The Pro-Family Future of the Republican Party

 

The Republican Party and Family Values: Death to Old Model

Corporate Republicanism is loosing ground as the default conservative viewpoint in Washington DC. Illegal immigration made conservatives see the massive gap between the corporates and the populists on all issues. the next 20 years will see a return to a common sense adult party that prioritizes kids and families.

 The term “conservative” is so generic it needs a makeover. It’s lacking any real meaning after Trump and it’s been used more than John Kaisich’s ‘son of a mailman’ trope. It’s time to replace it.

New Terms

A few weeks ago I found myself outside the city, driving to a lot of the remote areas around Oklahoma for work. This being an election year I couldn’t help but notice the colorful signs littering the highway advertising this or that candidate. Some I didn’t know were actual offices. Do we need to vote for Associate District Judge? Can’t the District Judge choose an associate? That should be on the platform, “Elect me and I’ll pick a true conservative associate”.

We are still a few weeks from the primary so anyone with a plan and a little money can make a go of it. I didn’t count how many used the phrase “conservative” but at least they only used it once per sign.

You might think because Oklahoma is a red state, everyone’s a conservative. But in recent years national conservatism includes everyone from Ted Cruz to perennial gadfly Evan McMullin. One is pro borders and anti abortion, the other never misses a chance to blast the Right. We can examine how it got this way until the next polling place opens, but it's doubtful we'll all agree. We did this a lot in the years after Trump raised his right hand and swore the oath. He brought along some union Democrats and started reversing the loss of blue collar workers. 

A few have shed the “conservative” label, smartly, and are going with the America First label that Trump is famous for. It’s good timing too. If you grew up like me thinking that Bill Kristol his Weekly Standard was conservative, you’ll understand my reluctance to embrace it. I’m far from an expert on social/cultural shifts in politics and the why’s and wherefores'. But to me the biggest separation among conservatives was on the southern border. George W. Bush even felt the wrath of his base when he tried to make a deal on a worker visa program.

A Little History

His amnesty bill for over 12 millions illegals failed in the Senate in 2007. His administration hated that Limbaugh and others called it an amnesty bill but that’s exactly what it was. More important, Americans didn’t trust their government to actually build the wall or enforce the border in any way going forward. I remember thinking Americans would support it if they build the wall first. That Congress didn’t bother to do security first told us a lot.

President Reagan signed a similar bill in 1986 (Simpson-Mazzoli Act). It promised to control the border and make it illegal to hire migrants with no papers. It did the opposite.

Americans learned a valuable lesson in preceding years. It doesn’t matter how popular or well constructed a law is if you don’t enforce it.

Enter Bush and Co. to try and build on the same rickety legislative framework. The Chamber of Commerce and the open borders crowd wanted it, America First didn’t. I’ve noticed the split since then in the party ranks and it really opened up with Trump. It’s the kind of split that made me realize that conservatives are oceans apart on a whole list of issues.

The Split Begins

The disagreements took on a class feel and during the Trump years at least, were less about issues and more about tribe. I know this has all been covered ad nauseam by everyone with a blog, but until recently we’d never wrested control of the party from the corporate class, or as ace of spades calls it “conservative inc.”

But the corporate class sided with Biden during the last election and showed what really mattered to them--their influence. I remember writing a piece after Peter Thiel spoke at the Republican convention in 2016. His speech felt like a warning (a gentle one) to values voters to simmer down on the culture war stuff and get in line behind the big money machine.

 In other words, stop embarrassing us with your anti-abortion rants and traditional marriage tropes. But culture is more important to the long term health of a country than a tax cut. The current obsession with drag queens performing for children is a case in point. A culture where this is even a possibility is one that’s surrendered on countless values issues before. Maybe because we’ve been too focused on finances, opportunities for growth and tax policy, we’ve let the wolves in at the gate.

The Future is Here

The culture wars didn’t create the divide, that was illegal immigration. But it became another front in the batter for conservatism.

Americans took from immigration reform that Congress can’t be trusted to enforce laws they’ve passed when it conflicts with their corporate funders. Trump didn’t do enough on the border either but he started with a wall, a working relationship with Mexico and a tough approach to asylum. More than anything else the border issue in this country showed America that our leaders in Washington are living in a different country. But lest we toss all our complaints on to Washington we should accept responsibility where we can for our own laziness.

Peter Thiel repeated the thinking in some elite circles that traditional values don’t win. He was probably right too, but we traded values for wealth and ended up with neither. The kids will have to fix the mess.

Their future is as ugly the drag queen with the fake tits and runny mascara. They’ve lost the ability to get money and security because the corruption at all levels of government is so entrenched. How can we start to recover loses in the culture and work towards a future where financial growth is secondary to cultural health, values and pride in country? Start small.

Get Involved

Throw out the local technocrats first. Whether mayors, city council members or school board, get rid of anyone who isn’t pro family. Second ignore labels like conservative and check their record. No record? Then ask them pointed questions to see how they answer. Stay on top of local issues. You can’t cover everything but pay attention where you can. And NEVER apologize for holding to your values.

Values inform culture and a culture is lost when its values are corrupted. We’ve got work to do and I believe the next 20 years will be a worthwhile slog. America can still be the land of opportunity.

The Church as a Bulwark against Culture: Ezekiel 7-8

Lessons for America from Ezekiel

Ezekiel warns of the coming judgment on the people of Israel. It’s the same story that always gets us into trouble. Sin creeps in and now the whole society is on the verge of destruction.

There are similarities between the time of Ezekiel and American culture. But whether destruction is imminent or not there are lessons for the people of God and in particular, those who preach the gospel. God’s Church much be the bulwark against a culture that’s rooted in selfishness.

Background on Ezekiel

Ezekiel is called to deliver messages to the ‘remnant’ of Israel who will be saved from death. Babylon is about to destroy both Israel and Judah and either kill or capture the people. It’s both a record of their rebelliousness to God and a warning to future generations. A good summary of their fate is found right at the start of chapter 7.

“Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ‘And you, son of man, thus says the Lord God to the land of Israel: An end! The end has come upon the four corners of the land. Now the end has come upon you, and I will send My anger against you; I will judge you according to your ways, and I will repay you for all your abominations.” (verse 1-3).

He uses the word “abominations” which suggests extreme disgust. So we aren’t talking about lying or cheating here. Most likely this is judgment on the clergy, or the priestly tribes. We shouldn’t try to rank sins here but there are points at which iniquity becomes full and God’s wrath is poured out. This happens after prophets and warnings and calls to repentance over many years. When there isn’t much left to redeem, punishment is inevitable.

Warnings 

The Lord was willing to save Sodom and Gomorrah if just 10 righteous were found (Genesis 18:32). Their homosexual behavior had become all consuming and even the angels that came to the city had to strike the men with blindness to avoid being raped. 

It’s a safe bet the twin cities had warning.

Judgment is different when directed at those responsible for the moral health of a society. If the priests are pointing the people to God and keeping the laws the sinfulness is arrested. It doesn’t overwhelm the culture and become a hallmark of the place. God puts them in a position of leadership to teach and demonstrate holiness. They are the watchmen at the gates. But when the watchmen stop watching the city becomes corrupted. Not all at once of course. The first casualty is something simple like keeping the Sabbath or downplaying some portion of the law.

Indifference Toward Standards

It’s much easier to reduce the importance of a standard than to argue against it. 

A work policy that insists everyone be there at 8:00 should require punishment for tardiness, especially consistent tardiness. But a company that permits mediocrity will see a lot more of it. How many employees will stick to rule without any punishment? Malaise sets in everywhere without adherence to rules. When you fast forward a decade with no concrete standards the quality of the work, and the employees, suffers greatly. Add 15 or a 30 years and assuming the company is still around, it’s likely a mess and not productive at all.

Malaise

I imagine societies work much the same way. If standards are ignored, or relaxed to point of being useless, the indifference bleeds into other standards. But it isn’t just standards after a while. An entire culture is being conditioned to relax standards to the point of mocking those who insist upon them. The malaise affects Church leadership as well. The problem is less about holding up biblical standards on right living. The lack of zeal for the gospel creates a lazy attitude toward promoting the things of God and keeping His commandments. 

After a while the Church can become hostile to the very truth their institution is built on. This is when gay clergy and woke sermons steeped in Marxist theory become the norm.

Idolatry

In Judah, Ezekiel recalls his vision of the men worshiping the sun in the Lord’s temple. Not only had the priestly segments of society forgotten their God, they were now permitting ‘wicked abominations’ inside the temple. We always have this idea that people who turn from God become atheists. They reject the Savior and live without religion, unencumbered by belief in a deity. But Ezekiel plainly shows us that humans are wired to worship. We don’t replace God with nothingness; we replace Him with Lucifer. And we share in his punishment if we don’t repent.

If this sounds harsh it’s because the burden to uphold God’s moral order is incumbent on the Church. Here is what the Lord says.

“I will cause the pomp of the strong to cease, and their holy places shall be defiled. Destruction comes; They will seek peace, but there shall be none. Disaster will come upon disaster, and rumor will be upon rumor. Then they will seek a vision from a prophet; But the law will perish from the priest, and counsel from the elders.” (Chapter 7:24-29)

Institutional Corruption

The cultural rot doesn’t usually begin in the Church. But the Church is designed as a bulwark against the excesses of sin. Is America at a tipping point judgment wise? A close look at the Church as an institution shows an array of styles, denominations and doctrines. On the one hand we’ve never had such a rich understanding of the scriptures. The plethora of ways to engage with great teaching has never existed like this before. It’s not just TV and radio (the old mediums) but also podcasts and streaming services that create a borderless world in dissemination of the Bible. On the other hand, ‘wicked abominations’ are not just permitted but encouraged, sanctified and called good.

Redeem the Time

How much goes on behind the scenes that we are unaware of? Not only with the Church but legal institutions and governing bodies have become irredeemably corrupt. The elders in Ezekiel’s day practiced idolatry in the temple created for Yahweh. That’s not just re-purposing an old building, they rejected their Creator by dishonoring His house and worshiping pagan gods.

Turning from God means embracing the enemy. A third go-my-own-way option doesn't exist.

What is permitted by the ‘elders’ that God calls sin? Judgment or not, it’s time for a return to Christ for all who will listen. I think the Church will look different going forward. It will likely be strong locally and weak nationally. Might we see a Chinese model, where house churches split after reaching a certain number? Yes I believe so. The decentralization allows a quicker move of the gospel. The lessons from our current culture is that when institutions get too big they become corrupt, hopelessly so.

But the gospel finds another way, like water through rocks. Ezekiel reminds us to redeem the time.

Discover Free Will and Purpose: Kill off the Mystical Mind

 

The Mystical Mindset vs God's Word

The most useful thing I’ve discovered is that our free will provides us with opportunities to choose our path without fear of ignoring God’s will.

 It may be a little much to say I’ve “discovered” it, as if I’m working in a lab mixing chemicals and hoping for the next penicillin. But a teacher of the Word brought it to my attention recently. I should explain a little more. A good friend from church told me to sign up for this class that helps Christian men find their purpose. The class is led by a teacher who developed the curriculum. It is based on scripture but it also assumes certain things about the people in the group.

Instruction on Purpose

 First, they understand (at least marginally) the Bible and its application to our lives.

Second, they must have some interest in discovering their purpose. He breaks down words like “purpose” and “freedom” into manageable chunks. We walk through simple exercises designed to explore what we believe about ourselves and God. A good part of the class is looking at our own lives to figure out where the kinks are. The second part, I imagine, is untangling the kinks so that purpose can flow unobstructed through our lives. I say kinks as in a garden hose. The analogy is a little forced but I’m working on it.

The Bible tells us we were sinners before Jesus made a way for us to get to the Father, or more accurately for the Father to get to us. Jesus reconnected that link between humans and God that was broken in the Garden of Eden. The problems we walk around with are the result of bad thinking. Here I’m talking about Christians. Even when we understand what Christ did for us we struggle to live completely in His will, choosing to make decisions based on our faulty ideas lodged in our brain like a virus.

Decisions for Life

One type of thinking, I’ll call it mystical, is the idea that We can’t make big choices in life without a sign from heaven. What constitutes big choices? Let’s say the usual types of life affirming stuff like career, relationships and school. We could lump in moves and big spending financial stuff like whether or not to buy an additional car. Most people will have a slightly different list. The point is to separate daily decisions we make like which groceries to buy to which sports can our kids play at school.

I’m calling the mindset “mystical” because as a Christian I want to align my will with the Holy Spirit and follow His call. But waiting for a sign from heaven can become a hindrance if we are unwilling to make decisions without them. Signs are a crutch for those not confident in their faith. I can’t go there because God hasn’t told me I should. I won’t sign up for that because I haven’t heard from Him yet. I’m not sure I should take that job, buy that house or sell my boat.

 Sometimes God may choose to give us a dream as a warning, or close a door we would’ve walked through. But we shouldn’t let the lack of a sign paralyze us to inaction. The victory that Jesus secured through the cross and the resurrection, gave us the ability to walk confidently in the world and make bold decisions.

The Wrong Message

I like how the apostle Peter says it “…His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness.” (2 Peter 1:2) That should give us a sense that we are infused with a holy confidence we can rest in. The mystical mindset is a problem for a lot of charismatic Christians, raised with a sense of divine appointment around every corner.

How do I know it’s a problem? Because it’s a problem for me. I can extend that thinking outward and rightly assume it affects a lot of us. I think it comes from hearing miraculous testimony from pastors and visiting speakers at church. A steady diet of healing stories can make one believe that only daily miraculous encounters constitute genuine Christian living. This is the fault of the hearer and not the speaker. The speaker reminds us that God’s power is alive and responding to His Word. We need the confirmation. We need the testimony. Faith comes through the hearing of the Word.

Additionally, I’ve heard a handful of divine appointment testimonies that put the man or woman of God in the right place at the right time. 

Divine Appointments

One very moving story I heard was about a husband and wife who filled a cooler with Coca-Cola and handed them out to thirsty people at Walmart. To anyone who listened they talked about Jesus and shared the gospel. The Coke was just a way to approach strangers with the good news. A woman was so moved by the gesture that she invited her husband to come to Walmart and hear the nice folks handing out Coca-Cola. He came and heard about Christ. He agreed to come to their church and got baptized that night. He surrendered his life to Jesus and the rest of his family followed his lead. This all happened in a day. Later that evening he collapsed of a heart attack and passed away.

Amazing right?

If not for those people handing out drinks would that man hear the gospel? The mystical mindset takes a story like that and assumes God gave specific instructions in a dream or a vision to the couple to hand out Coke. Or maybe they think God used an audible voice. I can almost see the couple sitting there watching the news and a booming voice interrupts them and starts giving directions. We know the Holy Spirit puts burdens on our hearts for people. He certainly can speak to our hearts about specific places and times and events.

But mostly He works through what we already have. The most amazing part of the story was not the logistical issues of handing out Coca-Cola, it was God’s heart for that lost soul. He looked around to find an opportunity for this man to hear about His Son because the man’s time was short. That’s the real miracle. That’s the beauty of the Father’s relentless pursuit for His Sons and Daughters. The mistake we make (unintentionally) is focusing on our part and waiting for the mystical reveal, the voice or the dream or the vision.

Fear of False Moves

The other side of the mystical mind is a fear of making the wrong move. Whereas the testimony of God’s divine timing encourages us, the anti-testimony (my phrase) about the wrong decision creates fear from the opposite direction. I know of pastors who’ve taken positions in churches across the country only to return less than a year later. They’re distraught and confused about where they messed up. 

Did they mess up? Did they leave a job unfinished, what it too daunting? Were they even supposed to be there? It’s never an easy question to answer because every situation is different. The mystical mind fears a false move because it seems like failure or worse. We’ve made a critical error in hearing from God and now we must suffer from our self-inflicted punishment.   

Our mindset led us to believe that struggle can’t be right. If God’s path is true than it must be easy. The testimonies of the saints tell us so. Get a sign, do a deed, get a testimony. Repeat as needed. But this was never true. We heard the wrong message. We focused on the sizzle and not the steak. Our understanding of God’s will for us amounts to signs and wonders with fortune cookie wisdom. Our mystical mindset keeps us kinked up (Sticking with the garden hose analogy) unable to let our purpose flow freely.

Conclusion

God gave us free will as a gift. We need to take the right messages from testimonies. In every one we should see the heart of the Father toward the lost and move toward that vision. I’m convinced that God uses us where we are and where we might be. And yes, healing, deliverance and divine appointments will become more frequently in our lives when we start moving.

 

 

PGA Championship Tulsa

 

Golf for Non Golfers

This week has been busy with house repairs and painting. Usually I do some writing during the week and not much else. Summer is just about here though and that means mowing and taking care of the yard. I’ve talked about how much I enjoy yardwork, housework not so much. But my smoke room needed to smell less smoky. All those years of cigar smoke and neglect created a small headache for me. No problem, I’d do it again. But cleanup means Kilz paint and a lot of scrubbing. That’s been my week.

I had a reprieve Saturday in the form of golf. No I don’t play. But the PGA Championship was in town and Michael (left in the picture) scored some club tickets. Apparently this is the 5^th time Tulsa has hosted this event. I didn’t live here the last time (2007) but others who did told me it was quite a spectacle. I’d never been to any professional golf tournament and I’d never seen the grounds of Southern Hill Country Club. I’ve played a few public courses in my life but nothing on the scale of a championship course.

They prepare for these events years in advance. Tulsa just hosted a Senior PGA event last year so they were more prepared than most to turn around suddenly and host another one. The “suddenly” was the January 6^th event at the White House where agent provocateurs stormed Congress and blamed Trump for it. Trump was toxic after that and the PGA decided to pull out of his course in New Jersey and look elsewhere. They found Tulsa. Good for us, victory for the hometown. This event is expected to bring in somewhere in the neighborhood of 150 million dollars. So yeah, this was a huge win.

The city set up shuttle areas and rented 50 busses or so to ferry people from two separate lots. We showed up at 9:30 and took a short ride to the course. The first thing that surprised me was how quiet such a large group of people could be. We walked up to the 9^th hole and watched a duo (can’t remember who) finish their puts. Thousands of spectators in jackets looked on silently and clapped when the ball rolled into the cup.  Jackets, because the temperature never got above 57 all day; the day before a steamy 90. With an occasional breeze it was cold at times, unseasonably so for Oklahoma in May.

Our tickets entitled us to eat and drink for free. Businesses can pay for makeshift suites set up at strategic areas of the course. I image these only go up during big events. Our deck faced the 16^th hole. If we wanted we could’ve sat there all day and watched from the windows as the players hit their second shot. But the real action is right up along the green. That’s where a lot of spectators set up shop early in the day. It became difficult to get near the any of the green after noon. Too many people had set up their chairs. It was clear they weren’t moving.

There seems to be 3 different ways people watch the event. The first way is what I already described. Pick a hole, bring a camp chair and stay put. You can see every grouping come by and save your legs from what is a grueling walk from hole to hole. That’s actually the second way to watch. Find a golfer you like, or one who’s in the lead, and follow them around the course. This is tough. You won’t get a great look at them because of the alternate routes that exist for each hole. You need to avoid dead ends and blockages. It’s impossible to stand near the greens in the afternoon because of the camp chairs parked around the edges. Some fans prefer it because they can watch their favorite golfer. That brings up the third option, a mixture of both. We parked near hole 4 for a bit, then trapesed over to 2 and 3. We walked a lot but not as much as someone following a player.

We followed Tiger early in the day. He teed off early but still managed a huge crowd. He sunk a nice 30 foot put on 15. The crowd erupted. I like that about golf, no booing and very little heckling. There is the obligatory overserved fan shouting the golfer's first name hoping they look over. "Rory! Rory!" they never look. Other sports have good guys and bad, home teams and away. We boo the refs when they make calls against our guys. Not golf. Fans root for the ball to go in the hole. That’s basically it. Golfers are so lucky.

The grandstands were set up in front of the clubhouse. It’s an ideal place to watch because you can see 3 different holes from that point, 18, 9 and 5. Neither of us wanted to sit for hours at a time so we mixed it up. I enjoyed the whole experience. Tulsa was ready to go too. It was highly organized and professional.

Our next big event is 2029. I believe it’s the US Open. Here’s to hoping we can get the same club tickets again.

Fearing the Lord: Society's Missing Piece

 

Fear the Lord

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: A good understanding have all those who do His commandments. His praise endures forever.” (Psalm 110:10)

Child Like Fear 

We read the verse differently as children than we do as adults. Fear to children is something to avoid at all costs. Not all kids have the same measure of fear either. My brother was more of a risk taker, likelier than me to get in trouble for recklessness. When we were young my parents would put us down for a nap. He would wait until they turned out the light and creep (carefully) over to his table and get out coloring books. Of course he wasn’t careful at all, he’d crash into the wall or trip on his way back to bed.

My fear of parental correction was greater than his. 

I laid in my bed just watching him and shaking my head in amazement. I’m sure I uttered something snotty like “Just wait till Dad sees you!” I don’t remember any of this of course. I’ve since heard these stories about his clumsy attempts to sneak out of bed and my 'saintly' refusal to follow along. My parents used to crack the door slightly and peer in to watch the show. We never knew they laughed themselves silly. Risky behavior or not, fear can be crippling and not how we would want to think of God. Nor would we want kids to think of the Heavenly Father as an old West judge dispensing punishment.

Correctly Understood Fear

Old Testament fear of the Lord is closer to awesome power than scary spirit. The ocean is an awesome force that we neglect at our own peril, but it’s not scary the way a horror movie is. But we’ve seen the devastating impact of tidal waves or tsunamis on communities close to the sea. Anyone spending time on the ocean should fear its power and respect the boundaries nature sets. But the ocean is critical to the life of the planet. Not to mention, it’s rich in natural resources. It’s a vast ecosystem we don’t even fully understand yet.  

Why is fear of the Lord the beginning of wisdom? The simplest explanation is this: society doesn’t fear the Lord because they don’t believe in Him. Obviously there are people around the world who fear the Lord. But in most countries the leadership believes in humanity. This has probably been the case for longer than I realize. I used to think of the New World Order as a conspiracy for nervous libertarians. I can see how blatant the NOW has become since Covid 19. Nearly every Western democratic leader has talked about the great reset like they’ve already decided what it means. They’re all reading from the same script.

Loosing Fear

The European Union has tried to dissolve sovereignty within the zone and toss decision making to Brussels. The World Health Organization is pushing for total control over pandemic preparedness in the United States. Their new bill would give the Director General carte blanch decision making within this country. Through lockdowns and surveillance they would run our lives. Our own country has debased the currency and flooded the borders with illegal aliens. There is no way any immigration system can keep up with this many people in the country. I can keep listing examples of lawless behavior from the top, not to mention the street violence (BLM, Antifa) being funded by wealthy communists.

Globalists don’t have the fear of the Lord because they act like their actions won’t have consequences in the next life. Likely their actions will have consequences in this life as well. I don’t know how long of a dark period we are facing but I know that God is just and His wrath is something to truly fear. Evil doers still have time to turn from their wickedness or face eternal damnation. Humanism is pride in the individual, his achievements, his progress and his indomitable will. It’s the philosophy that holds the evolving mind can overcome earthly constraints. Any world view that doesn’t recognize God as Creator begins as a lie and ends in destruction.

No Fear

Humanism works as a legitimate theory because man is an achieving creature, continually solving problems and making everyday life better. Science and technology have grown incredible in my short life. Today’s iPhone has a million times more memory than the computer that sent the Apollo 11 crew to the moon. I would never discount the power of the human brain, nor the determination to solve problems and conquer new worlds. We are made in God’s image and without that critical understanding we don’t have appropriate fear.

We don’t treat great works of art like they just materialized. Imagine standing in line to see the Mona Lisa and never acknowledging Leonardo Da Vinci as the creator. What if the Louvre removed all references to the artist and treated the painting like a beautiful accident with no author? That’s exactly what we do when we celebrate human achievement and pretend the individual is an entity unto themselves.

The lack of recognition is a slight against God. It’s offensive but we’re actually kind of used to this. But after years of ignoring the Creator, it begins to bleed into everything. It’s in inherent in the textbooks, awards, and laws that govern society. Slowly it takes over and sets up a primary position as the dominant way of thinking. Before you realize what’s happened, humanism is the default philosophy of the land. Judeo Christian attitudes are still around, like a Star Trek convention years after it was popular. Secular humanism, like an invasive weed, has choked out all opposition.

Recovering Fear

Now it’s becoming ever more prideful, any fear that existed in the Almighty is totally gone. Now notions of human achievement and progress means sex changes for pre-teens and gay literature for young kids. Why not though? Moral laws require boundaries and fear of crossing them. Humanism doesn’t recognize boundaries and actively works against the created order.

Christians raised in a moral country (mostly) aren’t familiar with resisting the culture. I’m convinced they’re waking up all over. I’m convinced they will see the rot at the heart of humanism and start dismantling corrupt institutions. Whether global organizations like the WHO or local ones like the school boards, all need a good cleansing. Most need to go away forever. There are hopelessly corrupt and/or antagonistic toward Christian beliefs. This war is upon us and has been for a long time. It won’t be easy to recover the lost ground but God is for us.

 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and we hurt ourselves when we don’t remember it. That’s the story of humanity. God’s unfailing love keeps bringing us back. But punishment is inevitable without repentance.

 

Jogging Loosens Mental Tightness

 

The Mental Ease of Consistent Running

Nothing brightens my mood like a long hard run. There is a strong connection between physical fitness and mental fitness. I can't imagine a better, healthier option for depression and anxiety.

Today was a perfect. I’ve decided I’m a morning person. Not that I hop out of bed and charge to coffee maker while singing showtunes, but I do function better early. Some people are born with a preference for mornings and some for late nights but the rest of us adapt. How many late nights did I have while working at Target? Or early mornings while in the Army? The point is I’m adaptable to either schedule, but when left to choose I pick early mornings.

My Preference

For the last 5 years or so I’ve chosen to run early because the sun is low in the sky. That’s my summer excuse at least. In winter the sun doesn’t show up for the first half of my run. That creates difficulty because I don’t like running in the dark. On occasion I’ll run through the city but it leaves me a little uncomfortable. Even with the street lights overhead I’ve tripped and tumbled on the concrete. I took a nasty scrape on my hand last year but nothing serious. The colder weather ensures that homeless people aren’t outside as much. When they are though they’re bundled up in blankets and not likely to bother me.

Loose dogs are a scarier than vagrants anyway. I cut through a neighborhood I don’t usually run in and noticed a dog trotting toward me. He didn’t seem aggressive but I stopped anyway and talked sweetly to him just in case. Thankfully he was friendly. I tried to walk away after petting him for a minute and I couldn’t shake him. He walked right behind me like my new best friend. This went on for a couple of minutes. Luckily a car pulled into the parking lot of an apartment complex and he lost interest in me and pursued the car instead. I’ll run past a group of sketchy homeless folks before I’d go down a random neighborhood again.

Another time I passed house with a stout Pitbull sitting on the porch of an old Victorian in need of a serious makeover. He stared me down intently but didn’t move. Again I stopped and walked slowly past the old house, just a guy minding his own business. I can’t outrun a dog and I won’t try, well maybe a dachshund.

But whatever the risks of jogging in the city, nothing tops the whole body release of an early run.

My Release

Running breaks up tension in the mind. If you’ve ever had to loosen a rusty nut on an old faucet you’ll understand what I mean. Once you spray on WD40 and torque the wrench it breaks free with a little muscle. Jogging does that by unwinding some mental tightness through sweat and endurance. I can’t decide if it’s the breathing or the leg muscles flexing and contracting. Maybe it’s just the body’s reaction to knowing that the effort is benefiting my health over the long term. It’s closer to a placebo effect but it still works.

Tulsa is about to get hotter than a stock car engine after 200 laps. It’s partly why I opt for jogging early. But at a certain point even early won’t be enough to avoid the heat. Longer runs have to give way to shorter until my endurance is up to summer level again. My tentative goal is to run the Route 66 Marathon this year. I’ve never attempted it but if I train correctly I like my chances. It’s a late fall run (November I think) so I have plenty of time. Last year I entered the Tulsa Run which is a 15K. It got my passion back up for racing. Without a race to work towards my jogging goals fade into oblivion.

My Plan

It’s not like I don’t run but I tend to settle for easier distances and a slower pace. For this past Cowtown half marathon (February) I put a lot of other work out priorities on hold. Everything I did became about sticking to the plan and hitting my pace goal. I didn’t finish with the time I wanted but I managed to shave off nearly 13 minutes from my first race 2 years before.

The best way to do that is to join a regular group again. I think I’m ready. I do love the teamwork idea of Saturdays spent with a consistent group. I only stopped because my injuries at the time made it impossible to keep going. But I’m a stronger runner today than I was then, thanks to early mornings in all kinds of weather.

 

 

 

DeSantis and the New Model for Education

 

A Model For Education: Start With Parents

Ron DeSantis is setting up a model for other Republican governors on how to protect kids and win over parents. In the process he is making it expensive for woke corporations to meddle in local affairs.

Fight the Woke Companies

Most people remember the national dust up over Florida’s bill to protect school children before 3^rd grade. In short, teachers can’t talk about sexual issues. Then Disney complained and the governor took away their sweet tax deal. He didn’t do it unilaterally of course. He got both houses to pass a bill to remove their self governing status. The governor (through parent groups) wanted references to sex and gender removed from their teaching instructions to young children. Disney and their allies protested. Ostensible because what, 1^st and 2^nd graders need to hear about sexual orientation? 

The whole thing was an own goal for the media company and I’m glad they paid an economic price.

Support the Parents

The long term problem for Disney isn’t the loss of tax advantages; it’s the idea in the minds of parents that the company that exists for kids, wants to push sexual issues down to the youngest possible levels. Does the stink from this go away anytime or do they keep rushing headlong into bankruptcy? When you lose the trust of the next generation you lose them for a long time. Governor DeSantis made this possible because he has guts and seems to understand where the country is on these issues. 

From CRT (Critical Race Theory) and masking to sexual identity for tots, parents are finally fighting back. The school board meetings across the country, Loudoun County, Virginia in particular showed parents railing against oppressive boards.

Will public schools be reformed through all of this or will parents opt for home schooling and alternatives? I’m curious what happens nationally. My optimistic take is that cities start electing common sense boards that aren’t antagonistic toward children. Curriculums move away from “woke” topics like race, gender and sexual orientation and get back to real school subjects like math and science. This will happen in some places while other districts go the other way and embrace left wing activism in all its forms. 

School districts will mirror the increasing urban/rural divide happening across the country.

Look for Alternatives

But some new ways of teaching and learning will replace the familiar classroom experience that most of probably grew up in. One option I really like is hiring one teacher for a small group of kids. Parents pool their money for a private teacher to homeschool small groups of kids. This took off during the pandemic as an alternative to teach through zoom that no one seemed to like. Private teachers for small groups is a cross between homeschool and small school. Called ‘pandemic pods’ they resembled one room school houses of last century. Obviously this isn’t an option for everyone. It’s expensive and not available everywhere.

I believe the idea of vouchers will take off as well. This is a great option for low income kids. Punish bad schools and reward good ones. Each parent gets a voucher and a choice of where to send their kids. I like the idea but I wouldn’t promise an end to all problems. But allowing parents (consumers) to treat schools like a marketplace should go a long ways toward killing off failing schools. Maybe it’s a pipe dream, but the current system is broken and needs serious reform.

Ignore the Critics

Critics of charter schools and vouchers like to say that it creates a system of haves and have-nots in education. But that’s exactly what we have now and keeping bad schools open is a guarantee that poor kids will go to poor schools and have less chance at success. I don’t have kids so a lot of this is purely academic, pun intended, to me. But I care about the future of the country the same as parents with a more direct stake. I heard a startling statistic about jail beds in Oklahoma prisons. The number of beds the state will need mirrors the number of drop outs in a given year.

Education is important but only if it insists on making kids learn practical subjects. The diversity and inclusion game is a racket and it’s ruining the minds of the next generation. We need a massive educational system that rewards learning and growth. Woke schools should die on the vine. They rob young kids of the ability to think for themselves and fill their heads up with resentment.

Conclusion

It’s impossible to predict the future of elementary and secondary education. The place to start is with the parents. When they get serious about what their kids are being taught states and districts begin to fall in line. Ron DeSantis is as responsive a governor as I’ve seen, from the Right, in a long time. He doesn’t patronize conservative parents over their concern for curriculum and he punishes institutions that step out of line. 

 Governors in red states should take note. Get serious about protecting kids, the parents will back you up.