Being Conservative in a Liberal Church

Wow, that is a big statement and controversial as well. Yes, it is and although our denomination has long been liberal, our church was not noticeably liberal for the first 10 years or so after we joined. We knew the pastor was a democrat, but he rarely let that show in his sermons, which were strictly from scriptures. I described his style as more teaching than preaching, which I enjoyed very much.

The story of how we came to this church is that friends invited us to visit. We went because of the invitation and stayed because of the pastor. Way too soon he decided it was time to retire. Now I can understand that because he is our age and we've been retired for a while.

Just before covid a change began to take place, not only because of the forced shutdown but because of changes in pastoral staff. Prior to this, our associate pastor had moved on to pastor his own church in another state. This lead to the hiring a temporary associate pastor, we'll call Joan, to serve until the permanent position was filled. This was the beginning of the change. She was liberal, but not so much outwardly woke. Still, you could tell Joan wasn't one of us. She stayed with us for nearly two years, almost twice as long as intended, probably because of covid. 

After her departure yet another woman was hired. We will call her Lisa. Now Lisa was way more liberal/woke, and it showed. She follows the new Progressive Christianity and is a strong supporter of LGBT...and more. She was hired as an associate pastor before our beloved pastor retired, after which she was asked and agreed to serve as interim pastor during the search for a full time pastor.

She brought nothing to the worship experience in my opinion. She quoted numerous progressive writers during each sermon and even said "... the Holy Spirit, SHE's a wild one" during a service on Trinity Sunday! There were other times she referred to God as "she" and "mother", which, quite frankly, did not set well with me. When she needed help with her pastoral duties, yet another woman was brought in, we'll call her Mary. Mary served as the parish associate and was equally woke, going so far as to talk about how great the pride parade was the previous weekend. This was going on in 2023-24. It got to the point that I didn't go to church much, and never when Mary was preaching.

Fast forward to August 2024, when we finally hired a new pastor. A man! Now he is still democrat/liberal, but probably less woke and progressive than the women were. He preaches from scripture which is a breath of fresh air after several years of endless progressive quotes. Recently we acquired a new parish associate, also a man, and former church member. Our denomination will always be liberal, but it is easier to deal with it when it is not in your face.

Now the big question I know is on your mind is why did we stay. A friend said "there are other churches" and that's true. We were almost to that point, but the search for a new pastor was underway, and we were praying God would lead someone to us who would preach and teach God's word from scripture. We got that so we stayed. I did have a short list of churches if we had decided to leave. 

On the up side, we have some friends there who are also conservative (and even some who are not...they're still nice people).

Based on what I have read and seen in my own church, it's my opinion that the reason for the downfall of churches is women. It seems to me that women are much more likely to be drawn into the "progressive" version of Christianity, which I view as false Christianity.

PJ Media recently did an article on progressive Christianity and women pastors. 

Glitter Blessings' and Women Pastors Who Say 'Queer' a Lot

Take care and God bless!

John 14:6: "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

On Being Optimistic

AI generated image from Pixabay

Optimist: someone who figures that taking a step backward after taking a step forward is not a disaster, it's a cha-cha. 

- Robert Brault

I was looking for something that sums up what a lot of people are feeling. While some are shrieking and clutching their pearls, I am calmly optimistic about the future. 

However, time will tell, and until then I remain hopeful and pleased at the well-thought out economic strategies currently in place that, if allowed to continue, should serve us well going forward.

I'm not going to spell this out now. This is just a lighter post to hopefully encourage those who are shrieking and freaking and rending their garments in distress.

Please calm down and breathe. If we come together and stick together, we'll be fine. Remember, it's just a cha cha, and things are already getting better.

In the meantime, take care and stay sane. It's still a crazy world out there.

Stronger Together

AI image of bison

Some of you may be familiar with Aesop's Fables. I enjoyed those as a child and find that as an adult they have even more meaning. As I walk through life, things I see, hear and read often remind me of one fable or another. While I was looking for examples for this post, I came across the fable about a bundle of sticks.

It seems there was a man, perhaps a farmer, who had several sons. It would seem that all would be right with his world. He had strong sons to help him, and to one day take over for him in his old age.

That was not necessarily true because his sons would continually fight among themselves, and one day he decided to turn things around. He brought forth a bundle of sticks and handed it to one of the boys and instructed him to break it. He could not. The bundle was passed to each son for him to try and break it. None could. The father then separated the bundle and handed each boy a stick. Now try to break it, he commanded them. Each boy was able to break the single stick.

The moral of this fable is that while each stick is easily broken, when they are bundled together they are much stronger.

This same principle applies to animals, as in the herd of bison above, as well as humans. If we stick together and work together it will be much easier to achieve our common goals. 

Folks, we are being divided today six ways from Sunday. What it boils down to is whether you are a conservative or a liberal. No matter what the subject, we are divided by the party line. I have touched on some of these individual topics previously so I won't rehash them here. 

The thing that concerns now is that the Republicans are not showing a united front. There are a number of congress and senate members that are coming out against the President's policies, to the extent that they are trying to pass legislation limiting the President's ability to use tariffs. It seems they are literally trying to throw up roadblocks. This is not the time for that. Like the fable tells us, we are stronger together. We can't blow our God-given opportunity by bickering among ourselves. As my mom would say "straighten up and fly right".

I hope this post finds you well and at peace. Please pray for our country, our President and all those working hard to heal our country and move us forward to economic stability once again.

Standing Up

AI generated image from Pixabay

It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends.  — J.K. Rowling

Who are the enemies in this quote? What does it mean to stand up to them and what does that do for us or take away from us? It is a simple quote, but there are multiple points to consider. Also why does she say it takes the same amount of bravery to stand up to our friends? Do we have more to lose?

When we are standing up for the truth and for what is right, we can face ridicule, censorship, and even be fired from our jobs.

An example of this was during covid when people were being forced to take the not-a-vax jab or lose their jobs. Employers often fired those employees who refused and hired more compliant people. Those who didn't comply were called names, censored online, restricted, shunned and the pro-vaxxers even wanted to round them up and put them in camps. They wanted to do this to fellow human beings. 

It wasn't just employers vs. employees. It was schools vs. students, sometimes to the point of vaccinating students without parental permission. It was doctor vs. patient, and the unvaxxed were often denied critical treatment. It was also friends and family who badgered and distanced themselves from those who stood their ground. 

It was a horrible time in our country's history, and one I have no wish to repeat.Those of us who resisted the pressure are confident in our decision. 

No matter what you are standing up for or whom you are standing up to, it is never easy and sometimes you end up being a black sheep. So be it.

Until next time, stay safe and stay sane.

Why We Need Voter ID in the U.S.

This is apparently a hot topic of debate right now. President Trump has signed an Executive Order requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote. This is excellent, going forward, but how about now?

It seems the democrats are fighting tooth and nail against requiring voter ID. They are claiming that requiring ID to vote is voter suppression. Think I'm kidding? Watch this short video on X.

Hakeem Jeffries just called the SAVE Act “A voter suppression bill.” 

How did we even get here? If only U.S. citizens are allowed to vote, who is going to be suppressed by asking for identification at the polls? Every citizen who is eligible to vote should have a valid ID, passport or proof of naturalized citizenship.

I would think that all U.S. citizens would be happy to show ID if it helps in preventing voter fraud. I know I am. Currently, the requirements vary from state to state. If it were up to me, every state would require the appropriate ID and proof of citizenship if deemed necessary in order to cast a ballot. There would also be nearly no mail-in ballots with only a few exceptions and those carefully scrutinized. Elections must be fair and honest.

*Who cannot vote?

• Non-citizens, including permanent legal residents, cannot vote in federal, state, and most local elections.

• Some people cannot vote after being convicted of a felony or if they are currently serving time for other types of crimes. Rules are different in each state. Check this guide from vote.gov to understand the laws in your state.

• Some people who have a mental disability may not be able to vote. Learn about your voting rights. Rules vary by state.

• U.S. citizens residing in U.S. territories cannot vote for president in the general election.

That brings us to the question of why the liberals are so all-fired set on stopping the ID requirement. Hazarding a guess, I would say that they want to continue to (illegally) increase their voter base with those who could be persuaded to support them and their anti-American agendas. They will do anything to remain in power, and their rating among their own has dropped, at this writing, to about 21%.

One has to wonder how people can hate their own country and countrymen so much. Money and power, I guess.

Until next time, stay safe and stay sane.

*Who Can and Cannot Vote