It could be the news cycle, the ridiculous cold weather we battled the last three months, the frenetic pace of AI in my marketing business, or simply my preoccupation with becoming a shepherd for the first time. But I’ve struggled to find anything notable to share here because things have been quiet in me spiritually.

And I’m 100% sure it’s because I am not tuned in, not because He isn’t speaking.

When God used many men of history to write His holy scripture, God knew that people for thousands of years afterwards would come to rely on those words in uncertain times, and I often think about that here in 2026.

The immature part of me says God, it would have been nice to add a few chapters about current events here in this Bible. You know, just to anchor us all a bit here as we watch the modern world unravel? Surely He could have done something like that?

But alas, there’s no exact chapter in the Bible about how to deal with men obsessed with building AI even if it strips away all our jobs, oligarchs who are wrecking the economy for their own gain, or propaganda machines twisting every story so easily that our understanding of reality is shaken.

And yet God in His infinite wisdom, knows far far better than me what I need. What you need. What we all need.

His Word is enough.

The three things that are most deeply on my mind right now:

1. The disruption of AI and how it impacts everything from my work to my clients to my children’s ability to get a career and live financially stable lives.

2. The financial disaster we’re in with our crippling debt, market manipulation, and untrustworthy characters at the top.

3. The unsteady geopolitical situation that has leaders spewing propaganda through social media like it’s air, and we’re all stewing in algorithms designed to keep us angry and hooked on whatever reality is most attractive to our ears.

Where is God in all of it? What has He already said that could help us in these situations?

The Disruption of AI

It’s so easy to get caught up in what AI can and might do. The feeling of exponential intelligence is addicting. The feeling of power.

And then the Lord speaks.

“All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” - Isaiah 53:6

I keep sheep and I understand this passage much better now. In our natural state, we go astray. We turn away. We go our OWN way. That means the same for AI. We WILL go astray, go our own way, and turn away from God in our pursuit of AI as a species.

Any time you feel pulled by the utopia of AI, God has already spoken about our nature. It doesn’t lead to holiness. It leads to death.

That doesn’t mean AI isn’t useful. But it will not save us. Only Jesus does.

The Financial Disaster

I don’t pretend to understand the implications of bond yields or the price of gold. But most of us are feeling the pain of increasing prices alongside stagnant income. Personally? I’m in danger of losing a lifetime of savings in some poor real estate deals. I’m regularly (in business and life) forced to confront my love of money. My desire for financial safety.

“You keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.” - Isaiah 26:3

Peace is available to those who anchor their mind to God. To His word. To His character. The trick here is to keep a mind. Have you tried that? 😂

But that is the answer. When I start to worry, wonder, or fear the future outcomes I cannot control, I come back to this: My job is to direct my mind back to God. Just like the sheep that go astray, my mind loves to stray.

• Stray to TikTok

• Stray to AI

• Stray to plans & lists

• Stray to hustle

It’s amazing how little ACTION and DOING is involved in what God asks of us. Move your mind to Him. That’s what He asks.

Go sit with my sheep. They don’t really do much. They stand there. They eat. They nap. They chew grass. There’s not some big objective except to just… exist.

The Unsteady Geopolitical Situation

Everyone wants to read the tea leaves. Especially me. Where is this all going? Are these wars in the Middle East a signal of end times? Is it just another “here we go again” battle that we’ll continue to repeat for thousands more years?

I felt compelled to memorize this set of verses last year and it comes back to me over and over and over.

“Who among you fears the LORD and obeys the voice of his servant? Let him who walks in darkness and has no light trust in the name of the LORD and rely on his God. Behold, all you who kindle a fire, who equip yourselves with burning torches! Walk by the light of your fire, and by the torches that you have kindled! This you have from my hand: you shall lie down in torment.” - Isaiah 50:10-11

Notice everyone here is in darkness. But there are two types of people. Those who have no light and wait and trust God, and those who decide to make their own torches.

That fire is human schemes and self-rescue. Men in darkness trying to create their own light. And God says - yep, I gave you those abilities. And also, doing it yourselves will lead to your own torment. 😰

It’s better to walk in the dark WITH God, then in the light with your own tools that He gave you, that will still lead to torment because you’re doing it without Him.

The book of Isaiah was written over 2500 years ago and just a few sentences from this ancient book speak right to the heart of what worries me.

All three of these verses I memorized a year ago, which leads me to the #1 thing I can all do in the midst of this confusing time.

Memorize scripture.

God can bring to mind what is already planted in me. But if it’s not there, it can’t be brought to mind easily. That’s my takeaway.

Turns out the point of this whole piece of writing was to remind me to do something that I know works, but easily put off.

I’m going to find a new scripture to memorize today, and if it helps you too, then that’s great!

Here it is:

“As a father shows compassion to his children, so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear him. For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust.”
- Psalm 103: 13-14

חַג שָׂמֵחַ (Chag Sameach) and a blessed Easter!

xx Julie

“And nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them.” (Genesis 11:6)

I read this chapter early this morning and got stuck right here on this sentence. It’s God speaking about mankind, as He watches them attempt to build a tower that reaches heaven.

Side note: Babel reminds me of the AI race.

God was right (to no one’s surprise). He knows how powerful humans are. And I can’t help but wonder where the endgame is with our AI race knowing that God sometimes deliberately messes up man’s plan as an act of mercy.

Have you ever stopped to think about what God is saying with that one sentence?

• Humans were created with real God given power

• Our power is amplified when we work together

• Our biological limitation isn’t intelligence, but morality

• When left to our own devices, we end up sliding into self-exaltation

We are watching a modern day Babel unfold before our eyes. Listen to any of the big names in AI and the promises of a bright future, with universal high income, and unending creativity, sound very much like the people in ancient times.

“Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens…”

Will God restrain us again as a great act of mercy?

Humans hate weakness. We champion independence. And yet in scripture, it seems that independence (without God) is the very thing that will send humans to ruin. Weakness actually ends up as a strength, because it forces us to cry out for help.

Our problem has never been our limitations of power and intelligence, and yet we always think that. “Once I have this money, or this new technological breakthrough, etc. then I will achieve __________”.

Our problem - at its root - is moral. Our relationship with our Creator.

And this is why God uses restraint as mercy. Unchecked power and intelligence without dependence on God is suicide.

This is the question I’m asking myself this morning:

Where in my life do I think that my (lack of) intelligence or power is the reason I’m stuck in a problem? Chances are, I’m looking in the wrong direction.

As a conservative Bible believing Christian with strong liberal leanings in places, I often feel caught in the middle when there are big crises plastered all over social media.

The shooting of Alex Pretti and the political/societal landscape around it is the current crisis of the moment. I’m sure there will be another one next week.

I’m distraught that another man is dead.

I’m distraught that deconstructing and slow-moing violent bystander video has become as common as rewatching a game day play that’s questionable.

And then… there is a sinking terror that comes with the realization that objective truth (even complicated nuanced truth) is no longer a standard we can mostly agree on as a people.

We all have access to the same footage of the shooting, and the conclusions being drawn couldn’t be more different.

There are two sides. These two sides are polarized. Extreme. Unwilling to integrate complex nuanced details. In some cases, there’s outright lies and gaslighting.

And with the speed of social media… there’s absolutely no incentive to wait and see what an investigation concludes.

Also?

We don’t trust the people doing the investigation. We don’t trust the media.

Every principled foundation we use to agree on a standard of truth (eyewitness accounts, evidence, video, investigations) are all torn apart to shreds.

This is where we are, and it’s frightening.

Still… I’m attempting to find the objective truth in any story that comes my way because I believe there is an objective truth that can be witnessed.

I also believe that the truth can hold nuances and realities that feel opposing and messy. And many of them may be morally neutral even if people scream otherwise.

Lastly, I do believe there is true right and wrong, and I personally align myself to scripture and the Word of God on what that is.

It’s not even been 24 hours since the shooting, but based on currently available footage, eyewitness accounts, and public statements — all of which may evolve — this is how I understand the sequence so far.

It goes without saying, I’m willing to update or change my position as time goes on.

• Tensions are extremely high in Minneapolis (and around the country).

• Some protestors are actively trying to interrupt and resist this federal enforcement agency operating with expanded authority (ICE). Some are just peaceful protestors. Some may just be curious and filming everything to feel “a part” of it, with no intent to interrupt or be violent.

• ICE has exploded with new agents as the government is pouring billions into this program. Some agents are well trained. Some are not. The training has been shortened to get agents into the field faster.

• The reason for the explosion of ICE is a high amount of illegal immigration and fraud due to complex border issues that weren’t dealt with. This is how the administration has chosen to solve the problem.

• Alex Pretti is a US citizen who was at the protest and filming. He also had a gun on his person with a legal permit.

• ICE agents were conducting an operation and were met with resistance from some protestors (who you could argue - a few were acting like agitators).

• When ICE forcefully pushed a woman, Alex stepped in.

• As he tried to protect her, the ICE agent sprayed them both at close range.

• A scuffle ensued as he resisted (or perhaps he was trying to rub his eyes - it’s not clear). This is when 8 agents were on him.

• Someone (an ICE agent) saw Alex’s gun on his side and yelled “GUN!”

• One of them took it away and it appears to have discharged accidentally at some point. That was the first shot.

• Then there were lots of additional shots fired (8-9 shots).

• Multiple eyewitness accounts and video have given written statements about what they saw.

• Some official White House accounts and government officials have written statements and gone on camera to the media, reciting the incident with untrue statements, insinuations, and outright lies that do not match the footage that we can all see.

• Alex Pretti did take a calculated risk by attending the protest, by engaging with law enforcement, and by carrying a weapon. He did not break United States law unless his resistance was true resistance or whether it was related to his eyes being sprayed. It’s hard to tell.

• In the United States, you have a right to life, even if you break some laws. There is a small limited justification for lethal use of force in situations where there is imminent danger.

• Alex presented no imminent danger but the accidental discharge of the gun clearly spooked ICE agents and they reacted.

• The reaction was to shoot the victim 8-9 times. This is a judgment call on my end, but this was excessive.

• Biblically speaking, I believe that we’re to submit to local law enforcement. I believe that some protestors don’t do this. And I also believe they have a right to life even when breaking this moral law.

• I also believe that local law enforcement is to submit to the training and regulations of what it looks like when you carry authority in a city.

• I also believe if you are a leader with a lot of power, you choose your words carefully and always speak the truth.

The right is blaming Alex and the left. The argument is primarily about submission to law enforcement and how the left is organizing insurrection and agitation.

The left is blaming Trump and the right. The argument is primarily about unnecessary use of force and fascist ideology leaking into a free country.

What I can conclude is that a LOT has gone wrong.

Biblically speaking, people in power have more responsibility than people who are not in power.

That means (starting from the top down), the people who are obligated to find and speak the truth and have the highest standard of responsibility (and need for moral restraint) are…

1. The President and his cabinet

2. State and local law enforcement & ICE

3. Then citizens

Right now that doesn’t appear to be happening. Scroll on any official account (Kristi Noem, Stephen Miller, Donald Trump, DHS) and you will notice what they are saying is in cases, objectively false, but also - deeply inflammatory.

So how do we (all of us in category 3) respond?

That is the question of the hour.

At what point does resisting authority become something that is morally correct? Are we there at this moment in history? Or are we not there yet?

Honestly… I don’t know the answer to that question.

I am sad today. I am also distraught that objective truth feels hidden from view. I feel chaos is winning.

Some things I plan to try….

1. I will exercise mercy and patience. Be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry (James 1:19).

2. I will seek out conversations with people who sits on each side of the issue.

3. I will write to my government representatives with specific objective questions to demand institutional integrity.

4. I will stay in grief instead of converting it to anger immediately. God dedicated an entire book to grief (Lamentations). This prevents cynicism from taking root.

I hope you are able to do the same.

xx

Preparing our property for these animals has been eye opening and costly. We didn’t realize how much there was to do until we began, and every time we check something off the list, three more to-do’s get added.

The whole thing has been one giant learning curve, and the sheep aren’t even here yet.

Even though we chose sheep (specifically the Valais Blacknose Sheep) for specific financial and logistical reasons, God has been gently tapping me on the shoulder about the spiritual symbolism of sheep.

It’s almost like maybe it wasn’t just a bright eyed idea by Julie… it was God’s plan to show me what it means to shepherd and be shepherded.

Did you know that sheep and lambs are the MOST mentioned animal in all of scripture? No other animal comes close.

God clearly reveals Himself through sheep and shepherding, and that’s intentional.

He is the good shepherd.

We are sheep.

Of all the things He could have used to depict our relationship with Jesus, that’s what He chose.

Maybe He REALLY wants me to pay attention.

What sheep are actually like…

..and Ac & I are about to learn this firsthand.

1. Sheep are not self-directing

Sheep don’t thrive by “following their heart.” If left alone, they:

• Wander aimlessly

• Get lost fast

• Can’t find their way back

They need a shepherd constantly.

2. Sheep are defenseless

They have:

• No claws

• No fangs

• No speed

• No camouflage

A sheep alone is easy prey.

3. Sheep are easily panicked

One loud noise. One unfamiliar shadow. The whole flock can scatter. Human nervous systems do the same thing.

This is why the Bible emphasizes:

• Stillness

• Trust

• Voice recognition

Peace comes from recognizing the Shepherd, not controlling the environment.

4. Sheep don’t know what’s good for them

Sheep will:

• Eat poisonous plants

• Drink dirty water

• Lie down in unsafe places

They need to be led to green pastures and still waters—they don’t naturally choose them.

5. Sheep thrive best in community

A lone sheep is a dead sheep. A flock:

• Stays warmer

• Is safer

• Is easier to protect

This is why Scripture is so relational. Faith was never meant to be a solo act.

6. Sheep are highly attuned to voice

Sheep can recognize their shepherd’s voice and distinguish it from others. Why it matters:

• Sheep don’t respond well to force

• They respond to familiar, calm direction

• Anxiety increases when too many voices compete

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It’s pretty fair to say that I’ve spent a good part of my life not acting like a sheep. Maybe I was more like a goat. Or an untamed horse.

Stubborn. Self-directed. Easily spooked. Blew through boundaries. Ignored what was best for me. Refused to be tamed.

Let’s be honest.

Making it your life’s mission to act like a sheep is not exactly a high achieving path. 😂

It’s not really a goal to be a sheep.

But… when you have a good Shepherd, everything changes.

When sheep have a good shepherd, they don’t need to be brilliant, brave, or self-directing. They don’t need to scan the horizon all day for threats or decide which path is safest. They don’t need to know what plants are poisonous or where the still water is.

They just need to recognize the voice they trust… and follow.

That’s the part that keeps landing for me.

A good shepherd:

• Goes ahead of the flock

• Absorbs danger before the sheep ever see it

• Sets boundaries so the sheep can relax

• Knows when to move and when to let them rest

• Notices the quiet ones who fall behind

Sheep never become capable. They thrive because the Shepherd is capable, and He stays close to them.

I’m learning, humans are not designed to be endlessly self-directed.

We don’t flourish under constant decision-making, ambiguity, or pressure to “figure it all out.” It’s exhausting. As someone who has spent three lifetimes over functioning, I can attest.

Sheep flourish under:

• Clear direction

• Trusted leadership

• Consistent presence

• Rhythms we don’t have to invent ourselves

I’m realizing how much of my life has been spent fighting that reality — trying to lead myself harder instead of letting myself be led well.

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What I’m learning before the sheep even arrive

The sheep aren’t here yet, but the lessons are coming quickly.

In this endeavor, we’re the shepherds and the sheep are … well… the sheep. And I’m not so sure I’m a good shepherd yet. I’m worried actually I will be terrible at it. This is just another area where I’m asking God to help me, and to trust that it will all work out.

My achilles heel.

Trust.

I trust effort.
I trust preparation.
I trust over-functioning.

What I don’t naturally trust is rest. Or guidance. Or the idea that I don’t have to carry orientation for everyone and everything all the time.

The sheep will be here soon, and I’ll learn how to shepherd them the best I can. But I think the deeper work is already happening… learning to listen, to slow down, and to follow a voice I don’t have to question or outsmart.

I don’t need to become a sheep on purpose.
I already am one.

The invitation is simply to trust the Shepherd, and let Him lead.

xx

Scripture Study References

Foundational

• Psalm 23 – “The Lord is my shepherd…”

• Psalm 95 – “We are the people of his pasture…”

• Psalm 100 – “We are his people, the sheep of his pasture.”

Sheep without a shepherd (vulnerability)

• Numbers 27:16–17 – Sheep without a shepherd

• 1 Kings 22:17 – Israel scattered like sheep

• Matthew 9:36 – Jesus sees people as sheep without a shepherd

Bad shepherds / leadership accountability

• Ezekiel 34 – Condemnation of selfish shepherds

• Jeremiah 23:1–4 – Woe to the shepherds who scatter the flock

• Zechariah 11 – Warning against false shepherds

God / Messiah as Shepherd

• Isaiah 40:11 – God gathers lambs in His arms

• Micah 5:4 – The ruler who shepherds God’s people

• John 10 – “I am the good shepherd.”

• Hebrews 13:20 – Jesus as the great Shepherd

Lost sheep / care for the vulnerable

• Matthew 18:12–14 – Parable of the lost sheep

• Luke 15:3–7 – Joy over one recovered sheep

Sheep & goats

• Matthew 25:31–46 – Separation of sheep and goats

Shepherding as leadership (after Jesus)

• John 21:15–17 – “Feed my sheep.”

• 1 Peter 5:2–4 – Shepherd the flock gently

Great Biblical leaders who were shepherds

Abraham

• Patriarch of Israel

• Wealthy pastoralist with flocks and herds

• Learned long-term provision, patience, and trust in unseen direction

Shepherding trained Abraham to follow God without maps.

Isaac

• Son of Abraham, heir to the covenant

• Continued a pastoral life

• Led quietly, without conquest or spectacle

A reminder that leadership isn’t always loud.

Jacob

• Father of the twelve tribes of Israel

• Spent decades shepherding under harsh conditions

• Learned endurance, responsibility, and humility over time

Shepherding shaped Jacob from a deceiver into a father of nations.

Moses

• Deliverer of Israel, lawgiver

• Shepherded sheep in Midian for 40 years before leading people

• Shepherding broke impulsiveness and built patience

God used the desert and sheep to remake a prince into a shepherd-leader.

David

• King of Israel, psalmist

• Shepherded sheep as the youngest, overlooked son

• Learned courage, protection, and responsibility in obscurity

David protected sheep from lions and bears before facing Goliath.

Amos

• Prophet to Israel

• Explicitly identified himself as a shepherd and fig farmer

• Spoke truth without ambition or institutional power

God chose a shepherd to confront corrupt leadership.

The Shepherds at Jesus’s Birth

• Socially marginalized, considered unreliable witnesses

• First to receive the announcement of Christ’s birth

God entrusted the first revelation of the Messiah to shepherds — not kings.

In the grocery store yesterday looking for a package of hot dogs so that Ac could recreate some elf scene that needed them 😂, I heard playing on the radio a song and the vocalist kept repeating “Jesus is jealous of Santa Claus.” What a ridiculous statement to make, though I understood the singer’s intention.

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I have been feeling untethered.

This morning I decided to start a new devotional that I’d bought specifically for 2026. I wanted to wait until January 1st because then it all lines up perfectly (OCD much), but I felt a small stirring to abandon the desire of neatness and just dive in.

I’m so glad I did.

I spent some time in Luke 24, where Jesus is on the road to Emmaus with the two disciples revealing the scriptures. I invite you to read it and then I want to show you what I saw.

The Road to Emmaus

¹³ That very day two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles^[a] from Jerusalem, ¹⁴ and they were talking with each other about all these things that had happened. ¹⁵ While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them. ¹⁶ But their eyes were kept from recognizing him. ¹⁷ And he said to them, “What is this conversation that you are holding with each other as you walk?” And they stood still, looking sad. ¹⁸ Then one of them, named Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?” ¹⁹ And he said to them, “What things?” And they said to him, “Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, ²⁰ and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him. ²¹ But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened. ²² Moreover, some women of our company amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the morning, ²³ and when they did not find his body, they came back saying that they had even seen a vision of angels, who said that he was alive. ²⁴ Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see.” ²⁵ And he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! ²⁶ Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” ²⁷ And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.

²⁸ So they drew near to the village to which they were going. He acted as if he were going farther, ²⁹ but they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent.” So he went in to stay with them. ³⁰ When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. ³¹ And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And he vanished from their sight. ³² They said to each other, “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?” ³³ And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem. And they found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together, ³⁴ saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!” ³⁵ Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread.

This chapter is one of the best narrative examples of a tension I’ve felt and wrestled with whenever I think about my salvation.

There are the two primary camps whenever you explore this:

• Predestination & Calvinism

• Free Will & Arminianism

Simply stated… one says God determines it, reveals it, and decides it. One engages more of our response, responsibility, and will.

Did I get saved because God revealed it to me, or did I have free will and say yes to Him? There are pitfalls on either side by the way.

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But look at what happens here in Luke.

First… Jesus explains the scriptures. In verse 27, Jesus begins to teach how all the Old Testament prophets pointed to Jesus.

This is the moment where Jesus is using rational explanation.

→ Reason is engaged.

Second… Their hearts burned within them. This is in verse 32. It’s the Spirit bearing witness to truth.

→ This is internal witness by the Holy Spirit.

Third… Their eyes were opened. This is the part where God intervenes. The rational reasoning PLUS the internal witness of the Holy Spirit caused their eyes to be opened. You can’t escape the divine nature of this moment.

→ Revelation happened when God granted it.

Fourth… They immediately sprung into action. Action wasn’t the mechanism of faith. It was the response to it.

→ Human responsibility.

It appears that there are elements of both camps in this one narrative. God’s divine work, activation of our logical side, revelation through the Spirit, and human action and responsibility.

Luke doesn’t try to explain why and how. Both realities co-exist.

This can be tricky for people to understand. How could both free will and determinism co-exist? Isn’t that irrational?

This is where I turned to ChatGPT for help understanding the difference between:

• Irrational thoughts

• Trans-rational thoughts

Because at first glance, it can seem like asking someone to believe that both operate simultaneously might feel irrational.

To be irrational is to violate logic itself. An irrational claim contains a true contradiction- like saying someone is both married and a bachelor at the same time, in the same sense. ← That’s important.

That kind of statement collapses under even basic reasoning. Christianity does not ask for that kind of belief.

But trans-rational is something different.

Why “determinism + responsibility” sounds irrational.

People assume it means:

A person is fully caused by God
and
A person is fully self-caused

That would be a contradiction - same category, same sense. But that is not what historic Christianity claims.

The category mistake people keep making.

They collapse two different levels of causation into one.

Biblically, we’re dealing with:

1. Ultimate causation (God’s sovereign will)

2. Proximate causation (human choice, intention, desire)

Different levels. Different senses.

Christian theology says:

• God is sovereign over outcomes

• Humans are responsible for intentions and actions

It does not say:

• Humans are puppets with no real agency

• Or that humans act independently of God

Again: different questions, different categories.

If you got lost in that reasoning, it boils down to this….

When it comes to Christian theology and some of these tougher matters, people oversimplify theology and flatten it into something it’s not.

Let’s use another example - the Trinity.

At first glance, it could appear to be irrational. God is 1. God is 3? How is that possible? It looks like it’s violating logic (therefore irrational).

But Christian theology is not saying:

• God is one person and three persons

• God is one being and three beings

That would be irrational.

What Christianity actually claims is:

• God is one in being / essence / nature

• God is three in person

Different categories. Different senses.

“Being” answers what something is.
“Person” answers who someone is.

Same subject. Different predicates. As you can see, it’s easy for this nuance to get lost.

Yes, it might seem like a heavy topic to dive into three days before Christmas, but I discovered something as I did that exercise.

I’d been feeling untethered prior to sitting down to do some study. I didn't “feel” God close to me (not because He isn’t, but because I am often distracted).

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When we wait to feel something before acting, we miss an opportunity to connect with Him. I would have missed this entire moment today if I hadn’t sat down despite my lack of feeling.

I needed help this morning. I needed the logic and reason of a devotional. And once I sat down and activated my brain, I felt the Holy Spirit stir in me as I read the scripture. My heart moved.

It’s a good reminder.

I hope you’re able to find a few moments this week to connect to the One who is the reason we celebrate.

Merry Christmas. ❤️

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Excitement because my efficiency skyrockets with every new tool I try.
Dread because I realize if I can do it in seconds… so can everyone else.

For example, a beautifully designed slide on a presentation used to signal to the viewer high end branding, a trustworthy reputation, and quality teaching. It had value because there was work, sacrifice, and time involved. Not everyone could do it.

Now? Stunning design is instant.
If everything is beautiful, beauty stops meaning anything.

So why am I writing about AI here on The Dandelion Report?

Because these changes are not just economic or technological. Those surface-level changes are symptoms of something deeper happening.

AI is reshaping the three core things Scripture already defines: society, work, and humanity.

And when we forget those definitions, we start interpreting AI through utopian or dystopian lenses instead of a grounded, biblical one.

Is society really heading towards utopia?

This world is fallen. Sin broke it, and it will only fully be put right again when Jesus returns.

“For the creation was subjected to frustration…the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.”
- Romans 8:20-22

We can safely assume (without getting into nuanced arguments about eschatology and the end times) that until Jesus returns, things will continue to be broken.

Utopia does not exist and it won’t. No matter how much AI extends our lives, erases poverty, or makes hard work obsolete. People who say “It’ll be a rough 15-20 years and then all of society will transition into the AI world and we’ll be happier and healthier than ever before” are serving up a big ol’ dose of hopium.

Of course, you could look at life and times in the 1800’s and say, “Look at how much better life is in the 2000’s due to technological advances” and surmise that AI will accelerate this for us, and perhaps AI will eliminate cancer or stop car accidents and plane crashes.

But if you ask people today if we’re living in a Utopia compared to the 1800’s, many of us would say they had it better back then. 🤣

The point is… utopia is not coming for us. Jesus is the only One who will finally put the world right again. AI won’t restore the world, it’s just going to amplify the broken one we already have.

AI can change work, but not how we’re made.

Next up… the idea of work.

AI is changing (and eliminating) work. But what is work and why do we do it?

“The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.” - Genesis 2:15

Work was a part of our makeup and design from before the world broke. We were placed in a Garden and told to work it and keep it.

Work is good for us. It’s how we’re made. The word here in Scripture means:

• creating

• cultivating

• managing

• stewarding

• building

• serving

• repairing

• protecting

The struggle and pain involved in work happens after the fall as part of the curse.

When I hear people say that AI will eliminate work and we’ll just sit and play and entertain ourselves all day, I shudder. Even though we can’t know how the Garden of Eden functioned prior to the fall, work was a part of the equation.

We are made to work.

Jesus’ work on the cross redeemed us, so that believers who have the Holy Spirit are able to infuse purpose, worship, and ministry into their work… though the struggle still continues.

Outsourcing all work to robots seems like we’re outsourcing our God-given design. Tools prior to AI helped make our work more enjoyable. AI threatens to replace us entirely.

AI is forcing us to confront what makes us human.

You’ll notice in AI spaces, there is so much talk about AGI (artificial general intelligence), superintelligence, consciousness, etc. What makes us uniquely human in a way that AI can’t copy?

• AI companies build robotic AI companions to simulate intimacy

• AI companies create “talk to your dead loved one” apps

• AI companies claim we’ll be able to upload our consciousness someday into the cloud

But no matter how advanced or human-like it becomes, AI will never cross the line into humanity.

• It cannot possess a soul.

• It cannot choose love.

• It cannot repent.

• It cannot worship.

• It cannot be redeemed.

Humanity isn’t measured by intelligence, output, or capability. Humanity is measured by being made in the image of God.

“Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.’
So God created man in his own image… male and female he created them.”
- Genesis 1:26-27

As the world tries to grapple with the advancement of AI, it’s tempting to swing to either extreme: belief in the hype of a new near-perfect world, or doomsday extinction scenarios that don’t take into account that God is still on His throne.

But the truth remains.

God is still sovereign over His creation, and nothing in the AI race has caught Him off guard.

I have noticed (on X) over the last couple of months, an increase in news reports about mass killings in African countries like Nigeria and Sudan. It can be difficult to find real truthful information as much of the mainstream media simply repeats talking points from news sources that play down the context and reason behind these killings.

The truth is, radical jihadists are killing Christians in these nations. It’s been happening for years but there’s been an uptick in recent months.

You may have heard about the massacre of hundreds this past summer (or maybe not).

Mike Winger, a Christian YouTuber, just recently did an interview with a non-profit organization called Equipping the Persecuted. Mike is a stand up person with a lot of integrity, and from what I can see, this organization is on the ground in Nigeria actively helping these villages and a solid non-profit.

You can watch the video here:

In the video he requests two things: one free and one that costs money.

The first is to write to your state senators and congressmen about this issue. He explains how to do it, and includes an email you can use.

I went through the process and wanted to show you how it works:

1. Go to https://Congress.gov.

2. Scroll down until you get here. Select your state.

3. When I select Connecticut, this is what I see. Depending on your state, you may see a lot more than I do. Every state has two senators. You can click on their names and then hit contact. When it comes to house of representatives, that varies by state. Find the representative that represents your county. This way you can write three emails.

4. When you click contact, you might be led to a contact form. Most of mine did. They asked for a topic for the message and I chose “foreign affairs”.

5. Then paste the following email:
   
   Subject: Please Support H. Res. 220 and S. 2747 to Defend Persecuted Christians in Nigeria
   
   Dear [Congressman/Senator] [Last Name],
   
   I am writing to urge you to take immediate action on behalf of persecuted Christians in Nigeria, who are enduring one of the worst humanitarian and religious freedom crises in the world today. Thousands of Christians have been slaughtered, kidnapped, raped, and displaced by radical Islamist terrorists. Entire villages are being wiped out while the Nigerian government turns a blind eye—or, in some cases, is complicit in these atrocities. The United States must not remain silent in the face of such evil.
   
   I strongly urge you to: Support and co-sponsor H. Res. 220, introduced by Congressman Chris Smith, which calls on the U.S. Department of State to re-designate Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) for its severe violations of religious freedom. Support and co-sponsor S. 2747, Senator Ted Cruz’s Nigeria Religious Freedom Accountability Act of 2025, which would impose targeted sanctions on Nigerian government officials who enable or ignore persecution and human rights abuses. Designating Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern and enforcing targeted sanctions are critical first steps in holding the Nigerian government accountable and protecting vulnerable Christian communities.
   
   These measures will help ensure that U.S. foreign policy truly reflects our nation’s commitment to religious liberty, justice, and human dignity. Please stand with the persecuted, and let your voice be one of moral leadership and courage in defense of the innocent. Thank you for your time, compassion, and commitment to defending freedom and human rights.
   
   Sincerely,
   [Your Full Name]
   [City, State]
   [Email Address or Phone Number (optional)]

It only takes a few minutes but if enough of us do it, it’ll get more attention.

You can also donate to Equipping The Persecuted (it’s a registered 501c3 organization so it’s tax deductible.

Sometimes it feels difficult to know where and how to support those who are less fortunate. It’s overwhelming how much need is out there.

This feels important to me because it is a stark reminder of what happens when radical Islam gets a foothold in a country.

Christians and Jews are not safe in a country ruled by jihadists. We’ve seen this with the conflict in Gaza, and this horrible violence and genocide is coming for any country that gets in bed with radical Islam.

I hope you’ll take some time to watch the interview and support in a way that works for you.

Blessings
Julie

Don’t have time to watch the interview? Here’s the summary of the transcript rendered by ChatGPT:

🇳🇬 What’s Happening in Nigeria: Summary of the Interview

Main idea:
Radical Islamist militias (primarily Fulani extremists and Boko Haram affiliates) are carrying out systematic attacks on Christian communities in Nigeria. The Nigerian government is accused of ignoring or even aiding these crimes, while international media underreports or misrepresents them.

⚠️ Scope of the Crisis

• 7,000 Christians killed since January 2025; over 100,000 since 2001.

• 3.5–5 million Christians displaced from their homes.

• 19,000 churches destroyed; ratio of 6 Christians killed for every 1 Muslim.

• 300–500 villages completely wiped out and renamed under Muslim control.

• Many survivors live in makeshift IDP camps (Internally Displaced Persons) with almost no government aid.

💣 How the Attacks Happen

• Militants often arrive at night on motorcycles with AK-47s, burning homes, crops, and livestock.

• Victims include women, children, and the elderly—killed indiscriminately.

• The goal is religious cleansing and land seizure: drive Christians out, claim territory, and impose Sharia law.

🏛️ Government Complicity & Media Cover-Up

• Nigerian government allegedly turns a blind eye and, in some cases, supplies weapons or funding to militants.

• Officials downplay genocide, calling attacks “banditry” or “farmer–herder clashes.”

• Government press releases go to Al Jazeera → Associated Press → CNN, spreading the “unknown gunmen” narrative that hides the religious motive.

• Journalists who challenge the story risk intimidation or death.

📰 On-the-Ground Response: Equipping the Persecuted

• Provides medical care, food, housing, and security for victims.

• Built new shelters and wells to replace tarp-and-garbage-bag camps.

• Created TruthNigeria.com, an independent media outlet reporting verified data from witnesses.

• Developed an Early Warning System (solar sirens + village networks) with 89% accuracy in predicting attacks—though the military rarely responds.

💰 Political & Religious Dimensions

• Nigeria’s last three presidential administrations have been Muslim–Muslim tickets, consolidating Islamic control over the military and police.

• Christian leaders were taught not to enter politics, leaving a vacuum now filled by radical Islamists.

• Corruption and oil money keep elites silent; acknowledging genocide would cost them World Bank and foreign aid funding.

• Christians in the Muslim-controlled north live under Sharia law and a “Jizya” tax—extortion payments for being non-Muslim.

🕊️ Real Stories

• Alice and her son Godlove: attacked in their village; husband and two children murdered; Alice’s hand cut off and body mutilated. Equipping the Persecuted paid for surgeries and recovery.

• Thousands like them live in daily fear, often re-targeted by militias even inside refugee camps.

🗣️ Misinformation from Officials

• Nigerian President Tinubu publicly denied any genocide, claiming “no faith is under siege.”

• U.S. Envoy Massad Boulos (Tiffany Trump’s father-in-law) repeated similar terrorist talking points, calling the violence “criminality, not religious.”

• These narratives minimize or erase the explicitly Islamic ideology behind the attacks.

💪 Recommended Actions

1. Write your U.S. senators & representatives

   • Support H. Res. 220 (Rep. Chris Smith) to re-designate Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern.

   • Support S. 2747 (Sen. Ted Cruz) to impose sanctions on Nigerian officials enabling persecution.

   • Template email available on Congress.gov and in the video description.

2. Donate to Equipping the Persecuted — a verified 501(c)(3) on-the-ground ministry.

3. Pray for victims, aid workers, and courageous reformers inside Nigeria.

4. Raise awareness — post, write, and share factual reports to counter misinformation.

✝️ Final Message

“Every Christian needs to start talking about Nigeria.
Silence is complicity. Awareness is the first act of courage.”

So I began where any honest reconstruction has to begin: did Jesus actually die, get buried, and rise again? This is the third and final part of my reconstruction series.

You can reference Part I and Part II first if you haven’t caught up.

Listen now or watch on YouTube.

Notes from the show:

Jesus died on a cross.

• Roman crucifixion was a common way to die during this time period (1st century Israel under Roman occupation).

• Non christian historians treat the crucifixion as a historical fact.

• Criterion of embarrassment states that those following Jesus would not want to make up his death on a cross because of how humiliating it was.

Virtually all scholars agree on this point. Theories about not actually dying or someone else being on the cross in place of Jesus are not taken seriously today.

Jesus was laid in a tomb.

• The burial in a tomb is described in all four canonical Gospels (Mark, Matthew, Luke, John), each with overlapping details (see part I of reconstruction series about the believability of the gospels).

• Criterion of embarrassment: Joseph of Arimathea is portrayed as a member of the Sanhedrin, the very council that condemned Jesus. Inventing a sympathetic Sanhedrin member would have been awkward for early Christians, making the story less likely to be fiction.

• Excavated 1st-century tombs near Jerusalem match the type described.

Jesus rose from the dead three days later.

Earliest eyewitness testimony (1 Corinthians 15:3–8)

• Paul records a creed that predates his own writing (within 3–5 years of the crucifixion).

• It lists appearances: to Peter, the Twelve, 500 people, James (Jesus’ brother), and finally Paul.

• This is the oldest surviving Christian text — not decades later legend, but early community tradition.

Transformation of the disciples

• Before the crucifixion: scattered, fearful, defeated.

• After: boldly proclaiming resurrection in Jerusalem (the same city where he was executed), facing persecution and death.

Conversion of hostile witnesses

• James, Jesus’ skeptical brother, and Paul, an enemy of early Christians, both claimed post-resurrection experiences and radically changed direction.

• These conversions are historically well-attested.

The empty tomb narrative

• All four Gospels agree the tomb was found empty by women.

• Jerusalem preaching centered on resurrection shortly after; easy to disprove if body present.

Rapid rise of resurrection faith

• Within a decade, the belief had crystallized across multiple regions (Jerusalem, Damascus, Antioch).

• No gradual myth development — the resurrection was central from the start, unlike later apotheosis legends.

At the end of the day, the alternative theories about where and what happened to Jesus… don’t add up.

1. The disciples stole the body. Contradicts their willingness to die for the claim; lacks motive or benefit.

2. They went to the wrong tomb. Romans/Jewish leaders could easily correct it.

3. It was a hallucination. Can’t explain group appearances or empty tomb.

4. The resurrection was a myth that developed later. Too early and geographically diverse for slow myth formation.

All of these theories fall apart pretty spectacularly. This final piece is a faith-based conclusion and dependent on your understanding of miracles in a worldview where there is an intelligent designer.

xx

The word in the Hebrew is זָכַר (zakar). This isn’t about mental recall only. It means “to bring to mind in order to act”.

In the book of Deuteronomy, the word remember is used approximately 14 times (give or take).

1. Deut. 5:15 — “Remember that you were slaves in Egypt…”
   → Remembering delivers humility and compassion.

2. Deut. 7:18 — “But you shall remember what the Lord your God did to Pharaoh…”
   → Remembering builds courage for current battles.

3. Deut. 8:2 — “You shall remember the whole way that the Lord your God has led you…”
   → Remembering anchors gratitude and dependence.

4. Deut. 8:18 — “You shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth.”→ Remembering guards against pride.

5. Deut. 9:7 — “Remember and do not forget how you provoked the Lord…”
   → Remembering breeds repentance and awareness of grace.

6. Deut. 9:27 — “Remember Your servants, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob…”
   → Moses uses zakar in prayer, asking God to remember covenant promises.

7. Deut. 15:15 — “You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt…”
   → Remembering inspires generosity and justice.

8. Deut. 16:3 — “That you may remember the day when you came out of Egypt…”
   → Remembering is ritualized through Passover.

9. Deut. 16:12 — “You shall remember that you were a slave…”
   → Remembering keeps empathy alive.

10. Deut. 24:9 — “Remember what the Lord your God did to Miriam…”
    → Remembering warns against disobedience.

11. Deut. 24:18 — “But you shall remember that you were a slave in Egypt…”
    → Remembering calls forth compassion for foreigners.

12. Deut. 24:22 — “You shall remember that you were a slave in Egypt…”
    → Remembering shapes economic mercy and ethics.

13. Deut. 25:17 — “Remember what Amalek did to you…”
    → Remembering becomes part of justice — not vengeance, but vigilance.

14. Deut. 32:7 — “Remember the days of old; consider the years of many generations…”
    → Remembering preserves wisdom and generational awareness.

The biological significance of memory

God hardwired the very biology of our brains to mirror His spiritual design. Just as our neurons strengthen through repetition, our faith strengthens through remembrance. Every time we rehearse God’s faithfulness, we’re training our minds and hearts to anticipate it again.

Biologically, we are built with a memory and the capacity to remember for the purpose of prediction and survival. If we are able to recall the past, it helps us anticipate what might come next in the future.

When a young child gets burned by a hot stove, he remembers the pain he felt and the next time he sees a stove, he does not touch it. This ensures his survival.

Memories also help build our sense of identity. It orients us in time and space. It helps keep things emotionally coherent. It protects us against manipulation. It also helps us grow.

Imagine what would happen if we didn’t have a functioning memory. This is effectively amnesia.

The consequences are profoundly difficult. Ask anyone who has cared for a loved one with a disease that brings amnesia.

• Loss of identity: You don’t know your own story, so your sense of self collapses.

• Disorientation: Time feels broken. You can’t place yourself in a coherent past, present, and future.

• Emotional confusion: You may feel fear, sadness, or attachment with no context for why.

• Vulnerability to manipulation: Without memory, others can rewrite your story for you.

• Inability to learn or grow: You can’t use past experience to make better choices.

Our ability to remember is imperative to physical health, and God shows us it’s imperative to our spiritual health as well.

Recall is something that happens in the brain, and we know memories can skew over time. But when you put recall and action together, you get זָכַר (zakar). This is how you are able to rewire or strengthen neural pathways.

Remembrance in scripture was rooted in writings, traditions, festivals, foods, and actions. God knows are thoughts and stories can skew over time. He knows that cognitive “knowing” isn’t strong enough to impact future behavior.

In other words, Zakar is God’s design for spiritual prediction and trust.

One of the most important things you can do as a disciple of Jesus is to remember (recall & act) based on the written word. Whereas Abraham and Moses and Noah didn’t have the scriptures, we do.

We have the most abundant evidence of the actions and faithfulness of God of any people at any point in time in all of human history. We are without excuse, which is both frightening and awe inspiring.

We can know the God of the universe.

What zakar looks like today

Here’s how it looks in the moments that actually test us:

When you are angry at someone who has sinned against you, remember the wrong things you’ve done, and remember the way God graciously forgave you. This remembrance will make a way for you to forgive.

When you’re facing a terrible financial crisis, remember all the ways in which God has provided for you throughout your life, and remember the scriptures that talk about God’s care for the sparrows and lilies; things that aren’t made in the image of God like you are. This will make way for peace and trust, which help you think more clearly about next steps.

When you’re sick or injured and feeling lost, remember that scriptures that promise God will resurrect every child of God into a glorified body and give you eternal life with Him without pain or suffering or weakness. This will make way for hope grounded in reality, which brings emotional and mental relief because you know it’s not permanent.

When you are bored, restless, and depressed, remember that God has given us all of creation in which to witness the majesty of His power. This will make way for you to see Him in small things, bringing pleasure and contentment without your circumstances changing.

When you’re feeling impatient, remember the length of time the people of God waited for His promises to come to pass. 400 years in Egypt. 40 years in the wilderness. 400 years between Malachi and Jesus. Patience is mercy and grace, and you might know why things are delayed. This makes way for you to rest in God’s timing vs. striving yourself.

When you’re confused or unsure or lost, remember the ways in which the people of God returned to Him. It starts with repentance. And God promises His Holy Spirit will direct you. Read the scriptures and cry out for deliverance from sin. He WILL show up because He is good and He is unchanging.

Remember.

The devil wants you to forget.

He’s been doing it since the garden. “Did God really say…?” he said to Eve. Gave her a question to try to erase her memory of what truly happened.

It’s the number one thing God told the Israelites before entering the Promised Land. He knew it was important.

Remember through scripture memory, reading, singing, praying, meals, holidays, and any other rituals you can come up with.

It may not feel super “spiritual” every day, but remembering is one of the most powerful ways we stay connected to God and inoculated from the schemes of the devil.

To remember is to resist.

It led us to two conclusions:

1. In order to accept the Gospels, one must accept the plausibility of miracles in our worldview.

2. We must address who Jesus really was, based on what He said and did.

As we go along, I want to give a hat tip to Mike Winger who had an amazing YouTube interview that helped me summarize this argument.

What are miracles anyway?

Miracles are events that occur outside of the laws of nature that govern this Earth.

David Hume is the one credited with the classic “Hume’s Objection” and is the most common argument against miracles.

The basis of this argument is that because miracles are least likely explanation for anything, any other natural explanation, even a far-fetched one, must always be more probable.

The category error made in this argument is as follows:

Treating the laws of nature as if they describe everything that can ever happen, when in reality, they describe what happens when nature is left to itself.

A miracle doesn’t violate natural law. It’s an intervention by a supernatural cause.

In fact, the laws of nature are a necessary precondition for recognizing miracles!

You must know what normally happens (the regularity of nature) in order to recognize when something extraordinary has occurred.

So natural law doesn’t make miracles impossible — it makes them detectable.

Miracles are rare by design. In the Gospels, Jesus regularly points to His signs as evidence that He is divine.

If miracles were common, the signs Jesus did wouldn’t point to anything extraordinary at all!

The rarity of miracles doesn’t make them less believable in principle; it’s predicted by the hypothesis that God occasionally acts for revelatory purposes (to validate a divine messenger or message).

If you believe in God, you naturally will believe in miracles. For He created the laws of nature themselves, which means He’s able to intervene when He chooses.

There are a few other counter arguments to Hume’s objection (which admittedly get a little philosophical), but you can see how if someone believes in God but then chooses not to believe the miracles in the Gospels, they are doing some illogical mental gymnastics.

“But how can I be 100% certain that this happened?”

Even if we establish the credibility of the Gospel manuscripts, as well as the possibility of a worldview in which miracles are possible, the desire for 100% certainty usually pops up next.

This is a psychological trap.

The truth is, we never operate on 100% certainty.

In the video with Mike Winger and Johnathan McLatchie, he explains some everyday examples of this.

• Every time you eat at a restaurant, you’re not certain the waiter didn’t poison the food.

• Every time you cross the street, you’re not certain the car will stop at the red light.

• Every time you board a plane, you’re not certain it won’t crash.

We still act, because our confidence is rationally justified by probability and evidence, not by absolute proof.

Christianity invites rational confidence not irrational certainty.

Jesus as presented in the Gospels is so well evidenced that doubt would be considered unreasonable.

Now we move onto the most popular take on Jesus.

“I believe He was a good teacher and did miracles.”

People who say this believe the Gospel accounts are valid, believe miracles are possible, don’t need 100% irrational certainty, and yet they still stop at the “he was a good teacher” cliche.

C.S. Lewis once famously said that Jesus can only be Lord, Lunatic, or Liar.

You must choose one of the three.

As we discussed in the last episode, Orthodox Jews put Jesus in the camp of Liar and/or Lunatic.

Christians call Him Lord.

Everyone else (Islam, Buddhism, New Age, etc.) all try to make a fourth option: Good teacher (or sometimes prophet).

The idea of Lord, Lunatic, or Liar is not just a fancy argument. If we are going to believe the Gospel accounts and take Jesus at His word, good teacher does not fit in the options.

• Jesus claimed divine authority to forgive sins

• Jesus claimed to be one with God the father

• Jesus claimed to pre-exist Abraham

• Jesus claimed to be returning to judge the nations

• Jesus claimed that man’s eternal status depended on them believing in Him

His words are either true or false.

If his words are true, He is God, and also a great teacher.

If they are false, Jesus was in a grand delusion or He was a master manipulator. There’s no room to be a “good moral teacher” here.

Do we see any evidence of either of those types of behaviors - manipulation or delusion?

I asked ChatGPT to round up some qualities of Jesus as seen in the Gospels.

• Consistent Emotional Stability

  • Calm under extreme pressure (before Pilate, during betrayal, even on the cross).

  • Never shows paranoia, manic highs/lows, or loss of contact with reality.

• Profound Empathy

  • Weeps over Jerusalem and Lazarus.

  • Shows compassion for the sick, poor, outcasts, and children.

  • Prioritizes others’ welfare above His own comfort.

• Absence of Self-Aggrandizement

  • Rejects fame after miracles; often tells healed people to “say nothing.”

  • Withdraws from crowds when they try to make Him king.

  • Lives with no wealth, privilege, or political status.

• Humility in Action

  • Washes His disciples’ feet — a servant’s job.

  • Teaches “the greatest among you will be your servant.”

  • Associates with the lowly, not elites or flattery-seekers.

• Intellectual and Moral Coherence

  • Engages opponents logically and graciously, not defensively.

  • His teachings are balanced — neither erratic nor self-contradictory.

  • His ethical insights (Sermon on the Mount) remain unsurpassed in clarity and universality.

• No Signs of Grandiose Fantasy

  • Never builds cultic hierarchy or demands luxury, sex, or blind obedience.

  • His “claims of divinity” are always tied to moral teaching and service, not domination.

• Self-Sacrifice Over Self-Preservation

  • Freely walks toward crucifixion, knowing it means suffering and rejection.

  • Prays for His executioners: “Father, forgive them.”

  • This behavior is incompatible with self-centered delusion.

• Relational Realism

  • Forms deep, mutual friendships (Peter, John, Mary, Martha).

  • Allows others to question Him without rage or punishment.

  • Exhibits healthy detachment — loves fully but not possessively.

• Moral Genius, Not Mania

  • His parables, aphorisms, and dialogues reveal composure, not obsession.

  • His ethical framework is internally consistent and psychologically sound.

The idea that He was a lunatic or a liar is not reasonable. The idea that He was a “moral good teacher” without taking into account His claims, also logically falls apart.

Next we’re going to look more closely at the biggest miracle of all, the resurrection.

If you’re following along on this series, it’s clear that once you address the veracity of the Gospels, the probability of miracles, and the claims of Jesus, there’s really only one possibility coming into view…

That He was (and is) the Messiah.

It sounds so cartoonish right? 🐳

But this morning I read the story against the backdrop of current events, and it hit different. WAY different.

Let me set the stage here. The Lord calling Jonah to preach judgment on Nineveh might be similar to Him calling a modern day 2025 Hebrew prophet and saying, “Arise, go to Gaza, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me.”

Can you imagine how difficult and stressful that would be? 😳

While God here is acknowledging the evil that is in Nineveh and asking Jonah to pronounce judgment, Jonah runs. He runs far. Tarshish was like the edge of the world as they knew it back then (near the edges of Spain).

Was it fear that drove Jonah to run? Did he not want to stand before Nineveh? After all, they were a huge city in Assyria, which was one of the primary enemies of Israel.

Or was it something else?

The answer to Jonah’s motivation doesn’t come until the very end of the book. Look at what he says when he finally gets to Nineveh, the people repent, and God rolls back His judgment.

Jonah wasn’t running from danger — he was running from compassion.

Jonah’s awareness of the STEADFAST LOVE and MERCY of His creator made him realize that by going to Nineveh and pronouncing judgment, God was giving the city a chance to repent.

And Jonah wanted vengeance.

Oof. 🫣

Even inside the belly of the whale, Jonah’s prayer wasn’t true repentance. It was more sorrow and despair, and acknowledgement of the goodness of God. But you don’t see any true repentance.

And yet, God vomited Jonah out of the fish after three days. Why? Because of God’s steadfast love and mercy.

Here are the takeaways I am meditating on today:

1. Even God’s judgment is merciful. It’s a chance to repent and turn away from evil.

2. God’s mercy is immeasurable. He showed mercy to Nineveh (an evil city), and to Jonah (a prideful self righteous vengeful prophet).

3. I noticed the irony in the part where the storm is raging and these pagan sailors are ready to fear the Lord and repent when they realize it’s Jonah’s disobedience that’s causing the storm. They even tried to spare his life by rowing harder! God is showing how religiosity doesn’t mean you get it right.

After the fish episode, Jonah listens to the Lord and goes to Nineveh, and they repent. He’s angry that God has spared his enemy because he wants vengeance.

As Jonah goes outside the city to watch and see what God does, the Lord provides a plant for shade for Jonah. More mercy.

The next day, the Lord sends a worm to eat the plant and the heat and wind cause Jonah much distress.

Jonah’s pride is ridiculous here (but we’re so guilty of it too). He’s like “Heck yea I have every right to be mad!”

God asks him how it’s possible that Jonah could pity a plant that God himself planted for him, and yet Jonah thinks God shouldn’t take pity on 120,000 humans and cattle.

Then the book ends. 😂

No redemptive arc for Jonah here.

He’s briefly mentioned in 2 Kings and Jesus references him a few times in the Gospel, but that’s it.

A few other reflections:

1. I found it interesting God chose to mention the cattle. God’s compassion and mercy extend to ALL of creation, not just humans. Wow wow.

2. Jesus’ mention of Jonah is symbolic - He talks about how Jonah being three days and nights in the whale is similar to Him dying on the cross and rising three days later. In Jonah’s case, he goes unwillingly. In Jesus’ case, He goes willingly and because of mercy and love.

3. Jonah isn’t really the hero! I thought he was, but that’s because I always remember the story as, “He runs from God, gets punished in the whale, repents, and then saves the city.” But that’s not really what happened.

4. Every scene in Jonah drips with mercy. Even the storms are invitations to repent.

What do we do with so many calls for vengeance and violence today? What about the critique of people who are being “judgmental”?

This was my biggest aha.

We’re in a culture where words supposedly equal violence. And yet, it’s clear that God’s calling on Jonah’s life was to PRONOUNCE judgment for the chance of repentance and MERCY.

We have it so backwards. We cancel people who speak the truth, even when it’s hard. We need more truth tellers. More folks not afraid to proclaim God’s word unashamedly.

And we need LESS violence and dehumanization. But instead we have leaders like Stephen Miller stoking the fires of violence and revenge for the “other side” - dehumanizing them and forgetting that God desires mercy for them too.

Today, truth-telling is often mistaken for cruelty, and silence is mistaken for compassion. Jonah reminds us that speaking truth is an act of mercy, not vengeance. Because every warning from God is an invitation to repent, not a weapon to destroy.

I was convicted hard. I’m still so scared to speak the truth and piss people off. And I also sometimes doom scroll too much and find myself quietly wanting vengeance against those I’ve determined are evil.

Read Jonah today. Pray and ask the Lord where are you fearful about speaking the truth. And ask Him where you might be letting your flesh desire revenge and vengeance, when God desires mercy.

xx

“Can we trust the Gospel accounts?”

It doesn’t make sense to discuss the miracles or the resurrection or the path to salvation if we can’t first agree that the text we’re working from is reliable.

Question One: What genre of writing are the gospels?

Answer:

Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are either written by eyewitnesses or by people directly connected to eyewitnesses. We call them Greco-Roman biographies to be technical (bioi is the greek term).

This type of writing has several features (that the gospels match):

• Focused on the life and character of a central figure.

• Written not just to inform, but to model behavior.

• Didn’t require exhaustive detail (like modern biographies). Selectivity was expected.

• Often highlighted death as the climactic event.

There are many biographies that historians widely accept as reliable such as Suetonius’s The Twelve Caesars, Plutarch’s Lives, and Tacitus’s Agricola. All of these written about a character in roughly same time period, even though the earliest manuscripts found are 800 years or more after the events.

Question Two: How many manuscripts have we found?

Answer:

There are over 5,800+ Greek manuscripts of the Gospels, and 20,000+ manuscripts written in other languages. By comparison, Homer’s Iliad has around ~1,800, Caesar’s Gallic Wars around ~10, and Tacitus’s Annals ~3.

Case in point, the Gospels blow every single other ancient text out of the water in terms of the amount of manuscripts we have available.

Question Three: When were the Gospels written?

Answer:

Most scholars date the Gospels between 60–100 AD. Mark is the earliest. And even though Paul’s writing aren’t the focus of this argument, some of the letters to the Churches date even earlier.

The reason this is so important is because the time between when the events happened and when they were written down, is TINY. There would have been eyewitnesses around who could easily refute the writing if it was fabricated.

The earliest manuscripts we have found are dated ~125 AD (about 30 years after John was written). They were found in Egypt (showing how fast the Gospel spread).

Later manuscripts show remarkable stability in the text. In fact, even the most skeptical historians admit that the “disparities” in the texts are minimal and are more about grammar than theology.

Question Four: How can we trust that Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John were telling the truth?

Answer:

There are three features of the Gospels that lend to their credibility, and they are:

1. Embarrassing Details

2. External Corroboration

3. Undesigned Coincidences

Let’s go through each one (paying special attention to #3).

#1 Embarrassing Details

Peter denies Jesus. Disciples misunderstand constantly. Women are the first witnesses (culturally embarrassing in 1st century). These details weaken the case if fabricated, but strengthen it if true.

#2 External Corroboration

Josephus: references Jesus, James, and crucifixion. Tacitus confirms execution under Pontius Pilate. Pliny the Younger: records early Christian worship of Christ “as a god.”

#3 Undesigned Coincidences

They’re little details in one Gospel that don’t make full sense until you read another Gospel. These overlaps are too subtle to be intentional, but too coherent to be coincidence. They look like the natural byproduct of multiple eyewitnesses remembering the same event from different angles.

For example, in the feeding of the 5000 (both in John 6 and Mark 6):

• John 6:5: Jesus tests Philip by asking, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” Why Philip? Seems random…

• Mark 6:30–44 explains: the miracle happened near Bethsaida. Philip was from Bethsaida (John 1:44).

The pieces click. John drops Philip’s name, Mark gives the location, Luke confirms Philip’s hometown. Together, it makes perfect sense.

If the Gospels were fabricated centuries later, you’d expect polished consistency, not hidden puzzle pieces. Forgers don’t leave subtle clues across documents that only scholars or close readers would notice. This is exactly what you see in real eyewitness testimony: rough edges that overlap in ways that can’t be staged.

Now we get to the heart of the matter when it comes to the Gospels.

They recount miracles. This is why people call them into question. If there had been no miracles written about, the Gospels would be accepted by virtually everyone.

^^ Most people breeze over this fact but it is remarkable. Take out the miracles and no one would be arguing “Are the Gospels reliable?”

If you have a worldview that cannot or does not accept miracles, you’ll look for a way to make the Gospel accounts irrelevant and false.

Miracles are the stumbling block.

Ask 10 people on the street if they believe in miracles, and you’ll probably get the following responses:

1. “Yes I believe in them.”

2. “Maybe they are possible but extraordinary claims need extraordinary evidence.”

3. “If they are true, why don’t we see them today?”

4. “No I do not believe that anything claiming to happen outside the laws of nature is real.”

I’m curious how you would answer the question?

As we move into the next episode, we’ll look at a Biblical worldview that accepts miracles vs. a worldview that does not. But when you look at the evidence presented about the reliability of the Gospel manuscripts, we can’t simply write them off as myths and legends.

You must decide for yourself:

Either the Gospels are historically reliable accounts of a man who claimed to be God and performed miracles… or they are early, widespread, meticulously preserved accounts that somehow all got it completely wrong.

And if you feel the tension of such black-and-white options, you’ll find that most other worldviews don’t like that tension either, and do the “hunt & peck” method of the Gospels.

They’ll accept some pieces, but not all.

Islam for example claims that Gospels were distorted. They throw away the death & resurrection, and His claim that He was God. This doesn’t match the evidence presented as we have tons of examples of the preservation of the text. And non-religious historians acknowledge that Jesus did in fact die on a cross.

You’ll find similar logical inconsistencies among buddhists, new agers, etc. They’ll accept Jesus’ wisdom or even His miracles, but strip away His exclusivity. It’s picking and choosing, not dealing with the whole picture.

Among world religions, Orthodox Judaism at least takes the evidence seriously. They don’t deny the miracles or dismiss the reliability of the text. Instead, they argue Jesus was a false prophet whose power came from the wrong source. Whether you agree or not, that’s at least a logically consistent position.

They aren’t ignoring the mountain of evidence for the manuscripts and their reliability, they are simply attributing it to something that wasn’t God.

So we’re back at the fork in the road.

The Gospels are either reliable eyewitness accounts of a man who claimed to be God and performed miracles…or they’re early, widespread, carefully preserved accounts that all somehow got it completely wrong.

The evidence forces us back to Jesus Himself, and especially His resurrection. That’s where we need to go next.

Full Transcript

You can also watch on YouTube:

Renewing the Mind in Romans 12:2

[00:00:00] Hi everyone. My name is Julie Chenell and I am here on YouTube because I am beginning a new project based on the scripture verse, Romans 12, two. I have felt in my spirit and in my mind that there are things that I am learning that the Lord is showing me that I need to share with others. I am on this channel with.

Much hesitation and reservation. I do not have a name for this channel. I do not have really a tagline or an elevator speech. In fact, as someone who is a business coach and who is taught to think of everything through a marketing lens and you know, marketing copy, this is very much not that. I don’t know exactly what is going [00:01:00] to come of all of this, but the scripture, Romans 12, two, has been tumbling over in my head over and over, and I think that it is relevant for this stage and period in the world for Christians and even for those who might be seeking and curious about Jesus.

And what he came for. So I wanna read that scripture to you first, just to kind of give you some backdrop. The scripture in Romans says, do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind. That by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

This is a scripture that is undergirding this entire channel. What does it mean to renew our mind? What does it mean to not be conformed [00:02:00] to the world that we live in? What does it mean to test and discern God’s will? Those three things seem incredibly important and relevant right now in the current climate that we are in.

For those of you who don’t know, I. Grew up as a conservative Christian. I went to a Christian college. I majored in biblical studies before transferring into psychology, and I lived the Christian life until 2012, 2013, when I had a very dramatic falling away of my faith. I lost my church, my friends, much of my faith, and proceeded to deconstruct over the next 10 to 12 years.

The whole time that I was in that state, I was not in fellowship or communion with God. I would occasionally pray, usually when it was stressful or, or you [00:03:00] know, critical. I had this sense that I knew Jesus was the Messiah, but I had no ability to back it up. I didn’t really know anything else, and I did start to fall into existential dread.

I had a dramatic turning back to my faith. In February, March of 2025. And when I say dramatic, I don’t mean that the Lord spoke to me audibly, but I had what can only be described as the spirit taking a lot of the shackles off of my eyes and delivering me from the dread and the fear and the torment that was plaguing me about questions about the afterlife and the meaning of life.

And ever since then, in that, that day in February, I have been. Absolutely unashamedly, clung to the, to the hem of his garment. I have been reading, I have been in prayer, I have been in worship. I’ve been writing on a Substack newsletter [00:04:00] called The Dandelion Report and just writing the things that I’m studying, that I’m learning what I’m seeing.

And for those of you who know me, I am not a fan of video and YouTube and podcasts like. This is not my, my modality at all. I love to write, so to get up here and get on video is terrifying. Even though I know I do it all the time. I don’t think people realize how much resistance I have, but over the last month, I have felt a heaviness in my heart and my spirit that I continually have brought before God asking, what are you doing?

Why do I feel this? What is happening inside of me, and I feel a very strong urge to speak and to share for whoever it’s for. I, it’s not my job to make this, have a good marketing angle or to, , pick a good title and branding. That is not what I’m [00:05:00] doing here. What I’m doing here is walking in obedience to what I feel like the Lord has said that I am to do.

I wanna go into Romans 12 two a little bit deeper now because I think this is the crux of what I’m supposed to share and what I want people who are listening to understand about why I am starting this channel and what I’m doing. So let’s head over to Romans 12 here and take a look.

Okay, let’s begin with the very first part of verse two. It says, do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind. So when we think about conforming to this world, we think about following the world’s rules, the world’s laws, the world’s ideology. If we were born in any other time [00:06:00] in life, there might be one or two or three worldviews presented to you, depending on where you lived before the internet and before.

, Electricity, even depending on where you were born, that would determine the worldview that you would have. Now that we are in the time of the internet and the time where we can hear any type of worldview, crazy or not crazy, when you think about conforming to this world, the word that comes to mind for me is confused.

Because all worldviews are presented to us. Not only that, but worldviews are getting muddy. People are picking and choosing from different worldviews and creating these custom worldview that are not built on sound [00:07:00] logic. There’s a great book called The Story of Reality, and in it, the author talks about how each worldview.

In life, you know, whether it’s an atheistic worldview or a, you know, Buddhist or what have you, they, it’s like a puzzle, right? And what’s happening is, you know, if you had an actual puzzle, you would need all the pieces of that puzzle, right? To make that picture, to see the big picture. But what’s happening is people are borrowing from other puzzles and like hacking it together.

So when the scripture says, do not be conformed to this world. It’s basically saying, watch that your worldview is not put on you by the world. And that is very, very scary today because worldviews are not necessarily based in logic, reason, sound thinking. They’re often fueled by algorithms and loud voices, and you can get a [00:08:00] very, very messed up worldview by letting the world conform your mind.

The second part of that first sentence is be transformed by the renewal of your mind. Now the word transform means to literally like turn into a different shape, if you will. So if you think about a caterpillar gets transformed into a butterfly, it becomes something different. We are surrounded by information.

And we have basically the world’s knowledge at our fingertips, right? And so all that information is sitting around us, but we decide what information we’re gonna draw into us. And the information that we put inside of us actually changes who we are. It changes how we think. It changes how we behave. It changes what we believe.

It changes how we feel. And so the goal here is to be transformed. And it’s interesting because Paul says, by the [00:09:00] renewal of your mind, and I think that in religion especially, people think of it as this very emotional, faith-based experience. They don’t think about the mind, they don’t think about, logic and reason, and they think, oh, it’s, it’s just like this feeling, this gut feeling.

Yeah. One of the, one of , the things about my returning to Jesus was that it was very much a mind experience. I didn’t have an emotional, , sobbing, crying, , alter call. I didn’t, I didn’t have there, there was no music. It was a work of the mind that transformed me, that brought me back. And I think it’s interesting that Paul here is singing be transformed by the renewal of your mind.

And that’s something I love to look at things from a logical perspective, from sound principles of thinking. [00:10:00] And here in the scripture it’s saying that that is actually what’s going to transform you. And, you know, I asked, chat, GBTI looked up some of the, Greek for some of these words and be transformed specifically is the same route as the word metamorphosis.

And what’s interesting about that is it’s passive, which means that this is not done by your sheer effort, but by something being done to you. The good news about this is that you don’t have to like work your way into understanding God better, because what the scripture is saying is that he will transform you.

He will renew your mind based on the posture that you have. So if you say, Hey, I’m willing, I want to be renewed. I want to not be conformed to this world. I want renewal, he’s going to do that work in you. [00:11:00] And renewing is comes from, , the origin of that word is like to make new again, to restore, to renovate.

So this is ongoing. This is not something that just happens once and then boom, you’re renewed. Okay? And it was not meant to, to suggest, we’re just thinking positive thoughts. It is an ongoing renovation done by God through the Holy Spirit. But it also means putting a posture of allowing it and understanding that God uses the mind as a way to instill principles and to give you discernment so that you can avoid being conformed to the world.

So the next part of the verse is. That by testing, you may discern what is the will of God. The beautiful part about this verse is that it means that we can know [00:12:00] the will of God now, not in full, but it means that God is opening up opportunity for us to know what his will is. And when it says testing, it doesn’t mean putting the Lord to the test.

In the way you think of that, it actually means taking what happens. So what happens in the world, what happens in politics, what happens in your relationships? What happens in your, in your feelings, and putting it to the test, meaning test that experience against the authority of scripture against who God says he is.

And that by doing so, you can discern that thing and whether or not it’s in alignment with the will of God or not, that’s what this verse is saying. And then it ends with what is good and acceptable and perfect because we know that God is good and we know that God wants to, make all things work together for good, for those who love [00:13:00] God.

So the goal. Of this is to really take things that are going on in the world, experiences, what’s happening in, you know, in politics, in society, in our own lives, in our own minds, and to allow God to transform us through the renewing of our mind. And that’s what I wanna do here. That is my, that is my goal.

That is my commitment. And that is what I’m gonna be sharing with you here.

The last thing I wanna say here today is, what do I mean? When I say mind or, or what does, what does the scripture even say when it is talking about your mind and the mind in, in that time period when Paul was writing was linked to your, to your moral compass, right? So it’s letting God shape the lens, like the glasses through which you evaluate [00:14:00] things like right and wrong.

What is true? What is false? What is worthy and what is unworthy? And that’s what we’re gonna focus on, is like, how do we get the, the, our moral compass aligned with scripture? How do we get our glasses so that we can see what God says about things so that we can test those experience against the authority of scripture?

All right. If this sounds like something that is interesting to you, something that you wanna follow along, I would of course love to see, you subscribe and comment. Below what things are specifically troubling your spirit these days? I don’t have a promise yet for how frequently I will post. I do not know where this is leading.

Like I said, I don’t really have a name or a brand. I’m just walking in obedience and I thank you to those of you who, , are gonna come along and [00:15:00] may God bless you. And, , may your renewal of your mind begin right now today. God bless.

If you don’t know who she is, she’s a right wing political commentator and podcaster. She has a large audience similar to personalities like Tucker Carlson, Megyn Kelley, Glenn Beck, Charlie Kirk, etc.

I don’t personally follow Candace. I’m not an expert on her content. I learned about her during one of Donald Trump’s campaigns since she was a loud voice in the MAGA party as it was growing.

So why am I choosing to write a piece about her on The Dandelion Report?

Because she is spreading lies and delusion, and they are going viral.

Please understand I have no loyalties to any particular personality or political party. I am loyal to Jesus alone, and the truth.

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If you or someone you know is falling down the Candace Owens rabbit hole, send them to this post and maybe it’ll make a difference.

Here’s the 2 minute summary.

Over the years, Candace has drifted away from her typical party lines, and specifically started spreading conspiracies and misinformation surrounding Jewish people.

Owens doesn’t just critique policy—she peddles tropes that echo centuries-old Jew-hatred.

Most recently, when Charlie Kirk was assassinated on September 10th, she jumped into the moment and started sharing things about him that he could no longer defend or clarify. She also was not able to produce evidence. But that didn’t stop her from strongly implying that Charlie was changing his stance on Israel, and this spread like wildfire across social media.

You might have noticed on TikTok and Threads, people on the liberal left started saying things like “I think Candace might be onto something.”

We truly entered the twilight zone where liberals were agreeing with right wing podcaster Candace Owens as she sharpened her anti-Zionist viewpoint and dragged Charlie in with her.

Eventually her lies were debunked with a 7 page letter1 that Charlie himself wrote to PM Netanyahu back in the spring, but by then it was too late for many. They saw Candace and “Charlie” now squarely in the anti-Jew crowd.

I am not a doctor or a mental health professional and this is just conjecture, but if you watch any of her YouTube videos, you’ll see many red flags that suggest something might be quite distorted and fragmented in her thinking.

My hypothesis is this: Candace is battling some sort of acute mental health crisis that is amplified by grief, paranoia, ChatGPT research that is aiding delusion, and addicted to the attention that all this conjecture is bringing her.

I am going to show you something I did with one of her most popular YouTube videos. I took the transcript, and ran it through ChatGPT and asked it to analyze her words. Feel free to do the same with your LLM of choice!

Here are just a few of the things it said:

• This YouTube transcript tells you much more about her current psychology (loss, paranoia, power struggle, branding herself as a crusader) than it does about what actually happened to Charlie Kirk.
  

• Her timeline is deliberately chaotic (outfit changes, Discord, gun barrel logistics) — which she frames as “proof” of a cover-up. But chaos also serves to overwhelm the listener and lower critical thinking (what she herself warns “the government” does).
  

• Heavy use of absolutes: “over my dead body,” “nothing can stop me,” “I know exactly who you are.” This is ego inflation under stress — she’s positioning herself as the lone gatekeeper of truth.
  

• She insists she “has no evidence” Israel was involved but also repeats insinuations that they silenced Charlie and blackmailed him. This is a double message: “I’m not saying it was them… but it was them.”
  

• She calls for “sunlight” and “release all texts” yet withholds the actual evidence she claims to possess (“our sources are solid,” “messages are circulating”). This is a classic narrative control move — imply proof exists, never show it, demand others prove their innocence.
  

• She uses guilt by association and loaded language (“re-education camp,” “laced threat,” “blackmailed”) to imply nefarious motives without providing verifiable evidence.
  

• Repeatedly invoking “they” (“they wanted us to know his voice was problematic”) keeps the threat ambiguous, which makes it more powerful emotionally because the listener fills in the blanks.

This is just the feedback from one episode. If I add in a few more, it only gets more intense. I added her most recent transcript into the chat, and here are a few comments:

• This second clip is like the first one turned up to 11. It’s a case study in how a person under stress, trying to “run” an investigation while livestreaming it, can create a labyrinthine conspiracy narrative that both enthralls and destabilizes an audience.
  

• The entire monologue is built on implication, not evidence. She repeatedly names people, describes odd coincidences, then suggests nefarious motives (“Phil Lyman’s energy was weird… maybe he knew more”).
  

• She plants these as questions (“Why did he stop by Nick’s house?”) but strings them together so the audience hears them as proof of conspiracy.
  

• She never shows primary evidence that Charlie Kirk reversed his position or was “executed,” by Israel but she states it as a given (“There are no ifs, ands, or buts. Israel knew that. Turning Point knew that.”). This is a power move: define the narrative first, dare others to deny it.
  

• This is less about solving a murder and more about Candace Owens reinventing herself as the lone crusader for “Charlie’s truth.” It’s a mix of grief, brand-building, and conspiracy theater — wrapped in moral outrage and merch links.

Julie’s Take

I have reason to believe that AI is amplifying some of this because there’s no way she’s not using ChatGPT or another LLM for research, show notes, outlines, ideas, etc. These are pattern matching masters and can find and draw connections between all kinds of extraneous data.

It’s called Hyper Associative Linking.

This is what happens in your good ol’ fashioned run of the mill conspiracy theories.

You take a bunch of data, find the related patterns and links, and you get this:

The issue is that AI is speeding all this up. It’s designed to spot patterns, even if the signals or connections are weak. When we rely just on our human brain, we can’t make the connections quite as fast.

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In one of the transcripts, ChatGPT said this:

The Austrian software developer, the gothic prom in Provo, the new hospital CEO, FBI firings, bee products, goth kids, Tim Ballard… This is a “data deluge” tactic. Throw so many names, dates, and oddities at the viewer that critical thinking shuts down. People stop asking “Is this evidence?” and start feeling “This is too weird not to be true.”

Normally I wouldn’t write about stuff like this because what does this have to do with Jesus, our walk with God, or faith?

Because I’ve seen strong Christians and Jewish allies beginning to turn on Jewish people due to her lies.

The Jewish people have a key role to play in the current and future Biblical story, and hopping on the anti-jewish conspiracy train with Candace will lead you to dark places.

If you are a follower of Jesus of Nazareth, the Jewish Messiah (who we eagerly await for His return), watch carefully what antisemitic spirits you let lure you away.

I encourage you to take her YouTube transcripts (they are right on YouTube), copy them into your own LLM and ask it to evaluate them based on logic, sound reasoning, and a Biblical worldview. Don’t listen to them and get swept up. Use critical thinking to look at the patterns in her show, which are obvious if you do a little research.

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I’ll show you my reasoning and Biblical analysis done by my own ChatGPT account here as I sign off.

xx

Logical/Reasoning Audit by ChatGPT

Core pattern: accusation by implication, not by evidence. The spine of her argument is built on insinuation + anomaly hunting.

• Begging the question / circular start: She repeatedly states as fact that Charlie was “publicly executed,” then uses that assumed conclusion to justify the rest of the narrative. That’s not argued; it’s presupposed.

• Anomaly hunting (Texas sharpshooter): outfit changes, stairwell photos, a new hospital CEO, FBI personnel shifts, an Austrian engineer, a “goth prom,” bees, sponsors… She treats any oddity as probative. Lots of dots ≠ a picture.

• Confirmation bias: details that “fit” are spotlighted; mismatches are waved off as part of the cover-up.

• Guilt by association / category errors: “Jewish donors,” “they,” “goth kids,” “agents of Israel.” Vague collectives stand in for specific, verifiable people/actions. That’s imprecise and dangerous reasoning.

• Appeal to ignorance: “I’m not saying Israel did it… but why lie?” Lack of evidence is used as suggestive evidence. (No.)

• Moving goalposts / self-sealing logic: Others must publish everything immediately; if they don’t, it proves they’re hiding something. Any denial = “You’ve outed yourself.” Unfalsifiable claims are not claims; they’re rhetoric.

• Poisoning the well / ad hominem: “fake and gay,” “snakes,” insinuations about motives and morality. That primes the audience to distrust rebuttals before hearing them.

• Inconsistencies she criticizes in others appear in her own story: corrects names/relationships mid-stream, toggles between “I don’t know” and “I know for a fact,” says “release receipts” while withholding her own.

• Monetization through crisis: hard pivots into ad reads and merch inside accusatory segments. It’s a show, not an investigation. That doesn’t prove falsity, but it does incentivize escalation and cliffhangers over careful verification.

Net: this is a theatrical investigation—high on heat, low on standards of proof.

Sound Reasoning: What would make this persuasive?

A truth-seeking standard (journalistic or forensic) would require:

1. Primary evidence (full, unredacted documents, metadata, videos from original sources).

2. Chain of custody & context (how evidence was obtained, by whom, and when).

3. Corroboration (two or three independent witnesses/sources saying the same thing).

4. Falsifiability (name what discovery would disconfirm your thesis).

5. Clear lines between fact, inference, and opinion (she blends them constantly).

She doesn’t meet these. She runs on association → insinuation → moral certainty.

Biblical Worldview Audit by ChatGPT

Scripture insists on truth, evidence, restraint, and impartiality. Her approach violates multiple guardrails:

• Two or three witnesses; test all things: Deut 19:15; Matt 18:16; 1 Tim 5:19; Prov 18:17. She often substitutes “sources say” and vibes for witnesses & cross-examination.

• Do not bear false witness / slander: Ex 20:16; Prov 10:18; 20:19; 1 Pet 2:1. Public accusations against named people/groups without evidence flirts with this line.

• Slow to speak, slow to anger: James 1:19–20. She frames anger as righteous fuel; James says human anger doesn’t produce God’s righteousness.

• The tongue’s danger: James 3:5–10. Weaponized words, threats, and innuendo create wildfire, not light.

• Impartiality: Lev 19:15; James 2:1. Casting “Jewish donors” as a monolith is partiality; Scripture forbids it.

• Avoid foolish controversies & quarrels: 2 Tim 2:23; Titus 3:9. Manufacturing endless “they” and cliffhangers incentivizes strife.

• “Do not call conspiracy all that this people calls conspiracy”: Isaiah 8:12–13. Direct hit. Fearful rumor-mills are not our anchor; the Lord is.

• Wisdom from above: “pure, peaceable, gentle, open to reason…” (James 3:17–18). Her posture is the opposite: heated, escalating, closed-loop.

• Love rejoices with the truth: 1 Cor 13:6. Truth requires evidence and fairness, not just passion.

Christians absolutely may seek justice (Isa 1:17) and expose evil (Eph 5:11). But biblically, that means careful facts, witnesses, and humility—not speculative montage plus public shaming.

Christians can pursue truth without joining rumor-mills (Isa 8:12–13; James 1:19). Love rejoices with the truth (1 Cor 13:6), which means evidence, witnesses, and humility. If you’ve felt the pull of these videos, take a breath, test everything (1 Thess 5:21), and keep your heart free of partiality (James 2:1).

How did this happen? They aren’t unique. We can easily be them if we don’t understand how this happened.

Let’s take a look.

In John 5:35 Jesus did acknowledge that these leaders were excited about the Messiah’s coming for a time.

Here Jesus is referencing John the Baptist. John was preaching about the Messiah who was to come shortly after him, and these leaders were excited about it (willing to rejoice), for awhile.

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This is important to note. They weren’t against a coming Messiah. They were willing to rejoice in the message of John. They basked in the light he brought.

What were some of the things that John the Baptist said that we have recorded?

Here are the rest if you want to do some personal study.

• Matthew 3:2, 7–12, 14–15

• Matthew 11:2–3

• Matthew 14:4

• Mark 1:7–8

• Mark 6:18

• Luke 3:3, 7–18

• Luke 7:18–20

• John 1:20, 23, 26–27, 29–30, 34

• John 3:27–30

The religious leaders basked in the light John brought.

Imagine the fervor and “revival-esque” nature of his preaching? I can imagine them thinking, maybe Israel will become more pious. Maybe there will be higher attendance at the synagogue. Maybe more people will closely follow the Torah.

Does any of this sound familiar in present day? Churches are filling up. Revival is coming!

Basking in the light of the Holy Spirit’s work.

We just watched Charlie Kirk’s memorial become a national moment of repentance — a surge of spiritual energy, yes, but is it rooted?

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Here comes the part that cuts deep that we all need to hear.

The people who studied the scriptures, Jesus says “You do not have his word abiding in you” because if you did, you would recognize Him.

What’s the difference between reading the word, vs. the word abiding in you? That seems quite critical if we don’t want to fall prey to the same problem as the religious leaders.

First, reading the word isn’t bad.

I fear some of the more charismatic circles have leaned on this idea (albeit not publicly) and have made it seem like the prophetic words of the Holy Spirit are the most important part of the Christian life.

Progressive Christianity has twisted scripture, and thrown large parts of it out entirely.

Neither of these are the answer.

We MUST read the word.

The Bible testifies to someone. When we read it, we learn about who God is. It’s the revelation our Creator has given to us that shows us who He is.

Here’s the moment where we need to go deeper than just learning head knowledge about God. It’s letting the word abide in us.

📖 ABIDE: Aramaic (Peshitta):

• Word: ܡܩܘܝܐ (meqawya) from the root qwy.

• Meaning: to remain, endure, dwell, continue.

Imagine you get up from reading the Bible and you head out to the store, to work, etc. When the word abides in you, it’s still ringing true in your heart. It’s impacting how you think, and what you choose to say and do.

Here’s a more practical example.

I just finished writing a book about a period of time in my life and the 15 business lessons I learned as I grew my business. There’s a lot you will learn about me when you read this book. You will know better my personality, desires, behaviors, etc. You’ll learn one of the lessons is I say yes quickly.

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Reading the book will teach you about me. But if the book’s words abide in you, that means the lessons I taught will stick with you as you go about building your business. It may impact your decisions, your actions, and your words. You might start to say yes quickly too!

In essence you let the book change how you move and operate in the world.

That’s the Word abiding in you.

The religious leaders read the prophecies about the coming Messiah. They also basked for a bit in the fervor and revival that John the Baptist was bringing.

But they did not let the words abide in them. And because of that, they missed the WHO in the message. They missed the heart.

John makes a stunning theological statement at the beginning of his gospel.

The word the leaders studied pointed to someone. This means the entire Old Testament points to Jesus.

Jesus was the Word in the flesh.

In order to have discernment in these very confusing and unstable times, we must have the Word abiding in us.

• We can’t just read the scripture (this is the first step).

• We can’t just bask in the fervor of a revival moment.

• We can’t just assume that because some of our leaders spout the words of Jesus, that they know Him.

The revealed word of God needs to dwell in our hearts, point us to a relationship with Jesus, and then take root in a way that changes the way we act and live.

This is the solution to many of the problems plaguing Christians right now in this moment.

→ This is why so many people fell into religious psychosis thinking the rapture was coming on the 23rd. The Word is not abiding in them.

→ This is why so many people started falling for Candace Owen’s crazy conspiracy theories about Israel. The Word is not abiding in them.

→ This is why so many people think Trump is a great representation of Christianity (make no mistake, God can use anyone - see my post on Balaam, but that does not mean Trump knows Jesus). The Word is not abiding in them.

The Devil knows scripture.

We can’t just assume that knowing the Bible keeps us safe. We must know the ONE of whom the Bible testifies to.

If what I think is going to happen, happens (the blending of religion and government even more than we’ve already seen), the ability to discern what is the move of God and the Holy Spirit, vs. what is parroted scripture — is going to become more necessary than ever.

If the Word of God doesn’t dwell in us deeply, we won’t recognize Jesus when He shows up. Not in our politics. Not in our pulpits. Not in our hearts.

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…and I’ve never been more heavy hearted.

While some people are talking about revival and a mass turning to Jesus Christ because of his death (and hear me out, this gives me great rejoicing), I’ve found myself stuck in an algorithmic horror of antisemitism and gross misunderstandings of our Messiah.

It is my own fault honestly.

I set up a burner TikTok account and trained it to find me all the people talking about how Jesus and Christianity have been hijacked by white nationalists, and then the flood of people listening to Candace Owens and others who are blaming the Jews for everything. I’m watching people misinterpret Scripture, fall for conspiracies, and spread evil and lies.

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I asked the Lord, What is this? Help me find the root of all these false teachings.

He spoke clearly in my heart one word.

Entitlement.

The spirit of entitlement infiltrates our hearts and minds and breeds first a sense of
“I deserve…..”

Let’s talk about that.

The word deserve means to be worthy of.

Scripture makes it clear what we all deserve and what we are all entitled to receive.

We deserve death. We deserve separation from God. Every single human being on Earth who has ever lived and will ever live is entitled and deserving of this fate.

The problem begins here because until you really understand and believe this, you might say something like, “But that’s not fair! Why would a loving God create us and then say this about us?” Or “That’s just for xyz folks. I’ve been good.”

If you want to explore that more deeply, I wrote about this here.

God is the Potter, we are the clay, and we don’t get to tell Him how life works. I use the garden analogy. If you decide to plant a garden, the tomatoes don’t get to tell you how to run the garden.

If you feel bristly at this, that’s pride and entitlement revealing itself in your heart. Keep reading because the news is very very good but it can’t be good until you reckon with your own pride and entitlement.

Free will and the choice to love was a gift God gave to His creation and we used it to rebel and believe we knew better. God’s perfect justice demands that we get exactly what we deserve.

Without a real understanding of where you stand in the grand scheme of things, this entitlement will cause you stumble in two specific ways (probably more, but for the purposes of this article - I want to focus on two).

1. If you believe you “deserve” good things from God since He is loving, you’ll twist the Bible into self-justification as to why you (and others) are owed these things.

2. If you believe others “don’t deserve” God’s goodness, you’ll fall into superiority, judgment, and then hatred.

Number one is where we get progressive Christianity, Gnosticism, and other sorts of perversions of the gospel where Jesus is this all love, no justice character and we ignore the entire Old Testament. Number two is where we get all the antisemitic rhetoric and conspiratorial thinking.

Asking the Lord to deliver you from the spirit of entitlement will immediately change your perspective on current events.

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First, it’ll give you the opportunity to experience the breathtaking mercy and grace of God through the power of Jesus Christ. The depth of your understanding of His mercy is DIRECTLY related to how well you understood the true just sentence over your life. That’s why entitlement and pride must be dealt with first.

Second, it’ll wipe out the need and desire to figure out who is the good guy and bad guy, who is to blame, and who is hiding or lying (many conspiracy theories rely on this obsession). We’re ALL deserving of eternal separation. End stop. No conspiracy needed.

How you can tell if you’re getting closer to the heart of God or falling for false doctrine is very simple.

1. You will find your entitlement melting away, and it’ll be replaced with awe and gratitude for the miraculous work of salvation done on our behalf.
   

2. The fruit of the Spirit will start to manifest in your life.

   1. You’ll see a greater capacity in your heart to love, even love towards your enemies.

   2. You’ll have more joy in the revelation that you are able commune with God, and that this life is not the end of the story.

   3. You’ll have peace about your soul’s fate and your standing with God (covered in Jesus).

   4. You’ll show more patience (long suffering) for people in your world.

   5. You’ll find opportunities to show kindness, goodness, and gentleness.

   6. You’ll notice that your desire will grow to be faithful to God even at the cost of man’s approval.

   7. You’ll see that you have more self-control in heated situations and crises.

This fruit doesn’t mean you erase the truth. It doesn’t mean you never get angry or sad. It doesn’t mean you forgo your principles. It doesn’t mean consequences don’t show up for sin.

God is perfect mercy and perfect justice. He’s made it clear when Jesus returns, He’s coming as the Lion of Judah and it will be terrifying. He will wage war against His enemies, and exact justice as He said He would. If your version of God is a gentle being who doesn’t deal with sin severely, you’re in for a difficult awakening. Vengeance is mine says the Lord.

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Justice is coming.

A follower of Jesus that has been delivered from the spirit of entitlement will breathe and emanate a spirit of gratitude that the mercy of God has covered them. They will pray fervently that those around them who are lost, will come to that same revelation.

As you go about your days, scrolling on TikTok or Twitter, listening to podcasters and YouTubers, watching the news… keep these words in your heart.

xx

Scriptures you can study on this Sabbath day when it comes to the spirit of entitlement.

The Reality of What We Deserve

• Romans 3:10–12, 23 – None righteous, all have sinned.

• Romans 6:23 – The wages of sin is death.

• Ephesians 2:1–3 – By nature children of wrath.

• Isaiah 59:2 – Sin separates us from God.

God as Potter, We as Clay

• Isaiah 64:8 – We are the clay, You are the potter.

• Isaiah 29:16 – The clay cannot say to the potter, “You know nothing.”

• Romans 9:20–21 – Who are you, O man, to answer back to God?

Free Will, Rebellion, and Pride

• Genesis 3:1–6 – The original act of rebellion.

• Deuteronomy 30:19 – I have set before you life and death…choose life.

• Proverbs 16:18 – Pride goes before destruction.

• James 1:14–15 – Desire leads to sin, and sin brings forth death.

Entitlement Twisting the Gospel

• 2 Timothy 4:3–4 – People will gather teachers to suit their passions.

• Colossians 2:8 – See that no one takes you captive by empty philosophy.

• Romans 11:18–22 – Warning against arrogance toward Israel.

The Fruit of the Spirit vs. Entitlement

• Galatians 5:19–23 – Works of the flesh vs. fruit of the Spirit.

• Matthew 7:16–20 – You will recognize them by their fruits.

• John 15:4–5 – Abide in me and bear much fruit.

Mercy and Justice in God’s Character

• Romans 11:22 – Kindness and severity of God.

• Romans 12:19 – Vengeance is mine, I will repay.

• Revelation 19:11–16 – Jesus returns in judgment.

• Micah 6:8 – Do justice, love kindness, walk humbly.

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And nowhere does this truth show up better than in Numbers 22. Walk with me through one of the most wild and crazy stories in all the Bible, and what it showed me that’s highly relevant to today.

The story begins in the wilderness. God’s chosen people have been brought out of Egypt with unbelievable miracles. They’ve also strayed from Him multiple times. They are a very human (relatable) people group to be honest. Yet God keeps showing up for them, showing His power to surrounding countries who try to attack them.

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They come up upon a group of people called Moab. Balak is their leader. He sees the Israelites coming and thinks, crap, they just beat up the Amorites and now we’re in their crosshairs.

So he does what any self-respecting ancient pagan king would do in his situation… He calls in a paid divination expert.

It’s a guy named Balaam.

Balak thinks that if he can pay Balaam to curse Israel, he will solve the problem of getting destroyed by them. Important context here: In ancient times, there was a belief that gods oversaw specific geographical areas.

• Baal was the god of the Canaanites.

• Dagon the god of the Philistines.

• Chemosh the god of Moab.

So when Balak summons Balaam, Balaam basically says, “I’ll go talk to YHWH and see what I can do.”

In his mind, YHWH was the god (little G) of Israel. And gods in the ancient world were fickle as heck. They changed their minds. They accepted bribes. They fell in love with human women.

This is the understanding of gods in the ancient world and Balaam, who is paid to speak to gods, approaches YHWH with this understanding. He thinks he is going to change YHWH’s mind, bribe him, whatever he has to do to get YHWH to curse Israel.

First absolutely radical moment: God speaks to Balaam. This guy is not Jewish, not God-fearing. He’s a pagan paid divination expert to put it in modern terms.

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Balaam tells him what’s up (🤣). Again, why did God ask Balaam what was going on? He knew! God asks because He wants to draw us into a conversation and relationship that reveals what’s REALLY going on in the heart.

God’s response to Balaam’s request was clear and direct.

The next morning Balaam reports back to Balak and his men and tells them what YHWH said. Or does he?

Very similar to the way serpent twisted what God said in the garden, Balaam doesn’t repeat God’s exact words. Instead he takes the easier way out.

Let’s throw YHWH under the bus.

It’s so subtle. But it’s the first indication that Balaam’s heart is in the wrong place.

• He leaves out the blessing.

• He leaves out the command not to curse.

• He reduces it to a travel restriction: “YHWH won’t let me go.”

The result? God’s eternal covenant blessing sounds like a temporary inconvenience. What was absolute now sounds negotiable.

Why? Because Balaam was keeping his options open. ← This was the true heart posture.

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What happens next is Balak tries again. He brings more noble people with him. He says to them as much as I’d like to, YHWH has my hands tied.

Convenient.

But Balaam’s heart is showing because right after that he says, okokok let me talk to YHWH again.

God…YHWH…LORD… His patience. He meets with Balaam again. This is the second incredulous moment. Why didn’t He just say be done with you?

This time God concedes to Balaam’s request. He says…

I found this interesting that God gave a different instruction this time. It wasn’t the ideal first response. Why did He do this?

To test Balaam’s heart.

The first command is His moral will—“Don’t go, don’t curse, they are blessed.” The second is a concession—God gives Balaam enough rope to reveal his heart.

YHWH did this in the wilderness with the Israelites too. When they were complaining about the manna, He gave them quail. So much quail it made them sick. It was a moment of giving them over to their desires to show the end result.

Balaam is like sweet. Now I can go get the money. I can have my cake and eat it too.

What happened next?

God got angry.

Outwardly Balaam was compliant. Inwardly, his heart was not okay. He was double hearted.

This is the crux of the matter. OUTWARD posture is not God’s primary concern. INWARD is. This will become important in a minute.

The next scene is humorous, terrifying, and ironic. Balaam is riding on a donkey to go supposedly do what YHWH says, and an angel of the LORD appears in the path.

The “paid for hire” divination expert can’t see it, but guess who can?

THE DONKEY.

The donkey sees this angel, is terrified, and goes into a field.

Balaam is pissed and beats the donkey.

This happens two more times, each time the angel of the LORD narrowing the path so the donkey has nowhere to go.

The irony is that the humble “dumb” donkey is discerning more clearly what’s happening spiritually than the one who is supposed to be spiritual.

Let’s just stop here for a minute and take in the fact that YHWH is even putting up with a pagan double hearted divination expert.

And then marvel that God reveals the spiritual reality to a donkey.

He opens the donkey’s mouth and donkey speaks to Balaam. 😳

What a reasonable donkey. 😅

God has taken the foolish things of the world to put the “seer” to shame. Even in that irony, God is sparing Balaam’s life.

At that moment Balaam’s eyes are opened and he sees what the donkey sees. He drops to his knees and confesses (though it is obvious that he is not fully transformed).

The donkey (and YHWH) have saved his life. He now knows that he must only speak what God tells him.

God doesn’t measure outward behavior and compliance. He looks at the heart. He always has.

Balaam goes on to give several oracles to and about Israel, some of the most stunning in all of the Torah.

1. He prophesies about Israel → Israel (as a nation) cannot be cursed—they are irrevocably blessed. Not because they are good or perfect, but because YHWH is steadfast to His word. This does not mean that each Jewish person must be accountable to God (they must) or that we agree with everything Israel does without question.

2. He prophesies about Jesus. → A star and a scepter will rise from Jacob.

3. He prophesies about the end of the age. → Nations will be subdued; history will bend toward Israel’s King… who is Jesus.

Just absolutely stunning.

Even when His messenger is corrupt, God’s word stands uncorrupted. Even through a pagan sorcerer, God declares Messiah and the end of the age.

It’s quite the story, but here’s the 2025 message that came whispering through the scripture I read this morning.

God used Balaam powerfully, but the rest of Scripture paints him as lost, not saved. After all the lofty oracles, he still led Israel into sin. Balaam never fully turned.

God can use even the most compromised vessels to proclaim His truth. But being used by God doesn’t equal belonging to Him.

Gulp.

Balaam loved money, honor, and compromise more than YHWH.

There are people today who can move in real spiritual power, even speak true words from God, but whose hearts are far from Him. There’s a difference between intimacy with God and outward compliance. God is not tricked.

The loudest prophet. The most pious religious person. The perfect image Christian. The noble and good sounding guru.

Don’t be fooled. Not by others, or by your own loopholes and mental gymnastics. YHWH is not tricked.

Balaam’s story is sobering and stunning in its mercy.

We are only safe in God by trusting in His gift of forgiveness through Jesus. That’s the sobering reality that every human being on Earth must contend with. Obedience and good works outwardly do not mean a heart is right with God. Even Balaam’s supposed compliance wasn’t truly the right move.

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That is sobering but there is mercy too…

If God will patiently deal with a pagan paid seer who thought he could trick God into going against His covenant with Israel, He is patient to deal with you too. He will show up if you call on Him.

And has proven He will use anything, even a talking donkey, to get your attention.

xx

It started out with the viral video of Iryna Zarutska— brutally murdered on a commuter train in North Carolina— sparking a nationwide discussion on race and violence and the media’s gatekeeping of the news. The video of her murder was released to the public and we all collectively felt unspeakable horror watching something we should not be seeing.

There were calls to hold the media accountable, to hold the judges accountable (who released him to the public), to hold the mental health community accountable— and depending on who you were following— even entire racial and political groups accountable.

We were already on edge and traumatized by the gore and violence we were seeing.

And then… Charlie Kirk— a polarizing conservative personality— was assassinated in broad daylight on a Utah campus in front of thousands. Many of us saw the video purely by accident and now can’t unsee it. It was violent and gory and graphically disturbing.

And then social media unraveled.

1. There were immediately calls for war.

2. People saying these two murders radicalized them.

3. Anger and vitriol coming from every single direction.

4. Before the assassin was captured, both sides were politicizing it.

5. After the assassin was captured, the narrative quickly got rewritten as both sides doubled down on their side.

As of the writing of this post, there are two almost entirely different narratives circulating.

• He was radicalized by the left (Antifa/liberal/woke) and strayed from his conservative Mormon family.

• He was radicalized by the extreme alt right (Groypers/Nick Fuentes followers/white nationalists).

Sliding into the news with not nearly the same virality, we had a school shooting in Denver. We saw Nepal’s government get overthrown in 48 hours and a Prime Minister installed by a vote on Discord. Israelis in Jerusalem waiting at a bus stop were murdered by terrorists and Israel took out a bunch of Hamas leaders in Qatar. Putin continued to threaten NATO by flying drones into Poland’s airspace. And given the focus on Charlie Kirk right now, you may have forgotten or not even seen these headlines.

This is the week we’ve had.

If you’re feeling like your nerves are shot, you feel sad, angry, confused, and restless, you are not alone.

We are in a full-scale information war. There’s no need for tanks to prove it.

And what is at stake?

The truth.

Truth is that which corresponds to reality. In our post modern world, people might argue even that definition. But I believe that there is an objective observable reality and truth that we can all see and understand.

Remember the story about the men and the elephant?

• The Setup: A group of blind men encounters an elephant, and each one touches a different part of its body.

• Their Conclusions:

  • One touches the trunk and insists the elephant is like a long, flexible snake.

  • Another feels a leg and claims it's like a sturdy pillar.

  • Yet another handles the ear and concludes it's like a large fan.

• The Moral: Each man’s perspective is only a fragment of the whole truth. No single view captures the entire reality of the elephant.

But can we all agree that objectively, there is an elephant?

Guess who is the Creator of that elephant? Who sees the entire animal? Who even sees the surroundings that the animal is standing in and the before and after of that animal’s life, the daily activities of the elephant, plus all the generations of elephants that come before and after in all of time and eternity?

God.

He is the source of truth and the only One who can hold it all and understand it fully.

This is pulled out of one of the most famous chapters in all the Bible… the chapter on love. None of us have the entire story or the full truth, but only God. And Paul is making the case that the greatest thing we can do is love God and love others.

And not the definition of love that society gives us. BIBLICAL LOVE. Extremely important distinction.

Biblical love is rooted in God’s character, defined by sacrifice, bound to the truth, and seeks the other’s ETERNAL good.

God is the only one who knows the beginning and end of every single thing that has happened this week.

And clinging to Him in love and humility is the best defense (and offense) against becoming a casualty of the information war.

Let me ask you a question: And this is for anyone on the left or right. It doesn’t matter:

What do you gain by knowing whether Charlie Kirk’s assassin was the extreme left or extreme right?

In either case, it’s extreme ideology. Does it really matter? Is one extreme acceptable and one not? The only advantage to digging for the truth of this young man’s heart is to simply amplify whatever side you’re fighting for.

And that isn’t something that draws you closer to God or His heart.

• Is God just? Yes.

• Does God care about truth? Yes.

• Do we want to know it? Of course.

• Will we fully know it here? No.

• Is there a way to defend against the information war? Yes.

Press into God and His word. Pray without ceasing. Read the words of Jesus over and over and over. The Kingdom of God is NOT like this world.

Jesus came to reconcile Iryna Zarutska to Himself.
Jesus came to reconcile Decarlos Brown Jr. to Himself.
Jesus came to reconcile Charlie Kirk to Himself.
Jesus came to reconcile Tyler Robinson to Himself.

He came to reconcile every broken, fallen, sinful human being to Himself. We all have a choice whether to say yes or no.

We all will suffer different consequences and receive different rewards based on our actions, yes. But never forget, we are all equal at the foot of the cross. His mercy is available to every human who asks for it.

• Justice will be satisfied (in this life or the next).
  AND…

• Mercy is still extended through Christ, even to those we’d never extend it to.

This humility is the doorway to understanding more fully the truth of God and what is really going on in this world today.

We will never see the whole elephant in this life, but we get to see more, the more humility we put on as we draw near to God in our time of need.

May God draw near to every single person that is grieving a heartbreaking loss and experiencing unimaginable pain. May God’s truth break through into hardened and deceived hearts that are oppressed by evil. And may this Sabbath day be filled with the presence and peace of God.

x

I’d rather be considered crazy by the world’s standard and fully trust in who God says He is and what He is going to do and risk being wrong, then be logical and self-led and it turns out to be right.

That’s how convinced I’ve become that Jesus is the Messiah and is returning someday to Earth to set up His kingdom. Many in the world are gearing up to miss Him again and will wage war against Him - the King of the Jews and our risen Messiah.

If I’m wrong about it all (I do not think with any ounce of my being that I am), but if I am wrong, I’d rather be wrong and found nuts by the world for believing in the God of the Bible, then spend the rest of my life striving for self-actualization and the elevation of self to its own end… even if that somehow ended up being right (which I don’t believe it is).

That is the risk I’m willing to take because of the miraculous internal work the Holy Spirit has done in my heart, spirit, and mind over the last months.

There is no other explanation for the soul level spiritual surgery God has done in me, unless you want to attribute it to psychosis (which… feel free to do so). But psychosis doesn’t release anxiety, bring the fruit of forgiveness, peace, reconciliation, realignment of priorities, prayer & worship, and overall well being.

I can say that I know the living God. I know Him. I hear His voice. I know His Heart through the Word. I see what He cares about when I read the scripture. What matters to Him. I miss Him when I get distracted by the day’s stress and my mind wanders.

I can’t believe that I get to know God on this side of heaven. What an incredible privilege and honor to be given access to the heart of God. To know that no matter how much I learn, it will only begin to scratch the surface of who He is.

Sometimes when I meet with Him in the morning I get caught up in how much I’ve fallen short. It’s hard to spend time with God everyday and not begin to experience just how deep and wide and horrible my sin is. It’s overwhelming. It can be a struggle for me to remember that I am redeemed and covered by blood and atonement of Jesus.

Can it really be true? Every day? Every day I get to come before God whole and clean and righteous?

I read Psalm 18:21-23 where King David— the man who committed adultery with Bathsheba and killed her husband— says…

How could David be so confident?! I know God says David was a man after God’s heart, and his life wasn’t full of sin entirely, but that confidence was astounding. It reminds me….

I too can be that confident when I come to God because my righteousness isn’t from me, it’s from Jesus. And His righteousness covering me is complete.

I think about all the Patriarchs in the Old Testament. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, David, and others. Who had to trust Yahweh without the viewpoint we have today. Those who had to believe in a Messiah that was to come instead of the Messiah who has come.

What incredible faith they had!

If they can do it without half of what I have been given today, I can have faith too. What has been my weakest attribute (faith & trust in something I cannot see), is the very thing He’s calling out of me.

Increase my faith God.

May I be found foolish by the world but faithful in Your sight.

xx

If you read this reflection and wondered what I did or what has happened to shift my faith and belief so much? I started reading the Bible every.single.day. One chapter a day. It started out as 5-10 minutes and now is closer to an hour.

I pray and read the Bible. And everything that has changed in my heart have been directly the result of reading scripture and praying. You can see some of my Bible studies here.

I first encountered it a decade ago when I was deconstructing. Hurting, angry, and looking for something that felt more loving, I picked up a book called A New Kind of Christianity by Brian McLaren. At the time, I didn’t realize how dangerous its ideas would be.

One thing stood out to me as I read his book cover to cover.

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McLaren suggests that the “good news” isn’t really good at all—that the cross is a violent, cosmic act of abuse. He reframes substitutionary atonement as a grotesque story of divine abandonment.

But in doing so, he trades the mystery of mercy for the logic of human offense. And that’s where the damage begins.

To be fair to Brian, there has been a lot of damage done in the Christian Church in the name of evangelism. We’ve flattened the story of Jesus, simplified the theology, written a six line narrative on little tracts and bumper stickers, and told people they should just say the sinners prayer and ask Jesus into their heart and then you’re all fixed!

It’s no wonder people have felt disillusioned and confused.

But that’s where my understanding of Brian and his book ends. Because the damage that Progressive Christianity is doing to many many hurting followers of Jesus is hard to understate.

I wish I could burn every copy of this book because of how heretical and confusing it is.

So how do I respond to people who say the gospel isn’t really good news at all? Having been in their shoes at one point in my life, I hope this explanation helps.

The gospel is the most breathtaking story in all of history.

And to understand it as God intends, we must put aside our postmodern viewpoint and first ask ourselves, what do we believe about life and God?

First, God is the only uncreated being. Everything else has had a beginning. Science confirms this even with their theory of the big bang. Something began. God is the creative intelligent designer of everything we see and understand, and many things we cannot see or understand.

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Second, God is unchanging. He doesn’t waffle or waver or stress out or change His mind. He is steadfast, true, perfect, just, loving, and does not change. This is really hard for us to grasp deeply because everything around us does in fact change.

Third, we only understand what God has revealed to us. We are made in the image of God, created to be worshippers in fellowship with our Creator. That is how we are made.

All of this is deeply woven into Torah, the first five books of the Bible and the first revelation of God to us human beings.

Imagine you’re a gardener. You choose the seeds, design the layout, water the plants, defend them from pests. Do your tomatoes get a vote in how much sun they get? Do your cucumbers weigh in on harvest timing?

Of course not. They’re part of your creation, under your care.

They don’t know the sun path, your family needs, the condition of the dirt, the cost to garden, the types of pests that are around. They know none of this. You the gardener knows.

In this analogy we are the plants and God is the gardener. We have absolutely ZERO rights to know or understand anything. At face value, this probably doesn’t feel good to hear. It pushes on our pride and our ego.

But it is true. We are created beings, created by an uncreated, immutable, perfect, Holy God. He is in charge. We are not.

Thankfully, that’s just the start of the story. And that truth doesn’t end there.

God, the gardener is full of love. Steadfast love. He absolutely adores us. Just like if we were gardeners and adore our plants.

• We care for them.

• We give the tomatoes wires to rest on.

• We til the soil.

• We water the plants.

This is the nature of God. Steadfast unchanging love. Knowing this, being a created being designed to worship Him isn’t so scary right? Because we know He is unchanging in His love.

But then… we must contend with something else about God. He is holy & just. He demands perfection, not because He is prideful, but because He is perfect and knows that perfection is well…perfect. It’s the way things should be. No sorrow. No pain. No sin. No violence. No unjustness. No revenge.

Think about what it would be to live in a world without sin (it’s hard to do). People try to paint God’s justice as scary and terrible, but all of us would give anything to live in a world that is perfect right? We cannot strip God of His Holiness. Inside of us all is an innate understanding of morality. Imagine a world where rapists and murderers weren’t punished? None of us want a world like this.

And that brings us to a very big problem.

We, as created beings given free will (a precondition for us to be able to voluntarily love and worship our Creator), decided we knew better. Pride. The most original and ancient of sins. The one sin that pulls us away from God more than any other.

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Now we are separated from God. The gardener and His garden are not able to be together. God’s perfection demands holiness. And we are not holy. Even just getting close to God will burn us up into ash.

So what does God do? This is the part I don’t think people truly understand.

God becomes a created being—Jesus—and binds Himself in a body forever, to be reconciled to the humans He loves.

The incarnation of Jesus is the most mind blowing thing the Bible has ever said.

Think about it in the analogy. You are a gardener with your plants. And the only way to save your garden, is for you to become a plant yourself. Think about what you’d be giving up to become a plant?! To live in the dirt. Forgo your intelligence. Subject yourself to pests. Shed yourself of your humanity and privilege of being the highest form of creation. Live forever as one of the lowest.

The analogy falls apart eventually because trying to explain what lengths God went to to save us from ourselves, is just incredible.

God became a helpless baby who had to learn how to walk and talk. He sent Himself to Earth, subjected Himself to a created body FOREVER, so that He Himself could take the righteous wrath of Holiness and bring justice for sin. He endured every pain and suffering we endure, and then suffered death at the hands of His created beings.

The intersection of mercy and justice lives at the cross of Jesus Christ.

That is the gospel. And when Jesus rose again, defeated death, and ascended into heaven to sit at the righthand of the Father, He made a way for every single created being to be reconciled to their Creator without sacrificing justice.

So now there is a way for us to be redeemed and restored into the original plan for our creation. To be worshippers and in fellowship with a perfect God. That is what we were created to do, and now we can. Forever.

It’s indescribable.

I believe one of the reasons why people like Brian (and others) sink into the “it’s not good news” theory is because of pride.

We have to go back to the beginning of the story. We are created beings. We do not get to tell an uncreated, immutable, Holy God how things should be. The plant doesn’t tell you how to run your garden, nor does it have any idea the complexities you must contend with.

In a world where it’s all about self, what works for me, we are gods of our own making, pride is the sin that keeps us from even getting to the beginning of the gospel message.

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Nothing has changed in 6000 years.

For me, it was my own sin and suffering that finally broke my pride. Once humbled, I began to see the lengths that God went to to bring me back to Him, and I cannot keep quiet at how beautiful and breathtaking His love is for me. That fellowship with me would be worth Him coming to Earth in the form of a baby.

You don’t have to rewrite or twist the Gospel to make it good news. When you understand what God has done, you realize it is the best news we could ever hear.

That kind of love is what every single human hopes to have, and we have it. If we’re willing to set aside our ego and our pride and see what the gospel story really means.

xx