Election Day in the USA has passed once again and many voters (50% or so) are very upset with some, if not all, of the results. The following article from www.gotquestions.org provides valuable insight into God and politics.

“If there is anything that will spark a spontaneous debate, if not an outright argument, it is a discussion involving politics—even among believers. As followers of Christ, what should be our attitude and our involvement with politics? It has been said that “religion and politics don’t mix.” But is that really true? Can we have political views outside the considerations of our Christian faith? The answer is no, we cannot. The Bible gives us two truths regarding our stance towards politics and government.

The concept of influencers (influencer is someone who has the power to affect the decisions of others because of his or her authority, knowledge, position, or relationship with his or her audience) has been around for quite some time, but the modern idea of social media influencers really took off in the early 2000s.

Before social media, influential figures like celebrities and public figures used traditional media (newspapers, radio, TV) to sway public opinion. The early 2000s saw the rise of influential bloggers. Platforms like MySpace and the blogosphere allowed individuals to amass followings through their niche content. The launch of YouTube in 2005, followed by Twitter in 2006 and Instagram in 2010, supercharged the influencer phenomenon. These platforms enabled anyone with a smartphone and a vision to build a following.

I never had any thoughts growing up that Halloween was bad and evil; it was only a good night where we got lots of candy. Since my family was poor, we most of the time had homemade costumes. On some I remember being Superman with only a dish towel pinned around my neck tracking the streets of my West Texas town yelling “Trick or Treat” as every door was opened. I never entertained a thought of a trick if I didn’t get candy. It was just what you said to get candy. Some older kids were very aggressive “with their big hands” in their candy accumulation and would get 20 to 30 pounds of candy in a few hours of door-to-door hustling. I am sure that our town’s dentists loved those kids. The town’s slogan, “Town Without a Toothache”, was temporarily put on hold every Halloween.

In my football playing days in the 1960s our helmets were unlike the protective headgear today. They were only hard plastic with suspensions which were “supposed to help” keep your head from hitting the hard plastic during contact. All coaches trained players to lead with their heads in tackling opposing players. (This is now called “targeting” and results in the player being ejected from the game.) Minor concussions were called “ringing your bell” and were very common. I got my bell rang almost every practice and game in high school and college. In a few practices and games, I obviously had major concussions because I have little or no memory of those but basically continued “playing mentally unconscious”. Finally, the doctors in my college junior year told the coaches that my playing days were over—too many concussions in addition to a neck injury.

With all the natural disasters, such as Hurricanes Helene and Milton, that have happened recently and are continuing to happen worldwide, the question is being asked, “How could God allow natural disasters?”

Randy Alcorn, author of over 50 books and founder of Eternal Perspective Ministries, addresses this question in his book “If God Is Good”. The following March 25, 2010 edited article by him is based on this book:

In the Bible the common description of hell is an everlasting/eternal punishment prepared specifically for Satan, his angels and nonbelievers in the salvation offered through Jesus Christ. Many scriptures which also talk about hell “may” be a visual expression of the magnitude of eternal suffering sinners will experience rather than being a literal depiction.

It’s no secret that life can feel unfair sometimes. You’re scrolling through news feeds and see another story of a person who had their life taken away too early. You think to yourself, “What kind of world is this?” It’s a question that many of us have asked at some point in our lives. We live in an unjust world, and it can be hard to process why things are the way they are. Dealing with life’s injustices can weigh heavily on your heart and mind.

“Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world. Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life's coming attractions. Imagination is the most powerful force in the universe.” — Albert Einstein

Do you remember using your imagination as a child? Perhaps you imagined you were a princess or a superhero. When we grow into adults, we may be discouraged from using this ability, because it’s not viewed as a grown-up realistic use of our minds.

Now if you were the Devil (Satan, Lucifer), and you are limited by being created without the omniscience of God and you can only be in one place at a time; the same being true of your demon (fallen created angels) followers, where would you make your attack on humans to have the most impact? What would be your schemes and wiles?

 “Fear defeats more people than any other one thing in the world.” Ralph Waldo Emerson.

Everyone experiences fear in their life. The dictionary defines fear as an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain, or a threat.

Top Fears in the U.S. (2020/2021):

• Corrupt government officials: 79.6% of Americans reported being “Afraid” or “Very Afraid” of this.

• People they love dying: 58.5%

• Loved ones becoming seriously ill: 57.3%

• Pandemic or major epidemic: 55.8%

• Economic/financial collapse: 54.8%

• Cyber-terrorism: 51%

• Not having enough money for retirement. 55%

I've learned that it's very important to understand what fear is and how it works against us because if we don't, it can keep us from becoming what God created us to be, which means we won't fulfill our purpose in life. The best definition that I have ever heard for FEAR is “allowing someone or something to control you”.