Thank you dear Ruby. This reader wants to thank you two! Thank you, Mr Peacock, for sharing this video duet with your daughter-in-law and Amy Grant. Such an important question. It is encouraging to know there are others besides myself seeking this answer. I will share this video where I can. Please give these two women my thanks.
Charlie, as usual, you capture something many of us are feeling: the jarring collision between ordinary, good life and the possibility of extraordinary harm unfolding at the same time.
I want to say clearly that my solidarity is with the innocent people in Iran who have no control over their government and yet bear the terror of war. It is both true that Iran’s regime is repressive and dangerous, and equally true that the Iranian people are not that regime. They are families, students, artists, children. Human beings whose lives carry the same weight as our own.
From both a Christian and a humanist perspective, it is very difficult to justify a war initiated without clear provocation, without broad democratic consent, and with predictable harm to civilians. The teachings of Christ point toward humility and care for the vulnerable. Humanist ethics center dignity and the reduction of suffering. On either foundation, this does not resolve into something virtuous. Rather, it raises serious moral concern.
And we should be honest about responsibility. This war did not simply “happen”...it was deliberately initiated by the President (and his bloodthirsty "Secretary of War") and by the Israeli Prime Minister. It reflects decisions made at the highest level, and those decisions have drastic ramifications. When a president acts unilaterally (domestically), without the grounding of Congress or the consent of the governed, and does so in a way that appears driven by impulse, grievance, or personal calculus, we have a problem that goes beyond policy. We have a crisis of leadership. We cannot allow the fate of millions, at home or abroad, to be shaped by the whims of a transactional, narcissistic "leader" who treats institutions, alliances, and human lives as instruments rather than responsibilities.
Your larger point about ethos resonates deeply with me in this moment. On a personal level, we are gathered around tables, eating ice cream, living life with loving family and friends, trying to do some good in the world. On a societal level, we are part of a nation capable of decisions that contradict those very values. That tension between who we are in our daily lives and what is done in our name is not easy to hold, but it is real.
At the college at which I work and in the classes I teach, I see students wrestling with exactly this kind of contradiction. They are trying to figure out what it means to live ethically in a world where good and troubling forces are always intertwined. Moments like this become part of that formation.
So yes, pray, reflect, act where we can. But we also have to speak plainly, as you've done here. There is evil in the world, including in regimes like Iran’s and here in the United States as well. And there are also choices—our choices—that lead to harm to innocents and cannot be reconciled with the values we claim to hold. Holding both truths at once is uncomfortable, but it’s necessary if we’re going to navigate this moment with any integrity.
Now it’s my privilege to say, Steven, as usual you have taken the pencil drawing and turned it into a vivid painting. Thank you for your care with words and most importantly how they translate coherently into care for people and planet. Well said. Peace to you.
“Is there any person, place, or thing beyond redemption?” I need to get a bowl of ice cream and think about the wideness of God’s mercy. “There are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God, "Thy will be done," and those to whom God says, in the end, "Thy will be done." All that are in Hell, choose it. Without that self-choice there could be no Hell. No soul that seriously and constantly desires joy will ever miss it. Those who seek find. Those who knock it is opened.”
Now I’m going to cry. Amy showed up in my spiritual life when I was 20, during the unplanned deconstruction of my faith that attending a religious studies course at a public university tends to bring on. I was lost. I saw this tape with a stoplight on it. I listened to it. I wore it out. I went to her concert with my best friend - two Black girls in the front row, singing every lyric - love will Find a Way.
Okay, that was corny.
My bestie is with Jesus now; an aggressive brain cancer took her off this earth last year. So, I took my husband to see Amy at a concert in the round in Phoenix. Same tears, rolling down looser skin.
Sporadically, I will see that Amy is releasing a new song. I am thrilled every time.
This one took me out because here I am again … deconstructing my faith. Wondering how being an evangelical became so messy. I keep clinging to Jesus, trying to squeeze my aching feet into his steps. Horrified over a madman putting himself in His image. And another one bombing babies while quoting Pulp Fiction and saying it’s His Word.
God help us. No, Amy is not damned. Keep singing us through this, with beautiful vocalists like this one. We need the diversity of voices, the heart, the challenge. Where do we go from here?
Thank you Cathy for sharing your deep, authentic story. I'm so glad that Amy and Ruby had a beautiful, healing effect on you as you, we, walk through this extraordinary time in history. God is helping us. Of that I'm confident. God with us, not against us. What we see will not always be. That too, I'm counting on. Peace to you and thank you for writing and listening. Here's my gift to you today: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rprSf7aHlmQ
Thank you, Charlie. This is everything—all the things—the swirl of it all swirling through and around us this moment, with that song a clarifying moment in the center.
This was a mind cleanse for me tonight. In the middle of our country in an unnecessary war, and all the messes that go with this regime, you’ve hit upon simple joys, watching your grandkids grow and a dish of vanilla ice cream with hot chocolate mix sprinkled on top. Add some music and a friend’ art, this was a treat. Thank you!
I'll probably never come close to this level of writing, but like you said, no one is irredeemable. It's the soul, not the talent that will live forever. Something else, God has no favorites, only those who do His will. That's why I will subscribe. Love the verse Philippians 4:8.
Good to meet you Mary. Glad to have you among this group of good folks, imperfect, but mostly always kind and hospitable. Yes, that is a life verse for sure. Peace to you and have restful evening.
Mary, I looked at Jeff's Substack and yours as well. I can see why we don't connect via my recent post. In like manner, I did not find Jeff's current post helpful. Even so, I see that we have stories in common via Pedicatric ICU nursing, parenting, adoption, and Catholicism. I was honored to have my song "In the Light" played as students marched through the city for the Pope's youth celebration in St. Louis in 1999. And before that I performed in Poland for one of the Papal visits. It's good to know that despite our differences over the President and his administration we have shared a similar goodness in our life stories. For that I'm grateful and give God, Creator With Us and not against us, all glory and thanks.
Thanks Richard. Tuberculosis (TB) is still a critical world health crisis with approx 85% of new cases being in Southeast Asia and Africa (specifically Nigeria).
Charlie - I have been a fan and follower of yours for 30+ years. However, with this writing I must disagree with your comments about the President of the United States Donald Trump. Yours is one opinion and not the majority opinion in the US. Many many people that go to church that are God fearing Christians, that aren't, that I work with, and that voted for the President knew that his comment that the US would destroy the people of Iran or more exacting what he meant was the infrastructure of Iran was merely posturing. As the great negotiator that he is he knows when to escalate the rhetoric. The evil leaders in Iran only know violence and the threat of it is what our President knows is sometimes the only way to get through to a violent evil leader. President Trump has been very clear in causing as few innocent lives to be lost as possible. I pray for the people of Iran and our soldiers but also for our President and our administration, that they continue to listen to the voice of God and pray everyday for guidance . I'm thankful that you quoted the bible at the end of this letter but I am curious why you did not include the chapter and verse in case someone wanted to read more from that chapter. The only way to get to heaven is through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ the son of God. As Christians we have an obligation to profess this truth to everyone no matter if they are intellectuals, writers, songwriters, performers or a reader of your newsletter. I hope your readers, friends and coworkers know they need Jesus.
Julie, I appreciate your listening support for all these decades, and most importantly, that you focused your disagreement with care. Like you, I’m not a neutral observer of the President, his administration, and the subject of war with Iran or otherwise. My perspective and biases are shaped by particular experiences and convictions. And at my age (nearly 70), the convictions are fairly clear and firm. Though I hold to the notion that I always have something to learn, reconsider, and refine. Our understanding of the person and work of the President Donald Trump is in contradiction. Thankfully, we are able to hold to both agreement and disagreement. My apologies for not citing the scripture reference. For those who didn’t know, the last words of the post belong to the Christian New Testament, the book of Philippians, verse 4:8. They represent what followers of Jesus are taught to keep front of mind, and they also represent just some of the fruit assured to be present in the lives of those who profess to follow Jesus as his students. Peace to you, Julie.
Daughter in law here. Guess how much I love this article on a scale of 1 to 100…:)
Job well doing, Dad. Words that must be spoken. Let all who have ears to hear do so.
Thank you dear Ruby. This reader wants to thank you two! Thank you, Mr Peacock, for sharing this video duet with your daughter-in-law and Amy Grant. Such an important question. It is encouraging to know there are others besides myself seeking this answer. I will share this video where I can. Please give these two women my thanks.
Charlie, as usual, you capture something many of us are feeling: the jarring collision between ordinary, good life and the possibility of extraordinary harm unfolding at the same time.
I want to say clearly that my solidarity is with the innocent people in Iran who have no control over their government and yet bear the terror of war. It is both true that Iran’s regime is repressive and dangerous, and equally true that the Iranian people are not that regime. They are families, students, artists, children. Human beings whose lives carry the same weight as our own.
From both a Christian and a humanist perspective, it is very difficult to justify a war initiated without clear provocation, without broad democratic consent, and with predictable harm to civilians. The teachings of Christ point toward humility and care for the vulnerable. Humanist ethics center dignity and the reduction of suffering. On either foundation, this does not resolve into something virtuous. Rather, it raises serious moral concern.
And we should be honest about responsibility. This war did not simply “happen”...it was deliberately initiated by the President (and his bloodthirsty "Secretary of War") and by the Israeli Prime Minister. It reflects decisions made at the highest level, and those decisions have drastic ramifications. When a president acts unilaterally (domestically), without the grounding of Congress or the consent of the governed, and does so in a way that appears driven by impulse, grievance, or personal calculus, we have a problem that goes beyond policy. We have a crisis of leadership. We cannot allow the fate of millions, at home or abroad, to be shaped by the whims of a transactional, narcissistic "leader" who treats institutions, alliances, and human lives as instruments rather than responsibilities.
Your larger point about ethos resonates deeply with me in this moment. On a personal level, we are gathered around tables, eating ice cream, living life with loving family and friends, trying to do some good in the world. On a societal level, we are part of a nation capable of decisions that contradict those very values. That tension between who we are in our daily lives and what is done in our name is not easy to hold, but it is real.
At the college at which I work and in the classes I teach, I see students wrestling with exactly this kind of contradiction. They are trying to figure out what it means to live ethically in a world where good and troubling forces are always intertwined. Moments like this become part of that formation.
So yes, pray, reflect, act where we can. But we also have to speak plainly, as you've done here. There is evil in the world, including in regimes like Iran’s and here in the United States as well. And there are also choices—our choices—that lead to harm to innocents and cannot be reconciled with the values we claim to hold. Holding both truths at once is uncomfortable, but it’s necessary if we’re going to navigate this moment with any integrity.
Now it’s my privilege to say, Steven, as usual you have taken the pencil drawing and turned it into a vivid painting. Thank you for your care with words and most importantly how they translate coherently into care for people and planet. Well said. Peace to you.
“Is there any person, place, or thing beyond redemption?” I need to get a bowl of ice cream and think about the wideness of God’s mercy. “There are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God, "Thy will be done," and those to whom God says, in the end, "Thy will be done." All that are in Hell, choose it. Without that self-choice there could be no Hell. No soul that seriously and constantly desires joy will ever miss it. Those who seek find. Those who knock it is opened.”
C.S. Lewis, The Great Divorce
Clive! Born same year as my paternal GF. Fred, I'd love to have you be a reader for that section of the novel. Only if you have an extra 15 minutes.
Now I’m going to cry. Amy showed up in my spiritual life when I was 20, during the unplanned deconstruction of my faith that attending a religious studies course at a public university tends to bring on. I was lost. I saw this tape with a stoplight on it. I listened to it. I wore it out. I went to her concert with my best friend - two Black girls in the front row, singing every lyric - love will Find a Way.
Okay, that was corny.
My bestie is with Jesus now; an aggressive brain cancer took her off this earth last year. So, I took my husband to see Amy at a concert in the round in Phoenix. Same tears, rolling down looser skin.
Sporadically, I will see that Amy is releasing a new song. I am thrilled every time.
This one took me out because here I am again … deconstructing my faith. Wondering how being an evangelical became so messy. I keep clinging to Jesus, trying to squeeze my aching feet into his steps. Horrified over a madman putting himself in His image. And another one bombing babies while quoting Pulp Fiction and saying it’s His Word.
God help us. No, Amy is not damned. Keep singing us through this, with beautiful vocalists like this one. We need the diversity of voices, the heart, the challenge. Where do we go from here?
Thank you Cathy for sharing your deep, authentic story. I'm so glad that Amy and Ruby had a beautiful, healing effect on you as you, we, walk through this extraordinary time in history. God is helping us. Of that I'm confident. God with us, not against us. What we see will not always be. That too, I'm counting on. Peace to you and thank you for writing and listening. Here's my gift to you today: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rprSf7aHlmQ
Thank you, Charlie. This is everything—all the things—the swirl of it all swirling through and around us this moment, with that song a clarifying moment in the center.
Thank you for jumping into the swirl and for the kind encouragement. Peace to you.
Thank you for an eye-opening post. And God Bless Amy Grant.
Indeed. Thanks for commenting. Peace to you.
Super excited for this novel. I am currently writing one that has a lot of similarities, actually.
Thank you Sherry! I wish you well with yours too. Keep me posted.
I love this so much. The song. The beautiful Ruby. And that damn Amy Grant.
I am patiently waiting for the whole damn album…
Me too!
Charlie, thank you ever so much for this post, but huge thanks to Jeremy's Humathy!! Wow and Wow. So grateful.
You’re welcome, friend. Thank you for the encouragement.
Wow..that's all I can say...all I feel
This was a mind cleanse for me tonight. In the middle of our country in an unnecessary war, and all the messes that go with this regime, you’ve hit upon simple joys, watching your grandkids grow and a dish of vanilla ice cream with hot chocolate mix sprinkled on top. Add some music and a friend’ art, this was a treat. Thank you!
Thank you for your encouragement, Marie. Lots of simple joys to you!
I'll probably never come close to this level of writing, but like you said, no one is irredeemable. It's the soul, not the talent that will live forever. Something else, God has no favorites, only those who do His will. That's why I will subscribe. Love the verse Philippians 4:8.
Good to meet you Mary. Glad to have you among this group of good folks, imperfect, but mostly always kind and hospitable. Yes, that is a life verse for sure. Peace to you and have restful evening.
It must be amazing to feel so self- righteous. I will take President Trump any day over whatever you think you can offer to this country.
I would suggest reading Jeff Childers Coffee and Covid Substack post for today. It might help you. Enjoy your ice cream.
Mary, I looked at Jeff's Substack and yours as well. I can see why we don't connect via my recent post. In like manner, I did not find Jeff's current post helpful. Even so, I see that we have stories in common via Pedicatric ICU nursing, parenting, adoption, and Catholicism. I was honored to have my song "In the Light" played as students marched through the city for the Pope's youth celebration in St. Louis in 1999. And before that I performed in Poland for one of the Papal visits. It's good to know that despite our differences over the President and his administration we have shared a similar goodness in our life stories. For that I'm grateful and give God, Creator With Us and not against us, all glory and thanks.
Thanks Richard. Tuberculosis (TB) is still a critical world health crisis with approx 85% of new cases being in Southeast Asia and Africa (specifically Nigeria).
I read that as you having TB. Thank you for clarification! A friend of mine here in East TN was diagnosed with it recently and I was 😳
So sorry to hear about your friend.
Charlie - I have been a fan and follower of yours for 30+ years. However, with this writing I must disagree with your comments about the President of the United States Donald Trump. Yours is one opinion and not the majority opinion in the US. Many many people that go to church that are God fearing Christians, that aren't, that I work with, and that voted for the President knew that his comment that the US would destroy the people of Iran or more exacting what he meant was the infrastructure of Iran was merely posturing. As the great negotiator that he is he knows when to escalate the rhetoric. The evil leaders in Iran only know violence and the threat of it is what our President knows is sometimes the only way to get through to a violent evil leader. President Trump has been very clear in causing as few innocent lives to be lost as possible. I pray for the people of Iran and our soldiers but also for our President and our administration, that they continue to listen to the voice of God and pray everyday for guidance . I'm thankful that you quoted the bible at the end of this letter but I am curious why you did not include the chapter and verse in case someone wanted to read more from that chapter. The only way to get to heaven is through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ the son of God. As Christians we have an obligation to profess this truth to everyone no matter if they are intellectuals, writers, songwriters, performers or a reader of your newsletter. I hope your readers, friends and coworkers know they need Jesus.
Julie, I appreciate your listening support for all these decades, and most importantly, that you focused your disagreement with care. Like you, I’m not a neutral observer of the President, his administration, and the subject of war with Iran or otherwise. My perspective and biases are shaped by particular experiences and convictions. And at my age (nearly 70), the convictions are fairly clear and firm. Though I hold to the notion that I always have something to learn, reconsider, and refine. Our understanding of the person and work of the President Donald Trump is in contradiction. Thankfully, we are able to hold to both agreement and disagreement. My apologies for not citing the scripture reference. For those who didn’t know, the last words of the post belong to the Christian New Testament, the book of Philippians, verse 4:8. They represent what followers of Jesus are taught to keep front of mind, and they also represent just some of the fruit assured to be present in the lives of those who profess to follow Jesus as his students. Peace to you, Julie.