To Keep You From Sin

By Bill Bright

Carl, a Christian leader who had made a mess of his life, wept as he shared his defeat.  “As a young Christian,” he said, “I was warned that God’s Word would keep me from sin, or sin would keep me from God’s Word.

“For many years,” he continued, “I studied and obeyed God’s Word faithfully.  A few years ago, I became very busy and took less and less time for God’s Word.  So, when temptation came, I had no strength to resist.  Now my life and marriage have disintegrated, and I am thinking of committing suicide.”

If you do not already have a daily practice of spending time alone with God – studying, reading, memorizing and meditating on His Word  and spending time with Him in prayer – I encourage you to do so, beginning today.  The spiritual food of God’s Word is absolutely essential for victorious, supernatural living.  Great benefit can be found in listening to recordings of the Old and New Testaments, sermons and Christian music.  Now days you can listen at home, in your car and as you travel.

Scientist and health nutritionists confirm that our physical well-being is largely determined by the food we eat.  For example, many people cannot tolerate high quantities of refined foods, such as sugar, white flour, and chocolate.  When they eat such foods, they become seriously ill physically, mentally, and emotionally.  Some have even been known to develop criminal tendencies because of what is often diagnosed as hypoglycemia, caused by poor nutrition.

In like manner, our spiritual bodies are influenced by what we absorb from God’s Word and other scripturally based writings.  It is impossible to be happy, healthy, strong, virile, and fruitful for God without a regular intake from the Word of God.

“How can a young man stay pure?  By reading Your Word and following its rules.  I have tried my best to find You – don’t let me wander off from Your instructions.  I have thought much about Your words, and stored them in my heart so that they would hold me back from sin.”  -Psalm 119:9-11

ACTION POINT:  I will determine, with the help of the Holy Spirit, to set aside time each day to read the Bible and pray and wait upon God for His leading and maturing in my life.

By Bill Bright

©2024 Copyright Bright Media Foundation

My Cancer Journey: What's Worked

NOTE: In my podcast this week, CANCER: What I've Done Right and What I've Done Wrong, I said I would post the non-traditional things I've done to combat my cancer. Here you go:

Eighteen months ago, my doctor said, “Brad, you have stage 4 metastatic cancer. We can’t cure you.” That got my attention!

When I started this journey with prostate cancer three years ago, I was highly skeptical of alternative medicine. However, I’ve been doing a lot of reading since then.

In recent years, many licensed medical doctors have been conducting their own research.  They are exploring alternatives that the pharmaceutical companies will never study because there is no money in it.

If pharmaceuticals must invest a half-billion dollars to bring a drug to market, they are not going to study how to repurpose an existing drug that is already widely available. Like with any publicly held company, they have to make a profit for their shareholders—or go broke. So, instead of complaining about “greedy” pharmaceutical companies, simply recognize their strengths & weaknesses. They do a lot of good, but they are not designed to do everything.  

So, now I have embraced some forms of alternative medicine along with traditional Western medicine. I try to balance an open mind with a healthy dose of skepticism.

There are a lot of natural substances out there, in addition to standard chemo and radiation, that attack cancer from a number of different angles. Some are cancer inhibitors. Some are cancer killers called cytotoxins. Some are found in traditional medicine; some are found in non-traditional medicine.

Here is one of the first non-traditional options I took a chance on.

I was told about the Research Genetic Cancer Centre (RGCC) in Greece. You send them a blood sample. They isolate, extract and replicate the cancerous T-cells into the billions. Then they begin to test various substances on the T-cells. They test both traditional forms of chemo, as well as non-traditional substances. They evaluate and categorize based on two criteria: 1) substances that INHIBIT the growth of the cancer; 2) substances that KILL the cancer. And they assign a percentage rating to each substance based on how effectively it either inhibits or kills your specific cancer T-cells.

The huge downside is it is expensive, and insurance does not cover it.

Here is what they discovered for my specific cancer. High dose, intravenous Vitamin C and Curcumin are just as effective against my cancer as any traditional form of chemotherapy for prostate cancer. I promise you, I never saw that coming. It has opened up numerous additional options.

The lab also listed some other substances I had never heard of like Artimisinin, Vascustatin and Apigenen. Vascustatin and Apigenin are pretty safe. Artimisinin rated as highly effective against my prostate cancer, however if can also cause significant hearing loss, so I will only add it if the other options aren’t getting the job done.

I also added one other very novel substance into the mix. It is not one the lab in Greece evaluated, but I heard about it from friends around the country who have successfully overcome cancer: Fenbendazole, commonly known as FenBen. It’s a cattle dewormer. It works much like chemo without all the horrible side effects. In my case, it seems to be causing minor hair loss. The only thing you have to watch very carefully are the levels in the liver. So, I make sure my doctors order a full liver panel every time I have blood work done. So far, so good. At the very least I know I don’t have worms. A year’s supply costs me about $200. Now you know why pharmaceuticals will NEVER study it.

However, keep in mind that one size does not fit all. Everyone is different, so do your research, but don’t let fear keep you from coloring outside the lines. Seek to understand the strengths and weaknesses of traditional Western medicine and alternative medicine. And keep your doctors in the loop! If they laugh at you, laugh with them. One of my doctors now calls me his guinea pig. I listen closely to his advice, but I call the shots.

By the way, when the doctor told me I was terminal 18 months ago, the cancer had spread throughout the lymph nodes in my abdomen. By last June they were almost entirely gone. The standard medical protocols I was taking only stop the cancer from spreading, but they don’t kill it. Hmm.

So, what made the difference? During those eight months I was also taking high doses of Vitamin C, Curcumin, Vascustatin and Apigenen. Does that prove these substances are effective? No. But is it likely they made a significant difference? I think so. There must be some explanation for why the cancer in my lymph nodes virtually evaporated.

I also cut sugar to near zero since sugar causes inflammation and cancer loves inflammation.

I still have cancer in my hip bone. We zapped it with high dose radiation. The cancer has shrunk by two-thirds.  So far, so good, but I’m not out of the woods yet.

My point is, I am throwing the best of traditional medicine and alternative medicine at my cancer. It all seems to be working.

I am not a doctor. What I have done has worked for me. That doesn’t mean it will work for you. That’s why you need to read, read, and read some more. There are effective non-traditional options out there. But you need to read until you can weed out the fads and money-making schemes from the stuff that has a reasonable chance of helping.

Whatever happens, I know God walks with me through the dark valleys, so I fear no evil. He loves me deeply, so I trust him. But as my coach, he also gives me hard stuff like prostate cancer to help me to trust him even more. As I learn to see the curve balls of life through God’s eyes, each day becomes an exciting adventure. 

If you want to hear more about the lessons I have learned from cancer, go to YouTube, type in Brad Bright Podcast and look for Season 3, episode 6:  CANCER- What I’ve Done Right & What I’ve Done Wrong.

God is the issue in every issue—especially finding peace during the journey of cancer.

©2024 Copyright Brad Bright

Voting Tips for Stewards

The following voting tips are not designed to tell you who to vote for, or what political party to support.  As a follower of Jesus, you are a steward. My goal is to pass on practical information to help you wisely invest the vote He gave you to steward.

How do you decide who to vote for, or who to vote against? Think about that for a moment. Is it their style? Their personality? What they say?  How they say it? Do they seem trustworthy? Maybe fear drives you? Maybe they claim to be a Christian. Maybe they are a member of the political party you tend to agree with. Many factors influence how we vote.

Elections are a billion-dollar industry with a lot at stake. Candidates pay dearly for marketing consultants who understand how to manipulate you, trick you, scare you, woo you and capture your imagination. They also hire skilled coaches who help them package and deliver their public speeches. Some candidates are such persuasive orators they could even fool their own mothers.

My mother was in the Oval Office with President Clinton on the National Day of Prayer in the 1990’s. She did not vote for him. She did not trust him. However, she said the man was so “charming” that had she not been absolutely certain of who she was talking to, she would have easily been sucked in within the first five minutes. I personally know leading pastors who were sucked in by him, who later publicly admitted how they had been duped.

During my days on Capitol Hill, I knew a Republican congressman who was highly respected and known to be a strong evangelical in his home district. He was tall, handsome, extremely smart, well-spoken and knew all the evangelical lingo. However, on Capitol Hill we all knew him to be a self-serving liar.

My point is—never trust the packaging or a silver tongue. It’s like Saruman in The Lord of the Rings—if you listened to him for very long, he could manipulate you with just his voice. The best defense was to just not listen.

So, if you can’t trust a candidate’s words, how do you decide? In the next few paragraphs, I am going to share some tips that can help you cut through verbal mirages.

So, let’s begin. Following are six voting criteria:

1)    INTEGRITY.  Do their words and actions match?  If they don’t, ignore their words and focus exclusively on their actions. Do their words and votes match?  If they don’t, ignore their words and go with their voting record. But be careful, they can even fool you with how they say they vote.

During my days on Capitol Hill in the 80’s, I remember one congressman who went back to his home district in Georgia and told a group of conservatives he voted for Reagan’s Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI). He then told group of liberals he voted against funding SDI. Both were true. He had voted for the initial bill, then voted against funding it.  Pretty shrewd, huh?

2)    TRACK RECORD. “Past behavior is the best predictor of future behavior.” We know people can change, but it’s wise to keep this saying in mind when a candidate’s track record and words diverge. Unless you can clearly identify why the candidate changed, go with their track record. You’ll be right 9 times out of 10. Remember, never underestimate the ability of a skilled politician to deceive you.

3)    ASSOCIATES. First, who are their friends?  Remember the proverb your mother taught you: “You can judge a man by the company he keeps.” There is a lot of wisdom in that saying.

But there is another component to this concept that is just as important.  Who do they hire? In politics there is a widely accepted truism: “Personnel is policy.”  What that means is, no matter what a politician says, the person the candidate chooses to implement the policy is the one who will determine what actually happens. So look as carefully at the track record of the candidate’s chief of staff and key staffers as you do at the candidate. When you hear or see their names, google them.

4)    MONEY.  Money runs politics. As the saying goes, “Follow the Money.”  Who gave money to the candidate?  Who has the candidate give money to? Who has given money to their PAC (if they have one)? Who payrolls or enriches their wife, kids and siblings? For congressmen, senators and the president, it’s often helpful to visit the Federal Elections Commission (FEC) website and look up your candidate. It takes some time, but you can often uncover very interesting financial connections.

One word of caution: many businesspeople often give to both candidates so they can have access after the election no matter who wins. That may be questionable ethics, but it is shrewd. And it is extremely common.

5)    ENDORSEMENTS. Who has endorsed the candidate?  What groups have endorsed the candidate? Oh, and don’t forget, who has the candidate endorsed?  Endorsements are a big clue as to how the candidate will vote after he or she is elected.

6)    WORDS.  “Actions speak louder than words.” It’s true.  Turn down the volume and vote based on the first five points above. I cannot emphasize this point strongly enough.

Here is one piece of advice that is often overlooked.  What is the job description of the position the candidate is vying for? It should make a difference in how you vote.

JOB DESCRIPTION OF A U.S. CONGRESSMAN:

What is the primary job of a U.S. congressman?  It’s to pass laws and spend your money, right? So, vote based on how you think they will spend your money, as well as the laws you think they are likely to support or oppose.

JOB DESCRIPTION OF A U.S. SENATOR:

What is the primary job description of a U.S. senator?  Its’ to pass laws, spend your money, confirm cabinet members and confirm federal judges. Let me ask you, what is the most powerful branch of government today?  Is it the legislative, executive or judiciary?  It’s the judiciary.  In theory, the three branches are supposed to serve as checks and balances against each other. However, in modern practice, the balance of power between the three branches of government is no longer balanced. The federal courts routinely tell the Congress and President what they can and cannot do. So, remember, when you vote for a United States senator, you are also voting for federal justices (including the Supreme Court) who will control your destiny and the destiny of this nation. Vote accordingly.

JOB DESCRIPTION OF THE U.S. PRESIDENT:

Likewise, the President wears a lot of hats in our government, but one of them is to nominate justices to the federal courts. Since the federal courts are the most powerful branch of government (they can tell the president “No!” and he must obey—at least for now) make sure you take that into account.

Finally. State judges. Have you ever struggled to figure out how to vote for judges on the ballot? I have. Let me give you a few simple methods to evaluate judges, depending on which system your state uses. Nine times out of ten it will help you quickly figure out how to vote.

In most states, judges are usually initially appointed by the governor or legislature, and then they stand for re-election by the voters in retention elections. Since the courts have become so extremely politicized, vote for each judge based on whether you tend to agree or disagree with the views of the person or body that initially appointed them. Look up the year they were appointed and either who was governor at the time, or which party controlled the state legislature. If the judge was appointed by a Republican, the judicial candidate is more likely to interpret law in light of the original intent of the Constitution of that state. If the judge was appointed by a Democrat, the judicial candidate is more likely to interpret the law in light of how they feel the Constitution of that state should be interpreted based how they view the current cultural norms. In other words, this latter group is far more likely to “legislate” their views from the bench.

In states that have partisan elections, it’s pretty easy to figure out, in general terms, where each judge stands ideologically based on party affiliation. In states that have nonpartisan elections find out what individuals or ideological groups have contributed to their campaigns or endorsed them. Also consider who did not endorse them.

Now, you are probably thinking to yourself, “I don’t have time to apply these criteria to every candidate I have to vote for!” Unless you are retired, or a political analyst, you are correct. So here is my best advice. Ask 5 to 10 like-minded friends to join with you (your church would probably be a good place to find such people). Each person can take 1-2 candidates and thoroughly research them and prepare a written review. Then send it out to every member of your group. Finally, find a time for everyone to get together to talk about each candidate and ask questions. Now you can vote wisely without having to do all the work yourself.

I strongly recommend iVoterGuide.com as a resource to help you evaluate candidates. They apply the exact same grid to every candidate, so it gives you a great comparative analysis. And, unlike most candidate rating systems, they do not weight votes in order to manipulate their ratings. As long as iVoterGuide.com continues to work hard to use the exact same grid for every candidate, I will continue recommending them. If they ever stop, I will let you know as soon as I know.

I leave you with words my sister-in-law often uttered whenever her kids walked out the front door, “Make wise choices.”

Copyright ©2024 Brad Bright