Category: Political Economic Interests

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INFLUENCE EXPLAINED

gritandlove.org Sept 15 Steve Endress, Guest blogger

We enjoyed hosting a church potluck yesterday and one brother posited the difficulty of mixing Christianity and politics. I told him I tended to agree…but there are so many angles to this subject that we spent the next hour discussing just a few. Eventually, I’ll get to the point!

American Christianity is a unique thing. Unique in terms of history, and unique in terms of context. For six thousand years, the world has been ruled by monarchies. So much so, that, the exception (Israel) couldn’t imagine continuing with its non-monarchy and demanded a king. Along comes a democratic republic and the whole world is different today in a very fundamental way than has ever been. Living in America, we assume this is the norm and wonder how everyone else could have gotten it so wrong. We fight cold wars over the differences in ideology.

We say, Jesus never got involved with the politics of his day, he stayed out of it. True, but the context was quite different–it wasn’t a democratic republic and there really wasn’t any point. It was a monarchy. The only way to influence the ‘king’ was to rise through the ranks of bureaucracy and became his advisor. Or, be a valiant general and win a lot of battles. Jesus wasn’t going to fit either of those molds. Others, however, did rise through the ranks, and God used many of them for his purposes and to do his will. Daniel, Joseph, Hananiah, Mishael, Azariah, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Mordecai. (Or as “outsiders,” such as Nebuchadnezzar were appointed by God) such as I don’t think the argument, Jesus didn’t get involved works as well as we might think at first. He called Herod a fox, he said ‘who made me a judge over you,’ he said render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, etc. Somewhat of a nuanced position.

I’m going to argue that this topic is better addressed by the legitimacy of the influence. I believe that the primary reason we should not be involved in politics is because it is not a legitimate form of influence for a Christian. I was a school superintendent (a bureaucrat–one who does the work of a political system) and a small-town mayor. I had some powers of the state to inflict pain on my subjects. My subjects were not free to choose to be under my rule. Sure, they could have moved to another jurisdiction, but to suggest, then, that they are totally free is not being upright on this subject. Yes, there is a spectrum of freedom and bondage, and certainly, a subject is more free to move to another school district or town than they would be to another state or nation. But, to cut this argument off at the knees by suggesting they are free to move and therefore by staying they are willingly under your authority is not a winning argument.

When one has the powers of the state to inflict pain and/or reward desired behaviors, subjects are no longer free to express their true regard for the politician/bureaucrat (p/b). Further, that p/b can no longer determine a subject’s true regard for them, their ideas, and their friendship. We’ve seen this play out so many times that it almost like the air we breathe–we don’t even think about it or notice it. Stop and notice this. Why do you give honor to a wise man? Because he is wise–an intrinsic value. Why do we not give honor to a fool? Because he is foolish–an intrinsic value. Why do we give honor to a politician? 1) Because we are supposed to, 2) Because we fear what he can do to us, or we desire what he will do for us, 3) Because he is worthy.

The Supreme Court recently struck down affirmative action for college admissions. I’ve felt sorry for the applicants who were admitted to prestigious colleges under affirmative action quotas. They were left to wonder upon what grounds they had been admitted. Was it because someone was supposed to admit them, because they feared what would happen if they didn’t? Was it because the applicant deserved to be? For a man especially, being given something instead of earning it is totally demoralizing. It makes us weaker…it messes with our head, our ego, our conscience, or self-worth. Check out When Helping Hurts (ThriftBooks used $5.99) – different subject but similar in a lot of ways!

Likewise, a p/b has the same questions….do I have legitimate influence (am I worthy of someone’s attention and respect because of the way I have lived my life?!) or just illegitimate influence? Jesus was solely legitimate, and Paul worked hard to distance himself from his old illegitimate influence. He counted that stuff as dung. So, college degrees, ‘expert status’, political authority, threat of physical harm (armies, police, courts), all of these seem to lean on illegitimate influence. We are going to have these things in the world. I’m not questioning the legitimacy of illegitimate influence. I’m questioning the wisdom of a Christian deciding to wade into that dirty pool, imagining that he can clean up the pool by wading into it. Jesus didn’t. Paul fled from such an idea.

Some people have risen to places of prominence though they are not worthy. I explore the concept of worthiness here and suggest that it must be tied only to self-sacrifice. If someone has risen to prominence without commensurate self-sacrifice, then I argue that their influence is illegitimate. Push back on this if you’d like.

BOTTOM LINE:

A Christian should pursue only legitimate influence–and he should pursue it for the sole purpose of pointing more and more people to the Kingship of Jesus. You will find legitimate influence always resulting from self-sacrifice, not self-discipline, as this is a humanistic concept. Why would we give influence over our lives to someone because they’ve scaled a mountain? What good did the scaling of that mountain do for anyone in the world? Fathers and mothers have influence in the lives of their children, as do employers, co-workers, churches, voluntary organizations, and person-to-person interactions. Legitimate influence comes from people observing you be true to the Gospel, serving, loving, growing in grace and truth. Illegitimate influence isn’t only counterfeit; it destroys the witness of a person, making it an enemy of the Gospel of the Kingdom.

NEXT UP: Welcome 2 Minute Mark

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STEALTH WAR: HOW CHINA TOOK OVER WHILE AMERICA’S ELITE SLEPT… BOOK REVIEW

by Robert Spalding, US Air Force, Retired.

May I include the North American non-resistant Anabaptists here with the America’s elite, for after all, who here is really “bearing arms in covert acts of death & destruction? Son Ben recently reminded me he’d encouraged me to read this 2019 book when it came out. Strange now how the events since support its premises, and more of us now possess a greater awareness of its realities. Ironic too, that I’ve been so encouraged spiritually by the GO NOW book detailing Wendell’s long term Bible underground offensive into China just completing an eight-post series from Chapter 3 “Going Deeper.”

Perhaps we anabaptists during this year of the 500th anniversary, need to re-evaluate our understanding and definition of His love that we are implementing today practically and invitationally, both here at home and around the world, as the evidence indicates we’re in DIRE need of further conversation, study and discernment, before we yawn and fall asleep again with our Bibles on our laps or playing in our ears? ” I must do the works of Him that sent me….. for the night cometh, when no man can work.” (John 9:4)

And then consider our role, both as citizens in His heavenly kingdom, but also as so-journers or transients in the USA as presented in the fifth last paragraph that is highlighted. Consider Christian nationalism, even our open antagonism. Perhaps, we do have A Work To Do, and, it’s largely first, within us! Thrift books has 6 copies available now for less than $7 ea.

INTRODUCTION: (verbatim from book)

I know something about stealth. In 1998, I began training to pilot B-2 Spirits, known far and wide as Stealth Bombers. The B-2 was at that time the high-profile new weapon in the US Air Force arsenal, a dazzling, billion-dollar, high-tech machine that looked like it had flown in from a future century. Its “continuous curvature” allowed it to avoid detection by the electromagnetic waves used by radar systems to track objects. In other words, I learned to fly a plane that achieved something every military strategist has dreamed of: being invisible.

Twenty years later—having served as chief China strategist for the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and as senior US Defense official and Defense attaché to the People’s Republic of China—I left my position as senior director for strategic planning at the White House, deeply concerned about a different stealth weapon being turned against my country. For the past forty years, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has been playing a beautiful game. It is sophisticated yet simple. It is a competition to gain control and influence across the planet—and to achieve that outcome without resorting to military engagement.

Flying quietly below the radar, the CCP has been acquiring technology without paying a cent toward developing it, carefully taking control of the world’s shipping businesses, infiltrating our corporations and science laboratories, and using American investor dollars to float the cost of its own factories and companies—and then, adding insult to injury, insisting that that money stay in China.

War between nation-states in the twenty-first century looks much different than war in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Instead of bombs and bullets, it’s about ones and zeros and dollars and cents: economics, finance, data information, manufacturing, infrastructure, and communications. Control those fronts today, and you can win a war without firing a shot. It’s a simple, logical strategy. And it is one leaders in the West have been very slow to grasp.

Our political, military, corporate, and fiscal leaders have failed to recognize the subtle game the CCP has been playing. They have been operating, understandably, under the now outdated idea that war is fought only with bombs and bullets. The CCP strategy, however, is to fight in other ways, utilizing a variety of tactics. It advocates and sponsors a constant focus on theft, coercion, economic sabotage, and monopolization of infrastructure on a global level—all to increase China’s sphere of influence. Everywhere.

Like the B-2 bombers I flew, the CCP’s stealth war isn’t truly covert. It has been hiding in plain sight. How did we miss it? I’m not interested in pointing fingers at one particular party. Both Republican and Democratic elites have missed the signs—or are complicit—and as a patriot who cares about my fellow citizens, my main interest is to defend the people of this country and the ideas that have driven it since it was founded.

Perhaps nothing threatens the CCP more than the Constitution of the United States. China’s president, Xi Jinping, has stated as much, and CCP documents that I will share make clear that fundamental American concepts—the rights of free speech and freedom of religion—are threats to the authoritarian power of the CCP, which believes that these liberties must never be allowed to take root in China and must never be the rights of Chinese citizens.

The CCP’s fundamental loathing of our Bill of Rights and other legal protections should be chilling to anyone who values freedom. It is the primary reason I am writing this book. I want to alert the world to China’s stealth war and its strategy to dominate the planet by focusing on six spheres of influence: the economy, the military, global diplomacy, technology, education, and infrastructure.

China is closing in on achieving its goal of influencing the politicians and corporations of the United States. If this happens, fundamental freedoms we take for granted—the ability to criticize a politician or a policy, to publish political statements, to report on governmental abuse or inefficiency, to sing the lyrics you want, to study literally any subject under the sun, to visit any website, no matter what ideology is espoused—will come under assault.

As for our economy, it will continue to erode, as the CCP arranges to use our own capital against our own best interests. Trade terms will be less favorable. Chinese-owned and -manufactured products will flood our markets, creating a further trade imbalance that will favor the CCP’s interests. The job market and average wages will continue to stagnate. Our best and brightest will be recruited by Chinese-owned companies—which are, as we’ll see, ultimately property of the CCP.

American politicians who attempt to counter pro-CCP rivals will find themselves fighting against operatives who are bought and paid for, as the CCP uses its limitless cash to influence policies in Washington, DC.

Equally frightening, if not more so, the CCP is also using its authoritarian power to reshape, rewrite, and airbrush historical truths—earning the nation a joke moniker among academics who study the disturbing manipulation of historical fact: The People’s Republic of Amnesia. The era of digitization makes editing history and creating national amnesia a matter of just cutting, pasting, and deleting. A fascinating study by Glenn Tiffert, “Peering Down the Memory Hole,” documents how past issues of China’s leading law journals were published on Chinese digital platforms for academic research, but without specific articles within them that revealed attacks on the concept of rule of law. Those attacks presented an inconvenient truth now that China seeks to portray itself as law-abiding and just. So they were banished. “Simply put,” writes Tiffert, “the Chinese government is leveraging technology to quietly export its domestic censorship regime abroad and, by manipulating how observers everywhere comprehend its past, present, and future, it is enlisting them without their consent in an alarming project to sanitize the historical record and globalize its own competing narratives.”

The end result, if China succeeds in all its goals, will be a United States of America that is devoid of the principles that shaped our nation.

These are the dystopian outcomes that loom before us. It is not a question of if. It is a question of when, unless we take preventative measures. The strategies the CCP deploys across the globe have been in effect for decades. And under its current power-hungry leader Xi Jinping, it is trying to accelerate influencing operations by attempting to become the world’s technology leader, corner the telecommunications market, and export totalitarian social controls to the leaders in developing nations.

This book does not aim to just sound an alarm. It is meant as a call to arms, one that details how the United States and the rest of the free world can combat—and break up—China’s stealth war. In doing so, I hope we can save the very thing that has driven our nation—and the world—forward for nearly 250 years, a shared value of what Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Winston Churchill termed the four essential liberties in the Atlantic Charter: freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom from want, and freedom from fear.

So consider this book a primer on how the CCP has conducted its war, a point-by-point how-to manual for stopping its march toward control of the West, and, yes, a terrifying warning. If we fail to respond immediately and decisively to protect our economy, our security, our institutions, and our free society, we will descend, as much of China already has, into a nightmarish dystopian society. A foreign totalitarian state will monitor our lives, our thoughts, who we see, and what we say. And if it doesn’t like what we do or think or say, it will take action against us.

Some cynics will accuse me of being alarmist or sensationalist. These people are afflicted with the same blind spot I once had. I have examined why I was so oblivious to CCP aggression and why the rest of the world still has a similar blind spot. I now attribute it in part to hubris—our cocksure confidence in ourselves and our system. Our belief that America’s socioeconomic model, its war machine, and its political model are the best in the world has helped fuel a profound confidence that we can overcome any challenge. That confidence has proven shortsighted. The blind spot remains in place—and has increased in size—because the CCP are professional liars who have had exquisite training.

Blinded by our own greed and the dream of globalization, we’ve been convinced that free trade automatically unlocks the shackles of authoritarianism and paves the way to democracy. The promise of cheap labor, inexpensive goods, and soaring stock prices has been spellbinding, but by giving up our manufacturing expertise and dominance, we have given up our independence and sold out our own citizens by stripping them of work. And we’ve been duped: investing in an authoritarian nation that insists the money never leave the country is basically allowing our pockets to be picked—or, rather, allowing our treasury to be raided.

America, other Western nations, and all democratic countries now face our biggest challenge since World War II—one with dire implications for the United States and the world at large. I hope this book—and the much-needed response I pray it spurs—is not too late to stop the authoritarian juggernaut, the stealth war, that is being waged against us.

NEXT UP: Today a trusted and valued friend who was part of the Istog Kosovo dairy project, who now also with his AC church has a dairy presence in Haiti, who I recently invited to visit Panama since I just left the premier dairy county in OH and 6 months after being in Panama discovered I now live in the premier dairy province where most of Panama’s 400,000 dairy cows reside, who just happened to text me inviting me to check out his friend and blogger Steve Endress at “gritandlove.org” which I immediately did reading several of his personally written posts. I concentrated on his Sept 15 post titled “Influence explained” since it follows up rather well on my introduction above about anabaptists being at the crossroads, I felt compelled to share it with you thinking some of you may well wish to check the site weekly for his depth of wisdom. Enjoy.

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Counseling the Conspiracy Theorist, Part B continued

Written by Daniel Szczesniak, July 2025 The Sword and Trumpet, Pg 19, originally published by ACBC at biblicalcounseling.com

If you missed Part A, you’d be advised to read that first!

2. Confirmation Bias vs Renewal of the Mind

Confirmation bias is a fancy, technical-sounding way of saying that we hear what we want to hear. People love to hear the things that “suit their own passions,” and thus “turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths” 2 Timothy 4:3-4). Conspiracy theories have enough truth sprinkled in to plausibly conform what we already think – wish? hope? – to be true.

          Challenge your counselee with this passage, then study Romans 12:1-2, where Paul calls for believers to be transformed in our thinking as an act of worship. Teach them to think biblically and help them grow in discernment as they learn to love what is “good and acceptable and perfect.”

  • 3. Blame Shifting vs Taking Responsibility

As difficult as it for us to change our minds, it may be even more difficult to change our habits. Myths allow us to avoid responsibilities for how we spend our time by placing the blame on someone else: Them!!

Every conspiracy involves a “they.” After all, it is far easier to believe that a shadowy cabal of elites has intentionally compromised our food supply than it is to change our diet and begin exercising.

A subtler form of blame-shifting, and one that is perhaps more common, is for your counselee to focus their efforts on exposing and fighting “them” in chat rooms and social media debates instead of prioritizing God’s instructions for their lives. The lie is that they are pursuing noble causes (Truth! Justice!). But the reality is that they are surfing the internet instead of fulfilling their duties to God and neighbor (Matt 22:27-40).

Help your counselee see these things with the classic illustration of the “circle of concern” and “circle of responsibility.” Draw a circle and label it “circle of responsibility.” Inside, write down the God-given responsibilities they’ve been neglecting in their pursuit of so-called “truth.”

Next, draw a wider circle around the first one, and label it “circle of concern.” Write down things that they may be concerned about, but are not necessarily their responsibility. Help them think through where things like “civic duty” and “current events” fall, and what that should look like in their life.

  • 4. Self-Centered Narrative vs the Story of Redemption

Conspiracy theories provide a framework for us to make sense of the world around us. Like Asaph in Psalm 73, we see the prosperity of the wicked and wonder why they succeed while we struggle. A good conspiracy theory explains our struggle by placing us within an epic story of good versus evil, the global elites plotting against regular folks such as ourselves.

Yet the structure of the narrative is itself the problem. As Carl Trueman has said, “Conspiracy theories… make us feel more important in the grand scheme of things than we are. If someone is going to all this trouble to con us into believing in something, then we have to be worth conning.” In the end, conspiracy theories are about US!

BOTTOM LINE:

          But there is a much better story!

          It’s the story of God’s beautiful creation and our purpose to reflect His glory. It’s a story in which we are are the ones who conspire against our Creator, turning from him to seek our own glory and pleasure. Yet in this story, God sent His own Son to save us from the trouble we inflicted upon ourselves by forgiving our rebellion, giving us new hearts, calling us to walk in His ways, and promising us a glorious future.

          Train your counselee to view the world through this priceless act of redemption. Teach them the beautiful truths about Christ, help them renew their minds in the Word, prepare them to value and live out their God-given responsibilities, and help them locate their life in the Bible’s narrative of creation, fall, redemption, and consummation.

NEXT UP:

Book Review: Released in ’25; Scrolling Ourselves to Death: Reclaiming Life in a Digital Age edited by Brett McCracken & Ivan Mesa

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COUNSELING The CONSPIRACY THEORIST, Part A.

Written by Daniel Szczesniak, July 2025 The Sword and Trumpet, Pg 19, originally published by ACBC at biblicalcounseling.com

Sorry readers, but I’ve been looking for writings in these veins for years to no avail! Where are today’s practical living spiritual/scriptural interpreters on such ignored hot topics? If you are aware of other such attempts, please, please inform me… merlin

THERE’S JUST SOMETHING ABOUT CONSPIRACY THEORIES THAT ATTRACT US.

The deep state, Russiagate, birther, Epstein, QAnon, and the New World Order are terms that have entered the public consciousness over the past few years. The grassy knoll, flat earth, chemtrails, and the moon landing have been popular subjects for years. There are endless debates about vaccines, voter fraud, the pandemic, and no doubt there will be many still to come about the recent Pennsylvania assassination attempt.

Such theories capture our imagination while attempting to explain the inexplicable. In doing so, they provide structure to the chaos of the world around us. As Christians, we love to seek out truth, and we believe that God is ordering history according to his will. So, what is the problem?

The Problem with Conspiracy Theories

The issue isn’t conspiracy. We know that powerful people do evil things, and we know that they often try to conceal dealings or spin the narrative. Proverbs 17:23 tells us, “A wicked man accepts a bribe behind the back to pervert the ways of justice.” This explains why so many conspiracies have a ring of truth to them. According to the Bible, wicked people do exchange bribes and favors to twist the law or work the system to their favor.

No, the real issue is stewardship. It’s a matter of what we do with the truths with which we’ve entrusted. Paul put it this way: “Charge certain persons not to teach any different doctrine, nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies, which promote speculations rather than the stewardship from God that is faith” (1 Timothy1:3-4)

Instead of faithfully living out the Christian life, the conspiracy theorist engages in speculation and does it to such a degree that it can only be described as deviation. At the root of this deviation to speculation is a different doctrine. It’s a different doctrine because it doesn’t center on Christ (1 Timothy 1:11). To help a counselee caught in a love of speculation, you must help expose this wayward devotion as sin and point them to the truth of the Gospel.

Understanding and Counseling the Conspiracy Theorist

Let’s take a look at four areas the conspiracy theorist might find attractive, comparing each to the greater truths God gives us in His Word.

  1. Secret Knowledge vs. Biblical Truth

Grocery checkout lines are known for displaying two types of products: Candy and gossip magazines. Twice the book of Proverbs identifies these as the same basic urge: “The words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels, they go down into the inner parts of the body” (18:8, 26:22).

Like chocolate or the juicy news of who is cheating on whom, conspiracy theories provide an indulgent thrill of pleasure. It may be masked as a search for truth, a love for learning, being prepared for the future, or staying up to date on current affairs. But at its root, the allure of secret knowledge is a love of pleasure.

Jesus said, “To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God” (Mark 4:11). Show your counselee that the greatest and most satisfying secrets are revealed in Christ, and everything they need for life and godliness comes through knowing Him (2 Peter 1:3).

TO BE CONTINUED:

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Undercover Spiritual Espionage Engineering For Relationship Bridge Building

When I was a kid, the above title was just called “Friendship Evangelism.” Nowdays, small groups are assigned; prior as a kid, I watched them just sprout organically and if/when they got too large, qualified leadership volunteered to lead the splinter group… and theoretically, in time…. they didn’t duplicate into oblivion. Actually, my home congregation physically went “underground,” after nearly 90 years, as we all will eventually, if you walk through the cemeteries with your eyes WIDE open. If you desire more of my personal historical perspective read the August 1 post titled AYFC Chapter One: Create Meaning with Small Wins. Warning, it is long! But unparalleled in historical interest & content in this 500th year of Anabaptist history.

At this moment in history, I’m thinking far beyond the underground tunneling Wendell Martin (author of Go Now: From the Innermost Parts of the Heart to the Uttermost Parts of the World) helped engineer in China with his 50+ smuggling trips of spiritual boring equipment for God’s use in the Chinese underground church, enabling His millions of Christ-Followers literally starving for Bibles to expand & thrive. I keep thinking Wendell Martin needs to write his personal “Letters to the Church”, as Francis Chan did in 2018. Wendell is the closest Anabaptist man I know whom exhibits a practical clone-ship to the Apostle Paul.

The bottom line to this totally secular book “Are You Fully Charged” with its outstanding clarity for the methodology of building undercover dynamic thriving spiritual relationships in & about the remaining remnant congregations to the masses outside our enclaves, ( especially when they are frequently & defiantly shaking their fists at God, perhaps even us, if/when we threaten their ideology), in my estimation, offers a phenomenal blueprint for Christ – Followers to expand their thriving (OR NOT) spiritual relationships footprint in their practical day-in-day-out-lives, especially as we may be increasingly scrutinized and persecuted. Now, back to the epilogue. You and the Holy Spirit need to the connect the dots!

Epilogue: Create a Positive Charge

          The best use of an hour is to invest it in something that will continue to grow. When you add a positive charge to another’s day, it carries forward a into each of their subsequent interactions. Even when you do not see the results directly, investing an hour in the growth of another person can increase the well-being of an entire network of people in the span of a day. It will also help you grow.

          You are much better at helping yourself if you are also helping another person with a similar problem, even if your experience with the affliction was years earlier. Perhaps that’s why thriving Christians who consciously, even subconsciously, adhere to the saying “There, but for the grace of God, go I” accredited to the 16th century reformer John Bradford who said it first while watching fellow prisoners being led to their execution, recognizing that he was no more righteous than they were, and that he had only escaped their fate through God’s grace.

Likewise, research from one of the largest clinical trials in alcohol research found that 40 percent of the alcoholics who helped other alcoholics during their recovery were successful and avoided drinking in the year following they treatment. In contrast, only 22 percent of those who did not help others were able to stay sober. Helping someone else with a similar problem nearly doubled success rates. A subsequent study found that 94 percent of alcoholics who helped other alcoholics experienced lower levels of depression.

          A series of studies conducted with hundreds of college students suggests that people may be even better at solving the same problem for another person than they are for at solving the same problem for themselves. It seems people are “simply wired” to do good and create meaning, even for complete strangers (No great surprise for those who know Creator God).

SHARE YOUR MOST PRECIOUS RESOURCES 

What’s most intriguing about the research on giving is that it appears to be a universal phenomenon that transcends wealth in countries rich and poor. When a team of leading researchers examined data from more than 200,000 people in 136 countries, they found that donating to charity improved well being in all parts of the world. This held true even when people reported having trouble securing food for their family.

          When these researchers compared vastly different parts of the world, such as Canada and South Africa, they found that people consistently felt happier when they donated to charity versus buying themselves a treat, even when they would never meet the beneficiary of their gift. This led researchers to conclude that people are not merely donating for direct satisfaction or social connection. Instead, it appears that something deeply embedded in people’s natures makes them feel better when they act altruistically. (Again, it’s no surprise to we who know Creator God)

DO GOOD For A LIFE WELL-LIVED

          We all have a limited number of days to make a difference. This is one of the few certainties that everyone shares. It can also be an extraordinary motivational force. Embrace the fact that you need to infuse a lot of good into this world while you can. You have the opportunity to decide how you will spend your time. Use this knowledge to stay focused on doing what’s most important everyday.

If you don’t prioritize what’s more important today, you may later find yourself wishing you had spent more time with your spouse or children. You may regret that you didn’t pursue an idea you had many years ago. Fortunately, you do have time to add a positive charge to the world today by:

  1. Start with work that creates meaning.
  2. Invest in each interaction to strengthen your relationships.
  3. Make sure you have the energy you need to be your best.

          Doing these three things, in combination, is the definition of being fully charged and adding a positive charge to those around you.

In addition, before we move on, I want you to be aware that beginning on Page 213 – 216, Tom has crated a list of nine books he lists “As Essential Reading” for those of us appearing as on steroids from merely reading AYFC, already envisioning enhancing public/private school curriculum modules; actually, any educational components involving meaningful interactions strengthening both direct & collateral relationships, including even the training protocols for sales & marketing resources, etc., all being built on the Golden Rule from Matt. 7:12 & Luke 6:31. For deeper diving, beginning on page 217- 240, Rath lists the books 235 references, most with links or websites, indeed a unique treasure trove! 

BOTTOM LINE:

Again, there is so much more I want to share here for the future of His Kingdom IN YOUR LIFE, but this is not the time. I am trusting He’ll open the necessary doors in His future timing. Continual Blessings on your journeys as you seek His guidance and sustenance for meaningful work, interactions, & relationships from His resources all about us, and, sometimes in/from the most unsuspecting persons & places. Till we meet again, I believe you now possess sufficient creative ammo to expand your footprint realizing & proving your ultimate strength is first finding, and secondly, developing the God given talents in others in meaningful endeavors and relationships impacting Kingdom Living for all of humanity! Go Now!

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 Strictly FYI & YPS! (Your Prayer Support)

I received an email April 10 from a friend I’ve named anonymously Glendon, who has been a faithful mentor to me for going on three decades. He has frequently been Jesus in “real skin” for me over the years and I marvel at how God has both protected and prospered this elderly gentleman throughout his numerous trying times. Early on, Glendon had confided in me the details of a mission tour he joined in Nigeria, and how his first visit there coincided with a group of Muslims attacking Christians the day before he arrived!

The next day after the attack my friend Glendon accompanied Simon, a young native Christian, to the hospital witnessing a young woman sitting at the entrance with her hand cut off at the wrist being bandaged up by the hospital doctors. Inside the hospital beds were filled with the wounded from machete attack! Arms and hands were cut off, deep wounds across their backs, chests and even some legs. Of course, Glendon had never witnessed anything like this on any prior mission trips, but this time he had, and as a consequence, his life was never the same.

Later that week when the mission tour personnel learned Glendon had toured the hospital, they scolded him and said it was wrong for him to have visited there. In fact, he was told to never report anything that he had seen at the hospital! And for 30 plus years, up until the April 10th email, he has been as he says, shamefully silent, except for sharing earlier on with me, the events details  

He was told then people do not understand Muslims and drawing attention to this event would not be good. The tour personnel tried to explain away the prior day’s event as just being a land problem that had little or nothing to do with religion, being Muslim or Christian. Glendon having already discussed with Simon the situation, knew the tour personnel representing worldwide Christian Churches were lying, and for the decades since, nothing has been said, but Glendon reports neither are those worldwide churches or their mission works prospering.

The good news about this dark Nigerian event in Glendon’s life was that spiritually, it was a turning point for developing in him an awareness to look beyond the obvious to discern God’s truths in the world’s chaos, such as we are increasingly encountering during these last days. And equally important, it was on this tour trip Glendon first met Simon.

At that time, Simon was a young Nigerian man searching to find his place to serve God in his home community and had just recently married. His wife was a school teacher with a salary of $300.00 dollars a year, but often, she did not even get paid. Simon wanted more Bible education in order to teach others. So Glendon with his connections arranged for him to attend and graduate from Bible college. But then he still had no income, and the American mission agency that had arranged the tour Glendon had joined had no interest in helping Simon spread the gospel.

Long story short, Glendon to this day is still arranging support for Simon and his family. He began early on sending Simon money from time to time and he began buying roofing tin and eventually built a small two room cement block building. His home is without electricity and no plumbing that works. The last time Glendon stayed with Glendon he bathed from a bucket of water which came from a cistern while standing in a tub.

Today his wife has diabetes and often suffers from bouts with malaria. Simon’s oldest son is married with 2 children. His other five dependents are now either in school or university. Glendon over the years has remained knowledgeable of their names, ages, and the schools they are attending. Beginning now in April, the Nigerian government requires that two of his daughters must drop out of university and become soldiers for two years. Recently robbers broke into the girl’s dorm and stole their rice, beans and clothing. Life there is very difficult.

Until now when Glendon just gave me permission to share Simon’s last email with you readers of this blog post, no one else except I, had an inkling of this situation, remaining only between God, Glendon & Simon.

Simon now is an evangelist preacher who travels around his area teaching and preaching. A few weeks ago, he estimated once there were over 600 in his audience. As Simon continues to minister to his Christian brothers and sisters in and about his community, he comes and goes with little to spare, but still gives to others who are starving, sick or widows, out of what Glendon provides him. Glendon prays daily and requests you blog readers do the same for this little mission enclave thanking God that Simon can so function there because God is still blessing Glendon as he is soon entering his nineties with good health and the financial means to share with Simon.

Here is part of Simon’s April 10th email

The herdsmen here behave like wild animals
The Muslims are using them in disguise to fight their jihad
This is one of their strategies to wipe out Christianity, just so you know what happened in Afghanistan, Egypt, Ethiopia, Lebanon and the rest.
That is also their strategies against America as they have captured Europe, especially Great Britain
The want to Islamize the whole world.
Yemen, Iran etc. are their sponsors who are sponsoring the terrorists.
Christians must be wise but innocent as a doves.
We must watch out very carefully
There are several places in Nigeria that are captured and now are under their control whereby before were Christian controlled areas
They have expanded their territories very fast in Nigeria.
Recently in one of the local government area in plateau state is under serious attack and siege.
Last week they attacked and killed hundreds of people.
Dead bodies are still being recovered
Only God knows the mission and evil they have against Christians.
You on your end may not know how much evil is planned against Christians.
Only God can help.
We are fine
I’m grateful to God to hear that you people are doing good
Praise to God for who He is
Praise God I was able to extend hands to about 5 people of various needs
Thanks so very much Glendon
Remain ever blessed under the Fire of God.
Thanks for praying for me always
It means a lot for me and our ministry.
Greetings to your beloved wife and children.

The new clip below was sent me by my mentor friend Glendon taken from opendoorsuk.org/news 12:30 pm April 20, 2025

Christians among 113 killed in latest spate of attacks in Nigeria

A devastating spate of attacks in Nigeria has killed around 113 people, including Christians. With Easter approaching, believers in Nigeria are even more vulnerable to attack. Please pray for their protection and for other believers worldwide as they mark Holy Week….. Tim   Open Doors Team

            Christian communities in Nigeria have again been devastated by militant attacks. Around 113 people, including some Christians, have been killed in another spate of horrific attacks in Plateau State, Nigeria, with thousands more displaced. Since the end of March, Fulani militants attacked at least eight communities in the local government associations of Bokkos and Bassa. Alongside those killed (and the number could be higher), a further six are missing and many others injured. Over 300 homes have been destroyed, leaving more than 3,000 people displaced.

            The most recent attack was on Sunday night (13 April) in a Christian community in Bassa. “Forty-three people were killed, several houses were burnt down with people inside,” says a local contact. Amongst the other attacks, three Christian farmers were cultivating their land on 24 March when they were killed. Three days later, the militants killed 11 Christians who had gathered for a funeral, including a pregnant woman and ten-year-old girl. On 2 April, at least five Christian women were killed as they gathered for fellowship.

            The attacks in Bokkos come as Christian communities continue to recover from a series of attacks in 2023, including one on Christmas Eve in which around 200 believers were killed. A coordinated security response is in place to tackle the ongoing spate of attacks in affected communities.

            “Our people are living in fear,” says Titus Ayuba Alams, who serves as a special adviser to the local authorities on workers’ welfare and corporate affairs. “Children no longer go to school, even worship in churches you can’t do it, because you are running for your life.”

Why are the attacks happening now?

            The attacks come at the onset of the rainy season, which lasts until October. It’s a crucial time for subsistence farmers, who need to get crops in the ground in preparation for the dry season. Many of those attacked and now displaced rely on their farms for survival, and with many men amongst those killed, women and children have lost their breadwinner, leaving them especially vulnerable. Attacks like these are often tactical and targeted, aimed at crippling families and communities in the long-term. When Christian villages are attacked, it is often intended to fatally undermine and destroy the local church. “Children no longer go to school, even worship in churches you can’t do it, because you are running for your life”

            Those displaced are now among the millions of Christians displaced by violence and conflict, not just in Nigeria but throughout sub-Saharan Africa. Many end up at displacement camps that are dangerously ill-equipped to care for people. Through the Arise Africa campaign, your gifts are lifeline to so many of our brothers and sisters, but the need remains acute.

            “Let’s pray that the Lord will make provision, because we have four IDP [internally displaced person] camps: one in Bokkos, one in Gombe and two in Hurti. And in Bokkos, we have more than 2,000 IDPs. In Hurti, we have more than 4,000 and the same in Gonde,” says Reverend Arum, the CAN (Christian Association of Nigeria) chairman of Bokkos lower government authority. “Let’s pray that the Lord will make provision, and the body of Christ will support the church through prayers and, if they can, support them financially.”

Petition and prayer

The Arise Africa campaign is not only about raising money and prayers – it’s also about raising your voice. If you haven’t already, please sign and share the petition. The aim is to take this to the UK government, United Nations, European Union and African Union, calling for protection, justice and restoration for our brothers and sisters affected by rising violence in sub-Saharan Africa – including those whose lives have been rocked by this latest spate of attacks. Go to opendoorsuk.org for details

            And with Holy Week underway, please remember believers across the world as they mark Easter under the heightened risk of pressure and persecution. The attack on Christians in Bokkos during Christmas 2023 is a sobering reminder that Christian celebrations can be targeted by militant groups. Meanwhile, those who attend services can face hostility from their own communities and families. Please pray for God’s peace and presence to surround our persecuted family at this time.

Please pray:

 For God’s unsurpassing love, comfort and peace to engulf all those affected by these   attacks, and that the forthcoming Easter weekend will breathe precious hope into their hearts.

For the provision of food, shelter safety for the displaced.

For the protection of all gatherings in Nigeria, and elsewhere worldwide, during Holy Week.

Taken from opendoorsuk.org/news 12:30 pm April 20, 2025

Strictly FYI & YPS! (Your Prayer Support)

Post 4/19/25: Aron Lee Raltston; that Aron hears Christ’s call & fulfills his life’s destinies for himself, his children – Leon & Elisabetta, as well as his life’s motto, “There are possibilities in our problems, transformation in our trauma, and blessings in our boulders” and the His best for them is yet to come!

Post 04/21/25: Glendon, Simon and the persecuted Christians in Nigeria, Africa, and Asia…

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READ, WEEP, PRINT AND KEEP!

Every once in a blue moon I am sent something that literally demands an immediate audience. You know I avoid politics like the mRNA plague now consuming our rear view mirrors. You also know I quit posting Sunday mornings to avoid distracting your worship preparation. But this Charley Reese’s Final column (and sadly who I never heard of prior) is just First Class, and I’m betting it’s certainly worthy of being the first ever Memorable Serious Saturday Night Reflection(mSSNR)!

The following should be on the front page of every newspaper and on all social media platforms.

Charley Reese’s Final column!

A very interesting column. COMPLETELY NEUTRAL.
Be sure to Read the Poem at the end..

Charley Reese’s final column for the Orlando Sentinel… He has been a journalist for 49 years. He is retiring and this is HIS LAST COLUMN.

Be sure to read the Tax List at the end.

This is about as clear and easy to understand as it can be. The article below is completely neutral, neither anti-republican or democrat. Charlie Reese, a retired reporter for the Orlando Sentinel, has hit the nail directly on the head, defining clearly who it is that in the final analysis must assume responsibility for the judgments made that impact each one of us every day. It’s a short but good read. Worth the time. Worth remembering!

545 vs. 300,000,000 People
-By Charlie Reese

Politicians are the only people in the world who create problems and then campaign against them.

Have you ever wondered, if both the Democrats and the Republicans are against deficits, WHY do we have deficits?

Have you ever wondered, if all the politicians are against inflation and high taxes, WHY do we have inflation and high taxes?

You and I don’t propose a federal budget. The President does.

You and I don’t have the Constitutional authority to vote on appropriations. The House of Representatives does.

You and I don’t write the tax code, Congress does.

You and I don’t set fiscal policy, Congress does.

You and I don’t control monetary policy, the Federal Reserve Bank does.

One hundred senators, 435 congressmen, one President, and nine Supreme Court justices equates to 545 human beings out of the 300 million are directly, legally, morally, and individually responsible for the domestic problems that plague this country.

I excluded the members of the Federal Reserve Board because that problem was created by the Congress. In 1913, Congress delegated its Constitutional duty to provide a sound currency to a federally chartered, but private, central bank.

I excluded all the special interests and lobbyists for a sound reason. They have no legal authority. They have no ability to coerce a senator, a congressman, or a President to do one cotton-picking thing. I don’t care if they offer a politician $1 million dollars in cash. The politician has the power to accept or reject it. No matter what the lobbyist promises, it is the legislator’s responsibility to determine how he votes.

Those 545 human beings spend much of their energy convincing you that what they did is not their fault. They cooperate in this common con regardless of party.

What separates a politician from a normal human being is an excessive amount of gall. No normal human being would have the gall of a Speaker, who stood up and criticized the President for creating deficits.. ( The President can only propose a budget. He cannot force the Congress to accept it.)

The Constitution, which is the supreme law of the land, gives sole responsibility to the House of Representatives for originating and approving appropriations and taxes. Who is the speaker of the House?( John Boehner. He is the leader of the majority party. He and fellow House members, not the President, can approve any budget they want. ) If the President vetoes it, they can pass it over his veto if they agree to. [The House has passed a budget but the Senate has not approved a budget in over three years. The President’s proposed budgets have gotten almost unanimous rejections in the Senate in that time. ]

It seems inconceivable to me that a nation of 300 million cannot replace 545 people who stand convicted — by present facts — of incompetence and irresponsibility. I can’t think of a single domestic problem that is not traceable directly to those 545 people. When you fully grasp the plain truth that 545 people exercise the power of the federal government, then it must follow that what exists is what they want to exist.

If the tax code is unfair, it’s because they want it unfair.

If the budget is in the red, it’s because they want it in the red.

If the Army & Marines are in Iraq and Afghanistan it’s because they want them in Iraq and Afghanistan ..

If they do not receive social security but are on an elite retirement plan not available to the people, it’s because they want it that way.

There are no insoluble government problems.

Do not let these 545 people shift the blame to bureaucrats, whom they hire and whose jobs they can abolish; to lobbyists, whose gifts and advice they can reject; to regulators, to whom they give the power to regulate and from whom they can take this power.
Above all, do not let them con you into the belief that there exists disembodied mystical forces like “the economy,” “inflation,” or “politics” that prevent them from doing what they take an oath to do.

Those 545 people, and they alone, are responsible. They, and they alone, have the power.

They, and they alone, should be held accountable by the people who are their bosses. Provided the voters have the gumption to manage their own employees… We should vote all of them out of office and clean up their mess!

Charlie Reese is a former columnist of the Orlando Sentinel Newspaper.

What you do with this article now that you have read it… is up to you.
This might be funny if it weren’t so true.
Be sure to read all the way to the end:

Tax his land,
Tax his bed,
Tax the table,
At which he’s fed.

Tax his tractor,
Tax his mule,
Teach him taxes
Are the rule.

Tax his work,
Tax his pay,
He works for
peanuts anyway!

Tax his cow,
Tax his goat,
Tax his pants,
Tax his coat.

Tax his ties,
Tax his shirt,
Tax his work,
Tax his dirt.

Tax his tobacco,
Tax his drink,
Tax him if he
Tries to think.

Tax his cigars,
Tax his beers,
If he cries
Tax his tears.

Tax his car,
Tax his gas,
Find other ways
To tax his ass.

Tax all he has
Then let him know
That you won’t be done
Till he has no dough.

When he screams and hollers;
Then tax him some more,
Tax him till
He’s good and sore.

Then tax his coffin,
Tax his grave,
Tax the sod in
Which he’s laid…

Put these words
Upon his tomb,
‘Taxes drove me
to my doom…’

When he’s gone,
Do not relax,
Its time to apply
The inheritance tax.
Accounts Receivable Tax
Building Permit Tax
CDL license Tax
Cigarette Tax
Corporate Income Tax
Dog License Tax
Excise Taxes
Federal Income Tax
Federal Unemployment Tax (FUTA)
Fishing License Tax
Food License Tax
Fuel Permit Tax
Gasoline Tax (currently 44.75 cents per gallon)
Gross Receipts Tax
Hunting License Tax
Inheritance Tax
Inventory Tax
IRS Interest Charges IRS Penalties (tax on top of tax)
Liquor Tax
Luxury Taxes
Marriage License Tax
Medicare Tax
Personal Property Tax
Property Tax
Real Estate Tax
Service Charge Tax
Social Security Tax
Road Usage Tax
Recreational Vehicle Tax
Sales Tax
School Tax
State Income Tax
State Unemployment Tax (SUTA)
Telephone Federal Excise Tax
Telephone Federal Universal Service Fee Tax
Telephone Federal, State and Local Surcharge Taxes
Telephone Minimum Usage Surcharge Tax
Telephone Recurring and Nonrecurring Charges Tax
Telephone State and Local Tax
Telephone Usage Charge Tax
Utility Taxes
Vehicle License Registration Tax
Vehicle Sales Tax
Watercraft Registration Tax
Well Permit Tax
Workers Compensation Tax

STILL THINK THIS IS FUNNY?
Not one of these taxes existed 100 years ago, & our nation was the most prosperous in the world. We had absolutely no national debt, had the largest middle class in the world, and Mom stayed home to raise the kids.

What in the heck happened? Can you spell ‘politicians?’
I hope this goes around THE USA at least 545 times!!! YOU can help it get there!!!

GO AHEAD. . . BE AN AMERICAN!!!

SEND THIS TO EVERYONE YOU KNOW

REALIZE WE ARE BEING PLAYED BIG TIME AS NEVER BEFORE IN HISTORY!!

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“SUCCESS THROUGH FAILURE

If success in any endeavor is to be accomplished, then failure must be embraced as well. As you have already seen, failure is a constant in the lives of successful people and, in fact, is often a precursor to their success. Anytime we view failure as the “final word,” we rob ourselves of an incredible future that might have been ours.

When as an engineer for 3M Corporation, Spencer Silver set out to create hype-bonding glue, his reputation was at stake. He had been the lead researcher on many successful adhesives that 3M had branded and sold in the past. This time, however, the “king of stickiness,” as his coworkers called him, produced an adhesive that was flabby, weak, and consistently dry. Despite the laughter of his colleagues, Spencer noticed two distinct qualities of this particular failure: the adhesive could be used again and again, and it left no residue on any surface as it was removed.

Perhaps because of these two qualities, Spencer patiently (and with good humor) endured the workplace jokes and determined that he would share his discovery with everyone in the office. One of his coworkers, a man named Arthur Fry, sang in his church choir and was often aggravated by losing his place in the hymnal. Having heard about Spencer’s failure, Arthur Fry saw an immediate use for an adhesive that could be removed easily, didn’t leave a residue, and could be used repeatedly.

Post-it Notes became a huge success! But first . . . they were a failure. Failure is often the pathway to something greater than expected. In fact, you can reliably depend upon failure as a pathway to new perspectives and new ideas. So put the “agony of defeat” in its proper place . . . a place of honor! After all, the “thrill of victory” is just one more reward for the person who rightly sees failure as a learning experience, a mill for ideas, and an opportunity to prove to ourselves, and others, that we are adaptable, imaginative, and strong.”

BOTTOM LINE:

FAILURE IS THE ONLY POSSIBILITY FOR A LIFE THAT ACCEPTS THE STATUS QUO. WE EITHER MOVE FORWARD>>>>>>, OR WE DIE!

merlin now: Sorta reminds me of the high school kid back in late 60’s who was working for the two inventors of what in time became Weed-Eater, that back in the beginning, were short on funds and offered him stock in their idea (forget the percentage, certainly less than a third) if he’d stay on without pay until they were successful. He declined. FYI, I’ve not seen either his book of Regrets or a similar You Tube about it either.

FYI: I can’t resist writing the following scenario. In Republic of Panama, you rarely (virtually never) see any form of a lawnmower here because of the rocky terrain, assuredly death either by bent/broken blades or spindles, not to mention always being stuck as are the genetically helpless 2 WD Zero-Turn mowers. I’ve seen several 21″ push / self-propelled variety. You gotta really appreciate the simplicity of beginning a lawn care “gardening”business here in Panama. You can begin with a Stihl weed eater, a machete, and a plastic rake. And a gas jug. As you grow, you may in time get a bicycle, then a small motorcycle, so you can carry more tools. I have yet to see a Steiner, or a Venture, and never a pickup pulling a van loaded with tools.

Stihl Weed-Eaters appear to have captured 95% of the weed eater market in Panama, ranking right up there with the machete! Neither do I see any Bush Hogs for grooming acreages, except maybe on larger cattle farms. Here, Stihl weed eaters do it all with string. I have yet to see or hear any whirling plastic blades . That’s all I ever used in OH.

With monetary resources for a 3/4 ton truck, a Venture, and a van, you could move directly into an excavation business, but seemingly much more popular, is private transportation. Skip the rickeshaws here, go directly first to an old Corollas taxis, then the recycled US school buses, some that are dressed to the gills with exquisite paint jobs and unreal lighting schemes, that eventually morph into new 20+ passenger Toyota & Kia vans. The ultimate chassis now for these accomplished upwardly mobile privately funded entrepreneural owners and operators are these new Kia and Hyundai pusher buses.

Apparently Panama is niche market without any republic incentives. Much like our OH Yoder-Toters, but no one here has organized and implemented the Pioneer Trails model play book here yet, principally because Panamanians are so unscheduled! You just go to a bus stop and when a passing bus for your destination has space for you, or your seat’s occupant is getting off, you can hop on. I’m not at all sure how it all works, but it is apparently yet thriving!

NEXT UP: An Endless Webb of Decisions, Cern, Geneva, Switzerland, 1980 I never knew the history.

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International Global Peace Correspondent (normally it’s War correspondent, but that is not Michael Yon’s Perspective) Read On>>>>>

Michael’s been in and out of Panama frequently during the past 6-8 years when we began following him. I don’t necessarily endorse all of his posts but this one is certainly choice!

Again, this blog is all about the 3-D’s of your Life’s Focus: Destination-Distractions-Determination, and the galaxies beyond, that science has yet to quantify>>>>>

https://open.substack.com/pub/michaelyon/p/be-not-afraid?r=690o5&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email

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Historical Events Worth Knowing About…

Hello readers! I’ve been greatly enjoying “The Seven Decisions:
Understanding the Keys to Personal Success” by Andy Andrews and wanted
to share this historical account with you. Do yourself a huge favor and
read “The Traveler’s Gift” first though!

Andy was ironing his shirt one evening in his hotel room when he heard the anchor on a network news show announce Norman Borlaug as the person of the week. Andy ran to the television and heard that Borlaug was credited with saving the lives of over two billion people on our planet. Andy stated he was blown away, not knowing the 91 year old man was still alive. Andy knew Borlaug had hybridized corn and wheat for arid climates. Actually, he won the Nobel Prize because he discovered how to grow a specific type of corn and wheat that saved the lives of people in Africa, Europe, Siberia, and Central and South America. Borlaug was being credited with saving, literally, two billion people on our planet.

The reporter was misinformed, however; Andy knew it wasn’t Norman Borlaug who saved the two billion people. It was Henry Wallace. Henry Wallace was the vice president of the United States during Franklin Roosevelt’s first term. However, the former secretary of agriculture was replaced for Roosevelt’s second term in favor of Truman. While Wallace was vice president of the United States, he used the power of that office to create a station in Mexico whose sole purpose was to hybridize corn and wheat for arid climates. He hired a young man named Norman Borlaug to run it. So, Borlaug got the Nobel Prize and person of the week, but wasn’t it really Wallace who saved the two billion people?

Or was it George Washington Carver? Before Carver ever made his amazing discoveries about peanuts and sweet potatoes, he was a student at Iowa State University. There, he had a dairy sciences professor who allowed his six-year-old son to go with Carver on botanical expeditions on Saturday and Sunday afternoons. Carver instilled in him a love for plants and a vision for what they could do for humanity. George Washington Carver pointed Henry Wallace’s life in that direction long before that little boy ever became vice president of the United States.

So, when you think about it, it is amazing how George Washington Carver “flapped his butterfly wings” with a six-year-old boy and just happened to save the lives of two billion people and counting. So perhaps Carver should be person of the week?

Or should it have been the farmer named Moses from Diamond, Missouri? Moses and his wife, Susan, lived in a slave state, but they didn’t believe in slavery, which was a problem for a group of psychopaths called Quantrill’s Raiders, who terrorized the area by destroying property, burning, and killing. One cold January night, Quantrill’s Raiders rolled through Moses and Susan’s farm, burned the barn, and shot and grabbed some people. One of these was a woman named Mary Washington, who refused to let go of her infant child, George. Mary Washington was Susan’s best friend, and Susan was distraught. Quickly, Moses sent word out through neighbors and towns and managed to secure a meeting with Quantrill’s Raiders a few days later.

Moses rode several hours north to a crossroads in Kansas to meet four of Quantrill’s Raiders. They showed up on horseback, carrying torches, flour sacks tied over their heads, with holes cut out for their eyes. Moses traded the only horse he had left on his farm for what they threw him in a burlap bag.

As they thundered off on their horses, Moses knelt and pulled a little baby out of that bag, cold and almost dead. He put that child inside his coat next to his chest and walked him home through the freezing night. He talked to the child, promising him he would raise him as his own. He promised to educate him and honor his mother, whom Moses knew was already dead. And he told that baby that he would give him his name.

And that is how Moses and Susan Carver came to raise that little baby, George Washington Carver. So, when you think about it, it was really the farmer from Diamond, Missouri, who saved the two billion people—unless . . .

The point is that we could continue this journey back through to antiquity. Who really knows who saved those two billion people? Who knows whose actions at a particular time were responsible for changing the entire course of the planet—two billion people and counting!

And who knows whose future will be changed by your actions today and tomorrow and the next day and the next.

BOTTOM LINE:

Depending on Almighty God’s timetable, there may well be generations yet unborn whose very lives depend upon the choices you make because everything you do matters—not just for you, not just for your family, not just for your hometown. Everything you do matters to all of us—forever.”

now for merlins two cents:

I agree 2 billion lives saved is a monumental accomplishment, and there are likely a few more such unsung heroes. Fact is, on the other side of the coin, I’d wager there are likely historical accounts both centuries ago, and perhaps even last year, where unbelievable atrocities whether geo-political, environmental, medical, judicial, corporate greed, human trafficking, etc., did not make the news, at least, YET.

 But in the final analysis of whose future will be changed by your actions this coming week, actually tomorrow, as we once again will be privileged to enter Lent, may we each be uniquely reminded that all of our lives have an ultimate destination and even a recorded destiny, so we can rest in His perspective as we encounter scads of consuming trivial distractions that are attempting to usurp, actually downright destroy, our determination to keep His Circle Unbroken!  I personally prefer the first rendition below, roughly 18 years ago, but I was looking for a choral piece, of course. The second is just too glitzy for me!

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