Remembering
James Robison

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The Brew: Faith Amid the Fires

ALTADENA, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 10: A plaque sits in the rubble of a home that was destroyed by the Eaton Fire on January 10, 2025 in Altadena, California.

By Al Perrotta Published on January 14, 2025

Happy Tuesday!

Keeping an eye on those Santa Ana winds and keeping the people of Southern California in our hearts.

Perseverance: Family Thanks God for the 36 Years They Had in House Destroyed in Fire

“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)

“Give thanks in all circumstances.” When we read that line, how many of us subconsciously add an asterisk to it? Not Peter and Jacqueline Halpin of Altadena, California. Recently, the Eaton fire completely destroyed their home; the only thing left standing is a statue of the Virgin Mary.

But as the Daily Signal reports, Peter and Jacqueline gathered their kids, returned to the property, and praised God for the 36 years they had in the home.

“It was just, ‘Let’s just get up and pray and thank God for the wonderful memories that we’d had there,’” Jacqueline said. “We believe very strongly in the virtue of hospitality. We’ve had a lot of gatherings, so I just wanted to pray and thank God for our safety and ask Him for protection.”

As they prayed, they began singing the Catholic hymn “Regina Caeli.” Says Jacqueline, “The song just kind of came about.”

This act of devotion amid the devastation has touched and inspired millions.

Peter, a contractor, says he plans to rebuild as quickly as possible, and to help his neighbors start the process as well.

As the faith of the Halpin family shows, it helps to know a Good Carpenter.

EDITOR’S NOTE: If you wish to help those impacted by the wildfires, please prayerfully consider contributing to LIFE Outreach’s “Crisis Relief” effort for Los Angeles.

China Set Up Around U.S. Infrastructure, Ready to Raise Havoc

Joe Biden gave his last foreign policy address yesterday, declaring, “Our adversaries are weaker than they were when we came into this job four years ago.”

Didn’t Biden catch outgoing FBI Director Christopher Wray on 60 Minutes Sunday night? In that interview, Wray revealed that China’s cyber forces have infiltrated crucial U.S. infrastructure and are ready to “wreak havoc” should the need arise.

https://twitter.com/JDunlap1974/status/1878783350938403104

Oh. Well, that’s nice, C.W. Then it’s a good thing you’ve been working around the clock to stop that threat rather than chasing after Christians praying outside abortion facilities and grandmas taking selfies in the U.S. Capitol, and hounding anyone remotely connected to Donald Trump.

In Wray’s defense, the Chinese have been rather subtle about their efforts. I mean, it’s not like they flew massive spy balloons over crucial facilities unimpeded, or bought up land near vital installations the way William Devane buys gold from Rosland Capital. Or shelled out millions to the family of The Big Guy.

Wray also insisted the Biden administration played no partisan role in the FBI’s activities. If Wray’s nose grows any longer, you could hang a swing from it.

It’s mere coincidence that those seen as political threats to Biden had FBI agents smashing down their doors in the middle of the night — Mar-a-Lago being only one example. A personal favorite: In 2022, the FBI raided the home of journalist James O’Keefe in a quest for the diary First Daughter Ashley Biden left at a halfway house. Think the FBI would be involved if her name was Ashley Jones and the diary didn’t contain information that was damaging to Joe Biden? The FBI also sat on Hunter Biden’s laptop so long, they left cheek impressions on it.

Harris Supporters in the Federal Government Plan on Thwarting Trump’s Agenda

Some government folks are forgetting who they work for: the taxpayers.

According to a new survey, nearly half the managers working in the federal government who voted for Kamala Harris admit that they plan to thwart incoming President Trump’s efforts. According to a survey from RMG Research, 44% of the managers would support the administration, 42% say they will resist it. (At least until DOGE starts rolling through their departments.)

Even America’s elite 1% will be more supportive than the federal government managers surveyed. The American people, of course, are mostly on board, with only 28% saying they’d resist the incoming Trump administration.

Which gets us to another sign that Trump’s second term is going to be more harmonious than the first.

This Ain’t 2017. Inauguration to Feature The Village People … and a Trash Truck?

We’re just six days away from Inauguration Day. Six days away from the traditional Inaugural Parade: crisp military bands, high school bands, performance troupes … and a garbage truck?

Yes, the Midwesterner reports that the garbage truck Donald Trump rode around in during that viral campaign moment after Biden referred to Trump supporters as “garbage” will be appearing in the parade. (Ah, but will Ronald McDonald be joining the parade to honor the restaurant’s most esteemed former employee?)

We’ll see another change for this Trump inauguration: In 2017, Trump could barely get a one-armed accordion player to perform at his inaugural ball. Virtually every “name” act wanted no part of the event, knowing they faced cancellation if they did anything positive where Trump was concerned.

What a difference a dreadful four years makes. This time out, country great Carrie Underwood will be singing “America the Beautiful” at the inauguration ceremony … and the Village People announced Monday they’ll be appearing at several balls and events, even though they supported Kamala Harris.

“We know this won’t make some of you happy to hear, however we believe that music is to be performed without regard to politics,” founder Victor Willis posted on Facebook. “Our song ‘Y.M.C.A.’ is a global anthem that hopefully helps bring the country together after a tumultuous and divided campaign where our preferred candidate lost.”

Along The Stream…

Finally — as promised — I tell you all about my recent visit to Trump’s Florida home: “An Average Joe Visits Mar-a-Lago.”

Meanwhile, Gavin Ashenden explores the roots of England’s sickening trend in “British Rape Gang Scandal Reveals a Nation Hypnotized by Wicked Post-Christian Ideology.”

 

Al Perrotta is The Stream’s Washington bureau chief, coauthor with John Zmirak of The Politically Incorrect Guide to Immigration, and coauthor of the counterterrorism memoir Hostile Intent: Protecting Yourself Against Terrorism.