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A Charlie Brown Christmas Revisited

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , on December 18, 2012| Leave a Comment »

We love this simple story because it speaks to our condition.

Christmas can be downright maddening.

First, everyone wants a piece of your time.  Once you flip your calendar to December there is an immediate flood of invitations to office parties, family gatherings, teas, banquets, and more.  The rush of the Christmas season only seems to get worse as the month continues.

Second, there is a flurry of activity.  Get out the decorations.  Put up the lights.  Set up the tree.  Start baking cookies and other delights before the guest arrive.  Don’t forget the multiple pageants and plays you need to attend also.  And remember to get your annual Christmas card out before everyone else.

Third, commercialism and consumerism run amuck.  Celebrate Christmas this year with a 60 inch flat screen tv for $200 this Saturday only.  Remember that it needs to be HD or the kids won’t like it.  We really go crazy buying presents.  Our focus easily turns to material items and excess instead of providing gifts of joy.  This year the local Christmas bureau didn’t have enough people to adopt needy families.  They ask for food, blankets, coats, towels, cleaning supplies and other necessities.  Perhaps those were the gifts that we should have given this year.

This cartoon is a timeless classic because it sums up our struggle with Christmas.  Charlie Brown and company encounter all the typical distractions that try to steal the real meaning of Christmas.  In his frustration, Charlie Brown asks, “isn’t there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about?”  The turning point of the cartoon is when Linus takes center stage to share the story of Luke 2, Jesus being born in Bethlehem.

We too, get caught up in the parties, the activities, and the gift giving, but there is much more to the season.  Take time to hear the simple story.  Take time to focus on the importance of angels proclaiming his birth.  Take time to focus on what is truly important this Christmas season, our Savior, Christ the Lord.

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Dust Bowl Documentary Serves as a Reminder to be Thankful

Posted in News & Commentary, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , on November 20, 2012| Leave a Comment »

This week PBS aired, “The Dust Bowl” Ken Burns’ latest film.  The documentary chronicled a decade-long drought during the 1930s and how it impacted farm families across the heart of America.  Survivors shared powerful stories on how they endured incredible suffering and hardship.

It was truly moving to hear the personal accounts of loss and sacrifice.  Sand and dust dunes covered crops and livestock.  Money was so scarce that mothers would turn used flour sacks into dresses for daughters.  Ranchers would burn the needles off cactus plants so their cattle could eat.  Farmers went years without rain and crops.  Families lost homes, mortgaged their farm machinery, and send children to live with relatives.  Many who decided to ride out the dust storms lost infants and elderly family members to “dust pneumonia.”

No one can watch this series and remain the same.  The hardships and trials of this generation will shock you.  The stories of survival will amaze you.  They endured the suffering and poverty that few can imagine in our country.  This series is an important reminder to be thankful and consider our blessings.

I encourage you to watch the series and consider how God has personally blessed you this holiday season.

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Stolen Valor Act 2.0

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on July 5, 2012| Leave a Comment »

There is new interest in trying to prop up the Stolen Valor Act, a federal statute that prohibits people from lying about military service and being awarded military medals.

Last week the Supreme Court struck down the law on grounds that it violated free speech on a 6-3 ruling.  Many were disappointed with the action.  Veterans and military groups across the nation spoke in favor of the law.  While honest and integrity are at the heart of the law, people forget the impact this ruling will have on our service members.  As veterans continue to return home and seek jobs, there is an increasing need to separate fact from fiction.  Many private firms, along with government agencies, have veteran hiring preferences.  Those with military service may be placed ahead of others when applying for a job.  So there is something to gain from lying on a resume or job application.

Lawmakers will likely take a second bite at the apple.  Efforts are underway to pass another version of the law, one more narrowly focused.  The Stolen Valor Act 2.0, will make it illegal to lie about military service for profit.  This way charlatans cannot benefit from claiming military medals or combat tours.  By changing direction and focusing on the issue of fraud, let’s hope that this version will make constitutional muster.

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Celebrate Religious Freedom

Posted in Devotions, Military Family, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on June 28, 2012|

Each Fourth of July we celebrate the birth of America.  We celebrate freedom, independence, and the precious rights that guarantee the blessings of liberty.  But it is important to remember how religious freedom was the original goal of living in our land.  And by that, I mean prior to signing the Declaration of Independence.

Christianity operated in a very different environment from what we know today.  Prior to the Pilgrims leaving England, there was no separation of church and state.  There was one official church for people to attend and the King was the head of the church.  During the 1600s, British law required citizens to attend worship services.  Those who did not attend would be fined one shilling for each Sunday and holy day missed.  People who conducted unofficial church services could be fined, jailed, or executed.

As persecution and arrests grew, the Pilgrims left England for Amsterdam.  By 1617 the congregation was stable enough for another, more permanent move.  They wanted an enduring place where opportunity and religious freedom could be secured for their families.  They turned their eyes to the new America, braved a sixty-five day voyage across the Atlantic, and started Plymouth Colony.

Days after sighting land, The Mayflower Compact was established as a way to honor God, guarantee just and equal laws in the colony, and create a free form of government.  The Pilgrims decided to establish a system where every member of the colony could enjoy guaranteed rights and freedoms under majority rule.  Freedoms that they were unable to enjoy until that very moment when the ink was dry.

Their voyage and vision created the first written constitution on our continent.  It became the seed of American freedom and democracy.

We often forget the past difficulties that Christians have faced trying to worship God.  We also forget the difficulties in our present age.  We have been so blessed with liberty in our nation, that we forget the inequalities that exist elsewhere.  While we are not fined, jailed, or executed for practicing our faith in America many others suffer across the globe.  We have brothers and sisters in Christ who live with the same fears, torment, and punishments of seventeenth century Pilgrims.

Recognize the incredible gift we have as Americans and utilize your religious freedom.  Glorify our risen Savior in song.  Strengthen your faith in a worship service.  Read your Bible in public.  But also take time to pray for the persecuted Church beyond our borders.  Their current plight was ours not so long ago.

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