The Challenges and Rewards of Leadership:

The challenges and rewards of leadership

“I have called [you]…and [your] way will prosper.” Isaiah 48:15 NKJV

As a leader, you must understand what you do well and know where you need assistance. Your strengths and weaknesses don’t make you wrong or right; they just make you who you are. If you’ve ever heard the saying, “No man is an island,” it was probably said about a great leader. Few people achieve success on their own.

Consider an actor in a play. He may be the one out front in the spotlight; with perfect hair, makeup, and costume; reciting poignant lines and getting all the applause. But he didn’t do it alone. He had to rely on the costume designer for the outfit he wore, the hair and makeup artists who made him look flawless, the playwright who wrote the words, and the lighting and sound crews who set the stage, etc.

 Good leaders are wise enough to surround themselves with people who have strengths that complement theirs. They are still in charge, but they have teams that help them achieve their vision. You are a leader in some area of your life—home, family, work, church—and you know leadership has its challenges. 

While there are certainly many benefits, a leader has to deal with conflict, controversy, and naysayers who think they know better. This comes with the territory. But you can’t let others keep you from achieving your goals. Not everyone will be your cheerleader. That’s just a fact of life. If you are going to be an effective leader, hold fast to your vision, build a great team to help you, and stand on God’s promise: “I have called [you]…and [your] way will prosper.”

SoulFood: Acts 20–21 Matt 5:6–12 Ps 144:9–15 Pro 11:12–13

My earnest thanks to Vision.org.au for this daily- reading.

(Learning: Digital Anvil)

A Clean Slate for the Church ?

A Clean Slate for the Church - Dr Ruth Powell

There is some optimism that younger generations, especially Gen Z (19-29 yrs old), are spiritually open. Many people see signs that things are improving from the dark days of the New Atheist movement across Western nations. At that time, it seemed like the Christian church was in terminal decline.

In my conversation with Dr Ruth Powell, social researcher and head of the National Church Life Survey, she commented on what the data actually shows is happening in the Australian church.

 She said:

"But what I can see is in the next generations, in the Gen Y, the Millennials, and now in the Gen Z, there is, let me be clear, they're not returning to church because they never were in church. There is a clean slate for the church. There is a new opportunity because these generations, younger generations, are spiritually curious.”

For years, people have spoken about Western nations as being post-Christian. Many are suggesting that perhaps a better way to describe the Gen Z cohort is actually pre-Christian. They are ignorant of Christianity, but they are also curious and open. They are not as tainted and skeptical as the generations who came before them.

It may not be a revival, but it’s certainly a welcome boost. Be ready to engage this younger generation with the message of Jesus - they may be way more receptive than you assume.

Share this daily- reading.

Many thanks to Karl Faase.

( from Digital Anvil )

My Hero:

Jordan Peterson is reportedly struggling with a serious neurological condition and symptoms of akathisia, according to an update from his daughter, Mikhaila Fuller. 

She described the past year as extremely difficult, saying her father’s health worsened after mold exposure, stress, pneumonia, and sepsis, alongside personal life stressors.

Fuller said Peterson has been off psychiatric medication for six years, but believes past treatments and brain injury may have contributed to his current condition. 

She described his akathisia as severe, causing extreme restlessness and distress.

She also said she will stop giving regular updates until his condition improves, but asked for continued prayers and plans to raise awareness about psychiatric medication-related injuries.🙏

Image:Facebook/Mikhaila Peterson.

Trump and Fascism:

Every time I post anything even remotely supportive of Trump, someone inevitably shows up with:

👉 “We live in a fascist country.”

👉 “Trump is a fascist.”

👉 “MAGA is fascism.”

Let’s slow down and use words like adults…

Because if everything you dislike is “fascism,” then the word stops meaning anything…

WHAT FASCISM ACTUALLY IS..

Serious historical definitions are not vague.

Britannica describes fascism as a mass political movement and ideology associated with extreme nationalism, militarism, contempt for liberal democracy, and the subordination of the individual to the state…

The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum defines fascism as ultranationalist and authoritarian, combining nationalism, militarism, economic self-sufficiency, and totalitarianism, while opposing pluralism, individual rights, equality, and democratic government…

In other words:

Fascism is not just “a leader I hate.”

It is not “harsh rhetoric.”

It is not “a government I think is too aggressive.”

It is a much more specific political condition…

SO DO WE LIVE IN A FASCIST COUNTRY?

If we did, you would expect things like:

* no real opposition party

* sham elections or no elections

* suppression of dissent as a normal governing structure

* the state swallowing civil society

* no meaningful independent courts

* no real press freedom

* no ability for opponents to organize openly

That is not the country we are living in right now… and we do not live in a fascist state. 

Here are some other points: 

Freedom House still rates the United States “Free” and gives it a score of 81/100, even while noting recent decline…

(NOTE: It is not officially left-wing or Democratic Party–aligned… But it is also not ideologically neutral in the broadest sense…it has a clear liberal-democratic and human-rights framework. So keep this in mind as you read this)

The 100 points come from two main areas:

* Political Rights (0–40)

    👉 Elections, voting access, political competition

* Civil Liberties (0–60)

    👉 Free speech, religion, due process, media freedom

What 81/100 actually means:

* 70–100 = “Free”

* 40–69 = “Partly Free”

* 0–39 = “Not Free”

So at 81, the U.S. is still clearly in the “Free” category…

👉 But not at the very top anymore (it used to score higher in the 90s)

Still, the United States is not accurately described as a fascist state…

BUT HERE’S THE PART SOME OF YOU WON’T LIKE:

Saying America is not fascist does not mean everything is healthy.. 

Freedom House says U.S. democratic institutions have eroded in recent years.. 

So if someone wants to argue:

👉 democratic backsliding

👉 executive overreach

👉 election distrust

👉 institutional erosion

👉 rising authoritarian tendencies

That is a conversation worth having.. given that presidents on both sides of the aisle have contributed to this.. But that is not the same thing as proving we are already living in fascism…. 

A lot of the people yelling “fascism” are not actually defining it… 

They are emotionally reacting to a political style, then grabbing the most extreme historical label they can think of.

That is not analysis…That is branding.

And truthfully, it is intellectually lazy..

ABOUT THE “MUSSOLINI DEFINED IT” ARGUMENT.. 

Yes, Mussolini’s fascism emphasized the supremacy of the state, anti-liberalism, anti-democracy, and corporatist control. 

The Holocaust Museum notes Mussolini founded Italian Fascism and built a dictatorship from it… 

But the strongest argument here is not “fascism is socialism.”

The strongest argument is this:

Fascism is a historically specific authoritarian system, and people weaken their own case when they use it as a catch-all word for anything they find dangerous, nationalist, or offensive…

We do not live in an authoritarian system.. 

Now let’s get to Trump, because this is the core of the argument the left attempts to make… 

The biggest arguments people make are about: 

* election denial

* executive aggression

* pressure on institutions

* rhetoric toward opponents

* attempts to expand power

You can make the argument.

But Use facts… and stop pretending that saying “fascism” settles the debate.

It doesn’t.

Additionally, if we’re going to use those points as evidence of “fascism,” then we need to apply them consistently… not selectively… 

Because these behaviors aren’t unique to one person or one party… 

We’ve seen:

👉 Election legitimacy questioned by multiple political figures on the left.. 

👉 Expansive use of executive power across administrations.. 

👉 Pressure on institutions from both sides when outcomes aren’t favorable..

👉 Heated rhetoric toward political opponents becoming more normalized over time..

That doesn’t equal fascism.. 

It means we’re dealing with modern political behavior that deserves scrutiny… no matter who’s doing it..

But If those standards only apply when your political opponent does it, then it’s not a definition… it’s a weapon.

Words matter.

History matters.

And if you really believe fascism is one of the darkest political evils in modern history, then you should be careful enough not to reduce it to a cheap social media slogan…

Because calling everything fascism does not make you sound informed.

It makes you sound unserious.

🇺🇸So let’s bring this back to reality..

The United States is still considered a Free country by global standards..and not just by opinion, but by measurable criteria..

We still have:

👉 Free and competitive elections

👉 Multiple political parties openly opposing each other

👉 A Constitution that limits government power

👉 Independent courts that can block executive actions

👉 A free press that criticizes leadership daily

👉 The ability for citizens to protest, speak, and organize freely

Those are not characteristics of a fascist state…

Point blank period. 

Does that mean everything is perfect? No.

Does that mean there aren’t real concerns worth debating? Also no.

But calling the United States “fascist” because you don’t like a president…or his policies…doesn’t make the argument stronger.

It makes it unserious.

You can disagree with Trump.

You can criticize his decisions.

You can even strongly oppose him.

But pretending we live under fascism—while still freely saying all of that out loud—completely misses what fascism actually is.

🤔 QUESTION:

Do you think people use the word “fascism” because they’ve studied it…

or because it is the fastest way to demonize the other side?

By Janet. Elaine Parks.

Sources:

* Encyclopaedia Britannica — definition and core characteristics of fascism

* U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum — fascism as ultranationalist, authoritarian, anti-pluralist, anti-democratic ideology

* Freedom House, Freedom in the World 2026 — United States rated Free, score 81/100

* V-Dem Institute, Democracy Report 2026 — U.S. democratic decline / loss of “liberal democracy” status by their measure

* V-Dem Institute press release, March 2026 — U.S. identified as undergoing autocratization/backsliding

* Freedom House methodology / country scores — political rights and civil liberties framework for judging democratic health

Socrates: Famous or Wise ?

What made Socrates so famous or should i say,so wise ?

He never failed to ask questions.

He thought face to face conversations were better than writing a dialogue.

He never failed to debate his ideas and he believed that: life is only worth living if you think about what you are doing.

By Digital Anvil.

Who is Nick Shirley ? ( Re-Work)

Who is Nick Shirley?

What State  is he in?

Which nation  leads?

Whose nose wrinkled?

Why,who,when...

Here is what you've patiently waited for...

Tap or click on link below for:

More than a Hero

( From Digital Anvil.)

Prayer is your Connection to God:

Prayer is your connection to God

“Cry to God all day and all night for the fulfillment of his promises.” Isaiah 62:6 TLB

The remora fish has an oval sucking disc on the top of its head that allows it to attach itself to the underside of a shark. Once attached, the remora does not have to worry about food, transportation, or safety. It feeds on the food that falls from the shark’s mouth. Of course, it has the option of swimming on its own, but when it decides to attach to the shark, it goes where the shark goes.

It does not attempt to go in a direction contrary to the shark. Protection? It’s a non-issue for one that’s connected to such a powerful creature. The remora is secure, and it knows the shark can take it places it could never go alone.

 Doesn’t this sound like the relationship God desires His children to have with Him? He wants us to feed on the words that come from His mouth. He wants us to go with Him where He leads and not take off on independent excursions, hoping we will tag along. He wants us to live with the assurance that He will protect not only our lives, but also our relationships and all that pertains to us. 

Oh, that we would emulate the remora!

 We would then find ourselves securing our attachment to God on a daily basis through prayer. He is waiting to carry us to places we fear going alone. The prophet Isaiah admonished the Jewish leaders: “Cry to God all day and all night for the fulfillment of his promises.” So the word for you today is this—prayer is your connection to God.