Beyond Mediocrity Blog

(Image courtesy of greentumble.com.) “In the third year of Hoshea son of Elah, king of Israel, Hezekiah the son of Ahaz, king of Judah, began to reign. He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Abi the daughter of Zechariah. And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord , according to all that David his father had done. He removed the high places and broke the pillars and cut down the Asherah. And he broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made, for until those days the people of Israel had made offerings to it (it was called Nehushtan). He trusted in the Lord , the God of Israel, so that there was none like him among all the kings of Judah after him, nor among those who were before him. For he held fast to the Lord . He did not depart from following him, but kept the commandments that the Lord commanded Moses. And the Lord was with him; wherever he went out, he prospered. He rebelled agains...

(Image courtesy of Fine Art America.) “My people—infants are their oppressors, and women rule over them…” (Isaiah 3:12). For thousands of years, societies were governed by the fathers; some still are. This is called patriarchy (literally, “father rule”). In our corner of the world, the egalitarian worldview has mislabeled patriarchy as one of the darkest and most horrible societal structures of all time. For the last sixty years, American society has been ruled by the weaker sex; however, righteous men have finally had enough, as feminism has brought with it unprecedented violence, child sacrifice (abortion), divorce, and promiscuity. [1] [2] [3] [4] In summary, the push by women in the 20 th century to gain a place at the gates, and the equally disastrous consequence of men abdicating their headship, has devastated families, declined society, and softened men.

(Image courtesy of istockphoto.com.) I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling; likewise also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire, but with what is proper for women who profess godliness—with good works. Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness. I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man ; rather, she is to remain quiet. For Adam was formed first, then Eve ; and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor. Yet she will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith and love and holiness, with self-control (1 Timothy 2:8-15). The Nicene Creed, written in 325 A.D., was one of the first creeds written and formally accepted by all orthodox Christians. The document itself, however, arose out of necessity. The heresies of the day blasphemed...

(Image courtesy of vecteezy.com.) As the seasons change once again, the air is turning chilly. Fields once green and growing are now brown ready for harvesting. Apples, pears, and peaches are ripe and finally edible. A couple of the kids and I even helped combine some corn recently. Fall is in the air! Along with the changes that necessarily follow the turning of the seasons, there is a new season dawning on our American nation – at least, for now. I had most of this article planned before the assassination of Charlie Kirk; I finished my notes one day before his murder. Now, I am putting my thoughts to ink one day after Charlie’s memorial service was held in Arizona. Over 100,000 people were in the stadium, included many heads of State, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defense Peter Hegeseth, Vice President J.D. Vance, and President Donald Trump. Erika Kirk, the widow of Charlie Kirk and new CEO of Turning Point USA, also spoke, even publicly forgiving the murde...

(Image courtesy of pintrest.com.) “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth” (Genesis 1:28). “It is not good that the man should be alone ; I will make him a helper fit for him” (Genesis 2:18). When God created man, he created him under the umbrella of two broad categories: dominion and companionship. Most of a man’s responsibilities fall under these two categories and, many times, they overlap. For instance, a man’s work falls under both categories: he has domain over a certain set of tasks to accomplish and at the same time is able to provide for the needs of his companions through accomplishing those tasks.

(Image courtesy of dreamstime.com.) A few years ago, I heard a missionary speak about the most difficult place to be a follower of Christ. I was expecting him to say “Pakistan” or “India” – some place where the persecution against Christians was the most intense. Instead, he said, “The most difficult place to follow Christ is in the United States of America.” Surprised, I listened intently to the reason why he would say that. He continued, “Because of the materialism in the U.S., it is difficult to stay focused on Christ.” His words still convict me to this day.