Remember Our Defenders

 

"Sir, my concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God's side, for God is always right." Abraham Lincoln

As a nation, we owe our veterans a huge debt of gratitude, and we must never forget the cautionary words President Coolidge said long ago, “The nation which forgets its defenders will itself be forgotten.” 

"The blessings of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness in a manner in which we choose has been fought for and, in some cases, died for by our veterans. Let us never forget their sacrifices over the course of our history, and let us be an example to others of what thankfulness and remembrance is supposed to be like. If we fail, we may imperil our nation and our future." - Mike Prendergast (retired U.S. Army colonel)

As we approach our national election day next week, let's take a moment to remember those who fought for the freedoms that we get to exercise by voting. 

God bless our veterans and their families, and God bless the United States of America.

The Grace of God

In his book “What’s So Amazing About Grace?” Philip Yancey describes a conference on comparative religions where experts from around the world debated which belief, if any, was unique to the Christian faith. C.S. Lewis happened to enter the room during the discussion. When he was told the topic was Christianity’s unique contribution among world religions, Lewis responded: “Oh, that’s easy. It’s grace.”

Lewis was right. No other religion places grace at its theological center. It was a revolutionary idea; as Mr. Yancey puts it, grace “seems to go against every instinct of humanity.” We are naturally drawn to covenants and karma, to cause and effect, to earning what we receive.

Hot Springs to Chattanooga

 

Braves One Win Away!

The Atlanta Braves are one game away from their first pennant since 1999

The Atlanta Braves have jumped out to a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven National League Championship Series. The Braves defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers, 10-2, in Game 4 Thursday night at Globe Life Field in Arlington. 

The Dodgers blew the Braves out in Game 3 after being shut down in Game 1 and having a late rally fall short in Game 2. Now, their Game 4 loss puts their 2020 season on the line. It's win-or-go home for the Dodgers on Friday night. The Braves, meanwhile, are now one win away from their first NL pennant since 1999.

Steam Train in the Snow

 

The Lies Of Our Enemy

The longer I live on this earth, the more I’m convinced that the enemy’s go-to strategy in his quest to keep us from a relationship with Jesus is this: Convince us that God is not good. Period. 

Now, I’m going to start off apologizing for the length of this blog post, because like most of you, I lack the time needed to condense my thoughts and words into a more concise statement.  

I believe in the Bible. I believe that God authorized every word of the Bible. And since I build my world-view on this truth, I also believe that we have an enemy, who seeks to steal, kill and destroy our souls. He will stop at nothing to achieve this goal and he realizes that his time grows short. 

So how can this enemy keep utilizing the same strategy on humans for thousands of years without us realizing the trap he keeps setting?

The simple truth is this, we fail to remember our place. 

How To Become A Christian

1) Believe that you are loved and accepted by God.

The good news of the Christian faith begins with the recognition that you are loved and accepted by the God who created and sustains the world.

Jesus taught us to call God "Father." While some people may lack the positive experience of a loving parent, most can imagine what the word "father" can mean at its very best. It suggests one who gives life, supplies love, provides care, protects, guides, watches over, enables growth, and gives freedom. This is what God is like. Even when we do not acknowledge God, God cares for us like a mother who cares for her children.

God knows us intimately and loves us totally. Nothing we have done or could do can make God love us less. This is vitally important, our deeds and efforts, though important, do not impact the love that God has for each one of us. That is why we cannot rely on our own efforts to obtain salvation and forgiveness - each one of us is a sinner and in need of a divine act to restore and enable us to have an relationship with God. 

Braves Win!!

 

Atlanta Braves win first post-season series since 2001!