I am full of links today. Who holds the keys to the White House might be determined by three more factors (this does not include the surprise factor of But God . . .):
Janice, your question from the other day wondering about whether Trump’s statements possibly referred to thoughts of the rapture:
I personally don’t believe in the rapture, and I’ll admit not being super-knowledgeable about others’ range of beliefs on the topic. Mainly, I’m not sure what Trump’s beliefs are on it, so I didn’t feel informed enough overall to speculate on whether he was referring to the rapture in his remarks or not.
I tend toward thinking he meant what the American Thinker writer and Kathaleena alluded to.
Thanks, 6. I did not seriously think Trump was referring to the Rapture, but with the end times that we are living through (whether it is the beginning or getting toward the finale, I don’t know), that was what popped into my head about what he said, not thinking that he had that thought process himself. I know, it’s complicated! Trying to think what others might think is difficult. I appreciate that you took the time to comment about my comment.
“Fact Checking Kamala Harris’s remarks in Atlanta yesterday:
1. She claims that the reason the border is out of control is because Donald Trump was responsible for tanking the bipartisan border security bill.
FALSE: when Joe Biden became president, he signed 94 executive orders that took apart every single one of Donald Trump’s border policies. Kamala Harris was made the border czar and she did absolutely nothing on the border. The border security bill would’ve allowed 2 million illegals come into this country every single year and the provisions for deploying additional resource to the border wouldn’t have come into effect until 2028.
2. Kamala Harris said building the middle-class would be the defining policy of her presidency.
FALSE her administration is responsible for the single highest spike in inflation this country has seen in 50 years but since she has been in office, and she was the one who cast the deciding vote on the inflation reduction bill, which actually increased inflation by 30% in this country. In fact, 40% of the currency that is in circulation was printed by the Biden Harris administration.
3. Kamala Harris continues to lie about project 2025 despite the fact that Trump is on record stating that he unequivocally has nothing to do with project 2025 and Kamala Harris knows this. Kamala Harris doesn’t care if she lies to you because the only way she can get your vote is by lying.
4. Kamala Harris once again repeated the lie that Donald Trump would cut Social Security Medicare when in reality he’s on the record saying he would never do that and the only people who are going to destroy Social Security and Medicare are people like Kamala Harris, who have allowed 13 million illegals to come into this country and get government benefits.”
Harris appeared last night at Georgia State University in downtown Atlanta. Trump will have a rally there on Saturday. That is where both Art and I went to school. Actually, son went there to Saturday School which was for gifted students. He was recommended for the program by his pediatrician when he was in kindergarten. Prayers for good security on Saturday, same as I prayed for Harris.
I did just see on a fundraising text that someone is trying to impeach Harris for her part regarding the Border. I never give on all those fundraising texts.
“Wild new video obtained by Fox News shows the assassination attempt from the victims’ POV as the shooter is visible crawling on the rooftop where he would ultimately take his shots.”
Good piece at The Gospel Coalition that can be used more broadly in Christian communities?:
How to Pastor a Church Through an Election Season
~ … “Even for church leaders who want to keep up with current events and guide Christian engagement, the pace of this election season is overwhelming,” said Collin Hansen, The Gospel Coalition’s vice president of content and editor in chief.
It can seem like the country is splitting apart in multiple directions—by gender, by geography, by age.
Pastoring faithfully in this context can feel “like the scene in Spider-Man Homecoming when he’s holding together the ferry that’s splitting in half,” said McLean Presbyterian Church pastor Ryan Laughlin.
So what’s a pastor supposed to do? TGC asked several pastors of established churches in Washington, DC, for their best advice on how to approach politics in light of the gospel.
1. Preach the Bible and help people apply it.
About 1,500 years ago, when Rome was collapsing and refugees were pouring into North Africa, Augustine didn’t preach politics. He focused on expositing the Word week to week instead of reacting to that day’s controversies. …
2. Find healthy unity through a proper theology of the conscience.
In a polarizing country, political unity seems increasingly impossible without uniformity. …
.. So pastors need to articulate a way for Christians to be together without being the same.
“The doctrine of bearing God’s image is fundamental to what it means to be human and live alongside others who may or may not agree with you,” Laughlin said. “We need to get more mileage out of that.”
If everyone, even a non-Christian, in some way bears God’s image and is capable through common grace of right actions or discovering truth, then Christians should be both careful and charitable in dealing with others (Matt. 10:16).
When dealing with each other, Christians can think in terms of conscience, several pastors said.
3. Encourage political vocations that are submitted to Christ.
“The Reformed understanding is that the state is a God-established sphere, a place where the just will of God is enforced and common good is guarded,” Hoburg said. “It needs to be affirmed as a good and necessary thing.”
4. Encourage local political engagement, even if you live in DC. …
5. Pray for leaders in power, even if you don’t like them.
Several DC-area churches pray publicly for the president every week. For some visitors, that can be hard to hear—it might seem like the congregation is waving a certain political flag.
But praying for your leaders is consistent with Scripture (1 Tim. 2:1-4). It also disciples the congregation in how to pray for one’s leaders and, sometimes, one’s enemies.
6. Trust in God’s sovereignty when things don’t go your way.
Hoburg has other diagnostic questions: Where does your sense of security come from? Does powerlessness in the political sphere scare you? If so, why?
“As I preach and teach and shepherd, I’m trying to get to our deeper anxieties because those are tied to our hopes and our idolatries,” he said. “What are you fearful about? Where is your hope? What is your anchor?”
Those can be difficult questions for people who may lose their jobs or have to move if their candidate doesn’t win. They may even be tough for those whose lives are less immediately affected. One tip: Remind them God is sovereign and that he’s good. If that’s cold comfort, try asking them to talk to their kids about the sovereignty and goodness of God.
Sometimes translating and applying theology can be a helpful way to remember it’s true.
6, thanks for your comments at the end of yesterday’s political thread (and I’ll apologize here for any role I may have had in that discussion going sideways earlier in the day).
This is an emotional period and it probably behooves all of us to step out or simply to put specific arguments aside if it all becomes too heated and divisive. I’m aiming that advice at me first.
Social media is both a blessing and a curse, I suppose. But during a volatile election season I’d say it can be more of a curse as we come to it with our own human weaknesses.
And with the political division on this site this year, those temptations become strong.
Still, God is sovereign — even when we disagree with His will 😦 — so perhaps reminding ourselves of that more often (which I intend to personally do) could help. There is a purpose he has for whatever comes to pass, whether we like it or not (and if not, to remember the church has largely been on the “outs” and in exile amid the larger cultures in which it lives).
I am praying for this season in our nation to not be any more raucous than it has already been, however – and also for physical safety for all the candidates, for a clear discussion of the issues during whatever debates are held, for a calmer spirit in discussions here as well, and (for me) to follow that spiritual nudge to just step aside when that seems wise.
I do remember Kizzie posting that she was “over” the discussion on what Trump meant in an effort to close down that particular topic (and you could almost hear the weariness in her tone by then); it was a fair question, but a post that curiously took on a life of its own as happens on some days.
Looking in here, between students, trying to chill out after a challenging 1:30 lesson with one of them…
Janice, I think about the end times a lot now. Sometimes when people talk about the election in November, I silently wonder if the world will have come to an end by then.
God knows!
DJ, thanks. I agree it’s been a challenging season, with so many political twists and turns, and honestly, I’ve mostly tried to tune out all things politics. But when I saw that 80-something-comments news thread from the weekend and saw that Kizzie appeared upset about the eyeroll emoji, I wanted to offer the perspective that perhaps that wasn’t intended for her.
My other comments, like about Trump, were for a general audience, not specifically for Kizzie. I’m sorry if I didn’t make that clear, and if she took it to mean I was bombarding her with more Trump talk when she was weary of it.
Anyone can feel free to scroll past any of my posts or parts of posts that are wearisome, or rambling, annoying, whatever. 🙂
Almost time for my next lesson. All boys today except for two. Lord, give me energy!
6 Arrows – Thank you for finding that piece that tried to explain Trump’s remarks. It seems to make sense.
As for the eyeroll emoji, although the post doesn’t specify which comment it was aimed at, the reason I assumed it was at my comment or comments is because AJ has done that before in response to me (or DJ or HRW). Debra’s comment did not seem like the kind that he would eyeroll at.
Of course, even there, I am making the assumption that it was AJ, because I think he’s the only one who does that. I could be mistaken.
I’m sorry if my quoting from my Facebook post was frustrating. The only reason I did so was because AJ brought it up and commented on it here.
No eyerolls from me since I can’t seem to use an emoji with some apps. It may be because of having things set up in large print. 🙂 I am so obsolete!
Yes, glad to move on and not be stuck on one comment by one candidate when there are so many opportunities given in this race. There is an abundance of crazy things said on both sides, IMO. And then there are the actions that speak louder than words. The actions are more telling and easier to understand. Actions give me ample information on which to base my voting decision.
Trump spoke in MN recently. They limited the attendance at 8,000. People started lining up at 3:00 the afternoon before the rally! (which is nuts to me) The mile to get in was a mile long. I heard from a couple of different people about some who saw the line and gave up on even trying to get in, although they had driven many hours to get there. It would seem some people are still enthusiastic about him. I only bring it up as someone posted people are tired of him. No doubt many are and have been for a while, but many, obviously, are not.
Kizzie, no worries. I understand the difficulty of knowing where to respond when conversations start in one place and migrate to another.
Mostly, my super-talent is complaining. 😉 This isn’t the only place that I read about people I don’t know behaving poorly on other sites. There’s a pretty new piano forum I’ve found where a lot of people have moved from an older one, and there are comments like, “I hope so-and-so doesn’t come over here, because if he does, I’m leaving.”
I just want to read about piano playing and teaching, not “He said, over there…”!
But now look who’s being the complainer! See what I did there?
End of complaints from me, by the grace of God and only Him.
Janice I have thought about Chas all day long…playing over and over in my mind since it was July 31st…”if you want to get something done in July you better get to it”!! How we miss our dear friend and wise encourager!
Wandering Views 
https://www.foxnews.com/world/hamas-leader-ismail-haniyeh-reportedly-assassinated
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Our illustrious governor speaks—
Gov. Walz calls Trump a ‘bastard,’ likens socialism to ‘neighborliness’ at event for ‘white dudes’ (alphanews.org)
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Oh, that’s right–our governor is from the party that is grown-up and more civil. Sometimes I forget.
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I am full of links today. Who holds the keys to the White House might be determined by three more factors (this does not include the surprise factor of But God . . .):
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/historian-predicted-election-1984-reveals-likely-win-trump-harris-matchup
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I see The American Thinker article concurs with my thought about what Trump meant. What did you think about that, Kizzie?
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Janice, your question from the other day wondering about whether Trump’s statements possibly referred to thoughts of the rapture:
I personally don’t believe in the rapture, and I’ll admit not being super-knowledgeable about others’ range of beliefs on the topic. Mainly, I’m not sure what Trump’s beliefs are on it, so I didn’t feel informed enough overall to speculate on whether he was referring to the rapture in his remarks or not.
I tend toward thinking he meant what the American Thinker writer and Kathaleena alluded to.
~6
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Here’s a thought-provoking article I read a while back that some may find interesting (let’s see if I can link correctly this time)! 😉
https://thefederalist.com/2024/06/21/if-they-want-to-vote-women-should-be-subject-to-the-draft/
~6
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Thanks, 6. I did not seriously think Trump was referring to the Rapture, but with the end times that we are living through (whether it is the beginning or getting toward the finale, I don’t know), that was what popped into my head about what he said, not thinking that he had that thought process himself. I know, it’s complicated! Trying to think what others might think is difficult. I appreciate that you took the time to comment about my comment.
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6, I do agree with you and K on the American Thinker article. It is very logical and gives good context for his statement.
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“Fact Checking Kamala Harris’s remarks in Atlanta yesterday:
1. She claims that the reason the border is out of control is because Donald Trump was responsible for tanking the bipartisan border security bill.
FALSE: when Joe Biden became president, he signed 94 executive orders that took apart every single one of Donald Trump’s border policies. Kamala Harris was made the border czar and she did absolutely nothing on the border. The border security bill would’ve allowed 2 million illegals come into this country every single year and the provisions for deploying additional resource to the border wouldn’t have come into effect until 2028.
2. Kamala Harris said building the middle-class would be the defining policy of her presidency.
FALSE her administration is responsible for the single highest spike in inflation this country has seen in 50 years but since she has been in office, and she was the one who cast the deciding vote on the inflation reduction bill, which actually increased inflation by 30% in this country. In fact, 40% of the currency that is in circulation was printed by the Biden Harris administration.
3. Kamala Harris continues to lie about project 2025 despite the fact that Trump is on record stating that he unequivocally has nothing to do with project 2025 and Kamala Harris knows this. Kamala Harris doesn’t care if she lies to you because the only way she can get your vote is by lying.
4. Kamala Harris once again repeated the lie that Donald Trump would cut Social Security Medicare when in reality he’s on the record saying he would never do that and the only people who are going to destroy Social Security and Medicare are people like Kamala Harris, who have allowed 13 million illegals to come into this country and get government benefits.”
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Oops. Forgot this.
https://x.com/DefiyantlyFree/status/1818643268189483459?t=U9IVNdG5sibJkjfO4Evrqw&s=19
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Harris appeared last night at Georgia State University in downtown Atlanta. Trump will have a rally there on Saturday. That is where both Art and I went to school. Actually, son went there to Saturday School which was for gifted students. He was recommended for the program by his pediatrician when he was in kindergarten. Prayers for good security on Saturday, same as I prayed for Harris.
I did just see on a fundraising text that someone is trying to impeach Harris for her part regarding the Border. I never give on all those fundraising texts.
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Yet we’re to believe that the USSS snipers didn’t see him?
This video is from the deseased ff phone.
https://x.com/charliekirk11/status/1818702426683457818?t=ft4p2OU-mADrktbru1oDKg&s=19
“Wild new video obtained by Fox News shows the assassination attempt from the victims’ POV as the shooter is visible crawling on the rooftop where he would ultimately take his shots.”
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Harris is using the Hillary playbook. Bring in big stars to give free concerts, and then say you drew the huge crowd.
She even picked up a cringey new accent just like Hillary.
https://x.com/catturd2/status/1818441023242354824?t=mxjg-Mmo2jvEWojmVhfs8Q&s=19
——–
I guess this is what passes for talent nowadays….
Funny part is fans were seen leaving after the concert and before Kamala spoke.
https://x.com/CollinRugg/status/1818426714965623025?t=f1KL8yZtSUlgyVL0HCIfTA&s=19
“NEW: Rapper Megan Thee Stallion performs ‘Savage’ at VP Kamala Harris’ rally in Atlanta Georgia.
The song Megan Thee Stallion is performing discusses how “any ni**a I let hit is still attached… but you know this p**** fat.”
“I’m a savage, yeah. Classy, bougie, ratchet, yeah. Sassy, moody, nasty, huh. Acting stupid, what’s happening?””
——
Keepin’ it classy, eh?
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Good piece at The Gospel Coalition that can be used more broadly in Christian communities?:
How to Pastor a Church Through an Election Season
~ … “Even for church leaders who want to keep up with current events and guide Christian engagement, the pace of this election season is overwhelming,” said Collin Hansen, The Gospel Coalition’s vice president of content and editor in chief.
It can seem like the country is splitting apart in multiple directions—by gender, by geography, by age.
Pastoring faithfully in this context can feel “like the scene in Spider-Man Homecoming when he’s holding together the ferry that’s splitting in half,” said McLean Presbyterian Church pastor Ryan Laughlin.
So what’s a pastor supposed to do? TGC asked several pastors of established churches in Washington, DC, for their best advice on how to approach politics in light of the gospel.
1. Preach the Bible and help people apply it.
About 1,500 years ago, when Rome was collapsing and refugees were pouring into North Africa, Augustine didn’t preach politics. He focused on expositing the Word week to week instead of reacting to that day’s controversies. …
2. Find healthy unity through a proper theology of the conscience.
In a polarizing country, political unity seems increasingly impossible without uniformity. …
.. So pastors need to articulate a way for Christians to be together without being the same.
“The doctrine of bearing God’s image is fundamental to what it means to be human and live alongside others who may or may not agree with you,” Laughlin said. “We need to get more mileage out of that.”
If everyone, even a non-Christian, in some way bears God’s image and is capable through common grace of right actions or discovering truth, then Christians should be both careful and charitable in dealing with others (Matt. 10:16).
When dealing with each other, Christians can think in terms of conscience, several pastors said.
3. Encourage political vocations that are submitted to Christ.
“The Reformed understanding is that the state is a God-established sphere, a place where the just will of God is enforced and common good is guarded,” Hoburg said. “It needs to be affirmed as a good and necessary thing.”
4. Encourage local political engagement, even if you live in DC. …
5. Pray for leaders in power, even if you don’t like them.
Several DC-area churches pray publicly for the president every week. For some visitors, that can be hard to hear—it might seem like the congregation is waving a certain political flag.
But praying for your leaders is consistent with Scripture (1 Tim. 2:1-4). It also disciples the congregation in how to pray for one’s leaders and, sometimes, one’s enemies.
6. Trust in God’s sovereignty when things don’t go your way.
Hoburg has other diagnostic questions: Where does your sense of security come from? Does powerlessness in the political sphere scare you? If so, why?
“As I preach and teach and shepherd, I’m trying to get to our deeper anxieties because those are tied to our hopes and our idolatries,” he said. “What are you fearful about? Where is your hope? What is your anchor?”
Those can be difficult questions for people who may lose their jobs or have to move if their candidate doesn’t win. They may even be tough for those whose lives are less immediately affected. One tip: Remind them God is sovereign and that he’s good. If that’s cold comfort, try asking them to talk to their kids about the sovereignty and goodness of God.
Sometimes translating and applying theology can be a helpful way to remember it’s true.
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/pastor-election-season/
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She seems nice too.
This is Kamala’s base.
https://x.com/DefiyantlyFree/status/1818692194452037961?t=4IZE1VMyhxyqi1riHh1KZA&s=19
“The head graphic designer for Kamala’s new logo is an avowed communist who called for burning, looting and violence during the BLM riots. “
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6, thanks for your comments at the end of yesterday’s political thread (and I’ll apologize here for any role I may have had in that discussion going sideways earlier in the day).
This is an emotional period and it probably behooves all of us to step out or simply to put specific arguments aside if it all becomes too heated and divisive. I’m aiming that advice at me first.
Social media is both a blessing and a curse, I suppose. But during a volatile election season I’d say it can be more of a curse as we come to it with our own human weaknesses.
And with the political division on this site this year, those temptations become strong.
Still, God is sovereign — even when we disagree with His will 😦 — so perhaps reminding ourselves of that more often (which I intend to personally do) could help. There is a purpose he has for whatever comes to pass, whether we like it or not (and if not, to remember the church has largely been on the “outs” and in exile amid the larger cultures in which it lives).
I am praying for this season in our nation to not be any more raucous than it has already been, however – and also for physical safety for all the candidates, for a clear discussion of the issues during whatever debates are held, for a calmer spirit in discussions here as well, and (for me) to follow that spiritual nudge to just step aside when that seems wise.
Peace.
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I do remember Kizzie posting that she was “over” the discussion on what Trump meant in an effort to close down that particular topic (and you could almost hear the weariness in her tone by then); it was a fair question, but a post that curiously took on a life of its own as happens on some days.
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Looking in here, between students, trying to chill out after a challenging 1:30 lesson with one of them…
Janice, I think about the end times a lot now. Sometimes when people talk about the election in November, I silently wonder if the world will have come to an end by then.
God knows!
DJ, thanks. I agree it’s been a challenging season, with so many political twists and turns, and honestly, I’ve mostly tried to tune out all things politics. But when I saw that 80-something-comments news thread from the weekend and saw that Kizzie appeared upset about the eyeroll emoji, I wanted to offer the perspective that perhaps that wasn’t intended for her.
My other comments, like about Trump, were for a general audience, not specifically for Kizzie. I’m sorry if I didn’t make that clear, and if she took it to mean I was bombarding her with more Trump talk when she was weary of it.
Anyone can feel free to scroll past any of my posts or parts of posts that are wearisome, or rambling, annoying, whatever. 🙂
Almost time for my next lesson. All boys today except for two. Lord, give me energy!
~6
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I made an error above. The video of the shooter was from one of the other shooting victims, not the deseased ff.
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6 Arrows – Thank you for finding that piece that tried to explain Trump’s remarks. It seems to make sense.
As for the eyeroll emoji, although the post doesn’t specify which comment it was aimed at, the reason I assumed it was at my comment or comments is because AJ has done that before in response to me (or DJ or HRW). Debra’s comment did not seem like the kind that he would eyeroll at.
Of course, even there, I am making the assumption that it was AJ, because I think he’s the only one who does that. I could be mistaken.
I’m sorry if my quoting from my Facebook post was frustrating. The only reason I did so was because AJ brought it up and commented on it here.
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No eyerolls from me since I can’t seem to use an emoji with some apps. It may be because of having things set up in large print. 🙂 I am so obsolete!
Yes, glad to move on and not be stuck on one comment by one candidate when there are so many opportunities given in this race. There is an abundance of crazy things said on both sides, IMO. And then there are the actions that speak louder than words. The actions are more telling and easier to understand. Actions give me ample information on which to base my voting decision.
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How funny! I did the old fashioned smile face : – )) and an emoji appeared, lol
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🙄
lol
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Trump spoke in MN recently. They limited the attendance at 8,000. People started lining up at 3:00 the afternoon before the rally! (which is nuts to me) The mile to get in was a mile long. I heard from a couple of different people about some who saw the line and gave up on even trying to get in, although they had driven many hours to get there. It would seem some people are still enthusiastic about him. I only bring it up as someone posted people are tired of him. No doubt many are and have been for a while, but many, obviously, are not.
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Oops! The LINE to get in was a mile long.
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Kizzie, no worries. I understand the difficulty of knowing where to respond when conversations start in one place and migrate to another.
Mostly, my super-talent is complaining. 😉 This isn’t the only place that I read about people I don’t know behaving poorly on other sites. There’s a pretty new piano forum I’ve found where a lot of people have moved from an older one, and there are comments like, “I hope so-and-so doesn’t come over here, because if he does, I’m leaving.”
I just want to read about piano playing and teaching, not “He said, over there…”!
But now look who’s being the complainer! See what I did there?
End of complaints from me, by the grace of God and only Him.
Have a good night, and thanks everyone.
6
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We need the perspective of Chas!♡
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Janice I have thought about Chas all day long…playing over and over in my mind since it was July 31st…”if you want to get something done in July you better get to it”!! How we miss our dear friend and wise encourager!
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