Nah-Nah-Nah-Nah, Hey, Hey, Goodbye…

Well, Denmark has canceled all their stamps as of December 30, 2025. PostNord, the state-run postal service in Denmark has been issuing postage as we know them for 175 years. The first few issues from 1851 were, admittedly, boring royal emblem designs. Since that time, Denmark has issued stamps that are historical, colorful and purposeful. Like all postage stamps they carried letters which kept people connected.

Then along came the internet. People stopped writing letters on paper. Therefore, all the stamps of Denmark, including the love stamps – are canceled, forever.

As a small child growing up with my grandparents in Chicago, it was common for us to sit out on our front porch and wait for the postman to arrive. He went up and down the neighborhood with his roller cart stuffed with exciting mail. It was the same mail carrier, and his route was completed twice a day – with morning and late afternoon delivery!

Many decades later, the cost of mailing a one-ounce letter has rocketed northward while the ‘service’ in the Postal Service has long departed. 99% of what finally gets delivered goes from the mailbox to the recycle bin.

Denmark pushed the first domino and others will follow.

We also lost the Lincoln Head Penny. Pennies have been in circulation for 230 years. The Lincoln penny came about in 1909 as a centennial memorial of Abraham Lincoln’s birth in 1809 in Hardin County, Kentucky, on February 12. It was costing the U.S. Government (us) 2.1 pennies to produce one penny. So much for buy low and sell high.

Anyway, Lincoln pennies may become more popular to collect again but they are gone. Note that you need to find the 1909 VDB and the 1909 SVBD to complete the set. Lot’s of luck finding those.

So much loss to absorb and then comes the devastating news! The Chicago Bears are pulling up stakes and leaving Chicago. While state and city officials have been hibernating, the Bears have sought a new cave in Indiana. Iowa made a humorous effort to try and lure the Monsters of the Midway to the cornfields of ambrosia here in Iowa, but we never really had a chance.

The Bears started out in Decatur, Illinois as the Decatur Staleys in 1920. One year later they moved to Chicago and became the Chicago Staleys. In 1922 the name was changed to Chicago Bears. That makes them the oldest team in the NFL.

Despite having a fiercely loyal fan base and having been the greatest NFL team ever in 1985-86 (not to mention the incredible 2025 season) the love affair is over. They are divorcing from the Windy City.

All of which are stark reminders that there is one thing which endures. We read this truth in Isaiah chapter 40 verse 8 of the Good Book, “The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever.”

The Bears are history and so now I will have more time to read the Word, something that is enduring and timeless. It is definitely a better use of my time.

Something else that is on the way out at an alarming rate is my youthfulness. In fact, it outran the Chicago Bears a long time ago. It’s happening to you also. If you don’t believe me look at the photos in your smart phone from just a few years ago. The evidence is there.

In that Word which stands forever* we are encouraged by the results of salvation for believers as written by the Apostle Paul in 1st Corinthians 4:16-18 “16 Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. 17 For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, 18 while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.”

We are to focus on the things which are not seen – our God, Our Savior, our future home in the new heaven and the new earth, and our faith. In the meantime, while the flight suit body is whittling away, our soul and spirit are being transformed by the daily work of the Holy Spirit.

As a result, as believers we are strengthened.

Going-going-gone…. what is going to disappear next in the temporal world we live in?

*This begs the question – if our stamps go away, what happens to the Forever stamps? NASB95

 

 

Oy Vey…Is It That Time Again?

How many times a day are asking the question, “What time is it?”

Time is like a slippery eel. It’s hard to grab hold of. Time is like a rare commodity where there just isn’t enough of it. Time is a dimension that can boggle the mind. Isaac Newton and Albert Einstein wrestled with the concept of time. Perhaps we can borrow from Churchill and identify time as “…a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma…”¹

Time hems us in all matters of earthly life which makes heaven even more desirable since it is outside of time.

Today, we woke up to a specific time promised us in the Bible in Ecclesiastes 3:8b A time for war and a time for peace. These two cycles of a fallen world define human history. A time for war captures heroisms and horrors of unprecedented proportions. And we give pause to wonder why it is that we have to endue this kind of time.

This time it is that time with the Islamic Republic of Iran as our current host enemy. Why Iran this time around? We need only to look back 47 years ago to February 1979 when the clock was set. A revolution was brewing in that country against the leader, the Shah of Iran. The U.S. put him power in 1941. As such, Iran was favorable to the west, even though the Shah wasn’t real solid on human rights. Conversely, President Jimmy Carter was all about human rights to a fault because his geo-political thinking was blurred.

The CIA was asleep at the wheel and misjudged the momentum of the revolution. The Shah was deposed and came down with cancer. We took him into our country for medical treatments which angered the revolutionaries. So did the fact that we froze Iranian assets. In November of that year, Iranians took 52 American hostages. Those poor souls would be held captive against their will for 444 long days and nights.

Things went from bad to worse as President Carter sent a rescue team under the moniker Operation Eagle Claw. Tragically some of our rescue helicopters and a transport plane crashed in the desert killing 8 of our servicemen. The mission was complete failure.

The loss of a western friendly Iran is very arguably the greatest single foreign policy disaster in the history of our nation. Iran has been responsible for terrorist bloodshed, murder, mayhem, and destabilization around the globe ever since.

Fast-forward (when we look at history, we can cheat time by going back and forth instantly) to today. A joint U.S. and Israel operation attacked Iran in the daylight hours this morning. The Iranian response, in turn, was directed at several other Arabic nations. They almost always stayed on the sidelines when we, and or Israel, would mix it up in the Middle East. This time Iran has angered them such they will no doubt enter the fray. It will be Shia (Iran) vs Sunni’s.

Biblically, this is a very interesting time. Jermiah 49:34-39 describes a future prophecy of Elam which is modern day Iran. We read in VV35-37:
³⁵ “Thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘Behold, I am going to break the bow of Elam, The finest of their might.
³⁶ ‘I will bring upon Elam the four winds From the four ends of heaven, And will scatter them to all these winds; And there will be no nation To which the outcasts of Elam will not go.
³⁷ ‘So I will shatter Elam before their enemies And before those who seek their lives; And I will bring calamity upon them, Even My fierce anger,’ declares the Lord, ‘And I will send out the sword after them Until I have consumed them.

This could be the fulfillment of this prophecy or a partial. The phrasing of the four winds means the enemies will come from all directions. Iran has teed it up for that to happen.

Amid the folly of war, we often seek some ray of hope. Well, here it is for Iran in Jeremiah 49:39 ‘But it will come about in the last days That I will restore the fortunes of Elam,’”
Declares the Lord.

In the meantime, let us pray for our men and women uniform who have answered the call of the nation-prepared to give the last full measure. And let us pray for “a time for peace”.

¹Churchill on a 1939 radio broadcast about Russia, “I cannot forecast to you the action of Russia. It is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma; but perhaps there is a key.”

NASB ‘95.

 

What’s So Bad About Bad Bunny?

The NFL, not generally known for family friendly entertainment during the half-time of the Super Bowl, gave well over 100 million viewers the opportunity to see and hear somebunny named Bad Bunny.

You may feel somewhat relieved to know Bad Bunny has a different birth name - Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio. He was born in Bayamón, Puerto Rico. He started singing at a young age and came up with a hit song in 2016. Today he has the additional moniker as the “King of Latin Trap.” By all accounts Bad Bunny is a Latin-American rapper.

Apparently mega-star credentials and the offer of many carrot$ were enough to get Bad Bunny hired to perform at the Big Game featuring the Boston Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks. This turned out to be a controversial hire though, which makes you question sometimes about what goes on in the boardrooms of business.

What was Bud Light thinking when they tried to bury a brand name buy expecting good ol’ boys to drink woke suds? The same bewilderment can be applied to executives at Cracker Barrel where the clientele are overwhelmingly gray heads and white heads. As one myself, I notice it every time I go back to the Barrel for the breakfast steak and eggs with a side of hash browns.

The NFL drafting Bad Bunny for the Super Bowl left many people feeling like Bugs Bunny wanting an answer to his question, “What’s up Doc?”

Well, we have to recognize that the NFL is a business. And that business is making their carbon footprint global. So we can arm wrestle whether promoting American culture or another culture is the way to go. But it’s the sub-culture that Bad Bunny represents and promotes that should be a concern for Christians.

In the classic tale of Alice in Wonderland, Alice is sitting with her sister as they read a book. Alice gets bored and distracted. Suddenly a White rabbit with pink eyes comes over by her.  It is the White Rabbit who clamors, “Oh dear! Oh dear! I shall be late!” (You find out ‘late for what’ in chapter 2. I won’t spoil it for you).

 

Then White Rabbit pulls out a watch from a waist coat to check the time. Now Alice has quickly gone from distraction to full, inquisitive attention. White Rabbit took off and ran right down a rabbit hole. Alice followed. Lewis Carroll, the author, describes what happened next, “In another moment down went Alice after it, never once considering how in the world she was to get out again.

 

The rabbit-hole went straight on like a tunnel for some way, and then dipped suddenly down, so suddenly that Alice had not a moment to think about stopping herself before she found herself falling down a very deep well.

 

Either the well was very deep, or she fell very slowly, for she had plenty of time as she went down to look about her and to wonder what was going to happen next. First, she tried to look down and make out what she was coming to, but it was too dark to see anything;…”

Chapter I: Down the Rabbit-Hole from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll (1865, public domain).

 

If you watched the half-time show, you know what you saw. Among other things it was crudely sexual. So, you know what you saw, but did you know what you heard? The words were sung in Spanish. Perhaps you might want to see the translation of the lyrics, though I will warn you, it would not be beneficial for you to go to far down that rabbit hole – it’s dark.

Yes, I am all about free speech and I know I can always turn it off and not support it etc. etc. etc. But as Christians there is more to it. In Paul’s letter to the Romans 12:1-2 he tells us what our response should be to all that God has done for us as outlined in Romans chapter 11 (which, by the way, is very beneficial to read). Paul wrote, ¹“Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. ² And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.”

As Christians, we are not to be formed by this world and its folly. Rather, we are to be transformed by the renewing of our mind. This means we desire what the Holy Spirit of God desires and we live by that desire. If we become distracted and then suddenly chase after the things of this world, we risk being conformed to it. Ever wonder why some kids know the Easter Bunny, but not the Resurrected Christ?  Too much conformity!

In the 1988 film, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, it was Jessica Rabbit who tried excuse her life with the line “I’m not bad, I’m just drawn that way.”  Perhaps the same can be said for Bad Bunnny. Yet he’s not righteous. I have that in common with B.B. None of us are righteous: Romans 3:10 “as it is written, There is none righteous, not even one.”

And still there is Good News: Romans 3:21-22 ²¹ But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, ²² even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction; …”

Translation – anybunny can be made right with God through Jesus Christ. Pray that for Benito.

 

Wait,…No Kings?...But I Am a Monarchist…

Monarchist = someone who supports having a monarch.

How beautiful it is to see people gathered in this country linking arms together and taking a stand of solidarity against the King of England. Sure, we took ‘em down hard almost 250 years ago. Back then, the English army was sent home to the other side of the pond after suffering a humiliating defeat by freedom lovin’ patriots. Thus, King George III had several years to reflect upon the 27 abuses by the king against the colonies as outlined in our nation’s Birth Certificate, the Declaration of Independence.

Fast-forward to today. The good people of England are being arrested for preaching the gospel, praying quietly outside of abortion clinics, flying the flag of their country, and for social media posts. Based on these unfortunate facts we can conclude our Founding Fathers made the right choices back in the day. And, because we are allowed to congregate and stand against the English king here in America, we can take comfort in knowing our free speech is still breathing in the shadow of the Statue of Liberty.

Maybe, just maybe, some of the protestors are railing against the king described for us in the Book of the Revelation 9:11 They have as king over them, the angel of the abyss; his name in Hebrew is Abaddon (destruction), and in the Greek he has the name Apollyon (destroyer). (Now this is a 9-11 verse if ever there was one!) Of course, if you have placed your faith and trust in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior you will never fall under tutelage of such a wicked king.

In 2016 I was asked to sit on a panel with fellow Iowans for CBS. Our ‘First in the Nation’ status for the great race for President attracts the media from around the globe. The angle CBS wanted was our thoughts and opinions of the candidates running for the high office.  A very young CBS producer out of New York called me and lied to me to try and get me to be on the panel.

 “This will be taped so if you want to change an answer, you can do it,” she said.

Translation, CBS can edit it how they want it.’

I knew they would chop and edit going into it but decided to do the interview anyway. As the camera was rolling the CBS correspondent began asking each person on the panel what political party they identified with. When she got to me, I responded, “I’m a monarchist.”

Then I talked about Jesus. Shock of ages - CBS edited out my comments on faith. Still, after the whole process was over the correspondent came over to me and said, “I really like you.”

Mission accomplished.

There is One King and His name is Jesus and He will rule over all. We read about His kingship when the Apostle Paul instructed Timothy and any who would minister to live a life pursuing righteousness: 1^st Timothy 6:13-16 ¹³ I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who testified the good confession before Pontius Pilate, ¹⁴ that you keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, ¹⁵ which He will bring about at the proper time—He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, ¹⁶ who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen.

In further descriptions of Jesus in the Book of the Revelation we discover He is coming back to earth as a warrior king: 19:13-16 ¹³ He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. ¹⁴ And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses. ¹⁵ From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. ¹⁶ And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”

I will stand up and speak out for King Jesus anywhere, to anyone, anytime. So, it begs the question – will you?

 

 

 

14 October 2025    Charlie Kirk Remembrance Day.    What Do We Remember?

On what would have been his 32^nd Birthday we give pause to remember Charles (Charlie) James Kirk whose life was violently stolen from him, his family, and from us. I say ’us’ because, in many ways, Charlie did not know us personally, yet it seemed like we all knew him.

 

Charlie Kirk – whose last name Kirk, in Scottish and Northern England means church – came to understand that a political forum could draw crowds and, more importantly, the gospel of Jesus Christ could draw souls. He used the bully pulpit very effectively for both.

 

Charlie’s gifting included his ability to dialogue with people, many of whom vehemently disagreed with him. He applied these Scriptures to his craft:

 

Proverbs 15:1 A gentle answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger.

Proverbs 25:15 By forbearance a ruler may be persuaded,

And a soft tongue breaks the bone.

James 1:19 This you know, my beloved brethren. But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger;

 

Charlie knew when the verbal exchange of beliefs, thoughts and ideas is halted violence and even war will follow. Such is the fallen condition of man.

 

While free speech was threatened, but not defeated by an assassin’s bullet, the ‘Bridge to Youth’ which Charlie so lovingly built was severely damaged. Somehow, he was able to speak to Generation Z and Generation Alpha, without compromising the message. Consider that one day, those generations will hold the keys to the ship if the Lord continues to tarry.

 

Thinking about Charlie’s mission and ministry led me to connect with Malachi 4:5-6 ⁵ “Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord. ⁶ He will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, so that I will not come and smite the land with a curse.”

 

Charlie was an Elijah type as evidenced by the plethora of testimonies of people returning to God the Father by way of Jesus the Christ.

 

Today we mourn the lost life of someone so young and so full of promise for the future. As we ponder how much he accomplished in so short of time, there is a nagging sense to wonder about what might have been. Yet his life example has inspired millions and reminds us that we all have the gift of life and a plan from God for how it should be lived out. Let us re-commit ourselves to such a noble cause as that was Charlie’s goal for the masses.

 

Another national treasure struck down by an assassin’s bullet was Abraham Lincolin in 1865. He barely had time to relish the ending of the Civil War.  In 1859, before he became President and six years before his death, Lincoln gave a speech in Illinois outlining our moral and political responsibilities where he said, “Die when I may, I want it said of me that I always plucked a thistle and planted a flower where I thought a flower would grow.”

To Charlie we say the words of Jesus from the Parable of the Talents in Matthew 25:21 “His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant…”           Bible verses NASB95

 

 

Middle East Peace?

Once again, we have been privy to dramatic events in our lifetime with very serious theological implications. In this instance we see the United States and Israel standing shoulder to shoulder on the international stage with Phase One of an ‘impossible’ mission completed.

 

Biblically, we are called to pray for the peace of Jerusalem (Psalm 122:6-7). And now the fruits of those prayers have been revealed in a signed Peace Agreement with several nations. In the near term, this is all very positive and encouraging.

 

However, as Christians, we know this is only a temporary peace. At least two more wars in that region must be fought according to the Scriptures. The first is what is known as the Psalm 83 War, and the second, is the Ezekiel 38-39 War. The latter, I believe, leads to the Battle of Armageddon at the end of the 7-Year Tribulation period.

 

We must remember the nation of Israel is surrounded by enemies who will never be friends. Nations do not have friends; they have allegiances forged by interests.  The Old Testament description is that of lovers, who ultimately commit treachery and adultery. Thus consider some Biblical verses we need to pay attention to in the Old Testament:

Proverbs 14:12 There is a way which seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death.

 

Isaiah 59:8 They do not know the way of peace, And there is no justice in their tracks; They have made their paths crooked, Whoever treads on them does not know peace.

 

Jeremiah 8:11 “They heal the brokenness of the daughter of My people superficially, Saying, ‘Peace, peace,’ But there is no peace.”

 

And from the New Testament:

1 Thessalonians 5:3 While they are saying, “Peace and safety!” then destruction will come upon them suddenly like labor pains upon a woman with child, and they will not escape.

As we move deeper into the End Times it is important we get right with Jesus. We need to repent which means to turn away from sin and turn to Jesus, putting our faith trust in Him as Lord and Savior in order to cover the sin debt we are all born with. This is the only way to satisfy that debt....

While we wait in joyful hope for the Church to be lifted up and taken home we have this comforting promise from Jesus to embrace: John 14:27 Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.

Be alert. Be hope filled and enjoy the drama from the front row.             Bible verse from NASB95.

How Do You Handle a Gift from the Lord?

Psalm 127:3-5                        KJV

³ Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.

⁴ As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth.

⁵ Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed,

but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.

Have you ever told a lie to your children? I mean, for their own good, of course. A ‘little fib-a-roonie’. Like the one about an lovable elderly man, with a white beard, red suit, and a plethora of toys. How about the existence of monsters in the world? Have you ever lied about them? I can remember telling my girls that there were no such thing as monsters when they were scared about the possibility of their existence. “Not at all,” I assured them, as I safely tucked them in their canopy beds for the night.

 

The real truth being, that there really are monsters, and I knew it. I just could not bear to tell my children that fact in their tender innocence.

Terrorism knows no boundaries of decency, nor humanity itself. As such, their barbarism extends to children. Back in April of this year, over two-hundred young girls from Nigeria were kidnapped.¹ There were many reports that these girls are Christians. Since their capture, we have seen photographs of them wearing Muslim garb, while being forced to ‘convert’ to Islam. At this posting, these precious young girls are still missing, and presumably, being held in a living hell. Call this the real-life version of Taken.

We know from the Book of Proverbs 27:20a, Hell and destruction are never full. So, along comes the sequel, Taken 2. Just a few days ago, the blood-thirsty and demonic, Boko Haram, struck again. They may have ripped as many as sixty more children³ from their families, stealing perhaps their virginity, and their future life. Prior to the kidnappings, Boko burned at least one school with children inside.⁴

The BBC reports the meaning of Boko Haram as this, “Boko Haram translates from the local Hausa language to mean "Western education is a sin", according to most media reports. But a few voices of doubt have been raised. How could two words convey so much information?

There doesn't seem to be much debate over the word "haram". It means prohibited or sin, most scholars accept. The word is Arabic in origin.

But there is confusion over "boko". Some claimed it was derived from the word book. But African language expert Paul Newman has said they are what the French call "faux amis", two similar sounding words with no relation when it comes to meaning.

Boko Haram translates from the local Hausa language to mean "Western education is a sin", according to most media reports. But a few voices of doubt have been raised. How could two words convey so much information?”⁵

 
We get the idea. Destroy all things western, because all things western are bad. Meanwhile, the voracious and rapacious wood-chipper-like destruction of Boko Haram continues, seemingly, unabated.⁶ Regrettably, they are not alone. Terrorists and their terror are on the march.

We, the West, are in a war. It is a war like no other. The challenge set before us is that those who are supposed to lead us, and protect us, are lying to us. They are telling the world that we will have ‘peace in our day’. We are directed to embrace the Religion of Peace, coexist, and keep truth to ourselves, lest someone, somewhere, be offended. Perhaps they are lying to us for our own good. After all, they know that monsters exist. They don’t want us to be afraid. Perhaps. Or perhaps, there is naiveté. Or perhaps, there is an agenda. Perhaps.

Worse yet, we may be lying to ourselves. They reality is that as we stumble along in the fog of war, or non-war as it were, our children are being decimated in the most cruel of ways imaginable. Unless we face the truth, of the Beast in the Middle East, the once full quiver, will soon be empty. And we will meet the enemy at the gates, and that enemy may just be us.

¹Terrorists kidnap more than 200 Nigerian girls Oren Dorell, USA TODAY 5:27 p.m. EDT April 21, 2014.

²Nigerian schoolgirl abduction: Boko Haram claims responsibility for kidnapping 276 students By Africa correspondent Martin Cuddihy, wires Updated Tue 6 May 2014, 4:32pm, www.abc.net.au/news.

³Nigeria denies clams of book haram abduction of 60 women children. By firstpost last updated on June 26, 2014 at 8:57 am.

^4.World News 05.12.14 Boko Haram Steps Up Its War on Kids.

⁵Who, What, Why: Exactly what does the phrase Boko Haram mean? 13 May 2014 Last updated at 06:21 ET.

⁶Boko Haram burns churches, kills more than 30 people, residents say Posted 6:00 pm, June, 2014, by CNN Wires.