Inspiration from Memorial Day

"No one has greater love than this, that someone would lay down his life for his friends." - John 15:13

The last couple of days I have had the opportunity to reflect upon the sacrifices that have been made by our men and women in the United States Armed Forces. Sunday morning we stopped for a moment during our morning worship service to remember the ultimate sacrifice made by 1,321,343 Americans who have died in battle since the American Revolution. The North American Mission Board has distributed to our church fifty prayer cards to pray for our Southern Baptist military chaplains. I am praying for Commander George James Mendes, U.S. Navy Chaplain serving in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. I have challenged our church to remember them in prayer until July 4th. On Memorial Day, I rested at home with my family but I never forgot why I was able to do so. I am able to enjoy my freedom because of the countless number of those who have served and still serve today.

I love to watch movies/documentaries about World War II. My fascination with World War II is probably due to the fact that my grandfather served in the Pacific during this war. I have enjoyed watching Patton for many years and yesterday I watched Tora! Tora! Tora! for the first time. I greatly enjoyed it! I know they are just movies but for me they give me a glimpse at the sacrifice that these service men and women have made for the freedom that I enjoy. Many of these service men did not have a choice in serving their country due to the draft, but they have all served faithfully and heroically. It is amazing to me that they would sacrifice theirselves for our continued freedom.

To all of our service men and women in the United States Armed Forces, past or present, Thank You for your service and your commitment to freedom!

As Christians, we should be reminded of our Savior's sacrifice when we look at our service men and women who have sacrificed their all for our freedom. We have a Lord and Savior in Jesus Christ who has laid down His life and sacrificed His all for our freedom from the penalty of sin. We should never let a day go by that we do not praise God and thank Jesus for His sacrifice that has saved us if we believe in Him. As Christians, I think we should also be inspired by the sacrifice of our service men and women. These men and women fought, some survived and some unfortunately did not however they were all committed to serving our nation. I wish the same thing could be said of Christians today. As Christians, we can stand to learn a lot from the service and sacrifice of those who have served in the  United States Armed Forces.

Let me give you one question to think about: Where would our nation be today if those men and women who have served in the United States Armed Forces had the same work ethic and commitment as many American Christians and Churches do today?

Dawn, My Proverbs 31 Woman

“Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the Lord will be praised.” – Proverbs 31:30

Proverbs 31 is a beautiful passage on the qualities of the ideal wife and mother. This chapter may seem like it was written for women however I truly believe it was written to teach young men in what to look for in a great spouse. Men, then and now, might look for other qualities in woman but the Bible says that these qualities listed here are the best. Every man would do well to use this as an instruction manual for finding a wife!

In 1999, my life changed because I fell head over heels in love with a girl. The amazing thing is that she actually liked me too! Her name is Dawn, just in case you are wondering J As shy as we were, we eventually got married a couple years later. She loved me and married me despite the fact that she could have done better. We have since had three beautiful children and next month we will celebrate 13 years of marriage. Accepting Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior and serving Him has been the best thing to happen in my life, but do you know what’s next? Spending my life with my beautiful bride and building our family together.

I am incredibly proud of my wife because inner beauty is just as beautiful as her outer beauty. She is my proverbs 31 woman and I am very grateful! Proverbs 31 states that a capable wife is hard to find and if you do find one, she is more valuable than precious jewels. Her husband can fully trust her and she is good and not evil to him. Put that in perspective just a moment. Proverbs 21:9 says “better to live on a corner of a roof than to share a house with a nagging wife.” I thank God that I have a wife that I can fully trust and never have to worry about her because her motives are pure. The behavior of a Proverbs 31 woman is characterized by being hard working and a provider for her family. My wife has the hardest job in the world; she is a stay at home mom. She is constantly cooking, cleaning, watching kids and doing church stuff for me. How many times have we heard someone say “I need to go to work so I can get some rest?” That phrase doesn’t apply to my wife. She is constantly on the go! Not only is she trustworthy and a hard worker, but she is a wonderful mother to our children. She takes care of all their clothes, their extra-curricular activities and their general well-being. I’m not sure how much my children realize it or appreciate it yet, but one day they will look back and understand the hard work that their mother has done for them and the extent of her love.

Since the first time that I went on a date with my wife (which was October 15, 1999 to the Mississippi State Fair) I knew that there was something incredibly special about her. I’m just humbled to be able to be her husband. I look forward to spending the rest of my life with her! She is an incredible wife and a wonderful mother!

“Many women are capable, but you surpass them all!” – Proverbs 31:29

My Own "Lois and Eunice"

"Remembering your tears, I long to see you so that I may be filled with joy, ⁵ clearly recalling your sincere faith that first lived in your grandmother Lois, then in your mother Eunice, and that I am convinced is in you also." - 2 Timothy 1:4-5

In Paul's second letter to Timothy, he commends Timothy for his sincere faith. There are a lot of things that people can say about us but we could only hope for such a complement being paid to us as Paul was giving to Timothy. As I read the New Testament, I see where the early church had to deal with those that would profess faith in Jesus Christ but then turn away and teach another gospel. We constantly have to be on the lookout for false teachers. Timothy however was not a false teacher; his faith was sincere. Timothy had a heritage of faith in his family with his grandmother Lois and his mother Eunice. Now their faith did not save him, but it was taught to him and he along the way accepted the gospel himself. He was extremely fortunate to have such women in his life that brought him up in the ways of the Lord.

Personally, I have my own Lois and Eunice that I am extremely thankful for and with Mother's Day soon approaching I want to thank them.

When I was about to turn five years old, my parents separated and eventually divorced so I lived with my mom and she raised me. I tell people all the time that I was raised in a single-parent home before it was cool. I think back on it and even today it still brings me a lot of pain but that's a different story for a different day.  I think my mom was 25-26 at the time; young enough to restart her life if she wanted to. She could have tossed me aside and started again without any baggage but she chose to raise me. I remember not seeing my mom too much as a child because she would work forty plus hours a week and then go to school at night to try and better herself. She did this I'm sure for herself but also because she had a child to raise. It would have been easy for her to stay at home and rest on Sunday but every Sunday we would go to Sunday School. She not only would attend but she would actively serve in the church nursery and with the youth ministry. She would work all that time and still find the energy to come to all my Boy Scout and Band activities. Mom, I cannot thank you enough for everything that you have done and still do for me including your love and prayers!

My grandmother began babysitting me when I was two weeks old and I thank her for what she has poured into my life. I'm sure there were a lot of other things she could have done besides keeping me. When my mom had to work and go to school, it was my grandmother that stepped in and I can never thank her enough. She set the example of a committed Christian and served her church up until she just could not physically serve any longer. When many people left my home church (including me) she stayed and was committed to her church. Stubbornness though may be a quality that she is known for and passed on to others :) For many years, she has served as a mentor to me and I cannot tell you how much I appreciate what she has poured into my life. Granny, thank you for always being there, praying for me and loving me.

I thank God for my own "Lois and Eunice."

May the 4th Be With You

Two remarkable things happened in 1977 that has truly influenced my life. On June 8, 1977, I was born at Hinds General Hospital in Jackson, Mississippi. There was another event that happened exactly two weeks before I was born that, while you may think it is foolish, has been a huge part of my life. On May 25, 1977 the original Star Wars movie debuted. I cannot think of any time in my life that I wasn’t a Star Wars fan. I remember always begging for the Star Wars figures as child; there was not a better toy that I could have! I remember one year, my dad actually bought me my own Millennium Falcon! I was drawn to the different worlds and creatures that existed in the Star Wars universe. Also, what little boy didn’t want to be a Jedi? From the Mos Eisley Cantina to the swamps of Dagobah all the way to the Forest Moon of Endor, I loved Star Wars as a child.

Can you imagine then how excited I was when I found out that a new trilogy of Star Wars movies would be released starting with The Phantom Menace in 1999? In 2005, my first son was born and Revenge of the Sith was released that same year. The circle was now complete and I could finally share my joy of Star Wars with my own son. Since then, I bought him so many Star Wars toys and we battled together. In 2010, my youngest son was born and, as you can imagine, he has seen Star Wars many times already. Next year, the long awaited Star Wars: Episode VII will be released and I cannot wait to take my boys to see it!

Star Wars has had a big influence on my life I believe because of the sense of adventure and being introduced to new places and creatures. My interest in that sense of adventure has only increased with Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, Harry Potter, Doctor Who, etc. but I am now on the greatest adventure in my life; a life in Jesus Christ. When I was twelve years old I accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior and my life has never been the same. In fact, at the age of fourteen, God called me full-time Christian service. I have now served the Lord in the ministry for seventeen years now and my faith and relationship in the Lord is constantly growing.

As much as I like Star Wars, it has no eternal value and is a thing of this world. Our love for Him should be more than our love for the world!

 “Do not love the world or the things that belong to the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in him. For everything that belongs to the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride in one’s lifestyle—is not from the Father, but is from the world. And the world with its lust is passing away, but the one who does God’s will remains forever” – 1 John 2:15-17.

Jesus loves us more than anything in this world ever could!

“For I am persuaded that not even death or life, angels or rulers, things present or things to come, hostile powers, height or depth, or any other created thing will have the power to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord!” – Romans 8:38-39.

I have been thrilled as a father to introduce Star Wars to my children, but more than that, I have been ecstatic to introduce them to Jesus Christ! My hope for my children is that they will grow up and be faithful servants of the Lord Jesus Christ.

As much as I love Star Wars, I love Jesus so much more!