liberty – Robin Writes

Supreme Court Arguments For and Against the Right to Life

Posted on December 1, 2021 by Robin House

Arguments at the Supreme Court for abortion say that 1 in 4 women in America have had an abortion. It is a big issue in our society. The argument that unplanned pregnancies should not have to be continued is one of the primary arguments for the right to abort a child and is being made.

Pregnancy is in most cases a result of a voluntary choice to engage in behavior that brings an egg and sperm together. Women do have the right (morally or not in our nation) to engage in an activity that would bring their egg in contact with a man’s sperm. But once the egg is fertilized by the sperm, a new — and completely separate from the mom — individual life with its own unique DNA begins. At that point of conception, the child exists, and he or she should, in my opinion, be afforded the right to live as the Constitution promises to all of us the right to pursue life, liberty, and happiness.

The argument for a woman’s right to choice to end the life of her child must acknowledge that the woman’s choice ends when it infringes on the rights of life and existence of another separate individual. The conceived child is such an individual

Most often in the cases of abortion, women choose to participate in behavior that could render them with a child. To be blunt, many women want to have sexual relations without the consequences of what naturally occurs with the behavior. Some women seem to want to do the things that can result in a pregnancy without dealing with the consequence or responsibility to the other separate unique individual who has been formed by the woman and man.

The baby in the womb is treated by many as having no standing or rights as an individual. Though a child can not form itself and does not ask to be conceived, he or she is a person and entitled to the right to life, the right to choice over their bodies, and the right to live as they choose – just like the mother.

Our rights end at the point when they infringe on someone else’s rights. We can not harm or cause the death of another without consequences in the law. Why is there a difference in protections and rights for an unborn child – a child who is unable to speak up for themselves? We know that just because someone is bigger, stronger, or can exercise dominance over another person that does not mean that they should exert their will over another or that it is right to do so.

The science is clear that what is conceived in a woman’s womb is a living human being. More and more we have learned and understand the intricacy and individuality of every single person from the time they are conceived. The Bible says we are knit together by God in the womb and that He knows us and has plans for us before we are born.

I’m praying that our nation will turn back to following God. I’m praying that those with unplanned or unwanted pregnancies will choose to let the life of their children continue. I’m praying that those who do not want to keep or raise the children they conceive will give them through adoption to those who do want children and will care for and love them to help them grow.

We are all made in the image of the almighty God. I hope more will gently and lovingly discuss this topic with their children, friends, and families and teach the truth and the value of life — of every single life.

I hope you will pray with me and think on these things…

Disturbingly Surreal

Posted on August 30, 2021 by Robin House

Jen Psaki says that things happen that you don’t want to happen in a retrograde. Yes, we sure do see that!

We had the opportunity to control Kabul, and our administration declined. We had the chance to exit our citizens before our military, and the administration put the proverbial cart before the horse. We had a chance to keep our airbase and support our interests, citizens and allies, and our administration chose to leave our air base, aircraft, munitions, technology and biometric data information on American citizens and our allies in the middle of the night without informing our Afghan army partners that we left them without support and abandoned our mission to keep the Taliban terrorists from taking over.

What is a retrograde? It is a ‘fancy pants politically correct’ retreat and surrender. There is no end to the holy war of terrorism against ALL who will not bow to the muslim faith. Just because we leave Afghanistan, doesn’t mean that our enemies have ceased the war. They are still at war with us whether we want to participate in the war or not. Just because we won’t defend ourselves doesn’t mean they won’t attack us anymore. In fact, the Taliban has effectively said with a boot at our administration’s butt to get on out by tomorrow, and thank you very much for the land, hostages, and military equipment we will use against you in the United States.

How naive and inept is our administration. Blinken was on vacation as Kabul fell. I guess he believed his own words that Kabul couldn’t fall in a weekend. Congress is in recess and won’t come back to work because Nancy doesn’t want the heat or to tackle the debacle of the retrograde mission and stand up for our nation. Reporters are really more interested in what flavors of ice cream Biden and Pelosi eat each day than questioning their inept, illegal, and questionable actions to the demise of our country and Constitution.

Our nation seems less secure with each passing day of this administration. The risk of attacks on our homeland are rising. Lawmakers are acting lawlessly and with what the military would call a dereliction of duty. The administration repeatedly says that the time for discussions about what is going on in the “retrograde” is not now. If not now, while we are still in country and could get more of our citizens out, when?

A bus load of American students in sight of the airbase gates yesterday, experience Taliban gun fire over them and was not allowed to get to the gate or entrance to the airport gate to exit Afghanistan. The University administration admitted that Taliban has their names thanks to our government.

I can hear the congressional committees investigating all of this next year now. I hear in my mind replies like the one made about Benghazi by the Secretary of State who said, “With all due respect, the fact is we had four dead Americans,” she said. “Was it because of a protest or was it because of guys out for a walk one night who decided that they’d they go kill some Americans? What difference at this point does it make?” The difference is that those were our beloved sons and daughters.

Samuel Adams said in 1771, “The liberties of our country, the freedom of our civil constitution, are worth defending at all hazards; and it is our duty to defend them against all attacks. We have received them as a fair inheritance from our worthy ancestors: they purchased them for us with toil and danger and expense of treasure and blood, and transmitted them to us with care and diligence. It will bring an everlasting mark of infamy on the present generation, enlightened as it is, if we should suffer them to be wrested from us by violence without a struggle, or be cheated out of them by the artifices of false and designing men.”

If we lose our nation, there is no other place in the world of such liberty and rights. It is a sobering time. What will you do to defend your freedoms, your family, your property, your neighbors, and your nation from our enemies both foreign and domestic? You might want to think about it. You might want to be ready.

Robin House©️
8/30/2021

Unbelievable “leadership” and a few dozen questions

Posted on August 26, 2021August 26, 2021 by Robin House

For weeks questions have been asked about the exit strategy for Afghanistan. Americans have been told that the Biden administration had provisions for every possible scenario. But did they? Really?

Today and these past days, we see clearly how prepared they really were.

Joe Biden claims to be a student of history, but he could not have passed the class.

A ten year old, fourth grade, Girl Scout could have packed up and planned a better exit strategy, AND she wouldn’t have left all her stuff, to include essential equipment for her safety and protection at the base camp and all her friends and family behind.

I have some important questions that need answers!

1. Why did Secretary of State, Blinken, leave state department employees in a war zone when even the CIA left?

2. Why in the apparent “Blinken of an eye” did Afghanistan fall between a Friday and a Monday, when Secretary Blinken said that it couldn’t fall in one weekend? Well, yes it did, but the administration had been watching it fall piece by piece for months without doing anything to stop it or get our people out safely.

3. Why does the U. S. Military have to depend on the Taliban, who are our enemies and have never kept their word, for the safe exit of our American civilians desiring to go home to America?

4. Why did Biden have to knock on wood – hoping none of our military and citizens would be murdered by terrorists? Is he depending on knocking on wood for hoping the Taliban, Isis, and Al-Qaeda won’t do what they have always done to murder our citizens as they continue their chants of “Death to America!”

5. Why did we leave our weapons and billions in equipment for our enemies to use or sell to China and Russia and other enemies of America?

6. Why didn’t we destroy the equipment we couldn’t remove, so that it could not be used against us?

7. Why did we remove our military troops before getting our American civilians out of country and home? What sense does that make?

8. Why did we close and leave our embassy from which we could have staged out our people and allies back home?

9. Why did our VP say on her Asian trip this week that our exit from Afghanistan was a complete success without any loss of military lives? Oops! Looks like she isn’t the prophet she thought she was. She did say we need to go ahead and order and buy our Christmas presents because supply chains will be poor in the coming months. Humm? What does she know that we don’t?

10. Why are our exit flights being fired on when the Taliban is supposed to assure our safe exit?

11. Why is Biden kowtowing to our enemies saying ‘pretty please’ don’t hurt us?

12. Why did Biden immediately reverse and revoke every policy and executive order of the previous Trump administration as soon as he could get an ink pen in the Oval Office, and then say now that he had to follow the Trump exit plan from Afghanistan?

13. Why did Biden lie about Trump’s actual plan for leaving Afghanistan which was conditions based over time deadlines and blame Trump when Biden said he was completely responsible?

14. Why did we abandon Bagram Airbase that we spent $10 billion dollars to build and was a strategic base in the region with reach to many countries, including China?

15. Why did Biden say all our allies were with us and not critical of his exit plan, when multiple heads of state and NATO allies publicly and in the chambers of their governments denounced Biden’s plan?

16. Why didn’t the Biden administration deal with or even warn the Pakistan government about cutting out their collusion with the terrorist groups?

17. Why did the administration say that there were around 15,000 Americans in Afghanistan last week and this week, that they have no idea how many Americans are there?

18. Why did they report that over 100,000 people have been airlifted out of Afghanistan, but only about 4,000 were Americans (as of 8/25/21) on those flights?

19. Afghanistan is a tribal society that has been at war and feuding with its various groups for centuries, so why did the Biden administration bring 100,000 Afghani nationals to relocate them in America to continue their historic behavior?

20. Why are our generals “reaching out” to the Taliban for help for safe passage of our planes evacuating Americans and others? Does he have to say, “Mother may I?”

21. Joe Biden said that he is responsible and follows the directions of his military leaders who mostly inform him of what is going on by letter!

Seriously???? Is he using morse code too? Has he not been in the briefings? Was he asleep? Was he cognitively aware of the information and implications of that information?

22. Are the president’s “advisors” giving him correct, appropriate, and good advice? Can he discern what that is?

23. Why can’t Biden talk to the people without a teleprompter?

24. Why does Biden follow directions of some unknown someone about what he does and who he talks to and for how long?

25. Biden said today after reading his canned speech and was ready to answer reporter’s questions something very like— “they gave me a list here and I’ve been instructed to call on Kelly O’Donnell of NBC first.” WHAT? WHY? ARE THE QUESTIONS SET UPS? HOW CAN WE KNOW WHAT IS TRUE?

26. Biden said that it “could have happened” that we gave the names of American citizens and Afghan allies to the Taliban members. The Taliban! The people who rape their women, boys and girls? The Taliban who sent messages to Christians and allies of America telling that they know where they are and are coming for them soon? I have an idea that they aren’t inviting Christians, American citizens, and American allies to dinner. It is more likely to a beheading – theirs.

27. We were energy independent when Biden took office, and with Biden’s policies, he is now begging opec to increase oil production so that we have the fuel we need. WHY?

28. Why does Biden and his administration want us demoralized, dependent on the middle east and China, and the U. S. federal government for our ability to work, travel, eat, earn a living, and raise and educate our children?

I’ve talked to a lot of people over the past months and many have decided to not listen to the news as a solution to what they see as “bad” news. The Biden administration is counting on us not to notice, not to care, not to worry. They push delusions and distractions that deny our nation is being burnt to the ground by ineptitude and policies that do not protect our people or insure the freedoms we are endowed with by our Creator.

Sticking our heads in the sand and not watching the news is not the answer. Playing video games, gardening, and minding our own business in our own little world isn’t the answer.

Unless Americans wake up and stand up together as a nation with love, care, and respect for one another’s life and needs, we are lost. Our freedoms, rights to self-determination, property ownership, and integrity as a sovereign nation will be lost.

What language do you want to speak? Chinese? Russian? What type of law and society do you want to live under? Muslim Sharia, Communism, Marxism, Totalitarianism, or the U.S. Constitution?

Benjamin Franklin said, “Those who would give up essential liberty, to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.”

I hope you will stand up, serve, and support our nation and our people and way of life with its freedoms of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. I love my nation. I hope you do, too. Please pray for our leaders. Pray for good and godly leaders. Please pray for unity in our nation. Please do what you can where you can to help save our nation, freedoms, and way of life!

Robin House ©️
08/26/2021

Censorship and cultural chaos: What’s next?

Posted on January 12, 2021 by Robin House

FB says it is not an editorial group, yet they edit. FB says it is not responsible and has no liability for people’s posts, yet they take responsibility without any liability by deleting, suppressing, banning, censoring, putting up warnings, and limiting the reach/spread and comments of certain posts. FB says certain people, thoughts, ideas, words, and specific phrases are unacceptable and not allowed in our society as determined by their own unknown, unaccountable censors and mathematical algorithms, but other people, thoughts, ideas, words and phrases are acceptable and promoted by these oligarch, tyrannical, tech titans.

Perhaps these Goliaths are pure as the driven snow in their motives and actions – or maybe they are not. Why did T (twit) leave up a post calling for the VP to be hurt? Why are illegal activities including the sale and harming of precious children tolerated on these platforms while Bible verses, godly ideas, ethics, morality, and political opinions that do not call for harm to anyone at anytime or anywhere banned? Why can leaders of other countries call for the elimination of Israel and the death of all her people on their platforms without constraint? These are critical questions that demand an answer. Who decides what is allowed or not, what is right or wrong, and what is truth or a lie? Who is the true arbiter? Who today thinks and acts as if they are the arbiter for our society?

How can liberty, free speech, independence, and peace be preserved, protected and safeguarded in our nation? It will not be on or through these Goliath sites. Shut downs of certain people as well as billion dollar corporations and multiple mom and pop small businesses on A, G, T, and F show clearly that the ‘thought police’ are serious about suppression of truth, prevention of equal and fair trade, and the limiting and elimination of the exchange of ideas. They seem to want to “adjust” what is ‘right’ in their minds and ours including reality.

The removal and revision of actual historical facts, documentation, and evidences has been clearly seen over the past year in the anarchist movements to destroy monuments, buildings, cities, people, and ideas. George Santayana is quoted to have said, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” When we do not learn from our past including the mistakes, we will be destined to revisit the same issues and problems again and again. Why is it that some leaders are speaking of and promising a “dark” winter and “dark” times ahead? Must we leave the enlightenment of truth and knowledge including learning the lessons of our past to go back into the dark ages of the past? Why, when there is so much knowledge and information available, do we see a limitation of information and repetitive articles of only one viewpoint? Why are current events on the news not current?

There is a serious movement in our nation by some to “deprogram” and “reprogram” those who do not think like “they” think some should. This is serious. Communist China has almost complete censorship of its society including the ability to cut off one’s ability to buy food and travel. They send citizens to thought reprograming camps. There is censorship of and the elimination of churches throughout the country as Christians are terrorized and tortured by the powers that be. There is even evidence that China is harvesting organs from live political dissidents and prisoners. Is that where we are going?

Reports on the news this day are calling some U S Senators terrorists for their opposing political opinions. Businesses are being called upon by Forbes to never hire anyone with certain ideas or thoughts. Media companies are cancelling people and businesses in political vendettas. The blame game continues. When party “a” in power says we need to get back to work in our economy, it is atrocious, but once party “b” comes to power, it is suddenly a great idea to get the economy back to work. Really?

What is happening in our United States? Over a million Americans have given so much for our freedoms up to and including their last drops of blood. Have we taken these freedoms for granted too long? Perhaps we haven’t held it dear enough and that is why it is almost extinguished and extinct. Abraham Lincoln said, “America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves.” Are we destroying ourselves from within today? If freedom in America is not defended and protected, it will be lost.

I know many that read this post will be just like a child warned by a parent or authority figure in a crystal store to only “look and not touch.” Many who read my words will not touch this post with a ten foot pole much less a comment, ‘like’ or any other such expression of feeling for fear of retaliation or being singled out and cancelled out. That’s sad. So many are living in fear today and have no faith. They have believed the rampant fomenting of fear through the media reports from the pandemic to the political and cultural unrest.

I’d like to encourage you to look to the Lord for answers. Read the Word of God. Learn His will for your life. He wrote the book on us. His Word is of peace, reconciliation, love, freedom, and a bright and wonderful eternal future. Cast all your anxieties upon God. Seek your rest in the salvation freely offered through Jesus Christ. Give yourself fully and completely into his service and care. God loves and cares for you and is the only true and real and complete answer to all the ills in our lives and in this world. Don’t live in fear. Live in faith.

Put on the full armor of the Lord like it says in Ephesians 6:10-18. “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.”

For those that want in this earthly life and in this country freedom, peace, and a real “united” states in America again, I have this to offer. Spread the “gospel of peace.” Stand up for truth. Speak clearly what is right. Do right and be ethical in your businesses and personal dealings. Conduct yourself as the Lord would want. Be honest. Be faithful. Be better not bitter. Be holy as the Lord is holy. Love your family. Raise your children to know and love the Lord. If we don’t raise our children to be godly, then they will be ungodly. That’s just how it is. We will be either a godly or an ungodly people. We cannot be both. Love your neighbors as yourself. Pray for your enemies. Show kindness and courtesy to all. I don’t like to say it, but be patient. I know it is hard to be patient. I want things fixed now and before now would have been better in my mind. In fact, why did America have to go down this road? I think it is because we, as a nation, have rejected the Redeemer to make our own rules and self-righteousness. This is idolatry, and God won’t stand for it.

To those who are Christians, remember that Christians will be hated and persecuted. No surprise here. Jesus, the holy, sinless Son of God, was hated, reviled, rejected, and relegated to death on a cross. All Christ’s followers should not be surprised that they may be persecuted. Don’t fear. Don’t give up. God was willing to save even Sodom and Gomorrah if only 10 righteous were found in its midst. Don’t back down. Be peaceful not pugnacious. Never run away, for your Father in Heaven is Sovereign and we are in His army. Walk in the Light. Live confidently in your faith. Supplant every fear with faith. Have joy in the Lord. Pray without ceasing. Let the Spirit work in you and through you for His will and way. Always move forward in the power of His might and not your own.

Remember that the ‘world’ will not understand or ‘get’ you. God still uses the foolish things of the world to shame the wise. (I Cor. 1:27) Do what you are called by God to do, and then — be still and KNOW that GOD is GOD. God’s got all this. May God bless our nation and you in His will. RRH 1/12/2021

Football, Politics, Polls and Fair Play

Posted on January 19, 2017June 20, 2020 by Robin House

angry voters

Do you know who won the football game last Sunday? Did you see it? Though the Dallas Cowboys are not “my” team, no one can dispute the successes and quality of the Dallas Cowboy team play since Dak Prescott, Ezekiel Elliott and others banded their team together to complete one of the best Cowboys football seasons in recent history. Since Dak Prescott is from my hometown, I have enjoyed seeing his success. Watching a great athlete compete with skill and perseverance while calling his mind and body to perform at an elite level is a beautiful thing – no matter what team a player is on. I saw only the last seconds of the game Sunday night, but it was in those final moments that it became clear that Green Bay’s kicker, by the narrowest of margins, kicked the football between the uprights to give the Green Bay Packers a winning score of 34 to 31 over Dallas. The scoreboard numbers and the celebrations by the Packers team and fans showed the television audience that Green Bay would move on to the final playoff game before the Superbowl. Dallas Cowboy fans were stunned, shaken, and sad. What happened?

What happened was that the Packers won and the Cowboys lost. But wait just a minute. On Monday I heard a story that said Green Bay won the scoring vote but that the Cowboys won the popular vote. The Cowboys had been ahead during the game and let’s face it — the Cowboys are America’s team. According to the story, the Cowboys deserved to win. The final score just couldn’t be the “be all and end all” outcome of the competition. Could it? Should someone send a note to the Green Bay Packers and fans to tell them that the final scoreboard score just didn’t count? Would someone actually say that a popular vote of public sentiment and rankings trumped the actual game played and score?

Of course not! Green Bay just like Clemson in the College Championship game beat Alabama in the final seconds because they scored more points than the other team. Yes, Alabama like Dallas, was favored to win, but they didn’t. They didn’t win because they didn’t score more points than the other team. That’s the way the game is played. Yes, some will be disappointed that their team did not win, but that is what happens in a contest. One wins, and one looses. The contest and the rules are clear to all before the competition begins, and then the game is played. For 60 minutes the football teams competed and each did their best to win.

In the recent presidential election, the candidates entered the contest, knew the rules, and competed fiercely for victory. One won, and one lost. Since the infancy of our nation and for over 240 years, we have held the same system of electing a president. On several occasions the presidential candidate that won the popular vote did not win the majority vote in the electoral college. The first incident of this kind was in 1824 with Andrew Jackson winning the popular vote by over 10% but losing to John Quincy Adams in the electoral college. Yet in the 193 years since that first contentious election where John Quincy Adams became our sixth President, our citizens, and as a result our elected officials, have not voted to change the electoral college system or rules by which U S Presidents are elected each and every 4 years. I’m not giving an opinion on the electoral college system, but simply stating that it is the current system and provides the rules for the election of all of our presidents.

Our government is not a true democracy, but a representative republic by which each citizen (unless they are a felon or live in a U S territory) has the right to vote to elect representatives to vote their will. Unlike most governments in our world, the United States of America has a system of government that is of, by and for the people. Too often I think our citizens have abdicated their rights to control the government by being inattentive, ignorant and apathetic. In most elections only a small percentage of citizens even show up to the polls to cast their votes. As a result, the small majority that do vote or do push their agenda in the halls of our state legislatures and in Congress often get their way in a manner that is many times not “fair” or good for the citizenry as a whole.

Like the Clemson/Alabama game the week before and the Cowboys/Packers game this past Sunday, the presidential team with the popular vote, poles and rankings did not win. The final score was Hillary Clinton 232 and Donald Trump 306. Mr. Trump seemed to trail most of the game, and the popular opinion and poles were not favorable for him. But, in the end and at the end of the election, Donald Trump had the winning score.

In less than 24 hours, our nation is set to inaugurate the 45th President of the United States. This man was elected by the rules of candidacy and competition set forth in our laws to serve our nation and its people. Like the 44 Presidents before him and as required by the U S Constitution in Article II, Section One, Clause 8, Donald J. Trump is scheduled to take the same oath his 44 predecessors did. The oath says “I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.” George Washington, our first President, was recorded to have concluded his oath of office with the statement, “So help me God.” requesting the help of the Almighty as he served. Washington set a precedent that has continued for over 200 years, including both swearing in ceremonies for Barak Obama.

Our national motto says “In God we trust.” But do we? Our Pledge of Allegiance says “… One nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.” But is it? I see a great rift in our nation today. What once was clearly an indivisible citizenry is divisive. Those promoting freedom and tolerance are often the most restrictive and intolerant. Justice seems to apply to some more equally than others. Have you read Animal Farm? Any look at our history, its monuments and the words engraved on many of our government buildings clearly shows that our nation was based and built on Christian values and freedoms. Alexis de Tocqueville, the French political thinker and historian who came to America in 1831 and wrote Democracy in America, said, “Liberty cannot be established without morality, nor morality without faith.” Revisionist historians and teachers are working diligently to rewrite, revise and remove all semblance of this truth from our documents, monuments, buildings and culture. As a result, many today have no knowledge or appreciation for the work done and the price paid by our founding fathers for the freedoms we enjoy. In no other country in the world are people dying to “break in” to join our society. In no other country in the world do its citizens hold as many rights and freedoms. No other country has the opportunity and the great responsibility to self-govern as we, the citizens of the United States, do.

In watching the recent events and outbursts designed to disrupt, dismantle, and delegitimize our society and government, I am sad to see the disunity in these United States. This is not good for our nation. The spirit of anarchy should not be allowed to fester and grow. I hope that you will join me to pray and to work for our nation’s best interests and unity. I believe the answer to what ails us lies in developing a more godly, patriotic, informed, critical thinking and intentional voting citizenry that seeks not their own good, but the good of the nation as a whole. A citizenry that loves their neighbor as their self. Towards that end, here are some lessons that I learned as a child from my parents, teachers, and mentors about sportsmanship and life. Some in the younger generations may not have seen these teachings before, so I hope you will enjoy them, take note and let them guide and enrich your life.

LESSONS OF SPORTSMANSHIP AND LIFE FROM A LOUISIANA LADY

1. Life isn’t always fair. I just hated hearing my mom tell me that over and over, but it’s true.

2. You have to play the game to have a chance to win. Get in the game.

3. In almost every case, the more skilled or competitive player or team will win.

4. You won’t always win, even if you work and try hard.

5. There are no awards for just showing up and participating.

6. Opponents will often work and fight just as hard, or harder, to win as you did. Life’s tough.

7. When you give your best efforts and still lose, there’s no shame in that.

8. Competing by the rules with integrity and fairness is expected.

9. Cheating is wrong.

10. It is important to be a “good sport.” Otherwise, you are a bad loser.

11. You don’t argue about the rules of the game after the game is over.

12. You may not have a hissy fit if you lose. You’ll be disciplined if you do.

13. Be gracious in loss and victory. Learn to sincerely show respect and congratulate an opponent.

14. Learn to “follow the leader” elected or selected even when he/she wasn’t your preference.

15. Know that there might be a next time, or there might not be a next time for a rematch. Sometimes you just get one chance at something.

16. Remember that President Abraham Lincoln quoted Jesus when he said, “A house divided against itself cannot stand.” from Matthew 12:25 (NIV)

17. It is often beneficial if you can get along with those with which you disagree. We know that Galatians 5:15 (ESV) says, “But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another.” So, don’t burn your bridges and boats.

18. “Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.” I John 4:20-21 (NIV) Love is the greatest commandment.

19. About authority, remember Romans 13:1-7 (NIV) which says “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgement. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer. Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God’s wrath but also for the sake of conscience…” Respect those in authority, whether you like them or not because they are under authority too.

20. Don’t forget that “The Lord has made everything for its purpose, even the wicked for the day of trouble.” Proverbs 16:4 (ESV)

21. Winning doesn’t make us better than others.

22. Losing is not the end of the world, and God is in charge of the end of the world too. (See Matthew 24:36 and Mark 13:32)

Thanks for reading. I appreciate you. May God bless you and yours.

Robin House