Memorial Day

 

Franklin Roosevelt, one week after the bombing of Pearl Harbor said, “Those who long enjoy such privileges that we enjoy forget in time that others have died to win them.” America is the greatest nation in the world. God has blessed us with great prosperity and protected us from much of the world chaos and violence. This weekend is a reminder that the freedom, prosperity, and peace we enjoy did not come without sacrifice.

Memorial Day was officially proclaimed on May 5, 1868 by General John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic and was first observed on May 30^th, 1868, when flowers were placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery. By 1890 it was recognized by all of the northern states, although the South refused to acknowledge the day, honoring their dead on separate days until after World War I (when the holiday changed from honoring just those who died fighting in the Civil War to honoring Americans who died fighting in any war). It is now celebrated in almost every State on the last Monday in May.

Memorial Day is in many ways a picture of what is good about our nation. Through the years many courageous soldiers have given their life for the good of others. They faced evil and oppression around the world and determined in their heart that they would sacrifice their life for the future of generations to come. “Thank you” seems inadequate. But, what seems appropriate for our generation today is to honor our fallen soldiers by being grateful for our freedom, respecting our flag, and rediscovering the value of hard work. America has a great heritage and on this Memorial Day weekend let’s celebrate by thanking God for those who sacrificed for us.

I watched the flag pass by one day.
It fluttered in the breeze.
A young Marine saluted it,
and then he stood at ease.
I looked at him in uniform
So young, so tall, so proud,
He’d stand out in any crowd.
I thought how many men like him
Had fallen through the years.
How many died on foreign soil?
How many mothers’ tears?
How many pilots’ planes shot down?
How many died at sea?
How many foxholes were soldiers’ graves?
No, freedom isn’t free.

I heard the sound of TAPS one night,
When everything was still
I listened to the bugler play
And felt a sudden chill.
I wondered just how many times
That TAPS had meant “Amen,”
When a flag had draped a coffin
Of a brother or a friend.
I thought of all the children,
Of the mothers and the wives,
Of fathers, sons and husbands
With interrupted lives.
I thought about a graveyard
At the bottom of the sea
Of unmarked graves in Arlington.
No, freedom isn’t free.

-Kelly Strong

Praying for Pastor Yousef

Praying for Pastor Yousef

Religious freedom is on trial. The Islamic Regime of Iran has given the execution orders for Pastor Yousef, a Christian. He has been in prison since 2009 being accused of apostasy. Pastor Yousef refused to recant Christianity and follow Islam. He was also “guilty” of not teaching his children the ways of Islam.  Today, I am not sure if Pastor Yousef is alive or if the execution has already taken place.

Pastor Yousef is married and has two children. His wife was given a life sentence for “lesser crimes.” The attention this case has received around the world is probably the only reason Pastor Yousef is still alive. Yet, when you look around our nation you see occupiers and protestors determined to get our government back on track. Certainly, change would be welcomed.  But, in the midst of all of our anger, protests, and occupying most remain silent about the great tragedy of Pastor Yousef. A real human being. A father. A husband. A Pastor. The case of Pastor Yousef will not affect your bank account. Then again, what price can you put on religious freedom?

The END

The Space Shuttle Endeavour ended its final journey with a late night landing watched by a few hundred people. Endeavour had travelled 123 million miles in its space voyages making it one of the “youngest” shuttles in the fleet. Now, the shuttle will be placed in a museum in California. For the Endeavour, the end has come.

It is true sometimes you are just glad something is over and you feel relief and freedom. But, often, endings come with mixed emotions.

The end of a school year reminds me that my kids are one year older and time keeps passing by, yet I am excited about spending time with them over the summer. Those graduating from High School often have mixed feelings. They are glad it is over and they are ready to move on. But, there is a sense that something in your life has ended and if honest, there is a sense of sadness.

The end of life for a Christian leaves family and friends grieving and missing their loved one. There is an emptiness that is hard to explain unless you have been through it. Yet there is a peace knowing they are with Christ in heaven with complete joy.

Endings often come with mixed emotions. As I ponder endings it reminds me to make the best of every day. Today is God’s gift to me.

 
“Your landing ends a vibrant legacy for this amazing vehicle that will long be remembered,” Mission Control told Captain Kelly and his crewmates.

When the “end” comes for you, what kind of legacy will you leave?

The END.

CONNECTION

 

Connection? What is Connection? Connection is a community Easter service that will be held at the Franklin County High School auditorium on April 24^th at 9:45 am. Maybe you feel like you belong in a church but you have some questions about God and the Bible? Connection will help you in answering some of your questions.

We have three goals:

                Connect with God- We all need to know our Creator

                Connect with Others- No one wants to go through life alone

                Connect with the Community- We want to be the true Church, reaching out to the community and meeting needs.

The great part about Connection is I don’t have to worry about the message. It never changes. Jesus Christ is God, He died on the cross for our sins, and He conquered death by rising on the first Easter. I am glad some things never change.

I hope you to see you at Connection Sunday April 24^th.

We Need God

 

We need God.

 You need God. I need God. We need God. If you read the Old Testament and the story of God’s people, it becomes clear that we have a lot in common. God blessed them, provided for them, called them, guided them, helped them, and protected them. How did they respond to God’s greatness, goodness, and grace? They rebelled against Him. They wanted what we think we want….to live life our way.

 We need God.

 Living life our way is always a foolish mistake. It devalues life and makes it pointless. After all, if I live life for me how significant could that really be? If that was not a reasonable enough conclusion then let’s think a little more. In times of earthquakes, tsunami’s, nuclear meltdowns, recessions, war, and drug violence where do you turn if it is all about you? Maybe we should be a little more personal, where do you turn when your marriage struggles, when your job ends, when the kids rebel, when it is cancer?

 We need God.

 As we approach Easter we are reminded that God recognized our need of Him. He also knew that we would think differently. He knew that we would rebel, sin, and try to live life our way. But out of His amazing grace He sent Jesus so that we could be forgiven and be connected to Him. God recognized our need and He met our need with His son.

 We need God.

 A Japanese lady in our church, who along with her husband are missionaries in Japan and are supported by our church, was in worship this past Sunday because of an unexpected family funeral. Thank goodness they have Jesus in their life for this difficult time. I asked her to pray for her country in our service and in her brokenness she read Psalm 46.

  ¹ God is our refuge and strength,
   an ever-present help in trouble.
² Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
   and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
³ though its waters roar and foam
   and the mountains quake with their surging. 
 ⁴ There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
   the holy place where the Most High dwells.
⁵ God is within her, she will not fall;
   God will help her at break of day.
⁶ Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;
   he lifts his voice, the earth melts. 

 ⁷ The LORD Almighty is with us;
   the God of Jacob is our fortress.

 We need God.

Revolution

 Revolution- A sudden, radical, or complete change.

By now the votes have been counted and the talking heads on TV have analyzed every detail of last week’s election. Do you know how much money was spent on the election last week? I researched this question and multiple sources say that the candidates spent over $4 billion dollars. $4 billion dollars! Let that number sink in. In this great democracy it seems that if you have enough money you can represent the people in our government.

$4 billion dollars. Think about that number when you compare it with these numbing statistics:

–          Over a billion people in the world live on less than a dollar a day

–          30,000 children died every day either from starvation or a preventable disease

–          143 million orphaned or vulnerable children in the world

–          800,000 children pass through our country’s foster care system each year

It is time for a revolution, a radical, complete change.

Every Christian should be involved in the political process. God has blessed us with freedom and we should celebrate our freedom by participating in the political process. But, I also believe to the core of my being, that politics will not solve our problems. Only Jesus Christ can fix our problems. We need a Jesus revolution.

I pray that the passion and resources given to get someone elected will be given to the revolution for Jesus.

A Dramatic Change of Expectations

I am a college football fan. I enjoy watching the games and keeping up with the winners and losers. Unfortunately for me, this year looks to be a long year because my team, the Tennessee Volunteers, is struggling. If they have a winning record that will be considered a “good” year. That is a far cry from the goals and expectations through the years of this prideful program. In 1998 Tennessee was the National Champions and over the next eight years were their division or conference champions several times.

 But, times have changed. There are many reasons being given for the dramatic turn in expectations in Knoxville. After all, the team has had three different coaches in the last 15 months. A number of players either left the team, were dismissed, or were injured. Recruiting has struggled because of the uncertainty surrounding the program. And, now, the athletic program is being investigated by the NCAA. Add all of those issues together and you come up with less than a championship culture.

 The change in Knoxville reminds me of life. One day you are on the mountain top enjoying a great moment in life. The next thing you know, it all comes crashing down. Sometimes the crash is your fault; sometimes not.  But, either way, you find yourself in the valley wondering how it happened so quickly. At that point you have two options: To become angry and bitter and give up on God. Many have decided on that path for their life. Or we can do the wise thing and cry out to God and trust Him. It is easy for me to write those words. It is harder to put it into practice.

 I am reminded of what Paul wrote in II Corinthians when he was struggling. He began his letter reminding the church, and himself, of the comfort he had found in God. Listen to his words in II Corinthians 1:3-4 “ Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.”

 Paul reminds us that it is God’s nature to comfort us in all our troubles. There are plenty of days I wish that Paul would have said that God removes all of our troubles. Life doesn’t work that way. So, I am still trying to learn that in the midst of troubles, rather than praying for God to fix all of my problems, like Paul I must focus on praising God as He comforts me in my troubles.

 It is not easy. God never promised life would be. But, heaven, that is a different story.

Gulf Oil Spill

 

The gulf oil spill is a disaster and getting worse. I read a report last evening that said the oil has the potential to reach the Atlantic Coast as far north as North Carolina. The quest to place blame has been in full gear for weeks now. BP and the Federal Government are trying to make sure everyone understands that someone else is responsible. Lawyers are chomping at the bit! Right now the focus should be on trying to stop the oil. How many days has it been?
In the coming weeks, months, years, and even decades we will still be seeing the effects of this man-made disaster. The Exxon Valdeze tanker spilled 257,000 barrels of oil into Alaska’s Prince William Sound in 1989. BP estimates that already the Gulf well has spilled between 450,000 and 750,000 barrels. In Alaska, over twenty years later, you can still find oil washing up on shore.
Psalm 24:1 (NIV)
The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.

God created the earth for His glory. We are not the owner’s of the earth and we do not worship the earth. We worship the Creator, the Sovereign God of this world. He has entrusted us to manage His creation. We have failed.

As Christians we need to pray:
*Pray that the leaders of BP and our Government will have wisdom to stop the oil
* Pray for the families who lost husbands and fathers in the explosion
*Pray for the clean-up efforts in the Gulf and that the damage will not be as bad as predicted
*Pray for those who have lost their jobs because of the destruction
*Pray that we all will repent of our greed

The rig exploded on April 20th! It is June. And, the oil keeps flowing.

 

Memorial Day

President Franklin D. Roosevelt said, “Those who long enjoy such privileges that we enjoy forget in time that others have died to win them.”

Memorial Day is uniquely an American experience. We set aside a day to remember those who have sacrificed to protect our freedom and liberty. Because men and women have died for this country, we have the right to worship, to live at peace in our homes, to pursue our dreams, and to have great opportunities.

For many Memorial Day is a day off. A cook-out. A camping trip. But for those who have lost someone because of war or military action, it means much more than a day off.

We live in a time described as the “Me Generation.” Yet, we can pause this weekend to reflect and give thanks for some who were willing to give all they had for a worthy cause. We also can spend time rejoicing knowing that one day the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ, will come again and end the tragedy of war and the suffering it brings.

NEWS

If there is anything the world needs it is good news. I feel like I am suffering from bad news overload. The cable news channels love to get their hands on bad news. Earlier this year I thought  my life was over along with millions of other poor souls when the pandemic was making its rounds. Have you noticed how everything now is breaking news? It used to be that only major events like the explosion of the Space Shuttle or the shooting of President Reagan was breaking news. Now, everything is breaking news. Breaking news…It’s April! Breaking news…eating quarter pounders makes you gain weight! Breaking news…the Sun is hot.

I am tired of the news. Everything is a big deal, everything is bad, everything is exploited, and everything is overblown. In fact, I wish that during the Lenten season I would have decided to give up listening or reading the news. That would have done wonders for my soul.

The ironic part is that all of the bad news doesn’t really impact me  because I have been exposed to so much. The starving children in the Sudan…the Aids epidemic in Africa…the orphans in Haiti…the death in Chile. Why does this unbelievable suffering not bother me more? I can watch the news about the orphans in Haiti and the next minute go outside with my kids like I have never heard the news. I can eat dinner and never even think about the 7 year old child in the Sudan that has not eaten for a week. After seeing the news, how can I as a follower of Jesus not care more than I do?

1 Peter 2:23-25 (New International Version)
When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

It is Good Friday. Finally, I hear some good news. By the wounds of Jesus we are healed. I hope that this will be news that changes what I do.