A Christian Perspective

Time for Offensive Strategy

August 1, 2026July 31, 2026 Loring Schultz

“I will lead a life of integrity in my own home.” Psalm 101:2b NLT

“But as for me and my family, we will serve the LORD.” Joshua 24:15 NLT

There is an on-going all-out assault on the family . It can be debated when the assaults started to occur, and what was the driving force setting it in motion. But there is no debate about the effects of broken families in the current day. Destruction of the family unit is one of Satan’s major goals. He, indeed, is the culprit in the destruction of the family. Satan and his demons are on the lookout for any breach in the family wall that is not fully secure. Defensive shields need to be erected, but more importantly in this case, the best defense is a powerful offense.

The Lord has laid down guidelines for us to follow in the structure of a family. Very simply, God created man in His image, male and female. He instituted marriage between one man and one woman, and children as a blessing creating a family unit. The husband (father) is to be the spiritual head of the family with the wife (mother) spiritual helpmeet to her husband. Both are responsible for bringing their children up in the admonition of the Lord. Simple enough, but there is a lot more to it as most married couples will tell you. Living in a fallen world with Satan shooting his arrows into the family through society’s ills, it’s time to deflect those arrows with a powerful offense of the Word of God and serve Him fully with a whole heart as a family.

King David made a pledge to reign as a righteous king and that started in his own home with his commitment to lead a life of integrity. David knew if he couldn’t live an exemplified life in his home, he would be incapable of leading a nation. He also knew he couldn’t do it without the Lord’s help, leading both his family and the nation. Christian fathers today cannot do it alone either, they need the Lord’s help in leading the family in a spiritual direction serving Christ. Joshua made it clear, as far as he was concerned, he and his family were going to serve the Lord. He knew failing to serve the God of the Bible would lead to all kinds of trouble. We see all kinds of trouble in Christian homes today as a result from the onslaught of the devil. These can be minimized drastically by going on offense following David’s and Joshua’s offensive strategy for families and homes.

One final thought: I realized with many broken Christian homes’ family structures vary. There are one-parent families, both men and women. Many Christian women are heads of the household due the father being absent. There are aunts, uncles, and grandparents who have assumed the role of head of the family. Whatever your circumstance, the Lord knows of it and will give you an extra spirit of grace as you train your children in the Lord. You can rest assured that your offensive strategy against the evil one will be just as powerful as you and your family are serving the Lord in your home with His help.

A Christian Perspective

Deception in the mid-term elections

July 25, 2026July 24, 2026 Loring Schultz

Read: Joshua 9 NLT – The Gibeonites Deceive Israel – Now all – Bible Gateway

“But when the people of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and Ai, they resorted to deception to save themselves.” Joshua 9:3-4a NLT

People waiting in line and voting at polling booths during U.S. midterm election — Voters line up and cast ballots at a busy midterm election polling station.

Desperate people will resort to deception when they are in fear or in danger of not getting what they want. The campaigns for the 2026 mid-term elections in the United States is starting to heat up with the summer heat. People are desperate from both major parties either to retain power or over seat the incumbents. Desperation will cause one to do and say anything that will prevent them from going down in defeat, or more accurately, that their opponent takes a seat in the United States Congress. Political campaigns have not been noted for their honesty and integrity for decades, but as the stakes become more larger and more pressing, we can be sure of a bumpy ride until election day and all the votes are counted whenever that will be.

Deception is as old as our first parents, Adam and Eve. Satan, who had tempted them with deception, is at the root of every lie in any political campaign today. Jesus had this to say about Satan, “He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies.” (Jn.8:44b nlt) And the apostle Paul tells us Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. (2Cor.11:14) That’s the worst kind of deception, appearing to do and say all the right things as a person of integrity only to pull the mask off after election day. American voters have their homework to do in analyzing every statement made and how it compares with previous statements and more importantly previous actions taken by the candidate. Are they feeding us an illusion, being fraudulent, or outright lying, or all three?

Christians have a sure-fire way of determining the sincerity and integrity of a candidate. First, examining how do their statements and policy proposals line up with scripture? Second, we should be in prayer for wisdom to discern if the candidate can be trusted if they are telling the truth. The greatest example of not seeking the Lord in prayer is found in the Old Testament book of Joshua. The result of not asking the Lord for guidance caused Israel to fall for the deception from the Gibeonites, who were desperate and fearing for their lives. The United States is in desperate times. The future governing of every citizen is at stake. All candidates seeking office with their campaigns are desperate. They want to win. May we be praying for wisdom to discern the truth and not fall for the deception of Satan’s lies.

A Christian Perspective

It’s not about religion

July 18, 2026July 16, 2026 Loring Schultz

Read: John 4:1-26 NLT – Jesus and the Samaritan Woman – Jesus – Bible Gateway

‘“For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.’ The woman said, ‘I know the Messiah is coming—the one who is called Christ. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.’ Then Jesus told her, ‘I AM the Messiah!’” John 4:24-26 NLT

Emblem featuring symbols of major world religions including Star of David, Cross, Crescent Moon and Star, Om, Dharmachakra, Sikh Khanda, Yin Yang, and others with a world map and monuments in the background — A colorful emblem showcasing major world religions surrounded by historic monuments and a map background.

A very familiar story in the Bible is ‘Jesus and the Woman at the Well.’ It is found in the New Testament book of the gospel of John. This story would be cataloged under ‘Christianity’ or the ‘Christian Religion.’ One of these placement files is named correctly, the other not so much. The story is about Jesus Christ, God the Son. Believers in Christ, those who have accepted Jesus as their savior redeeming them from eternal punishment, are called ‘Christians.’ Therefore to cataloged this story under ‘Christianity’ is correct. In fact cataloging the Bible under the same label is also correct. The Bible, from beginning to end, is about Jesus Christ and God’s plan of salvation.

Today there are over 4,000 religions in the world. How is religion defined? “Religion can briefly be defined as a specific belief system about God or gods expressed through a code of conduct, ethics, forms of worship, and rituals. Religion includes social, ethical, and ceremonial elements combined with the belief in an unseen world and often a deity.” (1) Christianity does not fit into any form of that definition except for a deity and life after death. Christianity is not a merit system of good conduct, or a form of ethics, and ritual worship. It is the free gift of salvation by grace and through faith in Jesus Christ.

Jesus offered the woman at the well this free gift of salvation using water as an illustration. “Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.” (Jn.4:13-14 nlt) Jesus then told the woman before He identified Himself as the Messiah, “For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.” (Jn.4:24 nlt)

It is not about religion, it is about Jesus Christ, the Son of God, fully God and fully man, who took our sins on Himself on the cross that we may have access to the Father and eternal life in heaven. If you are one who is struggling to find the right religion I understand your frustration and confusion, there are over 4,000 and they all can’t be right. There is only one and if you prefer to call it a religion that’s OK, because this religion has no set of rules to follow only to receive the free gift of salvation and live in total surrender to Jesus Christ.

(1) How Many Religions Are There in the World?

A Christian Perspective

The Fight for Life Goes On

July 11, 2026July 9, 2026 Loring Schultz

“The LORD is watching everywhere, keeping his eye on both the evil and the good.” Proverbs 15:3 NLT

Planned Parenthood health center building with sign and flag — The exterior of a Planned Parenthood health center

This past Tuesday, July 6^th, ‘World News Group’ reported the following story with the headline, “Congress allows measure defunding Planned Parenthood to expire.” They write in the first paragraph of the story, “A provision in last year’s ‘One Big Beautiful Bill Act’ that blocked federal funding for abortion providers, including Planned Parenthood, expired Saturday, with no extension. The abortion giant will again have access to government grants, contracts, and Medicaid funds, which in 2024 amounted to more than $800 million, about 39% of the organization’s overall revenue, according to the Charlotte Lozier Institute.” (1) Further down in the story it is revealed that, “The Trump administration in December 2025 quietly released over $65 million in Title X federal family planning grants to Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers.” (1) The sad reality is it does not matter which political party is in office, the fight for life goes on.

Another observation that the fight for life goes on are the number of abortions since the ‘Dobbs Decision’ overturning ‘Roe’ which was to curtail the abortion rate; it did not. “In the three years since the Supreme Court ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade, the total number of abortions nationally has slightly increased. The most recent data from the Society for Family Planning’s #WeCount project show that the average monthly abortion volume during the first half of 2025 was higher than the monthly average in 2024……For most of the decade prior to the Dobbs ruling, there was a steady decline in abortion rates nationally, with a slight uptick in the years just before the ruling.” (2)

The battlefield unfortunately has been moved to the privacy of the home bathroom. Abortion pills are available to be ordered on-line. “A two-drug combination of mifepristone and misoprostol is the most common medication abortion in the U.S.” (3) Many of these women reside in states with abortion restrictions and order the pills on-line or cross state lines to receive them. They are available over-the-counter with a prescription from a certified healthcare provider. “In 2023, medication abortion accounted for 65% of all clinician-provided abortions in the United States; by contrast, this method accounted for 53% of abortions in 2020.” (4)

As we can see this seems like a never-ending battle, but there isn’t anything God cannot do. We need to continue praying that God will move and change hearts away from this culture of death. We are to not give up supporting Pro-life causes but remain faithful because the fight for life goes on.

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A Christian Perspective

America 250

July 4, 2026July 1, 2026 Loring Schultz

Logo celebrating America’s 250th commemoration anniversary

Today marks the 250th anniversary of the birth of the United States of America. On July 4, 1776, the United States was born in the signing of the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Delegates from the thirteen original colonies settled by England in the 17^th and 18^th centuries had enough of the tyrannical rule from King George III. Freedom was sought after. “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

Before I go any further we must all recognized that the United States is not a perfect country, nor was it at its birth. Why? Because we live in a broken world and all mankind is sinful. The Bible says, “The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?” (Jer.17:9 nlt) Now that I have covered that, mankind is still capable of doing good when our hearts and minds are centered on our creator God. The men of the American Revolution were not perfect, but most of them believed in their creator God.

As the nation celebrates 250 years the question is asked will America make another 250 years. It may be a moot point for all of us today. But for some of you, will America celebrate a Tri-Centennial? I am old enough to remember America’s Bi-Centennial and the feel of celebration was quite different from the now 250^th anniversary. The difference is centered around one thing, the division of the country. Never before has America been so divided. If the thirteen colonies were as divided as we are today there would have been no will to continue seeking freedom. Being united is essential for freedom and our survival.

Being united is living by the documents established by the Founding Fathers. Beginning with the Declaration of Independence, the United States Constitution, and the Bill of Rights we have a government that is truly for the people by the people. They are for everyone and they work. The problem today is there is a constant effort to tear down the very structure that provides the freedom we all enjoy.

It seems obvious that if the United States of America will survive to see a Tri-centennial the divisiveness must end and our founding documents must stand. Of course, they need a little tweaking from time to time, but only ‘a little tweaking.’ We can agree to disagree and remain united for the sake of the safety of our country and hope for the future generations. Happy Birthday America 250!

A Christian Perspective

On Again, Off Again

June 27, 2026June 25, 2026 Loring Schultz

If you happen to be one of the many people who pay no attention to the news, either your local news, or the country you live in, or news from around the world, you are not the least bit distressed. So if you are one of the those, I’m sorry but I will bring you up to speed. The rest of you distressed ones hang in there with me. We will get through this together.

United States and Iran national flags flying on poles outdoors — American and Iranian flags waving side by side on flagpoles in a public area

The United States and Iran have been in a war (although maybe not officially) since February 28^th of this year. A noble effort by the United States and Israel to rid Iran of its intentions to secure a nuclear weapon and the leadership behind it was conducted quite successfully. The government of Iran was also responsible for the murdering of thousands of its citizens leading up to the military strikes. With any conflict things do not always go as planned. This is lasting longer than was anticipated and the world economy is taking a big hit and, of course, there are always politics involved.

This brings me the end of the war talks known as MOU or The Memorandum of Understanding. World leaders in their efforts to stop wars and bring peace between countries fall short most of the time. This is especially true when the MOU talks are ‘on again, off again’ several times within days. Even if the MOU is accepted for the six-month period, it is non-binding. It may very well be ‘back to the drawing board’ as was once said.

One explanation for this problem would be any agreement that does not line up with God’s plans will not hold up and never work. In the book of Psalms in says, “The LORD frustrates the plans of the nations and thwarts all their schemes. But the LORD’s plans stand firm forever; his intentions can never be shaken.” (Ps.33:10-11 nlt) World leaders not looking to the creator God to solve their problems will never reach a memorandum of understanding with lasting peace.
“Don’t put your confidence in powerful people; there is no help for you there.” (Ps.146:3 nlt) God’s plans are binding and final. If we can only get our world leaders to trust in God.

A Christian Perspective

Baseball, Hot Dogs, Apple Pie, and Pride Night

June 20, 2026June 19, 2026 Loring Schultz

Full disclosure before I begin, of all the major sports, baseball has been my all-time passion. Major League Baseball has done a solid job over the years promoting the sport and recovering from past mistakes as the gambling scandal in 1919 World Series, racial segregation of the early 20^th century, and the steroid era of the 1990’s. But there is another misstep (and is saying it lightly) MLB has made that if not corrected will leave a longer lasting scar than any of the previous three I have mentioned. The game itself is a great game and nothing can change that. A perfect example of this is the current NCAA College World Series. The game is the game, and it unites us in ways that are unimaginable. But MLB is about to destroy all that for the sake of bowing to the political pressure of the culture.

By now if you have not heard three San Francisco Giants players were warned officially by MLB of a violation they committed and no such incident in the future would be tolerated. The three players wrote Bible verse on their ‘Pride Night Theme’ caps. “The writing on the cap violates our rules, and consistent with normal practice, we have warned the players about future violations,” MLB chief communications officer Pat Courtney told the Athletic and Outsports in a statement.” (1) The three players were expressing what the rainbow colors mean to them by displaying ‘Genesis 9:12-16.’ Landen Roupp, “When speaking to media postgame, Roupp said the message was meant to point people to ‘God’s covenant and the promise that He makes to us.’ (2) With that the San Francisco Giants offered an apology to their fans saying, “We understand that the choices by individual players has caused pain and anger to many in the LGBTQ+ community and we are sorry for that.” (3) It is hard to understand that God’s covenant and His promises caused pain and anger among some of the fans, but that is what they say. I guess it didn’t matter to those ball players that wearing that cap may have caused them pain.

I applaud these players for taking a stand and we need more of them. There has been much support in their direction, but there needs to be more. This is not going away soon. Where it goes from here is any ones guess. If MLB continues to please less than 10% of its fans by making 90% feel uncomfortable with nothing that relates to the game of baseball, this is a train heading over a cliff which they have built themselves. It is time to correct this wrong as in the past. Failure to do so will result in tearing away the very fabric that made this game what it is today. America’s National Pastime, Baseball, Hot Dogs, and Apple Pie.

(1) https://www.nbcsportsbayarea.com/mlb/san-francisco-giants/landen-roupp-bible-pride-warning/1943585/

(2) https://www.foxnews.com/outkick-sports/san-francisco-giants-pitcher-writes-bible-verse-hat-defiance-pride-night

(3) https://abc7news.com/post/san-francisco-giants-players-draw-backlash-writing-bible-verses-pride-night-caps/19305024

A Christian Perspective

The Perception of Corruption

June 13, 2026June 12, 2026 Loring Schultz

Read: Psalm 14 NLT – Psalm 14 – For the choir director: A – Bible Gateway

“Only fools say in their hearts, ‘There is no God.’ They are corrupt, and their actions are evil; not one of them does good! The wicked frustrate the plans of the oppressed, but the LORD will protect his people.” Psalm 14:1, 6 NLT

California Republic flag with a bear and red star on white background — The California Republic flag waves against a clear blue sky

The term ‘perception of corruption’ has been trending on social media the last ten days since the California primary election here in the United States. It comes down to a simple observation of the modern technological age we live that all the ballots have not yet been counted. I am old enough to remember old relic voting machines that worked fine. When the polls closed 8 PM the vote totals were captured and sent to the county courthouse and on a good night the results were announced around 10 or 11 PM. Mail-in ballots, of course, were available to those serving overseas and for those who proved they would not been available to vote on election day in their precinct. Oh My, how things have changed.

Proponents of the new laws that have created this log jam say it is to ensure every person exercises their right to vote, and that every vote is counted. In all my years of voting I have never heard a report of a citizen registered to vote that had been denied that right, either in person or mail-in ballot, and their vote was counted. So, there must be another reason for reshaping the voting procedures in the United States. There is an old saying that goes something like this, ‘if it ain’t broken, don’t fix it.’ Well, it wasn’t broken, but it is now.

King David writing in Psalm 14 sheds some light on how and why this corruption may take place. Those who say there is no God are fools. This does not need to be an outright denial of God, but an arrogance of one claiming to be working for the benefit of others and believe that God is silent of their deception. As they work to help others they perceive their methods are righteous because they are legal, but as David wrote, “The wicked frustrate the plans of the oppressed.” (Ps.14:6 esv) It is indeed a perception of corruption. The people they claim they are trying to help are just as confused as the rest of us. Under the disguise of assisting others the powerful politicians become more powerful and filled with greed which they cannot let go of.

Christians today need to speak up whenever corruption raises its ugly head. But there are ways in which to act and ways not to act. We must be in prayer for our proper response and be praying for the United States and its election process that it will remain free from corruption and eliminating anything that enables a perception of corruption.

A Christian Perspective

Hate Crimes

June 6, 2026June 2, 2026 Loring Schultz

“You have heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not murder. If you commit murder, you are subject to judgment. But I say, if you are even angry with someone, you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot, you are in danger of being brought before the court. And if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell.’” Matthew 5:21-22 NLT

Our judicial system in the United States measures the punishment for a crime by determining what is appropriate according to the severity and circumstances of the crime. Obviously, a murder conviction would bring on a much stiffer penalty than an assault charge or shoplifting. More recently in the 21^st century the law now includes “hate crimes.” According to the United States Department of Justice a “hate crime” is “a crime plus the motivation for committing the crime based on bias equals a hate crime. In the simplest terms, a hate crime must include both “hate” and a “crime.” (1) The FBI’s definition is “A hate crime is a traditional offense like murder, arson, or vandalism with an added element of bias………Hate itself is not a crime—and the FBI is mindful of protecting freedom of speech and other civil liberties.” (2)

Our Lord Jesus also had something to say about hate crimes 2,000 years ago. The scribes and the Pharisees in Jesus’s day had an external view of the law. The outward deeds that were seen and committed such as murder would never have be done by these religious leaders. They reasoned they had never broken the sixth commandment, “You shall not murder.” Jesus corrects their misguided thinking, “But I say, if you are even angry with someone, you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot, you are in danger of being brought before the court. And if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell.” The real issue is the heart.

Anger, hate, and verbal abuse are the internal seeds of destruction that lead to murder. Jesus was pointing out the guilt of murder and inward sinful seeds resulting in abusive behavior are the same. Hate crimes are not only a product of our current society, but a product of a sinful heart since the fall of man in need of a Savior.

(1) https://www.justice.gov/hatecrimes

(2) https://www.fbi.gov/investigate/civil-rights/hate-crimes

A Christian Perspective

Pride Month

May 30, 2026May 26, 2026 Loring Schultz

Beginning next week the world will celebrate another ‘Pride Month,’ the recognition of the LGBTQIA+ community. While ‘pride flags’ and colors of this revolution will be hard to miss in public venues as sporting events, concerts, playground activities, retail establishments, restaurants, libraries, and sadly many churches, a much larger community must witness and absorb what they consider offensive and immoral. They are not alone because God Himself is offended and He has a few things to say about pride and ‘Pride Month.’

“The fear of the LORD is to hate evil; Pride and arrogance and the evil way And the perverted mouth, I hate.” (Pr.8:13 nasb)

“There they cry out, but He does not answer Because of the pride of evil men.” (Job35:12 nasb)

“In pride the wicked hotly pursue the afflicted; Let them be caught in the plots which they have devised.” (Ps.10:2 nasb)

“On account of the sin of their mouth and the words of their lips, Let them even be caught in their pride, And on account of curses and lies which they utter.” (Ps.59:12 nasb)

“When pride comes, then comes dishonor.” (Pr.11:2 nasb)

‘“Proud,’ ‘Haughty,’ ‘Scoffer,’ are his names, Who acts with insolent pride.’” (Pr.21:24 nasb)

“ For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened……Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them…….For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error.” (Ro.1:21, 24, 26-26 nasb)