A Generation Without Discipline

Posted by & filed under Mikes Blog.

We are raising a generation that believes they deserve everything—without effort, sacrifice, or consequence. They demand freedom but reject responsibility. They want blessings, but not boundaries. This spirit of entitlement didn’t appear overnight—it’s the harvest of years spent avoiding discipline.
In our desire to be “kind,” we spared correction. We replaced hard truth with soft words. We told children they were special, but never taught them that character is forged through struggle. We gave them comfort instead of conviction, praise instead of principles. And now, they cannot bear correction because they never learned that love sometimes says “no.”
The result is a culture where accountability feels like oppression and truth feels like hate. Without discipline, we have produced dependence; without correction, confusion.
Psychologist Jordan Peterson once said, “Do not let your children do anything that makes you dislike them.” It’s a sobering reminder that unchecked behavior in childhood becomes rebellion in adulthood. A generation raised without correction will one day despise authority—and eventually, truth itself.
But discipline is not punishment—it’s love with direction. It teaches humility, gratitude, and self-control. Without it, we create people who feel owed rather than called.
If we want a generation that can carry the weight of truth, we must return to discipline—not as cruelty, but as care. Because a nation that refuses correction will eventually crumble under its own pride.

God’s Grace is Enough

Posted by & filed under Mikes Blog.

This morning while reading the words of Jesus, I came to John 17:1 where He said, “The hour has come.” He was speaking of the suffering He would endure — the betrayal, the lashes, the crown of thorns, the weight of the cross, and ultimately His death.
He went to the garden because His soul was heavy, fully aware of the pain that was coming. While His disciples slept, He fell to the ground in prayer. The weight was so great that His sweat became like drops of blood. Alone in the darkness, He poured His heart out to the Father. And when He rose from the ground, His resolve was firm: “Shall I not drink from the cup of suffering the Father has given Me?” (John 18:11).
Here is the way of perfect surrender. Jesus did not run from what He dreaded; He prayed until His heart was aligned with the Father’s will. Prayer did not remove the suffering, but it gave Him the strength to endure it.
The apostle Paul reminds us of the same truth: “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all” (2 Corinthians 4:17). The trials of this life may feel overwhelming, yet in God’s hands they are never wasted. Christ’s time in the garden led to His strength on the cross — and through His cross came our salvation.
Others who have walked through trial have echoed this same lesson. Oswald Chambers once said, “We have to pray with our eyes on God, not on the difficulties.” And Elisabeth Elliot, who knew suffering well, wrote, “Leave it all in the hands that were wounded for you.”
The garden teaches us where true power is found. Not in escaping hardship, but in facing it with hearts strengthened through prayer and fellowship with the Lord. And the same God who sustained His Son has promised to sustain us: “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit” (Psalm 34:18).
Whatever cup of suffering we may be called to drink, His grace will be enough, and His glory will outweigh it all.

When You Stand for the Truth

Posted by & filed under Mikes Blog.

When You Stand for the Truth, You Will Be Recognized
This past week has been heavy with grief and anger. Emotions have run high, but in the middle of the turmoil came a moment that pierced my heart. A wife stood over her husband’s casket, holding his hands through tears, whispering words that will not be forgotten: “We will not forget you. We will not forget what you stood for.” Emotion and truth collided in that scene, and together they formed something powerful. Emotion alone can stir for a moment, but it fades. Tears dry. Anger cools. Conviction, forged in the fire of truth, becomes eternal.
The price of truth is not new. Jesus warned, “You will be hated by everyone because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved” (Matthew 10:22). Our own nation’s history bears witness as well. Patrick Henry, with fire in his soul, declared, “Give me liberty, or give me death!” because he knew that freedom without conviction is an illusion. Thomas Jefferson warned, “The price of freedom is eternal vigilance.” Abraham Lincoln, in the midst of America’s darkest hour, said, “Truth is generally the best vindication against slander.” From the beginning, those who loved liberty and truth understood that the stand would always come with opposition.
The world has never tolerated truth. It crucified Christ, and it has mocked, silenced, and opposed every voice that dares to speak against its idols. Yet history proves again and again that while men can silence a messenger, they cannot silence the message. And in America, the words of those who risked everything to declare freedom still thunder long after their bodies returned to the dust.
So the question before us is not simply what Charlie stood for, but whether we are willing to stand in the same place. Emotion without conviction will fade, but grief forged into courage can ignite a movement. Elijah once thought he was alone, hunted and silenced by a hostile world, but God reminded him that there were thousands who had not bowed their knees to Baal. The enemy wants us to feel isolated and powerless, but truth is never alone. God always preserves a people who will not bow. Now is not the time to retreat. This is the hour to stand, to shine as light in the darkness, to hold firm to truth without shame and without fear.
When you stand for the truth, you will be recognized. Perhaps not by this world, perhaps not by men, but by heaven itself. That recognition is eternal. The world may hate, mock, or even kill, but God will honor the faithful. Their testimony will not die with them — it becomes seed in the ground. It takes root, and it rises again in those who have the courage to carry the torch.
The flame has been passed to us. It burns because one man stood. It burns because many before him refused to bow. And now it burns in our hands. We can choose to let it flicker out, satisfied with tears and memories, or we can lift it high, lighting the path for a generation stumbling in darkness. This torch was never meant for one man alone. It was always meant to be carried forward, from hand to hand, from heart to heart, until the truth shines brighter than the lies of this world.
The question is no longer what did he stand for, but what will we do with the fire he left behind.

The Chains Behind the Promises

Posted by & filed under Mikes Blog.

In Exodus, God shattered the power of Pharaoh and led His people out of Egypt with a mighty hand. The sea parted, the chains were broken, and a nation of slaves walked into freedom. Yet even as they journeyed into the wilderness, their hearts still longed for Egypt. “We remember the fish we ate in Egypt at no cost—also the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic” (Numbers 11:5). At no cost? They forgot the whips that scarred their backs, the bricks they molded in endless labor, and the graves of their children buried under tyranny. They called the food free, but it was bought with their bondage.
This is the great deception of every age. Slavery never begins with chains. It begins with promises. Promises of provision. Promises of safety. Promises that sound like mercy, but hide control. The meal is the bait; the leash is hidden in the hand that offers it. The master gives, but only so he may own. The cage may be golden, the rope may be velvet, but the result is the same: slavery.
The prophet Isaiah thundered, “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness” (Isaiah 5:20). And is it not the same today? A culture that calls dependency “justice,” that names bondage “compassion,” and that dresses control as generosity is only rewrapping Pharaoh’s chains. What is promised as “free” always comes with a price: your freedom.
Scripture does not mince words. “You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men” (1 Corinthians 7:23). “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery” (Galatians 5:1). To depend on man for what only God can provide is to bow to a false master. It is to step back into the prison even when the door stands open.
The lesson is clear: those who live as slaves will be ruled by masters, but those who live free under God will walk in responsibility, dignity, and strength. Slaves surrender their choices for comfort. Free people embrace responsibility and refuse to bow. Slaves live by what is handed down. Free people live by what is built up in faith.
So here is the warning: any system, any power, any promise that demands your dependence is not your friend — it is your Pharaoh. And any people who trade their freedom for provision will find themselves in chains. True freedom is not found in governments or masters. True freedom is found only in the Lord, who gives life without taking liberty, who sustains without enslaving.
Choose wisely which hand you trust. One binds. The other blesses.

When Conscience Becomes Seared

Posted by & filed under Mikes Blog.

Do you remember the first time you did something you knew was wrong? Maybe it was stealing something small from a store shelf, lying to your parents, cheating on a test, or crossing a line you promised yourself you never would. At first, it shook you. Your heart raced, your stomach knotted, and you felt that invisible pressure of guilt pressing down. That was your conscience—God’s built-in alarm system—telling you to stop.
But then you ignored it. You did it again. The second time didn’t sting quite as much. The third time was easier still. And eventually, the voice that once shouted became only a whisper. Ignore it long enough, and it falls silent altogether. The conscience becomes seared—like flesh burned until it turns into scar tissue, tough, numb, and unfeeling.
This doesn’t just happen to individuals. It happens to whole nations. When leaders silence their consciences, when truth is traded for lies, and when sin is paraded without shame, the people soon follow. Wrong stops feeling wrong. Good is mocked, evil is celebrated, and the culture loses its ability to blush.
We see it everywhere today. Abortion is called “healthcare.” Pornography is marketed as “adult entertainment.” Greed is celebrated as “success.” Corruption is brushed aside as “politics as usual.” Profanity is normalized as “just words.” Lust is excused as “human nature.” Drunkenness and drug use are praised as “freedom of choice.” Pride is championed while humility is scorned.
Can you imagine your great-grandparents walking into our world for a single day? What would they say as they scrolled through our television channels, social media feeds, and city streets? Would they not cover their mouths in shock at what we parade with pride? Would they not grieve at what we now defend as progress?
This is what it means to live with a seared conscience. And often, it disguises itself with lofty words. People convince themselves: “We’ve become enlightened. We’re free now. We don’t have to live like our ancestors did. I can say whatever I want, do whatever I want, live however I want—and nothing will happen to me.”
But the Bible warns us that this so-called “freedom” leads only to emptiness: “leanness of soul” (Psalm 106:15). It is the soul becoming like rawhide—dried out, stiff, unable to feel. The joy of innocence is gone. The sting of conviction is gone. Even the hunger for truth disappears.
And isn’t this the world we see around us? We are the most entertained generation in history, and yet the most bored. We are the most connected through technology, and yet the loneliest. We drown guilt in alcohol, hide pain with drugs, scroll endlessly into the night, and fill every silence with noise so we don’t have to face the truth. Our consciences have grown dull, and in the process, so have our souls.
Hearts once tender, hardened like stone,
Truth exchanged for lies we now call our own.
Good is mocked, and evil wears a crown,
And a seared conscience drags a nation down.
A tender conscience is a treasure. The moment we stop feeling conviction is the moment we are in the most dangerous place of all. For when the conscience no longer stirs, repentance no longer seems necessary—and without repentance, hope fades. God still whispers, but only those with soft hearts will hear Him.

The Voice of a Martyr

Posted by & filed under Mikes Blog.

The Voice They Could Not Silence….
Yesterday, America was shaken to its core. Charlie Kirk — young, bold, unafraid — was gunned down in cold blood. His life was stolen, not because of crime, not because of corruption, but because he dared to stand for truth.
Evil always believes that if it kills the messenger, it can bury the message. They believed that when they nailed Jesus to a cross. They believed it when they stoned Stephen, when they beheaded Paul, when they slaughtered the martyrs across history. But every time, the fire only spread wider. Every time, the truth thundered louder.
Charlie Kirk’s voice stirred a generation. He called young men and women to think, to resist, to fight for faith, family, and freedom. He stood as a watchman on the wall, sounding the alarm, refusing to bow. And for that, he was struck down. Jesus warned us: “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first” (John 15:18). That hatred has once again revealed its face.
So why kill Charlie? To silence him? To frighten those who stood beside him? To provoke violence and chaos? Whatever their aim, they have failed. For you cannot silence truth with bullets. You cannot bury conviction in a grave. His death is not an end — it is a spark. And that spark will ignite a thousand voices, louder and bolder than before.
Evil wants us to cower. Evil wants us broken. Evil wants us divided. But Isaiah declared: “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever” (Isaiah 40:8). The word still stands. And so must we.
Now is not the time to retreat. Now is not the time to fall silent. Now is the time to rise. To live the truth. To shout the truth. To embody the truth so fiercely that darkness trembles at the sound.
Charlie Kirk is gone from this earth, but his message lives. His courage lives. His fire lives. The messenger has fallen — but the truth marches on. And it will not be silenced.

Gaslighting in America

Posted by & filed under Mikes Blog.

Gaslighting in America: Don’t Buy the Lie
Gaslighting is when someone tells you not to believe what you see. That’s what’s happening in America right now.
We see New York hotels packed with illegal migrants while veterans sleep on the street. But leaders call it “compassion.”
We see Chicago’s weekends soaked in gunfire, but are told the problem is the police.
We see San Francisco covered in tent camps, needles on playgrounds, businesses fleeing downtown—but city hall says it’s “progress.”
We see stores in Portland, L.A., and Philly locked down behind steel gates because of theft, yet the media calls it “shopper inconvenience.”
That’s not compassion. That’s not progress. That’s not inconvenience. That’s chaos—and we’re told it’s normal.
We’re told capitalism is oppressive while millions climb into the middle class through hard work. We’re told communism is “fair” when it left a hundred million dead. We’re told America is racist even as millions risk everything to get here.
None of it adds up—unless the goal is to make you doubt reality itself.
And the cruelest gaslight of all? White fragility. You live right, treat people with respect, reject racism—and you’re still told you’re guilty by skin color. Defend yourself, and they call that “proof.” It’s a trap to silence you.
The truth is simple: families are fleeing liberal-run cities because crime is real. Businesses are closing because lawlessness is real. Migrants are storming the border because freedom is real.
They want you to doubt your eyes. Don’t. Trust reality. Trust the truth. As Sophocles said: “What people believe prevails over the truth.”
So don’t buy the lie.

Peace and Security

Posted by & filed under Mikes Blog.

People often say, “As long as I have peace and security in my lifetime, that is enough.” But that kind of thinking is shallow. It looks only at the present moment and forgets what lasts beyond our lifetime.
Everything around us is fragile. Economies boom and collapse. Technology promises to connect us, but often leaves us more isolated. Social media offers validation one day and rejection the next. Even nations that once seemed untouchable weaken and stumble. It is like building a house on shifting sand: no matter how beautiful the structure looks, it cannot stand when the ground moves beneath it.
Meanwhile, the challenges of our age are heavy. Families are strained. Many live paycheck to paycheck, weighed down by debt. Mental health struggles rise as people feel overwhelmed by anxiety, loneliness, and constant comparison.
Violence fills the news. Leaders argue while problems multiply. People search for security in money, politics, or their own strength—but it is like trying to stop a flood with bare hands.
Yet, in the middle of all this, there is still hope. Trust in God works differently than trust in the systems of this world. It does not mean avoiding every problem; it means being carried through them. It is like watching an eagle soar. The bird does not stay in the air by endless effort—it spreads its wings and rests on the current that lifts it higher. That is what it feels like when God gives strength to the weary.
Waiting for His timing is not wasted time. It is like planting a garden. You water the soil day after day without seeing results, but underground roots are forming. Or like waiting for the dawn—it feels dark, but the sun is already on its way. Hope works in the same way. It anchors us, even when answers are not yet visible.
This is why we should not settle for temporary comfort, saying, “Peace for me now, no matter what comes later.” That is an illusion. Real peace is not the absence of problems but the presence of God’s steady hand. The kingdoms of this world rise and fall, but His kingdom endures. His word stands unshaken, and His love does not fail.
As it is written, “The grass withers, and the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever.”

Power of Prayer

Posted by & filed under Mikes Blog.

This week brought another tragic school shooting. Once again, the liberal left rushed to microphones, mocking believers for offering “thoughts and prayers,” rolling their eyes as if prayer were nothing more than empty words tossed into the wind.

But prayer is not weakness. Prayer is not silence. Prayer is the most powerful response a follower of Christ can give.
From the first pages of Scripture to the last, the story of God’s people is marked by prayer. Abraham prayed for a family, and God answered. Moses prayed for his people, and the sea split open before them. Hannah prayed for a son, and Samuel was born. David prayed in the caves of despair, turning fear into songs of faith. Elijah prayed, and fire fell from heaven. Jesus prayed in the wilderness, on the mountainside, and in the garden when the cross was hours away. The early church prayed in an upper room, and the Spirit of God shook the earth beneath their feet.
Prayer appears again and again in Scripture because it is not optional for the believer — it is oxygen. Without prayer, the soul suffocates.
And so when tragedy strikes, Christians pray. Not because it is easy, but because it is the only way to place grief into the hands of God. Prayer is not the end of action but the beginning of it. It is not a muttered comfort to ourselves, but a cry to the living God who promises: “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know” (Jeremiah 33:3).
So let the liberal left laugh. Believers will keep praying. Not because it is habit, but because it is hope. Not because it is tradition, but because it is power. Prayer is not doing nothing — it is calling on the only One who can do everything.
And here is the deeper truth: prayer reshapes the one who prays. Every cry, every whisper, every word spoken to heaven bends the heart closer to the heart of God. Moses left the tent of meeting with his face shining. Hannah rose from her tears with her face no longer downcast. Jesus left Gethsemane with the strength to walk toward the cross. Prayer did not remove the suffering — but it gave the power to endure it.
That is why Paul wrote, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6–7).
Prayer may not instantly change what is outside, but it plants peace inside — a peace strong enough to steady the mind and guard the heart. When prayer becomes the rhythm of life, despair loses its grip. Worry still knocks, but it no longer rules. Fear still shouts, but it is drowned out by the whisper of God’s Spirit. Hope rises. Strength returns. And the soul begins to look more like the Savior it calls upon.
The truth is this: nothing is more active, nothing is more powerful, than placing a life fully into the hands of God through prayer.

God’s Law about Sin

Posted by & filed under Carols Blog.

Answering a man who has issues with God’s laws about sin: “Why should we all be guilty because of one man’s (Adam) sin.” My reply: Where were you when all that we see and know WAS CREATED? What do you think you know – that can genuinely stand in judgment over the wisdom, power and LOVE of our Creator God and His Son?

 

God’s laws, principles, promises are perfect and eternal, but man’s are clearly not when they oppose God’s laws and principles for life: as we have seen in our sick hostile world throughout time. God’s Son died to forgive us of all the thoughtless/vain/corrupt ways by which we UNintentionally harm ourselves ‘personally,’ and ways that purposely take and end life before it’s time. To think YOU (or anyone) are ‘without any sin,’ makes you ‘self-deceived’ and so completely blind/lost.

 

Sin is in all human beings! A simple lie, makes you a sinner. Where does SIN come from? Why is it still in us? If God was only about LAWS, it would never change anyone or anything! AND THAT’S THE PROBLEM WITH GOVERNMENT! Politicians keep making new laws thinking it will stop people from doing what lawmakers don’t want people to do, or not do. Is it working? HELL NO! Just makes government bigger and bigger, more and more foolish and laughable to God! WORLDLY lawmakers are no different from anyone else! “There is no distinction, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by HIS grace THROUGH the redemption that is IN Christ Jesus.” “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” “There is NO righteous man on earth who does good and never sins.” “Who can say, ‘I have cleansed my heart; I am pure and free from sin.’?”

 

Without the truth and love of Jesus Christ Son of God – mankind is LOST, even though he thinks he is not. “It was God’s law that showed me my sin. for example: I would never have known that coveting is wrong if God’s law had not said, ‘You must not covet.’ But my sin-nature used this command to arouse all kinds of covetous desires within me! If there were no law, sin would not have that power. At one time I lived without understanding God’s law. But when I learned the command not to covet, for instance, the power of sin came to life, and I died for my sins. So I discovered that God’s laws and commands, which were supposed to bring life, brought spiritual death instead. Sin took advantage of those commands and DECEIVED ME; it used the commands to kill me. But still, God’s Law itself is holy, and its commands are holy and right and good…..But how can that be? Did the law, which is good, cause my death? Of course not! Sin used that which was and is good – to bring about my condemnation to death; to die for my own sins. So we can see how terrible sin really is. IT USES GOD’S GOOD COMMANDS FOR ITS OWN EVIL PURPOSES.” It uses God’s GOO commands for its own EVIL purposes….So the trouble is not with the law, for it is spiritual and good. The trouble is with me, for I am all too human, a slave to sin. I don’t really understand myself… But I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. I love God’s Law with all my heart. But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord…So now there is NO condemnation for those who BELONG to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to Him, the power of the life-giving indwelling HOLY Spirit has freed you from the POWER of sin that leads to death.”

 

THE LORD OUR GOD BE PRAISED and WORSHIPPED! Now I live the rest of my days in His peace and love, quick to repent, fulfilled by His grace and promises to me that I PERSONALLY EXPERIENCE each and every day!