Anyone else have difficulty holding their tongue these days?
To the morally and biblically bound, it seems as if the world has lost its mind. And what better place to air our frustrations than the media.
I find it exceedingly difficult at times to hold my tongue when I’m scrolling Facebook and come across posts that press me in all the wrong ways. But is it really worth saying my piece?
Should I stir the pot?
“You’re never going to win an argument on social media,” a pastor once told me. How true his words were. No matter how kind, persuasive, and understanding I try to be, my words always seem to pass unheard over the screaming rage of those in spiritual denial.
I’m not saying that we should never speak. But, perhaps the social media isn’t the pulpit in which we are to wage this war. A war that is purely spiritual won’t be won by emotionalism and eloquent speech. It is only won through relationships.
Prove to the world that what we believe is right by how you live and love. Stand strong and unmoving in your peace and faith, and always be the first to surprise your enemies with an act of mercy and compassion.
Let go of the hatred, the malice toward the person (our battle is not against flesh and blood, remember?) and just mirror the heart of Jesus.
He maintained truth even while He ate with sinners, they never once felt unloved or judged by Him. In fact, it was the religious Pharisees that were offended by His love!
This world may seem crazy, but if you only knew the truth behind the crazy…the brokenness, pain, shame, fatherlessness, and more that fuels the flames of this new age thinking, maybe then we can start to understand and love a little deeper.
Our words are void without works to prove their legitimacy. Walk what you preach. Raise families, have children, read the Bible in your home, pray, go to church…change the world.
And instead of stirring the pot—you will have stirred a revival instead.
God bless you all as you face opposition and persecution for your beliefs. God wants to use you and likewise, transform your own heart into His likeness.
This Christmas, do not shrink from the traditions, do not cover up your light, sing to Jesus, attend Christmas Eve services, celebrate our Lord’s birth just as before. Spread the love to those who need it most. Give! Bless a family in Jesus name with money, gifts, or food. Pray for those who are hurting and surround them so that they aren’t alone.
Be the church again! And fear not…fear not for your possessions, your finances, your very life. The Lord will bless you for your passionate faith.
Hello everyone! It’s been awhile! Praying all of you are well. I told myself I wouldn’t stop posting this time and here we are….life is a roller coaster of changes and sometimes those changes pull me away from writing unfortunately.
What changes do I speak of? First, I have dived deep into the art of reselling and it’s honestly been well worth it! As a stay at home mom, side hustles have to fit neatly into certain boxes and be well worth the time put in to it. (Stay tuned for some reselling posts as I really want to share what I’ve learned these past few months).
Second, motherhood and church have taken a priority over my writing lately. And time just hasn’t been available. Even now, I’m writing in the small window before my son awakes and like any ticking bomb I’m not entirely sure when it will go off and my time will be up.
At church, I’ve been pouring into my duties and into others. I will later share more about what that has done for my life since the past two years I had pulled away from God and my spiritual family.
Third, my husband has been hard at work with college to become a web designer. I couldn’t be more proud of him, and he only has until the spring of next year before he graduates and we can begin this new chapter.
But that isn’t the only new chapter we will be starting…
I’m pregnant.
Baby #2 is officially in the making. And he/she wasn’t in our plans and quite an unexpected surprise. James, my first, is now 2 1/2 years old and will be 3 when our next one is born.
We had plans to wait another year, God had another plan…but I’ve always said “your will be done.” Who am I that I can stop/control the coming of a new soul into the world—for such a time as this??
I didn’t feel the same way at first when I saw that “+” appear. I was afraid, in shock, even sad for those few minutes when I was the first awake and the house was peaceful and still.
I’ve loved this chapter, or at least I have finally learned to love it. The chapter of James and Me. Now set to expire by June…as our next chapter involves all of us.
Aaron will have a new job that allows him to be home more. And I’ll have a talking 3 year old and a baby on my hip.
But I’m wiser this time.
I feel like I have graduated myself. That I’ve “leveled up” as a mother. I made so many mistakes with James that I know I won’t make this time around.
The sadness turned to joy and acceptance very quickly.
-I’m different, so this time will be different.
-I’m not alone this time, and I get to experience this with James, Aaron, and my church family!
-no covid pandemic! Yay! My family can actually celebrate with me at the hospital. No masks! No covid test! No penitentiary feeling of being trapped!
-And then there’s James, who gets to walk into our room and see his forever friend for the first time. I don’t expect him to understand or even accept it at first, but I know from my own life how I longed for a sibling and didn’t realize it until I needed one.
Please pray for us as we navigate this new normal. The devil has been very obvious in his attempts to destroy our joy and peace. I believe that his attacks aren’t just set on us—I know you too are facing the heat. But be reassured! The time of the Lord’s coming is at hand! Each day is one day closer, and we must keep doing what He called us to.
Let Him find you working, harvesting, marrying, loving, raising families, and living life unto Him. In this way the Bride of Christ remains ready for Him.
“For you formed my inward parts; you covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” —Psalm 139:13-14
From the moment the pregnancy test showed two faint lines—I knew I was going to be a mother.
Everything changed in that moment of understanding. God had blessed me with a gift, a human being. And it was something to be celebrated regardless of the “how” we would prepare for this new arrival.
The finances, the pregnancy hurdles, my job, all the things we needed…those unknowns paled in comparison to the joy. God would not abandon us, nor our unborn child.
As we prepared, our selfish ways began to melt away. And continued to do so long after our son was born. As is the way with parenthood, we are changed. Willing to sacrifice it all for our kids. They are our legacy—God’s precious jewels, paid for by the blood of Christ. The kings and queens of every nation. Born for such a time as this…
And worthy of protection above all else.
Only…they aren’t protected, far from it in fact. And instead of us willing to die for our kids, now we expect our kids to die for us??
Women are forgetting their own value and identity. So much so that they are killing their offspring and calling it good.
The very same evil that Israel fell into in the Old Testament:
“They sacrificed their sons and their daughters to false gods . They shed innocent blood, the blood of their sons and daughters, whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan, and the land was desecrated by their blood.” (Psalm 106:37-38)
Today, we sacrifice our children to other idols, the idol of self. Convenience killing. The idol of Feminism. Not the same feminism which once fought for the right to vote, for equality.
This breed of feminism is birthed from a lust for power and to “be” god or the heads of society. The curse against women, was that they would desire to control or rule over their husbands (Genesis 3:16). This began the power struggle between genders.
Of course, through Christ, these curses no longer have influence in our lives. If we are born again, the old self is gone and the new is here. Christ took the sins of the world upon Him so that we could start anew—as blameless as we were in the garden before the fall.
Sadly, much of the world still clings to the fallen man, unrepentant, unchanged because they do not know Christ or have His Spirit within them. If our identity is not in Him then it will be in another—in this case, self/gender/sexual orientation.
Sin is never satisfied where it is, but continually seeks more until death is the result. Like a drug addict, the sinner spirals deeper into deception, and the devil of this world laughs. He knows mankind and our pitfalls, just as he knew Adam and Eve’s. There are no new tricks up his sleeve and none are needed.
And he deceives us so craftily that we don’t even realize it. Like with Eve, he feeds us half truths, not blatant lies. He slowly leads us down a path we would have never taken at the start. And once down it we quickly forget where we were and where we were heading.
People who are lost in wickedness would never call themselves evil. The devil has slowly warped their minds with partial lies and manipulation, until they are brainwashed into believing good to be evil and evil to be good.
So it is with abortion, so it was with child sacrifice. The lines blur, black and white turns to gray, and the moral compass instilled into society through the Word of God, suddenly appears hostile and radical instead of freeing and righteous.
The protection of babies and mothers, the unique and vital roles of men and women, of the family unit all twisted and destroyed in the name of progression. As if this spiral downwards was actually going up, and mankind was becoming righteous by unbecoming it.
I am a woman. I am a wife. I am a mother.
Before all of this I was a child. I was a baby. I was a fetus. I was.
The devil hates God and His image bearers so much so that he will do anything to destroy us (since he failed to destroy God and His plans). He destroys us in many ways, knowing full well that simply killing us won’t do the trick since those who believe will return to God in Heaven.
No, he wants to rip us from God and condemn us to hell where he may torment us for all eternity.
How does he do this? Through attacking our identity, making us forget who we are and whose we are. That is why women hate the skin the were born with, the men who they are called to submit to, the children they were made to carry, the roles they were created for, their bodies—their actual gender! They are depressed, constantly searching for lasting joy and fulfillment, for purpose, and love that isn’t empty and twisted.
In this way they live yet are dead. They mock and blaspheme God by their rebellion and mutilation and sin. And the devil stomps on them with glee, making them low and sick and a banquet meal for demons.
“But what about the rape victims?” “What about this or that?” “What about the men?”
All these pointless questions and accusations over Roe v. Wade being overturned is making me ill.
What about the CHILDREN? It’s like watching a house burn and asking the home owners, did you save the phone charger? Hmm? Did you leave the curling iron on?
Let’s talk about these questions AFTER the unborn are protected! The less than 1% of pregnant rape victims, the responsibility of the fathers, the freak accidents or scenarios in which debates and discussions should be had can wait til after we stop the greatest genocide in all of history!
“Well I believe abortion is ok at conception” or “it’s ok at so and so a point or under these circumstances.”
No!
Evil begets more evil. Abortion began this way and now look at it. You can abort your full term baby! You can’t keep it at conception, it can’t be stopped this way. No compromises! You’re either for it entirely or against it entirely!
It’s time we take a stand! That we raise our voices over this issue for the sake of those who are voiceless and for the women as well! They are given misinformation, they are often treated like they don’t have a choice at Planned Parenthood and other pro-abortion clinics that just want your money and your baby parts to sell! Fathers are also being stripped of their voice, it’s just as much their child. You want men to take responsibility? Allow them to have a voice in their children’s life!
This world is upside down and only we can right it again through revival and truth. And most importantly—love. A love that cares for everyone, every gender, every soul, regardless of where they are (born or unborn).
If we won’t stand for life, we stand for our own death.
Pray.
Volunteer at your local pro-life pregnancy center.
Sign up for March/Walk for Life. If there are no groups in your town doing this you can start your own.
Donate to pregnant mothers and offer them aid/counsel/support in any way you can. Pregnancy is hard (I know) but not impossible! Women need to believe in themselves and their strength again.
Support/follow activists and their organizations which offer other resources to these women and speak on our behalf on mainstream media and political boards.
Call out hypocrisy! Those who say they are brothers in Christ who are attacking the people and not the sin. This causes severe damage in reaching the lost and doesn’t save lives.
If I came across as harsh, please understand. I am zealous about this issue. If I died tomorrow I want my legacy to reflect that I cherish life and the life of innocent children most of all. I work as a Sunday school teacher and have a son myself. I see first hand the unique giftings each child brings to the world.
The story behind Abby Johnson, once a leading director for Planned Parenthood—now a pro-life activist.
I must admit, it took me a few years to watch this movie because of the subject matter. I am obviously pro-life and work with children on a weekly basis. Now I’m also a mother which sheds a whole new perspective on the matter of abortion.
It wasn’t long before I was bawling (the movie begins with Abby’s defining moment—which led to her immediate resignation from PP). From there, it then backtracks to her college days where, like many of us, she was young, naive, and oh so rebellious.
Movie Summary:
Separated from her Christian parents, she quickly fell into the devil’s schemes of deception and sin. She was intimate with a boy, became pregnant, and (out of fear/convenience) had her first abortion.
Later, she married the same guy, and quickly wanted out. He cheated on her and she divorced him—but not after discovering she was pregnant again. Hating her ex and not wanting to be tied to him she had another abortion.
In the midst of all this she became involved with PP, and even had one of her abortions through them. It was one of the most traumatic experiences for her because of the pain and blood loss—something that PP had not told her would happen.
Despite this, she was convinced into supporting PP and even working there after attending a college job fair. They fed her more lies; “it’s not a baby yet, you know?”, “PP’s goal is to lower the abortion rates not raise them.”
It was her first job. And it involved running out to the cars and hurrying patients indoors before they could hear anything from the pro-lifers shouting through the fence bars at them. She truly believed she was helping women and many of the pro-life voices were so full of hate that it deepened her commitment.
She moved up and up until one day she was appointed director of the clinic. This didn’t come quickly—she had remarried a good man and had become pregnant, this time, keeping her child against PP’s advisement.
As time passed, it became clearer to Abby that PP was actually pushing abortions over their other services, lying to patients about the risks, side-effects, and mental trauma, and manipulating women into killing their children instead of taking a neutral stance.
Abby witnessed more atrocities, the near death of a high school girl who was forced into getting an abortion by her father, the valuing of money and image over women’s health and safety, the heartless way they handled patients and worst of all—their unborn babies, was almost too hard to stomach at times.
Finally Abby’s defining moment came, one that would forever change her. She was called in to actually witness an abortion on an ultrasound. She stood in shock as the doctor, like some awful predator, pursued the baby, who struggled and fought to avoid him. In mere moments he had succeeded and the baby was ripped apart on screen for her to see.
She put in her resignation and faced for the first time the full weight of guilt and shame at what she had done. Hundreds, thousands of precious humans killed…and she took part in it, as well as in the death of her own two children.
PP sued her on unfounded claims and she walked free with the help of a lawyer and her new pro-life friends from Coalition of Life. Who has often prayed outside her clinic.
God walked her through repentance and self forgiveness and she has now dedicated her life to “life.” Literally so, in that she is a mother of seven children, a pro-life author (Unplanned is based off of her book), created and manages an anti-abortion ministry called “And Then There Were None,” which helps women leave the abortion field and regularly attends conventions and speakings.
Honestly, I thought the movie really opened my eyes to what happens in PP and other abortion clinics. The numb self denial and deception, the brainwashing, the dehumanizing way they treat babies and even the mothers is sickening when viewed from outside in. But to these women who are involved, they really don’t see it. They have no idea they are chained down and actually in many ways—anti-choice, anti-women, anti-life, and anti-God especially.
We see this anti-God in how Abby and her coworkers talk about church and their Christian families during the lunchroom scene.
Abby was told from the beginning that abortion was necessary, that they were merely a clump of cells, often formless and unable to feel pain. She saw the desperation in women and wanted to free them from it—not realizing that it only added to their pain and suffering. When she finally witnessed an abortion from the viewpoint of the fetus—she knew immediately it was life and capable of fear and pain.
The last shred of morality within her cried out and longed to save that which was innocent and good.
The modern day feminist is truly the death of femininity. The nurturing, life-giving aspect of women is being squashed and replaced with the pursuit of knowledge and power. The God of self.
After this movie I couldn’t help but hold my son close. Disgusted and ashamed of the ways we inadvertently support PP and it’s views in our society.
From the food we eat, clothes we wear, music and media we listen to, words we speak, makeup we plaster our faces with, and healthcare we empty our pockets to…
Vaccines, food preservatives, taxes…we’re the biggest supporters of the thing we hate. We keep these places in business and we propagate the need behind them.
Today, I researched ways in which I could fight against the grain of injustice. I discovered which major food/beverage companies support PP and even utilize fetal cells in the creation of its products. The list was insane! The abomination is so interconnected and hidden that even Gerber got away with it!
This list I’m sure is not all-inclusive. But a good start—fortunately, the less processed foods and drinks you use the less likely it is affiliated. I try and stick with store brand and unprocessed items myself.
As for vaccines, I know almost all of us had many that were on the list. Both in childhood and given to our own children. The most recent of which, the COVID vaccines are no better (Project Veritas uncovered the truth behind their usage of fetal cells). Unfortunately, this knowledge isn’t exactly power over the vaccine mandates because in order to justify not complying over religious reasons—you would have to hold this stance with everything else.
In other words, I’ve seen healthcare workers file religious exemptions over this and still lose their jobs because they had either had other vaccines with fetal cells in them or had/have products in their homes that use fetal cells. You could claim ignorance if it were true, but because of the worldwide web—we have access to these facts one way or another and have to live with what we know.
I’ve recently made the decisions for my son to have his normal vaccines, I hold a stance against the COVID vaccine on accounts of it being dangerous/experimental and unnecessary. I also stand firm against it because of the political agenda behind it. But above all else I should stand against it for the fetal cells, the genocide of innocent children that was used to create it.
Should I also avoid all other vaccines that are affiliated? Polio…mumps…measles etc? It is a messy situation we find ourselves. In which we too have been brainwashed and have grown numb to the grey of this world. The line is blurry between good and evil at times…this should not be.
Lastly, I look into ways I could be a pro-life activist and saw that the options were rather limited. Not so in a spiritual sense but in a “what can I do with my own two hands” sense.
The only option was to volunteer at a pro-life pregnancy center near me. In our hometown this is called, “Voice of Hope.”
I had gone through the programs myself when I was pregnant since we are a single income family and they had such a surplus or resources like toys, diapers, wipes, clothes, and even free ultrasounds for women who can’t afford it.
Despite this, there is little else that these centers offer. At least that is the voice of many secular women looking for emotional support and financial help.
Women complain of the religious components of these programs, having to take lengthy courses in order to receive free clothing and such, and feeling misunderstood when it comes to their needs and wants. Most of the women who go to these centers are already planning on keeping their babies so it isn’t exactly reaching those who are on the fence or who are wanting abortions.
There is, I believe an answer for every need and it’s unique to each person. That is why I don’t personally discredit the existence of these centers. The truth is, every pregnant woman has multiple resources and paths to take—-not all of them are easy, but society still favors the women and her success.
Churches should be the ones to come alongside hurting mothers. Families, parents, grandparents, husbands….they all play a vital role in child-rearing! This “feminist” culture is destroying the family and in destroying the family they are destroying women and their function to create life and nurture it. Instead we are told to work, pursue our own dreams and careers and abstain from anything that would hinder that. Much like what Abby discovered at PP when she wanted to start her family.
It’s time we start redefining as a nation what we stand for and what really matters. If we really wanted abortion, suicide, domestic violence, divorce, drug abuse, neglect and child abuse, alcoholism, and poverty to drop we wouldn’t shrink back as a church but press all the more forward.
We know that you cannot stop evil by committing more evil. (Like fighting fire with fire),
We know what these people are needing in to their lives! What they are missing and trying to fill with meaningless short-term happiness/gratifications!
Jesus.
And it’s time the church learns what it means to love like Christ again.
Love is the only thing that will talk a person off of a cliff edge. It is the only thing that will reach them.
And so I ask what will you do to fight injustice? In what ways will you love and support your hurting women and families in your life or in your town?
“Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.” —Martin Luther King Jr.
This picture always gets me. The way he pulls out that once burning cross which had become a symbol of racial hatred. He doesn’t react with outrage, or even with sorrow. He doesn’t tell his son to stay indoors but allows him to come out and watch. He removes it gently from his yard, and you can almost feel that he had already forgiven those who committed the crime.
He practiced forgiveness just as Christ did when he died on that same symbolic cross. And like Christ, Martin lived a life of love and selflessness as His disciple.
Martin Luther King Jr. was a Godly man. He was a pastor who sought equality, fought against the grain of governmental control, moral relativism, and communism, and did so through the blueprint of Biblical teaching.
Quite honestly, if he saw our America today he would probably weep. Racism is being stirred up by the media to use as a catalyst to acquire more control over its people both black and white!
African Americans are being treated as victims much in the way we later treated the native Americans. Giving them a welfare state of existence—-hardly equality and completely demoralizing! And white Americans (a mixing pot of many nationalities), are being taught that they are inherently evil and incurably racist, which is in turn a bigoted racial belief.
And who is behind this push for hate, distrust, and fear amidst races, religions, and parties?
The political figureheads of our country. Namely the democratic/“woke” extremists who have an agenda for power and wealth.
“For the love of money is the root of ALL evil.”—1 Timothy 6:10
Even on Martin Luther’s day of remembrance, agendas were promoted (as you may clearly see through Biden’s speech) and secretly intertwined throughout the fabric of our country and its spheres of influence: such as media, education, and entertainment.
They claim to want what Martin Luther wanted, however they are mere wolves in sheep’s clothing, standing against what Martin believed and fought for!
They may not erase him as they did many other historical figures because of his color. However, they will do him far worse by erasing who he was….his very legacy of love.
Here are some of his many great quotes:
“Our lives begin to end the moment we become silent about the things that matter.”
“Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy.”
“We must learn to live as brothers or we will perish together as fools.”
“You are not makers of history, you are made by history.”
“The time is always right to do what is right.”
“Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into friend.”
“To ignore evil is to become accomplice to it.”
“It is not possible to be in favor of justice for some people and not be in favor of justice for all people.”
“If I cannot do great things, I can do small things in a great way.”
“Everybody can be great because anybody can serve.”
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”
“Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.”
….the list goes on. Martin was not afraid of the truth, not afraid to stand up for it at great personal risk, or even at risk to his family. He trusted in God and knew that he was merely a vessel to be used by Him to bring about a better tomorrow.
He would’ve stood firm in that truth even today as he was quite accustomed to persecution from every side. Including his own community at times…
And so, let’s truly honor him by living our lives as he lived his. With unshakable faith and love.
God bless you all, my brothers and sisters of Christ, who come from many different lands, speak in different tongues, and all reflect the very image of God.
William Shatner (Captain James T. Kirk) officially dubbed astronaut and the oldest person to go to space.
Obviously, as a Trekkie, I tuned into ABC’s news live to watch my fictional hero go to space. However, it meant so much more to the man behind the character. James Kirk had captained many voyages in space…Bill, on the other hand, had never been to space once.
Blue Origin has received a lot of hate for various reasons. But as I waited and watched, I honestly found myself excited by the technology and the dreams that made civilian travel to space an option. Maybe in the future…anyone truly can go to space. It’s thoughts like this that bring a smile to my Trekkie face.
I withheld an exclamation of “wow!” as I watched the ship called, New Shepherd, take off. The raw power and precision of it was astonishing. Watching someone I cared about—nerve racking!! As the ship gained speed, far surpassing 2,000 mph, I imagined the G-forces 90 year old Bill was facing.
And then, they were in space.
I could see the black coldness from the outer cameras on the rocket as it fell away from the lone capsule back to Earth. I gaped in awe as it’s thrusters were enacted and it landed almost perfectly back at the landing point—with a chest rattling boom.
It had successfully been to space (just past the Karman line) 15 times. This time marking its second manned flight. Here is the flight path of the rocket and it’s capsule:
When the capsule landed safely, everyone breathed a sigh of relief and the celebration commenced. Cars/trucks sped down the sandy paths toward the waiting crew, who are now official astronauts.
I watched as Bill exited, a little shaken up but moved by the whole experience.
“I hope I never recover from this…” Bill told founder, Jeff Bezos. Going on to say that it was unlike anything he had ever experienced, and that everyone should go to space to encounter it for themselves.
Shatner: “I mean, the little things, the weightlessness, and to see the blue color whip by and now you’re staring into blackness. That’s the thing. This covering of blue is this sheet, this blanket, this comforter of blue around that we have around us. We think ‘oh, that’s blue sky’ and suddenly you shoot through it all of a sudden, like you whip a sheet off you when you’re asleep, and you’re looking into blackness – into black ugliness. And you look down, there’s the blue down there, and the black up there, and there is Mother Earth and comfort and – is there death? Is that the way death is?”
“…It’s so much larger than me and life; it hasn’t got anything to do with the little green and blue orb. It has to do with the enormity and the quickness and the suddenness of life and death. Oh my god, it’s unbelievable.”
Bill even breaks down on tears a couple times, so moved and changed by the experience. And it’s all very strange to see against the backwash of the other astronauts laughing and celebrating, champagne being passed and shot out all over the desert. Bill even subconsciously dodged the spurting alcohol, clearly apart from the young throng not only in mind, but in heart.
I was equally moved by his words. Although, such an experience for me would not be marred by the feeling that Earth is happen chance. Miraculous by mistake and doomed to be overcome by the black deadness of space should we fail to change how we treat her.
It’s fragility would not make me nervous or worrisome, but would give me a sense of wonder and peace that if it was not for God, we would not exist at all. This fragile blue orb is in good hands, and it is God that keeps it together. Are we able to destroy it? I don’t know…but I do know that what we are able to do is very different than what will actually happen.
God has a plan and a purpose. He has the final say.
As my son woke up, drawing me back to Earth—literally! I could not help but consider the brevity of life Bill encountered as he passed through the thin blue shield of our atmosphere into space. The lifeless void.
Is this death?
He asks, immediately feeling the absence of life for the first time. Whereas Jim Kirk would smile at the unknown, Bill struck me with a kind of fear and repulsion toward it.
This ugly black, this empty, cold, suffocating void of darkness…the total absence of life, in every definition of the term.
Our Earth resides here.
Our living Earth. And quite possibly—the only one.
When I look out at the stars, it’s majesty, it’s chaos, and now even it’s dangerous unknown…I encounter God there. He created it all (in my belief) for us to enjoy. Maybe even to explore….but I doubt we will find little green men or life on another planet….no, God spun the entire vast Universe into existence merely for us to look up at in wonder.
It proves that our problems really are quite small and infinitesimal. That He has the whole world in His capable hands.
I really hope that someday, Bill and others like him will come to the realization that God is in control. And it’s only by Him that this blue little orb survives and thrives amidst nothingness.
I pray as my son grows, he also will not fear the unknowns of space but will stare in wonder and the stars and, in turn, behold the wonder of God. Who exists apart from time and space itself. Who created this blimp of land, Earth, and sky for His beings to live upon.
“In the beginning God created the Heavens and the Earth. The Earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. Then God said, “Let there be light”…” (Genesis 1)
“Train up a child in the way they should go; even when they are old they will not depart from it.” —Proverbs 22:6
A thriving, growing church is one that has a successful kids ministry. They are the future pastors, worship leaders, evangelists, prayer warriors, teachers, prophets/seers, servers, and spiritual heads of your church family.
Churches that forget their youth, forget what it’s like to live/love like Christ and stagnation quickly sets in.
“Jesus said, “let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of Heaven belongs to such as these.”’ (Matthew 19:14)
“See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven.” (Matthew 18:10)
Working in children’s ministry all these years has taught me so much about the Heart of God. The wide-eyed wonder and love they have, their immeasurable faith, and their innocent trust is something every adult could and should benefit from. We need to surround ourselves with children!
“Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from Him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are children in ones youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them…” Psalm 127:3-5)
Raising and teaching children is everyone’s call. Even if you don’t feel like it is—I promise you that so long as there is something you can impart to the next generation—it’s your job to do just that. We are to mirror God’s Heart and what that means is, “we love what He loves.”
Guess what? Our God is also a Father and He has commissioned us to be fathers and mothers to His little ones. He will give each of us the tools in order to accomplish this task (privilege).
That same truth goes for churches. God will equip you as a body of believers to minister to children if you are willing to follow His lead and submit fully to what having a kids ministry looks like for your church and it’s vision.
At Hope, we place children’s ministry above all else. We don’t lock kids away but involve them in our worship and in our ministry. It’s not uncommon to see kids serving as ushers, greeters, teacher assistants, and even on our worship team.
If we view church as a family instead of as an “adults only” social club. Things will be messier but also all the more enduring and meaningful. I’ve never longed for heaven more than right now—surrounded by my spiritual family who I’ll continue doing life with for all eternity.
And so what makes a great kids ministry? How do we cultivate this “family” atmosphere? As preschool director of our church with experience in both daycare and previous children ministries. Here’s what I have learned:
1. Ageless Vision: As a church, we need to stop age limiting/targeting because the Word of God is always relevant for every age group. Remember, age doesn’t always equal spiritual maturity. So Sunday morning-speak to the masses-use relevant terminology/examples in your sermons and modern worship (there is music every age can appreciate). In other words: the world shouldn’t change for us, we need to meet them where they are.
Bible studies can be more age/circumstance geared for furthering personal growth, but ultimately you want people to independently seek growth as well, (You can’t bottle feed people forever: give them the tools and show them how to pursue God and then let them do it). Otherwise, they will always depend on you—even living their faith through you.
2. Love children: What you love, desire, pray for, and seek—that is what you will get. A church without children is a dying church. Having a modern relevant vision which isn’t “age” geared but “walk” geared will draw young folk. (Young people=children). Stressing “family” as a core value is important to drawing families and cutting off any “age” specific labels.
Family is more than couples and children. It’s aunts and uncles, grandmas and grandpas, brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers…the whole package. And each role is vital.
3. Seek financial stability: You can’t have a children’s ministry without the appropriate funds! So many churches have a poverty mindset and are either afraid to push tithing or are too pushy.
You want money to flow naturally? Tithe yourself, live by example and preach directly from the Word about giving/tithing. Also, handle your money well! Have regular board meetings to discuss finances and to plan yearly budgets. Personally, I would follow the Dave Ramsey plan which is literally foolproof for both individual living and church running.
4. It takes a village: I’ve been a part of churches where the pastor and his family do it all; from worship—to sermons—to running the kids ministry single-handed. It’s not healthy and it isn’t impactful. A church needs volunteers and teams of people who are committed to the vision and fulfilling their own call/anointing.
If you want more people to step up and serve at your church, first make them feel like they can. I’ve seen pastors who wrap up their identities in the church and don’t want to give up that control. Ultimately, the more you selfishly cling to something the more likely it will be taken from you. God will say, “you’re just not ready for this promotion yet.”
So equip your people to serve, seek the Holy Spirit and let go of the reigns a bit. Trust your family! Be a church that empowers others and is a safe place to make mistakes (we all make mistakes! It’s called learning). When a pastor or a few people run it all-it looks like %20 here, %30 there. When you place others in sole charge of things they can then give it their %100 attention.
5. Let’s have some fun!: You got the adults involved and interested—now you have to get the kids excited to learn about Jesus! This is easy to do since, “as I said” the Bible is relevant for every age. It’s your job to bring the stories and it’s messages to life for the short time you have these kids each week.
Drive your kids wing theme home from the walls, ceilings, hallways, and rooms! Make it colorful, imaginative, and fun! Divide age groups appropriately and develop lesson plans that fit the ages. This involves some trial and error if you don’t have experience with children or have any teachers in your church body.
Fortunately, your church should have parents who may have ideas, and you have the internet: between Pinterest, YouTube, Amazon, and google—you’ll have it down in no time.
Your teaching staff should love kids, pass background checks, be pursuing God on a daily basis, and be overall fun people who aren’t afraid to dance, play, and get a bit messy with your kids.
6. Protect your flock: Parents will notice if a kids ministry isn’t very safe. In this day and age—security is vital! Keep a ready list of people in your church who self carry, and who know CPR and other emergency/defense certifications.
Before people serve in kids-they must pass a background check (I don’t care if you’ve known them for years, set examples by not exempting anyone from this). Also, once they join-they need to be distinguishable from the rest of the congregation: give them T-shirts or badges that show they are serving in kids.
Implement child safety in each room from gates, to outlet covers, and being mindful of chick hazards/allergies with snacks, toys, craft supplies, etc. Document injuries (we call them incident reports), keep first aid handy, don’t let children go to the restroom themselves—also be mindful of gender (use separate bathrooms-don’t send girls to the restroom with a male assistant etc.—never have a closed door unless you are in the classroom with your assistant.
Develop a check-in/check-out system that makes it impossible for adults who aren’t the parents to take children. (Our motto: whoever checks you in is who can check you out). We use a digital check in system that prints out a slip for the parents to hand in when they pick up their child, and a name sticker that goes on the children when they are checked in so they can’t leave until it’s taken off.
I could go on (feel free to comment below if you want more specifics): we also use walk-in talkies, teacher support, emergency protocols: like for fire/tornado etc. You can never be too safe!
6. Avoid the burnout: lastly, every church should have a good monthly rotation of volunteers. Try to avoid over scheduling people who need to fill their own tanks in adult service. Obviously things happen, such as family emergencies or vacations in which you’re missing some people and have to fill the void. But, be sure to let people know in advance, and be firm with those who repeatedly don’t show. Dependability is important, even in families!
I know I’ve left out so many things, but hopefully this will give you a foundation to build upon as you seek to start/ or improve your kids ministry.
God bless you my family in Christ!
Please comment below any questions/ideas you have! We are all constantly growing and learning how to do kids ministry ❤️ as director of our preschool class I am always open to new ideas and welcome them!
“Medical science has made such tremendous progress that there is hardly a healthy human left.” -Aldous Huxley
Have you ever had your primary care physician tell you to eat right, exercise, sleep good, go to church, and surround yourself with friends/family/nature? Probably not.
Instead, I’m sure they’re responses tend to lean toward: “hey! There’s a pill for that!”
It’s no wonder that holistic medicine (natural remedies) are frowned upon in this modern era. There’s simply no money to be made from a healthy individual with a strong immune system.
Today’s Doctor’s aren’t the only ones to blame however. Think about old Doc’ Baker from Little House on the Prairie, for example. He was a good doctor because he told his patients the truth (a hard pill to swallow). He truly cared about their well-being to the point of offending/angering his patients. He wasn’t money hungry, but compassionate and selfless to the core. A true healer.
What happened to Doctor’s like that?
We destroyed them.
We wanted symptom managers, not actual cures. We wanted men and women who told us only what we wanted to hear and prescribed us quick and simple “remedies” that involved no sacrifice or change in ourselves or our life practices.
We, therefore, fanned the flames of medicinal perversion. What we see is what we get and what we (as a whole) wanted. Gone or hard to find are those who still care, who still pursue truth like the Doc’ Baker’s of old. Or in the very least, gone are those who remember what medicine truly is (was) and are now brainwashed into believing that the prescriptions they’re handing out are actually good for the body, leaving out the mind and soul.
-These “Doctors” are pushing for single parent kids to take many harmful drugs to satisfy lack of parental control/stability. (I’ve witnessed this many, many times working in childcare)
-“Doctors” are aborting children! Believing that it’s to the benefit of women’s health!
-“Doctors” are treating weight induced problems like diabetes, joint pain, heart disease, depression (in some cases), high blood pressure, etc. instead of tackling the source of the problem.
-“Doctors” are prescribing management medications for an array of mental illnesses without tackling the “cause or reason” behind the illness (of course I’m generally speaking for those who suddenly/gradually develop mental issues instead of being born with them).
And now, as Covid again rises and tries to strangle our country with fear. “Doctors” are continuing to push that which is not working all for the sake of $$ and compliance/popularity.
And what’s it doing to our health? This ignorance, selfishness, and fear?
Killing us.
There has been great technological advances in medicine that have saved countless lives, I don’t deny that. What I’m talking about is the growing imbalance. Medical intervention was supposed to be a seldom used option—not a first go to for our every ailment.
First and foremost, we healed/prevented illness through natural remedies, living good/healthy lifestyles, being a part of a community and through pursuing spiritual health/connection with God.
Today, we removed God from the equation (leading to poor mental health as we seek to fill an impossible void), we live unhealthy lifestyles (fast food/chemicals/GMO’s and hard metal contamination’s are literally causing severe developmental issues. Lowering male testosterone and prematurely rising female estrogen). We tend to live more secluded, not going to church, or living in close knit communities as we once did (also harming our mental health and herd immunity).
Many of us avoid nature and it’s rejuvenating powers, along with simply getting away from a tv/computer screen and going for a walk. (Being outdoors and moving helps lower depression and lethargy).
We’ve destroyed all that once made us strong and I find myself wondering what kind of weakened world we left for the next generation.
Masked faces, germx, chemical cleaners, quarantines, and forced experimental vaccines (many derived from the fetal cells of aborted babies)…all of these man made medical responses are costly.
As I battled yet another illness this year, I was promoted to post about this on Facebook, here is what I said:
I’m really starting to believe that illnesses (Covid including) are reacting negatively to our efforts to stop them. The truth is you can’t stop them, only speed up their mutations by giving them man made obstacles to overcome. Whereas before, all they faced was our immune systems—mutating slowly and normally in response to our bodies defenses (in turn making us stronger as a whole).
Now, we’ve upped the ante using germx, Lysol, masks, and yes, even vaccines! If they are going to survive they need to mutate quickly and become essentially near impossible to be offed. They need to infect faster and exhibit worse symptoms in order to keep spreading-despite our bodies and man made obstacles…they need to become unstoppable.
That’s how you create super germs. That’s how you upset the natural balance in which mankind remains a step ahead. In forcing everyone to treat Covid and illnesses (old, young, healthy, unhealthy) the same—we’ve essentially caused more issues for the old/unhealthy citizens.
I’m not against medicine! Or even all vaccines! They have done wonders for many! But there is a fine line that I think we have crossed, and it shows. Even doctors will say not to use antibiotics very often because it weakens the immune system. That vaccines aren’t always a guarantee, that the 1% of germs germx fails to kill are the ones who will become stronger.
Not all germs are bad. Probiotics are a prime example of this. They offer your body protection from viruses/harmful bacteria. Germx and medicines kill these good germs adding to the imbalance in our bodies and around us. What’s there to stop another pandemic? And will our weakened bodies withstand it? In the form of flu, pneumonia, and other illnesses? (The media keeps saying that this winter will be rough) why? Aren’t the masks working? The vaccines?
We are being forced into weakness and compliance by those who have “a cure.” Opposing voices are being silenced. Voices that tell you that you can help yourself by taking vitamin D/zinc (for example). What if the media (and other powers at work) want us to fully rely on them instead? They want our freedoms-but first they need our obedience. To get that they will try to convince us that they are our only hope. They’ll use fear and persuasion to draw us into their clutches.
Do you feel like illnesses are getting worse as a whole? That you’re getting sick more often? Do you know someone who had the vaccine and got Covid a second time?
(God speaking to Hagar) “This son of yours will be a wild man, as untamed as a wild donkey! He will raise his fist against everyone, and everyone will be against him. Yes, he will live in open hostility against all his relatives.” (Genesis 16:12)
It all started with a promise. God told Abraham and Sarah that they would bear a child and through him God would bring forth His people (descendants as numerous as the stars).
And like many of God’s chosen in the Bible, Abraham slipped up—BIG time. He grew impatient and decided to take things into his own hands. So he took Hagar (Sarah’s Egyptian slave) and conceived a child with her, named Ishmael.
Years later, Sarah finally became pregnant and Isaac (God’s promised child) was born. This created a problem that Abraham was forced to solve: which child will his descendants come from?
8 …on the day Isaac was weaned Abraham held a great feast. 9 But Sarah saw that the son whom Hagar the Egyptian had borne to Abraham(B) was mocking,(C)10 and she said to Abraham, “Get rid of that slave woman(D) and her son, for that woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with my son Isaac.”(E)
11 The matter distressed Abraham greatly because it concerned his son.(F)12 But God said to him, “Do not be so distressed about the boy and your slave woman. Listen to whatever Sarah tells you, because it is through Isaac that your offspring[a] will be reckoned.(G)13 I will make the son of the slave into a nation(H) also, because he is your offspring.” (Genesis 21)
There are two things I want to clarify by God’s words here: the first, is that He loves Ishmael and Hagar. Just as Abraham loves them (Ishmael is now 13 years old).
Hagar took her son into the desert and when their water ran out, they began to cry. God was with them:
17 God heard the boy crying, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, “What is the matter, Hagar? Do not be afraid; God has heard the boy crying as he lies there. 18 Lift the boy up and take him by the hand, for I will make him into a great nation.”
19 Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water. So she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink.
God continued to protect and bless Ishmael who grew up in the desert, became an archer, settled in Mecca, and married an Egyptian woman.
The second point we can glean from these passages is that God gave Ishmael his own inheritance and promise. He is so faithful that even in our mistakes—He forgives and pours out blessings upon us. Abraham made a mistake in sleeping with Hagar but Ishmael was not a mistake!
Abraham was forgiven and Ishmael would be blessed with a great nation just like Isaac. In essence, God expanded upon His promise to include Ishmael because he was Abraham’s son. The only divide was that his descendants would not become the Israelites (God’s chosen people).
Instead, they would become the Arabic nation.
That is why the Quran (the Islamic holy book) holds Ishmael as a prophet and messenger. Although, even there, little is said about him except (in their words) that he helped Abraham build the Kaaba, regarded as the most sacred structure on earth to those of the Muslim faith (britannica.com).
Other Islamic books give more information—contradictory to what the Bible explains. For example; that Abraham tried to sacrifice Ishmael instead of Isaac.
In the back of your mind I know you are probably thinking; “the sins of the father weren’t quite forgotten..” To look at the Arabic nation today, we have seen hostility, death, destruction, and pain—very much like what God said of Ishmael before he was born.
But, Ishmael still had a choice, as did his descendants. They might not have been God’s chosen people in the beginning but nor were we. When Jesus came, He brought salvation and reconciliation to all people from all nations (Jew and Gentile alike).
Would his descendants become one family again? Would they let go of the belief that they were supposed to be “the chosen ones” the “fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham?”
No. But that doesn’t mean that God isn’t working to save them. Many are giving their lives to Christ even now amidst so much strife and fear. They are fighting against this deep-seated hatred that has been passed down through generations and trying to find peace and freedom.
I say all of this to remind us, as Christians, to love our neighbors. Even our enemies. In many ways we are being dehumanized—it is so vital that we do not do the same to those we are called to love. Or did Christ not love us even when we were still His enemies?
“For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:12)
Our battle is a spiritual one and our commission is still to save as many lost souls as we (Christ in us) can until Jesus returns.
So please, brothers and sisters, now is the time to pray for Afghanistan and those who have converted to Christianity and are currently hiding. Pray that the transforming love of Christ would reach more and more, and for divine protection against the devil’s schemes (working through the hearts of man).
Pray for the children (the future), that their eyes would be opened and they would finally put an end to the slaughter and generational sin of their people and find Jesus.
Pray even for the Taliban, that they would be radically saved and lay down their weapons.
There is still hope that many more will come to know Christ and a revival will spread throughout the region despite the spiritual battle against it. That is one unique attribute of Christianity—it grows under pressure.
A “struggle session” taken during the Chinese Communist Cultural Revolution
I invite you all to take a glimpse back in time, when Mao Zedong enforced his socialistic Marxist ideals in China…the people had utopian dreams and assurances just as many Americans do today: no more poverty! No unequal distribution of wealth and resources! No starvation or lack of the basic necessities of life!
Mao quickly crushed any opposing capitalistic views and the whole country began its trek into the “utopian dream.”
The novel: Operation Ordinary: Live the Truth, Resist DemocraticSocialismby Leah Pritchard, explains in depth the atrocities of the communist movement in China. Leah was given a unique inside perspective as a teacher, which she carried back to the United States in 2016. Appalled to discover that America was beginning to take that same trek…mirroring Mao’s step-by-step transformation in every detail.
What was his plan? Leah lists it clearly below (page 283) from the source: China: A Century of Revolution (3 part documentary):
1. Raise class consciousness (awareness)
2. Cast a vision for a new and better society
3. Silence dissenters through accusation and shame
4. Demand confessions (and apologies)
5. Implement socialist policies
6. Respond with damage control all along the way (concealing the harsh truth)
7. Mobilize student warriors
8. Re-educate the masses
9. Obliterate traditional culture
Reading through this list I’m sure there were some familiarities that came to mind. Especially if you fall under the white, conservative Christian label. How many times has the media targeted us? Told us that we are wrong, privileged, need to apologize for being born a certain race, or having certain beliefs that our country once held unanimously?
We are quite aware of our class differences more than ever. There is a great divide between Republicans and Democrats, the working class and the wealthy, race, gender, religion…you name it. Suddenly our differences and uniqueness is being erased and labeled as bad. To the extent that to be white =racist, to be a Christian=LGBT hater, to be a Republican=every foul name in the book.
A vision for a brighter future has been cast, strangely, by the same people who stirred up the masses to hatred and division in the first place. Socialistic policies have already slowly leaked into our society, and our colleges and schools have become training grounds or “brainwashing” faculties for the youth of tomorrow.
There is already talk of re-educating those who oppose, and we see this in a broader scale by the erasing of history, misleading propaganda, and misinterpretation of news. The controlling and censoring of what can be seen, heard, and read online. America once had the freedom to know and determine truth for oneself. Now that right is disintegrating as all our sources for truth are given over to those who have a plan.
Traditional culture is an even more blatant issue that’s under attack. Traditional family unit, religious beliefs, American ideals…all changing and warping: disappearing entirely.
The Chinese people were ready to go all in once Mao’s purging plan came to an end and everyone was united (having forced the capitalists to bend/flee).
“The centralized government gradually took full control of the land and the output of farms and factories. National healthcare was established. (And) Private property was abolished.” (Page 331)
Everyone in the labor groups transitioned to communal living. Working side-by-side in the fields/factories for their vision while their children were raised by the school/ daycare systems.
All that was earned/produced was distributed to large cities leading to an unprecedented death toll as starvation hit an all time high—within 3 years!
“30 to 45 million peasants died…as they watched truckload after truckload of grains and crops they had planted and harvested with their own bare hands being hauled away to fund Mao’s socialist initiatives and to feed people living in the cities.” (Page 337)
Of course the general public knew nothing of this (damage control at its finest). The media is just as clever today at hiding the truth. Look how they glorify Islamists, Palestinian terror, Biden and his sketchy officials, and of course socialist countries…
Technological advancement and innovation in China was also stunted, making the farmers/factories inefficient to produce the needed resources to fuel their socialist cause. They didn’t take into account that the innovators, scientists, engineers, and intellectuals made up much of their wealthy neighbors. In silencing them and taking over their businesses they silenced their own countries potential for growth and development.
Mao’s failed plan led to new rises in capitalistic voices, and that is when he turned to the youth for his salvation. Brainwashing and re-educating them, turning them into communistic activists with the goal of destroying capitalism—by any means necessary.
I think you can imagine what transpired after that. And you can still see today the continued ramifications of the socialist movement in China and other countries as well. And so that brings me to the point of discussion today—socialism in America (more specifically, democratic socialism).
Do you remember my questions from part 1?
Can we collectively cure the human condition? And what assurances could we have, what freedoms or (fail safes) could we enact should our socialist dream backfire—like it did in China?
Those are the questions one should consider before deciding on socialism as a cure-all to our country’s social/economic woes. Because in order for socialism to work, even remotely, it would require that every man, woman, and child gladly give up their freedoms for the sake of the whole. It requires that everyone live a selfless, sacrificial, giving life.
Greed, therefore, cannot exist.
The lusting for power must be purged from the hearts of man…something that has never been done before. And so, already this utopian dream is flawed. In the name of being treated equally and justly, socialists would gladly give up their individual rights to those who would treat them unequally and unjustly.
The human condition remains unchanged: people are greedy, lazy, ungrateful, selfish, and require incentive to do whatever it is they do. Or do you know many people who love their jobs enough to work for free? Many of the jobs that we need are not easy jobs. Profit and earnings are therefore essential.
And so, like China, there will be opposition to socialistic ideals and that opposition will make it obsolete. Capitalists will not be silenced and so violence will ensue. They will dehumanize us (something already occurring), and when silencing (threatening/punishing/re-educating) fails—murder or exile will be the only option left. And those who will carry out this final phase are the very ones who carried out the final phase in China—our youth and governmental authorities.
Power given away is not power easily taken back…
I could go on and on about this, stressing the importance of history and the importance of our freedom (paid and bought by blood). When other countries riot against their dictatorships, they oftentimes wave the American flag. We are the land of the free! Everyone who is oppressed dreams of America!
I’m not pretending that our country is perfect—it isn’t. But if you would really look back and study our history, the decisions and policies that have been enacted over the span of a 100 years. You’ll start to find some correlations; socialism has been trying to take hold on this country for awhile. And it’s the Democratic Party that is taking the reigns of this movement and pushing for it.
“The poor will always be among you…” (Matthew 26:11)
Is that an excuse to not fight against it? No, not at all! But it is a promise that this temporary world can’t be fixed. The devil is its ruler and it is only through the love of Christ that we take back territory and bring Heaven here!
You see money, drugs, weapons, you name it…they are merely tools. Not necessarily evil not necessarily bad. It is us “the people” who use them in ways that harm ourselves and others.
God’s original design was for the government to protect and the church to heal.
In a capitalistic society we have a choice, one that in a socialistic one we are denied.
That choice…is to rise. To win! To chase dreams, work hard for them, provide for our own families. Work where we want to, live where we want to, start businesses, let our creativity flow! We can say what we want and live however we want to, be it selfishly or sacrificially. We have our own wills and desires, our own minds, able to think and decide for ourselves. We can use our unique talents and know how’s to store up wealth or we can give it away. That is the American dream, the heart of what it means to be free.
“The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people’s money.”— Margaret Thatcher
“The democracy would cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not.” —Thomas Jefferson
“Democracy and socialism have nothing in common but one word, equality. But notice the difference: while democracy seeks equality in liberty, socialism seeks equality in restraint and servitude.” —Alexis de Tocqueville
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