Crosstalk America from VCY America

Due to a special Christmas edition of Crosstalk tomorrow, Jim moved up the News Round-Up broadcast. Here's a selection of stories from the program-----The Colorado Republican Party is planning to withdraw from the state's primary election and move to a caucus system if the ruling against having President Trump on the ballot stands.----The California Lieutenant Governor is calling for former President Trump to be barred from their primary ballot. ----Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick suggested that the chaos on the border could be grounds to remove President Biden from the state's 2024 ballot. ----Senator Marco Rubio posted on -X- that the U.S. has put sanctions on other nations for doing exactly what the Colorado Supreme Court did against President Trump.----The Satanic Temple now has a display at the Michigan State Capitol.----A Pennsylvania school attempted to execute damage control after issuing a memo instructing bus drivers to remove Christmas decorations from their vehicles, to stop wearing anything related to the holiday and to avoid playing Christmas music.----The Israel Defense Forces are reportedly close to completing their ground offensive in the northern part of the Gaza Strip, having significantly dismantled the presence of Hamas battalions in the region.----The head of a Gaza hospital has admitted to Israeli forces that Hamas used his hospital to advance its military operations since the hospital is a safe place.----Israeli Defense Forces soldiers in Gaza managed to reach the home of the leader of Hamas, shortly after he fled the scene.----The steps leading up to the Lincoln Memorial were vandalized with red colored graffiti reading, -Free Gaza.-

As we look at poverty around the world, some individuals are forced into some very desperate situations just to provide the basic needs of life. Sometimes prostitution appears to be the only way out. With that comes exploitation and sex-trafficking.--Fortunately, someone's engaged in a ministry designed to break that cycle. That person is Alex Kuhlow. Alex is the founder - executive director for Threads of Hope, Inc.--While growing up, becoming a missionary was simply not a part of Alex's vocational plans. As the son of a plumber, Alex grew up in the affluence of Neenah, Wisconsin, where he eventually became a machinist. Working long hours, he reasoned that he wanted to retire and live a comfortable life.--One day as he was reading about the rich young ruler, the idea of selling everything, giving it to the poor and following Christ hit Alex hard. He wondered what his response would be if Christ was giving these instructions to him personally.--As Alex noted, he wasn't a pilot, a church planter or a Bible translator. He was just a blue-collar machinist so he didn't think he had anything to offer the mission field.--But God had other plans...--One day a missionary came to to his church who happened to be a journeyman plumber. He was sharing with youth that whatever skills and abilities you have, the Lord can use them on the mission field. After the presentation, Alex asked the missionary what the greatest obstacle was in getting to the mission field. The missionary told him it was financial debt. That was the very week Alex and his wife had become financially debt free. There went that excuse-

California will disallow the sale of new cars powered by gasoline in 2035. That radical move, along with other environmental policies combined with the state's sky-high taxes, and it's no wonder so many are leaving California. --Looking elsewhere, there was a new bill introduced December 5th in the state of Washington -House Bill 1868- aimed at making gas powered lawn mowers and other lawn equipment illegal, with heavy fines and even jail time for violators.--The push for electric vehicles continues by the federal government despite their deficiencies, especially their cold weather performance. In addition, they're slow sellers on new car lots.--So why is all of this going on-- Returning to Crosstalk to answer that question was Tom DeWeese. Tom is president of American Policy Center. He is one of the nation's leading advocates of individual liberty, free enterprise, private property rights, personal privacy, back-to-basics education and American sovereignty and independence and protecting our constitutionally-guaranteed rights. He is also the grassroots coordinator for CFACT.--As Tom explained, -net-zero- is the target, despite the fact that C02 is not a pollutant. So much of what exists on our planet needs C02 to survive. Yet in spite of that, a new study claims humans are contributing to global warming by breathing, and if you're female and over 30 years old, you're the biggest culprit---To place blame on people just for breathing sure sounds like an excuse for lowering the human population does it not-- Tom believes that's the contention.

There are those who insist that believers in Christ should have nothing to do with Christmas or its observance. The guest on this edition of Crosstalk, and his fellow workers in ministry, have put together a book to address this important matter.--Frank Figueroa Jr. is a speaker and presenter for Reasons For Hope, a ministry dedicated to presenting, proclaiming and defending the biblical worldview. He has a Science Education degree from the University of Hawaii. He formerly served as pastor in Hawaii and now speaks to numerous youth camps, youth assemblies and private schools. He's a contributor to the book, Glad You Asked- Answers to 12 Tough Questions About Christmas That You Need Answers For.--Is Christmas, as some would say, a pagan holiday-- Frank said that the answer is both yes and no. He noted that there are some things used from past pagan traditions. However, the reason we celebrate Christmas is not due to any of those things. It's because of the birth of Christ and ultimately so that he would die for our sins. --He used an example from the book, Glad You Asked. Imagine if Christians took the month of June, which is currently known as Pride Month, and began calling it Prayer Month, using it as a springboard to witness to the lost, especially those who are pro-pride. Then, if over time, Pride Month instead became known nationally as Prayer Month, 100 years from now would Christians feel as though we shouldn't have taken a secular idea and turned it into something that we can use to serve the Lord's purposes-- No, of course not.--Listen to the discussion as Jim has Frank tackle tough questions that Christians sometimes debate concerning Christmas.

Finish the week with Crosstalk and get caught up on news from around the world. Here's a sample of what Jim presented to listeners this week-----At the U.N.'s COP 28 gathering, governments from around the world agreed to a global transition from fossil fuel, greater limits on energy use, and a new fund to compensate governments of poor nations for alleged damages caused by C02 emissions from wealthier nations.----The U.S. Supreme Court will take up a January 6th defendants appeal of the Department of Justice's novel use of evidence tampering law to prosecute hundreds of defendants for obstruction of Congress. ----In October of 2021, Joe Biden called on the Department of Justice to prosecute people who defy congressional subpoenas. Now President Biden's son Hunter skipped out on a deposition before Congress this past Wednesday. ----Hunter Biden claimed the investigation into his business dealings is a move to undermine his father's tenure as president. Jim provided audio from his public statement.----Jim also provided audio of Republican Congressman Jim Jordan speaking out on Hunter Biden being a -no-show.- ----The House narrowly approved opening an impeachment probe into President Biden Wednesday, hours after his son Hunter defied a congressional demand to testify on Capitol Hill. ----A Christian veteran tore down the satanic shrine at the Iowa capitol and beheaded it.----An after-school Satan club is coming to a Tennessee elementary school.

Becki Dudley is a children's author who has written titles such as When You See a Rainbow, When You see a Cloud, and When You a Star, Noah's Ark for Kids and more. She's written and recently released God's Story- From the Beginning to the Promised Return.--Becki is a mother as well as a grandmother of seven. She communicated that because of the things we're seeing that are happening in the world, the most important thing we can do is to teach children the truth that's given to us in God's word.--The result is God's Story, a collection of 125 illustrated stories from the Bible that takes a child from Genesis to Revelation. Her hope in writing this was to connect the dots of the -big picture- for children, to reinforce that these were real people and that they're not fiction or fairy tales. In other words, God's word is real history and children can learn from it.--During the two year process of writing the book she used the scarlet thread of redemption as a general outline beginning with the Garden of Eden and culminating on the Cross. She definitely wanted to include those stories that foreshadowed Christ's ultimate sacrifice and what that means. --The book is illustrated with wonderful pictures by Bill Looney. Becki feels his pictures themselves tell stories and help to bring those in the book to life.--As the broadcast moves along you'll hear why this isn't just a -feel good- book, why there's an emphasis on the holiness of God, what the -thread of hope- sections are all about, the colorful maps that allow you to compare the land in Bible times to the land today, some key points from Christ's ministry, and much more including calls from listeners-

Many of you are perhaps burdened concerning the eternal state of unsaved family members and friends. The good news is that the Christmas season provides many unique opportunities to cross paths with some of these individuals and share the hope of Christ with them.--If you believe that doing so will -rock the boat- and that you must remain silent in order to -keep the peace- at Christmas, you may not be aware that there is a way to share Christ with grace, love and effectiveness and that's what this broadcast is all about. --Appearing on Crosstalk to share his experiences was John Sorensen. John is president - CEO of Evangelism Explosion International, a ministry that trains people how to share their faith in Christ and how to bring people from unbelief to belief. He's the daily speaker on Share Life Today.

Since November 30th, when you were wrapping up your Thanksgiving celebration time with family and friends and planning for Christmas, the United Nations Climate Change Conference was underway in the United Arab Emirates. This was the 28th gathering of the Conference of the Parties of the UNFCCC, otherwise known as COP 28. The guest on this Crosstalk has been in attendance and has summed up the totalitarian nature of this effort in just a few words- censorship, global taxes and tyranny.--Joining Jim to let listeners know what was being discussed and proposed was Alex Newman. Alex is an award-winning international freelance journalist, author, researcher, educator and consultant. He is senior editor for The New American. He is co-author of Crimes of the Educators and author of Deep State- The Invisible Government Behind the Scenes. He is founder of Liberty Sentinel.

Since Hamas launched its barbaric attack against Israel on October 7th, more and more uprisings are appearing around the world. Those involved are saying with great boldness that Israel is the problem, they should be destroyed, and as occupiers, they have no right to defend themselves.--Why are they saying such things-- The goal is a worldwide caliphate which includes the United States. It would be a world where only Islam is accepted. All others would need to be killed because the Qur'an teaches that all Jews and Christians are infidels.--Bringing more clarity to this subject was Shahram Hadian. Shahram is a former Muslim from Iran who came to the states in 1978 and committed his life to Jesus Christ. Shahram started the Truth in Love Project and is the founding pastor of Truth in Love Ministry. He exposes the true goal of Islam and the threat of Sharia in America. He's served as a pastor, a police officer, and a former candidate for governor in Washington State.--Fathi Hamad, a Palestinian politician and political leader of Hamas, declared on December 1st on Al-Aqsa television that Palestinians are preparing to establish an Islamic caliphate with Jerusalem as its capital.--What is a caliphate-- Shahram explained how Islam has been working on establishing a worldwide caliphate for 1,400 years. They seek global domination where every nation on earth is governed by Islamic law. This means that a caliphate in Islam is both religious and political. The mosque is the state and the state is the mosque. This can take the form of subjugation by force or the majority of the population becoming Islamic.

Crosstalk and the Friday News Round-Up, your source for news stories that impact you. Here's a sample of what Jim presented for listeners-----A 53 year old Israeli taxi driver who was kidnapped by Hamas on October 7th has been murdered. His body is still held by Hamas in Gaza. ----IDF soldiers on Tuesday recovered one of the largest stockpiles of weapons belonging to Hamas, again showing how Hamas uses Palestinian citizens as human shields. ----A compromise 900 billion dollar defense bill doesn't contain any restrictions on paying for military members traveling to get an abortion, nor does the bill block coverage of transition surgeries for transgenders and hormone treatments. ----The Israeli security minister says his ministry is now approving up to 3,000 gun applications per day.----The Biden administration is considering getting behind new restrictions on who can seek asylum and an expanded deportation process to secure new aid for Ukraine and Israel in the supplemental funding bill.----A young, male, African migrant expressed his gratitude to President Biden for the opportunity at a better life in the U.S. Jim provided the audio.----President Putin of Russia arrived in the Middle East where he's meeting with the leaders of the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia to shore up support from the major oil producers.----The House Judiciary Committee passed a bill to reform FISA. ----The U.N. Human Rights Bureaucracy released a scathing report last month slamming America as a bastion of horrors.----Former Speaker Kevin McCarthy will be retiring from Congress at the end of this year.

Dr. Richard Schmidt is pastor of Union Grove Baptist Church and founder of Prophecy Focus Ministries. He is the speaker on the weekly TV program, Prophecy Focus and the radio broadcast, Prophecy Unfolding. He spent 32 years in law enforcement including that of acting sheriff of Milwaukee County until his retirement. He's authored several books including- Are You Going to a Better Place--, Daniel's Gap Paul's Mystery, Tribulation to Triumph- The Olivet Discourse, Globalism- The Great World Consumption and Artificial Intelligence, Transhumanism and the De-Evolution of Democracy.--It's been 60 days since Hamas brutally attacked Israel. Dr. Schmidt believes the reason so many are jumping on the pro-Palestinian bandwagon at this time is because we're forgetting the barbaric-horrific things that Hamas did 60 days ago. He described what they did as an animalistic attack that's demonic in its nature.--As proof, Jim presented audio clips. One is from State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller, who responded to the raping of Israeli women by Hamas as a weapon of war. The other was from Jimmy Pacheco. Before being taken hostage, he was living in a Kibbutz as a caretaker for an elderly man who had been immediately killed by Hamas.--As this broadcast progressed, Dr. Schmidt commented on the following---- V.P. Kamala Harris and her statements concerning Israel's right to defend itself and how she and the president see Israel's responsibility to Palestinian citizens.--- What the IDF is doing about the Hamas tunnel system. --- How the IDF communicated with Palestinians to help save lives. --- The Arrow missile system that shot down a ballistic missile in outer space.

As Israel's war against Hamas rages, we continue to see pro-Hamas-pro-Palestinian uprisings around the world and in the U.S. Through all this the media has been all too willing to bow to the narrative presented by the enemies of Israel, even blaming Israel for bombing a hospital and carrying out the October 7th attack on their own people.--Pastor Jim Scudder Jr. just returned from Israel to document the story. Jim is pastor of Quentin Road Baptist Church in Lake Zurich, Illinois. He's an author and is speaker on the program InGrace which airs both on WVCY Television and VCY.tv on the VCY America Radio Network and on other facilities across the country.--Having led so many trips to Israel, Pastor Scudder felt compelled to go back and see first-hand, what was taking place. While there, he wanted to document what he experienced and come back and present the true story, in contrast to America's media, which he believes is slanted against Israel.--You'll hear about his experience flying in, why he believes this is a five-way war, his ride with an ambulance driver -Why this driver doesn't wear a seat belt--, audio clips from his experience, information on the InGrace bookmark to show your support for Israel, how you can see the finished TV program of the trip and more.

On many occasions, individuals will do something so that they remember a significant life event. The Israelites gathered stones as they crossed the Jordan River. With the stones, they built a monument so that when future generations asked what the stones meant, they would hear of how God led them through and provided for them.--We also put up monuments, not to worship, but to remember individuals or events that have impacted our nation in a significant way. Unfortunately, it's these statues and monuments that are under attack. Why is this happening----To address this issue, Crosstalk welcomed Dr. Tim Schmig. Dr. Schmig is executive director of the Michigan Association of Christian Schools, director of Stories in Stone and author of Stories in Stones- Our Heritage of Evidence.--So why is there such a concerted effort to remove statues and monuments today-- Dr. Schmig believes part of it is because people today are looking back through the lens of their own personal experiences, therefore they view our nation's founders based upon what's known as -presentism.- In other words, they weigh the actions and productivity of the founders -and others who've gone on before us- based on what they believe is right today.--As he noted, none of us are perfect, including America's founders. The present day protesters that tear down monuments aren't perfect either. So if you look at our nation through the lens of idealism, we'll be weighed in the balances and found wanting. Yet if you look at America's history based upon the times that they lived in, you'll see that those individuals did some amazing things.

Jim began this edition of Crosstalk with special information from the Friends of Israel. In light of the recent violence that's taken place against Israel and also the increasing antisemitism taking place here is the U.S., FOI is calling on Christians nationwide to show their support for Israel and the Jewish people. --FOI is requesting that Christians light a candle in their window at sundown on the first night of Hanukkah, December 7th, and to keep it there through sundown on December 15th. --Go to foi.org-shine and you can print a special sign and affix it to your window right next to your candle. One says, -We Support Israel- and the other says, -Shining This Light For Israel.- --We must not forget the barbarism an atrocities that took place on October 7th as Hamas, in accordance with their charter, seeks to eradicate Israel. --Perhaps the best reminder of this is to listen to 45 year old Mosab Hassan Yousef. Mosab is the son of the co-founder of Hamas. He defected from the group in the late 1990's and began secretly working with Israel's security services to expose and to prevent several terrorist attacks by Hamas. His goal is to expose the true face of Hamas and their genocidal death-call.--In a speech before the United Nations two weeks ago today, Mosab presented a very serious warning. He explained how he's seen a lot of division, confusion, hatred and misinformation, while everyone speaks on behalf of the children and the innocent. He indicated he's unsure of their real intentions, but said that he can speak on the authority of a Palestinian child because he's someone who grew up in that culture.

From Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to the far corners of the globe, Crosstalk brings news items to listeners each Friday to keep you informed. Here's a sample of what was shared this week-----Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Israel seemingly in part to push for an extension of the Israel-Hamas cease-fire. Since that time, rockets fired by Hamas triggered an end to this week-long pause. Fighting resumed after Israel accused Hamas of violating the truce agreement. After Hamas began firing rockets into southern Israel, the Israel Defense Forces resumed bombing in Gaza City. ----According to an Iranian official, Hamas has only used 10-12- of its military arsenal so far in the war against Israel.----Roni Kriboy managed to escape from terrorists who held him hostage in the Gaza Strip, but ordinary Gazans returned him to his captors.----Hamas terrorists kidnapped children and were trained to create a specific sign on their bodies. They would put one of the legs of the child on a hot motorcycle exhaust creating a -brand- on their bodies. This mark would help identify them if they attempted to escape. ----Israeli President Isaac Herzog told -X- owner Elon Musk that his platform needed to do more to fight and combat anti-Jewish hate as Musk visited Israel on a goodwill visit.----Tuesday evening the House voted to reaffirm Israel's right to exist.----Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer -who is Jewish- ripped the political left in a speech from the Senate floor Wednesday over its overt antisemitism in the days following the October 7th attack. Jim provided audio from the speech.