"Time To Remember!"

As I stated on Sunday morning there are some ministers who struggle with doing anything to honor those who have given their life in the service of this country in the military. They get caught up with the aspect of war and the killing that takes place. I see those who serve in the military in a very different way...one that has Christ tied to it.

In Matthew 5:9 Jesus says, "Blessed are the peacemakers for they will be called children of God." Isn't that what our military really does? They fight so that they can bring peace to an area or the world. During World War II, our nation went up against whom I consider the son of Satan Adolph Hitler. It was our action that brought peace to the world.

Christ also made another statement that I believe demonstrates that He does understand and embraces those who die in service to this country. The statement comes from John 15:13, "No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friend." And that is what our men and women do when they give their life in service of their country.

There is also a personal reason why I take time to remember those who have given their lives in service. If it where not for those men and women who feel "called" to service, I would not be able to freely stand before a congregation every Sunday morning, without the fear of being persecuted. It is because of their unselfish act that I can say and worship how I feel moved to do so. In June of 1990 I had the honor of going to West Berlin (the Berlin Wall had come down in November of 1989). I was told by many people who lived in East Berlin how they had to take extraordinary measures to worship every Sunday. I also was in East Berlin a week after a young man was executed for preaching the Gospel on the streets of East Berlin.

Yes I am grateful to those who have died to make sure I have the freedom to do what I do. And every time I hear on the news of a young man or woman who has died in Iraq serving this nation I can hear my Christ say, "Blessed are the peacemakers for they will be called children of God." I have taken time out to remember and to say 'THANK YOU!"

"Trusting Brings Peace!"

In our society it is something that is very difficult for us to do and that is to trust. We live in a world where people seem to make it more and more difficult. But there is one who we can trust everyday of our lives and he will never break that trust and that is God through Jesus Christ. As it states in scripture Christ said, "I will never leave you or forsake you."

So what does it mean to trust God...it means to trust Him to the fullest. To be able to realize that God will always give you what we need, not necessarily what we want and to be thankful He knows the difference. I have a running joke at the church, I pray that God will give me a red Corvette, but every morning I go out and I still have my white Tracker...He gives me what I need, not always what I want.

When we trust God, we are given something that we all strive for and that is a sense of peace in our lives. But this peace is like no other you will ever experience because it is a "restless" peace. What I mean by that is the peace God gives us is tied to a feeling or beckoning that we must do something with our faith. Dr. Jeffry Newhall, former executive director for the International Council of Community Churches, always said that "God's gift of restless peace to us doesn't mean we set aimlessly under a shade tree, but rather we are to continue on our faith journey with a renewed sense of the love and grace God gives us...thus His restless peace."

Trusting God also means that we have to give up control and for some that can be very difficult. I have learned over my 20 years in the ministry, that when I have got out of God's way and trusted Him things went better than if I was in control. Trusting God means that you have accepted His grace and love from Jesus Christ and realize that God can enhance your life in so many different ways.

Isn't it time that you started to trust God? One way you can begin that process it to pray "God I trust you with all my heart, with all my soul and with all my mind!" When you pray that you will receive one of the greatest gifts in your life..."God's restless peace!"

"You Are A Mother If...!"

This past Sunday we honored one of the most important people in our life...our mother! It is a day that we go out to dinner with them, call them if they live far away and if they are no longer with us we remember. It was also a very hard day for some people who were spending their first "Mother's Day" without their mother and for those who have never been able to bear children.

For any woman who has not given birth to a child, but has helped a child in any way Mother's Day is also for them. The true definition of a mother is not just someone who gives birth, but rather a woman who has nurtured, cared for, wiped the tears and held a child...whether they gave birth to them or not.

Mother's Day can also be a tough time for anyone who has been estranged from their mother. It could have been a disagreement or a misunderstanding, but as I tell anyone who has gone through that...use Mother's Day as a day of reconnecting. Don't ever let things go and then when your mother is gone it is too late and you are left with a pain that can never heal.

As I age I become more and more thankful for my own mother and everything she has done in my life. I know for her Mother's Day was difficult because she is torn between the joy of having me and the pain of missing my brother who died in 1994. When I called her on Mother's Day and told her I loved her, I could hear the joy in her voice when she said, "I love you too, son."

Many years ago...more than I would like to admit I sang the following song in church...it says it all:

"M" is for the million things she gave me,
"O" means only that she's growing old,
"T" is for the tears she shed to save me,
"H" is for her heart of purest gold;
"E" is for her eyes, with love-light shining,
"R: means right, and right she'll always be,
Put them all together, the spell "MOTHER,"
A word that means the world to me.

"It's The Super Glue!"

If you are still breathing and alive, you have experienced sometime in your life when things felt like they were falling apart...maybe you are feeling that right now. Well I can tell you the greatest form of "glue" to put your life back together is Jesus Christ. He is the one who can help put the pieces back together as if it was put together with super glue.

One of the reasons Christ can do that is expressed in Hebrews 13:8: "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever." That means that Christ knows where you have come from, knows where you are today and will be there for you in the future. It also demonstrates that the Christ we have heard about and read about in the Bible is the exact same Christ who is with us today.

Now another reason some people struggle to find a way to put the pieces back together is that they go out looking for a "fix." Sometimes that is drugs, alcohol or other destructive behaviors. They think that the answer is "out there" somewhere and all they have to do is find it. That saddens me a great deal, because they have possessed the answer within themselves all along. Christ said "the kingdom of God is within," and all we have to do is take the time to look inside of ourselves.

If you are struggling and life seems to be falling apart, then STOP and take time out to listen to your inner voice...that voice that God tries to communicate to you through. Realize that Christ is there for you, wanting to help you put your life back together and to be the glue that holds it together until you see Him face to face!