"I am God. Your argument is invalid!"

Then the LORD said to him, “Who gave man his mouth?  Who makes him deaf or mute?  Who gives him sight or makes him blind?  Is it not I, the LORD?  Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.”  (Exodus 4:11-12)

How may of us have a verse that we find encouraging?  If we think about it, I bet we have a more than one verse that gives us that “boost.”

Well, this passage is one of mine.  In fact, it is the one that encourages me regarding teaching.  In the story, Moses has just finished making some excuse why God should not send him.  Something about not being a good speaker.  I get it, because I don’t think of myself as a good speaker either.

God’s reaction is interesting.  He practically yells at Moses.  It is not Moses who has control over his ability to speak, but rather God.  He explains to the resistant man that he will not be alone.  Even better, God will teach him.

When I read this again last year, I was looking for an encouraging verse for a paper.  This one got my attention.  Despite appearing to be law and cruel, it was really reassurance.  God was letting Moses, and myself, know that He is in control.  And that no matter how I may feel about my abilities as a speaker, or an authority, or and expert in anything, God would be there to lead me.

Heavenly Father, I thank you for bringing us safely to the end of the week.  And I ask that You would continue to lead us in all we do and teach us how to speak and act.

Happy B-Day Army!

In 1775 the Continental Army was established, meaning this day is the US Army's 237th birthday.
In 1777 the "Stars and Stripes" was adopted as the official US flag.
And in 1954 President Eisenhower approved the addition of "under God" to the Pledge of Allegiance.
Oh, and it's Flag Day.  (I wonder if that is a coincidence, considering "Old Glory" was adopted on June 14th... hmm...)
Now, I'm a big fan of the Navy and Marines, but that doesn't mean I am anti-army.  Kinda hard to be against a branch of the military when you like studying military history.  Especially with a family that has a fair amount of military connection.
My grandfathers both served in World War II, Gordon in the Army Air Force and Lee in the Navy.  Megan's grandfather Lester served in the Navy too.  I have an uncle who served in the Air Force, as has his son, and two of my wife's uncles.  And my father-in-law, Tom, served in the Army.  In fact, he served for a while with the 3rd Infantry Regiment.
The "Old Guard" is based in Washington D.C. and is the oldest infantry unit.  Their role is primarily ceremonial.  It is this esteemed unit that tends Arlington National Cemetery, including guarding the Tomb of the Unknowns.  While serving with them, my father-in-law was responsible for changing the guard at the Tomb, and even got to open the door for President Ford at the White House.  Now he participates in the Memorial Day services every year, often speaking about his experiences and his view on the nation he loves and defended.
But his stories don't stop on November 11th.  One of the most memorable, to me, is about his time in Germany.  He was driving someone around in a Jeep, and was told to go around some M113 armored personnel carriers.  However, the road had a steep hill instead of a shoulder.  Tom voiced his concerns about rolling the vehicle, but was told that Jeeps are impossible to roll.  Guess what, they rolled the Jeep.  No one hurt, pride not included.
Tom is a collector of stories, having a number of friends who are retired military.  His personality and ability to make friends with almost anyone in less than 5 minutes is becoming almost a superpower (my opinion).  It is this personable nature that aided him in climbing the ranks while in the Army.  Everyday, while moving Jeeps about the base, he would pass a General each morning.  Not content with saluting, he would greet the General every day.  Apparently that looks good when promotions come around.
Anyway, I realize that I've been rambling, and it took me all day to get around to it.  If everyone wants, I can have Tom tell his stories on this blog, but I'm not sure how he'd adjust to the world of blog.  Heck, I still haven't fully acclimated myself.  Not that it's going to stop me.
Anyway, happy birthday Army.

Warning: tear jerker

Jesus wept. (John 11:35)

Sometimes you don’t need words to express how you’re feeling.  If you’re annoyed at someone you might roll your eyes.  If you’re scared you may let out a yelp or even a scream.  And if you’re sad you might even cry.

One of the most reassuring things about Jesus is not that He is the Almighty God, which he is, and it is reassuring.  No, the best and most comforting thing about Jesus is that while He is fully God, He is still human.  That means He feels all our emotions: fear, pain, joy, sorrow.

When His friend Lazarus died, Jesus cried.  Could He have walked in, tossed all the professional mourners out and raised Lazarus with a snap of His fingers?  Of course.  So why didn’t He?

Because He was sad His friend had died.

Sometimes we get caught up in the “awesomeness” of Jesus.  He is God, and He came to beat sin, death, and the Devil.  But He also came to have a relationship with us.  And the best way to do that was to experience every human emotion.  Even feeling sad that someone He knew had died.  Because Jesus knew something very important: that even death had to obey Him.

And that is a reason for us to be very, very glad.

Prayer:

Lord, we thank You for embracing our humanity and our emotions so that we could know You better.  Help us to realize that there is no emotion we can experience that you have not already felt.  And that you will always be there to comfort us in our pain, and celebrate with us in our joy.

Amen

Suit up!

Its been awhile since I've posted a devotion.  So, here's another from my time student-teaching.

Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.  Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that come from the gospel of peace.  In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.

Ephesians 6:13-16

The idea of the “armor of God” is quite popular with Christians.  We like to think that God has given us all the tools we need to fight spiritual warfare.  And He has.

But in this modern age, I don’t think we understand the imagery anymore.  Today’s soldier wears bulletproof vests and carries a rifle.  Back when Paul wrote his letter to Ephesus, the best solders in the world were Roman legionnaires.  This image would have made perfect sense to an early Christian.

The breastplate a Roman soldier would wear did not cover their back.  While there was some armor, like a chain mail shirt, that they could wear for protection, it was not sufficient to stop even an arrow.  In the same way, relying on our righteousness alone will not keep us safe from attack.

The weapon that made the Roman Army great was the shield.  This device was a huge and strong wooden plank, some almost as tall as the soldier carrying it.  Where it was most effective was in formation.  The Roman Army would line up its men, and the first row would place their shields together to form a wall.  Then the men behind them would do the same, only this time above their heads.  This effectively made a human tank.  Alone, the shield was useful, but insufficient to defend fully.  With a group, it made for a much stronger and capable soldier.

Our faith works the same way.  On our own, we may struggle with all life throws at us.  But with our fellow believers we can support and strengthen each other.

Prayer:

Lord, thank you for placing people in our lives to support us in the hard times.  Help us to humbly admit when we may need their help, and to be ready when they may need us to lean on.

Amen.

*I would really like to get a set of Roman armor, simply for this purpose.

This week in History.

June 2, 2007 (5 years ago yesterday).
The most important event of our time occurred: Megan and Adam got married!

And everyone thought we were crazy.  Which, we were, and we are, and probably forever will be.  But we are two of the happiest people we know.

And the winner of the poll is...

Republic!

Congratulations to everyone who knew the right answer.  And, yes, the United States is, and has always been a republic.  Apparently no one since Woodrow Wilson (boo) remembers that.  And and before anyone bemoans "but we're a democracy," consider the following.

The United States of America is a Federal Presidential Constitutional Republic that uses the democratic election process.

In other words: we have a centralized government that has oversight and absolute control in some areas (Federal) that is run by a chief elected executive (Presidential) whose authorities are determined by an established document (Constitutional) that, along with the various laws and regulations, is composed by an elected body of representatives of the people (Republic) who are chosen by a popular vote (democratic).