The Garrett Ashley Mullet Show

Exactly four months ago, I started Johannes Fried's biography of Charlemagne , the man often referred to as "the father of Europe." Yesterday I finished the work. The man, if not his treatment by Fried, reminded me of Constantine the Emperor by David Potter. And it makes sense to consider these two emperors together.  In both Constantine and Charlemagne, we have heads of state who endeavor to...

When we find that our freedoms are being challenged and curtailed at every level these days, the cost of objecting comes readily to mind. Too seldom do we consider also the cost of not objecting. To insist on retaining our God-given rights is not conceited or selfish. Rather, in order to fulfill our responsibilities before God, we must retain our rights. The two - rights and responsibilities - are...

Having just finished The Story of Civilization, Volume 2 by Will Durant this week, let's talk about The Life of Greece. Did the Jews make up Ecclesiastes as a way of keeping up with the Greeks and their philosophy? Durant says they did. But the fact that Durant claims such is borne of what C.S. Lewis calls "chronological snobbery," as well as a bias to invalidate the truth of God's Word. If only t...

Yesterday, within the course of a day, the Ron Paul Institute YouTube Channel was deleted from the platform. An appeal was made, but automatically rejected. No explanation was given other than "severe or repeated violations of our community guidelines." Dr. Ron Paul , elected to Congress a dozen times, took to Twitter to ask for help.  So Chris Pandolfo writes for The Blaze a follow-up story...

The Apostle Paul's letters to his younger disciple Timothy have been on my mind a lot in recent months. In this episode, I want to ponder and explore a selection from the first epistle to Timothy. 1 Timothy 4:12-16 reads, "Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.   Until I come, devote yourself to the public r...

I have always hated the phrase "perception is reality." Similar to "the customer is always right," it is too flattering, and too easily turns into an excuse to take the path of least resistance when mishandled.  Yes, to a certain extent, we can cultivate and shape perception. And we have a responsibility to be clear in communicating in all the ways we possibly can the truth. So if we have bee...

"Stop beating around the bush, and just say what you mean." In our current social and political circumstance, this feels harder than ever. People are too easily offended, and the truth is not rightly understood or prioritized. Cancel culture would have us all bowing and scraping and praying to the mob to not destroy our careers and social lives. But the truth must enjoy an unwavering commitment fr...

"All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation;   that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation." - 2 Corinthians 5:18-19 (ESV) This is a direct consequence of the gospel. And reconciliation is predicated on at least one p...

Lt. Colonel George F. McFarland, my great-great-great grandfather, commanded the 151st Pennsylvania at the Battle of Gettysburg, successfully defending the vulnerable left flank against attack by numerically superior forces from North Carolina long enough to allow for an orderly withdrawal of the First Corps under General Abner Doubleday. As General Doubleday would later attest, "At Gettysburg, th...

In the ongoing pursuit of being transformed by the renewing of our minds in Christ Jesus rather than conformed any longer to the pattern of this world, I turn now to the question of selfish ambition. What is conceit except for supposing that we are the center of the universe, and that everyone and everything revolves around us? The Apostle Paul writes to the church in Philippi in the second chapte...

The Old Testament book of Job starts with a conversation between God and Satan in which the Lord calls attention to his servant Job. “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?” (Job 1:8) In what follows, Satan accuses Job of only worshipping God because of all the good things God has given him....

The art of disagreeing agreeably seems lost on most in our day and age. Even to use the word "argument" is taken one way - as describing fighting, bickering, quarreling, and contention.  If you do not believe me, you may be living under a rock or on another planet. But if you have access to the internet on that other planet or under that rock, do a quick image search on any search engine for...

In the third chapter of the Old Testament book of Isaiah, we read a number of things which will never be expressed in Veggie Tales, flannelgraphs, or Illustrated Children's Bibles. For one, the Lord God says he is taking away support and supply from Jerusalem and Judah because they have embraced their sin and flaunted their sin, "defying his glorious presence."  Included in the list of things...

Just having finished up Lincoln's Last Trial: The Murder Case That Propelled Him to the Presidency by Dan Abrams and David Fisher, I am struck by another thing. For one, Lincoln was a fine lawyer and a great man. For another, the right of self-defense is a tried and true principle of jurisprudence which endures through the ages. When a larger man publicly threatens repeatedly to whip you with the...

Three pieces to consider today as President Biden announces new requirements that Americans of companies with 100 or more employees must get the COVID-19 vaccine or else be tested at least once weekly.  Biden Plans COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate for 80 Million Private-Sector Workers by Jack Phillips , The Epoch Times President Biden announces sweeping vaccine mandate for employees of large business...

The National Archives online catalogue is now putting trigger warnings on America's founding documents, according to reporting from September 8, 2021 by Emily Zanotti at The Daily Wire. Historical materials and documents - including, but not limited to our Declaration of Independence , Constitution , and Bill of Rights - which may contain "harmful language" have been given a trigger warning at the...

There is a kind of restraint which is good, appropriate, and wise. Self-control is the fruit of the Spirit. And how we should control ourselves is toward the end of saying what is true and doing what is right, and not saying what is false and not doing what is evil. But there is another kind of restraint which is a bit trickier, and it has everything to do with fearing man. In the first case, when...

Popularity - who and what enjoys it and for what reasons is in a constant state of flux. Today or tomorrow, trends bestow greater attention and affection for this or that person, place, or thing. And just as quickly, the critical mass evaporates or else shifts to some other. According to Wikipedia, which should itself be regarded as a kind of popular consensus encyclopedia, and the amalgam of what...

The poem 'Opportunity' by Edward Rowland Sill (1841-1887) has been memorized and recited now by two of my sons - first by Solomon a few years ago for the 4H Speech & Demo Day in Sidney, Montana; second by Daniel last Fall for a more private gathering of homeschooling families here in Greeley, Colorado. Published in 1880, the Colorado city which would eventually be renamed after Horace Greeley...

The first Monday in September looms just around the corner, and that means Labor Day in the United States. Originally conceived as an annual celebration and honoring of the labor movement in this country, Labor Day now as often as not marks the beginning of a new school year and the unofficial end of summer. For me personally this year, Labor Day Weekend caps off my first week back after quarantin...

Nathanael Blake published a piece at The Federalist August 31st, 2021 titled 'A Supreme Court That Capitulates On Roe V. Wade Will Unleash A Whirlwind' in which he lays out what is likely to happen among conservatives in America if a 6-3 majority on the U.S. Supreme Court upholds rather than overturning Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 case which established abortion as "the law of the land." He is...

The first step to solving a problem is admitting you have one. But anyone who is unwilling to admit there is trouble is going to be impervious to calls from problem solvers to participate in the troubleshooting process. We will not solve problems we refuse to admit we have, in other words. And while this all may seem very obvious and self-evident, the current state of things in the United States o...

In Episode #56, 'Reservations Regarding 'Lead' by Paul David Tripp,' I laid out my concerns with what Tripp was and was not saying in his book regarding leadership in Christ's Church.  Among the things I highlighted was a concern about the emphasis placed on eliminating "sexism."  My trepidation here should not be mistaken for a defense of sexism. But as anyone who studies the news cycle...

On the encouragement of Micah Hershberger, I did a new thing for the first time yesterday. I recorded a reaction video. You can view my foray into this internet trend here: Reaction to JD Hall on Protestia 'Podcast ALONE' Rant. In my entirely subjective and self-serving opinion, I think it's not half bad for being my first try. But you can watch and be the judge, and do be so kind as to let me kno...

Still being home on quarantine last night, I did not have an opportunity to deliver the second sermon I prepared for the Preaching & Teaching class at Summitview Community Church, though I did prepare a sermon. However, being home as we were yesterday morning, I did preach both the first and second sermons for class to my wife and children over breakfast, and it is a funny thing to realize tha...