In today’s installment of Kingdom People in the Pages of History (through the lens of The Nightingale’s Song by Robert Timberg), Matt turns the spotlight on John Poindexter—brilliant, disciplined, emotionally contained, and shaped by the silent world of submarines and systems.

This episode asks a piercing question: What happens when a man trained to live by instruments and protocol is asked to navigate moral terrain? Through Poindexter’s rise (Naval Academy, Rhodes Scholar, high-level national security roles) and his role in Iran-Contra, we explore the tension between obedience and discernment, secrecy and truth, genius and humility—and why even the sharpest mind must bow to something greater than itself.

Matt closes by laying Poindexter’s story over 1 Corinthians 1–2, contrasting “the wisdom of the world” with “the foolishness of the cross,” and invites every listener to examine where we may be trusting competence over Christ.

1. A recap of the “Nightingale’s Song” series so far (McCain → North → McFarlane → Poindexter)
2. The opening metaphor: life beneath the ocean vs life in the light
3. “The Submarine Mind” and the cost of pure obedience
4. Poindexter’s background:
5. Born 1936
6. Top-tier academic and military performance (Naval Academy, Rhodes Scholar)
7. Command and leadership roles, including USS Truxtun
8. NSC roles under Reagan: Deputy NSA (1983), National Security Advisor (1985)
9. Iran-Contra explained in plain terms: secret arms sales → diverted funds → Contras in Nicaragua
10. The word that keeps showing up: compartmentalization
11. Major contrasts:
12. Poindexter vs. McFarlane (architecture vs consequence)
13. Poindexter vs. McCain (competence vs crucible)
14. Vietnam as the “silent divider” (shared suffering vs protected ascent)
15. Kingdom reflection:
16. “Genius without suffering tends to trust systems more than truth.”
17. “The Kingdom is not advanced by brilliance alone, but by humility before God.”
18. Scripture anchor: 1 Corinthians 1:18–31 (Christ as God’s wisdom)

1. “What works in the depths

Episode Title: "EMBRACING the Christmas Spirit" or What Child Is This? (A Christmas Devotional)

Date: December 23, 2025

Length: ~56 minutes

Series Note: A special Christmas devotional “pause” from the usual Tuesday history rhythm.

With Christmas only two days away, Matt steps away from the regular Kingdom People in the Pages of History track for a heartfelt Christmas devotional rooted in Luke 2:8–20 (the Linus “Charlie Brown Christmas” passage).

This episode asks the central question of the season: “What Child is this?”—and then moves beyond the manger to the full scope of Christ’s identity and mission: Son, Savior, King, and the One who purifies sin and sustains all things.

Matt also shares a personal reflection on how his view of Christmas has “swung like a pendulum” over the years—from childhood wonder, to seasons of skepticism, and back to a mature middle grounded in gospel opportunity, family warmth, and the deeper meaning of Christ formed in us.

1. A quick “Kingdom Corner rhythm” recap (Tuesdays: history + Scripture / Fridays: Ecclesiastes devotionals + spiritual warfare readings)
2. Christmas detour: a devotional episode with heart + theology
3. Reading: Luke 2:8–20 (shepherds, angels, Mary pondering)
4. Theme hymn: What Child Is This? — imagination, wonder, and the weight of the question
5. Mary’s cost & courage: the social risk and personal weight of obedience
6. Christmas pendulum story: childhood Christmas → Bible college pushback → later-life “middle ground” with grandkids and gospel focus
7. Core text: Hebrews 1:1–4 — Jesus is God’s climactic Word
8. Five reasons Jesus is God’s final Word (teaching segment)
9. Big Kingdom conclusion: the “Christmas spirit” is ultimately the Spirit of Christ living in believers
10. Worship ending: Revelation 5:6–14 — Worthy is the Lamb
11. Closing prayer + blessing and a return to regular scheduling next week

Five reasons Jesus is God’s final Word:

1. Jesus completes the revelation begun in the Old Testament (prophets converge in Christ).
2. Jesus brackets all of history — Alpha & Omega; beginning and end.
3. Jesus sustains the present moment — “cosmic glue” / all things hold together in Him.

Battling the Spirits of Haughtiness, Discord, and Whoredom

December 19, 2025

In today’s Friday reading, Matt continues a deliverance-focused series drawn from Angela Greenig’s book on identifying and defeating destructive spiritual patterns. We examine three spirits that quietly corrode hearts, relationships, and communities: haughtiness (pride), discord (division), and whoredom (unfaithfulness/idolatry)—and we respond with Scripture, prayer, and a call to humble, reconciling faith.

From Angela Greenig’s deliverance teaching on:

1. #7 The Spirit of Haughtiness
2. #8 The Spirit of Discord
3. #9 The Spirit of Whoredom

1. Proverbs 16:18–19 — pride, a haughty spirit, and the call to humility
2. Psalm 139:23–24 — “Search me, O God…” (heart inspection prayer)
3. Proverbs 6:19 — God hates one who sows discord
4. Isaiah 58:12 — repair the breach, restore the streets
5. 2 Corinthians 5:18–19 — the ministry of reconciliation
6. Hosea 4:12 — a spirit that leads astray into unfaithfulness
7. Romans 1:24–29 — exchanging truth for lies and the fruit that follows
8. James 4:7 — submit to God, resist the devil
9. Matthew 12:45 — returning spirits and the need for lasting freedom
10. Matthew 16:18–20 — Kingdom authority: binding and loosing

1. Where pride disguises itself as “confidence”—and where true confidence is rooted in Christ
2. How discord often starts small: offense → deception → division
3. How “whoredom” can be broader than sexual sin: giving yourself to substitutes (fame, money, attention, control)
4. The difference between being “right” and being “reconciling”
5. The repeated invitation: pray, repent, resist, rebuild

1. Haughtiness: Am I teachable? Do I look down on others or crave control?
2. Discord: Do I carry offense, rehearse old wounds, or stir division (even subtly)?