Thank you all that gave for our freedom.

John 15:13 (ESV)

Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.

Imagine taking a walk from New York City to Chicago. That’s about an 800-mile trek, and it would take about two weeks of non-stop walking to complete it – a lot longer if you stopped to rest.

Now, imagine that all throughout your walk there were a continuous line of people standing shoulder to shoulder, one after another through the streets of New York City, into the back roads of New Jersey, over each rolling hill in Pennsylvania – people as far as the eye can see. It continues through Ohio and Indiana into Illinois. Finally, you arrive in Chicago after having walked past 1,321,612 people.

That’s a LOT of people. It also happens to be the same number of people who have died in combat while serving this country.

It’s sobering to think of all those faces. Each face has a story – a soldier whose life was cut down in its prime and likely left behind a spouse or a child or both. Most (625,000) died during the bloody, gruesome close quarter combat of the Civil War. Another 405,399 died in World War II, and 116,516 died in World War I. There have been many different wars, and they’ve stretched across many different eras, but one thing has remained constant: The amazing courage and willingness of the American soldier to lay down his or her own life for the cause of liberty.

It’s hard to put into words just how incredible a sacrifice that is. Jesus said there is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. Think about that for a second – no greater love. If you have lost a loved one in battle, you can rest a little easier knowing the life was not lost in vain. They may have left it all on the battle field, but these men and women have given the greatest gift a human can possibly give – their life – so we may live.

From the tattered, starving patriots who met their end battling the British during the American Revolution to the highly trained modern day soldiers who succumbed to barbaric terrorists in the Middle East, each and every fallen American soldier will forever share this incredible distinction and hold a special place of honor among all people who have benefited from their service.

Today ion this Memorial Day let’s honor the fallen with hearts of gratitude and a spirit of awe, for they gave us the gift to which there is none greater. There’s no possible way to repay them or their families – but each and every one of us can do the next best thing: Dedicate our lives, fortunes, and sacred honor to preserving the freedom so many died to keep alive.

Dear Lord, we thank You for the many that have given their all so that we may enjoy our freedoms. We pray for the families that have lost their loved ones. We pray for their comfort. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Mother’s Day 2018

Proverbs 31:28 (ESV)
Her children rise up and call her blessed;
    her husband also, and he praises her.

Mothers are a gift from God, and every last person has one. So Mother's Day is really a holiday for everyone, a day for thanking God for his goodness in giving us mothers, and an occasion for letting that gratitude play itself out in tangible expressions of special honor.

One of my earliest memories of my mom is her serving at our church teaching the 4 and 5 year olds. One of her teaching aids was Cubby the bear. If we visited with Cubby today he might explain Mother’s Day like this.

Hi! My name is Cubby Bear. I'm a little Koala Bear. Did you know that today is Mother's Day?

One lazy Friday afternoon, Cubby Bear, Huggy Lamb and Kippy Kangaroo were having lunch. Just as Cubby Bear took a bite into his peanut butter sandwich, he had a thought: "Hey, guys, what are you gonna do for Mother's Day? Are you going to buy your mom a card, or do something nice for her?"

Kippy Kangaroo piped right up, "My mom's the Best! I want to do something really special for her!"
"Why is she the best?, asked Huggy Lamb.


Kippy Kangaroo got very quiet. "Well"....he said, "Uh....well, I don't really have a mom. You see. I live in the children's home. Shelly is my mom there. She is the mom for all of us there. She is really special. She is so-o-o kind and generous. She plans all kinds of neat activities for us to do. And, she takes really good care of me too."

Cubby Bear asked Huggy Lamb, "What's your mom like, Huggy Lamb?"

Huggy Lamb brightened up with a big smile as answered, "She is a lot of fun to be with. She has lots of good ideas of fun things to do. She stays inside and plays with me on rainy days. She is very patient and is always there to help me when I have a problem. She teaches me all kinds of neat things at home school too!"

"Wow! It sounds like your mom is a great mom too!" said Cubby Bear.

"Yep, she is!" replied Huggy Lamb. "What's your mom like, Cubby Bear?"

"Let's see...said Cubby Bear. "Well, my mom is a really good nurse when I'm sick." He thought some more. "And she's a really good cook too...Besides that, she's really smart. She knows how to buy all this great stuff at the best prices. She's a good listener too. And she always answers the questions I have about the Bible, or about God."

"Wow! That's really nice of her to take the time to answer your questions. Yeah, mom's are pretty cool, alright, agreed Huggy Lamb. "Hey, since the Bible says to praise our moms and honor them, let's show them how they special are to us...especially today on Mother's Day. Let's show our moms how much we love them.

Dear Lord, thank You for our mothers. We pray that You would protect them today and everyday as they take care of us in the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Easter thoughts

John 11:25 (ESV)

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live.

1.  Easter is the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ in the Christian religion.

2.  Americans spend $1.9 billion on Easter candy. That’s the second biggest candy holiday after Halloween.

3.  70% of Easter candy purchased is chocolate.

4.  76% of Americans think the ears of a chocolate bunny should be the first to be eaten.

6.  Egg dyes were once made out of natural items such as onion peels, tree bark, flower petals, and juices.

7.  There’s much debate about the practice of dyeing chicks. Many hatcheries no longer participate, but others say that it isn’t dangerous to the chick’s health because the dye only lasts until the chicks shed their fluff and grow their feathers.

8.  The first story of a rabbit (later named the “Easter Bunny”) hiding eggs in a garden was published in 1680.

9.  Easter takes place on a Sunday, after the 40-day period called Lent. Lent is referred to as a time of fasting, but participants focus more on giving up one significant indulgence.

10.              Holy Week is the celebrated during the week leading up to Easter. It begins on Palm Sunday, continues on to Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and then finally, Easter Sunday.

11.              “The White House Easter Egg Roll” event has been celebrated by the President of the United States and their families since 1878.

With all the fun things of Easter we need to remember what Easter is really about. We celebrate Easter to remember the great sacrifice that Jesus made for us in order to save us from the sins we commit so we can go to heaven. More importantly Easter Sunday helps us to remember that Jesus came back from the dead. Although he is not physically among us, He is still present in our hearts.

As we get ready to celebrate Easter tomorrow take the time to be thankful for what our Lord did for us.

Dear Lord, we thank You for dying on the cross for our sins and then raising from the dead to conquer death so that we may live forever with You. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.