Gatsby at Mar-a-lago

This post must have hit a nerve. I have gotten feedback ranging from - "I didn't know you were anti-Trump" to "I didn't know you were pro-Trump" LOL

Note: You can hear the song here:

Gatsby at Mar-a-lago

Yes.... I know! Gatsby never went to Mar-a-lago in the novel. But it is not anachronistic-

Gatsby's Fictional Timeline:
F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby is set in the summer of 1922, and Gatsby himself is in his early 30s during the story. This situates his formative years (e.g., during World War I) in the 1910s.

Mar-a-Lago's Real Timeline:
Mar-a-Lago, the grand estate in Palm Beach, Florida, was built by Marjorie Merriweather Post between 1924 and 1927. It was intended as a winter retreat and is renowned for its opulence.

Fictional Feasibility:By 1924, Gatsby (if we imagine him surviving the events of the novel) would still be alive in his mid-30s, potentially reeling from his shattered dream of Daisy. It's conceivable that a man of Gatsby's social ambition and wealth would visit the newly completed Mar-a-Lago, especially given its reputation as a glamorous retreat for the elite. This could align with Gatsby’s pursuit of status and reinvention.

The green light at the end of Daisy’s dock—one of the most haunting symbols in The Great Gatsby—has lingered in my mind for years. 

"If it wasn't for the mist we could see your home across the bay... You always have a green light that burns all night at the end of your dock."
- F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby, Ch. 5

Nick Carraway: Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that's no matter - tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther... And one fine morning - So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.

 That flickering beacon embodies hope, but also the futility of chasing dreams grounded in flawed human ambition. Recently, as I reflected on the celebrations surrounding the U.S. election, I found myself revisiting Gatsby’s poignant image of hope against the mist, connecting it to both caution and faith.

Like Jay Gatsby, who believed he could rewrite the past and secure a future with Daisy, we often place our hopes in things that can’t truly deliver. In our current moment, the opulence of Mar-a-Lago provides a fitting backdrop for a Gatsby-like reminder: while we celebrate victories—whether personal, political, or cultural—we must remain vigilant about where we place our ultimate trust.

Rudyard Kipling’s poem Recessional, written during the height of British imperial pride, offers a similar warning. Kipling’s refrain, “Lest we forget—lest we forget,” calls nations to humility before God, reminding us that pride untethered from divine guidance leads to downfall. The empire’s dominion “over palm and pine” was no match for the enduring power of repentance and faith.

This brings me back to the green light. While Gatsby’s hope was tragically misplaced, Christian hope is of an entirely different nature. It isn’t wishful thinking or blind optimism. It is rooted in the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the “living hope” that transcends time and circumstance. Unlike Gatsby’s dream, which was already out of reach, this hope is both secure and transformative.

But as we anchor ourselves in this eternal hope, we must also recognize the battle we face. Today’s threats aren’t limited to political policies or economic trends—they are the ideas and strongholds that exalt themselves against the knowledge of God. The push for a globalist utopia often comes cloaked in promises of equality and progress, yet it frequently masks a desire for control that stifles freedom of speech, religious liberty, and the dignity of individual conscience. These ideas aren’t just political; they’re spiritual. They aim to replace God’s truth with man’s hubris.

Ephesians 6 reminds us that our struggle isn’t against flesh and blood but against rulers, authorities, and powers of this dark world. The enemy is not people but the ideologies that entrap them. Just as Kipling warned against the pride of empire, we must resist the pride of modern globalism that seeks to impose a counterfeit kingdom. The true kingdom, after all, belongs to Christ, and His dominion will never fade.

As I reflect on the current political landscape, I am encouraged by the opportunity to reclaim principles of freedom and reform. But I am also reminded that our battle isn’t merely political—it is spiritual. Real hope begins not with policies or leaders but with repentance and faith in Christ. Only then can we tear down strongholds and bring every thought into obedience to Him.

So while we celebrate, let us also remain sober-minded. The fight ahead will demand courage and perseverance. And as we labor, may we anchor ourselves not in fleeting dreams but in the eternal assurance of God’s promises.

A better America begins with me... and we have a small window now to pray for the rise of the American church. These are FRAGILE times and a nuclear winter is not out of the realm of possibilities! WE NEED THE LORD!

Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet—lest we forget. 

The Bible presents a COMPLETELY different hope and a definition of 'faith' that may surprise us.

Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.
I Thessalonians 4:13 Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope.
I Peter 1:3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
Hebrews 11:6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

COUNTER THE ABOVE VERSES WITH THE EMPTY DREAMS OF JAY GATSBY

"And as I sat there, brooding on the old, unknown world, I thought of Gatsby's wonder when he first picked out Daisy's light at the end of his dock. He had come such a long way to this blue lawn, and his dream must have seemed so close he could hardly fail to grasp it. But what he did not know was that it was already behind him, somewhere in the vast obscurity beyond the city, where the dark fields of the republic rolled on under the night."
- F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby, Ch. 9


"He smiled understandingly-much more than understandingly. It was one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it, that you may come across four or five times in life. It faced--or seemed to face--the whole external world for an instant, and then concentrated on you with an irresistible prejudice in your favor. It understood you just as far as you wanted to be understood, believed in you as you would like to believe in yourself."
- F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby, Ch. 3

"what foul dust floated in the wake of his dreams that temporarily closed out my interest in the abortive sorrows and short-winded elations of men."
- F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby, Ch. 1

AS I CLOSE, MY PRAYER IS THAT YOU WOULD ASK THE GOD OF THE UNIVERSE TO FORGIVE US AND THAT WE WOULD HUMBLY BOW THE THRONE OF YOUR HEART TO HIM. THE DOOR OF MERCY IS OPEN- AND OUR HOPE IN THE RISEN CHRIST IS SEALED BY HIS HOLY SPIRIT. IT IS NOT OUR GOODNESS THAT WILL SAVE US- IT IS HIS GOODNESS- PROVEN BY HIS SACRIFICE FOR US.

WHAT OTHER HOPE DO WE HAVE?