October 31, 2024 Posted Thoughts on Weariness

 My mind kept drifting to the song, Oh My Soul. There is one lyric, “Oh, how you’re weary, from fearing you lost control.” It is more than just being a little sad or tired but that gut wrenching pain where even just breathing takes effort. Your vision is blurred from the tears. Your whole being is sucked of its energy. Your brain power, emotions, and even your spirit is past the point of exhaustion. 

The battles of life are real and raw and are happening on so many levels. When you find yourself in the fight for your life due to a health diagnosis. Prayers hover over my friend who was hospitalized recently. Intensive care is no place you want your loved one to be in so prayers for recovery to overcome the weariness over health issues. Praises to my friend for staying in the battle to win her brother out of addiction and even better coming to church. Understandable if she would have given up, but even though she was tired she was weary she never left the battle. Another friend who in daily pain stayed strong on this campaign who is sticking it out through this battle for our country. So many other examples of weary people who are choosing not to leave the battlefield. 

If you are in the midst of a battle here are some reassuring words where you can be encouraged and refreshed:

“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 15:58).

He gives power to the weak, And to those who have no might He increases strength.

Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall,

But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint (Isaiah 40: 29-31).

“For I have satiated the weary soul, and I have replenished every sorrowful soul” (Jeremiah 31: 25).

I think we all know how it feels to be weary:

-turn to the Lord and ask him to fill you with a fresh outpouring of His Living Water

-feeling depleted, then open God’s Word to nourish your spirit

-be refreshed by refreshing others so encourage someone else to today to brighten your own heavy heart

-remember that prayer is just a dialogue with a loving Father who will never turn you away

A pastor asked a question about what we will do after November 5th and it doesn’t go how we would like it to go? Pray was the #1 answer from the audience. I think we are all feeling a bit weary from this election cycle. His response was you wake up and you pick up your cross and you head right back out there into the battle because we know how the battle ends. Jesus will be coming back if you believe it or not. But, as believers, yes, we kneel in prayer but armor up and grab your sword as there are souls to fight for. Then he quoted John Quincy Adams, “Duty is ours, results are God’s.”

“Adams explained his quote to a reporter by saying, “It's only up to me to do the right thing. It's up to God what happens after that”. He also said, “I would point out from scripture, God has not called us to be successful, he's called us to be faithful.”

Heard this new song by Jeremy Camp called “These Days.” It inspires us to keep pushing because:

I believe that you and I

Are in the right place, at the right time

God called us by name

And He doesn't make mistakes

I know we were born to shine bright

In a dark world that needed some light

Don't have to be afraid

Maybe we were made for these days

Prayers over our country, communities, and families. God Bless each of you!

dreamsdontfade.com (new posts on toxic empathy, social gospel, and yep more on education)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Llk74D3FWzs

***A book isn’t banned just because it isn’t stocked in a middle school library

 Why School Board’s Matter:

***As the National School Board Association states, the school board represents the community’s voice in public education.

Contrary to the narrative propagated by progressives and unions:

-school boards are not extensions of the school district

-they are vital representatives of the community's interests in public education

According to the National School Board Association:

-the school board represents the community’s voice in public education

-providing citizen governance and knowledge of the community’s values, beliefs, resources and needs

***board members are the policy-makers closest to the student

-the critical nature of school boards are to be accessible and accountable entities within our communities

-they serve as the education watchdogs

-ensuring that taxpayer dollars are utilized effectively and transparently

-advocating for policies that reflect the values and beliefs of the local community

 

“Engaging with your local school board is not just a right; it's a responsibility that empowers not just parents but the community members to influence the educational landscape, ensuring that it aligns with their values and priorities” (Nicole Neilly).

Free Speech & Book Bans Testimony w/ Nicole Neilly

-curation of books is the issue

-age appropriate books is the real issue

-in school boards cut mics to read from the explicit paragraphs

-show sexual images to children in your home or on a playground 

-matter of public accountability

-book issue is a parental issue 

Problem:

-parental exclusion policies that families do not have the right to know their child’s gender identity in a tax-funded school

-families are now considered adversaries

-it is not evil to want to be involved in your child’s education

-parents are demonized when raising concerns about the content of books their children are being exposed to-this is not book banning

-policies that state parents are not entitled to know their kids identities that knowledge must be earned 

-families are being falsely accused of trying to banning books 

Comparison:

-today, if a child shows up to school talking about sex the teachers would assume the child is being sexually abused and authorities would be contacted

vs.

-today, children are not only learning about sex at school but are being told to keep secrets from their families so when they sound the alarm they are mocked, dismissed, and treated like they are the criminals for wanting to protect their children from sexual content and predators

-when basic grammar is replaced with policing on pronouns 

-when preservation of a child’s innocence is frowned upon and labeled the problem then what politics is at play here?

***questioning age inappropriate and sexually explicit material in classrooms and school libraries as well as schools intentionally excluding parents in decisions about their children.

all schools must carefully curate their book collections, including the assessment of appropriateness of the material for age or grade level. 

***A book isn’t banned just because it isn’t stocked in a middle school library

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Guz7t2yu-mU

https://www.dailysignal.com/2024/10/02/exclusive-seven-arizona-school-districts-exposed-transitioning-kids-parental-consent/

https://defendinged.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Biden-Harris-War-on-Parents-Report-AFL-PDE-Final-3.pdf

“Social Justice Academy” & “Embrace Transgender Ideology & “Disavow Whiteness” For 3rd Graders (learn to be leftist activists)

https://www.dailywire.com/news/inside-a-social-justice-academy-where-third-graders-learn-to-be-leftist-activists

“help our children understand and react to racial differences, and to teach our youth how to speak up against injustice, racism and inequality.” 

“womxn rights” 

“whiteness is a bad deal. It always was” and that “you can be white without signing on to whiteness.”

“transgender is not a choice” 

 -propaganda about defunding the police, transgenderism, and oppression,

Black Lives Matter, defunding the police, and taught to compare former President Donald Trump to Adolf Hitler

The transformation of “Art” in all content = Social Justice Activism:

 Art has the power to inspire social change and promote awareness of important issues. By incorporating social justice themes into their teaching.

"The transformation of 'Art' in all content to mean 'Social Justice Activism'" 

-essentially means that the primary function of art in all forms, from paintings to music to film, is now considered to be actively promoting social justice causes and advocating for marginalized communities, rather than just aesthetic expression alone

-it implies a deliberate use of artistic mediums to raise awareness, challenge societal norms, and inspire action towards equality. 

Key points about this transformation: 

• Focus on social issues:

• Artists would prioritize depicting or addressing issues like racism, sexism, economic inequality, LGBTQ+ rights, and environmental concerns within their work. 

• Empowering marginalized voices:

• Art would be used to amplify the perspectives and experiences of historically underrepresented groups, giving them a platform to be heard. 

Call to action:

• Beyond simply raising awareness

• the intention would be to actively encourage viewers to engage with social justice issues and potentially take action. 

• 
  

Colleges and Education and the Teacher as Activist Pipeline

https://defendinged.org/investigations/corrupted/

Misplaced Mothering: Conversation about Toxic Empathy with Charlie Kirk & Allie Beth Stuckey

 Toxic Empathy book by Allie Beth Stuckey

Interview with Charlie Kirk

https://omny.fm/shows/the-charlie-kirk-show/10-16-hour-2-v1?seyid=28194

Points made:

Women are naturally led by empathy 

Women naturally feel others pain

Women naturally are mothers

Misplaced mothering:

- if you have no children then you will mother something like a pet or a movement. 

-Hoisted up victims who need your help or need your defense

ex. Vote for social justice when told when this poor black person is victim to police brutality so your misplaced mothering will be helped and nurtured by your vote

-you can mother and nurture and mentor a poor woman who is pregnant and needs an abortion so you are helping indirectly help when you are voting to allow her access to an abortion

-same for trans-kid

-same for Illegal alien 

***Toxic Empathy shuts down critical thinking area of the brain

Empathizing turns Toxic:

-when it requires to agree with sin -when it leads us to affirm a lie

- when it requires us to make decisions that are ultimately harmful not just for the person but society as a whole

Think about both sides of the Equation: 

-2 sides to the equation: Need abortion-feel her pain-but if we do what activists do and affirm the need for an abortion then we have forgotten about the other human being on the other side of the equation, the baby

--2 sides to the equation: illegal mother deported after fleeing Mexico and building a life here (we understand and empathize with this story) but dismisses the other side of the equation

Where gangs are overtaking cities with violence, murders, rapes, molested children, human trafficking, sex trafficking, and where are the 300,000 lost children brought over into our border

-2 sides to the equation: prisoners have the right to sex-changes so an example of toxic empathy because you have to empathize with prisoners and then provide the trans services. This changes policies that affect every inmate who has access to transitional services. Department of corrections no longer protecting women prisoners on other side where fully intact men are forced into their jail cells who are raping and impregnating them so abusing the most vulnerable women in the prison system

-party that says they care about women but only in terms of a free-for-all abortion -not talk about other rights like Title 9 or women’s spaces, or other protections

-democrats talk about freedom they only mean abortion and sexual immorality 

-one victim so try to get you empathy/feel about one specific instance to latch onto evil policies over all 

Empathy-unclean spirit that destroys the church

-obsession with people pleasing

-care more about their offense and feelings, anger, outrage, over shepherding your flock or over God then 

-led by empathy then you will avoid parts of the bible that you feel will make people mad or hurt some people's feelings

-cover up cowardice by just preaching the gospel

-politics is theological so if you are preaching 

Genesis 1:27 

“So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.”

-you will talk about things that are political 

-made us male and female

 -definition of gender

-definition of marriage

 -we were made in God’s image so we should not be killing babies in the womb

Church Leaders:

-Pastors that believe they are entitled to better treatment than Jesus full of grace and power or Steven full of grace and truth

-judge effectiveness by people’s response to them

-Jesus was crucified-people chose a thief over him

-People chose to stone Steven to death for speaking truth of the gospel

New church incentives:

Rewarded worldview

-But the world says aren’t you supposed to lament and cry with the poor and those seeking justice? 

-isn’t it a good thing if we empathize with the downtrodden?

-What is the worst that can happen?

-comes down to mixing up the true meaning of empathy and love

-we are called to love = come alongside those who mourn and those who rejoice

-taking care of the poor, fatherless, widow, etc

***church does create a refuge for the most vulnerable especially children 

-we have changed the way the world sees children,  human beings, and women 

-Denial of the Imago Dei (Image of God) is sin

1 Corinthians 13:6

“Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.”

1 john 4:8 

“Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.”

***God is love so He gets to say what it is and the qualifications of love which love is required to be intertwined with the truth

Weaponized Against:

-progressives exploit Christian compassion

Taking scripture out of context:

-love the sojourner

-love the least of these 

-no law for borders in the name of empathy 

-fall for open borders

-exclusively wrong and racist to have border enforcement

-demand our compassion or empathy without truth 

-removal of factual and Biblical truth

Church:

-Ex. Pastor’s  foolish tweet ”never trump this time Harris only Jesus”

-promoting from the pulpit that Harris is the better moral choice

-Promoting from the pulpit that you have a moral obligation to take an unwanted vaccination

-demoralizing congregations

-consider themselves conservative Christians

-duped by this delusion-that truth doesn’t matter or that facts do not matter

Ex. Pastors are saying:

-well maybe some of the policies on the democrat side are demonic and we know they are bad, but Trump’s personality traits are really bad

-make an excuse that Harris’s character is not worse than Trump's so justify choice but the policies last a lot longer than one person’s personality 

Bible states: Jesus warning to His disciples

“I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves. Be on your guard; you will be handed over to the local councils and be flogged in the synagogues. On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles.  But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you” (Matthew 10: 16-20).

Church Communication barrier: 

-convinced that Christianity is affirmation not truth

-removal of all tension: I don’t want to judge-so being pro-life-is overstepping

Ex. Even though you personally believe a marriage is between a man and woman that they are obligated to stay silent-that love actually compels them to stay silent

History of Church:

-look at pagan Rome = gender confusion, sexual immorality, abortion, infanticide, & all kinds of evil 

-these pagan practices challenged and defeated because of Christians standing to point of martyrdom

-Christians fought against the tyranny of Nero, so child sacrifice ended

-Christians spoke against deadly ideologies 

-church not out to garner our own political power but creating a place for the most vulnerable

-Christians fought for liberty to share the gospel

-ex, black woman going to jail for praying outside an abortion clinic by the Biden-Harris administration

Today the Church:

-we need to take the baton of those historical Christians

-Jesus wins in the end so there is no time to fear man

-the core of empathy so please man over God

-empathy is a cheap replacement for virtue and love

-we must submit to God’s definition of love and goodness

-we should not submit to human approval

-churches care more about what liberals think

-churches are not afraid of offending conservatives, offending pro-lifers, or trump supporters

-churches fear more of offending their black lives matter brothers and sisters, abortion, New York times, left side of the aisle

- approval feels good to be praised for not being like those dumb Maga Christian conservatives 

-the after-party pastors who encourage their congregation to be dumb in their politics

-pastors that encourage their congregation to be progressive in their values

-pastors that encourage their congregation to compromise as a sign of righteousness and sign of holy maturity

Congregation should do:

-demand more out of pastors

-demand for clarity, encouragement, and courage

-reality of the policies being set before us

-if discipling on the issues is not being addressed in the church then the congregation will be fed by someone else 

-the world will answer their questions

-demand pastors to not avoid controversial spots

-leave the church when their world view is being tainted by the world empathy, compromise, or silence

-leave the church that is not boldly nurtured by the truth of the Bible

Gender Ideology Infiltrates the courts:

https://www.dailysignal.com/2024/10/22/break-up-family-relationships-biden-harris-admin-pushes-judges-to-bring-gender-ideology-into-the-courtroom/?inf_contact_key=8d7a3151f5106d1ac6f4495eb242274dcc0558ed5d4c28cbfab114022b1ec50d

Gender Ideology Infiltrates the schools:

https://www.dailysignal.com/2024/10/22/exclusive-informing-parents-gender-identity-jeopardizes-students-new-hampshire-school-district-teaches-staff/?inf_contact_key=3e841945a4c038ce85ca835a714a0ab87e470d92b8b75168d98a0b8cac0e9c09

“youth-friendly reproductive services.”

https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/baltimore-spending-millions-on-sex-ed-program-to-promote-abortion-gender-transitions-to-children?inf_contact_key=ff20f6c9ad28b5e42631b407eee55f207e470d92b8b75168d98a0b8cac0e9c09

Puberty Blockers for Minors effects suppressed: They do harm

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/healthcare/3202646/house-republicans-probe-suppression-puberty-blocker-research/?inf_contact_key=450a1197c9bb8faae7337e1f6448a78b842e902fbefb79ab9abae13bfcb46658

U.S. Study on Puberty Blockers goes Unpublished Because of Politics-Follow the money

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/23/science/puberty-blockers-olson-kennedy.html

https://www.allsides.com/news/2024-10-24-0237/media-industry-us-study-puberty-blockers-goes-unpublished-because-politics

https://www.spiked-online.com/2024/10/04/the-grisly-truth-about-kids-transitioning/?inf_contact_key=5aec4ba68ea0c3cea80eb75e96551ea24dfbc39d7283b2cb89d5189540b69330

Abortion: Follow the Money 

https://www.liveaction.org/news/womens-research-group-kill-preborn-business-economy/?inf_contact_key=ba88295cf15956eb7c5afc73cc507a174dfbc39d7283b2cb89d5189540b69330