Mailbag

The devil’s wiles

Lynn Vincent’s column about her struggle with cervical dystonia seems to me to apply across the full spectrum of capabilities God gives us over the course of our lives, not merely to the waxing and waning of physical health.

Doers can be found in many fields of work. With 30 years in the U.S. military and nearly half again as many in global military ministry, I suspect that I would land in the same category as Lynn in the personality test she took. As such, I have always wanted to have an impact.

But mortality intervenes. Whether it is a medical condition, cognitive decline, personal failure, or simply getting old, doers often feel as if we are being taken out of what we think is our calling and sent to sit useless on the sidelines of the great ongoing spiritual war. Lately, I have watched in frustration as the creeping terrors of advancing age erode many of the gifts and talents God gave me years ago.

Strangely, by God’s grace, what is left are not shattered dreams but a grudgingly thankful realization that I was never able to accomplish anything anyway, except for what the Lord gave me the ability to do. The extent to which I was ever a doer was set by God and only enabled by His grace working through the circumstances of my life.

That temporal truth mirrors the far more important spiritual truth that it was God’s sovereign grace that led me to faith in Jesus Christ, not any merit on my part (Ephesians 2:8-10). When physical decline makes us feel cut short in achieving life’s goals, it’s helpful to remember that “he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the Day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6). God does not give us skills because He needs our help, but as part of His generously inclusive plan to bring us to Himself, refine our character, and give us the gift of significance.

The current challenge facing my faith is to embrace the slow, seemingly inexorable withdrawal of those things that I once could do. Perhaps my next goal should be to excel at losing the abilities that I thought were mine and cling to Christ as the sole source of all that I am or ever could be.

After all, doers need goals.
     Philip Exner / Houston, Texas

I was so blessed by Lynn’s column, “The devil’s wiles.” Having spent 50 nights in the hospital over the last two years and now on my 13th day of an indefinite stay waiting for a heart transplant, I found the column medicine for my soul. I love Lynn’s punchy writing style.
     Bill Curtis / Lansdale Pa.

Two Americas

What a great cover—especially the reflections in the sunglasses! Compliments to artist Taylor Callery and all who had a part in choosing this cover.
     Neil Slattery / Fort Worth, Texas

The cover of the new issue looks like something pulled straight from the RNC website. Trump doesn’t represent any America I’ve ever known, and Harris is not even close to being a Communist. You are much better than this!
     Dean Davis / Carbondale, Ill.

What is the U.S. spending on Ukraine and Israel?

I read your Backgrounder page with growing interest. What a testament to the fact that war is expensive! And in the case of these two countries we don’t even have boots on the ground, so to speak. For me the statistics showing cost per taxpayer were quite illuminating. The Ukraine bill after two years is almost to 20% of the entire price tag for the 23 years in Iraq.
     Darla Dykstra / Kansas City, Mo.

Those in the know

I am not sure if the irony was intended or not, but it was on full display in your November issue. Janie B. Cheaney provided a thought-­provoking editorial about how corrosive it is for the soul when a person strives to be part of the “inner ring” of the “real movers and shakers.” Turning the page from there brought the reader to an article about the conference called ChosenCon, where attendees were enthralled by the creators and actors of the TV series The Chosen. The photo illustrating the article focused on a banner proclaiming ChosenCon to be the “insiders conference.” No wonder there was much debate in the article about whether the attendees were treating the cast and crew as idols. Even if it wasn’t idolatry, it certainly seemed as if those at ChosenCon were trying hard to get into the “inner ring” of the show.
     Michael Pinto / Fort Meyers, Fla.

A justice’s life

We find it sad that Ketanji Brown Jackson in her writing of Lovely One shares about her life growing up, but it never translates into the values in which she was raised. Daniel Suhr never mentions that she does not know what a woman is, let alone not bringing to the United States Supreme Court values that reflect her Christian upbringing.
     Jim & Elizabeth Johnson / Martinsville, Ind.

Lost on a Mountain in Maine

After reading your review of this movie, I very much wanted to see it since I have quite a personal history with that mountain. It was not a disappointment. The review questioned the inclusion of the mythical Indian god Pomola. I found it quite appropriate, especially since a following scene showed protagonist Donn sleeping in the wilderness, and he was covered by a huge wing as if that scary god’s wing was sheltering him. It reminded me that our real God protects His people when they are in difficult situations.
     Ellen Huff / Old Town, Maine

Key ballot initiatives

Jesus rejoiced when 14 states voted to protect the unborn child in 2022 and three states (Florida, Nebraska, South Dakota) in 2024. He weeps now that seven states (Arizona, Colorado, Maryland, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New York) make it easier for His children to be killed in the womb by the mother. Jesus says, “Things that cause people to stumble are bound to come, but woe to anyone through whom they come. … So watch yourselves” (Luke 17:1, 3).
     Carter Blaisdell / Black Mountain, N.C.

The abortion albatross?

I believe that Timothy Lamer is missing the point about the weight of pro-abortion voters in the 2024 election. Whether a voter ranks abortion rights as first or last in importance is immaterial; anyone who votes for a Democrat is voting FOR abortion. Why? Because striving for the right to an abortion at any time is baked into the DNC party platform. What I’ll call the “Sixth Plank” in the party platform is Chapter Six: Strengthening Democracy, Protecting Freedoms, & Advancing Equity. It includes a section on “Reproductive Freedom” that laments the overturn of Roe v. Wade and a vow to reinstate, essentially, abortion on demand.
     David Fox / Gainesville, Fla.

That old devil music

On our visit to St. Thomas Kirche in Leipzig in 1992 we learned of the Peaceful Revolution of 1989 that had its beginnings in 1982 when five people gathered to pray for the wall to come down. Because prayer was mixed with worship and Scripture lessons—as well as planning for peaceful demonstrations—the group grew to the point that the communists felt like they needed to infiltrate the meetings. So there they sat, hearing the gospel, worshipping, and praying, and in 1989 the Peaceful Revolution peacefully came about. I think this evolution of events had more to do with the wall coming down than either Reagan’s plea to Gorbachev or rock ’n’ roll … and I’m not so sure rock ’n’ roll isn’t the devil’s music.
     Richard Martin / Cape Girardeau, Mo.

Larry Schweikart’s essay concludes: “Maybe rock isn’t the devil’s music after all.” Rock ’n’ roll moved America and the world to be more liberal, as it promoted sexual revolution and rebellion against the “old” standards of society and family. While it was certainly helpful in bringing down the Berlin Wall, that does not change the negative message and nature of the music. Just like the evil act of Joseph’s brothers helped to bring about tremendous blessings, good results by no means reduce the evilness of evil actions. Pragmatism is not the basis on which to determine what is good or evil.
     Katalin Korossy / Silver Spring, Md.

Corrections

Atwater penitentiary correctional officer Marc Fischer died after exposure to drugs of an unconfirmed identity (“U.S. Briefs,” October).

Fuad Shukr’s bombing that killed 241 Americans in 1983 occurred at the U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut (“Tehran’s puppet brigades,” December).