Culture – A Writer's Daughter

Part 2 – A Graham Legacy

The Graham photo personalized for my Dad, “My Longtime Friend.”

Following my mother’s passing in June, I have been sorting through my parents’ files. A year and a half ago when my Dad died, we rediscovered his files. Among them was a folder labeled “Graham Billy Photo,” containing three personal letters from Billy Graham to my Dad, another letter from Ruth Graham written on behalf of her husband, and a signed photograph. All the letters are quite short but they are very warm, addressing my Dad as “my dear friend” and encouraging and complimenting my Dad’s journalistic work. Ruth Graham’s letter is equally warm and expresses “warmest regards to Pat” (my mother). Part of the background of this relationship is that Billy Graham helped to found the magazine Christianity Today, where my Dad worked for the first half of his reporting and writing career. As a reporter of national, world and religious news, my father covered Graham evangelistic crusades in the US and around the world. Dad knew Rev. Graham and his team through these connections.

I find it neat that there is such a record of their friendship. I am sure they had occasional phone calls, but the written record is special. I wonder if in today’s time, such communication might be through texts, which will not be saved for posterity. It is also important to note that although Billy Graham was a very well-known name at the time, he was regular man who responded to God’s special call on his life. God used him in a mighty way to bring the Gospel (Good News of Jesus) to hundreds of thousands of people throughout the world. Graham was not different or more holy than any of us. He is not a Saint, except in the way that all of us who follow Christ are saints of God*. I believe Graham’s crusade method of proclaiming the Gospel was effective and was used of God for that time and in those places. God uses many means to draw the lost, “sinners” as Graham boldly preached, to Himself.

A fun photo opp behind one of Billy Graham’s pulpits. (Asheville, NC, The BGEA Cove)

With the approval of my family, I have donated Dad’s original Billy Graham letters to the Graham archives in Charlotte, NC, keeping a digital record for us. The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) very graciously welcomed these papers and have been kind and professional regarding the donation to the collection. The BGEA continues its Gospel mission with many ministries, outreaches, and resources. They are currently finishing a series of outreaches, one in each state of the original thirteen colonies, called Declaration of Dependence, for our nation’s 250th year. The tour takes place in Wilmington, North Carolina on Monday, October 26. I plan to support and attend the event, continuing my parent’s legacy of sharing Gospel efforts through the BGEA.

*Christians are called saints in 1 Corinthians 14 v 33 and Ephesians 2 v 19. The Apostle Paul often addressed church members as “saints” in his letters to churches such as in Romans 1 v 7, Philippians 1 v 1, and 1 Corinthians 1 v 2.

If you subscribe to my blog via email, thank you. Posts are best viewed at “A Writer’s Daughter”

Part 1 – The 99 – A True Story

Several months ago, an evangelistic rally took place in the Gulf States. Will Graham, the featured speaker and grandson of Billy Graham, retold* how the ministry team prepared in the week leading up to the event. On location, they were pulling together the details and doing final set up. A couple of times, the team finished the day by eating dinner together at a Denny’s restaurant. A waitress named Stephanie served them, and the team invited her to attend the rally. She said she had weekend plans but might be able to come to one of the evenings.

The first night of the festival took place. Graham and his team met afterward. It turned out that ninety-nine attendees made spiritual decisions. This was wonderful news, but as Graham told it, he was immediately struck by the thought that one was missing! Where was the 100th person, as the parable of the lost sheep goes in Luke 15? It came to him that Stephanie, the waitress at Denny’s, was number one hundred. He began to pray for her.

The final night of the faith festival, the event staff were in place, setting up. They were taking promotional photos to post, and as one of the team screened the pictures to post, she recognized Stephanie in the arriving crowd: she had made it to the event! Later, while listening to the message, Stephanie was moved to respond to Jesus.

What joyous news and answered prayer for Will Graham and the team. Catching a bite to eat late that night with the event team, Will prayed a quick blessing over the food and rally. He also asked the Lord to show Stephanie His plan for her. Stephanie, meanwhile, texted someone else on the team. She said, ‘I finally know for sure that God has a purpose for me.’ God is at work. He finds His lost sheep and brings them into HIs fold. He is our Good Shepherd (John 10 v 11).

We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way Isaiah 53 v 6 www.publicdomainpictures.net
Photo contributed by Andrea Stockel

*My husband and I heard Will Graham tell this story at BGEA’s The Cove retreat center in Asheville, NC this past summer.

Happy 250th, America!

I would loved to have written a blog for America’s 250^th birthday, but my circumstances through June were not ideal for writing. Instead, I will share an important quote from the podcast, “The World and Everything In It,” broadcast earlier this year on May 4, 2026:

“You cannot promote freedom and markets and enterprise without attaching it to our faith and transcendent truths. (Those who) have a moral framework and a creational theology to explain free markets (all our freedoms really) have a chance to be a full antidote to the radicalism of May Day and (other) protests and communism (or socialism) and all of these other failed experiments, but we have to do it fully armed with the Christian worldview (as found in Scripture).” ~ David Bahnsen

Galatians 5 v 13

(my edits)

If you subscribe to my blog via email, thank you. Posts are best viewed at “A Writer’s Daughter.”

A highway fruit stand in Florida where we bought peaches.

The lighthouse on St. Simons Island, GA.

And the Oscar Goes To

I first heard about the animated film “Forevergreen” when a good friend posted that his son contributed to the making of a film nominated for an Academy Award. “Forevergreen” was a nominee in for “Best Animated Short Film” in this year’s Academy Awards. Later, I learned more about the film on my ‘go to’ news podcast, “The World and Everything In It,” through a news item (February 27 wng.org), followed by a full-length special feature with interviews.

“Forevergreen” is the creation of Nathan Engelhardt and Jeremy Spears. These two friends, both directors and guys who tell stories, teamed up on a concept of a story that pointed to the real redemptive story of the Bible, through Jesus Christ. Set in a forest, featuring an orphaned bear, the story exposes our spiritual need, and frequently our rejection of the Answer.

From the outset, the project was a labor of love, inspiration, ministry and sweat. The directors recruited a crew of over two hundred highly skilled volunteers, who had the passion and commitment to produce the film. Among the production crew was our friend’s son; a kid who grew up around our kids. He excelled in his teens in computer design. He majored in Film Studies in college, landed in California with a well-known studio, and has worked on several well-known animated movies. At one point, the studio assigned him to a film promoting ideas contrary to Biblical truth. He asked to be reassigned but instead he was furloughed. His career in animation continues successfully and he is listed as “Animation Lead” in the “Forevergreen” credits.

You can enjoy this film online or in an upcoming Roadside Attractions in theaters.

“Forevergreen” did not win the Oscar last night but what an honor, an achievement of the highest degree, to be a nominee, for excellence “in craft” as Engelhardt and Spears say, in concept, production and PR, music and … animation! Well done, Brendan and all the production crew! All of you demonstrated what it means to invest your talents for the Gospel.

Closing in Scripture is never the hard part in my writing. At church yesterday, we looked at 2 Timothy 2 v 21. Returning to the passage this morning, I realized how aptly it described the “Forevergreen” creative team: “… (those) will be instruments for special purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work.”

A Lesson from 2 Oxford Dons

I listened to a podcast recently on the friendship between C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien, two 20^th century English authors (Lindsay Mast interviewing Joseph Loconte, The World and Everything In It, link below). Specifically, the discussion centered on the context of their friendship and a shared mission that developed. They were Oxford professors building a friendship in the 1930’s, as British foundational beliefs in humanity, Judeo-Christian values and human purpose declined, followed by isolationism and apathy toward Hitler’s rise in power, before eventually facing the threat of German invasion, the terror of the bombing of London.

Into this time period, the two men, Lewis and Tolkien, forged a deep relationship, grappling with the problems of their day, concerned about the demise of a classic Christian worldview, and asking how in their university setting with their limited assets they could fight back. They agreed they could write! They could write stories reflecting the great story; stories that demonstrated goodness over evil, fighting for what is right, heroism in a pure form. The result was Lewis’s space trilogy Out of the Silent Planet and Tolkien’s The Hobbit. Armed with their thoughts and a pen (or a typewriter) they produced a mighty advance, “a beachhead of resistance against the ideological madness that is (was) all around them.” (Loconte)

The modern acclaim for these two esteemed intellectual authors clouds the reality that they really didn’t start with much. They could only endeavor to take a stab at a large and looming moral collapse with the sword of their pen, their writing skills (Ephesians 2 v 10 ). But oh my, how God used and continues to use their stories to point readers to God’s redemptive story, the real savior, Jesus Christ!

Using what you have, the competence and forte of your background, your mind, and your heart, to participate in God’s kingdom is the call of Christ followers. Years ago, I heard Rick Warren preach a sermon on Moses’ calling. When Moses, joined by his brother Aaron, did not think he had much to offer as God called him, he was asked what they had on hand. Aaron held a staff or a walking stick, and the Lord told him to throw it down, where it immediately became a live, writhing snake! God used Moses’ one asset when Moses was willing to respond.

The feature photo and this one were taken in Oxford, England. This is the door of Magdalen College, where C.S. Lewis taught.

This is what I pray for myself in the New Year: in interviewer Lindsay Mast’s words to “meet the forces of evil in starting where we are and doing what we can with what we have.” Loconte agreed, quoting Ecclesiastes, “Cast your bread upon the waters.” (Ecclesiastes 11 v 1) Blessings and Godspeed for your 2026 endeavors, Brenda

https://wng.org/podcasts/oxfords-inklings-and-the-christian-imagination-1764950179, Lindsay Mast interviewing Joseph Loconte for The World and Everything In It, wng.org, 12/06/2025.

If you subscribe to my posts via email, thank you. They are best viewed on the website “A Writer’s Daughter”

Clean Sweep

Starbucks named last Monday, the Mondayest Monday of the year. To help us through, the chain offered free brewed coffee to all who stopped in. Yours truly partook with pleasure! I assumed the “Monday, Monday” got the tag due to the cold, gray month and impending Hallmark holiday. The winter blues and/or uncertainty about Valentine’s Day does send some into the drearies but the worst Monday identifies something else. The Mondayest Monday is so named for Super Bowl hangovers: too much junk food, too much alcohol, and entertainment or team letdown. But that is all behind us now and we will have to pay for our Monday coffee fix.

What is also behind us is January, the new year month. It’s the month of resolutions, of fresh starts, blank slates and a clean sweep. The human heart and mind seek to move forward and give life another go. We are still in that fresh window of 2025, and I have a literal opportunity for a clean sweep.

Two years ago, I saw an ad in the post office for a broom sale sponsored by the Lions Club. I needed a broom for outdoor sweeping, so I called the advertised number but never heard back. Again last year, I saw the promotion and a quick text had a broom at my door in two days for $15! I also found out that the Lions Club corn fiber brooms are made by blind and visually impaired, supporting employment and education.

As pictured, I enjoy sweeping the front walkway, and our screened in porch is always in need of a clean sweep. When I sweep outside, I think of my parents-in-law. They were always intrigued that in the Polish (actually Ukrainian) section of their town, the women swept their sidewalks. Not having a sidewalk on their road, it seemed strange to them. As their daughter-in-law of Ukrainian descent, I smile when I grab my Lions Club broom to brush up our outdoor entries.

Now I’ve taken you readers from hangover Mondays to Lions Club brooms made by the blind, and Ukrainians who like to sweep, what is the conclusion? Clean sweeps are a good thing. We must live with our past and take responsibility for our choices, but with God, we can always claim a fresh start. As we push through the last days of the shortest month, which sometimes feels like the longest, we can lean on God’s promise that His mercies are new every morning (Lamentations 3 v 22-23), that we are not what we were (1 Corinthians 6 v 9-11), and that those who know the power of salvation through Christ Jesus’ work on the cross are a new creation: the old has gone, the new is come (2 Corinthians 5 v 17).

If you subscribe to my blog via email, thank you. The posts are best viewed “A Writer’s Daughter”

Our God Is A Consuming Fire

As footage of the devastating California wildfires filled our screens these last two weeks, these words of Scripture came to mind: “Our God is a consuming fire” (Deuteronomy 4 v 24 and Hebrews 12 v 29). Thinking of those Biblical words, one might think that God is burning up California for some reason, possibly judgement. It is true throughout Scripture that God judges sin and disobedience, but we cannot confirm God’s intent in this natural disaster. The statement “Our God is a consuming fire” must be considered with the entire text of the Bible, Scripture’s whole counsel.

The Bible is a long book, a collection of sixty-six books actually, written over a lengthy period of time by men inspired and directed by God to encode His Word. One (or two) verses isolated without context and without the study of related Scriptures can lead to erroneous conclusions. It is equally important not to dismiss a Scripture, tossing a truth out as irrelevant when it seems misplaced. Both are dangerous extremes. So how does a reader of the Bible understand its right meaning? See my blog Pages tab, How to Read the Bible, for suggestions.

So, what about God and fire? Fire can be, as I mentioned earlier, God’s judgment of sin. God also used fire as a protection against cold and danger (Haynes). God’s powerful glory sometimes manifests itself in a blaze. Eternal separation from God, hell, is a “lake of fire.” Burning is also a cruel form of persecution, from New Testament times continuing even today. God’s word promises “when you walk through the fire, you will not be burned” (Isaiah 43 v 2) but Christians were torched in Roman times, burned at the stake in more recent centuries, and today are burned out of their homes or bombed during worship services. Martyrs lose their earthly lives but gain eternal glory in Jesus’ presence. It is a reality I struggle with, but we should be aware as Scripture warns: “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you” (1 Peter 4 v 12).

We visited the Martyrs’ Memorial in Oxford, England honoring three ministers burned at the stake in 1555.

The loss of life and property in California saddens us, as did Hurricane Helene’s destruction in the eastern US last fall. We know the winds “obey” God as they did for Jesus on the Sea of Galilee. Therefore, we lean into His Sovereignty in disasters with compassion and generosity.

Haynes, Clarence L. “Why God is a “Consuming Fire”? The Meaning of Hebrews 12:29.” BibleStudyTools.com October 13, 2023.

Open Doors (opendoorsus.org) and Voice of the Martyrs (www.persecution.com) are excellent Christian resources to keep abreast of current persecution.

The Man from Plains

The late summer that I began my freshman year at Wheaton College, Jimmy Carter was the Democratic nominee for President. As the family station wagon headed off to take me to Illinois, we stopped at National Airport, now named Reagan National, to pick up the first copies of my Dad’s new book, The Man From Plains – The Mind and Spirit of Jimmy Carter. My Dad had quickly drafted the book in the spring of 1976. I remember his research and investigative trips, including one to Plains and to a news conference in Chicago, where I had the privilege of accompanying him. The book was published in time for the final months of the election. We excitedly flipped through the new book, and I came upon the dedication: “To Brenda whose interests kindled my own.”

In my high school senior year U.S. government class, we studied the election process real time. My teacher, Mrs. Laura Crites, was extraordinary for her expertise and passion for her subject. She taught with admirable dignity and stayed completely nonpartisan. One of our class assignments was to write a nomination speech for a candidate: I wrote a speech for Jimmy Carter. I do not recall anything about the speech I wrote, but what was happening at the time was a public fascination about a successful politician with down-home style, from the back woods of Georgia, who spoke openly of his Baptist roots and professed his faith in Jesus for life changing salvation. This was quite different from the usual staid, mostly Protestant, nominal church membership that most American politicians professed at that time*. Jimmy Carter, instead, was an outspoken Christian who continued to teach an adult Sunday School class when he could be back at his home church in Plains, Georgia.

The rest is history, as they say. Jimmy Carter was elected as the 39th President of the United States, for one term. Foreign policy challenges marked his Presidency. I finished a degree at Wheaton College over those four years, considering a political science major, but ended up with a degree in Elementary Education. My father never authored another book but continued his journalist career. His book had faced opposition by acquaintances who thought he should have written about the Republican nominee. I do not think The Man From Plains sought to endorse Carter as a candidate; it merely provided a study of his life up to that point, concentrating on the overt Christian faith Carter professed.

Jimmy Carter went on to found Habitat for Humanity, a nonprofit organization “that helps families build and improve places to call home.” He returned to Plains, Georgia to live and probably to teach Sunday School. I had an encounter with him once, many years after his Presidency. He hosted a book signing at our local Walmart. I decided to go over to see if I could get my copy of Dad’s book signed by him. When the staffer handed former President Carter my book, I hollered out, “My Dad wrote that book.” He answered back, “Tell him to come see me in Plains,” and he signed my book!

Jimmy Carter’s signature in my copy of Dad’s book.

Jimmy Carter leaves a legacy of faith and service. From his open Christian testimony on the campaign trail, to his inaugural address based on Biblical text Micah 6 v 8, to his work for those in need of housing, he publicly expressed his faith, and its resulting personal transformation*. I believe his boldness helped the broad public, including the press, understand that knowing Jesus makes a difference in someone’s life. For those of you who know me and my family personally, my father is facing a serious health diagnosis. We are grateful for his full life, his noteworthy career in journalism, and his legacy of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Thank you for your prayers.

*Based on content from Kucharsky, David. The Man From Plains, Harper and Row Publishers, New York: 1976.

Note: If you subscribe to my blog, receiving it via email, thank you. The post is better viewed by going directly to “A Writer’s Daughter”

Musings on a Saturday

I have been mulling over a podcast I listened to last week. Following the news story of the Lakewood Church shooting in Houston, TX, “The World and Everything In It” (wng.org/podcasts) contributor John Stonestreet discussed some of the issues related to the event. Stonestreet spoke of “deaths of despair” and “acts of desperation,” terms I was not familiar with. These are increasing at “skyrocketing rates,” he said, and he rightly attributes that to the logical outcome of a secular worldview. He explains that the “expressive, individualistic secular culture (that) gives them no strong resources of a stable family, a stable sense of identity or anything else” leaves people “grasping for a cause, grasping for hope.” But Stonestreet lands the interview on hope, and it is the hope the church has to offer: “Christianity grounds (us in) dignity and value and purpose.” For the church, “this is a mission moment,” he concludes.

Here is a place I often arrive at: the unique role of the church for you and me. The Church is the God-given structure for bonding believers to Biblical truths and to each other. As we gather and grow, what we know fills our lives and the lives of others we touch. That does not mean that there will never be a searching, confused soul like the woman at Lakewood Church, but more of us will be grounded and confident in God’s design and purpose for our lives and this will have a ripple effect around us.

Each Friday, “The World and Everything In It” podcast ends with a blessing and a charge for the weekend. It is my closing today for you as well: “the Psalmist writes: “Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.” (Psalm 43 v 5) Worship with brothers and sisters in Christ in Church this weekend, and Lord willing, we’ll meet you right back here on Monday. Go now in grace and peace.”

The extensive quotes in this blog post are all from this source:

Brown, Myrna, Lindsay Mast, and John Stonestreet. “The World and Everything In It.” February 16, 2024 https://wng.org/podcasts/culture-friday-jesus-and-super-bowl-commercials-1708027228

This is the Church of St John the Baptist in Burford, England. It is not just a beautiful relic in The Cotswolds, it is a functioning church. We were touring on a Sunday and the usher asked us not to come in if we couldn’t stay for the whole worship service. A praise team with guitars were leading upbeat music and a mother had to leave the sanctuary with her fussy toddler. Real church!

Pardon My French – Part 1

Before our September trip to London and Paris, we met with a couple friend of ours to get their insights on Paris. He spent some of his youth there, and they had returned to Paris for a family trip. Being the sweet hostess she is, there was a lovely snack prepared for our short visit. With the snacks, she laid out the “Pardon My French” napkins. I laughed at the unlikely thought that my friend would speak any indiscretions. She laughed too saying she didn’t even think of that, but that her grown children had given her the napkins because of the way she mixed a little bit of French and a smattering of Korean into her English vernacular. Such fun humor!

I read up on culture as our trip approached, especially for Paris. One hears that the French do not care for American tourists. What I read is that the French dislike our brash style. Americans, especially Americans on travel, may lack courtesy as they pursue their travel itinerary, expect to get all they paid for, and move on to the next event or destination. In the American rush, politeness may be cut short. This, I believe, is not the French way, The French are gracious and desire to provide polite service but expect to be approached with due courtesy.

A few years ago, I discovered a book series entitled Madame Chic. The American author, Jennifer Scott, lived with a French family as an exchange student. Scott was taken with the priority for grace and elegance she experienced in the home of her French host family. The hosts were not a family of means, but they took the time to make everyday life elegant. This included setting a nice table for every meal, keeping the house orderly and uncluttered, and taking care to dress and groom well daily. These little niceties created a sense of beauty, enjoyment, and calm in the everyday. The French expression “Joie de vivre,” the joy of living, suggests living well in the moment.

I think we felt this vibe in Paris. Many Parisians dress nicely. For example, an older lady may be seen wearing pumps to walk her dog. The cafes of Paris – there are three on every corner – are filled late into the night, even on weeknights, with folks savoring their meal, their cigarettes, and their wine. There appears to be no hurry; they do not seem to worry that it’s getting late on a ‘school night.’ I rarely saw a laptop open in a Paris cafe, unlike an American Panera where half the patrons are working on their computers or phones.

Espresso is not the size of American coffee!

Called ‘red stonefruit tart’, this fresh raspberry tart was extraordinary!

I certainly admit that I can tend to be in a rush, especially when we lived in DC, especially when I was working. I caught myself barging into an office or classroom, in a hurry to meet a student, blurting out a request, not taking the time for a kind greeting. I get impatient in inefficient lines, rather than saying a friendly word to someone else who is also waiting. Jesus’s disciples had a similar tendency: anxious to find food or in a hurry to move on to the next stop, missing the mission of the moment. Jesus, on the other hand, savored His earthly time. He stopped to heal, paused to engage (with Zaccheus, among others), welcomed children. The Apostle Paul wrote that we should “make the most of every opportunity because the days are evil.” (Ephesians 5 v 15 & 16) The words God speaks through Paul may not be emphasizing the large quantity of things to be done, but rather the value of quality pursuits, using time wisely for God’s kingdom, relishing opportunities rather than rushing through them. What do you think? And yes, these are ominous days.

If you receive this blog post via email, it can be better viewed at www.brendaproulx.com

The Woes of June

This month many folks must endure workplace propaganda that contradicts their personal beliefs. Friends have told me how tiring and oppressive the continuous onslaught can be. I am no longer employed but similar promotions appear in businesses and media I come across. ‘Pride’ ideology is massively divisive. For this reason, my post features words directly from the Author of Life, letting Scripture speak for itself to the issues at hand. My compilation spans the Old and New Testaments and various Biblical genres of history, poetry, the Gospels (of Jesus) and the Epistles (letters). The prudent practice of comparing multiple passages is referred to as “the whole counsel of Scripture.”

Genesis 1 v 26-27 NIV

²⁶Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” ²⁷So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.

Genesis 9 v16-17 NIV

¹⁶Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.” ¹⁷So God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant I have established between me and all life on the earth.”

Psalm 139 v 13 – 16a NLT

¹³You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body
and knit me together in my mother’s womb.
¹⁴Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!
Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.
¹⁵You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion,
as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.
¹⁶You saw me before I was born.

Proverbs 8 v 13 ESV

¹³The fear of the Lord is hatred of evil.
Pride and arrogance and the way of evil
and perverted speech I hate.

Matthew 19 v 4 – 6 ESV

⁴He [Jesus] answered, “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, ⁵and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? ⁶So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.”

Romans 1 v 21, 24 – 27 ESV

²¹For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. ²⁴Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, ²⁵because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.

²⁶For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; ²⁷and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.

Galatians 6 v 14 CSB

¹⁴But as for me [Paul], I will never boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. The world has been crucified to me through the cross, and I to the world.

2 Timothy 3 v 1 – 5a CSB

But know this: Hard times will come in the last days. ²For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, proud, demeaning, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, ³unloving, irreconcilable, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, without love for what is good, ⁴traitors, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, ⁵holding to the form of godliness but denying its power.

To briefly summarize, some of you may think these are intolerant words. I believe them to be God’s perfect plan for what He created. God’s way is worth celebrating! As the Apostle Paul put it, we take pride only in God’s work on the cross for us. With humility, Brenda.

*Note – the abbreviations following the references indicate the Bible translation used: Christian Standard Bible, English Standard Version, New International Version, New Living Translation.

For those of you who receive my blog via email subscription, thank you. The posts are better viewed by going to my blog website http://brendaproulx.com