1. Jesus Christ: My Lord. My Savior. My King. Two-thousand years since He last walked the earth, this itinerant carpenter from Nazareth continues to influence billions of people, including me. We may feel like things are spinning and spiraling out of control, but Jesus remains in control of all things and over all time and space.

2. The Holy Spirit: My guide. The late songwriter Keith Green may have said it best: “Thank you oh my Father, for giving us your Son. And leaving your Spirit,’til the work on earth is done.” Whenever I am unsure what to do, say or write, I call out to the Holy Spirit – and I am never disappointed or let down.

3. Bible-Believing Churches: It would be impossible to overstate how much good a church that upholds God’s Holy Word does. They’re increasingly countercultural. They’re bold. Fearless. From introducing people to a saving relationship with Jesus to helping meet the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of countless people, these courageous congregations ignore the “woke” propaganda of our day.

Last year was the 400th anniversary of the Pilgrims’ crossing the Atlantic on an overcrowded ship rife with disease, seeking to come to a new world where they could freely exercise their faith and live their lives in accordance with their conscience.

While many on that ship never made it across the ocean to see their new home, those who survived the journey were greeted by a large rock on the shores of what the Pilgrims would name Plymouth, Massachusetts.

While visitors today only see a small rock that has eroded over time, it serves as a historical reminder of the sacrifice made by the Pilgrims. In numerous ways, it also serves as a warning that we should not allow our memory of their legacy to erode as that rock has over the past four millennia.

Once ashore, the Pilgrims, along with others who joined them on their treacherous journey, took steps to ensure they would have a government that would represent the best interests of all. To that end, they drafted the Mayflower Compact. This too-little-appreciated document recognized that people derived their right of self-government from God and not from man.

Last June the U.S. Supreme Court decided Fulton v. Philadelphia, which concerned the religious freedom claims of a faith-based foster care agency. The justices, in a 9-0 opinion, ruled in favor of Catholic Social Services’ (CSS) right to operate according to its faith principles in the placement of children with foster families. The justices then sent the case back down to the lower courts for final resolution.

The parties have now reached a settlement, which has been approved by a lower federal court. The terms of the settlement include a renewal of CSS’ contract with the City of Philadelphia to provide foster care services, a $2 million payment to cover the costs of CSS’ attorney’s fees, and a payment of $56,000 directly to CSS.

CSS was represented in the litigation by the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty.

The lawsuit began in 2018 when CSS was targeted by the City of Brotherly Love for allegedly discriminating against homosexuals in the families it chose to work with to place foster children. Even though CSS had served the families of Philadelphia for over 100 years and had never been asked by a same-sex couple to certify them as foster parents, the city abruptly canceled its relationship and contracts with CSS upon learning of its faith-based policy that favors placing children with a married mom and dad.