Over the last few months, I have participated in protests with my pastoral colleagues at the Broadview ICE facility in Illinois. I have joined them because I believe strongly that the actions of ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) have crossed a line between enforcing laws and committing sanctioned civil rights violations. The sacrifice of civil liberties constitutes a critical yield point in our democracy.

Christian Nationalists see Trump not as a president, but as God’s chosen instrument—like King Cyrus—to dismantle democracy and rebuild America as a Christian nation. By rejecting checks and balances, they embrace a theocracy where absolute power is divine will, pushing the U.S. toward a breaking point that could spark civil war.

Recently I’ve been reflecting on my three-decade journey as a weightlifter. What I think many people don’t realize is that lifting is more than physical exercise; it’s a spiritual endeavor. For me, the gym is a sanctuary, akin to worshipping in a church. My workout routine is both meditative and soul nourishing. These reflections inspired me to create a short film titled The Sculptor’s Dream as a meditation on the spiritual and artistic elements of weight training.