Time Out

On Memorial Day, I had the honor of offering the Invocation for a Troop Deployment Ceremony. The prayer is a combination of a prayer I found (author unknown) on the internet mixed with some of my own thoughts. Here is what I shared:

“Let Our Hearts Be Stout” was a prayer written by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The prayer was read on the radio on the evening of D-Day, June 6, 1944, while American, British and Canadian troops were fighting to establish five beach heads on the coast of Normandy. Here is an excerpt from that prayer:

Many people have urged that I call the nation into a single day of special prayer. But because the road is long and the desire is great, I ask that our people devote themselves in a continuance of prayer. As we rise to each new day, and again when each day is spent, let words of prayer be on our lips, invoking Thy help to our efforts.

Give us strength, too — strength in our daily tasks, to redouble the contributions we make in the physical and the material support of our armed forces.

And let our hearts be stout, to wait out the long travail, to bear sorrows that may come, to impart our courage unto our sons wheresoever they may be.

Dear Heavenly Father,

As we remember those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for the freedoms we enjoy, we think of how they have followed in the footsteps of your son, Jesus Christ who declared in John 15:13, “Greater love has no one than this that he lay down his life for his friends”.

Please hold the members of the Alpha Battery, 1st Battalion, 125th Field Artillery unit in your strong arms. Cover them with your sheltering grace and your presence as they stand in the gap for our protection. We also ask for your providential strength to uphold the other members of our MN National Guard and all our servicemen and women around the globe.

We also remember the families of our troops. We ask for your blessings to fill their homes, and we pray your peace, provision, and strength will fill their lives. We pray that they would remember your promise “Never will I leave you never will I forsake you”

May the members of our armed forces be supplied with courage to face each day and may they trust in the Lord’s mighty power to accomplish each task. Let our military brothers and sisters feel our love and support.

In Jesus name, Amen.

21 The Lord’s hand was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord. 22 News of this reached the ears of the church at Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. 23 When he arrived and saw the evidence of the grace of God*, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts. Acts 11:21-23*bold mine

The church in Antioch was a dynamic group. When they heard the message of Christ they responded in great numbers. The leaders in Jerusalem sent Barnabas (who name means encouragement) to encourage these new believers. When Barnabas arrived he saw the evidence of the grace of God. In the original Greek, it simply reads he saw the grace of God. What did Barnabas see in Antioch? What was going on in the lives of these new believers that so strongly demonstrated the grace of God?

As Christians (a named first used in Antioch), let us consider if this phrase defines our lives. If someone entered your home undetected would they see “evidence of grace”? Would the conversation around the dinner table be sprinkled with grace or marinated in sarcasm? Would there be a battle over who clears the dishes or would each one gracefully contribute to the clean up?

At work, do you perform tasks begrudgingly or joyfully? Do people avoid you or are they drawn to you like a moth to light? Would your employees characterize you as someone who balances good performance with fairness and respect?

One clear example of grace among the Antiochian Church was generosity.

27 During this time some prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. 28 One of them, named Agabus, stood up and through the Spirit predicted that a severe famine would spread over the entire Roman world. (This happened during the reign of Claudius.) 29 The disciples, each according to his ability*, decided to provide help for the brothers living in Judea. 30 This they did, sending their gift to the elders by Barnabas and Saul. Acts 11:27-30*bold mine

Some interesting things to consider: They acted immediately. They acted before the famine happened. (based on a prophecy that did come true) The acted together (each one gave). I wonder if we would have been as generous or just contemplated the implications of a widespread famine in relation to God’s judgment and the 2^nd Coming of Christ. Don’t get me wrong the 2^nd Coming of Christ is important but consider these words of Jesus from Luke 18:8: However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?” In other words, will He find evidence of God’s grace?

Like many during this festive season, I listen to a great deal of Christmas music. KELO fm (Sioux Falls, SD) is one station that plays Christmas music 24/7. Last week, while listening to Porky Pig’s version of Blue Christmas, a curious thought juggled my brain: Why do so many Looney Tunes characters have speech impediments? Think about it—Porky Pig stutters, Elmer Fudd struggles with the letter “r,” and Daffy Duck & Sylvester the Cat spit when using the letter “s.”  Many of us grew up with these characters. They brought us much laughter and entertainment. However, I wonder if it was humorous for the kid who was laughed at because he stuttered or for the girl whose r’s still sounded like w’s in 4^th grade. I know what you are thinking, “Thanks for the Christmas downer,” but hold on, I have a point.

After my cartoon character analysis, I was reminded of all the imperfect people that God chose to bless. Jacob had a limp, Mephibosheth was crippled, Zacchaeus was short and Moses, like the Looney Tune characters, had a speech impediment. Lastly, the focus of our winter celebration, Jesus, was not physically impressive either.  Look at this Messianic (relating to the Christ) prophecy found in the book of Isaiah:

1 Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? 2 He grew up before him like a tender shoot,and like a root out of dry ground.He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. Isaiah 53:1, 2  NIV

What does this all mean? To me, it means that anyone can come to the stable. Whether you speak with a lisp, need a brace or have an unsightly scar, you are welcome to come to the stable and adore Him. Jesus may have been perfect in Divinity, but there was something about his humanness that was very normal and ordinary. When we come to the stable, we come to worship the King of Kings. What do we receive as we come? I think Hebrews 4:15, 16 sums it up best:

15 For we do not have a high priest (Jesus Christ*) who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are-yet was without sin. 16 Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace* to help us in our time of need. NIV *parenthesis and bold mine

Is there a catch? Yep, but the catch is the same for everyone: Acknowledge our need for forgiveness and respond to God through repentance and faith.

In May of 2008, Correctional Services Canada (CSC) instituted a total ban on smoking in federal prisons. The ban was overturned in October 2009 by a ruling of federal judge Luc Martineau. The ruling still banned smoking in buildings but allowed inmates to smoke in outside areas . During the year and half ban, inmates found creative alternatives to cigarettes. In place of tobacco, some used a mixture of tea leaves and residue from nicotine gum provided to help smokers quit. The concoction is rolled up in a page from the Bible. The Bible is used because the pages reportedly burn slower than normal paper.

An inmate named Robert told reporters, “I smoked Matthew. I smoked Mark. I smoked Luke. When I got to John, I read about how God loves me.” Robert accepted God’s love through Jesus Christ and became a Christian. Now he doesn’t smoke the Bible he reads it. It’s amazing how the power of God’s Word changes lives even in the most unusual circumstances.

Before Chuck Yeager successfully broke the sound barrier, no one knew whether an airplane could exceed “Mach 1,” the speed of sound. A British pilot, Geoffrey de Havilland, had died trying. Despite the dangers, the U.S. Army was determined to find out first. The Army had developed a small, bullet-shaped aircraft, the Bell X-1, to challenge the sound barrier. The date of Oct. 14, 1947 was set for the attempt to reach Mach 1. Two nights earlier, Chuck and Glennis Yeager went horseback riding. Chuck was thrown, and broke two ribs on his right side. He didn’t report his injury to the Army doctors in fear that they might give the flight to someone else. So Yeager taped up his ribs and did his best to hide his condition.

On the day of the flight, it became apparent that Yeager’s injured right side wouldn’t allow him to shut the door of the Bell X-1. In the plane’s tiny cockpit; he could only use his right hand which was difficult due to the tremendous pain in his right side. He confessed his problem to Jack Ridley, the flight engineer. In a stroke of genius, Ridley sawed off a short piece of broomstick handle; using it with his left hand, Yeager was able to get enough leverage to slam the door shut. Through toughness and determination, Yeager broke the sound barrier.

What are the difficulties in your life that seem to be “barriers”? Maybe you have experienced the loss of a loved one, an illness, a messy divorce or abuse. Before Jesus went to the cross and rose again, He shared something significant about overcoming barriers:

3 “You believe at last!” Jesus answered. 3 “But a time is coming, and has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home. You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me. 33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:31-33 NIV

Jesus’ message is as follows: you will have trouble but “I” have overcome the world. The answer lies not in our ability to overcome but in Jesus’ unlimited power. I pray that God will help you overcome whatever struggle you are dealing with today.

God Bless

I have had this blog since February and some of you are thinking: What is the point of a blog if you aren’t going to write anything?

Well, here we go. My wife and I watched the movie Cat on a Hot Tin Roof the other night. At first, I thought, “man is this boring”. However, as the plot developed we began to see why this movie was nominated for 6 Academy Awards in 1958.  Brick (Paul Newman) is a washed up football hero who becomes an alcoholic. Big Daddy (Burl Ives), Brick’s father, is hugely successful and wealthy. Big Daddy believes that his son is lazy and Brick believes that all his father cares about is money. The plot thickens as Brick realizes that Big Daddy is terminally ill. The conflict between the two men reaches a climax as Brick makes it clear that he doesn’t care about inheriting his father’s estate. All he really wants is for Big Daddy to love him. Big Daddy comes to realize that his only goal in life is not to be a poor drifter like his father.  He believed that providing for his family was the equivalent of love. A key exchange in the movie is when Big Daddy realizes that his Father left him more than material things:

Harvey ‘Big Daddy’ Pollitt:Yeah, I loved him. I reckon I never loved anything as much as that lousy old tramp.
Brick Pollitt: And you say he left you nothing but a suitcase with a uniform in it?
Harvey ‘Big Daddy’ Pollitt: And some memories.
Brick Pollitt: And love.

Every man and every woman craves the love of their father and God is honored when we love our children. 1 John 4:16 declares that God is love. But The Apostle John also challenges us to..love because he (God) first loved us (1 John 4:19. How are you doing this week at loving others, especially your family? It has a powerful impact.

Here’s my family

Welcome to my blog site! I hope to start blogging soon.