Wretched Radio begins in three, two, one. Seriously, if you want to relieve stress, go to the Word of God. Oh my goodness. It's just so weird, isn't it, to hear people say stuff like that? I apologize for it. Are you kidding me? Let's all do baptism, and I have a little pool here, and we'll all feel nice and relaxed. That's baptism. Now, baptism is a sacred Christian rite. All the various yogas are sacred Hindu rites. Wake up, America! It's time for Wretched Radio with Todd Freel. Oops. Mixmaster Freel here. Don't worry, it's under control. I know what I'm doing here. This is Wretched Radio. With what was a fractured true tail now healed. Permit me to read to you a letter. I'm going to keep names anonymous for pretty obvious reasons. Todd, well, you know, I don't have to be anonymous because the letter was just addressed to me. A year into our marriage, I had stopped hungering for truth. I became cold, calloused, mean. I was addicted to pornography, failing to realize that I was enticed because of my own desires. I was visiting erotic massages, strip clubs. I was harsh, rude, mean, cold, angry. I hated my wife. She used to beg me not to go, cry when I looked at porn. She would beg me to go to church, to read, to actively fight this, to pray, to give it to God, to seek counsel. I hated her heart, so pure and holy, shining through my sin. Then she stopped. She stopped nagging. She stopped suggesting. She stopped crying. She would go to church without asking me to come. She would wake up early to read and pray. She continued doing ministry just without me. She never spoke ill about me. She would sincerely thank me for everything. She would tell me she loved me and forgave me. She didn't push me. She was gracious, overwhelmingly so. She was kind, gentle. She served me wholeheartedly. One day, she came and sat and told me that she was sorry. She! told me that she needed to repent for her sinful attitude, a hardened heart toward me, that she hadn't been trusting in God's grace or truth. She hadn't been trusting in His word, that His word was true, that He would provide her with enough grace regardless of the situation. She had elevated herself above me and became self-righteous, forgetting the sin from which God had saved her. When she realized the depravity of her own sin and how gracious and merciful God had been toward her, forgiving her when she was deserving of death, how could she not forgive me? I was baffled, frustrated, angry, and I continued to sin. Six months later, She still continued this trait. I was convicted by her act of servanthood. She cared for me, tenderly prayed for me. Her words were gentle. Her heart drew me back to Christ. It breaks my heart that she had determined that she could no longer hold me to the same standard, but that she had chosen to approach me as she would any other witness. Her continual heartfelt repentance made me angry. She would confess her anger, resentment, her thoughts toward me, and ask me to forgive her for not representing Christ appropriately. All I can say that I saw her genuine heartfelt desire to exemplify Christ, her admittance of sin, her tenderness and compassion toward me, and I was drawn to the peace that she had. I found it irresistible and convicting, this love that she spoke about, this Jesus. I couldn't wallow in my own guilt and shame anymore. I couldn't continue in this sin and truly say that I was following Christ. Things were not matching up. A year later, I now fight hard against these sins that I once embraced. I actively pursue God. She said she prayed that God would allow her to see me the way he saw me, and in response, Christ filled her heart with overwhelming compassion toward me. She said she realized that unless it was Christ that brought me to repentance, that any change would only be momentary. True with parenting too, that sin and pride were the root of the problem, and that ultimately this change in my heart was between me and God. That so much more was at stake than how she felt. It was a battle for my soul and in that manner she was accountable for how she responded to me when I sinned against her. That she was going to be held accountable for her response and whether it pointed to Christ or pointed towards self. She told me that this was not a natural feeling or inclination from her. This was from God, that he and he alone gave her the strength she needed to forgive me, to love me, to serve me. I have nothing more to say than to encourage other wives. One, it is not your fault. Each person sins when he is enticed by his own desires. In that moment, I am saying my gratification is worth more than Christ, worth more than his death. It is my willful choice to sin against my wife and God. It has nothing to do with the wife. Number two, I feel like a coward saying this like a worm, but it was not my wife's nagging or her tears that brought me to repentance. It was God's kindness exemplified through her that led me to repentance. This gentleness she had toward me, the goodness she had toward me in times of deep pain indicated a source and a faith rooted in Christ. It was supernatural and left me in awe. I was deceived. I was an idiot. By the grace of God, I am no longer enslaved. There is hope for you, heartbroken wife. Please, now having enjoyed and celebrated that story, let me put out a caveat before we comment on it any further. I understand that if a man is out and about being intimate with other women, that a wife has grounds for divorce. I understand that. And nothing that I'm about to say is intended to tell you what decision you should make. OK? I also recognize that it could be argued that pornography is no better than a man going out and actually being physically intimate with another woman. That it is an ongoing unrepentant pornaya. I get that. So let me again state, this is not intended to tell you what to do if your husband is enslaved to pornography. Having said that, I am not sure that there was anything in that lengthy story that was not theologically precise. and very accurate and very instructive. Are you thinking, by any chance, about 1 Peter right now? The book that is written for you if you are being persecuted. Now, I recognize that your husband looking at pornography is not persecution per se, but I think that this could still go underneath trials and tribulation and how we Christians are supposed to respond to people when they sin against us. And I think, first, Peter, the principles can be used carefully, not entirely, but mostly, if you happen to be in a similar situation where you are feeling trials because you are a Christian. What does Peter say to the spouse of the unbelieving husband? Submit, love. behave in a holy manner. That's what he talks about in 1 Peter 1 and 1 Peter 2. Why? So that your spouse will see your behavior and get saved. That's the theme of 1 Peter. That if you, wife, would submit to your husband, he could get saved. So obey. Here's chapter three, not my words, God's. Wives, be submissive to your own husbands, that even if some who do not obey the word, they without a word may be won by the conduct of their wives. That's what you just heard. And then it goes on to say the same thing to husbands. Love your unsaved wife. Why? So that they might get saved. 1 Peter 2. Submit to a really rotten government that they might see your godly response and get saved. Why? Because God wants to use persecution, trials, and tribulations evangelistically. He wants people to get saved. And so this woman's response was to treat her husband in a godly way. being patient, even though he's sinning, being loving, even though he's being hateful, to mirror God. And that is what is going on in a home when this type of tension exists, when you are being persecuted, when there's a trial or tribulation. It is an opportunity for you to reflect Jesus Christ. That's what's going on, and that should give you a great deal of motivation to do so. And that's precisely what Peter says. That's your role model. You find this hard to do? Guess what? Take a look at Jesus. See how he was treated. He who committed no sin, no deceit found in his mouth. Reviled? Didn't revile in return. Suffered? He didn't threaten. But he committed himself to him who judges righteously. who himself bore our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, then, having died to sins, might live for righteousness, because by his stripes we were healed. For you were like sheep going astray, but now we have been returned to the sheepfold, and the shepherd who brought us there is Jesus, and he's your role model, he's your example, he's your motivation. Is this easy? Are you kidding? This is what this woman did, staggeringly difficult. In fact, she couldn't do it. It's precisely the point. She needed God in order to do this. She couldn't have done it without God. And that too is what God does for you in a situation like this. I'm not telling you what to do. You work with your elders in your local church. But if you decide to stay in the marriage, because you want to try to win this person. I will tell you this, it's not enough to just stay in the marriage and be annoyed and frustrated. It's not enough. Or to retaliate, not by going out and sitting, but by being mean or cold or crabby or nagging. That's sin too. I know that's harsh because he's been sinning wickedly, and now I'm saying if you're nagging, you're sinning too. I get that. I realize that, and I know how you feel. I get that. You've been wounded, and so you want to retaliate. You're wounded, so you're angry. I get that. But no matter how deep the wound, we still don't get to retaliate. You say, how can that be? Well, how deep were the wounds that were aimed at Jesus Christ? Huh? They're far more profound than our wounds, far more. So we look at his wounds and then we find strength to endure and be patient so that the kindness of God will be reflected in us that they may be drawn to repentance. That's, that's no easy thing. And so what will your husband's pornography do for you? It will grow you in godliness like you can't even imagine. But please note this, if it is not your desire to go through that with God in an effort to save your husband, then you're not doing it the way that Peter is describing here. You have an opportunity to reflect God. We'll wait here. Typical for R.C. Sproul, was quoting John Calvin. How do you respond when somebody hurts you? And he was calling on, not just 1 Peter, but verses all over the place, where we are told that we are to be like Christ, that we're to represent him. And you can't do that on your own strength. You can't just, well, I'm just gonna, okay, I'm gonna look like, you can't do it. You need to go to him saying, I can't, please help me do this. And you also need to go thinking that you are a bigger sinner, because you're a bigger sinner than he is, at least you are aware of more of your sins than his. and you spend time recognizing how you have failed, how you have done it wrong, so that now you actually have the internal grace and the right mindset then to approach that person and not be furious. R.C. Sproul, How Should Christians Respond to Attacks and Insults? Oh, it was Edwards, I'm sorry, not Calvin. I confused the two. Charity and its fruits. In this book, Edwards included a chapter on how we are to respond to false charges. He makes the biblical point, such attacks should not surprise us. We should expect them. Edwards goes on, if the Christian expects to be slandered and keeps his eyes focused on God, when it happens, he will not be depressed. and he reinforces the concept that other human beings can harm only my worldly pleasure. Your marriage can be trashed, your body can be injured, they can steal your money, destroy your reputation. All of these things have to do only with the cares and pleasures of this world, but we have an inheritance laid up in heaven, which is what Peter talks about in 1 Peter 1. Think about heaven, and earth ain't so bad. This is an opportunity to imitate Christ. And that then can be your motivation and your strength to get through it so that your spouse can be one and God can be glorified. And you just heard, It Can Happen. There's Hope. This is Wretched Radio. Pornography, easy to find, easy to start, hard to quit. If pornography is your problem, slaying the dragon is your solution. Todd helps you examine if you're walking in the truth and how to become free of that sin that is keeping you in bondage. It's not for the weak of heart. Slaying the dragon is hard-hitting, straightforward, and biblical. Isn't it time for you to slay that dragon once and for all? Get Slaying the Dragon today at wretchedradio.com. Remember, your purchase helps us reach more people with the amazing gospel. Beloved, think about it. If everything you had wanted to happen in your life actually happened, what would you have missed? What if God had answered all your prayers exactly how you prayed them? I cannot tell you how many people have shared with me in the middle of their trials, I wouldn't trade this for anything. where normally there would be defeat, they can attest to victory. They're walking through the fire, but their focus isn't on the flames. It's on the one who walks with them in the middle of the fire. They hear His promise from Scripture, I will never leave you nor forsake you so that you can boldly say, the Lord is my helper. I will not fear. I wouldn't trade this for anything. Can you and I say that about our disappointments? This is Kay Arthur with precepts from God's Word. What is discernment? Nope, it's not a feeling. No, it's not a sense. Discernment is knowing. Knowing the difference between true and almost true. Discernment is knowing when mere bad teaching becomes false teaching. It's knowing when a preacher makes a mistake or is actually a wolf. Discernment is knowing. Drive by discernment at wretchedradio.com. Remember, your purchase helps us reach more people with the amazing gospel. Who were Neanderthals? This is Ken Ham, President of Answers in Genesis and The Ark Encounter. Evolutionists used to believe that Neanderthals were primitive brutes. But today, we know that Neanderthals buried their dead with rituals, made musical instruments, used fire, and hunted and trapped prey. Because Neanderthals did the same things that humans do, those who start with the Bible know that Neanderthals must have been human, descendants of Adam and Eve just like us. Well, scientists are now admitting that Neanderthals were much more intelligent than once thought, and we now know that many people living today have Neanderthal DNA in their genes. The evidence confirms a biblical model. Neanderthals were humans just like us. There's no such thing as a less evolved human. Discover more about supposed human ancestors when you visit our website at AnswersInGenesis.org. Learn about a biblical model of life's origins at AnswersInGenesis.org. Wretched Radio's Exalted Worship is a refreshing change from today's mind-numbingly repetitious worship music. Old-fashioned? Oh yeah. Theologically rich? Count on it. Scott Propane leads you in great hymns like, Holy, Holy, Holy, and Praise to the Lord. Kirk Cameron brings you great Puritan prayers from the Valley of Vision. So get your copy of Exalted Worship today at wretchedradio.com. And remember, your purchase helps us reach more people with the amazing gospel. Books of the Bible 1 Corinthians is a letter from the Apostle Paul to the church in Corinth. Paul addresses his concerns about divisions and immorality in the church. Then Paul answers questions from the Corinthians about marriage, food, worship, gifts, and the resurrection. When you want to understand God's high calling for the church, look to 1 Corinthians. This is Wretched Radio with Todd Friel. Thank you very much. Keep sending stuff to idea at wretchedradio.com which by the way is where I received that lovely story that you just heard. God writes great stories all the time. Don't be discouraged and just in case you're growing weary and you're thinking it's never going to happen for me, it might not. But we're sovereigntists, and we recognize that God is not unaware of you. He is intimately involved in the details of your life, and he cares. So you can cast your cares upon him because he does care for you, recognizing that the situation that you are presently in is best for you at this time. Ouch. That can be a little tough sometimes, can it? Because sometimes it can be hard. and it can be difficult. But if we fail to remember that our loving Father will put us into situations that are difficult, not if they're sinful, He permits that, but it still falls underneath the category of sovereignty because it must be what we need. It must be what is good for us. How do I know? Because God says that he's for us, that he does all things for our good, that he only disciplines lovingly, that he only causes or permits things to prepare us to be a comfort to others. And so I can look at anything that hits and go, all right, God, you're in this. so what is it that i'm supposed to learn help me to learn that and then it's your job to try to figure that thing out and you can do that you can figure that thing out and you can utilize that difficult thing to grow, and to change. Speaking of which, Rick Thomas writing a very helpful article, that's almost redundant. Rick always writes helpful articles. Go to rickthomas.net, rickthomas.net slash resources, where you will be able to read hundreds, I think he's got 1,500, 1,600 articles. almost as many articles as we have TV shows archived at wretchedradio.com that are always so helpful. This one, the most powerful way to help someone to change. I'm just guessing. You live in a home with other people, you want them to change, don't you? Here's the funny thing, they want the same thing for you. Because it's a school of character. And that is the place where we can learn how to be more godly, if we will help one another and be as for people as God is for us. That's a key. That is a key. Mom and Dad, let me challenge you to do something that might hurt. Would you be willing to sit down with your children individually and ask them this question? Honey, do you think your mom and your dad are for you? and let them answer honestly. And if you sense, well, yeah, I guess so. No, no, no, no, no, no. I want you to think this through. Are your parents for you? And if you sense hesitation, if you sense, well, yeah, you know, yeah, yeah, yeah, you're for me. Then you got some work to do. If you've got children who are resisting your input, which we can never understand, can we? Because it's brilliant, it's perfect, it's entirely right and wise. Why don't they just get it? could it be it's because they don't realize that you are for them think about you for just a moment if somebody approaches you and tells you something is wrong you are inclined to respond differently based on whether or not you think that they are for you don't you if it's somebody who is just you just they're always they're nice to you they do sweet things for you and then they say to you after after bathing you in kindness. Hey, you know, I've noticed something that when you talk, you have a tendency to like shoot little white spitters out. How do you react to that? Really, I do? Thank you for telling me. Thank you for telling me. Or maybe something a little bit more important, depending on your perspective and how big of a germaphobe you are. Hey, I've noticed something about you. When you talk to your kids, it seems, I could be wrong, but it seems to me like you're really short with them. Something going on? You jerk! Who do you think, how dare you? You're more inclined to take it because you know that they're for you and they're not trying to be mean to you. Similarly, if your children are not responsive, positively responsive to your Input you're speaking into their life. I would suggest you go to this place first now. Let's say they say to you will not really Then don't just argue with them. Yes, I am You don't under okay, and even if you're persuaded that you are they're not So that reveals I'm doing something wrong. Now, I didn't say you're not for them. It just reveals that we're speaking something louder than I'm for you. You got to figure out what that is and let your spouse help you. What is it? Are there things? This is what I've learned about myself. Seriously. This is not the greatest example because I don't tend to yell, but just the same. This is... I can, however, get intense. That I know. Okay, so let's use... Here's an example of me and how delusional I am. Tony, I don't know what you're doing over there, but it needs to stop. And I am not being too intense with you right now. I am being perfectly calm. Okay, I am being perfectly calm in my mind, but I'm barking. Intense on the outside. So, I'm not yelling at you. Well, no, you're not like, hey, what are you... You're not yelling like that. But, Pop, you're kind of, kind of severe. You seem angry. I am not angry. I'm telling you, I'm not angry. Am I yelling at you? OK, you buying any of that? I just deceive myself. And I think here's part of the reason. Part of the reason is because I don't yell. I'm not a shouter. So in my mind, I'm doing better than most. In my mind. Not like I'm screaming at my kids at the top of my lungs. No, you're not. But just because you're at a four doesn't make it great. The goal is to just be even keeled and to talk to your child as if you're for your child, even when it means bringing something that's harsh or severe or difficult for correction's sake. This is the way that I should always be talking to my kids. Always. So I can't delude myself into thinking that I'm doing pretty good because I'm not a 10. I don't throw things at my kids. Well, OK. But if I'm talking to them like this, they're getting the sense that I'm mad and that I'm not for them. So I've got to stop and figure it out and let them tell me and let them help me. Do you have the courage to say, honey, can you help me then? Because in my heart, I'm telling you for a fact, I am so for you. What is it that I do that indicates I'm not? Please help me with that because I want you to know that I'm for you. And until, this is, here you go, another .88 cents worth. Until you get that repaired, your parenting is going to be very ineffective, especially as they're teenagers, because you're not for them. And they don't take it. They don't want it. Pretty soon, they don't have to. And they've got their eyes on that date. It's circled on their calendar. Start working on that if you want to see them receive the wonderful wisdom that you have to offer. Rick Thomas, the most powerful way to help someone change. Here are some ways that are big no-nos. The shame approach. Oh, really? What? You're kidding me. You did that? The guilt approach. Huh. You know? Jimmy at church? He never does that. I talked to his dad. The threat approach. Yelling the consequence. You keep this up, Pally boy! Let me tell you what's gonna happen to you! That's one way to get somebody to change. There's the condemnation approach. Mocking him. Making fun in front of others. Just the deriding approach. That's mean. The cynical approach. Even though he might have done something good, he didn't really mean it. This is just a one-off. It was a fluke. He was just trying to get something. That's being cynical. The critical approach, always pointing out faults, no matter how small they might be. Those are not biblical ways to affect change. How does God change you? God doesn't mock you. He's not cynical toward you. God loves you. Does he discipline you? Yes, he does. But it is always, always, always the kindness of God that leads to repentance. That is why it's so important with our kids. Yes, they should fear God, it's the beginning of wisdom. Yes, they should be afraid of hell, but that should not be the primary motivator in leading them to Jesus. It is the kindness of God that leads them to repentance. It is kindness that changes people. Did I say there are no consequences for sins? No. Did I say that spanking, biblical loving spanking is off the table? No. I'm just talking about how God treats us. God is kind to us. Got niceness? If not, nobody's changing, at least not genuinely changing. Rick Thomas writes, some will object by stating, I've tried this method and it didn't work. He asks, do you realize what you're saying? Is your being nice primarily about results that benefit you? Or is it primarily about imitating your heavenly father by being redemptive in the lives of others? Oh, ouch. If you've just been trying to be nice to get, okay, I'll be nice then, so these kids start acting like better kids and not these brats. You're forgetting what your faith is. You're supposed to be looking like Jesus. You're supposed to be looking like your Heavenly Father because you've been so affected by Him and His niceness and kindness toward you. This isn't a game we play. This isn't behavioral modification we're after. This is about us being transformed and then we treat and love each other rightly. The person who says, I've tried it and it didn't work, you're leaning toward conditionalism. I will love you, but only if. When you observe someone getting it right, You should be encouraging them for what they did. And it has a seven-fold effect. Here we go from Rick Thomas. They are encouraged in their behavior. They gain insight as to how Jesus behaved. How did Jesus treat Judas? No different than the way he treated Peter or John, the disciple he loved. No different. Nobody went, yep, it's Judas. Yeah, that's a no-brainer. You can always tell Jesus didn't care for him. Always suspicious and cynical about that Judas. Nope, always loved Judas. Wow. Your kids will see that. Your spouse will see that. You're acting like Jesus. They learn good and acceptable behaviors when you catch them doing something good and encourage them. You both can praise God for his work in their lives. The encouraged one is built up in the faith. Number six, your relationship with them is strengthened, not harmed again. It's strengthened. They learn you're for them. And number seven, you have more liberty to bring negative critique to them lovingly. If your children, if your spouse doesn't know that you are absolutely for them, that you want the best for them, that you are on their side, that you are their best cheerleader, you are the one that will support them through thick and thin because you love them. And they hear that more than your sinning, more than your nagging on occasion, more than your critical, cynical attitude. When they hear that you are for them more, You can expect them to respond to you differently and to take your input and the wisdom that you speak into their lives. So you know what that means, don't you? Before anybody in your life is going to change, guess who has to change first? Voo, this is Wretched Radio. No parent really wants their sons living in the basement until they're 32. And the Bible encourages young men to rush to adulthood. So as society fosters immaturity, Wretched Worldview's Biblical Manhood will help the boy in your home strive to become a godly man fast. Biblical Manhood, available at wretchedradio.com. Remember, your purchase helps us reach more people with the amazing gospel. Once there were two employees. Frank worked from home. Die, you space gum! Hello? Yeah, I'm working on it. Bob also worked from home. No! No, Carol! Don't kill him! That's your husband, not the imposter! Both Bob and Frank realized they were stealing time from the company. Bob thought, You know, I should do some work. Nah, one more episode. They'll never find out. But Frank went to his boss. Sir? Yes, Frank? I have a confession to make. When the president found out both Bob and Frank had wasted company time, who do you think got fired? Mr. President, Frank talked to me about what he did. I promised him we'd work it out. Okay, but fire Bob. Like Bob and Frank, we have all done wrong and are subject to God's judgment. Have you gone to God about your wrongs? Or like Bob, are you hoping He won't notice? A message from Lifeline Productions. 1-800-52-FUNNY at lifelinepro.com Here at Wretched, our goal, our desire, is to proclaim the gospel to as many people as possible in a clear, concise, and accurate way. The Biggest Project is our ongoing campaign to do that, to distribute the Biggest Question DVDs through local churches. Hundreds of volunteers are ready to distribute the gospel if you can help us financially provide the Biggest Question DVDs. Any help? Go to WretchedRadio.com for all the details. And thank you for helping us reach more people with the amazing gospel. Now here's a clip of one of our favorite pastors here at Wretched Radio. This is Adrian Rogers. What's the judgment going to be like? First of all, the judgment is going to be according to truth, and therefore there will be no disguise. God is going to pull off the mask. There will be no disguise. Not profession. not pretension, not performance, but truth is the standard. Now, today, we've forgotten truth. We have sacrificed truth for pragmatism. We don't ask, is it true? We ask, does it work? We've sacrificed truth for style. We don't say, does he or she tell the truth? Do I like him? Do I like her? We're not interested in truth. We're interested in the stock market. We are one nation under greed rather than one nation under God. God's standard is truth. Jesus Unmasked was written for new believers, confused believers, and unbelievers. It reveals over 30 pictures of Jesus in the Old Testament and confronts unbelievers with the undeniable conclusion, Jesus is Lord. With the gospel proclaimed in every chapter, Jesus Unmasked would make a great handout. So get to the Wretched Store and check out the special 10-pack pricing for Jesus Unmasked at wretchedradio.com. Important Dates in Christian History 1675, German Lutheran minister, Philipp Jakobs Spener, publishes Pia Desideria, which becomes a manifesto for pietism. While both Catholicism and Protestantism define the faith in largely communal and societal terms, pietism emphasizes the personal experience of being born again. This is Wretched Radio with Todd Friel. Can any good thing come out of Oklahoma? besides a musical. And Phil Johnson, this is Wretched Radio. The answer, well, it looks like Senator Lankford. I'm not familiar with the fellow, but speaking in the Senate, because he's a senator, responding to the footage that we've all seen now, ad nauseam, and we all had nauseam the first time we saw it, of the Planned Parenthood doctor who talked about not really selling or profiting, at least not appearing to, human parts and how to go about crushing only certain parts of the baby during the abortion process. Whilst she sipped her wine and ate her pasta, I think it was a fine risotto that she was eating, Senator Lankford went onto the Senate floor and, wow, you can just hear it in his voice. Mr. President, I'd like to take just a moment to be able to speak. but a subject very, very difficult for me to speak about, quite frankly difficult for a lot of Americans to talk about, to hear about. It connects to all of us in extremely personal ways. Let me set some context. Not long ago, a group of animal rights activists gathered around a research facility, a research facility that was using animals for their testing. The activists gathered around the facility and chanted and had signs that they held up saying it's not science, it's violence. And other signs that said animal lives are their right, we have just begun to fight. As they protested to protect the lives of the animals that were being used in that facility for research. Now I understand their frustration there, but let me put it into context of some things that came out this week. We learned that this week, an organization called Planned Parenthood is using children that are aborted and sending the bodies of those aborted children to research facilities, sometimes for sale, different body parts, to be used in research. These are not mice. These are not lab rats. These are children. Children that have gone through the process of a horrific abortion. This morning in an appropriations hearing, the president and I both were in, we had an extensive conversation about the rights of Orca whales. And this protracted conversation went on and on that many people also were connected to about the rights of Orca whales and the care for them. Then we had a protracted conversation about horse slaughter and how horses would be humanely put down. But in the middle of all that conversation happening today, there were children still being aborted with an instrument reaching in to a mother, tearing apart a child, but carefully protecting certain organs because those organs would be valuable to sell. Now the challenge that we have on this as a nation is... The argument is for that baby, that that baby's really not a baby, it's just a fetus, it's tissue. That's not a human baby is what everyone's told. That's just tissue and it's up to the mom to determine what happens to that tissue. And then on the flip side of it, moments later, they take that tissue and then sell it because it's human organs that are needed for research. You can't say in one moment that's not a human and then sell it for the next moment as a human organ and say now suddenly it is. It was a human all the way through. There was never a time that wasn't a child. There was never a time that wasn't a human and it seems the ultimate irony to me that we spend time talking about humane treatment of animals being put down like in horse slaughter and we completely miss children being ripped apart in the womb and their body parts being sold. So here's how it happens. A mom comes into a facility, gives consent to have an abortion, makes that request. After that request is made, to some moms, and we don't know exactly how they choose which moms, to some moms, they then ask consent for their child after it's aborted to be used for research purposes. from the video that was put out this week, they said that was actually comforting to some moms, that they would know how traumatic the abortion is, that at least some good would come out of it, that those body parts would then be used for research to hopefully save other children, which again comes back to this ultimate irony that we would literally tear one child apart in an abortion with the assumption that hopefully that would actually help some other child in the future, missing out on the significant of the child that's right there, that could be helped by protecting their life. And then the doctor in this particular video gives the details of how once they get that consent from the mom, they would be careful to reach in and actually crush the head of the child to kill the child in the womb so they could preserve the rest of the organs because the kidney has value, because the liver has value, because the lungs have value, because the muscles in the legs have value. I would tell you that child has value, and that every single adult that can hear me right now was once 20 weeks old in the womb and we can look at each other and understand the difference between that child in the womb and any of us now is time. That's a human being we're talking about. And it doesn't bring me comfort to know that one child is torn apart So maybe they can do research on the child's organs, so in some future moment, help a different child. Not every woman's being asked that her aborted child would be used for research, and we really don't know the whys. Maybe they're looking for particularly healthy moms. Maybe they're looking for very mature, healthy babies. Maybe it's a situation where a particular mom couldn't afford to have the abortion procedure, and so they swap off and say, if you can't afford to have the abortion procedure, maybe we can cover the cost by then possibly selling some of these organs then. We don't know. But I think maybe the question needs to be asked. Why this Congress would spend time today debating horse slaughter, debating orca whales, but yet we've become so numb to children that the other debate doesn't seem to come up. Maybe we need to start again as a nation, asking a basic question. If that's a child, and in our declaration we said every person that we believe is endowed by our creator to life liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Maybe we need to ask as a nation again, do we really believe that? Let's start with some basic things. How about a child at 20 weeks that we know scientifically can feel pain, cannot have their limbs ripped apart in an abortion? There are only seven countries in the world that allow that. We're in a prime group like North Korea and China, with nations that still allow abortions that late. We should ask that question again. Is that really who we are as America? Maybe we need to ask the question again with Planned Parenthood, who we give half a billion dollars in funding to. Maybe this is not a good idea. and other organizations that serve people all over the country raise their funds separately and don't do it by federal funds? Maybe that's a legitimate question that we need to ask. Mr. President, we have hard questions to deal with as a nation. Budget, regulations, future direction that we're going. Why don't we add to the list, do we really care about children or not? And on a day that we pass an education bill, before we pat ourselves on the back saying how much we care about children, let's make sure we're dealing with a compassion for children at every age, not just at certain ages. Have we really become this numb? And how do we turn it around? That woman has a right to choose next. How can somebody hear that and not go, you know, he's right. What are we doing? How come? Well, when a conscience gets hardened, when there is no restraint in a culture, that you would hear something like that. I hear that, and I'm, gulp. It's so true, and it's so obvious, and it's so ridiculous. We protect an eagle egg, but we kill babies in the womb. Not a problem there. How do we look at that and conclude, yeah abortion's a good idea. Well, I think it's simply because the further and further away that we get from any sort of biblical restraint, the church being having any sort of power, shame being removed, added to that God's hand of judgment, it just gets worse and worse. So Christian, just know, that's all, just know, are we not really, well I guess you could say Great Britain, but mostly we're the exception to the way that countries have lived as Christians. Usually, we're on the outs. Well, we are now. We better start adjusting. What is it like? How do you live in this culture? How do you respond to this? You keep talking. You keep preaching. You keep strengthening your church. You keep raising your children. And that's what we've been called to do anyway. Keep fighting for the unborn. Keep training your children. Keep teaching your children. That's it. That's all. And keep preaching the gospel. Do you know anything about Senator Lankford? I like that guy. That was pretty sharp. By the way, did I mention I was in Dallas, Texas? Had a chance at the hotel. Stayed in a pretty swanky place. The Teach Them Diligently conference was, it took place in the Sheraton Convention Center. They've got big ballrooms, really nice and hoity. By the way, the Benham brothers were there. They had a line of people lined up to like buy their books and get them signed. I'm just saying I didn't see a guy in the line. That's my little observation. General observation, yep. You just do with that as you see fit. And in the swanky hotel, it was the Sheraton right across the street, 1,800 rooms. That's a big hotel. That's like a small town every night of people. staying in those same beds over and over, which is an issue that I'm really, I'm working through it. I'm pretty much past it now. At any rate, they had a bunch of different newspapers out, and they had the USA Today, read that earlier. They had the Dallas Times, and then, hold on, I'll give you All right, we'll wait. Where would we go? This is from the Wall Street Journal. They were giving away the newspapers. You know what it dawned on me? It dawned on me with all of the trees that are now being saved because of the diminishing number of people that are getting the newspaper. It got me to thinking about all of the paper that must be saved because of the internet, emailing, eye clouding, who has a file cabinet anymore? We must be saving millions of trees every single year and yet people are still belly aching that we're using too many trees. You know what, okay, you don't like that the trees are being cut down in Peru? Then I'll tell you what, you really have a heart of compassion? You really want to help out people? Then work on their infrastructure so that they can have the internet, they'll cut down fewer trees. This was fascinating. How dare you say that? It's a lengthy article, both sides of this here, big piece of paper from the Wall Street Journal, talking about the evolution of language. And that word, they talk about minced oaths, like G-O-S-H, clearly we know, it's blasphemous without being overtly blasphemous. And how different words, we've simply evolved. Words that we used to consider coarse are not anymore. which is a reminder that we need to be aware of that. There can be generations, there can be societies that think that that particular word is bad and the other societies think it's good. The lesson for the Christian in this, if there are enough people in your culture that think it's a bad word, then it's a bad word and we shouldn't be using it. The one that I'm thinking about And I'm even like hesitant to say it so I'll just spell it F R E A K I N apostrophe We all get the illusion and while we still live in a society where that word is still I hope at least a little bit shocking maybe just maybe the Christian should ixnay the eking fray Until next time go serve your king