The middle section of the sermon included a look at 9 symptoms of a critical spirit. It was requested we share those symptoms in writing form so that everyone can take some time to look them over and ask God to highlight what may be true. 

1. We assume the worst when someone drops a ball.

2. The majority of our  social media posts are making fun of others or pointing out their wrongs.

3. We are are constantly complaining and grumbling about things, people, and events

4. We gossip rather than addressing concerns directly and lovingly. 

5. We are easily irritated by others’ weaknesses or differences.

6. We become experts at “injustice gathering.”

7. We delight in bringing up others’ faults instead of being burdened for those faults

8. We take satisfaction when others fail or when our negative assessments prove correct.

9. We become defensive when our own faults are pointed out.

Before his conversion, Augustine was a notorious sinner. In his "Confessions" he talks about his lying, stealing, adhering to false beliefs as a member of the Manichaean cult (a dualistic religious sect), intellectual pride, and most famously lust and sexual immorality. Augustine prayed, "Lord, give me chastity and continence, but not yet." All this was true despite his mother Monica being a Christian when he was born in AD 354, raising him in the Christian faith.

But Monica never lost hope that God would step into the life of her son to rescue and redeem him. Her life was characterized by devotion to Christ, persistent prayer, and courageously following where God would lead — even taking a ship on the dangerous voyage from North Africa where she lived to Italy where her son had moved. Once there, she continued her discipline of prayer and fasting for him, and made the strategic move of connecting Augustine to Ambrose, the bishop of Milan, who was able to answer many of the intellectual objections that Augustine had to the Christian faith.

The greatest gift Monica gave her wayward son were unceasing prayers bathed in tears. Her pastor had consoled her with words that proved prophetic: "it is not possible that the son of these tears should perish." He was right. Eventually, Augustine surrendered his life to Christ, and about his conversion made the famous declaration — "our hearts are restless until they find their rest in you."

Augustine went from notorious sinner to one of the most influential theologians of church history. He developed the doctrine of the total depravity of humankind, the doctrine of election, and the beautiful truth that salvation is all of God's grace. These doctrines are at the core of Bible-believing Christianity. It was a praying mother who did not give up hope when faced with a wayward child that God used to bring this important doctor of the church to faith.

Here is the lesson for mothers who have "daughters and sons of tears." Don't stop praying. Don't stop fasting. Don't stop hoping. Don't stop encouraging life-giving, Christ-forming relationships in the lives of your children. Don't stop believing.

Jim McCarthy 

My mother grew up on a 40-acre farm in Fairfield, NJ, where each day began early, and there was always work to be done. There was a cow to milk, eggs to gather, rabbits to clean, and other chores that had to be finished. And then off to school. She was one of seven children: five brothers, one sister, and herself, all stoically raised together in the routines and responsibilities of farm life. I was the sole child born into that group (what were the odds?).

On Sundays, the family dressed for church and went to the Dutch Reformed church in their community. From what I learned, the services were serious and familiar, and religion was a part of life. It was taught, practiced, and lived in a quiet way.

I, on the other hand, was raised in a different doctrine, learning my faith through a different doorway than hers. While my mother took me to church, she didn’t drive, Dad wasn’t a churchgoer, so we didn’t go regularly except when I had to during Sunday school training for First Communion and Confirmation. Then one day, when I was still young enough to think the radio carried urgent discoveries from the wider world, I remember bursting into the house with news I could hardly believe. (I was something like 8, 9 years old or so).

“Mommy!!!,” I said, in amazement, “Someone on the radio said the Pope said that Jesus was, … (wait for it) …God.” For some reason, I struggled with that.

Keep in mind that my mother was the kindest and most loving person I have ever known. She took care of her family and others without complaint, as naturally as breathing. She gave herself quietly, steadily, and completely. Jesus was never really spoken of (that was for church and Sunday school). Looking back, I now understand that her faith was much like her love: steady, humble, and deeply rooted. It did not announce itself loudly. It was simply lived.  She taught me The Lord’s Prayer.

Then, I remember that she looked at me for a moment (felt like forever), perhaps weighing my amazement against several centuries of Christian belief (more likely she was wondering why I was listening to the radio at school). Then, with a bit of firmness wrapped in a mother’s love, she said, “That is what we believe, too.”

It was the first time I can remember hearing that. A seed planted.

That was many years ago. During quiet moments of devotional time, I often think of her. Sometimes I can almost see her again in that one crucial moment: steady, loving, and certain. And I remember her words: “That is what we believe, too.”

——

Bob DiStefano 

My mother was never the lovey dovey warm and fuzzy type. My three brothers and I always had to toe the line. But along with this very rigid upbringing it led me to be the person I am today. If it wasn’t for her, I wouldn’t be in the profession I’m in now doing God's work. 

I’m forever indebted to her for her guidance she has given me along the way and for being the blessing she’s been throughout my life!

Happy Mothers Day, Mom. I love you!

——

Dave Glenn

My mother was a gifted pianist who played at different churches for many years. 

When I was about 10 years old she played at the Bowery Mission in NYC on Sunday evenings after spending the day at church. The mission would feed hundreds of people (mostly homeless and battling addiction) and then had a preaching service with hymns. My mom played the piano as a room full of not so beautiful people sang songs about Jesus. 

She brought me and my brother and sister along so we got to experience this amazing ministry firsthand (a little scary for us kids to be honest). What mom with four kids at the time would give up an evening and serve like this?  One who truly loved God.

—-

Bill Meyer 

I am so appreciative for my Godly mother, Peg Meyer, on Mother’s Day. Even though she has been with Lord, whom she longed to see her whole life, for many years now, it is wonderful to give this testimony about her life.  She was a true Spiritual influencer.  She prayed her three children into the ministry and supported us as our chief prayer warriors throughout her life.  On Sunday evenings after church our dining room table was filled with college age students from our church seeking wisdom and support from my Mom and Dad.  Many of those students pursued ministry or became missionaries themselves.  A wonderful memory I have of my Mom is the deep theological conversations we would have over breakfast.  She really was a brilliant person.  So thankful for being in a home where my walk with the Lord could flourish.

——

Joseph Grauseo 

Every morning when we left the house (me and any of my 5 siblings) my mom would always remind us “ To walk with the King and be a blessing “. Those words still to this day echo in my head. 

—--

Christine Meyer 

My mom, Gladys loved the Lord and took us to church as soon as we could go. Despite having a husband with MS who she fully cared for, she raised six children and instilled the love of Christ in all of us thru her example of being a servant, no matter what. She also had an impact on her grandchildren pointing them to the Lord. 

—

Carla Costigan 

Growing up I had my mom and because of her and her Love for Jesus it opened the door to me and my brothers having many spiritual moms in the church family we grew up in. My mom and the ladies of our church laid the foundation which led, encouraged and enhanced my faith, spirituality and journey with the Lord. When I think of my mom and all the women who helped mold me into who I am now Proverbs 31:10-31 always comes to mind.

—

Chris Walters

If there's one thing my mom taught me, it would be to pray boldly and expectantly and to hold onto what God has promised me.

In the last 6 to 9 months, I have been asked questions about my understanding of how Christians should view the Jewish people and the nation of Israel. Questions like: 

• Are the Jews the chosen people of God even if they reject Jesus as their Messiah? 
• If the answer to that question is yes, what does that mean? How should Christians support them and come alongside them?
• Does that mean Christians should always vote for governmental support from America? Does it mean money and weapons? 
• Does it mean we can never criticize the nation of Israel?
• Does it mean the Jewish people have a divine right to the particular land of Israel as the borders are presently drawn?

Here is a short video about why I decided to write a blog post addressing some of these questions - and why I think those questions are being asked. 

 Below is what I believe to be the story of God's chosen people. 

—-----

THE UNCONDITIONAL PROMISE TO ABRAHAM  

In Genesis 12 God chose a man named Abram and said:

“Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.

2 “I will make you into a great nation,
    and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
    and you will be a blessing.
3 I will bless those who bless you,
    and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
    will be blessed through you.” (Genesis 12:1-3)

God is promising that Abram will have a family, and all peoples on the earth will eventually be blessed by that family. 

What does Abram need to do? Just trust and go. Leave everything you have ever known, and go “to the land I will show you” (v. 1).

This is an unconditional covenant. No strings attached other than the need to trust and GO. 

Now at this point he and his wife Sarai were pretty old. They were not just childless; she was also way past menopause. 

So in the midst of waiting to see how this would come true, and while wrestling with doubt, God came and reminded him of this promise.  

He took him outside and said, “Look up at the sky and count the stars—if indeed you can count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”- (Genesis 15:5). 

As numerous as the stars as the sky. Uncountable. 

And those descendants are promised certain land, outlined later in the same chapter: 

18 On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your offspring I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates, 19 the land of the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites, 20 the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim, 21 the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites and the Jebusites.” (Genesis 15:18-21).

That is an unconditional promise. 

CONDITIONAL COVENANT 

Abram had Ishmael and Isaac. But God worked through Isaac as the promised seed to continue his plan of redemption. 

Isaac had Jacob and Esau. But God chose to continue his plan through Jacob. 

In time Jacob’s family turned into a large family. 

Then they became slaves in Egypt. 

While in slavery they became a nation.  

Through Moses they were led out of Egypt and towards that Promised Land. 

Before entering the Promised Land, God made another covenant with this new nation, and this time it had some conditions attached. This is important to take note of. 

Deuteronomy 28:

If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. 2 All these blessings will come on you and accompany you if you obey the Lord your God.....(Deuteronomy 28:1-2). 

Then God listed out many many blessings (too many to list in this blog post).

But then He gave consequences for disobedience, for stepping outside the covenant parameters:

15 However, if you do not obey the Lord your God and do not carefully follow all his commands and decrees I am giving you today, all these curses will come on you and overtake you:

Again, I cannot list them all, but here are just a few examples to take note (we will reference them again later on):

• 49 The Lord will bring a nation against you from far away, from the ends of the earth, like an eagle swooping down, a nation whose language you will not understand…. 

• 52 They will lay siege to all the cities throughout your land until the high fortified walls in which you trust fall down. 

• 53 Because of the suffering your enemy will inflict on you during the siege, you will eat the fruit of the womb, the flesh of the sons and daughters the Lord your God has given you.

Now this is graphic. But I show it for a reason. Keep this in mind. 

—-

RECONCILING THE UNCONDITIONAL PROMISE WITH THE CONDITIONAL COVENANT 

So God said through Abraham that all peoples - families and nations – of the world will be blessed. It will happen. Through his offspring. 

That is the unconditional promise. 

But now God is saying to Israel that any particular generation who steps outside of covenant with God will experience his curses.   

That is the conditional part. 

How do we reconcile these two ideas? 

Well, God will bless the whole world through the descendants of Abraham. 

But God was in a sense saying “If you as a generation want to be a part of it, if you as an individual want to be part of it, you better obey.”

----

FROM ABRAHAM’S FAILED DESCENDANTS TO THE BLESSING FOR THE NATIONS

They failed miserably. They disobeyed God. They worshipped foreign gods. They committed horrific sins. 

So God allowed other nations to attack them, seize them, and eventually take them into exile. 

But He promised he would bring them back to the land after 70 years of exile, and He did. They rebuilt the temple that had been destroyed. 

However, within a short period of time, they once again showed themselves to be covenant breakers. 

And yet God continued to be faithful to forgive and restore them. He promised them a future – a future through a king that would come through the line of David. The Messiah, a ruler, a shepherd. 

And He promised to give them new hearts (Ezekiel 36:26-27).

Years went by. Hundreds, in fact. 

Finally, a baby was born. From the tribe of Judah, through the family of David. 

He announced that the kingdom - the promised kingdom - is here. 

He even said shortly before his death, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you. - Luke 22:20

This was huge. “I am the new passover lamb,” he was declaring. “My blood is what you must take shelter under now. All the animal sacrifices pointed to me, and now I am here.”

He was perfectly obedient to God the Father. 

He took the curses on himself. 

He rose.

He proved that he’s not just Israel’s Messiah but the Savior of the world. 

This is what Christians believe. 

Then he said to his disciples - who were pretty much all Jewish at this point (with a few possible exceptions) - to “Go make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded" (Matthew 28:19-20). 

And that brings us back to what God had promised Abraham back in Genesis 12 when he said that through his descendants, all peoples on the earth will be blessed (Gen. 12:3). 

Jesus and the kingdom he brings is how God's promise to Abraham is fulfilled. As his disciples go and make disciples of all those nations, and as they are baptized into a new identity and taught to obey and follow Jesus, they enter into the covenant blessings. 

---

ANOTHER FORK IN THE ROAD FOR ABRAHAM’S DESCENDENTS 

As the nations take shelter under the blood of Jesus as the lamb slain before the foundations of the world (Revelation 13:8), they receive all that God had in mind for Abraham’s descendants. 

But for the Jews, for ethnic Israel, there was a split. 

I heard a Messianic Jew explain it this way: there was a fork in the road for the Jewish people. To the right was the way of the crucified and risen Jesus Christ, and some did indeed trust in Him and go down that road. That was the way God was trying to shepherd his people. 

To the left was the way of rejecting Jesus and waiting for another Messiah. And that was the majority. And by going that way, they actually walked away from their Jewishness. This was a Jewish Christian saying this, mind you. 

From where did he get such a crazy offensive claim? 

From the apostle Paul, who said in Romans 9:6-8: 

6 It is not as though God’s word had failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel. 7 Nor because they are his descendants are they all Abraham’s children. On the contrary, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.” 8 In other words, it is not the children by physical descent who are God’s children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham’s offspring. 

Not everyone who descends from Israel is actually Israel. That’s quite a statement. Not everyone of Abraham’s physical children are actually children of the promise.

Those who are physical children, but did not place their faith in the promised seed of Jesus as Messiah, are actually not true Israel. 

Remember how God chose Isaac over Ishmael to continue his plan of redemption? Remember how God chose Jacob instead of Esau to continue his plan of redemption? 

Those chosen sons were foreshadows of the ultimate chosen Son - Jesus Chist. In a sense, those who reject Jesus go the way of Ishamel and Esau.  Descended from Abraham from birth, but not children of the promise. 

Here he is again in Galatians 3: 

Understand, then, that those who have faith are children of Abraham. Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: “All nations will be blessed through you.” So those who rely on faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith. ‭‭(Galatians‬ ‭3‬:‭7‬-‭9‭)‬‬

The blessings to Abraham are for Gentiles, too. By faith in Israel’s Messiah. 

Again: 

There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.“ ‭‭(Galatians‬ ‭3‬:‭26‬-‭29)‬ ‭

If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed - even if you are Gentiles! 

I am not Jewish by ethnicity. I am Italian, Portuguese and Irish. But I am a son of Abraham by faith. I am a spiritual Jew. 

This is such amazing news! All the promises of God to Abraham are yes for those in Christ (2 Corinthians 1:20) - even if we are not physically descended from Abraham. 

But those promises are NO for those who are physically descended from Abraham and yet reject Abraham's promised seed. 

JESUS’ WARNING FOR ETHNIC ISRAEL

And this is why, towards the end of Jesus‘ ministry, he was so brokenhearted for his own people that he cried out in Matthew 23:

37 “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing. 38 Look, your house is left to you desolate. 39 For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’” (Matthew 23:37-39). 

This speaks of a coming judgment.  

In the next chapter, his disciples began to call his attention to the beauty and wonder of the temple’s construction (the 2nd temple that had been rebuilt after Israel returned from exile, and which was renovated in a sense by Herod the Great). 

“Do you see all these things?” he asked. “Truly I tell you, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.” (Matthew 24:2). 

It’s all coming down. There’s coming a day when this thing is going to crumble. 

Then he goes on to explain the signs to look for as the end of this temple system is getting closer (and signs that I believe will be repeated in some sense as we get closer to Jesus’ return). 

This blog is already quite long, so I will not include all of Matthew 24. But look at just a few more verses: 

 16 Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let no one on the housetop go down to take anything out of the house. 18 Let no one in the field go back to get their cloak. 19 How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! 20 Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath. 21 For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again. 

Sure enough, in the years leading up to 70 A.D., there was a Jewish revolt against the Romans, and Rome responded by circling Jerusalem.

The Christians in the area saw the writing on the wall and remembered Jesus’ words above. Those who were in Judea literally fled to the wilderness. Many of them went to a city called Pella for refuge. But the Jews who had rejected Jesus did not heed these warnings and stayed. 

The zealouts - the right wing conservatives, if you will – saw this secular Roman army and assumed God would protect them, so they led the people to stay and fight. 

They believed, in other words, that this was the land of promise, the city of God, and therefore God would protect them and their houses. 

They were, after all, children of Abraham. 

But it did not go well for them. 

Rome starved those in Jerusalem to the point where they were eating their children. 

Finally, in 70 AD, Rome went in and ransacked the city. The temple was lit on fire, and the gold melted down between the large stones. To get the gold, Roman soldiers took the stones down one upon another – thus fulfilling what Jesus said: “Not one stone will be left upon another.”(Matthew 24:2). 

And why did this happen? 

Remember Jesus’ words from the end of Matthew 23: “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, how I longed to gather you but you would not let me. So your house is left to you desolate.” 

They would not let Jesus gather them under his protection, under his covenant love, under his blood. 

So people starved. Mothers and fathers had nothing to feed their children. Some even ate their children. And bodies were piled up in the temple, desecrating it, making it unclean. 

These details are important. 

Not only did Jesus say in chapter 24 that such things would happen, but remember what we looked at earlier in Deuteronomy 28? Remember what God said would happen if the Israelites failed to obey his commands? 

• 49 The Lord will bring a nation against you from far away, from the ends of the earth, like an eagle swooping down, a nation whose language you will not understand…. 

• 52 They will lay siege to all the cities throughout your land until the high fortified walls in which you trust fall down. 

• 53 Because of the suffering your enemy will inflict on you during the siege, you will eat the fruit of the womb, the flesh of the sons and daughters the Lord your God has given you.

The curses came on an unbelieving people who were chosen to bring about the messiah, but who then rebelled against that messiah  - and by doing so they put themselves outside of God's hand of protection. 

Jesus’ words came true for Christ-rejecting Israel precisely becauase they rejected Christ. 

——-

BUT GOD IS NOT GIVING UP ON ETHNIC ISRAEL

Although God would call all Christians children of Abraham, this does not mean that ethnic Israel has disappeared from God's plan. 

In explaining to Gentile Christians what has happened to Israel, Paul explained it this way in Romans 11: 

22 Consider therefore the kindness and sternness of God: sternness to those who fell, but kindness to you, provided that you continue in his kindness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off. 23 And if they do not persist in unbelief, they will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. 24 After all, if you were cut out of an olive tree that is wild by nature, and contrary to nature were grafted into a cultivated olive tree, how much more readily will these, the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree! (Romans 11:17-26)

Paul likens Jesus-rejecting Israel to a branch that has been cut off from the original olive tree.

But God can graft them back in.

And what's more - if us Gentiles become self-righteous, we can be cut off (see v. 22). I do not believe that those who truly belong to Christ can ever be cut off, but if we do not continue in humility and trembling before a holy God, it shows we did not truly belong to Him (but that is an argument for a different day). 

It gets more promising for Israel. Paul now moves to “They COULD be grafted in” to “In fact, it WILL happen:”

25 I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sisters, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in, 26 and in this way all Israel will be saved (Romans 11:25-26). 

All Israel will be saved. 

Right now there is a hardening  - they are rejecting the messiah. 

But one day - All Israel will be saved. 

Whether this means the majority of ethnic Jews throughout the world or the majority of the nation of Israel, I do not know. But I do know it means God is not finished with the Jewish people through whom He brought the Savior of the World. 

Every nation, tribe and tongue will be represented in the kingdom of God, we know from the book of Revelation. 

But no other people group is promised to be saved in such large numbers as Israel. 

Not even America. 

IMPORTANT IMPLICATIONS: 

1. Are the Jews the chosen people of God even if they reject Jesus as their Messiah? 

Yes and No. 

Yes, in the sense that God has a chosen plan for them to be eventually saved. 

But No, in the sense that they are no longer under his covenant protection. They have been cut off from the olive tree, as Paul put it. This is why they went into exile in Babylon and the first temple was destroyed, and it was why the Romans besieged Jerusalem in 70 AD and destroyed the second temple. 

God wants them saved and will have them back - but in the meantime, they are not under his covenant protection from their enemies. 

2. Are Christians obligated to support them and come alongside them? 

Yes. 

But not based on what God said to Abraham in Genesis 12 where he said “I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse” (v. 3). 

That is for those who are spiritual children of Abraham. It is not for any physical descendant of Abraham. It was not for those who went the way of Ishamel and Esau, and it is not for those who reject Jesus. 

It is for those who are in Messiah Jesus. 

But Christians should support the Jewish people based on 

• God’s desire to save everyone (1 Timothy 2:4); and
• God’s promise to save all of Israel (Romans 11:25-26). 

Therefore, we want to partner with His plan to reach them. 

3. What about Jews who oppose Christians?  

When God said in Genesis 12:3 that he will “bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you” – we know now from Jesus and the apostle Paul that this applies to all Christians.  ”In other words, it is not the children by physical descent who are God’s children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham’s offspring.” (Romans 9:8). 

Christians - whether Jew or Gentile - are the ones God promises to be a blessing to, and therefore He will oppose those who oppose Christians. 

As a result - follow me here, as offensive as it might be – if Jewish people who reject Jesus are cursing and opposing Christians, which happens quite a bit in Israel (at least on a social level), then they better watch out.. Not only are they not under God' s covenant protection, but they are now cursing the true spiritual children of Abraham. 

4. Should Christians always vote for governmental support from America, like money and weapons? 

I hope you can see now that if ethnic Israel is not what God was talking about when He made that promise to Abrahma's descendants - at least not until they come back into covenant through faith in Christ – then there is no obligation to support the nation state of Israel based on that passage. 

But I would argue that there is an obligation to support them when they are victims of injustice, as they have been numerous times throughout human history. 

God calls his people (us) to be a people of justice, so we should come alongside the outcast, the little guy, and the oppressed. 

Israel and the Jewish people have been in this place numerous times. October 7th of 2023 was one such horrific example. Christians throughout the world – not just America - should do what we can to support them and stand up for them when they are victims of injustice. 

But this also goes for other people groups who have been the victims of injustice - whether they be from Haiti or Japan or Nigeria or even Gaza. 

This is why we must use discernment in every situation and every conflict. 

There is still unbelievable anti-semitism in our own country. There are still awful violent attacks on them.Christians should stand up for them.

We should stand up for any group who is being targeted en masse like that (that included anti-Muslim actions after 9/11). 

Unfortunately, we have failed to do that many times throughout the last 2,000 years.

5. Does it mean the Jewish people have a divine right to the particular land of Israel as the borders are presently drawn?

Israel has a divine right to the promises of God IF they come back to covenant with him through the Messiah. Israel does not have a divine right to the promised land in their present Christ-rejecting state. 

It is through covenant, and covenant comes through shelter under the Passover Lamb, and the Passover Lamb is Christ. 

But I think (and I can only say I think because I cannot stand on Scripture for this conviction) that Israel has a moral and legal right to their land, and justice demands condemnation of anyone who wants to wipe out the Jewish people.

Hitler was able to turn many Christians against Jews by making them fear the Jews. 

I was talking to a pastor from Pakistan who told me that Christians are tolerated there. They are legally allowed to be there, to gather, and just not to convert Muslims. 

Jews, however, can’t be there at all. He told me they will be killed. 

They deserve to have land and to defend that land. 

But Israel’s right to defend herself does not mean she is justified in every act or that we should uncritically support their reactions. Just like we should not support every action of the American government.

It’s not anti-semitic to think critically about, and debate about, whether the government of Israel should do this or that. I discussed this at length in the podcast with a Jewish rabbi friend two years ago. 

SUMMARY 

To love the Jewish people in their Christ-rejecting state, we must speak the truth in love to them. 

This means saying we think they are wrong about Jesus being the Messiah, and it means speaking up when the government is guilty of its own unjust actions. 

But it also means speaking up when they are victims of injustice, and it means remembering that we Gentiles were the ones grafted into their tree - and with that knowledge should come humility. 

I was pleasantly surprised by the feedback from people. 

The following are books I read in 2025. All kinds. You may or may not be interested in them. You may or may not like them the same way I did. 

Before you read the list, here are a few preface points:

• They are in the order that I read them this past year (roughly; it’s hard to be exact because I tend to read a few at a time).
  

• I rated each book on a scale of 1-5 stars. None of the books have only one or two stars, because if i’m not into a book within the first chapter or two, I stop reading it and move on.  
  

• I don’t read for long periods of time. Some of you may find this to be a huge list of books (although others may have read double or triple this past year). I think I read for an average of 30 minutes each day (apart from time I spend reading Scripture in the morning); maybe more on the weekends. I really don’t read for long periods of time; I just do it consistently. And many of these are audio books that I can listen to while running with the dog or cleaning the yard.
  

• All of them were at least 90% completed. 

My Book Reviews for 2025

Condi: The Condoleezza Rice Story 

by Antonia Felix

4 stars

This was an inspiring biography that covered her early days in segregated Birmingham, Alabama all the way up to becoming Secretary of State. Whether you’re into books about politics, books about history, books about the underdog, or books about women succeeding in what was once considered a man’s career, this book is a good one.

The Civil War as a Theological Crisis 

by Mark A. Noll

3.5 stars

This was really fascinating. There were so many theological positions and justifications for slavery, as well as various theological positions against slavery. For example, some Christians used the Bible to argue against slavery, and some Christians argued against slavery despite what they believed the Bible taught. It was not just one side vs. another. 

My only issue with it was that there are so many references to so many different preachers and speakers and denominations of the era. Well-done, but almost too thorough to the point of being tedious. 

Profiles In Courage 

by John F. Kennedy

3 stars

I knew JFK authored books, but I never read them. So I decided to give them a shot. These “profiles of courage” were about senators who made decisions that Kennedy believed took a great deal of courage. Interesting read from a historical standpoint, but I didn’t find it super inspiring.  

A Nation of Immigrants 

by John F. Kennedy

4 stars

This was better, in my opinion. I read this in January, when executive orders were coming down about immigration. I thought it was really fascinating in itself, but also very timely.

It’s worth reading for anyone, but especially those who want a thought-provoking historical look at immigration.

On Account of Race: The Supreme Court, White Supremacy, and the Ravaging of African American Voting Rights

By Lawrence Goldstone

4 stars

This was a really good - but disturbing - book. It tells the story of what happened to the equal protection rights and voting rights of African Americans in the post-Civil War reconstruction era, and how the Supreme Court played a vital role in stripping those rights away. 

Important history. 

Wired to Create 

By Scott Barry Kaufman & Carolyn Gregoire  

4 stars

I had to read this book for a class. For most books I read for classes I only read the chapters assigned and no more, but this one was really good. 

From the Amazon description: “Revealing the latest findings in neuroscience and psychology, along with engaging examples of artists and innovators throughout history, the book shines a light on the practices and habits of mind that promote creative thinking. Kaufman and Gregoire untangle a series of paradoxes— like mindfulness and daydreaming, seriousness and play, openness and sensitivity, and solitude and collaboration – to show that it is by embracing our own contradictions that we are able to tap into our deepest creativity. Each chapter explores one of the ten attributes and habits of highly creative people.”

If you work in a creative field or are trying to find time for creative hobbies, check this out. 

The Measure of a Man: 20 Attributes of a Godly Man 

by Gene A. Getz

3.5 stars

My men’s life group read through this over the course of a few months. Some chapters were really well done and some chapters were so so. But overall, pretty theologically sound; it definitely sparked good discussions with the guys. 

Emotionally Healthy Spirituality

4 stars 

This was the third or fourth time that I read this book.

I would highly recommend it for anyone who has never read it, especially if you have experienced Christians who have bible knowledge but lack emotional maturity.  

And even more especially if you are one of those Christians. 

Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day: A 40-Day Journey With the Daily Office

4 stars

This is a daily devotional that walks through the themes of the above-mentioned book in eight weeks (there are two devotionals for five days each week).

I think this is a really good complement to anyone’s personal Bible study. 

The Inner Life of Abraham Lincoln: Six Months at the White House

by F.B. Carpenter

5 stars 

I have read many books about Abraham Lincoln, but this one could be my favorite. And that is not because the book is very well written, but because of who wrote it and when it was written. 

The author spent six months in the White House painting a portrait of Lincoln to celebrate the issuing of the Emancipation Proclamation.

During that time, while working on the painting, he was given complete access to Lincoln - to the meetings he held, the parade of visitors, the time he took with his children, the decisions he made, and the stories he loved to tell. 

Every time I read it, I felt like I was going back in time. I loved it. 

Timothy Keller: His Spiritual and Intellectual Formation

By Collin Hansen

4 stars

This was sort of a biography about the late great preacher and theologian Tim Keller.

It covered his childhood days, his salvation, his call to ministry,  his first church assignment, and then his time pastoring Redeemer Presbyterian in New York City. 

It covered his wrestle with different streams of theological thought and why he landed in the reformed tradition.

It covered how he navigated 911, his battle with cancer, and his shortcomings as a leader.

I thought it was really good, but it’s definitely something that I wouldn’t expect everyone to get as much out of. 

Salmon P. Chase: Lincoln's Vital Rival

By Walter Stahr

3 stars

I've read about Chase in other books about the Civil War and about Abraham Lincoln, but never any books diectly about him. He was certainly a fascinating figure. Chase was a radical abolitionist, a lawyer who represented many blacks, a rival to Lincoln in the 1860 presidential election, Lincoln’s Secretary of the Treasury, and then a chief justice to the Supreme Court.

He lived quite a life. 

American Maelstrom: the 1968 Election and the Politics of Division

by Michael a Cohen

4 stars

I really liked this one. From the Amazon description: “American Maelstrom captures the full drama of the watershed election of 1968, establishing this year as the hinge between the decline of political liberalism, the ascendancy of conservative populism, and the rise of anti-government attitudes that continue to dominate the nation's political discourse. This sweeping and immersive book, equal parts compelling analysis and thrilling narrative, takes us to the very source of our modern politics of division.”

Psalms: The Prayer Book of the Bible

by Dietrich Bonhoeffer 

4 stars

Really short but powerful read. From the Amazon description: “How do you bring your deepest hopes, fears, and needs before God? How can the Psalms guide and enrich your daily walk with Jesus Christ? Bonhoeffer reveals that the Psalms are not just historical texts but the very prayers of Christ Himself. They provide a timeless model for your own heartfelt conversations with God, helping you move beyond routine to a vibrant, authentic prayer life. This book encourages you to embrace prayer as a source of strength, peace, and joy. It offers practical insights on praying honestly and openly, even when words are hard to find or emotions run deep.”

The Case For The Psalms

by N.T. Wright

3.5 stars

This truly is a case for why Christians need to read the psalms, how they are meant to help us breathe in truth and breathe out prayers. The more we read them, the more they shape us, and this book explains how. 

Lincoln's Gamble: The Tumultuous Six Months that Gave America the Emancipation Proclamation and Changed the Course of the Civil War

By Todd Brewster

4 stars

A really good one for anyone who loves history. From the Amazon description:  “On July 12, 1862, Abraham Lincoln spoke for the first time of his intention to free the slaves. On January 1, 1863, Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, doing precisely that. In between, however, was perhaps the most tumultuous six months of his presidency, an episode during which the sixteenth president fought bitterly with his generals, disappointed his cabinet, and sank into painful bouts of clinical depression. Most surprising, the man who would be remembered as ‘The Great Emancipator’ did not hold firm to his belief in emancipation. He agonized over the decision and was wracked by private doubts almost to the moment when he inked the decree that would change a nation.”

Grace Abounding To The Chief of sinners 

By John Bunyan

3.5 stars

The man who wrote the famous “Pilgrim’s Progress” wrote this autobiography in 1666. It’s a compelling story of his conversion, his struggle with doubt, his temptation to sin, the persecution he endured, and – most importantly - his journey of understanding of the lavish grace of God. 

But I think it could have been shorter. 

Religion in American Politics 

by Frank Lambert  

3.5 stars

I could not tell if the  author was himself a Christian, but the book was thought-provoking nonetheless. From the Amazon description: “The delegates to the 1787 Constitutional Convention blocked the establishment of Christianity as a national religion. But they could not keep religion out of American politics. From the election of 1800, when Federalist clergymen charged that deist Thomas Jefferson was unfit to lead a "Christian nation," to today, when some Democrats want to embrace the so-called Religious Left in order to compete with the Republicans and the Religious Right, religion has always been part of American politics.”

The Knowledge of the Holy: the Attributes of God & Their Meaning In the Christian Life 

by AW Tozer

4 stars

This is a classic book written by a legend. Each chapter covers a different attribute, like wisdom, grace, mercy, omnipresence, omniscience, etc.

It’s one of those books one should read slowly and then think deeply after each page.

Fight House: Rivalries in the White House from Truman to Trump

by Tevi Troy

4 stars

An inside look at how each administration had at least one major internal conflict amongst the ambitious staff. Sometimes they fought over something important and sometimes it was plain old selfish ambitionIt. It served as a reminder for me that even the most powerful people in the world can become slaves to their own egos – something we must all watch out for. 

Your God is Too Safe: Rediscovering the Wonder of a God You Can’t Control 

By Mark Buchanan 

4.5 stars

My men’s group read this together over the summer and fall months. Although the author uses bigger words than he needs to, and can be more poetic than some are used to, I really appreciate his honesty. I first read this book when I committed my life to Jesus - sometime around 2002 - and it played a big role in spurring me on to seek God and pursue him with both discipline and delight. 

10 Books that Screwed Up the World

4.5 stars

“From Machiavelli's The Prince to Alfred Kinsey’s Sexual Behavior in the Human Male, from Karl Marx's Communist Manifesto to Margaret Mead’s Coming of Age in Samoa, these 'influential' books have led to war, genocide, totalitarian oppression, the breakdown of the family, and disastrous social experiments. And yet the toxic ideas peddled in these books are more popular and pervasive than ever. In fact, they might influence your own thinking without your realizing it” (Amazon description).

Excellent book. I did not realize the author was a Christian until the end, where he brought it all together and showed the common thread through all the books.  

Dodge City: Wyatt Earp, Bat Masterson, and the Wickedest Town in the Wild West 

by Tom Clavin

3.5 stars

One night I randomly had a dream about Wyatt Earp. I had not read anything about him in the last few years, had not watched any movie about him in almost 20 years, and yet he showed up in my dreams (weird, right?). I woke up thinking, “Maybe I should read a book about him.” So I did. 

It was good. Not great, but good. It definitely gives you an appreciation for the wild west and what it was really like. 

Coincidentally, within a few weeks after having that dream and starting this book, the movie “Wyatt Earp”” came out on Netflix and then a new documentary about the shoot-out at the O.K. Coral was released. Strange coincidence. 

The Wolves of K St.: The Secret History of How Big Money Took Over Big Government 

By Brody Mullins and Luke Mullins 

4 stars

Another really good but disturbing book. It tells the story of multiple lobbying firms and the people who ran them. From the Amazon description: “In the 1970s, Washington’s center of power began to shift away from elected officials in big marble buildings to a handful of savvy, handsomely paid operators who didn’t answer to any fixed constituency…..With billions of dollars at play, these lobbying dynasties enshrined in Washington a pro-business consensus that would guide the country’s political leaders—Democrats and Republicans alike. A good lobbyist could ghostwrite a bill or even secretly kill a piece of legislation supported by the president, both houses of Congress, and a majority of Americans.”

If you want a book to make you more cynical about how Washington is run, read this one. 

Vietnam War: A Captivating Guide to the Second Indochina War

By A Captivating History 

4 stars 

A simple summary of all the factors that led to this dreadful war. It was thorough without being too bogged down in the weeds. And it moves fast. 

God’s Smuggler

By Brother Andrew and JOhn Sherrill 

5 stars

Definitely one of the best books I read all year. This was recommended to me by someone who I went to Israel with. This is an autobiography that reads partly as a testimony, and partly as a spy thriller.

It’s the true story of a Dutch man who grew up during World War II, fought in the military, came to faith in Jesus through a series of events, and then was called by Jesus to smuggle Bibles into communist countries.

The risks he took and the miracles God did are seriously very inspiring. 

I highly recommend it. 

Emotionally Healthy Relationships Day by Day: A 40-Day Journey to Deeply Change Your Relationships

By Pete Scazzero 

4 stars

This was another devotional book by Scazzero - but this time with an emphasis on relationships with other people. I read this with a good friend and we talked about it each week. It sparked some great conversations - some between me and him, many between me and God.  

“Each devotional will reflect on emotionally healthy relational themes, such as: clarifying expectations, deep listening, clean fighting, and more” (Amazon description). 

The Progressive Era: A Captivating Guide to a Period in American History Filled with Political Reforms and Social Activism

by “A Captivating History” Group 

4 stars

This book covers America’s history between 1877 and 1929 - the end of the Civil War up through the Great Depression. It was a time of great social, economic, and political reform, which included women’s suffrage, child labor laws, the breaking up of monopolies, the defining presidency of Theodore Roosevelt, new inventions like the model T, and more. As much as I love reading history, I have not read much about this particular time.

I liked it. 

Take Heart: Christian Courage In The Age of Unbelief

By Matt Chandler 

4.5 stars

Solid theology and compelling writing. Chandler makes the case for courage and gives a practical picture of what it means and how it is different from the social and political outrage that feels like courage but is not. I always enjoy Matt Chandler’s books. 

I definitely recommend it

Seven Women: And the Secret of the Their Greatness

By Eric Metaxas

4.5 stars

This was better than I thought. Metaxas covers the lives of Joan of Arc, Susanna Wesley, Hannah More, Sister Maria of Paris, Corrie ten Boom, Rosa Parks, and Mother Teresa.  

There was so much I didn’t know about all of them, and I was inspired to read more about each one.

------

That's it - the 30 books I read this past year. Maybe something in there will spark something for you. 

What were the best books - or worse books - you've read in 2025? Put in the comments below.

REQUIREMENTS FOR BOARD MEMBERS

1. They must have the character that a spiritually mature person should according to scripture (1 Timothy 3:1-13, Titus 1:5-9, and Titus 2:1-10).
2. Men should be see as elders / spiritual fathers and older brothers.
3. Women should be seen as spiritual mothers and older sisters. 
4. They must be official members of True Life.
5. They must have demonstrated an openness to correction and not be easily angered or offended. 
6. They must have shown ownership of our church’s vision and values. 
7. They must have shown committment to community through consistent attendance at Sunday gatherings and life groups (becaue we have a de-centralized model of church and not everyone knows everyone else, our nominating comitteee will evalute nominees to determine if enough of the community has had access to them). 
8. They must have the potential to be relatively competent in the team’s job description (see below).

JOB DESCRIPTION 

1. Mission Clarity

        - Is Pastor Chris clear on our mission? 

        - Is it being communicated in a clear way? 

        - Is our pastoral team clear? 

2. Operational accountability of lead pastor 

       - Is our lead pastor leading the pastoral team to be effective

          in their ministries?

3. Financial Ministries and Budget Approval 

     - Approve the annual budget

    - Oversee the mission committee 

    - Oversee the book-keeping processes 

    - Oversee the new building process

5. Identify the Need for any New Operational Policies

   Ex: In 2018 we needed to establish a sex offender policy as well as new security protocol, and in 2020 & 21 we had to develop policies around the Covid pandemic. 

------

If you have suggestions, feel free to email any of our Nominating Committee members and we will add their names to the discussion & prayer process. But please do not tel the person you are recommending that you are recommending them. We typically go through a list of many people and have to narrow it down to ony a few, and we would like to avoid any unnecessary hurt feelings in the initial stages. 

Pam Hess (pamhess67@gmail.com)

Jack Timmerman (abberoad@aol.com) 

Bob DiStefano (rdistefano2@verizon.net)

Allyn McCarthy (Allyn-McCarthy@comcast.net)

The nominating team usually starts with a long list but after prayer and a first round of internal voting, the list becomes very short.

Then we ask the person(s) if they are even willing to serve in this role, and ask them to pray abou it. 

If they say yes, we bring it before the church at the Membership Meeting for a vote. 

Thank you!

A tithe, in the Old Testament, is a tenth of your first fruits. In the book of Numbers, we learn that God commanded that the Tribe of Levi would be responsible for implementing the duties related to the Tabernacle.  In chapter 18, God commanded a Levite’s means for support would not include a plot of land, but rather, come from the tithes God commanded from the Israelite people.  The Levites, in turn, were commanded to give a tenth of what they received to the Lord as a sacred offering. In Matthew, Jesus said, ”if you love me, keep my commands.”  He also said, “Give unto Cesar what belongs to Cesar and unto God what belongs to God.”

There were many years when my husband’s job was threatened. I was not working at the time and we had three young children.  One of my greatest fears was not being able to make ends meet.  Things were looking dark, and after a very hard day, I was filled with overwhelming anxiety.   I was making dinner and opened my pantry door and the closet was full.  God’s promise to provide was staring me in the face and I was reminded that I needed to lean hard into that promise.  There continued to be a number of years of financial uncertainty and many years of change for both my husband and I. Through it all, we continued to tithe, we paid our bills, the pantry remained full, we made the renovations needed on our homes, and raised three children (all who attended college).  God’s promise to provide always rang true.  Best of all, I look back, and with confidence can say, I have personally tasted the joy David talked about after experiencing God’s goodness to our family.

God is in the business of teaching us to trust in His goodness as he changes the hearts and minds of believers.  The change doesn’t happen until we give to him all of ourselves, including our financial needs.  God used our tithing as a means to obey His commands and trust God’s promises.  The more we obeyed and trusted Him, the more we experienced that God stands behind what He says in scripture. 

I do not promote the prosperity gospel, by no means, but have learned, with thanksgiving, to obey and trust God with our finances.  Tithing has been a  means that God used in our lives to live within a budget, and to take the scary steps forward, as we trusted in God’s leading.  These skills are life skills I consider to be a gift from the Lord.  

Lastly, I was reading a book that includes two chapters on God’s love and God’s goodness.  So many of the scripture verses were ones that I devoured during those years of financial uncertainty.  While reading, the verse that struck me again was Psalm 34:8.  It reads,  “Taste and see that the Lord is good. Oh the joys of those who take refuge in Him.”  I realized, after reading the author’s story, that the verse is actually a challenge. Taking refuge in God does not only mean refuge for our safety but also for His promises to provide in all things.  For some, it might be stepping into a new job we think would be impossible.  For me, it was going back to work when my oldest son was two years old because we needed a new roof, and after being a stay-at-home mom for over 15 years.  I had to work and both times, I moved forward with utter fear and trepidation.  God led me to unimaginable places and provided me with professional opportunities and financial blessings that I could never, in a million years, have imagined. 

Does tithing present as a financial challenge for you?  Remember, God uses your tithes to support His church, proclaim the gospel, and help a needy world.  If you consider these things as important to God and His son, Jesus Christ, I encourage you to take refuge in God’s promises to provide.  It is only joy, when you experience His Goodness, Love, and Unmeasurable power.  

WHERE I ADMIRED CHARLIE, WHERE I DISAGREED WITH HIM, AND WHY ALL THE ATTENTION IS JUSTIFIED

I don’t think human nature has the bandwidth to feel deeply about every tragedy we hear about. 

Obviously, the closer you are to someone, the more their loss hits you. The loss of my neighbor’s grandmother would not hit me like the loss of one of my parents. We know this intrinsically. 

But what about tragedies that happen to people we do not know? 

Some school shootings have captivated my attention more than others, have broken my heart more than others, have hit me in the gut more than others. 

Columbine was barely a blip on my radar when it first happened in 1999, probably because I was about to turn 17 the next day and get my driver’s license. But in 2010 I read a book about Columbine. Then I read more, and then more. I became captivated by it, brokenhearted for all the lives lost. I was especially grieving the loss of Rachel Scott, a young Christian girl who was the first to be killed. She had a prophetic voice for our culture that was starting to come out, and I felt like the world was robbed of that voice. 

Other school shootings were tragic, but in 2012 Sandy Hook hit me in the gut unlike any other since 1999.

Parkland did not hit me like that. But the shooting at Robb Elementary school in Uvalde, Texas in 2022 did. I could barely think of anything else for weeks - perhaps because I was a father of kids around that age. 

The death of celebrities, even Christian pastors, do not grieve me too much when they are in their old age. Tony Compollo died recently. So did John MacArthur. So did James Dobson. Sad, but they did not actually grieve me. Tim Keller was an exception. And that is probably because I followed his ministry more than the others. I admired his wisdom more than the others. 

I think the more you’re inspired by someone, the more you pay attention to their life, their writings, their career, their ministry or their ideas, the more you feel robbed. 

Strange as it sounds, the more books I read about Abraham Lincoln, the more I feel like the world was robbed of 20 to 30 years of his life and influence. James Garfield? I don’t grieve his assassination because I don’t really know much about him. I haven’t read nearly as much as I have on Abraham Lincoln.

The assassination of Charlie Kirk hit me in the gut. I was shocked by his death – and then I was shocked by how much I was shocked. 

Then I started to see how much it was hitting so many people around me in a similar way. Non-Christians who clearly disagree with some of his stance on things like homosexuality were honoring him. Christians who are not politically-aware were telling me how sad they were. 

I was not surprised by Donald Trump ordering all flags to be flown at half-staff, but I certainly was surprised at how many professional athletes, teams, and musicians were taking moments to honor him. 

Even pundits who disagreed with Charlie - like John Stewart and Bill Maher - were taking time out for him. 

But then there were other groups. 

Many haters were cheering his death. I did not know any of them personally, and I think they are a small but loud and news worthy group. 

Others were more subtle but seemed to imply he did it to himself with his “hateful” rhetoric. 

I even saw Christians who were upset about all the attention he was getting - some because they feel like it diminishes the value of other lives lost in tragedies (school shootings, floods, etc), and some because they do not feel like Charlie represented Jesus very well and should not be held in such esteem. 

Of course, the negative comments only seem to fuel Charlie’s fans and followers to rise to the occasion to defend him. And then the tragedy is given even more attention. 

Why I believe the attention on Charlie Kirk is justified

If you are wondering why Charlie’s death is getting so much attention, and if you are somehow upset or unsettled about it, don’t just assume it was because he was the darling of the MAGA movement, as some seem to be implying. I think that would be naive and ignorant.

I think there’s a combination of factors that has made his death capture the attention of our country, our culture, and even many parts of our world. 

1. His content was everywhere. Almost everything he did was recorded. It’s hard to not have come across one of his debates or interviews on YouTube. He became, for a large percentage of our culture, a household name. 

2. He boldly proclaimed his Christian faith, which inspired many Christians to be bolder about their faith. The more people your life influences, the more people will grieve your death. 

3. He boldly proclaimed his political views, which fired up both those on the right and those on the left (obviously in different ways).

4. He encouraged dialogue among those who disagree with each other, and tried to model it in his campus ministry— especially among the young. I think Bill Maher is getting more and more attention from the left and the right for similar reasons (btw, you can click here to see a conversation between Bill and Charlie).  

5. He was especially influential among 20-something’s and teenagers. I personally did not realize how true this was until after he passed and I saw the grief among young people in our church. In the same way that Ronald Reagan was the reason many in my parents’ generation got into politics, I think Charlie Kirk was the reason many of Gen Z are interested in politics.

Those five factors alone could lead to a lot of attention on someone’s death. Many celebrities have had one or two of those factors and have gotten much attention in their tragic deaths. 

But then there are six other factors that come to mind:

6. He was not killed in a random act of violence. He was targeted and assassinated.This makes it feel personal to anyone who cared for him, followed him, and believed in his cause. This makes it feel like we were not just robbed by a broken world, but by someone in particular who thought they were justified in stealing his life.

7. And then, of course, he was very, very young. I am 43 years old. Charlie Kirk was 31. I feel like I lived a lot of life in the last 12 years. If I had died at 31, my oldest would not remember me. My two youngest would not have been born. The younger someone is, the more years feel robbed. The fact that he left behind a young wife and two small children makes us grieve for them and what they will not experience – him giving bike-riding lessons, him celebrating a first day of school, him cheering them on at a sporting event - even more.

8. His execution was caught on camera and happened in front of the public. People could watch it. Maybe some of you saw the clip of him jerking back and falling over. This traumatizes our souls. It requires much more processing. It’s one thing to hear about violence, and it’s another to see it (or even to know that others saw it). Isn’t this one of the reasons that George Floyd’s death stirred so much attention? 

9.He was killed while doing the very thing he believed was a solution to violence: having open dialogue with those he disagreed with. It’s close to an ER doctor being murdered by the person she is trying to save – while she is trying to save that person. There is a tragic irony in it that will make anyone who has eyes to see stop in their tracks. 

10. Many people who hated him cheered his death. I think this is a small fringe minority, but it confirms for many that there really is evil out there which loves death and will deem life expendable if necessary. Christians believe this evil comes from a greater spiritual battle going on behind the scenes orchestrated by the devil who Jesus said “came to kill, steal and destroy” (John 10:10). 

11. The attack on Charlie represents to many an attack on all Americans. Because Charlie died not just exercising his right to free speech, but modeling what it looks like to allow others - even those we disagree with - to exercise their right to free speech, it arouses the patriotism in so many of us.  

Again, many tragedies have one or two of these factors and that makes them relatively big in the news. 

But in Charlie Kirk‘s case, all of these factors contributed to an avalanche that is overwhelming the news, social media, concerts, sporting events, and water cooler conversations. 

While every life matters, from those in Gaza to those in Jerusalem to the Charlotte subway to Evergreen High School, it is ignorant to act like the world is foolish for making a big deal out of Charles’s death.

Judging Charlie Kirk’s Character

I am not offended that people struggle with some of his views and some of what he said. Anyone who speaks about his convictions and is involved in the election of candidates who can make policies supporting those convictions…well, they are not going to be supported on every front. 

Nor should they. 

I would only urge anyone to think for themselves after doing some research on him. A friend of mine knew very little about him. When he found out about all the attention Charlie was getting, and how he was a Trump supporter, my friend admitted to getting a bit triggered. Are all the MAGA people going to be even more enraged now? And are they going to take it out on people like me? Then this person did his research and came to the conclusion, “I found out that he (Charlie Kirk) was actually trying to be a bridge-builder.” And a weight lifted, he said.  

Don’t rely on what other people are saying about Charlie. Don't believe every sound-bite you hear. Find the original clip and listen to the full context. 

And dear Lord, don't rely on AI to summarize Charlie’s views. Get a feel for him through longer interviews and full debates. 

Then come to your own conclusion. If you still disagree with him on most topics and issues, or you don’t like how he spoke about some of the issues, at least now you can articulate what you disagree with him on. 

Instead of resorting to the same old name-calling that everyone is using these days (racist, sexist, fascist, etc.), you can say, “I did not like how he handled himself in that one debate with so and so.” Or, “I can see how gentle he was in his conversation with the girls from Only Fans, but he seemed a bit arrogant when he was speaking at the University of such and such.” Or, “He made a good point about how the open borders are actually hurting immigrating families, but he sounded insensitive when he was trying to dismantle DEI practices in the workplace.” 

In other words, be specific. 

Where I disagreed with Charlie

I am not one who believes that in the wake of someone's death, we should pretend we agreed with everything they said or did. I did not. 

While I agreed with Charlie on many of his convictions, there were some things that bugged me. 

One example: In an interview during the 2024 election, he said he believes that pastors should be endorsing Donald Trump and that they are cowards if they don’t.

And he even criticized one of my favorite pastors, John Piper.

Now John Piper is hardly the progressive liberal theologian. He’s as conservative as they come. But it was his version of conservatism and commitment to orthodox Christianity that kept him from endorsing Trump, and saying he was going to not vote during this election. 

I don’t think that’s cowardly. I think that’s courageous - especially knowing that many people in his stream of evangelicalism would criticize him. He was opting out in the short term in order to make a statement for the long-term. Agree or disagree with that, I don’t think it’s fair to call it cowardly.

I have a philosophy as a pastor: I will not use my platform to endorse any candidate, and it has nothing  to do with losing our nonprofit status or the Johnson amendment. It certainly has nothing to do with trying to appease more progressive people in our church. I just want to maintain my freedom to tick off both sides equally, and to challenge people based on specific issues, rather than them coming to a whole bunch of conclusions based on my association with a candidate. 

So I disagreed with Charlie there. I’m a pastor. He was campaigning for Trump. He can tell us pastors what he thinks we should do in order to help his campaign efforts, but I was not a fan of him ascribing motives to people like John Piper.  

I also think he could have been a bit more bold in criticizing those on his own team, like Donald Trump. I found him to be a bit inconsistent in criticizing people on the left for their immorality, and then being very quick to defend Donald Trump’s immorality by saying even God loved King David who committed adultery. This is true, of course, but you’ve got to use that argument consistently. Personally, I don’t believe that a president needs to be someone we would ordain as a pastor or appoint as an elder of a church. But I also think we need to point out their flaws and mistakes instead of giving them a pass on everything. The church must be a prophetic voice to the political office, not a puppet to a particular party.

Basically, I agree with most of Charlie's convictions about what has gone wrong with our nation. I just don’t put as much weight as he did into political policies in general or Donald Trump in particular as the solution to those problems.

I share those examples to show that you can admire someone while you also disagree with them on a few points.

Where I Did Admire Him

I think Charlie had an amazing brain and ability to recall data and facts on the spot. He truly was gifted by God, and he sought to use those gifts for God’s kingdom as he believed he should. 

He had an uncanny ability to articulate what many people are feeling but can't quite find the words for (probably a big reason for his popularity among younger generations)  

I think he had amazing boldness to share what he believed was true, even in the midst of threats to his life. 

And I think he really loved Jesus. Some politicians play the religion game and use the Jesus card when it suits them, but I believe Charlie was the real deal in that way. 

It seems as though the people who knew him best were also the ones who admired him the most. That is saying something.

Even those who disagreed with him, but had a chance to talk to him personally, seem to be vouching for his character. 

While Charlie’s style is not everyone’s style, he has influenced the younger generations in a way that very few – if any - are today. He seems to know that young people are looking for truth. Even if it comes in a confrontational way, they want to wrestle with what he has to say.

I really believe Charlie’s goal was to speak the truth in love. Nobody gets it right all the time, but he seemed to really want to. Again, you have to watch full debates and interviews - especially with those who disagreed with him - to see this effort. 

Charlie Was A Work In Progress

I think it’s important that any critic of Charlie’s remembers that he was a work in progress. Even his greatest flaws were being worked out. After-all, he was only 31 when he died. 

I followed him enough to see growth and evolution in his style and tone over the last 7-8 years. Did he come off arrogant and condescending at times? Yes. So have I - especially in my 20’s and early 30’s. 

What would’ve happened if Charlie lived another 20 years? Another 30 years? Isn’t it possible he would look back and say, “Yeah I was a little too rambunctious when I was 25.”

Heck, you can go back to old sermons of mine and find things I now regret saying. I once called Christians “retarded” in a sermon (my wife still will not let me live that down). 

Billy Graham regretted some of the things he did in his ministry in the 1940s when he was starting out. 

So we were not only robbed of Charlie‘s current ministry and work, but we were robbed of the chance to see how it would evolve and mature over the next 60 years.

My Challenge To You: 

If you were a die-hard Charlie Kirk fan: follow his example of trying to be a bridge-builder. Be bold, and be kind. Be open to conversations with those you disagree with. Ask them why they feel the way they do - even if it’s about Charlie Kirk himself. Don’t write them off and say things like, ‘I’m so done with the left. If you did not like Charlie Kirk, unfriend me right now.” That’s not what Charlie would do. 

If you believed Charlie spewed hate: make sure you are thinking for yourself by digesting a significant amount of his content - especially the content from recent years. Don’t go based on a collage of edited sound bites that keep the trigger words but take out context and explanations. 

If you are a fan of Charlie’s but not a Christian: would you go back and watch what he said about Jesus? This was most important to him.

If you are a Christian: remember he would want you to focus more time pointing people to the truths about Jesus than trying to defend Charlie to his critics. Instead of making it your part-time job to show his haters the full context of everything he said, point people to the Jesus you believe Charlie worshiped. 

And that includes the killer. Pray for him to be transformed and to find forgiveness in Jesus. Remember that any ideologically-motivated murder has the devil behind it. And we overcome him not by fighting fire with fire, but by moving towards darkness with the love of Jesus.

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” - Martin Luther King, Jr.

“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” - John 1:5

Otherwise, you risk losing the person you love the most.

“In physics, the law of entropy says that all systems, left unattended, will run down. Unless new energy is pumped in, the organism will disintegrate. Entropy is at work in many areas other than physics. I see it, for instance, when I work with couples whose marriages are in trouble. A marriage will not continue to thrive simply because two people love each other, are compatible, and get off to a strong start. To the contrary, marriages left to their own devices wear out, break down, and ultimately disintegrate. This is the law of entropy. To keep our relationships working, we must constantly pump new energy into them.” (Alan Loy McGinnis)

It’s the great lie we all swallowed during courtship:

“Other relationships might take work, but ours is different. It has special powers. It will always be as awesome as it is now.”

We ignored the law of entropy.

THERE’S NO ESCAPING IT

Welcome to planet earth, where, left untended:

• Wood rots
• Cars rust
• Roofs leak
• Colors fade
• Beaches erode
• Muscles atrophy
• Cognition declines

And people — once wildly in love — drift further apart.

So predictably, in fact, that it’s a law.

Your marriage falls into disrepair all by itself.

WE’RE COMPLICIT

Your marriage is dying a slow, imperceptible, entropy-induced death. Yes, right now. As you read this.

Here’s what’s even scarier:

You and I give the culprit a pass. We deny that entropy is real. Sure, we acknowledge our marriage lacks sizzle, but we lie and tell ourselves:

• “Life is extra busy right now.”
• “We’ll prioritize our relationship as soon as _______ (the kids go back to school, she finishes her masters, the holidays are over, Jesus

returns).”

• “Date night is difficult with kids. It’s so hard to find a babysitter.”
• “We love each other. That’s what matters.”
• “We don’t have money for couples counseling.”

Entropy is a master of disguise.

And we’re its patsies.

SIGNS OF DECLINE

The Gottman Institute studied 30 couples with “good but less than satisfactory” marriages. The researchers found that most of the couples:

1. Spend very little time together during the week
2. Become job-centered (him) and child-centered (her)
3. Talk mostly about their huge to-do lists
4. Make everything but their relationship a priority
5. Drift apart and lead parallel lives

The law of entropy at work.

No one destroys their marriage on purpose.

Marriages are destroyed for one simple reason: 

We neglect them.

We stop pumping new energy into them!

“Starting on your wedding day, your marriage begins a slow downward slide unless you take action. We have to do something active to counteract the erosion process that’s a normal part of most marriages.” (Stephen F. Duncan)

PUT IT TO WORK

1. Psychotherapist Alan Loy McGinnis said, “To keep our relationships working, we must constantly pump new energy into them.” What’s one thing you and your spouse can do this week to pump new energy into your marriage? Talk about it. Come up with a plan of action.

2. Identify the lies you’ve told yourselves to normalize entropy.

3. Moving forward, what will you do to be more intentional about giving your marriage the time and attention it deserves? Be specific.

4. Do something now. Clear your schedule. Plan a date night. Make a dinner reservation. Attend a couples conference. Hire a couples coach. Not later, now.4. 

----

P.S. If there’s emotional distance in your home or sex has been shelved, your marriage is hemorrhaging blood. Click here to register for our Marriage Workshop this Saturday!

“Things which matter most must never be at the mercy of things which matter least.” (Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe)