Veterans

“Teacher,” they said, “we know how honest you are. You are impartial and don’t play favorites. You teach the way of God truthfully. Now tell us–is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not? – Mark 12:14 NLT Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?‘ – Matthew 20:15 ESV And remember that the heavenly Father to whom you pray has no favorites. He will judge or reward you according to what you do. So you must live in reverent fear of him during your time as …

To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven: A time to be born, And a time to die; A time to plant, And a time to pluck what is planted; A time to kill, And a time to heal; A time to break down, And a time to build up; A time to weep, And a time to laugh; A time to mourn, And a time to dance; A time to cast away stones, And a time to gather stones; A time to embrace, And a time to refrain from embracing; A time to gain, …

To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven: A time to be born, And a time to die; A time to plant, And a time to pluck what is planted; A time to kill, And a time to heal; A time to break down, And a time to build up; A time to weep, And a time to laugh; A time to mourn, And a time to dance; A time to cast away stones, And a time to gather stones; A time to embrace, And a time to refrain from embracing; A time to gain, …

For there is only one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity—the man Christ Jesus. He gave his life to purchase freedom for everyone. This is the message God gaveto the world at just the right time. 1 Timothy 2:5-6  NLT Recently the Governor ordered all flags flown at half-mast in my state. For those who don’t know, this is a symbol of respect, mourning, and/or a salute. A few weeks ago, a Marine from my home state was killed while battling terrorists in the Middle East. I did not personally know the man or his family. …

Then one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, perceiving that He had answered them well, asked Him, “Which is the first commandment of all?” Jesus answered him, “The first of all the commandments is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one. ‘And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. “And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than …

Like cold water to a weary soul is good news from a distant land.  Proverbs 25:25 (NIV) James, a veteran of the Korean War era, attended our annual Veteran’s Fishing Day this year. James wears a nearly constant smile, and we hit it off right away. After a bumpy wheelchair ride over the stony path alongside the pond, we commenced to fish and talk about life in general. A Price Paid James was in the Navy during the 1950’s. He was deployed on a Destroyer ship in the Pacific. He wears hearing aids in both ears and is on constant …

And in every work that he began in the service of the house of God, in the law and in the commandment, to seek his God, he did it with all his heart. So he prospered. 2 Chronicles 31:21 November 11 marks Veteran’s Day in the USA. This date is the anniversary of the signing of the peace agreement – or armistice – which ended the World War I hostilities between Germany and the Allied nations in 1918. On this day, which is sometimes called Armistice Day, US veterans are often thanked for their services to their country. I’ve been …

He will listen to the prayers of the destitute. He will not reject their pleas. Let this be recorded for future generations, so that a people not yet born will praise the LORD. Tell them the LORD looked down from his heavenly sanctuary. He looked down to earth from heaven to hear the groans of the prisoners, to release those condemned to die.  Psalm 102:17-20 NLT Well it happened again – I got to go fishing with a WWII Veteran recently. It was our annual Veterans Appreciation Fishing Day in our little town. See Veterans Fishing Day WWII Vet Merlin Pictured …

We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair   2 Corinthians 4:8 I’ve been blessed to travel to many places, but Alaska was never one of them. Until now. This summer/fall my wife and I had the privilege of visiting Port Alsworth on Lake Clark. There we worked with Operation Heal Our Patriots (OHOP What We Do ) . The program strives to help wounded veterans restore their lives and marriages. My wife and I worked behind the scenes, helping with housekeeping and in the kitchen, respectively. It was an amazing experience …