Remembering Memorial Day

Remembering Memorial Day

Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war

                               break out against me, even then will I be confident.  Ps. 27:3

            There have been wars since almost the beginning of time and shall be until the end (Dan. 9:26).  However, most of you have never experienced a World War.  Some fought bravely and many died in Korea, or in Vietnam, but as bad as it was, the whole world was not at war since World War II.  Many people today do not even know what Patriotism is.  They do not understand why eyes fill with tears when saluting the American flag, or why tears flow while listening to the song, “My Country ‘Tis of Thee, Sweet Land of Liberty.”

            The word, ‘Patriotism’, means “devotion to ones country”.  Yet, how little respect many Americans have for the United States and how little for the ‘red, white and blue’.  Those without respect for country and flag are trampling on the graves of the hundreds of thousands who fought and died for love of country.  If only we could see what America would have been like if it weren’t for those brave men.

            Let me tell you of one such man.  He was young – just turned eighteen when war with Japan broke loose.  He lied his age to get in the military and joined the army to see the world, but not in the way he experienced it.  After basic training, he was stationed at Hawaii, a paradise for a small town boy.  He left home with the fear of God in his heart, but the world quickly drew him into its snare.  He partied in paradise completely oblivious to the fact that paradise was about to be turned into Hell.  He had a 3-day pass and headed away from Scoffield Barracks early in the morning, on his motorcycle, along with some of his buddies.

            Suddenly the sky was filled with planes, bombs dropping everywhere and fighter planes riddling everything that moved with the staccato of thousands of rounds of ammunition.  The boys turned around their motorcycles and headed back to camp.  The young man grabbed an anti aircraft gun of a soldier who had fallen and he began shooting, not knowing or caring who the enemy was.

            That day, the news read like this:

“Early in the morning of December 7, 1941, Japanese submarines and carrier-based planes attacked the U.S. Pacific fleet at Pearl Harbor. Nearby military airfields were also attacked by the Japanese planes. Eight American battleships and 13 other naval vessels were sunk or badly damaged, almost 200 American aircraft were destroyed, and approximately 3000 naval and military personnel were killed or wounded. The attack marked the entrance of Japan into World War II on the side of Germany and Italy, and the entrance of the United States on the Allied side.”   On December 11, 1941, Germany also declared war on the United States.  The entire world was then at war.        

            When the young man went back to his barracks, it had almost been destroyed.  The water pipes were broken and many soldiers were killed as they slept in their bunks, which left the floor awash with bloody water.  His bunk, an upper one, was riddled with bullet holes, which went through killing the soldier beneath.  Truly, it was by the grace of God, he was spared.

From there he was shipped out to the island of New Guinea where he fought the Japanese for the next four years.  He was gone from his home five years to the day, when he returned. It wasn’t until he was in his sixties that the U.S. government honored him for his heroism at Pearl Harbor.  He received medals and a flag from the state capitol.  He was extremely proud of his service to his country.  He belonged to an elite group called, “Pearl Harbor Survivors”.

The horrors of the things he experienced were to remain with him the rest of his life. Over the years, he tried to drown the memories out with alcohol.  He spoke often of being a loner, who would take his camper out to isolated spots where he would just sit by a camp fire and think.  In his later years, he dried out and became a pleasanter person, but his life style of alcohol and cigarettes dissipated his body and at seventy-two, he passed from this world.  How do I know all this about the young man?  He was my brother.

War does horrible things to people.  Some are affected more than others, but no one is ever the same.  My brother was much older than I was, but as a child, I too was touched by the war.  I grieved for the brother that carried me on his shoulders, or played horsy so I could ride on his back.  I lost him when he left for the service and that loving, caring brother never returned.  He would forever be a stranger to me.

            As we remember the brave on Memorial Day, let us take a spiritual look at fighting in the service – the service of the King.

“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.  Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.”           Eph. 5:10-13

            The same spiritual enemy, who worked through the World Wars, is still warring against us.  He wants to defeat us and drive us into a hopeless lifestyle.  He won’t give up, but the good news is, God has provided for us, so we can stand against him.  We don’t have to turn to the things of the world.  We don’t have to be blind, wretched and naked.  Not when we can put on the whole armor of God.  Verse 18 says, “praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints…”

             Today let us remember those who gave their lives for our country. Also, there are multitudes of unsung Christian heroes and martyrs who have paved the way for us.  Let us hold their service dear to our hearts and be proud to be a part of the Kingdom of God, which is the true “Land of the Free, and the Home of the Brave”. 

 

 

 

THE KITCHEN TABLE

            I’m a week late on a Mother’s Day message, but I couldn’t miss the opportunity to share a little bit about my wonderful mother whom I dearly miss.  She is in my thoughts every day and there is joy in my heart for I will see her again.

The Kitchen Table

            For the life of me I don’t know why that little yellow kitchen drew me like a moth to a flame.  It wasn’t just the endless cups of tea or the large soft homemade sugar cookies; it was far more. The kitchen was tiny and compact.  It wasn’t at all convenient; the sink on one wall and the stove on another.  The refrigerator was in the attached ‘back room’.  A very small round table sat in front of the one window which was framed in yellow organdy.  If you were sitting at the table, the back of the chair would touch the sink on one side, while the other chair barely had room to pull it out from the table.

            Cozy was the word for this oasis in an otherwise darkened house.  Everything was yellow from the solid wood door that led to the Michigan cellar, to the yellow metal sink unit; even the electric range was harvest gold.  Day or night it seemed as though the sun was shining through the window and splashing the room in sunlight.  A little vase of flowers always adorned the plastic covered table.  If it was not filled with flowers of the season, then tiny red or pink plastic rose buds were used.  A fat green frog holding a lush African violet hung suspended from over the kitchen window.  It was amazing how year around the plant was covered with bright purple blooms; a reminder of the beauty of life.

            When people like me dropped in for a visit, no matter where the conversation began, it would always end up in the kitchen.  Around that little table some of the greatest problems in life were solved; world crisis, social ills, marriage problems, personal struggles, as well as deep spiritual truths brought to light.  Presidents were put in the oval office and some taken out.  The government could have improved if they would have listened in on some of the conversations.  Children were among the most important issues discussed; how they needed to be loved, disciplined, taught, and understood.  You could believe that it was possible for anyone to be able to succeed at anything, if they had a mind to do it.  It was here that a quick cure for depression was discovered; ‘just begin thinking about others and then do something for them.'  It worked every time.

            There were times when small things became important, such as discussing a new recipe, what herbal tea was the best for arthritis and for helping you sleep; what would get stains out; how to mend a rip in your favorite jacket; how to bake sugar cookies so they would stay soft, how to water your plants and which window was best for them.

            Concern for others was a big topic at the little round table.  How important it became to drop a card or note in the mail to comfort the ill, the lonely and the elderly.  You could envision a little old lady sitting in a rocker waiting eagerly for the mail; hoping desperately that someone cared.  You could suddenly see into a hospital room where sadness invaded every corner and then see a face light up when the card arrived.  Then too, you might see that unpainted house on the next street with the unkempt yard and a bunch of dirty-looking, uncared for children playing there.  You would realize that if someone dropped by with a basket of cookies and some yard sale Golden Books (almost like new), maybe a little used toy car, or an older doll in a new dress, it would bring a bit of joy and hope in an otherwise hopeless situation.  A bouquet of flowers from the garden standing in a fruit jar transformed a dingy dark room into a cozy haven of a forgotten nursing home resident.

            Speaking of flowers, how many times flower books were spread out on the table and gone over from cover to cover.  I learned never-to-be-forgotten lessons on growing flowers; the importance of where you planted them, which colors were old-time favorites; how day lilies could be eaten, or that rose petals were delicious when added to certain foods.  It made sense to have a friendship garden that held only those bulbs and plants that were given to you from another’s garden.  Flowers were not grown just for your own enjoyment, but to decorate an old soldier’s grave on Memorial Day, to cheer up the sick, for placing in the church sanctuary and for a birthday.  The list went on and on.

            If that little kitchen table could talk, it would tell of family history that traced from the far country of Scotland to Nova Scotia; on to Canada, New York and finally to Michigan.  It would tell about dark-eyed Indian maidens and French fur traders.  It would tell about homesteads, hunger, harsh winters, lost loves and family reunions.

            Many slivers were removed from little fingers and band aids applied at the little table.  Of course the real healing came from the hugs and kissed administered along with the practice of medicine.

            Countless widows sat there and shared their loneliness and grief; their fear of the future, the sorrow of the neglect of their grown children.  They almost never failed to leave there with spirits lifted and hope renewed with a cup of tea, a sugar cookie and a sympathetic listener who gave words of hope.

            The scriptures that were studied and read at the table were endless.  Never a day went by without a least the reading of devotions.  The table was bathed in prayers.  How many children’s lives were spared, souls saved from destruction, lives changed, disaster averted, due to the prayers sent heavenward from there.  Perhaps some day we will know.

            I have a small picture of that table in the little yellow kitchen.  The tears always come to my eyes and a deep longing to once again sit there bathed in the yellow light floods my soul;  How I long to hear again the soft, gentle voice and see the sweet smile as I walk through the door.  I look at the picture once more, knowing it really isn’t the table that I miss; it’s the one sitting there.  It’s My Mother.

 

           

 

 

 

4 Blood Moons – Part II

“For when they say, "Peace and safety!" then sudden destruction comes upon them,

                  as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape.”  [I Thess. 5:3]

             Along with the ‘Blood Moons’, there are several other tragic weather related events going on across the world that may add to the end time prophecies.  It is symbolic of a woman having labor pains and trying to give birth.  The woman is going through the terrible pain, but she knows the delivery will happen soon.  She feels the expectancy, yet suffers until the child is born.  After Eve ate the forbidden fruit, in Genesis 3:16, God brought about the curse for woman; “Then he [God] said to the woman, "You will bear children with intense pain and suffering.”

            Now the world is locked in its labor pains that are coming one after another, like waves of the sea, and those who are believers know at any time Jesus will walk through that door from heaven and call us home. Those who don’t believe are just plain frustrated that they are not finding peace anywhere.  All they see is destruction for those living on the earth.
            Just to remind you of a few of the things that are taking place now in this world.  The chaos of the weather is enough for you to think about what is going on:

            Japan had 11 inches of snow this year compared to their average of 4 inches

            Terrible droughts in the west and California along with fires

            Many avalanches, snow, ice and floods in US

            Devastating mudslides in us and Afghanistan

            Many killer tornadoes in US

            High and strong winds

            Sinkholes in Florida and a block-long sinkhole in Maryland.

            Wars around the world; Israel sitting in the middle of Arab countries who want to destroy the ‘Apple of God’s Eye’.

Christians across the world are being persecuted in greater numbers than ever.

            Today, May 12, 2014, California is sweltering at 90 degrees while Colorado is battling 11 inches of the white stuff.  It was reported yesterday that 28 tornados belted their way across the Midwest; a total  of 41 tornados over the week.

Christians in America are being targeted by government departments and officials to be kept from certain jobs and positions. I just read about the Benham Brothers who were signed on with HGTV to do a show called ‘Flip It Forward’.  These twin brothers, who are Christians, have now been labeled “anti-gay, anti-choice extremists.”  Their show has been canceled and yet HGTV continually run shows of gays and lesbians.

Our country is caught in a downward spiral with its lack of morals, godlessness and ungodly sexual behaviors.  Another monster has risen up its head and that is paganism; which includes immoral sexual activities and abortion and includes the area of homosexuality, lesbianism and unnatural marriages. 

This is our world today and taken with all that’s going on, we turn to the ‘heavenlies’ and see the Blood Moons in the perspective of the Israelis’.  And suddenly things are about to burst forth; the birth is close at hand.  The labor pains will cease, and it will be all over.

The prophet Daniel in the Old Testament, Daniel 12:4 “But you, Daniel, keep this prophecy a secret; seal up the book until the time of the end. Many will rush here and there, and knowledge will increase."  Most people, including our young people, are complaining because their life is speeding by and it’s hard to keep up with it.  We are all so busy running here and there; we have little time to spend in Bible reading and prayer.  Remember, Satan wants to keep you so busy with time rushing by so that God will be left behind.

During this year and next we will see 3 more blood moons and 3 more Jewish feasts take place.  Along with that, we have been told that worse weather related events have yet to take place.  I would like to encourage you to read the Bible and find out as much as you can about the end times.   Remember that while all these things come upon this old world and we like to learn all we can about them, the most important thing of all is that you know Jesus Christ as your Savior.  Then whatever happens, you’ll be ready for it and we have this promise in I Thessalonians 1:10; “Wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.”  AMEN!

 

 

FOUR BLOOD MOONS - PART I

Four Blood Moons – Part I

            Although there has been a lot of information regarding the 4 blood moons, some have asked me to write about this interesting time that is coming.  In fact the first Blood Moon took place on April 15 when the moon came across the earth’s shadow, causing the moon to look a reddish color.

            What is so significant about this eclipse?  We have many eclipses, but rarely do we have 4 within 18 months.  These 4 blood moons are called a ‘tetrad’.  All of these take place during the Jewish holidays. We forget that everything taking place evolves around Israel and not the U.S. even though it affects us.

           John Hagee tells us that these 4 eclipses take place during Jewish holidays on April 15, and October 8 of this year. In 2015 they will occur on April 4 and September 28^th.  Aprils appear during the Passover and October’s, they occur during the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles.  He writes that every time there is a ‘tetrad’ occurs something that will be a world wide change takes place.  “In 1492, the Jews were expelled from Spain and Christopher Columbus discovered America, giving the Jews a place to go. In 1948, the modern state of Israel was born, and in 1967, Israel won the Six-Day War and recaptured Jerusalem.  During the 300-year interval from 1600 to 1900, there were no tetrads at all.” [quote from 4 Blood Moons/John Hagee]

            It is possible because of Biblical prophecy and these rare occurrences of eclipses we could be on the verge of something spectacular in reference to end time prophecy.  Blood moons have only occurred 8 times in the last 2,000 years.  Turn to Acts 2:19-21 “I will show wonders in heaven above and signs in the earth beneath: Blood and fire and vapor of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the coming of the great and awesome day of the LORD and it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.”

            Notice the Bible tells us to watch for signs in heavens and earth and of blood moons.  It speaks here of the sun turning dark, which also refers to an eclipse. We are given instructions so clear that in  I Thess 5:1-4 it instructs again, “But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you. For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. For when they say, "Peace and safety!" then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief.”

            To be up-to-date on what is happening with Israel; we have a president who could care less about Israel or that this little country is the Apple of God’s eye.  What happens to Israel will affect the entire world.  Obama was rude and showed lack of respect to Prime Minister Netanyahu when he was at the Whitehouse and this is unsettling to the world.  Iran wants nothing more than to destroy Israel and the US.  The Palestinians want to take part of Israel away from the Jews.  Watch what will happen to the surrounding countries if this is put to the test.  Russia is hanging in the wings and is a backup for Iran and you can read about it in Zachariah in the Old Testament. 

            God promised the Jewish people thousands of years ago that they would one day return to Israel and it would again be their country.  He also told them that their land would never be taken from them again.  What will be the outcome?  I’m believing in God’s Word.

            In Part 2, next week, I want to share about current events and how they may tie into the

4 Blood Moons.