The Little Barn and The Little Stove and The State of the Union Message.

When I wrote my book, Almost Finished in 2025, I made it a point to say that the book was not about my life story or a story about my professional career as a real estate manager in the Bell Telephone System and corporate attorney for Humana. In my opinion, my life story and professional career were quite ordinary. However, today’s blog is a bit more personal, but I believe for good reason. It is a story of my own that I should have shared publicly a few years ago in response to the local newspaper’s story of a grandfather agonizing over his grandson’s gender identity struggle. At that time, I lacked the courage of my conviction, but after the President’s State of the Union message, I feel compelled to share my story. Let me explain below.

Growing up as an only child in rural southern Indiana, I had few playmates before I entered grade school in 1960. I spent most days “hanging on to my mother’s apron strings” while my father worked hard on the farm. When he came in from a hard day’s work, he seldom had the time or energy to spend much time engaging with me. During this time, I recall vividly that I wanted to cook, iron clothes, and in every way possible imitate my mother. She was my role model. I wanted to be like her. Yes, a woman. At one point my mother purchased a miniature kitchen set for me with stove, oven, table, and chairs. But she also purchased for me a miniature barn, shed, tractor, and truck. My sense is that my mother was aware of my focus on her tasks as a homemaker and sought to broaden my horizon. My mother knew God created me to be a boy. She was right. God bless her for it. As I got older, bigger, and stronger, farm work beckoned, and I readily responded. I also readily engaged in all manner of sports and other activities engaged in by young boys. I even “drug” my father out in the evening to pitch batting practice for me and shoot hoops. God bless him, he never turned me down no matter how tired he was!

So why am I telling a story like this as I approach the ripe old age of 72! You see, I am convinced based on my own childhood recollection that gender confusion may occur more often than most of us imagine. But if this is so, what should be the response of parents, schoolteachers, physicians, and the local church?  In my view, we should all start with God’s Word in Scripture. Genesis 1:27 states “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” To be sure, parents, the local church, school counselors, and medical professionals should be quick to provide comfort, counsel, compassion, and otherwise help any minor child suffering from gender confusion, but no minor child should undergo medical or surgical treatments to permanently and irreversibly change the God-given gender of a minor child. I fear that as a nation we have lost sight of God’s Word on Creation Order, and children are paying a very heavy price for this ignorance and sinful disobedience in following God’s Word.

Without getting too much into the weeds, it seems to me that the young woman in the gallery for the President’s recent State of the Union address experienced gender confusion, but the policy of the Virginia school district where she attended school precluded collaboration between the school and the young woman’s parents to address her gender confusion. Even more tragic was the removal of the young woman from her parents’ home because they did not embrace her new gender identity. Thankfully, the young woman is now reunited with her mother and pursuing higher education at a Christian college. In my view, it is nothing less than moral and ethical insanity that any school district’s policy would prevent parental notification and involvement in any material medical, social, or psychological issue impacting their children. God did not place children with parents so parents can be displaced at the whim of a Progressive school district. The young woman and her mother in Virginia suffered greatly and needlessly because of the school district’s wrong-headed policy. Let’s pray that this example will have the effect of protecting other young children from a similar experience.

Let me close this blog with a message to Kentucky’s Governor Andy Beshear. Governor, I am pleased that you are a professing Christian and proclaim Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. I know that you are referencing this frequently as you begin your unannounced campaign for the 2028 Democratic Presidential nomination. But Governor, I feel compelled to offer a word of caution to you on the Transgender issue. As a committed follower of Jesus Christ, I share your view that Jesus demonstrated love, compassion, and concern for the downtrodden and vulnerable members of society. He regularly associated with people considered disrespectable by the ruling elite of society. In Matthew 5:17-18 Jesus stated that He came to fulfill the Old Testament Law and the Prophets. And in Matthew 7:12 Jesus stated that doing to others what you would have them do to you was the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets. As Believers, we should follow Jesus’ teaching and do likewise.

 But one thing Jesus never did was give His blessing or approval of sin or disregard God’s Word on Creation Order. Jesus warned in Matthew 18:6 that anyone who caused a child to sin would face severe judgement. I am sure that you are familiar with Jesus’ encounter with the woman caught in adultery in John Chapter 8. Jesus forgave the woman’s sin but made it clear to her that she should not sin in this manner in the future. In Matthew 19:4 Jesus quoted to the Pharisees God’s Word from Genesis 1:27 that God created man as male and female. Jesus affirmed God’s Word on Creation Order. All Believers should do the same despite the cultural pressure to do the opposite.

Governor, in the days, weeks, and months ahead, I trust that you will find ample time to study God’s Word. Let it speak for itself. It never returns void. God bless you, Governor.

God bless you and thank you for the privilege of your time in reading my blog.