Good News Friday: Trump Returns “€œJihad”€ to Intelligence and more!: We call it Good News Friday because it’s a chance for David and Tim to share some good news from across the nation and around the world. We don”€™t often hear good news from the media, but here on WallBuilders Live we are about to share with you just some of the good things happening right now. In this episode, we talk about how Disney is handing out $125 million in employee bonuses due to Trump tax cuts, the decrease in abortion clinics, an encouraging email from a listener, what the Founders Bible is, why Trump returning “€œJihad”€ to Intelligence is so important, a special program for Black History Month, and more!

Air Date: 02/02/2018

On-air Personalities: David Barton, Rick Green, and Tim Barton

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Transcription note:  As a courtesy for our listeners’ enjoyment, we are providing a transcription of this podcast. Transcription will be released shortly. However, as this is transcribed from a live talk show, words and sentence structure were not altered to fit grammatical, written norms in order to preserve the integrity of the actual dialogue between the speakers. Additionally, names may be misspelled or we might use an asterisk to indicate a missing word because of the difficulty in understanding the speaker at times. We apologize in advance.

Faith And The Culture

Rick:

Welcome to the intersection of faith and the culture.  This is WallBuilders Live! Where we talk about today”€™s hottest topics on policy and faith all throughout the culture. It”€™s always done from a Biblical, historical, and Constitutional perspective.

We’re here with David Barton and Tim Barton. David is America’s premier historian and our founder here at WallBuilders. Tim Barton, a national speaker and pastor and the president of WallBuilders. And my name’s Rick Green, I’m a former Texas legislator.

This is Friday. We always do Good News Friday on Friday, or we try to do it almost every Friday. And that’s where we get some good news stories from across the country and around the world. David and Tim have been collecting these. It”€™s the things you don’t see in the major media, or frankly, even in the minor media a lot of this stuff is overlooked.

And you can get more of this information at our two websites – WallBuilders.com and WallBuildersLive.com. Check those out today. Let’s jump into some good news. David, Tim, I’m looking forward to the day. Who’s going first?

David:

I’m going to start first, Rick. We’re going to start with looking back over the past year. We’re now just a little over a year since Trump has become president. And you look back to say, “€œAlright, what’s been done in the first year?”€ And we”€™ll have various programs on this coming up if you look at various things like what’s happened in the military and what’s happened elsewhere.

Tax Reform Package

David:

But one of the things was they did get that tax cut done, they got the tax reform package done. And I have been amazed over the last two weeks, this week and last week, how so many Democrats have taken to the stage with, what I consider to be, somewhat amazing rhetoric. Whether it be Debbie Wasserman Schultz who used to run the national Democratic party, she’s a congresswoman. Whether it be Nancy Pelosi, the former speaker, congresswoman.

They said, “€œYou know, the people only got a thousand dollar tax cut and that is so little. Nobody even cares about that, nobody”€™s going to notice it.”€ And then they said, “€œAnd by the way, after we get done taxing it, they’re really only going to get about 750-850 and that’s just not that big a deal.”€ They”€™re going on about how a thousand bucks doesn’t mean anything to people now. Talk about out of touch, I mean that–   

Rick:

No kidding. I’m like, “€œI’ll take another one!”€

David:

That’s right.

Rick:

Hit me again! That’s good.

David:

If I make 500,000 a year, I still want a thousand more. It’s just–

Tim:

Which you don’t.

David:

I don”€™t. Yeah. That’s why I said “€œif”€ I did. That would be kind of interesting. What would I do with it– different question. But they talk like that this is no big deal.

Rick:

Yeah.

Companies Now Giving Bonuses

David:

We’ve already, in the last three or four weeks, rolled out all these companies who are now giving bonuses, and giving an extra thousand, or extra whatever, to their employees as a result. They’re raising minimum wage, Wal-Mart all these other companies.

And I’ve got a new one that just came out this week – here’s one, Disney. Now Disney has 125,000 U.S. based employees and they have just announced they’re giving a bonus of one thousand dollars to every single employee because of the tax cuts. They said it is the Trump tax cuts that has freed up their money and they’re going to share it with their employees.

Then on top of that– now that’s 125 million. When you’ve got 125,000 employees, you’ve giving 1,000 each, that’s 125 million. So–

Rick:

Even in a small world that’s a lot of money.

David:

That’s a lot of money.

Rick:

That was a Disney joke there. Don”€™t know if anybody got it.

David:

It”€™s a small world, oh–

Rick:

Yeah.

David:

–I missed that joke. Sorry, I should have got that, It”€™s a Small World After All.

Rick:

Yeah. Weak, weak. Sorry, I”€™ll stop that now. Go ahead.

Making Education Funding Available

David:

They’ve also announced that for their 88,000 hourly employees, that they’re going to make education funding available for them for vocational funding, or going to college, or whatever. They’re making 50 million dollars available for employees for educational funding. And they’re going to keep adding 25 million a year. They said all of this as a result of the Trump tax cuts.

So, okay, Pelosi, Wasserman, Democrats, why is this a small deal that”€™s not worth noticing? The rumble just keeps coming on. Week after week we keep coming out with some new huge company that”€™s saying, “€œBecause of the tax cuts, we’re going to put more money back in the economy.”€

Rick:

And let’s not forget, these people that are saying it’s not a big deal, claim to be, I don’t think they are, but they claim to be the representatives of the poorest in our country. Who it would mean the most to to have an extra thousand dollars, right? So, they’re not just out of touch with the whole country, they’re out of touch with who they claim to be their constituents.

David:

Great point. They keep telling the voters that, “€œWe represent the working class.”€ Um, who in the working class doesn’t want a thousand bucks?

Rick:

Right.

David:

And these guys fought this all the way. The vote was pretty much down party lines. They just didn’t think Americans– and look what it’s doing for the economy. Look what it”€™s doing for the pocketbook. This is a massive change. And look at Disney – is Disney on the conservative or on the liberal side of the spectrum?

Rick:

I would say way over there on the liberal side.

“€œThis Works Every Time it”€™s Tried”€

David:

Way over there on the liberal side. Even they are praising Trump for that. Democrats just don’t get it. This is– anyway, it’s good news. It”€™s more good news for America and American workers, it”€™s more good news for the people, it’s more good news that tax cuts really do stimulate the economy. As Bob McKeown says, “€œThis works every time it”€™s tried.”€

And here it is again. It’s been a number of years since we’ve had a tax cut. But my goodness, look what it’s doing.

Rick:

And right now we’re only seeing the immediate effects of the planning from the companies that know what this will do for them. Wait till we see what happens when those employees get that thousand bucks in their pocket, turn around and spend it. It creates more jobs in those communities where that money is being spent. That effect has happened every time.

It happened when Kennedy did it in “€˜61, it happened when Reagan did it in “€˜81, happened when Bush did it, it happened– When you put that money back in the consumer’s hands, it’s going to turn the economy. So we’re seeing great effect right now. Just imagine what we’re going to be talking about on Good News Friday six months from now, a year from now, and what it’s going to do for the economy.

No Corporation Ever Pays Taxes

David:

Yeah, this is this is absolutely good stuff. And by the way, I’m going to re-make the point that we make periodically – no corporation ever pays taxes. The Walt Disney Company does not pay taxes, nor does ESPN, nor does any of its affiliates. They just bought 21st Century Fox – none of them pay taxes. They pass that on to all the consumers, which means their employees as well. And so when the company does not have to pay taxes, guess who benefits from that?

All the employees, and all of us as consumers, the prices go back down. So, when you get this notion Democrats say, “€œWell, just tax the corporations. They make a lot of money.”€ No they don’t. All the corporations do is pass that tax on to every one of us.

Rick:

And you mentioned ESPN, they don’t pay taxes because they lose lots of money.

David:

*laughter* That’s right.

Rick:

But that’s a whole other lesson on knowing your constituency and not becoming a liberal mouthpiece when most of the people watching your shows don’t buy into that. So, anyway–

We”€™ve got to take a quick break. We’re going to be right back. Tim Barton is up next with more good news for us, folks. Stay with us. You’re listening to WallBuilders Live.

American History

This is David Barton with another moment from America’s history. Today we heard that our Founding Fathers were largely atheist, agnostic, or deist. The writings of Founding Father Richard Henry Lee strongly refute that assertion. Richard Henry Lee was a signer of the Declaration of Independence and he is specifically the man who made the motion in Congress that America separate from Great Britain. Following his death, his papers and correspondents, including numerous original handwritten letters from other prominent Founding Fathers, were passed on to his grandson. After having studied those letters this was how the grandson described our Founding Fathers. He declared, “€œThe wise and great men of those days were not ashamed publicly to confess the name of our blessed Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. On behalf of the people, as their representatives and rulers, they acknowledged the sublime doctrine of his mediation.”€ For more information on God’s hand in American history contact wall builders at 1 800 8 REBUILD.

Rick:

We”€™re back. Thanks for staying with us here on WallBuilders Live. It’s Good News Friday today and you can get more good news at our website, WallBuildersLive.com, by going to the archive section and looking back at some of those past Friday programs. Tim Barton next with some good news, Tim–

Tim:

Well, guys I’ve got a challenge going through the stack of good news because I have stuff all the way back still from 2016. The stack has grown so much–

Rick:

Wow.

Planned Parenthood Clinics Have Closed

Tim:

–we just have not gotten through it all. Obviously we want to be relevant and I want to talk about the good news things that are happening this year, 2018 things that are happening under Trump. Obviously we want to cover this stuff, but there’s just so much. I’m trying to figure out what can we talk about not– So I have a stack together of pro-life good news. And so this is kind of across the board because some of it’s “€˜16, some of it”€™s “€˜17, some of it’s 18.

But all of it is kind of tracking and showing a trend going the right direction. For example, I have several articles talking about Planned Parenthood clinics that have closed over the last year or two. We’ve talked about that on the show before. There are states that now only have one abortion clinic left. Those states are Mississippi, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, Missouri, West Virginia, and Kentucky.

And actually, one of these articles, specifically with Kentucky, it’s attacking Gov. Matt Bevin saying that he is such a pro-lifer he’s an anti choice Governor etc. Certainly, if they’re attacking him in that manner an article it’s because they think that abortion should be there. But I think if there’s an article attacking you as an anti choice, and really being accusatory that you’re pro-life, I would think that’s a good thing.

Rick:

Yeah. So, for me, that’s still a piece of good news. And by the way, guys, just for people listening, Matt Bevin recently came out and called on people to pray for his state. There was the shooting at that school where two were murdered, I think it was 21 that were injured. And he called on people around the nation to pray for there state, to pray for this county, pray for the schools, and the family, and everybody involved in this scenario. And in the midst of it he said, “€œWe’re trusting God. We’re relying on God in this.”€

Governor Promoting Faith and Conservative Values

Rick:

So, Matt Bevin certainly is a governor that is promoting faith, that is promoting this life and family kind of value.

David:

As part of that, he actually issued a statewide proclamation, an official proclamation, calling the state to prayer. So, he’s asking the nation to join with the official proclamation he gave for the state. But this is like, I don’t know, four or five times that I know of that Bevin has done this. When something has happened, he’s called for times of prayer, and called the people to prayer, and he’s done it officially, he’s issued a proclamation on it.

He’s been a strong faith guy.

Tim:

And certainly seeing that from him then gives an easier indication of why Kentucky would be one of those states that”€™s moving in a pro-life direction where they’ve only got this one abortion clinic left.

Rick:

And by the way, Bevin is so good, he’s personally helped to send, I forget, six or eight students to Patriot Academy to come learn from you guys, and me, and all the others we get together at Patriot Academy.

David:

Has he really?

Rick:

Yes he has.

David:

Good for him. Good for him.

Rick:

He’s definitely plugged in. Sorry, Tim, go ahead, bro.

Many Positive Changes

Tim:

Well, no, but this is that good news where you have these leaders now in various states where you have pro-life groups, where you have these state reps, and state senators, that are stepping up and making a difference. So, I literally have good news from the last several years in my stack just about the positive gains being made. Matt Bevin being one of those individuals, the governor of Kentucky, who is helping promote faith, family values, pro-life kind of position, and his state”€™s going that direction. So, it really is just good news, looking at the big picture, how much has happened over the last year or two moving in a pro-life direction in our nation. Certainly in the midst of drama, and chaos, and a bad economy, and things that we’ve looked at over the last couple of years – even in the midst of that, we are making pro-life gains.

Now, we’re looking at a different economy, we’re looking at a different military scenario, and a lot of positive things. And in the midst of it, we’re still making pro-life gains. So, just really good news when it comes to protecting the unborn, when it comes to the value of life, and when it comes to closing down these murder facilities – places that are literally killing unborn children. So, making great strides for life here in the U.S..

Rick:

And as a side note on Matt Bevin for people outside of Kentucky that may not be very familiar, this is another great example of perseverance and staying the course. Because he lost a few high profile races before becoming governor of Kentucky and stuck with it, and people continued to work hard for him. We’re reaping the benefits nationally now of having another good governor out there and he’s just doing a great job for Kentucky. So, congrats to the folks there.

Stay with us, folks. We’ve got more good news coming at you when we come back on WallBuilders Live.

Patriot Academy

Have you noticed the vacuum of leadership in America? We’re looking around for leaders of principle to step up and too often no one is there. God is raising up a generation of young leaders with a passion for impacting the world around them. They’re crying out for the mentorship and leadership training they need. Patriot Academy was created to meet that need. Patriot Academy graduates now serve in state capitals around America, in the halls of Congress, in business, in the film industry, in the pulpit, in every area of the culture. They’re leading effectively and impacting the world around them.

Patriot Academy is now expanding across the nation and now is your chance to experience this life changing week that trains champions to change the world. Visit PatriotAcademy.com for dates and locations. Our core program is still for young leaders 16 to 25 years old, but we also now have a citizen track for adults. So, visit the website today to learn more. Help us fill the void of leadership in America. Join us in training champions to change the world at PatriotAcademy.com.

Rick:

Welcome back. Thanks for staying with us here on WallBuilders Live. It’s Good News Friday today. David and Tim Barton both already shared a little bit of good news. We”€™ve got more coming.

Guys, if you don”€™t mind, I’ve got a great Good News Friday e-mail that I’d love to read. Sound good to you guys?

David:

You bet.

Tim:

Sounds good!

Good News Email

Rick:

Comes from California, from Riverside, California. Gilbert Ramos, thanks for sending in your e-mail, Gilbert. The  e-mail”€™s about the Founders Bible. He says, “€œMerry Christmas and Happy New Year–“€ So, we”€™ve had it a couple of weeks, sorry Gilbert.

He said, “€œI pray you all had a wonderful Christmas and that 2018 will bring you much more success as you work to further the kingdom of God. I know it has significantly affected my life through your program and many resources. One of those resources was the Founders Bible and it’s the reason for my letter. Today, December 31, 2017, I have finished reading the entire Founders Bible, including the commentary–“€ Now, for those of you out there that don’t have a Founders Bible, it is amazing and it is large. So, when he says the entire Founders Bible, listen to this.

He said, “€œI want to thank you for this wonderful resource. I read everything from page II–“€, at the very beginning, “€œ–to page 2,110 in less than one year because I purchased the Bible back in March. Next year, tomorrow, if God wills, I’ll do it again. Words cannot express how grateful I am for this resource and for the information contained in it from our history. I want to thank you and inform you of the impact.

“€œWords cannot express for the changes that I have seen because of the information you provide. Thank you to all of you and your staff, all the hard work to put these resources together, and the WallBuilders program. Keep up the great work. I pray that God will continue to open the door for you, and to the nation, to learn about our Christian foundation and return back to God. Blessings from Gilbert in Riverside, California.”€

Read the Founders Bible!

Rick:

Gilbert, thank you for sending that in and I just want to add an exclamation point to that. David, I tell people all the time I think the Founders Bible is probably the most important thing of all the incredible stuff you’ve done over the years, and information and tools you’ve put out, it is– There is something powerful about taking that information in those articles that are so well written about history, and about the founders, and about the Pilgrims, and about everything else that you”€™ve got in there, and having it right there within the Scripture. Where when I’m reading that Scripture and then I can read about what Washington was impacted by by that scripture, and how he then led the country. Those kind of things just, I don’t know, there’s a synergy there that’s hard to describe.

Rick:

And, honestly, I admitted this couple months ago on the air, I had always talked about how cool the Founders Bible was, but I had only really flipped through it and read various parts. This last few months I’ve been reading just like Gilbert, did cover to cover. And guys, every morning it is powerful. I just can’t thank you enough.

So, all you folks that have got the Founders Bible, and it’s got all the great artwork on it, and it looks so pretty, and you’ve left it on the coffee table because it looks so good, you’re missing out. Pick that thing up and start reading it. I gave it to each of my kids this year for Christmas because of what I was enjoying so much and now they’re reading through it with me. So, anyway, sorry to dominate this segment, guys, but I just couldn’t agree with Gilbert more. The Founders Bible is phenomenal.

David:

Yeah, it’s great. And we understand now that it”€™s being translated into other languages. Because people in foreign nations are wanting to learn the lessons that America learned out of the Scriptures, so that they can apply to their own country and government. Which, I think that’s cool too. I would never have thought that a Bible that had so much American application to it would be useful in other nations. But it is because it is Biblical principles and that’s so much of what made America successful in so many areas.

The Founders and the Geneva Bible?

Rick:

I know this Good News Friday and not Foundations of Freedom Thursday, but I do want to ask you how this compares to the the way the the founders of America read the Geneva Bible? Because they also didn’t just read scripture there. They read those commentaries from Calvin and others and those commentaries helped to apply the scripture. That’s the way I view these articles when I”€™m reading them. I’m going, “€œOkay, now that helps me apply the scripture as I see how John Dickinson, or whoever from the founding era, was impacted by that scripture.”€

It helps me to then place it in context and apply it to today. Is that kind of how they used the Geneva Bible?

David:

I would say, “€œyes”€, but you have to go back a generation earlier. Because the founders did not use the Geneva Bible that much. They used the writings of those who had used the Geneva Bible.

Rick:

Gotcha.

David:

Aand so the Geneva Bible was really prominent among the Puritans, and the Pilgrims, and back throughout the 1600″€™s. That was a really big deal. And then those pastors, and those political leaders, wrote about how they applied the Geneva to create, for example, the due process clauses, and what they did on republican forms of government, small “€œr”€ republican form of government. All those areas – what they looked at for leaders, what they looked for education. And then so many preachers preached about it that by the time you get to the founding fathers, they’re reading the books of those who had relied on the Geneva.

The Bible Belongs to God – Not the King

David:

So, the Bible, probably, that was very common at the time of the founders would be what we would call the King James version. Although, they would not call it that. As they pointed out, the Bible belongs to God, it doesn’t belong to King James. And by the way, we just fought a revolution to get rid of a king, so we’re sure not naming a Bible after a king. So, but it had the text of what we might call the King James.

No question, Geneva Bible shaped America and then shaped those who shaped our new nation.

Rick:

Well, I believe the Founders Bible is helping to shape this current generation. And I just encourage folks go check it out. There’s also an app, you can get the digital version as well, but there’s something about that printed version and those articles. It’s just incredibly powerful, so check it out. You can check it out today at WallBuilders.com. We”€™ve got to take a quick break, guys. Sorry I kept that whole segment and didn’t get to get any good news from you all. We”€™ll be back in a moment with more good news. Stay with us, folks. Actually, it’s the Bible, it is the good news. You’re listening to WallBuilders Live.

Bring A Speaker To Your Area

Tim:

Hey, this is Tim Barton with WallBuilders.  And as you’ve had the opportunity to listen to WallBuilders Live, you’ve probably heard a wealth of information about our nation, about our spiritual heritage, about the religious liberties, and about all the things that make America exceptional.

And you might be thinking, “€œAs incredible as this information is, I wish there was a way that I could get one of the WallBuilders guys to come to my area and share with my group.”€

Whether it be a church, whether it be a Christian school, or public school, or some political event, or activity, if you’re interested in having a WallBuilders speaker come to your area, you can get on our website at www.WallBuilders.com and there’s a tab for scheduling. If you”€™ll click on that tab, you’ll notice there’s a list of information from speakers bio’s, to events that are already going on. And there’s a section where you can request an event, to bring this information about who we are, where we came from, our religious liberties, and freedoms. Go to the WallBuilders website and Bring a speaker to your area.

Rick:

Welcome back to WallBuilders Live. Good News Friday today. Our final segment of the day. We’ll see how much we can squeeze in with some good news here. I think, Tim, you’re up next, bud.

Trump Changing the Way We Handle Intelligence

Tim:

Alright, well guys, one thing I think we’ve probably mentioned it on the show at some point, but under the Trump administration, we are changing some of the way we handle intelligence, specifically when it comes to Islamic terrorism. Words that had been expunged under the Obama administration have made their way back into intelligence. Even words as simple as “€œjihad”€, which under the Obama administration, jihad was pulled from being able to be said or written in any kind of intelligence briefing because jihad is offensive to Muslims. How dare we say that these Islamic terrorists are practising jihad.

David:

Wait a minute, they’re the ones calling for jihad.

Tim:

Just because they yell this, “€œAllahu Akbar”€ and then detonate the bomb, doesn’t mean that they’re really– oh no, wait, actually, yeah, that’s exactly what that means. It really is obnoxious.

David:

Wow.

Tim:

One of the things this article points out is, Sun Tzu, obviously the author, military strategist, that people point to. He says that you need to know your enemy and we”€™re at a place in America–

Still Using Sun Tzu

David:

And by the way, the Sun Tzu was a Chinese general in, let’s see, 2000 B.C.. I mean, a long time before Christ.

Tim:

Yeah, thousands of years ago.

David:

And it is still a military book that is used today in all the war colleges. It is an unbelievably good book on military principles.

Tim:

Well, good strategy. And one of the basic strategies of war is, you need to know your enemy. We were at a place where we couldn’t even describe the enemy, much less allow ourselves to really know the enemy. And it’s interesting this article points out this actually goes back to the end of the Bush administration, 2008. When under Bush, there was a memo released saying, “€œWe need to be careful we don’t offend, insult, or become confrontational to Muslims and therefore there are certain words maybe we shouldn’t use.”€

And you kind of wonder if some of those same people that were under Bush were remained under Obama because certainly you see that attitude carried out. It went even further where now, because we don’t want to offend them, we won”€™t say “€œjihad”€, etc.. Anyway, the good news in this is that under the Trump administration, the military, the intelligence community, is now back to where we can actually acknowledge what the other side says about themselves, what they say they are doing. And the other side being, in this case, these Islamic terrorists. As they’re practicing this jihad because it”€™s part of what they believe is this holy war.

The Freedom (and power of!) Acknowledging

Tim:

As they are doing, we can at least in the military sense acknowledge where they’re coming from and what they’re doing. And so it’s really positive steps back that direction. Now, on top of it, we could also identify that Trump has kind of untied the hands of the military to let them have the opportunity for success. Which of course, if you allow them to have the opportunity, they’re going to be successful.

David:

Well, and it”€™s an amazing thing that under Obama, where we would not even identify the enemy. Under the policies that we had that we can’t call them out for who they are, is where ISIS was really birthed in the Middle East. ISIS was there, but it was not a big deal until these policies came through that we won’t call out the enemy, we won”€™t identify them, we won”€™t specify who they are. So, ISIS blows up, you get the Arab Spring where that ISIS shows up in all these nations.

And whether folks realize it or not, ISIS is now gone from the Middle East. Now, the U.S. is still tracking them, and taking them out, in Africa and in other nations where they have moved. But in the matter of a year, having changed our military philosophy, we now know who the enemy is, and identify them, and use their words that they use, we have had such– And, Tim, as you point out, the American military is fully capable of taking out any enemy they need to.

We untied their hands, we untied the philosophy, and, my gosh, look at the difference. I”€™ve mentioned before that we work in an organization that has been rescuing Christians out of the Middle East. We’re not having to rescue them anymore out of the Middle East. They’re wanting to move back in because there is now much more peace than there has been in years and years. So, what a change in a one year through even, Tim, the policy that you just mentioned.

Rick:

And part of it is the language. It’s reminiscent of Reagan being willing to call the Soviet Union an evil empire. It changes kind of the whole strategy of everything.

Good News Friday: Special Program for Black History Month Tonight on TBN!

Rick:

Guys, as we”€™re closing out today, you all just recorded a really cool program. It”€™s Black History Month now in February and you all just recorded a really cool program. It”€™s going to air on TBN tonight at 7:00 Central and 8:00 Eastern. So, check that out on TBN tonight. What’s the name of the program, guys?

David:

It is America’s Hidden History. It’s all sorts of black history for Black History Month that most folks have never heard before. Including a survivor of the 1968 Birmingham church bombing.

Rick:

Check it out on TBN tonight, folks. Be sure and check out our website today – WallBuildersLive.com. We appreciate you listening to WallBuilders Live.