The family of God
We The People have spoken.
Election 2024
President Donald Trump was reelected Tuesday night and we are ecstatic beyond words. What a victory for the children of God and the American people.
The coverage, the platform and the true colors
Candace Owens’ lively coverage before, during and after the 2024 election provided essential truths. Brandon and I started watching the PBD election night coverage at 2 hours and 44 minutes when Candace arrived on the stage.
Clearly, the platform of The Democratic Party gave the world a pungent picture of the thief who came to steal, kill and destroy. Drama. Chaos. Destruction. They marched arrogantly and angrily on their platform of death—abortion and the LGBTQ agenda—mired in threats, lies, deception, false accusations and oozing with evil.
The left’s rabid behavior should disturb you. For an entertaining election follow-up, view this 16-minute “Lefties Losing It” episode. In response to Trump’s victory, the women—I mean communists—on “The View” called for more censorship. What a surprise. (Start at 21:07 in this Candace Owens podcast.)
Frankie Ann’s fave
My favorite post-election show came from Liz Wheeler, who acknowledged the victory of good vs. evil, repeatedly gave thanks to God, and featured the mainstream media’s meltdown and much more—including the infiltration of the church by cultural Marxism. Her coverage was outstanding.
While you may be a little tired of election coverage, comments and follow-ups, please remember the historic nature of what just happened. Drink in the victory and the implications fully for a time.
Also highly recommended
Here are some other post-election gems from last week:
♦ Glenn Beck: Trump’s 10-point plan to dismantle the deep state
♦ Amala Ekpunobi: “The Left Has Lost, But Have They Learned”
♦ Michael Knowles and Liz Wheeler: The 4B feminists, why women voted for Trump, men’s and women’s roles
♦ Candace Owens: An evaluation of the democrats—episode 99 of her new independent podcast
Blind guides
Sadly, many preachers drank the mainstream media’s Kool-Aid for the past four years and flunked The Discernment Test epically. Some of them advised their people to vote for the communist; I mean Kabala (that’s not a typo). This article about Pastor Ray Ortlund provides a vivid example.
I phoned or texted this message to several friends before or on election day: “I am praying specifically for pastors who have eyes but do not see and ears but do not hear (i.e., lacking basic discernment about what’s been going on in the world)—that they will be harshly awakened, will repent for their poor leadership and will become bold preachers who truly acknowledge the evil in our faces and seek to protect their flock.”
I’m praying for A Nathan Moment for sleeping pastors—like the speech given to King David by the prophet Nathan: “You are the man!” Call it a slap upside the head, like this: “I’m talking to you, Clueless Wonder! Whose voice are you listening to? Where have you been? What have you been doing or failing to do? Where is your mind? Where is your backbone? You’ve been a blind guide. You misled your people. You must repent. You must publicly apologize. You must boldly speak the truth about what’s going on in your country in order to protect your people.” Wake up, preachers!
The times
President Trump isn’t the only one who recently dodged a bullet. Our entire country just dodged a bullet in last week’s presidential election. Every adult in the United States needs to watch Letter to the American Church by Eric Metaxas. The book by the same name pleads with the church to wake up and stand up. The documentary is in your face. In one hour, it stunningly covers all the key issues.
On Tuesday, We The People stood up against the darkness and said no to the deep state and the lies and propaganda of Hollywood and the mainstream media. The silent majority is silent no more.
We’re more than just citizens of the United States.
The family of God has spoken.
Speaking of family, what’s on the wall in our kitchen? “We The People” and more.
Summary
Today we’ll be focusing on joy in the family of God. But first, how about a quick summary of The Joy of the Lord posts—from July to present. Do you need to read one of these posts again—or for the first time?
Joy in blessings
Part 1: A vacation
Part 2: Our new dog
Joy in the word
Part 3: The assassination attempt against President Trump, the sex trade, our need for strength, hard times, wolves, social justice warriors
Part 4: God’s word—our essential food, finding a new church, a field trip to Gateway, personal stories, the revealing/repenting process
Joy in affliction
Part 5: Being targeted, seven accomplices, the persecution of President Trump, spiritual affliction, scriptures, physical affliction, the power of prayer
Joy in believing
Part 6: Strength, the Paris Olympics, gender issues, LGBTQ resources, abortion, Letter to the American Church, two kinds of belief, spiritual realities
Part 7: The Prodigal Son; spiritual, mental and emotional strength; the Olympics 2.0; psychological warfare; the Bezmenov Psyop; Danger Close; communism and the documentary Beneath Sheep’s Clothing; the remnant
Part 8: Five personal stories, DEI and corporate America, the LGBTQ agenda, MSM’s lies and projection, Target, transgenderism, the serial killer who got saved, God’s hand and communication, your stories
Joy in the Lord’s protection
Part 9: Previous protection stories on Choosing Peace, three new stories, the illness, the drug dealer, the cult, the accomplice, good and bad training, the NAR: false prophets, compromised, the indictment, prodigals
Joy in the Lord’s provision
Part 10: Friends, giving and receiving, jobs, being bold at work, help, money, rain
Joy in worship
Part 11: Acts of worship, preachers and hearers, worshiping in daily life, my favorite Psalm, journaling, Miss Clara and little Michael
Joy in the Lord’s presence
Part 12: Trusting and seeing God, the welfare state, Lena’s story, the meaning of names, We The People, lawmakers, the relationship between welfare and abortion, the take-down of the family, the message
Part 13: Experiencing the Lord’s presence and his help, the missing wallet, the broken dishwasher, closed doors, helping a friend and a stranger, answered prayer, the gift of prayer, A Kiss On The Head from Jesus
What a fitting way to end this big group of posts…
Joy in the family of God
Family—immediate and “real”
Today’s stories about the family of God include my own family; my “real” family of close friends, including my new mom; and my larger Christian family—the true family of God.
Saturday, June 22
Journal entry
I visited [my new mom] Kathleen at rehab in south Ft. Worth. It was so good to hug her, talk and visit. I brought her a piece of banana crunch coffee cake. She was very thankful. She weighs less than 100 pounds, but was in good spirits.
Brandon and Logan went to the shooting range and had a good time together. Around 5, we [all] went to the YMCA aquatic center. We shared a pizza from the snack bar and chilled in the lazy river. It was so fun and relaxing. It felt soooo good. The shooting range and water park were both Logan’s idea. What a sweetie. He’ll be at A&M next summer and is being intentional with his time this summer—spending lots of time with [our dog] Floyd and us and friends. I’m so proud of him.
That was a joyful day indeed. And it was all because we’re “family” in the deepest, hearts-united sense. We love the Lord.
Real or fiction
Whether the family of God is real or well-written, uplifting fiction, we can experience amazing joy in the family of God.
Friday, May 17
Journal entry
Work was very busy and fruitful. There were lots of people in and out of St. Matt’s yesterday and today in preparation for tomorrow’s wedding and Sunday’s Pentecost Picnic. I mentioned the picnic to Brandon last night at dinner and he’d like to go. He referred to St. Matt’s as Mitford [from Jan Karon’s series of books]. I agreed and loved that sentiment.
Reading the Mitford series about Father Tim (an Episcopal priest), his parishioners, family and friends has definitely softened and opened Brandon’s heart. I’ve read the series three times so far. The characters and stories are heartwarming, funny, enlightening and thought-provoking. I included the Mitford series in my list of favorite books.
The wedding and the party
Thursday, August 22
Journal entry
Work was busy. I got to be a witness at a small wedding. I enjoyed it greatly and sat by Peggy, Father Daniel’s wife. She is darling. Sam brought me a Braum’s chocolate chip cookie dough shake. Yum! She’s an angel. I was very tired today, but all went well. I worked an hour late. Marvin did great. He’s my precious work buddy. I love my dog! I’m experiencing great anticipation about my upcoming Writing Retreat. It’s one week away. Thank you, Lord!
Kathleen and I had a good talk after work. I prayed out loud for her and Gina [—her youngest daughter]. She was most grateful. Her 90th birthday party on Sunday was wonderful.
Kathleen lives with her oldest daughter, Susan. I was really disappointed that I wasn’t invited to Kathleen’s special birthday party. Neither were any of her friends from St. Matt’s—her long-term church family. Golly.
Life has its ups and downs, doesn’t it? Joys and disappointments. But the common thread for those of us who are in Christ is the constant presence of the Holy Spirit, the love of God, encouragement and truth from his word, and joy in the family of God—most of the time.
Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory in great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever. Amen. ~ Jude 1:24-25, New Heart English Bible
Truth from my soul sister
Friday, August 23
Journal entry
Charlene texted me on Tuesday, “Love this man! Ben Carson said, ‘As a child, you’re taught to not talk about politics and religion. The left, Marxists, communists love this. They operate in darkness. Be the light. Talk about it with everyone.’” Today, I finally drank it in and replied—“Amen!” That ties in directly with my new post.
My pal Charlene isn’t only my Soul Sister; she’s a devoted, informed patriot. She gave me our Trump and Vance yard sign. Thank you, Charlene! We talk about politics and we pray for our country (and state and local issues). She red-pilled me back in 2021, which changed my life. Hallelujah.
For I have much joy and comfort in your love,
because the hearts of the saints
have been refreshed through you….
Philemon 1:7, New Heart English Bible
From steak to popsicles
Food, treats and joy go hand-in-hand, don’t you know.
Wednesday, January 3
Journal entry
Logan got off work early. He helped unload the groceries and cooked steaks for dinner. I cooked corn on the cob and a baked potato for Brandon. Dinner was great. …Later, Logan offered me a red velvet cupcake for dessert. We sat at the table and had a sweet time together. When Logan was passing out popsicles for snack at the Y one day last summer, he gave two girls each a popsicle matching the color of their fingernails. They loved that. I told Logan that he’ll be a great dad—attentive, fun, caring. I’m so proud of him. He brings joy—to me and many others.
For you are our glory and our joy.
1 Thessalonians 2:20, New Heart English Bible
The community of faith
Last month, we hosted a community-wide patriotic rally at St. Matt’s. What a remarkable evening. A free dinner. The local high school marching band playing “God Bless America” and other patriotic favorites while the people sang along. A welcome from the mayor, the police department and the fire department. Prayers from men who lead or attend three different churches. People wearing red, white and blue and waving American flags. Lots of smiles.
We needed to come together as a community to celebrate God and country. We needed to experience the strength and warmth of being united—across denominational lines. We needed to bow our heads and lift up our voices as we said The Lord’s Prayer together. We’re the people of God and we’re also We The People of the United States of America.
Here’s one of the ads from our rally program. It makes me smile.
The family of God
At church today, we sang with a spirit of great rejoicing and gratitude about the election results. We sang these words: “There’s joy in the house of the Lord today….” We gave God the glory.
Peaceful Readers, let’s stay thankful. Let’s stay humble. Let’s keep rejoicing.
I’ve never experienced nationwide unity with the body of Christ like I did during this election cycle. The people of God who were awake and aware painfully realized our need for God’s intervention for our country—for our freedom, for our voices, for our worship. We cared, deeply. We spoke up. We got involved.
And we prayed like never before.
“…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 will heal their land.”
2 Chronicles 7:14, New Heart English Bible
Coming next: I think we’ll be moving on to the next Bible series. In the first one, The Beauty of the Bible, we covered my favorite verses, Samson, the resurrection of Jesus, and Esther. (See The Bible in the index.) I feel pulled to the Old Testament story of Joseph—one of my 12 favorite Bible stories.
Until next time, thanks for reading and for Choosing Peace.
Truth from The Word: Revelation 19:16
Song: “King of Heaven” by Abriele Cole
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