Month: May 2024

He has called you worthy to serve Him, to share Him, to show forth the manifold witness of His grace and love. He has called you worthy. Phillippians 1:6 (embellished)

As Memorial Day approaches, it is time to give thanks to those who have sacificed everything for the freedom we Americans experience every single day. The men and women who have fought in battles to preserve the honor, integrity, and freedom of this country are worthy to be honored and celebrated on this day!

The division in America at this time in history causes many of us to flash back to other times when we saw riots, protests, anger, and other problems which resulted in dangerous and turbulent times in our country. Most of my generation were raised on stories of patriotism both in our families and among friends. Randy’s Dad served during WWII, our uncles served as pilots in that war, and our high school and college friends fought and died in the Viet Nam war.

Recently, I have been reminded of the courage and sacrifice made by men and women during the wars in which our country fought, and I would recommend these to you. Masters of the Air by John Orioff and Donald Miller is the true story of an elite group of warriors who were a miscrocosm of America. These men from England and America formed a bombing campaign against Nazi Germany in the longest military campaign of WWII. Until Allied Forces crossed into Germany in the final months of the war, this was the only battle fought inside the German homeland.

The book and series tells the story of the 100th Bomber Group aka “The Bloody Hundredth”. It tells the story of life in wartime England and the German prison camps where thousands of these airmen spent part of the war. A sobering fact is that in 1943, an American bomber crewman stood only a one in five chance of surviving his tour of duty which consisted of 25 missions. The bravery of this “band of brothers” is unimaginable when one thinks that everytime they left on a mission, they knew that four of them would not come back. These men are worthy of our remembrance and heartfelt thanks.

The book, The Women by Kristin Hannah, tells the story of all the brave women who also served in combat during the Viet Nam war. This book tells the story of all the forgotten nurses who served in war zones, hospitals, and field hospitals where they treated the injured soldiers who arrived each day. The strength of these women was virtually forgotten when the war ended, but even though they were not in combat, they saw and dealt with the atrocities of war. They dealt with PTSD, flashbacks, and the loss of many of their friends. These women are worthy of our remembrance and thanks.

Statistics tell us that around 37,000,000 men and women have served our country since its existence. Of this number, over 640,000 gave their lives in this service for you and for me. Mostly recently, with our war in Iraq, many more soldiers have given their lives and unfortunately, added to this number. As we deal with unrest in the Middle East, our military once again is stepping up to help those who have lost their homes and their loved ones. These servants risk their lives every day, and they are worthy of our remembrance and heartfelt thanks.

This Memorial Day, it would be a great way to honor all our military men and women if each of us would think of one person who sacrificed their life for us or is now actively serving our country and write their name or names on a piece of paper. Now, say a prayer either in thanksgiving for them or for their safety, and pray for their family.

John Keegan says, Soldiers, when committed to a task, can’t compromise. It’s unrelenting devotion to the standards of duty and courage, absolute loyalty to others, not letting the task go until its done.

Take a moment this Memorial Day to thank God for these worthy servants. The blood of many fine soldiers paid the price for the freedom we have today. God Bless America!

This is how much God loved the world; He gave His Son, His one and only Son that whosoever believes in Him shall not die but have everlasting life. John 3:16

Several weeks ago I was put on a steroid regime by my doctor to try and cure a persistent sinus infection. The dosage was higher than I had ever had before, but I set my mind to riding it out until the end in hopes of feeling better. For anyone who hasn’t taken steroids before, they effect different people in different ways. For instance, the use of steroids can cause difficulty sleeping, mood swings, aggression or even depression. However, on the positive side, they do provide relief from aching muscles, backaches, and they give most people a boost in their energy level!

I tried to look at the twelve days of steroids as a tempoary relief from minor achy muscles, and a chance to use my boost of energy to get things done that I would normally put off. I looked at it as a good thing. I also found myself a little bit empowered. I began to say exactly how I felt at certain times, and I didn’t mind speaking out on subjects. I was enjoying the new me. It was about this time in the treatment that Randy went into hiding remaking that “Those things make you mean!” It’s all in the eye of the beholder.

Eye of the beholder is a phrase that means “something that is a matter of personal opinion.” It was shortened from the aphorism beauty is in the eye of the beholder which means, beauty does not exist on its own, but is created by observers. For example, one might say this to mean not all people have the same idea of what is attractive or what is important.

Wemher von Braun was a German-American aerospace engineer and space architect. He was a pioneer of rocket and space technology in the United States. Even though his past was widely controversial, he became an American citizen in 1955, accepted citizenship wholeheartedly, and is sometimes described as “the father of space travel.” He said, “There has never been any great accomplishment in history without faith.”

Contrast that statement with the following event. In 1961, the Soviet Union sent the first cosmonaut into space. When he returned, Nikita Kruschev declared “the Russians have been to space and didn’t see a God anywhere there!” About ten months later, the U.S. sent John Glenn into space. He circled the earth three times and returned to say, “I saw God everywhere. I saw His glory in the galaxy, His splendor in the universe, and I saw His majesty in the stars.” It’s all in the eye of the beholder.

There are many occasions when I find that the physical appearance of someone is not indicative of their beauty. My Mama always said, “Beauty is only skin deep”, and I totally agree. It is the heart of a person which speaks most often to me. For example, there was a nurse who cared for patients in an assisted living facility. The nurse was a rather large woman with a perpetual tired and sad demeanor. One day as she was helping an older resident, the woman looked up and said, “My, but you are a pretty thing!” The nurse blushed and said, “That is so kind, but not many people see that in me!” The woman replied, “Well, that’s just nonsense. I see a beautiful woman who has a kind heart.” It’s all in the eye of the beholder.

God sent His only son to this world because in each of us He beheld a person worthy of taking on all our sin, and He paid our debt. The question then is, “How much are we worth? What is this sacrifice worth to us?”

Occasionally, we watch the TV series, Pawn Stars. People bring in their treasures and expect to get a high price for them. The owners will bring in an expert to appraise the value of each object, and come back to the owners with exactly what the item is worth. Let’s say the expert says the item is worth $10,000. The owner will turn to the customer and ask, “What do you want for this piece?” The owner almost always says, “I want exactly what the expert says it’s worth.” Most often, the owners come back with, “Well, I will give you what I think it’s worth. It’s not worth that much to me.” An object is only worth what someone will pay. It’s all in the eye of the beholder.

The Bible says that each of us is worth the blood of Jesus Christ. We are worth so much that He gave the most valuable thing He could offer – His son. We are the beneficiary of a vast inheritance. God sees us as worthy of eternal life, and in His eyes, we are beheld as worth the price He paid.

Forgetting those things which are behind. Phillipians 3:13

My hometown in South Georgia is way below the so called “gnat line” and right in the middle of “mosquito country”! It also happens to be pretty hot down there most of the late spring, summer, and early fall. When I was growing up, most homes had a screen door in addition to the actual front or side door. In mild mornings and cool evenings, the screen door was used to keep out the offending gnats, mosquitoes, and other critters while allowing a gentle whaft of fresh air inside.

The three words used most in our home when I was growing up were “shut the door.” It was easy to run inside for something and leave the door standing wide open while the insects followed. When we finally got a window air conditioner, those words shut the door were heard constantly. It didn’t matter the season, as in summer we would be letting the cool air out, and in winter, we would be letting the cool air in!!

During these past few years, it has occurred to me that forgiveness is much like shutting the door. The Bible tells us that the greater the offense, the greater the need to forgive the offender in order to go on with our life. Forgiveness shuts the door on the past offenses, hurts, and bitterness.

There are many things that can be said about forgiveness, but I tend to like the old saying that says, “The stupid neither forgive nor forget; the naive forgive and forget; the wise forgive but never forget!” Dr. Martin Luther KIng reminds us that “Forgiveness is not an occasional act; it is a permanent attitude.” He also added, “If you can’t forgive and forget, pick one.” In Hebrews 8:12, God says to us, “I will be merciful toward their inquities, and I will remember their sins no more.”

In order to help me shut the door on some of the things that cause me problems, I decided to explore what shutting the door is not! First, shutting the door does not mean that we have to pretend that the injustice, offense, hurt never happened. Lewis Smedes says there are three levels of forgiving and shutting the door. First, we have to remember that those that caused the offense are human just like us. Next, we surrender our right to get even (this is the hardest part). Finally, we have to revise our feelings toward the other party involved.

Next, shutting the door does not mean forgetting that a wrong was done. For instance, let’s say a college coach was caught engaging in activites that embarrssed the respective university. When the activity is exposed, the coach can confess what they’ve done and ask for forgiveness. Forgiveness may be granted, but they will still lose their job. Shutting the door does not cancel all the negative consequences of our actions, and it certainly doesn’t mean people will forget.

Finally, shutting the door does not mean that there must be a total reconciliation as if nothing ever happened. C. S Lewis said, “Everyone thinks forgiveness is a lovely idea until they have something to forgive. Then, it becomes difficult.” Peter asked Jesus how many times he had to forgive and Jesus said, “Seventy times seven.” That’s 490 times! That’s a lot of sin and a lot of forgiveness.

Shutting the door is not optional for the Christian, but rather it is a necessary part of our faith. Forgivness is a miracle which, when we receive it, it is imperative that we pass it on to others. The best incentive to shutting the door is to remember how many times Jesus has forgiven us, the sins he has covered for us, and the punishment we might have deserved but because of God’s grace, we were spared.

Mark Twain once said, “Forgivness is the fragrance the violet gives to the heel that crushed it.” We are never more like Jesus than when we forgive and shut that door!

Love is patient, love is kind. It keeps no record of wrongs. 1 Corinthians 13:9

Last week as I was hurriedly driving up Johnson Ferry Road toward Shallowford, both lanes of traffic on my side of the road stopped. I could see no visible accident, road work, or other hazzards, so I began to blame incompetent drivers. Slowly, one lane at a time began to move while cars were weaving slowly back and forth. As I got closer to the reason for the delay, I could see a turtle slowly and nonchalantly making its way across the lanes of traffic. At that moment, my annoyance subsided, I pondered ways to rescue it, and I thought about my Mama.

Our Mama loved turtles, and she collected all sorts of pictures, figurines, and even artwork. If I could explain why she loved them so much, I guess I wouldn’t have a definitive answer. I do know that from her condo in Panama City she had a vantage point to watch the preparations each year for the Mother Turtles to come ashore to lay her eggs. Mama was concerned about the eggs that were laid there because she knew that after the Mother lays the eggs, she leaves them there to fend for themselves! I think the Mother instinct kicked in, and she began to study the creature’s story and habits.

Turtles are in fact, very interesting. For example, the Mother Turtle can lay over one thousand eggs on shore, but when they hatch the odds are that only one will make it back to the water. The turtle’s shell is made of bones, so their bones are on the outside of their body. Their young years are called “the lost years” because its incredibly hard to track them once they hatch. It is estimated that they spend 20 years or so at sea. The Mother turtles always return home to the same beach on which they hatched to lay their own eggs! They grow to be gynormous and can live to be over 100 years old.

In the eight years since Mama left us, I think I have begun to better understand how she used turtles to learn her skills as a Mother, and to teach all of us how to be better Moms. So, I picked a few of the better lessons for us Moms of today.

First, I think she used the words from Louis V. Gertsner, “Watch the turtle. He only moves forward by sticking his neck out.” There are many occasions in the life of a Mom where she must stick her neck out to encourage, protect, and guide her children. Kids go through many trials and tribulations during their growing up years, and it’s important for them to know, no matter their age, that they are accepted and they have a purpose in this life.

Next, just like the turtles, sometimes life is the “survival of the fittest.” Moms must help their kids learn about their faith, purpose, and God given strengths. Sometimes we all feel alone, even in a crowd, just like a turtle must feel in the middle of the sea, but we can thrive with friends, family, and faith.

Finally, the turtle teaches us that “life is not a track meet, it’s a marathon.” The Aesop fable, The Tortoise and the Hare inspires Moms to teach their children that one can be more successful by doing things slowly and steadily rather than quickly and carelessly. We need to take time to enjoy family, friends, sunsets, sunrises, and the wonders of this life. As Moms we need to take the time to show them the love.

I’m blessed that our Mother was not at all like the turtle Mom that leaves her eggs to fend for themselves. She was more like the Mom that Erma Bombeck liked to describe in her writings. The following is the story of her Favorite Child, and the unequaled love of a Mother.

Every Mother has a favorite child. She can’t help it. She is only human. My favorite chld is the one who was too sick to eat ice cream at his birthday party, the one who had measles at Christmas, the one who wore leg braces in bed because he toed in, the one who had a fever in the middle of the night, the one with the asthma attack, the one in my arms in the emergency room. My favorite chld is the one who messed up the piano recital, misspelled committee in a spelling bee, ran the wrong way with the football. My favorite child was selfish, immature, bad tempered, self centered, vulnerable, lonely, unsure, and quite wonderful. Every mother has a favorite child, and it‘s always the same one: the one who needs you at the moment. The one who needs you for whatever reason – to cling to, to shout at, to hurt, to hug, to flatter, to reverse telephone charges, to unload on – but mostly just to be there.

Luckily, the turtle in my story made it across the road safely thanks to two teenage girls who herded it across. They will make great Moms!

Happy Mother’s Day to all the special Moms in my life!