republican majorities. Most research estimates that excluding illegals from the calculation of congressional seats would result in over 20 additional Republican seats. The Republicans’ present House majority of only seven votes means they can only lose three votes to prevail in any floor vote. An extra 20 Republican votes would be huge. The narrow Republican House majority is because of the 20 million illegal immigrants who have invaded our country. They could lead to the Republican loss of the majority in 2026. Remember, theoretically, the illegals don’t vote, but they control the party numbers in Congress simply by their inclusion in the census.
We hear a lot about Democratic efforts to grant citizenship to illegal immigrants or otherwise giving them the right to vote. Of course, they would vote for the party that brought them into the country and gave them free entitlements. But most important to the Democrats are the congressional seats the illegals bring to their blue states just by their settling there. It is no wonder Democrats want wide-open borders, create sanctuary cities and states, and fight against ICE captures and deportations with a vengeance.
But will President Trump be able to correct this unjust circumstance with a new census that excludes illegal immigrants? Probably not. Certainly not before the 2026 mid-term elections. He attempted to fix this inequity in 2020, but a federal court rejected the effort. Subsequently, the Supreme Court declined to hear the case on a technicality. The 14th Amendment of the Constitution calls for a census every ten years to determine congressional seats by state. It also specifies that everyone be counted regardless of citizenship. However, the Amendment excluded most Indians. Over time, Indians became a part of the count, except for a small number who still have strong tribal connections. Whether Congress could legislate a similar exclusion of illegal immigrants is much debated and would end up back in the Supreme Court.
I applaud President Trump’s challenging the nearly two-and-a-half century precedent of including illegal immigrants in the census. The vast number of illegals in our country today is unprecedented and requires a relook at how we count our people and fill our congressional seats. I invite your thoughts.
