Bristow Christian Church

06/08/2026

Why I Love America

BY BOB RUSSELL

Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people he chose for his inheritance (Psalm 33:12).

America is deeply flawed. Of course it is. It is a government by the people, and people are sinners. Some look at our failures and conclude there is little worth celebrating. America has sins. Therefore, they reason, America is unworthy of honor.

I am unashamedly patriotic. It was ingrained in me as a boy. I learned early on that God has blessed this nation with liberty, opportunity, abundance, and the freedom to proclaim the Gospel. Those blessings should not make us proud. They should make us grateful.

America’s greatness is not evidence of American perfection. It is evidence of God’s extraordinary grace toward an imperfect people.

That’s why I think America’s 250th birthday this July 4 should be a big celebration. In this month’s blogs I’m going to share several reasons why I love America and why I still believe it’s the greatest country in the history of the world.

The Bible says, Every good and perfect gift comes from above (James 1:17). When God grants good gifts, we need to express thanks. To fail to be grateful for our country is akin to a l***r being healed by Jesus and never returning to express appreciation.

Psalm 33:12 assures us, Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people he chose for his inheritance. Throughout Scripture we see that God blesses nations that honor Him and judges those that reject Him. When God grants His blessings, the appropriate response is to sing with fervor, “God bless America, land that I love.”

At the same time, God’s blessings should make us humble. America’s prosperity and freedom are not trophies to boast about but gifts to steward wisely. They should make us dependent on God, not forgetful of Him.

You can ruin your marriage by focusing on the 5% that’s wrong and ignoring the 95% that’s healthy. I could spend the next four weeks ranting about the many spiritual flaws in our nation right now. But that would be like winning a multi-million-dollar lottery and complaining about having to pay taxes.

Since the Bible commands us to emphasize the things that are good, excellent, and praiseworthy (Philippians 4:8), I’d like to share with you the reasons why I love America.

I love America because of its abundant resources.

In November of 1620, the Pilgrims arrived in the New World. When they scanned the shoreline just to the west of them, one observer wrote, “It’s a goodly land, wooded to the brink of the sea.” They’d never seen so many trees!

America has such an abundance of timber that we’ve built frame houses, erected telephone poles, and laid railroad ties to provide infrastructure all across the land.

Several years ago, in the mountains of Appalachia, I saw hundreds of railroad cars stacked with coal, queued up and waiting to be shipped out to power turbines that produce inexpensive electricity available all across the U.S.A. In recent years we’ve discovered enormous oil reserves in places like North Dakota. We have such abundant oil and natural gas resources that America has become one of the world’s leading energy producers.

Drive across the Midwest and marvel at the “amber waves of grain”—endless acres of corn, wheat, oats, and beans. Visit California and Florida and witness the harvesting of tons of fruits and vegetables. We have such abundance that we export food to needy nations by the shipload.

A few years ago our church hosted young interns from Poland. I asked them what impressed them most when they first came to America. They didn’t mention our amusement parks or massive sports arenas. They said, “We were most impressed with the supermarkets. So many choices. So much food!”

God has spoiled us with a land flowing with milk and honey. We are so rich in America that we take it for granted. Much of China’s land mass is desert or too dry to inhabit. But almost every corner of America has access to plenty of rainfall or water flowing down from nearby mountains so that farmers are able to irrigate and produce abundant crops.

King David wrote, You care for the land and water it; you enrich it abundantly. The streams of God are filled with water to provide the people with grain, for so you have ordained it. You drench its furrows and level its ridges; you soften it with showers and bless its crops. You crown the year with your bounty, and your carts overflow with abundance (Psalm 65:9-11).

This is not only a bountiful land; it’s a beautiful land. We sing “America the Beautiful” for a reason. This country contains some of the prettiest places on earth. Have you visited Niagara Falls, Yellowstone National Park, Kaanapali Beach, Jackson Hole, the Grand Teton Mountains, the Smoky Mountains, or the bluegrass horse farms of Kentucky? What about Cape Cod, the Monterey Peninsula, or Augusta National Golf Club? If you’ve seen those sights, you’ve seen some of the most beautiful places in the world.

O beautiful for spacious skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties
Above the fruited plain!
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good (Psalm 107:1).

(To be continued)

06/07/2026

06/03/2026

Misplaced Compassion

BY BOB RUSSELL

Recently I received an email from a preacher wrestling with whether or not to take a recently orphaned boy into his home. The young man’s situation elicits deep sympathy, and while we are commanded to care and serve for those in need, not all situations are easy to answer.



“Hi Bob,

I’m writing for counsel on a family-life question.

About a year ago I learned of a 12-year-old boy whose mother, father, and grandmother had all passed away and who was living with his great-aunt, who had been diagnosed with terminal cancer. He’s 12 and would have nowhere to go, so my wife and I began praying for him. Three months ago his aunt passed away and three days later I received a call from the Dept. of Child Services asking if we’d be able to take him in. We knew we had to help him.

Things have been pretty good overall except for the fact that he (“Jack”) does not want to be with us and doesn’t like to be around younger children. He has been an only child and we have four younger children. On top of that, we recently learned my wife is expecting our fifth biological child. DCS had told us they planned to move him because he didn’t want to be here, but they have since changed their minds and want him to stay now if possible.

We are torn. I am wrestling with these questions:

What is best for “Jack”?

What is best for my other 5 children?

What is best for my wife who is now expecting another child?

What should I do as a Christian? As a father? As a husband?

Thank you for your time.

Your Brother in Christ”



Any of us with a desire to follow the teachings of Christ can empathize with the dilemma of this pastor. Like so many of life’s challenges there arent always easy answers (claude fix).

Allie Beth Stuckey wrote a book entitled Toxic Empathy — How Progressives Exploit Christian Compassion. She points out empathy is a powerful emotion but it is not always positive; in fact, empathy can be toxic. Stuckey argues that left-wing activists manipulate the human desire to be kind. The book contends this emotional manipulation bullies Christians into unbiblical stances on key cultural issues to avoid the accusation of lacking compassion or being hypocritical.

The book makes a valid point. Sometimes compassion can be misplaced. What appears to be compassion to one may come at the expense of another and ultimately do more harm than good. It’s essential Christ-followers learn to determine priorities because compassion toward one group may show a lack of empathy toward another.

Should compassion toward a mother with an unwanted pregnancy take precedence over concern for the unborn baby? Should compassion for the illegal alien take precedence over concern for the safety of law-abiding citizens? Should compassion for those struggling with gender dysphoria take precedence over a young woman competing in a swim meet? Should compassion for the underprivileged criminal take precedence over justice for the wounded victim?

Genuine sympathy has to be prioritized and balanced with godly wisdom.

With that in mind, here’s my response to the pastor:

Thank you for your compassionate spirit toward “Jack”. What a sad situation! I appreciate your desire to help him and believe you are asking the right questions. I have strong opinions on issues of adoption and foster care but my ideas are not revelations from God so I understand if you disagree and don’t follow my counsel.

I think you are asking the right questions but not in the right order. The questions are not of equal importance. Some take priority over the others. As you seek to find God’s will I think the questions should be asked in this order:

(1) What is best for my wife who is now expecting a 5th child? She comes first. Just taking in a 12-year-old is a monumental challenge for a mother — especially a mother who already has four younger children. And the twelve-year-old doesn’t like younger children and doesn’t want to be there? Now she’s pregnant with a 5th child? Impossible! I’m sure she’s a wonderful person but she’s not a combination of Superwoman and Mother Teresa!

(2) What is best for my other five children? We can’t predict the future but odds are you are creating a lot of turmoil and unrest that will rob your children of the normal family relationships they should have growing up in a Christian home. The fact that “Jack” doesn’t like younger children and resents being there makes me fear for your children’s safety.

(3) What should I do as a Christian? That’s not always easy to answer but you have a responsibility first to your wife and biological children. You can’t adopt every needy child. You have to say no to most for the good of your own children and family. You certainly shouldn’t feel guilty about not forcing a soon-to-be-teenager to stay in your home against his will. It’s just a matter of time until he’ll be running away or keeping you awake at night wondering where he is. That takes needed attention and energy away from your biological children.

(4) What is best for “Jack”? As sad as his circumstances are you can’t erase the pain he is experiencing. You can’t make up for what has happened. At this point I think you should respect his wishes, turn him over to Child Services and let the Lord minister to him through someone else. However, before you turn “Jack” over to CS, it would be well to make an appeal to your church. Maybe there’s someone in your congregation who is in a better season of life to take him in. That would give him a better chance to know the Lord and live a fulfilling life. Keep praying for him. Maybe the Lord will find an environment for him that’s better than you can provide.

God told Abraham to send Hagar and Ishmael away for the good of Sarah and Isaac. And God took care of those who departed. I pray he’ll do the same for “Jack”.

— Bob

06/03/2026

Bristow Christian Church invites you to our Wednesday night Bible Study.

Meal at 6:00 pm
Bible study at 6:45 pm.

Everyone welcome to share our meal and Bible Study

Tonight we will be looking at the story of Jesus’ interaction with the Woman at the Well. Let me encourage you to read John 4 before you come so that you can get the most out of tonight’s discussion.

I look forward to being with you tonight.

Dinner at 6:00 🙂

Blessings,

Lee

05/30/2026

Join us each Sunday morning as we explore this sermon series presented by Minister Lee Graham.
Bristow Christian Church is located at 6488 Louisville Road, Bowling Green, KY. 42101