Today’s the Day - Sort of

I know you’re busy today, so I’ll keep this short. I thought you might find some of this information interesting — as might your audience.

There was a time when election ‘day’ meant ‘Election Day’ to many people. All the voters showed up on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November to cast their ballot for local, county, state, and federal candidates — along with constitutional amendments and local issues. We were usually able to report most of the winners and losers before the late night newscast. At least that was my experience as a journalist for several decades.

However, that’s not how it started.

“Americans first began the custom of weekday voting in 1845, when Congress passed a federal law designating the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November as Election Day.

Before then, states were allowed to hold elections any time they pleased within a 34-day period before the first Wednesday in December, but this system had a few critical flaws.

Knowing the early voting results could affect turnout and sway opinion in states that held late elections, and those same last-minute voters could potentially decide the outcome of the entire election. Faced with these issues, Congress created the current standard Election Day to streamline the voting process.” History

One of the primary reasons for the 34 days was because many people were farmers. Landowners who owned farms wanted to make sure the harvest was in before citizens traveled to nearby towns to cast their ballots. However, Congress changed that based on reasons explained above.

While George Washington was the first president elected into office, the first Election Day took place on November 7, 1848. Whig Party candidate Zachary Taylor won the election becoming the 12th president of the United States.

Questions about ‘early voting?’ The United States has had some form of early voting since the Civil War. That’s when soldiers were allowed to cast absentee ballots. Modern early in-person voting has been around since the late 1970s and early 1980s. 47 states and Washington D.C. provided options for early in-person voting and/or mail ballots for the 2026 mid-term elections.

Tonight’s the Night — Sort of

I remember the nights when we stayed late because local election officials were counting ballots from large precincts until late at night. However, things have changed. Mail-in ballots, provisional ballots that require voter eligibility verification, ballots that were were not processed before polls closed, and military and overseas ballots can push election night counts into several days or even weeks after election night. That’s why election night results are announced as ‘unofficial and preliminary.’

“Election officials count as many ballots on election night as possible, but election night results are unofficial and never final. Each state has different rules for when mail, provisional, and military and overseas ballots can be counted. For example, some states require all mail ballots to be received by Election Day. Others allow mail ballots to be counted if they are postmarked by Election Day and received by a certain date.

Once all the ballots have been received, the canvass begins. This process usually involves analyzing vote totals to identify and resolve any discrepancies between the number of voters and the number of ballots cast. Most states also conduct audits to further verify the vote totals are accurate.

Once the canvass (and in many states, audits) has been completed, the election results are certified as final.

Some races or contests may be recounted after the certification process because the contest was close or a candidate or interest group requests it. Recounts differ from audits in that every ballot in a contest or a subset of contests in the election is recounted, and the official results of the election may change as a result.” United States Election Assistance Commission

You can learn more about election results, canvassing, and certification of elections here. Be sure you know the election laws in the state (or states) you cover so you can give your audience the most accurate information about when they’ll know the winners and losers. If ballot counting goes late into the night, be sure to leave plenty of notes for the morning crew so they can pick up where you left off in your coverage.

Remember

Remember that as a journalist your job is to report election results objectively and accurately. Your audience shouldn't be able to tell how you cast your ballot for any candidate. That’s what it means to be objective.

Have a great night!

Next Time

You will soon know the winners and losers in your local, state, and federal elections. What’s next for journalists? Join us next time as our series about Covering the 2026 Campaigns continues.

Comments and Questions Welcome

I hope these thoughts are helpful to you. Please share your comments and questions and I will respond as quickly as I can. If you like what we’re doing in this newsletter, please let your friends know about it so they can subscribe.

Newsletter Purpose

The purpose of this newsletter is to help people who work in the fields of journalism, media, and communications find ways to do their jobs that are personally fulfilling and helpful to others. I also want to help news consumers know how to find news sources they can trust.

You are saved and learning how to study the Bible. You are learning the ‘rules’ God established for those who serve Him. Wonderful! What are you learning about what happens next? It’s fairly simple –

• Love God

• Obey God

• Serve God

That’s it in a nutshell. There are a lot of specifics in how we accomplish those three things, but those three things are basically what God wants us to do. He saved us. He redeemed us. He bought us. He owns us. Doing what He tells us to do is the least we can do. God is our Savior and Lord. He is the Master. He is our Heavenly Father. We are His servants. We are His children. We are His treasure and He is ours. That is the ‘heart of the Gospel’ of Jesus Christ.

Where the Heart Leads

Jesus Christ died on the Cross, rose from dead, promised eternal life to those who believe, and told His disciples where they would go next (from Matthew 28 and Acts 1):

• Make Disciples of All the Nations

• Baptize Them in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit

• Teach Them to Observe All Things That I Have Commanded You

• Be Witnesses of Christ in Jerusalem, and in All Judea and Samaria, and to the End of the Earth

Paul’s Service

Jesus chose Saul of Tarsus a few years later and told him through Ananias what would happen in his ministry (from Acts 9):

• He is a Chosen Vessel of Mine

• To Bear My Name Before the Gentiles, Kings, and the Children of Israel

• He Must Suffer for My Name’s Sake

Jesus later prepared Paul (Saul) for his ministry (service) to God by doing the following (2 Corinthians 12 and Ephesians 3):

• Paul was Caught Up Into Paradise

• Paul Saw Many Visions and Received Many Revelations from God

• Paul Heard Inexpressible Words

• Jesus Gave Paul the Dispensation of the Grace Of God

• Jesus Made Known to Paul the Mystery By Revelation

• Paul Received Knowledge in the Mystery of Christ

• God Gave Paul a Thorn in the Flesh So That He Would Not Be Exalted Beyond Measure

• Paul Asked God to Remove the Thorn, but God Told Paul, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.”

Our Loving Service

So, how do we lovingly ‘serve’ God as His children? Remember that God gave Paul knowledge in the ‘mystery of Christ.’ Read what Paul said in the Book of Acts and what he wrote in his letters to churches (e.g. Romans, Ephesians, Colossians, Philippians) and to church leaders (e.g. Timothy, Titus). What you will find in Paul’s writings about how we are to serve God is fairly simple. Here are several examples:

“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:10

“How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!” Romans 10:14-15

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.” 2 Corinthians 5:17-19

“Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord.” Romans 12:10-11

Our service to God includes:

1. Doing the good works which God prepared beforehand for us to do

2. Preaching the Gospel of Peace to the unsaved

3. That preaching will lead to men being reconciled to God

4. Loving those who are reconciled to God

While this is not difficult to understand, it is apparently difficult to do because less than a third of Christians do it:

“Only 3 in 10 unchurched Americans (29%) say a Christian has ever shared with them one-on-one how a person becomes a Christian.” Lifeway Research

“Ninety-five percent of all Christians have never won a soul to Christ. Eighty percent of all Christians do not consistently witness for Christ. Less than two percent are involved in the ministry of evangelism.” Evangelism Statistics

“In our study, we found that 85% of all believers ages 18-29 agree that they have a responsibility to share the gospel with unbelievers, and that 69% of those same people feel comfortable sharing their faith. However, only 25% of them look for ways to share the gospel and only 27% of them intentionally build friendships with unbelievers in order to do so.” The State of Evangelism

This lack of interest among Christians to obey and serve God should be cause for great alarm by church leaders. However, it seems that pastors are also unable to lead people to share Christ – either by words or their own example:

“Just 12% of Pastors Say They Are Very Effective in Encouraging Christians to Share Their Faith” Barna

I’ve spent a lot of time through the years working with pastors and evangelists from the United States and many other countries, so the statistics I’ve seen don’t surprise me. Unfortunately, it’s a very sad situation across the world. Here’s another sad fact:

“70% of pastors are untrained in evangelism.” Evangelism Statistics

Think about that for a moment. 70% of Christian pastors across the world are untrained in evangelism. Does that shock you? It should, especially in light of what we read in the New Testament. Evangelism is not a ‘suggestion.’ It is a direct ‘command’ from God.

That terrible statistic takes me back to what Paul wrote the Christians in Rome:

“How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!” Romans 10:14-15

If more than two-thirds of pastors across the world are untrained in evangelism, is it any wonder that only a small percentage of Christians have any interest or training in sharing the Gospel of Christ with their friends, neighbors, co-workers, or even members of their own family?

This must change! Who says? Jesus Christ, the Lord of the Church. If we love Jesus – I mean REALLY LOVE JESUS – we will do what He wants us to do. The fact that the vast majority of Christians and their leaders are not doing what our Lord wants us to do says much about the sad state of the ‘church’ in these last days. My prayer, and I hope your prayer, is that we will come to our senses and do God’s Will.

In Christ’s Love and Grace,

Mark McGee

GraceLife / Faith and Self Defense / Grace Martial Arts / Substack

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

© 1971-2026

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We recently completed a series about teaching elderly people how to defend themselves. Now, we’re looking at training people who are blind. You can read the first part here.

Train the Cane

Canes become an extension of a blind person’s body after training and regular usage. That is an advantage for blind people. They are familiar with using a cane and can respond defensively almost as fast as a martial artist trained in using a sword or other weapon.

I want blind people to think of their canes as ‘defensive weapons.’ Canes are often between four to five feet in length, which gives the blind defender an advantage. A blind person must learn how to use every advantage they can when attacked by a sighted person. Learning how to use the length of a cane to stop or at least slow an attack is one of those advantages.

I have found it helpful through more than 60 years of teaching self defense and martial arts to understand the unique needs of every student. I often tell students that they are ‘unique, unrepeatable miracles of God,’ because they are! Every student is unique.

If you’ve never trained a blind person in how to use their cane for self defense, let’s begin by understanding what it’s like for them. Here’s a short video from a blind person’s perspective.

Developing a self defense program for blind people will depend on the makeup of the class. Teaching individual members of your martial arts class will be different than teaching a class where all students are blind. Another possibility is having a class made up of totally blind and legally blind students. Each student is unique, and each type of blindness is also unique.

If you are teaching alone, you can develop a system of showing one group basic movements to drill while you are showing another group a different set of basic movements. You may find that a well-trained blind person can help you with the training. Or, you may have another Black Belt instructor who is interested in learning how to train.

The difference between “totally blind” and “legally blind” is basically this:

• Totally blind – “a complete loss of sight”

• Legally blind – “corrected vision of 20/200 in their best-seeing eye. If visual aids such as glasses can correct a person’s vision to 20/20, they are not considered legally blind.”

[Source: Industries for the Blind and Visually Impaired]

Training That Works

I’ve often said that the best self-defense system for a person is the one that works for them. The same is true for a blind person, whether totally blind or legally blind. In the case where I had about two hours to train 150 totally blind people some basic self-defense skills, I focused on basic escapes from grabs and holds and how to use their cane to inflict extreme discomfort to their attacker. I also emphasized the importance of yelling loudly directly into the attacker’s face or ear. I taught them how to use the grip end of the cane to strike an attacker in the chest, throat, or face. I also taught them how to quickly raise their extended cane straight up to catch the attacker in the groin or to stop them from approaching. They did very well and gave me great feedback that helped me better understand their interest in and need for self defense. Helping people build confidence is a big part of what self defense instructors can do for their students,.

That’s a lot of material to go through with a large class in two hours, but I knew I’d probably never see most of them again. They lived in many cities across the state where I taught and had all come to a central location for training. As an instructor, you have to determine the best type of training given the specific teaching environment. If you’ll see someone only once, you want to equip them to be able to defend themselves in a way they understand and can replicate while you’re with them. I knew that many of the students would see each other on some regular basis, so I encouraged them to continue to practice together.

I’ve taught other classes where only a few people were blind (total and/or partial blindness), but they attended the class weekly. The advantage of that kind of ongoing class is you have more time to train them in ways that will deepen their understanding of how self defense works. They practice during the week and bring lots of questions and ideas to the next class. People who know the importance of learning self defense make for some of the best students. They are motivated and focused. That’s a great combination.

Next Time

One of the first lessons I teach blind people is how to develop a sense of ‘feel’ and ‘touch’ that supports their increased senses of ‘hearing’ and ‘smell.’ I’ll explain how that works in the next part of our special series, Protecting the Vulnerable.

Free eBook

We invite you to download and share a free eBook about protecting vulnerable older people.

Next Time

We will focus on how blind people can use their other ‘senses’ for self defense in the next part of our special series, Protecting the Vulnerable.

Please Subscribe and Invite Others

We hope you will subscribe to Women’s Self Defense and invite daughters, mothers, and other women in your life to subscribe as well. Subscribing means that each new newsletter will arrive in your inbox as soon as it’s published. Articles will also be available under the Self Defense section of this Substack website.

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I am here to help you, so please share your comments, concerns, and questions about self defense. Even though I’m emphasizing “Women’s” self defense, the principles and techniques I’ll share are just as applicable for boys and men.

The Republican Party

I would like to end the Political Party series with the Republican Party. Journalists should know everything they can about the candidates and political campaigns they cover — at the local, state, and federal level. My hope is that sharing the history of each major party, along with its current platforms, will help you as you do your job of covering the news honestly and objectively.

“Republican Party, or GOP (Grand Old Party), One of the two major political parties in the U.S.; it is today generally associated with individual economic freedom and conservative social policies. It was formed in 1854 by former members of the Whig, Democratic, and Free Soil parties who chose the party’s name to recall the Jeffersonian Republicans’ concern with the national interest above sectional interests and states’ rights. The new party opposed slavery and its extension into the territories, as provided by the Kansas-Nebraska Act. Its first presidential candidate, John C. Frémont, won 11 states in 1856; its second, Abraham Lincoln, won the 1860 election by carrying 18 states. Its opposition to slavery and association with the Union victory in the American Civil War allowed it a long period of dominance nationally; for these reasons, the party was also uncompetitive in the South for more than a century after the war. Republican candidates won 14 of 18 presidential elections between 1860 and 1932, through support from an alliance of Northern and Midwestern farmers and big-business interests. In 1912 the party split between a progressive wing led by Theodore Roosevelt and a conservative wing led by Pres. William Howard Taft; the rift enabled the Democratic candidate, Woodrow Wilson, to win that year’s election.

The Republican Party’s inability to counter the impact of the Great Depression led to its ouster from power in 1933. In 1953 the presidency of Dwight D. Eisenhower brought a moderate wing of the party to prominence. The party’s platform was conservative, emphasizing anticommunism, reduced government regulation of the economy, and lower taxes; many members also opposed civil rights legislation. In the 1950s the GOP gained new support from middle-class suburbanites and white Southerners disturbed by the integrationist policies of the national Democratic Party. Republican Richard Nixon, who lost the 1960 presidential race to Democrat John F. Kennedy, won narrowly in 1968 and by a landslide in 1972. He resigned in 1974 as a result of the Watergate scandal. Ronald Reagan, who had assumed the leadership of the conservative wing of the Republican Party after Barry Goldwater’s defeat in the presidential election of 1964, won the presidency in 1980 and 1984; he introduced tax cuts and launched a buildup of U.S. military forces. Reagan’s vice president, George H.W. Bush, was elected in 1988 and enjoyed enormous popularity after success in the Persian Gulf War, but an anemic economy led to his defeat in 1992 by Democrat Bill Clinton. The defeat was offset in 1994, when the Republicans regained control of the House of Representatives for the first time in 40 years. In 2000 George W. Bush narrowly won the presidency over Democrat Al Gore. In 2004 Bush won reelection. In part because of growing opposition to the Iraq War, Republicans lost control of both the House and the Senate following the 2006 midterm elections, and Republican John McCain was defeated in the 2008 presidential election by Democrat Barack Obama. During Obama’s two terms, Republicans gained control of the House (2010) and the Senate (2014). In the 2016 presidential election, Republican Donald Trump defeated Democrat Hillary Clinton, and during his presidency the party split between Republican traditionalists and the pro-Trump MAGA (Make America Great Again) movement. Trump lost to Democrat Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election, but he solidified his control over the party, becoming its nominee again in 2024 and winning the election. The Republican Party continues to emphasize tax cuts, traditional social values, and a strong national defense.” Britannica

The Republican Party Platform

I saved the Republican Party’s platform for last because they did something unusual for a political party. They held the first-ever midterm convention. It was held September 9-10 in Dallas, TX. The GOP party’s platform prior to the convention was based on its policies for the 2024 election. I was interested to see if the 2026 convention would make any changes to the 2024 platform. I didn’t think it would based on comparing the 2024 platform to how the Republican Party has governed since January 2025, but I wanted to watch the process before writing this newsletter.

As I thought, the convention did not make changes to the 2024 Platform. In my opinion, the convention looked more like a political rally rather than an attempt to add new planks to a party platform.

With that introduction, here is the Republican Party Platform from its official website. You’ll notice that the platform is the same one the party used for the 2024 Election: (I will add, in the Party’s words, an explanation for any topic that needs more information to understand it — you can read the explanations in full at the Republican site.)

• Unleash American Energy

• Rein in Wasteful Federal Spending

• Cut Costly and Burdensome Regulations

• Stop Illegal Immigration

• Restore Peace through Strength

• Secure the Border

• Enforce Immigration Laws

• Begin Largest Deportation Program in American History

• Strict Vetting

• Stop Sanctuary Cities

• Ensure Our Legal Immigration System Puts American Workers First

• Cut Regulations

• Make Trump Tax Cuts Permanent and No Tax on Tips

• Fair and Reciprocal Trade Deals

• Reliable and Abundant Low Cost Energy

• Champion Innovation: Crypto, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Expanding Freedom, Prosperity and Safety in Space

• Housing Affordability

• Accessible Higher Education

• Affordable Healthcare

• Lower Everyday Costs

• Rebalance Trade

• Secure Strategic Independence from China

• Save the American Auto Industry

• Bring Home Critical Supply Chains

• Buy American and Hire American

• Become the Manufacturing Superpower

• Protect Social Security

• Strengthen Medicare

• Support Active and Healthy Living

• Protect Care at Home for the Elderly

• Protect Economic Foundations for Supporting Seniors

• Great Principals and Great Teachers

• Universal School Choice

• Prepare Students for Jobs and Careers

• Safe, Secure, and Drug-Free Schools

• Restore Parental Rights

• Knowledge and Skills, Not CRT and Gender Indoctrination

• Promote Love of Country with Authentic Civics Education

• Freedom to Pray

• Return Education to the States

• Empower American Families

• Rebuild Our Cities and Restore Law and Order

• Make Washington D.C. the Safest and Most Beautiful Capital City

• Take Care of Our Veterans

• Make Colleges and Universities Sane and Affordable

• Combat Antisemitism

• Overcome the Crisis in Liberal Arts Education

• Restore American Beauty

• Honor American History

• Republicans Will Stop Woke and Weaponized Government

• Republicans Will Dismantle Censorship & Protect Free Speech

• Republicans Will Defend Religious Liberty

• Republicans Will Protect and Defend a Vote of the People, from within the States, on the Issue of Life

• Republicans Will End Left-wing Gender Insanity

• Republicans Will Ensure Election Integrity

• Republicans Will Protect Americans in the Territories

• The National Interest (Republicans will promote a Foreign Policy centered on the most essential American Interests, starting with protecting the American Homeland, our People, our Borders, our Great American Flag, and our Rights under God)

• Modernize the Military

• Strengthen Alliances

• Strengthen Economic, Military, and Diplomatic Capabilities

• Defend America’s Borders

• Revive our Industrial Base

• Protect Critical Infrastructure

As you interview Republican candidates for elected office, ask them about these planks in the Party Platform. Know as much about each one as you can so you can ask tough and probing questions that will help voters know where the candidate stands on each plank.

Next Time

The 2026 General Election will soon be history. How should journalists cover the winners and losers in their local communities? Join us next time as our series about Covering the 2026 Campaigns continues.

Comments and Questions Welcome

I hope these thoughts are helpful to you. Please share your comments and questions and I will respond as quickly as I can. If you like what we’re doing in this newsletter, please let your friends know about it so they can subscribe.

Newsletter Purpose

The purpose of this newsletter is to help people who work in the fields of journalism, media, and communications find ways to do their jobs that are personally fulfilling and helpful to others. I also want to help news consumers know how to find news sources they can trust.

The Long Road

The road from atheist to Christian took me about five months. Some former atheists I know took longer – some shorter. Each person has to walk their own path to discover truth.

My desire was to discover if God existed or not. I did not believe He existed, so I lived life as an atheist. I believed there was no purpose, no reason to life, so I lived it in any way that I wanted. Most atheists I knew in the 1960s and 70s believed as I did. We were all pretty hard core – what some today might call “strong” atheists. We were vocal about our atheism and pushed backed on religious people.

I’m not going to repeat much of what I’ve written on this and other blogs during the past 31 years (I started writing blogs in 1995), but I will share this from an article I wrote in 2018:

As I investigated the truth claims of theism and Christianity, I thought back to the conversations I had had with atheist leaders on my radio talk show (e.g. Madalyn Murray O’Hair, Freethinkers) and the many atheist writers I had read (e.g. Bertrand Russell, Friedrich Nietzsche, David Hume). I considered the evidence for atheism they had given me along with the new evidence I was learning about from Christian apologists. The evidence for theism and Christianity was stronger.

It came down to which worldview had the better evidence. Once I became a follower of Jesus Christ many other things came into view that have changed me as a person. I found purpose and reason for life because I became connected to Life Himself.

Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.’ John 14:6

That is a profound truth claim. Either it is true or it is not. I believe it is true. I believe that Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ, is the Son of God. I believe that He is the way, the truth, and the life. I believe that no one comes to God the Father except through Jesus.

For Atheists and Agnostics

Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. John 7:13-14 (NIV)

The road to believing in God was long for me – 23 years long. It was a wide gate and broad road that would have led me to utter destruction if I had stayed on it. Thanks to God’s love and grace, I am no longer on that road. The road that leads to eternal life begins at a small gate called faith – “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31). As Jesus said, “and only a few find it.” I found that gate, not because I’m smart or perceptive or someone special, but simply because God had mercy on me.

A self-righteous religious man named Saul of Tarsus came to understand the same thing centuries ago. He wrote these words so that everyone would know how to leave the broad road that leads to destruction and step through a small gate to walk a narrow road that leads to eternal life –

And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:1-6).

If God does not exist, then there is no reason for you to be concerned if you do not believe in Him. However, if God does exist and if He did send His Son to die for your sins and you reject that gift, then you should be concerned. I wasn’t concerned until I was convinced. My hope and prayer is that you, too, will be convinced.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. ‘He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.’ John 3:16-18

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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Democratic Party History

“The Democratic Party is the oldest political party in the United States and among the oldest political parties in the world. It traces its roots to 1792, when followers of Thomas Jefferson adopted the name Republican to emphasize their anti-monarchical views. The Republican Party, also known as the Jeffersonian Republicans, advocated a decentralized government with limited powers. Another faction to emerge in the early years of the republic, the Federalist Party, led by Alexander Hamilton, favored a strong central government. Jefferson’s faction developed from the group of Anti-Federalists who had agitated in favor of the addition of a Bill of Rights to the Constitution of the United States. The Federalists called Jefferson’s faction the Democratic-Republican Party in an attempt to identify it with the disorder spawned by the “radical democrats” of the French Revolution of 1789. After the Federalist John Adams was elected president in 1796, the Republican Party served as the country’s first opposition party, and in 1798 the Republicans adopted the derisive Democratic-Republican label as their official name.

From 1828 to 1856 the Democrats won all but two presidential elections (1840 and 1848). During the 1840s and ’50s, however, the Democratic Party, as it officially named itself in 1844, suffered serious internal strains over the issue of extending slavery to the Western territories. Southern Democrats, led by Jefferson Davis, wanted to allow slavery in all the territories, while Northern Democrats, led by Stephen A. Douglas, proposed that each territory should decide the question for itself through referendum. The issue split the Democrats at their 1860 presidential convention, where Southern Democrats nominated John C. Breckinridge and Northern Democrats nominated Douglas. The 1860 election also included John Bell, the nominee of the Constitutional Union Party, and Abraham Lincoln, the candidate of the newly established (1854) antislavery Republican Party (which was unrelated to Jefferson’s Republican Party of decades earlier). With the Democrats hopelessly split, Lincoln was elected president with only about 40 percent of the national vote; in contrast, Douglas and Breckinridge won 29 percent and 18 percent of the vote, respectively.” Britannica

That’s a brief history of the Democratic Party. You can read the entire Britannica article to learn more about the party. It has continued to be one of the most powerful and influential political parties in the United States during the past century.

Covering Democrats

I recommend that journalists do their homework before interviewing candidates from any particular political party. You can find a lot of good information on party websites, in addition to talking with elected officials and party candidates.

Here are some of the top priorities of the current Democratic Party — in their own words:

• Democrats believe that every American deserves a fair shot at the American dream

• We’re focused on lowering costs, improving healthcare, creating jobs, ending corruption, and protecting our democracy

• We will strengthen Medicare and Medicaid that have made tens of millions of lives better, instead of constantly threatening to shred their benefits like Republicans have done

• Trump’s chaotic trade wars, his war of choice in Iran, and his disastrous policies have blown up the economy, while wages fall behind and Americans struggle to find good jobs

• Democrats are fighting to bring an end to Republican chaos and incompetence, ensuring that Americans can comfortably cover their everyday expenses

• Republicans care more about billionaires and foreign investors than they do working Americans

• They’re rigging the tax system so that corporations pay less than working people

• Democrats will make the rich pay their fair share

• We will go after corporations for price gouging and protect Americans from being nickled and dimed by unfair fees

• Donald Trump, his family, and his closest allies are openly getting rich off the presidency and selling America off to the highest bidder, while pardoning and protecting criminals

• While Democrats keep fighting to lower costs for working families, Trump is rigging our economy for his Mar-a-Lago friends and billionaire donors, who like him, are only in it for themselves

• Democrats are working to strengthen the justice system so that every person is treated fairly and equally, and that no one – no matter how wealthy or well-connected – is above the law

• As president, Trump doubled down on the trickle-down policies of the past, cutting investment in infrastructure and education, and rewarding big corporations that ship jobs and profits overseas. He vowed to bring new factories to communities across America, but left nothing behind but a string of broken promises

• Democrats are fighting to protect American democracy

• We believe in free and fair elections and equal representation for all

• As Republicans redraw electoral maps to rig elections, Democrats are countering the gerrymandering to even the playing field

• Republicans have turned their backs on their constituents, and know that they can’t win without suppressing the vote

• Democrats believe that every state, district, and community in America should be able to pick elected officials who truly represent them

• We are working to protect and strengthen the Voting Rights Act and break down the barriers Republicans have created for Americans to exercise their constitutional right to vote

• No president in the modern era has ordered more military strikes against as many different countries as Donald Trump

• On Trump’s watch, American troops are dying, hundreds are getting injured, and veterans have lost access to the care and support they need

• While our troops die overseas, Americans at home are terrorized and killed on the streets by Trump’s masked federal agents with impunity

• Democrats have a deep respect for American servicemembers and veterans, and believe they deserve better both while they’re on duty and when they return home

• Republicans have sought to ban abortion and restrict reproductive healthcare for women

• Democrats are fighting to restore the protections enshrined in Roe and ensure that the right to choose is protected for every woman in America

• Democrats believe we need to call out the spread of false information that creates chaos and sows division in an information environment dominated by social media news and AI

• Democrats will put competent professionals at the helm of critical national security agencies like the Department of Homeland Security, the FBI, the Department of Defense, and the Department of Justice

• We believe in secure borders, common-sense immigration laws, and fair enforcement

• We also believe in the humanity and dignity of every person

• Federal agents should not be able to take over your city, target children, or kill innocent people in the streets

• We will continue upholding the rule of law while enacting effective programs for crime reduction

• Democrats are dedicated to reducing gun violence and investing in public safety

• Americans deserve to live in a country they can afford, where if they work hard, they can get ahead

• We believe in keeping the American Dream alive – whether you’re trying to afford college tuition, open a small business, or start a family

• Democrats are running on the promise that this future is possible, and it’s our commitment to the communities who elect us to represent them

Democratic Party At Odds?

Two of the most powerful groups within the Democratic Party are the New Democrat Coalition (NDC) and the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA). The NDC is viewed as a center-left caucus within the U.S. House of Representatives currently comprising 115 members. They view themselves as a ‘solutions-oriented’ group and desire to win back swing voters using more moderate positions that emphasize lowering costs (e.g. groceries, gas, housing), taxing the rich, and putting caps on utility prices.

• Pro-economic growth

• Pro-innovation

• Fiscally responsible policies

I wrote about the DSA in the previous newsletter, so you can click on this link to read specifics about what they would like the Democratic Party to become and do. Many in the NDC caucus view DSA members as too radical.

“Moderate Democrats looking for their party to take back control of the U.S. House in November are offering an alternative to the economic populism message peddled by their more liberal counterparts.

A new blueprint from the center-left New Democrat Coalition, shared exclusively with CNBC, lays out a road map for addressing affordability — top on voters’ minds — without splashy populist promises.

“Buzzy sounds good in a sound bite, but you often end up with unintended consequences or unworkable solutions,” New Democrat Coalition Chair Rep. Brad Schneider, D-Ill., said in an interview. “We’re hearing people saying they are frustrated with the bombast, but also the hollow promises, and they want to see their government coming up with thoughtful solutions.”

The new plan underscores a tug-of-war within the Democratic Party over its economic message ahead of the pivotal November elections, which could return the party to power after President Donald Trump and his Republicans swept the 2024 elections. And with Trump’s polling on the economy plummeting, picking a winning strategy could be the difference between making the president a lame duck and spending two more years in the political wilderness.

The New Democrats argue Americans want a more moderate approach that bridges the gap between big business and the average voter.

“I reject the idea that business is bad,” said Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, D-Pa., one of the plan’s authors. “This is a set of solutions, tangible, practical, doable solutions, and an answer to ‘what are you going to do when you’re in charge?’” CNBC

I think this final statement by New Democrats in the CNBC article is insightful as the Democratic Party looks for ways to bring everyone together on the points of most interest to the voting public:

“The New Democrats, who count 115 U.S. representatives as members, insist their road map is not in conflict with their progressive counterparts.

“I think this is an agenda that can and should unite our caucuses across both chambers and across the ideological spectrum,” said Rep. Sarah McBride, D-Del., a member of both the New Democrat Coalition and the House progressive caucus. “The American people don’t discriminate between progressive versus moderate; they’re looking for solutions that are relevant to them.” CNBC

You can read the complete NDC Policy Priorities document here.

Next Time

I’ll look at the platform of the Republican Party as our series about Covering the 2028 Campaigns continues.

Comments and Questions Welcome

I hope these thoughts are helpful to you. Please share your comments and questions and I will respond as quickly as I can. If you like what we’re doing in this newsletter, please let your friends know about it so they can subscribe.

Newsletter Purpose

The purpose of this newsletter is to help people who work in the fields of journalism, media, and communications find ways to do their jobs that are personally fulfilling and helpful to others. I also want to help news consumers know how to find news sources they can trust.

I can imagine the Apostle Paul sitting in his prison cell in Rome as he wrote what would be his final letter. He had written many letters to churches and a few to individuals involved in Christian ministry. I think Paul knew this would be his final letter, so he took everything God had taught him about ministry during the previous decades and shared it with Timothy and told Timothy to share it with ‘faithful men who will be able to teach others also.’

“For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand.” 2 Timothy 4:6

Rule #36

Be watchful in all things

The Greek word for ‘watchful’ is néphó and means ‘to be sober, abstain from wine, not intoxicated, be sensible.’ Here’s the context – the reason why Paul told Timothy to ‘be watchful in all things:’

“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.” 2 Timothy 4:3-4

There have been many times in ‘Church’ history when people in churches have not ‘endured’ sound doctrine, but have turned to teachers who tell them what they want to hear. We are certainly living in a time just like that. Today’s churches, denominations, Bible colleges and seminaries are filled with false teachers, and the people ‘love it.’ It reminds me of what the Prophet Jeremiah wrote a short time before the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple:

“The prophets prophesy falsely, And the priests rule by their own power; And My people love to have it so. But what will you do in the end?” Jeremiah 5:31

Good question – what will you do in the end? If you want to serve God and serve the spiritual needs of people, you must ‘be watchful in all things.’ Don’t allow yourself to be drawn away by people who have a form of godliness. That’s tantamount to becoming intoxicated with wine. Stay vigilant. Beware and be aware.

Rule #37

Endure afflictions

Taking a stand for the truth of God’s Word will not make you popular in today’s world. Even as ‘Christians’ heap up for themselves false teachers who will lead them away from truth, those Christian ministers who are determined to remain true to the Word of God ‘rightly divided will face persecution and ‘afflictions.’

The Greek word for ‘endure afflictions’ is kakopatheó and means ‘endure hardship, endure suffering, suffer hardship, undergo hardship, suffer trouble.’ One of the interesting aspects of the word’s meaning is that what the Christian minister experiences may appear to be a ‘setback,’ but it’s not. Keep in mind who is behind Christian Ministry – the Holy Spirit. Here’s a reminder of what Jesus Christ told His disciples the Holy Spirit would do in the world:

“I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear themnow. However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you.” John 16:12-15

The Spirit of God lives in each of His true children and He will not fail us. Even when we suffer hardship, persecutions, and severe afflictions, God is with us and is accomplishing His will.

Rule #38

Do the work of an evangelist

It is because of what the Holy Spirit is doing in the world that Paul told Timothy to ‘do the work of an evangelist.’ The word ‘evangelist’ is euaggelistés and means ‘one who proclaims good news, one who preaches good news.’ That goes back to a previous verse in Chapter Four where Paul told Timothy to ‘Preach the word!’ That’s what every Christian should do. That’s what your pastor should do. That’s what your group study leader should do. That’s what your children’s ministry workers should do. That’s what your youth leaders should do. Preach the word and do the work of an evangelist.’

Rule #39

Fulfill your ministry

The word ‘fulfill’ is plérophoreó and means ‘fully persuade, fully accomplish, completely convince, make full proof of.’ The idea is doing God’s work to the ‘fullest extent.’ People committed to serving God don’t stop until the work is finished. Who know when it’s finished? God does. He will tell us when we have fulfilled our ministry (service) for Him and to others.

Rule #40

Fight the good fight, finish the race, keep the faith

This may be one of the best-known and most quoted of Paul’s writings. After all that he had told Timothy about how to minister and how to teach the people who would be able to teach other, Paul wrote this:

“For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.” 2 Timothy 4:6-8

Timothy knew Paul well. They had traveled together in ministry for many years. Timothy knew that Paul was being truthful when he said, ‘I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.’ Timothy was a witness to Paul’s testimony as a Christian minister. Timothy also knew that Paul’s time on Earth was quickly coming to an end and that Timothy and other people Paul had trained would need to take up his mantle and carry forth the life-giving message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Is there a reward waiting for Christians who carry out the Gospel ministry faithfully? Absolutely! They will receive a ‘crown of righteousness’ which Jesus Christ will give them on the Day of His appearing. May we be among that number.

eBook

This eBook contains all 40 Rules for Ministry, along with my commentary and continual prayers for you as you serve God and others through the precious Gospel of God’s Grace toward us through His Son Jesus Christ.

In Christ’s Love and Grace,

Mark McGee

GraceLife / Faith and Self Defense / Grace Martial Arts / Substack

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

© 1971-2026

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Everyday Activities?

What do I mean by that? Simply what people normally do every day. That can include:

• getting up in the morning

• making breakfast

• brushing your teeth

• getting the kids off to school

• taking the dog outside

• feeding the cat

• driving to work

• driving home for lunch

• driving home after work

• making dinner

• having dinner with your family

• clearing dishes from the dinner table

• placing dishes in the dishwasher

• cleaning and drying dishes

• putting dishes, glasses, pots, and pans away

• placing clothing into the washer

• taking clothing out of the washer

• placing clothing into the dryer

• taking clothing out of the dryer

• watching television

• answering a phone call

• answering the doorbell

• vacuuming the house

• bending forward to pick up something

• taking out the garbage

• reading a book

• talking with family members

• taking a shower or bath

• getting dressed for bed

• getting into bed

• taking a walk around the neighborhood

• enjoying a swim

• playing a game outside

• playing a game inside

• going to lunch with friends

• attending the meeting of a club or organization

• going to church

• mowing the yard

• pulling weeds

• planting and maintaining a garden

• climbing a ladder

• painting your house

• pulling leaves out of the gutters

• planning a birthday or graduation party

• attending a family wedding

• going with friends to a restaurant

• visiting with family members or neighbors

• traveling as a passenger in a car, bus, train, or plane

Those are some examples of ‘everyday activities’ that most people do with little to no difficulty. To most people none of those are ‘scary’ or would cause someone to be concerned about having some negative physical response. That is — unless you have Ménière’s Disease. If you have recently been diagnosed with Ménière’s, you will find life activities that are ‘ordinary’ or ‘everyday’ can take on an entirely different meaning for you.

Honesty

I promised that I would be ‘honest’ with you in this series. That’s one of the reasons I’ll be sharing quotes from other sufferers of Ménière’s during the coming months. I’ve talked personally to many Ménière’s sufferers and read quotes from hundreds of others on Ménière’s forums. While ‘scientific evidence’ is vital in understanding how a disease works and how it affects sufferers, I know as a journalist that verified ‘anecdotal evidence’ is also important (‘evidence in the form of stories that people tell about what has happened to them’ Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary). The real-life impact of a disease on people should be noted as well as the science behind the disease.

First, let’s remind ourselves of what ‘scientific evidence’ the medical community has told us about both the diagnostic criteria and patient effects of Ménière’s Disease —

Next, let’s look at the ‘anecdotal evidence’ of two Ménière’s sufferers. I can also attest to what they relate because of my own experience during the past 20 years and that of many other people I’ve known who were diagnosed with Ménière’s —

Next Time

Ménière’s is a rare disease and can affect people of all ages (though most tend to be diagnosed in their 40’s, 50’s, and 60’s). Before I dive into specific challenges you’ll face, I want to address the ‘age factors’ of Ménière’s — how old you were when diagnosed, how many years you’ve had Ménière’s, etc. Knowing how age affects you physically and emotionally may assist you in understanding how the disease will impact your quality of life in the years ahead. More about that in the next edition of The Ménière’s Years.

[I also recommend you read Neil Canham’s ‘Meniere’s Without The Spin.’]

“… rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer.” Romans 12:12

Here’s to hope!

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The History of Political Parties

How many political parties do we have in the United States? Two? Three? Four? Five? Would you be surprised to know that there are ‘scores’ of political parties in the U.S.? I read one report that claimed there are about 400 parties in America. Most of those parties are known as ‘minority’ because of the low number of members. Some are only ‘single state’ parties because they don’t have enough members to qualify in other state elections.

The major parties currently are two: Democratic and Republican. However, the Democratic Socialist Party - a liberal wing of the Democratic Party - is currently growing in size and influence. They will most likely continue to grow in the coming years based on recent primary elections. More about that in a few minutes.

Some of the earliest political parties in America included:

• Federalist Party

• Democratic-Republican Party

• Whig Party

• Democratic Party

• Republican Party

By the time I began following political campaigns as a young journalist in the 1960’s, the Democratic and Republican parties dominated political campaigns. Personally, I am an Independent and have been since I began voting. That’s because I believe, as do many older journalists, that the people who cover political campaigns should not belong to any particular party. Many other Americans also believe in the importance of being politically ‘Independent.’ We are not beholden to any political persuasion. If someone wants the vote of an ‘Independent,’ they have to earn it through persuasion. Hopefully, that persuasion is logical.

“A record-high 45% of U.S. adults identified as political independents in 2025, surpassing the 43% measured in 2014, 2023 and 2024. Meanwhile, equal shares of U.S. adults — 27% each — identified as either Democrats or Republicans.

In most years since Gallup began regularly conducting its polls by telephone in 1988, independents have been the largest political group. However, the independent percentage has increased markedly in the past 15 years, typically registering 40% or higher, a level not reached prior to 2011.” Gallup (January 12, 2026)

This means that the dominant political parties must pay attention to the interests of Independent voters. Journalists should remember that as they cover political campaigns. While politicians want to keep their party’s ‘base’ on their side, they must also appeal to ‘independent’ voters. That often places candidates and their campaign staffs walking a ‘fine line’ when it comes to issues and policies. 45% is a big number.

Socialist Parties in America

I remember interviewing leaders of the Socialist Party of America in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s. They told me the party had hundreds of dues-paying members at that time. Those numbers grew during the 80’s, 90’s, and 2000’s.

“Originally founded in 1901, the Socialist Party of America has a history that is of the American Socialist movement. It has had its share of critical missteps and fractures, but like that movement, we have a chance to redeclare freedom from the two-party system and constitute what could have been.

We’re refounding as an independent socialist political party working to awaken and empower fellow workers and compatriots. You are invited to join us in rebuilding a movement dedicated to the working masses, not the wealthy ruling classes.” Socialist Party

As I mentioned above, I interviewed leaders of the Socialist Party of America between the years of 1968 and 1972 — then they changed names.

“The Socialist Party of the United States of America (SPUSA), usually simplified as Socialist Party USA or Socialist Party, is a multi-tendency democratic socialist party in the United States. The SPUSA was founded in 1973 as a successor to the Socialist Party of America, which had been renamed Social Democrats, USA a year before. The party is officially committed to multi-tendency democratic socialism.” Library of Congress

“Democratic Socialists of America (DSA)—and its two predecessor organizations, the Democratic Socialist Organizing Committee (DSOC) and the New American Movement (NAM)—had their origins in the early 1970s, at the beginning of a long-term rightward shift of U.S. and global politics. This shift to the right—symbolized by the triumph in the 1980s of Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher—somewhat overshadowed the central role these organizations played in the movements of resistance to corporate domination, as well as in today’s ongoing project: organizing an ideological and organizational socialist presence among trade union, community, feminist and people of color and other activists.” Atlanta DSA

Many people credit U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders as the most powerful influencer to move the Democratic Party toward Socialism even though he runs as an Independent. Current DSA-affiliated House members include Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Rashida Tlaib. Jamaal Bowman and Cori Bush were also part of the DSA push in Congress until their defeat in the 2024 elections. It appears that more members of the DSA may win election to Congress in 2026. Other DSA-backed candidates have already won Democratic primaries in heavily Democratic districts. If you are a journalist in one of those districts, you should find this newsletter of special interest as you cover election issues.

The DSA has come a long way from the small group of Socialists I interviewed in the 1960’s and 70’s. They are quickly becoming a major force in American politics:

“On July 4, 2026, Democratic Socialists of America passed 120,000 members, making us the largest socialist organization in United States history and surpassing the Socialist Party of America under Eugene Debs, which reached its peak dues-paying membership in 1912.” X

Socialism in America, which was often ignored by Americans years ago, is now making itself heard and seen in powerful ways. They have won and continue to win elections in many cities and states across the country. They are demonstrating a great deal of enthusiasm and influence inside one of the primary political parties in the United States (Democrats). Many people believe Socialism could be a dominant wing of the Democratic party within the next five to ten years.

“Despite its name, the DSA is not exclusively made up of democratic socialists. The organization consciously operates as a ‘big tent’ for leftists (as described by Maurice Isserman, a charter member of the DSA), lacking a rigid orthodoxy to which participants must adhere. Such ideological diversity often leads to fractious debate within the group, but members are united in the basic belief that capitalism is fundamentally unjust and must be replaced by a more democratic system that economically and socially empowers all people, regardless of ethnicity, gender, or age.” Britannica

The focus of Socialism’s influence currently appears in local, state, and federal elections. The new mayor of America’s largest city is a member of the DSA. As I mentioned earlier, members of Congress are already members of the DSA. Many of the candidates running for Congress, the U.S. Senate, state political offices (e.g. governors, lieutenant governors, state representatives), and city and county elected offices are members of the DSA. They are well-organized, well-funded, and focused on winning elections to bring about their broad agenda.

The Socialist Agenda

For people who may be unfamiliar with what Socialists want to happen in the United States (and across the world), here is what they want and why (in their own words):

“The political and economic system under which we live is built on private ownership and profit at all costs. As capitalism fails to solve problems of its own making, it turns to right-wing authoritarianism. Big business makes deals with the government to line their pockets, and politicians stoke hatred between working people. Instead of offering real solutions to unemployment and the cost of living, they attack immigrants, communities of color, and trans people. Rather than fixing our broken healthcare system, they push snake oil and circulate conspiracy theories. The Republicans are in on it, the Democratic Party is asleep at the wheel, and both are funded by the same criminal class of billionaires and war profiteers.

The Democratic Socialists of America is building a party whose goal is a democratic society of the working class. Our enemies are not just individual bosses, but the entire global system of capital; not just this or that cop, judge, or president, but the entire anti-democratic structure of our society. We are workers fighting to transform society: to win the battle for democracy, draft a new constitution, and create a democratic socialist republic.

DSA has written this program for ending capitalist oligarchy and creating a real democracy. Some of these demands may be won under our current system, but we know complete victory will require building a new society from the ground up. We push these demands to their furthest extent today, so we can fight for their fullest realization in a socialist future.” Democratic Socialists of America

It’s important as a journalist that you thoroughly understand what’s happening politically and economically in the United States (and across the world). As they’ve stated, members of the DSA want to:

• transform society

• win the battle for democracy

• draft a new constitution

• create a democratic socialist republic

The more journalists know and understand the positions of each political party, the better they will be able to cover politics and political campaigns in 2026, 2028, 2030, 2032, and for many years in the future until the Unites States is a completely ‘Socialist’ nation.

DSA Proposals

Core economic and social proposals from the DSA include (quoting directly from the official DSA website):

• Guarantee universal healthcare at no cost to individuals, including complete access to reproductive and gender-affirming care

• Expand healthcare access and quality by investing in new public hospitals and clinics

• Make all medical education and training public and free

• Expand public resources to support recreation, learning, and social spaces accessible to all

• Establish paid family leave for all workers, a 32 hour work week with full pay and benefits, and a living minimum wage

• Provide free, quality public education from pre-K to college and cancel all student debt

• Build new, publicly-owned social housing

• Strictly regulate investment properties

• Establish universal rent control

• Guarantee right to counsel for all tenants

• Free childcare (including undocumented immigrants)

• Free education for all (including undocumented immigrants)

• For the working class to govern, we need a new political system

• End political corruption and legalized bribery

• Get rid of lobbyists, dark money, and Citizens United, and publicly finance all elections

• Abolish the Electoral College

• Replace the President and Supreme Court with an executive and judiciary chosen by and subordinate to Congress

• Replace the two-party system with a multi-party democracy

• Expand the House of Representatives

• Implement proportional representation and ranked choice voting in all elections

• Abolish the Senate

• End ICE detention and deportations and punish federal agents' brutality

• Legalize migration

• Grant amnesty for all immigrants regardless of status

• Provide a path to citizenship for all permanent residents

• End visa caps and quotas

• End the legacies of slavery and colonialism

• Reinforce anti-discrimination laws

• Honor all treaties and tribal sovereignty

• Enact reparations and massively invest in good jobs, quality housing and infrastructure in neglected minority communities

• Demilitarize police departments

• Disempower police unions

• Redirect funding to public services as steps towards fully abolishing the police and prison system which protects the rich and jails the poor

• Treat drug addiction and mental illness as health issues, not crimes

• End qualified immunity and empower civilian oversight bodies with real authority over the police

• Socialist feminism fights for queer liberation and the freedoms of all working class women

• Stop gender violence and end policies that oppress bodily autonomy and intimate life, including patriarchal restrictions on abortion, childbirth and childraising, gender expression and transition, marriage, and divorce

• Ban sex discrimination and ensure fair compensation and support for all forms of labor, including care work

• Workers must lead our democratic transition to a green future

• Pass a federal jobs guarantee

• Implement massive investment in sustainable, publicly owned energy and transit infrastructure

• Phase out the use of fossil fuels

• Reclaim and repair our earth's resources for all

• Defund the Department of War

• End all foreign wars and close overseas military bases

• Support and fully employ veterans

• End immunity for U.S. war criminals and support the International Criminal Court's mandate to prosecute war crimes

• Recognize the rights of the Palestinian people, including the right of return, the right to resist military occupation, and the right to self determination in a free Palestine with Jerusalem as its capital

• End all military and economic aid to Israel

• Prosecute U.S. and Israeli leaders responsible for the genocide in Gaza

• People around the world deserve to live their lives without U.S. interference

• End economic warfare against countries whose governments act independently of the United States, such as Cuba, Venezuela, and Iran

• Extend full voting rights to all permanent U.S. residents and restore the right to vote for incarcerated people and people with criminal convictions

• Establish statehood for Washington D.C.

• Recognize the right to self-determination for all U.S. territories and colonies

• Expand and protect voting rights and end voter suppression

• Establish public ownership of the largest corporations and essential industries to ensure democratic control and accountability to the people

• Enact aggressive wealth taxes on the richest individuals and corporations to spend on public goods and infrastructure

• Empower workers to come together and fight the boss

• Protect, expand, and enforce the rights of all workers to form, join, and strike with their unions, regardless of industry

• Support union members who organize reform caucuses, democratize their unions, and take political action

Our job as politically independent journalists (which you should be) is to fairly represent the views of each candidate and political party. The only way to do that is dig into every plank of every political party’s platform and cover campaigns fairly and honestly. Be curious. Be skeptical. Our country depends on our independence from the influence of any political party.

Next Time

I’ll look at the platforms of the Democratic and Republican parties during the next two weeks as our series continues.

Comments and Questions Welcome

I hope these thoughts are helpful to you. Please share your comments and questions and I will respond as quickly as I can. If you like what we’re doing in this newsletter, please let your friends know about it so they can subscribe.

Newsletter Purpose

The purpose of this newsletter is to help people who work in the fields of journalism, media, and communications find ways to do their jobs that are personally fulfilling and helpful to others. I also want to help news consumers know how to find news sources they can trust.

Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them. When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted. Matthew 28:16-17

One of the benefits of having four Gospels in the New Testament is being able to get a full report about the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Three of the Gospels – Matthew, Mark, and Luke – are “synoptic.” That means they describe events from a similar viewpoint. It doesn’t mean they are identical, but they address many of the same events. The word “synoptic” comes from a Latin word (synopticus) which means “seen together, seeing all together.” The Gospel of John is not synoptic because it describes events from a different viewpoint. Having the four Gospels gives us an excellent perspective for understanding the ministry of Christ on earth.

Proof of Life

The Gospels are documents that serve as a “proof of life” for Jesus Christ. The writings of the apostles, who knew Jesus personally, are also proof-of-life documents. The Apostle Paul presented three types of that proof (evidence) in 1 Corinthians 15:

The gospel ‘which I preached to you:’

• Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures

• He was buried

• He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures

• He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve .. He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present .. He was seen by James, then by all the apostles .. He was seen by me also

This is a very powerful and convincing proof-of-life defense. Paul presented his argument in the typical logical and legal style of his time:

• Claim – ‘Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures’

• Supporting Evidence – ‘He was buried’

• Claim – ‘He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures

• Supporting Evidence – He was seen by Cephas, the Twelve, by more than 500 people at once, by James, by all the apostles, then by Paul himself

Paul’s claims and supporting evidence are found in the Gospels. Paul investigated the claims and discovered the supporting evidence as he talked with many of Christ’s followers who had seen Him dead, buried, and risen.

More than 500 at once?

One of the more controversial claims Paul made is that more than 500 people saw Jesus alive after the resurrection – at the same time. Where is that supporting evidence in the Gospels? It’s in several places:

But the angel answered and said to the women, ‘Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead, and indeed He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him. Behold, I have told you.’ So they went out quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to bring His disciples word. Matthew 28:5-8

And as they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, ‘Rejoice!’ So they came and held Him by the feet and worshiped Him. Then Jesus said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. Go and tell My brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see Me. Matthew 28:9-10

Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them. When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted. Matthew 28:16-17

After these things Jesus showed Himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias, and in this way He showed Himself: Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of His disciples were together .. This is now the third time Jesus showed Himself to His disciples after He was raised from the dead. John 21:1-2, 14

Let’s first do some observation to understand how these verses are evidence supporting Paul’s claim. Jesus died outside the city of Jerusalem. Jesus was buried near Jerusalem. Jesus rose from His burial place near Jerusalem. An angel spoke to women at the burial place near Jerusalem telling them that Jesus had risen from the dead. Jesus spoke to women near the grave where He rose from the dead – near Jerusalem. Jesus appeared to disciples who were walking along a road to the village of Emmaus, which was about seven miles from Jerusalem, on the same day that He rose from the dead (Luke 24:13-31). He appeared that same day to more of His disciples who were hiding in a house in Jerusalem (Luke 24:32-43). Jesus appeared to His disciples in Jerusalem eight days later to prove to Thomas that He was alive. Thomas was not with the other disciples when Jesus came to them the first time. Jesus showed Thomas proof of His resurrection and Thomas famously said – “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:24-29). Jesus appeared a third time to the disciples, but they were many miles north of Jerusalem near the Sea of Tiberias (Sea of Galilee).

Jesus most likely appeared to more than 500 people at the same time when He met the disciples in Galilee. The angel told the women that they would see Jesus in Galilee. Jesus told the women to tell the disciples to go to Galilee to see Him. Jesus saw some of the disciples first in and near Jerusalem, but later saw more of them in Galilee.

Two more important clues are that the disciples met Jesus at ‘the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them,’ and that while some of the disciples worshipped Him, some doubted. The ‘mountain’ in Galilee was most likely the same place along the sea where Jesus had spoken to His disciples in the past. Much of the Lord’s early ministry was in Galilee. Jesus was raised in Galilee (Nazareth) and established a type of headquarters in Galilee. Many of His disciples lived in Galilee and would have known where to go when they received word that the risen Jesus was going to meet with them.

The ‘Eleven’ would have had no doubts about Jesus by that time. They had all seen and talked with Jesus and were convinced He had a physical body that had been dead, but was raised to life. The disciples who ‘doubted’ may have been those living in Galilee when Jesus rose. Imagine standing with a crowd of more than 500 people on the side of mountain looking at someone you knew the Romans had killed. While some believed and worshipped Jesus, some doubted. I think that’s understandable under the circumstances. They may have come to believe later, but their initial reaction was doubt.

We know that Jesus ascended to Heaven ‘from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath days’s journey’ (Acts 1:12). We also know that the angels said this to the disciples who watched Jesus ascend from Mt. Olivet – ‘Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.’ So, what we have is a group of Galileans standing on Mt. Olivet watching Jesus ascend to Heaven. We also know that these people included male and female disciples, along with Mary, the mother of Jesus, and His brothers (Acts 1:13-14). They returned to Jerusalem and entered the upper room where they were staying. The number of people in the group ‘was about a hundred and twenty’ (Acts 1:15).

What Happened to the Witnesses?

Based on the list of people who saw Jesus alive after His resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:6-8), only 20% were in the group that went from the ‘mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem,’ entered into ‘the upper room where they were staying.’ What happened to the rest of disciples who saw Jesus alive in Galilee? About 400 of those people did not see Jesus ascend into Heaven or go into Jerusalem to receive power ‘when the Holy Spirit has come upon you’ (Acts 1:8). Why weren’t they there?

Some of the disciples ‘doubted’ when they saw Jesus alive after the resurrection. That doubt may have kept them from traveling from Galilee into Jerusalem. The fact that the Roman and Jewish authorities had Jesus killed and might still be hunting for His disciples, could have kept some of Christ’s followers from leaving the relative safety of their homes in Galilee to travel to the potential danger lurking in Jerusalem. Some of the disciples in Galilee may have ventured into Jerusalem for the annual Feast of Pentecost, but kept their distance because of doubts or fears. Some of those disciples at Pentecost may have heard Peter’s sermon in the streets of Jerusalem and joined more than two thousand others that day who may have ‘gladly received his word and were baptized’ (Acts 2:40). They may have been among the three thousand souls who were ‘added to them’ that day.

Luke wrote – ‘And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved’ (Acts 2:47). It may be that some of the disciples in Galilee joined with the apostles and other believers at a later time. Acts 9:31-32 tells us that ‘the churches throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and were edified. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, they were multiplied.’ That is evidence that there were believers in all parts of Israel meeting together to worship Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. We know that Saul of Tarsus tried to destroy churches and imprison believers until Jesus changed his life. Saul traveled all the way from Jerusalem to Damascus, Syria to accomplish his goal, so he would have probably traveled through Galilee looking for believers to arrest and throw in prison. However, after Saul’s (Paul’s) conversion and eventual return to Tarsus, the number of believers in Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace, were edified, comforted by the Holy Spirit, and multiplied in number.

Paul’s evidential claims in 1 Corinthians 15 are supported by the Gospels and Book of Acts.

Next Time

Please join me in the next From Atheist to Theist newsletter as I finish explaining why I converted from atheism to Christianity.

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Defining October Surprise

“a significant revelation or event in the month prior to an election that has the potential to shift public opinion about an election candidate and that is often orchestrated to influence the election's outcome .. NOTE: October surprise usually relates to U.S. presidential elections that occur in the month of November.” Merriam-Webster Dictionary

The history of political surprises that occurs within days or weeks of an election dates back to at least the 19th century:

“While regarded as a feature of modern politics, the history of the October surprise dates to the late 19th century. Then, as now, embarrassing revelations, last-minute disclosures, or ill-chosen rhetoric threatened to alter the outcome of a closely fought presidential campaign. A letter published in October 1880 over the forged signature of Republican candidate James A. Garfield appeared to endorse the use of immigrant Chinese labor. Republicans exposed the letter as a fraud and Garfield hung on to win in the fall.

In 1884, the surprise emerged when a group of religious leaders endorsed Republican candidate James G. Blaine in late October. Overshadowing the endorsement was a foolhardy rhetorical flourish that insulted key voting blocs courted by the Republican nominee in his campaign against the Democratic nominee, New York Governor Grover Cleveland.” Time Magazine

October Surprise Memories

I started covering political campaigns in 1968. That’s when I came to understand the meaning of ‘October Surprise:’

“In 1968, President Lyndon Johnson chose not to run for reelection, but he was committed to helping his Democratic vice president, Hubert Humphrey, defeat the Republican candidate, Richard Nixon. On October 31, 1968, LBJ ordered a halt to all U.S. bombing campaigns in Vietnam, announcing “a major step toward a firm and an honorable peace in Southeast Asia.”

But just days later, the peace talks in Vietnam fell apart and Humphrey lost to Nixon. Democrats alleged that Nixon secretly scuttled the talks by promising the South Vietnamese stronger support if he were elected president. (Casey, who later coined “October surprise,” was a Nixon aide in 1968.)

Four years later, the Vietnam War was still raging and Nixon was adamant about securing peace before Election Day 1972. In early October, there appeared to be a breakthrough in the peace talks with the North Vietnamese accepting America’s terms for an end to the conflict. Behind the scenes, though, the South Vietnamese strongly objected to the arrangement.

That didn’t stop Henry Kissinger, Nixon’s national security advisor, from attending a press conference on October 26 and proclaiming that “peace is at hand.” In reality, the war would continue for another three years.

“It was big news,” says Greenberg. “Today we would definitely call it an ‘October surprise,’ even though they weren’t using that phrase back then.”” History Article

Candidate Ronald Reagan’s campaign manager coined the term ‘October Surprise’ in 1980. He was referring to what he and others in the campaign thought was a scheme by then President Jimmy Carter concerning the Americans taken hostage by the Iranians. The name has been used ever since for a political campaign trying to shift public opinion toward their candidate just days before an election.

This can happen with local and state elections just as well as federal elections. If a candidate or his or her campaign releases last-minute information that could potentially damage another candidate, journalists need to be ready to find, confirm, and report the truth. That’s where ‘curiosity, skepticism, objectivity, and accuracy’ come into play for ‘real journalism.’

The closer journalists cover all sides of elections honestly and without bias the better they will be able to respond to an ‘October Surprise’ and help the public know the truth of the matter.

Campaign officials and staffers can be very good at ‘disinformation’ and planting ‘false’ information, so don’t be fooled by their tactics. Stay focused on discovering the truth. Stay skeptical about what people in campaigns 'claim.’ If you don’t think candidates and their campaign staff will stoop to lying to win an election, then I suggest you reconsider the history of politics in our country and across the world.

I wrote a newsletter about the history of ‘politician lying’ more than a year ago and invite you to read it again.

Lessening the Impact of the Surprise

Early voting has affected some of the ‘impact’ of October surprises because many ballots are cast prior to October or at least during the last weeks of October. That’s why we see attempts at August and September surprises more now because of early voting. However, stay on your toes because October surprises are still a tool in many campaign tool bags. Candidates will use it if they think it could turn a close election in the final days of a campaign.

Next Time

Understanding Political Parties in the next part of my series, Covering the 2026 Campaigns.

Comments and Questions Welcome

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Newsletter Purpose

The purpose of this newsletter is to help people who work in the fields of journalism, media, and communications find ways to do their jobs that are personally fulfilling and helpful to others. I also want to help news consumers know how to find news sources they can trust.

“I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.” 2 Timothy 4:1-2

The next five rules for Christian Ministry come from these two verses in 2 Timothy. The Apostle Paul wrote that the reason for these rules was that Jesus Christ will ‘judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom.’ Think about that for a moment. Our Lord and Savior is going to judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His Kingdom. Paul included this prophesy in his ‘charge’ to Timothy. The Greek word for ‘charge’ is diamarturomai and means ‘a solemn charge, an earnest testimony or witness.’

Rule #31

Preach the word

Timothy and all those who followed him in Christian ministry were to ‘preach the word.’ The word ‘preach’ is kérussó and means ‘proclaim, publish, herald, announce, declare.’ They were to ‘proclaim’ the ‘word’ (logos). Who is the ‘logos’ in the Christian context? Jesus Christ:

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.” John 1:1-4

Also in this context is the fact that the ‘Word’ is what God says. It’s the Scriptures that Paul wrote about two verses earlier. That’s what Christians are to ‘preach, proclaim, herald.’ What does your pastor ‘preach’ on Sundays? What do teachers in your church ‘proclaim’ in their classes? What do Christians in your church talk about with each other, with their neighbors, fellow students at school, co-workers?

The fact that Jesus Christ, the God of Creation, will one day judge the living and dead should weigh heavily on our minds and hearts as we interact with people God puts in our lives.

Rule #32

Be ready in season and out of season

Paul continued by writing that Christians should ‘be ready in season and out of season.’ What does that mean? The words ‘be ready’ in Greek is ephistémi and means ‘to stand upon, be present, be at hand.’ The idea is to be ‘ready’ to be confronted. The word is also translated ‘assault, stand over.’

The words ‘in season’ in the Greek is eukairós and means ‘opportune time, season.’ It comes from the word eukairos which means ‘well-timed, in time of need, timely.’

The words ‘and out of season’ in the Greek is akairós and means ‘untimely, lacking occasion, lacking opportunity.’

Paul was telling Timothy that a Christian involved in serving God and ministering to the needs of other people should be ready at all times. Christians will have many opportunities to minister to the needs of others. Sometimes those needs come steadily. Sometimes there are moments when needs come more slowly. God knows when those times will happen, but we don’t. We need to be ‘at the ready’ at all times to serve Him and others. How do we do that?

Rule #33

Convince

Paul mentioned ‘convince’ first. The Greek word is elegchó and means ‘admonish, convict, rebuke, reproof, expose with evidence.’

Rule #34

Rebuke

The word ‘rebuke’ is epitimaó and means ‘to charge, warn, censure, forbid.’

Rule #35

Exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching

The word ‘exhort’ is parakaleó and means ‘urge, beseech, call for, to call near, help, comfort’ The word paráklētos comes from the same root of the word Jesus Christ used for both Himself and for the Holy Spirit:

“If you love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.” John 14:15-18

Jesus Christ ‘comforted and helped’ the disciples while He was on the Earth. Jesus rules and reigns from Heaven now and the Holy Spirit ‘comforts and helps’ members of the Body of Christ on Earth now.

Returning for a moment to our primary Scripture for these five rules:

“I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.” 2 Timothy 4:1-2

Keep in mind that each aspect of the ministries Paul commanded Timothy and all Christians were based on the fact that the Lord Jesus Christ will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His Kingdom. Paul wrote those words to Timothy two-thousand years ago, which seems like a long time to humans, but it is but is but a flash in Heaven. Jesus is coming soon and He will bring with Him His mighty angels, ‘in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.’

“… which is manifest evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you also suffer; since it is a righteous thing with God to repay with tribulation those who trouble you, and to give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, when He comes, in that Day, to be glorified in His saints and to be admired among all those who believe, because our testimony among you was believed.” 2 Thessalonians 1:5- 10

I’ll share five more rules for Christian ministry in the next podcast.

In Christ’s Love and Grace,

Mark McGee

GraceLife / Faith and Self Defense / Grace Martial Arts / Substack

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

© 1971-2026

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I shared these thoughts at the beginning of our series:

I am very concerned about people being able to defend themselves against a physical attack. That’s why I’ve taught self defense and martial arts for 60 years. I hope you’ve found your classes and articles on this blog site helpful in your training through the years.

What I’d like to do in this new year is to focus on protecting the vulnerable. I’ve had the privilege of teaching self defense to many “vulnerable communities,” including the blind, deaf, elderly, paraplegics, brain damaged, veterans with PTSD, people with medical conditions, and children with learning challenges. Martial arts self defense has something for all of these people.

Self Defense For Blind People

God designed the human body to deal with challenges and hardships in extraordinary ways. Understanding His design of ‘adaptability’ is helpful in training blind people defend themselves. Even as a person loses one ‘sense,’ other ‘senses’ often become stronger. Though they cannot ‘see’ with their eyes, blind people often have a heightened sense of hearing, taste, smell, and touch. It’s as if they can ‘see’ things with their other senses. Keep that in mind as you train blind people. Help them learn how to use their heightened awareness through other senses to help keep them safe from attackers.

Some “blind” people are legally blind, while others are totally blind. All of the people I worked with in that class were totally blind, meaning each person carried a foldable cane. Foldable canes for the blind come in a variety of lengths, but most of the people I’ve trained carry canes that are about shoulder height in length. Some prefer canes that are between their chin and nose, or about four inches shorter than their height. Because people are different heights, canes for the blind come in varying lengths. The idea is for the person to walk safely at a normal pace.

For adult first-time cane users, we recommend measuring from your shoulders to the floor. The cane needs to reach about two steps in front of where you are stepping. The speed of your pace and length of your stride will make a difference. More experienced cane travelers may wish to have a longer cane, measuring at least chin height.

For children, teens, and young adults who are first-time cane users, we recommend measuring from your chin to the floor. More experienced cane travelers may wish to have a longer cane, measuring at least nose height.

National Federation of the Blind

Training Process

People who are totally blind are usually quite adept at using their cane. Some canes are solid (similar to a thin walking stick), while others fold into sections that can be quickly deployed to full length. One difference between these types of canes is their strength for self defense. Solid canes are often made from fiberglass. They are straight and tend to be stronger for blocking and striking. Folding or telescoping canes may be less strong, but are more sometimes more flexible.

Most of the blind people I’ve trained use folding canes. They tell me folding canes are easier to use because they quickly fold into a length that works well for traveling in cars, buses, taxis, and planes. The folding canes also work well for sitting at a desk or in a chair. Folding canes usually fold into four sections, making them easy to handle in these kinds of situations.

I teach blind people to use their canes for protection from both “folded” and “extended” positions. A folded cane is about two feet in length (a little longer for taller people). That is a great length for “jabbing” someone in the stomach, chest, throat, or face. I teach them to jab from the center of their body toward the voice of the attacker (if the attacker is talking) or toward the center of an attacker based on how they grab .. from both standing and seated positions.

In addition to ‘jabbing’ an attacker in the face, throat, chest, or stomach, a blind person can use their folded cane as a ‘striking’ weapon. If someone grabs them from the front and the cane is folded, the blind person can grab the cane with their hands near the middle of the cane in a way that allows for several inches of the cane to be extended at each end. I teach four basic directions for striking when holding the cane in this way.

1. Strike from left side across the body of the attacker – similar to a left elbow strike to the right side of an attacker’s arm or face.

2. Strike from right side across the body of the attacker – similar to a right elbow strike to the left side of an attacker’s arm or face.

3. Hold the cane with both hands toward the ends of the cane and raise the cane sharply in a striking manner. That would catch the attacker in the arms, stomach, chest, throat, chin, or nose.

4. Hold the cane with both hands toward the ends of the cane and lower the cane sharply in a striking manner. That would catch the attacker in the back of the neck or head. That’s good to use after you strike an attacker in the groin with your knee. The groin strike causes the attacker to double over (most of the time), allowing you to sharply strike the back of their head or neck with a descending blow from the cane.

5. I don’t recommend raising the cane above your head to strike an attacker because they can easily dodge the blow and take your cane away from you. Best to raise the cane and strike low before trying to strike higher. It’s more difficult for the attacker to see the cane coming at him from a lower position. The first strike is usually most effective if it comes from a ‘natural position.’ That way you won’t give away your intent to the attacker. They will be surprised that a blind person would strike them and keep striking until they were either knocked down or ran away because of your yelling the entire time you’re striking. That will draw people’s attention to someone attacking a blind person.

If the attacker grabs a blind person from their side, the blind person can turn their body toward the attacker and jab at their center mass. Once strong contact is made with the cane to the center mass of the attacker’s body, the blind person can follow up with a strong rising jab toward the attacker’s face. They can also turn to face the attacker (after the side jab), and use one of the striking techniques described above.

Depending on the blind person’s physical abilities, I teach some how to grab the attacker’s arm with one hand (strong grip) and perform a quick snapping kick toward the attacker’s leg. While continuing to hold the attacker’s arm with one hand, the defender can quickly turn toward the attacker and use the folded cane in the other hand to jab or strike. Because the kick to the attacker’s knee, shin, or top of the foot may cause them to bend forward, the cane may strike them in their throat, face, or forehead. While that may sound like a brutal response, I think the real brutality is a sighted person attacking an unsighted person.

As I mentioned earlier, I also teach the blind person to yell as they defend against their attacker. A strong yell can accomplish four important goals for self defense:

1. The yell can surprise the attacker and give the defender an extra second to carry out the defensive technique

2. The yell can draw attention from people who are nearby — witnessing someone attacking a blind person, and hopefully come to their aid

3. The yell can cause the attacker to reconsider the attack because of people becoming witnesses to the attack

4. The yell can embolden the defender and actually strengthen the veracity of the defense for a short burst of energy

Free eBook

We invite you to download and share a free eBook about protecting vulnerable older people.

Next Time

We will focus on how to “train the cane” in the next part of our special series, Protecting the Vulnerable.

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I am here to help you, so please share your comments, concerns, and questions about self defense. Even though I’m emphasizing “Women’s” self defense, the principles and techniques I’ll share are just as applicable for boys and men.

It’s up to journalists who cover political campaigns to cut through the ‘name calling’ to find, confirm, and report the truth about each candidate for public office. Candidates call their opponents many different names including Capitalist, Communist, Socialist, Fascist, Nazi, Marxist, Racist, Radical, Lunatic, UnAmerican, etc.

Two questions for journalists: what do those ‘names’ mean? And is there any ‘truth’ to the accusations?

Let’s begin by defining some of the names, then we’ll look at how we discover the truth of each accusation. Keep in mind that this is not just for national election coverage. Candidates in local and state campaigns often ‘throw mud’ at each other in what’s known as ‘negative campaigning.’

It’s been going on in the United States since at least the early 19th century. The 1800 presidential race between Thomas Jefferson and John Adams is an example of some very ‘negative’ campaigning.

“In addition to the often scurrilous things they said about each other, Adams and Jefferson had surrogates who attempted to outdo them.

As Rick Ungar wrote in 2012 for Forbes magazine, the president of Yale University, a John Adams supporter, suggested that if Thomas Jefferson were to become president, ‘We would see our wives and daughters the victims of legal prostitution.’

A Connecticut newspaper, noted Ungar, warned that the election of Jefferson would create a nation where ‘murder, robbery, rape, adultery and incest will openly be taught and practiced.’

Not to be outdone, James Callender, ‘an influential journalist of the time — wrote that Adams was a rageful, lying, warmongering fellow; a ‘repulsive pedant’ and ‘gross hypocrite’ who ‘behaved neither like a man nor like a woman but instead possessed a hideous hermaphroditical character.’” Chicago Tribune Opinion Page

Look into most of the national campaigns from the last 200+ years and you’ll find that the majority of them contained ‘name calling.’

Here are some of the names I’m hearing candidates ‘hurl’ at each other during the 2026 campaign. Without looking at a dictionary, do you know the definition of each one?

Capitalist —

Communist —

Socialist —

Democratic Socialist —

Nazi —

Neo-Nazi —

Fascist —

Neo-Fascist —

Christofascist —

Marxist —

Nationalist —

RINO —

DINO —

Racist —

Radical —

Radical Left —

Radical Right —

Moderate —

Moderate Right —

Moderate Left —

Elitist —

Nepo Baby —

Establishment Member —

Misogynist —

Lunatic —

Crazy —

UnAmerican —

Anti-Semitic —

Pro-Semitic —

Now, look up the words in a couple of good dictionaries and see how you did. It’s important that you know what candidates are calling each other. Why? Because ‘names’ often stick in voters’ minds when they cast their ballots. If journalists don’t challenge candidates on the ‘name-calling,’ the best candidates may not be elected to office.

Another reason is that name-calling can impact voter turnout. That occurs through a combination of ‘mobilization’ and ‘demobilization.’ Anger can become a driver in mobilizing people to go vote because of name-calling in campaigns. Some campaigners speak about it as ‘mobilizing the base.’ On the other side name-calling in campaigns can lead to voter fatigue and disengagement from wanting to vote. That’s the ‘demobilization effect.’ Name calling can cause an ‘erosion of trust’ in the election system.

I rarely hear journalists ask candidates if they know the definition of the names they call their opponents or what evidence they have to back up their ‘name-claims.’ It’s the job of a journalist to ask questions that inform their audience about the qualifications of candidates to perform the duties of political office. If a candidate wants to call names — call them on that. Journalists can help return a sense of ‘trust’ in the election process by demonstrating a desire for credible campaigning.

Policy Views

Candidates also use other names to describe their policy views. Be sure you know what the policy terms mean and that you ask candidates what those terms mean if they either support or oppose them. While every community has policy issues, I’m listing those that impact all citizens from a federal level. Journalists should keep in mind that they have access to federal issues through members of Congress from their district(s) and members of the U.S. Senate. The following list contains some of the top mid-term election issues, but there many others. Add to this list as you hear candidates opposing or supporting other issues.

Pro-AI/Anti-AI

Pro-Marxism/Anti-Marxism

Pro-Communism/Anti-Marxism

Pro-Socialism/Anti-Socialism

Anti-Constitution/Pro-Constitution

Anti-American/Pro-American

Abolish the Senate, the Supreme Court, and All Other Institutions of Minority Rule/Don’t Abolish the Senate, the Supreme Court, and All Other Institutions of Minority Rule

Nationalize Major Industries and Medical, Energy, and Transport Infrastructure/Don’t Nationalize Major Industries and Medical, Energy, and Transport Infrastructure

Bring the Economy Under the Control of a Common Plan Decided by the Working Class/Don’t Bring the Economy Under the Control of a Common Plan Decided by the Working Class

Medicare for All Including Undocumented Immigrants/Medicare for Legal Citizens Only

Medicaid for All Undocumented Immigrants/Medicaid for Legal Citizens Only

Voting for All People Including Undocumented Immigrants/Voting for Legal Citizens Only

No Voter ID Necessary to Show to Cast Ballot/ID Necessary to Show to Cast Ballot

Mail-in Ballots Accepted After Election Day/Mail-in Ballots Not Accepted After Election Day

No Deportation of Undocumented Immigrants/Deportation of Undocumented Immigrants

Racial Reparations/No Racial Reparations

Repatriation of Stolen Land from Indigenous Peoples/No Reparation of Stolen Land from Indigenous Peoples

Anti-Establishment/Pro-Establishment

Defund the Police/Fund the Police

Abolish ICE/Support ICE

No Police on College Campuses/Police on College Campuses

Anti-Prisons/Pro-Prisons

Anti-2nd Amendment/Pro-2nd Amendment

Anti-Guns/Pro-Guns

Close Overseas Military Bases and Abolish the Standing Military and Police/Don’t Close Overseas Military Bases and Abolish the Standing Military and Police

Anti-Closed Borders/Pro-Closed Borders

Tax the Rich More/Don’t Tax the Rich More

Eliminate the Presidency/Keep the Presidency

Eliminate the U.S. Senate/Keep the U.S. Senate

Eliminate the Supreme Court/Keep the Supreme Court —

Pack the Supreme Court/Keep the Supreme at Current Number

Make Puerto Rico and Washington DC States/Don’t Make Puerto and Washington DC States

Anti-Tarrifs/Pro-Tarrifs

Anti-Israel/Pro-Israel

Pro-Gaza/Anti-Gaza

Pro-Hamas/Anti-Hamas

Pro-Government Owned Grocery Stores/Anti-Government Owned Grocery Stores

Housing for Everyone Including Undocumented Immigrants/No Housing for Everyone Including Undocumented Immigrants

Free College for Everyone Including Undocumented Immigrants/No Free College for Everyone Including Undocumented Immigrants

Free Childcare for Everyone Including Undocumented Immigrants/No Free Childcare for Everyone Including Undocumented Immigrants

Pro-Climate Activism/Anti-Climate Activism

Pro-Green Energy/Anti-Green Energy

Anti-Fossil Fuels/Pro-Fossil Fuels

Pro-Government Sponsored Transgender Surgeries for All People Including Undocumented Immigrants/Anti-Government Sponsored Transgender Surgeries for All People Including Undocumented Immigrants

Pro-Sanctuary Cities/Anti-Sanctuary Cities

Pro-Trump/Anti-Trump

Be ready to ask tough questions and to be on the receiving end of a candidate’s ‘wrath’ for asking them tough questions. Candidates today are used to softball questions from journalists without any pushback or follow-up questions, so if you are the only journalist to ask tough questions and follow up you will stand out in the crowd.

To do ‘real journalism’ includes growing some ‘tough skin’ when it comes to dealing with candidates involved in political campaigns. And, I might add, that includes their staff. Be ready for them to call your boss and complain about your being ‘too tough’ and ‘unfair’ toward their candidate. I know that’s true because it happened to me many times. I was fortunate to be a street reporter when news directors and general managers protected their journalists from angry candidates and campaign staff. That taught me to do the same for my team when I became a manager,

This is no time to play ‘nice’ with people who want the power and influence that come with holding political office. Hold their ‘feet to the fire.’ Journalists have a powerful recourse for candidates who refuse to answer questions — quote their refusal. If you’re in television or radio, let your audience see or hear how the candidate treats you and your question. Their refusal or unkind way of responding will give voters an important insight into whether that candidate deserves their vote.

Discover, uncover, confirm, confront, and report the truth. That’s your job as a journalist. Anything less is a disservice to the public and to the U.S. Constitution.

Next Time

October Surprise! Are you ready to cover it? Some thoughts about how journalists can handle an ‘October Surprise’ in your city or state campaigns in the next part of my series, Covering the 2026 Campaigns.

Comments and Questions Welcome

I hope these thoughts are helpful to you. Please share your comments and questions and I will respond as quickly as I can. If you like what we’re doing in this newsletter, please let your friends know about it so they can subscribe.

Newsletter Purpose

The purpose of this newsletter is to help people who work in the fields of journalism, media, and communications find ways to do their jobs that are personally fulfilling and helpful to others. I also want to help news consumers know how to find news sources they can trust.

I became convinced as an atheist that God exists. How does that happen? In my case it happened because I investigated the truth claims of Christianity over a period of several months and found them to be true.

Hundreds of Eyewitnesses

One of the most powerful truth claims of Christianity is that hundreds of people saw Jesus of Nazareth alive after His resurrection from the dead. Hundreds. Let that sink in for a minute. Not one. Not two. Not ten. Hundreds of eyewitnesses.

In the last part of this study we saw the first 15 eyewitnesses the Apostle Paul mentioned in his first letter to the Christians in Corinth. They included the women who saw Jesus alive near His empty tomb and men who were among His closest followers.

For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve. After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep. 1 Corinthians 15:3-6

Paul wrote 1 Corinthians sometime between 53 and 55 AD while he was ministering in Ephesus. That would have been about 25 years after Jesus’ resurrection, which would explain why Paul would write that the “greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep.” Paul was making a truth claim that most of the people who witnessed Jesus being alive after His crucifixion were still alive. Some had died, which would be natural over a period of 25 years, but most would still be alive. Anyone with doubts to the accuracy of that statement could have traveled to Judea and talked with hundreds of the eyewitnesses who were still alive.

How would Paul know that most of the people who were part of the big crowd that saw Jesus were still alive? Keep in mind that Paul did his own investigation into the truth claims about Christianity. Paul talked with Jesus on the road to Damascus and knew He was alive. Paul also spent time in Arabia, possibly studying with Jesus, and later met with the apostles thanks to Barnabas (Acts 9:26-28). Paul also spent 15 days with the Apostle Peter (Galatians 1:18). That must have been a fascinating opportunity for Paul to learn about the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ from one of the Lord’s inner circle of disciples. Peter would have been one of the more than 500 people who saw Jesus alive after the resurrection. Peter could have told Paul that most of the eyewitnesses were still alive. Paul also visited the brethren in Jerusalem on other occasions prior to writing 1 Corinthians 15 and may have met many of the people who had been part of that large crowd of more than 500 people. Paul had many ways of confirming that what he said in 1 Corinthians 15 was true.

Investigative Clues

As an investigator I wondered what other evidence might support Paul’s claim about more than 500 ‘brethren at once’ seeing Jesus alive. I could see that Paul may have confirmed it personally with many of the people who were in attendance, but where else might I find more support in the New Testament record?

One of the first clues to when Jesus might have appeared to hundreds of people at the same time is something He said to female disciples He met after His resurrection:

And as they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, ‘Rejoice!’ So they came and held Him by the feet and worshiped Him. Then Jesus said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. Go and tell My brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see Me.’ Matthew 28:9-10

One of the angels in the empty tomb told the women the same thing:

But he said to them, ‘Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid Him. But go, tell His disciples—and Peter—that He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, as He said to you.’ Mark 16:6-7

It’s clear that Jesus wanted His disciples to meet Him in Galilee, but was Galilee the first time they saw Him? Galilee was about 80 miles north of Jerusalem, so it would have taken the disciples two or three days to get there by foot. Is that what the disciples did? Did they all leave Jerusalem on the same day as the Resurrection and travel to Galilee?

Clues are like breadcrumbs to an investigator. They may seem small and insignificant at first, but they grow in importance as we follow them to where they lead. We’ve already seen that Jesus showed Himself alive to female disciples on the same day He rose from the dead. Did anyone else see Him that same day? If so, where were they?

Now behold, two of them were traveling that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was seven miles from Jerusalem. And they talked together of all these things which had happened. So it was, while they conversed and reasoned, that Jesus Himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were restrained, so that they did not know Him … And they said to one another, ‘Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?’ So they rose up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together, saying, ‘The Lord is risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!’ And they told about the things that had happened on the road, and how He was known to them in the breaking of bread. Luke 24:13-16, 32-35

Emmaus was located about seven miles west of Jerusalem. Two of the disciples were walking to Emmaus when Jesus appeared to them. They didn’t recognize Him at first. Here’s how the conversation unfolded:

And He said to them, ‘What kind of conversation is this that you have with one another as you walk and are sad?’ Then the one whose name was Cleopas answered and said to Him, ‘Are You the only stranger in Jerusalem, and have You not known the things which happened there in these days?’ And He said to them, ‘What things?’ So they said to Him, ‘The things concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a Prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him to be condemned to death, and crucified Him. But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, today is the third day since these things happened. Yes, and certain women of our company, who arrived at the tomb early, astonished us. When they did not find His body, they came saying that they had also seen a vision of angels who said He was alive. And certain of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but Him they did not see.’ Then He said to them, ‘O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into Hisglory?’ And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself. Then they drew near to the village where they were going, and He indicated that He would have gone farther. But they constrained Him, saying, ‘Abide with us, for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent.’ And He went in to stay with them. Now it came to pass, as He sat at the table with them, that He took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him; and He vanished from their sight. Luke 24:17-31

We know from the conversation that it took place on the same day Jesus rose from the dead – ‘today is the third day since these things happened.’ We also know that the two disciples had been with the other disciples when women came from the empty tomb to tell them that angels told them Jesus was alive. The two disciples also confirmed that some of the disciples who were with them went to the tomb and found it just as they had said, but they didn’t see Jesus there – ‘certain women of our company, who arrived at the tomb early, astonished us. When they did not find His body, they came saying that they had also seen a vision of angels who said He was alive. And certain of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but Him they did not see.’

We know that it was ‘toward evening, and the day is far spent’ when they invited Jesus to stay with them. That means it would have been evening, or even later that same day, when they ‘rose up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem.’ The words ‘returned to Jerusalem’ are another confirmation of where they had been earlier that day. They would have met with the other disciples in the ‘evening’ when they told them Jesus had appeared to Simon and about the things Jesus had told them as they were eating together.

So, did the other disciples get up that evening to travel to Galilee to meet with Jesus? They did not. Here’s why I say that.

Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, ‘Peace be with you.’ When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. John 20:19-20

Jesus came to the disciples who were in Jerusalem that same evening. He showed them His hands and His side and the disciples believed He was alive and were glad. All except for one. Thomas was not there that evening. The disciples later told Thomas they had ‘seen the Lord’ (John 20:25a). Thomas said he would not believe them ‘Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side’ (John 20:25b).

It would be another week (eight days) before Thomas saw Jesus alive from the dead.

And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, ‘Peace to you!’ Then He said to Thomas, ‘Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.’ And Thomas answered and said to Him, ‘My Lord and my God! John 20:26-28

Just like eight days earlier, the disciples were inside a building (possibly the same one) with the doors shut. Jesus stood in their midst even though the doors were shut, just like the first time. Jesus greeted all of the disciples (‘Peace to you’), then addressed Thomas directly. Thomas had said he would not believe that Jesus was alive unless he saw ‘in His hands the print of the nails’ and placed his ‘finger into the print of the nails’ and put his hand ‘into His side.’ Jesus knew what Thomas had said to the other apostles, so He invited Thomas to ‘Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side.’ Thomas’ response was to proclaim, ‘My Lord and my God!’

Next Time

Following the clues has brought us to eight days since Jesus rose from the dead. The disciples are apparently still in Jerusalem. The eleventh apostle, Thomas, has just seen direct evidence that Jesus was alive from the dead (remember that Judas Iscariot had committed suicide). When did the ‘Eleven’ go to Galilee? When did more than 500 people see Jesus alive at the same time? We will look at more clues in the next part of our special series, From Atheist to Theist.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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“But you have carefully followed my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, love, perseverance, persecutions, afflictions, which happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra—what persecutions I endured. And out of them all the Lord delivered me. Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:10-17

Rule #26

You must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of

Paul drew a comparison for Timothy between how many church members behaved and how Paul had lived his life for all to see. First, those who should be avoided:

“For of this sort are those who creep into households and make captives of gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts, always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. Now as Jannes and Jambres resisted Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, disapproved concerning the faith; but they will progress no further, for their folly will be manifest to all, as theirs also was… But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived.” 2 Timothy 3:6-9, 13

Notice that Paul referred to them as:

• resisting the truth

• being men of corrupt minds

• disapproved concerning the faith

• they will progress no further

• their folly will be manifest (known) to all

• evil men and imposters will grow wore and worse, deceiving and being deceived

It’s fascinating that after almost two-thousand years of church history, Paul’s description matches much of what we see in leaders and members of modern churches, denominations, and their schools, colleges, and seminaries.

Next, Paul recommended the type of behavior of a Christian of whom God approves:

“But you have carefully followed my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, love, perseverance, persecutions, afflictions, which happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra—what persecutions I endured. And out of them all the Lord delivered me. Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution … But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.” 2 Timothy 3:10-12, 14-15

Here are Paul’s primary points:

• follow Paul’s example of doctrine (teaching)

• follow Paul’s example of his manner of life

• follow Paul’s example of purpose in ministry

• follow Paul’s example of faith

• follow Paul’s example of longsuffering

• follow Paul’s example of love

• follow Paul’s example of perseverance

• follow Paul’s example of facing persecutions

• follow Paul’s example of dealing with afflictions

Paul wasn’t telling Timothy a ‘story’ – he was telling Timothy ‘history’ that Timothy had seen with his own eyes and heard with his own ears. He knew Paul was telling the truth.

Paul, who was just days or weeks from martyrdom, encouraged Timothy to ‘continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them.’ Timothy had what few Christians have ever experienced – to travel with the Apostle Paul and be an integral part of his Spirit-led ministry.

Rule #27

Know that all Scripture is given by inspiration of God

Timothy had the benefit of knowing the ‘Holy Scriptures’ from childhood. That was because of the genuine faith which dwelt first in his grandmother Lois and his mother Eunice (2 Timothy 1:5). Paul reminded Timothy again in chapter three of the importance of Scripture. What is written in God’s Word is far more than just words on a page. They are the very words that the Holy Spirit inspired chosen men to write – ‘All Scripture is given by inspiration of God’ (2 Timothy 3:16).

The Greek word for ‘inspiration’ is theopneustos and means ‘God-breathed, divinely breathed in.’ The Holy Spirit is the ‘breath, wind’ of God. You’ll find that in both the Hebrew (ruach) and Greek (pneuma) words for the Spirit of God. The Apostle Peter also addressed it in his 2nd letter:

“And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.” 2 Peter 1:19-21

Peter wrote that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation. Prophecy never came by the will of men. Holy men of God spoke as they were ‘moved by the Holy Spirit.’

Rule #28

Know that all Scripture is profitable

Paul wanted Timothy to know the importance of Scripture. Yes, it’s important because God ‘inspired’ its writing – but why did God inspire its writing? Just for the sake of historical information about the ancient world? No, much more than that. God inspired the writing of Scripture because He knew people would ‘profit’ from knowing what He inspired. The Greek word for ‘profitable’ is óphelimos and means ‘helpful, useful, advantageous.’

Paul knew that studying the Scriptures would give Timothy and other Christian ministers an ‘advantage.’ They would know things and understand things about life that others would not. God knew that Christians would find the Scriptures ‘useful’ and ‘helpful’ to them in family life, community life, business, and of course relating to the Almighty God. Paul went on in the verse to give Timothy more specifics about the type of profitability that comes from the Scriptures:

• profitable for doctrine (didaskalia – teaching, instruction, learning)

• profitable for reproof (elegchos – proof, evidence, conviction)

• profitable for correction (epanorthósis – straightening up again, straightened out, making straight, restored, reformed)

• profitable for instruction in righteousness (paideia – disciplined training, disciplinary correction, nurture)

Paul wrote that ‘all’ Scripture is profitable. The word ‘all’ is pas and means ‘all manner of, every part.’ That’s why I say that a Christian who wants to serve God cannot look at Scripture with ‘cafeteria eyes.’ We can’t pick and choose what ‘tastes good’ to us. All Scripture is profitable for doctrine, reproof, correction, and righteousness. However, don’t forget what Paul wrote Timothy earlier in this letter. We must ‘rightly divide’ God’s Word. Taking it out of context or attempting to make it say what we want it to say will not be ‘profitable.’ We must study Scripture within context, from the original language, to the original reader. Then, and only then, can we know that what we ‘rightly divide’ in God’s Word will help us, guide us, meet our needs and the needs of those to whom we minister.

Rule #29

That the man of God should be complete

One reason for studying Scripture carefully and receiving ‘profit’ from it is so the ‘man of God should be complete.’ What does it mean to ‘be complete?’ The Greek is artios and means ‘ready in the present, qualified, sufficient in the moment, perfect, complete, whole, serving the destined purpose.’

Every Christian has God-given abilities and spiritual gifts. Why? So that we can ‘serve’ Him. We need to be ‘qualified’ to serve Him. How do we do that? By loving Him completely and relying on what we learn in the Scriptures for doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness. We must be ‘ready in the present,’ meaning that we are always prepared to serve God. A true servant is always at the ready to do the bidding of the person who hired him. A Christian has an even higher reason to be prepared to serve God because He ‘owns’ us. Jesus Christ, God’s eternal Son, redeemed us, bought us, with His blood shed on the cross. Our ‘destined purpose’ is to serve Him for all of eternity.

Rule #30

That the man of God should be thoroughly equipped for every good work

Another reason for studying Scripture carefully and receiving ‘profit’ for it is so the ‘man of God should be thoroughly equipped for every good work.’ The Greek word for ‘thoroughly equipped’ is exartizó and means ‘fully equipped, completely furnished, made suitable for, thoroughly fit for.’

What Christians are ‘thoroughly equipped for’ is ‘every good work.’ The Greek is πᾶν ἔργον ἀγαθὸν and means ‘all manner of accomplished labor that is beneficial.’ What we do in our service to God, our ministry, should be beneficial to others. The word agathos means ‘inherently (intrinsically) good.’ What is the source of that ‘goodness?’ It is God. Any goodness that comes from us originates in Him and is empowered by Him.

This reminds me of what Paul wrote about how spiritual ‘gifting’ works in a Christian’s life:

“There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all.” 1 Corinthians 12:4-7

Notice that the ‘gifts, ministries, and activities’ for Christian ministry all come from God. Each Member of the Godhead plays a different role in our ministry, ‘but it is the same God who works all in all.’ The ‘manifestation’ (phanerósis – exhibition, expression) of the Spirit of God is given to every Christian ‘for the profit of all.’

That seems easy enough to understand, yet, we have so many problems in churches that divide Christians from one another. What happened? We are not following the rules.

I’ll share five more rules for Christian ministry in the next podcast.

In Christ’s Love and Grace,

Mark McGee

GraceLife / Faith and Self Defense / Grace Martial Arts / Substack

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

© 1971-2026

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Words of Encouragement

Many people are worried when they receive a Ménière’s diagnosis. I understand that. However, I was relieved. Let me tell you why.

My Ménière’s Story

After years of not knowing why my tinnitus, dizziness, and fatigue were increasing, it was a relief to finally get an answer. What spurred me on to find a specialist was having violent vertigo attacks that disabled me for days at a time. I had to go from full-time to part-time work with my employer because of the attacks. That was a blow economically as well as personally.

I first noticed that something was wrong with me physically when I struggled to teach my students some of the more advanced movements and techniques in martial arts. I had been teaching for about 50 years when I noticed that I sometimes lost my balance when doing spin kicks, teaching students how to throw an opponent, or demonstrating forward and backward Judo rolls. I eventually asked my Black Belt students to do more of the demonstrations so I could focus on how students were advancing without my getting dizzy.

Receiving the Ménière’s diagnosis after being hit with disabling vertigo attacks helped me understand the ‘what and why’ of my physical limitations. I continued to teach in-person classes for a few more years after the diagnosis, but I could see that the day was coming when I might not be able to do that anymore — especially as I entered into my mid-70’s. The Covid shutdowns also impacted our classes along with my health as I was not able to be as active. I wasn’t able to have physical contact with my students for months and noticed that my Ménière’s symptoms became worse during that time. I also contracted Covid which slowed me down even more. I knew it was time to make some changes, so I focused on preparing the next generation of Black Belt instructors who could continue teaching my classes if I was unable to do in-person teaching.

The photo below was the last picture of my promoting a Black Belt in person. I had a stroke about six weeks after this picture was taken. I finished a series of ‘intratympanic steroid injections’ on doctor's’ advice to see if that might slow my Ménière’s progression. The stroke occurred a few days after the last injection. It was unexpected, but fortunately I had given most of my martial arts training equipment and weapons to my top students in Florida and Alabama several weeks earlier. I realized that God may have prepared me for what He knew was coming. I am very thankful to Him for that.

Since that time I have relied on Zoom to teach classes of students in a variety of locations. I can still teach, test, and promote students with the help of my Black Belt students who are leading the classes in person. Zoom also allows me to encourage younger instructors across the country to teach martial arts from a Christian perspective. I miss teaching classes in person, but I trust the Lord to ‘direct my paths’ (Proverbs 3:5-6).

Planning For The Future

I realize that if you were recently diagnosed with Ménière’s you may not find my story ‘encouraging’ since the disease is currently incurable and usually progressive. However, keep in mind that not everyone’s experience with Ménière’s is the same. That goes back to the fact that each of us is a ‘Laboratory of One.’ Your experience is ‘your’ experience. It’s individual to you. My hope for you is that your experience will be better than mine and others I know.

However, let me add that I believe it’s important each of us come to some kind of ‘acceptance’ about our condition. Find the best medical specialists you can. Follow their advice and discover what works best for you. Ask them to refer you to other specialists if you believe you need more help than they can give you. Also, do your own research from studies and writers you trust.

I promise to keep sharing the best information I can find and recommending other health researchers who can help as you navigate this thing called ‘Ménière’s.’ We all need ‘encouragement.’

Next Time

I’ll share how Ménière’s may impact some of your ‘everyday’ activities and what you can do about it in the next several Ménière’s Years newsletters.

“… rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer.” Romans 12:12

Here’s to hope!

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In the last two newsletters we have seen that the ‘public’ views the national news media as a ‘failure’ in covering political campaigns, as well as other news. Local news did a little better, though not by much.

It’s one thing to point out the ‘problems’ in how journalists are covering the 2026 campaigns. It’s another thing to recommend ways to ‘fix’ the problems. Here are some ideas that might help journalists:

1. Don’t take sides in your coverage. Every journalist has the right to cast a private ballot in an election, but they don’t have the right to use their news coverage to support their favorite candidates.

2. Be curious and skeptical in your coverage. Ask candidates many questions and don’t believe every answer. If they make ‘truth claims’ about themselves or their opponents, ask them for proof — evidence. If they give you evidence, follow up on it to see if it’s true. Report the truth — not rumors or innuendos.

3. Be accurate and fair in your coverage. Demonstrate respect for each candidate, but ‘fact check’ what they tell you. If you find that a candidate lied or bent the truth in answer to your questions, in their speeches, or in their campaign advertising, call them on it. Have the ‘facts’ ready to counter their claims. Do your homework.

4. Find ways to do ‘original reporting’ in your coverage. That includes doing investigative reporting. If you’re not experienced in how to investigate, I’ve written many newsletters about that topic and will link to them at the end of this newsletter.

5. Prepare well for every candidate interview. Know your subject well and be prepared to ask tough and probing questions that will help voters know the candidates. Be ready for your interviewee to dodge tough questions. Don’t let them. Dodging means you’ve probably hit a nerve. Keep asking the question until you get a good answer, they refuse to answer, or walk out of your interview. Any of those three will help voters learn more about the candidate’s personal character and qualifications for public office.

I was a member of RTNDA for many years when it was known as the Radio and Television News Directors Association. I also worked with several consultants from Frank N Magid Associates when I was a TV news manager, so I found this article interesting about what local news consumers want journalists to do when covering political campaigns:

“Most U.S. local news consumers want journalists to ask tough, but respectful, questions of candidates and regularly fact-check those running for office.

This was one of many key takeaways from a fact-finding research project on trust in elections coverage, commissioned by the Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA) and conducted by Magid. The findings were released publicly for the first time Thursday at RTDNA23 in Minneapolis.

According to the study, 62 percent of local news viewers and listeners say it is “very important” that local sources and journalists “ask tough, but respectful questions to get answers,” and 61 percent said it is very important they fact-check those candidates. Fifty-eight percent of the local news audience said it was very important those outlets have regular fact-checking segments.

“In our highly polarized society, Americans need to rely on their trusted local sources of news to get the facts about candidates, campaigns and other political issues,” said RTDNA President and CEO Dan Shelley. “These findings offer a clear roadmap to ensure local reporters and news managers are providing voters with the information they crave to make critical decisions in the voting booth.”

RTNDA/Magid

Investigative Reporting 101

Real journalism has always been ‘investigative.’ Somewhere in the deep recesses of the past, journalists lost their way. Many now view ‘investigative journalism’ as a ‘speciality.’ In fact, real journalism should be investigative. How else do you discover, uncover, confirm, and report the truth of anything if you don’t investigate? If you find the idea of being a real journalist a challenge worth pursuing, here are some articles you might find helpful:

The Basics of Uncovering What’s Hidden

Entering With Eyes Wide Open

First Amendment Rights?

‘Going Undercover’ to Get the Story

Looking Back to Look Forward

Legal Protection in the ‘Tool Box’

Technical Tools for Your Toolbox

Investigating Anti-Semitism in Your Community #1

Investigating Anti-Semitism in Your Community #2

Documenting Your Investigation #1

Documenting Your Investigation #2

Documenting Your Investigation #3

Documenting Your Investigation #4

Finding Supporting Documents #1

Finding Supporting Documents #2

Stepping Into Investigative ‘Holes’

The Challenge of Finding ‘Memory Holes’ in the Age of AI

The Challenges of Investigating ‘People’

Business Investigations - ‘For Profit’ and ‘Not For’ Profit

What It Means To Be An Investigative Reporter

Next Time

Capitalist, Communist, Socialist — Oh, My! These and many other ‘names’ are being used by candidates and their surrogates. Are they using the terms correctly? Have you asked them? I’ll share some thoughts about how to cover ‘campaign language’ in the next part of our series, Covering the 2026 Campaigns.

Comments and Questions Welcome

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Newsletter Purpose

The purpose of this newsletter is to help people who work in the fields of journalism, media, and communications find ways to do their jobs that are personally fulfilling and helpful to others. I also want to help news consumers know how to find news sources they can trust.

Investigative journalism is boring and exciting. How so? The process is tedious, even laborious, as we work our way through mounds of documents, images, audio, video, phone and in-person interviews, etc. It can be boring, but absolutely necessary to make sure we find the truth. The outcome is rewarding. Once we see how all the pieces fit together and the truth of a story reveals itself, we know that the hard work will pay off. That’s the exciting part.

False Worldview?

I knew I was getting close to the truth when I heard the words of 1 Corinthians 15 read to me. The Apostle Paul had handed me the best way to prove Christianity was a false worldview and he was a false witness.

Now if Christ is preached that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty. Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up—if in fact the dead do not rise. For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable. 1 Corinthians 15:12-19

See how easy that is? If Jesus didn’t rise from the dead, then Paul was a false witness, his preaching was empty, believers’ faith is empty and they should be pitied for their foolishness (my words). After four months of investigating the truth claims of Christianity, I had finally found the best way to prove its falsity. The best part? The leading apostle of Christianity had handed it to me on a silver platter! All I had to do was prove that Jesus had not risen from the dead? How hard could that be? Even Christians who were alive just a couple of decades after Jesus died didn’t believe in the resurrection. However, the task of proving Jesus had not risen from the dead ran into a problem – witnesses to His resurrection – hundreds of them.

Hundreds of Witnesses

For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve. After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep. After that He was seen by James, then by all the apostles. Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time. 1 Corinthians 15:3-8

Paul started the section about the resurrection by listing the names of people who said they had seen Jesus of Nazareth alive after His death on the Roman cross. It was like a who’s who of the New Testament:

• Cephas

• The Twelve

• More than 500 people at the same time

• James

• All the apostles

• Paul the Apostle

Cephas

The list of “seen by” witnesses began with someone named Cephas. We see that name mentioned six times in the New Testament: John 1:42; 1 Corinthians 1:12; 3:22; 9:5; 15:5; Galatians 2:9. As we see in John 1, Cephas was the Apostle Peter.

One of the two who heard John speak, and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, ‘We have found the Messiah’ (which is translated, the Christ). And he brought him to Jesus. Now when Jesus looked at him, He said, ‘You are Simon the son of Jonah. You shall be called Cephas’ (which is translated, A Stone). John 1:40-42

Simon was his Hebrew name. Peter comes from the Greek word petros, which means “rock.” Cephas is Aramaic for “rock” or “stone.” He was Andrew’s brother. Paul used the name Cephas five of the six times it’s found in the New Testament. Paul also used Peter as well, as did the other writers of the New Testament.

Paul’s listing of Cephas (Peter) being the first resurrection witness is interesting. It might have been because of how some Corinthians preferred Peter’s apostleship (1 Corinthians 1:12). It might have been because Peter was so well known for his denial of Jesus during His trial, followed by his powerful sermon on the Day of Pentecost, Peter’s support of Paul for ministry to Gentiles, or for some other reason we don’t know.

Peter and John were among the first disciples of Jesus to see that His body was not in the tomb. Some of Jesus’ female followers had also seen the empty tomb and spoken with angels who told them Jesus had risen from the dead.

Peter therefore went out, and the other disciple, and were going to the tomb. So they both ran together, and the other disciple outran Peter and came to the tomb first. And he, stooping down and looking in, saw the linen cloths lying there; yet he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb; and he saw the linen cloths lying there, and the handkerchief that had been around His head, not lying with the linen cloths, but folded together in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who came to the tomb first, went in also; and he saw and believed. For as yet they did not know the Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead. Then the disciples went away again to their own homes. John 20:3-10

Luke mentions that Jesus appeared to two of His disciples on the same day. Luke’s narrative flowed from Peter seeing inside the empty tomb to “two of them” meeting Jesus on the Road to Emmaus:

But Peter arose and ran to the tomb; and stooping down, he saw the linen cloths lying by themselves; and he departed, marveling to himself at what had happened. Now behold, two of them were traveling that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was seven miles from Jerusalem. And they talked together of all these things which had happened. So it was, while they conversed and reasoned, that Jesus Himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were restrained, so that they did not know Him. Luke 24:12-16

The disciples eventually realized they were with Jesus, but He vanished from their sight:

Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him; and He vanished from their sight. And they said to one another, ‘Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?’ So they rose up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together, saying, ‘The Lord is risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!’ And they told about the things that had happened on the road, and how He was known to them in the breaking of bread. Luke 24:31-35

We do not know the names of the two disciples who had seen the resurrected Jesus, but we know they returned to Jerusalem and told the Eleven (the apostles minus Judas Iscariot) “and those who were with them” that they had seen Jesus and He was risen from the dead. They also mentioned that Jesus “has appeared to Simon.” Several Simons are mentioned in the New Testament, but it’s interesting that the two disciples from Emmaus thought it important enough to mention that Jesus had appeared to “Simon.” Might they have meant Simon Peter? If it was, the meeting was a private conversation that Peter did not mention in his letters or his account of his time with Jesus as told to Mark (Gospel of Mark). If it was another Simon, why would the Emmaus disciples make that a primary point of their declaration?

Peter – Changed Life

Peter (Cephas) was a powerful eyewitness. He denied Jesus three times after His arrest, denials Jesus had told Peter would happen.

Then he began to curse and swear, saying, ‘I do not know the Man!’ Immediately a rooster crowed. And Peter remembered the word of Jesus who had said to him, ‘Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.’ So he went out and wept bitterly. Matthew 26:74-75

Peter went into hiding. It was not until he saw Jesus raised from the dead that Peter came out of hiding. Peter went on to become the leader of the apostles and preach a powerful sermon in the streets of Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost. Peter was a changed man. Why? Because he had seen with his own eyes that Jesus had risen from the dead. Peter continued preaching the Gospel of the risen Christ until the day he was martyred.

The Twelve

The phrase “The Twelve” was used to describe the twelve men Jesus had chosen to speak for Him and lead His Church (Matthew 10:2-4). The Twelve included Judas Iscariot until Judas betrayed Jesus and killed himself (Matthew 27:5). The Twelve would later include Matthias who became the replacement for Judas Iscariot (Acts 1:6). Matthias may have been among those who were with the Eleven when the Emmaus disciples told them about seeing the risen Jesus.

Even as the two men from Emmaus were telling the apostles about their meeting, Jesus appeared to them.

Now as they said these things, Jesus Himself stood in the midst of them, and said to them, ‘Peace to you.” But they were terrified and frightened, and supposed they had seen a spirit. And He said to them, “Why are you troubled? And why do doubts arise in your hearts? Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have.” Luke 24:36-39

Thomas, one of the apostles, was not with the group when Jesus appeared to them. Some of the apostles told Thomas about seeing and talking with the risen Jesus, but Thomas said:

Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe. John 20:25

Jesus did appear to Thomas eight days later:

Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, ‘Peace to you!’ Then He said to Thomas, ‘Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.’ And Thomas answered and said to Him, ‘My Lord and my God!’ Jesus said to him, ‘Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed. John 20:26

According to the New Testament, the apostles saw Jesus in person many times after the resurrection. The New Testament includes several of those occasions, but we don’t know if all of them are listed. We do know that Jesus taught them from the Scriptures about Himself and “the things pertaining to the kingdom of God” over a period of forty days (Luke 24:44-45; Acts 1:1-3).

Paul’s declaration that Cephas and the Twelve saw the risen Jesus has support from all of the Gospel accounts and Acts. The Apostle John also attested to that in his first letter (1 John 1:1-4).

The Twelve – Changed Lives

Seeing Jesus alive after His death changed the lives of the apostles dramatically. Just like Peter, most of the apostles went into hiding after Jesus’ arrest.

Then all the disciples forsook Him and fled. Matthew 26:56

The only apostle who came out of hiding was John. He stood near the cross and saw Jesus die.

Now there stood by the cross of Jesus His mother, and His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing by, He said to His mother, ‘Woman, behold your son!’ Then He said to the disciple, ‘Behold your mother!’ And from that hour that disciple took her to his own home. John 19:25-27

We see the apostles come out of hiding and become powerful preachers of the Gospel after they spent 40 days with Jesus after His resurrection. That change among all of the apostles (except Judas Iscariot) impressed me as an atheist. The change was so dramatic that they were all willing to be arrested, jailed, beaten and even killed for their belief in the resurrection of Christ (Acts chapters 4 and 5). Why would men go from being in hiding for fear of being arrested and killed to being unafraid and open with their belief in a risen Jesus? I took note of that and it played a role in my eventual belief in the resurrection.

Next Time

So far, we have at least 15 people who saw Jesus alive on the third day after He died on a Roman cross (e.g. women at the tomb, ten of the apostles [Thomas eight days later], other people with the apostles, and two Emmaus disciples). That’s a good number of witnesses for an investigation, but there were more – many more.

What about Paul’s claim that more than 500 people saw the resurrected Jesus at the same time? Any evidence for that being true? We will look at that in the next part of our special series, From Atheist to Theist.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Thank you for reading Mark McGee’s Newsletter. This post is public so feel free to share it.

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“But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor. Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work. Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. But avoid foolish and ignorant disputes, knowing that they generate strife. And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will.” 2 Timothy 2:20-26

It’s important as we study God’s Word that we don’t lose sight of the ‘context.’ The above verses are the immediate context from the last podcast and for the first part of this one. Paul told Timothy to ‘run away from’ youthful lusts and to ‘pursue’ righteousness, faith, love, and peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. That advice is paramount for any ministry that will be pleasing to God. These are rules, not suggestions.

Paul also told Timothy that a ‘servant of the Lord’ must not quarrel but be gentle to all. That’s where we stopped in the last podcast. We now move to the next words of the Apostle Paul.

Rule #21

A servant of the Lord must be able to teach

Paul didn’t say that a servant of the Lord had to have the spiritual ‘gift’ of teaching, but he did say that a servant of the Lord must be ‘able to teach.’ The Greek word is διδακτικόν (didaktikos) and means ‘apt to instruct, able to teach.’ This ‘aptness’ or ‘ability’ to teach comes from God and from a Christian’s commitment to learning God’s Word. Even a Christian who happens to have the spiritual ‘gift’ of teaching must go through a process of ‘learning’ before they can teach. The root word is didaskó and means ‘to disseminate information.’ The idea is of ‘communicating’ information, either through writing or the spoken word. Paul was writing to Timothy, but Timothy had heard Paul ‘preach and teach’ for years. Paul had the gift for both. He was ‘apt to teach’ and said that’s what a ‘servant of the Lord’ must be able to do.

I can hear some of you saying to yourself that you are not a teacher – that you cannot disseminate information the way a preacher or teacher can. That’s not what Paul was saying. You need to be ‘apt, able’ to teach. Have you ever taught someone how to do something? Have you ever disseminated information to another person so they would learn something? Maybe it was teaching them how to play a game. Maybe you taught them how to do a craft. Maybe you helped a new employee learn the basics of their job. Maybe you taught your child how to behave or act in a responsible way toward other children. All of us have had some experience where we ‘taught’ another person something they didn’t know until we taught them. That’s what every Christian should be ‘able’ to do. You know the Lord. If you’ve read and studied God’s Word, you know many vital things about the spiritual world that other people desperately need to know. You can do that. You ‘must’ be able to teach at every opportunity God gives you.

Rule #22

A servant of the Lord must be patient

Being ‘patient’ is another important attribute for God’s people when they serve God and minister to the needs of others. Many people struggle to understand spiritual things. Even Christians who have been in churches for decades often know very little about the Bible. They need your help, but they also may need your patience. New Christians are often wide open to learning new things about God, but older Christians are often reticent to admit they need to learn new things. That’s where patience often becomes necessary.

The Greek word for ‘patient’ is anexikakos and means ‘enduring of ill, forbearing, patient.’ It’s the idea of enduring or ‘bearing up’ when treated unjustly or when you receive an injury that is undeserved. Believe me when I tell you that happens often in churches. Paul faced that during his entire ministry and knew that Timothy and those he trained would face the same. If you haven’t had to deal with unfair treatment at the hands of others in a church or denomination, you most likely will. Prepare yourself now to be ‘patient’ when it happens.

Rule #23

In humility correcting those who are in opposition

“And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will.” 2 Timothy 2:24-26

Also go into any service for the Lord in ‘humility.’ Remember that our Lord ‘humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross’ (Philippians 2:8). Jesus is our example of ‘humility’ in service to God. It is that ‘humility’ that gives us the spiritual attitude to ‘correct’ people who oppose God’s Word and your ministry to them. If you are active in Christian Ministry, you will face opposition. Though Paul told Timothy not to quarrel and be ‘gentle to all,’ that did not mean he didn’t want Timothy to teach and correct them.

One of the primary purposes of ministry is to teach and correct. Paul will tell Timothy a bit later in this letter that: “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.” (2 Timothy 3:16)

The Greek word for ‘correct’ is paideuó and means ‘discipline, instruct, correct, train up, chastise.’ Timothy’s ministry with Paul as an apostolic associate is different than yours will be, so you may wonder how you would ‘correct’ someone. If you are a parent, an important part of ministering to your children is ‘correcting’ them. That will continue for many years. They will eventually grow up and live on their own. The years you spent ‘correcting’ them will play an important role in what kind of adults they become. If you are a church leader (e.g. pastor, elder), you will have opportunities to ‘correct’ members. You may do it from the pulpit, in group studies, or private meetings. That should continue as long as those members attend your church. As long as you follow Paul’s guidance for how to ‘correct’ them with ‘humility’ and teach them the Word ”rightly divided,’ that will play an important part in what kind of ministry they will have in the world.

However, be ready for some church members to ‘oppose’ your correction. The Greek word for ‘opposition’ in verse 25 is antidiatithémi and means ‘to set oneself opposite, be disputatious, set oneself up in opposition.’ The purpose of ‘correction’ in this context is that ‘God perhaps will grant them repentance.’ One of the reasons that we correct ‘in humility’ is because changing minds is not something we do – it’s what God does. The word ‘grant’ is didómi and means ‘give, minister, bestow, deliver.’ God can use your ministry of ‘correction’ to guide people to ‘repentance.’ The word metanoia means ‘reversal of previous decision, change of mind.’ People who oppose your ministry can reverse their position through repentance to do what’s right in God’s sight ‘so that they know the truth, and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will.’

This is the oldest ‘rivalry’ in history: God’s will vs. Satan’s will. The devil has been opposing God’s will since before the Garden of Eden. Remember what the devil asked Eve in Genesis 3? … ‘has God indeed said …?’ Satan and his evil kingdom are behind most of the spiritual problems in families, churches, denominations, and other ministries. What can Christians in ministry do about that? ‘… in humility correcting those who are in opposition.’ That’s the part we play. God’s part is to ‘grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will.’

Notice that people who oppose Christian ministry need to ‘come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil.’ The Greek word for ‘senses’ is ananéphó and means ‘become sober again, recover one’s self.’ The Greek for ‘snare’ is pagis and means ‘a trap fastened by a noose or notch.’ It was used for both physical and moral traps. The word for ‘captive’ is zógreó and means ‘to capture. ensnare, catch, take captive, take alive.’ That’s what the devil does. What caring Christians need to do is minister to the needs of those who have been take ‘taken captive’ by the devil to do ‘his will.’ The word ‘will’ is theléma which means ‘desire, pleasure, determination, choice.’ Satan takes ‘pleasure’ in choosing to hurt people, which reminds me of this verse from 1 Peter 5:

“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” 1 Peter 5:8

Rule #24

Know this about people in the last days

“But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!” 2 Timothy 3:1-5

Many members of your church will not remain the same year after year, decade after decade. As Paul prophesied ‘perilous times’ will come in the ‘last days.’ The words ‘perilous times’ are καιροὶ χαλεποί (times, opportunities, seasons, that are perilous, difficult, violent, dangerous). Paul prophesied that these violent times would come ‘in the last days.’ The Greek words are ἐν ἐσχάταις ἡμέραις. The word ἐσχάταις (eschatos) is where we get the word ‘eschatology,’ which is the ‘study of last things.’

Paul did not give exact dates of when these ‘last days’ would occur, but he did describe what those days would be like. People would be:

• lovers of themselves

• lovers of money

• boasters

• proud

• blasphemers

• disobedient to parents

• unthankful

• unholy

• unloving

• unforgiving

• slanderers

• without self-control

• brutal

• despisers of good

• traitors

• headstrong

• haughty

• lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God

• having a form of godliness but denying its power

If Paul was describing ‘unsaved ‘unchurched’ people, we could say that almost anytime in the last two thousand years would fit those descriptions. However, since the context of 2 Timothy 2 concerns ‘approved and disapproved workers’ in churches, we see that Paul was describing a time when a massive number of people in churches would fall away from doing God’s will because the devil had taken them captive to do his will.

I think one of the key parts of this section is where Paul wrote – ‘having a form of godliness but denying its power.’ The Greek word for ‘form’ is morphósis and means ‘appearance.’ The word godliness is eusebeia and means ‘holy, devout.’ That’s what we see in many churches and denominations today. Leaders and members live life devoid of godliness, but present themselves as ‘godly.’ They have a ‘form or appearance’ of godliness, but they deny its power. The word ‘deny’ is arneomai and means ‘refuse, reject, disavow, renounce, disown.’ What are they rejecting? God’s supernatural power. The word is dunamis and means ‘miraculous power, force, ability, strength.’

Rule #25

From such people turn away

This was Paul’s advice to Timothy and people Timothy would train. When the people, including leaders, get so bad that they reject correction and choose instead to remain in the devil’s trap, Paul wrote – ‘from such people turn away!’ Why? Paul answered –

“For of this sort are those who creep into households and make captives of gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts, always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. Now as Jannes and Jambres resisted Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, disapproved concerning the faith; but they will progress no further, for their folly will be manifest to all, as theirs also was.” 2 Timothy 3:6-9

This is similar to what Paul wrote Titus in an earlier letter:

“For there are many insubordinate, both idle talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision, whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole households, teaching things which they ought not, for the sake of dishonest gain. One of them, a prophet of their own, said, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.” This testimony is true. Therefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith, not giving heed to Jewish fables and commandments of men who turn from the truth. To the pure all things are pure, but to those who are defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure; but even their mind and conscience are defiled. They profess to know God, but in works they deny Him, being abominable, disobedient, and disqualified for every good work.” Titus 1:10-16

Even as Paul wrote Timothy that the church leaders and members would have a ‘form of godliness’ but deny its power, Paul wrote Titus that people in churches would ‘profess’ to know God, but deny Him in works. Paul told two of his closest associates to watch out for the same problem in the early church. The answer? Correct with instruction until it became necessary to ‘turn away’ from those people. The Greek word for ‘turn away’ is apotrepó and means ‘avoid, deflect, turn away from.’

That may seem harsh to many, but Christians who want to serve God must consider seriously who they are trying to please. God or people? Paul’s choice was obviously God. That should be our choice as well.

I’ll share five more rules for Christian ministry in the next podcast.

In Christ’s Love and Grace,

Mark McGee

GraceLife / Faith and Self Defense / Grace Martial Arts / Substack

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

© 1971-2026

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