Archives: Episodes

Episode 246-All Things Gaza: In this week's episode of the National Crawford Roundtable we look at how the events in Gaza affect the United States and the upcoming Presidential election.  What is the impact of Palestinian Occupiers/Protestors on college campuses?  Are Ivy League schools finally reaping what they've sown over the past 60 years?  What impact will Biden's Israel Policy toward Israel have on the November election, especially on young voters?  How big is this issue compared to something like the Southern Border?  Is Biden governing right now or traveling for votes?  How is coordinated anti-semitism happening in real-time in an era that supposedly is hostile to "hate speech"?  Is there any role the Church can play, or do we just hope all of this goes away?

It is here now, this spiritual fight and the preliminary stages of the battle rage.
The fight is with an enemy stealthy, sly, and determined. The enemy is an evil force, hateful, and determined to win this battle. It plots day and night to do just that.
We, God’s people, are in this fight, and it must be with all our might. This enemy, the army of Satan, has every weapon possible available in its arsenal. It is an enemy determined to wage war with conservative America and Christian America in the political arena. It will use every governmental power possible in the fight.
It will pervert everything religious, especially true Christianity, to spread doubt and fear.
It will control culture and seek to change customs, beliefs, priorities, and terminology.
In this era of post-truth (no truth), the LIE prevails, and the enemy will use that viciously. Mankind will find it extremely difficult to know the truth which makes us free as Christians and conservative Americans.
The enemy will use hate, viciously hateful themselves, but accuse people of faith of being hateful.
This vicious anti-Christian enemy has and uses every weapon possible. But, my fellow Christians, they the enemy do not have the greatest weapon of all.
WE DO. WE, THE CHRISTIANS, DO!
And that weapon, which can never be defeated, is none other than the greatest force, the greatest power in this world, no less than:
LOVE! LOVE!
We, the believers, fight the fight of faith with love. With God. For we are told from childhood that:
GOD IS LOVE.
God loved us so much that He sent His son, Jesus Christ, to die for us. Mythological even comical to the enemy, but the ultimate reality for us who believe.
So that, in this vicious spiritual battle against the enemy, Satan himself and his legions, we the Christian opposition:
SHALL NOT BE MOVED.
We have on, in the battle, the BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS. We fight evil with what is right. We have from head to toe the armor of LOVE. No Weapon of the enemy can pierce that armor.
We carry with us at all times the SWORD OF THE LORD. It bristles, it gleams with righteousness, and with love, and with truth. Even with this armor and carrying the sword of righteousness, we can run the race and win that race against the enemy. The power of love is just simply unbelievable, a weapon which can never, ever be defeated.
We have no fear of our enemy, none at all. We look evil in the face and we say:
I SHALL NOT BE MOVED!
We know, with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength that the love of God in Christ:
CONQUERS ALL!
So that, even if any of us would lay down our life in the service of our Lord, and in the fight for our faith, we know that our Lord, our captain, our Savior, and His remaining army, will ultimately win the battle. We will never be afraid of, nor will we lose to, this Evil Enemy. The love of God in the fight of faith can never be beaten, NEVER!
We his people look forward to the time when:
THE POWER OF LOVE WILL REPLACE THE LOVE OF POWER!
Then this world and this evil enemy will know defeat even as the LOVE of Christ will win this war of faith and peace like never before and will reign like never before.
That really is the only way this enemy, Lucifer’s Legions, can ever be defeated. LOVE, the ultimate weapon, is the only force which can defeat the Anti-Christ and everything thrown against the Christ and his people, and it will, it definitely will, not only defeat the enemy but win the battle and ultimately:
TRANSFORM THIS WORLD.
The Love of God in Christ is so powerful.
The Love of God in Christ is eternal. It is the only thing we can carry with us when we die. Love makes the end so easy. Even on the battlefield of faith, if we die, love lives on, love lives long and eternal and it alone abides eternally along with faith and with hope.
But the greatest of these, the greatest of all powers in this world, the weapon which will ultimately destroy the enemy is none other than:
LOVE.
So, we love our enemies when they persecute us, so says the scripture. We bless them, and we do good for them, our enemies, when they do the opposite to us. For we know that:
GOD HAS NOT GIVEN US A SPIRIT OF FEAR BUT OF POWER,
AND LOVE, AND A SOUND MIND. WE SHALL NOT BE MOVED.
So, when the enemy comes after us with every weapon possible, we fight back with the only weapon we need:

Episode 245-Part 1: Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, Part 2: Rising Anti-Semitism in America

Episode 244-Part 1: The Trump Trial, Part 2: Iran Attacking Israel

This world of ours has little joy, real joy. Perhaps there exists some sort of superficial happiness, but transient and really unfulfilling, but little more.
It seems that so much of our world is sad, hopeless in feeling, even hateful. Our world is angry, antagonistic, so very jealous and greedy, negative in so many ways.
I wonder, are you afraid, feeling uncertain and insecure, perhaps even from time to time hateful and angry, untrusting, are you? I wonder sometimes, how much of the joy of Christianity, rejoicing in the relationship with Jesus Christ, in possession of a thankful heart, the promises of the Son of God have been lost as the wiles of the devil seem to permeate this world.
The carpenter of Nazareth, the Son of the Living God, told us quite plainly that He came not only to forgive but to bring us who believe His JOY that our lives may be full, full of that joy. How tragic it would be if once we have met him, and believed in Him, that the joy of our relationship with Him should be tarnished, even eliminated by the ever-growing hateful things in this world.
And more. REJOICE, said He, and even more:
BE EXCEEDINGLY GLAD.
Let gladness permeate your heart, your mind, your emotions, your attitude, your entire life. Be happy, no matter what. For not only are you forgiven but you are born again into a brand-new life of joy, happiness, and rejoicing! I wonder if you take time every day, EVERY DAY, to rejoice, rejoice in Him and for the life you should have now, and you will definitely have hereafter. Do you?
The Apostle Paul tells us to give thanks, GIVE THANKS IN EVERYTHING, the good, the bad, the average, the day-to-day, IN EVERYTHING GIVE THANKS, thanks to God for His unspeakable gift. Do you? The strongest possession any Christian can have is a thankful heart.
And our Lord says that we should love our enemies. Is there anything harder to do in this world than that? When someone identifies as an enemy, comes at you, does you wrong, hurts you or ones you love, is there anything harder than to love that person? But, the love we have for Jesus Christ never fails, transcends everything, is stronger than anything and it is always there, always. Our God is love and we his people should love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and our neighbor as ourselves, even if that neighbor is our enemy so says the scripture. That essential principle, that basic tenet of Christianity, that emotional command, is the hardest thing for any Christian to do, but with the help of the Holy Spirit, IT IS THE MOST REWARDING! We should never accept the wrong, but we should always love the wrongdoer, thus saith the Lord. To carry a grudge, to return hate with hate, to get even, to make a wrongdoer pay, works havoc on the believer, even more so than the evildoer. Be glad, be happy says our Lord when you are persecuted for His name’s sake, when evil comes after good, and never forget, NEVER that ultimately:
GREAT IS YOUR REWARD IN HEAVEN!
Even, says HE, if you weep now, you will laugh sooner or later. YOU WILL LAUGH, you will be happy. Never forget that. You will laugh, you will be happy as David says in the Psalms, even as our Lord laughs at the wicked. Full belief in the love of God in Jesus Christ can do nothing but make one, the believer, be glad, rejoice, be happy and LAUGH!
The smile, the facial smile, the real smile is a rarity today. The heavy heart makes for a sad face. The happy heart, the loving heart produces a cheerful face as Solomon tells us in Proverbs. Our Lord confirms that when he tells us that we should:
BE OF GOOD CHEER!
Life is short, so very short, and any hour of any day spent glum, sad, angry, jealous, or hateful is simply the waste of a part of THE DAY WHICH THE LORD HAS MADE! The spirit of the loving God is at the ready to help, to remind you of this part of your life which you are wasting. Be glad, says the spirit of the living God, and rejoice, and always remember, says the Lord:
I AM COME THAT YOUR JOY MIGHT BE FULL!
I AM COME THAT YOU MIGHT HAVE LIFE AND LIFE MORE ABUNDANTLY!
And more. James tells us that the happy heart breaks out in singing, singing songs of love, praise, and joy. David confirms in the Psalms when he tells us to be glad and sing for joy. Even if you can’t carry a tune, sing anyway. Sing songs of praise every day, let your heart sing, be cheerful, be glad, be happy, and never let any part of this sad world, this world hateful, angry, jealous, and itself without joy, bring you down. NEVER!
When the rich man met the Lord Jesus Christ, He sold everything he had, and he did so with JOY. Nothing mattered to him but the joy he found in Jesus Christ. Never forget, my fellow Christians, that a cheerful heart is good medicine. It heals like nothing else, and also remember the wise words of Solomon in Proverbs that:
A CRUSHED SPIRIT DRIES UP THE BONES!
Avoid at all costs the dry bones of Ezekiel. Every day, even all day, you can live with the joy, the happiness, the rejoicing that our Lord provides, which is only a taste of that JOY TO COME!
So, in everything give thanks. In the testings, the trials and tribulations, the sicknesses, the losses, the betrayals, the hateful, the persecution, give thanks, be grateful, for our Lord who never left the Apostle Paul when he suffered in the dungeon all alone, will never leave us. The key to claiming that promise, says the Apostle Paul, is to give thanks:
GIVE THANKS IN EVERYTHING.
And that is especially so when the trials, the tribulations, the persecutions, the hurt and the pain are the worst. When life is at its worst, our Lord is at HIS BEST.
Now abides safe in Him, hope in Him, and the love because of Him. Never let go of a cheerful heart any hour of any day. That is what the Lord of the abundant life wants for YOU!

Episode 243-Part 1: Is Trump Doing Enough to Win Independents/Undecideds?  If so, what is his strategy?  Is abortion and IVF a no-win situation for him?  Can Trump find a way to promote legal immigration while clearly opposing illegal?  Do Americans really believe their lives are better under Biden?

Part 2: Are Social Media and Smartphones Causing a Mental Health Crisis in American Teens?  Is there still time to rein in the digital excess that is destroying our children?  How do we fix this?  Can parents do it alone or must the government get involved?

Do you tell your spouse the truth? ALWAYS?
That would be the whole truth and nothing but the truth, do you?
When you communicate with spouse or children, or any family members or friends, or even in the workplace, or church, or social gatherings, do you tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth all the time? ALL THE TIME?
And, do you expect others to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth when they communicate with you, do you? To tell the truth always, all of it, to everyone under every circumstance, is an extremely difficult task, if not impossible. Our communication, our cultural exchanges, our personal expectations are difficult, partial at best, and seldom if ever contain the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. More often than not, we leave out or add in. We communicate Half-Truths. The definition of half-truth is that only about half of that is true, if that. So often, we communicate with the so-called WHITE LIE. Interesting, is it not, how we give colors (black-white-gray) to falsified communication? The truth, knowing and communicating the truth, is a difficult process.
Perhaps it is a journey to know, believe, and communicate the truth. No matter, it is the obligation, the duty, of a Christian to be truthful, to know and communicate the truth. THOU SHALT NOT LIE (bear false witness) say the commandments and affirmed by our Lord. When we communicate with others in word or deed, it must be with the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth to the very best of our human abilities. That is especially so in family circles. The lie sets an example, a very bad one, especially in family circles, with spouses and children. If a parent expects a child to tell the truth, then that parent better tell the truth as a matter of course, regularly and all the time, and without exception.
Pilate, the governor who passed judgment on Jesus, asked the age-old question, perhaps one of the most important questions (issues) ever asked:
WHAT IS TRUTH?
He had his answer from Jesus of Nazareth, who told him bluntly and point blank:
I AM THE TRUTH. I AM THE WAY, THE TRUTH, AND THE LIFE!
That message was for all of us. Jesus told the world of that time and all of us since, that he was ONE WITH THE FATHER, in other words, God himself. That was either the biggest lie of all time, or the most profound truth, one or the other. But, said He, that is the ultimate truth and to know exactly what Jesus was, who He was, was the ultimate spiritual and divine truth. Do you know that and do you believe that?
But what is the definition of truth? It is extremely difficult to define. Truth is based on fact, that which really happened. It is reality, truth is, unvarnished. It is what actually happened, what was accurately said, things not subject to interpretation or question. Truth is moral, good, and right. It is honest and reliable. Truth, real truth is not subject to question, doubt, or interpretation. It comes from the deeds and the words of an honest person. It creates no doubt.
The exact opposite is the LIE. Amazing, is it not, how the lie pervades our culture, our society, our government? Our political world, worldwide and especially in America, is corrupt, knows not the truth, cares nothing about the truth, and in fact boldly proclaims that we live in the day and age of:
POST TRUTH.
Our leaders, almost all know more than mere politicians, power, money, and fame- hungry individuals seem to care little or nothing about the truth. They lie to us with impunity. Many pastors do the very same thing by perverting the Word of God, watering down hard scriptural truth, and failing to set the truthful and moral example which this world of ours so desperately needs. The lie, the lack of truth, pervades business, even the medical world, education, and in fact almost every aspect of our society. The lie goes on in both word and deed. Hypocrisy, saying one thing and doing another, seems part of our everyday life. We exaggerate, and we compromise. We would rather be liked than tell the hard truth or stand up, tall and strong, for what we believe. We seem to have little regard for the conspiracy factor, that we may be equally guilty of not dealing with the lie, the false, the hypocritical, when it is our spiritual duty to do so. The journey to know, believe, and tell the truth is long and difficult indeed, is it not?
So often, to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, straight and without exaggeration is unpopular and such a person is often disliked. Recall how hated Jesus of Nazareth was when he confronted, challenged, and convicted so many with the message of the eternal gospel. But he boldly proclaimed himself to be the truth and he told all humankind that to know Him (Me) was to know the truth and that truth would make any believing person:
FREE.
Free from guilt, free from sin, free from inhibitions, weakness, and anger, FREE! And that freedom would give us courage, courage to stand for the truth so that we would not be ashamed or afraid, or anxious, or intimidated. Rather, we would be confident, actualized, energized, and filled with the Holy Spirit who would give us the words, structure the beliefs within us and make us the new creatures our Lord intended, his disciples who would joyfully pursue the journey of truth lifelong. That same Holy Spirit, the spirit of truth, would govern our conscience, structure our mind and our thinking, and live inside as a warning system. That same Holy Spirit would be our guide, our leader in:
KNOWING THE TRUTH.
That very same truth which would make us free.
So, the answer to Pilate’s question WHAT IS TRUTH? Is provided in a nutshell by our Lord. Jesus said:
I AM THE WAY, THE TRUTH, AND THE LIFE.
To know him, really know Him, is the only real way to really know THE TRUTH. As you grow in the knowledge, belief, and love of your Savior, you come to know the truth in the most ultimate and satisfying way, and HE is the end goal of our ultimate journey in the search for truth. The more He lives within your heart, the more you know the truth. There is nothing more wonderful in life than to live the life of truth. No matter this world, the lie of Satan which seems to pervade everything, and almost everyone, you can know the truth, and that truth, that ultimate truth, is contained in two words:
JESUS CHRIST.

Episode 242:Part 1: Transgender Day of Visibility on Easter, Part 2: Is ISIS Back?  In Part 1 the discussion revolves around Transgender Day of Visibility falling on Easter Sunday and the Biden Administration's reaction to both events.  While Biden's Trans message was 2 pages long his Easter message was a mere 6 sentences.  His White House Pre-Easter Egg Roll children's drawing contest banned any Easter drawings with "Religious symbols" or "Themes"  How much of an issue should we make of things like this from a Democrat Administration?  In Part 2 the guys discuss whether ISIS is back.  Did Biden's Afghan withdrawal create a vacuum for ISIS?  ISIS attacks are growing--is the U.S. next?  How many Islamic Jihadists are coming over Biden's open borders?  Is America in a "September 10th" frame of mind? 

Do you believe that the Resurrection happened?
That a man, Jesus of Nazareth, actually rose from the dead, do you? We celebrate this unnatural, God – motivated event, the greatest in human history next week. But again, do you actually believe that this Resurrection, physically, bodily actually happened?
The Apostle Paul says that if you do not believe, then your faith is in vain. That is, if this Resurrection never really happened, Christianity is predicated on a false premise, no better than any other so called religion and in fact maybe worse. Unless Jesus Christ rose from the dead, He was no more than a good moral teacher, and perhaps more magician than miracle worker and by no means the Savior of the World. Again, the words of the Apostle Paul:
IF CHRIST BE NOT RISEN
YOUR FAITH IS IN VAIN
But he did. So we believe, and in fact base our lives, our future fortunes on this miraculous event. But Christian faith is based on:
THE EMPTY TOMB.
Witnesses saw him. They touched him. They heard him speak. They dined with him, another supper after THE LAST SUPPER. They listened to him, heard his voice and believed. They saw an ascension. They felt the power of God the Father in his person. And if ever there was doubt, it was gone. And all who believed could say with the Apostle Paul:
FOR ME TO LIVE IS CHRIST!
The power of this Resurrection consumed them, became them and out they went to testify, to witness, boldly proclaim, never the same again and wishing the same for others. The power of the resurrected Christ, the coming of the Holy Spirit produced a movement among mankind never before and never like it again. They went, these empowered believers:
INTO ALL THE WORLD TO PREACH THIS GOSPEL
to the Jew first and then to the Gentile. But to all men and women everywhere.
But think of this man, this carpenter from Nazareth whose ministry was a short some three years before his Crucifixion. He was a worker of MIRACLES. He, the God – man, was possessed with power over nature. He commanded the seas, he raised the dead, he healed the sick, he restored sight but all of that, miraculous as it may be, was not enough.
He was a great teacher, endowed with divine wisdom. His teachings, those parables would live ‘til the end of time. He brought a special divine wisdom. But that was not enough.
He introduced a new social order. John the Baptist came fasting but HE came eating and drinking. He came that our joy, the happiness of the new believer should be full. That life in HIM should be merry, abundant for the earth was his and he gave it to us. But that was not enough.
Some who came before him did these things. And so, for him to be special, one-of-a-kind, GOD WITH US, there came the trial by heathen men. Then came THE CRUCIFIXION, that horrible, brutal, excruciatingly painful death on the cross and the shedding of all that innocent blood. There had to come that event of NO GREATER LOVE. For we were taught in that Crucifixion that there is no greater love than that a man or a woman should lay down his or her life for someone else, for a friend. THAT WAS NECESSARY, the shedding of the blood of this innocent man for the REMISSION of all sin. The Crucifixion, this supreme redemptive act was absolutely necessary for without it, all that HE was or did was not enough.
The blood of a sinless man must be shed in remission of the sins of sinful men.
Even he, on that cross, felt forsaken even as we at times do. But this radical, lifechanging event was absolutely necessary in order to change the course of human history, to change the nature of all mankind. Think of all that the next time you partake of the wine and the bread.
I often wonder about this man, this carpenter from Nazareth. Sinless was he, so we are told and believe, but a man nonetheless. I wonder about his humanity, what he looked like, how he acted, his personality, his ability to laugh and cry. We know he wept but we can only assume he laughed, because he loved the joy of life. We know his heavy heart and enlightened mind, his teachings serious and weighty. But surely he laughed, saw the humor in life and in mankind for his teaching parables can often be ironic or even sardonic. We can perhaps believe that even as he loved mankind, surely he laughed at their hypocrisy and pretenses.
Was he, I wonder, subject to headaches, or on occasion a stomach upset. Surely he was tired. We were told he could be angry which means he ran the gamut of human emotions. I wonder how often he bathed or who may have trimmed his hair. I wonder how he prayed in all those private moments when he was alone with his FATHER. I would trade any of the four gospels for a recording of his thoughts and words in private, with his disciples, in prayer, comments on sunsets, or howling winds, or even the sporting events of the time. How wonderful it would be to know more about this MAN, this carpenter from Nazareth who was crucified for the sins of the world.
But then he died. And the earth shook. The sun hid its face. One Joseph of Arimathea took his dead body and laid it in a tomb, over and done for every man before or since.
But not this one. For then came the third day:
EASTER.
The greatest day in the history of mankind. RESURRECTION DAY. UP FROM THE GRAVE HE AROSE. And so we celebrate Easter and we who believe in the Resurrection say boldly to all mankind:
HE IS NOT HERE
HE IS RISEN!
The natural man receives not these things of the Spirit. They are folly, mythological, just flat out untrue. From dust you came, says this natural man and to dust you will return and there will be no more. Not so, says the carpenter from Nazareth, the resurrected Christ of Glory, NOT SO. Even as I rose up from the grave, SO WILL YOU! Those who believe in me will live with me eternally. You are wrong, natural man, dead wrong for you have failed to understand or believe in the greatest event in human history. But the natural man continues to say that CHRIST IS NOT RISEN, and the natural man laughs at Christians and with a look in the eye boldly says:
YOUR FAITH IS IN VAIN!
Ah, but not so says the Christ of Glory. I am by the power of God alive and I have triumphed over death and the grave. And so will you if you believe in the crucified Christ and the resurrected Christ of Glory. It is as the philosopher and theologian Pascal said the supreme wager in all of life:
Do you believe in the resurrected Christ or not?
You will make the wager of a natural man or a spiritual man. You will BELIEVE or you will not.
Do you believe, do you believe in that Resurrection? If you do, and you should, then your faith is not in vain.

Part 1: What is the real meaning of Easter, and why is it so celebrated by Christians?   When and why did it become as much about the Easter Bunny as about Christ?  What miracles happened and what prophecies were fulfilled?

Part 2: Is the solar eclipse the end of the world as we know it, or is it another example of how God created the Heavens and the Earth?  What do all the Christians who believe this is the return of Christ do for our Witness to the lost if nothing major happens?  How do we respond to people who believe every major event is THE next event that ushers in the Second Coming?  How many times have they been wrong?