Nothing Can Steal Our Joy.

September 9, 2026

Leadership Notes

     Do you ever feel like a stranger living in a strange land? That’s what God’s Word says it’s like when having a Biblical worldview in a lost and broken world. Sometimes nothing makes sense.

     Case in point. Biological males pretending to be females compete in sports against biological females. Make that make sense. And people buy into the illusion. It is a cultural mental illness.

     Meanwhile, there’s a Supreme Court justice who claimed she could not define the word “woman.” “I’m not a biologist,” she explained during her confirmation hearing. Crazy, right? I don’t think she said it because she’s stupid. I think she feared being the voice of reason in a peer group that carries a bit of insufficiency in that department.

     In Oklahoma, a man had paranoid schizophrenia and a growing brain lesion. He murdered his 9-month-old daughter when her crying interrupted a video game. Upon arrest, he was in a near catatonic, delusional state.

     The jury convicted him and sentenced him to death. He was executed.

     His is not the only case of a father being justly convicted of murdering a child/children while psychologically unbalanced.

     Now consider the tragic story of Bonnie Pierce. Her St. Paul, Minnesota duplex was on fire. She had gotten out, but realizing her toddler was still inside, ran back into the house for her little girl. Firefighters found her using her body to shield her daughter. She died. Her little girl survived. Bonnie Pierce used the remaining minutes of her life to save the life of her daughter.

     That is a mother’s love. How many would walk back into a fire? But we watched last week as people stood outside a courthouse for a woman accused of killing her three children. That circus got attention. Bonnie Pierce gave her life and hardly anyone knows her name or her story. Honor does not belong to the spectacle. Honor belongs to the woman who ran back into the fire.

     Editorial headline from USA Today:

“Lindsay Clancy has whipped up a frenzied fandom of women who have made her a martyr. It’s dangerous and disgusting.”

     This poses a telling juxtaposition to the recent Massachusetts law allowing abortions up to birth. How can we not think of Isaiah 5:20?:

Woe to those who call evil good    

and good evil,

who put darkness for light    

and light for darkness,

who put bitter for sweet    

and sweet for bitter!

     Some people can certainly tell the biological differences between a man and a woman when it comes to defending murder. Newscaster Lisa Boothe recently observed, “Perhaps, instead of focusing on mental health, we should re-examine how we view human life as a society. When you start devaluing a child in the womb, that dehumanization doesn’t stay there.” To put it another way, Pope John Paul II once said, “A nation that kills its own children is a nation without hope.”

     We are strangers in a strange land. Our Christian worldview collides with the wickedness around us. And that’s not a bad thing. Our Christian worldview is what sets us apart. It’s why we have visceral responses to the evil we see and hear about. The question becomes what do we do in the midst of wickedness?

     Make no mistake. We could rage against the machine of darkness in

our world. But to paraphrase a renowned poet, would it only amount to all

sound and fury, ultimately signifying nothing? Where do we go with our outrage? Our disappointment? Our sorrow and sadness?

     We do what God continues to call us to do. We contribute to the love and joy God is working in our little church here where He has planted us. We worship Him filled with rejoicing. We carry happiness from our encounter with the promises of His Word everywhere we go. We support ministries that help people of all ages. But especially expectant moms through Care Pregnancy Center. And school-age children needing to improve their reading proficiency. And so many other ways. We are present in our community reflecting the love of Jesus Christ in the things we do.

     I know, in this crazy, mixed-up, misguided world things can be discouraging. But we never lose heart. Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior. He has assured our salvation. No matter what happens in this world, we have a place in heaven. That means nothing can steal our joy. As that great old hymn, “A Mighty Fortress” puts it:

3. And though this world, with devils filled,

should threaten to undo us,

we will not fear, for God has willed

his truth to triumph through us.

The prince of darkness grim,

we tremble not for him;

his rage we can endure,

for lo! his doom is sure;

one little word shall fell him.

4. That Word above all earthly powers

no thanks to them abideth;

the Spirit and the gifts are ours

through him who with us sideth.

Let goods and kindred go,

this mortal life also;

the body they may kill:

God's truth abideth still;

his kingdom is forever!

     Let the heathen rage. We will rest assured in our salvation. We will hold tightly to our Christian worldview because Jesus Christ will never let us go. That’s why we rejoice in the Lord always!

     And now, your Moment{s} of Spurgeon:

“Evil things are easy things: for they are natural to our fallen nature. Right things are rare flowers that need cultivation.”

&

“Long ago I ceased to count heads. Truth is usually in the minority in this evil world.”

     With Much Persevering Love and Affection,

                         Richard