Top supermodel Victoria’s Secret Angel Adriana Lima says her career has not exactly replaced the Roman Catholic faith of her youth.

Before hitting the runways in the fashion capitals of the world, though, Lima says she wanted to be a nun. This drive pushes her to read the Bible before every show and go to church every day, according to Ocean Drive.

But when she talks about her faith, she doesn’t talk about Jesus.

“The church is in me—I always connect,” she says. “If you’re connected with the divine and always have pure intentions with everything you’re doing, you’re protected by the angels … I’m very spiritual. I believe in nature, I believe in energy, I believe in spirits.” 

Despite her spirituality, Lima appears to indulge in her sexualized appearance, frequenting Maxim pages and lingerie shoots and shows.

Other Victoria’s Secret models like Nicole Weider and Kylie Bisutti left the runways in favor of a new life in Christ.

The time is fast approaching when the church will need to remember the lesson of German pastor Martin Niemoller.

Pastor Niemoller was a man of great courage. He had been a submarine captain before he entered the ministry. As a minister, he spoke out against the atrocities of the Nazi regime. On March 2, 1938, he was sent to prison, where he stayed for the duration of the war because of his Christian beliefs.

Nevertheless, this Christian hero apologized for his delay in opposing the Nazis. Here is what he said:

“First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out because 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 there was no one left to speak for me.”

You may think Nazi Germany is far removed from today’s America, but you should think again. There are forces in America that no longer believe in individual liberty and democracy. Our freedoms are being diminished day by day, and most Christians remain silent.

When the courts in California overruled the democratic vote against gay marriage, there was little outcry. When the government sabotaged the Defense of Marriage Act, few noticed. When Christians were fined for refusing to participate in gay marriage ceremonies, we were told we were bigots. After the Supreme Court forced gay marriage on the nation, hundreds of florists and bakers have been attacked because of their beliefs. Now the “progressives” want our daughters to be forced to shower with confused boys. We are getting perilously close to the old Soviet communist concept of religious “freedom,” where you could have religious beliefs so long as you said nothing and did not act according to your faith.  

Freedom of speech has been under attack in the cause of “politically correct” speech. University students, who used to demonstrate for free speech, new demand censorship on college campuses. In the Citizens United Supreme Court decision, so adamantly opposed by the “progressives,” the government actually argued that they had the right to censor books and movies. Must we wait until they are burning books to arouse from our slumber?

Under the guise of fighting crime, the government has passed thousands of laws which entrap innocent Americans every day. People have gone to jail for getting lost in a snowstorm on federal lands or failing to follow packaging regulations of foreign countries. The government can seize your money without proving anything, and you have to hire a lawyer to get it back, except you can’t pay a lawyer because the government took your money. You can become a criminal even if you have no criminal intent, and the “progressives” fiercely resist any attempt to bring this elementary human right back into our legal system.

You may not have much sympathy for a business man who can’t defend himself because the government took his money. You may not agree with Catholics who are persecuted for their opposition to birth control. And the airways and internet are full of obnoxious political speech.

Just remember: If you are cheering for the government as it moves against others, you are only bringing the day of destruction closer to yourself.

Stand up for freedom before there is no one left when they come for you. {eoa}

Ron Allen is a Christian businessman, CPA and author who serves in local, national and international ministries spreading a message of reconciliation to God, to men and between believers. He is founder of the International Star Bible Society, telling how the heavens declare the glory of God, and the Emancipation Network, which helps people escape from financial bondage, and co-founder with his wife, Pat, of Corporate Prayer Resources, dedicated to helping intercessors.

A leading girls’ school is allowing pupils to change their names to boys’ names and wear boys’ clothes.

Pupils over the age of 16 at St Paul’s Girls’ School in West London can now enter a formal process to self-identify as boys or as “gender-neutral.” 

So far, up to 10 sixth-form girls at the school are understood to have done so. 

Pupils as Young as 11 Can ‘Discuss’ Issue

St Paul’s is a high-performing private school with alumnae such as Harriet Harman, MP, and actress Rachel Weisz.

Under the new policy, pupils over 16 can submit a written request to identify as male or “gender neutral.”

Pupils between 11-15 “can have discussions at any time” to explore their “gender identity,” and will receive help to prepare for an application “at the right time”. 

Parents ‘Ordinarily’ Involved

Under the policy, the parents of girls applying to self-identify in this way would “ordinarily” be expected to know about the request and “preferably” would be “fully involved in such discussions.”

The charter also says girls can wear boys’ clothes and audition for male parts in plays. The new boys’ names will be used on sports team lists, with families abroad on exchange visits, in assemblies and in lessons. 

‘Moving to Point Where Gender Is a Choice’

Its headmistress, Clarissa Farr, said: “We are moving to the point where your gender is a choice.

“I see this as a social phenomenon, especially in London, which is much talked about among school leaders.”

She went on: “We have had an LGBT society for a long time. The school is very relaxed about sexual orientation, but this is a different issue. This is about gender reassignment. That is a new thing for us.

“We consulted the pupils to find out what the issues were. Their main preoccupation has been to look after people who don’t want to identify as one gender or another.” 

‘Legally Male’

So far, no pupils have come forward to say that they wish to undergo medical procedures and legally ‘become males.’

If they did, St Paul’s would no longer be able to educate them. 

‘Gender Neutral’ Language

Last year, the Girls’ Schools Association, which includes St Paul’s, advised head teachers to use gender-neutral words such as “pupils,” “people” or “students” in place of “girls.”

Guidance was also issued from the Boarding School’s Association that advised boarding school teachers to refer to pupils who self-identify as the opposite gender as “zie.” 

‘Tragic’

Commenting on the news, Andrea Williams, Chief Executive of Christian Concern, said:

“It is tragic to see that a high-achieving school with a good reputation is capitulating to the current social agenda.

“These are formative years for these girls, and introducing the option to self-identify as something they are not is only going to cause confusion, which may be long-lasting.

“Instead, the teachers should be helping the girls to celebrate their God-given gender and empowering them to become well-rounded women.” {eoa}

This article originally appeared on Christian Concern.

Strong Foundation Films is proud to announce that the new faith-based feature film, RUN, will premiere on March 9, 2017 at the Palladium IMAX (17703 IH-10 West) in San Antonio, Texas before expanding to select cities nationwide. The film’s cast will walk the red carpet as well as numerous VIPs, including activist, author and Fox News contributor Alveda King, the niece of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Tickets for the red-carpet premiere event are now on sale at .

The faith-based dramatic thriller stars Stephen Baldwin (The Usual Suspects, Bio-Dome, Born on the Fourth of July); Taylor Murphy (Scream: The TV Series, The Middle, MTV’s Awkward) and Josiah Warren (The Prophet’s Son, Scarlett, In Over My Head), who also directs the film. RUN follows Levi (Warren), a young businessman who marries a passionate journalist who reports on human trafficking and fights to expose it. On their wedding night, Natalie (Murphy) is kidnapped and sold into sex slavery. Levi goes on the hunt for his wife, chasing clues wherever he can find them, leading him to Jeff Conners (Baldwin)—a crime lord with no mercy. Will Levi be able to find his wife before she is moved out of the country? Only with the help of God can Levi find the strength to fight.

Numerous anti-human trafficking organizations will be participating in the RUN premiere including Alamo Area Coalition Against Trafficking (AACAT), Embassy of Hope, Freedom Youth Project, Rape Crisis Center, Alamo Youth Center, Ransomed Life, A21 Freedom Chasers, Path Now Global, Heidi Search Center, No Strings Attached and New Life Refuge Ministries. 

RUN Official Trailer from Strong Foundation Films on Vimeo. {eoa}

When did you find out who you really are?

If so, who was the person most responsible for communicating that to you?

Most honest people have no answer to this question.

That is because identity is meant to be spoken, confirmed and validated from those in our tribe. It should begin with our parents and be reinforced by our particular circle of overseers.

This is why you and I wrestle so much with insecurity in our lives. Very few have memories of being told who they are. Therefore, that emptiness gets attacked all the time.

Identity security is best reinforced through verbal affirmation. Those who play crucial roles in our life use significant moments to speak and affirm blessing over who God made us to be. Words are critical during key transitions in life, where at each stage of growing up, we hear edifying words that guide us into the next stage.

The Lack of Transition Moments

Very few initiations exist in our modern society. The best Western culture can offer are the stages of getting a license to drive, being old enough to vote in elections and arriving at the age to drink alcohol. Not an impressive list.

Therefore, most people are left to leap out and figure life out 100 percent on our own with little to no understanding of who we are. Instead of building our lives upon the foundation of an affirmed identity, we spend our lives living out of insecurity and fault coping mechanisms.

Ask a woman, “When did you first feel like a woman?” You will often hear of moments when a man whistled at her from a construction site, a boy showed her special attention or she’s forced to grow up prematurely through the absence of a parent’s presence.

Most men think of their manhood being established when they had to move out on their own, chase a girl to feel validated or the moment they were initiated into a fraternity of some kind. These frat clubs and gangs are offering to people what was never offered in the family culture—an establishment of identity, acceptance and value.

Without being told who you are, we are left to chase appealing options the world has to offer, usually based on status, success and achievement. We wander through life until we get the signal that our paths driven by insecurity need to be healed.

A Needed Experience

Even our Lord Jesus needed to have His identity spoken and affirmed. His example is a template our tribes need to follow. Before officially launching His ministry, Jesus went to be baptized. It was at this event where His identity was verbally affirmed by the Father.

We rarely see God the Father’s audible words recorded in Scripture. But when deciding to speak, He uses the occasion, not to place the spotlight on Himself, but to affirm His Son. One sentence summarizes what every human heart needs to hear, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I’m well pleased” (Matt. 3:17).

All who were present had the opportunity of bearing witness to the divine exchange involved in this declaration: “This is my Son! I love Him! I am pleased with Him! I approve Him!”

These words are what every person on the planet needs to hear over and over again.

You need to know who you are.

You need to know you are loved.

You need to know you are approved.

The Father’s Voice

Growing up, our dads are the ones assigned to initiate this process. Without the earthly father’s identity affirmation, we are left to flounder in the storms of life. The enemy’s work festers when there is little identity validation set in place. Furthermore, we all hear Father God’s voice through the template of our earthly father’s voice. This is the reason why many struggle to hear anything from God.

The plague of the world involves the absence of the father’s voice. Most of us never had a relationship with our father where he regularly spoke identity affirming words, while showing us our potential. Even if dad was around, he was often distracted with financial burdens or chasing achievement. He lacked the fathering abilities mostly because it was never demonstrated for him.

One of the greatest responsibilities of a parent is to equip their children to experience the power of who they are. Remember when your mom would call you by your full name, middle name and suffix included. Mark Timothy DeJesus the first! Get over here! This is done to clearly remind you of who you are, whatever that means to you. But what association are parents establishing with the mention of your name?

The Power of Your Name

When my children were born, I wanted to take my role as a father seriously. In learning the power of identity, I wanted to start off with bestowing names for my children that would follow them and remind them of the power they possess in their identity.

Melissa and I took prayerful time to consider our children’s names. Our first-born son’s name Maximus John DeJesus. Maximus mean “the greatest.” We found it especially fitting because it is a warrior name, and that would be a part of Max’s spiritual makeup. The name John, the beloved, speaks of grace. Our last name is the Spanish name DeJesus, meaning “of Jesus.” So in essence, Max’s name means “The Greatest Beloved Disciple with Grace of Jesus.” What a name!

Now let me help you understand that the power of a name is not a performance pressure. One day while standing in an elevator, a woman observed me holding Max as a newborn and delightfully exclaimed, “He’s so cute! What’s his name?”

“Maximus. His name means the greatest.” She quickly replied, “Oh boy, he’s got a lot to live up to.” Without hesitation I shared, “He doesn’t, because I already think he’s the greatest.” Since Day One, I have sought to pray and speak over him a sense of identity that he doesn’t have to earn. He just needs to develop and protect what he already has.

Our daughter is the absolute delight of our heart. Her name is Abigail Hope DeJesus. “Abigail” means “the father is rejoicing.” “Hope” speaks of a “divine vision and great expectancy for the future.” So her full name means she is “One who makes the father rejoice with hope of Jesus!”

Abby’s name is significant and so is her life. Even at the time of this writing, she exudes joy and hope every single day. The impact of Abby’s name was seen upon her arrival. She doesn’t have to do anything but be herself, and we are blessed with joy and hope.

I will always look back at our children’s lives as significant. The names we chose for them were intentionally designed to build security into their hearts. Our intention is that every time they hear their name, they may be reminded of the identity God sees in them.

Girls were born to be treated as princesses. Boys were born to slay dragons and save the princess. In other words, the beauty of a woman needs to be called out while she is young. Words expressing her beauty are so key to helping her see who she is. Every man needs to get in touch with the mighty warrior that he was destined to be. When this identity is not called out by our parents and mentors, the story of our life can become skewed toward great insecurity and instability.

Secure to Overcome

After receiving love, approval and validation from His Father, Jesus was equipped to enter the wilderness, where he would be tempted by the devil. What the Father had just established in Jesus, Satan came immediately to challenge: “If you are the Son of God …” (Matt 4:3). “If you really are who you say you are . . .”

The devil wanted to see if Jesus was truly secure in who He was. If Jesus had been insecure or had rejection in His life, He could have easily been swayed by the temptations that were thrown His way.

Yet our Lord’s response came from identity. “It is written!” was not just what He did, but who He was. He was and is the walking talking Word of God and calls us to live in the same manner.

Yet He needed to hear the love and approval of His Father to imbed the word of God into His being. You cannot learn identity in a classroom. It must be imparted through a fathering relationship. Otherwise we live in shallow theory and not depth of experience. Unlike many who quote the word of God as a theory, but have no identity connection to it, Jesus simply manifested what was imparted to Him by the Father.

What God says about you, thinks about you and what His ways mean to you, needs to be your identity security. But have you been able to hear that for yourself?

Identity will certainly be tested, as Satan seeks to steal, kill and destroy who you are. Those challenges can be invitations for you to further stabilize who God says that you are. But many people don’t stand a chance if they have not moved into healing the fatherless wound of not being told who you are and what you are capable of.

The core identity you carry is being a child of God. You are son, a daughter—one who is loved and dearly cherished by God. Yet we must remove the blinders that prevent us from seeing and experiencing this. {eoa}

Mark DeJesus has served as an experienced communicator since the 1990s. As a teacher, author, coach and radio host, Mark is deeply passionate about awakening hearts and equipping people towards transformational living. His message involves getting to the core hindrances that contribute to the breakdown of our relationships, our health and our day-to-day peace. He is well-versed on struggles that originate within our thoughts. Through his own personal transformation, Mark is experienced in helping people overcome and live fruitful lives. He is the author of five books and hundreds of teachings. He hosts a weekly radio podcast show called Transformed You and blogs at . His writings have been featured on sites like .

For the original article, visit .

George W. Bush’s daughter Barbara Bush will be the keynote speaker at a Planned Parenthood fundraiser. Evangelist Franklin Graham rebuked the move as akin to fundraising for Nazi Germany death camps.

“Planned Parenthood is the #1 abortion provider in the United States. Raising funds for this organization is like raising money to fund a Nazi death camp—like Auschwitz, except for innocent babies in their mother’s wombs!” Graham posted to Facebook. 

“Reports say they perform over 300,000 abortions per year. And this is the organization whose employees were caught on video trying to sell baby body parts over wine. Disgusting,” he continued. 

George W. Bush is considered the most pro-life president on record, according to CNS News. 

“In the annals of history, George W. Bush will be remembered as a president who believed and fought to protect innocent human life,” Wendy Wright, president of Concerned Women for America (CWA), said. “While we’ll never know how many lives were saved, and rarely will a person know that his or her life was rescued because of his policies, we do know that he set a standard that others can follow.” {eoa}

Although President Donald Trump is working to build a Supreme Court that will one day reverse the Roe v. Wade decision, two states are moving forward with their own plans to abolish abortion completely.

In Texas, House Bill 948, which was filed in January, states, in part:

A living human child, from the moment of fertilization upon the fusion of a human spermatozoon with a human ovum, is entitled to the same rights, powers and privileges as are secured or granted by the laws of this state to any other human child.

Chief among those rights would be the right to life, as described in the Declaration of Independence. The bill also charges the state attorney general and all political subdivisions (cities and counties) to enforce the penal code with regard to abortion.

The bill also states:

Any federal statute, regulation, executive order or court decision which purports to supersede, stay or overrule this Act is in violation of the Texas Constitution and the Constitution of the United States of America and is therefore void. The State of Texas and its political subdivisions, and agents thereof, may not enter an appearance, special or otherwise, in any federal suit challenging this Act.

The bill’s author, state Rep. Tony Tinderholt (R-Arlington), and his family were placed under protection of the Department of Public Safety because he began receiving death threats. Pro-life groups have called out Senate Republicans for failing to file a companion bill in their chamber.

The Texas Republican Party adopted a measure at its 2016 convention by a wide margin demanding the GOP-controlled legislature pass legislation to abolish abortion entirely during the 2017 session. And the Rev. Rusty Lee Thomas, National Director of Operation Save America, delivered the following speech at the steps of the state Capitol:

On the steps of the state Capitol in Montgomery, Alabama, after the successful completion of the Selma to Montgomery march on March 25, 1965, Martin Luther King Jr. uttered this famous phrase “How long? Not long.” He proclaimed this as he was dealing with the evil and injustice of his generation. In fact, he stated, “How long? Not long, because no lie can live forever.” And if I might be so bold to add, lies carry the seed of its own destruction, while truth carries the seed of its own survival. Moreover, he declared, “How long? Not long, because the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.”

The reason why the moral universe arcs toward justice is because the God of the Bible is the God of all justice. His throne is built upon the two pillars of justice and righteousness and “He has shown us, O men, what is good; and what does the LORD require of us but to do justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with our God” (Micah 6:8)? The order is extremely important in God’s economy.

Make no mistake about it; this is a long time in the making. We have endured an extended night of darkness, death and despair that has savaged our nation and its people, but as the Scripture promises “Joy comes in the morning.” In God’s providential history, we have come at this place, at this appointed time, to establish the self-evident truth, which is, man is made in the image of God, and these precious children in the womb need to be welcomed in life and protected by law like each and every one of us. We are simply demanding equal justice under the law.

We no longer come to regulate baby murder; we are here to end it. We are here to plead the case of the fatherless to win it, and let us be absolutely clear on this; we are not here to just plead their case anymore and wait for so-called pro-life scrapes to fall from the political table. We are here to win the case on the behalf of the fatherless. How long? Not long.

In 1973, with the infamous Roe v. Wade decision, America officially entered into a covenant of death. Our nation has been plagued with cultural immorality, government corruption and tyranny, and violence ever since. With HB 948, we will no longer nibble at the edges of this grave evil and injustice. We will no longer be content to use these precious children as political footballs to increase our coffers and political power. Those days have mercifully come to an end, and a new day is dawning. With HB 948 the standard of what it means to be pro-life will forever change in America. No more wiggle room, no more delays and no more compromise. The government sponsor of the murder of the preborn ends now, in Jesus’ mighty name. Here we stand, we can do no less. God help us!

We are here to honor and obey God’s moral commandment, “Thou shall not murder” and the covenant principles enshrined in our own founding documents. How many remember, “We hold these truths to be self-evident. That all men are created equal, and are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights that among these are the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”

As far as the Constitution is concerned, what does it actually state? “No person shall be deprived of life without due process of law.” What capital crime was committed by the preborn that deserves capital punishment? You see, no penumbra of the Constitution, no mist that emanates from the Constitution can maintain this lawless facade any longer. The emperor has no clothes on. Besides, courts cannot make law and any human law that violates God’s law is no law at all.

We are here to call upon our governor, our lt. governor, the attorney general and every legislator in Texas to be strong and of a good courage. We demand they uphold the rule of law and do their duty to protect life and stop the shedding of innocent blood and also preserve the God ordained institution of marriage.

We are here to call upon the church to regain her prophetic voice to instruct the moral conscience of Texas and our nation. We can no longer turn a blind eye and deaf ear to this injustice that plagues our state and nation. If we as God’s people do not speak up and act, history will condemn our complicity. History has proven time and again that the church’s silence and inaction in the face of evil always strengthens the oppressor and prolongs the suffering of the victim. That mentality needs to end at once along with the evil of abortion that it inadvertently supports.

We call upon the citizens of Texas and everyone of good will to rise up and convince our civil officials in Texas to co-sponsor and support the passage HB 948. And remember this one everlasting truth. We do not fight alone in this great battle for the souls of men, the lives of children and the future of our, broken, wounded land. There is a just God in heaven who presides over the destiny of nations. If we repent and do what is right in His sight, His blessing will return to Texas and beyond to secure a future and a hope. God bless Texas and God use us to pass this righteous bill in Jesus’ mighty name!

Texans believe they are in this fight alone, but they aren’t. Republicans in Iowa, with control of both chambers of the General Assembly for the first time in decades, and feeling pressure from a now-unified pro-life movement in the state, are considering their own “life at conception” bill—Senate File 253—that would outlaw abortion as well.

“Iowans have the opportunity right now to finally do something that will protect the lives of our most innocent,” Iowa Right to Life Director Jenifer Bowen, a member of the state’s new Coalition of Pro-Life Leaders, said. “With pro-life majorities in the House, Senate and the governor’s mansion, and SF 253, the Life at Conception Act, on the table, it’s time for Iowans to stand united and declare that together, we will defend Iowa’s babies from death by abortion.”

SF 253 passed out of subcommittee on a party-line vote Monday afternoon at the Iowa Statehouse, but faces an uncertain future. Sources in Des Moines say the bill has “maybe a 50-50” chance among Republicans in both chambers.

CoPPL is launching a media blitz to keep the pressure on those legislators. At a press conference that just got underway, the pro-life leaders will announce their new “She’s a Baby” campaign, which engages video, radio and grassroots activism to inspire Iowans in the defense of life.

“That’s the heart of the new She’s a Baby campaign,” Maggie DeWitte of Iowans for LIFE, another CoPLL member, said. “Because by now we’ve all heard the arguments about abortion. And people have understandable concerns. But there’s one truth no argument can argue away. That little girl in her mother’s womb? She’s a baby.”

Bob Vander Plaats, president and CEO of The FAMiLY LEADER, echoed those sentiments ahead of the press conference. He said the new campaign is meant to remind even the most ardent supporters of abortion that “She is a baby.”

“Now is the time for Iowa to lead by doing what is right in passing SF 253,” he said. “If not now … when? If not us … who?” {eoa}

It needs to be said that no relationship is perfect. You and your spouse can be together for six months, six years or 60 years, and there will be aspects of your marriage you will both need to work on. Relationships are work and are meant to move you toward being a better person. There will be constant disturbances and disruptions in your relationships with others; these conflicts are made to test your relationships. Will you face the challenging adversities in your life and relationships and grow from them? Or, will you let these challenges and hardships get the best of you?

In your marriage, it is most likely that your spouse has disappointed you at one time or another, and you have done the same to your spouse. I believe these disappointments are a part of life, and once you accept these ever-present conflicts and take them as an opportunity to grow with your spouse, you will be one step closer to winning what I call the war of love. But remember, as you take the steps towards growth and change within your marriage, there will be some ups and downs. Try to remember that it is not about winning all the battles but winning (and growing from) the war of love.

I fully believe in the power of the date as a way to win the war of love. Dating allows you to grow with your partner and face the challenges and disturbances of life as a united front, and it keeps your relationship vibrant and energized. Dating takes you out of your daily routine and allows you to have quality time with spouse. For most of us, the concept of dating might seem as though it’s only for the beginning of our relationships. Dating and spending alone-time with your spouse may then be cast aside to make time for work, children, errands, and life itself, because it may no longer seem like an importance. In all reality, dating and dates makes a huge difference in the quality of a marriage and intimacy levels.

So, what exactly is a date after the marriage vows? Before the kids, work and housework, dating was simply planning a specific time to spend anywhere from three to five hours together, and it is still the same—just a time devoted to you and your spouse. In order to grow even closer as a couple, I suggest developing a dating ritual. You will need to agree on its details before you get started. Keep in mind how often and how frequent you would like the dates to be; what time the date should be, whether it is a breakfast, lunch or dinner date; and whose turn is it to plan the date. It isn’t as important when and where the dates are as it is that you and your spouse honor the dates and commit to the times you have agreed to. Although there are no rules to your dating rituals, I believe there are some topics, discussions and practices that should not be brought up, so avoid them at your next date. Try to steer clear from any problematic discussions; if you think a topic will lead to either you or your spouse becoming annoyed, it is best not to bring it up. Avoid money discussions, and do not use your date as an opportunity to run errands or do some shopping. Remember, dates are meant to spend time with and become closer to your loved one, not an excuse to argue, gripe and cross things off your to-do list.

Now that you have all the details planned and you and your spouse are date ready, you might ask yourself, How do we make it happen it happen? Before the gift of children, it might have been easier to find the time to spend with your spouse, but now, things are a little different. Finding a responsible and mature babysitter, or, as I like to call them, angel-sitters, is an important aspect of your dating ritual and your fight for the war of love. If you, like me, do not have family in the area, having a person you can rely on and trust during your separation from your children is key. You and your spouse should not spend the majority of your date worrying about the kids back at the home front. This time should be spent re-getting to know your spouse.

The war of love is tricky and sometimes very difficult. There will be times in your marriage where it seems as though all you and your spouse do is bicker and argue, but remember that these moments should not dictate the rest of your marriage. Take the annoyances and arguments and all that is hard about your marriage and grow from them. Become a better spouse and learn to celebrate your spouse and the love you have for them for a lifetime, whether it is through the weekly date or through random compliments and “I love you”s. Celebrate the person you chose to spend the rest of your life with and love them no matter the battles you may face on your way to winning the war of love. {eoa}

Doug Weiss, Ph.D., is a nationally known author, speaker and licensed psychologist. He is the executive director of Heart to Heart Counseling Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and the author of several books including, Servant Marriage; The 5 Sex Languages; Sex, Men and God; Intimacy and his latest, Worthy: Exercise and Step Book. You may contact Dr. Weiss via his website, , by phone at 719-278-3708 or through email at heart2heart@.

Starbucks brand and image plummeted after the CEO announced the company would hire 1000 Muslim refugees to protest President Donald Trump’s immigration freeze, according to reports.

The coffee giant’s consumer-perception levels have fallen by two-thirds since late January, Yahoo! Finance reports. The perception-tracker measures if respondents have “heard anything about the brand in the last two weeks, through advertising, news or word of mouth, was it positive or negative.” In Starbucks’ case, perception is still overall positive, but significantly lower than it was prior to CEO Howard Schultz published a public letter outlining the company’s plans to give refugees jobs. 

Schultz also vowed to hire men and women who are part of the DREAM (Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors) Act, that is, they arrived illegally to the country as children. 

Almost immediately after Schultz’s open letter, calls for the boycott began.

“You are very wrong and stepped over my American line and beliefs. American First and forever,” Business Insider quotes one protester.

Another wrote: “Hiring 10k refugees makes liberals feel warm BUT we have homeless vets that need those jobs.#BoycottStarbucks#ReasonsToProtest #MuslimBan.” 

Conservatives also boycotted Target when the retail giant announced they would allow transgender people to use the restroom/dressing room of their choice. Since the boycott started, the retailer “reported weaker-than-expected same-store sales during the holidays,” according to Investor’s Business Daily, with November-December same-store sales falling 1.3 percent compared to a year ago. {eoa}

ABC’s eight-hour gay propaganda event When We Rise isn’t afraid to go low. Monday night’s episode immediately gets into the leftist activism with a montage bashing Republicans and comparing gay rights to the fight against Nazism and the Civil Rights movement—and it all goes downhill from there. 

Created by LGBT activist Dustin Lance Black, who won an Oscar for Best Screenplay for Milk in 2009, the four-night miniseries follows the lives of liberal gay activists Cleve Jones, Ken Jones and Roma Guy from the 1970s to the modern day.

“Night I” starts in 2006 with Cleve Jones (Guy Pearce) giving an interview where he quickly runs through the last few decades of LGBT history in America. Clips of hated social conservatives Sen. Jesse Helms and President George W. Bush are shown speaking out against homosexuality and gay marriage, but shockingly, President Ronald Reagan isn’t mentioned. I’m sure the left-wing conspiracy theories that Reagan encouraged the spread of AIDS will be coming when the series hits the ’80s epidemic. LGBT sacred martyr Matthew Shepard is referenced, “Those who truly hate us … are trying young men to fences in Wyoming and cracking their skulls open.” Of course, we now know that Shepard’s murder, horrific as it was, was not a hate crime.

Cleve: I was close to my grandparents. I grew up listening to their stories of World War I, watching the German dirigibles being shot down over London and of course my mother’s stories of the Depression and World War II, how each generation has its own epic confrontations that it must face … the black Civil Rights Movement, the women’s movement, Vietnam. 

Reporter: War protesters gathered for a dramatic and unprecedented appeal to the U.S. Government to end the war in Vietnam. 

Cleve: I knew what I was called to do. Not as an individual—as part of my generation. But over half of us are gone now. You know, from the beginning of the epidemic, our fear was that everything we’d worked for would just be swept away—our neighborhoods … the cultural cauldrons … the freedoms we built and won. And those who truly hate us …

Sen. Jesse Helms: “Gay” used to be a beautiful word. It has been corrupted.

Man on news: I believe in hell. I believe these (obscenity) are going to hell. 

Cleve: … are tying young men to fences in Wyoming and cracking their skulls open, with George W. Bush threatening constitutional amendments against our families. 

George W. Bush: Today I call upon the Congress to promptly pass an amendment to our constitution defining and protecting marriage as a union of a man and woman. 

Cleve: I could go to my grave a criminal again. 

This, combined with all the gay characters kissing and hooking up in various states of undress within the first 10 minutes, is not exactly a friendly and accessible overture to Middle America, but creator and gay activist Dustin Lance Black insists, “I think a lot of people who voted for Donald Trump will love this show. I don’t see this show as trying to speak to only half of the country—I didn’t write the show for half the country.”

Forget half the country, only a tiny fraction of the country would even be remotely interested in this miniseries; it is quite tedious and completely centers on leftist issues to the exclusion of any compelling story lines or character development.

Ostensibly about the gay rights movement, the show quickly makes it clear that it is about all the radical social justice movements of the 70s, with Cleve’s past marching against Vietnam, for the Equal Rights Amendment, and with Cesar Chavez and Roma organizing rallies to stop violence against women and becoming too radical for even the feminist group the National Organization of Women. As Cleve says, they seek to smash societal norms like, “Marriage, military, religious, white, male, cop, supremacy crap.”

There are so many leftist tropes checked off in the first two hours, I can only imagine what’s coming in the next six. Arrogant Vietnam naval leader who ignores his crew’s advice leading to the death of his men? Check. Catholic mom who had 10 pregnancies and wants “better” for her daughter? Check. Racist commanding officer who makes black Medal of Honor recipients go to the back of the bus? Check. Evil, sexist, homophobic cops who beat up defenseless women and gays while they chant, “Stop the violence?” Check. African American character who leaves a black church that rails against homosexuality then is kicked out of a gay bar for being black? Check.

With all the talk today about homophobia, When We Rise surprisingly brings attention to heterophobia. Cleve tells one of his lovers, “I say we just get rid of all the heterosexuals. They’re so boring.” Can you imagine if a straight character said, “Let’s get rid of all the homosexuals”? Another woman declares, “The traditional heterosexual model for relationships is monogamy … so I suggest that we abandon that model” for a three-way lesbian relationship. Yeah, wouldn’t want to follow heteros’ model of marriage. 

Black repeatedly talks about his conservative Christian family, how he wants his work to reach people like them, and how important it is for the show to be on a major network like ABC, not just preaching to the choir on HBO, but this series is the very definition of preaching to the choir: a liberal LGBT activist show, by liberal LGBT activists, for liberal LGBT activists, about liberal LGBT activists.

If its goal truly was to go beyond left-wing gay propaganda to affect a more mainstream audience, When We Rise falls woefully short. {eoa}