Good morning to everyone. Grace and Peace be with you. Over the last couple of weeks, I have been cleaning my house to prepare for my littles from across the pond. Taking on one room at a time. I am a slob by nature, but when I clean … I clean. This round is not as deep as I have done, but I am happy with it. For those worried that the pod people have taken me over … my office is still a four-train trainwreck. Tomorrow is the day I get my first round of hugs. When I am cleaning, I like to turn on the music loud and just keep moving. The tempo and mood set by the music keeps me focused and on task. Also, while I clean, I do a lot of thinking. Different things will catch my eye and I will end up on a trip down memory lane. During this clean, I found myself getting very short-tempered. My husband would offer to help and I would cut him off with a sharp response. He had done nothing to deserve that tone, but I was so focused on the task and whatever memory was running through my head that he did not have a chance for civility. When I get hyper-focused, I get mean. One of many areas that I must work on with His help. Sometimes I wonder if my temperament in those cleaning times is a reflection of how many times I felt dismissed by my dad when I was little. It is a far reach, I know; however, that is the only logical conclusion that I can muster inside my little brain. That I was always trying to prove myself strong and capable of anything a boy could do to him, that I still am. So, before I go on, know this … I have no ‘trauma’ from the way my dad raised me. I loved him. I disagreed with him a lot, but I never stopped loving him. Because of him, his old-fashioned ways, his desire to protect his first little girl … he formed me into the person that I am today. Independent. Strong. Loving. Fun-loving. Caring. Dependable. My dad was not a perfect man, but he was the perfect one for me. In this day and age of seeking past problems to account for current actions, is overshadowing personal responsibility. My dad was a strong man with strong views. There was never any doubt what he felt was right or wrong. He raised me to be the same way. The enemy wants us to live in the past so that we cannot see the beautiful future. Yes, there is trauma that needs help working through and you never really ‘leave’ it behind; however … at some point, we must make the choice to make it a part of our story … not just our story. At some point, we need to lay it at the feet of Jesus and see the beauty that we can bring into the new beginnings because that trauma has helped form us into who we are. A child of God. We were chosen to live in that time to be able to witness to those are currently living it and show them the Light. That the trauma does not always win. That the past is just that … the past. That Victory is ours for the claiming. How do we do that? First, we surrender to Christ. Truly surrender. Giving Him our day from the get-go all the way through to the end. Any past trauma triggers that arise, we give to Him. WE do not act on them; we lay them at his feet. We forgive instantly the person who created this trigger. And we take this as a learning moment that we need Him more than ever to guide us. It is not always easy, but it is doable. The enemy would have us live in the past and be untrusting or untrustworthy, but the Spirit wants us to see the beauty that is before us. We do that by accepting that the past is the past and we are not staying there. Today we focus on His Light. No matter what trigger arises. Today we lay it all at His feet. Today we start anew with Victory in our hearts. Today is a new day. Be blessed. **There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to mourn and a time to dance. – Ecclesiastes3:1,3,4b

Washington pastor Matthew Meinecke has reached a legal resolution after being arrested multiple times while preaching publicly in Seattle. According to First Liberty Institute, Meinecke was sharing the Gospel during a large downtown protest, believing it was an opportunity to read Scripture and speak about his Christian faith. Attorney Nate Kellum said Meinecke's purpose was to preach from the Bible, explaining that he began reading from the Gospel of John. As the crowd grew, some demonstrators confronted him, and Kellum alleges that one person grabbed his Bible and tore out pages. After obtaining another Bible and continuing to read, Kellum said members of the crowd became physically aggressive, alleging that several individuals picked Meinecke up, carried him down the street, and dropped him onto the pavement. The legal dispute has since concluded, with Meinecke and his legal team describing the outcome as an important victory for free speech and religious liberty. For many Christians, the case highlights the importance of protecting the freedom to peacefully share one's faith in public while respecting the rights of others. It also serves as a reminder to pray for those who proclaim the Gospel and for wisdom, peace, and civility in public discourse.

The loss of civility online: How anonymity and algorithms reward outrage, turning conversations into shouting matches. Moderation is constant, but the root problem is unmoderated anger fueling popularity. #SocialMedia #OnlineDiscourse #Civility #Algorithm #Anger https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQ7w5dSGsMA

Good morning to everyone. Grace and Peace be with you. Celebrity Opinion In 2003, the lead singer from the Dixie Chicks spoke at a concert in London about how ‘they’ were against President Bush, his policies, and they were ‘ashamed’ of him. It tanked their career as musicians. In 2011, Whoopi Goldberg began her assault on President Trump, his opinion, his policies, and his practices. In and out of office, she has been relentless. She has taken it even further in the last ten years to include in her rants … anyone who may support him as president. Her career is basically unfazed. In both cases, eight years apart, the character attacks were on republican candidates. Same attack, just a different mindset of the population on what is tolerable and what is not. As easy as it would be for me to turn this into a political post of a huge magnitude, that is not the point of the post. My question and point is this: Why do we, as a people, care more about what the ‘celebrities’ think than what Jesus thinks? Why do we ‘need’ to know what Rosanne Barr’s views are over those of Mary Magdalene? Why is Patrick Dempsey’s approach to controversy more palatable than that of the Apostle Paul? There is one celebrity that I have the utmost respect for and their political opinion … Dolly Parton. Why? Because she has made it clear that her opinions are hers, not ours. That she is an entertainer with music, and that is what her platform is for … entertaining. She has walked off sets because of those who have tried to blind side her. I am sure, if you are in her inner circle, then the conversations would be quite interesting. (personal opinion) The same politics that are happening now have been in process since the beginning of time, and the first king or ruler was established. It has just been modernized. What hasn’t been ‘modernized’ is the Bible. It is the same as it was when it was first written on the scrolls. The impact is the same as it was then. Terrifying to those who do not understand. Healing for those who do understand. Whoever is sitting in that office in DC is not going to ensure my safety in this world or the afterlife … Jesus Christ is. Whoever is making policy in that DC auditorium is not going to give me peace … Jesus Christ does. Whoever is spewing their hatred there or in my community is not going to cloud my vision … for I have a clear view of Jesus Christ and what he has done for me. Today, I encourage you to turn away from the headlines, the demonic attack on civility, the darkness that infiltrated our homes, and turn your eyes to Him who died on the cross to save us from ourselves. Go to Him and sit in his presence. Focus on His peace. Watch the darkness melt away. Find your peace in Him. Be blessed. ** “Everything is permissible” – but not everything is beneficial. “Everything is permissible” – but not everything is constructive. Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others. – 1 Corinthians 10:23-24

GUIDELINES FOR LIVING. March 26th, 2026 What Your Words Say About You? The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks. Luke 6:45 “I have just heard your commentary about the tongue,” wrote a listener. The friend added, “I am one of those who … is brutally frank. I know the truth is bitter, but my greatest defect is to tell a person what wrong he has done and what he ought not to do. Is it unchristian?” It is amazing to me how many folks such as the woman who wrote feel compelled to point out other people’s flaws. As an occasional golfer, my drives sometimes stray, and on one occasion, instead of the ball landing on the fairway, my golf ball landed on the tile roof of a home nearby. Thinking I might have done some damage, I approached the house as a man came flying out the door, a towel draped around him. I started to apologize but was interrupted by his screaming, “You know, you’re a terrible golfer!” Right. His pointing out what I already knew really made my day. How important is it to state the obvious—telling your friend how much weight she has gained, pointing out that your brother has less hair than you do, reminding your wife that she is not nearly as good a cook as your mother? Actually, some people—usually those with very few friends—feel called to tell everyone what’s wrong with them. “Brutally frank” was the term the woman used who wrote to me. But was Jesus brutally frank with people? Or did He demonstrate tenderness and kindness? Are kindness and compassion elements of weakness? Or are there times when you need to be frank and candid and times when you need sensitivity and restraint? To the prostitute who was entrapped by religious leaders striving to ensnare Jesus Himself, He quietly and gently said, “Woman, where are those accusers of you? Has no one condemned you?” (John 8:10 NKJV). But to the religious leaders of his day—men who were hypocritical and deceitful—Jesus was acerbic and blunt. Believe me, He got their attention when He addressed them, saying, “You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell?” (Matthew 23:33). The occasion determined the tone of voice and the strength of the words He used. So should it be with us today. How you address a person and the tone of voice you use determines the response you can expect. When you are gentle, people respond the same way. When you’re angry and loud, you can expect the same in response. Blaise Pascal, the French writer, said, “Cold words freeze people, and hot words scorch them, and bitter words make them bitter, and wrathful words make them wrathful. Kind words also produce their own image on men’s souls; and a beautiful image it is. They soothe, quiet, and comfort the hearer.” Civility has been in decline along with kindness, consideration, and compassion. Bluntness has given way to vulgarity and coarseness. Many people lace their speech with profanity, even oblivious to what they are saying, and subsequently their children pick up the same expressions, completely unaware of the sexual innuendos and the vulgarity of what they’re saying. So, where does all of this leave us? Your speech, whether intentional or habitual to the point of being unaware of what you are saying—is you! Speech “is the blueprint of the personality,” says a Menninger Foundation psychologist. What you say represents what you are. “A good man,” said Jesus, “produces good deeds from a good heart,” adding, “and an evil man produces evil deeds from his hidden wickedness. Whatever is in the heart,” he said, “overflows into speech” (Luke 6:45 Living Bible). Remember, what you say is a reflection of what you are, and what you are is your choice. So, choose wisely. Resource reading: Matthew 7

Chastity: Part One Some things have not changed, some definitions are still correct and certain values still pay off but the perception of this generation had changed drastically. One of these important virtues is CHASTITY. Chastity is the state of not having sex with anyone, or only having sex with the person you are married to. Yoruba adage says "a o lee so pe aye ti di aye òlàjú k'a maa fi oju egbo te ile" (We can not throw our core values into the refuse bin because of unstable civilization) Just because it is the norm, several singles see nothing wrong in premarital affairs. in fact, to most of them, it is a sign of civility. If we are to go by what WAS obtainable in the Yoruba culture, several people will not find suitors because of shame. But this is an era where shame is passive in our dictionary. People are not ashamed of broadcasting how they lost IT. I watched some young ladies online saying with boldness that their BODY COUNT is not more than 10. Sangba fó! At last, Omóye ti rin ihoho wo ojà (The beauty queen has entered the market square nakedly). "Omóye" wants her father to take her to the church on her wedding day but she had become stained before the glorious day. The pastor will ask her to do pregnancy test but not body count test. She has been unveiled but will still wear Purity Veil on her wedding day. Who's deceiving who. Eni buru mo, o ku eni ti yoo so fun. I love pastors, oh I am a pastor. Every trained pastor will not forget this vital question before joining the couple "is there any impediment...? To free the pastor from the guilt of your errors, the "unlicenced driver and the smuggled car" will answer "NO". Don't forget in a hurry, unlicenced persons are not supposed to drive while any vehicle that evaded/avoided the custom duties is not supposed to ply the road. O deep gan. He has not paid but has started eating. They said you are smart but deep down in your heart, you know your real appellation - Thief. The Revd Joshua Adeyemi Aluko

Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous. 1 Peter 3:8. “Be courteous,” is a Bible injunction. We all have our peculiar temperaments. Some have very quick tempers; some are inclined to be morose, some stubborn, and others coarse and rough, unkind in words. Therefore we need to cultivate our tempers, take ourselves in hand....Soften whatever is harsh in your temper and burnish off the rough edges of your character. Never be sour and harsh at any time. Abstain from frowns and contempt, however much you may feel them. You should win respect by being respectful and courteous. Treat every one with civility; they are the purchase of the blood of Christ. If you seek to imitate Christ in your character, the impression upon the people will not be made by you, but by the angels of God that stand right by your side; they will touch the hearts of those to whom you speak. Those who hope to be the companions of holy angels should possess refined manners. If the principles of the Christian religion are carried out in the daily life, there will be a kind thoughtfulness for others, for this was characteristic of Christ. Then, although a man may be poor, he will have true dignity, for he is God’s nobleman. Christianity will make a man a gentleman. We are the purchase of Christ’s blood, and we are to represent Him, to pattern after Him. And He was courteous, even to His persecutors. The true follower of Jesus manifests the same mild, self-sacrificing spirit that marked the life of his Master. Look at Paul when brought before rulers. His speech before Agrippa is a model of dignified courtesy as well as persuasive eloquence. I would not encourage the formal politeness current with the world, which is destitute of the true spirit of courtesy, but the politeness that springs from real kindness of feeling. In Christ a greater example has been given us than that of either patriarch or apostle. Here we have genuine courtesy illustrated. This virtue ran parallel with His life, clothing it with a softened and refined beauty, and shedding its luster over every action. [297]