Written February 23, 2025 … Scroll down to see an addition to this story. The addition was done March 23, 2025, 4:10pm pst.
Before we go to our home church in Roseville, CA, we watch the controversial Pastor Mark Driscoll. We enjoy his messages, interpretation of the Bible and all that said – acknowledge he turns off people. I bet you turn-off people, as well. I know I do.
Pastor Mark did not have a sermon for today. Therefore, we turned to Pastor Allen Jackson from World Outreach Church. When I am not feeling the “Fiery-Pastor-Mark,” I do turn to Pastor Jackson for a more calm approach to our Beautiful Savior!
Pastor Jackson’s message led me to write, “I am sorry, Jesus.”
Missed Opportunity
Many times I have had to apologize to Jesus. This apology is for not standing strong to the statement made to me in April 2021. The April 2021 statement from the “Pinecrest High School (Placer County, California)” Principal? He said to me, “You and I are Christians and I hate to tell you this, Paul. You need to keep Jesus Christ in the parking lot.” Instead of fighting the principal and the public school culture, I retired early. Instead of waiting until 2025, I felt that I could not work for an institution that said, “keep Jesus Christ in the parking lot,” especially when other Religions / “Denominations” of the Religions were welcomed on that campus. I missed the opportunity to defend my Savior’s presence on that campus. I am sorry.
Fear Got the Best of Me
Pastor Jackson’s February 22/23, 2025, sermon humbled me. When he pointed out how we have bent the knee to the fear of government (part of my interpretation of Pastor’s message), humbled me. That is exactly what I did.
From Pastor Jackson’s Sermon: Angels, Demons & You – Can You See There is a Struggle Underway,
A. Fear of the Political Leaders (“We shouldn’t be afraid of our government.” – Pastor Jackson)
John 7:12–13 (NIV®)
12 Among the crowds there was widespread whispering about him. Some said, “He is a good man.” Others replied, “No, he deceives the people.” 13 But no one would say anything publicly about him for fear of the Jews.
John 12:42–43 (NIV®)
42 Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in him. But because of the Pharisees they would not confess their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue; 43 for they loved praise from men more than praise from God.
When I heard Pastor Jackson speak on those verses, what shame I felt to know that I feared this principal (who later would become HR director for the district), the union (which said nothing that moment and moments to follow; when that (silence from the union) happens, I am done.), the community. That fear? Would lead me to resign on October 15, 2021. My final day was December 23, 2021. I could have said something and stayed to fight. Nope. I walked away. I was Peter.
Why the Apology to Christ for Not Staying in the Fight?
Using Gary Chapman’s Excellent Book, The Five Languages of Apology: How to Experience Healing in All Your Relationships This diagram is a wonderful source, as well.
- Express Regret – I am sorry. I am sorry, Jesus. I hurt You when I took the easy walk to the parking lot. I am sorry to those I abandoned on that campus / district. I also hurt the Christians on that campus / district by abandoning them.
- Accept Responsibility – I was wrong. Jesus and others need to hear me say, “I was wrong.” Well, I was wrong and I am wrong for walking away.
- Make Restitution – What can I do to make it up to You and others? I will continue to ask Jesus that question! What I will do is share this story about being told to go to the parking lot with Jesus and – I DID. Oppose to what I should have done. I should have said something like, “I am going to continue to have Him on this campus, among the BLM banners, LGBTQ clubs, Flags, etc.” I will do what I can to make it up to Jesus and other Christians I abandoned on that campus and frankly every public (government) school campus I don’t step on because, “Keep Jesus Christ in the parking lot.”
- Genuinely Repenting – I will try not to do this again. I will no longer back down for sharing my LOVE for and dependence on JESUS CHRIST! People are going to know that I am a Christian. Being an advocate for Jesus Christ is disruptive. It has always been and will always be. We need the light and the truth. It will bring good things. (Paraphrased from Pastor Jackson’s sermon)
- Request for Forgiveness – Please for give me. Jesus Christ and those I abandoned on that campus and many campus, please forgive me. I want to continue to fix those relationships. Thank you.
Truth will Set Us Free
The final piece from Pastor Jackson’s sermon has to deal with truth. Because God wants TRUTH on my heart, He gave me my local Pastor Nathan’s excellent sermon today. Pastor Nathan was strong with “truth” from 2 John! LOVED IT!!
So combining Pastor Nathan, Pastor Jackson, and Dr. Maxwell’s writing, let me encourage all of us to share THE Truth and allow those who hear the truth to be responsible for their reaction. Apologize for wrong doings. Between a sincere apology and the truth – we “simplify” life!
Values: Leaders Must Cherish Truth More Than Anything (2 John 1 – 4) by Dr. John C. Maxwell
Leaders need to examine their professional relationships in light of their organization’s vision. Energy follows when the leader’s personal beliefs align with the organization’s values. When leaders eliminate hypocrisy and deception from their organizations, liberty and power prevail. John uses the word “truth” five times in this short letter to underscore the necessity of integrity.
Leaders must value truth more than anything else. When truth presides in an organization, several benefits result:
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- Trust is evident among staff.
- The leader has less mental clutter.
- People feel the freedom to be transparent.
- The leader has credibility when he or she speaks.
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“Further Thoughts on Cancel Culture” by Eric Metaxas (selected excerpts)
First they came for the Communists
and I did not speak out –
because I was not a communist.
Then they came for the Socialists
and I did not speak out –
Becasue I was not a Socialist.
Then they came for the trade unionists
and I did not speak out –
because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews
and I did not speak out –
because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me –
and they came for me –
and there was no one left
to speak out for me. – Martin Niemoller
We can see now that what Niemoller was describing in this poem is precisely what we today call “cancel culture.” We have seen it operating throughout history, as we have mentioned, and now in our own time. It is never sated and cannot ever be, because it exists to accrue power and to destroy anything that gets in its way. So the more we do or say nothing against it, the more power we allow it to amass, until at last it comes for us.
The Silence of Christian Leaders
The silence of Christian leaders enables the juggernaut of cancel culture to continue amassing power. Today’s world is far from the quaint culture of 2012. Today the issue is the patently insane idea that man can become a woman, or a woman can become a man. And it is because Christian leaders were silent when Kirk Cameron bravely and graciously said what he said about homosexuality being unnatural and why marriage should not be redefined to include it – which most of them undoubtedly believed – that the door has been opened to every hellish idea we can imagine. We now live in a world where teachers are encouraging little children to ignore their loving parents and pursue hormone therapies and surgeries that will forever make it impossible for them to be men and women God intended for them to be.
We had a moment to defend truth, but most of the Christian leaders failed to do so. Why did they keep silent?
Again, we return to the story of Martin Niemoller to see how it happened in his day, according to the poem he wrote repenting of it.
Silence in the Face of Evil
Niemoeller’s own “silence in the face of evil” had made it (rise of Third Reich) all possible because he had failed to discern the spirit behind what was happening. If he had done so, he would have stood up for others on principle.
This is why we today must stand with ANYONE and EVERYONE who is being cancelled. A foundational principle is being violated. The idea that we have free speech and must tolerate different views lies at the heart of all liberties.
The example of Martin Niemoller should chill us to the core, because not only did he – a genuinely good Christian man – make this fatal mistake (stay quiet), but he saw the effects of his mistake play out by enabling the Third Reich to wreak evil upon millions.
Free Speech Today
And this bring us to where we are today. The free speech and religious liberties enshrined in our founding documents to protect everyone in our nation are increasingly being shoved aside – and any previous accommodations that might have been talked about in 2015 for people of faith before the U.S. Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage nationwide are brusquely ignored, or worse than that, sneered at as beneath contempt. This is the spirit of cancel culture at work. Religionless Christianity obliges us to stand bravely for these ideas seminal to genuine freedom and stand against the demonic spirits that oppose it.
“Religionless Christianity” by Eric Metaxas
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From me again, I am sorry.