Written by Bill Cox

"All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way."- Leo Tolstoy from “Anna Karenina”

A couple of recent events crystallized my thoughts on how paramount it is that, as Christians, we practice and champion the nuclear family, God’s building block for healthy, sane civilizations.

The first event I have pondered is the absolute horror show that is the Lindsay Clancy murder trial in Massachusetts. Clancy’s guilt or psychological impairment will be decided by juries, judges, and alleged experts. The madness that shocks me to my core is the widespread support and protest marches by pink-clad feminists demanding Clancy’s exoneration.

I think this is the personification of one of C.S. Lewis’ “four loves” in a negative sense, which is the only way it is used in the Bible. The word I refer to is “storge.”  Hence: Storge (pronounced stor-jay) is the ancient Greek word for natural, instinctual affection and familial love, such as the bond between parents and children, siblings, or lifelong family members.

Written by Bill Cox

Mike Rowe is an interesting writer who has carved out a niche for himself observing and commenting on the American working class. Recently, he discussed the phenomenon of the “NILF”, an acronym for “Not in Labor Force.”

         Mr. Rowe was referring to about 7-9 million mostly young, able-bodied, prime-aged American men who are not in the labor force and are not looking for work. An excerpt from the article states:

  Mike Rowe highlights that over 7 million able-bodied prime-age American men are "NILFs"—not in the labor force and not looking for work. He calls this a crisis of both a "skill gap" and a "will gap," pointing to millions of unfilled, high-paying trade jobs while arguing that cultural shifts and diminished motivation keep men on the sidelines

Rowe lists some reasons for the phenomenon:

• The "Will Gap": Rowe argues the issue goes beyond a lack of training; it reflects a cultural erosion of the fundamental desire and personal drive to work.

• Societal Shifts: He points to a mix of changing societal expectations, reliance on safety nets, and modern distractions (like readily accessible digital entertainment) that reduce the traditional drive to build a career or support a family.  

Written by Bill Cox

We hear the phrase often that “we are an aging Fellowship” or people will speak of their own local assembly as, “We’re an aging church.” Of course, this is true.

        One challenge for our movement is the very nature of the miracle that God wrought through Pastor Mitchell and in the larger Jesus Revolution, which was a young people’s movement. While much of the traditional church world seemed increasingly old and irrelevant, the Holy Spirit touched a generation. Fortunately, a new generation of workers and fervent believers is rising up today.