Culture & Christianity: The Allen Jackson Podcast - Reflecting on 2024

Episode Date: December 27, 2024

If you made a list of the good things God has done in your life over the past year, what would you add to it? In this episode, Pastor Allen Jackson shares some ways God has worked in his own life over the past year and reminds us how God brings about outcomes that only the Creator of Heaven and Earth can accomplish. "I'm of the opinion that God's blessings are filling our lives. I believe the more we celebrate that, the more those blessings will gain momentum. I couldn't think of a better way to to see 2024 come to a conclusion than by taking some time to develop a good news list," Pastor Allen said. Keeping a Good News list reminds us that joy can be found in circumstances that may seem dismal—and as we record the ways God comes through for us, the list serves as a steady reminder of His faithfulness. Let's look forward to 2025 with great hope and anticipation — God is moving! Share this episode with friends who need some hope and encouragement, and invite them to make a Good News List with you!__ It’s up to us to bring God’s truth back into our culture. It may feel like an impossible assignment, but there’s much we can do. Join Pastor Allen Jackson as he discusses today’s issues from a biblical perspective. Find thought-provoking insight from Pastor Allen and his guests, equipping you to lead with your faith in your home, your school, your community, and wherever God takes you. Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3JsyO6ysUVGOIV70xAjtcm?si=6805fe488cf64a6d Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/culture-christianity-the-allen-jackson-podcast/id1729435597

Welcome to culture and Christianity. 2024 has just about slipped past us. That seems impossible to me, but it has. Seems like Christmas used to be three years apart, and now it comes every 90 days. But I guess that's a good thing. I will not complain. I want to do something a little different today. Rather than interview a guest or even pick up a specific topic,

I want to take a few minutes with you and celebrate a good news list. I'm going to share a bit of mine. Some of it's kind of personal. Some of it's about perspective on what I see happening in our nation and in the world, based on my own observations and observations of people and friends of mine. And then I'm going to invite you to get involved. I don't want you to be just a hearer. I want you to be a doer.

And I'm of the opinion that God's blessings are filling our lives. And I believe the more aware we are of that, and the more we celebrate that, and the more we give expression to that, the more that those blessings will gain momentum. You know, I think you get more of what occupies your heart and what comes out of your mouth. If you're angry and you grumble and you complain, I think you'll get more things to be angry and complain about. I think if you find a way to be grateful and thankful and you think about that and give expression to it,

you'll find more things to celebrate and more things to be grateful for. So I couldn't think of a better way to see 2024 come to a conclusion than by taking some time and really just developing a good news list. So I'm going to do it in two segments. I want to do one that's kind of current events because I've spent some time this year focused on, engaged in, talking about working with current events. And then I'll do it in terms of ministry. What I do is kind of a day job with Alan Jackson Ministries and with World Outreach Church because I live in both of those arenas full time.

And it's hard to separate those from my personal life because the people I do life with and the people I celebrate victories with and the people I pray for and the miracles that we see, they emerge through those platforms and we share them with you. You get to meet some of those people, whether it's Joey Favilaro,

the basketball coach that thought he'd retired when he came to Tennessee. and you got to meet Joey and hear his miracle stories. He sent me a text. This is good news. He sent me a text. He's volunteering to help a high school basketball coach these days in a little 2A school in Tennessee.

And they had a big victory, a two-point victory over Friday night, over a 4A school. That's David and Goliath in the 21st century. Joey was a little bit psyched about that. So I'll share some of that personal stuff. But let's start with our good news list. I want to start what I see happening in our nation. And this was an election year.

I think we're all grateful that we got to that election and through that election. And whether you are, whichever side of the aisle you sit on, whichever political spectrum you may have chosen to embrace, it's been a long, long time since I remember an election where there was such a diversity of worldviews represented. And I will celebrate the outcome of the election because I believe a biblical worldview was endorsed by much of America. I think the election really turned not on money spent. There were billions of dollars spent on both sides. Not on political maneuvering. There was enormous political maneuvering.

I think what turned the election really, honestly, was the heart was the prayers of the people of faith. Because all across our nation, people in the flyover country, the deplorables, the trash, the people who were overlooked and discounted and considered non-essential, they raised their hands and went to Pobot and said, we don't believe we're going in the right direction. And we have to have a change of direction. And I believe we've been given an opportunity. I don't feel like we have won a tremendous victory.

I feel like we've been given a great opportunity. I'm quite confident we deserve judgment. And I think God showed us mercy. And I'm excited about that because with mercy comes an invitation from the Lord. And I believe we will see God move. If you and I will choose him in some new ways, let's stop pointing our fingers and being angry at other people.

That's not fruitful. But recognize that God has shown us mercy into our nation. I spent the last couple of days in a conference listening to some of the people are going to be providing leadership for us at the highest levels of the land. And there are some things that at least they said they intend to change that I think will bring good things to us. I'm very grateful for them. They're on my good news list.

I think our borders are going to close. We will not survive as a sovereign nation with open borders. That's not an opinion. That's a fact of history. We have been on the most intentionally self-destructive path in the history of our nation for the last four years. And I think the closing of our borders or the proposed closing of our borders is wonderful news. I believe there are people who intend to begin to deport people who are here illegally and are criminals and gang members. I think that is amazingly good news. you know, to come into our nation illegally, breaking our federal law, and then begin to perpetrate violence.

And for us to tolerate that is just insanity. So I think it's wonderful news that our borders will close. We'll kind of return to a legal immigration plan. And we're going to deport criminals and gang members. That'll be better for all of us. Make our kids safer, our school safer, our streets safer. It brings some common sense. It's not going to be easy.

There's going to be so much media chatter around it. I get it, but it's good news. I think we will return to an energy policy that makes sense. Folks, our lives are so dependent upon energy from our electricity to how are the vehicles that we use for transportation, to all the goods and services we receive. We have the largest energy reserves in the world. God has blessed us. And for some reason, and we can debate that the details are.

around it, but we have minimized the amount of our own energy that we were utilizing, and we've been purchasing energy from nations around the world who are not our friends. So we have been spending untold billions of dollars buying energy from

people who use the dollars to work against us in the international and global community. That just makes no sense. So I think we'll return to a policy where we start capitalizing on American energy, exporting it to the nations of the world. Energy prices will be cheaper. It'll tamp down inflation. Groceries have become a bit more

affordable. The ripple effect of that will be tremendously significant for us in a good way. It's on my good news list that our energy policy will begin to make more sense for our nation. Seems like common sense, but it hadn't been common for a while. I believe on my good news list, we will see the Ukrainian conflict begin to move towards a resolution. More than $100 billion. spent more than a million casualties. You know, when that war first began for weeks, I was on Zoom calls on a regular basis with leaders in the Christian community in Ukraine. And it was tragic to hear the stories.

The civilian populations being targeted, the apartment buildings that were being decimated by rocket fire. You know, and here we are months and months later. I mean, we bought vans and sent food. and clothing, and we were doing whatever we could do to provide support and resources for the people that were trapped in that horrific conflict. You know, and I saw leaders posing like they were rock stars, American leaders, flying to Ukraine to have their pictures taken with Zelensky.

It looked more like they were posing for the cover of Rolling Stone. They were concerned about the civilians and the people who were suffering horribly. and now a million casualties later, I believe there will be some grown-up voices that say we have to bring a resolution to that. One of my good friends, you know some of these people if you follow the ministry. Chad Robeshow has been there more than a dozen times.

He set up communication systems for the people. He said to me, the work could be ended in a matter of days if we had the will to do so. And this was some time ago. I think we'll see that conflict to come to a resolution. That's good news, folks. I believe China will be countered in their global aspirations. They really haven't been for a while.

They've had kind of carte blanche to patrol the globe and try to assert their will. And please remember, I have no, the Chinese people, I have compassion on. God lives them just as much as he would love you or me. But China, the Chinese government is a communist, authoritarian, domineering. they practice slavery, social control, manipulation. They oppose free speech. I mean, the list goes on and on. And that spirit has been unleashed on our world.

It's been unleashed in Africa. It's been unleashed in South America and Central America. And the United States has shown very little will to thwart it or to meet it. And I believe we will see that change. We will stop capitulating to Chinese ambitions. And that is a good news. It brings a hope of liberty and freedom to people who were falling under the tyranny of another communist regime. Again, this isn't complicated.

You can say, well, you know, you're a pastor. Why do you care? Well, for more than 100 years, communism has been on display in our world. In every place, it has gained the primary authority. One of the first things it's done is closed the churches, imprisoned the leading voices in the churches, diminished the opportunities for the gospel. So it should matter to every Christ follower. Communism is not just another economic system.

It's one of the most destructive, murderous expressions of human authority in history. And we've seen it demonstrated from multiple nations in multiple arrays, and it's always resulted in horrific suffering. So I'm grateful to imagine that China will be countered. in their aspirations a bit. But at home, there's hope for some changes. I think very important, necessary changes. Our Department of Justice, there'll be a new Attorney General.

Pam Bondy's been nominated. It remains to be seen whether she'll be approved by the Senate through their approval and consent process. I hope she will. You know, the election had a rather significant outcome, overwhelming outcome, honestly. All seven swing states went one way. as Barack Obama so famously said, elections have consequences.

This one should have equally sweeping consequences. So I hope the nominees that President-elect Trump has pushed forward will be accepted if Pam Bondi is. I think she'll bring a different tone to the Department of Justice than Merritt Garland has. Regardless of who's in charge of the Department of Justice, I believe we can see the end of the weaponization of justice against political enemies. that's really, really good news, no matter which side of the aisle you're on. That has to end, or we will lose our freedom, and there's a hope of that. I believe the FBI, Christopher Ray is stepping aside. He's already acknowledged that.

If Cash Patel is put in place, I believe he'll bring a completely new vision and perspective to the FBI. For many, many years, one of the most revered institutions in our nation. and today they are one of the least trusted. We've seen them investigate presidential campaigns. We've seen them investigate newly elected presidents. We've seen them lie to FISA courts. We've seen them be manipulative. They've put their thumb on the scale of justice.

That simply can't exist at the FBI. And we imagine that freedom will grow and proliferate. So I think it's good news that we're getting new leadership there. It's exciting that we might imagine that parents who speak at school boards would no longer be labeled threats to our nation or domestic terrorist, that we could turn the attention of the FBI once again to identifying people who truly are threats to our well-being and our security. The Department of Health and Human Services is going to get new leadership. Robert Kennedy Jr. has been nominated. I had the opportunity to do an interview with Bobby Kennedy.

when he launched his election, and it was a fascinating conversation. I'm sure it's on the website. If you haven't seen it, it's worth going back to see. He understands public policy in Washington, D.C. Like I understand the church in Middle Tennessee. I've spent my life engaged in the church, and he spent his entire life in Washington and policy,

and is very clear to me how second nature that is. And he happens to have a desire to see our nation be healthier. and I think that's a wonderful thing. I think he has the courage to stand up to the pharmaceutical companies. You know, my father was a veterinarian. I have the highest regard for science and medicine in the medical community. If God hadn't given me a very strong push towards ministry, I would have spent my life in the healthcare industry.

So I'm an advocate for that. But I think Bobby Kennedy is going to bring some fresh air to that that is desperately needed. All of those things are good news. I could go on and on down that. list, God is moving. Please don't be so narrow to think that, you know, I didn't choose this person. Folks, we have to have a significant change of course, and God seems to have given us a fresh breeze and a new tack. It's beyond our nation. I was in a meeting this week, and I heard people with international perspective say it's as if a light has been turned on globally. The entire Middle East

has changed in the last 60 days. My friends in Israel have been under siege for over a year. The attacks that came from Hamas on October the 7th and 23, I went to Washington, D.C. to the Israeli embassy to watch the video of that. It was some of the most horrific things I have ever witnessed in my life. Unspeakable horrors. I wouldn't repeat them here. Things done to women and children.

Things done to families, celebrated, videotaped, unimaginable things that we have endured. and our nation, some of the most revered places in our nation, tried to attach moral equivalency to the government of Israel and the behavior of Hamas, which is completely unthinkable. And the good news is that whole balance of power has shifted in the last 10 weeks or so. Iran has been dramatically diminished. And I don't know how much attention you pay to the global stage,

but Iran is the number one global sponsor of terrorism. They cost us billions and billions and billions of dollars countering their terrorist aspiration and threats. And they have said over and over again they intend to bring destruction to the United States. Iran has been greatly diminished with the diminishment of Hamas in the south of Israel and then Hezbollah in the north, in Syria, and Lebanon. The leadership of Hezbollah has been almost completely eliminated. The leadership of Hamas has been decimated. With the fall of the Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad,

the strong authoritarian dictatorial murderous regime that has been in place in Syria for decades has been removed, that enables Israel to establish a buffer zone on the northern borders in both Syria and Lebanon. They will provide security for those northern communities in Israel. Over 80,000 Israelis have not been in their homes for over a year. Their children haven't been in their schools. They haven't been able to tend to their small businesses. They've left their homes abandoned.

They can go back to their homes with the establishment of that buffer zone again. It's just remarkable. Iran's status in the Muslim world and in the global community has been dramatically diminished. with what's happened with their proxies. It's clearly understood that Hamas and Hezbollah were just proxies for Iran. They provided their resources, their weapons. Russia had been a great backer of the Syrian regime in Hezbollah, and with their collapse, Russia has withdrawn to a great extent.

Besad went to Moscow when he fled Syria in the middle of the night. It's a total realignment of the balance of power in the Middle East, and it bodes well for freedom and opportunity for the citizens of Israel, but for the people throughout that country. Assad had used chemical weapons on his own people multiple times. Barack Obama had drawn a red line. Some of you remember, he said it's a line in the sand. If they ever use chemical weapons, the U.S. will intervene,

and they use the chemical weapons, and the U.S. said nothing. Those people have suffered horribly. Millions of refugees from Syria have been pushed into Europe. They've changed the complexion of Europe. I don't imagine they'll return, but there is an opportunity for liberty and freedom in the Middle East that we haven't seen in decades. And that's happened in spite of the U.S. opposing Israel and backing Iran. Folks, God is working. Again, please don't get caught up in this as a political discussion.

I don't see it that way. I don't understand it that way. It seems to me it's a discussion of the current events. There are voices in place now that will stand for the sanctity of human beings. human life that don't think abortion on demand at any point during pregnancy is a wonderful thing. That's a gift for our children. There's a new voice. There's a new attitude towards family and the construction of family and the nuclear family.

The biological parents of a child in the home with that child is not only a biblical notion, even science says that's the best possible condition for human beings to flourish in. And we have some authorities headed back to power in Washington, D.C. that will promote those things, that will not promote men competing with women in athletics, whether it's college or elsewhere. It's just a remarkable breath of truth and integrity. You know, the outcome is not clear.

This will not happen easily. It's not going to be simple. The adversaries to those biblical principles and that biblical worldview have not been banished. They're not vanquished. This is America. They have a right to the public square. I'm grateful for that.

So I don't think we can afford to take a victory lap and sit in our good intentions. I think we'll have to continue to pay attention to be involved locally. You know, in our own community, we're having a hard time getting just a dozen evil books out of our children's libraries in the public schools. You know, I understand kids have access to horrific stuff on their cell phones. I'd like to see it limited on the cell phones. But for the time being, could we just get the vile books out of the kids' libraries? Do we have to groom children in our schools libraries to prove that we're open-minded? That doesn't seem open-minded to me.

That seems to be predatory. There's good news. The breeze of hope and freedom and liberty is blowing through our land. And I believe God brought that. We have greater free speech with what's happened with X or Twitter. Who would have ever imagined Elon Musk would use his voice and his voice. wealth for freedom of speech. Only God could have orchestrated that. Why would he not have responded like Bezos or Zuckerberg and used his wealth to limit the freedom of speech and build greater

wealth? I don't have an explanation other than the grace of God that somebody like Elon Musk would use their wealth to bring freedom of speech. It's an amazing good news list. If you'll start with the good news. I think it will bring a joy to you. It's bringing one to me. Doesn't mean there's a battle that's not there. I feel like we're on the day after Normandy. We secured the beach, but we're not ready to declare victory over Europe, folks. We've got to go to work, but we've got an opportunity to have the discussion. The ministries that I serve, both personally and the ones that I'm connected with, across our nation and around the world, there are things to celebrate. I want to share some of them with you. Again, I think it's so easy. It's so easy.

to get caught in my personal circle. It hasn't been an easy year for me. My mom went to heaven. She'd been battling with some memory issues, and then her health began to deteriorate. I was out of the country, and the call came, and my mom wouldn't well, and we got home, and it was a very difficult few weeks,

but my mom graduated. She had spent decades of her life honoring the Lord and serving the Lord. Yeah, she's not going to be at the Christmas table with me, but she's at a far better table, and I may grieve a bit, but I'm going to celebrate the victory that came to my mom. You know, when I say to you, I have a good news list, I'm not saying that in the absence of personal challenges

or personal grief. I don't imagine that we live in some pristine place that you see on a television show or you read about in some novel. I understand the world is a messy place and that we still live in the arena floor where we get bloody and bruised and we struggle for the score every day.

But in the midst of that, there are reasons to celebrate. And I am delighted. I want to take a minute and tell you what I can see God doing. There's an awakening taking place. It started in 2020 with COVID, that horrible virus, the man-made virus that came from Wuhan, China,

that the U.S. was involved in orchestrating. It's an unbelievable story. But that horrific scene, and deception. God began to move and to awaken us. The church I have served for decades is stronger than it's ever been. God is moving in unprecedented ways in the world. We have people traveling. I live in Murphreysboro, Tennessee. You'll need Rabbi Google to find that. It's not listed in the top hundred cities in the nation. We are a bedroom community for Nashville. If you hear me in larger settings. I'll say I'm from Nashville. I'm not denying the community in which I live.

It's just nobody knows where it's at. You've got to be 14 to be able to spell it. But people are traveling to Murphersboro from across our nation on a very regular basis in a desire to be a part of what God is doing, to be renewed and encouraged and strengthened and to return home with a clarity of vision for their own communities. Folks, that's impossible. You know, what we're doing here is only remarkable because it points to Jesus. I'm not new to this. I've been doing it for a long time. I can't tell you how many consultants came to town and watched and listened and looked at what we did.

And they said, you know, Alan, you're pretty average. You're pretty normal. You're not very dramatic. There's nothing that draws as much attention to you. And I go, yeah, I know. But we love Jesus. And today, I see people hungry to know the Lord coming from all over the country. Only God could do that.

People are extending invitations to us. we have more invitations and we have the strength to respond to. You know, I was told when I was a young man, if you only have one invitation, don't pray, say yes. And I tried to practice that wisdom. And today we need God's wisdom because we have more invitations and we have the strength to respond to.

And I pray that grows and multiplies. The ministries I'm involved with, Alan Jackson Ministries, I mean, for years I wouldn't even put my name on it. I thought it was arrogant. And I can't tell you how many experts said, if you don't have enough courage to put your name on it, it won't flourish. And I said, I don't care.

And finally after 2020, I said, listen, put my name on it. If it'll help us be more effective, I don't care. Put it in neon. And the Lord has brought blessings that we would have never imagined. We did our first culture in Christianity conference. We had people from more than 30 states come. And we spent a couple of days talking about our culture and how to bring our Christian faith to bear on that in a more impactful way.

They were a truly transformational couple of days. We're planning the second edition of that. for August of this upcoming year. We'll give you some details in the next few weeks. In February, we launched the Culture and Christianity podcast, which you obviously know about if you're listening today. We wanted a platform outside of a sanctuary, outside of the constraints of a pulpit and a formal worship service

to talk about what we saw God doing in the earth. The responses have exceeded anything we would have imagined. I thank you for that, for listening and telling your friends about it and sharing some of the clips. We had an opportunity begin this year. They contacted us and asked us if we would do a daily television show. I don't know if you've noticed or not, but I already had a day job. I thought I had a full-time job.

But we said yes and started Alan Jackson now. One of the most accomplished executive producers in the news arena in our nation called and said, he wanted to help. He wanted to be a part of that. He believed in the messages of our children. Church and Alan Jackson Ministries. That's on Monday through Friday now, on TBN. We're posting it every day on YouTube.

At the end of the day, I believe that's posted at 7 p.m. Central, 8 p.m. Eastern Time. Other responses to all of those things have exceeded any reasonable expectation. We've got more than 100,000 followers on YouTube. Or we've passed that. They tell me that number keeps changing. I'm not hardly smart enough to even explain to you what's happening. That's true for both. and Jackson Ministries and World Outreach Church both.

Again, only God can bring that. We are in a small community. I like to say we're a little country church, but the platform's grown a little beyond that. We have new friends. The Lord has brought to our ministry. You've met many of them. I bring as many as I can to the podcast,

or maybe you see them on the show. But I'm grateful for their lives and their ministries and their voices. They're a part of my good news list because, you know, I thought when God began an awakening that he would do it in the leading pulpit of our churches, that the most celebrated platforms would have a transformational message and begin to shout the good news. And the awakening hasn't exactly come that way, but I see it emerging.

I meet these people with the clarity on our culture and the word of God and the value of truth. And they're in a multitude of industries and platforms. But they're talking about biblical values and biblical worldview, and they're doing with great courage. You know, some of you are in churches that struggle to tell the truth. Stop being angry about that. Start celebrating the good news of the truth being told.

I've had to make peace with that. You know, God doesn't move in the way I want to. God is sovereign. But when I see God moving, I'm going to call that good news, and I would encourage you to join me in that. But I made a list to some of my friends that this year I have seen God used in some remarkable ways. They're newer friends, Brandon Tatum, John Ammon Chukwu. If you can spell Amman Chuku, you get a gold star.

God has used John in a most remarkable way to stand up for children. He's a pastor, but God is using his voice in a powerful way. Ali B. Stucky, I'm so grateful for her voice to women in our country and beyond to families, and particularly young moms and young couples, Seth Gruber and his work for children in the unborn. Chad Robesho, he is a warrior. He served our nation with eight tours in Afghanistan, force recon Marine. crazy list of decorations when we withdrew with Afghanistan so shamelessly. Chad had retired by that point.

He called some of his retired Special Forces buddies and they went back into Afghanistan and got out tens of thousands of people that our government had abandoned. I mean, that's good news. If you're one of those people, that is very, very good news. Dallas Jenkins, we sat down with him and celebrated not only the success of the Chosen, but the Christmas movie, the best Christmas pageant ever. I mean, God has truly brought blessings to Dallas life and through him blessed our nation and the body of Christ.

Jim Caviesel, you know, I mean, I think most of you know, the movie he did with Mel Gibson on The Passion of the Christ, but Jim's voice in our country on behalf of the trafficking of children and our border and his courage, he's an actor in Hollywood, folks. It's going to cost him money. It takes cash out of his pocket. It limits his future. And he has stood up.

That is such good news. I hope you celebrate these things. You know, in the music, we had Crowder on campus. He made me smile. I don't know if you know Crowder, but I watched the people worship God with Crowder in a way, and I stood in the back and felt the presence of the Lord. King and Country for King and Country was here.

The enthusiasm of those folks in honoring our Lord, the movies they create, the effort they make, and Wilson, Charity Gale, the list just goes on and on. It's good news. people using their talents, their gifts, their abilities. You know, I was making my list and I put old friends, and I decided I didn't like that. I won't be on anybody's old friends list.

But these are friends that I've seen being blessed in remarkable ways. They've been my friends for a while. They're certainly not old. I'm not old enough to have old friends, just for clarity's sake. But, I mean, Mike Huckabee, you know, we call him the Gov. I mean, he was the governor of Arkansas, and now he's going to be the ambassador to Israel. I mean, it turned his life upside down and it's a sacrifice. Most of you would be reluctant to travel to Israel, and he's going there with an American flag flying on his car.

But I'm grateful for God's blessings in his life. Eric Metaxus, God continues to multiply his influence. He was involved in the Bonhofer movie, which came out of his biography he did on Bonhofer, which has had a profound impact on our nation. Dr. Ben Carson and his wife, Candy, the integrity they bring to the faith discussion in our nation. The voice they have for health care. I'm so thankful for them. They are a breath of fresh air and good news for all of us. I was in a friend of Michael W. Smith called the other night and he was doing a Christmas show in Nashville and invited us.

And I sat and listened to his presentation. I was so grateful for his life for the decades that he's been an encouraging voice to the body of Christ. It's good news for all of us. Matthew West, what God continues to use. I mean, Only God could use Matthew. I'm kidding. He's my friend. Promise Keepers is having a reboot. They hope to start being a voice in the lives of men.

We were honored to go be a part of one of their first stadium events, arena events this year. I believe God will add momentum to what they're doing. In fact, it was on campus at O'R.R. A hundred years ago, I was a student there. I believe there's a bit of an awakening taking place at O.R.U. I think I'm going back in the spring. I'm excited about that. John Rich in country music has found a voice for faith and courage that is truly remarkable.

I love it when God wakes up people that are in industries that aren't church-related and they begin to use their voice for the kingdom of God. John's doing that in a beautiful way. Dave Ramsey, you know, he'll help you balance your checkbook and get to know the Lord better. That's a gift. That is a gift. Josh Turner has done the same thing in country music. I sat down with some people from Samaritans purse the other day.

I had a call Franklin Graham. Their last trip of the year was to Vietnam. And it was a very successful trip, but they had some health challenges when they came home. I'm so thankful for what Franklin and Samaritans' purse have done. I mean, the list goes on and on and on. Little country church in Tennessee, and together with the podcast,

we can sit down at a microphone and talk about people that we know together when there is this remarkable fruitfulness that could only come from the, spirit of God. It's good news. Again, yes, there are some personal griefs and challenges and heartaches and life isn't easy and there's problems to solve, but God is moving. God is moving. He's doing it in our local church. We have open doors, as I've said, across our nation and around the earth. A little country church in Murphersboro, Tennessee is involved in ministry in Africa, in Belarus, in Ukraine, in Israel, throughout the Middle East, in South America. We're expanding our campus.

You know, we're in a season when churches across our nation are retreating. Big picture nationwide, church attendance is down, participation is being reduced, and we're experiencing the opposite. We have more people coming from more places. We're expanding our facilities, expanding our campus. We're going to do an outdoor worship space. We're going to put in a whole new gallery and learning center. We're serving more children and more students than we've ever served before. It's just remarkable what God is doing.

Now, I've prattled on for a long time. I wanted you to get a sense of it. I wanted to invite you out of the disappointment that often comes with Christmas time. Life isn't perfect. Our circumstances aren't mine aren't. But in the midst of the things that I don't like, my dad had surgery a few days ago. And I've been spending a lot of time helping him recover, which I'm very grateful he is. But in the midst of all those things that we would prefer to have avoided.

Those are disappointments. God is moving. So here's my invitation to you. This is my Christmas gift to you, because if you'll receive it, it will write a new story for the beginning of a new year. I want to ask you to write your own goods news list. Take a few minutes. Think about your personal life. Think about your family system.

Think about the community where you live. Think about our nation. Think about what you know about the world. Let that grow in expanding concentric circles. until you're almost overwhelmed or completely overwhelmed with the good news that God has put before you. The Spirit of God is moving in the earth. He's given us an opportunity to write a completely new future

for the next season of our nation and through that for the body of Christ in the world. Now, I don't know why he called your name and my name in this season, but he did. And if he did, I trust that he will give us what we need to make the impact he called us for. I've made peace. I don't have to be an influencer of great.

note, you know, I don't have to be known in halls of power. I want to be faithful to the king, the one who I call Lord. And what he chooses to do with the gifts and talents and abilities that he's given to me is up to him. What I'm determined to do is be faithful. And I want to invite you to that. Start your good news list. Tell people to write their list. You know, you can put it in the comment section of the podcast. Let some other people see it. Maybe you take that and share it on social media. You know, begin to do that, invite people to tag it to our ministry. Let's see how much momentum we can get going with the good newslet.

Some of you are a whole lot smarter in social media than I am. But don't make it private. I didn't make mine private. Folks, I'm not telling you my life is always easy. And that every day goes by without challenges because it doesn't. But I can tell you with absolute certainty that God is moving in the earth. and I've been privileged to be aware of just a little bit of that and I wanted to pull the curtain back a bit for you

if you're struggling know that God is moving start your good news list share it with a few friends let's see if we can give some momentum to this let it wash across this nation and around the earth maybe it'll find some people that are in some really difficult places and you bring hope to them from the good news in your life it's Christmas time there's a new year coming there's a whole new set of opportunities

I believe that we're going to see Christianity impact our culture in ways that will exceed any expectation we've ever held. And I'm honored to be a part of the journey with you. Thank you for being a part of this podcast this year. And I look forward to what God has for us in the new year. God bless you. Hey, thanks for joining me today. Before you go, please like the podcast and leave a comment so more people can hear about this topic too. If you haven't yet, be sure to subscribe to Alan Jackson, Minnesota.

and follow the Culture and Christianity podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. Together, let's learn how to lead with our faith and change our culture. I'll see you next time.