General

Once upon a time there was a battle for Leadership in a republic that had once been filled with Light. The Light of Liberty was waning, and Lawlessness ascending. 

Out of the shadows emerged a contestant for the throne named Lewd. From the same twilight appeared his political combatant, Liar. 

Both were products of their time because truth was growing dim. One day, they hooked up in mortal combat for Leadership of the republic. 

This is the tragic tale of Lewd and Liar. 

Lewd and Liar were not produced in a vacuum, or were extremely different from their subjects–called the Little people. Here is the story of how they came to be. 

The republic of the two aspirants to the throne had been formed hundreds of years before by the sons and daughters of Liberty. They loved their Lord, Law and Liberty more than they loved themselves. They created a unique nation in history–a land filled with moral Light–and warned their future prodigy that the preservation of that Liberty was dependent upon their future vigilance. 

But, alas, over time, the sons and daughters of Liberty forgot their Light-bearing past and and began to pursue the Lawless ways of the nations around them. They started to follow another lord of the universe who had rebelled against the Light. 

His name was Lucifer–the father of Lies. 

The Liar followed Lucifer’s ways and lived by lies much of her life. She was born wealthy, married into ambition, and developed a hunger for power and prestige. The way to attain her dreams of Leadership was to fib her way to the top: 

• to lie about her marriage and its brokenness.
• to lie about her beliefs, positions, and identification with the Little people.
• to lie about sexual liaisons, corrupt deals, missing e-mails and harassment of bimbos.
• to lie about helping the Little people.
• and to lie her way into making history. 

She married one worse than herself, a man named Most Lewd. He was more filthy than her opponent and he had previously come to the throne by using his charm and a string of false tales. Most Lewd not only had a filthy mouth, but a reprobate life that didn’t change over his lifetime.

When he first married Liar he was wildly unfaithful. While he occupied the throne of the republic, his lewdness entered into the very throne room. After leaving the kingdom, he continued his debauchery at his private residence in NY, on pleasure jaunts to Lewd Island with his friend Perversity, and even in his fifth floor apartment in Little Rock.

Most Lewd was the most sensually cunning of all the kings of the republic. Most Lewd broke Liar’s heart–but she continued to carry his name to pursue her own dreams.

Eventually Liar reached the pinnacle of her craft by becoming the leader of the Lying party. This party began well during the early days of the republic, but over centuries stopped believing the truth and practicing virtue. The Lying party now hideously believed:

• That it was okay to kill its Littlest subjects in the womb. Ten of millions of them.
• That sexual pleasure was king and marriage archaic and out-dated.
• That it was better for the Little people to be dependent on the kingdom and not on themselves.
• That they should control all aspects of Life because they knew better.

The Liar’s opponent, Lewd, was also born into wealth–much more so than Liar. He turned his millions into billions by selling things to the Little people–very successfully. (Liar made her millions by selling favors to international kings and other ambitious folks. Both became rich–one in the private world and the other on the public dole.)

Lewd also lived a perverse life for many years, even during some of his three marriages. Because he was well known and prosperous, his loose lips and lifestyle often made it into the news of the day–and got him into trouble.

Lewd burst into the public eye by changing from the Lying party to the Lousy party. The Lousy party had also once been faithful to the principles of light, but eventually began to enjoy status and privilege more than principle. By the time Lewd emerged on the scene, the Lousy party had become stupid, inept and intoxicated by its own flirtation with power.

In the jousting matches that led up to the final clash, the Lousy party fielded a number of champions with leadership, experience, character, and faith to possibly renew the the kingdom. But the Little people had been drawn to Lewd’s swagger and riches–and he had soundly vanquished his challengers.

(As for Liar’s preliminary jousts–only an aging Santa Claus/Robin Hood came close to winning that match by promising to give the Little people everything they wanted–for free!  He was eventually defeated by Liar’s cunning use of the party politburo and its endless offense of deceit.)

Liar also had another ally for the final battle–Liberal scribes, poets, actors and jesters of the day. They “kept the court of public opinion” by elevating the lies of the Liar and suppressing the remaining light that still dawned, though rather dimly, through the Lousy party. The “prince of the power of the air” controlled the air waves–so lies were more prevalent than truth.

The Little people were not without fault, though suppressed by the Lying Party and disappointed by the Lousy party. They had produced both contestants by participating in the same sins and by tolerating iniquity in their own lives. Lewdness was publicly acceptable because many people threw F-bombs around and engaged in locker room talk. Lying was du jour because many lived their lives by creating allusions about themselves.

Both Lewd and Liar were mirror images of the what many Little people had become. A lewd and lying culture was now rooting for champions in their own image.

But most responsible for the penetrating darkness threatening the republic were the spiritual ancestors of the sons and daughters of liberty. They had failed to cherish the light, increase its brightness, and pass on its liberating ways to succeeding generations.

The Light bearers had failed to be salt and light… and Lewd and Liar had emerged. 

Most of the remaining sons and daughters of Liberty would reluctantly vote for Lewd because the Lousy party still contained some elements of truth. But many wouldn’t vote at all, some were deceived by Liar, and Liar and her public minstrels held court over the majority of the Little people.

Just before the final jousting match between Lewd and Liar, it looked like Liar would win–and take the kingdom into abysmal darkness. But it was unwise to count out Lewd. He had the ability to produce a populist revolt that could overrun Liar–though that possibility was slim.

So what is the moral of the story?

Sons and daughters of Liberty: 

We must personally forsake all lewdness and lying and cry out to the only one that can save us.

He is the Lord of all–pure and truthful. He is the Lamb who takes away the sins of the whole world. Only those who are redeemed by his Love can bring that Light to the nations.

And live happily ever after.

It appears that Tuesday’s night’s presidential debate was  the most watched of all time with nearly 84 million people tuning in. That number is a 17% spike over the first debate between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney in 2012.

I studied the debate prayerfully with much thought and attention. I also listened to many of the pundits who gave their opinions afterwards.

Here is what I learned from the Great Debate.

I will share these observations in “point” form like a running stream of consciousness. I’m sure you have your own, and I hope my ramblings will help you to sharpen yours to pray, to vote, and to be an influence during this perilous time in American history.

Yes, I said perilous. This is the first presidential election in Post-Christian America. Our nation has reached a tipping point where the secularism has overtaken, in many ways, the biblical worldview that characterized our first two hundred years. 

This is the first election in US history where it can be argued that neither candidate shares a personal relationship with Jesus Christ or possesses a faith-oriented worldview. Both the voters of the Democrat and Republican parties rejected candidates with strong biblical faith–so we’re left with two people that are more secular than Christian.

It’s a new day. A sober day.

And a day of great opportunities for God to move in our nation.

Here’s what I learned from the Great Debate.

1.  It many ways, it was a draw. Neither Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton clearly won on points. How you judged it had much to do with your preference of candidate. There were no knock-out punches.

2. Because I prefer Donald Trump to Hillary Clinton, I give him the edge. It was his first time on a solo national stage and he did well. Mrs. Clinton has been in this scenario 35 times before. She was more familiar than he was. But she didn’t take great advantage.

3.  Donald Trump appeared presidential and probably helped his cause, He refrained from name-calling and childish behavior and showed a basic grasp of all the issues that were brought up.

4.  Hillary Clinton demonstrated good attention to detail and ample evidence of her policy-wonk credentials. She was better on a number of specifics than Mr. Trump.

5. I give Trump an edge in speaking the language of the common person. That’s one of his strengths. He is open and honest and you can relate to him and his concerns.

6. Mrs. Clinton, on the other hand, was overly robotic and prepared. Even her mention of her 2-year old granddaughter seemed forced and pre-meditated. Everything was calculated. She came across as a slick politician. Trump expressed the normal emotions of a passionate human being.

7.  Mrs. Clinton was clearly the aggressor in this debate and showed a bit of a mean-streak. She came at Trump over his taxes, business practices, and name-calling, but it seemed to emanate from cue cards and focus groups instead of deep within. Also seemed a bit whiny at times.

8.  Mr. Trump acted as the counter-puncher in this debate, especially on trade (NAFTA and TPP), creating jobs, the national debt, and a few other issues. He missed some big opportunities to expose Mrs. Clinton’s corruption re: the e-mail server scandal and the Clinton Foundation (what Rush Limbaugh calls the Clinton Family Crime Foundation). He must not make that mistake in future debates.

9.  Did you see that Mrs. Clinton rarely looked Donald Trump in the eyes when she was speaking to him? I’ve noticed that in many of her appearances. When she first spoke of the e-mail fiasco, her eyes were always down and never looked at the camera. Same last night. If she can’t look Trump in the face with conviction and passion, how can she stare down Vladimir Putin or other world leaders?

10.  It was easy to see the difference in transparency and honesty between the two candidates. I’m sure Donald Trump has things to hide, but overall he’s quick to rebut lies and seems genuinely transparent on most things. Mrs. Clinton is the opposite. Her words are so carefully crafted that you think you’re listening to an “angel of light” who’s telling you one thing but doing another. Donald wins on honesty.

11. Trump was very good at the beginning of the debate on how to create jobs and deal with the debt. After all, he’s a businessman and understands that realm. Mrs. Clinton has lived on the public dole all her life and never created a real job. So how can she help ignite an economic renewal in this nation?

12. The two candidates are starkly different on taxes. Mrs. Clinton wants to raise most people’s taxes, though she cleverly use class warfare words to make it appear she’s against the rich. But that’s a lie. There aren’t enough rich people to fund a four trillion dollar budget. Mr. Trump, on the other hand, sees the importance of lowering taxes for most to bring back capital to the country and ignite business expansion.

13.  Mrs. Clinton is a classic tax and spend liberal. She had no comeback for Trump’s rightful assertion that Barack Obama created more debt that all the previous 43 presidents combined–and that our national debt has America on the precipice of great disaster. Mrs. Clinton would blindly (in the name of false compassion) explode that debt.

14. Mrs. Clinton cleverly used the word “investments” for government taxation. She went through the normal progressive list of crony capitalism including renewable energy, infrastructure spending and climate change. These are all buzz words for “we know better than you” and it’s too bad if you lose your job (like coal miners in West Virginia).

15. Trump was smart to appeal to the African American community that has been the most decimated by Democrat policies. In the name of “caring,” the victim/welfare mentality of many cities, blue states, and the federal government has placed many blacks and Hispanics on a modern-day plantation of despair. Trumps was wise to appeal to them. (Does it make sense for any voting block in America to vote 90% for one party?)

16. Both candidates seemed competent on nuclear policy. Trump was more realistic on other nations doing their part to police themselves and not simply ride the coattails of the world’s lone super power. Neither candidate would be prone to use nukes unwisely.

17. Trump won the skirmish over the war in Iraq and the mess that President Obama and Secretary of State Clinton have made of the Middle East. The Democrats created ISIS by leaving Iraq prematurely without a Status of Forces agreement.  It was simply poor leadership. They could never be trusted to defeat them.

18. Mrs. Clinton won the argument over Donald Trump’s taxes. He needs to release them, under audit or not, and let the chips fall.  If there are some embarrassing details there, they  probably pale in comparison to the pay-for-play of the Clinton Foundation. Let them stand side-by-side.

19.  Mrs. Clinton looked and sounded healthy, but you never know. JFK looked good most of the time but was living on medical “cocktails” because of his Graves Disease. Mrs. Clinton should release her full medical records just as quickly as Trump does his taxes.

20. Most of the time, when Mrs. Clinton was listening to Trump speak, her face was hard, cold, or bored (see photo above). That was the thing that struck me most from a body language perspective. She is not a warm person. He, on the other hand, is very engaging and relatable to most Americans.

21. Mrs. Clinton shouldn’t have been given a higher podium. She’s 5’4″ and he’s 6’2.” That difference in stature should have been noticed. Let her make up in gravitas what she lacks in height.

22. Mrs. Clinton was condescending at various moments–especially at the end of the debate when she shrugged he shoulders in pride at a Trump response.

23. Lester Holt asked six follow-up questions of Trump and none of Clinton. The bias was obvious.

24.  Trump’s smile seems genuine though he’s often sober. Clinton’s smile often looks calculated and forced.

25.  Trump’s family is beautiful and accomplished. Bill Clinton is a chronic adulterer who is hard to watch.

These are my 25 observations from the Great Debate.

What are yours?

These 25 items remind me of the greatest need in America: a new found encounter with the King of kings and Lord of lords–Jesus Christ.

If you want some encouragement after watching the Great Debate, check out this magnificent list of 25 reasons that we need leaders who will lead like Jesus.

And keep your eyes on Him.

The last couple of years I’ve done some adjunct teaching at Faith International University in Tacoma, Washington. Faith Seminary is the graduate division of the school and is the only biblically-based seminary in the state of Washington.

FIU is growing by leaps and bounds as are many other Christ-oriented schools across America. In fact, yesterday, we joined some 1000 campuses in America who have birthed prayer rooms on their campuses. Many call them “Furnaces”–where faculty and students can fire up their hearts for God.

That’s greatly needed today because many colleges and universities have been taken over by secular humanism, and not only don’t believe in prayer, but reject many aspects of truth including freedom of speech.

Say what?  No free speech on campus?

Free speech was praised in the 1960s. Why not today?

It was a joy to see our faculty and staff jam into the new Prayer Room at Faith yesterday for an official dedication. Lining three upper walls of the room were colorful flags of the 40 nations from whom we have received students the past fifty years.

The US flag (to which we gladly pledge our allegiance!) sits at the center of the room, reminding us of the blessing of being Americans. The flag of South Korea is to its left, depicting our large Korean division, and to the right rests the flag of Malaysia, symbolizing a growing Chinese division (led by a Malaysian professor).

Around the perimeter of the room are seven prayer stations that staff and students will frequent this year. Each station sports two chairs, a shelf with special items and resources, and a bulletin board with photos, artwork and slogans to help guide the prayer warrior. The seven stations focus on:

• Worship and Praise – remembering who God is and worshipping Him with all our hearts.
• Praying for the World – the Great Commission, unreached peoples, and the work of missions.
• Praying for Leaders – practicing 1 Timothy 2:2 by interceding for “all who are in authority.”
• Personal Renewal – a large altar sits against one wall where students can confess their sins, meditate and reflect on their personal walk with God, as well as take communion with others.
• Praying for FIU – where we cry out for our faculty, staff, students, and future students.
• Praying for Tacoma, WA – our “Jerusalem”–mayor, city council, first responders and area churches.
• Praying for America – interceding for our nation, its leaders and our great need for revival.

Many group prayer meetings will also take place this school year in the “Furnace” where an electric piano and sound system stand ready for inspiration and use. Our goal is the eventually turn the new FIU Prayer Room into a place of 24/7 prayer for our city, nation and world.

If you’re interested in joining us at FIU, please visit our web-site here. The new Prayer Room at Faith is totally committed to freedom of speech and expression–both to God and to people.

I wish that were true for the rest of the country.

You may have recently noticed some very disturbing trends at many colleges. They include 1) cancelling  Christian and/ or conservative speakers from speaking on campus, 2) Creating “safe spaces” where free speech is no longer tolerated or allowed, and 3) promoting only secular progressive causes such as global warming and racial injustice without freedom for debate.

How times have changed.

I remember the turbulent 60s and 70s when college students demanded “free speech” and public schools like UC -Berkeley and Kent State became passionate cauldrons of political expression and demonstration. Those movements championed our treasured First Amendment which guarantees the right of open discourse.

Why the squelching of free speech now?

It’s pretty simple. The goal of free speech in the 60s was to tear down America’s biblical heritage and morals and replace it with secularism. It was all about power, not liberty. Now that secular progressives are triumphant in many of the public universities in America, their goal is to hold on to that power by eliminating all competitors.

The means has changed, but not the end–a post-Christian, narcissistic America.

Heather McDonald, writing for the City Journal, describes secular university environments this way:

“The pathological narcissism of American college students has found a potentially devastating new source of power in the world of education. The truth is that American universities are among the most coddled environments ever devised by man.”

“The idea that one should attend college to be protected from ideas one might find controversial or offensive could only occur to someone who had jettisoned any hope of acquiring an education. Many commentators have been warning about a ‘higher education bubble.’ They have focused mostly on the unsustainable costs of college, but the spectacle of timid moral self-indulgence also deserves a place on the bill of indictment.”

To use Megyn Kelly’s phrase, today’s college kids have become “cupcakes” who don’t know how to compete in the real world and are not interested in the battle of ideas.

Not at Faith International University and many others.  We welcome freedom of expression, academic excellence, and we center everything we do on a desire to know and glorify God.

Another biblically-based institution is also leading the way back to free speech sanity, Hear the wise words of Dr. Everett Piper, President of Oklahoma Wesleyan University: