“Immediately He made the disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He dismissed the crowds.”  Matthew 14:22

Here Jesus instructed His disciples to cross a lake and meet Him on the other side of it. As they went, they were met by a violent wind storm that halted their progress.

Often in our Christian lives we receive clear instruction from the LORD, only to be met by an obstacle that halts our progress. We must, however, recognize that the onset of a storm does not cancel out God’s instructions.

Halted progress does not equal denied destination.

When Jesus directed the disciples to go the other side He absolutely meant for them to get there. 

Delay does not equal denial.

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” Matthew 5:8 (ESV).

The National Union of Teachers, a British Teachers’ Union, which goes by the acronym NUT called on the British Parliament to teach transgender and LGBTQ issues to children, beginning at 2 years old.

They are proposing compulsory “sex and relationship education” in all UK schools beginning in nursery schools.

As if that weren’t enough, the NUTs, their acronym not mine, want to make sure parents cannot opt their children out of the compulsory sex and relationship education.

Did I mention they want to start this with 2 year olds…

“Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”  John 14:6 (ESV).

After the outgoing Pomona College President sent a school-wide email rebuking the actions of violent thugs’ attempt to shut down conservative journalist Heather MacDonald’s speech there, several students wrote a letter openly labeling truth as a “racist myth.”

The students went on to reject the idea that there is a “single truth” as a “Euro-Western concept aimed at silencing oppressed peoples.”

This is what happens when Darwinism, post-modernism and moral relativism dominate society.

“For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.”  Matthew 12:34 (ESV).

Facebook has encouraged its staff to participate in anti-Trump protests.  They said, Facebook “is committed to fostering an inclusive environment where employees feel comfortable expressing their opinions and speaking up.”

Facebook even threatened contractors to make sure sub-contractors are able to join the protests.

All of this begs the question, if Facebook is so committed to having their employees and others who do work for them to protest against President Donald Trump how likely is it that they are genuinely neutral concerning content on their platform?

“They are both stupid and foolish; the instruction of idols is but wood!”  Jeremiah 10:8 (ESV).

According to materials from Clemson University’s “Diversity Benefits for Higher Education” initiative, which cost the school more than $25,000, it’s culturally insensitive to expect people to show up on time.

Yeah, you heard that right.  Clemson’s diversity training course said “time may be considered fluid in some cultures.”

So, their proposal to alleviate this cultural conundrum…???  We should no longer to expect people to punctual because its culturally condescending and insensitive to do so.

Over $25,000 for this executive-level foolishness.  Political correctness is now weaponized.

“Bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.”  Jeremiah 10:8 (ESV).

A day of celebration for many turned tragic for the Godwin family when their patriarch, Robert Godwin, Sr., was murdered and it was broadcasted on Facebook Live.

Anderson Cooper interviewed Mr. Godwin’s daughters, Debbie Godwin and Tonya Godwin Baines, the day after and he was overwhelmed by their clear Christ-centered expression of forgiveness for their father’s killer.

They said our father taught us to fear God, love God and to forgive.  We forgive the killer.

Forgiveness is power.

“Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.”  Ephesians 6:4

The statistics show that children who grow up without a father are 5 times more likely to live in poverty and to commit crime. They are 9 times more likely to drop out of school and 20 times more likely to end up in prison.

Yet, the percentage of children born to fatherless homes has skyrocketed in America.

As of 2015, 25% of white, 53% of Hispanic, and 73% of black babies are born into fatherless homes.

According to Scripture, the weight of raising children in the discipline and instruction of the LORD falls upon fathers. 

It seems like we need a movement that says, “Fatherhood matters.”

“Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.”  Romans 12:15 (ESV)

Many Coptic Christians are mourning in Egypt following the Palm Sunday horror.

Isis claimed responsibility for both attacks.

At least 49 people were killed and 78 more were injured when a bomb, which was planted prior to the church service, was detonated inside of a church in Tanta, Egypt.

4 police officers and 18 civilians were killed when a suicide bomber blew himself up outside of a church in Alexandria, Egypt.

A member of the Tanta church said “every church in Egypt prepares for this… everyone knows you will get bombed at some point” for going to church.

“Moreover, look for able men from all the people, men who fear God, who are trustworthy and hate a bribe…”  Exodus 18:25(a) (ESV).

Congratulations America, we can all now say Justice Neil Gorsuch.

But the icing on this cake is that the Democrats were so near sighted they pushed the Republicans to trash the filibuster for Supreme Court nominees to confirm Justice Gorsuch.

Now, the stage has been set, should another vacancy arise on the high court President Trump’s nominee can be confirmed with a simple 51 vote majority. 

That would completely shift the SCOTUS power balance

Thank you Harry Reid. Thank you Chuck Schumer.

“The wicked flee when no one pursues…”  Proverbs 28:1 (ESV)

Students at Duquesne University, a Catholic school in Pittsburgh, are concerned that an on-campus Chick-fil-A could somehow make things “unsafe” for LGBT students at the university.

A student government rep. argued a Chick-fil-A presence would “marginalize students and could make them feel as though the food court is no longer a “safe space.”

Never mind the fact that there are over 250 Chick-fil-A restaurants on campuses nationwide.

Who knew delicious chicken sandwiches, homespun milk shakes and finger licking waffle fries could be such terrorists?

In the last several years, the Supreme Court has demonstrated that America has entered in to a lawless era.

The court has ruled American citizens can be forced to buy a product by the federal government.
Same sex marriage is a foundational right, and states have the legal authority to require the minimum medical safety standards for tonsil removal operations, but not for abortions.

These decisions, and many others, show that America has moved into an era of lawlessness where those tasked with protecting and defending the Constitution take every opportunity to shred it.

I think Jesus knew this time would come, which is why He said, “Take heart, for I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

“Then David said to Saul, ‘I cannot go with these, for I have not tested them.' So David put them off.” 1 Samuel 17:39

As David prepared to face Goliath, Saul tried to outfit David with Saul’s personal armor. But David didn’t have Saul’s armor when he faced the lion or the bear, and David realized he did not need the armor to slay Goliath.

Today, many Christians yield to the temptation to be hipper, cooler, and even a little fuzzy on the clear teachings of scripture in order to face the Goliaths of our day.

But Jesus said, “If I be lifted up, I will draw all men.” John 12:32

We don’t need a cool light show to be an ambassador for Christ. All we need is to offer what we have freely received. We know the transforming power of Christ because He has transformed us.

The transgender movement has never been about gender. It’s really all about sex.

Gender is merely the PC term to establish a legal ban on sex distinction.

If you abolish sex distinctions in law, you can abolish state recognition of biological family ties. And the state can regulate personal relationships and consolidate power as never before. Without sexes, there are no families. “Husband and wife” becomes “partner.” “Father and mother” becomes “guardian.” In such a scenario the state controls all personal relationships, and family would be whatever the state allows it to be.

The result of a de-sexed society is the abolition of the family.

“And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more.” Mark 10:48

In the congressional hearing on President Obama’s executive overreach imposing gender confusion on America’s schools, law professor Gail Heriot explained exactly how the president violated Title 9 and the Constitution.

California Democrat Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren's only response was to shout, “I think you’re a bigot, lady! I think you’re an ignorant bigot!”

This is Exhibit A in how secularists silence opposition.

Instead of dealing with the substance of an issue, they shout louder and call names. But when we’re armed with the truth we must be loving, but we must also be resolute in our conviction and vigorous in defense of the truth.

“But be doers of the word, and nor hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” James 1:22

This scripture underscores the harrowing reality that permeates the life of many who profess to be Christians.

The blessing of being a Christ follower comes not only from hearing God’s word, but obeying it.

James continues, “For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away, and at once forgets what he was like. 

But the one who looks into the perfect law of liberty and perseveres - being not a hearer who forgets, but a doer who acts - he will be blessed in his doing.” James 1:23-25 

"Have you not read that He who created them from the beginning made them male and female?"

Maya Dillard Smith, Executive Director for the Georgia branch of the ACLU resigned her position over the organization's support for allowing men into girl's restrooms. Smith is no conservative. She earned an economics degree from Berkeley and a masters degree at Harvard.

This self-described progressive cannot go along with the ACLU's transgender agenda. Her personal experience, having taken her elementary school age daughters into a women's rest room when shortly after three men over six feet tall with deep voices entered the restroom, shaked her concern for restroom safety.

Though it isn't PC to say, God made them both male and female - period.   

“But He gives more grace. Therefore it says, ‘God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.’ ” James 4:6

My good friend, Wil Addison, Director of Urban Family Talk, a ministry division of the American Family Association, shared something I know he received from God. He said, “God spoke to Moses face to face. Yet, Moses had the humility to heed his father-in-law Jethro’s counsel as it concerned resolving disputes among the Israelites.

Humility is a spiritual quality.

As a result, the world cannot comprehend its power. They misconstrue meekness with weakness, not realizing that God Himself stands as an opponent to the proud.

But He overwhelms the humble with His potent grace.  

“I will build My church and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it.” Matthew 16:18

What are gates? They are defensive tools used to keep stuff out, to keep an advancing force at bay.

Too often the enemy is successful in putting Christians on defense, when the facts are the Lord established His church as an aggressive, offensive, territory-taking body.

The Lord never meant for us to sit on the sidelines of life or to cower in the corner as a result of the wickedness in our culture.

A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. The light of the world cannot be contained.

The Lord is building His church and the mamby-pamby gates of Hell shall not prevail against us.

“… When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”  John 8:44(b) (ESV)

In a Time essay, Donna Brazile finally admitted what we already knew. She passed questions to Hillary Clinton prior to a debate with Bernie Sanders.

She then went on national television to lie about it after the Wikileaks email dump exposed her dastardly deed.

Brazile went as far as to invoke ‘Christianity” to continue her charade.

But now, after the Clinton Presidential loss, being ousted as DNC Chair and dropped from CNN it seems the bills may beckon a little truth telling.

“Blessed is the man who doesn’t walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scoffers.” Psalm 1:1

One word has proven to be debilitating in our society: the “D” word—discrimination.

What we fail to realize is discrimination is not automatically a dirty concept. We discriminate against thieves and murderers when we send them to prison. We discriminate against sexual predators by keeping them away from children.

And yes, we rightly discriminate against men when we keep them out of women’s restrooms.

According to Psalm 1, we have to discriminate against the counsel of the wicked in order to be blessed. It’s a good thing God isn’t debilitated by the “D” word.