Proposed VA Constitutional Amendments – Fall 2026
Some amendments to the Virginia state constitution are being introduced that we want our church body to be aware of.
The issues raised by Ballots 1 and 2 touch directly on matters Scripture speaks to clearly: the value and dignity of human life, God’s design for marriage, and the meaning of our God-given identity as men and women. These issues deserve careful consideration through the lens of biblical conviction before the lens of party or politics. For that reason, we encourage believers to thoughtfully and prayerfully consider a vote of “No” on Ballots 1 and 2, while recognizing that Question 3 involves a separate set of issues on which we are taking no position. The text below outlines each Ballot Question and includes the full text of the amendments.
BALLOT QUESTION 1
Question: Should the Constitution of Virginia be amended to (i) protect the freedom to make personal decisions about prenatal care, childbirth, postpartum care, birth control, abortion, miscarriage management, and fertility care; (ii) protect doctors, nurses, and patients from being punished for these decisions; and (iii) allow for restrictions on access to abortion during the third trimester of pregnancy except when the patient’s health is at risk or the pregnancy cannot survive?
Comment: Currently under present law, the Virginia Constitution does not explicitly provide to its citizens a right to reproductive freedom nor does it explicitly protect or prohibit certain kinds of health care procedures or decisions.
Please click here for a document from The Family Foundation and Students for Life to read why this abortion amendment is particularly deceptive. Note that Amendment 1 is supported by Planned Parenthood, the ACLU and many other abortion rights advocates. This amendment is opposed by all pro-life organizations.
FULL TEXT OF AMENDMENT: ARTICLE I, BILL OF RIGHTS
Section 11-A. Fundamental right to reproductive freedom.
That every individual has the fundamental right to reproductive freedom, including the ability to make and carry out decisions relating to one’s own prenatal care, childbirth, postpartum care, contraception, abortion care, miscarriage management, and fertility care.
An individual’s right to reproductive freedom shall not be, directly or indirectly, denied, burdened, or infringed upon unless justified by a compelling state interest achieved by the least restrictive means.
Notwithstanding the above, the Commonwealth may regulate the provision of abortion care in the third trimester, provided that in no circumstance shall the Commonwealth prohibit an abortion (i) that in the professional judgment of a physician is medically indicated to protect the life or physical or mental health of the pregnant individual or (ii) when in the professional judgment of a physician the fetus is not viable.
The Commonwealth shall not discriminate in the protection or enforcement of this fundamental right.
The Commonwealth shall not penalize, prosecute, or otherwise take adverse action against an individual based on such individual’s own exercise of this fundamental right or such individual’s own actual, potential, perceived, or alleged pregnancy outcomes, including miscarriage, stillbirth, or abortion. The Commonwealth shall not penalize, prosecute, or otherwise take adverse action against any individual for aiding or assisting another individual in exercising such other individual’s right to reproductive freedom with such other individual’s voluntary consent.
For the purposes of this section, a state interest is compelling only if it is for the limited purpose of maintaining or improving the health of an individual seeking care, consistent with accepted clinical standards of care and evidence-based medicine, and does not infringe on that individual’s autonomous decision making.
This section shall be self-executing. Any provision of this section held invalid shall be severable from the remaining portions of the section.
BALLOT QUESTION 2
Question: Should the Constitution of Virginia be amended to (i) remove the ban on same-sex marriage; (ii) affirm that two adults may marry regardless of sex, gender, or race; and (iii) require all legally valid marriages to be treated equally under the law?
Comment: The proposed amendment is deceptive. Any two adults can already be married in Virginia today regardless of their race. Two same sex individuals can get married today without hinderance. There are only two genders, male and female. Any male and female of age can marry in Virginia today. The wording is used to manipulate others into thinking that two people of different ethnicities cannot marry.
What is the current status of same-sex marriage in Virginia? In 2006, Virginia voters decided a constitutional amendment that established the definition of marriage in the state as “the union of one man and one woman.” Voters approved the amendment, with 57.1% voting yes.
U.S. District Judge Arenda L. Wright Allen struck down the amendment as unconstitutional by on February 13, 2014.[2] The decision was upheld by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit on July 28, 2014.[3] Additionally, on June 26, 2015, the United States Supreme Court held in a 5-4 decision (Obergefell v. Hodges) that same-sex marriage is protected under the Due Process and Equal Protection Clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment. Due to Obergefell v. Hodges, constitutional bans on same-sex marriage in Virginia and other states have been inoperative since 2015.
- The Family Foundation: “If passed, the repeal-and-replace marriage amendment would enshrine gender ideology into our state constitution, threatening girls’ safety and sports, as well as basic religious liberties.”
- Victoria Cobb, president of the Family Foundation of Virginia: “By separating the terms sex and gender in this constitution, they are implying that one can be a different gender than their sex, and what that does is open the door for the entire commonwealth, all its institutions, and businesses, and all the things that have been under dispute, girls’ sports, etc, it opens the door for that battle to begin all over again.”
- Former State Del. Tim Anderson (R-83): “Make no doubt about it — the gay marriage amendment is NOT about legalizing gay marriage. That has already been settled by SCOTUS. Any two gay men can legally get married in Virginia right this minute — no fuss — no obstruction. This is about transgender rights becoming protected classes in family law, school law and custody cases. This is about boys in girl’s locker rooms. This is about CPS being able to remove children from your homes if you don’t affirm their gender identity. This is about divesting parents of their rights … all cloaked under the ‘gay marriage’ banner.”
- Heritage Action: “[The amendment] would not only repeal Virginia’s constitutional amendment defining marriage as the union of one man and one woman, but it would also replace it with dangerous, precedent-setting language that distinguishes ‘sex’ from ‘gender’ in Virginia law for the first time. This would enshrine flawed legal standards that could be used to justify policies that threaten women’s safety and privacy
A “yes” vote supports amending the state constitution to:
- remove a provision that states marriage is between one man and one woman;
- add a provision stating that “marriage is one of the vital personal rights essential to the orderly pursuit of happiness;” and
- prohibit the state from denying a marriage license to two adults based on their sex, gender, or race.
A “no” vote opposes amending the state constitution, thus maintaining that marriage is defined only as a union between one man and one woman.
FULL TEXT OF AMENDMENT: ARTICLE I, BILL OF RIGHTS *[Proposed new language is underlined. Deleted old language is stricken.]
Section 15-A. Marriage. That only a union between one man and one woman may be a marriage valid in or recognized by this Commonwealth and its political subdivisions marriage is one of the vital personal rights essential to the orderly pursuit of happiness.
This Commonwealth and its political subdivisions shall not create or recognize a legal status for relationships of unmarried individuals that intends to approximate the design, qualities, significance, or effects of marriage deny the issuance of a marriage license to two adult persons seeking a lawful marriage on the basis of the sex, gender, or race of such persons. Nor shall this Commonwealth or its political subdivisions create or recognize another union, partnership, or other legal status to which is assigned the rights, benefits, obligations, qualities, or effects of marriage This Commonwealth and its political subdivisions shall recognize any lawful marriage between two adult persons and treat such marriages equally under the law, regardless of the sex, gender, or race of such persons.
BALLOT QUESTION 3
Question: Should the Constitution of Virginia be amended (i) to provide for the fundamental right to vote in the Commonwealth, (ii) to revise the qualifications of voters so that a person convicted of a felony is not entitled to vote during his period of incarceration but is automatically invested with the right to vote upon release from incarceration, and (iii) to update the existing prohibition on voting by persons found to be mentally incompetent to instead apply to persons who have been found to lack the capacity to understand the act of voting?
Comment: Under current law, Virginia’s Constitution provides that a person who is convicted of any felony loses the right to vote for the rest of their life unless the Governor of Virginia takes administrative action to restore that specific person’s right to vote. This is the only means of getting back the right to vote after a felony conviction. The current constitutional provision also imposes a broad restriction, while using outdated terminology, on voting by persons found to be incapacitated. A person who is determined by a court to be incapacitated, regardless of the kind of incapacity, loses the right to vote, and only a court can restore the person’s right to vote later.
While this amendment carries important implications and deserves thoughtful consideration, we take no position on this question as a church. We encourage each individual to prayerfully consider the issues, examine the available information, and vote according to their own discernment and conscience before God.
FULL TEXT OF AMENDMENT: ARTICLE II, FRANCHISE & OFFICERS *[Proposed new language is underlined. Deleted old language is stricken.]
Section 1. Qualifications of voters.
(a) In elections by the people, the qualifications of voters shall be as follows: Each voter shall be a citizen of the United States, shall be eighteen years of age, shall fulfill the residence requirements set forth in this section subsection (b), and shall be registered to vote pursuant to this article. Every person who meets these qualifications shall have the fundamental right to vote in the Commonwealth, and such right shall not be abridged by law, except that:
(1) No person who has been convicted of a felony shall be qualified entitled to vote unless his civil rights have been restored by the Governor or other appropriate authority. during any period of incarceration for such felony conviction, but every such person, upon release from incarceration for that felony conviction and without further action required of him, shall be invested with all political rights, including the right to vote; and
As prescribed by law, no (2) No person who has been adjudicated to be mentally incompetent by a court of competent jurisdiction to lack the capacity to understand the act of voting shall be qualified entitled to vote during such period of incapacity until his competency capacity has been reestablished as prescribed by law.
(b) The residence requirements shall be that each voter shall be a resident of the Commonwealth and of the precinct where he votes. Residence, for all purposes of qualification to vote, requires both domicile and a place of abode. The General Assembly may provide for persons who are employed overseas, and their spouses and dependents residing with them, and who are qualified to vote except for relinquishing their place of abode in the Commonwealth while overseas, to vote in the Commonwealth subject to conditions and time limits defined by law. The General Assembly may provide for persons who are qualified to vote except for having moved their residence from one precinct to another within the Commonwealth to continue to vote in a former precinct subject to conditions and time limits defined by law. The General Assembly may also provide, in elections for President and Vice President of the United States, alternatives to registration for new residents of the Commonwealth.
(c) Any person who will be qualified with respect to age to vote at the next general election shall be permitted to register in advance and also to vote in any intervening primary or special election.
Praying for Muslims During Ramadan
It’s estimated that nearly 2 billion Muslims fast and pray during the month of Ramadan. From dawn to dusk, Muslims fast from food and drink as they seek to draw closer to Allah, asking for forgiveness and cleansing from sin.
As followers of Jesus Christ, we have an incredible opportunity during this month to pray for Muslims around the world as they search for answers. While many are sincerely seeking mercy and peace, we know that true forgiveness and reconciliation is found in Jesus Christ alone.
Right here at RBC, each week our International Connection program welcomes Muslims from around the world to learn English. Not only do our ESL learners study English, but each week the Gospel of Jesus Christ is clearly shared in class.
As followers of Jesus, we have the privilege and responsibility to pray that Muslims would encounter Christ personally and enter into an eternal saving relationship with Him.
Many hearts are open and asking important spiritual questions. As followers of Jesus, we have the privilege and responsibility to pray that they would encounter Christ personally and enter into an eternal saving relationship with Him.
Please join us in praying for our Muslim ESL learners and for Muslims around the world during Ramadan.
The Jesus Film Project offers a helpful prayer guide if you are looking for specific ways to pray.
VA “Right to Reproductive Freedom” Amendment
VA Constitutional Amendments and House of Delegate Elections: The Virginia Right to Reproductive Freedom Amendment is a proposed amendment to the Virginia Constitution that would establish a right to “reproductive freedom,” defined as the “right to make and effectuate one’s own decisions about all matters related to one’s pregnancy.” By clicking on the link above, you can find the full text of the amendment, Senate Joint Resolution No. 247, House Joint Resolution 1, and the breakdown of the vote in each chamber.
The constitutional amendment process in Virginia requires four steps. Here’s the full process:
- A simple majority of both the state House and Senate approves an amendment.
- There must be an election for the state House (all 100 House seats are up for election this November.)
- A simple majority of both the state House and Senate approves an amendment for a second time. This attempt will be made in January or February of 2026.
- Voters decide on an amendment in a statewide election. It only requires a majority vote to be added to the state constitution. This would occur sometime in 2026 likely coinciding with next fall’s midterm federal elections.
The proposed amendments have all completed the first step. A governor cannot veto an amendment.
Currently, Virginia allows abortions into the third trimester, with restrictions. That will no longer be the case under this amendment. Babies who survive an abortion attempt will no longer have the legal protection of reasonable, life-saving care currently required by Virginia law. Abortionists will be legally allowed to deliver the baby and let it die on a medical table if it survives the abortion process. Further, rights of parents to know about or consent to their teenage daughters’ invasive abortion surgery will be eliminated.
“Reproductive Freedom” is an umbrella term not limited to women. Men, women, and minors would also have a right to sterilization and therefore “transgender” surgery. One of the other constitutional amendments is on codifying same-sex marriage. It is also destructive to our society, but for different reasons. Please vote for the delegate who will protect life. We will keep you posted as the process unfolds next year.
Loudoun County Special Elections
As Pastor Jim discussed during his series on “Christ in Culture,” we wanted to alert our body to an opportunity to be involved in our local elections. There are some critical moral issues to be decided by our local government authorities in a upcoming special elections that we can impact not only for our good, but for society’s well-being in general (Romans 13:1-4, 1 Peter 2:13-17.)
On Tuesday, January 7, 2025, a special election will be held in Loudoun County for Senate of Virginia, (District 32) and House of Delegates (District 26.) The stakes are exceptionally high, and will determine who holds the state senate majority until 2027 and whether the House of Delegates will require bi-partisan support to pass legislation. To further understand the implications and moral issues of those candidates running for District 32 State Senate—including the important topics of abortion/life, gender & sexuality, preventing boys from playing in girls’ sports and keeping boys out of girls’ locker rooms and bathrooms—Tumay Harding’s website is here and Kannan Srinivasan’s website is here. To understand the implications and moral issues of those candidates running for District 26 House of Delegates, Ram Venkatachalam’s website is here, and J.J. SIngh’s website is here.
Only residents of House District 26 and/or Senate District 32 are eligible to vote. To determine if you are eligible to vote visit the Loudoun Co. Government website. You can vote early through Saturday, January 4 at the Office of Elections in Leesburg or at Claude Moore and Dulles South Recreation Centers. There is no pre-application required. Otherwise, voters must vote at their assigned precinct on election day between 6:00 am – 7:00pm, January 7. The turnout will likely be very low. Your vote will matter.
On COVID Precautions, Church Division & Romans 14
As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. Romans 14:1
All of us are the weaker or stronger brother in different areas. Let’s not be dogmatic where there is no dog, but pursue unity as a fruit of corporate humility.
I’m Right and You’re Wrong
In this video, I have distilled my life’s passion to see the church become a compelling unifying force without compromising sound doctrine. If the church remains divided. the world will remain hostile. The church must be a compelling unifying force to change the course of this world.
-Pastor Mike
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD “ESCAPE ROUTES: TEN WAYS TO ESCAPE DIFFICULT TEXTS” (.PDF)
You’re a Mother
You’re a mother – and the evidence of this sobering fact bears heavily upon your emotional constitution with every passing day. You’ve changed diapers, wiped runny noses, cooked ten thousand meals and washed as many floors. You either have, or will experience all the stages attendant with this great title.
The first stage demands your constant attention as your “candle goeth not out by night” explaining that ghosts don’t exist or that nightmares are nothing to worry about. Morning comes sooner than you would like with its verbal barrage of “Billy hit me,” “David’s trying to eat his cereal with a fork!” “Have you seen my underwear mom? Huh? Huh?” You have learned by experience that facing the music at this early hour is merely the prelude of what is to follow. By nightfall, you’ve had it. If you hear one more question like “Do worms yawn?” or “Where does the white go when the snow melts?” you’ll scream. Each day takes its toll, and you pay it faithfully – because you’re a mother.
Like a tidal wave, the teenage years break upon the shore line of your life, unannounced and unprepared for. You trade in your bib for boxing gloves. New demands and new challenges force your hand. Nursery rhymes won’t cut it. You’re a counselor whose sensitivity and advice must be couched in love. You’re dealing with tender hearts that question self-worth and life’s values, but you’re always there – because you’re a mother.
As your children leave the nest, you pose for a different picture. You’re a grandmother – and this mountaintop experience offers a breathtaking view of the past, present and future. It gives you a chance to experience the contentment of knowing that you have helped to landscape the lives of those whom God lovingly calls “the fruit of the womb.” You’re a bit older and a bit wiser now, and if the truth were known, you wouldn’t trade it for anything.
It is for this reason that today and everyday we rise up and call you blessed – because you’re a mother.
Apples and Oranges: Is the World Getting Better or Worse?
I have often said, in sermons and in conversation, that the world is not getting better, but is actually getting worse. This sometimes meets with pushback from people who see the accomplishments of recent decades as evidence of our great progress. They have a good point, and here is why.
They remind me that we are living longer, and that the latest surgical procedures and medical advances are keeping people alive who otherwise would have died. We have access to knowledge and education like never before. We can FaceTime with friends across the globe. We can go online and check out medical issues that, in times past, might have taken weeks or even years to diagnose. Compare that to people in Rome in the first century, who were exposed to horrible conditions and disease. Ancient Babylon was even worse. Certain advances in medicine and technology have changed our lives for the better.
I totally agree with all of the above, and I could add a lot more to the list.
But at this point, I want to make myself very, very clear. The examples we’ve mentioned, which could be magnified many times over, are what I will call the apples. Apples are the good things, the discoveries and inventions that have bettered our world.
On the other end of the spectrum, we have what we can refer to as the oranges—these would be the addictions, insomnia, diseases, suicide, depression, bankruptcy, divorce, child abuse, sexual abuse, eating disorders, binge drinking, hate, gluttony, and a host of other maladies that are on an exponential rise and plague the world. Many, many people are drowning in troubles that we never anticipated in our pursuit of progress. And there is no sign that those troubles are slowing down.
So in contrast to apples, the oranges are those hurtful, evil things in the world that continue on, despite our growth in areas of technology, medicine and education.
Much confusion comes when we mix the apples and the oranges. So the question remains: Is the world getting better or worse? The answer depends on how you weigh the data. It may seem like there are more apples than oranges, or that at least the apples and the oranges cancel each other out. But let’s zoom in and take a closer look at the issue by turning to the Scriptures, our only source of authority. We will look at two passages that, I believe, need no special interpretation. Read carefully what Jesus says in the following text:
What comes out of a person is what defiles them. For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and defile a person. (Mark 7:20-23)
Note that Jesus is not singling out some wicked individual. He is talking about you and me. He is revealing that all people have the disease of sin in their hearts, and He gives no indication that this malady will improve with time and progress.
Let’s take a look at another verse. This is from the apostle Paul.
But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God—having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people. (2 Timothy 3:1-5)
What I want us to see here is that all of these evil bents have been with humanity since Adam and Eve sinned. Yet Paul is quite clear that they will only increase over time, growing worse and worse until the time the Lord returns. We could go through each issue at length, but I have selected just three.
Lovers of themselves: People have always been narcissistic and focused on themselves. But today we have a magazine called Self, we take selfies, read self-help books, we practice self-love and self-care to improve our self-esteem. Paul could not have imagined our technological advances, but he knew that people would always be looking to take advantage of any advancement that promotes “Me.”
Lovers of money: Man has always had an affair with money, but the ability to gain it, leverage it, lend it, borrow it, and invest it is well beyond what anyone thought possible in the first century. Yet an affair with money is still an illegitimate affair. Love of money has led to divorce, excess, neglect of the family, and a myriad of other problems—many of which can be found in Jesus’ list in Mark 7:20-23.
Disobedient to parents: This is not a new problem either, of course, but the epidemic of rebellion seems far greater than before. I have been able to see it in my own lifetime. The biggest problems in the public school system in the late 50s and early 60s were pulling girls’ hair, running in the halls, and smoking out back. These are not the problems of today. An avalanche of depression, sexting, teen pregnancy, drugs and other R-rated issues now fill the principal’s inbox on a daily basis. And in television, Ozzie and Harriet, Father Knows Best, Leave It to Beaver, and The Andy Griffith Show used to have one thing in common: a father who led the home with integrity and was respected by his children. But today technology has made it possible for children to watch endless hours of shows that paint the parents as buffoons and the children as the real authorities in charge. Video games, movies, books and other avenues that promote this skewed dynamic have captured the hearts and minds of our youth.
Perhaps the most interesting thing about the list that Paul gives us is that he never should have made such a prophetic statement. Anyone living at the time would have known that man is intelligent and will one day conquer all these problems. With all of our advancements in knowledge, education, technology, and medicine, such a dire prediction of the last days is absurd. All of our apples should reduce the friction Paul predicted would happen. But Paul was under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit to write what he wrote, and he makes it clear that the oranges remain. So who is right; those who have predicted utopia? Or Paul, who predicted perilous times?
If you’re talking only about the apples, then all is well! But if you consider the oranges, the prospects look pretty bleak. Living longer, being safer, having air conditioning, and getting laser surgery to give you 20/20 vision are not the real issues at hand. The real issue is the human heart. It has always been “evil from its youth” (Genesis 8:21), but now it has more opportunity, largely through technology, to pursue or express that evil for longer periods of time. Paul may have never known about computers, but his list of sins in 2 Timothy 3 was his way of predicting that evil would go viral.
So I hope this is clear. I thank God for the good gifts he has given mankind that have helped us navigate the deep waters of physical pain and make life more tolerable. If Heaven were gained by good works, then the man who invented novocaine would be the first to enter. I’m grateful for the technology that allows me to communicate with people around the world. I’m amazed at the unprecedented access to knowledge we have in these current days. These are good apples for which I am grateful. However, the bad oranges that plague the whole world are produced daily by hearts that have not been redeemed, and sometimes, even by hearts that have. This is why we, as believers, are not to get attached to this world. Because of sin, this world is in darkness and decay. Pile on as many apples as you want – those rotten oranges remain. Does that mean we shouldn’t try to produce as many apples as we can? By no means! We as believers are here to bring light to show the way out of the darkness and to be salt to impede the decay. But let’s be clear about where our hope lies. No amount of education, medicine, or technological advancement can cure the wickedness of the human heart (Jeremiah 17:9). As great as those advancements are, they only deal with the symptoms of our plight, not the root cause. If Jesus is correct, the real issue is that evil rises up from within. We see the external effects of evil, but evil is not primarily an external issue. Evil is a heart issue. And while apples may fill the belly, they can never redeem the heart.
The point of all of this is not to doom-and-gloom you into depression. It’s to help us see that the bad news is really bad, so that we can remember that the Good News is really good. The world is getting worse, and no amount of medical, intellectual, or technological advancement can stem the tide. If evil comes from inside a person, as Jesus claims, then we are the problem. And as I have said many times, when the problem tries to solve the problem—well, that’s a problem. The world is helplessly broken and cannot fix itself.
But ultimately, we are not called to put our confidence in the apples, nor to despair over the oranges, but rather to rest in the finished work of Christ. In Him, we can have hope and joy no matter what is happening in the world around us. For those who believe in Him, the One who is “making everything new” (Revelation 21:5), the world will be better someday, and for all eternity.
As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (Ephesians 2:1-10)
Dialogue with Pastors Brett Fuller & Mike Minter on Racial Reconciliation
Before You Leave Home: Keeping Your Faith in College and Beyond
Having been around the block a few times, I would like to pass on to the younger generation some wisdom that will make college some of the best years of their lives.
There are many intellectual and moral challenges you will face, but I pray this video will smooth the way for a successful trajectory in life.
-Pastor Mike