Today is James Monroe’s birthday. He would be 267 today and was a Democrat, but he differed from today’s Democrats. For example, he believed in the Constitution as written.

Why? Monroe was somewhat a founder of this country, fighting in the Revolutionary War, so he’d be on auto-hate by the Left today. Plus, although he was from Virginia, he enslaved people like some others of the time. So that would be a canceling event.

Monroe signed into law the Missouri Compromise. He was personally opposed to slavery, although he had them. The Missouri Compromise limited slavery but continued it. Abolition would come roughly 40-plus years later.

Monroe can be credited with making JFK famous. Monroe engineered the Monroe Doctrine. Without it, the Russians would have been free to blow us up from Cuba. Hence, no Cuban Missile Crisis about 150 years later.

Monroe was the last president from the group known as the Founding Fathers. He passed away on July 4, 1831, making him the third president to die on Independence Day after Thomas Jefferson and John Adams. Coincidence?

Happy Birthday, Mr. President!

An article in Twitchy today says the policies and actions of democrats, particularly during the COVID-19 lockdowns, have resulted in a highly conservative Generation Z, those aged 13-28. The author says the shift is due to the restrictive measures imposed, which disrupted normal life, including school and social activities, leaving a lasting impact on young people. Young people attribute this to democrats.

A Yale poll cited in the article indicates Gen Z is increasingly conservative. It has a strong regard for liberty and freedom, which I like. The article describes this as an ironic outcome for democrats, who underestimated the backlash from restricting personal freedoms and added to the general distrust toward institutions among young people. If you think about it, it makes sense.

All of this is supported by other polls, including Gallup and the Walton Family Foundation, both in 2024. A Democrat pollster expressed shock at Gen Z’s conservative shift. Even The Washington Post, just a month ago, noted changes within Gen Z, with younger members who were in high school during lockdowns expressing more cynicism and distrust toward institutions due to disrupted formative years. Again, it just makes sense.

The Washington Post article and others stated that the group’s frustration with lockdown policies fueled a rebellious and conservative-leaning generation.

Isaiah 40:31 NIV

Many who know me know that I have spent much time in the mountains, mostly hiking, with some climbing. When I hiked the mountains, I carried a small card in my wallet with the words of Isaiah 40:31 written from the KJV. Though slightly different in wording, its meaning remains the same.

When fatigue set in, I didn’t just rest; I turned to God, took out my wallet, read the words, and trusted Him to refresh me. And He did. Strength came to my body and spirit, allowing me to press on with renewed strength and faith.

That’s the personal message to me. The universal message is an incredible visual of what God’s people look forward to. God will not only renew their strength but will also bring them through every obstacle they face. They will soar like eagles. I love the imagery of those words. All God’s people need to do is trust in Him.

Have a blessed Sunday.

Happy 55th Birthday, Melania Trump! Restoring class to the role of First Lady of the United States of America.

It’s more than just a ceremonial role. Melania is celebrating her birthday while representing the United States with President Trump in Rome for Pope Francis’ funeral.

It said that all photos were taken within the past 24 hours

This may seem unusual and discombobulated. In past years, I posted what amounted to an Easter card here, wishing everyone a happy Easter. This year, I shared a message on the significance of Christ’s death, burial, resurrection, and salvation.

This past week, I went to the garage to clean it but ended up looking at old family photos, like this one. My wife may not be glad I chose this one because she thinks I make everything about myself. It may seem that way with this one. What isn’t evident here is my hair color. It looks dark, but I was a towhead; I’m not sure why it’s called that.

This photo is of me in 1959, meaning I’m a few months shy of seven. I have some Steve Martin fashion going on from the waist up before anyone knew who he was, and the pants look baggy due to their length because, back then, pants had to last a good three years or more.

My jeans were bizarre-looking, and I found some old pictures featuring them. My parents got carried away with jeans, and one pair I saw could’ve accommodated five more inches of height and 35 pounds, and they’d still fit. I’ll add that one, too.

They were called flood pants, and at lunch, I unzipped my pants to whip out my Wild Bill Hickok lunch box. I know we were poor, but I don’t think it required looking goofy with pants I could roll up to my knees. Don’t kid yourself; if my fingers hit the electrical outlet, my hair catches fire and my pant legs shoot to the floor.

What’s more interesting to me here is the background. You can see the door to my bedroom. The door didn’t close because of a chair, so there was no privacy. It’s the only picture here showing it. I’ve mentioned before that our house didn’t have heat except for a stove in the living room. Sometimes, for extra warmth, which didn’t help much, my parents would turn on the oven in the kitchen and leave the door open.

My bedroom wasn’t really a bedroom but a backroom, so it had tiles instead of carpet. I had a real bedroom, but two years before this picture, someone else came along. Guess who won that battle for the bedroom?

Many people dyed Easter eggs and ate candy. I hoped for a dozen Cadbury eggs but, luck on it. Others visited family. This picture is of me before leaving to visit my great-grandmother. I also found a photo of her last week, but it’s not scanned yet. That was an annual tradition for us.

Others attended church; for some, it’s one of their two days a year to attend. As a kid, I was mostly one of those. If you’re Jewish, you’re just now finishing Passover, and I’m not sure if it’s appropriate to say Happy Passover. If so, then Happy Passover.

These days, my faith is in Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection, which is essential for Christians. My favorite quote on faith is from an old Christmas movie, “Faith is believing in something when common sense tells you not to.” Remember, Faith + Nothing = Salvation, and keep in mind the words of Stuart Chase: “For those who believe, no proof is necessary. For those who don’t believe, no proof is possible.”

I hope you had a good day with family and friends. My parents are gone, Dawn’s parents are gone, and almost everyone from my early life is gone. Getting married meant I went from one daughter to three and added a son. We brought in a couple of sons-in-law, have three grandchildren, and even a great-grandchild. Plus, I suspect some others are coming aboard later. And two cats.

That’s my family, and I love them all—well, not the cats when they puke, which I think they do on purpose.