More on believing
You may be wondering, What happened to the topic of joy in believing? That is an excellent question. The last post dealt with strength and warfare. Part 6 was heavy on strength too, and included some basics about joy in believing from an 1800s preacher and from the Bible.
Today we’ll explore five fun Frankie Ann stories that bring joy in believing to life. Hopefully my stories will help you remember some stories of your own. Pull out your journal or some paper so you can write down some memories as they’re sparked along the way.
Today on Choosing Peace, you’ll read about a banana split, a gust of wind, and a serial killer.
Joy in believing
Key verse
While I was writing this post, my Bible reading one morning was Romans 15. You may be thinking—no big deal. But here’s the thing. I read my Bible from cover to cover, one chapter at a time. Out of the 66 possible books in the Bible, I was in the book of Romans. On the day when I started this Joy in Believing section, I was in Romans, chapter 15. What was the one verse I’d circled in the past? Romans 15:13, our key verse for joy in believing from part 6:
Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing,
that you may abound in hope, in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Romans 15:13, New Heart English Bible
God’s timing is perfect.
His word is truth.
His way is life.
Hope and reality
I’m looking forward to displaying the truth of our key verse through my life. Look for “the God of hope” and “the power of the Holy Spirit” in these stories. You will see the hand of God. You’ll also see some current events. How come? As Eric Metaxas communicates so well in Letter to the American Church, we can’t separate our faith from what’s going on in the world we live in. If we’ve been saved, we’re Christians all the time, aren’t we? We’re God’s children all the time, aren’t we?
I’m going to work backward in time, starting in last August and ending with a story from January of last year. Did I journal about food again? Oh, yes.
Story one: The drive home
We helped Logan move into his on-campus apartment for his junior year of college.
Friday, August 18
Journal entry
…Lord, I pray for a fun, friend-filled, fruitful school year with great learning, Logan’s favor with God and man, and much joy. Amen. We parted with hugs and joy. Logan patted us each on the head. Today’s move-in went really well, for the first time. Thanks be to God Almighty. Thanks ever be to God.
…For the first time in 25 years, Brandon drove us home from out of town without the radio on. He knows I prefer silence. Is this a turning point? The drive home was peaceful. We shared a banana split at Braum’s in Hillsboro. I substituted butter pecan for the chocolate scoop and requested caramel sauce on top. Amazing. …Later on the drive, I mentioned what’s going on with Target and requested more details. We had a good discussion about The No-Longer-Silent Majority. Lord, I pray that Target goes out of business [given] the people’s response to their satanic and LGBTQ children’s clothing.
What an evening. Good-bye hugs, a radio-free drive, a delicious banana split, and a lively discussion about Target. Did God answer my prayer for Logan’s school year? He absolutely did. Was it an easy year? Not at all. But it was wonderful.
Target—agenda revealed
Let’s take a detour into this Target thing. A major U.S. retailer thought it would be a great idea to sell children’s clothing that advertised—I mean celebrated—Satan and the LGBTQ lifestyle. Needless to say, children’s parents and lots of other people weren’t remotely happy about that. Photos and videos exploded all over the internet. I heard about it, even though I’m not on social media and I don’t watch the news—I mean mainstream media’s propaganda and lies. Why were satanic messages and LGBTQ-celebrating messages combined in the same clothing line? Peaceful Readers, the satanic and LGBTQ movement go hand-in-hand, don’t you know. Satan is anti-God. LGBTQ is anti-God’s-design (for families and human flourishing). See part 6 for more.
The agenda and the lies
I decided to investigate what the mainstream media wanted us to think about Target’s evil agenda—the agenda they revealed so clearly on their display racks: “We want to ruin children’s lives, eliminate healthy families, and take down the Christian church.” In my brief investigation, did I find mainstream media’s propaganda and lies? Indeed, I did.
Rewriting reality
Many supposed “news” sources blatantly lied, saying there was no satanic/LGBTQ children’s clothing line at Target. They accused AI of making the whole thing up. On the first page of a non-Google, non-Microsoft internet search, only four out of the Top 10 search results told the truth about the existence of Target’s evil children’s clothing line. (Details in this pdf.)
The top four
The Top Four listings lied in beautiful four-part harmony, singing the same lyrics. How many people bother to look past the first four listings?
The top 10
The Top 10 search results were: (1) AP News: Lies—yes, ladies and gentlemen—that’s a big player, The Associated Press; (2) Reuters: Lies; (3) Politifact: Lies; (4) AFP fact checkers: Lies; (5) NY Times: Truth; (6) Berkshire Eagle: Lies; (7) VERIFY This: Lies; (8) New York Post: Truth; (9) Daily Mail from the UK: Truth; (10) PBS News: Truth.
Don’t get me wrong. When I say “Truth,” I don’t mean for a second that everything the news outlet reported was the truth. I just mean that they acknowledged the existence of Target’s satanic and LGBTQ children’s clothing.
Strange listings
Who’s AFP, a liar and #4 in the search results? A French company paid by Google and TikTok. ’Nuff said.
Berkshire Eagle, a liar and listing #6, was a family-owned newspaper in western Massachusetts whose roots date “back to 1789.” Its founding fathers must be churning in their graves. What a strange, obscure source to list in the Top 10, don’t you think? Look for the red flags in their current leadership—a New York and San Francisco venture capital firm, a former attorney and judge, a longtime mainstream media executive, etc.
And here’s the humdinger in the list. Reuters couldn’t seem to make up their collective minds. On May 24, they reported the truth. On May 31, they reported the agreed-upon lie that goes something like this: “The images besmirching Target were generated by AI—artificial intelligence, so the whole thing was a conspiracy by those crazy right-wingers.” Right, peeps. Unfortunately for you, your mainstream media pals at The New York Times and PBS didn’t get the memo. They actually leaked the real story.
Documentation
See the pdf for the summary. It is very revealing.
Projection
Do you see what the mainstream media did? Target did something terribly evil and they knew it. We The People called Target out. The mainstream media lied about what Target did and accused We The People of lying and being evil. Projection 101. Read part 6 for an example from the Olympics.
The plotting and new words
MSM’s plotting session went something like this.
MSM: “Yes, we’re liars, but mind control of the masses is what we’re here for. We’ve got an important job to do and corporate big shots to placate. Our pals at Target got busted for doing something evil, so we’ll have to lie about it and get our story straight. It’s time to accuse our enemies—those stupid, sappy, self-righteous conservatives—of being evil liars to take the heat off our pals. Let’s say they used AI and made the whole children’s clothing line up. That’s it. Problem solved. Voila.”
While MSM stands for mainstream media, can’t we find better words for what MSM really means? How about Malicious, Sadistic Magpies or Made-up Story Mouthpieces or Malware for Susceptible Minds.
Sorry. I couldn’t resist.
The Target twist
The mainstream media—the Liars Extraordinaire—accused good parents and citizens of conspiring against squeaky-clean, oh-so-innocent Target with malicious lies. MSM did a Target Twist—pretending Target was good and their customers were evil. (Not a very smart business strategy.) The Target Twist—“We’re good; you’re evil”—reminds me of my sociopathic mother-in-law, Delia. I digress. It’s nothing new. The Bible describes the Target Twist in Isaiah 5:20.
Projection has always been and will always be one of the key tactics of evil people. Be ready for it. Explore the addendum about evil at the end of this post.
Complicit corporations
The attempted takedown of the family, the church and the country—with the LGBTQ movement being one of the major attack vectors—has become increasingly obvious through the actions of major corporations and brands. Last year, it was Bud Light and Target. This year? Tractor Supply and Harley Davidson, among others. Watch this excellent 3-minute Dennis Prager clip featuring Robby Starbuck about Harley Davidson and the intentional far-left, woke infiltration of traditional American brands. It’s important. To dig into Tractor Supply’s DEI program, pervasive corporate rainbow imagery, COVID “vaccine” push, and drag shows for families and children at events they sponsor, see this 7-minute Robby Starbuck podcast. The Tractor Supply video clearly shows what is going on in corporations across America. Very disturbing. Evil.
Also, watch this video, “The Ideology of Transgenderism—Liz Wheeler Live at James Madison University.” Liz Wheeler skillfully unpacks the transgender movement and answers pointed questions from both conservative and liberal students. During the Q&A segment (just after 51:10 in the video), she clarifies the definitions of diversity, equity and inclusion and contrasts what those words actually mean with the way those words—today’s components of DEI—have been redefined by Marxists and the left. I highly recommend the whole video. It is outstanding.
The connection
Let’s wrap up this particular problem at Target—one of many. What does the Target children’s clothing debacle have to do with joy in believing? Well, the conversation Brandon and I had in the car was definitely lively. It was good. Here’s the thing. When you know who your enemy is, you can take corrective action. No more Target. Anyone who pushes Satan on children is my enemy. Anyone who pushes an LGBTQ lifestyle on children is my enemy. That’s it. Not up for discussion. If the guilty parties repent and are saved, they will be my brothers and sisters in the Lord. Until that time, we are opposing forces. No compromise.
Cause for joy 1
Is “knowing your enemy” cause for joy? Yes, it is. Clarity is cause for joy, even when reality is disturbing. The truth sets us free and helps us to speak and walk rightly. If you need a refresher on strength and warfare, explore part 7. It includes some important resources, including this new documentary: Beneath Sheep’s Clothing.
Cause for joy 2
Can Satan worshipers be saved? Absolutely. Last week, author and radio show host Eric Metaxas went to a maximum-security prison and met David Berkowitz, the New York serial killer known as Son of Sam. After entering a satanic cult, David offered his life to Satan. At age 24, he committed six murders and seriously wounded seven other people.
Eleven years later, David got saved. He now runs a prison ministry—leading a Bible study, conducting worship services, and shining the light of Christ in dark places. David works to help young people avoid the occult. He’s a joyful man with a purpose. For David’s testimony and much more, see his website, ariseandshine.org. Eric Metaxas describes David’s story as “the ultimate story of redemption.” (If you’d like to hear more, start listening to Hour 1 of The Eric Metaxas Show from August 26, 2024, starting at 31 minutes into the show. Continue to Hour 2 for the first 10 minutes.)
The hymn and the verse
Joy in believing and the battle between good and evil remind me of the refrain to this wonderful old hymn, “I Know Whom I Have Believed” (also called “I Know Not Why God’s Wondrous Grace”). Sing along with Fountainview Academy’s lovely video or as you read the lyrics. It’s a gem. Here’s the refrain:
But “I know whom I have believed,
and am persuaded that he is able
to keep that which I’ve committed
unto him against that day.”
The refrain is 2 Timothy 1:12 from the King James Version of the Bible. God knows the war that rages. He knows the battles we’re fighting. He is our Savior and our keeper. Here’s a Frankie Ann paraphrase. “I know who I believe in. Jesus is able to keep what I’ve committed to him—my soul, my purpose, my life.” The KJV says “against that day.” Modern translations say “until that day.” I believe Paul is referencing the day when he’ll enter heaven and see Jesus face-to-face. This verse comes from a scripture passage about God’s purpose, fulfilling our calling, immortality and how Jesus Christ conquered death.
This biography of the hymn writer, Major D.W. Whittle, will warm your heart.
When we’re confronted with evil, we rejoice in knowing God.
The Lord is truth, and he is our joy.
Story two: The revealing
When the Spirit moves, we move with him.
Sunday, June 11
Journal entry
After [our life group], Rachel and I visited in the Atrium. I told her about my abortion. She had one too and gave me a big hug. I told her about Someone Cares [—a post-abortion healing ministry—] and invited her to the next retreat. She’d like to come. She was amazed by what I shared. God is so good.
JR’s sermon about putting God first was great.
One in three
I can’t remember what Rachel and I were talking about, but in a split second, the Holy Spirit made it clear that I needed to tell her about my abortion, so I did. My revelation flowed smoothly and relevantly within our short conversation. She was blown away and actually seemed quite relieved. Now she knew that she wasn’t the only one in our life group with that secret story—today’s scarlet letter. I know of three post-abortive women in our life group. There may be more. We’re in line, statistically, with the one-in-three reality. One in three. If someone visited our life group and was told to point out the three women wearing today’s scarlet letter, they wouldn’t pick us. They’d be shocked as we stood up one by one.
One by one.
The gift
How does this story remind me of joy in believing? Because we’re believers, Rachel and I have received the gift of the Holy Spirit. It isn’t because we go to church. Because the Holy Spirit gave us this one-on-one conversation that day and because the Holy Spirit nudged me to mention my abortion, he was able to give Rachel the gift of peace, acceptance and understanding that she needed. That secret place inside her was no longer hidden while she was surrounded by people she mistakenly thought were “better” than her, “different” than her, “separate” from her. Rachel now knew the truth. She wasn’t alone. That gives me joy. Great joy.
Remember our key verse. Do you see “the God of hope” and “the power of the Holy Spirit” in this story? Close your eyes and think about one of your own stories. What story does God bring to your mind? Can you see “the God of hope” and “the power of the Holy Spirit” in your story? Journal about these things.
Story three: The earring
This one will make you smile.
Saturday, April 22
Journal entry
God did something great this past Sunday. When I was getting dressed for church, I couldn’t find one of the earrings that went with my necklace. I thought about throwing away the remaining earring, but I didn’t. After church, I sat down in my seat in the Mustang and the earring fell gently into my lap. It had been hooked on the necklace the whole morning, but I couldn’t see it. What a sweet object lesson. Lost and found. Present yet unseen. Thank you, Holy Spirit.
God cares about the little things that bring us joy. Do you have a lost and found story? Think of a time when you knew the Lord was present but unseen. Journal about the experience and how it encourages you. Who can you bless with your story?
Story four: Wind chimes
Enjoy this spring break story.
Thursday, March 16
Journal entry
This morning I texted Kathleen, “I started reading Imagine Heaven this morning. I read the blind woman’s experience—when she moved above the hospital and heard wind chimes. Then I heard wind chimes ringing from outside the house where we’re staying. It was so beautiful! I’m still hearing them…. Thank you for this book! Love you lots.” She replied, “You too, boys in town and having good times.” God is amazing.
The Lord communicates with us in so many different ways. Through words; through the still, small voice; through sights and smells; through music; through sounds.
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above,
coming down from the Father of lights….
James 1:17a, World English Bible
When did the Holy Spirit speak into your heart through a sight or a sound or a smell? Think about how much he loves you. Say an “I love you” prayer to the Lord.
Story five: The wind
The wind and the waves obey him.
Monday, February 13
Journal entry
Today was wonderful. Brandon and I booked our sail boat cruise for our spring break vacation. Our precious maids, Jose and Elena, came. Floyd howled with joy when he saw them. I didn’t howl, but I sure smiled….
Brandon drove us out to the boat. We ate Chick-fil-A on the way. During our peaceful sail at dusk/nightfall, the wind turned us around, back toward the marina. Then we each felt a rain drop. We each commented that God turned us around to help us go the right way—back to the marina. Thank you, Lord! Packing up the boat went very quickly. Brandon thanked me for my help.
This gusty turnaround has never happened to us before or since. God cares. So very, very much. Yes, indeed. The wind and the waves obey him.
Do you remember a time when God spoke to you through the weather you were experiencing? Through a rainbow that he made? Through the wind? Through the stillness? Through the rain? Through a storm? Through the heat or the cold? Journal about those memories. What was God saying to you?
The five stories
Which of these five stories spoke to you the most? The drive home from dropping Logan at college—no radio, a banana split and a feisty conversation about Target? The day when I revealed something very personal to Rachel? The earring that fell in my lap? The sound of the wind chimes as I read about them? The wind turning our boat around to protect us from the coming rain? Do you need to explore one of those stories again?
Is God calling you to remember something that he’s done for you? Close your eyes, be still, listen and follow where he leads….
Hope
“The God of hope” desires to give you hope! The word hope is used twice in our key verse to emphasize its importance.
Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing,
that you may abound in hope, in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Romans 15:13, New Heart English Bible
Peaceful Readers, I pray that you will be filled with joy in believing and will overflow with hope. Remember your stories. Write them down. Share them with your loved ones and with others as the Lord leads you.
God is so good. And powerful. And able.
Rest in him.
Coming next: I’ll be writing part 9 during my second annual Writing Retreat this weekend. Praise the Lord. Will the next post be about joy in God’s presence, joy in worship, joy in the family of God or joy in God’s protection and provision? I’m smiling as I wonder. This I do know. It’ll be filled with good surprises.
Until next time, thanks for reading and for Choosing Peace.
Truth from The Word: Ephesians 1:11-23
Song: “The Name of Jesus” by Abriele Cole
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