Christians Act

12/15/2025

Whose Image Is on the Coin? When Power Starts Acting Like God
By A Country Pastor

Jesus once held up a coin and asked a question that still unsettles every nation tempted to confuse power with holiness. “Whose image is on the coin?” (Matthew 22:15–22).

That exchange was never about taxes or civic duty alone. It was about allegiance, identity, and the limits of earthly authority.

What is often forgotten is that this question about Caesar’s coin does not stand alone. It comes during the final week of Jesus’ life, after He has entered Jerusalem and overturned the tables of the money changers in the temple (Matthew 21:12–13; Mark 11:15–17). Those tables were not incidental. They represented a religious and economic system that had learned how to profit from devotion, how to extract wealth from the poor, and how to cooperate with imperial power in order to protect itself. Jesus did not merely disrupt bad behavior. He challenged a system where money, religion, and authority had fused into something unrecognizable from the heart of God.

What makes this even more revealing is how consistently wealth shields itself from accountability. Billionaire, multi-millionaire and the power elite, move comfortably within elite circles that operate beyond, and are protected by the laws they create.

This contrast exposes a dangerous theological error deeply rooted in modern Christianity, where power is mistaken for divine favor and leaders are treated as ordained beyond critique. Scripture does not teach that rulers are gods. Scripture teaches that rulers are accountable. God entrusts leaders with responsibility to pursue justice, protect the vulnerable, and restrain evil, and when leaders abandon those purposes, Scripture does not command silence. Scripture raises prophets.

Caesar claimed divinity, and Jesus exposed the lie without becoming Caesar, a wordly king, Himself.

Christmas reminds us who our true King is, a King born without power, entering history through humility rather than domination, rejecting spectacle, refusing fear, and ruling through love rather than force (Philippians 2:5–11). You cannot follow two kings. You cannot worship wealth and power, and still claim allegiance to grace. You cannot defend systems that crush the poor and still follow the one who overturned their tables.

Jesus asked, whose image is on the coin? Jesus never answered the question for them. He did not explain Caesar. He did not tell them what political position to take. He left the question hanging because it forces an inward reckoning. Caesar claims metal. God claims people. And if God’s image is on us, then we must ask the same question for ourselves. Who do we follow? And who is our King?

12/12/2025

https://www.facebook.com/share/1AUBLHx9rZ/?mibextid=wwXIfr

To the Black preachers in my comments trying to “correct” or “rebuke” me for daring to challenge the sitting president after he called Black people “garbage”—let’s be honest about what this is really about.

I preached the Bible. The text says we are “fearfully and wonderfully made.” We are created in the image of God. That means no Black person, Somali, African American, Caribbean, immigrant, or otherwise, can be reduced, dehumanized, or discarded without offending the God who made them.

So let’s stop pretending this is about doctrine. Your issue is not that I mishandled scripture. Your issue is that I condemned the words of the son of a klansman who sits in the White House—the man you refuse to confront because you have chosen political loyalty over prophetic truth.

If a white man with a long record of racism can call Black people “garbage” and you feel more compelled to rebuke a Black preacher than to rebuke that wickedness, your allegiance is exposed. It is not the gospel. It is MAGA theology wrapped in Bible verses.

It is asinine—downright dangerous—for any Black man, especially a Black preacher, living in America to oppose liberation or attack those who speak against injustice. When you remain silent about racism, you are not being biblical—you are being complicit.

And let me go further.

In this moment, when this administration is actively erasing Black history, stripping healthcare from the sick, dismantling programs that protect the poor, rolling back civil rights, and catering to white grievance politics—I question the integrity of any Black preacher who gives it unqualified support. Especially those who weaponize the Bible to justify cruelty, exclusion, and white supremacist policy.

Jesus did not side with empire.
Jesus did not bless oppression.
Jesus did not rebuke the prophets for naming injustice.
He confronted power, defended the marginalized, and exposed religious leaders who loved influence more than truth.

If calling out racism offends you more than racism itself
If protecting Trump matters more than protecting Black life
If MAGA feels more comfortable than liberation

Then don’t question my preaching
Question your allegiance

Talbert Swan

08/20/2025

A rabbi was asked by one of his students “Why did God create atheists?” After a long pause, the rabbi finally responded with a soft but sincere voice. “God created atheists” he said, “to teach us the most important lesson of them all – the lesson of true compassion. You see, when an atheist performs an act of charity, visits someone who is sick, helps someone in need, and cares for the world, he is not doing so because of some religious teaching. He does not believe that God commanded him to perform this act. In fact, he does not believe in God at all, so his actions are based on his sense of morality. Look at the kindness he bestows on others simply because he feels it to be right. When someone reaches out to you for help. You should never say ‘I’ll pray that God will help you.’ Instead, for that moment, you should become an atheist – imagine there is no God who could help, and say ‘I will help you’.”

— Martin Buber, “Tales of the Hasidim”

11/20/2024

Question. Does turn the other cheek still apply in today’s world?

“Turn the other cheek” is a Christian doctrine phrase from the Bible that means to respond to insult without retaliation. It appears in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5:38-40, which says, “If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also”.
The phrase is interpreted in a variety of ways, including:
Nonresistance: A command to not resist in-kind
Avoiding extremes: A way to avoid both retaliating violently and passively allowing others to do as they please
Transformation: A call for true transformation, rather than just rule-keeping
Displaying grace: A way to show grace to people who don't deserve it
Some examples of turning the other cheek include: Not responding, Confidently naming what's happening, and Clarifying the choice someone is making.
However, some say that Jesus's command doesn't mean that Christians should be doormats for people who are rude, inconsiderate, or vindictive.

11/03/2024

CARROTS, EGGS, AND COFFEE.
A carrot, an egg, and a cup of coffee. You will never look at a cup of coffee the same way again.
A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved, a new one arose.
Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and placed each pot on a high fire. Soon the pots came to boil.
In the first she placed some carrots, in the second she placed some eggs, and in the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil; without saying a word.
In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl. Turning to her daughter, she asked,
"Tell me what you see."
"Carrots, eggs, and coffee," she replied.
Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. The mother then asked the daughter to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard boiled egg.
Finally, the mother asked the daughter to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled as she tasted its rich aroma. The daughter then asked,
"What does it mean, mother?"
Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity. Boiling water. Each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened. The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water.
"Which are you?" she asked her daughter. "When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?"
Think of this: Which am I? Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength?
Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a financial hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened and stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and hardened heart?
Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor. If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you when the hour is the darkest and trials are their greatest do you elevate yourself to another level?
How do you handle adversity? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?
The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the most of everything that comes along their way. The brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past; you can't go forward in life until you let go of your past failures and heartaches.
When you were born, you were crying and everyone around you was smiling.
Live your life so at the end, you're the one who is smiling and everyone around you is crying.
May we all be COFFEE!
~ Author unknown.

10/11/2024

Question for the group. What do you think Jesus was saying when he said "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of Heaven”.

Matthew 19:24, Luke 18:25, and Mark 10:25. I’ll give my thoughts later.

08/18/2024

08/16/2024

Well, I’m probably going to lose most if not all of my friends with this post.

I have quietly watched as my Facebook feed has been filling up more and more with vile, angry, dishonest memes using God as their weapon. I haven’t argued or tried to change anyone’s mind.

But when you use Gods Word in such a way to twist it to fit your agenda and not Gods, I wont be silent anymore. You are no better than the money changers that Jesus threw out of the Temple.

If we have a difference of opinion, fine. But to cherry pick verses from the Bible and use them out of context, I will not sit by idly while you blaspheme God.

Jesus taught love and forgiveness, not hate, bigotry and violence.

Does anyone remember the Sermon on the Mount?

What about if someone strikes you on the right cheek, also offer them the left cheek?

Does anyone remember that Jesus loves the little children, red and yellow, black and white.

The church is in decline. Less people attend worship than at anytime in our nations history. I hear so many excuses, always blaming the decline on some outward force.

Maybe the church should pull the log of their eye before trying to remove the splinter from your neighbors eye.

No, this does not apply to all churches or all Christians. But it does apply to Chino’s. What is a Chino you ask, it is a Christian In Name Only.

Before you post one of your angry memes ask yourself if it promotes God. If not, you are just serving yourself.