What's In A Name?

I hear these songs about "the name of Jesus." There's "In Jesus Name" where they sing, "I speak the name of Jesus over you" and "No Sweeter Name" by Kari Jobe. There's "What a Beautiful Name" and Chris Tomlin's "The Name of Jesus." And you wonder ... if you're a bit off like me ... what's so special about "the name of Jesus." I mean ... in a humorous sense ... like "My gardener's name is Jesus"? But, seriously, is there actually something in the name?

No ... and yes. There is nothing particularly great in "Jesus" as a name. And, yet ... there is. The name means "YHWH saves." (The Hebrew name in the Old Testament is "Joshua.") Now, that is special. But, there's more. Paul wrote that because of His humility (Php 2:5-7), "God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father" (Php 2:9-11). His name is ... "the name which is above every name." In what sense? Well, not because the spelling is so special or the word is beautiful. It's because of its value ... "Lord." That ... is the name above every name.

When we think of "Jesus" as "YHWH saves," as "God with us," there is no sweeter name. When we consider Him Lord and glorify God, there's power in that name. It's easy to be light in our celebration of Jesus's name, but when we're talking about a name that expresses who He is ... it actually is the name above every name.

Do Be Do

In Deuteronomy we read, "Whatever I command you, you shall be careful to do; you shall not add to nor take away from it" (Deut 12:32). There is a similar warning in The Book of Revelation (Rev 22:19), but that one specifically references "the words of the prophecy of this book." The object of this command is whatever God commands ... the Word of God. So ... what are we to make of it? Note, then, He says to "carefully do" whatever He commands.

On multiple occasions Jesus said, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear" (e.g., Mark 4:9; 4:23; 7:16). Note that there are three categories in that built on two criteria ... hearing and not hearing, and ears and not ears. So, obviously, those who are in the "not ears" category are also in the "not hear" category. Who doesn't have ears? Those who are dead ... spiritually. After that ... there are those who have ears and don't hear and those who have ears and hear. What is Jesus hoping they will hear? "Whatever I command you," essentially. Hearing God's Word. So James wrote, "But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves" (James 1:22). We can, then, not hear or hear, but beyond that, we must do.

The command in Deuteronomy is to do whatever He commands. Jesus told His disciples to make disciples, "teaching them to observe all that I commanded you" (Matt 28:20). "All." Fortunately, Jesus said, "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments" (John 14:15), so loving Him perfectly will produce the desired result. But we need to both hear (James said not to be merely hearers, which means "Yes, be hearers, but don't stop there.") and do. Do ... be a hearer and ... do ... be a doer. (Thus the title.)

Mighty Men?

Now it came about, when men began to multiply on the face of the land, and daughters were born to them, that the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves, whomever they chose. Then YHWH said, "My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, because he also is flesh; nevertheless his days shall be one hundred and twenty years." The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men, and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown. Then YHWH saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. YHWH was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. (Gen 6:1-6)

There has long been a debate about this text. It talks about "the sons of God" and "the daughters of men." And it talks about "the Nephilim." What in the world are we talking about? There are three basic ideas about how this should be understood. One view argues that it refers to ancient rulers (sons of God) who claimed divine status and took "daughters of men." Weak. The two primary views are "fallen angels" or "the line of Seth" for "sons of God."

It's interesting because it seems as if your interpretation will depend on your preconceived ideas about demons and angels. It says "the sons of God" took wives." That "took" is generally a forceful word, not a "wooing." So, biblically, Hebraically, the language would say that "the sons of God" refers to angelic (or demonic) beings. EVERY time the phrase is used elsewhere, that's what it's referring to. In Job 1:6 and Job 2:1, the text refers to a gathering in God's presence that included Satan. Not the sons of Seth. In Job 38:7, God asks Job about Creation. He says that "all the sons of God shouted for joy." Clearly not sons of Seth. There are references to the children of Israel as God's "son" (singular) and the coming Messiah as His "Son" (singular), but all "sons of God" references elsewhere specifically indicate supernatural (angelic or demonic) beings. So linguistically this would be the case. The objection is that Jesus said there is no marriage in heaven, but this isn't a marriage in heaven. It's an earthly event ... and they're taken forcefully by fallen angels. And according to the text, these "marriages" resulted in "the Nephilim." What about a marriage between Seth's line and Cain's line would produce "Nephilim"? And why would marriage between Seth's and Cain's offspring precipitate the Flood? It's all very sketchy to me and doesn't seem to warrant the outcome.

Now if we're talking about fallen angels taking on human form and breeding with human women, what would that mean? First, clearly these "Nephilim" -- the "mighty men" (literally "the fallen") -- would be the offspring. And, consider ... God told the serpent in the Garden, "And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise Him on the heel" (Gen 3:15). The serpent (Satan) knew his downfall would come from Eve ... from a human woman. If he could eliminate the line of women by "seeding" corruption, perhaps he could prevent that. (He orchestrated the murder of every child under 2 years old in Bethlehem to try the same thing (Matt 2:16-18).) The introduction of human and demonic seed on the planet would warrant the elimination of that ... corruption and the Flood would make perfect sense. Otherwise ... we just seem to have a quiet warning that good boys shouldn't marry bad girls ... because, I guess, they could end up destroying the world. I don't know ...

Mind you, nothing to get up in arms about. Just some musings.

What's it Worth?

My wife's father died last year, propelling us into the daunting task of being the trustees for his trust. One of the tasks we had to carry out was to get his stuff and appraise it for sharing it with the six beneficiaries. You understand the difficulty, right? So much stuff was so valuable to so many ... in purely sentimental terms. "Remember that picture?" Yes ... but ... what's it worth? He had a coin collection that had a bunch of coins but ... not nearly worth as much as they thought it would be. You see, "worth" is often determined by the individual. There was, for instance, an antique table that listed at $3000, but ... who would actually pay that? Value is often an extremely relative thing

We humans have a "value" problem. Paul said, "I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think ..." (Rom 12:3). Clearly we have a tendency to think too highly of ourselves. But we also suffer from a "self-esteem" crisis, where we think of ourselves as not worth much. And, yet, God says, "Whoever sheds man's blood, by man his blood shall be shed, For in the image of God He made man" (Gen 9:6), placing real value ... on every human.

So we have this difficulty in figuring out value. Is it monetary, sentimental, time, effort? There are so many methods. Many determine if a church is "valuable" ... healthy ... based on numbers ... conversions, baptisms, members. So it's almost jarring when God tells Israel, "YHWH did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any of the peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples" (Deut 7:7). Paul wrote, "Consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, so that no man may boast before God" (1 Cor 1:26-29). God's value system is not like ours. He chooses the least, the weak, the foolish. He chooses "so that God's purpose according to His choice would stand" (Rom 9:11). I guess, then, if we want to value accurately, we'll have to check with God and His standards. "Value" is determined, ultimately, by what someone is willing to give for it. God ... sent His Son for those who believe (John 3:16).

News Weakly - 1/31/2026

Message Received?
More than a few countries have restrictions or bans on social media for children. Australia was the most recent, and France is trying to do the same. What do these countries know that we don't? Nothing. But we're a strange nation who worships a "freedom" that restricts cigarettes because they're bad for us but not alcohol or blocks "misinformation" because it's bad but not social media ... for example. So the evidence is clear that social media is harmful, especially for kids, but ... doggone it ... we like it.

At Long Last
On October 7, 2023, Hamas attacked Israel with more than 4,000 rockets and an invading force that killed civilians, kidnapping 251 civilians. The world has reeled from the response, outraged that ... Israel would stoop to defending herself. It was too much. But 2 years and 3 months later, the remains of the last hostage have been recovered. Hamas could have released them ... years ago. They could have not attacked or they could have surrendered them, but ... they didn't. So now the suggestion is that the second phase of the ceasefire can move forward ... but all the pro-Palesinian protesters should note ... Israel wasn't the cause of the sneak attack or the delay in the ceasefire.

Newsom Objects
California Governor Newsom is launching an investigation to determine if TikTok suppressed content critical of Trump. Mind you, TikTok is not a government entity and I can attest that private companies have no problem suppressing free speech on their platforms, but Newsom isn't concerned about free speech. He's concerned that someone somewhere might have had something negative to say about Trump and didn't get to.

Shut De Do
Another one bites the dust. Prize-winning composer Philip Glass has withdrawn the world premiere of a new symphony because Trump's name is associated with the Kennedy Center. While one might think that there is "no place for politics in the arts," clearly the hatred for Trump trumps art in some cases (25 and counting) (including the Washington National Opera), a sad commentary on the hate that the anti-Trump folks carry that even beats their love of the arts or care for their audiences.

Two Wrongs
Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar was doing a townhall meeting in Minneapolis where she called for the abolishment of ICE and the resignation of Kristi Noem ... because open borders is the best thing we can do ... you know ... to destroy this country. A man sprayed her with an unknown substance (which turned out to be apple cider vinegar and water) because that is the best possible response ... or ... rather the most STUPID response. The substance apparently wasn't particularly harmful ... just ... stupid. Two wrongs here still don't make a right.

America on ICE
Minnesota would like ICE to vanish. So would Bruce Springsteen. The loudest voices in America (not necessarily the most numerous) are coming out against law enforcement in general and immigration laws in particular. The obvious message is, "Open the borders. Let 'em all in." Similar to the recent movement to eliminate police, louder voices are urging America to eliminate border restrictions. They've even attempted to restrict our thinking. "They're not 'illegal.' They're just 'undocumented.'" They're not "undocumented noncitizens" or "newcomers." They're breaking immigration laws ... and they're often breaking other laws (like the fraud and murders in Minneapolis). But, hey, we're a representative government. You guys vote in open borders and no law enforcement and see how that works for you.

A Poultry Sum
Costco is being sued for their rotisserie chicken. They claim "no preservatives" and customers are complaining that it contains two preservatives. We have thousands of ads fed to us daily on our screens and our phones, especially at election times, that are plain lies, but this one is a problem? I've always enjoyed watching those rotisseries. They're like poultry in motion.

Your Best Source for Fake News.
With all the cancellations at the Kennedy Center for the existence of Trump's name on the front, others are getting into the approach. WNBA players are vowing to continue missing layups until ICE withdraws from Minnesota. In Taipei, Alex Honnold climbed a 1667-foot tower (actual story) only to discover he could have used the elevator. And in Minnesota, given the problems with ICE and their close ties to Ilhan Omar, residents are fleeing to Somalia to escape the violence.

Must be true; I read it on the internet.

Compelled?

Paul wrote to the church at Corinth "For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died; and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf" (2 Cor 5:14-15). Interesting phrase ... "the love of Christ controls us." The King James and others translates it "constrains." The Contemporary English Version (CEV) says "We are ruled by ..." The Berean Study Bible (BSB) says, "Christ’s love compels us." The word in Greek means "to compress," "to hold together," or, figuratively, to compel. That is, the word refers to pressure applied to produce a result.

Paul says that love ... compels, applies pressure, has some controlling factor in our lives. What exactly does the love of Christ pressure us to do? "Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come" (2 Cor 5:17). Isn't that interesting? Christ's love pushes us ... to change -- out with the old; in with the new. The old is the trespasses we commit (2 Cor 5:18-19) and the new is ...? "Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God" (2 Cor 5:20). The new is that we become the righteousness of God in Christ (2 Cor 5:21) and operate as ambassadors, representatives of Christ here on Earth. We have His power and His Word to carry out His mission where we are until ... He calls us home again.

I try to keep that in mind. We are not of this world (John 17:16). We are "aliens and strangers" (1 Peter 2:11). Compelled, then, by the love of Christ, we must live as ambassadors and not residents, as forgiven and not damned, as righteous and not unrighteous people ... representatives of Christ. No one who is in Christ remains unchanged. And living like we are of this world is contrary to the truth.

Love the Sinner

We like to point out that we need to "hate the sin but love the sinner." It sounds right and good. But ... is it biblical? Let's look. There is a lot of Scripture that tells us that God hates evil. Proverbs explicitly says God hates seven things (Prov 6:16-19), including arrogance and lying and scheming. He hates injustice and oppression (Isa 61:8; Zech 8:17). He hates ... hates ... hates idolatry (e.g., Deut 13:6-11). We know "The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness" (Rom 1:18). That is, He hates the ungodliness and unrighteousness of suppressing the truth about Him. So far, so good. And we read in Galatians that salvation is available to all regardless of nationality or gender or status (Gal 3:28). That's good, too.

But we get tripped up when Jesus says things like, "If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple" (Luke 14:26). Now, hang on. Jesus requires hating people? So maybe "hate" means something different than we're thinking. Oh! Like "love." We're to "love God," not in a romantic, emotional sense, but in a faithful, choosing, committed sense where we seek His best ... and the best of those around us. The same with "hate," not in an irrational and emotional sense, but in the sense of setting aside or opposing or ... deprioritizing, downgrading, demoting someone or something in favor of ... well ... God, especially. So biblical "love" is "to choose in favor" and "hate" is "to reject in favor of something else."

Now try it again. King David wrote, "You hate all who do iniquity" (Psa 5:5). God said, "Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated" (Mal 1:2-3). So ... it's not strictly true that God loves the sinner, but hates the sin. He definitely hates the sin, but there are sinners He hates. (As a side note, Scripture says Esau never repented (Heb 12:16-17).) It's not the "hate" we think of, and it's always for sin, not anything else, but ... if we're going to love what Jesus loves, we'd better love Him first and His people second and the world third, not ourselves, careful always to never embrace their sin ... or our own.

Who Are You Going to Believe?

I remember my mother used to sing a little ditty which included the line, "Life gets tedious, don't it?" How's that for an understatement? Every day we're seeing natural disasters and horrible events. We see sickness and death, sin and evil, all manner of desperation. None of us are untouched. Everyone has their own opportunity to wonder, "Where are you, God??"

So much of our lives are "under pressure." Some call it "tribulation." We are pressed on every side. Another word is "distress." There is persecution, scarcity of resources, the lack of basic necessities, danger, and violence. If you haven't experienced it, you're not conscious. You're either coming from, in the midst of, or on your way to it. Scripture acknowledges this. The biblical version? "Tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword" (Rom 8:35). We will experience all of these things.

It sounds grim, but the conclusion is anything but. "But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us" (Rom 8:37). We are not merely getting by, surviving, struggling through. We are "more than conquerors." Do we live that way? Do we believe that? Mind you, it is possible to both be hopeless and hopeful. When Jeremiah experienced God's judgment on his people, he said he was without hope (Lam 3:1-20). He even attributed his pain to God. He concludes, "So I say, 'My strength has perished, and so has my hope from YHWH." (Lam 3:18). And in the very next breath, he says, "This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope. YHWH'S lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. 'YHWH is my portion,' says my soul, 'Therefore I have hope in Him.'" (Lam 3:21-24). Hopelessness is covered in hope ... in Him. Which are you? Are you a believer? Or are you ... less than a conqueror? Are you going to believe your eyes ... or God?

Is it a Sin ...?

I'm sure we've all asked at some time or another. "Is it a sin to ... ?" fill in the blank. It's an interesting question. I mean, most of the time it seems as if we're looking for the "outer limit." "How close can I get to sin?" As if we're afraid we'll get to heaven and find out, "Oh! I could have done that! I gave too much to God."

Now, to be fair, there are other reasons to ask. Like, "My friend is doing something and I'm not sure if I should be concerned. Is it sin?" Okay ... that's one thing. But usually we're asking, if we're honest, because we want something that we suspect is sinful. We have desires, we want to fulfill them, and we're thinking it might be sin. But I'd say we're asking the wrong question. James says, "You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures" (James 4:3). It's a two-fold problem. You don't have because you don't ask. That's one reason. But the other is that when you do ask, you ask with the wrong motives. Why do we typically ask, "Is this a sin?" it's because we're asking in order to fulfill our own pleasures. Wrong question.

Do we ever ask, "Will this glorify God?" (1 Cor 10:31). Do we ever ask, "Will this show love to my neighbor?" (Matt 22:37-40). Do we ever ask, "Will this honor my spouse?" (Eph 5:22-33). Are we pursuing giving more ... or getting more? If we're hoping to find the hairy edge of sin and just stay within the boundary, remember a couple of things. First, "whatever is not from faith is sin" (Rom 14:23). You know you're not asking because you believe it's not sin. Then, we need to be giving up self and pursing God's best interest and the interests of others. In that context, "Is that a sin?" doesn't even have a place.

The Lies Jesus Told

Jesus declared Himself "the Truth" (John 14:6). He only spoke truth. He didn't lie ... because God cannot lie (Titus 1:2). So why did we get so many lies from Him?

Jesus said, "I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture" (John 10:9). Really? Where is the handle, the hinges? Jesus told the woman at the well, "Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again; but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life" (John 4:13-14). Jesus said, "I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst" (John 6:35). Really? We all still hunger and thirst. Jesus walked out of the desert where He was tempted and walked into the synagogue and read Isaiah 61:1-2 (Luke 4:18-19), announcing the gospel to the poor, the release of the captives, the recovery of sight to the blind, the freedom for the oppressed. He declared, "Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing" (Luke 4:21). But ... Jesus lived and died and, with some exception, the poor were still there (Matt 26:11), the captives were still captive, the blind were still blind, and the oppressed remained oppressed. It was fulfilled?

Just a smattering of examples, but clearly they could not be taken at bare face value. Clearly it's not as simple as that. He called Himself "the good shepherd" (John 10:11) but never appears to have herded any sheep. Because, as I'm sure you understand, He wasn't being blatantly literal. He was being metaphorical. If we are to properly understand Jesus, we need to hear carefully. So when He claimed to be "the door," we understand Him to say He is "the access point" to spiritual salvation. When we hear Him talk about His "water" or being "the bread of life," we understand Him to be speaking of satisfying spiritual thirst and hunger ... the kind that is blessed (Matt 5:6). And when He speaks of "the gospel" that is good news to everyone, it isn't about fixing poverty or injustice; it's about spiritual poverty and blindness, captivity, oppression ... and, as He declared on the cross, "It is finished" (John 19:30) As Jesus claimed, "This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day" (John 6:39). So ... Jesus didn't lie. We just need to properly understand Him.

It's Complicated

The phrase, "It's complicated," has become ubiquitous in our current culture. It really took off in Facebook when they answered the "status" question. No, not married, single, divorced, looking ... no ... "it's complicated" ... a useful dodge. They couldn't put "I'm married but sleeping with someone else" or "I'm single and lonely" or "I'm married but miserable." Just ... "it's complicated" ... and it was the truth because ... what isn't complicated. All of life is. Truth can be, also. For instance, we have constitutional guarantees of the freedom of the press ... which is actually limited ... and the freedom of religion ... which is also very limited ... and the freedom of speech ... which is also very limited. We have "the right to bear arms" which is continually being infringed upon. Why? "It's complicated."

Think about the story of Joseph and his brothers. Joseph was Jacob's favored son (Gen 37:3), so his brothers hated him. One time Jacob sent him out to see his brothers in the field. When they saw him coming, they planned to kill him (Gen 37:18). Reuben talked them out of it (Gen 37:21-22), but they tossed him in a pit (Gen 37:23), then sold him to a caravan of Midianites and Ishmaelites (Gen 37:25-28) and told their father he was dead (Gen 37:31-34). You remember Joseph's adventures ... a slave, falsely accused of attempted rape, imprisoned, forgotten, finally telling Pharaoh his dream and being elevated to the second highest position in Egypt. His position allowed him to rescue his family in a famine and they all moved to Egypt in comfort. When Jacob died, the boys were worried. So they prostrated themselves before Joseph (like he dreamed they would). And he said, "As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive" (Gen 50:20). Talk about complicated.

Was their action good or bad? Well, Joseph said, "God meant it for good" so it was good ... right? So we have to conclude that the boys were ... innocent ... just in God's will ... doing a good thing. If everything was simple, yes ... but Joseph also said, "You meant evil against me." So ... it was bad, right? "Evil." Sure ... if everything is simple. It's not. Joseph held two opposing truths and put them together. He didn't deny their evil intent or excuse it. It was evil ... truly. But he didn't deny God's purposes either, and recognized it was good. We live this complicated truth all the time. We encounter evil. Is it evil? Yes. Does God use it for good? Yes! As another example, Judas Iscariot famously betrayed his Lord. Jesus said, "The Son of Man is going as it has been determined; but woe to that man by whom He is betrayed!" (Luke 22:22). There is both ... evil and good. The betrayal was "determined" and necessary (Psa 41:9; Zech 11:12-13) — good — and evil — "Woe to that man." We can actually recognize evil as evil and address it and conclude that "God causes all things to work together for good" (Rom 8:28). It doesn't require blinders to the reality of the complicated world in which we live, but we can rightly rest in the sovereignty and steadfast love of the Lord.

News Weakly - 1/24/2026

The New Tolerance
Protesters in St. Paul (ironic name for this story) disrupted a church service at a church where the pastor is also a local official with ICE. The DOJ is threatening to investigate, but the group is defiant. They don't think a church should be allowed to have an ICE official as its pastor and they will defend their right to dictate who can or can't be a pastor to a church.

Unclear on the Concept
High school and college students walked out of class this week in protest to Trump's immigration policies. One veteran attended the protest ... to protest the protest. "I'm a veteran. And when I saw a bunch of illegals crossing the border over the last four years under Biden, it broke my heart. I support legal immigration." He gets it. They don't. What do the students hope to accomplish? What do they want if they did? Open borders? No law enforcement? Or just to be allowed to choose for themselves who gets in and who doesn't? Do they even know?

Like Paul Said
Clergy, in direct opposition to Scripture (Rom 13:1-6), got themselves arrested in Minneapolis when they decided to protest the government. They didn't get a sword (Rom 13:4), but suffered the consequences anyway.

Global ... Warming?
Essentially everything from Arizona to New England is encountering one of the most potentially dangerous storms in a long, long time because of ... global warming? I've said it before ... if this global warming keeps up, we're all going to freeze to death.

A Matter of Interest
A federal judge in Minnesota is facing questions about conflict of interest after refusing to approve criminal charges against Don Lemon who was involved in the protest at the Christian church there earlier. The judge's wife works as an Assistant Attorney General in Keith Ellison's office and is a vocal critic of the DOJ's efforts.

Your Best Source for Fake News
(It's all Minnesota, today.) In protest of ICE actions in Minnesota, law enforcement arrests churchgoers for interfering with the protest. I guess the protesters should be allowed their freedom of religion ... where they worship their right to subjugate others' freedom of religion. Dems take a different approach. They argue that ICE crackdowns will make illegal immigrants afraid to vote. They probably have a point ... right there on the top of their heads. So it's understandable that Trump has plans to convert the entire city of Minneapolis into an insane asylum. Some would call that extreme ... others, "a good start."

Must be true; I read it on the internet.

Just to Name a Few

Some time ago I became aware of the fact that the meanings of names ... had meaning. I talked to a guy from Iran who told me his parents named him for what they wanted him to be. I talked to a guy from China and he told me the same thing. And I noted how many times in Scripture children were named for the meaning. So when I named my two sons, I did it with the meaning ... the message ... in mind.

My parents didn't do that with me ... it wasn't part of our culture. Still, I thought I'd take a look. My name is Stanley David Smith. Now, "the smith" is actually biblical. We learn in Isaiah that God claims, "I Myself have created the smith" (Isa 54:16). My mother told me that Adam's last name was Smith, and anyone who sinned afterward had to change their name, so you see ... oh, okay. That part is a joke, but it's gratifying to know that God created the smith. However, the word is a common term indicating the vocation of being a smith of some sort -- a worker in metal. "David," of course, is a biblical name, too. It means "beloved." I like that ... so much that I named my firstborn "David." (Boy, was she mad. No ... just kidding. I had two sons.) So that leaves "Stanley." It's actually from Old English and is a compound word. "Stan" is an Old English word, "stān," meaning "stone" or "rock." "Ley" is the same as other spellings, such as "Leigh." It refers to a meadow. (Interestingly, the name Leah is different. While "Leigh" refers to a peaceful meadow, "Leah" refers to "weary" or "grieved.") Putting them together, then, "Stanley" means "rocky meadow."

My parents didn't name me for what they saw me as or what they wanted me to be. Like most in our culture, I was named for people -- family, friends. It's fine, but I think it's interesting, too, because the name ... fits. Before I was any kind of person, I was labeled as a beloved rocky meadow. It turns out I am beloved ... by my wife and my children, my family, and most of all, my God. And "rocky meadow" is quite appropriate for me. On the surface, I appear peaceful and calm, but there are ... in this "meadow" of my life, rocks just beneath the grass, so to speak. Tough spots, hard places, things to avoid. Now, if you were to poetically interpret my name, it might come out something like "The beloved one who stands firm in the clearing, shaping his world with skilled hands." Well ... maybe ... but only if the "skilled hands" refers to my God who is at work in me.

No deep message here. Just a mild musing for a Friday.

The Problem With Pascal

Blaise Pascal was a 17th century philosopher and mathematician. One of his most famous works is Pensées ("Thoughts"). In it he posits what is known as "Pascal's Wager." The idea is you can't prove the existence of God through reason alone, so the best option is to believe and live as though He does. If He exists, we're avoiding hell and such, and if He doesn't exist, we really haven't lost anything by living a good, moral life. Therefore, the most rational path is to believe in God.

It's all well and good and a lot of people make this argument based on ... well ... Pascal's Wager. There's just one problem. It isn't biblical. I mean, it doesn't make sense biblically. Consider, for instance, that Scripture says that God has already made His existence known (Rom 1:19-20). This whole pandering to the "we can't know for sure" side is ... a lie. Reason alone does prove the existence of God. It's Man's lack of reason (Jer 17:9) that is the problem. Of course, the other problem is ... well ... the gospel. We aren't saved by believing in God and being good. We're saved by a faith that is supplied by God (Php 1:29; Rom 12:3; etc.). It is a living faith (James 2:17). It isn't attainable by the mind because the mind set on the flesh is hostile to God (Rom 8:7). This spiritual concept is not possible for the natural mind (1 Cor 2:14). According to Jesus, it requires being born again by the Spirit (John 3:3-8). Lots of problems.

Jesus warned that being His disciple was costly (Luke 9:57-62; Luke 14:25-33). He said that obedience wasn't produced by hard work, but by loving Him (John 15:23). We are saved by grace through faith, not of works (Eph 2:8-9), but that requires "the power of God" ... something we call "the gospel" (Rom 1:16). It's not a mind trick. It's not a wager. It's possible only by His power (John 15:5).

He's Serious

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness ..." (2 Tim 3:16-17), so if "all Scripture" is "breathed out by God" it's all God's Word. However, there are some tough spots. In my day, Ronco was a force of culture. You had the "Ronco Pocket Fisherman" and the "Ronco Veg-O-Matic" ("It slices! It dices! It even makes Julienne fries!!") and on and on. It became a meme before memes were something. We had our own additions ... like "The Ronco Erasable Bible! Erase any verse you don't like, write in something new, and God has to do it because ... it's in the Bible!" Here's a passage that should have ended up erased, right?

If your brother, the son of your mother, or your son or your daughter or the wife you embrace or your friend who is as your own soul entices you secretly, saying, "Let us go and serve other gods," which neither you nor your fathers have known, some of the gods of the peoples who are around you, whether near you or far off from you, from the one end of the earth to the other, you shall not yield to him or listen to him, nor shall your eye pity him, nor shall you spare him, nor shall you conceal him. But you shall kill him. Your hand shall be first against him to put him to death, and afterward the hand of all the people. You shall stone him to death with stones, because he sought to draw you away from YHWH your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. And all Israel shall hear and fear and never again do any such wickedness as this among you. (Deut 13:6-11)

Um ... yeah ... that probably shouldn't be in there. Of course, I'm not advocating that. And it's God's Word, so we can't just ... erase it. What, then?

Consider the context. Israel was a theocracy. The "King" of Israel at the time was ... YHWH. Trying to persuade people to idolatry, then, was the highest form of treason, both politically and spiritually. It is not uncommon for acts of treason to be punished by death. This law, if enforced, would have a devastating effect ... on idolatry. It would protect the community ... not from crime, but from God's wrath. It would protect Israel's position as God's representatives on Earth. It would protect their blessings of being a blessing to all nations. And it demonstrates an issue of vital importance ... God is really serious about idolatry.

We are not a theocracy. We don't enforce worship with force. The Church today isn't national; it's spiritual. We don't get to coerce spiritual purity. So we don't do this now. We don't kill heretics and we don't kill idolaters inside or outside our "nation" (especially since the "Christian nation" is a spiritual nation, not a geographic nation). We do need to understand that idolatry is a serious issue ... especially to God. Replacing God with anything -- fame, wealth, power, self, or any other modern "idol" -- should be met with extreme resistance. It doesn't matter if it's a close family member or a beloved spouse or a dear friend. We are called to "Put to death therefore what is earthly in you" (Col 3:5). Not "coddle it" or "indulge it" or "look the other way." Kill it. No, not physically. Our struggle is a spiritual one (Eph 6:12). I suspect, if we are paying attention, killing it in our own lives will be a pretty long task as it is. But keep in mind ... God is serious about it. We should be, too.

Your Best Life Now

Joel Osteen wrote his popular book, Your Best Life Now, explaining how we can, right now, be happy, healthy, and rich. Or something similar. A cursory reading of Scripture denies this notion, of course. Joel's "positive thinking" and "self-image" techniques don't actually produce financial success or contentment and have nothing to do with Christianity in Scripture. So, is there really no "best life now"? That depends. If by that phrase we mean, "How can I live for what I was created to live for?"—then that might be possible. But do we even know what it is? It's clearly not just about being happy, healthy, and rich. So, what are we truly made for?

Scripture teaches that we, along with all things, were made "from Him and through Him and to Him" (Romans 11:36). We were created to glorify God (Isaiah 43:7), making Him known, reflecting His greatness, and letting our lives point back to Him. Jesus said, "Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven" (Matthew 5:16). This means that even our obedience, for which we were made, is intended to glorify God. Like Adam and Eve in the garden, we were meant to be in intimate relationship with God—a relationship that is now possible (Romans 5:1-2). Solomon summed it up: "Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man" (Ecclesiastes 12:13). We were built to reverence and obey God. Jesus called loving God "the great and first commandment" (Matthew 22:36-40), and Paul wrote that God's purpose for us is to conform us to the image of His Son (Romans 8:28-29).

Olsteen was wrong about "happy, healthy, and rich," but Scripture is clear. Humans were created to glorify God by living in loving fellowship with Him, reflecting His character, cultivating His world, loving others, and making Him known. Ultimately, this is better than simply seeking happiness, health, and wealth. Living this life now would truly be living your "best life now"—with an even better one to come.

A Bowl of Cherries

"Life is a bowl of cherries," they say. You know ... everything is beautiful, sweet, warm ... in some other parallel universe, of course, because it's clearly not in our reality. Erma Bombeck wrote a book titled, "If Life Is a Bowl of Cherries, What Am I Doing in the Pits?" ... because "a bowl of cherries" is not our experience in life. This is why a sustainable worldview must address the pits before it ever deals with the cherries. And Scripture does an amazing job of it.

Almost as soon as God declares "It was very good" over Creation (Gen 1:31), we run into a broken world where sin enters and death because of it (Gen 3:17). Solomon's Ecclesiastes is full of declarations of the difficulties of life, beginning with "Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity" (Eccl 1:2). David declares, "YHWH is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit" (Psa 34:18). Jesus came as a "man of sorrows" (Isa 53:3) who has "borne our griefs and carried our sorrows" (Isa 53:4). The traditional symbol of Christianity is the cross ... suffering. Yet, Paul writes, "... we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us" (Rom 5:3-5). James writes, "Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing" (James 1:2-4). These aren't just "buck up and hold on" texts. They're "positive outcome" passages that assure us that, yes, there is suffering, but it's for the best.

If God is sovereign (and He is) and He always accomplishes the best (and He does), it alters our existence in the worst of times. We can "count it all joy" (I like the King James phrase) when we encounter trials because, like Joseph told his brothers, "You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good" (Gen 50:20). The enemies of God mean evil against us ... "but God." God doesn't mean it to be tolerated or endured. He means it for good. A "life is a bowl of cherries" outlook is a cheerful lie that ultimately can't stand up to reality. "God means it for good" is the truth that allows us to stand in the fire without getting burned and end up better off for it.

Such a Deal

We have a really interesting faith. Everyone knows we're supposed to be obedient. It's a lot of work. You know we're commanded to do some rather incredible things, like "pray without ceasing" (1 Thess 5:17) and "Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials" (James 1:2-4). I mean, seriously ... consider it all joy??? And then there's the whole, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind" (Matt 22:37). I mean, sure, we'd like to love Him fully ... but ... we just can't. And that's just some of it. None of us measure up.

So we read some wonderful statements in Scripture ... that we sometimes seem to miss. For instance, we are commanded to "work out your own salvation with fear and trembling" (Php 2:12). Wait ... that's not easy. The command itself recognizes it ... "with fear and trembling." So ... let's knuckle under ... but ... not yet. Notice the next verse, giving us important information. "For it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure" (Php 2:13). Do you see that? We're commanded to work out our salvation because it's God at work in us. Because He gives us the will and power to do it. Paul tells us that God "is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us" (Eph 3:20). Read that again. The power that can do "far more abundantly" than anything we can "ask or think" is "at work within us" ... now. And remember, God is the one who is completing what He started in you (Php 1:6; Rom 8:30). On and on.

It turns out that my God will supply all your needs. We need faith ... He supplies it. We need repentance ... He supplies it. We need grace and mercy and love ... He supplies it. We need strength ... and He supplies it. We need the will to do what He wants and the ability to do what He wants ... and He supplies it. We need to be shaped in to the image of His Son ... and He does it. And then rewards us for it. Such a deal!

News Weakly - 1/17/2026

I Don't Even ...
What do we do with a story like this? Mattel has introduced a new Barbie doll to their line. It's an autistic Barbie, intended to "celebrate diversity." There are already Barbies with Down syndrome, a blind Barbie, and dolls with vitiligo. But things like "blind" and "autism" aren't things we see, exactly, and these dolls don't do anything, so if it's not a visible trait, how does a doll help? I understand that everyone needs respect, but is a Barbie doll the best way to encourage it? To me, it feels more like trivializing it. (And it's ironic since Barbie historically excluded almost everyone "but the beautiful" as defined by ... Barbie.)

Iranian Freedom
Iranians have been protesting their government loudly for two weeks now. They're protesting economic decline and calling for a regime change and the return of Reza Pahlavi. So, as any civilized nation would do ... Iran is killing protesters by the hundreds. Pahlavi is the crown prince of the last shah, but he's not his father. He's not in favor of "Monarchy 2.0." He wants democracy for Iran. Clearly the current government is not in favor of Pahlavi ... or their own people.

The Double Standard
New York Attorney General Letitia James settled with a Jewish group she accused of trying to intimidate pro-Palestinian activists. Her "settlement" was to threaten them with a $50,000 penalty. "New York will not tolerate organizations that use fear, violence and intimidation to silence free expression or target people because of who they are," she said ... you know ... like the pro-Palestinian protesters do by definition. Talk about double standards.

Butt Heads
California Governor Newsom is butting heads with Louisiana who is trying to get a doctor extradited for mailing illegal abortion drugs to a patient in Louisiana. Newsom says, "No!" He's standing firm on being allowed to kill babies and will refuse to respect other states' laws. Because killing babies is considered "reproductive health care services." I can only imagine what the rest of their "health care" looks like when killing patients is classified as "health care services."

Your Best Source for Fake News
As Trump threatens to annex Greenland (actual story), NATO is asking the U.S. for emergency funding to defend Greenland from the U.S. It doesn't help that new recruitment ads say, "Visit lovely Greenland." And, with the Supreme Court hearing a case on transgender athletes (actual story), SCOTUS has asked a five-year-old to explain the difference between boys and girls. Helpful ... unless, of course, the five-year-old has already been inculcated by the latest gender insanity.

Must be true; I read it on the Internet.

The Virtue No One Wants?

Paul wrote to the Galatians the difference between the "works of the flesh" versus the "fruit of the Spirit." He says, "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience ..." and I have this sense of "Patience?" I mean, we're all good with "love, joy, peace," but ... patience? Who really wants patience?

The Greek word is "makrothumia," built on "makros" (where we get our word "macro" ... "large, long") and "thumos", meaning passion, fierceness. So when the King James refers to it as "longsuffering," it's pretty accurate. It is a trait God has ... toward us. (Rom 2:4). It is the ability to endure people, circumstances, or even injustice without retaliation. See? Why do we want that?

Well, another place the word is used in Paul's description of love (1 Cor 13:4). "Love is patient." So, if "patient" is part of the description of "love," and we are commanded to love (Matt 22:37-40) and be known for our love (John 13:35), it would seem that this would be a critical virtue. Fortunately ... it's not something we produce. It's a fruit of the Spirit. Of course, you know how He does it ... a lot of people, circumstances, and even injustice to endure without retaliation. Tough? Maybe. Necessary? Absolutely.

Where is God?

C.S. Lewis once said, "We relate to God as Hamlet would relate to Shakespeare." What does that mean? The creature can't find the Creator. The character can't discover the Author. He went on to say, "If God is our Creator, then we would relate to God as Hamlet would relate to Shakespeare. Now, how would Hamlet ever know anything about Shakespeare? Hamlet's not going to find him anywhere on stage. The only way he's ever going to meet him is if Shakespeare writes himself into the play."

I like the imagery. I get it. Using the Hamlet metaphor, Hamlet never sought for Shakespeare. It just ... didn't happen. Couldn't. Similarly, Scripture states categorically, "No one seeks for God" (Rom 3:11; Psa 14:2). Instead, we read, "The mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot" (Rom 8:7). So we suppress the truth about God (Rom 1:18-21) and we are hostile to God and we don't seek Him. How, then, can there be any hope? Paul told the Gentile believers, "Remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world" (Eph 2:12). Without hope and without God ... that describes the human race in its natural condition. That's why the "but God" texts are so magnificent. "But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ" (Eph 2:4-5). "But God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Rom 5:8). "But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong" (1 Cor 1:27).

Jesus "became flesh and dwelt among us" (John 1:14). He "emptied Himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men, and being found in human form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross" (Php 2:7-8). The Author became part of the story. Hope for the hopeless. Grace for the graceless. Mercy where justice demands death. Amazing, "the immeasurable riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus" (Eph 2:7).

An Inconvenient Truth

The Twilight Zone original series had some good episodes, but one of my favorites was The Obsolete Man (script). In it, Burgess Meredith plays a librarian in a totalitarian nation. They've eliminated books (and God) and are now going to execute a "librarian" because the role is no longer necessary. He's obsolete. The character is interesting. He argues that the state "has one iron rule: Logic is an enemy, and truth is a menace." I'm pretty sure the authors of the episode didn't know they were being biblical (Rom 1:18).

It doesn't take a totalitarian state to arrive at this. Consider ... advertising. We have "truth in advertising" laws, but they're practically meaningless these days. They make subjective claims like "no ANNOYING ads" where "annoying" is undefined and can't be proven, thereby nullifying the "no ads" claim. You'll see something like "Up to 50% off" which simply claims that nothing will be more than 50% off, and is not a promise of storewide savings. "Results may vary" and "clinically tested" are intentionally unclear. There is a gap between actual truthfulness and practical honesty (what a normal person would assume). Here's the thing. Our world has discounted the concept of "truth" as an objective thing. We're fine with "my truth" and "your truth" ... sometimes ... but refuse to believe that there is actual truth. Our culture, not just our government, has begun to view truth as a menace. AI, for instance, is programmed to ignore the concept as relative. AI is trained by observing, and the "trainers" don't believe in objective truth, so neither does the AI model. (I asked one AI if this was true and it said it was. Funny, right?) Humans hold opposing statements in each hand and accept them both, so AI does the same. Then some lawyers, for instance, ask for cases that support their position, the AI manufactures them because ... no one said they had to be true.

Jesus told Pilate, "Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice," to which Pilate responded, "What is truth?" (John 18:37-38). It's not a new problem. But Jesus said, "I am ... the Truth" (John 14:6). He said God's word is truth (John 17:17). We know objective truth exists. Jesus said, "For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth" (John 18:37), so anyone who rejects the truth ... can't handle the Truth.

Independence

We in America value "independence." Just what is independence? According to the dictionary, it means, "not subject to control by others." Well ... sort of. I mean, we are subject to the control of others in life. It also means, "not requiring or relying on something else : not contingent." But ... we are contingent. We require farmers and merchants and law enforcement and friends and family and ... a very long list of others. It seems like "independence" is a myth ... and ought to be.

What is it that drives our love of "independence"? Part of it is the idea of self-control. We like to believe we are captains of our own fate. Another is self-authorship. We want to think we're the protagonists of our own story. In the 1950s and 60s, psychologist Harry Harlow did experiments with monkeys. His experiments showed that humans don't just want touch; they need it. As in orphanages where children experienced minimal contact, humans are stunted, weakened, suffer cognitive delays, and a dramatically higher mortality rate. Conversely, science shows us that skin-to-skin contact of newborns stabilizes their heart rate and breathing, increases oxytocin, and produces stronger bonds and better emotional regulation. That is, we aren't just better if we're not independent. We are born dependent, remain interdependent, and cannot survive actual independence.

Independence actually is a myth. Hillary famously said, "It takes a village to raise a child." She had large political intentions and I decry some of them, but the fact is ... we are a race that requires community -- family, friends, neighbors, farther and farther out. The early church made a practice of it. "Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart" (Acts 2:46). Believers are commanded to not forsake our own assembling together (Heb 10:25). Jesus said, "By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another" (John 13:35). Our drive for "independence" is a drive for a myth that can't actually occur and shouldn't actually occur. Instead, dependence on the God who owns us and saved us and on each other is the ultimate good (Matt 22:37-40). It's our sin nature that pushes us toward independence, and it's clearly the wrong direction.

Not That David

(I have a regular commenter here. This is NOT about him. Not that David.)

I don't like most movies offering a presentation of biblical characters. They just normally ... mess it up. But my bride wanted to see the new Angel Studios film, David, so we went. It did indeed ignore a lot of biblical facts, and manufacture others ... the kind of thing that will make audiences come away with the thought that "So, that's how it was" when it wasn't. But ... I was actually pleasantly surprised at the message despite the historical failings.

There were undeniable errors, omissions and leaps. As a shepherd, David took on the lion ... but only defeated him and later freed him ... even though the account says he killed it. Saul threw a spear at David because Saul knew David had been anointed king. Well ... no ... it's not in there. They skipped the part where David beheaded Goliath after hitting him with the rock. Fine. Whatever. But the running theme, indeed, the main message of the movie was that God — not human strength, charisma, or kingship — is the true source of help, guidance, and victory. That God, indeed, is always right in what He does. In one musical part (there was a lot of music, which, I guess, could have been since David wrote so many psalms), David is in distress and on the run, crying out "Why, God?" In a parallel moment, his mother is running with her family for their lives singing, "My God ..." and assuring everyone that the God that David was questioning was reliable in every circumstance, a skillfully woven counterpoint "duet" with a message. God was everywhere in the story, from his anointing to a butterfly picking a stone for David to throw. No ... that's not in the Bible, but the message was "God is in everything." The message was our courage rooted not in self-confidence or arrogance, but in God.

Images can be dangerous in portraying biblical stories. We can substitute the images for the truth of the text. But this movie declared boldly what many Christians miss ... God chooses, guides, and empowers humble people who trust Him, while human strength and human kings inevitably fail. It intentionally fixes our eyes on God rather than Man. Similar to Paul's "What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed; and in this I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice" (Php 1:18), I suppose I'm glad that in some small way, Christ is proclaimed, whether in pretense or in truth. Am I recommending the movie? No ... just the message.

Pray Like Daniel

Jesus explicitly taught His disciples "that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart" (Luke 18:1). Jesus prayed often (e.g., Mark 1:35; Luke 6:12; Matt 26:39). Paul commanded, "Pray without ceasing" (1 Thess 5:17). Scripture repeatedly urges and commands prayer.

I read this stuff and I think, "What about me? How is my prayer life?" I think about our society today where it's ... not kosher to pray in public. I grew up in a culture where my family would routinely pray in a restaurant, for instance. The public didn't mind. Fast forward to today and it's frowned on, mocked, and ridiculed. And then I think of Daniel. In Persia, Daniel's enemies sought to accuse him, so they tricked King Darius into passing a law against praying to anyone but the king (Dan 6:1-9). Here's the thing ... Daniel knew it (Dan 6:10). So ... what did he do? He went to his roof chamber with windows opened and prayed ... openly, "as he had been doing previously." The State illegally banned praying in schools ("Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof") and we caved. We decided to pray in private, out of sight, doors closed. "Well, maybe that's pointless. Let's just ... pray less. Okay ... maybe very little." It sounds similar to Daniel's situation ... except for one thing. Daniel continued to pray "as he had been doing previously." Were we?

Prayer is recommended, urged, commanded. The God of the universe asks His people to ... talk to Him, to "let your requests be made known to God" (Php 4:6-7). He sends His Holy Spirit to assist us in praying (Rom 8:26-27). He promises blessings ... and, too often, instead of bowing in prayer, we bow out of praying. Will we be "Daniels" and pray boldly, or just be disobedient?