My Country 'Tis of Thee

One of the first patriotic songs I ever learned was this one. It was in first grade, and we always sang the first verse after we had pledged our allegiance to the flag. Now my sons have learned this song and sing it in their elementary school. Many thanks to the veterans and uncounted soldiers who gave me and my sons the right to stand in those classroom and sing this song.

My country, 'tis of thee,

Sweet land of liberty,

Of thee I sing;

Land where my fathers died,

Land of the pilgrims' pride,

From every mountainside

Let freedom ring!

My native country, thee,

Land of the noble free,

Thy name I love;

I love thy rocks and rills,

Thy woods and templed hills;

My heart with rapture thrills,

Like that above.

Let music swell the breeze,

And ring from all the trees

Sweet freedom's song;

Let mortal tongues awake;

Let all that breathe partake;

Let rocks their silence break,

The sound prolong.

Our father's God to Thee,

Author of liberty,

To Thee we sing.

Long may our land be bright,

With freedom's holy light,

Protect us by Thy might,

Great God our King.

No, Mr. President...

Taking Care of Business

Finding time to write on the blog has become increasingly difficult these days. On top of my work schedule, kids baseball practices, Bible study and home maintenance, I have become involved in a very time-consuming endeavor. I am in the midst of developing an official website for my photography business that I do on the side. It all began a few years ago when people asked me to take pictures at their weddings. And now with several weddings per year and a few senior pictures scheduled and some other fun events, it appears that I might actually be able to make some extra money doing something that I absolutely love doing. And so in the progression of things, the timing seemed right to create a website that showcases my work. I hope to unveil the site sometime in mid-May. I hope to continue writing here, but it will be limited... once or twice a week as time permits.

Mark

Moral Compass

The president said the other day that 'we had lost our moral compass', referring to how the Americans had allegedly tortured captured enemy combatants. May I dare to ask how anyone who advocates the slaughter of 4,000 babies per day has the audacity to say those responsible for the treatment of those prisoners had lost their moral compass??? How would he know? That's like saying that Adolf Hitler was a mean guy because he punched the bully from down the street. Do you think his comments about our fellow Americans are a little misdirected?

The Body of Christ In Action

Not too long ago some friends of ours found out their oldest son has muscular dystrophy. What heartbreaking news to be laid on a parent. This young boy is the same age as our oldest boy. We felt helpless... what could we do? They have another son who is the same age as our youngest son. Lightning doesn't strike twice does it? Could it?

A short time after this news hit their family, they had their second son tested and he also was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy. I couldn't sleep. It bothered me real bad. I had breakfast with their dad to see how things were going and I was real encouraged with his attitude. He didn't want people to feel sorry for them. He only wanted people to pray and to be there as friends. After the shock of it all, he said he was trying to come to terms with it... and he knows that he and his family is in the hand of a sovereign God, even when its time to get wheel chairs and ramps.

The boys are still able to walk and run although with some difficulty at times. But as the disease begins to do more damage they will likely deteriorate in the coming months and years. It's sad to think about. It makes you know how helpless you really are.

A group of people from our church who are close friends of theirs hatched a plan. One thing we can do as friends is support and encourage them. Unknown to this struggling family, a collection was taken up to send them to Disney World while the boys are still mobile. In just over a month, they had enough money to purchase full accommodations, food, transportation and Disney tickets. And not only that, the money collected amounted to more than double what it cost for the trip, which means they will have some left over to buy medicine and other supplies that they will need. They were presented this gift on Sunday at church. It was a very touching and emotional scene. The response of the people was overwhelming. When Christ is at the 'head' of the church, there is no 'dystrophy' in the body. This is the body of Christ in action.

The Exaltation of Christ

We're studying the book of Philippians in Sunday School. We have been on that wonderful, theologically rich passage in chapter two that details the humiliation of Christ and then His subsequent exaltation by God. I looked up some cross referencing passages that I'll list below. They are by no means an exhaustive list of passages that show God's exaltation of His one and only Son, but these are worthy of long reflection. The cumulative effect they have when taken together are staggering.

Philippians 2:9-11 - For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Isaiah 45:23 - I have sworn by Myself,
The word has gone forth from My mouth in righteousness
And will not turn back,
That to Me every knee will bow, every tongue will swear allegiance.

Matthew 28:18 – And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.

Ephesians 1:18-22 - I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church

Colossians 2:9-10 - For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority;

Daniel 7:13-14 – “I kept looking in the night visions,
And behold, with the clouds of heaven
One like a Son of Man was coming,
And He came up to the Ancient of Days
And was presented before Him.
“And to Him was given dominion,
Glory and a kingdom,
That all the peoples, nations and men of every language
Might serve Him.
His dominion is an everlasting dominion
Which will not pass away;
And His kingdom is one
Which will not be destroyed.

John 3:35 - The Father loves the Son and has given all things into His hand

Revelation 5:12 - “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing.”

But...

If Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins. - I Cor. 16:17

But...

He has risen, just as He said. - Matthew 28:6!!

For the Joy Set Before Him...

Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole Roman cohort around Him. They stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him. And after twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and a reed in His right hand; and they knelt down before Him and mocked Him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” They spat on Him, and took the reed and began to beat Him on the head. After they had mocked Him, they took the scarlet robe off Him and put His own garments back on Him, and led Him away to crucify Him. - Matthew 27:27-31

On Establishing Friendships

Tomorrow, Lord willing, I will have dinner with my college roommate. Along with my family and his family, we will sit together and share stories of years ago. It's been over ten years since we've seen each other, so we have alot of catching up to do. I am reminded the importance of establishing and maintaining friendships as I see the years so quickly slip into the past. I dug through my journal and found this entry from a few years ago on 'Establishing Friendships':

A couple of things immediately come to mind, whether we are establishing new friendships or cultivating old ones:
1). As Christians, our friendships are built on the solid foundation of Christ, and when we get together to 'fellowship' with others, that time is spent around our common ground, i.e. our relationship/friendship with Him. Talking of God's work in our lives, sharing scriptures, etc.
2). Because of who we belong to, we have confidence to be ourselves, but yet always striving to improve our character and be the right kind of friend - which may require genuine changes of the heart in certain areas. One who is not overbearing or judgmental, willing to forgive and overlook perceived faults, but yet also willing to confront sin if necessary, speaking the truth in love.
3). Friendship is all about giving. What can I put into the relationship, rather than what gain will I receive. The strongest friendships have 2 people that try to out-do the other person in kindness, giving, etc. The weak friendships are the ones where one or both people are nothing but a drain on the other person. They literally suck them dry of all emotion.
4). I must cultivate my friendship with my most precious friend, the One who saved my sorry soul. Certainly we were created to be in relationships with others (it is not good for man to be alone!), but even if all other relationships fall away, I rest in the fact that I could go the rest of my life without one solitary earthly friend and all would be well - because of my friend and brother Christ.

Not a Christian Nation

This is not your father's country anymore. Your president said earlier today, that America did not consider itself "a Christian nation or a Jewish nation or a Muslim nation. We consider ourselves a nation of citizens who are bound by ideals and a set of values." As much as we'd like to nostalgically think we live in a Christian nation, the reality is that we do not. We continue to deceive ourselves into thinking we are a nation of God-fearing, church-going, Bible-believing people when the facts state otherwise. And what these 'ideals and values' are that Obama speaks of is anybody's guess.

This statement of his should cause every real Christian to get busy about sharing the gospel. We've fallen asleep in our comfort and style raising a generation of disrespectful and clueless kids with iPods growing out of their ears. To them, George W. Bush is a villain and Britney Spears is a role model. Pre-maritial sex and killing babies is normal to them. Myspace and facebook are cool, but church and the Bible are just for grandma and grandpa. Things of eternal implication mean absolutely nothing in our time in our country. These are 'values and ideals'? To whom? But yes, Barack, you are at least half right. We've rejected Jesus Christ in America. I shudder to think what Jesus Christ's response will be.