Letting Go

If you’re like most people, you like being in control. Period. You want things to happen according to your wishes and according to your timetable. But sometimes, God has other plans…and He always has the final word.

Oswald Chambers correctly observed, “Our Lord never asks us to decide for Him; He asks us to yield to Him—a very different matter.” These words remind us that even when we cannot understand the workings of God, we must trust Him and accept His will.

All of us experience adversity and pain. As human beings with limited comprehension, we can never fully understand the will of the Father in heaven. But as believers in a benevolent God, we must always trust His guidance and provision.

When Jesus one to the Mount of Olives, as described in Luke 22, He poured out His heart to God. Jesus knew of the agony that He was destined to endure, but He also knew that God’s will must be done. We, like our Savior, face trials that bring fear and trembling to the very depths of our souls, but like Christ, we too must ultimately seek God’s will, not our own.

I was watching the news a couple of days ago and a guy was being interviewed about losing his job due to COVID-19. His words and body language indicated he expected the government to pay him now since it was no fault of his own. So many times, that’s our attitude. We look for ways to change our journey that will not cost us anything.

Are you embittered by a personal tragedy that you did not deserve and cannot understand? If so, it’s time to make peace with life. It’s time to forgive others and if necessary to forgive yourself. It’s time to accept the unchangeable past, to embrace the priceless present, and to have faith in the promise of tomorrow. It’s time to trust God completely. And it’s time to reclaim the peace—His peace—that can and should be yours.

God says in Isaiah 43:18-19, “Forget what happened before, and do not think about the past. Look at the new thing I am going to do. It is already happening. Don’t you see it? I will make a road in the desert and rivers in the dry land.” May you experience His peace and discover how to let go. Blessings on your journey.

"More than a Feeling..."

I am a child of the ‘80s. I love most everything about that decade…especially the music. A band out of Boston, Massachusetts started in 1975 and still is touring today. Of course, their name is Boston. They’ve had a great many hits. One of those songs is named “More than a Feeling.” Go ahead and sing the line…you know it!

However, the Apostle John reminds us that the love of God is more than a feeling, it’s a daily lifestyle. As a matter of fact, Paul the Apostle even says in Ephesians 5, “Imitate God (everyday)”. So how do I know how to imitate God?

Well, Jesus tells his disciples in John 14, “It you have seen me, then you’ve seen the Father. Me and the Father are one.” As a follower of Jesus, I simply need to look at the life of Jesus, found in any of the four gospels, and do what Jesus did…live like Jesus…love like Jesus.

You see, John tells us in his letter, 1 John, that love is how we know God. John says, “God IS love.” Most of us imagine him as a harsh referee, or a detached inventor, or a spoiling grandpa but none of these pictures are true. We realize that our God is a good, good Father. That imagine is used 245 times in the New Testament. So if God is a loving Father and we are called to imitate him, then we should also be loving in our life.

Love is also how we see God. In 1 John 4, John reminds us that God loved us before we ever loved him. We are called to this lifestyle of love if you claim to follow Jesus. God showed us his love by sending his only son while we were still sinners. Get your head wrapped around that! While you were rebelling against God, Jesus came for you anyway! What a wonderful God we serve!!

Some ways we might let others see this love of God in is right now could look like helping your older neighbor with the yard work or taking baked goods to those who are shut up in their houses. It might be just handing out cold water at a local event or march. Maybe you could write letters of encouragement to your city leaders letting them know you are praying with them over the city. Or sending a thank you card to the administrators at the school your child attends telling them you are praying for their wisdom and discernment during this difficult season of school.

Because love is how we follow God and we are indebted to him to do so. We ought to be loving on each other, not hating nor being mean-spirited. We follow Jesus and his life reflects a person who was inclusive, loving, forgiving, full of grace and mercy.

The word for “love” John uses every time is the Greek word “agape”. This word specifically means “unconditional love”. Love with no strings attached. As followers of Jesus, we do not say, “I’ll love you as long as you do what I want, say what I want you to say, live how I think you should live.” We love even our enemies unconditionally.

God reminds us of how much He loves us in John 3:16. He sent his son so no one would perish but all would have eternal life. And for those of us who follow God’s Son, we were adopted into his family. As children of God then, we follow or act like the Father.

So, be someone who transforms the world around you for good. Be someone who loves unconditionally. Be someone who shines the light of Jesus in everything you do. Blessings on your journey.

Squirrel!

If you’ve read my book, Beautiful Interference, then you’ve read the story about me and a friend hiking in Colorado. We wanted to hike Mount Beirstadt and Mount Evans the first week of June. We found our entry point, parked the SUV, and started down to the valley floor. These two Oklahoma boys were not ready for the thin air and the June weather.

We crossed the valley floor and began our accent up Beirstadt. We were exhausted and out of water by the time we summited so we decided to go back to the car. Only problem was, once on the valley floor, we could not find which gorge we came down and it had already started snowing.

With patience and a lot of lucky guess-work, our tired, oxygen-deprived bodies found our way back to the SUV.

Spiritually speaking, that’s what happens when we get off the path as we follow Jesus. We have these grand ideas of how things will go but the minute we step away from the safety of Jesus, everything goes chaotic. The Apostle John calls us to stay focused on Jesus, to stay on the path and don’t let anything distract you from leaving the safety of Jesus.

In 1 John, John tells followers there are three things that can pull you away from following Jesus closely. John writes in 1 John 2:16 that “pleasure, possessions, and pride” can lure you off the path that Jesus is on. He reminds us there is a epithumia or hyper-desire in all of us that we must keep in check. Our hyper-desire must be Jesus above all else.

Pleasure could be just about anything. Sexual pleasure is the one that comes to mind. We all as humans have a desire for instant gratification. Inappropriate relationships with people outside our marriage, dangerous late night excursions on our computers to sites that should be untouched by Jesus-followers, and lustful thoughts should be things we must guard against as we follow Jesus on the road.

Our possessions can get the best of us. Collecting things is the American way and if we are not careful, those shiny things will pull us away from our commitment to follow Jesus. There is nothing bad in and of itself about owning things but when we make that the center of our life and our focus, that’s when we know we’ve left the road of Jesus and are on the road the world offers.

Finally pride and ego will get the best of us. Our pride ends up being all about us. I get prideful of my race or skin color. Right now across America, ethnic pride is at an all time high and it creates resentment of other people who are also made in God’s image. Our socio-economic pride can cause us to look down our noses at folks who don’t have as big a bank account as we do. My achievements equally can make me puff out my chest in comparison. But all my degrees and awards mean nothing when falling the risen Savior.

May your shine like Jesus. May the “shiny” things the world offers pale in comparison to the Son of God. May your hyper-desire be for Jesus and him alone. Don’t get detracted by the world. It will all fade away. But God and his desire will live forever. May you find the courage to stay on the path and shine like Jesus! Blessings on your journey.

I'm going to let it shine!

Do you remember when you learned to ride a bike? Or maybe when you helped your child learn to ride a bike? It didn’t happen just “overnight”. It was a process. You put training wheels on and they got the hang of that. But then there was the weekend they wanted to take off the training wheels and really ride. So, you took off the training wheels, let them straddle the seat and you jogged behind them while you held the back of the seat.

What happened when you let go the first few times? Well, they fell over. And if they didn’t fall over in the grass, there were some scraps and scratches.

The Apostle John, in his letter called 1 John, reminds us shining our light for Jesus is a process. Doing it well doesn’t happen overnight. In the first chapter, he reminds us that God is light and in him there is no darkness. He’s calling us to shine or reflect that light in the world in which we live. The world is full of evil and wrongdoing but as followers of Jesus, we fix our eyes on him and imitate him. We reflect Jesus no matter what is going on in the world around us. And right now, there is so much distraction.

We are still in the middle of the COVID-19 event. I’m afraid until there is a vaccine, we’ll need to continue all the safety measures that are currently in place. But the virus has negatively affected our relationships, our community, our jobs, our income level, our education system, our buying habits and the the list goes on. Even so, John says, “Be the light”.

The racial tensions that exists all over this country have reached a boiling point. The frustration of some have evolved into violent outbursts which have included death, robbery, destruction of personal and public property, traffic disruption and flow, hate crimes, and just plain meanness toward each other. And John says, “Even so, be the light.”

The tension between authority figures such as our police departments and fire departments have resulted in our population ignoring and trampling the laws that govern our land. The distain has reached to the highest office. I’m reminding us that Paul tells us in Romans 13, God has put these authorities in place and we are called to respect them. Even with this new face of disregard for public authority, John says, “You be the light that reflects Jesus.”

So John reminds us as followers of Jesus to walk in the light as He is in the light. That you and I are called to take the first steps of inviting the world in to a better place. We don’t wait on someone else to initiate but rather you be the light by being positively different than those around you. Shine like Jesus offering love, grace, mercy, forgiveness before anyone else. That’s what Jesus would do and we are called to represent him in a dark, chaotic world.

But John knows we are human and tells us that we are going to drop the ball, stub our toe, make a poor decision. We are going to get angry and exhibit that in ways unbecoming a follower. We are going to use other outlets to “ease the tension” by taking excessive drinking or pornography into our lives or mistreating those around us. We are going to treat those we love negatively because we don’t know what to do in this chaos.

John goes on to say that we have an advocate when we mess up! Praise God. It’s Jesus Christ who pleads our case before the Father. So when you realize you are not representing Jesus well, you turn back to him. It’s called repentance. You make a 180 degree turn to continue to shine your light and reflect Jesus. You confess to God and others that you’ve hurt and continue walking in the light.

Some of us have been followers of Jesus for a long time and if we’re honest, we still have training wheels on. Now is the time to take them off and begin really living in the light. It’s time to shine like Jesus. Don’t wait on someone else to plan the event or invite you to come along or start something. It’s time you began leading others and reflecting Jesus in your life. Maybe more than ever in your life and mine, now is when people need to see the light and what it looks like to have a life of love, peace and hope. You’re the one that can show them.

May you be encouraged to live like Jesus. May you find the strength and bravery to look like Jesus even though others around you are not. May you feel the peace that passes all understanding and pass on that peace to those you encounter everyday. Blessings on your journey.

He's Got the Whole World...

Jesus! He. Is. Awesome. I sat with him over my Panera coffee this morning, and began to unravel my wound up and anxious heart. Rather than trying to put my best foot forward in my time with Him, I began to tell him what He already knew:

I am not sure if I can do it. I can’t make sure everybody likes me. I can’t stop eating sugar. I can’t focus in my time with him. Facebook seems much easier than facing my fears. It’s difficult to sleep because I have a couple of weddings on the calendar, a sermon series in the making and the list of “to do’s” is growing.  I can’t change my wandering heart and my “normal summer” is gone. I can’t “get it together.” (What is “it” anyway? Who defines “together?”)

In Jesus, “we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are – yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” (Hebrews 4:15-16)

Our Lord “is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love.” (Psalm 145:8)

Jesus has “it together.” He is keenly aware that we don’t.  He moves toward us with infinite compassion and lavish love. This is why He died: that we can come with our wound up and anxious hearts and unravel them at His feet.

One by one the fibers of my heart were laid bare and I surrendered to the One who can handle my life, my propensity to wander, my addictions and my details. My eyes were shifted, if even temporarily, from myself to the One who spoke the world into existence and knit me in my mother’s womb.

He has taken the condemnation that I deserve so that I can have my mind free of the murmurings of self-contempt. This freedom allows me to live boldly, honestly and creatively. I no longer need to self-protect. I can allow space for Jesus to change me.

So today, remember that Jesus has you and gets you. Turn over your anxiety to him. Don’t worry about tomorrow because tomorrow has enough worry of its own. Hold his hand. Know He protects you. Blessings on your journey.

Raising world-changers.

I remember growing up when we took risks. I’d get up on Saturday morning, eat breakfast and tell my mom I was hanging out with my friends all day. She simply say, “Be back by supper.” I would jump on my bike, connect with friends then we would ride down mainstream or ride out to the train trestle or go fishing by ourselves at the lake.

But the generation behind me is a little more timid. Not nearly as risky. Today, kids wear protective gear, can’t ride their bikes out of the driveway and get a trophy even if they do not place. We are trying to keep out kids happy and safe. Our culture tells us that is success as a parent…if we make our kids happy.

But what if our goal should be children who are transformed into the image of Christ and loved being risky for the sake of Jesus? See, I believe that is what we are called to do as parents who are following Jesus. We are called to unleash Christ-centered, Biblically anchored, world changers. What we encourage our kids to do for the most part, they will do.

So if it seems sports is on the agenda every weekend, they will think life is about sports. If it is music that they are participating in every opportunity, they will believe that is what matters. However, as Jesus-followers, we are called to discipline our kids in a way that allows them to know what matters: Jesus Christ. So there are a few things we can do as parents, grandparents, and mentors to help our children and teens become world changers for Jesus.

As parents and mentors, we should expose them to the joy of really knowing God personally. The greatest push back we receive from our kids is the inconsistencies of telling them one thing and them seeing us do another. That’s called hypocrisy. So start with everyday language. Connect both the natural world to the supernatural world. I’ve always wanted to connect my family’s life to the goodness God wants to give them so bring up God in the natural discourse of the day.

I want my kids to get to know the heart of God through prayer and the will of God through his Word. Make sure you pray with your kids everyday about something going on in their lives. Make sure they see you reading God’s Word. It’s hard to tell someone what to do when they never see you doing the same thing. We, as Christ-following parents, must set the example for the rest of our family. Be willing to create that kind of culture in your home.

Secondly, we need to expose them the presence and power of God in the church. The spiritual family of God is our fuel, our encouragement, our family. I need you and you need me to successfully journey together. It’s so important to have multiple adult Christian voices in your children’s ears. We should want to be a part of the church family wherever and in whatever they are doing. It’s a great opportunity to make memories and have other respected adults pour into your kids. Make time to create an atmosphere of involvement with the church family.

Finally, expose them to the thrill of being used by God in his story. As a youth pastor, I got to do all kinds of things with my two boys when they were in junior high and high school. We painted houses together, served the homeless in a soup kitchen, distributed socks to homeless from a car, hung out with some children who had come out of a domestic violence situation. We went on mission trips together. And we worshiped together. Never underestimate the power of seeing your children work beside you to make Jesus famous. The inverse of that is true as well.

So, be a part of their week at summer camp. Go as a chaperone on spring and fall retreats. Host a small group in your home. Teach a Bible class. Lead a service project. When you make the effort to do these kinds of things together, the rewards are endless.

Remember, everything we do has eternal purpose. Use every opportunity to teach and mentor and create disciples for Jesus. Make Jesus famous in your house. You lead your family every chance you get. And blessings on your journey.

Embrace Your Valley

I’ve been hiking in several locations. Got lost on Mount Beirstadt in Colorado. Saw seven states at the same time from a location on Lookout Mountain in Georgia. The mountain top experience is breathtaking and beautiful. But you can’t stay on the mountain top for long.

You know, everything grows well in the valley. Nothing really grows on the mountain top. The Valley is where things are well fed. It’s where the water is located. It’s where things mature.

The prophet Habakkuk reminds us in his story, during very difficult times, you embrace your valley. It may be painful. It may not be your first choice. But if you truly want to mature and grow in Christ, embrace your valley. The first two chapters of Habakkuk, he’s wrestling and embracing God. He’s got some questions. He’s heard all the incredible stories of how God came to the rescue and saved his people.

Habakkuk says he’s seen how God works. He’s heard the stories of God rescuing his people from Egypt and how he parted the Red Sea. He’s heard the stories of God providing manna and quail in the wilderness. He’s heard the stories of God providing water out of a rock. He knows God held true to his promise of giving Canaan to his people. The list goes on. God can do powerful, mighty, unbelievable things.

So, where is God in Habakkuk’s valley? Nothing is joyful or happy any more. There seems to be no silver lining in the the clouds that loom. There are no parties or sounds of laughter. God, do you see what’s going on? Do you see the pain of your people? I’ve heard of your awesomeness. Will you share that with us now? Please come to our rescue.

As you look around your story and our world, we could ask the same things. COVID-19 has locked down our planet. People have lost careers, jobs, income. Unemployment is high. American death toll is over 100K. Some of those in places of authority have abused that gift and people have been hurt because of it. The racial tension in our country is incredibly high, resulting in riots, damage, meanness, and hate. Children are dying on the African continent simply because they don’t have enough to eat. Nations bristle against one another because they cannot find peaceful ground. Civil war is out of control in the Middle East and Africa. We look around and wonder, what are we to do in this valley?

Like Habakkuk, we will wrestle and embrace. We wrestle with God asking and praying for solutions and positive outcomes. But we never let go of His hand. We continue to embrace almighty God. He still sits on his throne. We will remember and embrace the faithfulness of God. We believe that God is still good despite what is happening all around us.

If Habakkuk 1 is about wondering where God is and chapter 2 is waiting on God in your story, then chapter 3 is about the power of God in your life. Habakkuk looks a bad situation in the face, knowing it’s only going to get worse and says that the Lord is still on his throne and He is worthy of praise!

See, I get to enjoy God on the mount top but I get to know him in the valley. I praise him on the mountain top for the “what” in my life but I praise him in my valley for the “who” that He is. You cannot really have his power to move through your situation, your valley, your difficult story without the wondering and waiting. So, embrace your valley. Look it in the face and say, ‘My God is bigger.” God is building you. Continue to embrace but don’t let go of God. Wrestle and embrace. I love the mountain top but I grow in the valley.

May God surround you as the mountains surround Jerusalem. Blessings on your journey.

Wait for it.

I can only imagine you had the same difficulties I had growing up. I’m not talking about outdoor plumbing or limited meals or walking to school in the snow up hill both ways…I’m talking about waiting on Christmas morning for your parents to get up! I’d come down early in the morning and look at all the presents. Then, I’d have to sit and wait until my parents got up in order to play with the toys that Santa brought. Waiting is difficult.

I don’t know your current story but my guess is you are having to wait on something and maybe you’ve been waiting for weeks or months or years. Maybe you’ve been waiting on the new career to begin. Or waiting on that promotion that is long overdue. Or waiting on you to be financially right side up again.

Maybe you’ve been waiting on your marriage to be great again. Maybe you’re waiting on Mr. or Mrs. Right to appear. Maybe you’re waiting on your grown children to have a relationship with you again.

It could be you’re waiting on the cancer to go away or the chronic illness to subside or your child to be healthy and happy again. Maybe you’re simply waiting on children to be born.

I don’t know your story, but I bet you’re waiting on something. And some are waiting to hear God speak into their story. You wait and pray and talk to God but there seems no direction from him, no calming presence, no subtle hint that change is coming for the better.

When we read Habakkuk 2 in the Old Testament, we gather a sense of what the prophet did while he was waiting on God. Verse 1 reminds us that he listened to God. Some people can’t stand waiting to hear from God and walk away after the first little bit. But be patient. We must position ourselves in such a way to hear God’s voice speak into our story. So, every day, carve out time to be in his Word and pray. Let his words wash over you and reassure you He is present and has not forgotten you.

Surround yourself with like-minded people. People who will support you and stand with you as you wait. Positive people who will hold your hand during the chaos. God can also use your circumstance to bolster you and create a deeper faith. Equally, you can hear his voice as you sing praises to him or listen to a message from his word. There are so many ways we can truly hear the voice of God in our lives.

Like Habakkuk, we can also write for God. In verse 2, Habakkuk is called to write down what God says. We too can write and journal our experience. Why? Because Satan wants to kill, steal, and destroy everything that God is doing for you. He wants us to forget all the good that God continues to do in our life.

As a child, I was told not to write in my Bible. However today, all the white margins are filled with my notes. As I read, God places things on my heart which I write down. I also use a journal every day to write discoveries in my study time, prayers, and thoughts about my relationship with God.

Lastly and probably the most difficult, I wait on God. Some of you have been waiting on your spouse to come home, your marriage to be strong again, your finances to pan out, your adult children to have a relationship with Jesus, the promotion to come at work, racism to die, the cancer to be gone and the list continues to grow. Waiting is difficult.

But know if it’s not God’s time, you can’t force it. If it is God’s time, you can’t stop it! God has not forgotten you. He sees you, hears your cries, hears your prayers. He’ll never leave you. We, like Habakkuk, can say, “the Lord is in his holy temple. Let all the earth keep silent before him” (Habakkuk 2:20). We can worship God before we see him move in our life. We have faith in his goodness. We rejoice in his salvation. We celebrate that he truly is our Father. Blessings on the journey.

Glow in the dark.

I recently relived my youth pastor years, thinking about all the students over 20 years with whom I’ve interacted. So many youth camps, retreats and special events have called for a bonfire. In the dark, we all sat around the fire, mesmerized by it’s glow. It was so dark all around us in the woods, at the edge of the river or the lake. Strange noises coming out of the darkness. Even so, we focused on the fire and sang with each other and told stories.

That’s what the Hebrew writer tells us in Hebrews 12, “Fix your eyes on Jesus”. You see Jesus is that glow in a world of darkness. He’s the one who offers hope to the hopeless, life where there seems no life, air when there seems none to breath. He promised us life and life in the abundant. He called us to say when we are weary, he will carry the weight…the burden in Matthew 11.

You see, life is not a sitcom. Some of my favorite sitcoms are Happy Days, Andy Griffith Show, The Office, Parks and Rec. A sitcom is a 30-minute comedy TV show. In the show, it begins with things going well but right away there is tension to be resolved. By the end of the 30 minute show, the tension is resolved and everyone is happy again.

Life is not a sitcom. Rarely does life get resolved in 30 minutes. Sometimes not for 30 weeks or even 30 years. You loose your job. You send out resumes. You get nothing back and the response you do get back places you financially far behind where you were.

Your significant other steps out on you. You thought you were doing well. When confronted, that person explains why it’s your fault the event happened anyway, deflecting the responsibility away from them.

You get sick. Upon the visit to the doctor, you are told you have cancer. You go to war against cancer. You eat better, your friend group is praying for you everyday, you take chemo and radiation. But it’s all in vain. Cancer wins the day.

Life is not a sitcom.

COVID-19 has wrecked the healthy economy America had built. Many have lost their jobs and careers. Many have lost relationships. The death toll is more than 100K. We’ve been locked down and shut out. We have lost community.

The recent event in Minneapolis has created a chain reaction across our great land. An unjust and inhumane act by someone in an authority position has rocked our communities. Civil unrest, hostility, & anger have fueled an unhealthy glow in our cities at night with the burning of police vehicles, police stations, and businesses.

Right now, you might be asking, “Where are you, God?” just like Habakkuk did in the Old Testament. But we as people who believe in a living God must choose to embrace and wrestle just like the Old Testament prophet. We embrace God knowing he is the giver of life and story. We wrestle with God because we don’t understand what’s going on and want to understand.

Make no mistake. Jesus Christ is the glow, the fire, the illumination we all must choose to fix our eyes on and imitate if we are going to have peace and civility in our land. Jesus, despite being oppressed, dehumanized, segregated, falsely accused, beaten, and killed, led a life of non-violence and peace. Even with his dying breath, he called for forgiveness for those who had wronged him. He calls his followers to “turn the other cheek” when wronged…to “bless those who curse you”.

It is not an easy thing to follow the risen Savior. He asks us to live out life toward others just like he did. May you, in the darkness, in the chaos, in the noise, in the protest fix your eyes on the one who is the author of life and the perfecter of our faith. May you find peace in the Prince of Peace. May we all make a decision to live into a call that will require supernatural strength. May your heart melt with love and compassion for those around you who have a different skin color, nation of origin, different language, different bank account, & different culture. May your journey be one that will be a light for those groping in the darkness. Blessings on that journey.

Some Gave All.

Memorial Day weekend. The “official” start of summer, it’s when city pools open, families and friends gather for picnics, the kids get out the bubbles and sidewalk chalk, bicycle tires get pumped up, flowers are planted, and we relax in the yard with a cool lemonade while the ribs cook on the grill.

Memorial Day, however, is a day of remembrance—of remembering the more than 1.3 million American military men and women who, over the last 240+ years, paid the ultimate price for our freedom to enjoy this pleasant holiday. That number, however, only reflects those who lost their lives in combat. Unfortunately because we live in a sin-filled world, many more will lose their lives in the future so that we can relish the freedom we have come to love so much.

People have paid for this three-day holiday weekend with their lives. Yet, with less than one percent of our population on active duty or in the reserves, most of us are distanced from the true cost of war. When we don’t know any military personnel, it’s easy to become unappreciative or complacent about their sacrifice. Let’s never forget that we continue to have American men and women in harm’s way. Since 2001, over 7,000 American troops have lost their lives in Operation Enduring Freedom/Afghanistan and Operation Iraqi Freedom alone and there seems to be no end in sight. I have the honor of being a veteran of that conflict. Each one of those fallen soldiers left behind loved ones who still mourn their loss. For some people, today means placing flowers on a grave rather than a cook-out with hot dogs and s’mores. For them, every day is Memorial Day.

As we celebrate the start of summer, let’s pause to remember those who died in the service of their country, thank God for their sacrifice, pray for their families, and, most of all, pray for peace. Father in Heaven, we thank you for this nation in which we are blessed to live. Thank you for those who went before us, making our freedom possible and those who continue to battle for our country’s safety and survival. Just as we must remember that our salvation was because of your sacrifice, let us never forget that the freedom we enjoy as a nation came at a great sacrifice, as well.

May you enjoy time with family and friends. May you never take for granted the freedom you enjoy. May you take time today to pray for the families who are experiencing an empty chair today. Blessings on your journey.