Thank You For Serving Our Country!

From the Greatest Generation to the Latest Generation, how does one adequately thank all of the men and women who have set aside their lives for whatever period of time to insure our continued freedom? Whether they served willingly or grudgingly, they all deserve our sincere thanks and respect. I want to take a moment to personally thank all of my fellow veterans for their service to our country!

Quite often a lot of attention is paid to those who have given their lives in the defense of our country, and rightly so, however, I want to point out that while some died in defense of our country, all of America's Veterans sacrificed some part of their lives in the defense of our country. It should never be forgotten that just because a soldier, sailor, airman, or Marine did not actually enter into combat during their tour of duty, they all lived with that potential! Furthermore, while we are honoring our veterans today let us not forget that the families of our veterans are also worthy of our honor as they too made sacrifices for the defense of our country.

So, whether you are a member of the Greatest Generation that served during World War II or a member of the Latest Generation, serving today in Iraq and Afghanistan, or of the Generations in between, I want to personally say "Thank you so very much and may God greatly bless you and your family for your service to your country!".

But then, what do I know? Until next time "Ich bin ein rodeo clown!".

So, When Are You Going To Get That Donkey?

As I was doing my devotional reading this morning I ran across the passage in Mark 11:1-7 where Jesus instructs two of His disciples to go the village and obtain the donkey that He will rine into Jerusalem during His triumphant entry. This seems like a pretty simple story on the face of it. Jesus dispatches two disciples to get a donkey, the two disciples get the donkey, Jesus rides the donkey into Jerusalem. End of episode. There's just one thing that sort of makes this into an event that is important to us as modern day disciples of Jesus Christ. The disciples were given no money to buy the donkey, they were simply given authority to obtain the donkey by their master. When they found the donkey and proceeded to untie the animal and lead it away, some of the crowd challenged their right to the donkey! Their reply was that "The Lord has need of him", and with that, they were allowed to proceed.

I have read this story many times before, but have never quite processed it the way I did this morning. I have been listening to a series of messages by Mark Batterson from the National Community Church in Washington, D.C. entitled "Chasing the Wild Goose". In this series Mark talks about some of the things that stop us from reaching our full potential in our service to God as we chase the Holy Spirit or The Wild Goose. He likens the things that hinder us to "cages". I have become more aware of the various "cages" in my own life. One of the strongest cages for me is the cage of unbelief or perhaps more accurately, under-belief! When God calls us and sends us on a mission, such as fetching the donkey, He gives us the authority and the resources necessary to succeed in the mission. the two disciples didn't have to worry about how to come up with the cash to purchase the donkey, they didn't have to even argue with the folks who challenged them, they simply accepted that Jesus had given them the authority to take the donkey and they stated as much, the left with the donkey! God does the same thing for us as modern day disciples! He gives us a mission then gives us the authority, in His Name, and the resources to complete the mission. Why can't we just accept that and ten move out and accomplish the mission?

Sometimes I look back at all the times that Jesus has given me a mission and I failed to accomplish that mission because I didn't trust Him to give me the authority and resources to do what He has called me to do. I tend to become discouraged when I think back on those times and feel like He will not be inclined to give me any more missions because I have failed too many times. It is about that time that Jesus gives me yet another chance to get it right! Praise be to God that He is the God of second, third, fourth, ... chances! It is my simple prayer that the next time that Jesus sends me out to fetch the donkey that I will accept the fact that He has given me the authority and resources I need to return with that donkey!

Well, I guess that is enough for now, but then what do I know? Until next time, "Ich bin ein rodeo clown!".

The Sky Is Falling - Now What?

I turned on the TV this morning to one of the morning shows so I could get my day started right, you know, you can't start your day without partaking of the mindless dribble offered up by the morning shows! Of course, the main topic of discussion was the failure of the US House of Representatives to pass the "Greedy Corporate CEO Bailout Bill". Imagine that, our House of Representatives could not get a bill passed, what a suprise! Now, I understand that we are in a financial crisis, I am not trying to minimize that, however, I do need to ask the question, "If you are a Christian, who would you rather depend on to bail you out of a financial crisis, the US Government or God?" Who do you imagine has more resources and a better track record? Hopefully, this "crisis" will serve as a wake-up call for all of us to not get into debt in the first place and not to depend on the banks and government to take care of our needs but, instead to begin to honor God with our Tithes and offerings and then take Him at His word when He says:

"Bring your full tithe to the Temple treasury so there will be ample provisions in my Temple. Test me in this and see if I don't open up heaven itself to you and pour out blessings beyond your wildest dreams. For my part, I will defend you against marauders, protect your wheat fields and vegetable gardens against plunderers." The Message of GOD-of-the-Angel-Armies. "You'll be voted 'Happiest Nation.' You'll experience what it's like to be a country of grace." GOD-of-the-Angel-Armies says so." (Mal 3:10-12 MSG)

Well, I guess that is enough for the first dose, but then what do I know? Until next time, "Ich bin ein rodeo clown!".