My daughter is in college and public school for the first time in her life and she’s learning all about people out there. She’s not impressed.

She’s taking this writing class as one of her subjects. A few weeks ago, she got her first essay back and she got a 90% out of 100%. I tell you that, not to brag about my daughter, but to tell you a story about people. So in my daughter’s class, an older woman asked my daughter if she could sit by her. English isn’t this woman’s first language, so she asks my daughter for clarification, when the teacher talks. This older woman had made a point of contacting my daughter after class, the first week of school, and asking if she could sit by her for the whole semester. My daughter, the kind soul she is, said yes.

There is another girl that sits on the other side of this older woman, who she gets help from, besides my daughter. The three of them have gone to the writer’s clinic to get their essays edited. This other girl looked over my daughter’s paper (the one she got a 90% on) and pulled out a sentence, she didn’t like. My daughter asked her why she didn’t like the sentence. The girl said she didn’t know, she just didn’t like it. It was a perfectly good sentence, but the girl just didn’t like it. Alrighty then, that’s helpful. This girl, this sentence hating girl, got a 75% on her essay.

The three of them began to work on their next essay. The older woman kept asking my daughter for help. My daughter was giving her the answers she didn’t want, so she turned to sentence hating girl. This woman turned back to my daughter and said the other girl is a really good writer, that’s why she was going to get help from her. She shouldn’t have gotten a 75% on her essay. The teacher was being unfair.

Sentence hating girl, misses a lot of class because she says she doesn’t like the teacher. The teacher just suggested, last week, that she drop the class. The older woman keeps telling my daughter what an amazing writer, this other girl is. The one that got a 75% on her last essay. The one that has been asked to drop the class. That same one. Despite all the facts, this older woman has decided the girl is a genius at writing. This girl who hasn’t written anything, is a genius at writing.

My daughter and I had a conversation about politics, the other day. I was telling her some of the things Hillary Clinton has done. My daughter wanted to know why people would vote for her, despite all these facts about how bad she is. I compared Hillary to her writing class. This older woman has decided that sentence hating girl is a brilliant writer. No matter what the facts are, this is what she’s decided is her reality. The same goes for people in general. They hear the things Hillary has done, but have decided they will vote for her anyways. It all doesn’t matter. The facts don’t matter.

Isn’t that true of all mankind? The facts don’t matter. Most people wander through life believing what they want to believe and ignoring the facts. We didn’t evolve. We were created by a loving God. However, science books, movies and school all tell people that evolution is real. People can’t change their sex by cutting off body parts or adding them. Transgenderism isn’t real. But we’ve got people doing just that, convinced they are what they “feel.”

The facts are: God does exist, God is real, we are all sinners. (that’s one fact MANY people refuse to believe), Jesus Christ offered his life as a sacrifice for our sins and He rose from the dead. These facts are glaring. But how many times do you see some documentary on how there was no way Jesus Christ could have risen from the dead. The Bible testifies to it. God said it. Jesus Christ predicted it. But no, many people refuse to believe it. They deny the facts of God to believe in their own reality.

As frustrating as it is for my daughter, she’s learning some hard facts about people in general. I hate to see her become hardened, but she’s learning some important lessons. This will be her help in the future, along with God’s guidance and instruction.

I wondered how long I could go without talking about the election. I think I held out for awhile, but here goes.

So Hillary Clinton is running against Donald Trump. We all know that. You’d have to have your head buried in the sand if you didn’t. I’ve heard people say they’re voting for Trump because it’s the lesser of two evils. Is it really?

Hillary Clinton has got to be one of those most wicked women I’ve ever seen. Jezebel comes to mind when I think of her. Remember Jezebel in the Bible? Here’s a quick refresher for you. She was married to Ahab. She stole a man’s vineyard for her husband. She set up the vineyard owner to look evil, and then had him accused and taken out and stoned to death. She threatened Elijah the prophet. She was so evil, God spoke of her doom saying, “The dogs will eat Jezebel in the district of Jezreel.” (1 Kings 21:23)   God actually blames Jezebel for causing Ahab to do “evil in the sight of the Lord.” (1 Kings 21:25) I would say that’s a lot of wickedness.

There are reports that a long line of murders plague the Clintons. I can’t prove it, but I have a hard time not believing it. Hillary Clinton is a liar. She lies, lies, and lies again. Just do a google search and you’ll find press clips of her saying one thing, then the opposite thing the next day. I found one clip the other day of the uber liberal actress Susan Surandan criticizing Hillary Clinton for, lying and being nothing but a liar. And this is someone who WAS a major supporter of Hillary Clinton. She said they used to be friends, but not anymore.

And pride? She believes she is so far above the American people. She just needs to appease the people long enough to get into the white house, then we’ll see the real Hillary. God’s opposed to the proud.

That is the prize she seeks. She wants to be the first female president of the United States of America. She’s been at this game for thirty years.

The democratic platform, in which she stands on, is 100% anti-Biblical. She firmly supports abortion, which if we wanted to talk about just one part of her evil, that’s a major part.

None of this has escaped God. He knows exactly what is going to happen in the election. But like Abraham did when God told him He was going to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, I’m pleading with God against Hillary Clinton. I’m pleading with God, pleading for His mercy upon this country. I’m asking God to deny Hillary that one prize she wants, to become the first female president of the United States. I’m pleading with God, because of her great wickedness, her lies, and her pride, for God to deny her that prize she seeks.

Trump isn’t perfect, but he’s a far cry from Hillary Clinton. He’s surrounding himself with good people. Look at his vice presidential nominee. God knows none of us are perfect. God likes using the imperfect to do His work. He can use Trump to get us back on track. Trump isn’t part of the establishment. He’s a capitalist, who knows money and freedom.

Will you pray with me? Will you pray for mercy upon our country? Will you pray for God to deny Hillary the prize she seeks, because of her great wickedness? Please join me.

“If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14

My husband asked me the other day what makes people crazy. (We have weird conversations in our house). I thought about it and remembered crazy people from my past.

I remember these two brothers who played basketball for the boy’s team in high school. They were normal guys, just like all of us. Shoot ahead, a few years later and I go back to Dillingham, Alaska. I see these guys on the streets in Dillingham. Their minds have been blown by drugs. They spend their days walking up and down the streets of Dillingham. They are incoherent and completely lost.

I’ve written about the alcohol problem in Alaska. Alaska is a tough place to live because of the long hours of darkness during the winter. Drunks are temporarily crazy. People really need the sun and the Son.

I’ve talked about my time working at a psych hospital after college. A few times, I had to work for the I.C.U. (intensive care unit). This was the real life, “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.” Except Jack Nicholson and the big Indian guy weren’t there. These people were crazy. (That’s the professional term). One woman would take off all her clothes and dance around her room. We were warned to bring a sheet when she did that, so we can give her some dignity before we took her down. Another woman kept telling me how THEY were after her and I needed to call this certain number to get her out of there before THEY kill her.

There are stories upon stories of drug addicts, alcoholics, or sex addicts. All people looking for peace, happiness, joy. It’s not found at the bottom of a bottle, in the next fix, or the next sex partner. They all end up crazy to some degree.

I told my husband that people make themselves crazy. In their pursuit of happiness, they usually end up pursuing the wrong thing and end up crazy. There is only One key to happiness. Outside of Him, people won’t find happiness.

One of my favorite professors from Biola, walked into class one day with the secret to happiness. He made that announcement when he walked into class the day. “I’ve found the secret to happiness!” he said. And then proceeded to tell us young whippersnappers what it was.

He read from Psalms 15.

O LORD, who may abide in Your tent?
Who may dwell on Your holy hill?

2He who walks with integrity, and works righteousness,
And speaks truth in his heart.

3He does not slander with his tongue,
Nor does evil to his neighbor,
Nor takes up a reproach against his friend;

4In whose eyes a reprobate is despised,
But who honors those who fear the LORD;
He swears to his own hurt and does not change;

5He does not put out his money at interest,
Nor does he take a bribe against the innocent.
He who does these things will never be shaken.

My professor had read Psalms 15 that morning and decided he HAD found the secret to happiness. He started off by explaining the first two sentences: “O Lord, who may abide in Your tent? Who may dwell on your holy hill?” He explained that if someone were to live in God’s tent or dwell on His holy hill, wouldn’t that be a great place to be? Wouldn’t you have peace and joy, being so close to God? How could you not? The passage goes on to explain what things this person does. And finally, David ends the passage with, “He who does these things will never be shaken.” Doesn’t that sound like a nice deal? If you are never shaken, the simplified version would be whoever does these things will not go crazy.

I don’t know about you, but I for one would love to “never be shaken.” I for one would love to “abide in” His tent and “dwell on” His Holy hill. That sounds like a great place to be. If you don’t think so, look at the other options. You can try to do other things to find peace and happiness, but you wouldn’t be the first person to do so. There’s nothing new under the sun. (That’s in the Bible too). Save yourself the trouble.

The enemy would love for you to pursue happiness through a bottle of booze. But that’s so overdone, and so far it hasn’t worked for anybody. You can try drugs, but how many stories have we heard of people on drugs and they either die or get smart enough to get off of them. And sex. Sex is only fulfilling when it’s between a man and woman who are married to each other. Anything outside of that, and it’s an empty, depressing endeavor.

God offers us peace and joy. He says to believe on His Son, Jesus Christ. This is guaranteed peace, as long as we follow God’s will. Everything else is a counterfeit that will leave you sadder and more depressed or crazy. God is the real deal. I’ve been a Christian for a long time and I have experienced the “peace that surpasses all understanding.” Believe on Him. Trust in Him so that you “will never be shaken.”

 

When I was seven years old we lived in Hayward, California. I was born in Dillingham, Alaska, but then I’m not sure where my parents went, but by the time I started school we were living in California. When I was seven, I had to get my tonsils out. I went to school that day, but my mom was going to pick me up early to take me to the hospital. I was waiting for the teacher to tell me when to go. I didn’t know my mom was already outside in the car, waiting for me to come out. She waited and waited, while I didn’t come out. Finally, I did, and my mom was a little perturbed at me. We drove home.

When we got to our front porch, something was wrong. I can’t remember what my mom saw, but she said something about things being wrong. When we got into the house, it felt weird. Mom immediately ran to her bedroom and things were really wrong. Her closet door was forced open. Things were tossed about. Her pillowcases were missing on her pillows. I went to my room and my raggedy Ann plastic penny bank was torn open and all the money gone! We had been robbed!

Mom called the police and they came over right away. They talked to our neighbor who did see them rob our house. She said they had just left, before we got there. The policeman was writing down things we were missing and mom mentioned guns. The police looked at my mom and said she was really lucky. He didn’t know how many people interrupt a robbery and get shot with their own guns. That stood out in my little head. We could’ve been shot?!? But I was late getting out of class, so we weren’t shot. God was looking out for us.

Our house got robbed two more times after that. The robbers got brave and left a note the last time they robbed us, saying they would be back. I was never the same after the robbery. I was scared all the time. Especially, in the back room where my sister and I slept. We didn’t want to go in there anymore, because that is where the robbers came in and out.

Because of the robberies, Dad decided to move back to Alaska. He said he was going to a place where you didn’t need to lock your door at night. So we made the move to Dillingham, Alaska. I was used to the land of sidewalks and freeways. Now we were in a town with no street lights or paved roads. It rained all the time. I remember stopping in Anchorage, before moving to Dillingham. We were down in my aunt’s basement playing. My dad interrupted our play to have us taste something. It was powdered milk. “Here try this,” he said. I took a quick sip and said it tasted great because I wanted to go back and play. It was the nastiest stuff I’ve ever tasted. I didn’t know that was going to be our milk in Dillingham.

There were so many changes that year. But a good change was going to Community Baptist Church in Dillingham and hearing the preaching of a great preacher named Harlan Willis. I got saved under his preaching.

Romans 8:28 “And we know God causes all things to work for good for those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”

God took a bad situation, getting robbed three times, to bring us to Dillingham, Alaska. I heard the gospel message over and over, so clearly, through Harlan Willis. When I was nine years old, Harlan showed us the movie, “A Thief in the Night,” and that scared me into salvation. I accepted the Lord, right there in my room. It was the most important decision I ever made and I credit Harlan Willis for teaching me that. Our house got robbed three times, so Dad packed us up to move us to Dillingham. Our whole lives changed. But through it all, God caused all things to work for good. I am so thankful to my parents taking me to church and having me listen to Harlan Willis over and over again.