Donald Trump and the Would-Be Assassin

Today was a historic day - or perhaps infamous would be a better way to describe it. July 13^th, 2024, will henceforth be known as the day that someone tried and failed to gun down former President (and current presidential candidate) Donald Trump. The Bible is quite clear about such actions. There’s even a commandment about it: ”Thou shalt not kill.” And yet, here we are.

America In The Last Days

I recently saw a meme complaining about Bruce Springsteen’s Born in the USA. According to the creator of the meme, every year around the 4^th of July, this song climbs way up the charts on all the major music streaming platforms. The problem? The song isn’t really patriotic or pro-America in any overtly discernible way. It does clearly seem to be the story of an armed forces veteran coming home after the Vietnam conflict, but I suppose if one such as the meme creator were to go searching for overt “Yay, America!” lyrics, they would indeed come up empty.

Seeing this meme caused me to begin thinking. First of all, I wondered why the meme’s author would care so much about whether the song was overtly patriotic or not. Then of course, I remembered that it’s the internet, and what good is the internet if one can’t complain about obscure minutiae? More importantly, I began thinking about the usual rhetoric that accompanies Independence Day in the US, and how, at least in Christian circles, I often hear one of two refrains…

Many Christians wax optimistic about the future and how America will be a light unto the world until Christ returns. Others complain about the state of society and talk about how we need to turn this country around before it’s too late. Both of these statements miss a very important Biblical fact: the United States of America will have little to no role to play in the end times.

*gasping noises*

Book Release: Living in the Armor

My new book is available on Amazon! You can find it at the following link:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B087R5Q4XC

Are you living in the Whole Armor of God? Come join author Craig Wadley on an exploration of the symbolism behind the Whole Armor of God as described in Ephesians 6:11-17. Examine each piece of a Roman soldier's gear in great detail in order to reveal secrets which are often overlooked. From the strengthening power of the Belt of Truth to the authoritative sovereignty of the Sword of the Spirit, every item unlocks new layers of spiritual symbolism which can be put to work in our daily lives. Learn how to apply the Biblical principles of truth, righteousness, preparation, faith, and so much more to situations which you face every day. The Whole Armor of God is a picture of the Christian life which you can use as a tool for growth in your walk with Christ. 

Living in the Armor by Craig Wadley

Borrowed Trouble: The Art of Getting Bitten by Dogs

I don’t have to tell you that social media has become a potentially ugly place. There are many issues which divide us, and emotions run hot far too much of the time. Now I have to admit that I have been guilty of this as well. Many are the times when I have posted some article, typically political in nature, which had lit the fires of anger within me.  But I have wised up and cut back on such posts.

I had to, for my own sanity.

Image by GemmaRay23 from Pixabay 

Once upon a time, Facebook (my primary social media app) was a fun place to go online. You had a wall where you could post pieces of flair (yes that was a long time ago), you could share funny pictures, and you could update your friends on what was going on in your life. Now to be fair, you can still do most of these things (I think the flair app is no more, alas), but Facebook took a turn for the worse when they introduced an integrated News Feed.

We all know what it has turned into today. Everywhere you turn, there’s a negative or inflammatory article, an angry rant, or everyone’s favorite, some fake news. I have friends on both sides of the political aisle, and I can assure you that both sides are equally guilty of all the bad things.

Angry, profanity-ridden rants? Both sides.

Negative, divisive opinion pieces? Both sides.

Fake news? Both sides.

Unnecessarily hostile attitudes? Let me assure you, this too is coming from both sides.

Why?

A Christian Response to COVID-19

At the time of this writing, we are in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic of 2020. Many people are scared, others are skeptical. Some are self-quarantined, many are practicing social distancing, and some few are brazenly defiant of any such restrictions.

And then there’s the shortage of toilet paper due to hoarding. To be honest, I’m still scratching my bald head over that one. Even under quarantine for 6 weeks, would you really need an entire case of toilet paper? I mean, my family of three goes through a 12-roll pack about once a month, but that’s probably TMI…

Food hoarding? At least I understand that one, even though it still creates serious problems for people who are unable to get necessities while others take way more than they really need.

It seems to me that there has been quite a bit of panic. For the moment, that seems to be subsiding, and I truly hope cooler heads will prevail. Panic is never productive and almost always leads to greater harm.

All of this leads me to my next point. I’m sure I will catch some flack from those who read my next paragraph and nothing more, but bear with me and read the rest of the article before becoming a troll, if you would.

Satanic Prayer Sparks Internet Firestorm

A prayer spoken at a town hall meeting in Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula Borough on June 18^th of this year prompted several attendees and officials to walk out, as well as sparking protests outside the borough’s administration building. Controversy over public prayer is not a new thing in the United States, but the prayer spoken at this meeting held south of Anchorage has turned the usual debate on its head.

Wikimedia Commons

You see, the people protesting this prayer are Christians, as the prayer was delivered by Satanic Temple member Iris Fontana, whose closing words of the prayer were, “Hail Satan.”

Didn't see that one coming? You're not alone. But maybe we shouldn't be surprised by this at all.

Christians in the United States have long been chafing at restrictions placed on prayer at public events. The protests against prayers at gatherings such as public sporting events or town meetings have typically been spearheaded by atheists who claim that such prayer violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment:

Madonna Challenges The Pope, Says Jesus Would Support Abortion

Photo by Adam Sammler

Apparently, pop singer Madonna wants to have a debate with the Pope about abortion. Most disturbingly, she seems to suggest that Jesus would side with the pro-choice crowd. She proposes the following potential questions for the Pontiff: “What do you really think he thought of women? And don't you think Jesus would agree that a woman has the right to choose what to do with her body?”

Pope Francis has made his pro-life stance very clear on a number of occasions. I'm no Catholic, but I have to say I'm going to side with the Pope on this one.

So, Madonna, since you brought Jesus into this conversation, allow me to provide you with the answers you would like to ask about Him. Your overtly loaded questions make it abundantly clear that you are terribly, terribly mistaken.

On Watches, Razors, and Men

This ad says, "We see the good in men." This is a vital aspect of the "conversation" which is being mostly ignored by "woke" social justice warriors. Kudos to Egard Watches and their ad team for delivering a message which builds people up!

Gillette, as you surely know by now, has released an ad which many claim to be little more than an attack on men. After viewing the controversial Gillette ad, I have mixed feelings about it. Let's start with the good points...

I love the clip of Terry Crews they included. He's on point with his comments. Accountability is huge, and men SHOULD hold each other accountable. This is a Biblical principle, too. We read in Proverbs 27:17 that, “Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.” Proverbs 27:6 reveals that, “Wounds inflicted by the correction of a friend prove he is faithful.”

I am sure that I agree with Gillette that men who behave in a toxic manner need to be called out and put in their place, and that men of good character should be well-equipped to do just that. Assuming that this was the goal, then the Gillette ad could and should be considered to have good intentions.

But as the saying goes, "The road to Hell is paved with good intentions."

The Gillette ad fails by presenting a picture of men through a single, narrow lens; an unfair stereotype no better than other unfair stereotypes (some examples being the barefoot, pregnant, in the kitchen housewife, the lazy shiftless negro, the dumb blonde, the stupid drunk redneck, the greasy Mexican, the thug from the hood, etc - all of which are poor, negative, and even hateful representations of the demographic in question).

Of course, the difficulty with stereotypes is that they are true, or at least they are SOMETIMES true. There are individuals who fit into every category I mentioned above, and yes, that definitely includes men who are toxic.

And let me be clear: I completely agree with Gillette that toxic men who treat women badly, who bully and intimidate others, and who resort readily to violence are far from “The Best a Man Can Get.” Those traits are not even masculine, really. Those guys are not, in fact, men... at all. They are immature overgrown children who never learned how to be men.

As a friend of mine posted just yesterday, we used to call these guys "douchebags." We also used to understand that they do not represent men as a whole. But that differentiation is sadly being replaced by a militant feminist view of men in which any individual with a Y-chromosome is seen as being inherently evil or toxic in some way. Gillette's ad fails by seeming to openly accept this distorted view of men.

There is one point in the ad where things go irrevocably wrong, and it hinges on ONE WORD:

"Some."

For all of their good intentions, Gillette fails by accepting the notion that most men are the problem, and only some are doing right. In other words, they have it exactly backwards.

That point - that ONE WORD - turns what should be a fair challenge for all men to hold each other accountable into just another overly “woke” sound bite. An unfair stereotype, if ever there was one.

Gillette and those who love the ad would say that they are challenging men to do what’s right, and I would agree that challenging men to do what’s right is a good thing. But have they accomplished this, or have they simply chastised men in general for the bad behavior of a few?

It's very easy to see why many were offended by the ad, yet the good intentions behind it are also pretty clear. So what should we do when good intentions fail to produce good results?  We have all failed to deliver good results alongside our good intentions at some point. The Gillette marketing team, in trying to address a societal problem, has delivered results which many find offensive.

Being offended is not necessarily unreasonable, but how should we respond after we are offended? Do we respond in kind? Do we lash out with (self) righteous indignation? Or might we be better served to forgive the transgressors for their shortcomings and work toward resolution?

We all will most certainly be better served by men who stand for what’s right, even when (especially when) faced with all that is wrong with the world. That’s a point which we should all agree on, and it seems like a good place to start.

Goliath in Zagreb

When Dr. Jackie Lamar asked me to write a piece for the Arkansas Saxophones to premiere at the 2018 World Saxophone Congress, I instantly hopped on board and straightaway began to compose with great procrastination.

One should never be too hasty. At least, that's what my good friend, Treebeard, always says.

I spent most of my career as a saxophonist playing bari in various ensembles, and I always like to give the bari player something interesting when I write for saxophones. Very soon, the idea that this piece would retell the epic of David and Goliath was firmly planted in my mind, right next to some rather neglected Azaleas.

For those of you who may be less familiar with the various flavors of saxophone, the bari (short for baritone) sax is one of the bigger ones. It's the one that looks like part of it got caught in a pretzel-twister, and it has a pretty low sound. If saxophones had strings, the bari would be a cello.

Fortunately... they don't.

Anyway, the bari player takes up the role of the Phillistine giant, Goliath, in this tune. He's a cocky loudmouth who spends most of his time strutting around like he's king of the world. And so is Goliath.

;) In reality, the guy playing bari is Andy Wright, and you'd be hard-pressed to find a better human than him. And he certainly knows his way around a saxophone.

I chucked in a little bit of everything: some funky blues for Goliath, some intense modern harmonies for the fight scene, a little bit of Gothic morose-ness inspired by Penny Dreadful on Netflix, a few soft pretties, and a couple of stupid saxophone tricks like multiphonics and slap-tongue.

After rehearsing the piece, Dr. Lamar and the ensemble decided that it didn't suck much, and they would play it in Zagreb (Croatia) during the World Saxophone Congress of July, 2018.

And play it they did!

All self-immolating sarcasm aside, I'm rather glad with the way the piece turned out, and I'm immensely grateful to Dr. Lamar and the Arkansas Saxophones for taking my music to the other side of the planet. Enjoy the video!

Oh and if you happen to be looking for some saxophone choir music, you can find this tune and others on the MUSIC tab of my website, www.wadleyoriginals.com.

A Final Lesson From Billy Graham

I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.

~Matthew 25:36

WAFB 9 News Baton Rouge, Louisiana News, Weather, Sports

Reverend Billy Graham, even in death, is teaching us all about the unconditional love of Christ. Our society writes inmates off as lost causes and prefers to simply put them away and forget about them. But what does God think about our most feared criminals?

He loves them.