Monthly Archives: May 2025

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A Time to Speak

I’m seeing several posts coming from well meaning people saying that we need to just love everybody and avoid any kind of confrontation.

Last year, President Trump narrowly missed being assassinated. This after several years of his opponents calling him a Nazi, a fascist, and a threat to democracy.

We need to just pray and not argue…

Where in Scripture does God tell us to be quiet and remain in our prayer closet while everyone else is voting, debating, knocking on doors, and basically pushing back against the narrative that says there is no absolute save the person who stares back at you in the mirror every morning?

This is the time to speak!

Here’s what I see:

First of all, to process Christ’s approach to the cross as our template for the way we confront evil is to forget that Jesus at one point said,

Every day I was with you in the temple courts, and you did not lay a hand on me. But this is your hour—when darkness reigns. (Lk 22:53).

Jesus’ willingness to be crucified was not meant to be an example for the way we resist evil and fight back against corruption. He had to go to the cross in order for the Scriptures to be fulfilled and to pay our debt (Matt 26:54). While there may be a time when Christ asks you to sacrifice yourself, simply laying down and doing nothing in the face of being attacked or not standing up for what’s right, believing that you’re an example of piety, is not an accurate interpretation of the whole of God’s Word.

John the Baptist wound up in prison for rightfully confronting the current administration and calling out Herod as being an immoral dirtbag. Jesus said that no human being was greater than John (Matt 11:9-11; Lk 3:19-20).

How many times in the Old Testament did a prophet confront a king or an entire nation and tell them that they were godless and offensive in the sight of God? Was Nathan vague in the way he spoke to David (2 Sam 12:7)? Did Elisha mince words when he told the king of Israel what was going to happen to him and his wife as a result of doing evil in the sight of God (1 Kings 21:21-24)?

Did David give Goliath a brochure? Did Paul try to be extra sensitive when he spoke to King Agrippa (Acts 26:24-29)?

There’s a difference between righteous indignation and the kind of rage that springs from thinking of no one other than yourself. Ephesians 4:26 says to not let your anger provoke you to the point where you do something wrong. That’s obviously something you want to avoid. Simply exchanging insults on social media is not accomplishing anything.

But at one point, David said…

Do I not hate those who hate you, and abhor those who are in rebellion against you? I have nothing but hatred for them; I count them my enemies. (Ps 139:21)

What David is saying is that he hates the work of sinners, and for good reason. Nothing good comes from those who intentionally try to do the wrong thing. And when you consider the pain and the problems that come from doing the wrong thing, you have every reason to detest that kind of mindset.

But, how do you respond to the “wrong thing?”

Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. (Eph 5:11)

Expose them!

The person who doesn’t want to be “exposed” is not going to want to listen to you, nor do they want others to listen to you. They will be antagonistic and that kind of reaction is difficult to endure, which is why it’s so important to know what you believe and why you believe it so when it’s time to “expose them,” you sound like you have a point.

It also takes courage. For those who cringe at the thought of being criticized, it’s easy and convenient to retreat behind a biblical sounding excuse to not say or do anything.

That’s not discipleship, that’s cowardice.

What would’ve happened had our founding fathers not stood up to King George?

On one hand, they could’ve referred to Christ’s command to render to Caesar what is Caesar’s as well as the biblical admonishment to obey those in authority (Matt 22:21; Rom 13:1).

But rather than base their perspective on a mere portion of Scripture, they looked at God’s Word as a whole and were able to justify separating from England due to the fact that we are to obey God rather than man (Acts 5:29).

They stood up and they spoke out.

Your witness means very little if you smile at the things that send a person to hell and endorse the things that put Christ on the cross.

David didn’t just sing, Paul didn’t just write, and Jesus didn’t just pray.

There’s a time to be silent and there’s a time to speak.

This is the time to speak.

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The Broadside | Take the Money and Run

Trump is offering illegally present foreigners a gift.

The Department of Homeland Security is intensifying its efforts to persuade unauthorized immigrants to self-deport by offering a $1,000 stipend and travel assistance.

The federal agency announced Monday that those who use the CBP Home app to voluntarily leave the United States will receive assistance “to facilitate travel back to their home country” and $1,000 “paid after their return to their home country has been confirmed through the app.”

When I first saw that it struck me negatively. Why would we “reward” people who had illegally crossed into our country? Not only did millions of people commit a crime when crossing our border illegally, millions of people were given handouts when they got here. Some of them were flown to a city of their choice.

It wasn’t until I read further that I realized that there is a huge benefit for illegal aliens who self-deport, namely that they preserve the right to return to the U.S. using proper channels and processes. But the even bigger benefit is for U.S. citizens: it saves taxpayer dollars.

A single deportation costs U.S. taxpayers $17,121, according to DHS. The federal agency expects self-deportations to decrease that cost by 70%, even after factoring in the stipend.

Matt Margolis adds:

At first glance, it might sound counterintuitive that the Trump administration would offer $1,000 to illegal aliens who self-deport—but that’s exactly why the liberal media ran wild with it. They led with the cash payments, plastering them across headlines and opening paragraphs, hoping to spark outrage while conveniently glossing over the bigger picture. What they buried—on purpose—is that these stipends are part of a strategic effort to restore order at the border and save taxpayer dollars.

By encouraging voluntary departures through a streamlined process, the Trump administration is projected to slash deportation costs by up to 70%. It costs the government over $17,000 to arrest, detain, and remove someone through traditional deportation channels. Voluntary returns also sidestep the complex diplomatic negotiations typically required to get countries to accept their returning citizens. 

I don’t really care how illegals leave; just that they do. If we can bribe them with $1,000 and it saves us money, I’m all for it.

This is what I voted for.

I mentioned yesterday that my buddy Bruce Gust will be taking over the blog for the next few days as I take a break to visit the littles. He’s filled in for me several times over the last five years and I always appreciate it.

Bruce was at the center of a controversy earlier this year when he sang a unique rendition of the national anthem before a Nashville Predators v. Anaheim Ducks hockey game. Maybe you heard about it.

U.S. Marine Corps veteran Bruce Gust performed his own rendition of the anthem at the Bridgestone Arena before the Nashville Predators took on the Anaheim Ducks. He brought out bongos to help add a rhythmic beat to the song.

Ducks star Trevor Zegras joked that the unique performance affected his play at the start.

“I think the bongo anthem threw us off a little bit in the first,” Zegras said. “But once we recovered from that, we were back to our game, which was good.”

I personally thought the rhythmic rendition, while unique, was quite well done. In addition to being a musical artist, Bruce is also an author of several books. I recommend his “American Devotional Series: Part One: The Revolutionary War.” You can also check out his Muscular Christianity website, where he offers spiritual encouragement and physical fitness resources.

Thanks Bruce!

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The Broadside | ‘The Rock’ is Back as My Vote Pays Dividends

Trump orders Alcatraz maximum security prison to reopen, rebuild and expand to house ‘America’s most ruthless and violent’ criminals.

President Donald Trump is calling for the notorious prison and now historical landmark, Alcatraz, in San Francisco, California, to be rebuilt larger and reopened to house the country’s most ruthless and violent criminals.

Trump made the announcement in a Truth Social post on Sunday evening.

“REBUILD, AND OPEN ALCATRAZ!” the president said. “For too long, America has been plagued by vicious, violent, and repeat Criminal Offenders, the dregs of society, who will never contribute anything other than Misery and Suffering.

“When we were a more serious Nation, in times past, we did not hesitate to lock up the most dangerous criminals, and keep them far away from anyone they could harm,” Trump continued, adding that it’s supposed to be this way. “No longer will we tolerate these Serial Offenders who spread filth, bloodshed, and mayhem on our streets.”

Trump is all in on reversing with intensity the indulgences of the prior administration. If Brandon allowed an invasion of foreigners without structure or oversight, then we’re going to arrest, imprison and deport them, and we’ll use the most notorious supermax prison to do it.

I’m all for reclaiming and reimagining that jetty of rock off the San Francisco coast. And it’s clear why Trump wants to do so:

Trump, in his social media post, said the country can’t be held hostage by “criminals, thugs, and Judges that are afraid to do their job and allow us to remove criminals, who came into our Country illegally.”

The Republican has railed against federal judges who have slowed his effort to boot alleged gangbangers and ship them off to the infamous El Salvador megaprison.

AP wrote, “Trump, returning to the White House on Sunday night after a weekend in Florida, said he’d come up with the idea because of frustrations with “radicalized judges” who have insisted those being deported receive due process. Alcatraz, he said, has long been a “symbol of law and order. You know, it’s got quite a history.”

Fine. If activist judges want to bottleneck Trump’s executive power, he’s got to find another way to deal with the threat. Funny enough, Don Jr. floated the idea of reopening Alacatraz back in January.

After his father’s announcement of creating a facility at the military base in Cuba to hold thousands of undocumented immigrants, Don Jr. tweeted, “Maybe we should also reopen Alcatraz?”

Being 1.25-miles from shore, Alcatraz has a reputation as being inescapable, even though 36 inmates tried and failed over 14 attempts during the years it was open (1934-1963). (There may have been three who made it in 1962, but there’s no definitive proof.) It used to hold some of America’s most violent and notorious criminals including gangsters James “Whitey” Bulger, Al Capone and George “Machine Gun” Kelly. It closed in 1963 after “island operations proved far more costly than mainland-based prisons.”

It’s both a symbolic and practical solution to a big problem.

Maybe Trump will hire some of El Salvador’s prison wardens to teach us how to handle the most violent offenders in our country. They’ll still get ‘due process,’ but we don’t need to make it pleasant for them.

A programming note: my buddy Bruce Gust will be filling in for me starting Wednesday as we visit with the littles. He’s always got good things to share with a Christian emphasis. My last post before break will be tomorrow.

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The Broadside | The First Shakeup of Team Trump

Mike Waltz is out as Trump’s National Security Advisor. But I’m not sure this is the coup that the Left thinks it is.

Quick Hit:

President Donald Trump announced Thursday that he will nominate Mike Waltz as the next U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. Waltz, a former Green Beret, congressman, and current National Security Advisor, is expected to vacate that role immediately.

Key Details:

  • Trump praised Waltz for his military service and leadership, saying he “has worked hard to put our Nation’s Interests first” and will bring that same commitment to the U.N.
  • In the interim, Secretary of State Marco Rubio will serve as National Security Advisor while continuing his leadership at the State Department.
  • Trump stated the appointments reflect a continued push “to Make America, and the World, SAFE AGAIN,” signaling a focus on national security and international diplomacy heading into the next phase of his administration.

Democrats have been trying to oust Pete Hegseth over “Signalgate” a few weeks ago when Mike Waltz inadvertently added the Atlantic’s editor to a chat where senior officials were discussing attacks against the Houthis. Waltz owned the error and apologized but the Dems pounced on the situation as leverage to get rid of America First appointees.

It may be that Trump took care of the issue by removing Waltz but keeping him involved by nominating him to be the next U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. That’s got to make Dem’s heads spin.

If you thought President Trump was running out of ways to troll the left, you probably weren’t counting on the ultimate bait-and-switch that is sure to send the Democrats into a collective hissy fit.

On Thursday, we learned that National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and his deputy, Alex Wong, are out at the National Security Council. Democrats absolutely salivated at the news. Of course, Waltz was never their true target—that’s Pete Hegseth—but, clearly, they saw Waltz’s departure from the National Security Council as a victory, and they felt emboldened by it. 

And then Trump nominated Waltz as his new pick for UN ambassador. 

“I am pleased to announce that I will be nominating Mike Waltz to be the next United States Ambassador to the United Nations,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social. “From his time in uniform on the battlefield, in Congress and, as my National Security Advisor, Mike Waltz has worked hard to put our Nation’s Interests first. I know he will do the same in his new role.”  

Trump can’t be accused of not acting in response to the “scandal” of the Signal chat. Waltz is out.

But Waltz is also not out.

What played out this week was not just classic Trump—it was trolling on a level that left Democrats and the media scratching their heads in disbelief. It’s the kind of move only Trump could pull off, turning a target of a faux scandal into the face America presents to the world at the United Nations.

Trump’s nomination of Mike Waltz to the UN ambassador position proves once again that he’s playing 4D chess while his opponents are stuck playing checkers. What might Trump do next to troll the left? I have some ideas. While Secretary of State Marco Rubio will be interim national security advisor, a totally boss move would be for Trump to nominate General Michael Flynn as Waltz’s replacement.

Can you imagine?

Have a great weekend.

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The Broadside | Today is the National Day of Prayer

Thanks to Linda for calling it to my attention.

Instead of writing about the latest political or cultural rot, here’s the official “2025 National Prayer.” Honestly, I’m as guilty as the next Christian when it comes to pointing out the flaws in our great nation rather than petitioning God to change hearts and minds by His Spirit.

Take a moment with me to pray this prayer on behalf of our nation today.

God of hope, fill us with all joy and peace

in believing, so that we will abound in

hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

You have caused us to be born again to

a living hope through the resurrection of

Jesus Christ from the dead; therefore,

we hope in what we do not see.

This world is not our home or reality,

but the Lord is our Rock,

our Truth, our certainty.

God of hope, we pour out our praise

and are filled with Your powerful presence.

We pour out repentance of sin and are filled

with forgiveness and righteousness.

We pour out pain from the attacks of the

enemy—anxiousness, fear, anger—and You

fill us with courage, assurance, and love.

We pour out our needs, the desires of our

hearts, and are filled with Your Kingdom

provision and purpose.

We pour out our hearts for our nation, for

the people and places, relationships and

responsibilities the Lord has established: the

Church, Family, Education, Business,

Military, Arts, Entertainment, Media, and

Government. May all who live, serve, and

steward in these be filled with Your purpose,

wisdom, strength, and truth.

Let Your lovingkindness, O LORD, be upon

us, as we have hoped in You.

In abounding hope, anchored by our hope

in the name of Jesus, we pray. Amen!

See you tomorrow.