Join Kim Munson and guest Dr. Deborah Sheffel as they explore the concepts of identity, significance, and destiny in the context of modern challenges. As we enter 2026 and approach America’s 250th anniversary, there is a renewed sense of hope and introspection. The conversation delves into how today’s youth are shaped by these ideas, examining Christian faith’s resurgence and the quest for meaning beyond materialism. This episode is packed with thought-provoking reflections that prompt listeners to question what truly matters in life.
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It’s the Kim Munson Show, analyzing the most important stories.
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The latest in politics and world affairs.
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With what is happening down at the Statehouse, I used to think that it was above my pay grade to read the legislation, and it’s not.
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Today’s current opinions and ideas.
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I see big danger in as much as we will be giving an unelected bureaucrat the power to make rules about what we inject into our bodies.
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Is it freedom or is it force? Let’s have a conversation.
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And welcome to The Kim Munson Show. Thank you so much for joining us. You’re each treasured, you’re valued, you have purpose. Today, strive for excellence. Take care of your heart, your soul, your mind, and your body. My friends, we were made for this moment in history. Thank you to the team, Producer Joe, Luke, Rachel, Zach, Echo, Charlie, Mike, Teresa, Amanda, and all the people here at Crawford Broadcasting. Check out our website. That is Kim Munson. That’s M-O-N-S-O-N dot com. Make sure that you are signed up for our weekly email newsletter that goes out on Sundays. You can email me at kim at kimmunson.com. And I thank all of you who support us. We are an independent voice on an independent station, searching for truth and clarity by looking at these issues through the lens of freedom versus force, force versus freedom. If something’s a good idea, you should not have to force people to implement it. The show comes to you 6 to 8 a.m. every Monday through Friday. First hour is rebroadcast 1 to 2 in the afternoon. Second hour, 10 to 11 at night. That is on all KLZ 560 platforms, which is KLZ 560 AM, 100.7 FM, the KLZ website, and the KLZ app. And Happy New Year. We are pre-recording this show for New Year’s Day, and I’m so pleased to have on the line with me Dr. Deborah Sheffel. She is the Dean of the School of Education at Colorado Christian University. Deb Sheffel, welcome to the show.
SPEAKER 05 :
Thank you, Kim. What a privilege to be with you today. Thank you.
SPEAKER 08 :
Well, I am truly honored to have you, and I’m excited. You and I had coffee a few months ago, and you mentioned that there were different professors or different lectures on last lectures. What would your last lecture be like to your students today? before retirement. And I thought, gosh, that could be so interesting. So that’s what we’re going to talk about is your thoughts on last lectures.
SPEAKER 05 :
Great. Well, you know, that concept really came out of a book published in 2008. It was really a memoir that was delivered by Randy Pausch, who was a computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon University. And that book sold over 17 million copies. And I love what he said at the One of the quotes he said about why he wrote that, he said he was trying to push himself in a bottle that would one day wash up on the beach of his children. It turned out that he had pancreatic cancer and passed away a short time after the book was published. But the concept was, you know, that we need to pass the torch to the next generation. I’m working with, you know, youth at Colorado Christian University, students there for undergraduate programs. And Randy was a professor also. And so kind of trying to impart, what are we thinking about? What are some things to consider as we move through the various seasons of life?
SPEAKER 08 :
Well, Dr. Sheffield, Deb, as you are a professor at Colorado Christian University, I am hearing so many people talk about the hope of the next generation that many are… becoming Christian or returning to Christian faith or being curious about Christianity and also foundational principles. Are you seeing that because you are on the front line with our young people?
SPEAKER 05 :
I think definitely. I think people soon discover in life that if we just live for self, it’s a pretty hollow existence. And I think all of us in life constantly rediscover that. But I think the youth have been, I think, convinced on some level by our culture that it’s all about materialism, it’s all about self, let me be me, and all this kind of thing. And we really find that if we live that way, It doesn’t lead to human flourishing and happiness. We really weren’t made for that, to live for self.
SPEAKER 08 :
And this return by our young people is, I think, gives us great hope as we are moving into 2026 and the 250th anniversary of our founding. I think there’s a lot of exciting things that are going to be happening this next year. I think there will be some things that are tumultuous, but I think it’s going to be a very exciting year, Deb.
SPEAKER 05 :
I agree. And I think I think our young people are hungry for that, really, for the issue of significance. I always love to talk about the three kind of seminal questions in life, identity, significance and destiny. And you, like all of us, really find our first. Many of the decisions we make based on what is our identity, who are we as humankind, and then why are we here, significance and destiny, where are we going? And I think people long to consider those questions and have some good answers for them. And I think we’re trying to point youth in the right direction at Colorado Christian University, and our culture often sidetracks us. in ways that don’t lead to really happiness and joy that we were meant to experience in this life.
SPEAKER 08 :
Well, those are big things. I remember having a conversation with you several years ago where you brought up these things regarding identity. Who are we? Secondly, why are we here? And where are we going? What is our significance in life? And those are big questions. And I love the fact that you are a professor that are posing those questions for our students. So let’s get into the last lecture. Your thoughts about… Potentially your last lecture before retirement.
SPEAKER 05 :
Yeah, and I want to say that I’m not retiring, nor am I dying. Good. Thank you for clarifying. But the good thing is, though, it bears reflection. I think I titled when I spoke about this, Things Considered. Life is important to consider and to reflect on. And so this is just a great opportunity and has been for myself as well as other profs at CCU who gave this lecture. It’s really just a time to sit back and think about what should we really be considering. I love the, there’s a quote by C.S. Lewis in Letters to Malcolm that says, It’s based on 22 letters between fictitious correspondents. And it says, however needed a good book on prayer is, for example, I will never try to write it. Two people on the foothills comparing notes in private are well and good. But put it in a book, you would inevitably seem to be attempting not discussion but instruction. So I’m not attempting instruction here in the last lecture, but more just things considered, things we’re thinking about, things we should be thinking about as we move into a new year.
SPEAKER 08 :
Wow, I hadn’t thought about that, discussion versus instruction. So I tell you what, we’re going to go to break here in just a minute. Let me mention a couple of our sponsors. One of those is Little Richie’s, and they have locations in Parker and in Golden. It’s real New York-style pasta and pizza, but with a great Colorado flavor. They have some of the best calzones that I’ve ever had, and their pizzas are terrific as well. So if you’re in the Parker area or in Golden— Be sure and check out Little Richies because they’re doing just a great job. And we are blessed to have so many great sponsors. And I am so grateful for each and every one of them as we are moving into 2026. And I am blessed to work with amazing people as sponsors of the show. And one of those amazing people is Karen Gorday. She is an entrepreneur. She’s the owner of Radiant Painting and Lighting. And Karen, welcome to the show. Good morning, Kim. Great to be here. And we are prerecording for New Year’s Day. So first of all, Happy New Year to you and yours. Happy New Year to you as well. And so looking back at 2025, what comes to mind as you’re reflecting on 2025?
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It was a very interesting year, not just business-wise, but politically. At the beginning of the year, I never thought I would jump in the race for Lakewood City Council, would be involved behind the scenes and running a referendum against the Lakewood City Council for the first time in, I don’t know, 12, 15 years, something like that. And so it was like a year of unexpected things, I guess, is the best way to put it.
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Well, and you’ve really stepped forward. And your story is an interesting one. You had I don’t know if you were registered Democrat, but you had walked for Democrat candidates. And what was the catalyst that where you said, wait a minute, I’m not sure that this Democrat Party is what I thought it was?
SPEAKER 03 :
That’s a very good point. So let’s make sure it’s clear. I walked away from the Democrats many years ago. Yes, I walked for polis and the people in office, still in office now. But the catalyst, honestly, was when Bloomberg decided to try to buy his way onto the Democratic ticket for president. And that just infuriated me. I was like, what is going on? And then that really started me starting to look really hard at what they represented or what they represent, I guess is a better term, and led me to switch to unaffiliated. And that’s where I’ve been ever since, even though I lean conservative now. Unaffiliated is where I need to be.
SPEAKER 08 :
Well, and I really think, Karen, that we have to look at each candidate. We’re at an inflection point now as we’re moving into 2026. Does this candidate believe in the proper role of government and the liberty of the individual or not? I think that’s part of a litmus test that I’ve really come down to.
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I absolutely agree. We need to ask those candidates, even on the Republican side, on what they think. There are, you know, we know that there’s a full slate of people running for the GOP nomination for governor. And there are some that don’t believe in personal liberties. There are… At least one of the top names right now believes in rent control. And what are we doing? Are you a Republican in name only? Are you being propped up by Democrats? What is going on? And you really need to ask those litmus tests before just blindly supporting the most popular person out there.
SPEAKER 08 :
OK, I think that’s good advice. We’ve got about a minute and a half left and looking forward to 2026. It’s our 250th anniversary. You grew up in the Washington, D.C. area. This is going to be a big year. Hopeful. Are you encouraged? What’s your thoughts?
SPEAKER 03 :
I’m hopeful. I don’t know if I’m encouraged. I’m hopeful. I think a lot of people are waking up. I think the liberty movement in Colorado is growing and it’s going to take all of us to turn things around during midterm elections. So I’m hopeful.
SPEAKER 08 :
Okay, and then let’s just talk just a little bit about business. Spring, it’s the new year, but spring’s right around the corner. You certainly can be doing indoor projects right now. And then for outdoor projects, which, as you know, I’ve got to get going on that this year, you recommend that people talk with you, paint colors, get those to the Architectural Review Committee. And so there’s a lot that can be done in preparation for the upcoming spring season, yes?
SPEAKER 03 :
Absolutely. Now’s a good time to get those estimates, get the pricing, so you know what the budget hits are going to be come spring. And then, yes, if you have an HOA, get those colors approved now. So once spring hits, you know, March, April, you’re ready to hit the ground running.
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As fast as time is going, that’s tomorrow. So how can people reach you, Karen Gorday?
SPEAKER 03 :
They can go to the website, www.paintwithradiant.com, or call me directly at 720-940-3887.
SPEAKER 08 :
Sounds great. Karen Gorday, thanks so much. Happy New Year. We’ll talk next week.
SPEAKER 03 :
All right. Sounds great. Thanks so much.
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There’s so much noise coming at us. Sometimes it is difficult to make sense of it all. How can you sift through the clamor for your attention and get to the truth? The Kim Munson Show is here to help. Kim searches for truth and clarity by examining issues through the lens of freedom versus force, force versus freedom. Tune in to the Kim Munson Show each weekday, 6 to 8 a.m. with encores 1 to 2 p.m. and 10 to 11 p.m. on KLZ 560 AM, KLZ 100.7 FM. The KLZ website, the KLZ app, and Alexa. Play KLZ. Shows can also be found at KimMunson.com, Spotify, and iTunes.
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And welcome back to The Kim Munson Show. Be sure and check out our website. That is KimMunson, M-O-N-S-O-N.com. And if you have big dreams for your future, but you’re not quite sure how to get there, call our friends at Mint Financial Strategies. They know that your financial life is unique, and as an independent firm… and an accredited investment fiduciary. They build personalized strategies that put your freedom and goals first. No sales pressure, no one-size-fits-all approach, just thoughtful guidance built around you. So take that first step toward your future. Call Mint Financial Strategies today. That number is 303-285-3080. We’ll be right back. that she’s not dying and she’s not retiring. So I thought that was good that you got that out there, Deb. Yes, yes. So let’s go ahead. You talked in the first segment about identity, who we are, and then why are we here, and then where are we going? These are the big questions that each human ultimately asks, and it has to be answered. And you mentioned that we… don’t live for self. That’s one of the first things that young people are realizing that it’s not just about self and people are pursuing the Christian faith or are coming back to the Christian faith. And so what are people finding out about not living for self?
SPEAKER 05 :
Yeah, I think it’s just that as God made us, we really weren’t made to be self-focused. And because we have eternity in our hearts, we’re other-focused and we’re future-focused. And I think as we have the wisdom to see that in life, it certainly sets us up for change. greater happiness, human flourishing, and joy, really, which I think we’re intended to experience as we live this life and all of its various seasons. I love the, there’s a quote from Pinocchio, which is a kid’s book, but it was really a fairly complicated book. There’s a lot of imagery in it, a lot of allusions. written in 1881. And it talks about Pinocchio and his friends being tricked by the coachmen, and they arrive in the city called the City of Simple Simons, and they’re encouraged to just do as they please, live for self. And what happens to them is that they’re transformed into donkeys and sold into slavery. And it’s just a great metaphor for what happens in life when we live for self. We become essentially slaves to what we’re living for, and because those things that sometimes attract us are not eternal things and are not expansive, transcendental things. We end up living kind of a narrow, self-focused life. And like I said, it doesn’t lead to the kind of joy and happiness that we were intended to experience.
SPEAKER 08 :
Well, and Deb, you have used the words joy and happiness, and they’re actually different. And joy is in the Bible. It’s biblical. And of course, the Christmas song, Joy to the World. What do you see as the difference between joy and happiness?
SPEAKER 05 :
I think joy is something that comes from understanding that circumstances do not define reality necessarily, that there’s always a transcendent meaning. There’s always something above or below it. And I think that if we just live for the visceral, I’m happy today because I, you know, something happened in my circumstances that make me happy. Everybody knows that that’s fleeting. But what we want is the kind of joy that transcends experience and circumstances because we know life has its ups and downs, and there’s always something that’s going to be great and something else that’s going to happen on its heels that isn’t so great. And so if we want a stable life and if we want our inner life to stabilize us, we have to get beyond the circumstances. And I think we all experience that as we move through and young people begin to see it. And then we have to have something to resort to as opposed to just the frenetic ups and downs that come with various experiences, some of which are good and some not so good.
SPEAKER 08 :
So, Deb, what you’re speaking to is something that I think we’ve, I’m speaking in a macro level, that we’ve not taught a lot of our kids, and that is resiliency. When you say that joy is able to look at what is happening and it transcends that. I think then that gives us the tools to be resilient and realize that tough things do happen in life. But joy and resiliency seem to me like they could be connected, yes? Yes. I sure think so.
SPEAKER 05 :
And I think it comes from a level of simplification. You know, sometimes we think of life as multiplication. We want to do more and more and more and more. And sometimes life’s about simplification and subtraction. Doing a few things well. Focusing on what really matters. The this one thing I do mentality. And I think that that can lead to joy because you’ve got all this noise. We all have all this noise around us. And if we can cut a strong true line through the middle of that and focus on what matters… We can defeat some of these ups and downs, and certainly resiliency has to do with that, which is consistent, relentless focus in light of what sometimes can be despair and discouragement. We have to get beyond that and refute it with resilience. focusing on what really matters.
SPEAKER 08 :
Well, and in this day and age, I think we think that we are so well-informed. We’re almost, I think, over-informed. We get notifications on our phone, and sometimes it’s bad news. And I almost sometimes think it’s by design, because I can see, you know, car wreck, people And there’s the reality that that happened, but I’m not sure that I need the notifications on my phone. And so I’m trying to become more disciplined and go, okay, but not click on whatever that headline is that comes up. And I think that’s part of simplifying life because I think all these headlines and everything coming at us can be a lot of overstimulation and can be somewhat daunting sometimes, Deb.
SPEAKER 05 :
Yeah, definitely. And I think that it’s, What we really want to hear is God’s voice, and we want to hear our voices through what he’s told us about what matters in life. And when we’re constantly distracted, almost becoming addicted to wanting to know what everyone is saying at every time and everybody’s opinion on everything that’s going on, it’s major overload. And we don’t really have to live our lives with that kind of overload. almost addiction to knowledge. Knowledge is one thing, wisdom is another. And in order to be wise in this life and really be listening to what God has to say to us and what we’re saying to ourselves through what he said, we can’t do that if everyone else is always talking. So there’s a level of solitude that we need, and it requires discipline to find it.
SPEAKER 08 :
It really does. This reminds me of in the screw tape letters where it’s an older devil talking to a younger devil about how to capture human beings for the devil’s side. And maybe you can help me out with it. But there was the individual who’s starting to question, starting to seek God. And almost there, of course, the screw tape refers to Christ as the enemy. And the individual is almost to the point of seeking Christ and then gets distracted. They’re like, whew, you know, we almost lost him. Am I getting that close to right?
SPEAKER 05 :
No, that’s right. I mean, if we can stay busy about the things that don’t matter and about things that are not eternal, then we really never come to our true selves. We really never understand what life’s about because we never give ourselves time to do it. We never hear the voice that God wants to speak to us. You know, and, you know, the Bible says, renew your mind daily. You can’t do that when there’s all these other people talking. Yes.
SPEAKER 08 :
OK, so what’s the next thing that you would recommend for people?
SPEAKER 05 :
Well, this is just these are things that I’m trying to learn. Right. We’re all in process. But I love the idea of living our lives for love and not just that’s not just a sentimental statement, but. The first and greatest commandment is to love God and then to love others. The I am third mentality. I love Song of Solomon 8.6 that says love is as strong as death. And we need to be focusing on what we need to love because our hearts are impacted by the things that capture our affections. And so I’m always, we’re always weighing that every day, right? Thinking about what will matter today, what will launch into eternity that will have a ripple effect. What should I be loving today? And so we have to keep our affections in mind and deliberately figure out what to land on there. And it shouldn’t be ourselves. It’s God first, then people. We are third.
SPEAKER 08 :
So, Deb, the word love, language is so important, and language has been coerced. So the word love to the radical left has become a word for, I would say, do anything you want whenever you want. But that is not God’s definition of love, correct? No.
SPEAKER 05 :
Right. It’s not the sentimental like, you know, emotional type of love, but it’s self-sacrificing love. And this goes back to not living for self, really. I mean, you can’t really experience love unless you make yourself third on the list, at least. And so this isn’t about just an emotional feeling or just. empathizing with people no matter what they do or say. That’s not what it is. It’s self-sacrifice. And, of course, the one that modeled that the most dramatically was Christ himself.
SPEAKER 08 :
So when you say put yourself third, is that where you go to the Bible first of the commandment is love the Lord God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might, and then love your neighbors as yourself? Is that what that basis is? Yes.
SPEAKER 05 :
Yes, I believe that’s right. And the Bible says on that commandment, hang all the law and the prophets. So, you know, there’s all these other laws, especially in the Old Testament. But this is the main one, the first and greatest commandment.
SPEAKER 08 :
Okay. And talk a little bit to me about the word sacrifice, of self-sacrifice. What does that mean to you?
SPEAKER 05 :
Well, I love the idea of marking our soul in the direction of who made us, our creator, because he knows us. the best and knows that as we live for others and for him that’s that’s that allows us to fulfill our destiny it said that we make 35 000 decisions a day that seems like a lot most of them quite trivial there’s a book by sheena and yangar that talks about how many decisions do we make a day and most of them trivial, but some of them life-changing, and some of them forks in the road. And sacrifice has to do with making the right decisions, and we really don’t have the freedom to do that unless we’re finding ourselves informed by what God would be defining us to be. And so I love the idea of facing each day with, what matters to you today, God? How can I make decisions in light of that truth, and how can I… love you and love people. So sometimes we don’t even know how to do that, but we can ask for wisdom and we can follow that guidance.
SPEAKER 08 :
Okay, so we’re going to continue the discussion with Dr. Deborah Sheffel. She is the Dean of the School of Education at Colorado Christian University and talking about things that she would talk about possibly on her last lecture as a professor. And this is so thought-provoking. I really do appreciate it. Before we go to break, though, I wanted to mention the two nonprofits that I highlight on a regular basis, and that’s the USMC Memorial Foundation and And the official Marine Memorial is right here in Golden. And the foundation raises the money to take care of it and this beautiful remodel. And so this year, 2026, our 250th anniversary of America, let’s make sure that we really help them out. You can do that by going to usmcmemorialfoundation.org. And in the Center for American Values, again, in our 250th anniversary, Support them. They have great educational programs for kids K-12 and educators. And then their Portraits of Valor of our Medal of Honor recipients is so inspiring. And there’s only one other collection like this in the country, and that’s at the Pentagon. And most of us can’t get into the Pentagon. So be sure and visit the Center for American Values in Pueblo. That website is AmericanValuesCenter.org. And all these conversations happen because I work with really amazing people.
SPEAKER 17 :
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SPEAKER 12 :
All Kim’s sponsors are in inclusive partnership with Kim and are not affiliated with or in partnership with KLZ or Crawford Broadcasting. If you would like to support the work of The Kim Monson Show and grow your business, contact Kim at her website, kimmonson.com. That’s Kim Monson, M-O-N-S-O-N dot com.
SPEAKER 08 :
And welcome back to The Kim Munson Show. Be sure and check out our website. That is KimMunson.com. And Happy New Year to each and every one of you. You truly are valued and treasured. And we’re pre-recording this show. But I wish each and every one of you just a blessed 2026. We’re talking with Dr. Deborah Sheffel. She is the dean of the School of Education at Colorado Christian University and talking about what potentially she might talk about in her last lecture. She’s not passing on and she’s not retiring, but we thought it would be a great subject because she said there was a book in 2008 by Randy Pausch, I think, and It sold 17 million copies about last lecture. So people are hungry for this kind of thinking and ruminating on this, Deb Sheffel.
SPEAKER 05 :
Yes, they are. And it’s always good for us, I think, especially this time of the year as we’re moving into a new year, to kind of reflect on what are some benchmarks that can help us move into this new year with resolve and deliberate thinking.
SPEAKER 08 :
thinking so that we can live lives that really matter well and with that life is not always easy and I think I think parents many times have been well-meaning to try to protect children from being hurt but we have got to be able to understand that failure is a part of life right and
SPEAKER 05 :
I think so. And I think in addition to some of the things we’ve talked about, which are not living for self, trying to simplify, doing a few things well and focused on the eternal, being third, living our lives for others. Another one that resonates with me is this idea of embracing failure and disappointment because it’s just inevitable. The other approach is to just hope it doesn’t happen. And it always happens. And so I love the idea of picking up the promises. And I think in Scripture there’s 8,000 of them at least. Isaiah has the most. It’s such a wonderful book with wonderful language and prophecies. But Pilgrim’s Progress was written in 1678. John Bunyan, very familiar. And I love the excerpt from the episode in Doubting Castle. Can I read that? Please do. Christian and Hopeful are using the key called Promise to escape from giant despair. And Christian said, I have a key in my bosom called Promise that will, I am persuaded, open any lock in Doubting Castle. Then said Hopeful, that is good news, my brother. Pluck it out of thy bosom and try. Then Christian pulled it out of his bosom and began to try at the dungeon door, whose bolt, as he turned the key, gave back. And the door flew open with ease, and Christian and Hopeful both came out. So they were able to walk in liberty because of the promises. So really… How can we look at defeat and disappointment and learn from it and move on? It really has to do with the idea that God says he’ll make all things work together for our good if we love him. And so what a great promise that is. We can all reflect on regret, things we wish we would have done different, opportunities we may have missed. That is part of being human and part of progressing in life. But if we can situate it in the context of meaning and that every negative experience brings us closer to dependence on God other than ourselves, brings us closer to understanding that circumstances don’t win the day, what a great thing that is and what great hope that gives us as we move through the various seasons of life.
SPEAKER 08 :
And you mentioned regret, and you and I were talking in the break about prayer, devotions, praying for people. I find when I get myself anxious or—I think the word is anxious— What I must do is stop and go to God in prayer. And that is the thing that is the most comforting to me. And I think that it helps then living a life without regrets. We do certainly have regrets, but as we go through these seasons of life and we take these things that we’re concerned about to the cross of Christ, it centers us, I think, Deb, so that we can, make decisions, and then not have regret about them. What do you think?
SPEAKER 05 :
I agree. Yeah, I totally agree. And really, when we read Scripture, and so much great literature also beyond Scripture, but the issue of not having done it well the first time is just replete in life. That is what happens because we’re progressing. You know, we’re not born with all this wisdom and all this experience that can inform all our decisions. It hopefully gets better as we move through life. Maybe it doesn’t, but it’s okay to fail. And we learn from that and we rest in God’s grace as he allows us to. as He makes meaning of it and allows us to have another chance. I mean, the Scripture’s full of people that mess up, and they always had a second chance, and God redeemed them because He’s a reconciling God. He restores. He’s a restorer. I love the verse that says, we don’t even know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit makes intercession for us with groanings that can’t be uttered. Half the time, we don’t even know what direction is right, but that’s okay because we’re human, and that’s why we need God so much, and That’s, I think, what the next generation is looking for, which is they see the failure sometimes in the next generation and their parents or grandparents or friends or just society writ large. And where shall they turn? You know, that verse in the Old Testament says, you know, we don’t know what to do. Our eyes are upon you, God. And what a great place to have our eyes on. What a great place to turn. So all these emotions that could bring us to despair and bring us down. They shouldn’t be doing that because we have so much hope if we just look up.
SPEAKER 08 :
Okay, Deb, talk to me a little bit about religion versus faith. Because I know young people, I know older people that had a, I have this in air quotes, bad experience with church or with something that happened at church. And that can get conflated with Christ’s promise. How do you address that with your students and young people?
SPEAKER 05 :
That’s such a good point. And so many people do feel burnt by religion, and they feel they’ve seen so much hypocrisy, they can’t stand it. They look away. They don’t want anything to do with it. And it’s up to us, I think, to, again, see that as circumstance and bust through it and realize that this is about a relationship with God, and how do we get that? It isn’t about church or people or rules or… a physical edifice. It’s about none of that. It’s about knowing who we are and as, as created by God and seeking a relationship with him. And it’s a relationship. It’s not religion. And I think that’s the problem. And when you think about it, you know, Christ has the most damning words in scripture to say to the religious, to the Pharisees and the Sadducees who, who were just in it for the rules and for the, um, the sense of a conceit that went along with feeling very self-righteous. That’s a disaster. And that leads us nowhere but despair because it’s really based on pride. So we don’t want to be part of that. We weren’t meant for that. And I think redefining this as a relationship with God is, is what is meaningful and that’s what people long for someone to know them someone who understands their soul someone who hears their heart cry in the night that’s what we want we don’t want a set of rules
SPEAKER 08 :
So, Deb, these are words of such great hope, of not being alone. Because I think that there is aloneness in society. But with Christ, you are never alone. And that brings up… As I’ve reflected upon Christ on the cross is that he has experienced, he experienced everything that we could experience. And that is physical pain through the scourging, certainly being, you know, this spear put into his hand. into his body, but his friends all leaving him, taking all of his physical possessions. I think looking at Mary from the cross and realizing that at this time she’s experiencing the loss of a child, and his heart had to break on that. And I think there’s Of course, he knew that three days later that he would overcome sin and death. But I’m not sure Mary was thinking about that at that time. I think her heart was probably hurting. But he’s experienced everything that we could experience. And he takes that on so that we can have a relationship with him. And I think that’s so important for people to reflect upon as we’re going into 2026, Deb.
SPEAKER 05 :
Yeah, I really agree with that. We have to. Those are the promises that we need to hang on to. I think of that verse, I will never leave you or forsake you, Christ said, and said that he’s touched with the feelings of our infirmity. He is not a dispassionate God. He is not looking on with his arms folded, watching us flail around on this earth. That is not happening. He is touched with the feelings of our infirmities, and underneath are the everlasting arms. Joy comes in the morning. And these are his promises to us, that even though circumstances might look bleak, they’re temporary, and they’re not accurate because there’s so much beyond that that really defines why we’re on this planet and where we’re going. Circumstances come and go, and they threaten to capture our emotions with despair at times. And we can’t allow that to happen because it’s a lie.
SPEAKER 08 :
It is a lie. And as we’re talking about God, our Creator, I love the words Jefferson had in the Declaration, that all men are created equal. And I think that goes back to Christianity, that Christ went to the cross for each and every individual, which I think is so amazing. But that we have these inalienable rights from God of life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness. And you see the word liberty in the Bible as well. It’s so interesting to me how the words of our founding are also, I think, so connected to our Christian faith.
SPEAKER 05 :
Yeah, there’s just so much written on that. And I think it’s been sort of excised from some of the teaching that our students get in K-12 education. But certainly the founding documents, the founding fathers, the context of the founding of our country was inextricably woven into that. God and our Creator. And the words are right there in our founding documents. And so I think to take that out of it really cheapens our country and the values on which it was founded and the purpose for which it was founded. And we want our young people to know that.
SPEAKER 08 :
So in the curriculum at Colorado Christian University as the Dean of Education, do you weave all of this into the curriculum?
SPEAKER 05 :
Yes, definitely. And I think that’s a benefit of a Christian undergraduate education. I know not all students feel called to that, but I think I experienced that myself. And I think our students really appreciate the Christian worldview that’s woven throughout the curriculum at CCU. You know, every course has course learning outcomes and objectives and such, but overarching that, the umbrella over all of that is a Christian worldview, which is how do we look at this content in light of the beliefs of really that that founded our country and also that on which christianity and the west is based and that’s brought so much freedom and so much happiness to so many people we often forget that too when we look at various types of governance i mean our system which is founded on god and those principles has brought great happiness to so many people because of freedom to freedom to create freedom to innovate freedom to be an entrepreneur freedom to make the right decisions informed by God. I mean, we have that freedom, not so in North Korea, not so in so many countries where people don’t even have the freedom to think for themselves in many ways.
SPEAKER 08 :
Yeah, and our founders realized that it’s so important to be able to speak and question and think and redress our government and all those important things. We’re going to continue this discussion with Dr. Deborah Sheffel. She is the dean of the School of Education at Colorado Christian University. And we’ve got one more segment. And I’m wondering what great nuggets that we’ll take away from this in the next segment.
SPEAKER 15 :
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SPEAKER 10 :
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SPEAKER 19 :
Quickly, assemble at my father’s house.
SPEAKER 10 :
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SPEAKER 01 :
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SPEAKER 08 :
Welcome back to The Kim Munson Show, and Happy New Year to each and every one of you. We are pre-recording this show for New Year’s Day and talking with Dr. Deborah Sheffel. She’s the Dean of the School of Education at Colorado Christian University, and we’re talking about Last Lecture. It’s a very popular book that was written in 2008 by Professor Randy Pausch. It sold 17 million copies. So people are hungry for thinking about life. legacy, what it is, why we’re here, what we are leaving. So Dr. Scheffel, what is the next thing that you would recommend for people in your conceivable last lecture?
SPEAKER 05 :
But we talked a little bit about being watchful and having solitude, enough time to look and listen to what’s really happening in life, to hear God’s voice, to be deliberate about that. It kind of moves us to another point, which is just about never stop discovering the wonder of God and the wonder of people. And these are things I’m working on, too. But I love that verse in the Bible that said that I might know him. Speaking of God, how can I know God? And scripture is the very best place to go. And then know people and care about people. And I love George MacDonald was a Scottish author in the 1800s, and he wrote a fairy tale called The Wise Woman. I’ll just read a quick quote. This little girl is put to a test in which she must complete a list of chores. So it’s like, well, life for this little girl was just chores, which is sort of a sad commentary on life. In the magical cottage of the wise woman, the girl never stops to do chores in her own home. But at the wise woman, she condescends to spending a day sweeping and tidying and tending the fire. If these acts of obedience don’t make her more virtuous, but instead they stir her to think of herself as somebody. George MacDonald sagely says, however strange it may seem, to do one’s duty will only make one conceited who only does it sometimes. But until our duty becomes to us as common as breathing, we are poor creatures. Unique accomplishments are significant in history, but the ordinary and daily things of life. done faithfully and in love are significant in eternity truly noble are the souls who lead repetitive faithful lives illuminated by the beauty of duty inspired by love and that’s how we can interface with other people and not ever stop discovering the wonder of others by engaging in faithful love with others and noticing them there’s a interesting quote about uh it’s um says the root of tyranny is making others irrelevant. And sometimes we don’t want to look in the faces of other people. We don’t want to see what pain they’re experiencing. We don’t want to think about how that might impact what we need to do, what our responsibility to them might be. And then we miss out. We miss out on a great opportunity of knowing God and knowing other people and understanding that people are eternal and And that anything we can know about them would be a reduction of who they really are. And so the commonness of others, sometimes we forget that and it’s to our detriment.
SPEAKER 08 :
So just re-clarify on the doing of the chores. And if I’m hearing you, is it getting to the point where you’re doing chores because it’s, in a way, it’s a calling? Would you say that’s right for daily living?
SPEAKER 05 :
Well, I think in that fairy tale, he’s referring to chores as kind of the, you know, they say that duty is the lowest form of love, that self-sacrifice is the highest. And when we just make life a duty, when we just make people in our sphere of influence a duty, I have to do this because this person’s depending on me, so I’ll just do it, just to kind of get it done, kind of a custodial approach to others. We really miss out on seeing their soul, on seeing their eternality, on understanding not only who we are and our identity, but who are they. each of the people around us in our sphere of influence is an eternal being they’re never going to die i mean we all have eternality and do we see that in others or are we are we tempted to just see the outside which sometimes can be very mundane and we are called to a higher level of love than just duty and so that’s i think what that fairy tale is about i love george mcdonald he influenced c.s lewis and other mythopoetic writers but he he wrote some wonderful um uh books about They’re fantasy books, but they have great metaphors about life in them, and this is one of them.
SPEAKER 08 :
I will be ruminating on that for a while. That’s great. Well, how about kind of your last thought on all of this, Dr. Deborah Sheffel, regarding last lectures?
SPEAKER 05 :
Well, I love the concept that everything matters, and a lot of times we don’t believe that. We kind of categorize the things that matter, and so… Whereas one thing might be quite mundane and it’s like, well, does it matter how I fold a towel or make breakfast for somebody or interface with another person who’s talking to me and I’m too busy to really listen to them? Sometimes we look at all that and think it’s OK. This is just life. It’s imperfect. And I got to brush by that. But in reality, all these things really matter. We really never know what words or what actions matter. We take today that may resonate in the mind of another person and impact them for years, into eternity even. And so everything matters. And we have to approach every day, I think, like that, understanding that we were built for eternity. Other people around us were too. And the words we say, the Bible says, in our tongue is the law of life and death. And, you know, we can say something that will be uplifting or we can say nothing when we have the chance to be uplifting or, you know, we have these choices. And I think understanding that every encounter, however minor it might be, it can matter because we don’t know where the person is in their life, in their decisions, in their value of decision in life when we are interfacing with them. So the idea that everything matters, I think, is an important one. And every day we get up, We need to understand that we are on this planet by divine appointment. The people we know and see, the words we say, the experiences we’ve had that contextualize how we might interpret our experience or somebody else’s experience, all that is very important. And so we have every reason to get up every day with great feeling of hope because we are significant in God’s eyes and so is everybody else in our sphere of influence.
SPEAKER 08 :
And talk to me just a little bit more. This is, I think, the first time I’ve heard the term divine appointment. And that kind of stops me in my tracks. But what that also means is every individual is here, is here for a reason. On the show, I say that we were made for this moment. And I believe that. But this divine appointment, I hadn’t really thought about that, Deb Shuffle.
SPEAKER 05 :
Right. Well, it really means that, you know, we have bookends in life. We were born at a certain time by divine appointment, and we will pass from this earth at an appointed time. And the time between birth and death is such poignant time that God gives us to serve him, to serve other people, and to understand that we have a reason for being here that nobody else can fulfill. I mean, when we look at the uniqueness of each individual, unique fingerprint, iris print, footfalls, you know, the way we, our gestures, our DNA, everything is unique. There will never be another you and there will never be another you with the opportunities in your life, never the same. And so when we see life that way, it does bring a new lens and a perspective on the minutes on this planet that we have and how important they are. And it’s not that we have to be frenetic about it. It’s just that it matters. And so, you know, if we have something on our plate to do, and it’s what’s been given to us. I mean, we’re all in different families with different people, different jobs, different gifts, different everything. But there’s a uniqueness to it for each individual, and that’s the divine appointment to discover what God would have us do each and every day, given who He made us to be in all those uniquenesses.
SPEAKER 08 :
Deb Sheffield, that seems like that’s a great wrap-up to this great conversation. Your final thought that you’d like to leave with everybody?
SPEAKER 05 :
Can I leave us with a brief poem by Lee Sharp, 1872? Absolutely.
SPEAKER 08 :
Absolutely.
SPEAKER 05 :
It’s called A Bag of Tools. Isn’t it strange how princes and kings and clowns that caper in sawdust rings and common people like you and me are builders for eternity? Each is given a list of rules, a shapeless mask, a bag of tools, and each must fashion ere life is flown a stumbling block or stepping stone. And we all want to be a stepping stone in this life and the people in our purview. And we do that in light of God’s wisdom.
SPEAKER 08 :
Dr. Deborah Sheffel, this has been a fascinating conversation, and I so appreciate it. And there’s just lots of nuggets of wisdom that people will take away today. So I wish you and yours just a blessed 2026, and I’ll look forward to having another on-air conversation very soon. Thank you. Great, Kim. Thank you so much. Happy New Year. Happy New Year to you. And our quote for the end of the show is from Helen Lovejoy Pierce. She said this, We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. And the book is called Opportunity, and its first chapter is New Year’s Day. So my friends today, be grateful, read great books, think good thoughts, listen to beautiful music, communicate and listen well, live honestly and authentically, strive for high ideals, and like Superman, stand for truth, justice, and the American way. My friends, you are not alone. God bless you. God bless America. Stay tuned for hour number two.
SPEAKER 14 :
The views and opinions expressed on KLZ 560 are those of the speaker, commentators, hosts, their guests, and callers. They are not necessarily the views and opinions of Crawford Broadcasting or KLZ management, employees, associates, or advertisers. KLZ 560 is a Crawford Broadcasting God and country station.
SPEAKER 11 :
It’s the Kim Munson Show, analyzing the most important stories.
SPEAKER 08 :
I find that it takes work to get your brain around these ideas, and it takes work to engage in these conversations.
SPEAKER 11 :
The latest in politics and world affairs.
SPEAKER 08 :
With what is happening down at the Statehouse, I used to think that it was above my pay grade to read the legislation, and it’s not.
SPEAKER 11 :
Today’s current opinions and ideas.
SPEAKER 08 :
I see big danger in as much as we will be giving an unelected bureaucrat the power to make rules about what we inject into our bodies. And welcome to our number two of the Kim Munson Show. Thank you so much for joining us. Is it freedom or is it force?
SPEAKER 11 :
Let’s have a conversation.
SPEAKER 08 :
Today, strive for excellence. Take care of your heart, your soul, your mind, and your body, my friends. We were made for this moment in history. And I get to work with a great team. That’s Producer Joe, Luke, Rachel, Zach, Echo, Charlie, Mike, Teresa, Amanda, and all the people here at Crawford Broadcasting. Check out our website. That is KimMunson, M-O-N-S-O-N.com. Make sure you’re signed up for our weekly email newsletter that goes out on Sundays. You’ll receive the newsletter that highlights our upcoming guests as well as our most recent essays. And thank you to all of you who support us. We’re an independent voice on an independent station searching for truth and clarity by looking at these issues through the lens of freedom versus force, force versus freedom. If something’s a good idea, you should not have to force people to do it. And we are pre-recording for New Year’s Day. And I’m pleased to be talking with my friend, Helen Raleigh. And she is an American entrepreneur, writer, and speaker. She’s a senior contributor at The Federalist. Her writings appear in other national media as well, including the Wall Street Journal and Fox News. She’s written several books, including Confucius Never Said, Backlash, How Communist China’s Aggression Has Backfired. Her latest book is Not Outsiders, Asian Americans’ Political Activism from the 19th Century to Today. Helen Raleigh, welcome. Hello, Kim. How are you? I am well. And I thought you were a perfect guest to have on this New Year’s Day as we are moving into 2026. It’s the 250th birthday of America. You were born in China. You are a proud American citizen. And you are really a story of the American dream. And so I thought you would be perfect for this show, Helen.
SPEAKER 19 :
Thank you, Kim. I feel so blessed, Kim. Even in my wildest dream, I had never imagined that a girl who came to the United States more than 20 years ago with less than $100 in my pocket, you know, other than a few coins, all I had was a big dream and faith in this country. And now I get to participate in the celebration of the 250th anniversary of this great nation, this great human experiment. I just feel… I feel so tremendously blessed to be at this moment of time in history.
SPEAKER 08 :
Well, I say on the show, Helen, that we were made for this moment. And many times I feel that we are in the third founding of our country. Obviously, the Revolutionary War, 1776, that was our first founding. And then the Civil War, where we went to war to determine whether or not one man was It could be the property of another. And because with the Declaration of Independence, the vision is that all men are created equal with these rights from God of life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness. Well, slavery doesn’t match up with that. And so we had to answer that question. But now I think we are answering the question one more time, and that is, will the globalist elites… Will you control the American dream, or will we as the American people understand our American idea and preserve it in this 2026? What do you think? Are you optimistic?
SPEAKER 19 :
I am optimistic, Kim. You know, 250 years is a short time period if you look at it through the perspective of human history. But if you look at how much the United States has accomplished, and how radical this idea of this country was founded upon. It was a radical idea, right? All minds are created equal. When those magnificent words were written, it was a radical idea. And no other country was ever founded on those kind of principles about inalienable rights, about, you know… about all minds are created equal, that we all have inalienable rights, we have right to pursue life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. And those were radical ideas. It was an experiment. Nobody knew back then, 250 years ago, it’s going to be successful. And as you mentioned, our country, in our short 250 years, we experienced, we were at a brink during the Civil War. We were at a brink. that whether the question of this union could still hold was being questioned, was being challenged, was being fought over blood and sweat. And that’s why I found the Lincoln speech, you know, about our, we need to rededicate ourselves to this idea. And I think that’s what really makes the United States stand out compared to all those other countries, that we were founded on an idea. We were founded on a set of principles. We were not founded based on ethnicity, race, or shared ancestry, all those other things that bind other countries. We were founded on a set of ideas that anyone who you know, anyone who embrace those ideas can become American and can become a part of this great experiment. And I think you’re right that we are in the third founding of this republic, which means, you know, after we’ve been enjoyed fully of success from previous generations for decades. Now, we had the peace dividend since World War II with the Great Victory, with the economic growth. And then in the last decade or so, there was another idea of struggles. There were questions about whether the American founding’s ideal was still a worthy idea to hold up to. And so I think this third founding you’re talking about is really an opportunity for all of us to rededicate ourselves, rededicate this country back to the founding principles. I think if we can do that, then I have nothing but hope for this country. I think we still have many, many great things for this country.
SPEAKER 08 :
Well, in order to rededicate ourselves to this great American idea, We have to engage in this battle of ideas. And I sometimes wonder if we are living on the fumes of freedom, because I think a lot of people, there’s so much that comes at them from news and media and social media. And I think that it clouds everything. perspective. And so the work that you’re doing with your books and your writings to shed light on this big battle of ideas that is occurring is important. I think more people are paying attention, but I think a lot of people may not understand just where we are right now with our country, Helen.
SPEAKER 19 :
Well, yes and no, Kim. I think the phenomenon you described definitely exists. But I think I’m also, one of the reasons I’m hopeful is ever since, you know, Charlie Clark, actually even before Charlie Clark’s murder, you see this revival among young people’s re-embracing God, looking up to, you know, religion. And I think that’s a really promising trend because, you know, After for so long, the modern liberalism, you know, pull people away from God, from religious beliefs, people feel very shallow. And then they couldn’t find the satisfaction from all this technology, smartphones, you know, mental health decline. And I think there is a revival. People are rediscovering their spiritual needs, the higher purpose. You know, I remember last week when I went to church, and our pastor said something that’s really encouraging. He said, as Christians, that we’re different from other groups, not because we’re better. It’s because we are—he basically used the analogy between chicken and the eagle. He said, you know— Other people who do not have belief, they’re more like a chicken. They are focusing on what, you know, they’re bowing their head down. They focus on what’s around them. What do they have around them? But as Christians, we’re like eagles. We are kind of looking up. We know there are better things to come. We know there are higher purpose. So we’re not be bound by this earthly possessions or desires. And I think that’s something it’s, you know, this country was founded on, even though we never had a national religion, dedicated to a national religion, but it was founded, you know, by the early, you know, Christians who come here looking for another promised land, basically. So I think the rededication also involved that we rededicate ourselves to God to embrace, you know, our Christianity and to looking for something to lift our heads up, not focus on the earthly possession, but lift our heads up looking for more spiritual, long-term, and something much more hopeful and bigger than us.
SPEAKER 08 :
Oh my gosh, Helen Raleigh, I love that. We’re going to continue the discussion with Helen Raleigh, and we get to have these great conversations because of our great sponsors. And as I mentioned, we are pre-recording this show for New Year’s Day. And so pleased to have on the line with me my friend and great sponsor of The Kim Munson Show. She was a sponsor before The Kim Munson Show was solo. And that is Karen Levine. And Karen Levine, on this day, we are starting our eighth year of solo broadcasting with The Kim Munson Show. Welcome.
SPEAKER 04 :
Well, thanks for having me. And exciting to start 2026. with the Kim Minson Show in its eighth year.
SPEAKER 08 :
You’ve been on this journey with me. You and I have learned so much together on doing this show. It’s been really a great journey, Karen Levine.
SPEAKER 04 :
It totally has, and the things that I have learned along the way I think are priceless, just empowering both from my personal day-to-day living, but also in my business and helping my clients with their real estate needs. And so it’s been a great journey, and looking forward to 2026.
SPEAKER 08 :
Well, and looking forward to 2026. Opportunity. People, young people wanting to buy homes. I hope that that is a big opportunity that opens up for people this year. And so what do you see? What do you see with your crystal ball?
SPEAKER 04 :
Well, it’s interesting as I reflect on this past week between Christmas and New Year’s. We’re seeing activity when I thought it’d be super quiet, and it isn’t. People have been out, they’ve been looking at properties, and they’ve been submitting offers because I think they have a sense that it’s going to be more competitive in 2026. And the opportunities that we have seen in 2025 will still exist, but maybe not be as favorable, but maybe more favorable. You don’t know. Uncertainty, right? But… The economics and the economists of the real estate world are feeling very positive about 2026 and that your dream of seeing more people experience home ownership they believe is going to be true and we will see more sales in 2026 than we saw in 2025 which would mean that there’s more opportunity and potentially more affordability which gets more people into housing whether that’s new housing whether that’s moving up to the bigger house because their family is growing or whether it’s moving down and finding something simpler as you get into your retirement years and want a little less responsibility.
SPEAKER 08 :
Well, and certainly people can give you a call. That number is 303-877-7516. So next thing, you normally come up with a word for the next year. And I think you maybe tease that with us, but what’s your word for the 2026 year? 2026, my word is remember. What an appropriate word, because we are preparing to celebrate our 250th anniversary of this great American experiment. So we need to remember. We need to know our history, which we work on that all the time at the show. But remember what got us to this point and remember. The sacrifices of everyday people that are this whole fabric of our American history. I’m really excited as I reflect on your word. Remember, Karen Levine.
SPEAKER 04 :
Well, I’m glad because when I talked to my business coach, he’s like. Whoa, I haven’t ever had anyone pick that word. And I said, I would, I would. And it popped off the page in the book of Psalms when I was in the midst of doing my Bible studies several weeks ago. And God just reminded me, one, to remember all the things that he has done, as well as all the things, as you mentioned, that we have done here in America to provide prosperity and freedom for the people of America. And just to remember those core values of kindness and compassion. And so I’m excited. I think it’s going to open some amazing opportunities and definitely some learning along the way. So I will strive to remember.
SPEAKER 08 :
Well, I love that. And I think it’s important that people remember your phone number if they’re looking to buy or sell a home. What’s that?
SPEAKER 04 :
That is 303-877-7516.
SPEAKER 08 :
Karen Levine, I am blessed to have you as my friend, and I thank you for your partnership. And let’s fasten our seatbelts for 2026. I’m ready if you are, Kim. Sounds good.
SPEAKER 07 :
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SPEAKER 02 :
There’s so much noise coming at us. Sometimes it is difficult to make sense of it all. How can you sift through the clamor for your attention and get to the truth? The Kim Munson Show is here to help. Kim searches for truth and clarity by examining issues through the lens of freedom versus force, force versus freedom. Tune in to The Kim Munson Show each weekday, 6 to 8 a.m., with encores 1 to 2 p.m. and 10 to 11 p.m. on KLZ 560 AM, KLZ 100.7 FM. The KLZ website, the KLZ app, and Alexa. Play KLZ. Shows can also be found at kimmunson.com, Spotify, and iTunes.
SPEAKER 08 :
And welcome back to the Kim Munson Show. And did want to say thank you to Laramie Energy for their gold sponsorship of the show because it’s reliable, efficient, affordable, and abundant power that powers our lives, empowers us to go after our hopes and dreams, and fuels our lives. And so thank you to Laramie Energy for their gold sponsorship of the show. And then also wanted to say thank you to Hooters Restaurants. They have five locations. That’s Loveland, Aurora, and Thank you so much for having me. And she’s a senior contributor at The Federalist, and then she’s been published in a lot of different national periodicals. And she’s the author of several books, including Confucius Never Said, Backlash, How Communist China’s Aggression Has Backfired, and her latest book is Not Outsiders, Asian Americans’ Political Activism from the 19th Century to Today. You can follow her on Twitter at H. Raleigh Speaks. So that’s H-R-A-L-E-I-G-H Speaks. And Helen, you just shared as we went into break this analogy of being a Christian, which is looking up, being an eagle, looking around, soaring, instead of a chicken, which is just looking around the barnyard for food. you know, little tidbits to eat. I love that. And I love the fact that you have mentioned that we are in a revival. And that is true. That gives me hope as well. Young people are looking for meaning to life and the meaning that comes from being a Christian. And so I thank you for the optimism as we are moving into 2026, Helen.
SPEAKER 19 :
Thank you, Kim. And I think we really have good reasons to be hopeful for a better future for America. Because if you look at our 250-year history, America always has this ability to self-correct, you know, correcting itself when it’s moving too far to one direction, and then just soaring like an eagle to a new height. I was listening to a podcast. I like to listen to history podcasts. So I was listening to a podcast about World War II, about Pearl Harbor. And I was told by the host that one of the reasons, I should say, that Japan decided to attack America and Pearl Harbor, because Japan, look at it. At that time, America was very inward-looking, and we cut back our military to such a degree that before Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, the number of armies we had was about the size of the number of armies that Belgium had. So that’s why Japan felt emboldened that they could attack America, a new world country, doesn’t have a big army anymore, that somehow America would suffer a big blow and then just fold back even more. Of course, you know, history showed that Japan and the rest of the world that America back then may be a sleeping lion, but it was still a lion. Once you, you know, attacked a lion, the lion woke up with roar, you know, much more, you know, mightier than before. So never, never underestimate America. And, you know, if you want to make a bet, always bet on America’s side.
SPEAKER 08 :
Well, so with that, Helen, and you immigrated to the United States and you are a proud American citizen. With what we’ve seen in the headlines regarding the Somali population in Minnesota, And one of the things, when I was on the board of Lutheran Family Services, one of the things that they did was refugee resettlement. And this was way back in the 90s, where people were being brought into the country, but we were not assimilating. We were not explaining the American idea anymore. And then you fast forward to where we are now, what’s happened with the Somali community up in Minnesota and the potential fraud. And I really think it’s because we did not explain the American idea to many of these immigrants. What do you think?
SPEAKER 19 :
Well, it’s not just about what do not explain. I think the root cause of what’s happening with Somali fraud is actually goes far deeper. You mentioned many times about the battle of ideas on your show, and I think the battle of ideas constantly exists. And there is this group of thought from the left that denounced the American ideal, the ideas that America was founded upon. And this challenge never goes away. But they have been emboldened in the last 20 years. And they gained attraction because they have intellectually captured, I’m talking about the radical ideas about, you know, America was founded on systemic racism. You know, we should be ashamed of our past, what we have accomplished. And we somehow need to totally redeem ourselves by giving up the founding principles and ideas. And that kind of school of thought have gained a traction in the last 20 years, I would say, because the people who held those ideas have become leaders in institutions like media like education institutions like in corporate world so they have all these powers and to spread this kind of ideology through schools through media you know basically people are inundated with those kind of thoughts so and that has been moving too far to one direction and United Kingdom was is a perfect example what happening here also happening United Kingdom and yet I believe last year’s election was the beginning of the end of that school of thought. But also it’s a revival. It’s a new beginning of America pull itself back to the center from that radical ideology. And what happened in UK, they still keep going down in that far left direction. So you see this bifurcation of the two countries shared. similar language, share similar culture, and we used to have this very special relationship. But then you look at how America has this amazing ability to, when things go too far, to one direction, that we are able to pull ourselves back from the cliff. Yet, you look at United Kingdom, it keeps falling, keep going down to the cliff. So that’s what makes me feel hopeful. As for the Somalis, I think, as for the Somali scandals, I think there are two explanations. One is because of this leftist thinking that America would find that this is America’s racism, so we do not need to demand assimilation. It’s not just about teaching them. It’s about this push and pull. On the one hand, immigrants know, want to be assimilated so they can become part of this new community. And the studies have shown immigrants who are assimilated have a better life, are happier. in the new country as well. And then it’s this poor factor that we do not demand immigrants to assimilate anymore because of this leftist idea that, you know, driven by multiculturalism, everything’s acceptable. And we see what happens is When a nation says everything is acceptable, then you see there’s lack of national unity. There’s lack of respect to law and enforcement. And that’s what happens here in this particular situation. And as an immigrant, I really want to say that things are going too far on one hand. We should, as a country, from the government standpoint, we should demand justice. How do we demand assimilation? We need to demand language requirements. We need to demand that people, new immigrants, be familiar with the basic laws and the Constitution, even though there are such requirements on paper, but over the last 20 years, it has been gradually more for show than really being enforced. And from an immigrant standpoint, I really want to tell my fellow immigrants, whether you are new or have been here for a while, this is a great country. You come here for a reason. You come here for a better life. from where you were born. So treasure it and respect it and become part of it. Do not bring what’s your life behind here to duplicate what’s your life behind. Because if you just want to live exactly like you lived before, this is not the right place for you.
SPEAKER 08 :
Well, I think if you are leaving a place because you’re looking for a better life, then don’t bring those ideas here. It’s important to understand what makes America great, and you’re doing a good job on that. I’m talking with Helen Raleigh, and these important discussions happen because of our amazing sponsors.
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SPEAKER 12 :
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SPEAKER 08 :
Welcome back to The Kim Munson Show. Be sure and check out our website. That is kimmunson.com. And if you want more financial freedom, give Mint Financial Strategies a call. They’re an independent firm with over 25 years of experience. And as an accredited investment fiduciary, they put your best interests first, always. With a strategy-first approach, they’ll help you build a plan that fits your life. So call Mint Financial Strategies. That number is 303-285-3080 today. 303-285-3080 i’m talking with helen raleigh she is a entrepreneur truly an american entrepreneur and she’s the author of several books and she can be found in the federalist as well as many of the other national publications and we’re talking about the american idea and she said there’s Over our history, we’ve had a push and we’ve had a pull, but we’ve been able to self-correct. And she is an immigrant. We were talking about the Somalis in Minnesota and this fraud that has occurred there. And what’s your thoughts about that? It didn’t just occur. There was a lot of moving parts to make this happen, yes? Yes.
SPEAKER 19 :
Yes, absolutely. You know, we are right to focus on Somali immigrants who committed the fraud, but the scale of the fraud, I think, could not reach this kind of scale or have been gone on for so long without being exposed until now, if not for the Democrat Party leadership who leads the city, allowed it to happen, right? And so, Yes, we are absolutely right to focus on to capture the fraudsters, you know, to, you know, bring them to the law and justice. At the same time, you know, I don’t think it’s just the Somalis. They have a waiting partner who enabled this to happen. And that’s the Democratic leadership, you know. So I think that the leadership needs to be held accountable, and we need to re-examine our laws. I should say, we need to re-examine our laws in terms of welfare and how do we distribute welfare. Because I found this whole thing is so demoralizing, Kim. Every dollar that’s What fraudsters took and sent back to Somalia is the dollars that an American family here who are going hungry, who are going, you know, Minnesota is very cold in winter, who could not pay for heat, you know, who may not have a place to live. That’s a dollar that they do not get to have. And then the government kept using those American families to say, oh, we need to raise the taxes for hardworking taxpayers and people like you and I, right? I believe there are people like us in Minnesota. They’re hardworking. They’re saving. They’re investing. They are pinching pennies to try to do the right thing. And they thought, oh, they voted for tax increase. They thought the dollars would go to helping those families in need. Then it turned out that those monies had gone to another country and possibly even financing terrorism. And it’s I don’t know if the Democrat leadership realized how demoralizing this whole scandal is for all of us as taxpayers as well. I tweeted out yesterday, I said, how could any politician, especially Democrat politician, no matter whether they’re in Minnesota or here in Colorado, how could they ever look at us? honest, you know, paying, tax-paying citizens saying we need to increase tax again to pay for this and that without, you know, holding themselves. I mean, those is this massive level of fraud. I feel very demoralized. I’m glad that the scandal is out, but I think it is just the tip of the iceberg. And it’s not just in Minnesota. My friend from California told me that what’s happening in Minnesota is nothing compared to California. Of course, I do not live in California, so I cannot verify by that. But I think I think it’s time that from the federal government standpoint, and also most importantly from voter, citizen standpoint, we need to demand accountability to our individual state level, city level government to find out where did our money go? Did they really go to help people who really need to be helped?
SPEAKER 08 :
Well, and it goes back then, Helen, to the proper role of government. And it is not the proper role of government to be taking care of people. And before the income tax, and we are a very generous and charitable nation, and that’s how the fraudsters and I call them PBIs, the politicians, bureaucrats, and interested parties act. they play into the fact that we do care so much about other human beings. And so they say, we’ll do this government program for school lunches or whatever. But what I’ve learned is the PBIs take a healthy cut as the money goes by. And it’s not capitalism, it’s cronyism when this happens.
SPEAKER 19 :
It’s downright corruption, Kim. You’re absolutely right. It’s downright corruption. That’s why you see so many leaders, heads of so-called nonprofit organizations, that they get paid millions of dollars, right? They live in big mansions. And I know that – I remember reading news about in California, San Francisco, the housing – organizations, nonprofit organizations who’s managing housing, supposedly taking care of homeless people. The head of those housing nonprofit, they make millions of dollars. They themselves live in the mansion. And yet the homeless population in San Francisco and in California is only getting worse. Where did the money go? Nobody could answer that. And so there’s a massive corruption involved, too. And I am surprised that the The voters in California continue to support this one-party system. Our election is supposed to be a mechanism to, as I said, to pull the government, to pull the country back from when it’s going too far to one direction. And this happened on a national scale from last year’s general election, but it hasn’t happened on state level, especially some of the blue states. So I really hope that ultimately as voters, as citizens, that the citizens need to rise up to demand accountability, not only their tax dollars, but also accountability from the government and ask themselves, again, rededicate themselves back to the ideas of the founding ideas. Like you said, what is the proper role of a government? What are the things the government should do and should not do?
SPEAKER 08 :
Well, and absolutely. And the other thing about Minnesota and you mentioned the Democrat leadership is the governor, Governor Walz, was within basically a stone’s throw of being vice president of the United States. And so connect that dot with that corruption and where does all the money go? And I think people are asking these questions. And transparency and shedding light on all these issues is so important. And I think that… I think that we are going to get this turned around, but goodness, the numbers are staggering when we look at the amount of fraud. And that was just Minnesota. And there are reports from different people throughout the country that this is happening in other states as well.
SPEAKER 19 :
Oh, I have no doubt this is happening in other states as well. I also heard, again, it’s not verified, so just what I heard based on what I read, that this is happening in some of the other blue states, like California I mentioned. So, yeah, I think that, you know, but one thing, out of this entire scandal, what gives me hope, Kim, is that this scandal has been reported by locals, but it was ignored by legacy media for years and years. Their focus is all about trying to get Tim Walz and the Democrats elected to stay in power. But guess what? It was a 20-some-year-old kid Basically, especially this week, there’s a 20-some-year-old kid, an independent journalist. He just went to knocking on doors of the so-called daycare centers to find out what is really going on there. There was no kids there, and many of them have different titles but share the same building. Some of them didn’t even have a functioning phone number or mailing address. It took a 20-some-year-old kid to report this. So what gave me hope is, I think because of technology and thanks to technology and Elon Musk’s purchase of X.com, that the left, I mentioned it before, for 20 years or plus, the left, the radicals have control of institutions that spill out news, spill out ideologies, you know, in indoctrinate our children. But now, with technology, everybody with a smartphone can become an independent journalist. All it takes is somebody waiting to ask a few questions and record the answer, and then it’s going to go viral. So that’s what gives me hope. I think this kid set an example. More people are going to do this kind of independent reporting. And just like what you’re doing, Kim, you are part of the independent media. I am part of the independent media. I think the legacy media hold the country on what’s allowed to be reported, what’s allowed to be said. That era is over. That era has been broken by COVID.
SPEAKER 08 :
That era is over. I love that, Helen Raleigh. So let’s continue the discussion with Helen Raleigh. And we are pre-recording this for New Year’s. Happy New Year’s to each and every one of you. And we will be right back.
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Thank you so much for having me. To learn more reach out to Teresa at 520-631-9243. Teresa would love to talk with you. Again that number is 520-631-9243.
SPEAKER 08 :
And welcome back to the Kim Munson Show. And as we are moving into the new year, be sure and consider supporting the Center for American Values, which is located in Pueblo, and also the USMC Memorial Foundation. Neither of these organizations receive government money, and they’re doing important work. One is to honor our veterans, and the other is to keep our Medal of Honor stories, our recipient stories alive, and also educational programs focused on honor, integrity, and patriotism. So that website for the Center for American Values is AmericanValuesCenter.org. And for the Memorial Foundation, it’s USMCMemorialFoundation.org. I’m talking with Helen Raleigh. She is a proud American citizen. She immigrated from China. She’s an American entrepreneur, writer, and speaker. And she’s a senior contributor at The Federalist, and she’s written several books as well. You can find her at hralespeaks, that’s h-r-a-l-e-i-g-h speaks.com. Helen, let’s shift gears to something that’s near and dear on your heart. You were working on a documentary, so tell us about that.
SPEAKER 19 :
Thank you, Kim, for giving me this opportunity to talk about something that’s not political. It’s very personal. About seven years and seven months ago, I lost my son. He was stillborn. Before I lost my son, I barely knew what the stillbirth was about. And I didn’t know that something still happened, not only around the world, but still happened here in America. So based on the CDC’s statistics that about 21,000 babies in the United States are stillborn each year. and on average that’s 65 per day that’s enough to fill a school bus so just think about every day a school bus full of babies were stillborn they never made it you know take their breath out of a mother’s womb so it’s something that dear to my heart i believe this is a overlook the public house crisis So I’m working on a documentary called The Due Time. There’s a website. It’s www.theduetime.com. And we just released a trailer, a two-minute trailer about the documentary right before Christmas Eve. I just think God has really opened the door for us and allowed us to make this happen. So the goal of this film is we’re mostly interviewing Colorado families who experienced the stillbirths, and also we are going to interview doctors and leading researchers, especially from other countries, about how to prevent and reduce stillbirths. One of the most striking statistics about stillbirths in America is more than 25% are preventable. So our goal is to raise awareness and share about the best practice and to end the preventable stillbirths.
SPEAKER 08 :
Well, it’s a very important story. And people that have gone through stillbirth is, I don’t think that others understand just the hurt and the pain and the memories that mothers and fathers feel when they have a stillbirth. And I think that that’s important that we understand that, Helen.
SPEAKER 19 :
Yes, and it’s really about also respect for life, because stillbirths, for people who are not familiar with it, stillbirths happen very usually late in the pregnancy. The CDC definition is after 20 weeks of pregnancy, when you lose a child. That’s considered, I mean, if the child died in a mother’s utero, that’s considered stillbirths. And in the United States, half of stillbirths actually happened in the third trimester. So it’s very late. By that time, you know, families already painted their nurseries. You already have your – most likely you already had your – baby showers, you know, all these expectations, you’re ready for it. And it’s not just parents, but also grandparents, you know, aunts and uncles and cousins. Everybody’s ready for this new life. And then you lose your child at the last minute. And I think because, again, if we have to be a little bit political, it’s because it’s a culture about when does life begin, this debate in our current times. That’s why stillbirth is a topic. The health issues have been hush-hushed. you know, there’s a lack of, especially on the political arena, there’s a lack of desire to even talk about it openly because that gets into the debate of where life begins. But I think for every parent, and including grandparents, we know when the life begins for our child. And we didn’t choose to lose our child. So we want to honor our kids, and we also want to make sure that the parents Even though their lives are only measured by weeks and months, but they’re still created in the image of God. That life is still precious, and they still live in our hearts forever and forever. And we’re still looking forward to days, you know, to meet them again in heaven. So I think that… It’s important for families, including myself, who experience this, to openly talk about it, to share our grief, but also share the power of healing, that the hope we found through sufferings. And the hope that God instilled us to hopefully bring more awareness to this issue and then bring more change to the care, in the health care, insurance, you know, all together for parents, especially for expecting mothers. Hopefully we can end preventable stillbirths to make sure more babies will live, more families will be whole.
SPEAKER 08 :
Well, it’s such important work. And you have been involved in this area for seven years and seven months, for sure. And I think that you have become a resource for others that have been going through this tragedy, this hurt of stillbirth. And I I know that you, just on a very personal level, have funded many of these little cribs so that a family can have their little one and hold them, say goodbye. And so tell us just a little bit about that. We’ve got about three minutes.
SPEAKER 19 :
Sure. So this device called the puddle cut is basically shaped like a bassinet, but it actually has a cooling system at the bottom. So because of the scuba babies, they were usually born very late during the pregnancy, so they’re fully formed. This device will allow the babies to keep their color as alive as possible and then allow parents and grandparents, siblings and even aunts and uncles, just give them the gift of time to be able to say goodbye. to celebrate their baby’s life. And so when I lost my son Lucas, when we lost our son Lucas, the hospital we stayed did not have this kind of device. So we were not able to spend much time with Lucas. Once I learned about this device, my husband Mike and I, because this device is expensive, it costs several thousand dollars, and most hospitals at the time, more than seven years ago, did not have it. And so we were working with local organizations. Every year on Lucas’s birthday, we’ll do a fundraising and then we’ll buy one of those devices from the United Kingdom and donate to a local hospital. We did this for four years in a row. And the other parents also were doing the same thing. So by the fourth year, we were told by the local organizations that Every hospital in Metro Denver has at least one cuddle cot. So it gave us, you know, out of this tragedy, it gave us a little, you know, gave us some hope and a comfort knowing that part of all this stillborn baby’s legacy is, you know, they left something beautiful behind to help other families, give them the gift of time.
SPEAKER 08 :
And Ellen, if people would like to contribute to that at this point in time, can they? Or do they need to wait until you’re doing that fundraiser?
SPEAKER 19 :
They can contribute. I would really appreciate if they want to contribute to the film, to a documentary, because, again, it’s independently produced. We’re not associated with any studios or any companies. So on the website, the DoTime.com, T-H-E-D-U-E-T-I-M-E.com, there’s a donate button, and we’re working with our— nonprofit organizations. So all donations to the film is tax deductible. And like I said, we just produced the trailer, but we still need to go into the production mode to do more filming. So every dollar will help us to bring this film, bring this important topic closer to the audience sooner.
SPEAKER 08 :
Okay. And that’s DoTime.com, right? TheDueTime.com. TheDueTime.com. Okay. Helen Raleigh, thank you so much. We are looking forward into 2026. I appreciate you being our special guest today and keep up the great work.
SPEAKER 19 :
Thank you, Kim. And a happy new year to everyone. And let’s celebrate America’s 250 years birthday together.
SPEAKER 08 :
Absolutely. And our quote for the end of the show is from Edith Lovejoy Pierce. She said this. We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We’re going to put the words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity. and its first chapter is New Year’s Day. So my friends today, be grateful, read great books, think good thoughts, listen to beautiful music, communicate and listen well, live honestly and authentically, strive for high ideals, and like Superman, stand for truth, justice, and the American way. My friends, you are not alone. God bless you, and God bless America.
SPEAKER 14 :
The views and opinions expressed on KLZ 560 are those of the speaker, commentators, hosts, their guests, and callers. They are not necessarily the views and opinions of Crawford Broadcasting or KLZ management, employees, associates, or advertisers. KLZ 560 is a Crawford Broadcasting God and country station.
