Giving Thanks

In homes across America, friends and family will gather around beautifully decorated tables filled with warm, scrumptious food to give thanks. It's Thanksgiving Day. However, this day will be nothing like holidays of the past for many people.
Lonely but committed soldiers covered in the dust of battle will patrol foreign borders, fighting for our freedom while their families back home long for word of their safety. The homeless will make their way to the nearest soup kitchen, hoping for a warm meal and a smiling face as so many celebrate this day of abundance. An empty place at the table will be a painful reminder of the loved one lost not long ago. A worried husband and dad will sit at the head of the table, wondering how he is going to tell his family that he just lost his job. The list of wounded hearts and unmet needs is endless.
We convince ourselves that life will be better when we have more money, when we find the right mate, when we get the kids raised or build the right house. We tell ourselves that our life will be complete when our spouse gets his or her act together, when we get a nicer car, when we get that promotion, when we are able to go on our dream vacation or when we retire. We keep trying to find joy, contentment and peace in lifeless places and things. Jesus Christ is life. He is Joy and Love and He took our place on the cross. That's why we can give thanks when it seems as if there is nothing for which to be thankful.
Yes, we live in a broken world and life is filled with pain, challenges, dark times and trials, but today can still be a day of thanksgiving and praise because praise and thanksgiving have little to do with the Thanksgiving holiday and everything to do with our inner attitude toward God. It really doesn't matter how much we lose here, my friend. I have read the Book and we win ... for all of eternity! We just need to take the time to remember ... and give thanks.

Father, we come to You today, praising You for meeting our needs this year in ways that we may or may not have understood at the time. Looking back, we see Your hand of mercy and love. We recognize Your presence and your power and we celebrate You ...we celebrate life.

With a greatful heart

Imagine that it is your birthday, and before you sits the most beautiful gift you have ever seen. You can hardly wait to find out what is inside such an amazing gift box, wrapped in gold and glitter. Everyone gathers to celebrate as you delicately undue the paper from the box. You lift the lid to find a note that reads:

Dear (your name here):
Happy Birthday! This year, you will receive tests and trials that will challenge you to your core and require incredible perseverance and resilience on your part.
The good news is that if you persevere, your faith and your character will be built up.
Love, James

Would you rejoice in such a gift, or would you throw the box at the gift-giver?

I recently read an article about Lolo Jones, an Olympic Gold Medal hopeful. Lolo grew up in a family that was homeless for many years. Lolo's father was in and out of jail and not in the picture most of the time, leaving Lolo's mother to raise her and her four siblings alone.
Lolo's story continued as the world watched her overcome her tough childhood through her love for running and hurdles. Due to her come-back attitude, Lolo was touted to be the girl who would live out the American Dream story, from rags to riches, from defeat to glory! Lolo persevered regardless of the odds against her!
However, in one moment, her dreams were crushed when she clipped a hurdle during the Olympic trials and went from 1st place to 7th place.
In less than a second, all that she had worked for, all that she had hoped for in her life was gone. In an interview shortly after her fall, Lolo made this statement:
"As I crossed the line it was very hard to pick myself back up," Jones said through tears. "It took about 30 seconds, but you know what? Today's hard and tomorrow's going to be harder. What can you do but try again?"

How many of us have felt like we couldn't pick ourselves up, that today was hard, but tomorrow didn't look much better?
The good new is that you and I know a God (or we are getting to know a God) that wants us to overcome every hurdle. He wants to heal every wound and help us walk triumphantly into our future!

So "what can you do but try again?"
Don't let go of your dreams, God hasn't!

Dear Heavenly Father, teach me how to rejoice when I face trials and challenges in my life. Please help me to see the gain and not the loss of these events. I believe that Your plan for my life is the best one possible and I thank You for giving me a resilient and thankful attitude regardless of life's trials.
James 1:2

Needy Nation…

“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land”. 2 Chronicles 7:14

Regardless of who rules a country God’s people are still to be one nation under God. In fact the early church flourished under unsympathetic authorities that were antagonistic toward Christianity. Government is not the guarantor of the influential church that infiltrates the culture with the love of Christ. We are followers of Jesus as ‘salt and light’, who are the most appetizing and shine the brightest, during the leanest of times and the darkest of days. We are a country who is in the process of reaping a whirlwind of confusion from our wicked ways, but this is job security for servants of Jesus. Your Savior gives you stability in the storm, so you are stability for the unsure and distraught. You are an agent of God’s grace for those who are floundering in faithless living, needy.

Our country needs Jesus, and ‘one nation’ under God will become a reality as Christians rally around prayer and authentic Christ like living. You know better, because you know your best friend Jesus. There is a higher standard of accountability that accompanies Christians. Therefore, in humility and brokenness lead your family to bow on their knees, repent of their sin and intercede on behalf of our needy nation. I have to ask Almighty God to cleanse my heart, before I can ask Him to cleanse my country. Healing takes place when forgiveness forges families, prayer permeates the church, and repentance leads our nation into fearing God. There is still time to turn to Christ, and you are to model the way, so be the first in line to love the Lord, pray for people, and serve sinners. God has awakened our nation out of its sinful slumber, so you can be an instrument of grace for those who are hurting and need hope. The Bible says, “I am grieved that I have made Saul king, because he has turned away from me and has not carried out my instructions." Samuel was troubled, and he cried out to the LORD all that night” (I Samuel 15:11).

The Value of Service

With all the negativity in this election and the bashing that our Commander-in-Chief has received I thought this story was a heartwarming and overdue honor to him. It's a little lengthy, but well worth the read. Thank you Betty Henry for sending it to me.
Remember to vote today and to prayerfully consider who really has the best interest of SERVING our country in mind.
God Bless the USA!

Commentary by Lt. Col. Mark Murphy
354th Maintenance Group deputy commander
8/15/2008 - EIELSON AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska --

I learned a big lesson on service Aug. 4, 2008, when Eielson had the rare honor of hosting President Bush on a refueling stop as he traveled to Asia.

It was an event Eielson will never forget -- a hangar full of Airmen and Soldiers getting to see the Commander in Chief up close, and perhaps even shaking his hand. An incredible amount of effort goes into presidential travel because of all of the logistics, security, protocol, etc ... so it was remarkable to see Air Force One land at Eielson on time at precisely 4:30 p.m.--however, when he left less than two hours later, the President was 15 minutes behind schedule.

That's a big slip for something so tightly choreographed, but very few people know why it happened. Here's why.

On Dec. 10, 2006, our son, Shawn, was a paratrooper deployed on the outskirts of Baghdad. He was supposed to spend the night in camp, but when a fellow soldier became ill Shawn volunteered to take his place on a nighttime patrol--in the convoy's most exposed position as turret gunner in the lead Humvee. He was killed instantly with two other soldiers when an IED ripped through their vehicle.

I was thinking about that as my family and I sat in the audience listening to the President's speech, looking at the turret on the up-armored Humvee the explosive ordnance disposal flight had put at the edge of the stage as a static display.

When the speech was over and the President was working the crowd line, I felt a tap on my shoulder and turned to see a White House staff member. She asked me and my wife to come with her, because the President wanted to meet us. Stunned, we grabbed our two sons that were with us and followed her back into a conference room. It was a shock to go from a crowded, noisy hangar, past all of those security people, to find ourselves suddenly alone in a quiet room. The only thing we could hear was a cell phone vibrating, and noticed that it was coming from the jacket Senator Stevens left on a chair. We didn't answer.

A short time later, the Secret Service opened the door and President Bush walked in. I thought we might get to shake his hand as he went through. But instead, he walked up to my wife with his arms wide, pulled her in for a hug and a kiss, and said, "I wish I could heal the hole in your heart." He then grabbed me for a hug, as well as each of our sons. Then he turned and said, "Everybody out." A few seconds later, the four of us were completely alone behind closed doors with the President of the United States and not a Secret Service agent in sight.

He said, "Come on, let's sit down and talk." He pulled up a chair at the side of the room, and we sat down next to him. He looked a little tired from his trip, and he noticed that his shoes were scuffed up from leaning over concrete barriers to shake hands and pose for photos. He slumped down the chair, completely relaxed, smiled, and suddenly was no longer the President - he was just a guy with a job, sitting around talking with us like a family member at a barbeque.

For the next 15 or 20 minutes, he talked with us about our son, Iraq, his family, faith, convictions, and shared his feelings about nearing the end of his presidency. He asked each of our teenaged sons what they wanted to do in life and counseled them to set goals, stick to their convictions, and not worry about being the "cool" guy. He said that he'd taken a lot of heat during his tenure and was under a lot of pressure to do what's politically expedient, but was proud to say that he never sold his soul. Sometimes he laughed, and at others he teared up. He said that what he'll miss most after leaving office will be his role as Commander in Chief.

One of the somber moments was when he thanked us for the opportunity to meet, because he feels a heavy responsibility knowing that our son died because of a decision he made. He was incredibly humble, full of warmth, and completely without pretense. We were seeing the man his family sees. We couldn't believe how long he was talking to us, but he seemed to be in no hurry whatsoever. In the end, he thanked us again for the visit and for the opportunity to get off his feet for a few minutes.

He then said, "Let's get some pictures." The doors flew open, Secret Service and the White House photographer came in, and suddenly he was the President again. We posed for individual pictures as he gave each of us one of his coins, and then he posed for family pictures. A few more thank yous, a few more hugs, and he was gone.

The remarkable thing about the whole event was that he didn't have to see us at all. If he wanted to do more, he could've just given a quick handshake and said, "Thanks for your sacrifice." But he didn't - he put everything and everyone in his life on hold to meet privately with the family of a Private First Class who gave his life in the service of his country. What an incredible lesson on service. I

f the President of the United States is willing to drop everything on his plate to visit with a family, surely the rest of us can do it. No one is above serving another person, and no one is so lofty that he or she can't treat others with dignity and respect. We often think of service in terms of sacrificing ourselves for someone in a position above us, but how often do we remember that serving someone below us can be much more important? If you're in a leadership capacity, take a good look at how you're treating your people, and remember that your role involves serving the people you rely on every day.