One word makes a difference
“Yesterday, December 7th, 1941- a day which will live in HISTORY.” Wait a minute, that’s not what he said! We all know that President Franklin Roosevelt said, “a day which will live in infamy” as he addressed a joint session of congress the day after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Well, the story goes that Roosevelt was supposed to say “history” and he scratched it out and wrote in “infamy.” I am sure the change was for dramatic effect. He wanted something that would strike a chord with the men he would be asking for the authority to go to war. It was changed to better define what the President was trying to say. O, history would remember the events of that day, and so leaving the word “history” would have been accurate. But it is the word “infamy” that best describes the events that took place on the 7th of December, in 1941. With the changing of a word President Roosevelt forever embedded in our minds that famous line and its meaning. The word “infamy” means “an evil or criminal act that is publically known.” You see the word is more powerful than “history” and because of that change there would be no doubt that his words would stand “in history.”Sometimes a change in our words can make all the difference. Let me give you some times when words can make a huge impact. 1. A word of encouragement in a time of failure.2. A word of comfort in a time of grief.3. A word of direction in a time of confusion.4. A word of praise in a time of despair.5. A word of strength in a time of weakness.If we are willing and ready to change our words in these critical times our effect on those we love will be immeasurable. Be ready to change your words for the best impact for God’s church.…because He still lives,JasonComments (0) 06.12.2008. 12:21
Marines, Always Faithful
On November 10th our nation celebrated the 233rd birthday of the United States Marine Corps. They were first formed by the Continental Congress to provide security aboard the Navy’s ships. Though this group would be disbanded after the war they were reformed in 1798. From that time forward the Marine Corps has always been, as any Marine would proudly tell you, “the first ones in and the last ones to leave.” “From the halls of Montezuma; to the shores of Tripoli,” the U. S. Marines have been in engaged in every war and conflict our government has deemed necessary. Marines share a great heritage that binds them together and it is articulated very simply by their official motto, “Semper Fidelis” (Always Faithful).
On November 12th, we as a congregation said, “goodbye” to one of our very own Marines. As those who attended the services for Gerald Castle know, I got a little choked up trying to do his funeral. Now, usually I have no problems being long-winded (NO AMENS), but I just could not finish all that I wanted to say about Gerald. When it was finished I had a lot of people telling me that what I said was perfect and I guess the Lord didn’t want me to keep babbling on and mess it up. But I have one regret about something I left unsaid at the funeral. One statement that is the slogan for Gerald Castle’s life, whether to his wife, his children, his country, or to the Lord’s church, that statement is, “Semper Fidelis” (Always Faithful).Thank God for men and women who are “always faithful.”…because Christ is “always faithful”, Jason
Comments (0) 13.11.2008. 08:27
When Death Reigns
As a church family we have been feeling more than our fair share of the pains of death. In the last few weeks we have had to say, “Good-bye” to four people who were close to our hearts. Carol Ramey, Margret Howell, Ruth Dodridge and Kay Coriell were each unique individuals, all with different circumstances surrounding their deaths, each at various stages of their lives, and all of them had diverse types of family structures. The one common thread they shared were the saints of Sciotoville Christian Church and the blood of Jesus that held us all together.
When we begin to take stock of the saints whom we have lost, we can begin to get a bit discouraged. We may begin to waiver in our faith, and some may even falter under the burden of loss. Let us not lose heart, however. This sting that we feel is not permanent, nor is it so overwhelming that we cannot make it through. This sting is not so severe that we lose our faith and standing with God. Nor should this sting be totally ignored.
The Apostle Paul acknowledges death’s ability to hurt us, but not to destroy us: 1Co 15:50-58 I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 1Co 15:50-58 Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
We are not a people who will labor in vain! We are not a people who can throw in the towel when death comes. No, rather I would say we are a people who can rest under the burden of death, because death has become nothing to those who live in the light of our Lord! Be faithful to the Lord and laugh in the face of death!…because He still lives, Jason
Comments (0) 22.07.2008. 10:45