Latest / Beliefs, Ballots, And BullDawgs / Friday July 17, 2026
Transcript
- Greg: Hey, what's up guys? Welcome back to Beliefs Ballots and Bulldogs. Today is Friday, July 17th, 2026. I know we're all happy it's a Friday. ⁓ heading into this weekend, we're gonna talk a little bit about a ⁓ a message about unsung heroes. The the story is from the book of Nehemiah. Nehemiah is obviously known for rebuilding the the wall. ⁓ but we're gonna talk about some of the other folks that that you don't know their name and think about like who Who were some unsung heroes that you've never heard of? Who's the greatest hero that you may have never heard of? You know, history books they celebrate kings and leaders and presidents. We remember generals from the big wars, great athletes. We remember celebrities and performers. But what about all those people who who really had a major impact on things, but history never mentions them by name? The mother who just quietly raised her children to love Christ in the right way. The father who who works long hours comes home exhausted and and still knelt beside his his kids' bed to pray with them at night. ⁓ the Sunday school teacher who who invested in one little boy who later became a pastor and and led many to Christ. The faithful friend who who stayed by your side when everybody else turned their back on you and walked away. The the neighbor who never made any headlines but just lived a quiet life of integrity. Most of us were never meant to be famous and And that's okay. We we need to we live in a world where everybody is is taught to to search for the limelight and to look for the accolades and the recognition. And and again, I understand the hypocrisy is somebody who is literally recording himself right now to to try to get some acknowledgement that somebody out there is listening to this. But some of us aren't meant to be leaders. Some of us are just meant to keep our heads down and do what God called us to do. And and that may not lead to to notoriety or fame, but that's perfectly okay. God has has done some of his greatest work in in people that were barely noticed. I said we mentioned the the stories from Nehemiah. The the the main verse we want to focus on is from chapter four, verse six. And so we rebuilt the wall till all of it reached half its height, for the people worked with all of their heart. Just one verse, one one simple sentence, but but hidden in it is is ⁓ what I think is a a very beautiful truth here. You know, when when people think about the the story of Nehemiah, obviously we think of Nehemiah himself. We think of that one man, a great leader, a a visionary, a a man of courage, and and rightly so. He he deserves the recognition. But But here's the question: Nehemiah didn't do it all by himself. Who who actually picked up and carried all those stones? Who mixed the mortar? Who hauled the timber? Who who cut their hands? And who who dealt with injuries and setbacks and all of the things that came with with such a project? Who came back the next morning after after being ridiculed and harassed? Who kept laying brick after brick when they weren't being celebrated? They weren't be applauded? We don't know. We we don't know those names. Most of those names were never recorded in in the history of the Bible. You know, history remembers Nehemiah. But heaven remembers everyone that contributed, everyone that built. And that's that's the point we want to make here today: you know, faithfulness doesn't need or require any sort of spotlight. You know, our and it's a sad thing. And our culture tends to lead us to believe that if people don't notice you, then your life doesn't matter. And God says exactly the opposite: the kingdom of God has always been built by ordinary people doing ordinary things with an extraordinary level of faithfulness. The world celebrates visibility. God celebrates faithfulness. And think about it, like someone, someone cleans the church before you arrive Sunday morning. Somebody prepares the lesson. Somebody prays over that service. Somebody's greeting you at the door when you walk in. And most of them will never stand on the stage or get behind a microphone. But the kingdom doesn't move forward without them. They are just as important. God's work has always relied on faithful people whose names will just never make the headlines. You know, Nehemiah says in in in chapter four, verse six that people worked with all of their heart. Nobody was working half-heartedly, they weren't working when it was convenient, and they weren't working only when someone was watching or acknowledging what they were doing. They simply kept laying bricks, one after another. And you know, can I tell you, you know, the the secret is that's that's usually how God works, one prayer at a time, one right. act at a time, one act of forgiveness, one encouraging conversation, just one honest day's work at a time. You know, it it we all want dramatic moments. We all want those big, glorified moments where we feel things change around us. But more often than not, God builds lasting legacies through just ordinary day-to-day faithfulness. We we live in a world that's you know just obsessed with like I said be being seen and being visible and we all obsess over followers and lights and views and recognition. And again, I practically beg y'all to share this so I can get more recognition. ⁓ and it's because I want to share the word. We we've been conditioned to believe that if nobody notices what we're doing, then it must not be important. Scripture just continues to tell a different story, however. It celebrates the the widow who just gave two small coins. It it celebrates the little boy who offered the the five loaves and the two fish. You know, we celebrate a a lowly shepherd named David way before he ever became became the king. You know, and and most of Jesus' disciples, they were they were ordinary men just going about their business before he found them. You know, so again and again in the Bible, you know, God reminds us that that your significance isn't measured by the applause around you. It's it's measured directly by your level of faithfulness. You know, when talking to talking to other parents out there, you know. Some days it feels like all you're doing is just just getting by, just doing the things you have to do, packing the lunches, driving to practice, helping with homework, paying bills, doing laundry, and then boom, it all starts over again tomorrow. And you can you can feel somewhat invisible. You can feel like you you're not appreciated, like you're not seen. But never underestimate the the power in those moments. You're you're laying bricks and every prayer for your children is just another brick. Every hard conversation rooted in love is just another brick you're laying. Every time they see you forgive somebody. That's another brick. And every time they watch you open your Bible or get down on your knees and pray, that's another brick. And one day you're going to look back and realize that you you weren't just raising children. You were building your own legacy by how you raised them. And here's the part, you know, the the gospel, here's here's the part that moves me the most is Jesus lived much of his life in total obscurity. You know, for for the better part of thirty years or so, he he wasn't known. There were no crowds following him, no miracles recorded, no elements of public ministry, just just quiet faithfulness. He was just going about his business, he was working, he was serving, he was preparing. If if the Son of God was willing to spend 30 years in hidden obedience, then why do we think that every single act of faithfulness needs to be noticed, recognized, and celebrated? God is in no way impressed by the size of our audience. And for that I'm grateful. He's looking at the condition of our hearts. As we head into the weekend, let's let's stop looking for the recognition and the acknowledgement and let's start chasing just pure faithfulness. Ask yourself, where where has God placed me to build something? Who has God entrusted into my care? What brick can I faithfully lay today? Don't worry about building the entire wall. Just lay today's brick. That's all we're ever asked to do. Lay today's brick and then tomorrow lay another. Before long, you'll start to see that you you've built something. You've built something, something beautiful through just ordinary day-to-day obedience. One day every every trophy, every physical thing on this earth is gonna gather dust. Every title that you've ever possessed will be passed to someone else. Every headline written will soon be forgotten. But the prayers you prayed and the children you discipled and that friend that you may have helped encourage along the way, or even a stranger you may have helped, the the quiet acts of obedience and faithfulness that never got recognized and never got applauded, those are the types of things that heaven never forgets. So, you know, as we sit here, and you know, if you've ever wondered whether whether your quiet faithfulness matters, then then hear Nehemiah's words again. So we rebuilt the wall for the people worked with all of their heart, not just Nehemiah. The people, the unnamed builders, the unsung heroes, people just like you and me, people just laying brick by brick, people that just kept showing up faithfully. So just keep showing up. The world may never know your name, and that's okay. God does, and believe me, that's more than enough. I do want to changing gears a little bit, I do want to take a few minutes to to talk about the the President Trump's speech last night. ⁓ obviously anybody that follows me ⁓ here or on social media or anywhere knows I I lean a certain way politically, and obviously I'm not trying to hide from that. But I don't want to take this from a right-wrong perspective. I I don't want to take this in the direction that that most people are are gonna take it. I I don't wanna say that that Trump was right and the media was corrupt, and I don't want to say that that Trump was wrong and the media was responsible to to do what they've done. All all of that's too easy, that's too predictable, and then that's that's what everybody's doing. And honestly, that's part of the problem of the country. It's it's not which side are we taking, it's the fact that we even have to have sides, that that there's just no trust. It it's like everybody already knows what their side is supposed to say before we ever even hear the facts, or certainly before we verify those facts. So today I want to ask a a much deeper question, and it's simply this can can we as a nation, can we as a country survive if nobody trusts elections, nobody trusts the media and Beyond all that, if nobody trusts each other, ⁓ that that's where we are. Like we are in a no-trust, zero trust society, and that is a very dangerous thing. You know, last night the the speech was inherently about election insecurity and and foreign interference and voter ID and proof of citizens, all the stuff we you know, mail-in ballots, all the stuff we we've been hearing about for for years. And and depending on which way you lead, you probably heard two completely different speeches last night. ⁓ some some of us heard a a president exposing some some serious threats to to our election processes. ⁓ and then other others just heard ⁓ an old man, you know, regurgitating old grievances and and harboring ill will towards the media. You know, some some were angry that some of the major networks chose to not carry ⁓ the speech live. I mean 20, 25, 30 years ago, it would be unheard of if if the president of the United States was giving a nationally televised speech that any of the major news companies wouldn't carry it. I remember them busting into whatever I was trying to watch that night to make me watch the president speak, and I didn't want to be part of it back then. But nowadays we've got major news outlets not even carrying a presidential speech. You know, and and then some, I said the those on the other side were. You know, they they support that. Don't give him airtime. Don't don't let him make these dis disingenuous claims. And you know, that's just it's a sad thing, but that's that's where we are in America right now. It was it was the same speech, it was the same words, and we are the same country, and yet we saw it and lived it through two totally different realities. And that's the part that's that should mu concern us the most. It's not just Republicans, it's not just Democrats, it's not just conservatives versus liberals, it's not just voters. As Christians, because The issue underneath of this is a lack of reverence for the truth. Election integrity matters, media integrity matters, the government integrity matters, but personal integrity matters more than all of this. If if we only demand truth, and we've talked about this before, if we only demand truth from the other side, then we're not really in love with the truth. We're just in in love with the advantage it gives us. So that's that's where we want to start. I look, we all well, we all say we want secure election, we want clean voter rolls. I don't think there should be any argument that we should only want American citizens voting in American elections. I support voter ID. I want true transparency. I want ballots counted honestly. I want foreign interference exposed and done away with. I want our election systems to be trusted and protected from the hacking and the manipulation and the corruption that we've all seen in the last few years. None of this should be controversial. a a a serious country should take its election security very seriously, because franc quite frankly, if If people don't trust the election process, then the whole system, the foundation of the entire system is cracking from there. You can't have a functional republic where half the country believes the process is rigged before the votes are ever counted. ⁓ Election integrity matters. You see what's happening out in California, it's it's just nuts. But the other side of this matters too. Claims matter, evidence matters, honesty, and truth matters. If if someone says foreign governments compromise voter data, we need to know this. We need to know exactly what happened, and it doesn't need to be obfuscated and covered up and spread around with some narrative. If if someone is saying that intelligence agencies were hiding information, that needs to be uncovered. We need transparency there. If someone says voting machines are vulnerable to being hacked, that needs to be investigated. We need to determine if that's the accurate truth or not. If someone says non-citizens are owned voter rolls, Let's show the evidence. Let's clean it up and get them off. Nobody should have a problem with this. But the problem is, extraordinary claims require more than just making the claim and waiting for the waiting for the applause from your side. It requires proof. And proving your claim is in no way an element of weakness. It's wisdom. You know, go back to one of the greatest books of all time, Proverbs chapter 18, verse 17, says: The one who states his case first seems right until the other comes and examines him. We we used that verse just a week or so ago, and it's perfect for this moment because the first thing you hear can sound very convincing. The first headline can shape your opinion, the the first clip can fire you up. The first claim obviously can feel very very true, like it fits the the narrative, if especially if it's what you already believe. But as we've talked about on this show, wisdom says slow down, examine it, seek the truth. Don't just believe something because it helps your side or helps your argument. And don't automatically reject something just because it comes from someone you dislike. Don't let politics convince you to turn your brain off. And, you know, right now that's a real temptation for a lot of us. You know, on one side, there are there are people who think every concern about election integrity or anything is some sort of conspiracy theory. Conspiracy theory. Easy for me to say. And that's that's just foolish. Election integrity is in no way a conspiracy issue. It this is a basic civic responsibility. We have to have trust in our elections. Every country should care about who votes and how votes are counted and whether the systems are secure, whether voter rolls are accurate, and and whether foreign governments are trying to interfere. think we would not. Why would we not want to do something if China or Russia or someone else is interfering in our elections? They should have no say so in who's running our country. That's all legitimate concerns. But on the other side, there there are people who, you know, assume that every claim from their preferred leader, you know, must be true because we don't trust the media. I look. I would in no way say that everything that comes out of Donald Trump's mouth is true and accurate. We all know that's not the case. He's playing narratives just like the other side. And this is what's so dangerous. You know, distrusting the media doesn't make every counterclaim to what the media says true. Media biases can be real, and they in fact are, but any claim still needs evidence to back it up. Institutions can be dishonest, and they are, but that doesn't mean that both sides aren't exaggerating things. You know, the press can be selective. And they are, but that doesn't mean that that those on our side don't sometimes say things that need to be fact-checked as well. All of these things can be true. And this is where I think as Christians we have to be very, very careful. You know, we we've talked about it on a recent episode. We're not called to be gullible, and we're not called to be cynical. We're called to be people of the truth. Proverbs chapter 11, verse 1 says, A false balance is an abomination to the Lord, but a just weight is his delight. It's about honesty, it's about fairness. It's about a few ⁓ refusing to rig the scales. I think America right now is is full of people using false balances and counterweights right now. We weigh claims differently depending on who makes them, and that's just not not gonna be a way we can move forward. If our side says it, we we give it grace. If if their side says it, we demand proof. If if our side makes a mistake, we we call it context. If their side makes a mistake, we label it corruption. If our side exaggerates or or uses hyperbole, we just call it passion. If their side does it, then we call it propaganda. And again, this this creates a false balance and and God hates false balances. Not just in business, not just in court, but but in our heart. So if if let's talk about this from a media piece, you know, several major news networks did not air Trump's speech last night on their main channels. ⁓ you know, others aired it and then reportedly cut away for some fact checks and You you can see why people are frustrated because these these are major world-shaping events and we're all being being sent a different picture of a different story. You know, a a a sitting president gives a prime time speech about election integrity and foreign interference and certain major networks decide not to carry it. That's just hard for even for me to even comprehend. That's, you know, to me and and and most others, that's that's got to look like some element of gatekeeping. It looks like The media whose job is to tell us the truth and let us make formed decisions. I mean, this sounds like the media is is trying to decide what the public is allowed to hear. You know, it looks like the same institutions that that claim to defend democracy all the time are refusing to let people hear directly from the elected president. I mean, the the anger here is understandable. You know, media distrust has not just come out of nowhere. This is not some false and fictitious claim. A lot of us ⁓ you know believe that major media outlets have been selective, dismissive, biased, hostile, and sometimes flat out liars ⁓ against conservatives for years. It and it's it's just there's so many instances of it that that you you can prove it. The media has lied so many times to us, and it does seem to happen more in one direction. You know, so they they've earned the distrust. But but it but here's the caution in that, and the answer to media distrust. Is not to just form blind trust in the other direction. The answer to bad journalism is not to remove standards altogether and just trust anybody who says anything. The answer is to be more selective in your fact-checking, ⁓ more selective in your in your determination to seek the truth. You know, we we said it earlier, the the answer to to propaganda is not counter-propaganda. The answer to anything is and always will be the truth. We talk about it all the time. The truth is the answer. If if the networks refuse to air a speech because they they find that or they believe that the claims may be dangerous or misleading, then they should say that. They should be honest and transparent about that. And if they air it, then they should absolutely cover it and and fact check it fairly and accurately. But as citizens, we we also have a responsibility. We We can't outsource the the truth to networks or to social media or to the podcasters we listen to. You know, we have to be keeping. We have to be the types of people who care enough to ask the follow-up questions and to ask better questions. You know, what exactly was claimed here? What what evidence was offered towards the claim? What did the original documents actually show? What do the intelligence assessments say? What part is proven versus what part is just alleged? What part of this is just political framing or narrative? What part of this needs more investigation and further information? Those are those are the questions that as as mature and and biblical citizens, that's that's what we should be asking. But instead, ⁓ too many of us too often just start with, well, you know, what team is it on? Did my side say it? All right, I believe it. Did their side say it? No, it can't be true. That that's that's not discernment. That's that's a reflex. A a tribal reflex is is absolutely destroy just destroying our ability to think right now. We are so tribal and so, you know. defending of our side that that we don't think or seek the truth anymore. And this is this is damaging to to our witnesses Christians. I get called out all the time for for my beliefs and people go, well, how can you believe, you know, profess to be a Christian and vote for Trump? I mean, I look at it the other way. How could you be a Christian and vote the other way? But it's it it destroys my ability to witness because people know who I voted for and they hold that against me as a Christian. You know, how can how can we claim to follow Jesus who who called himself to the truth If we only love truth when when it's convenient for our side, you know, we we said this, and and I hate to be repetitive, but Jesus said, He did not say, he said, I am the way, the truth, and the light. He did not say, I am the way, the talking point, and the political advantage. That's because quite simply, and I feel like I'm beating a dead horse here, the truth is what matters to God. And that means that we as Christians, we we can't be people who spread claims that that we haven't examined just because they they make our side look good. ⁓ we can't be people who dismiss claims from the other side as fake just because it makes us a little bit uncomfortable. We can't be the kind of people who only demand election security when we lose. Does that sound familiar? ⁓ and we can't be the kind of people who only demand evidence from our enemies. They claims demand evidence regardless of which side they come from. That's what Christianity is. It's determining the truth regardless of where it comes from. You know, we've got to be we've got to be better. Now now let me say this clearly. Election security is a very serious matter. It is it is not anti democratic to want voter ID. It is not hateful to want somebody to prove their citizenship. And it's not extreme to want clean and accurate voter rolls. It's not unreasonable for us to worry about election interference from foreign countries or anything. And it's also not conspiracy-minded just to simply question whether our elections are fair and accurate and secure. Those are all very reasonable concerns in what professes to be a free country. But it's also reasonable to say that if you're going to make those types of claims, then they need to be proven. It's reasonable to say that all allegations need to be examined. It's reasonable to say that leaders need to be more careful with their words because the way that they're choosing to speak right now is absolutely weakening our trust in the system. Trust is very fragile. And, you know, once people believe the system is vague, it's it it It's hard to rebuild confidence. A fake system just isn't gonna work. Once b once people start to really believe that the institutions are all lying to them, we we don't just become free thinkers. If side A has lied to me repeatedly, then I'm just inclined to believe side B automatically, and that's just as dangerous. ⁓ you know, people ⁓ think that especially in today's world, it it seems like people think that automatically distrusting everything makes you wise. And fact is like as we've talked about, sometimes being that distrusting can just make you more vulnerable to the other side. If you trust nothing, you can still be fooled by the person who who tells you what you want to hear. And that's why that's why cynicism is is not the same thing as discernment. Discernment seeks truth. Cynicism is always going to assume some sort of corruption. ⁓ discernment asks the questions. Cynicism thinks it already knows the answer. Discernment is humble. Cynicism is very smug. And Christians can't confuse the two. We we do know, you know, we what we know with a speech like last night, I I think we know three things. First, We know we need to take election security seriously. We we can't mock people for wanting secure elections. We we can't dismiss voter ID as some sort of outrageous idea. And and we can't pretend like interference in elections is is an impossible thing. We can't act like, you know, all of our concerns over voter rolls and mail-in ballots and these these crazy systems, we we can't pretend like we're automatically crazy for worrying about these. A country that cannot secure its elections simply cannot maintain trust. The second thing we know is that we have to take truth seriously. We can't believe every claim just because it becomes someone like it ⁓ just because it comes from someone we like, and we can't reject everything just because it comes from the an outlet we don't trust. We can't share clips without context. We we can't treat allegations as evidence. And and we can't treat confidence as as proof. You know, people say things in a in a very confident manner all the time, and they're just as ignorant as they can be. They have no idea what they're talking about, but they will speak in a manner of confidence to make you believe them. I if something happens, let's expose it, let's be transparent. If somebody broke the law, let's prosecute them. If agencies hid information, let's bring it to light, let's investigate them and find it. If if systems are vulnerable, then let's fix them. It's simple. But let's do this with evidence, let's do this with honesty, and let's do it with a just weight, like the Bible calls us to do. The third thing we know is we we take our own hearts very seriously. You know, this is this is not just about Trump. It's not just about CNN or Fox or ABC or CBS or any of those. It's it's about us. It's about what kind of people are we becoming? Are are we becoming people who seek and love the truth, or are we becoming people who just love winning? And I'm afraid we become too much of the latter. We just we place winning and power over the truth. You know, are are we became are we becoming the type of people who who in this tumultuous environment with with all of the misinformation, are we are we making that force us to examine things more carefully? Or are we just becoming like everybody else and just reacting quickly and emotionally to what we read? Are are we becoming citizens who can handle hard information as long as it's true? Or are we partisans who only want confirmation that we were right to start with? Are we becoming Christians whose allegiance to truth is stronger than our allegiance to party? That's the real test here. Because if we only care about honesty when it hurts the other side, then we don't care about honesty at all. If we only care about election integrity when we lose, then we don't care about integrity at all. And if we only care about media bias when our side is harmed, then we're not looking for true fairness. We're just looking for power on our side. We all love an advantage and and scripture doesn't call us to be people of advantage. It calls us to be people of truth. So yeah, demand secure elections, demand clean voter rolls, demand citizenship verification, demand transparency, demand protection from foreign interference, demand honest vote counting, and demand serious investigations where credible concerns are presented. But also demand the truth from your side as well. Demand careful claims from your leaders. Demand evidence before outrage. Demand integrity before applause. Demand honesty before victory. A lie doesn't become righteous just because it helps your side. No matter how much you believe your side is the right side, lying to get your way isn't isn't righteous. And truth doesn't become optional just because it may hurt your candidate. You don't hide the truth just because it might hurt you. And that's where we have to stand as Christians. There is no mushy middle. There's no pretending that every side is equally right or equally wrong on every issue. And that's what we like to do right now. We like to play that that both sides is and say, well, their side does it, so it's okay that we do it. And that's that's not standing firmly on the truth. If if Trump is right about what he said and and specific election vulnerabilities, then then we need to to expose them with complete transparency and get them fixed. If if the media is is suppressing you know suppressing information and and selectively feeding us up, then we need to call it out and prove it. If if networks are are applying different standards, then we need to prove it. If intelligence agencies are hiding important information, then we need to bring that to the light. We have to have systems we can trust. But if all of these claims are exaggerated or unproven or just politically framed for the narrative, then we need to be honest about that too. Truth doesn't need to be protected with lies. It never does. Just like election integrity doesn't need to pre be protected by sloppy claims. Conservatism doesn't mean gullibility. And Christianity certain certainly can't mean tribal dishonesty. So the question for the day as we wrap up this topic is: you know, can we be the kind of people who really want secure elections and honest claims? Can we be the kind of people who distrust biased media without blindly trusting politicians on our side? Can we be the kind of people who demand accountability from institutions on our side as well as the other side? Can we be the kind of people who care more about the truth than winning the next argument? Because yes, a free country does need secure elections, but all of this starts with we need more truthful people. We we need citizens who can hear hard claims without losing their minds. We we need leaders who speak carefully and truthfully. We need media that covers everything fairly and with a just weight. And we need voters who think critically and examine the the the issues and really demand the truth before they cast a vote. You know, Christians need to refuse to bow down to the team idol. And and it's hard right now, but we can't just stay on our side when it's convenient. You know, we we can't let Our political leanings decide our level of honesty. So don't let the media distrust make you gullible and believe the other side just because it's against the media. Don't let your love for your side become stronger than your love for the truth. Demand secure elections. We have to demand honest media, demand transparency and accountability. But start with this: Lord, make me a truthful person. Because if truth doesn't matter in our own parts, it'll never matter in politics. And if truth only matters when it helps us win, then we've already lost something far more important than an election. As always, guys, get in your Bibles, say your prayers, love one another, and tell the truth. God bless.