Memorial Day 2024

The rainy start to this day adds an element of solemnness as we consider the price of freedom.  Free men and women are not issued that consideration as right or privilege. We live in a world that would that bombards us from both liberal and conservative viewpoints, telling us to they are the sole standard bearers of truth. As each of diligently pursue the admirable concepts of truth, justice and peace, may we also consider the lives lost over the years that allows us as Americans to freely follow these cornerstones of democracy. I offer today a couple of speeches that clearly define who we are as Americans. Are we perfect in our pursuit of the aforementioned concepts? Our history shows our failures as well as our success. Freedom shines a light of transparency, though sometimes it may take years for the light to root out discrimination and oppression even in our system of governing. Nevertheless, freedom must be accompanied by accountability. The graves of those that gave their all demand nothing less. 

We Are Americans

Oliver North, US Troops Veterans Day

Trace Adkins - Arlington

Remembering Those Patriots

 As a means of remembering those dear patriots that never returned from harm's way, I will be posting be posting essays and videos I shared with our Senior Center patrons on Memorial Days while I served as our County Service Officer. Please reflect on the importance of this day. Please excuse the all caps text. It helped me see what I was reading.  

MEMORIAL DAY 2014

THE MEMORIAL DAY CELEBRATION HAS ITS ROOTS IN THE CIVIL WAR AND IN WHAT MANY FOLKS USED TO CALL DECORATION DAY. THE FIRST OFFICIAL PROCLAIMATION WAS MADE BY GENERAL JOHN LOGAN, COMMANDER OF THE GRAND ARMY OF THE REPUBLIC, ON MAY 30, 1868. ON THAT DAY, THE GRAVES OF BOTH THE UNION AND CONFEDERATE DEAD BURIED IN ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETARY WERE DECORATED. THE HONORING OF THE DEAD THAT PASSED IN SERVICE TO COUNTRY IS AT THE CORE OF OUR REMEMBERANCE TODAY.

THE HISTORY OF SACRFICE OF OUR SOLDIERS, SAILORS AND AIRMEN STRETCHES BACK TO THE DAYS OF LEXINGTON, CONCORD, VALLEY FORGE, YORKTOWN AND THE OTHER PLACES OF BATTLE THAT BOUGHT AMERICA’S FREEDOM FROM BRITISH RULE AND TYRANNY. EVER SINCE, YOUNG MEN AND WOMEN HAVE ANSWERED AMERICA’S CALL TO SERVICE AND SOME HAVE GIVEN WILLING YET UNFORTUNATELY, AS LINCOLN FIRST SAID, “THEIR LAST FULL MEASURE OF DEVOTION” IN SERVICE TO THIS COUNTRY. IT IS THEIR SACRIFICE THAT WE HONOR TODAY AND RECOGNIZE THAT THE COST OF FREEDOM IS DEAR.  NOT ONLY TO THE DEPARTED, BUT ALSO TO THE FAMILIES AND FRIENDS LEFT BEHIND TO CHERISH AND RECALL THEIR LOVED ONE’S MEMORY.

THE HIGH PRICE OF FREEDOM DEMANDS THE RESPECT OF ALL THAT LIVE IN ITS UNIQUE AND UNFETTERED LIFESTYLE. TOO OFTEN OUR COUNTRY’S CITIZENS FORGET OR WORSE YET ARE APATHETIC TOWARDS THOSE INDIVIDUALS THAT LIE SILENT IN GRAVES ALL OVER THIS COUNTRY AND THE WORLD. THESE QUIETED VETERANS HAVE FORFEITED A COMPLETE LIFE THAT THEIR FELLOW CITIZENS MIGHT LIVE COMPLETELY. THE MARTYED DEAD WOULD NOT HAVE US DWELL ON THEIR DEATHS BUT RESPECTFULLY REFLECT ON THEIR BRIEF LIVES AND THE JOYFUL MEMORIES WE HAVE SHARED WITH THEM.

SO MEMORIAL DAY IS NOT JUST A DAY THAT SIGNALS THE BEGINNING OF SUMMER, OR DAY OFF FROM WORK OR AN OPPORTUNITY TO PICNIC AND GRILL OUT. HOWEVER, IT IS NOT JUST A DAY TO DWELL ON THE SACRIFICES OF PAST DEAD VETERANS AND THE UNFULFILLED LIVES THAT THEY MIGHT HAVE LIVED. IT IS ALL THESE THINGS; RESPECTFUL REMEMBERANCE AND JOYFUL CELEBRATION, QUIET CONSIDERATION AND PURE UNADULTRARED FUN. MEMORIAL DAY IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THE LIVING “TO DECORATE” THE SACRIFICED LIVES OF CITIZEN SOLDIERS WITH BOTH LIFE AND REFLECTION. MEMORIAL DAY IS IN FACT AMERICA’S MOST COSTLY DAY OF CELEBRATION.

National Anthem (Gaither Vocal Band)

Psalm 16

Today's post is an examination of Psalm 16, written by David. The Psalm points us toward the Messiah and His gracious life and sacrifice. 

                                                                

                                                            Psalm 16

What is a Miktam? Henry says that this Psalm is golden, more treasured than other Psalms because the Psalm points directly toward the Messiah. He, Christ, is the true treasure to be found in the Old Testament field.

Verses 1-7 David appeals to God directly to keep him safe. Why does he feel the need to seek God’s protection? How does this request of God mirror Christ’s request at Gethsemane? David is continually re-committing himself to His God. Henry says everything within us should be committed to seeking God and His way for our lives. It is so easy to go ahead and do, then ask for God’s blessing and guidance on our efforts. Truly trusting God means trusting through everything, the beginning, middle and end of work and trials.

If we are to take on the Lord’s countenance, we must do good and be good. Without the goodness of God in our lives, we can never be truly happy. We will run down every rabbit hole of trying to be like Christ when He asks us to trust Him with our lives. The solid underpinning of faith that says He is in control and knows best, prepares us for all the coming storms of life.

Since our goodness comes from God, we are to share that goodness with “the saints”. Who are the saints? Why do we share the gift of goodness with others? Because when Christ died and resurrected, it was not a benefit to God, rather it was a means for sinners to stand before a Holy and Righteous God. We must remember that nothing we do can be seen as a “favor” for Him.

Verse 4- Who is David referring to? It is easy to chase after other gods (little g) than to keep ourselves focused on the one true God. A real problem of worshiping other gods is that we intuitively know they aren’t enough so we seek other gods to fill in what is missing. This traps us into chasing more and more things that won’t satisfy. Notice that David points out that others will drink the “blood” of whatever god they are chasing. We know our perfect sacrifice drank the cup we should have drunk. His blood covered our sin and is sufficient for all our needs. We are secure that Christ is enough.

Verse 6- David is pointing to a time when we will stand before a righteous God without any hope other than the perfecting work of Jesus. The boundary line are fixed and consequently we can return to that pleasant place, where Paul says we return to our first love. Why do we struggle returning back to that place where we completely surrendered all like the old hymn says? What is our delightful inheritance? What can we desire, or treasure better than God? David had the distractions of family, a kingdom, and armies to lead but the Psalms are full of examples of where he retreats to whenever the pressures of the world were too much.

What are we to make of the idea that God counsels David in verse 7? What does it mean to have God as our portion? Henry talks about the idea that if we were left to our own means we would follow our eyes into trouble and evil that abound around us. The fact God enlightened us with his Holy Spirit is a blessing we many times forget. If we truly choose God as our portion, then He is all we need. This is so counter to the world than demands more and more. Christ demonstrated this complete resting in God’s sufficiency by following His Father’s exacting demands to defeat death and sin by dying on a cross.

 

Verses 8-11

These verses were quoted by Peter during his Penacostal sermon that led 3000 to the new church. David is not only appealing to God for mercy from this world but also, he shows faith that God will bring him to life in eternity. What has shaken your world lately? Did it block your view of God who is close at hand?

Verses 9-10 David refers to body being glad, rejoicing and resting. Why did he associated these different parts with these active states of being? Heart=glad, rejoice=tongue and body=rest. Henry says these verses point to the resurrection of the coming Christ and his transformation from death to life without any corruption. Like every other aspect of Christ’s life his death and resurrection went according to His Father’s plan.

Verse 11 David acknowledges God’s leading by showing him the path of life He has for him. Though joy and fulfillment are parceled out incompletely in this life we have an assurance that “eternal pleasures” are waiting in Eternity. We will have to give up this earthly body in order to claim our eternal reward. We must wrap our minds around the idea that Christ fulfillment was not complete until he died on the cross and rose from the grave. He didn’t bypass the difficult task before him. His glory and fulfillment came because he perfectly satisfied a just and Holy God. If he didn’t shrink from the assignment given to him, we too must search for God’s will, discover what He would have us do and continually remind ourselves that we can walk closely with God, in this world and the next.

Spilled Milk

My shaky, nervy hands betrayed me this morning. They lost their grip on a bowl I was carrying to the couch. It was filled with a Keto cereal and ultra processed milk, both a concession to my age and my pursuit of a healthier lifestyle. The release of the bowl was inevitable since in past two weeks my hands have become twitchy, strong and solid at times but also filled with an unseen alternating current of electricity that I cannot control. I am once again struggling with lower back issues which are impacting my right leg and hip. I am not sure if the onset of my hand shaking is tied to this new round of back problems but somehow, they have their genesis at the same time. 

I look at my hands freckled with brown liver spots and wrinkled contours, and wonder if the slippage this morning is foreshadowing of things to come or if it is a one off, a reminder that mortality means a slow degradation of one’s self. I can truly sense my mental deterioration: leaving my cell phone in the golf cart, forgetting name, dates, places, what I went into the room for, my mind distracted by an object that conjures up an additional undone task. My body is yielding to time but my hands had remained secure until recent days. I can see them visibly waver, dancing to an unheard tune, moving without guidance from my brain. 

As I swept up the remnants of the cracked bowl, cereal and milk, I wondered how many more times will I have to clean up a mess I have made due to an unreliable grip. A simple motor skill is becoming a task that requires my full attention. As I draw closer to Life’s finish line, I will no longer take for granted simple daily mundane tasks. As I regress, I become more infantile, while life ushers me backwards to what I once was, however robbed of the innocence that marked me as a child. Throughout this process of living, I remain tethered to the Truth and Hope of salvation by way of faith in Christ Jesus. As my body fails, my faith in Jesus increases since my own ability is diminished. I reside in skin, that is easily bruised and torn, which houses my eternal spirit. Linked to Christ by faith, my spirit longs for heaven and the unending joy and worship I will be able to participate in my new, whole body, made in the likeness of Christ.

     

Devotion for Psalm 46

This Psalm encourages us to trust in God no matter our circumstances and give Him glory for both what He has done and what He will do. It was said that when Martin Luther heard any discouraging news, he would say, ‘Come let us sing the forty-sixth psalm. What is the song you lift up to the Lord when you get bad news? (Love Lifted Me was playing in the background even while I was typing out this lesson, my favorite up lifting song. It is my testimony, only God’s love could lift me out of my sin and selfishness both in the past and as I live now.) We all need a go to song to remind us of the power of our great God!

Background: This was written by the Sons of Korah. Does anyone know who these three guys are? (Exodus 6:24 tells us the names of Korah’s sons were Assir, Elkanah, and Abiasaph.) They were the three children that listened to Moses and stepped away from their father’s tent, Korah, and were not swallowed up when the earth opened up to quell the revolt against Moses. They went on to write many of the Psalm because of God’s provision and their willingness to follow Moses and God’s leading. The prophet Samuel comes from this lineage.

The song also notes that it is an Alamoth. What do you think might mean? Scholars seem to think that this is a song to be sung by soprano voices. Songs were typically led by men, a small choir, made up of trained voices ages 30-50. However, many times the Psalm encouraged the congregation to participate along with the choir leadership.  The fact that the song is an Alamoth, a soprano led song, is unusual. Why do you think it was written for women? As we read and study this scripture, I imagine somewhere around His throne there is a group of Old Testament women believers singing this song even as we all wait for the trump to usher Christ back to earth to call his family home.

Read v1-3

Verse 1 is a very familiar verse and yet it contains a great deal of good news. The fact that we can claim God as our own and he sees us as such because of Christ is remarkable. A Holy God is a shelter and refuge for unholy people because of Christ’s sacrifice. A now and forever near-by present help. How do we forget to call on our burden bearing God?

Verses 2-3 What can we count on because of the writer’s statement in verse 1?  NO FEAR! The writers go to extremes to make a point: It is our duty and privilege to be fearless. What does it mean to be fearless for God look like? Can you really deal with the Earth melting and all of this reality coming to an end? Though the earth shakes and all appears to be crumbling God remains on His throne, constant, unshakable, and in control.

Read v4-6

These verses contrast with the shaking earth and foaming waters. What does God’s dwelling place look like? He leads me by the still waters. Why do we need to refresh ourselves by God’s waters? We like the woman at the well are thirsty for His soul satisfying waters. We can return and refresh again and again without running out of water. We tend to drown ourselves in the uproar of politics, news and gossip, full of dirt and grit, which will never fill us.

Read v 7

A declarative statement that is still just as true as it was then. The Lord God Jehovah was, is and will always be our fortress. Why did the writer choose fortress as an image for our faith?

Read v 8-10

The writer has us recall God’s sovereignty and power over all things. Why do people feel that the world is beyond God’s control? What bows and shields does God need to shatter in your own life? Our dependency on God is solely based on the absolute truth that nothing in our lives is beyond His redemptive help and control. Sure, we can willing oppose His will but He can even take those actions, and turn them into good things for us and for His glory. His ability to make all things new is matchless. Verse 10 is one of my favorites “Be still and know that I am God”. When was the last time you were really still before Him? God’s personal mission statement follows “I will be exalted”. We many times think it is about us, salvation, grace and love. But I really believe it is and forever will be about Him, His Son and the Holy Spirit. If you don’t think that, Heaven might not be a uncomfortable place to spend eternity.

Read v 11

The writers repeat v7. Why?

 Play Crabb Family “Through the Fire Again”.

Thoughts on Psalm 32

Tonight our Life Group will look at Psalm 32 and how we can apply it to our lives. It is a Psalm written by David. Many scholars think that it was written to be used in worship for the Day of Atonement, the current day Yom Kippur in the Jewish calendar. This was consider one of the highest days in the Jewish year since the high priest enter the Holy of Holies to make an atoning sacrifice for all the people. The main points made by the Psalm are confession, repentance, and forgiveness. The first two require us to willingly humble ourselves. This is difficult since pride, the cornerstone of all sin, is deeply imbedded in our DNA. The last key concept, forgiveness, is one of the many ways God manifests His love and mercy. As much as we drag our feet to confess and repent, he, like the father of the prodigal son, runs to us when we face our sin and turn from it. How appropriate that this Psalm is associated with the Day of Atonement. It also points us toward Christ, the Holy One whose death tore the inner curtain of the Holy of Holies signifying the birth of a new covenant through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. He willingly took on our sin and its consequence, death, on a criminal's cross meant for you and I. He accomplished what we couldn't: victory over both of man's perpetual problems. Slain for the beginning, Christ's sacrifice and the resulting forgiveness, will last forever!

Day 3: Reflections at Kure Beach

 Day 3 Reflections at Kure Beach

Rain. I knew that it would eventually would come. I can't remember any week long beach without at least one day of rain. I don't mind the rain since it forces me inward, pausing my pursuits of outdoor hedonistic activities. The splash and drip on the deck beckons me to stretch out and snooze. I may yield to that primal call but it is still early in the day and I will try to fend off slumber until after lunch. A nap too early could thwart a really worthwhile one in the afternoon. Tomorrow means hitting the road and a return to normalcy, whatever that means in this season of retirement. All of us huddled in the house are content to slug around, intent on low stress actions,  Our minds are want to linger here in the drizzle and the pooling puddles of rainwater. However, hours away the burdens of home wait lurking in the shadow of the future.