On this Christmas Day episode of Washington Watch, Tony Perkins hosts a spirited conversation with members of the Family Research Council, celebrating the Christmas spirit and exploring its deeper significance. The episode is a blend of humor, personal anecdotes, and poignant discussions about the challenges and triumphs in their mission to uphold core Christian values in the nation’s capital. Listeners will also enjoy a heartwarming reading of the Christmas story, reminding us of the enduring hope and peace that the season brings.
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From the heart of our nation’s capital in Washington, D.C., bringing compelling interviews, insightful analysis, taking you beyond the headlines and soundbites into conversations with our nation’s leaders and newsmakers, all from a biblical worldview. Washington Watch with Tony Perkins starts now. You there, boy.
SPEAKER 06 :
What, me? Uh, that is, uh, what, me, sir? What’s today? Pardon? What’s today, my fine fellow? Today? Well, today is Christmas Day. It’s Christmas Day. I haven’t missed it. The spirits did it all in one night. They can do anything they like. Of course they can.
SPEAKER 11 :
Well, that scene from the Muppet Christmas Carol captures the moment Ebenezer Scrooge awakens on Christmas morning, forever chained by his encounter with the spirits of Christmas past, present and future. Well, Merry Christmas and welcome to this special Christmas Day edition of Washington Watch. I’m Tony Perkins, your host and the president of Family Research Council. Well, I’m delighted you’ve taken part of your Christmas Day to join us. And by the way, that’s one of my favorite Christmas movies. I’ll just let you in on that. And we’re going to be talking about some favorites because we’re going to be talking to members of the entire FRC team today. Well, members of the team, not everybody. We wouldn’t have time for that. But this is a day of celebration. but not simply of toys or treasures under the tree, but of the birth of Jesus, who would one day be lifted up on a tree called Calvary as the savior and hope of all mankind. He was buried, rose again, and in doing so overcame death and the grave. And that is why we celebrate today. And with that celebration as our focus, we’re going to be stepping back from the news and the business of Washington, D.C., for an unscripted, freewheeling Christmas Day conversation about faith, family, and freedom. The core values Family Research Council and Washington Watch works to defend so that we can celebrate days like today. Well, joining me will be some familiar voices from the Washington stand, Casey Harper, Suzanne Bowdy, Jared Bridges, Sarah Holliday, Travis Weber, and Kena Gonzalez from FRC’s Policy and Government Affairs team will also be with us. And then later in the program, FRC’s favorite Army general, Lieutenant General Jerry Boykin, who led U.S. Special Forces for 36 and a half years. And he inspires everyone here on our staff. We’ll also be joined by Ken Blackwell, Senior Fellow, at the Family Research Council and a steady navigator of the D.C. swamp and its shifting political winds. So we have a great lineup today, so don’t go anywhere. Well, my first guests are Suzanne Bowdy, Editorial Director and Senior Writer for The Washington Stand, and Casey Harper, Managing Editor for Broadcast at The Washington Stand and host of The Outstanding Podcast. Casey, Suzanne, great to see you on this special Christmas Day edition of Washington Watch. Merry Christmas. Always in sync. Yeah, always in sync. Yeah, just like the Muppets.
SPEAKER 1 :
That’s right.
SPEAKER 11 :
Let me just start with you, Suzanne. Ladies first. You’ve been with FRC how many years now?
SPEAKER 04 :
Almost 24.
SPEAKER 11 :
Wow.
SPEAKER 04 :
Longer than you.
SPEAKER 11 :
Yeah, longer than me. You left for a while.
SPEAKER 04 :
I predate, right, but you brought me back.
SPEAKER 11 :
Yeah, I know, you came back. And you’ve served several roles here over the years. Share briefly about you coming back in the now over two decades that you’ve been back since I’ve been here. What motivates you to engage in the work that we do here at the Family Research Council?
SPEAKER 04 :
Honestly, I’m so passionate about our issues that I can’t imagine working anywhere else. It’s a perfect marriage of getting to write and then getting about to write about my issues of passion, which is everybody knows I’m a very passionate person about certain issues. Also, I just love the community that we have here at FRC. We deal with a lot of hard things, but in so many ways, it’s like a family. We’re all in this together. It’s like we’re all Not at war necessarily, although sometimes it feels like that, but it’s just such a great place to work. We’re all committed Christians. We all share a faith. We all have a good time despite all the difficult and heavy things that we deal with day to day. I mean, it’s not an easy job, but I wouldn’t work for anyone but you.
SPEAKER 11 :
You keep record of some of those things that are said. I do.
SPEAKER 04 :
So one of the little known secrets is that in our morning meetings when people say funny things, I sort of jot them down. And then at the end of the year, without any context, people get these quotes out of nowhere.
SPEAKER 11 :
My kids over the years have always looked for those. Yeah. It’s quite comical.
SPEAKER 04 :
It’s a fun tradition. Every once in a while you hear someone say, Suzanne, write that down. Yeah.
SPEAKER 11 :
Yeah, we could probably raise money on that.
SPEAKER 12 :
Or we could lose money on that.
SPEAKER 11 :
One of the two. So, Casey, before I go to you, Suzanne, given that context of, you know, we’re passionate about these things. Of course, we’re here to defend and advance faith, family and freedom. But we also celebrate it. And that’s what we do at Christmastime. What’s one of your favorite Christmas activities?
SPEAKER 04 :
Favorite Christmas, well, I have some funny Christmas stories. Favorite activity last year was going to the ER because my mom swallowed my engagement ring on Christmas. Have I told you this story? No, I missed that somehow. So this isn’t a tradition that every family shares. I do not recommend it. Right, so I laid my, this ring actually, it’s been clean since, so don’t worry. Oh, thank you. But I laid this ring at night into a bowl, which happened to have my mom’s vitamins in it. And I even said to her, hey mom, I’m putting my ring here, both of them actually. And she’s like, oh, okay, no problem. What, in the morning, when she went to take them, it was dark. She threw back the whole bowl, swallowed the vitamins along with my engagement ring.
SPEAKER 12 :
The ring had to have a little hurt.
SPEAKER 04 :
Right. I said, I got up the next morning. I went to look for my rings. I said, Mom, have you seen my ring? And she just gives me this look. And I’m like, what? I said, did you swallow my engagement ring? And she said, oh, my word. I think I did. I’m laughing hysterically. We go to the ER. I say to the lady, I’m sure this happens all the time. The lady says, no, it has never happened.
SPEAKER 11 :
It reminds me of Ring the Bells of Christmas.
SPEAKER 04 :
Right, it takes on a whole new meaning for us. So hide your jewelry around my mom. I’m sure she’s horrified that I’m telling this.
SPEAKER 05 :
You got it back.
SPEAKER 04 :
I got it back.
SPEAKER 05 :
I don’t want to know.
SPEAKER 04 :
Through the natural process that God has given us. Moving right along.
SPEAKER 11 :
Moving right along. Casey, you’re a little newer to FRC, and I see that you keep your ring on your finger.
SPEAKER 04 :
Don’t go near my mom. Undefiled.
SPEAKER 11 :
Undefiled. You know, you are serving as a reporter for the Washington Stand. You’re with us on the program each day at Washington Watch. You know, I assume that you’ve—I don’t know if that’s something you’ve aspired to do. You ever thought about being a reporter? I mean, did you watch the movie Elf when you were a kid and you saw that New York— That was the moment. Is that it?
SPEAKER 07 :
That was it?
SPEAKER 05 :
That was the moment.
SPEAKER 07 :
I want maple syrup for dinner. That’s right.
SPEAKER 05 :
You know, I’ve had a journey. I felt called to D.C. Actually, this is funny. Watching Glenn Beck back when Glenn Beck was on Fox with the chalkboard and the progressives and something about that really captured my attention and I became a regular. cable news viewer, and it was all downhill. It was over after that, you know. But I felt, I read this book, which you mentioned this in our chapel. We have chapel here, as many people know it, FRC, and you mentioned William Wilberforce, and Eric Metaxas has a great book about him called Amazing Grace. And that book was really pivotal for me because William Wilberforce, he was very pious, very devoted to the Lord. And when you read how he talked, he almost wanted to take up a monastic life and just go and be in the presence of the Lord and focus on religious duties and prayer, which is honestly a lot of my heart is to kind of retreat and be a prayer person.
SPEAKER 11 :
It’s a lot easier.
SPEAKER 05 :
It is. Yeah.
SPEAKER 11 :
I mean, I get it. I much prefer that. Just go on long walks in nature. And Wilberforce wanted that. He did. But it was actually a friend, a mentor, who wrote the book or the song Amazing Grace, the former slave trader, that encouraged him, no, this is your calling. This is your moment to take that faith and to engage in the political process.
SPEAKER 05 :
The genders are different, but Esther gets a Mordecai to help along the way. And I think that’s what happened there. And so I was very inspired by his story and came out to D.C., did political journalism, Daily Caller, The Hill, Sinclair Broadcasting, worked on Capitol Hill for a little while for Vicki Hartzler. who’s a friend of FRC, longtime friend. And so we had her on the Outstanding podcast. She did a great job talking about persecuted Christians around the world. So it’s been a journey. I’m inspired by Wilbur Forrest, the pictures of Daniel. I told myself if Daniel could work for the corrupt evil king there, then I could work for For me? Congress. For Tony.
SPEAKER 12 :
Is that where you’re going? Yeah, where is this going?
SPEAKER 05 :
No, the D.C. swamp. If he can work there, then I can work in the swamp. And here we are.
SPEAKER 11 :
So how have you found that in your journey where all of those things have kind of culminated with you being here at FRC?
SPEAKER 05 :
You have to be led by the Holy Spirit to operate in this level. I mean, God, if you’re not, you can still love God and go to heaven and all that. But when you’re operating, I think, in reformation, you have to be getting dreams or prophetic words from people or just that simple nudge of the Holy Spirit to get you at the right place at the right time. The Lord told me that on this special day in March that something important was going to happen, and that was the day Travis Weber brought me to FRC to meet everyone. And so, you know, I have little signposts like that along the way have always guided me.
SPEAKER 11 :
Well, and that’s biblical where we see these, we look back on those moments because we need those. Because there are times when we question where we are because of the difficulty that we face. And we look back on those moments as confirmation. No, no, I’m on the right path. I’m where I’m supposed to be. I’m just not hearing anything right now. I’m not feeling the love. Right. But I know that this is where God has called me to be.
SPEAKER 05 :
Which is very apt for Christmas. So many fulfilled prophecies that didn’t seem like they would be fulfilled for a long time. They’re waiting, waiting, waiting, or even conflicting. How is it that Jesus could come out of Egypt, but also be born in Bethlehem? It doesn’t always make sense until it happens.
SPEAKER 11 :
A light broke through to a people who could not see. And it was a powerful moment. And it’s replicated over and over in our lives when we when we experience the freedom, the love, the light. As we ended up kind of the end of the year reading the letters of John in our Stand on the Word is so many references to the light and the truth. And walking in the light, we can live out the truth. Walking in the light, not just sitting in the light. Right. Yeah, sitting in the light. That’s a suntan booth. We’re on a journey. We’re on a journey. That’s right. Suzanne, what would you say? I mean, as Casey kind of described it, this is almost like a spiritual outpost.
SPEAKER 04 :
Oh, absolutely. I don’t think we could all operate in the jobs that were functioning without the Lord. We couldn’t have joy. We couldn’t approach this from a place of peace, knowing that no matter what happens on Capitol Hill, the Lord is in control. I think, honestly, working at a place like this even makes you more reliant on the Lord on a daily basis as you breathe this in and realize that the King is on the throne and that we’re just doing our duty. Mike Johnson, you, they all like to say, we just do our duty, the results belong to God. And so we can operate from a place of just knowing our position and knowing who we are in the Lord. and doing that together.
SPEAKER 11 :
Casey, what encourages you along this journey? I know we talked about those looking back on those moments, but what encourages you along the journey?
SPEAKER 05 :
Besides Suzanne’s Christmas hat, which is, if you were just listening, she’s very festive today in the green top and red and white Christmas hat with the bonbon and everything. I’m very, I think, I draw strength from the word. I mean, it’s a little obvious, but when you read these stories, I mean, you’ve taken us through Nehemiah, more recently the story of Noah, this idea that you could be building something for years and years and mocked and ridiculed for it, but then it turns out that what you were building all along was actually the Lord’s will. There’s no indication that Noah got a weekly confirmation, hey, buddy, you’re on the right track. He gets a word. He carries out the commission amidst persecution. And then when the time comes, you know, he gets the reward of what he built. But I draw a lot of strength from the Word. I mean, we already talked about the leading of the Holy Spirit. But working with other people who are on the same track here at FRC helps a lot. Knowing, you know, if you’re having an off day, you see that people are doing things. It’s encouraging to see Suzanne go viral for taking on some issue, like she did with her Chick-fil-A article or different things. And then I get phone calls about it.
SPEAKER 04 :
Sorry. You brought her back. Right, it’s your fault.
SPEAKER 11 :
Suzanne, 40 seconds. What encourages you along this journey?
SPEAKER 04 :
Honestly, just knowing that what we’re doing is sowing into the kingdom. You know, we see people that write in who say what you did or what Sarah did or what Casey did or what you said encouraged me. It gave me hope in a really dark time. It’s not just about the political issues that we deal with. I really think that we’re able to connect with people on a personal level and give them some hope.
SPEAKER 11 :
Right. And that’s part of our mission. Truth spoken with courage, but bathed in hope. That is our mission. Suzanne, Casey, Merry Christmas. Enjoy the rest of the day with the family. Good to see you. All right, folks, stick with us. We’re back with more after this. Hello, I’m Tony Perkins, and I want to invite you to join me for Stand on the Word, a daily journey through the Bible, 10 to 15 minutes a day. That’s all it takes. And in no time, you’ll have finished the entire Bible. And along the way, we’ll learn how to apply God’s truths to the world in which we live. As we’re about to start a new year and as our nation is about to celebrate 250 years, there’s never been a better time for a fresh start in the Word of God. To join us, text BIBLE to 67742. That’s BIBLE to 67742.
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Family Research Council, along with congressional friends of FRC, present the Christmas story, a reading from the Gospel of Luke.
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And it came to pass in those days that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed. And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.
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And all went to be taxed, everyone into his own city.
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Joseph also went up from Galilee out of the city of Nazareth into Judea.
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Unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem.
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Because he was of the house and of the lineage of David, to be taxed with Mary, his espoused wife, being great with child.
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And so it was that while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.
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And she brought forth her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger.
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Because there was no room for them in the inn.
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And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night.
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Lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone around about them, and they were sore afraid.
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And the angel said unto them, Fear not, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be unto all people.
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For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.
SPEAKER 14 :
And this shall be a sign unto you. You shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host.
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Praising God and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men.
SPEAKER 03 :
And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, Let us now go even into Bethlehem and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.
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And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph and the babe lying in a manger.
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And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.
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And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.
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But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart.
SPEAKER 11 :
And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God. For all the things that they had heard and seen as it was told unto them. Merry Christmas. Merry Christmas. Merry Christmas from FRC. Merry Christmas and welcome back to this special edition of Washington Watch. Thanks so much for tuning in. Well, just around the corner, we’ll be beginning our journey through the Bible, new journey. And it’s about 15 to 20 minutes a day, Monday through Saturday. And guess what? In no time, two years, you’ll be through the entire Bible. But we do it together on a journey. And I want to invite you to join me and thousands of others as we deepen our knowledge of the Word of God and its application to the world in which we live. You can do so by texting the word BIBLE to 67742. That’s BIBLE to 67742. And sign up to join us on this journey through the Word of God. Well, as I’ve been talking about on this Christmas Day, I’m joined by some very familiar faces. from around here at the Family Research Council to kind of share a peek into what makes FRC’s work effective and why we do what we do here at the Family Research Council. And joining me now is Travis Weber, FRC’s Vice President for Policy and Government Affairs, and Kena Gonzalez, FRC’s Senior Director of Government Affairs. Travis, Kena, Merry Christmas.
SPEAKER 15 :
Merry Christmas, Tony.
SPEAKER 11 :
Something our audience may not be completely aware of is, I don’t know that both of you have been on the program at one time together. Usually it’s at different times. But policy and GA in the same department, you two work very closely together, kind of a dynamic duo as we take our policy to Capitol Hill and work to shape public policy. So I just want to throw it out there as we come to the end of this year, some key things Key things we’ve seen God do through the policy realm this year. I’ll start with you, Kenan.
SPEAKER 15 :
That’s great. I don’t think we’ve ever been seen in the same room together before now, Tony.
SPEAKER 11 :
That’s right.
SPEAKER 15 :
It’s been rumored that it might be the same person, but there’s actually two of us. There have been a lot of victories this year, and that is a blessing because, as you know, in politics it’s not always the case. Even when we have friends in the White House and in the administration and in the administration, in Congress. But this year, we’ve seen a number of victories. Earlier this year, we saw the defunding of Planned Parenthood for a year for the first time. That was a major victory. A short time ago, a few weeks ago, you testified in the House on the atrocities in the Sudan, which is an issue that you’ve been working on for a very long time. But of course, you’ve been working on even longer from your days at USURF. The National Defense Authorization Act, people might not remember this, but it was supposed to have an irresponsible expansion of IVF that had no regard to pro-life concerns with the way that they were expanding that in the NDA. That came out. These are all things that we have worked on, some of them just this year, some of them for many years. The First Amendment Defense Act, which says that the government cannot discriminate against people because of their belief that marriage is or should be between one man and one woman, pretty common sense language, was introduced again into the funding bills for this past year. So a lot of victories that we look back on with a lot of pride.
SPEAKER 11 :
So, Travis, I want to go to you for a minute to talk about not so much what was done, as Cain had just laid out, but why. I mean, what motivates your team here, as we were talking about earlier with Suzanne and Casey, kind of a spiritual outpost here in our nation’s capitol?
SPEAKER 17 :
Yeah, I mean, as Kena was sharing, I was reflecting on why we’re doing this, why we come to work. And these moments at the end of the year are a good time to do that because the cycles of time, the rhythms of time, it’s kind of like the year’s hands on the yearly clock went around once again, right? So why are we doing what we’re doing? Are we using our time well? Is this a waste of time? Is it a good investment of time? And I think, Tony, that goes for me as I— come in here every day. I feel like it goes for others around here, but also the people who are part of this effort through prayer and our supporters. And it’s kind of a taking stock moment, right? And so what I reflect on at those moments is doing all things in the sight of the Lord. It’s not a matter of for the purposes of men or being placed in a conservative or political position, but rather as unto the Lord, we stand before him. Are we Are we doing all things with a clear conscience? Will we, to the best of our conscience, say we’re striving to hear, well done, my good and faithful servant? For me, that’s how I’m thinking about this. That’s a blessing to do that because for many people, they don’t get to come to a place at nine to five and do that type of, spend their time on that. For many people, that is the Lord’s calling to them in the midst of something else. So for us, it’s very unique. It’s a very unique place. And I think the Lord is bringing us even more into a space where He wants us to be His hands and feet, to be His heart, to be laying hand on someone and praying for them, not just encouraging them to take a stand, that’s important, it’s part of it, but encouraging them to walk the race with Jesus and run the race with Him as well.
SPEAKER 11 :
And we’re doing that. We have the opportunity to do that more and more with policymakers and with those in government. And faith, family, and freedom is truly why we’re here. It’s what we do, but it’s what motivates us. But this also has a personal – there’s a personal side to this. I know now with grandchildren, building those, as we talked about – we talked elsewhere in the program, these – I know sometimes that has a negative connotation, but I mean that from a standpoint of building those stones of remembrance that we do, that our kids look back and they get a sense of identity and something they look forward to. So we’ve just got a couple minutes left. I want to talk about some of those at this time of year. And Kane, I’ll start with you. Traditions in the Gonzales household.
SPEAKER 15 :
Yeah, well, growing up, we didn’t have a lot of traditions. I grew up, my early years were in a very chaotic home before my parents knew Christ. And so we were sort of breaking new ground as we tried to form traditions. A book that’s helped our family a lot by Noel Piper is Treasuring God in Our Traditions. It’s a very simple book, and it presents several different ideas that families could try out. We tried out several of them. And we now celebrate all of Advent. So we celebrate Christmas all the way through. And then we celebrate 12 days of Christmas. And so Christmas morning, instead of opening all of our gifts, we just open a few of them. And then we sort of space it out over the 12 days. And that has given the kids, when they were younger, time to really enjoy them.
SPEAKER 11 :
Yeah. Yeah. That’s nice.
SPEAKER 17 :
Travis? It’s interesting reflecting on this. Growing up as a family, extended family come together. It’s a time for everyone to gather around, spend time together, share food, share a meal, and reflect on the celebration of the season. But as I’ve grown older, I’ve just been drawn more and more to this idea of the altar, of the family, of the individual. What altar are our families gathering around, right? And that’s a daily reminder, encouragement, but it’s a time for reflection at this time, especially what are we leading others and those around us to worship and who? And we point to Jesus Christ who came to take our place to reconcile us to God.
SPEAKER 11 :
And it’s a great opportunity to have those conversations this time of year. The door is open, and I think we can have those with family and friends and just talk about why we celebrate. And it’s an active altar of celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. Kena, Travis, Merry Christmas. You too. Stick with us, folks. We’re back after this.
SPEAKER 07 :
The book of Hebrews says that the Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. Stand on the Word is Family Research Council’s journey through the living and active Word of God. Follow the plan starting January 1st. Spend 10 to 15 minutes a day reading God’s Word, and over the course of two years, discover that the Bible is one big story, a story of many words pointing to the Word, the One who is the same yesterday, today, and forever. because the Word is alive and His name is Jesus. Find our Bible reading plan and daily devotionals from Tony Perkins at frc.org slash Bible. Join us as we stand on the Word.
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What is God’s role in government? What does the separation of church and state really mean? And how does morality shape a nation? President John Adams said our Constitution was made only for moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other. Join Family Research Council for God and Government, a powerful series that explores the connection between biblical principles and the American government, equipping you with truth to engage in today’s most pressing debates. We’ll uncover the foundations of our nation’s history and why it’s relevant for today. Join us to defend God’s plan for government because faith and freedom were never meant to be separate. You can view the course at prayvotestand.org slash godandgovernment or on the Stand Firm app.
SPEAKER 11 :
Merry Christmas and welcome back to this special edition of Washington Watch. I hope you are enjoying your day as you celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Well, as we’ve been doing throughout the program, visiting with members of the FRC team, who you will see from time to time here on Washington Watch, just to kind of get to know them a little bit better. So I’m glad to be joined by Sarah Holliday, reporter for The Washington Stand, and I’m also pleased to welcome back to the program Jared Bridges, who serves as the editor-in-chief of The Washington Stand. Jared, Sarah, good to see both of you, and Merry Christmas.
SPEAKER 16 :
Merry Christmas. Merry Christmas, Tony.
SPEAKER 11 :
So let’s talk, both of you are with the stand. Jared, the stand was about 12 months in the birthing process. It was a vision that we started about three years ago. It’s actually started the vision four years ago. It’s been in place now for over three years. Just share a little bit the reason behind it.
SPEAKER 16 :
Well, I think you had talked about this a lot, and I had seen it as well, and several other members of the staff had seen it. People everywhere we go asking us, because they knew the work we did, like, where do you get your news? Where can I get news I can trust? And you start listing off all these places, but with qualifications, and you have to add all these qualifications, like, well, I read this, but you gotta be careful here. And so we wanted to—we saw the need for a place to—an opportunity to build something that was conservative, but not just conservative, but that was from a biblical worldview explicitly. And so kind of melding those two together and bringing news and commentary from a biblical worldview. And so that was the need. And then the Lord brought things together to be able to build it.
SPEAKER 11 :
Members like Sarah, who does a great job writing for The Stand and Widely Read. What motivates you to write?
SPEAKER 13 :
Well— Going back a little bit, I’ve always loved storytelling, and I’ve loved being able to, I have a very creative background, performing arts, singing, all of that you can think of, even dancing.
SPEAKER 11 :
Any Christmas pageants?
SPEAKER 13 :
Actually, yes. I have a picture of me in a star costume. Yeah, it’s good.
SPEAKER 11 :
But I… Remember that, Jared, next year for the FRC Christmas play. Okay, yeah. I volunteered to be one of the animals in the manger. She’ll be the star. Okay. There you go. We’ve got to have a couple.
SPEAKER 13 :
It’ll be a great show. I’m excited. But it was actually not until way later that I started getting a lot more into studying theology, that I took this love of storytelling, this love of writing, and I wanted to apply that same kind of style of communication to telling truth and the things that matter most. And so what motivates me is I know people are so hungry to connect and to know the deeper thoughts and answers that we can give to the deepest questions. And so I love being able to be a steward of my writing ability that I believe the Lord has given me to serve him and my neighbor. So what motivates me is simply just wanting to use that ability well to encourage others and serve the kingdom of God.
SPEAKER 11 :
Faith, family, and freedom. That’s what we’re here to advance and defend. And of course, this day is really the pinnacle of that celebration. In part, this is the day that we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, who went on to die on a cross, buried, resurrected, ascended into heaven, conquering death and the grave. Today’s a celebration of that. What we do as an organization affects the ability to openly celebrate that. Jared, let’s talk a little bit about some of those things that—we celebrate them, we fight for them, but we also—we enjoy them.
SPEAKER 16 :
Yeah. Yeah, we do. And we have—and we have families. We have—we— Talk about the Bridges family.
SPEAKER 11 :
What’s your big celebration at Christmas? What’s the thing everybody looks forward to?
SPEAKER 16 :
Well, I mean, there’s always Christmas morning and the gift giving, so that’s special.
SPEAKER 11 :
And you have how many children? I have four. And they’re almost all getting close. They’re getting up there.
SPEAKER 16 :
I don’t have to help them open their presents anymore. And even now, just thinking back, you know, as they’re getting older, you know, starting to think back when I was young and then the people that are not there anymore, you know, grandparents and just thinking of the legacy that was built into me and my family and how a legacy of faith is being able to be passed down.
SPEAKER 11 :
Is there something that every year that people in the Bridges family look to, look for, some tradition?
SPEAKER 16 :
I mean, yeah. I think just being together.
SPEAKER 11 :
That’s it. So, Sarah, what’s one of those memories of your childhood that really pop out when we talk about Christmas?
SPEAKER 13 :
Honestly, I was going to sound a little bit niche, but I grew up in large part in Europe because my dad was in the Air Force. We were stationed over there for a lot of my childhood. And I will never, ever forget the Christmas markets. We have them in America, and they’re nice.
SPEAKER 10 :
We’ve got one just a block away here. As long as you don’t get mugged, it’s fine.
SPEAKER 13 :
Yes, it’s a sad reality, but just something about those European Christmas markets were so special to me growing up. I loved just the atmosphere. I loved that time of year. It made it that much more special to be in Europe where everything looks like it’s out of a fairytale novel. So looking back on my childhood, I’m really thankful and blessed to have been able to go to those growing up around Christmas time.
SPEAKER 11 :
Yeah.
SPEAKER 13 :
And my mom’s cinnamon rolls. I always look forward to those.
SPEAKER 11 :
Okay, now you’re talking. We’re talking cinnamon rolls. I’ll be looking for those cinnamon rolls. Jared, Sarah, Merry Christmas. Merry Christmas. Merry Christmas, Sarah. Thanks for joining me this morning, and thank you for what both of you do here at the Family Research Council. Appreciate both of you and your entire team greatly. Privileged to do it. All right. And, folks, I want to encourage you to celebrate this day and, you know, pick up the phone and call somebody that you haven’t talked to in a while and just wish them Merry Christmas and maybe pray for them while you have them on the phone. All right, don’t go away because there’s still more. Washington Watch straight ahead.
SPEAKER 07 :
Should a Christian support Israel? That question has become one of the most emotionally charged issues of our time, both in the world and within the church. Family Research Council President Tony Perkins offers a clear biblical and prophetic answer. In his latest book, he examines Israel’s past, present, and future through the lens of scripture, revealing why support for Israel is not rooted in politics, partisanship, or cultural sentiment, but in the unchanging promises of God. Drawing from Genesis to Revelation, Tony Perkins demonstrates that the ultimate rationale for a Christian’s support for Israel is spiritual. Should a Christian support Israel invites believers to see beyond headlines and ideologies, returning to the foundation of God’s Word to understand His heart for His chosen people and the blessings that flow when we stand with what He has established forever. Text the word Israel to 67742 for more information.
SPEAKER 21 :
The Family Research Council Internship Program educates and inspires students who are passionate about public service and who believe that a biblical worldview is fundamental to the reformation of government and culture.
SPEAKER 02 :
I really wanted to do policy work in Washington, D.C., and I saw Family Research Council as a Christian organization that had very conservative values, values that I supported and that I really wanted to do work on.
SPEAKER 24 :
I really love my department. I love working with the stand. I love writing. I love talking to all the different writers and all the great advice they’ve given me about how to improve my writing and what I already am doing well and how to harness those skills to do a better job.
SPEAKER 23 :
This internship really helped clarify my career goals. I would love to go into higher education and help our culture think more critically about the issues that we’re active about. And so this internship has given me more clarity on how to pursue that goal.
SPEAKER 24 :
To come here and to really see my work matter and to see people value it and to value me and what I do and what I can bring to the table has been a great opportunity.
SPEAKER 23 :
To a future intern, I would say take advantage of the moment. There are so many opportunities that FRC provides that can grow you personally and professionally and spiritually. I would 100% recommend this internship to any peer or classmate.
SPEAKER 02 :
This internship has definitely helped me grow spiritually. The fellowship and the discipleship here just sets FRC apart from any other place I’ve worked at before.
SPEAKER 21 :
To apply, visit frc.org slash internships.
SPEAKER 11 :
In times like these, we need something solid to stand on. That’s why I’m inviting you to join me on January the 1st for Stand on the Word, a daily journey through the entire Bible. Each day, we’ll read God’s Word together, discuss how to apply His truth to our lives, 15 minutes that can transform your year. Join me and thousands of others as we stand strong by standing on the Word of God. Text BIBLE to 67742. That’s BIBLE to 67742. Merry Christmas and welcome back to this special edition of Washington Watch. Now, one thing that sets Washington Watch apart from the other news programs is that we approach the news from a biblical perspective. You know, the Bible speaks to the world we’re living in today. And so I encourage you to strengthen your biblical worldview in this coming new year. And in one week, You can join me and thousands of other believers on a journey chronologically through the entire Bible. It’s called Standing on the Word. Just 15 minutes a day, Monday through Saturday. And you know what? Before long, you’ll be through the entire Word of God. Not just speed reading. but actually meditating upon the Word of God and seeing how it applies to the world in which we live. So I invite you to join me on this journey. Text the word Bible to 67742. That’s Bible to 67742. And you can join us for this journey through the Bible. And speaking of the Bible, let me just start with our word for today that comes from Luke chapter 2. And let me read it for you. Our word for today, Luke chapter 2, beginning in verse 8, where we have what we know as the Christmas story. Verse 8, now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flocks by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them. And they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which will be to all people. For there is born to you in this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. So this angelic choir, they sing, and the shepherds then go and they seek out baby Jesus. In verse 17 it says, Now when they had seen him, they made him widely known. They made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this child. So here’s the message of Christmas. When you’ve encountered Jesus, you can’t help but go out and make him known. Again, to find out more about our journey through the Bible, text BIBLE to 67742. Well, as I mentioned earlier, on this special broadcast, this Christmas Day broadcast, I’m joined by some familiar faces around the Family Research Council to kind of share a behind-the-scenes look and a more personal look at what motivates us here at the Family Research Council when we talk about faith, family, and freedom. Elements that, core elements that we are celebrating today on this Christmas Day. And I mentioned that before the last break that my next two guests are sort of the special forces around the Family Research Council when it comes to advancing values important to Christians across this country. These two are experts and work tirelessly. So I’m pleased to welcome back to the program General Jerry Boykin and my good friend Ken Blackwell. Gentlemen, Merry Christmas. Merry Christmas.
SPEAKER 18 :
Merry Christmas to you.
SPEAKER 11 :
So, General, let me start with you. You spent many, many years, 36 and a half years in our nation’s military, and many Christmases away from home.
SPEAKER 18 :
Yeah, Christmas was very special because I was gone so much away from my family. It was always a very, very special time of the year, not just because of the spiritual implications, but because it was an opportunity for me to be with my family. And I just enjoyed being back home from many deployments.
SPEAKER 11 :
So now that you’ve had after retirement, you’ve been able to be at home, not just with the kids, but the grandkids.
SPEAKER 18 :
Yeah, that’s true. That is absolutely true. And I’ve got to tell you, when we get together, it used to be a lot of fun. But now all the kids remember was the foolish things that I did when I was a kid and when they were growing up as kids. So it’s not that pleasant. You’ve been around my brother, Buzzy, and you know how that is, that he reminds people of everything that I ever did that was bad or stupid.
SPEAKER 11 :
I know. I got the list. I got the list. He was probably hoping Santa would check it twice, too, before he came to the house, so he might drop those things off with him. Ken, you’re the senior, senior fellow here at the Family Research Council. You got the general beat by just a few months. And you’ve been here now at the Family Research Council for 20 years, isn’t that right? Almost, almost. So considering your vast career, you know, mayor of Cincinnati, treasurer of the state of Ohio, secretary of state, you’ve served as ambassador, you know, what prompted you to lock arms with the Family Research Council, to come here and be a part of this for now almost two decades?
SPEAKER 19 :
You know, the family, as I say to you on any number of occasions, is the incubator of liberty. Strong families are the foundation of a strong nation. And if you want to start to weaken a nation and weaken its foundation, you wage an assault on the family. The Family Research Council, particularly under your leadership, has been the standard-bearer of protecting the integrity of the American family. And that is the cornerstone of protecting the foundation of our constitutional republic. And, you know, as we are going to be talking about in this segment, families Traditions are the stories that families write together.
SPEAKER 11 :
Those traditions are very important. They’re kind of the remembrance stones that we see throughout the Old Testament. We see these things that they set up these pile of stones, they would do this. It’s bringing back to memory that history. General, we don’t have time to… get into all of your military history, the founding member of the Delta Force, you worked at the CIA, you were at the Pentagon, as I mentioned earlier, 36 and a half years at the, in the United States Army, and I know it was your goal in life to come to work for a Marine Sergeant. And by the way, folks, I encourage you to read his book, Never Surrender. He’s got several books. But Never Surrender is really a soldier’s journey to the crossroads of faith and freedom. And I think you’ll be inspired and encouraged by that. But after you retired from the military, you continued to teach and speak and minister. But remind our listeners and viewers what prompted you to come to the Family Research Council.
SPEAKER 18 :
Do you really want the whole story on this or not? I’ll tell you what it was. It was you and my wife. Now, that said, on a more serious side of this, I knew where God wanted me to be. When you laid the offer out, I ran from it. And I ran from it because I didn’t want to come back to Washington. But when I finally got my feet squarely on the ground and I realized, based on what my wife said while you were sitting there prompting her, I knew that this was where I needed to be. And the reason was I was seeing what was happening to our nation. And I was seeing that the church was just almost invisible. It was, I mean, you could go to a church service where you might hear a little something about what we were supposed to be doing as Christians, but there was so much of the compromising on the whole gospel of God, the whole gospel. And that was, that was, it grieved me. And you and two or three others in this country, I could have identified at that time, you and Jack Hibbs, Franklin, and maybe a couple more that were standing up telling the truth to people. And I wanted to be here because I knew this where the truth was going to be perpetuated across this nation. And that has exceeded my expectations as to just how true that was going to be.
SPEAKER 11 :
Well, you’ve been a blessing to the nation and certainly a blessing here to the Family Research Council. We’re grateful that you joined. Both of you gentlemen with distinguished careers have added tremendously to the work of the Family Research Council. Ken, I want to go a little bit to those traditions. We were talking about some of those in the break because The three of us have developed some traditions together. You know, some years, a tradition that is more profitable than others. As we begin kind of the season and right before Thanksgiving, we deer hunt. But let’s talk a little bit about the importance of those traditions.
SPEAKER 19 :
Yeah, you know, I think within my family and within the FRC family and our camaraderie, we talk about the joy and the love of God so loving us that He gave us His only begotten Son. But that’s not the only lesson. You know, we talk about obedience to God’s Word, and we do that in prayer together and in genuine dialogue with one another. I mean, we hold each other to the highest standard, and we do that out of love for one another. And that is what is so important to me about What we have built and you have led here at FRC, it’s love, it’s the joy, but it’s also the obedience to God’s Word.
SPEAKER 11 :
In anything in life, as we follow Christ, we have purpose. And when life has meaning and purpose, it is so much more. more rewarding and and that really begins in the family and some of these Traditions begin in our families and I think we have to be intentional about it And so I want to we’ve got just about five minutes left. I want to just kind of some of the top traditions, and I know sometimes traditions has a negative connotation, but I’m not meaning in that sense. It’s those things that we do every year, that we look forward to, that we celebrate, that we share with one another. Ken, what would you say in this time of year, one of those traditions?
SPEAKER 19 :
It’s the coming together. For me, it starts with our hunt. I go from our hunt to the Thanksgiving deal. That bleeds into Advent, which bleeds into Christmas. And I was telling you beforehand, my brother is 74 years old, and all of his life we’ve been together for all of those 74 years. That was a tradition. It was a coming together of the family.
SPEAKER 11 :
Family means so much. Christmas Eve has always been kind of at my—started with my grandmother, and then when my parents became the grandparents, it was at their home. So we celebrate Christmas Eve together. And then, of course, each family then celebrates Christmas morning together. But it’s been—we look forward to that Christmas Eve gathering. The older I get, it’s not the toys, it’s the food that I look forward to. Yeah. THE COOKIES. OH, THE COOKIES. HE CAN EAT MORE COOKIES THAN YOU CAN. I BELIEVE IT. I BELIEVE IT. SO, GENERAL, ABOUT WHAT WOULD YOU SAY ARE SOME OF THOSE TRADITIONS?
SPEAKER 18 :
WELL, I THINK VERY MUCH THE SAME THING. Even when I had small children and I was in the Army, we would go to my mom and dad’s place for Christmas. And then when they got older and the grandchildren got older, they started coming to us. So it was kind of… that everything was reversed. But we just enjoyed having them in our home and we would reminisce about things. We would tell stories about my dad because my dad was so funny.
SPEAKER 10 :
Now they tell stories about you. Now they tell stories.
SPEAKER 18 :
They do tell stories about me. Because there’s a lot to tell. And I’ll tell you, even though I was in the Army for 36 and a half years, I only missed one One year that I wasn’t—well, two years, I’m sorry, two years. But the one that I remember most was in Sarajevo. I was running an organization that was capturing war criminals from the Balkans war. And we had a site up on the hill where the Olympics were held several years before that, when they had the Olympics in Sarajevo. And I went up there and slept with the troops in a tent on Christmas Eve and ate out of an MRE bag the next morning. It was a wonderful Christmas.
SPEAKER 19 :
Tony, let me just use my senior privilege. All right. You know, I talked about hope and love and obedience, but you guys served. And what he just said, you know, there have been moments in my life where I’ve been able to celebrate with my family because you guys paid the price of making sure that peace is another context.
SPEAKER 11 :
That’s a good reminder to pray for those families that— Do not have someone’s, there’s an empty seat at the table because someone is serving or has served and didn’t come home from that. It’s quite amazing that after 36 and a half years, there’s only two Christmases that you missed.
SPEAKER 18 :
The only one I was in Korea. Yeah.
SPEAKER 11 :
All right. A minute left. Lightning round. Favorite Christmas dish?
SPEAKER 19 :
Oh, man. My oldest daughter’s greens. All right.
SPEAKER 18 :
Um, turkey. Turkey? I’m a turkey guy. Turkey guy. Greens and turkeys. I went to Virginia Tech. There’s a goblin. I’m a turkey guy.
SPEAKER 11 :
Well, mine is, it’s the same thing they have for Thanksgiving, same thing for Christmas, sweet potato crunch. Because I put that up at Thanksgiving. Somebody said, what is sweet potato crunch? You have to be from the South to know what sweet potato crunch is. I mean, it’s sweet potatoes, brown sugar, butter, pecans. I mean, it’s really dessert that you can call vegetable. It’s good stuff.
SPEAKER 19 :
I look forward to my box from Rwanda.
SPEAKER 11 :
The pralines, yes, the pralines. Yes, they’re out in the air being shipped. You should have already got them. I have. You probably ate them all already. Did Rosa get any? I’m not speaking. All right, okay. All right, gentlemen, Merry Christmas. Great to see you.
SPEAKER 18 :
Merry Christmas to you, Tony. God bless you.
SPEAKER 11 :
Thank you. Well, folks, we began with a movie clip, and we’re going to end with another clip from another one of my favorite movies. And one of the traditions we have is we watch some of the same Christmas movies each and every year around our house. And this one… It’s just such a powerful story. It is, it’s a wonderful life. And this clip is when George Bailey, the very end of the movie, he’s surrounded by his wife, his children, and his friends.
SPEAKER 18 :
To my big brother George, the richest man in town.
SPEAKER 14 :
That’s a Christmas present from a very dear friend of mine.
SPEAKER 1 :
Look, Daddy.
SPEAKER 01 :
Teacher says every time a bell rings, an angel gets his wings.
SPEAKER 10 :
That’s right. That’s right. That a boy, Clarence.
