Faith in Guns

0:02 Looking at our world from a theological perspective. This is the Theology Central podcast, making Theology Central Good evening everyone. It is Monday, July the first, twenty twenty four. It is currently nine twenty eight pm Central Time, and I am coming to you live from the Theology Central studio located right here in Abilene, Texas. Well. It's in a sense it's day one and a sense of our challenge. Right, we have a two week challenge in front of us where you're supposed to be listening to the live webcast that broadcast on the sermons two point oh app Arbeta dot sermon audio dot Com. You're supposed to be listening to them. How did today go? Were there a lot of them? We've already done a broadcast about one that I heard this morning, but I only heard the very end. I didn't hear the actual sermon. I did see the sermons show up in my feed, So in some ways I want to go back and listen, but I I need to be looking for live webcasts. So I kind of decided, you know what I need to broadcast. I need to broadcast because I haven't gotten much done today. So I came up here to the studio and I opened up the sermon's two point o app and I'm like, well, I need to broadcast, but if someone is currently doing a webcast, I will watch them, take some notes, then immediately broadcast after just my thoughts and just kind of continue with our web live webcast challenge that we're doing for the next two weeks.

1:30 Well, I looked and there was no one broadcasting. So I'm like, well, you need to broadcast. I mean, you have the opportunity. There's no one else you need to broadcast. And I'm like, well, there's no one else that's apossible. That gives me a great chance that someone who who's never listened to us will see our live webcast and we'll tune in. Right. So that's a great opportunity. So what should I do with this great opportunity to possibly attract new listeners. Well, I made the decision that I will talk about something that will be an absolute guarantee to drive away not only new listeners, but old listeners. Yeah, I'm about to make a I'm about to commit a cardinal sin because I'm going to address a subject that is going it's going to be very controversial. The way I address the subject. Because this subject, for some reason, is very It provokes strong emotion from people, and if you put forth a idea that goes against the standard view on this subject, people get very, very very upset.

2:46 They get very very angry. And it's really weird that Christians would get so upset about this subject. You think Christians would get upset about different views on baptism, or different view use on salvation, or different views on the Trinity. But in some ways, I feel people get more passionate and more upset when you dare challenge their faith in guns. No, I know, I don't am ammalily gonna push back. I don't put my faith in guns. I put my faith in God. I put my faith in Jesus. Don't you dare accuse me of putting my faith in guns. Well, maybe some people from the outside may look and go, I don't know. I think the Church has a strong level of faith in guns. So I have discussed the Church and guns many times over many years. Every single time I address it, there's immediate pushback. People get angry. There's no way to say it. I mean, I just have to be honest with this. I usually end up receiving death threats because I dare challenge the typical church view on guns, which is kind of insane, Like if you're gonna, if you're gonna, if you're gonna give someone a death threat, I think you've got bady. I think maybe you've got bigger theological issues than our disagreement on guns.

4:16 I think something is serious wrong. And the thing is is, why would it bother you so much that someone within Christianity may have a different view on guns. I mean, I mean, think about philologically. There's no agreement on anything theologically, so so why is it that Christians just assume that if you're a Christian you will have the exact same view about guns. You think there would be a more variety of views about guns in the American Church now. Now, typically and maybe very liberal churches, you get you get a difference on guns. But in conservative churches it's almost like, universally there's only one view and if you question that view, you're basically a heretic. And I guess maybe your salvation is dependent upon it. It's really really weird.

5:00 But I've approached this subject in so many ways, but I want to approach this subject slightly different. This evening Now, this all started early this morning when I saw a news notification that said Christian Warrior Training. And now immediately I was like, whoa Christian warrior training? I got I have to I want to hear about this, Like it's just like a Christian article. What's Christian warrior training? So I thought maybe it had something to do with spiritual warfare. And I was like, well, you know, on Sunday I talked about Satan being our enemy and demons and we talked. I'm like, okay, Christian warrior training. Maybe maybe it's about spiritual warfare. But then I read the entire headline Christian Warrior Training explodes as churches put faith and guns. And I'm like, wait, what is the Christian Warrior Training explodes as churches put faith in guns? And I'm like, okay, that's a headline. I mean that that's a headline that's going to get people to click on that article. At least they got me to click on that article.

6:18 So the article talks about, you know, church and guns. So I want to approach it from this perspective, right, I don't want to get I'm not going to necessarily approach this as a never ending argument over. You know, some people will quote this verse and others will quote this verse. I don't want to approach it from this. I want to approach it from maybe this question the church and guns. Does that lead if a church is very pro gun, if Christians are very pro gun, not only pro gun in their own home, they're even pro gun wanting armed people inside their own sanctuary, they want armed guards even in their own churches, do you think even slightly that it's a possibly a contradiction and inconsistency or it could lead to confusion when people here Christians say, well, the things I'm about to share with you, I want you to look at it not so much of Well, you can either defend it. You can either. Now, typically the verses people try to use to defend guns and armed guards in the church, to me, it makes they approach it in a really poor exegetical hermoneutical way.

7:35 They take verses out of context. They got completely misinterpret verses. In many cases, I think they're misrepresenting the Greek word. I mean, just there's so much. But then there's other verses. I'm like, that's the one you should use, but they never use that one. Okay, But I don't want to get into that argument. I want to just look at it. Just think about it. You are a church and you're like, Okay, we're gonna have these people trained, they're gonna carry guns. And if someone comes into this church and hurt someone, where are taking them out? I want guns in my house. I want guns in my church, and I will kill anyone who comes after us. All right, now, just take whatever you think about that. You may think it's completely right, that's okay, But then how do you reconcile that with so many things the Christians, as Christians, we talk about, we we we teach, we we we use and pray songs. Let me just give you a number of scriptures. We're just gonna read some scriptures here, all right, Let's start with say, Psalm forty six. Let's just go with p. Forty six.

8:43 P forty six, some forty six, And I've only got a number here. We could we could probably find many verses along these lines, and Christians love these verses. All right, here we go, are you ready? Psalm check forty six, Verse one, God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Hey, God is my refuge. He is my strength. He's the very present help in trouble. If I'm in trouble, God is my refuge. He is my help. And because He's a very present help in trouble, therefore will we will not fear Because God is my refuge, Because God is my help, I will not fear, and I will not fear even if I face something as serious as this, even though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the sea, though the waters roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with its swellings, even if the earth is removed, mountains are carried into the sea, the waters roar, and the mountains shake with its swelling, I said, with it swelling. According to the New King James, even if all of that happens, I'm not even going to fear. Why, Because God is my refuge. God is my strength. God is very present in times of trouble. Well, if I truly believe that, and I'm

10:15 not going to fear. If the entire earth seems to be crumbling and falling away, well, then why would I be so fearful about a pot the possibility of someone coming into my church with a gun, are coming into my house with a gun. Why would I be so concerned about that that I would be like, Hey, God, I know you're at ever present help in trouble. I know you're my refuge. I know that I shouldn't fear even if the entire earth is crumbling. But when it comes to this subject, sorry, we're gonna have to help you out a little bit. I mean, I believe you're my refuge. I believe you're my help, and I will not fear if the earth crumbles. But I am going to be very fearful about someone breaking into my house. So I've got a gun.

10:58 I have it love voted, and if they come in, I'm taking them out. But I will still profess that God is my refuge and my help. Now how do you reconcile that? How do you reconcile that? Now? Look, I don't think to me, I think it's a question you have to struggle with. And people say, well, well, I mean I can believe God is my refuge and my hope and that I should not fear even if the earth phades away, but at the same time, I'm gonna take precautions. Okay, Just do you not understand that when you tell everyone, Hey, the world fears and they're worried about this, and they're worried about that, and they're worried about climate change and they're worried about what.

11:41 Why are you so worried about all of this stuff? God is in control. Why are you fear? God is in control? God is sovereign. But yet we have six guards in our church with guns because God is sovereign. God is in control. Wait so wait, Sometimes God is in control, but other times you're not so sure he's going to show up. Do you not see why people may look at that and go that makes no sense? Can you not see that that could possibly maybe cause some people to stumble a little bit? Could that not kind of go? I just don't understand. Now, Look, this struggle is not just a gun issue.

12:24 It's an issue in all of our lives. Right I talked about it on Sunday. The Christian life is this very strange life where we live our life believing in a God whom we cannot see, while we live in the midst of circumstances which we can see, which we can feel that. In many cases, those circumstances make us question if that God, who we cannot see is even present, or if he even exists. We don't like to say that, but it's very true. See it's easy for me to be sitting in church on a Sunday saying, Oh God, God is my refuge, He is my strength. They can put the words up on the screen.

13:07 We can lift up our hands and say God, You're my refuge, You're my help, You're ever present in times of trouble. Even if the earth fades away, if the earth crumbles, if everything crushes into the sea. I do not fear like. Oh, that's so easy to say on a Sunday morning changes dramatically. If someone kicks in the front door of your church or comes walking in the front door of your church with three aren't with three rifles and a couple of handguns, and starts opening fire all of a sudden, you may forget At that moment, You're going you don't see God. You're gonna have a hard time believing that that God is actually present, that he's actually your refuge, that he's actually your help. You're going to fear for your ever life, and you're gonna do everything in your part. You're gonna forget God. You're gonna be like, now, it's me and them survival to the fittest, whoever can survive. That's how it's going to go.

14:05 Oh, come on, you have to be honest with that. Now. I'm not telling you what to do. What I'm trying to say is I think we have to be able to admit, you know what, there is a little inconsistency there. I just want us to admit the inconsistency. I'm not telling you to give up your guns. I'm just saying I think I have to be a little honest there. Look, I don't own a gun. I'm not pro gun in any way, shape or form, but I'll be very honest with you. If I'm in church on a Sunday someone comes walking into my church with guns and starts shooting people, I'm just gonna be honest with you. At that moment, I'm an atheist. That moment, I'm not waiting for God. I'm not praying. I'm gonna I don't have a gun, but I'm gonna do everything in my power to take the person with the gun out. I'm gonna do it whatever I can. I don't know if I'll be successful, but I'm going after the person, and if I get to them, I'm going to use every type of physical restraint and physical strike and and fighting that I have learned in all my years of martial arts. I'm gonna I'm gonna do everything I can to take. I'm gonna I'm gonna inflict physical harm to that person. I'm just being honest with you. See what a lot of people think is my issue with guns is you're just a pacifist, or you're afraid, you're scared, or no.

15:28 My my issue is I'm trying to understand how one hand, the Bible seems to say love your enemy, turn the other cheek, resist, not evil. And I know people will say, well, turn the other cheek doesn't mean. It just means to not respond to an insult, and so they water it down again. It's the summon on the mouth. We don't water down God's law, okay. And and and then you know, I try to take everything the scripture seemed to say, and I'm like, I just don't know how I can reconcile this. But I've been I've always admitted, if I have a gun, someone breaks into my house and comes after me or my family. If I had a gun and someone came into the church. I'm about to get blunt. But I'm just gonna be honest with you. I'm gonna take that gun and I'm gonna unload the clip on that person.

16:10 I am. I'm just gonna keep shooting until I have no bullets left. I may reload the gun and until I empty the clip a second time. You say, well, that's horrible. I'm just being honest with you. This is not because I'm some pacifist who's afraid of violence. It's just I've always tried to reconcile how do I reconcile what the scripture teaches with this subject, because I don't look at it from a Second Amendment perspective or an American perspective. I look at it from how do I reconcile this with scripture? And that's very difficult to reconcile this with scripture. Now people will go to the Old Testament, soay, well, God told him to kill everyone. Do we operate under that system anymore? Obviously not. There was a theocracy. We don't operatee under a theocracy anymore. Right, God speaks to me through the scriptures. He doesn't speak to me by telling me, hey, arm up a bunch of people and go kill everyone. I mean, that's frightening. If anyone ever tries to use argument, that's horrible. So how do you reconcile? On one hand, God is your refuge, here's your strength. He's a very present help in trouble, so you will so therefore, do not fear, even if you see everything crumbling. Now you could argue that some forty six a promise for us, or is that for a nation of Israel based off the covenant relationship God had with them? Or do we just understand this from a spiritual perspective. From a spiritual perspective, God is my refuge, He is my help, He's present help in times of spiritual trouble. And even if everything falls apart, I am kept and

17:41 preserved by the mighty hand of God. Spiritually, nothing can separate me from the love of God, and I am preserved and kept for eternity. Do I understand it from a spiritual perspective? Now, if I truly believe that that's applicable to me in a practical, tangible way, not a spiritual way, but in a physical way, that what am I worried about? What am I worried about why guns? How about this one? Saw? I'm twenty eight and I apologize for my quoting of Psalm forty six one. I'm used to the King James. I accidentally picked up a new King James. Here. I could change bibles, but I'm just gonna use the one I have in front of me. So a lot of time they get ready to quote it one way, and then I'm like, wait a minute, that reading is slightly different from the King James. All right, twenty eight seven?

18:30 All right, here we go? Are you ready? Psal? I'm twenty eight seven? We go? Are you ready? Psal? I'm twenty eight seven. The Lord is my strength and my shield. My heart trusted in him, and I am helped. Is he your shield? Is he your shield? Now? What do you mean by shield? Is that a tangible shield? Is that a tangible shield? I was listening to a sermon just the a live webcast on the sermon's two point oh app was Saturday, I don't maybe in Sunday, I don't know what day it was, and the pastor was saying, every Christian has a guardian angel, and nothing can get to you because you have a guardian angel. If I have a guardian angel, why am I worried about someone coming into my church with a gun.

19:18 Guardian angel can take out someone with a gun in one point two seconds, So do I really believe I have a guard It's amazing. Sometimes hey, we have angels and five seconds later we need guns. Well do we need guns or do we need angels? Which is it? And then you always hear the missionary tells the story that there was this They were in I don't know, some somewhere in Africa, some some remote area, and there was these tribes that were gonna kill all the missionaries and they were concerned, so they spent all night in prayer. And then the next morning they came and they were like, we're still alive. Where where did the tribes go? And the chief comes to them and going, and the missionary asked the chief, you know, why did you not attack? Because your house was surrounded by by these warriors And you're like, who was that? Oh it was it was our guardian angels. And then everybody in the mission conference will be like, gay man, praise God, we believe in But at the same time, there'll be six people sitting in the sanctuary with guns. What do you believe or not? I can't. I can't keep up with which Wait, God will protect me, God won't protect me. Oh, there's guardian angels. Wait, there isn't guardian angels. God will do God won't do something. Well, I'm not gonna. I'm not gonna. I know I believe in this, but you know what I'm I'm not gonna take any chances. So we need to make sure we all have guns. I can't keep track. I've heard all of these stories, usually for missionaries. Okay, Well, then I got myself in bad trouble when I was a teenager,

20:48 well even after being a teacher. But there was like two I think there were two circumstances where this happened. One Taylor Abiline Taylor Colosseum, It's about ten minutes from my house. That's where all the concerts were when I was a teenager, and we got lots of big bands came through Albolene at that time. Because these bands would go to the smaller towns. Right now, they skipped the smaller towns and only go to the bigger cities. But we would get I can name all of these, you know, famous bands that came through Albelene Ever, I mean, and there was a famous album, a live album from a very famous, well known rock musician that the album. The live album was recorded at the Taylor County Coliseum, So there I got to see all kinds of bands. Then. Well, when I became a Christian, I wasn't, you know, there to protest music.

21:38 I never got caught up into the way Christians think about music. But I was like, you know what, back then, all the concerts were general admission, so people got there five six seven hours early, waiting in line because it was first come, first serve. If you wanted to get a decent place to stand or sit, you had to be there first. So I was like, well, I knew that because I'd been to a bazilion concerts. So I'm like, I'm just gonna go with my Bible and a bunch of tracks, and I'm gonna just witness to all of these teenagers. Now, it was like, you know, it's gonna be a rough crowd. It's a heavy metal concert. So I was like, Hey, let's get the teenagers to go, and the parents were like, absolutely not, my kids are not gonna go there. That's dangerous. That's dangerous. And I was like, wait a minute. I thought we said God is our rock and our refuge and our shield and our ever present help. Why are we so no all of a sudden, now God doesn't protect. During the sermon, God protects. But now, so guess what. None of the teenagers went. It was me and my friend went. Same thing happened when I was in Omaha, Nebraska. I wanted to take teenagers to the Marilyn Manson concert in Omaha. And know how that's ridiculous. That's full the kids could be hurt. I'm like, so, okay, so when does God actually work? I don't understand when does God help? When does God protect?

22:55 And when does he not? I can't like. Sometimes we sound like we believe in a sovereign, powerful God who actually intervenes, and in five seconds later we sound like we're basically atheists. I can't make up my mind. Now I can understand the struggle. You've got to hear me out. I understand the struggle. It's the struggle of the Christian life. We live in a world and which we cannot see God. God cannot be seen by us, right, But we live in a world where we very much. See circumstances, and we see death, and we see crime, and we see pain, and we see suffering. And what we see makes us question the existence of that God whom we cannot see, even though we never verbalize it, it's deep inside of us. So is God really our refuge?

23:45 Is He really an ever present help in times of trouble? Should we not fear even if the world crumbles around us? Is God really our shield? Or do we just understand all of that symbolically? Do we just understand that spiritually? Do we understand this is only applying to Israel and within their covenant relationship with God? How far do we take this? How about Psalm ninety one two? How about Psalm ninety one two? I will say of the Lord, he is my refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I will trust. Surely he shall deliver you from the snares of the fowler and from the perilous pestilence. Now this one gets bizarre to me. I remember Christians quoting Psalm ninety one during the pandemic. Hey, I don't need a mask, I don't need a vaccine. God is my fortress. God will protect me. Oh but we have six people in our church with guns just in case someone comes in with a gun. Wait a minute, So no precautions for a pandemic, but precautions for possible shooter. Like it's just like one minute we quote that God will protect us, and the next minute we

25:17 act as if God won't. I can't keep up now. On the same time, I understand the inconsistency. I understand the inconsistency. I'm right there with you. I'm as inconsistent in all of this as you are. I'm just not inconsistent with the guns just because I just made a decision. If I have a gun and someone does something, I'm going to kill them. And I just have a hard time with the concept of me putting a bullet in someone and sending them into eternity. I have a hard time with that. And they'll say, oh, you weak pacifist. I was in the United States Military for nineteen years, okay, So I struggled with it while I was in the military, when I carried a gun. Okay. So I've struggled with this my whole life and how to understand all of this.

25:59 I'm not saying I've got it figured out. I'm saying, I just want us to acknowledge. How do we reconcile this because even that article the news media is like, churches are putting their faith in guns. I remember, I've told you the story about the famous photograph I saw of a news article about churches and guns, and there were the people standing in church, all they got their hands raised. They're singing a praise and worship song and the lyrics are on the screen, and the lyrics are saying something like God is my protector, my rock, my defender, nothing can harm me. And then it shows when they can't win. And if you look, if you look down on the photograph, there's all these people in church, got their hands raised, singing these songs, all carrying guns. And the reporter was like, then you don't believe God is defending anything you believe? So does God? Wait, I don't get it. And so what they usually argument, Well, God does it, but he does it through my gun.

26:53 Oh God, give me a break. Okay, that's convenient, Hey, God said the But I'm the one who put four bullets in the other person. So I struggle with the consistency here. So we have Psalm forty six one. God is my refuge and strength and ever present help in times of trouble, and to such a degree that I will not fear even if the world is falling apart around me, because God's gonna protect me. Psal. I'm ninety one two. I will say to the Lord, he is my refuge and my fortress. So I'm twenty eighty seven. The Lord is my strength and my heart trust in him and he helps me. That's soa I'm twenty eight seven. I haven't read that one yet. I'm just throwing in an extra one there. The Lord is my strength and he helps me?

27:42 Does he actually help me? In a tangiboy on one end? We say he does. Like you'll hear these stories. I didn't have enough food and I prayed and boom, food showed up the next day. This happened, or this happened, or this happened, or this happened. Well all these stories about God doing this, God doing this. But then in some situations, well wait, okay, now, guys, I know we're a church and I know we pray, but hey, we got to have some people here with bull guns eloaded, because if someone comes in, you gotta take them down. Oh and go to training to make sure you're a good shot, because we can't really trust that God will allow your shooting to actually work.

28:22 So you got to go to And that's what that whole article about is all these churches now sending their people to learn how to shoot. Look, I got a phone call because there was a place that does training for people and how to shoot. They called me and said, hey, your church is scheduled for Monday for your people to be trained in how to shoot, so that you'll have some people to protect the church in case of a shoot. And I'm like, what are you talking about? Not my church. I'm like, you're out of your mind. And they were confusing my church with a different church that's even right here in the local area. So does God help? Does God not help? I don't. Now someone's going to say God helps those who help themselves in that convenient First, that's not even a scriptural concept, because God only helps those who help themselves. Well, then we're in trouble because then I would have to help God in my salvation.

29:15 And while that's not even a biblical concept. So there's proverbs, Well, Proverbs Psalm forty six one, Sam ninety one two Psalm twenty eight seven Proverbs thirty five. Every word of God is flawless. He is a shield to those who take in him. Now I'm going to read that from a different translation. I think that that may actually read differently. Hang on, because I think we can make that one much more a spiritual one. But I want, I want to just go to all different ones. Okay, every word of God is pure. He is a shield to those who put their trust in him. I think that's saying the word of God is a shield. I think that saying the word of God is a shield. I think that one is so Again, that would have to be spiritual shield.

29:56 Right, So then do we take that concept in, go back to the other ones and turn them into all spiritual protection. God protects me spiritually. There's no guarantee he's gonna protect me physically. Therefore, I've got to protect myself. Like, do we do that? You could have your own discussion. How about Psalm eighteen two Psal I'm eighteen two. The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer, my God, my rock whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my strong hold a Psalm eighteen two. Let's go to that one psal. I'm eighteen too. I'll read it from this translation. So I'm eighteen two.

30:40 There's so many of these, so many of these. So I'm eighteen two. The Lord is my rock and my fortress, and my deliverer, my God, my strength, and whom I will trust my shield and the horn of my salvation. It goes on, So I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised. So shall I be saved from my enemies. The pains of death surrounded me, and the floods of ungodliness, of ungodliness made me afraid. And then it continues like God's there to protect God's well, do we believe God is there to protect or not? I don't have any easy answers. I just what I just want us to see and what I want you to feel is you you know there is a little that from the world's perspective, they're like, these guys make no sense one second. They're like, God will protect. God is sovereign. God controls everything. Nothing happens apart from the sovereign hand of God. God does this, God does that. God intervenes here. God intervenes here. God is, and then five seconds letters like okay, everyone, do not take my gun from me, because you often put pride out of my dad hands.

31:49 I've got a gun and I'm not afraid to use it, and I will protect it. And if you come into our church, we will kill you. Like and then you're like, well, wait a minute. The world kind of looks at all that and goes this seems like bizarrow, world. You say one thing, but you do the other. I think the world has a right to be confused. Now. I don't know if we have a good answer. I just know that if you start answering a certain way about guns, then stop making all these claims about God intervening here and God doing this and God doing this, and God doing this, and God doing this and God doing this and God doing how you hear stories constantly, well, God, God protected us because I thought we were about to die.

32:30 I felt a hand and I felt God pull me back, or I felt God protected us, or this happened, or this happened. And it's like, well, then God, if God's involved in constantly and all of these stories, and why do you even remotely even worried about so like I it's so weird, like when we tell the stories and then five seconds later, I just don't understand. Isaiah forty one ten. So do not fear, for I am with you. Do not be dismis, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will I will help you. I will hold you with the righteous, with a righteous right hand.

33:10 That's the one book of Isaiah. Now that one we could say, is that directed towards the prophet? Is that directed towards Israel? Maybe that one has some context that's not even applicable to us. Another one a Psalm one twenty one, p One twenty one, some one twenty one, some one twenty one. There's so many of these. It's just the Bible is filled with this stuff, over and over and over and over and over again. Psalm one twenty one. The Lord shall preserve you from all evil. He shall preserve your soul. The Lord shall preserve your coming out, and you're coming in from this time forth even forever more. No some translations translated this way. The Lord will keep you from all harm. He will watch over your life. The Lord will watch over your coming and going, both now and forever more. WHOA Okay, how do we understand that is, that's got to be a spiritual protection. Right. If we make that too physical, well then they're not hope. We got a lot of things to try to answer. Proverbs to eight. I'm me, look at this one.

34:28 I don't think this one. Hang on, I look at this one. Okay, Well, Proverbs two eight. He stores up sound wisdom for the upright. He is a shield to those who walk up righty. He guards the path of justice and preserves the way of his saints. Does he preserve your way? Does he protect you? Is he your rock, your defender, your fortress, your shield and ever present help in times of trouble? So you should not fear even if the entire world falls apart. Well, if it does, then you've got to reconcile that with your pro gun. I gotta have a gun. Gotta have a gun. Gotta have a gun. Gotta have a gun. Gotta have a gun. Nobody's coming into my house. I've got a gun. I've got a gun. I've got Well, how do you reconcile that is that? My gun is my rock and my defender and my shield. My rifle is my ever present help in times of trouble. It's my rifle that preserves me. It's my right, whether it's you know, we can use whatever type of gun you're utilizing.

35:28 Now. I know we would never say that. We would never seeing that, we would never put up on our slide a praise song to our gun. I know we would never do that. But you can see where it can become a little convoluted and confusing in the minds of many people. I think it's fair to say that there's a difficulty. And then just for one more verse, because this is what when I saw the article about the gun, I quoted this verse. This is what I quoted. I said, some trust in chariots, some trust in horses, But we should trust and the name of the Lord, our God, Psalm chapter twenty, verse seven.

36:12 Some trust in chariots, some trust in horses. We we look to God. Now, see that sounds that sounds so spiritual. But does it have any meaning in real life? Or do we just say this stuff? Sometimes I think we just say this stuff and we don't ever bother to go see the contradiction in our own brains. And I don't know how to reconcile it. I don't know how to reconcile it. Now the article just so that you get a kind of a taste of the article that started all of this. The headline was Christian warrior training explodes as churches put faith in guns.

36:53 Please don't as churches put faith in guns. And then they have a picture of a church. This is crazy. There's a picture of a church and at the front door there are two guards at the front door of the church. They're standing outside the building. They look like FBI agents. They have the dark shades on, they have the suit, and you're like, are you kidding me? Are you kidding me? Has it come to that? But here we go. Churchgoers are now arming themselves and signing up for warrior training before heading into weekly services. As violent attacks in houses of worship surge nationwide, now here would be my question if violent attacks are occurring, are surging nationwide at houses of worship? Now this we're going to get right back to my statement that I made Sunday. We live in a world, well, we cannot see God. We believe in a God in whom we cannot see. We live in a world in which we believe in a God and whom we cannot see. But we also live in a world where we see circumstances and we feel those circumstances that make us question our belief in that God whom we cannot see. Well, when you've got violent attacks happening in churches across the nation and those numbers are increasing dramatically, then you can say where someone may go, where is God? And I think someone said, I don't know where God is, but I know where the local gun store is, So we're getting guns and we'll stop these violent attacks because I don't

38:29 know where God went, but clearly he's on vacation. And I see I say it that way, people will get mad at me. No, no, no, no, no. We believe God is a rug? Which is it? But look, I can completely understand. I'll never forget the Sunday where the shooting happened at a church. Is it Sugarland, Texas. I can't remember the name, and I can't remember how many people died. And I think I can't remember which Sunday. I don't I can't remember when the church shooting. Well, we heard about the church shooting and the people, and there was a part of me that when I got to church, I'm like, Okay, look, do we do I mean, I don't know what's going on because at the time, nobody knew what was going on, and it was this a one time thing. Are there attacks? Because I think there was a warning telling all churches that Sunday to be be careful, be cautious. So I was like, well, do we lock the back door? Do we at least lock the back door. We can lock the front door. In the back door, people can get out, but it would stop anyone from just coming in, right, I mean, after all the do we do that? And because I was a little concerned, but I had other other people like, no, we just trust God.

39:35 And I'm like, okay, I was a little I was a little concerned. Now I didn't want anyone to have a gun because I struggled with that. But so I'm just gonna be on. I was being inconsistent too. I am not putting myself up as like I have this mighty faith in God and I never waver and I never doubt. That is not true at all. I'm just trying to struggle with Then I don't know what the end answer is here. So but the article goes on to say sheep Dog Church security founded by Chris Maloney in twenty fourteen, is one company that trains volunteer safety and security teams to protect houses of worship while keeping the faith at the center.

40:16 When he first founded the company, Maloney didn't have much competition, But ten years later, church attacks are at an all time high and protection industry is booming. So church attacks are all time high, and what are people turning to? It's not. Prayer meetings are booming, Fasting is booming, church attendance is booming. No, church attacks are up. So what the industry to train people how to shoot? That's the industry that's booming. It's not We're gonna Christians are going to turn deeper to God. No, no, no, no, I'm not going to spend more time doing spiritual thanks. I'm going to make sure I get to the local gun range so I can be trained how I can carry against So when I come to church next Sunday, if I forget my Bible, I'm not forgetting my gun. It's kind of like, how do we all? Right? Goes on to say.

41:10 Maloney, who has a background in the military law enforcement, initially ran a safety team at his own church in Minnesota. Since then, he has trained over six thousand people and houses of worship nationwide. You want it to be an open and welcoming You want it to be open and welcoming and so forth, and yet provide the safety of security needed, he told the Idaho Statesman. So those of us who do carry firearms, we do so on a concealed basis. We have the protection we need. And yet you know we don't have to be so obvious about it. So, hey, we got to provide the security. Please don't help just even reading that, that seems to go against all those verses we just read. God is my help, God is my protector, God is my shield, God is my refuge.

41:58 I'm not going to fear. Hey, look, attacks at churches are increasing. We'll get people with guns. Now. On one hand, I understand, I look, I completely understand. I don't want anyone to misunderstand this. I am not coming at this from a position where I'm the spiritual one, I'm the godly one, and I'm the one who have the faith. I've already said what I wouldn't have a gun, but I would. I would. I guarantee you I would go into some kind of offensive some offensive maneuver to try to hopefully disarm the person and take them out. And I guess what I would then, Rent, I would I'm telling you, I would probably just just start beating them to death is probably what I would start doing. I'm just being honest with my own fleshly nature. And I've had a gun. I already told you I would probably empty the clip fifteen times on them. So I'm not coming at this that I'm godly coming at this that I try to trying to reconcile all of these words with all the that we just read. And I could still be reading scripture we could read.

43:02 You do it yourself. Compile a list of scriptures that talk about God as your rock, your protector, your defender. He's there. He will intervene, he will protect you, he will cover you, he will look out for you. No harm is going to come to you. Hey, if God is for me, who can be against me? All the verses that seem to imply we have guardian angels, all of those verses that God puts a handge around us. Take all of those verses and then say, now, how do we reconcile this with these actions? That's all I'm asking you to do is consider that. You know what you may have to say. I can't reconcile it, don't have a way to reconcile it. In fact, I'm going to be honest with you, I don't care to reconcile it. We carry guns, We will carry guns, and if someone comes into our church, they will they will receive back possible lethal action taken against them. Just be honest with it and say we don't care. If the world doesn't understand, we don't care. If it's a stumbling block, we don't care. And that's fine. I'm not here to argue with you.

44:07 I just want you to at least stop and go. It is hard to reconcile and I don't know how to reconcile it, it says. Violent incidents in churches surge. In twenty eighteen, there were fifty and twenty nineteen there were eighty three, and twenty twenty there were fifty five and twenty one, there were ninety six, and twenty twenty two there were one hundred and ninety five, and twenty twenty three there were four one hundred and thirty six violent incidents in churches four hundred and thirty six. Now on one hand, that's a dramatic increase. Now you would have to say four hundred and thirty six. When they say in churches, that would be every kind of church, Greek, Orthodox, Roman, Catholic, everything. How many churches are there in the United States of America, And what is the percentage of four hundred and thirty six? So then what is the likelihood percentage wise of the chances of you your church having someone coming with a gun. I think the percentages are staggeringly low. If you take all the churches in America, I mean four hundred and thirty six attacks, there's over I think there's over two hundred and fifty churches and a fifty mile radius from where I'm broadcasting right now.

45:21 And we're just a city of about one hundred and I don't know forty fifty thousand. And there's old there were there. Those numbers are old, so the number may be even high. There's well over two hundred churches and about a fifty mile radius. Well, if there's four hundred and thirty six attacks in twenty twenty three and all the churches of America, I mean that percentage wise makes it pretty unlikely like that should be like on the low end of your concern, but it's a high concern because now there's a booming industry, like, hey, you got to get your people trained. People need to be carrying a gun in church? Is that fear? Is that panic? Is that anxiety? Or is that trust in God? I don't know you you you tell me what you think? All right? Then there's a picture here a gun on top of a bible, a gun on top of a bible. And then that's this literally from this security company. That's how they advertise it. Use of force, armed response as the last resort and then have a gun on top of a bible. Learn how to defend yourself and others with without using deadly force, which should be the last resort. So I'm gonna, I guess, try to help you not use deadly force.

46:34 But again, if you've got a bunch of people, got I know, people are gonna say, you know, shoot at the ankle, shoot at the leg. Okay, that's no. You always go sinner mass when you learn. Okay, that's just I mean, come on, you're not gonna be I'm gonna shoot at the wrist, okay, You're gonna shoot cinner mass. Okay, but we could get into that discussion about that. It says the number of parishioners signing up for the training has surged as religious institutions and create come under threat a violent attack. If you google church security, there will be one hundred thousand hits. The program off offers a manual on safety drills for churches and helps build out what many call safety ministries, a combination of armed and unarmed volunteers ready to respond to emergencies. Now, I think it's great to have unarmed volunteers to respond in a time of emergency, especially for a large church. You would want those volunteers who have medical training.

47:29 That would be good. How people know where the exits are so that they can evacuate, right Like what? I think those are great things to do right now? You could still call in it a question, Well, wait a minute, are we trusting in God? Are we not? You could still even call that into question. I like having you know, hey, we got we got a medical team. If someone is injured, if someone is having a heart attack, if someone's having if someone's having a seizure, what they can provide medical aid. We've got first aid kids, We've got fire extinguishers we've got, you know, you take those necessary percussions. Now, this is the same thing that drove me crazy about the pandemic. Well, we're not going to take any percussions in this church because we trust in God. I'm like, well, then, why do you got fire extinguishers.

48:10 Why are you following the safety code, Why do you have exits? Why, Well, you've got all of these other percussions. If there's a hurricane coming, you cancel services. But no, in a pandemic, we're not going to do anything. We trust in God. Oh but we've got fifteen people with guns. It's this weird contradiction sometimes. But please note this industry to provide training for people to have guns and churches. It's exploding, meaning that means there's a large demand, meaning more and more churches are doing it, probably more than you even know. The practical drill of scenario training manual consist of hands on approach okay goes on the website an email list combined Christian and security imagery featuring Bible quotes alongside advice on defending against violent intruders.

49:00 Please note that the they're marketing it in a very good way. They throw in some Bible verses, some Christian imagery along with pictures of guns. Okay, so so they're gonna they're gonna they're gonna use a little bit of both. They're gonna use a little bit of both. Now you could argue that's just good marketing, all right. His advertisements include images of a handgun on top of a holy Bible, as he has built as a protector of the people and guardian of the church. Please note he includes so that advertisement. Uh, as he is billed as protector of the people and guardian of the church. So now the guardian of the church and the protector of the people is someone with a gun, not Jesus Christ. Do you see where this just becomes philologically troubling. Churches nationwide are also implement implementing security training among pastors and congregants, and Tennessee one church held active shooter training for church pastors and Houston Spiritual leaders started getting security training after the Lakewood Church shooting. Leaders at Clay's Mills Baptist Church in Kentucky have also organized a security conference. Idaho in particularly has been seen a significant increase in those teams with residents reacting to threats against churches nationwide. All right, then it says types of violent church incidences, vandalism makes up for three hundred and fifteen of them. So three hundred

50:30 and fifteen is just vandalism. Arson is seventy five. Typically that arson typically takes place. I think when there's no one present, then gun related only makes up ten, bomb threat twenty other thirty seven. So I mean, if gun related only makes up ten, we're gonna have an entire industry because of that. Like, when you look at the numbers, see when you say a violent incident, everyone's like, we got to get a gun. But some of those violent incidents are not more than vandalism or arson. You don't need a gun, Okay, that's not what you need there. You may need some fire protection, you may need to make sure all your fire extinguished at working, but I think most of the cases, the vandalism and the arson occurs when there's no one there. Now I'm not saying in every case, but I'm saying in most cases. So with the like, that's when you start looking at some of those numbers, it just seems like there's an entire industry that's exploding. But you're like, wait a minute. What is the actual threat? What is the actual danger? I always find it weird. This is always because I grow up here in Texas, So I you know, guns are like you're born, you get a gun, right, you know, you know how to shoot a gun before you know how to walk. Okay, you're crawling around with a gun. You know, babies have holsters with guns on it. Hey, the baby can't talk, but the baby can shoot, right. I mean that's kind of a Texas kind of concept. It's probably true in many states, but I feel like

52:01 it's true in Texas. But what always blew my mind was whenever you get into a discussion about Christians and guns, that it's always the people who live out in the middle of the country. Right. There hasn't been a break in in sixty five years. There hasn't been a violent crime. And I grew up in Buffalo Gap, Texas. For crying outline, let me explain how it worked. Buffalo Gap, Texas. Nobody locked their doors. Nobody every house was unlocked. We never locked our doors. Right. But whenever you would have this discussion, well, I gotta have a gun to protect my family from what There hasn't been a violent crime here in three hundred years, what are you talking about? And the one time guns got involved in my situation. Here's what it got involved in. Are you ready? When I first moved to Buffalo Gap, Texas. This is this crazy story.

52:50 When I first moved to Buffalo Gap, Texas, we pulled up at the house that we're going to move into and there was a dog chain to the tree that it looked like had been beaten almost to death. Well, my parents tried to go up to the dog. He would not let anyone get near. Nobody could get near. He was there for like days. I tried to put food down, nobody get near him, and I kept being told to stay away, and they didn't know what to do. They were gonna call someone to come and and you know, possibly put the dog down. And I'm like, no, this is horrifying. So I didn't listen to my parents, and I walked up to the dog and the dog just laid down, did not bite me. Everyone else he would like trying to kill them, and I unchained. The dog became my constant companion right.

53:30 His name was Butch. He was he was with I called him Butch. He was with me everywhere, everywhere, I went, he was with me. I went everywhere. I could not go anywhere. That dog stayed to me. One day, some kid was trying to take my bike when I was at one of the little the little it's called Stuart's Grocery and Buffalo Gap, and I came out like give me my bike back, and he was trying to try to fight me for it, and the dog almost tried to kill the kid. Like nobody could get near me, nobody could touch me, nobody could do anything. Well, supposedly someone's chickens had killed by a dog, and for some reason, my dog was being identified as the one who did it. I don't know if he did, and he did, but nobody had any proof. Nobody said that they saw the dog. They're just like, we see your dog all over the place he did it.

54:12 So it was starting to become an issue. So on one day, I'm riding my bike and my dog's with me, and this guy steps out in the street in front of me, points a gun and my face and says, I'm gonna kill your dog. I'm like what, Oh, I'm so glad you got guns to protect your family. Now you're pointing the gun at a little kid, because you think your chickens were killed by my dog, but you've got no proof. So then I go home tell my dad. He pulls out every gun he can fight. I'm gonna kill him. And then the two men are about to kill each other over this? Are you? And I'm like, Wow, aren't we so glad we've got guns? We've got guns to protect ourselves. And now it's about to turn in at that. You know, the shootout at the OK Corral. I know that wasn't in Texas, but you get the idea, And I'm like, this is ridiculous. It's always the people who live out in the country like I gotta have a gun. I gotta have a gun to protect my family.

55:06 Now it's one thing. You gotta have a gun to shoot rattlesnakes or other animals that are attacking maybe your your your you know, your livestock or whatever. I can understand, but it's so weird. Sometimes it's just so so In this particular case, if the types of violent church incidents are basically everything other than guns, why is there everyone's going I gotta have a gun, Gotta have a gun, gotta have a gun, gotta have a gun. Gotta have a gun? Why why does every church needs people with guns? If this is not near as prevalent as we make it sound out to be. All right, because they got this chart and this comes from the Family Research Council, This does not come from a liberal and they've got an entire chart. This is a January twenty twenty three to November twenty twenty three.

55:54 That's the year. That's the year. Remember where we ended up with four hundred and thirty six violent incidences And you're like, okay, well that's a big number. And then you get down to the pie chart and you're like, three hundred and fifteen was vandalism, seventy five was ourson, only ten were guns. So then that means I think we're violently overreacting. And you may say, no, we're underreacting. We need to do more. Well, you can make your own determination. He says that they talk about a number of other people doing these trainings, and you know, safety teams at these different churches, and they talk about that the number of security teams has increased exponentially following threats like Hamas attack on Israel and increased violence from individuals with mental illness. So because of the Hamas attack on Israel. Churches are like, we got to have people armed. Do you think, like, I don't even understand that Russian. Hey, there's a war over in Israel.

56:58 We got to have people in our guns. What are you talking about? I know we live in America and we're such a gun culture, but for crying out loud? All right? Then they talk, They go on this article. I mean, I could sit here and we're already at an hour. I could read this article all day. It's called Christian warrior training explodes as churches put faith in guns. Again, it's that churches put faith in guns. That's what That's what convicted me. So how do you reconcile in your own mind? God's my protector, he's my rock, he's my defender, he's my shield, he's my ever present help in trouble. If the entire world falls into the ocean, I have nothing to fear. God is there. He's defender, protector, fortress, refuge, shield. How do I say all of that and then at the same time say, well, you know, when it comes to the church and violent attacks, God may not show up. God may not be present. God may not intervene God may not help, and if God doesn't intervene, I'm gonna intervene for me.

58:22 So then is God actually sovereign? Now, look, there's a photograph in here from Fort Worth, not far from me, where a gunman entered the church and I think two people died. It's an actual still shot from it, right, It's crazy. The pastor is, he's literally dropped all the way down, he's where he was preaching. He's already dropped all the way to the ground, and everyone is just like bending over and everyone's like, you know, scared to death. You can that scares me. That doesn't just scare me, not so much. That scares me. It makes me. It makes me angry, and it makes me it makes me sad for those people inside that church, for someone to come in and do that.

59:07 Now, the pastor is, I mean, he's not charging the person. He's not standing there going no no, no, no, no, no no no, shoot me, let them go shoot me. No no no. He's diving to the ground. He's like, forget this, I'm going to the ground. And I understand because that's that's what our natural reaction would be, that would be my natural reaction. But there's no one there standing up going. God is our protectory. God will stop these bullets. No, everybody's like, everybody at that moment forgets that there's a God. And it's like, hey, look, I believe in a God in whom I cannot see, But right now that person with a gun I can see that, And that's making me question whether the God whom I can see has any even any knowledge of anything going on, or if he can even intervene, or if he even wants to intervene. You're gonna begin to question God.

59:59 Right. You will never verbalize it, but in your heart, at that moment, God no longer even exists. You become an atheist and you know it, and I know it. I don't have an easy answer for any of this. I do not. I wish I did, I wish I had some profound answer. I don't. What I just simply want to do tonight is for us to struggle. So I want you to make a list. Look, if you're gonna email me, before you email me, make a list, make a list of all the scriptures that seem to talk about God as your defender, your rock, your shield that you know, the Almighty God, the Lord of hosts, the lord of armies, he will intervene, he will protect, he will defend, he will He is the sovereign over all the world. He is omniscient, He's omnipresent, he is omnipotent. And we say all of these great theological words. I know all of these illogical words. All of my degrees are in theology. I know all of these words, right, But at that very moment, I don't know what I believe at that very moment. So how do we reconcile it? The world sees it, and they're like, the church is putting their faith in guns and security teams and physical violence to stop a violent threat.

1:01:13 They are not going to trust in their God. And that's that's a valid criticism. I don't know how to answer it. Now. What we tend to do is when we start answering it, we almost, even though we don't want to admit it, we kind of chip away at God's sovereignty. We kind of chip away at God actually being present, We kind of chip away at God actually intervening. Now, once we're not talking about guns and about shooters in the church, are shooters in our home, then we go right back to God intervenes here, and God does this, and God help me here, and God told me this, and God showed me this, and God did this, and God did this, and God did that, and God did this, and God and one. But until we could turn back to this subject, and all of a sudden, well you know, you know, God, We've got to do our part. And I was like, well, wait a minute. So does God intervene seventy five times a day? Which is why how all of you describe the Christian life?

1:02:10 Or does God not intervene? Because I cannot keep up. I just want us to embrace the contradiction and acknowledge the contradiction. And what if you see if let's say I decided to carry a gun and people ask me about the contradiction and be like, I don't have an answer for you. It is an absolute, complete contradiction. I want to believe that God will intervene, but I just don't know if he will. I want to believe that He was my protector, my defender, and my shield, my refuge and every present helping times of trouble. But you know what, I'm not going to take the chance. So if someone comes in, I am I going to wait for God. I'm pulling the gun and I'm unloading the clip.

1:02:52 They say, how do you reconcile that with your faith? I don't know if I can reconcile it. Don't know if I can, don't don't even know if I can. For one second. Oh, I can try to play you know, verbal scriptural gymnastics to try to work away around it. But the thing is is, I don't know if I can work around it. So my only work around is all those scriptures about God being my protector, defender, and shield. I just have to believe either one. Those were for Israel and their covenant relation, and God intervened and protected them in mighty ways multiple times. But he also told them that if they didn't follow the rules of the especially the Land Covenant, they were gonna be cursed and they were gonna be taken into captivity, which occurred, okay, but God kept his promise under that covenant. But for us, God has not made those promises. Those promises have nothing to do with me. God is protected to protect me spiritually, meaning that nothing will separate me from the love of God. And I'm eternally secure and I cannot lose my salvation. Other than that God has made no promise of protecting me physically. Now, if I go with that form of theology, then it's going to be up to me to protect Then how would I defend the gun? From a script perspective?

1:04:00 While I live in the United States of America, the United States of America affords me the right by the government which bears does not bear the sword in vain. The government has a right to have guns and a military and a police and police to be able to protect and defend their citizens. Well, in this particular case, they have used that authority and extended it to me so that I may own a gun and protect myself. And I'm doing so under the authority of the God ordained government, because all government is ordained by God. I could try to make an argument that way, not going to Luke saying, well, Jesus told them to buy a sword. That's the most ridiculous, one of the most ridiculous argument I've ever heard. I don't even know why. People. There's a much much more logical way to make the argument. But if I can remove all of those scriptures about God, then I need to just stop talking about God intervening here and doing this and doing that, and telling me this and doing this and stopping this and protecting me here. I'm doing this because if God is doing all this protecting and defending and intervening and intervening and intervening, and then I should be the last one to be concerned about someone coming in with a gun. But you know what, I'm gonna be honest with you, and I'll end with this.

1:05:19 Sometimes I'm up here in the studio at night, maybe midnight, one o'clock in the morning. Oh, here's something. I'm like, Oh, there's someone trying to get in the house. There's someone trying to get in. And I will be fearful and I'll be worried, and I'll go downstairs thinking, Oh, what's gonna happen? And I start thinking in my mind, Okay, if they come in, boom, elbow to the head, boom, thinking all the military things are not military martial arts things I can do, maybe some military things I learned as well. I don't think I could do this, I could do that, I could And I start playing out the scenario in my brain. Yeah, because I'm fearful and because I'm worried, and I'm concerning at that moment. You know what, I'm not thinking God is my protector, because if I really felt that way, I'd be like, come on in, I'm not even gonna go check. God is our protector, he's our defender, he's my refuge, he's my shield.

1:06:06 He'll take care of it. I don't even need to worry. No, I go downstairs because I'm worried and I'm concerned, all right. I stated this in the pre show that for the month of June, we had over thirty thousand listeners just on the church one sermon's two point zero app just that platform, just a sermon audio platform, over thirty thousand, and I said, as a result of this broadcast, for the month of July, we will not even reach ten thousand. And you watch me, I guarantee you this broadcast is going to make me lose lots of listeners. And all I'm trying to do is make us just confront and we kind of have a possible contradiction. I'm not even giving you an answer. I'm not telling you what to do. I'm just saying we've got a possible contradiction, and I'm acknowledging that I'm in it with you. The only difference with me is I don't own a gun. That's the only different But I've got my own issues in this same category. So no, I know I'm gonna get emails and people are going to completely misrepresent everything I've said. But I'm just saying, look, we've got when we got when we get in the media going. Churches are putting their faith in guns, churches are seeing the security teams and themselves as being the protector of the church. I'm sorry, I think that that

1:07:41 You're like, well, gay guys, guys, guys, no, no, no, no, no, no, we put our faith in God. We trust in God. Our God is all powerful, Our God is omniscient, Our God is omni present. He The media is going to go, well, which is it? And I think they have every right to ask that question. And I think we have every I think we have the responsibility to struggle with that apparent contradiction. And guess what, I'm not afraid to say, I don't have an answer because I don't. News. I f at Yahoo dot com. News, I f a Yahoo dot com. Everyone have a wonderful night. Remember make that list of all the scriptures that talk about God as protect or defender and shield and all every present helped times of trouble or anything along those lines. Make a list, and then I want you to read that list and then ask yourself do you really believe that?

1:08:32 And do you really believe that that is that is promised for you today? And then how do you reconcile that with some of your actions, fears, worries and anxieties and what you do to protect? Because I bet you all of us, I don't live in Buffalo Gap, Texas anymore now. The entire time I lived in Buffalo Gap, we never locked our door at night. We never locked it when we left the house. We never locked the door ever. But let me tell you something, I locked the door. Now you draw your own conclusion. Everyone, thanks for listening, Have a great night. God bless