According to various websites, there are between 20 to 170 “genders”. People rightfully ask what the
difference is between gender and sex. My definition in simple terms is that sex is what you are, and
gender is what you think you are.

We are now being told, and it will get worse as the election nears, that the “Christian right”, “Christian
Nationalists”, and “radical Christians” are a danger to American democracy. Of course, any Christian
politician is automatically assigned one or more of those categories. Therefore, their agenda is to rip the
threads of democracy from our nation and we will become a Christian theocracy.

A young man sat in a college class and listened to a professor teach that Israel is the aggressor in a land
that they illegally occupy. The professor, a tenured, respected lady who had taught at the university for
over 20 years, basically said that the massacre by Hamas terrorists was deserved by Israel for their evil
ways over the years.

America is called “the land of the free” and most people would agree that there is probably no other
country where personal freedom is so readily available. But where do we draw that line between
personal freedom and self-control?

Webster Dictionary defines morality as “The quality of being in accord with standards of right or good
conduct”. I think everyone would agree with that. However, a huge problem arises when the definition
of “good” and “right” is changed. The question is “who defines what is good or right?”. Is it a personal
choice where my “right and good” is different than yours? That would be chaotic, wouldn’t it? Then it
must be a collective decision by the majority of people…right? Not necessarily.

I was reading a history of folks in the Appalachian Mountains and was reminded that there are still some
churches that practice “snake handling”. Those of you who know me know that I am repulses by even a
drawn image of a snake…let alone an actual snake. So, I decided to read up on this nauseating practice
and try to understand the mindset of a snake-handling believer.

During the past week there has been a lot of television programming dedicated to significant events that occurred in
2023. It’s good to look back and remember, isn’t it? The Church on the Bluff had some remarkable things happen and
we Do certainly rejoice in them. However, I like what Paul said in Philippians 3:13: “But one thing I do: Forgetting what
is behind and straining toward what is ahead,”
2023

My favorite secular Christmas story is Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol”. I’ve watched every movie
of the original script as well as many adaptions of the storyline. The premise is a classic: A hardened
heart is softened when the person is forced to take a fresh look at his past, a serious look at his present
life, and a glimpse at the wretched future for which he may be headed. But the ending is beautiful in
that we see that change is possible.

It seems to me that there is a large increase of Christmas decorations this year. We have driven through
several subdivisions and neighborhoods and the decorations are beautiful. As we rode around a place
close to our home, I saw a yard decorated a little differently than the rest: it had two snow men, a large
unicorn, and a rainbow Christmas tree. A few blocks away there was another yard with an inflatable
unicorn. I was curious, of course so I “googled it”.

Another small city has come under fire for having a nativity scene on the city property. An organization
of people who have a strong dislike for Christianity, the “Freedom From Religion Foundation”, has
successfully sued city governments on several occasions to get elements of Christianity removed from
Christmas displays. How blatantly absurd.