Christian Housewife’s Election Scorecard 2020

(Or how the election reminds me of Halloween): As we close out October, I sense all sorts or ghouls and evil spirits abounding in Westchester County, New York. Nothing unusual there, I always sense the spirit of evil here. However, at this time of year Westchester makes a lot of money trading on its’ history of scary stories. There is for example, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow written by Washington Irving. Mr Irving was a renaissance man who besides being a writer, was an ambassador for the United States to Spain and served at his church as a vestrymen, Sunday school teacher and a warden. That church now bears a big, old, gay flag prominently on its’ fence which faces the busy street it is situated on.

His stories of old Dutch Westchester, and the Catskill region of New York captured a moment in the history of this area. There is a town named after him, Irvington and a whole industry spawned here by his book the Legend of Sleepy Hollow. A movie with Johnny Depp was even made about it, which bears no resemblance to the aforementioned book. There is a Halloween parade here, and loads of tourist dollars flowing into the area. People take tours of the historic cemetery and there is a big pumpkin extravaganza where thousand’s of pumpkins are carved and alighted for a season. Halloween seems to be a big holiday here in New York. 

You can tell a lot about a people by seeing what things they celebrate. New York is the state which celebrated passing a law that allows killing a child up to the moment of its’ birth. The smiles on the local politicians when Governor Andrew Coumo signed this bill fully resembled the grimaced pumpkins which dot the village of Sleepy Hollow, the village highlighted in Irving’s famous tale. One can also deduce that the protests and flurry of activities in Westchester regarding the upcoming election are managed and executed by a bunch of Halloween witches if you listen to what they are saying and what they are doing. It is truly a creepy time here in this County. Now, on to that election and what it means for Christians. 

INTRO: This Election is a referendum on the spiritual direction that our country should follow. Both presidential candidates represent one of two very different pathways towards the future. This is not about a political party, because the political parties of the United States are dead and in the process of being restructured. It is about what a Christian who is following the Lord can support. We must support policies that do not restrict our religious freedoms and support biblical standards.

ISRAEL: With that perspective, let us begin by looking at the candidates record on the state of Israel. Israel is the nation that God Himself established and sustains as an integral part of His salvation story. He established that country as a homeland for his chosen people the Jews. God said that they were going to be a blessing to the whole world. He even established a special place called Jerusalem to be His Holy City. God directed worship to be centralized there. 

President Trump- United States Presidents for several decades have avoided the topic of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel even though the U.S. Congress enacted a law in 1995 saying that it should not be divided and directing the President to move the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. That U.S. law was disobeyed by succeeding U.S. Presidents. In order to avoid the embassy move they would have to sign a waiver every six months declaring that they could not move the embassy due to National Security issues. That was never the case more like a direct disobedience of a U.S. law for political gain. One of the last acts of a Obama/Biden administrations was to declare it would be a disaster if the President moved the embassy. No, Mr. Obama and Mr. Biden we acknowledged God’s Will by the move and President Trump stood up for biblical values.

In addition, the President has used the biblical names of the West Bank and Gaza in public which are Judea and Samaria and supported Jewish people inhabiting these areas that God gave to them. He has been pivotal in establishing peace agreements made between Israel and its’ traditional enemies. He has been nominated by three people for a Nobel Peace Prize. Whether he gets that or not, President Trump is my winner for that prize because of all that he has done for the state of Israel to right some historic injustices. President Trump has also closed the offices of the P.L.O. and cut off financial aid because of their corruption and the bad faith relationship that exists between them and us. That of course is putting it mildly. They celebrated after the 9/11 attacks. 

Joseph Biden- The biggest threat to Israel is a nuclear powered Iran. As you all know the Obama/Biden administration created an Iranian nuclear deal giving that Jewish hating regime the money and the tools to create a path towards wiping Israel off the face of the map as they have continually promised. Even though President Trump could not get back the boatload of money that the last administration gave to Iran, he very quickly ended his support of that deal. However, under a President Biden we will see that deal resurrected, which will again pose a threat to the state of Israel. Vice Presidential candidate Harris has also come out in these last days leading up to the election to affirm that their administration would reopen the Palestinian Liberation Organization office in Washington DC and reinstate aide to the Palestinians. 

GAY MARRIAGE & LGBTQ MOVEMENT: In what was arguably the most highly rated show in America at the time, a campaigning Donald Trump told Fox News Host Bill O’Reilly when asked about gay marriage, that “I am against it.” He has gone on to implement policies that support traditional families. Who would have thunk it! Donald Trump? But, yes, he has championed traditional marriage the way it counts, by his political actions and we as Christians ought to be grateful.

President Trump- His administration has created a space for faith-based adoptions and foster care providers to do their jobs without compromising their faith. They do not have to allow gay or transgender couples to adopt or foster their children. He has blocked transgender military recruitment and worked to protect military chaplains who wish to give godly counsel on such topics. The Trump administration has used every opportunity to defend Christians rights in the courts when they come under fire for not wanting to make a gay wedding cake etc. In the area of gay issues getting Justices Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and his newest appointee Justice Amy Coney Barrett confirmed is a hedge against believers rights being eroded further.  His latest nominee literally went through fire to get this nomination being questioned in humiliating and cruel ways. Why, because the democrats hate Christians. Another place where it is difficult to have a biblical view of marriage is in the schools. President Trump worked up a Department of Education directive to protect the ability of students to pray and express their religious thoughts. To receive federal funds they must confirm that their policies do not prevent or curtail these religious rights. He is fighting these radical agendas in our schools, military and court rooms.

Joseph Biden- Joe Biden has promised to make passing a gay rights bill one of his top priorities in his first one hundred days in office. With COVID-19 issues, economic and social problems to deal with that shows what a huge supporter that he is of the gay movement. This is the same bill that President Trump vetoed. In a radicalized America, Biden is finally telling the truth about his agenda. Previously, the Obama/Biden campaign lied to the American people in order to get elected. They both stated they would not support gay marriage and then their administration went ahead and championed and put through that legislation in one of the biggest lies of a recent campaign. Vice-President Biden made history when he supported gay marriage in a Meet the Press interview in 2012. His administration repealed a Clinton Era compromise called Don’t Ask Don’t Tell. Here is a quote from Joe Biden concerning transgender issues. “If your 8 year old child says they want to be transgender to make life easier, they have a right to transition and there is no reason for you to deny it.” I personally think that if an 8 year old says they didn’t take that cookie I have a reason to deny it, let alone their ability to make sexual decisions. We must fight this insanity. Hormone blockers? 8 year olds sexualized? Parents having nothing to say about it? What? If Joe Biden is elected president education programs will be implemented to teach our children even more LGBTQ and at an earlier age. These philosophies are becoming more mainstream and it is now or never to stand up with godly alternatives.

RELIGIOUS FREEDOM IN THE USA:

JOHNSON AMENDMENT- If you recall President Trump made a campaign issue of dealing with the Johnson Amendment. Christian leaders for a long time were lobbying for relief from this blatant attack on freedom of religion and speech that was enacted by President Johnson in a blatant attempt to muffle Christian voices in the pulpit speaking about politics and public policy. Or, more accurately against his politics and public policy. Since then Christians, had failed to get relief from this attempt to shut Christians up by using the Internal Revenue Service to de-monetizing them. President Trump kept that campaign promise and quickly issued an Executive Order to the Internal Revenue Service to end enforcement of the Johnson Act. 

THE COURTS- Many judges exceeded their authority and became so-called “activist judges” during the Obama/Biden years. I call them criminals! Many anti-Christian bigoted judges used their authority to set precedent which made the courts an important battleground for Christians. The President was a warrior here. He appointed 191 federal judges. All of them are conservative and dedicated to the rule of law and reversing these policies. As I previously mentioned, he has added three new U.S. Supreme Court Justices. The Supreme Court is the last and highest court to appeal to concerning our religious freedoms. Biden and his running mate have publicly confirmed that they will add justices to undue the conservative influence that the President has had on the Supreme Court even though that has never been done in the history of the United States.

WORKPLACE- President Trump has proposed new rules to protect religious organizations from prejudice by the federal government. This is in answer to Obama/Biden regulations that were put into place just for religious institutions and unfairly targeting Christian groups. President Trump’s Office of Management and Budget is requiring federal agencies to make sure that their grant-making practices respect the rights of faith-based organizations and comply with their constitutional religious freedoms. This is righting decades of wrong-doing by the government towards faith-based groups.

ABORTION: Who can forget that moment when Vice-President Mike Pence said, “I don’t apologize for being pro-life and standing for the sanctity of human life.” You know what else I can’t forget? How many times Kamala Harris pledged to always fight for abortions during her campaign stops.

LAW AND ORDER: As we see businesses shuttered in anticipation of violence on election night I shutter to think this is what the United States of America has come to. After a summer full of violent protests, assaults, murder and criminals being allowed to steal and terrorize on a massive scale we need to think about what biblical principles we need to uphold and what the agenda of our enemies are. We need to say no to disrespect for law enforcement, and no to the criminals free reign. We need to prosecute criminals and hold them accountable for the wrong they have done. I know God will. 

CONCLUSION: This is a small look at the many issues facing a Christian voter as we go to the voting booth. It is not even close who stands up for genuine biblical standards, and that man is Donald Trump. A false gospel of social justice and biblical interpretation has led many believers astray and they will be standing against bible-believing Christians in this election. It is vitally important to vote in this election and please consider voting for President Trump. God please bless us all in this upcoming week. 

Letter To An Anorexic Friend

Dearest Friend,

There have been so many of you from as long as I can remember. Little girls who in quite an un-childlike way focused on how much they weighted, or teenagers who seemed to think that dieting was the center of their world. Ladies who see what nobody else sees and think what nobody else thinks. Girls, teenagers or adults with great potential whose life went down into the rabbit hole that is weight obsession.

I want to share some of those stories from over the years. They are young, and they are old. They are shy and they are extroverted. They represent all education levels and the varying ethnic makeups. They are quite simply all of us. One of those I knew, was even a dude. Here are two such stories.

Since you are all curious, let’s start with the dude. I met Bryce* in my first year of high school. He was the friend of a friend named Josh*. Bryce and Josh knew each other a while. Josh looked out for Bryce especially since Bryce’s dad had passed away. Nobody else seemed to realize how out of control Bryce felt since his father’s sudden death except Josh. 

Why was that? Especially since his mother was an administrative assistant to a prominent psychiatrist in the area. Hadn’t anything rubbed off on Faith* because of working at the psychiatric hospital? That part of the story never made any sense to me at all. At any rate, he was not mentally well or able to fit into High School society. High School is cruel to those who are different and Bryce was shunned and bullied there. His oldest brother Tom* seemed to sense this and tried to channel Bryce’s attention to long distance running which was Tom’s passion.

Bryce took to this like a fish to water, or should I say a runner to the road. He could now quite literally run away from his problems more effectively. He started to distinguish himself in running circles. He got into the culture of running, and the energy that he poured into running exhausted him until thoughts of his father’s death subsided.

That’s what he thought anyway. One day he confided in me the truth of his father’s passing. He told me that his father quite literally dropped dead while on an alcoholic bender in the Bowery, NYC. The Bowery was once the legendary destination for people in Bryce’s fathers predicament. Alcoholics who were down on their luck or seeking anonymity in their actions.

His friend Josh, had also lost his father at a young age. This created a bond between the two of them. However, Josh would not exactly score high on any emotional I.Q. test. So, even if he wanted to help him it wasn’t as if he knew how to handle it. It was the same thing with everyone in Bryce’s life. The only two things that relieved his pain was running and dieting. Running and dieting. 

Then there was Shawn*. Shawn seemed to think that you can’t be too rich or too thin. Everything she did in her life revolved around pursuing these two dreams. The thing that amazes me is how many people in a church or family will ignore the obvious signs of anorexia nervosa. Shawn’s second husband did and so did everyone at that graduation party that I went to. Shawn came walking in with a modest but above the knee dress. In was June a few years back, and it was hot and the layers of clothing were finally coming off. 

When Shawn arrived at my table at this hotel party, my jaw must have dropped at least a few inches. Why? Because, when Shawn took off her jacket, I saw that she had not one ounce of fat on her emaciated body. She was all skin and bones. I was in shock. Shawn looked anorexic. I looked around to see if any one else registered a hint of surprise or concern and I saw none. Not from her husband Jim*, or some brothers and sisters in Christ seated at the table. Am I like that kid in the story who says, the emperor has no clothes?

Well, yes I am. You already know that if you have been reading my blog. So, not long after this, I was confronting Shawn about her eating and recommending a Christian therapist in the area. That moment came when I was running a bible study at her home. Each week, she would cook gourmet quality goodies for our ladies group but, I watched and she never ate anything. Or, there was the time that she invited my husband and myself to have dinner with her and her husband. She made a huge and delicious Italian meal. 

What an accomplished cook she was! However, I noticed that she did the classic, shove a little food around the plate and not eat anything, move. When she stepped out of the room for a minute, the men and I decided to refill our plates. I did the privileges and I couldn’t resist a little test. As I was going around the table with some more lasagna, I put a small piece on Shawn’s plate. When Shawn came back into the room she reacted just the way I expected her too. 

It took both Bryce and Shawn time to come to terms with what was really eating them, and it wasn’t food. Since both of them were Christians naturally the spiritual truths of their situation would be revealed. For Bryce, it meant not just being a “churched kid” but choosing to have a relationship with Jesus and asking God for the help that his family were unable to give him.

For Shawn, her vision of what a wife and mother should be and the meaning of life had to come in line with the biblical truths that she was now beginning to learn. Her identity and values were formed way before she became a believer. Truth be told she wanted to be a Christian because she wanted to marry Jim. Had she made a sincere conversion or was she just going along with it to please Jim? All these things came to the forefront as Shawn went into treatment for anorexia.

So, my dear anorexic friends, my heart aches for you. I love you just the way you are. I see your inner beauty and intelligence. But, I know that you are hurting and need healing. I would like to come beside you as you delve into the causes of this life threatening behavior. Don’t shut people out who love you. We know that with God all things are possible. I hope that you can start to see how God is your protector when the whole world lets you down. That he loves you and will neither leave you nor forsake you as you face these difficult things. Love you. 

* the names are changed to protect identity.

NEXT WEEK: Christian Housewife Election Scorecard 2020 & how the elections remind me of Halloween. 

The Yeshiva Moves In

It has been shocking to hear the attitude of many in Westchester County, New York after a Yeshiva moved to town. When a local Roman Catholic convent went up for sale, many in the community were naturally concerned about who might buy the property and what type of development might go up. Westchester has a way of over-developing it's beautiful communities leaving them over-crowded, over-taxed, and architecturally ugly.

But some years after a yeshiva moved in, I detected something else. Not so long ago a friend directed me to take another route rather than the more usual one for a shopping trip. She told me construction was underway in her vicinity. So, instead I chose a route leading us past the new yeshiva. As we passed by it, my friend commented that she wished the ultra-orthodox Chabad had not bought the property. I asked her "why?" She said "they will begin to ask for all sorts of accommodations from the community, including financial. They will slowly take over the entire community with their markets, their Sabbath hours and before you know it, our property values are down the tubes!"

As the conversation continued, I felt as if I was reliving some ancient tale that would end in us grabbing torches and pitchforks and marching towards that yeshiva. Wow, was I getting a history lesson. My friend who herself was a reformed Jew seemed to have a visceral hatred for anything to do with the Chabad. At the time, I assumed her overreaction was some kind of rebellion against her own Chabad roots since I had seen a picture frame depicting her grandparents in some distinctive Chabad garb.

However, as this topic started to be discussed around town, I saw that people from all walks of life and religions seemed to be all worked up about the topic of the Yeshiva. They had all sorts of things to say about it. When I tried to gently disagree, it did not go well for me. Here came the torches and pitchforks again. "Do you want a measles or Covid-19  outbreak in this community?" I certainly could not answer in the affirmative to that one. All my protestations to the contrary seemed to only get people more angry.

Then there are the explosive feminists who will tell one and all of how the Chabad is oppressing women and setting feminism back fifty years. Fancy telling that to me a Westchester Christian Housewife! After all, I am the feminist nightmare, a college educated woman who chose to stay home with her children and cook for church bake sales.

My overriding concern as I listened to all this debate about the yeshiva was the intensity which seemed to have been generated by this group of orthodox Jewish believers who have developed a presence in Westchester County, New York. I just hate it when people scream and yell and can't even have a reasonable discussion based on the facts.

Suffice it to say, that all the terrible things that were supposed to happen when this invasive species moved in, has not occurred. Housing prices are still ridiculously over-priced and show no signs of letting up especially since people from Brooklyn and Manhattan are leaving those areas in droves and are looking to Westchester for a haven from the violent crime wave and contagion that Covid and BLM represents. Besides, what do you do in the city when you can‘t go to restaurants, broadway shows, and museums? I wish there was a few Jewish restaurants and markets in the area because I love that food, but that hasn’t happened. There has also been no special sabbath enforcements or financial handouts from the local government that I know about. 

If the Chabad were to ask for something, I suggest an order of protection from some of their hostile neighbors or perhaps they should look into some insurance against being tar and feathered and run out of town. Seriously folks, have we learned nothing from history. There always seems to be someone whipping up wild theories about the Jews. Same old, same old. They were once blamed for the plague now even the New York governor seems to be blaming the ultra Orthodox Jews for Covid breakouts. I don’t think so.

All of this cruelty isn’t Bible. (For I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed-Malachi3:6) I honestly believe that if it wasn’t for God, the Jewish people would not even be here such has been their persecution. But, the Jewish people are the apple of God’s eye. He has said so. He has chosen them as HIs people and they have suffered greatly because of that. It is only the forces of evil that messes with what God has called his own. 

Let’s not be part of that if we wish to be blessed by God. (And I will bless them that bless thee: and curse them that curseth thee- Genesis 12:3) The Jewish people were frequently unwanted in the countries where they lived in the middle east, and Europe. They were run out of countries many times, or constantly moving from place to place in Eastern Europe and Russia to avoid persecution and even death. Routinely they were robbed and extorted. (For thus saith the Lord of Hosts; After the glory hath he sent me unto the nations which spoiled you: for he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of His eye-Zechariah 2:8)

In all of these travails, they longed to return to the land that God had promised them oh so long ago. God said that would happen one day and it miraculously has. It is nothing less than miraculous that people of Jewish descent from all over the world have returned to the land of Israel. They resurrected their dead language of Hebrew. Against all odds they created a thriving nation out of a pile of sand. This is all part of God’s plan. (That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ by the gospel-Ephesians 3:6)

COVID and Mental Health

 COVID and Mental Health is a huge elephant in the room. My hairdressers’ assistant brought this up to me the other day when my head was in a sink getting the natural vegetable dye rinsed out of my hair. I was surrounded by plexiglass which was specially cut to keep the customer encapsulated and separate from any possible contact with people in the vicinity. I could barely understand what the mask-clad worker was saying, when she pronounced that “people are having some mental health issues lately.” Whatever could she mean by that? Do you know? I picked-up some of what she said to me, but the rest was muffled by her mask and her voice bouncing off the plexiglass in some weird way, like a high school lesson on sound wave dynamics.

A not to be missed point is just how damaging these masks are to our brain health. I am always urging senior citizens to get hearing aids when they need them. They are frequently hesitant due to embarrassment, vanity or confusion over how the technology works. The argument that wins them over every time is how studies have shown that when you can not hear what is going on around you, you stop trying to listen, you begin to isolate, and then you are more at risk for dementia. 

I am getting sick of listening to people prattle on with their masks on. I used to get energized after spending quality time with people. Not anymore. I walked into a new furniture store in my town. I asked the masked owner and craftsman to describe his services and I stopped caring what he said after asking twice, excuse me could you repeat that. I find myself just shaking my head a lot, like when I was a kid and a teacher was starting to bore me. This is one huge challenge.

My husband is very worried about his friend Elliot*. Elliot seems to be in a complete depression. It started when he began to work from home. Zoom meetings became his life. All day long, he has no real social interaction just hours and hours of working on his computer and then zoom meetings. His relationship with his wife has also taken a turn for the worse. 

Peg* has suddenly got O.C.D. or germaphobic about Elliot. In mortal fear for her life they have decided that that must live on separate floors of their house. They eat one meal a day together. He at one end of a long table and she at the other end. If this all sounds crazy to you, that’s because it is. They are living an emotional divorce.

Elliot is having some sort of breakdown too. Wouldn’t you? My husband talks to Elliot nearly every single day but, for the past two weeks Elliot has said that he can’t talk. What does that mean? Should he be in a hospital or be talking to a therapist on FaceTime? 

What happened to this gifted computer consultant? He attended the famed Bronx High School of Science, was one of the most sought after computer consultants in New York City and now he can’t even leave his bed. How do you go from running New York City marathons the way Elliot did only to die without a fight. Is he physically ill or is this a case of COVID and Mental Health issues taking its’ toll? 

My hairdressers’ assistant is right, people are having their mental health issues these days. We have to be on the look out for people in our lives who are struggling with this.

Dear Jesus.. Please give us the strength to spread the good news during these bad news times. Give us compassion to care for the sick including those who are experiencing mental health challenges. Help us have courage to stand up for what is righteous. We ask this in your name, amen.

* not their names, just their stories.