What comes to mind as you think about Christ coming to earth? A baby in a manger certainly. Angels. Wise men, also known as the Magi. Signs in the heavens. A virgin birth. All of this and more. Today we consider the kingly nature of Christ and we think about His life, death, resurrection and his enthronement at the Father's right hand.

We know that this King Jesus is doing a very real work, right now. The Apostle Paul says "For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet." We often forget this part. Or we gloss over it because it doesn't fit with our assumptions. Yet, it bounds when Jesus will return. We don't know the time of his 2nd coming, but we do know that He is presently putting all enemies under his feet prior to his 2nd coming. That should encourage us. Christ is active right now. Today we talk with the Founder and Director of the Ezra Institute. (https://www.ezrainstitute.com/)

The institute has a goal of "Defending and advancing the truth, freedom and beauty of the gospel of Jesus Christ for the renewal of all life and culture." Participants: Dr. Joe Boot, Dan Elmendorf

Want to know why so many countries around the world hate us? It's often because we bomb them. Yes, we bomb them. Our guest today is from another nation, and he watches America from afar. He has seen the CIA mess up foreign nations, sometimes to the extent of supporting both warring sides at once. He watched as Iraq was invaded over the claim of weapons of mass destruction. Yet he points out that while alive, Saddam Hussein protected the Christians in Iraq. Yes, the nation was a "secular" form of Islam, but the Christians were safe. In fact, Saddam had Christians as his personal body guard. That's because Christians would not attempt assassinations. He observes the current situation in Syria and observes that this will play out as very bad for the Christians. Yes, the Assad regime was hollow and corrupt, but once again the Christians were not as in danger as they are now, with its fall. Much bloodshed is expected. Our guest has been involved in much evangelism in Africa. That is his focus. He advocates for sending missionaries and Bibles, rather than more bombs. Seems simple doesn't it? Yet, that is the need. In this interview, you can pull up a chair and listen to someone immersed in history and in love with Jesus. Participants: Dr. Peter Hammond, Dan Elmendorf.

This past Thursday was Thanksgiving. It seems that the season comes and goes quickly. Today we have another one of our fireside chats with a board member and pastor who is very dear to us. We reflect on some of the joys of Thanksgiving. There is a uniqueness to our nation. The Christian faith played a profound role in our nation's founding. You read the Mayflower compact (reviewed last week), and the Christian intents of our "founders" become very clear. Our guest reflects on education history and how it was taught years ago. Back then, say, in the 1950's we were not faced with the woke/DEI nonsense that we have today - it was much better, actually. We talk about keeping warm in the cold weather. Some folks still use a woodstove. Going back to Thanksgiving, our guest talks about the literacy ability of the early settlers. They studied the Geneva Bible. The Puritans had a healthy perspective - they did not have firm boundaries between "sacred" and "secular." Everything was God's and we lived and moved in Him. That was our perception and theology. It exists today, even if we deny it by our actions! But our assumption was that Christ was Lord over every aspect of life. That's the way it should be today. After talking about Thanksgiving and our forefathers, we then shift focus to Advent. In the church calendar, the beginning of Advent this year is tomorrow, December 1. That means a lot to our ministry here. First, it implies that our programming changes. We start playing Christmas music. We also acknowledge that Christ was born and this season leading up to December 25, is a wonderful time of year to ponder that fact. We can think about all the various nuances that are tied to the incarnation. Jesus laid aside His glory. We also talk about restoring our souls and understanding who we are in light of who God is. Our guest shares with us the idea that we need to find times of rest and reflection. Jesus Himself would find quiet places to go to and to pray. We desperately need this. Our guest shares some about an author who he likes. The name is Paul Tournier - a Swiss physician. Participants: Dr. John Vance, Dan Elmendorf.

Have you ever considered the Mayflower Compact? This compact was signed by most of the male passengers on the Mayflower ship in November 1620 as they landed at Cape Cod. William Bradford recounts the event as �a combination made by them before they came ashore; being the first foundation of their government in this place.� Here are the original words:

"IN THE NAME OF GOD, AMEN. We, whose names are underwritten, the Loyal Subjects of our dread Sovereign Lord King James, by the Grace of God, of Great Britain, France, and Ireland, King, Defender of the Faith, Having undertaken for the Glory of God, and Advancement of the Christian Faith, and the Honour of our King and Country, a Voyage to plant the first Colony in the northern Parts of Virginia; Do by these Presents, solemnly and mutually, in the Presence of God and one another, covenant and combine ourselves together into a civil Body Politick, for our better Ordering and Preservation, and Furtherance of the Ends aforesaid: And by Virtue hereof do enact, constitute, and frame, such just and equal Laws, Ordinances, Acts, Constitutions, and Officers, from time to time, as shall be thought most meet and convenient for the general Good of the Colony; unto which we promise all due Submission and Obedience.

IN WITNESS whereof we have hereunto subscribed our names at Cape-Cod the eleventh of November, in the Reign of our Sovereign Lord King James, of England, France, and Ireland, the eighteenth, and of Scotland the fifty-fourth, Anno Domini; 1620"

Today we have a fascinating discussion with the Executive Director of Providence Forum, who also serves as Senior Producer at Coral Ridge Ministries. We also discuss the theme of the applicability of the Christian faith to all of life. Jesus is Lord and expects us to honor Him in our lives, our families, our churches, and our government. Participants: Dr. Jerry Newcombe, Dan Elmendorf

Our guest today talks to us about our children and grandchildren. He points out the deceptive effort that is afoot, by companies using their marketing, to try to get our young children hooked on their products involving young performers who gradually become pop star icons and who themselves drift into unwholesome idols of the young. He writes: "Walt Mueller writes in �How to Make a Pop Star� of how in 2005 he attended a conference for marketers on how successfully to market to children ages two to twelve. Yes, you read correctly�age two to twelve. Mueller says that a woman from Virgin Records, who claims to be the one responsible for Britney�s stardom, outlined how she did it, and how they continue to make pop stars. First, she said they had to put Britney in the public eye and portray her as the All American girl. Why? She had to grab the attention of children. Then their mothers, the gatekeepers to the family and the pocketbook holders, had to approve of Britney as wholesome if there was any hope of selling music, tickets, and merchandise. Believe it or not, the target audience reached down to four and five year olds." We must be aware of these tactics and guard our children and grandchildren. That involves many times, not giving them access to a tablet of smart phone too early. It also involves providing wholesome activities. We discuss some possibilities that have worked for us. The responsibility that parents have, is huge. The modern media and internet feeds make it especially challenging to guard our youth from the wrong influences, which lead them away from Christ. He shares a statistic: "My friend Ted Baehr of Movieguide gives chilling evidence on the detrimental effects of television, movies, and social media on the cognitive development of young children. He says the average child gets about twenty-one minutes per day of primary attention from their parents while spending over ten hours per day with the Internet and YouTube videos. So by the time a child is seventeen years old he has spent 63,000 hours with mass media, 11,000 hours in school, and 800 hours in church (assuming he has gone one hour every week since birth)." This is a very serious topic, and we thank you for taking your precious time to listen. May God protect your children and grandchildren. Participants: Rev. Dr. Al Baker, Dan Elmendorf

The election results earlier this week gave a clear and strong mandate to President elect Trump. Not only did he win a substantial margin in the Electoral College (312 - see: https://decisiondeskhq.com/results/2024/General/President/), but he even won the popular vote by a huge margin (currently about 4 million people, and still growing). There is no question what the American people wanted. There are a number of colleges across America where the young people have turned more conservative. It also is an indicator that the populace will not tolerate violent demonstrations. Radical groups like Antifa and BLM need to take notice. To destroy the American citizen's property and their municipalities will be seen as a direct attack on the people. The people are not having it this time. A constant theme that came out was the weariness of misuse of the DOJ and the weaponization of that agency. Another theme that strongly came out was the crisis and danger of our open southern border. The people spoke and want the border shut down. Another theme that came out in this election was the desire for stopping the war on fossil fuels. People want affordable energy. We talk about free enterprise economics. We have the energy right here and should be using it, rather than buying it from our enemies. But what about those in our nation who did not vote the way the majority of American's did? What about those who are truly grieving and feel terribly frustrated? Their feelings are very real. We address this during our discussion. The results of this election should be heard loud and clear by our enemies. America is more unified than our corporate media has been telling us. In fact they lied which in effect served to divide us. We also give thanks to God for a free country in which we are allowed to talk freely and express our opinions. That includes all opinions. Religious speech and convictions were very much on people's minds. During these past four years, Christians experienced the shutting down of their churches. Forcing them to social distance, and the wearing of face masks. Clearly there were any number of government overreach actions. That turned the people off. We close our discussion by looking at vocation and calling. God gifts and calls each of us in different and unique ways.

My calling as an engineer/broadcaster is different than that of a pastor.

Your calling as a civil magistrate is different from a missionary. Each area is legitimate and important.

And needed. Finally, our guest shares some thoughts regarding God's providence. Participants: Dr. John Vance, Dan Elmendorf

Remember COVID? Remember being told that you had to social distance? We all had to mask. Even asthmatics. Remember the cancelling of those who did not fully accept the power broker's narratives? If you questioned the international COVID consensus, you became a social outcast. Even some churches bought into the control narrative. Turns out, psychological warfare methods were being deployed to control us. We saw a sophisticated and successful control of whole populations, groups, and individuals. Today, we take a short look at a wonderful resource that if studied, will allow you and I to peel the layers of the onion of deception that was brought to bear against us. We went through fear and misinformation as our government sought to control us. We almost got to the point where you and I could no longer buy or sell without proof of "the jab!" The book PsyWar was written by Dr. Robert Malone and his wife, Dr. Jill Malone. Participants: Dr. Robert Malone, Dan Elmendorf

"First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity." 1 Timothy 2:1,2. How does this verse help guide us as we go to the polls over the next days? Our guest wrote an article which makes the point: "as you think about the coming national, state, and local elections you should consider the candidates for each office and ask yourself this question, �Which candidates for President, Senator, Congressman, Governor, Mayor, etc. give the best hope for my family and me to live a prosperous and peaceful life with all godliness and dignity?� Which are willing and able to restrain the evil of drug related crime, sex trafficking, illegal immigration, and abortion? Which candidates will strive to limit the size of local, state, and federal government? Which candidates will keep us out of war?" Participants: Rev. Dr. Al Baker, Dan Elmendorf

Christians are to be salt and light in this world. We are to bring every thought captive to the Lord Jesus. The hard part is to realize that we are called to this in the midst of a world that is dirty, broken and sometimes hard to live in. We are redeemed and look forward to the certain future hope. AND at the same time, we have obligations to make this world a better place. We should seek to improve our own domain of responsibility to bless others and especially our children and grandchildren. So, we are not to walk around as zombies being so heavenly minded that we are no earthly good! Today we have a fireside chat with a seasoned pastor about the upcoming election and other matters. It's hard to believe that there are Christians who feel that they cannot vote in this election. Some have a tendency to look for perfection in their candidate. If he is not perfect then, they feel they cannot vote. Or others feel that the system is so rigged that its no use to vote. The electronic voting machines can be hacked (in fact they can), or some states have made it almost a crime to question the election results. Whatever the reason, many Christians will not be voting. And that is a shame because for our Constitutional Republic to work, we need the input of everyone. Today we sit back and chat about these things. Join us for what is hopefully a thoughtful discussion. Participants: Dr. John Vance, Dan Elmendorf