I offer my condolences to all the people of Las Vegas.  The news cycle has been so dominated by hurricane coverage.  Yet, Las Vegas has suffered a greater tragedy in terms of the numbers of those dead and injured.  It certainly puts problems into a different perspective.

There is no way our government can function as an insurance policy against everything bad that could possibly happen to us.  We desire a government that can protect us and provide for humanitarian relief.  However, in reality, sometimes bad things happen. 

Missouri seems to make a lot of national news for our ability to protest stuff!  Over the last few days people tried to disrupt our way of life and it prompted a lot of discussion about the freedoms we want to enjoy.

If those protesting would hold a prayer vigil for peace instead of hurting people, the outcome would be far different.   But these are not protesters.  These are criminals, communists,  anarchists and vandals.

There are good and bad employees in every profession.  In the case of police officers, we expect them to know the law, uphold the Constitution of the United States and earn respect by their just and honorable peace-keeping endeavors.

If you haven’t seen the story yet, an emergency room nurse was arrested for protecting her patient from an unlawful violation of the 4th amendment, which provides protection from an unreasonable search and seizure.  I’m shaken up just watching this. My sister is a nurse and it scares me to think of anyone hurting her for just doing her job. The appalling part is that other police officers just stood around and let her be manhandled by an abusive officer. I’m so glad for body cameras. If you haven’t seen the video yet, you really need to see this.

Lots of people say they feel better when they exercise.  I don’t.  I usually feel more tired and worn out when I’m finished.  In addition, I just lost one hour of my life.  Do you think exercise might be overrated?  We are the fattest nation in the world, yet we have more fitness centers, personal trainers and exercise classes available, so what’s up with that?  This should be enough to tell us something’s not working!

On our show today, we talk with the founder and author of the Wellness Revelation, Alisa Keeton.  Alisa is an expert on how we can lose what weighs us down so we can love God, ourselves and others.

Fitness is something you either love or avoid.  Regardless of what category  you’re in, we all can agree we will be more effective if we’re stronger and more energized.

I remember during my first session how much I looked forward to going home when the session adjourned for the year.  Recently, the Governor called the General Assembly back to Jefferson City to pass more laws.  For those of you less familiar with the legislative calendar, the regular session starts the first week of January and is finished in mid-May.  The special session should be only used for emergencies, not political posturing!  

Special session are allowed for urgent legislative crises that require action before the session begins next year.  Yet, most governors call these to showcase their positions and to provide political theater for lobbyists and political junkies.  Any legislation passed during this special session could have been passed during the regular session.  

Most of us remember the commercials, “Calgon Take Me Away!” and many “Southwest-WannaGet Away.”  Most people, if they are honest, would admit they have experienced moments of despair when they thought about taking a shortcut.

Death is sad enough because of the loss, but an intentional death is extra tragic.  Many of us were grieved to hear about the baby, Charlie Gard, and the couple who jumped off a building in the prime of their lives just this last week.

Have you ever given much thought to our National Motto, “In God We Trust”?  It’s funny how some people freak out when they hear any trace of God, yet it’s written on all of our currency!

In my conversation with Representative Rick Saccone, he told me he went into a public school near Halloween; he said he saw witches on brooms, Dracula with blood dripping from his teeth, zombies ghouls and goblins.  He saw every ghost, but the Holy Ghost because He’s not allowed in!  And you tell me none of that traumatized our children, but you think the National Motto will traumatize our children?

This is probably the most difficult newsletter I’ve had to write.  Thank you for your encouragement and for your faithful support for us.  Over the last 30 years, the message of Back to Basics Christian Bookstore has seen lives saved, marriages repaired, prisoners restored, suicides called off, addicts freed and thousands of people have found Christ.

We’ve enjoyed the opportunity to take care of you!  It’s hard to admit the struggle, but the internet, changing media formats, consumer buying patterns and publisher price erosion have caused tremendous havoc in our industry.

We have a heart to continue and would be overjoyed to be able to find a way to keep Back To Basics Christian Bookstore in the community.  At this point, we’re looking to leave our home of 33 years unless there’s a Divine Intervention.

The big story on Facebook was about all the people who don’t want you to accept a friend request from someone who will hack your email.  Yet, although this was proven to be a hoax, it shows  that the concern is real.

Surprisingly, this far after the election, allegations of Russian hacking is still a hot topic  Does anyone else get tired of hearing about how Russia interfered with our elections?  We can all agree that hacking computers is not honorable.  However, it amazes me to hear the mainstream media express outrage as if the Russians are the single source that made Donald Trump the President of the United States.

To clear up any confusion, the outcome in every election is a result of the votes cast.  The most we are hearing is that the Russians hacked into computers.  If the Russians camouflaged themselves as illegal aliens so they could stuff our ballot boxes with Trump votes, I could understand how people could feel our elections were tampered.  However, that didn’t happen.

The old expression is “Good publicity or bad publicity…it’s all the same just as long as you spell my name right!”  How can we expect to make a difference in the world if nobody knows who we are or what we are doing?  Some people spend all their time consumed with “busy work” – one that consumes quantities of time or just amuses.  But what if the goal is to impact the culture?

Many people are silenced or ineffective because they are afraid of being ridiculed.  That never stopped me and it didn’t stop Ray Comfort either.  When he was mocked by the Atheists, he only increased in popularity.  We can all learn some lessons from him.