Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about heaven. With the recent tragedies—devastating floods in Texas, the passing of John MacArthur, and loved ones of friends reaching the end of their lives—it’s only natural to reflect on what comes next. In the midst of it all, I found a poem from the early 1800s that brought me peace and perspective about death. In this episode, I share that poem and explore why we’re not meant to live forever.

Welcome to Politics by Faith. Thanks for being here. I've been talking a lot about heaven lately and how awesome it's going to be. So I'll start it with the disaster in Texas, the tragedy in Texas. There's been a few people in my life who have another friend or family member who have passed away, all old age, and just the last couple of weeks here, old age where it's a relief for them

and everyone involved, and a celebration. John MacArthur passing away the other day, we're doing a TV special on him this week, so just heaven dying in heaven has been on my mind a lot lately.

I read a poem the other day

and I have nowhere else to put it. I have to tell people this poem. And I, I don't know, I don't want to spend, I kind of pushed the limits on what we do on SiriusXM as it is kind of outside of politics. So I don't know if I can just sit here and read a poem, maybe a little much, but I just want to put it here and I could put some politics into it.

I could also save it until we have another tragedy, but I haven't stopped thinking about it since I first read it and I just want to share it here because it is written by William Augustus Mullenberg. Should I give a little background to this first? So I bought this book, it was published in 1896 or something. It's called An American Anthology, and it's just poems.

It's thick, it's huge, it's like 1,000 pages, it's just a poem. So every day I've just been opening it up to a different one and this one is early in the book by a guy I've never heard of, William Augustus Mullenberg. He was born in 1796 in Philadelphia,

founder of St. Luke's Hospital in New York City, all according to Wikipedia. He's known as the father of church schools in America. The poem is called, I Would Not Live All Way. Let me read these first two lines and then I'll tell you what I did to make it make sense.

I would not live all way, live all way below. Oh no, I'll not linger when bidden to go. The days of our pilgrimage granted us here are enough for life's woes, full enough for its cheer. I had no idea what that meant. I would not live all way?

What does that mean? It means I don't want to live forever. So it's an old timey way of saying, I don't want to live forever. I don't want to live for always. I don't want to live all way.

No, no. I will not stay here when I'm called to go. The days of our pilgrimage granted us here are enough for life's woes, full enough for its cheer? Would I shrink from the path which the prophets of God, apostles and martyrs so joyfully trod? Like a spirit unblessed over the earth, would I roam while brethren and friends are all hastening home?

What am I?

I'm not going to go to heaven when I'm called to go to heaven. Are you kidding me? I'm just going to roam around here on earth forever? When everyone else is going home? Going home to heaven? No way, I'm out of here.

I would not live all way. I ask not to stay. Where storm after storm rises dark over the way. We're seeking for rest, we but hover around Like the patriarch's bird, and no resting is found. Where hope, when she paints her gay bow in the air,

Leaves its brilliance to fade in the night of despair, And joy's fleeting angel never sheds a glad ray, Save the beam of the plumage that bears him away. I would not live all way, thus fettered by sin, temptation without, and corruption within. Man, it's so good.

I don't wanna be here forever, held down by sin, temptation everywhere around me, corruption everywhere within me. In a moment of strength, if I ever sever the chain, scarce the victory is mine before I'm captive again. Oh, it's so good.

If I'm ever strong enough in a moment where I'm not held by sin, scarce the victory is mine before I'm captive again. Oh, I could fight against this sin for just a moment, but the victory is mine for just an instant before I'm captive again. Oh, I could fight against this sin for just a moment. But the victory is mine for just an instant before I'm captive to sin again.

Even the rapture of pardon is mingled with fears and the cup of thanksgiving with penitent tears. The festival trump calls for jubilant songs, but my spirit her own misery prolongs. I would not live all way. No, welcome the tomb.

Since Jesus hath lain there, I dread not its gloom. Why would you be afraid of dying? Where he deigned to sleep, I'll too bow my head, all peaceful to slumber on that hallowed bed. Then the glorious daybreak to follow that night, the orient gleam of the angels of light, with their clarion call for the sleepers to rise and chant forth their

matins away to the skies, singing, Who, who would live all way, away from his God? That's the best thing about heaven, see? Who would live all the way away from his God, away from yon heaven, that blissful abode, where the rivers of pleasure flow over the bright plains and the noontide of glory eternally reigns? Where the saints of all ages in harmony meet, their Savior and brethren transported to greet, while the songs of salvation exultingly roll,

and the smile of the Lord is the feast of the soul. Man, that makes me wanna go there so bad. That heavenly music, this is the last stanza, that heavenly music, what is it I hear? The notes of the harpers ring sweet in mine ear. And see, soft unfolding, those portals of gold, the king all arrayed in his beauty behold.

O give me, O give me the wings of a dove, to adore him, be near him, enwrapped with his love. I but wait for the summons. I list for the word. Hallelujah. Amen. Evermore with the Lord." Come on. How good is that? It's like, I don't want to live here forever. You know, there's that tech guy, that billionaire guy who's doing everything he can to try to live forever, eating just the precise amount of every particular food.

And he's monitoring every single aspect of his body that he possibly, he's worshiping the body. I mean, this is all ancient pagan stuff. Worshiping the self, worshiping the body. And here's someone with a proper perspective. It's like, no, I don't wanna be here.

This life, it's got enough woes. I'm ready to go to heaven. There's one way to get there. Acts 4.11, there is salvation in no one else besides Jesus. And there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."

There's only one way. You have to believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God, came down in the flesh to die for your sins, was killed on the cross and then resurrected on the third day. If you believe that, congratulations, that's it.

The five solas. Sola is alone. Grace alone, faith alone, Christ alone, scripture alone, glory to God alone. And you will know that you are doing those things when this poem speaks to you in a powerful way, because this poem is the opposite of what this

world of what the world is trying to tell you. The world wants you to live for this world, for the moment, and this is all there is and all that matters. When the Bible tells you this is but a fleeting moment, eternity is what we need to set our eyes on. Mike Slater.locals.com,

transcript commercial free on the website. Again, the poem, if you want to read it yourself or share it or have it William Augustus Mullenberg, M-U-H-L-E-N-B-E-R-G William Augustus Mullenberg, I would not live all way. Mullenberg, I would not live all way. Mike Slater dot locals.com.

 Have you seen the video of the CEO and HR Chief having an affair at the Coldplay concert? It's something to see sin, which they thought was in the darkness, exposed to the light so quickly. May this be a lesson for everyone: God is greater than a kiss cam.

Welcome to Politics by Faith, thank you for being here. Have you seen the video going around of what happened at the Coldplay concert? So someone was taking a video from somewhere in the stadium in Boston while the Kiss Cam was going around. Because it was a Kiss Cam. So the camera at the concert was going around and putting it on the big screen, people in

the audience. And the band was commenting on it and the camera focuses on a happy couple and the man is in the back they're both standing and the man is in the back and he's holding this woman in his arms they're both facing the stage and they're looking around they're having a grand time laughing big smiles euphoria euphoria and then when they both at the exact same time realize that they're on the big screen,

she covers her face and turns around and the man falls down to the ground.

Oh, look at these two.

All right, come on, you're okay.

Uh-oh, what?

Either they're having an affair or they're just very shy.

He was right on the first one. It was an affair. Now, very embarrassing, pretty funny seeing him get caught. But, if I may, I haven't heard anyone talk about their families. Now I don't know their situations exactly, but they were apparently both married. Oh, by the way, that's the CEO of a company,

some like tech startup company. That's the CEO and apparently that's the HR director. Apparently they were both married. I haven't heard anyone talk about the pain, as we laugh, but the pain that's being felt by their spouses.

And we have kids as well, and I don't know, again, the exact details, but that's all really sad. Now here is the apology that was written by the CEO. Listen to this. He said, I want to by the CEO. Listen to this. He said, I want to acknowledge the moment. This is so passive and not repentant.

I want to acknowledge the moment that's been circulating online and the disappointment it's caused. What was supposed to be a night of music and joy. No, it was supposed to be a night of you cheating on your wife. Was turned into a deeply personal mistake. Nope. The mistake happened way, way, way before the concert playing

out on a very public stage. It's the kiss cams fault. I want to sincerely apologize to my wife, my family, and the team at the company works for you deserve better for me as a partner, a father, and a leader, this is not who I want to be or how I want to represent the company. Again, he's really conflating the company and his family as one.

I'm taking time to reflect, to take accountability, and to figure out the next steps personally and professionally. I ask for privacy as I navigate that process. I also want to express how troubling it is that what should have been a private moment became public without my consent. Oh, no more kiss cams for anyone now?

Private moment. It wasn't a private moment. You were literally in public with someone who's not your wife. It was definitely not a private moment. And without your consent, when you you buy those tickets there's fine print on the back of those tickets that says you can be on you can be photographed i respect artists and

entertainers but i hope we can all think more deeply about the impact of turning someone else's life into a spectacle doesn't no one the camera guy didn't know you were cheating on your wife he's like oh there's a happy couple. Let's all like, right. As a friend once sang, lights will guide you home and ignite your bones and I will try to fix you. He quoted Coldplay in the,

like the lamest lyrics ever too. All right, so that's pathetic. I wanna give a moment to their spouses and kids. I Don't care about these two people's embarrassment they deserve the shame But I also want to steal a point from Daryl Harrison He wrote notice how happy they are in their sin because it's like three seconds before they realize they're on the camera

Notice how happy they are in their sin all it's like three seconds before they realize they're on the camera. Notice how happy they are in their sin, all smiles and hugs until they realize their sin has been exposed. They knew inherently that they were wrong. No one needed to tell them their own conscience having already convicted them. Hence why they instinctively and immediately attempted to hide themselves in shame. He's quoting Romans 2 15 in the front end there. Romans 2 15 says, they show that the work of the law is written on their hearts while their conscience also bears witness and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them on that day. When according to

my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, our conscience, it's written on our hearts. It's fascinating how we have a conscience and those two knew that what they were doing was wrong and sinful. Well, who are you to say they were saying, look how they reacted. They knew it was wrong.

We all do when it's exposed. I'll give an example from the other day, my shame. My patience is low with the kids. It was near the end of the day. And I spoke rudely, quickly, rudely to I think Jack and as soon as I did, you know, I was like, I don't know, Jack, it's inside somewhere, man.

You know, something like that. And as soon as I said it, I turned around and my neighbor was right next door, like three feet away from me, gardening at their house. Super embarrassing. And I should have acted like other people were watching, but that's not even it. I should have acted like God is always watching because he is, but we think we can hide.

Adam and Eve in the garden, of course, it's how ridiculous when they sinned and they first experienced shame, they hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees in the garden. You can't hide from God. Achan, a famous one, right? He took some plunder from a victory and then hid it in his tent thinking he could get away

with it. God sees everything. And God would have seen their adultery their affair even if there was no kiss scam. You see how belief in God can kind of keep people in line too? We've lost that in our culture. That's why this guy blames the kiss scam not himself. John 3 19 Jesus says and this is the judgment the light has come

into the world and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. These people loved the darkness. They loved the darkness of inside that stadium, away from their family, away from their spouses and kids. They thought it was a dark place,

but then the light shone on them. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. This is all in the Bible. Luke 12, 2 says, nothing is covered up that will not be revealed or hidden that will not

be known. Therefore, whatever you have said in the dark shall be heard in the light and what you've whispered in private rooms shall be proclaimed on the housetops. What are you hiding? Stop trying to hide. It's exhausting.

And it doesn't work anyway. This one's maybe the most on the nose. This is Job 24. The murderer rises before his light. The eye of the adulterer also waits for the twilight, saying, no eye will see me.

Let's wait for the Coldilight saying no I will see me

let's wait for the Coldplay concert no one will see us there earlier in the chapter it says those there are those who rebel against the light who are not acquainted with its ways and do not stay in its paths. It's our job to not rebel against the light you can't win. Stay in its path. Don't write anything you wouldn't publish on Facebook for everyone to see. Don't do anything you wouldn't want your neighbors and friends to see that you wouldn't shout from the rooftops.

But more importantly, again, than other people and their shame, God is omniscient. No sin is hidden from him. I could end on that note, which is true, but I just want to add a note of good news too, although I think that's all good as well, but no sin is too great. That Jesus's death did not pay the price for it. Colossians 2 13 says, and you who were dead in your trespasses, God made alive together

with him. You were dead. Now you're made alive together with him. Having forgiven us all our trespasses by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. The Greek word here for all means each, every, any, the whole, everything, all things.

Jesus has you covered. But you have to repent first and bring it all to the light. Mike Slater dot locals dot com. I could end with a Coldplay line right here, but that would be lame. Mike Slater dot locals dot com. Transcript commercial free on the website.

Transcript commercial free on the website. Mike Slater dot locals dot com.

I came across a speech from a friend to our founding fathers. If we had a kernel of this truth and wisdom, we never would have gotten so lost. But, to be found, we just need to get back to this truth.

I'm from Politics by Faith, thanks for being here. I'll tell the story of why I'm sharing this today here. I love learning about our founding fathers. I love learning about our founding grandfathers. Because we have to be connected to who they were and why they built this country. We need to get that connection to our past back.

It'll help us with our lives today and making better decisions for our future. We need to have a connection to our heritage. So I bought this book called an American Anthology. It's a real thick book of poems. Books like a hundred years old. And I opened it up and I came across a section of poems written by Timothy Dwight.

I only know the name Timothy Dwight because a dorm building at Yale is named Timothy Dwight. There's some, there's like 10 dorm buildings or something. And I went four years at this place, and no one ever asked who any of these people were. The dorm building I was in, they call them residential colleges,

was Jonathan Edwards College. I wasn't a Christian then. I had no idea that Jonathan Edwards, who he was, I had no idea who he was. I had no idea he was the greatest theologian ever in American history.

No clue.

How pathetic. in American history? No clue. How pathetic. So Timothy Dwight, never even thought to question who this guy was. And I came across in this poetry book. So I looked him up. He was a poet. He was also the eighth president of Yale. He gave the valedictorian address on July 25th, 1776. The 25th of July, so a couple of weeks after we declared independence, quite a momentous time in our history. So I just want to go over the speech and if nothing else, if nothing else, and there are

other things, but if nothing else, it's encouraging and undeniable that we were a Christian country and we were founded as a Christian country. Stunningly obvious, perfectly obvious, and anyone who says otherwise just has not read any of our founding documents. So it starts off with this valedictorian address talking about how beautiful this country is, how blessed we are with natural

resources, the best climate in the world, the best soil. It's everything's so good. Things just grow on its own, plentiful and excellent in every way. He says, our plants and flowers for health and pleasure appear to have been scattered by the same benevolent hand, which called forth the luxuriance of Eden. And this is great. All these beautiful things he says are showered in profusion

on this, the favorite land of heaven. All these biblical references always put into our founding fathers and grandfathers writings. He goes on, he talks about how we have the best lakes, the best rivers for navigation and trade. This is actually a really big deal.

We overlooked this, how important our rivers are, navigable rivers. Thomas Sowell makes the argument that the reason why Africa is so backwards and always has been so backwards is they don't have any navigable rivers. So you can't travel far. You can't connect with people. You can't trade. And that's why there's so many languages in Africa because everyone remains so isolated because there's so many languages in Africa, because everyone remains so isolated because there's so much, so many waterfalls. So you can't go far until there's a big giant waterfall. So you can't travel very far, but we have navigable rivers in America. And then he goes

on after talking about the beauty, he talks about how our founding culture sets us up for success. He talks about Mexico and how they're under control of Spain. He said, if we may believe their own historians, they are, this country are peopled with as vicious, luxurious, mean-spirited and contemptible a race of beings as any that ever blackened the pages of infamy.

Generally descended from the refuse of mankind, situated in a hot, wealthy and plentiful country and educated from their infancy under the most shocking of all governments, the tyranny of servants invested with unlimited power and sent to make their own fortunes by squeezing their subjects." We've always been better than Mexico is what I get out of that. We also have great unity here. He said, I proceed then to observe that this

continent is inhabited by a people who have the same religion, the same manners, the same interests, the same language, and the same essential forms and principles of civil government. This is an event which since the building of Babel till the present time the Sun never saw. That a vast continent containing near 3,000 millions of acres of valuable land should be inhabited by a people in all respects one, isn't that amazing? In all respects one,

is indeed a novelty on earth. Differences in religion always produce persecutions of bloodshed. Differences of manners, as we are naturally and fondly attached to our own, cannot but occasion coldness, contempt, and ill will. Contending interests ever exist with disputes and end in war. Without sameness in language,

it could be impossible to preserve that easiness of communication, that facility and dispatch in the management of business, which the extensive concerns of a great empire indispensably require." Here he is in 1776 talking about how we are all

united, we share one culture, and because of that he says we will thrive like no other nation has in world history. But, but, but we're told and we've been told my entire life that multiculturalism was our strength. Here we have Timothy Dwight at the very beginning of our country just a couple weeks old. Since independence we declared independence. Saying our unity, our sameness is what makes us strong. And now we're told no it's Somalia that makes us strong. But here's the part of the speech that I wanted to share that

makes it relevant to politics by faith. He says allow me to proceed one step further from every deduction of reason as well as from innumerable declarations of inspired truth. We have the best foundation to believe that this continent will be the principal seat of that new, that peculiar kingdom, which shall be given to the saints of the most high. We're going to be a Christian nation. He said that kingdom was also to be the last, the greatest, the happiest of all dominions. To these characters, no other country where it's the least appearance of agreement.

No other country in the world has ever been closer to biblical truth than ours. He said, this is emphatically that uttermost part of the earth. Like we, we're that people whose songs and happiness so often inspired Isaiah with raptures. This with peculiar propriety is that wilderness which shall rejoice and blossom as a rose and to which shall be given the glory of Lebanon, the

excellency of Carmel and Sharon. Here shall a king reign in righteousness, whose kingdom shall be an everlasting kingdom, and whose dominion shall not be destroyed." The king is Jesus, the King of kings. That's who he's talking about here. So the biblical reference here is Isaiah 35. Let me read the whole thing. Let me start at verse 1. The wilderness and the wasteland shall be glad for them, and the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose. It shall blossom abundantly and rejoice, even with

joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the excellence of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glory of the Lord, the excellency of our God. What's happening in Isaiah 34 and 35 is it's a contrast between divine judgment and chapters 34 are quite striking and then 35, what I just read there, is the restoration. So Isaiah 34 is God's judgment against the nations. Isaiah 35 is the restoration. And what Timothy Dwight is talking about is how America is, is with our

righteousness is closer to Isaiah 35 than any nation has ever been before. With a transformation of the land. That's what he starts off with. How beautiful and amazing our land is with the rejoicing of our people, with the holiness of our people and with the strength. And again, ultimately here, restoration for our actions ought all to be inspired and directed

by a comprehensive regard to the scene of glory which is hastening to a completion with a rapidity suited to its importance." He's saying the coming of Christ is near. Jesus is coming back and everything we do, he says, has to be inspired by that truth. All right, let me back it up here. I had a lot of different... God was working a lot of different ways to save me. A lot of different people and places and things happened.

One of them was moving to Tennessee and I met a lot of people there. And I was on the radio and I was learning a lot about America for really the first time. My first radio show. We did a lot with our founding fathers. And I kept reading what these really smart guys were writing about. And I was like, man they're writing a lot about the Bible. I need to know more about this thing. I didn't know more about the Bible. Our

founding fathers so deeply profoundly believed. I mean here's the president of Yale University in 1776 just a a couple weeks after we declared our independence, talking about the king of kings, referencing Isaiah 34 and 35 casually, and everyone in the audience knew exactly what he was talking about.

Talking about how everything we do has to be inspired by the truth that Jesus is coming back. Just think where we would be as a country today if we kept even even a remnant of this just the smallest little kernel of this in our country. I'll end with one more point. This is how he ends his valedictorian address. He talks about lawyers and doctors and different

professions and he ends with pastors. But I just want to charge all of us with this. When you remember that you live amongst the most free, enlightened, and virtuous people on earth, when you remember that your labors may contribute to the hastening of that glorious period when the nations shall be spiritually born in a day, with what seal? With what diligence? With what transport must you be inspired? What pains will you spare to clear yourselves from ridiculous and disagreeable

defects? And to accomplish yourselves in learning and eloquence? With what fervor will you check the career of iniquity, break the dreams of sloth. Stop being so lazy. Pour balm into the wounded spirit and increase the angelic raptures of piety. Be these your views, these your motives, this the scope of all your wishes. Proceed with alacrity to execute the exalted design. Alacrity if I remember is clarity.

Oh no, brisk, cheerful readiness. What a great word. What a great word. Where was this? Proceed with alacrity, with cheerfulness, to execute the exalted design.

Spare no labor, no prayer, to furnish yourselves with every human and every divine accomplishment. Leave nothing undone which ought to be done. Do nothing which ought to be done. Do nothing which ought to be omitted. Let the transitory vanities, the visionary enjoyments of time, fleet by you unnoticed. Don't mess, don't get distracted. Point all your

views to the elevated scenes of an immortal existence. Set your sights on things above and remember that this life is but the dawn of your being. Oh, it's just a little glimmer, just a little split second. Encounter troubles with magnanimity. Enjoy prosperity with moderation. Exert every faculty, employ every moment to advance the glory of your maker and the sum

of human happiness. With such citizens, with such clergy, with such a laity as is above described in prospect, we can scarce forbear to address the enraptured hymn of Isaiah to our country and sing, arise, shine, for thy light has come and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. Nations shall come to thy light and kings to the brightness of thy

rising." That's Isaiah 60. That's how he ends it right there. That's his final word Isaiah 61. This is when light came out of the darkness and God tells us to arise and shine. There is no earthly light. All the light comes from God and all the glory goes to the Lord. And our founding fathers knew it. And if we want to save this country, then we got to know it too. And if we want to save this country, then we got to know it too.

MikeSlater.Locals.com. Transcript is free on the website. MikeSlater.Locals.com.