Dear friends of Vital Signs Ministries,                                  October 2025

Brothers and sisters, there are wolves in the world — ravenous, treacherous, and relentless wolves in the world. These beasts are also proud, wicked, and full of bloodlust. And, make no mistake, their frantic passions are ever-increasing to kill and devour, to spread panic and despair. Praying children Harper Mojski (age 10) and Fletcher Merkel (age 8) were slain by a savage sexual deviant. Young Ukrainian immigrant Iryna Zarutska was viciously murdered by a throat-slashing fiend who local judges allowed to roam free despite more than a dozen arrests and at least 4 convictions. Robert DeCesare, a hardworking heating and air conditioning man, will miss his daughter’s November wedding because he covered his wife and daughter and took a bullet from a crazed gunman screaming “Free Palestine.” And Charlie Kirk, a gifted, dedicated young apologist for the Christian faith was assassinated by another sexual pervert who had specifically targeted Charlie because of his defense of Jesus and the teachings of the Bible.

Alas, these abominable acts are but a few of those occurring in just the last few weeks. And, of course, the demonic carnage is infinitely greater when remembering the thousands of preborn boys and girls poisoned and/or torn to pieces by abortionists during the same period of time and the martyred saints, beloved of God, whose lives have been destroyed by depraved Muslim jihadists in the Middle East and Africa. Oh yes, there are wolves in the world. And the danger they pose is becoming more ugly, more daring, and more massive by the day.

These brutish assassins are not working alone. For laboring intently with them are wolves in different clothing but provoked and energized by the same spirit of antichrist. Wolves operating out of university offices; wolves sitting at newspaper and TV network desks; wolves preaching from mosques and temples and “progressive Christian” pulpits. And, as we have become so shockingly aware after the murder of Charlie Kirk, we now realize there are hundreds of thousands of arrogant and cruel wolves here in the West prowling among teachers, nurses, social workers, students, actors, Democrat office holders, “journalists,” and so on.

It is alarming (and infuriatingly unjust) that we live in a time and culture where the wolves roam so remarkably free of restraint. This is partly because the devil (who is a liar from the beginning and the “father of lies”) controls the flow of information for untold millions of people. However, more important a factor here in the West is the abject failure of the Church to provide counterpoints to his lies and obfuscations. We have let him take (and successfully hold) the field on the critical issues of creation, sanctity of human life, marriage and sexual morality, parental responsibilities, spiritual disciplines, Israel, and so on. It is the Church’s silence on (and even its cooperation with) the spirit of the age that has allowed the “thought leaders” to so deftly move our culture away from the historic nobility of Western Civilization (based thoroughly on the revelations of Holy Scripture) and down the brutish boulevards of Darwin, Marx, Dewey, Baldwin, Kinsey, Sanger, and Hefner.

What a terrible irony. For it is only from the Church (and those in the world around us wise enough to regard highly the beauty, wisdom, and efficiency of God’s truths) that the wicked depredation of the wolves can be checked.

The Bible, by the way, is anything but silent on the subject. Indeed, the use of wolves as a metaphor for how the wicked fiercely prey on the innocent is very common. In Matthew 7:15, Matthew 10:16, Luke 10:3, John 10:12, Acts 20:29, Ezekiel 22:27, Genesis 49:27, Zechariah 3:3, and more, the Holy Spirit describes wolves as our dire enemies — enemies who are ravenous, deceitful, full of rage, hungry for blood, and on the constant prowl. God’s people are thus exhorted to be alert, discerning, vigilant, and courageous as they not only defend themselves and those in their charge from the wolves of the world, but to actively work as the Lord directs to eliminate the threat from our midst.

So what should be our primary responses to the increasing threats from today’s wolves? I’ve overheard conversations at the coffee shop lately about guys buying guard dogs, updating their home security systems, and spending more time on the shooting range. One idea was to buy a little place out in the boonies where the owner could put up a barbed wire fence, plant land mines around the perimeter, and dig a moat where he could keep a few alligators! And while I’ll not make personal recommendations about any of those suggestions (I do wonder how much an alligator goes for these days.), I will share a few of the things which I have been thinking about, talking over with friends, and praying about these last few weeks.

1)  Might there be a genuine change in the wind? Are there glimmers of hope for a substantial spiritual renewal? Consider some of the positive, history-making decisions made by the Trump administration…the God-honoring comments (and policies!) from so many of the President’s Cabinet members…the heartfelt reactions of millions around the world to Charlie Kirk’s assassination…the thousands of marchers carrying the Union Jack and protesting not only the U.K. government’s ham-fisted censorship but the loss of England’s historic values…the surprising increase in the West of young people going to church with many of those same young people moving enthusiastically towards patriotism and conservative politics…the reliable reports of profound spiritual awakenings in places like Iran and Communist China. Consider, indeed. Might these be illuminating harbingers of a genuine revival in our nation? In our world? Might we see, in these last days, a bold and beautiful new wave of God’s blessing across our globe with lost souls finding forgiveness and a new, abundant life as they trust in the sacrifice Jesus made on Calvary’s cross to pay for their sins? I pray this is the case…and I know you do as well.

2) While I find encouragement in the realities I described immediately above, I certainly know that there is much, much more to do in order to faithfully and effectively engage in the “wolf fights” of today. I believe the devil, alarmingly aware of his impending doom, is more crazed in his hatred of Jesus Christ, His Word, and His adopted children than ever before in history. And as the devil pulls out the stops, the Christian must be more diligent than ever before to don the armor of God and fight back with confidence and zest. Winsomely and wisely? Yes. Courageously and consistently? Of course. Well informed, well disciplined, and welcoming the power of the Holy Spirit in order to win these battles? No doubt about it. Let’s go!

At the sign of triumph, Satan’s host doth flee;

on, then, Christian soldiers, on to victory!

Hell’s foundations quiver at the shout of praise.

Brothers, lift your voices, loud your anthems raise!

Onward, Christian soldiers, marching as to war,

with the cross of Jesus going on before!

3) We must be extremely careful of our sources of news and opinion. And it is absolutely imperative — if we are truly going to make a difference in this fight — that we help other Christians (including the average pew-sitter) to change his habits in this area too. We must lovingly, patiently, but firmly persuade them that the father of lies has controlled the flow of disinformation in our culture for a long time. His purposes and tactics dominate the “old guard” media of the TV networks, CNN, PBS, the establishment newspapers, and magazines. He also lifts his voice from the Deep State, from such sinister and corrupt organs as Wikipedia and Snopes, from Google-dominated search engines and social media, from the government schools (and yes, that goes from the prekindergarten tots up through the ivy-covered halls of our leftist-dominated universities), from the humanist revisionists who run our libraries and museums, and from most of the schlock produced by Hollywood. Christians must be more committed than we have been in recent generations — much more committed — in resisting the world’s efforts to conform us, to pour us into its mold. We must not give him anything from our soul’s treasury of truth, our purity, our confidence, our secure position as a son or daughter of Almighty God.

(By the way, excellent, trustworthy news and opinion sites can be found by noting the sources I use for “The Top 5 Plus” which is posted every Saturday on Vital Signs Blog and the Vital Signs Ministries website. The link to that post is also sent to a select group which you can be a part of just by asking.)

4) Do not be satisfied with church leaders who, for whatever motives of comfort or popularity, of false peace or personal cowardice, refuse to teach the Bible’s truths on the crucial spiritual issues of our day — issues that the demons have so successfully twisted to our culture’s shame and disintegration. I listed the most important earlier. But let me emphasize the matter of proportionality here. Does anyone really think that having kids sing a song or work a coloring book page on Adam and Eve or Noah or Jonah is going to stand up against the endless hours of evolution propaganda (not to mention the accompanying peer pressure) provided by the school system? When it comes to issues like creationism or abortion or homosexuality, church leaders know all too well what kids are facing from teachers, textbooks, museums, TV shows, magazines, search engines, ad infinitum. And yet, the “Christian education” programs of the church hardly try to match up. And that lack of serious purpose extends to the adults too as they drink in subtle but continual messages from the world about evolution, abortion, same sex marriage, anti-Semitism, etc. with nary a word spoken from the pulpits, let alone our shepherds providing the depth and breadth and quality of teaching on these subjects we so desperately need. How can any believer serve effectively as a warrior, ambassador, and bondservant of His Lord without decent training?

5) Make sure you are living with a heavenly perspective. Live all out for the Lord today so that you a) glorify Christ, the Captain of your soul, the best you can; b) be blessed to overflowing with spiritual strength and joy; and c) win all the rewards our gracious God desires to abundantly pour out to His faithful children in the life to come. Finally, d) remember that we are all part of a team — more important still, a family — and so, even as we personally seek to be directed by His Word and empowered by the Holy Spirit, let us also be encouragers to the brethren, urging each one and, as we can, helping each one to “love and good deeds” for the Father.  In doing these things, will we be part of that revival we are so earnestly praying for.

So, in summary, there are wolves in the world. But equipped with God’s holy armor and wielding the double-edged sword of the Spirit, there is no wolf…no lion…no hyena…no demon under heaven who can overcome us. Therefore, let’s renew our resolve to be light-bearers, ambassadors, and skilled wolf-fighters until that glorious day when Jesus invites us to His magnificent victory celebration awaiting us in heaven!

Okay, friends; because one of the key tasks of these monthly epistles is to share at least a brief accounting of recent Vital Signs happenings, here you go…

* This past month saw us present “When Swing Was King” shows to wonderfully enthusiastic and appreciative audiences at 11 senior living facilities.

* September’s pro-life witness outside the dastardly Planned Parenthood abortion business found us in a number of weather shifts: a couple of cold and rainy mornings, one very windy morning, and several that were just on the edge of being uncomfortably hot and humid. We are using our new pro-life banners along with our baby signs and it all makes for an attractive (thus effective) appeal to the clients, the passersby, even (we pray) the workers.

* Claire and I helped Nebraska Right to Life by manning a couple of shifts at their information booth at the State Fair.

* From the Fair in Grand Island, we took off for a few days to Keystone, Colorado. It was very cool, quite a bit of rain, even a hard sleet atop Boreas Pass. We had a wonderful time: VSM and personal planning, reading, sermon preparation, recording a sermon, several short hikes, reflecting, and an exceptional day spent with my youngest brother Ric and his wife Ellen.  

* Our church services every Sunday afternoon at Aksarben Village Senior Living continue to be a great blessing.

* This month also saw us help organize the latest luncheon for Business and Professional People for Life where we drew about 125 people. Claire and I hosted a table for friends from Nebraska Family Alliance, Nebraska Right to Life, and others. And I emceed the event too.

* Claire and I also hosted a table for the annual banquet for Global Friends, an excitingly effective gospel ministry aimed at international students.

* And, of course, this past month, like most other months, found us involved with personal correspondence, in “mercy ministries” for friends needing a bit of help and cheer, doing social media (including the VSM website and compiling the Top 5 every week), lawn and garden work, sermon preparation, reading, and I’m sure a few things I’ve forgotten. Anyhow, it was a busy, interesting, and productive September. And we are immensely grateful to you for the prayers and support that helped make it so. Thank you so much!

But be doers of the word,
and not hearers only.