Your spouse is a gift. Your kids are a gift. Your family is a gift.
But none of them were ever meant to carry the weight of being your everything.
When we expect people to satisfy what only Jesus can, we don't just disappoint ourselves—we place a burden on them they were never created to bear.
This is how you fake a funeral. When Khomeini was finally buried last week, Iranian state TV showed what looked like oceans of people weeping and wailing as they supposedly mourn the loss of this beloved leader.
This was a propaganda ploy at its highest level. This is a regime that silenced its own people by cutting the nation's internet for 88 days, that lock out foreign journalists, while they dragged their own people in the streets and killed over 40,000 of them.
The real, actual, reputable reporters can't get a visa, but influencers that they're paying get the red carpet treatment. Why? Because this was never a funeral. This was a production. So here's what the cameras didn't show you. The overwhelming majority of the Iranians that are living in Iran want this regime gone.
This funeral was a propaganda ploy to make it look as though the nation was in mourning.
If you've got to pay people to show up for your funeral, people aren't really mourning your loss. This was just the fabricated propaganda of a regime that's on its heels.
Who are you when no one is watching?
That's the question that reveals your true character.
Integrity is giving your best effort in practice, being honest when no one would know the difference, and choosing what's right even when it's hard.
Champions aren't defined by the scoreboard alone. They're defined by the choices they make when no one is keeping score.
The same is true in our walk with Christ.
God sees every act of faithfulness, every quiet moment of obedience, and every decision to honor Him—even when no one else notices.
Play the game with integrity. Live your life with integrity.
Because who you are in private will always shape who you become in public.
#integrity
#livewithintegrity
#thedotrichardsonshow
My father’s conversion story is a testament of my mom and sister’s readiness to stay remain steadfast in showing and sharing the gospel with my dad. Im so thankful for their witness.
Freedom isn’t free.
Years ago, I was watching Saving Private Ryan in a theater when, during the opening D-Day battle scene, an elderly man sitting in front of me suddenly shouted to his friend:
“This is just like when we were there.”
After the movie was over, I asked them if they had indeed fought in D day and they had. In fact, one had lost his younger brother that day in that gruesome battle.
In an instant, history became personal.
Their sacrifice filled my heart with gratitude.
In an even greater way, when we fix our eyes on the cross of Christ, we are reminded of the greatest battle ever fought. At Calvary, Jesus faced sin, death, and hell itself. not for His sake, but for ours.
The freedom we enjoy as Americans was purchased by the sacrifice of brave men and women. This for all
Americans is a reminder to be thankful of our American citizenship.
On a grander scale, the freedom we enjoy as Christians was purchased by the sacrifice of the Son of God. This for all Christians is a reminder to be thankful for our eternal citizenship.
D-Day changed the course of history.
Calvary changed eternity.
May we never take either for granted.
We saw more students make decisions for Jesus this week at Crossroads than ANY OTHER WEEK in our 31 years of camp.
•328 salvations
•132 called to ministry
AWAKENING!!
Happy 250th, America!
Celebrating 250 years of independence and the enduring ideals of liberty, opportunity, and justice that shape our nation.
Since our nation's founding, Marines have upheld these ideals around the world, serving with honor, courage, and commitment.
Today, we honor the freedom they defend and the nation we’re proud to serve.
#July4th #FREEDOM250 #USMC