I have to tell you all this story. It’s a good one. Curl up for a little while.
It was the mid 90’s, and the B&B was in full swing. We had guests from 40+ countries and every state in the union with rarely had an empty room. I was making hay while the sun was shining, trying to grow my new business and family.
Some guests had never stayed in a B&B and were apprehensive. They thought I might be like an “Aunt Bea”, from Mayberry, and insist on ironing their underwear. No, not me. I came out of hectic corporate life to a small town. Local factories of large conglomerates kept us busy with business executives. I understood what they wanted, the pressure of their schedules, and provided exemplary high-end customer service.
As the internet was just beginning, we rarely had weekend guests. It took several years of biz operation to be published and included in the B&B guidebooks, pre-internet. As the internet grew, and more and more people came on-line, our weekend business increased significantly.
I got a call from a guy in Nashville to book a room, for a couple, for a weekend. He explained he was getting married the following weekend, but needed to spend time with an old friend – before he got married. I thought, “Too much information for me, name/address/credit card#, please. I didn’t have time to care why he was here. Not my business.
Full house that weekend, but I can’t remember the other guests. Guy from Nashville checked in, but he was by himself. Attractive guy, VERY tall, 6’4”, maybe, and a happy guy, kind of geeky. I gave him the biggest bed in the house (so he was comfortable), which was the bedroom above our’s. Checked him in, showed him to his room, went over a few details about breakfast, and I disappeared back to the kitchen.
Lisa, my girlfriend/staff person was wandering around up front, doing something, and came to find me. She said, “You’re not going to believe what all they are hauling into the house.” I frowned/scowled at her. Some of my girlfriends were notorious busy-bodies, and a guest’s business was their business. Lisa pouted but rolled her eyes at me.
I was checking in other guests when Nashville guy came back in with his “friend”. She was mid-60’s, grey hair down to her mid-back, stringy, not a stitch of makeup and probably weighed 320lbs. Gee whiz……. wasn’t expecting that one….. and they were sleeping together…… the week before he was to be married…… Hmmmm…..
Ever so politely, Nashville guy introduced me to his companion. I stuck out my hand to shake her’s. Normal etiquette, right? She shook my hand, looked me dead in the eye, and said, “I’m a witch and I’m here to bless the marriage.” She wouldn’t let go of my hand. I looked at him, and her. I narrowed my eyes in frustration, as our hands became a contest. I jerked my hand away. She wasn’t going to “zap my power”, or whatever the heck she thought she could do. I muddled something mildly polite ……. and I fled.
Back in the kitchen, I literally scrubbed the HELL off my hands. Lisa was gone. I had no girlfriend there to talk to, but OMGGGGGGGG there was a witch in my house!
By the time ex-husband got home, I almost tackled him at the back door. I was blubbering, and told him all about the encounter. He had had several beers (Friday afternoon with the boys), tilted his head back, looked down his nose and said, “Takes all kinds…… Are we ready to cook steaks?” He was dismissive. We didn’t see them for the rest of the night, but we heard them. A few bangs and bumps, which is unusual for our house….. The house is all plaster and practically soundproof. I wondered what they were doing…… “witch stuff“…… ?
Was she turning him into a warlock? Did his fiancee know? Admittedly, my knowledge of “witch stuff” is limited.
Next morning, husband was first up. He liked to get up early and survey the house, make coffee, and read the paper in peace. When I arrived in the kitchen, there were chair parts in the middle of the floor. I was barely awake. “What happened?”, I said to him. He explained he found the chair parts in the dining room with a note he passed to me to read, “Looks like your Witch got mad at you and decided to break your furniture!”. I read the note, which was most apologetic and kind. They offered to pay for the chairs. I wondered…. two solid oak chairs…. how could they possibly…..
Husband left to do the yard, and Lisa showed up. Finally, I had someone with whom I could commiserate. Lisa is probably the MOST religious person I know, and we live in the midst of the bible belt. I told Lisa all about the Witch, and how she grabbed my hand. She refused to come down for breakfast, but he didn’t look any different the following morning. Lisa was almost frozen in shock. We cleaned up the kitchen from breakfast and talked about it. As guests left for the day’s activities, normally, we freshened their rooms. Lisa didn’t want to go in their room. I laughed. There was no way the devil would ever compromise Lisa. By the time we talked it out, we began to feel silly about the whole thing.
Lisa yelled at me from the balcony, “Daughn, you have to come up here and see this.” I came out of the laundry to the stairs, “What do you want?” She repeated. I frowned. We never nosed around in people’s things. It’s rude and fowl. She said, “No, this time, you need to see this.” I trusted her, stopped what I was doing, and we went into the room together.
All over the walls, my moire silk wallpaper, were dayglow stickers that made patterns at night. What the heck? I looked at Lisa, she at me, nodding, “Told ya’ so”………… We were paused at the doorway and tried for a minute to see if there was any pattern to the stickers. We couldn’t come up with anything……… but then again…….. we’re not witches.
Lisa said, “That’s not the best part. Wait until you see the bathroom.” Unsure of when Nashville Guy and the Witch would return, I found myself tip-toeing in my own house…. into their bathroom. There were containers of makeup all over the counter, and more makeup cases on the floor. Don’t get me wrong, I’m an Estee Lauder queen, but she brought 47 bottles of nail polish. I counted them. Who brings 47 bottles of nail polish for a weekend? Lisa flung open the door of the closet. On the floor, what looked like a hundred WalMart bags, 68 pairs of women’s shoes. Huh? We double counted them. We looked at each other, not knowing what to think. Lisa was a beauty queen and I was best-dressed in high school, but wow, we also knew how to pack and travel. This woman was a nut, ………….but that didn’t mean she was evil or would harm anyone.
Then, the chanting started.
Later afternoon, Lisa gone, the Witch and Nashville guy returned. About 4-5:00pm, I was minding my own business, setting the table for the next day. I heard chanting. The witch was sitting in my formal living room, chanting, holding hands with Nashville guy. Little stones were arranged on my coffee table. I interrupted her chanting as I peaked around the corner, and they asked me to JOIN THEM! I couldn’t help it and blurted out, “Fat chance!”
Well, that precipitated a bit of an argument, which turned ugly. Finally, I asked them to leave. It was the only time in 25yrs I’ve ever asked anyone to leave my house. They left in a hurry, dragging WalMart sacks, full of shoes. As she departed, I was holding the door.  She stopped, turned to me and said, “Curses will fall upon you…” The look on her face indicated she meant it, but I was mad, and I had Daughn power. She needed to go.
I wandered around the house for a while….. thinking……  Really? “Curses on you”? I thought it was not very original, and she was making fun of me, trying to spook me…. which only made me more angry. It bothered me for the rest of the day and night. I was vexed but not hexed. 
Well, by Monday morning, word had spread.  The girls were all abuzz about the Witch. More girlfriends stopped in after taking their kids to school, so we had to repeat the story. They were all agog, more so with every unfolding detail. On girlfriend to me, “Do you feel any different, Miss D?”. She placed the back of her palm on my forehead to take my temperature, reporting back to the other women that I “seemed okay”. Nonetheless, we had to “DO” something and purify the house again, allegedly. Yep, that was it. They had decided. Something had to be done, urgently. Interesting situation……
I’m Presbyterian. So, I called Bob, my Presbyterian minister.
He came right over, and we told him our story. Some of the girls were very animated, we were a pretty diverse bunch, black/white, and different ages. To me, Bob is more like a friend than a minister. We worked on many projects together. He chuckled and assured us there were no witches. We were unyielding. The girls wanted some kind of movie-drama-exorcism of the house….. just to make sure. I understood their apprehension in our culture of the Mississippi Delta, and it was important for me to respect their wishes. Bob was puzzled. Presbyterian ministers don’t do that….. exorcisms. Well, said the group, we needed someone who did…….. “THAT”.
I thought, “Where am I going to find a Catholic?”
The girls were insistent. Bob looked at me as if to question……. half seriously, half joking.  We were stuck. I went along with the girls, my empathy to them was necessary. What could an exorcism hurt? I would be pleased to have a super-duper blessing over my house……. and happy girlfriends.
Well, this is rural Mississippi. Bob called the Catholic priest, but we only have one Catholic church in town, and their priest rotated. No one wanted to wait too long.
And sooooo…………
On steamy summer Wednesday afternoon, we had two Black ministers, a Methodist Minister, an Evangelical Youth Leader, and a Presbyterian Minister, gather together with my girlfriends to do an ad hoc southern Protestant exorcism of the house. My girlfriends brought their own ministers. It was great. I’ve never been prayed over so much in my life. We had communion, we sang, and said a prayer. The Devil didn’t stand a chance. The ministers talked to the heavens and cast out any semblance of a residual demon.
And don’t you know it, we had a scrumptious potluck afterwards……
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said Sunday mornings were the most segregated time in America. Well, that Wednesday afternoon, in my parlor, we were all together with a common mission. It was probably the first mixed-race, mixed faith, religious ceremony/EXORCISM in the county, if not the state. We did it.
Surely, our house is blessed.
Take that, Witch.
End.
 
 
 
 
 

We need a story. The media has lost their collective mind and they, like a 14yr old girl, need to cry it out in order to return to the family dinner table.
Cuppa Covfefe made a post yesterday and it triggered the memory of a good story. Grab a cup of coffee and put your feet up for a few minutes and take a ride with me.
Remember the old parable about the cobbler’s children having no shoes? It’s probably true, because the cobbler is too busy making shoes for paying customers. Likewise, the plumber’s house probably has a leaky faucet. Our B&B, as the home of a General Contractor, had similar problems and constantly needed attention as a historical property.
When I met my first husband, he was in debt. I wasn’t worried about the money. I knew how to make money, and he was particularly gifted at what he did. Keep in mind, I’m saying this as an ex-wife today, which means yes, he was very good at what he did. In fact, after the divorce, I hired him to work for my company – doing take-offs for construction projects. Anyway…..
While we were dating, he expressed the desire to become a “bonded” construction company. It was a big deal. Mountains of paperwork involved, and for every job which is bonded, “X” amount of money has to sit, in a CD at  bank, not as operating capital, to be grabbed by the bonding company in case we went bad and did not complete the job. Plus, there was no limit to the liability. The bonding company could literally take the shirt from my back.
To be clear, if a job was “bonded”, and we took a job for $60K renovation for a master bedroom/kitchen, that meant we had to have $60K sitting in a CD and didn’t get our money back until the job was pronounced complete, by the architect, and released. Bonded jobs, however, were usually state/federal jobs, and awash in an excess of paperwork. I took on the task of getting him bonded. It took me 9 months, but we were successful. First bond = $50K.
For the entire course of our marriage, we lived off of what I made at the B&B, while we plowed profits back into the construction company to be able to bond at higher and higher limits, $100K, $200K, $250K, $500K, and finally, a million or more. I worked hard to support our family but so did he. We were building out little empire as most couples do. He took a little bit in salary, but just enough to pay the mortgage on the shop, his child support for my step-son, and a minimal cable/phone bill. I covered everything else.
Because he was bonded, one of only 8 companies in the state, he got a big break building strip centers on the out parcels located around new Wal-Mart stores. Occasionally, he was gone for 3-4 day stretches out of town. This was new and unusual, but part of “bonding” and our new success. While we were building our businesses, I understood when he ignored things I wanted done at the B&B. One day, the staff and I were working on a big job and my mother-in-law was here, swilling martinis and watching us work. We were on top of each other and made an effort to work around HER.
MIL: You need a bigger kitchen.
Me: Well, the kitchen was ignored in the renovation, I still have metal cabinets from 1948. We’re making it work as best we can.
MIL: (Pointing with an olive on a toothpick) Honey, why don’t you take a sledgehammer to the back wall of the kitchen and knock it out (she had actually done this to her husband to precipitate a renovation she wanted).
Me: (Aghast)
MIL: The timing is perfect. You’re pregnant. He can’t hit you. (God as my witness, that’s what she said.)
Although humorous to entertain the idea, I’m simply not the manipulative type. Besides, we had too much scheduled for the kitchen to be down for 2-6 weeks for a rebuild. Yet, her words rang in my ears for years…….
At one point, my ex-husband hired an architect to draw up a plan for our kitchen addition. As everyone agreed, I needed a bigger kitchen. I was thrilled, until I saw the plan. Instead of making use of existing space – he just added onto the house. The proposed kitchen looked like a bowling alley. It was 62′ from my stovetop to the dining room table. And I made breakfast for guests, every day. The architect was confined to a wheelchair. I was worried about my own feet. Plans…… scrapped.
A new bonded job meant another trip out of town. This time, he “gave me” his men to do various tasks around the house. We had a discussion of a few things I wanted done and he was okay with the idea. No blowing the budget. Well, maybe a little bit. Finally, the cobbler’s wife was getting a new pair of Cinderella slippers. I had 4 days and my imagination ran wild.
Basement: We have about 800 sq ft in the basement the previous owners used as a root cellar. They had a hand operated assembly line for masons jars/preserves. I wanted the assembly line removed, new stairs built, lighting installed, as we used the basement for storage for extra catering supplies. It was our huge butler’s pantry. New shelving in place and a work table. Minimal but functional. Sweet!
On the main floor, all the furniture removed from our den, plaster guys in to fix the walls, wallpaper and carpeting installed, new furniture, new den. Master bedroom, same treatment, bookcases installed to match trim – to be Gunner’s new bedroom as we would move upstairs.
Second floor – My stepson’s room, The “Maid’s Room”, was actually master bedroom size, and had a large bathroom, closet, and a repeat of the back hallway (about 11’x15′), more like a suite of rooms. I had the upstairs dressing room plumbed for another laundry room. An original wall mounted ironing board was brought back to life, and the back hallway became a souped up dressing room. The old bathroom was patched and painted as well as the new master bedroom. Furniture moved, new linen. Shelving in the bath and closet – good to go.
Outside, the masons were working on the brick garden. We have an intricate trellised brick garden, but because the house was abandoned for 23yrs, many repairs need to be made. Commercial electricians showed up to replace primary our meter base. We now have a 900 Amp meter base which is over 7′ tall. Stunning.
There were workmen and my girlfriends……. everywhere.
But that was nothing compared to what we did to the attic. The top floor of the house, the attic, is about 2300 sq ft., pine flooring, and the center has about a 22′ ceiling. We transformed the attic into our wonderland. We have a full, five-panel door and wide wooden stairs leading to the attic, off the back hallway (my new dressing/laundry area). I dreamed about an attic workshop for years…….. and I was finally getting one.
All the women in my family are handy/crafty. My mom knitted. My step-mother painted and cooked. Grandma Della sewed. Other grandmas/aunts crossstiched and made lace for pillowcases. All those women had a craft closet or a guest bedroom where they would stash their supplies. Problem was, my craft stuff was now making the mortgage payments and paying for a fairly nice lifestyle for my family. I rationalized – I needed more space to work. I went a little overboard on the attic.
From the previous owners, we already had a 12’x15′ cedar closet in the attic. The men built shelves, all round the center section and then in the galleys surrounding the center section. I had cable TV brought up and wired to the attic. Shop lights came in, and pegboards went up. Phone installed, mini fridge, but even though I had the water lines plumbed…….. I didn’t have enough time to put in a half-bath. Darn it.
We created separate work stations for sewing, kids crafts, wedding stuff, and a whole station for wrapping of presents. I had comfy chairs, and a few old rugs, and a great stereo. The girls and I spent so much time in the attic, we created a play space for the kids with chalkboards, bean bag chairs, and little table and chairs. Gunner loved it.
The construction boys and I got crossways when it came to shelving for ribbon. I have a LOT of ribbon. Different jobs required more and more, different sizes and shapes. Again, not a hobby, this was business. One year, we wrapped Christmas presents for a corporate client, made almost $5K. Not too bad, eh? Another year, we did corporate basket gifts. With the profit, I sent Big T to Boston Red Sox Fantasy Camp as his Christmas present. Along the way, we gained a reputation for wrapping gifts. Hey, whatever paid the bills was fine with me. The construction boys argued I could NEVER fill up that many shelves with ribbon……….

Yeah, and those pics don’t include the Christmas/Easter ribbons…….. and all the wrapping paper, and boxes, and “stuff”.
Once the shelves were up, the girls and I swung into action outfitting our new space, while the men were still working downstairs. We were like kids with a new treehouse. We brought in clothes drying racks to hold reams of different colored tissue paper. Shoe shelves for various paints and every color of glitter. Drop down shelving for popsicle sticks, construction paper, old pantyhose, men’s socks, and fuzzy fringe balls. We bought out Wal-Mart of plastic bins – several times. They had to restock to suit us. We ordered a dumpster and threw old cardboard boxes from the attic window as we stocked and labeled our new bins.
A whole section for vases, balloons, oasis, and cases of glue sticks, guns, hammers, tools, marbles, wedding gear. A whole section to make Easter baskets. Wreaths hung from the rafters of the attic, preserved leaves, floral, yarn, fabric, uncompleted projects from generations of women. We organized a large sewing center, all the buttons/zippers/hooks/tape collected from generations of women, racks and racks of thread. I actually own 5 generations of my family’s women’s pinking shears. I had them framed. Every handmade item they created was a labor of love. I wanted our attic to be the same way.
And then there were the storage galleys….
Decorations for Christmas, Halloween, Easter, July 4th, a party for Oktoberfest, Chinese lanterns, Italian flags, Baby shower stuff, or a tropical themed party. Whatever was needed, we had it all. And we rented it out, over and over, and over again….. paying that mortgage.
We were upstairs, the girls and I, playing and planning, when all of a sudden, we heard a ruckus downstairs. My ex-husband was home a day early.
We were still waiting on the carpet guys for the den….. so the living room furniture was still sitting in the middle of the driveway………. couches, chairs, tables and lamps, right where he usually parked his truck……. Oh, crap.
He damn near had a heart attack. We did go a little bit overboard but we got a LOT done in 3 1/2 days. He gave me sooooo much grief. My response, I told him what his mother said, about knocking out the back wall of the kitchen. I joked and chuckled a little bit, “If you were gone a little longer, I could have done the kitchen, too.”
He was wide-eyed. The story of his mother knocking out a load bearing wall, while his dad was on a business trip in Europe (read as he didn’t take her with him and she was mad), was infamous in his family. For emphasis, I added, “And don’t think I haven’t thought about it!”
A few months later, he and the boys decided to take off and go fishing in Canada, Thunder Bay, for two weeks. It was a good trip and he deserved it, no whining from me at all. I liked the idea. All the guys in our family went fishing in Canada during the summer. In the pic below, from left to right, my grandfather, an uncle, the boy is my dad, and the guy on the right is my great-grandfather.

But……
He took the keys to every piece of equipment he had, bulldozer/backhoe/little cherry lift/bigger crane/ and all the trucks – and locked them in the safety deposit box…….. and took the safety deposit box key with him.
Darn it. The girls and I would have had fun with the backhoe.
I still haven’t renovated the kitchen. Missed my opportunity…….
end
 
 
 
 
 
 

I’m trying my hand at posting an article on Wolf’s great site. Hopefully all goes well! I’m sure Wolf will help edit as needed. (Hint, hint.)
As we constantly see the political battles and the palace intrigues of our day, it is easy to miss the other news. The MCM doesn’t want us to see the full picture of what’s happening, but only the bits and pieces that they approve of. Narrative engineering is the order of the day.
Felice does an amazing job of covering the stories of amazing Economic news, international trade and diplomacy, Energy news, Polling, ground level election data, and so much more!
There is however a ton of religious news that most people easily miss. Unfortunately, the Left is on the march against anyone who opposes them, and that includes the Christian churches…
Before we begin I want to reiterate: As much as possible I’m trying to relay useful and relevant information here. Just because I cite a link or a site does not imply that I am giving it a full endorsement.
With that said, let’s dive in…
Apple decides that pro-life opinions are “intolerant” and gives LifeSitenews the boot!
LifeSiteNews Says Apple News Gave Them The Boot. The Reason Why Is Absurd.
And the censorship continues…
Published 3 days ago on August 2, 2019 By Michael Stanley
https://flagandcross.com/lifesitenews-says-apple-news-gave-them-the-boot-the-reason-why-is-absurd/

Pro-life Catholic news website, LifeSiteNews, might be the next victim of Big Tech censorship if their allegations against Apple News are true.
According to the site, they’ve been banned from Apple News because according to the tech giant, their platform promotes “intolerance.”
So it’s apparently intolerant to want to save babies from being slaughtered in the womb now. Better mark that down in your political correctness pocket dictionaries.

LifeSiteNews Alleges Apple News Banned Their Channel For Showing ‘Intolerance’
“We don’t yet know the reason for Apple’s decision to delete our channel”
https://www.dailywire.com/news/50159/lifesitenews-alleges-apple-news-banned-their-paul-bois

“A little over one week ago, Apple approved LifeSiteNews’ application to publish our news on their Apple News platform,” the site claimed on Thursday. “Today, without warning, Apple News abruptly reversed course, telling LifeSite that they had deleted our channel and all of our content from their platform. “Apple claimed that LifeSite’s channel ‘didn’t comply with our Apple News guidelines.’ Specifically, they stated that LifeSite’s ‘[c]hannel content shows intolerance towards a specific group.’”
The Apple News app allows people to follow their favorite news sites and receive updates on their Apple devices. LifeSiteNews also alleged that the email from Apple cited no specific article or the “specific group” they allegedly targeted. The site claims it will soon be appealing the decision. Supporters of LifeSiteNews can sign a petition demanding that Apple reverse course.
“We don’t yet know the reason for Apple’s decision to delete our channel,” said LifeSiteNews Editor-in-Chief John-Henry Westen. “However, at a time when there is growing evidence that tech juggernauts are engaging in concerted censorship against even mainstream conservative viewpoints, Apple’s decision – made unilaterally, and without opportunity to appeal – is frightening.”

NOTE: LifeSiteNews for many years has been one of the most trusted names in news for the Pro-Life movement, earning a reputation for reporting on pro-life issues that has been unmatched anywhere else. When such a highly respected news source is arbitrarily given the boot by one of the Big Tech giants, we know that Big Tech is running scared!
Shame on you Apple for your cowardly actions!
LifeSiteNews.com has posted an online petition. More details can be found at the following link:
PETITION: Apple News bans popular pro-life site without warning: says it ‘shows intolerance’
https://lifepetitions.com/petition/petition-apple-news-bans-1-pro-life-news-site-without-warning-accuses-it-of-intolerance
JD Hall and Pulpit and Pen released a BOMBSHELL report about the “Justice Democrats!”
Remember in July that Daughn posted a huge deep dive on Zack Exley and all the major players in the Justice Democrats.
{DEEP DIVE : Justice Democrats}
Surprise, surprise, surprise! Pulpit and Pen finds the site where the radical left shows their intent to undermine and infiltrate churches using – guess what? – “Social Justice” propaganda, of course!
Guess who shows up? None other than Zack Exley himself…

The man behind Bernie Sander’s 2016 primary campaign, the one behind the election of Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, and the one who is behind the Green New Deal, is the one who is behind the ‘woke’ Social Justice movement in Evangelicalism.
We have uncovered archives of his now-deleted website from 2006-2010, in which he lined out how through big donors he could get evangelicals to adopt “Social Justice” and turn them into Democrats.
His name is Zack Exley, and he now works for George Soros’ Open Society Foundations and is funneling cash to groups like the ERLC and other ‘woke’ institutions. The evidence is all right here in this post.

BOMBSHELL: “Justice Democrats” Founder is THE Organizer of Evangelical Social Justice Movement
BY NEWS DIVISION · PUBLISHED JULY 29, 2019 · UPDATED JULY 30, 2019
https://pulpitandpen.org/2019/07/29/bombshell-justice-democrats-founder-is-the-organizer-of-evangelical-social-justice-movement/
 

Exley had a blog—now removed from the Internet altogether—called Revolution in Jesus Land. It has been scrubbed from the Internet, but we’ve managed to find a fix to the problem and pull up some old screenshots.

The Democratic operative and major political thinker spent time opining on the best way to get a powerful Republican voting block—ostensibly one that is impervious to Democrat infiltration—to change the way they vote. Exley wanted Republicans to either vote Democrat or stay home. And in doing so, Exley laid out the gameplan that was taken up by evangelical institutions (whose hands were greased by Riady, Soros, and Kern Family Foundation cash) to turn us leftward. The plan was focused on infiltrating conservative seminaries and parachurch organizations with Social Justice ideologies, in order to change their voting patterns, as you yourself can see in archives of Exley’s blog on the WayBack Machine.
You can see a screenshot below.
https://i2.wp.com/pulpitandpen.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Screen-Shot-2019-07-28-at-9.59.56-PM.png
Revolution in Jesus Land stated its goals on its website. The following is a lengthy excerpt, but please read the whole thing.

This blog is a plea to the progressive movement, to take another look and get to know the diverse and complex world of evangelical Christianity in its own terms. Here you’ll find interviews, commentary, analysis and other dispatches from all over “Jesusland.” This tour will explore everything from the workings of the local church, to the evangelicals’ vibrant, decentralized national leadership training infrastructure to theological questions such as, “How in the world DO they read the Bible literally?” and “Do they really think I’m going to hell?”
There are two really big reasons to come along on this tour:
First, progressives will never achieve their goals as long as they are hostile toward and ignorant about the faith of 100 million of their own people who are born again Christians.
Second (and we know how difficult this is to believe) there is an incredibly large and beautiful social movement exploding among evangelicals right now that stands for nearly all of the same causes and goals that secular progressives do. Those goals include: eliminating poverty, saving the environment, promoting justice and equality along racial, gender and class lines and for immigrants—and even separation of church and state. 
By learning to work together with “progressive” evangelicals, secular progressives will stand a better chance of achieving their goals and also learn an enormous amount from these remarkable people and their organizations that will help secular progressives strengthen their own movement. 
This evangelical “revolution,” as one Christian pollster has labeled it, is unquestionably the fastest growing and most surprising of American social movements today. Whichever way you measure, it probably dwarfs the secular left. From mega churches to tiny country churches, evangelical Christians are rediscovering the “gospel of the God of the oppressed.” Perhaps the most surprising among these are the suburban, white evangelicals who are stepping outside of their comfort zones to “get into relationship” with the poor, the oppressed, the homeless, prisoners—the people of whom Jesus said,
Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me….Whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me. —Matthew 25
They are building houses for and teaching job skills to homeless people, they are creating tutoring programs for kids in failing schools, they’re paying health care bills and sending off rent checks for people living on poverty wages—and there’s even a movement afoot among these people to move their young families out of wealthy suburbs and into forsaken inner city neighborhoods, putting their kids into broken and often violent public schools. And in their Sunday services and Bible studies they are questioning the very foundations of modern American capitalist ideology. 
On this blog we will attempt over time to provide evidence, and to explain the inner logic of this culture’s narratives, theologies and passions, and to flesh out the larger context of this movement that is shaking up nearly every American community and producing so many exceptional leaders.
So—welcome to Jesusland. We hope you enjoy the tour.

…Exley, a major Democratic thinker and progressive organizer, saw the handwriting on the wall and discerned the times… Exley wanted to capitalize on this movement and give evangelical institutions the cash it needed to move forward with their progressive slant.
Even though he spent several years trying to figure out how get evangelicals to focus on Social Justice, Exley only did so for the purpose of getting them to vote Democrat (or, at least, not vote at all). See the video below.

There’s more on this topic. Daughn was right to keep attention focused on the Justice Democrats – this group is a deep rabbit hole of corrupt Soros money!
I’m still working on tracking fallout from the announcements by Josh Harris in the last couple of weeks. Last week I posted a couple of articles about Josh Harris, with different but complementary takes on the matter.
My Thoughts on Josh Harris as a “Fallen Christian”
https://spiritualsoundingboard.com/2019/07/26/my-thoughts-on-josh-harris-as-a-fallen-christian/
Another Megachurch Pastor Renounces His Faith As He Caves to LGBTQ Mafia
https://reformationcharlotte.org/2019/07/26/another-megachurch-pastor-renounces-his-faith-as-he-caves-to-lgbtq-mafia/
For those of you who aren’t in the loop, let me rewind a bit.
As a young man in 1997, Joshua Harris released a book that became an instant best-seller in Christian circles: “I Kissed Dating Goodbye”. It promoted the notion that the dating culture was worldly and fundamentally broken, and promoted a set of ideas that became very influential with late Gen-X and early Millennials.
The popularity of the book launched Harris into a highly visible position in Evangelical culture. He married, became a pastor, wrote many more books. But the controversy around “I Kissed Dating Goodbye” never quite abated, and later he rescinded many of his earlier positions.
Like the song that never ends, the controversy simply would not die.
This July, Josh Harris announced publicly that he and his wife were going through a separation, calling into question much of Harris’ teaching and published books.
Now he has posted on Instagram confirming that he is actually going through a divorce and not just a separation.
He also has announced that he has abandoned his faith.
But he wasn’t done yet. Further, he has specifically gone out of his way to make a public apology to the “LGBTQ+ community”: “I regret standing against marriage equality, for not affirming you and your place in the church, and for any ways that my writing and speaking contributed to a culture of exclusion and bigotry.”
Why would someone who is having a marriage and faith struggle go out of his way to apologize to the LGBT? Just from the surface it doesn’t make any sense!
Unless, of course, there’s more going on under the surface, courtesy of the Fabian left.
This week we learn that apologizing was not good enough:
https://i2.wp.com/reformationcharlotte.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/harris.jpg
Purity Culture Pastor Who Renounced His Faith is Marching in Gay Pride Parade
Posted by JeffMaples
August 4, 2019
https://reformationcharlotte.org/2019/08/04/purity-culture-pastor-who-renounced-his-faith-is-marching-in-gay-pride-parade/

[I]mages are floating around on social media that have captured Josh Harris marching alongside other homosexuals and sexual deviants in a gay pride parade in Canada and munching on a rainbow doughnut.
…Josh Harris poses with his wife to announce a divorce. Several days later, he announces on Instagram that he has renounced his faith with a “heartfelt” apology to the LGBTQ community. Now, he’s seen marching in a gay pride parade wearing rainbow gear and eating rainbow food. Is there another announcement he will be making soon?

Meanwhile, in United Methodism, Mark Tooley asks whether the denomination has reached its Yalta moment.
Is division in United Methodism inevitable?
Methodism’s Yalta?
July 30, 2019
https://juicyecumenism.com/2019/07/30/methodisms-yalta/
https://2b2gdzjtaey3o01p41qinbri-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/img_7284-1-700×475.jpg

Recently I participated in a gathering hosted by three United Methodist bishops for dialogue among conservatives, liberals and self-identified centrists. Our topic was the impending division of the United Methodist Church. The day-long conversation was off record, but you can read the United Methodist News Service report, which includes my quote:

Tooley said he has opposed division and for 30 years has worked for a “vision of denominational revival.”
“I now admit division is inevitable,” he said. “It will happen of itself, chaotically. Or it will happen through negotiation and some leadership. The latter seems preferable.”

After the meeting, which was in Chicago July 19, a clergyman tweeted: “United Methodism held it’s own Yalta Conference in Chicago this week. I just hope we don’t get too bogged down in attempting to label the various attendants Chamberlain, Roosevelt, or Stalin. #umc”
Initially I laughed out loud in response to this wonderful absurdity. (Of course Churchill, not Chamberlain, attended Yalta.) But this tweet maybe was more insightful than I initially realized. United Methodism will tragically divide, as Europe was divided by the Iron Curtain after WWII. This division results from tragic necessity and shouldn’t be celebrated. But God is sovereign and His Gospel will prevail even in adversity.

Thank you Dora for bringing this to our attention:

Thomas More Law Center Files Federal Lawsuit On Behalf of Marine Dad Banned from School Property After He Objected to Islamic Indoctrination of Daughter
https://www.thomasmore.org/press-releases/thomas-more-law-center-files-federal-lawsuit-on-behalf-of-marine-dad-banned-from-school-property-after-he-objected-to-islamic-indoctrination-of-daughter/

The Woods’ daughter was forced to profess and to write out the Shahada in worksheets and quizzes. The Shahada is the Islamic Creed, “There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah.” For non-Muslims, reciting the statement is sufficient to convert one to Islam. Moreover, the second part of the statement, “Muhammad is the messenger of Allah,” signifies the person has accepted Muhammad as their spiritual leader. The teenager was also required to memorize and recite the Five Pillars of Islam. …

Richard Thompson, President and Chief Counsel of the Thomas More Law Center, commented: “Defendants forced Wood’s daughter to disparage her Christian faith by reciting the Shahada, and acknowledging Mohammed as her spiritual leader. Her World History class spent one day on Christianity and two weeks immersed in Islam. Such discriminatory treatment of Christianity is an unconstitutional promotion of one religion over another.”
Thompson added, “The course also taught false statements such as “Allah is the same God worshipped by Christians, and Islam as a “religion of peace. Parents must be ever vigilant to the Islamic indoctrination of their children under the guise of teaching history and multiculturalism. This is happening in public schools across the country. And they must take action to stop it.”
The Woods’ lawsuit seeks a court declaration that Defendants violated their constitutional and statutory rights, a temporary and permanent injunction barring Defendants from endorsing Islam or favoring Islam over Christianity and other religions, and from enforcing the no trespassing order issued against John Kevin Wood.

Look out Australia, the extreme abortionists have New South Wales in their crosshairs!
Lawmakers Seek to Legalize Abortion Up to Birth in New South Wales
Jonathan Abbamonte
AUGUST 5, 2019
https://www.pop.org/lawmakers-seek-to-legalize-abortion-up-to-birth-in-new-south-wales/

An attempt by pro-abortion lawmakers last week in New South Wales, Australia, to ram through a radical abortion bill has been delayed by strong pro-life and Catholic opposition led by the Archbishop of Sydney, Archbishop Anthony Fisher.
The bill, which was introduced into the lower house of the New South Wales (NSW) parliament on Thursday, would legalize abortion up to the point of birth with virtually no restrictions. The bill closely mirrors similar bills passed on the state level in the United States earlier this year legalizing abortion up until birth in states like New York, Illinois, Vermont, and Rhode Island.
Despite having only three-days notice that the bill was set to be introduced, hundreds of pro-life supporters gathered in front of the parliament building on Thursday morning to protest the bill.
Members of Parliament have attempted to fast track the bill in the lower house. Supporters of the bill had originally planned to introduce the bill on Thursday and open debate on the bill the same week. The bill had only been announced on July 28. Prior to Friday, the text of the bill had not even been made available to the public, giving NSW citizens little to no opportunity to contact their Members of Parliament to express their concerns about the bill.
However, following an outcry from conservatives and religious leaders, lawmakers have postponed opening debate on the bill until Tuesday.

And finally, an update from Dr. Dan Wallace!
From the Library: Decorated Letters in Greek New Testament Manuscripts
https://danielbwallace.com/2019/08/05/from-the-library-decorated-letters-in-greek-new-testament-manuscripts/

Two of my colleagues at CSNTM, Leigh Ann Thompson and Andy Patton, have co-authored a brief essay on decorated letters in New Testament manuscripts. This is in the series “From the Library” that Andy Patton and Andrew Bobo started some time ago for CSNTM’s newsletter. I’ve included a link to this latest offering here.
https://danielbwallace.files.wordpress.com/2019/08/colorfulekthesis.png

I hope this provides some helpful insights. There was a lot that I could have included and left out. Your contributions or added discussion in the comments are appreciated!