A TALE OF TWO HALFTIMES AND WHY I'M WATCHING NEITHER

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Ladies and gentlemen, tonight is the Superbowl, and you have two choices for the halftime show. You can watch the official program, featuring Bad Bunny, offensive to many Christians. Or you can watch the one put on by Turning Point, the organization founded by Charlie Kirk, hosted by the Trinity Broadcasting Network. 

Which am I watching? Uh, I already answered the question in my title. Neither one. 

But why?

Reasons not to watch Bad Bunny? Well, his performance might be offensive to Christians as a whole, but what else is new? After all, we're living in the post-wardrobe-malfunction era. And was picking Madonna as the headliner for Superbowl XLI in Indianapolis a serious attempt to avoid offending people? The reality is that NFL is part of the world (see Matthew 18:6-7; 1 John 2:15-17; 5:19), and the world is acting like you'd expect the world to act. And I have no interest in seeing the world acting like I'd expect the world to act. 

There are two reasons why Turning Point has an alternate half-time show. One is Bad Bunny's selection, the other is, to be honest, Charlie Kirk's death. If Kirk had not been assassinated, there wouldn't be an alternate half-time show. There may have been, as there has been in the past, a Christian program meant to be evangelistic to be shown at church SB parties (I believe it was Campus Crusade for Christ - aka CRU - who did that). But that usually was the local church's initiative with a motive not to compete with the world but to take an opportunity to share the Gospel. I'd be surprised if Kirk, had he still been here, would have put this on.

Which leads me to reasons not to watch the alternative. While the Gospel was preached loud and clear at Kirk's memorial service, is that the purpose of this half-time show? Or is it an organization giving the local church an opportunity to compete with the world? Christian singer and pastor Steve Camp is not at all thrilled, especially with the involvement of TBN (I nicknamed it the Twitty Broadcasting Network, partly because it teaches doctrines I consider a little off, and partly because it's where Conway Twiity's Twitty City used to be). This might be simply a Christian snack food, but will it draw the lost to the Savior or equip the saints for the work of the ministry? Or is it entertainment for a break from spiritual warfare?

So which of the above reasons is my motivation for watching neither? Well, how about none of the above?

I wasn't offended by the 2007 half-time show with Madonna because I wasn't watching Indy's beloved Colts coached by one of my heroes, Tony Dungy (who was born exactly 4 years before me). What was I doing instead? Working on the computer, and then calling it a night. I might have stayed up to see the final minutes and if the Colts won (they did), then to hear what Dungy would say when he had the mike. This year - and most years - I'll just treat the night as if it's nothing special, and wait till I get up to find out who won and then get back to my normal life.

FINAL THOUGHTS ON 2025, AND HYMNS TO SING ON NEW YEAR'S DAY

From the 1st annual Missions Fair at Northside Baptist Church

Yes, I'm doing my look back at '25 on the first day of '26. Sorry. My original goal was to have my list of favorite books posted on Tuesday, Dec. 30th, this blog done yesterday, and part one of a two part look at '26. Unfortunately, I didn't have enough computer time to keep up with the plan. So the look back is today, the look ahead is now one part and will be tomorrow, and the favorite book lists will be on January 3rd.

This year had several things going on. I judged NCFCA speech and debate contests on-line and at a live location in Fishers, IN, and the year ended judging the first of three on-line tournaments in the '25-'26 cycle. I celebrated my 25th anniversary at MACL/Quest in March. I won the women's Final Four pool by having a perfect final four (meaning I correctly picked the four final teams, the two semi-final, and UConn winning it all). I got to attend my 3rd Kingdom Come Festival. I helped with the 1st Annual Missions Fair at Northside Baptist Church in September.

There are five people who went home to be with the Lord that saddened me. These were Author/Pastor/Lightning Rod John MacArthur, Chuck Girard of Love Song, Author/Pastor Voddie Baucham, Political Activist Charlie Kirk, and novelist Jackie Zack. Of course, Kirk got the most attention. Three weeks after his death, there were a trio of musicial tributes on my Spotify Release Radar. Jackie was the only one I had any interaction with, and in this case it was in on-line writing groups. 

But now, let's move to this year. Or more technically, let's move on to New Year's Day 2026. Becky and I have been singing hymns together since '98, and today, she suggested that we sing "Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus" every New Year's Day. I agreed that was a great choice, and suggested my all-time favorite hymn to join it: "I am Resolved." Becky agreed with me. After all, one is looking at great resolutions for any year and the other is looking at Christ's coming.

But what about what lies ahead? Well, I'll save that for tomorrow. Then, I'll have my book reviews on January 3rd.

 

MY THOUGHTS ON THE ASSASSINATION OF CHARLIE KIRK AND THE MEMORIAL SERVICE

 

Copy of Charlie Kirk's profile photo on Facebook

On the morning of September 16, 2025 - six days following Kirk's assissination - I was at a men's prayer meeting at church, with six participants. The moderator asked us to go around and share our thoughts on Charlie Kirk; half of the attenders never heard of him before his death, including me. 

At this point in time, I had a blessing - my computer went on the fritz on September 2 and we didn't get it going again until the 19th. Why is this a blessing? I wasn't inundated by posts and replies on my Facebook Feed! 

I did get to hear several podcasts about Charlie Kirk and of the Memorial Service September 21, most of which were ones I regularly listen to (Al Mohler's "The Briefing," Alisa Childers, and Natasha Crain, and others I was familiar with to find out their slant ("Good Faith" with Curtis Chang and "Wretched Radio" with Todd Friel). I also had a couple of friends whose post was shared on my wall which I noticed once I got back on-line, and I looked up two other friends who I had a hunch would take a different (i.e. negative) perspective.

One last comment before I got started - this has taken me QUITE a while to write. At first, in late September, I thought of writing a blog on why I hadn't posted and following it up with one on Charlie Kirk. A day later, I thought Kirk was the hot story and was going to focus on that angle. I then went back to plan A, finishing the other blog on October 10th. And I felt a struggle getting back. Was that a hint that I shouldn't worry about it? Or was it telling me that this wrestling meant I was supposed to complete it? Well, if you're reading it, it's completed, so you can let me know your thoughts.

Allow me to start with two facts:

1. Charlie Kirk was a Christian. On Curtis Chang's "Good Faith" podcast - the most negative of those on Kirk himself - guest David French stated repeatedly that he disagreed strongly with Kirk on several issues, that Kirk was definitely a Christian. 

2. EVERYBODY is not quite the person their dog - or their greatest fans - think he/she is, nor as terrible as their opponents make them out to be. With all the info I've looked at - and I could find much more - I have a mostly positive impression of Kirk with some flaws, and the same with the Memorial.

Allow me to now give a rapid fire thought on several things concerning the Memorial.

• I was saddened by a pair of Christian friends who gave a "10 Spies" report on the Memorial. One was three one-word-sentences, all words negative; no mention of Erica Kirk's speech on forgiving the killer. The other mentioned Erica, but neither mentioned that Christ was preached, or that people are going to church now after the killing. Very sad.
• About Christ being preached - Todd Friel (Wretched Radio) played all the segments from where Memorial speakers spoke about Christ. He pointed out there were things from some of the speakers he disagreed with (e.g. altar calls, Arminian theology) but said repeatedly that Christ was preached, Christ was preached, and he rejoiced. It's sad not all Christians have that mindset.
• Pastor/Christian musician Steve Camp pointed out something interesting and without explanation: while Kirk's widow spoke, his parents and sibling didn't. Why not? No, I have no idea.
• On the theological end, there was a mixture. Alisa Childers gave five quick facts on the Memorial, and the final 3 were "There were wolves (i.e. false teachers) there, there was bad theology there, and there was good doctrine there. Dawn Hill, hostess of the podcast "The Lovesick Scribe", has focused on the first two episodes in a series on the Memorial that there was definitely false teaching there. 
• Okay, more about Kirk than the memorial, but on September 26, my Release Update had three songs about Charlie Kirk. No new ones since. One especially bothered me - "Godspeed Charlie" by Patriotic refers to him as the eternal patriot. No, I don't think so. Charlie's now in God's Kingdom. 
  
• This leads me into "Christian Nationalism." What is Christian Nationalism? Is it when one equates Christianity with their nation? Or is this a name bullies use to silence those opposed to progressive/liberal ideas on abortion, the alphabet soup group, etc.? I always cringe when Patriotism is considered a virtue; in Russia, this means praying for victory over Ukraine. If we qualify patriotism to be righteous nations, what if our nation becomes unrighteous? And yes, persecution can arise here. The assassination, the martyrdom, of Charlie Kirk shows that possiblitiy.

Okay. I've gotten that off my chest.

AND I'M BACK! HOPE YOU DIDN'T MISS ME TOO MUCH

No, I don't know what kind of flower/tree this is, but it's at Hopewell House, Louisville, KY.
Yours truly took the picture.

Yes, I only posted one  blog in September. However, technically, I shouldn't count that: the September 2 post was actually posted before hand and was scheduled for September 2. So allow me to catch up a little.

There's a ministry called Further Still headed by Kurt Souder, who also has a radio program/podcast titled Solid Steps Radio, which is focused on men. He also hosts a day long "Desert Days" once a month at Hopewell House in Louisville, KY, where you can get away with other men (or women - there's a monthly Desert Days for the ladies as well) can write, meditate on Scripture, pray, and if necessary nap. Most of those who come are from the Louisville area, but I've taken a couple trips down, the most recent being August 13, 2025.

My arrival was not indicating a good start. I got there a few minutes late ... Actually, I turned into the next door neighbor's long driveway, and when I got turned around, I was blocked by a landscaping truck. He asked me to wait when he got his mowers out and I had to ask if I could get around him. Then, I reached in the back seat for my notebook and realized I left it on my dining room table two and a half hours away. Ugh.

Praise the Lord, the time was useful. I ended up in the library room as I did five years earlier (in the midst of COVID). Then, some of my meditation was looking through all the books, but there were two blessings. The first was the tree with white flowers that was right outside the window. My grandparents owned a nursery before I was born; Dad did not inherit any of that botanical knowledge, and I took after him. But that tree for me was a sign of hope, a blessing that calmed me from my hectic morning.

The second was a white board with multi-colored dry/erase pens. I found writing on the board and erasing/editing when I needed. By the time lunch was done, I did a lot of brainstorming that came in handy. (No, it's not neat, but as long as I could read it...

Why am I sharing this? I didn't think of sharing this until a few days ago. And the reason I thought of this was because on September 2, when I turned on the computer, I got a blue light, which turned into an orange light, which again became blue, and then orange and orange and orange... it didn't stop flashing until I unplugged it, but when I turned it back on, the orange flashing resumed. It took us two and a half weeks before I got the computer taken care of. 

The bad part was that I wasn't able to keep up with the blog. However, it kept me from being inundated with pro and con remarks after the assassination of Charlie Kirk. Of course, half the world is wondering what my thoughts are on this (can I take my tongue out of my cheek now?), so I'll share them in the next blog.

I'm behind on a lot of things as well. One of my most recent blogs (meaning in August) mentioned the upcoming Love Inspired Suspense Dakota K-9 Unit series. Since then, I've read the first four of nine, and yet to review any. There are a couple of other books I haven't reviewed yet either, as well as a review of the long-awaited new EP by one of my long-time favorite singers... no, you have to guess until I share it. You may have missed interviews - I'm  behind on that as well. 

Two related highlights. On September 21st, we had our first annual missions fair at Northside Baptist Church in Indianapolis. Becky was with friends behind the table for Child Evangelism Fellowship, while I was asked to host the table for World Missionary Press, which publishes literature for missionaries around the world. Others involved were Right to Life, Kid's Hope (headed up by a friend from church that ministers in Nigeria, CRU (previously known as Campus Crusade for Christ), Gideons, Crossroads Association (the local part of the Southern Baptist Convention), Send Relief (a joint venture of the North America and International missions), Metro Baptist Association, and Covenant Foods (Northside's pantry ministry). 

The other highlight was the same morning. Outside the side door are a pair of steps heading to a square "porch" with a rail. When I headed that direction, I saw a squirrel sitting on the porch. He looked at me, then he hid his head behind the rails, not realizing that while I couldn't see his head I could see the rest of him. He looked my direction to see if I was still there, hid his head behind the railing again, turned back to looking at me, and then  ran off.

I'm glad to be back blogging, and glad you're reading it.

Yours truly at the World Missionary Press Table. Photo by Jim Myers.