Andrew Carnegie said, “If you want to be happy, set a goal that commands your thoughts, liberates your energy, and inspires your hopes.” But Scripture tells us in Proverbs 16:3: “Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.” And in Colossians 3:2 we are told to “set our minds on the things above, and not on the things of this world.”

In the Bible, Judges 21:25, we read that when there was no king (authority) in the land of Israel, everyone “did what was right in their own eyes,” meaning lawlessness became the norm. Sounds like America today! Lawlessness is the antithesis of God, for He created order in the universe; and that order is beneficial! Mankind’s lawlessness originated with Adam and Eve’s sin in the Garden (“Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and all sin is lawlessness,” I John 3:4 NKJV).

Most people, if given a glimpse of a future event that was going to cause harm to their friends, family, community, and nation, would use every means possible to alert those around them to the danger. From time to time, there are real, best-case scenario examples of this, such as when someone shares a tip with law enforcement or the intelligence community and a mass killer or terrorist is stopped before he can enact his deadly plan.

Those wanting to support Chaplain Stephen Lee's legal defense fund can get the honey in a unique bottle by going to www.MakeHoneyGreatAgain.com and using the promo code “Chaplain.” You may like or dislike the bottle design, but it’s filled with healthy, pure, raw honey and a large amount of the proceeds will go to help Chaplain Lee fight his legal battle in Georgia.

If Christians do not speak publicly about moral and ethical issues facing a nation, where will our political leaders find moral guidance? Without Biblically informed Christian influence, government officials will have no clear moral compass. Think about all the issues that come up in our legislatures and/or government bureaucracies that are issues of moral right wrong.

As Christians, we have the amazing freedom of coming before the throne of the Almighty, Holy, Omnipresent, All-Powerful Creator of the universe to petition Him in prayer – without being destroyed – because of the sacrifice of Christ on the cross. It’s an incredible privilege, and what’s more, we’re told in James 5:16b that “the prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.” Prayer is powerful because we are talking to a powerful God. As we wrestle against “the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Eph. 6:12), prayer is one of the strongest weapons we have.

An Illinois pastor and former Ground Zero Chaplain has been charged in connection with efforts to intimidate Georgia election workers. David Shestokas, a well-known attorney, is defending this national hero.

Four principles of manhood that our society is attacking vigorously: #1: Men are to take dominion over the earth (Gen. 1:28). This was included in God's first set of commands to Adam and still remains a central imperative for men today. On the contrary, our culture provides little support for men who are serious about exercising dominion over what God has placed under their control, and instead provides many escapes from a man's true obligations.

In late June of this year, the Brown University newspaper published a startling statistic: the percentage of LGBTQ+ students at this Ivy-League school has doubled since 2010. While the numbers from the fall of 2010 showed the student population at 86% heterosexual and 14% homosexual/bisexual, the most recent data from last spring reveals that the school is now only 60% heterosexual. The last 40% is a veritable miscellany of designations, including homosexual, bisexual, queer, questioning, pansexual, asexual, and "other."

In this recent dialogue local Chicagoland area Pastors Calvin Lindstrom, James Pittman and Brandon Myers give an update on The Orchard Evangelical Free Church (EFC).

Two weeks ago, Governor Pritzker signed a bill, Public Act 103-0518, allowing any multiple-occupancy restroom to be identified as an all-gender multiple-occupancy restroom at the discretion of the building owner or leaseholder. Anyone of any “gender” could use it. Why was this law introduced, why did it pass?

Last week we embarked on a study in Ephesians 1, which so clearly and powerfully shows us how God as a Trinity works out our salvation. God the Father planned and predestined his redeemed for adoption as sons! What a grand and glorious truth that is! And his plan entailed sending his Son, Jesus to carry out the work of redemption.

President Joe Biden signed a proclamation at Red Butte, Arizona, on Tuesday creating the fifth national monument established during his presidency. Titled Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni—Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon—it expands the conserved Grand Canyon region by 1 million acres.

It was a Lifeway Research report earlier this spring that “triggered” my interest on church security. Most of us in the faith community seem to go about our weekly church business not too concerned about safety at our house of worship. Fortunately, others take this quite seriously. Church security is a broader topic than one might think. I recall my membership in a Dallas megachurch in the 1980s where building and parking garage security was a must. Occasional visits from relatively non-threatening types often needed to be escorted from the premises. Even the pastor had a personal security detail present before and after services. Times have changed.

I recently had a speaking tour through three South American countries. As I talked with many Christians in these nations, I heard a lot of discouragement. They feel they simply don’t have the influence they need to see positive change occur. In some of the countries, Marxism has taken root and has a stranglehold on politics and economics. Many Protestant Christians I talked to there are hoping to start Christian schools and desire to legalize homeschooling. This seems daunting as Protestants make up only 10-20% of the population.