"I'm Glad You Said That" - Jim Minnery Talks Faith & Politics

Ben Carpenter served in Iraq, Afghanistan, Turkey and Kuwait as a member of the United States military. He has a few opinions on what just transpired in our country's 20 year engagement in that part of the world. 

Raised on an Eastern Washington apple orchard, Ben never thought he'd go back into farming. Turns out he was wrong.

In addition to representing, as an Alaska House Member, the communities of Seward, Moose Pass, Cooper Landing, Sterling, Funny River, Salamatof, and Nikiski, where he graduated from high school, he is now a peony farmer. The quiet, rhythmic, hard labor, it turns out, has been a nice contrast to the grueling and divisive environment of the Alaska Legislature. 

Rep. Ben Carpenter is my guest today and I hope you can join us. Click on the link below for previous episodes of Family Matters as podcasts.

Support the show

As a Secondary Teacher at Anchorage Christian Schools (ACS), Spencer Moore has a unique view on how today's youth are impacted by corporate, media, political and other "woke" establishments. And as a young parent, he knew he had to get involved to advocate for his kids and their future.

Now he's a Region 3 Representative for the Alaska Republican Party and is bringing salt and light into an arena that impacts all citizens - whether they engage or not.  

Anchorage Baptist Temple, the church ACS is affiliated with, has a long and storied history of influencing the political scene in Alaska and it looks as though, at least in many aspects, Spencer has accepted that impressive and influential baton.

Spencer is my guest today and I hope you can join us. Click on the link below for previous episodes of Family Matters as podcasts. 

Support the show

As a member of the Armed Services, Eagle River resident Ted Smith had the intensely cool job of training pilots how to survive in the wilderness of Alaska if their planes came down. It happens. And when it does, they needed to be prepared to respond with confidence in the harsh new environment. The obstacles were plenty but the training equipped them to make the best decisions.

Later in life, Smith realized that as a Christ-follower, he didn't feel as equipped himself to deal with the cultural and spiritual darkness we've all been dropped in to as sojourners (1 Peter 2:11). And yet we are each called to be prepared to give an account to the hope that is in us. 1 Peter 3:15

As a graduate of the Colson Fellows Program, a Christian worldview 10-month immersion experience, Smith found what he was looking for and is now directing others across the state to embrace their God with all their heart, soul, mind and strength to be serious salt and light.

Ted is my guest on Family Matters today and I'm privileged to make his acquaintance. 

Support the show

Chris Gatch is a soft spoken man with a hard core passion for reaching youth here in Alaska.

With mask mandates, critical race theory and LGBTQ ideologies being force fed to students, suicide rates doubling, test scores plummeting despite funds continuing to explode, the school climate in the Great Land seems bleak.

Until you open your eyes to ministries like Youth For Christ led by Chris. With extensive outreach to the Bush, public high school teacher sponsors standing boldly and students embracing the Gospel so they can share it, we realize that God remains sovereign and that His plans will not be thwarted. 

In our schools. In our communities. In our nations. 

Support the show

The saga, and the opportunities, continue.

Join us today on Family Matters for Part 2 of my interview with the affable couple, Paul and Marilyn Hueper. As you might recall, the FBI broke down their door, pointed multiple firearms at the Huepers and their Homer Inn and Spa guests (including a 17 yr old minor), handcuffed and interrogated them for hours because Marilyn resembled someone who was inside the Capitol on January 6th.

More recently, Marilyn was pulled over by a Homer police officer who had no just cause but decided she needed to spend a night in jail. Did I mention that Paul now has to get to airports FOUR HOURS early to deal with TSA because of the FBI blunder ?

To their absolute credit and faith in a God who controls the Universe, the Huepers have not only persevered, they have made this journey an opportunity to inform themselves and others about their rights and Glorify our Creator in the process. Pretty cool.

Hope you can join us. Click on the link below for previous episodes of Family Matters as podcasts. 

Support the show

When Paul and Marilyn Hueper, owners of the beautiful Homer Inn and Spa, heard the crash of their door being broken down and saw the barrels of multiple guns pointed at them in their home, their minds remained on the Spirit that gave them life and peace.

Was it frightening ? Yes. Was it startling ? Certainly.

But they remained calm knowing their Savior was front and center and that they had nothing to hide.

Marilyn even found it somewhat amusing. "They (the FBI) said, ‘Well, we’re here for Nancy Pelosi’s laptop.’ And I said, ‘Oh, so it was stolen and it’s at large, good to know. I thought maybe it was just conspiracy theory, so thanks for the intel.'" She was also asked who she was working for, and she instead responded with laughter stating "I don’t mean to be disrespectful and laughing, but this is really surreal and strange."

Join us today on Family Matters for a fascinating and encouraging discussion about Government overstep, an FBI bumbling on a hard to believe level and a couple using the opportunity to be light and salt on a national stage. 

Hope you can join us.

Support the show

Joel Davidson has so much to offer this great state.

In addition to raising a huge, educated, God-fearing family out in the MatSu Valley who will almost certainly keep critical American traditions and love of country alive in the Great Land, Joel runs the ever-growing Alaska Watchman - a superbly written on-line news source reporting from an unabashedly Judeo-Christian perspective.

Ironically, he does it with more fairness and balance than the mainstream media. It's just who Joel is.  

We'll talk Critical Race Theory, smoking fresh, lake-caught trout and other essentials on the broadcast/podcast today. Hope you can join. 

Support the show

Alaskans and even those outside the Great Land have been hearing, reading and seeing a lot about Kelly Tshibaka. I'm so grateful to have another opportunity to visit with her on Family Matters today.

- Was there a specific moment when she felt compelled to put her hat in the ring for U.S. Senate ?

- What does she believe about protecting women from having to compete against men in sports ?

- How does her faith animate her decisions ?

- How does her experience working at a crisis pregnancy center impact her views on the sanctity of life ?

We'll discuss these and other questions on the show today. I invite you to tune in by broadcast or podcast. 

Support the show

Leigh Sloan's Facebook page says she likes to "influence pioneers with brave wisdom to create significant cultural reform."

Heavy stuff.

As is the issue of critical race theory (CRT) being debated heavily across our state and nation now. What is CRT and why is there such a heated discussion about it ? Can we do anything to stop it from being a part of the public education curriculum ? Should we ?

Hope you can join Leigh and I as we dive into this very controversial and interesting subject on Family Matters today. 

Support the show

It's a moment those of us in the pro-life community have waited a long time for.

The United States Supreme Court has elected to take up a case directly related to the viability of pre-born babies. 

The case involves a Mississippi bill that preserves the human right to life and limits abortion when “the probable gestational age of the unborn human being” is “greater than” 15 weeks, “except in a medical emergency or in the case of a severe fetal abnormality….”

The case is a "generational opportunity" for the U.S. Supreme Court to reign itself in with the U.S. as one of only seven nations across the globe that allow abortion for any reason after twenty weeks of gestation.

“That the Supreme Court is considering this Mississippi law is a promising signal that perhaps a majority of Justices wish to give states greater power to regulate abortion,” said Steven H. Aden, Chief Legal Officer & General Counsel for Americans United for Life. “At the same time, if the Court rejects Mississippi’s common sense HB 1510 protections, the pro-life movement will face a fundamental reckoning.

Aden is my guest on Family Matters. I invite you to tune in.

Support the show