"You shall know the Truth, and the Truth will set you free"
Publisher / Editor:
Paul Hayden

Thoughts From My Heart

August 21, 2023


Hi, Dear Friends of Conservative Truth, 

I want to make an effort to write something every week for this publication. But…sometimes I just don't know what to say, or about what. There is so much to talk about and discuss, but everyone else is talking about it all. 

Endlessly. Exhaustingly. Excruciatingly. You can't hardly get away from it. Emails - texts - TV and radio news and talk shows - Facebook and Twitter and other social media - AND THE ADVERTISING!!! I get so sick of it all. 

So…I just shut it off for a little while. Take a break from it whenever you need to. 


Tonight (8/20/23) my wife and I got to see the Christian music group PETRA in a small-venue concert at the Illinois State Fair in Springfield, IL. It was fantastic. They have been doing music for around fifty years, since 1972. I first heard their music in 1985 and loved it from the start. It is in the genre of classic 1960s to 1990s classic rock, but with a clear and definite and unashamedly Christian message. They know the Bible, and they put their trust in God. Their music is for me some of the best of what Christian believers can do to use an art form to convey the eternal message of God's love for us. The lead singer John Schlitt is now 73, and he can still rock and sing! 

While at the concert, we saw a number of old friends we hadn't seen in a while. In a way, it was like a little family reunion, only without the drama that many such gatherings might have. 

My heart is still heavy concerning Maui, my old home of years ago from 1983-1994. There is such devastation and death and heartbreak. We personally know at least four or five families who lost their homes and all their possessions. At least one of our old friends is among the deceased. 

So much heartache. So many problems around us, from politics and the mess our country is in, to the weather issues, to every single care on each and every one of our hearts as we lay our heads down each night. I wrote a piece on peace recently (here), and it means a lot to me. 

Let me leave you with this, from Philippians 4:4-9 in the New Testament:

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!
Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near.
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.
The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

Till next week, God bless you all and be safe! God loves you!


Comments: 0
You!
Note:
  1. Email address is REQUIRED, in case we need to contact you about your comment. However, we will not display or use your email address for any purpose other than to contact you about this comment.
  2. Nickname should be a short nickname that you choose to use. Please do NOT enter your full, real name. Nickname will be displayed along with your comment.
  3. Comments will not appear on our website until they have been reviewed by our Editorial Team. Inappropriate messages will be rejected by the Editorial Team. Free speech is important here at ConservativeTruth, however, the Editorial Team reserves the absolute right to determine what content appears on this website.
    • Comments that contain foul language, profanity or vulgarity will be rejected.
    • Comments that contain links will be rejected. (send email to the editor if you wish to let us know about another website)
    • Comments that advertise a product or service will be rejected.
    • Comments that contain email addresses will be rejected.
2500 characters max
    
Copyright ©2023

Paul Hayden is a Christian believer, and an American patriot, necessarily in that order. He is a student of the Bible, and is avidly interested in our role in the context of history, as understood through the heart and eyes of faith. Paul has lived and traveled somewhat widely, and now lives in the heartland of the U.S. (central Illinois), with his wife Donna - they have five grown children. Since December of 2016, he serves as the Editor-in-Chief of www.ConservativeTruth.org.

"I was raised by a Christian minister, Kenneth Hayden, until his death when I was 10. Then my mom Bonnalee Hunt Hayden married a farmer. So I was raised in a very down-to-earth home. My faith has grown through the years, but both in conjunction with the institutional church and through small groups and individuals, including books as well as group settings, where deep, sincere faith is shared that aligns with Biblical truth."