Month: June 2025

Christ has set us free to live a free life. So take your stand! Never again let anyone put a harness of slavery on you! Galatians 5:1

Our country is preparing to celebrate the 249th anniversary of the freedom that we all enjoy! It’s amazing how all the freedoms for which our forefathers fought and died are still the bedrock of our country even though, we as believers, see religious freedom threatened.

The verse above is a call to action urging all believers to actively embrace and defend our freedom in Christ. It emphasizes that freedom is not just a theoretical concept, but a reality to be experienced and lived. It highlights the truth that Christ brings liberation from sin, and it warns us not to return to legalistic systems or other forms of bondage that would restrict our freedom in Christ.

The song, My Country ‘Tis Of Thee, is a way of saying “My country, it is of You” or My country belongs to You,” reinforcing God’s hand in the establisment of America. Samuel Frances Smith wrote the song which served as the national anthem of America until the adoption of The Star Spangled Banner in 1931.

It is clear that belief in God influenced the first attempt at civil government in the New World. When the Pilgrims landed in America, they came to this new land seeking religious freedom. The Mayflower Compact was their first attempt to agree to submit to a system of laws.

The opening paragraph says: In the name of God, Amen. We whose names are underwritten, having undertaken for the glory of God and advancement of the Christian faith and honor of our King and country, a voyage to plant the first colony in northern parts of Virginia, do by these present solemnly and mutally in the presence of God and one another, covenant and combine ourselves into one civil political body.

In 1775, as the idea of total independence from England was taking root, Patrick Henry made a speech to the second Virginia convention in which he said, There is a just God who presides over the destinies of nations. Gentlemen may cry, peace, peace, but there is no peace. The war has actually begun. The next gale that sweeps from the North will bring to our ears the clash of resounding arms.

A year later, that just God who presides over the nations brought the clash of resounding arms in the form of The Declaration of Independence which we celebrate this week!

When the Declaration was publicly read in Philadelphia, the Liberty Bell rang out in order to call attention to the people. Inscribed on the Libery Bell are these words: “Proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof.” Leviticus 25:10

After the Revolution, George Washington became our first President, and as his first act, he said his oath over a Bible, and his first act as President was to bend over and kiss the Bible. His second act was to lead the Cabinet, Senate, and the House to St. Paul’s Episcopal Church were they had a two hour worship service led by the chaplains of the House and Senate. The first Congress appointed chaplains to provide religious leadership to our soldiers and sailors.

George Washington said, “It is impossible to rightly govern without God and the Bible.” John Quincy Adams added, “The highest glory of the Revolution was that it united in one indissolube bond the principles of Christianity, and the principles of civil government.” To say that our nation was not founded on religious principles is an attempt to rewrite over 200 years of history. Psalm 33 tell us Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord.

On this celebration of the birth of our nation, there are three times that I think would be valuable for each of us to remember. First, we must praise God for the things He has done. Next, we should have a reverence for God. Finally, we should remember that a nation whose God is the Lord is a nation who will trust God because it is He and He alone who will give us the victory.

Our Father’s God to Thee, Author of Liberty, To thee we sing. Long may our land be bright, With freedom’s holy light, Protect us by thy might, Great God our King. Our Country ‘Tis Of Thee by Samuel Francis Smith

God Bless America!

Join me in magnifying the Lord and spreading the news; together, let’s get the word out. Psalm 34:3

This week our church is hosting our first Vacation Bible School for children. The theme of this week is Magnify, and it’s such a joy to see children learning that God sees each of us, and that we are called to magnify his goodness to us. It’s funny how much we adults can learn just from studying the literature for the children!

Magnify is defined as making something appear larger especially by using a lens. When we magnify God, it doesn’t mean that we make him physically bigger, but rather that we make Him greater in our lives and in the lives of others. We focus on His greatness and intentionally elevate Him in our thoughts, actions, and affections while encouraging others to do the same!

However, we, as humans, tend to magnify problems instead of magnifying God’s promise. When we magnify problems, we aren’t changing the actual size of them, but rather,we simply make them bigger in our own mind.

The Lord’s prayer begins with the words, “Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name,” and it ends with, “Thine is the kingdom and the power and glory forever. Amen.” It begins and ends focusing on Him . When you magnify something you enlarge it so that you can see it better and understand it more. When we magnify someone we take our minds off ourselves and focus on the magnification. God would have us concentrate on magnifying His goodness to us.

Yesterday morning, the focus of Americans shifted from everyday problems to the bombing of Iran and the potential ramifications of this. Most of us find ourselves magnifying the event and turning our minds to what it could mean for our country. At times such as this, our job should be to magnify God’s greatness and remember that He is in charge!

Eugene Peterson, author of The Message, says: God raised him from death and set Him on a throne in deep heaven in charge of running the universe; everything from galaxies to governments, no name and no power exempt from his rule. This is not just for the time being, but forever. He is in charge of it all, and He has the final word on everything. At the center of all this, Christ rules. Eph. 1:20-23

We can magnify all our situations by gaining a better perspective. We should ask God to help us see situations through His eyes as we recognize His sovereignty and control. For instance, there was a little boy who was dealing daily with a bully who lived down the street from him. He was trying his best to get up the nerve to stand up to the bully, but he was just too afraid and lacked the confidence.

One day his father bought him a telescope, and helped him set it up in the front yard. When his father got home one afternoon, the boy was using the telescope, but he was looking through the wrong end. He was looking through the big side.

The Dad approached the boy and said, “No son, you are doing it backwards. Turn it around, and it will make things bigger. The boy replied, “I know Dad, but right now I’m looking at the bully, and when I look at him this way, it makes him so small that I think I can take him!”

Maybe we need to turn our telescope around because we have magnified that problem long enough! We’ve talked about how impossible it is, how it’s never going to work out, and how we need to just accept the situation for what it is. However, if we turn the telescope around, we will see it from the right perspective. The perspective that says, “Nothing is too hard for our God.” He can handle whatever bully is magnifying the negative things in our life.

We have a God who parted the Red Sea for the Israelites, and if He can do that, He can certainly take our magnified problems and solve them.

Magnify the Lord, not the problems!

When you are in over your head, I will be with you. When you are in rough waters, you will not go down. Isaiah 43: 2-3

The one place on earth that gives my soul and heart peace is at the beach. My family grew up going to the Gulf coast in Florida, and when I go there, it always feels like coming home.

The ocean there is a beautiful green color, and in the mornings, the waves are normally calm and rolling. Even though the afternoons can bring rough waters, this is the time for riding the waves.

Our mother loved it there, but the one thing that unnerved her was the undertow which could be present on any given day. Undertow is defined as a subsurface current that typically is moving away from shore and occurs under breaking waves. It’s a natural phenomenon where water pushed onto shore by waves flows back out to sea normally beneath the incoming waves. Even though it can be dangerous, it is usally quite manageable if you know what to expect.

Contrast this scenario with the undertow on the western side of Mexico. We had never been there, and even though we were told not to swim in the ocean, Randy and I decided it didn’t look too rough especially for experts!

We waded into the ocean as we always do, and we were immediately knocked off our feet with a current that was so strong it was all I could do to recover from it! That’s when I learned that a riptide is much different than an undertow. A riptide is a powerful surface current that moves directly perpendicular to shore, and one has no idea has strong the current is until you are caught in it! Later we learned that two swimmers had been rescued and recussitated earlier in the same day.

Undertows and riptides are perfect examples of things that happen in life which take us totally by surprise and then leave us, metaphorically,fighting to get back to shore! We don’t know what new experiences, new needs, or changes will come our way in this life. It is full of highs and lows, smooth sailing, or rough waters, and undertows or riptides.

If life were always like calm waters, the boring sameness of it would weigh us down. We need the undertows to invigorate us and make us strong enough to face whatever is coming our way. There’s a certain amount of satisfaction in meeting a challenge and living through it.

The undertows in life might take us downfor a bit, but with God’s grace we can see the undertow as the force that drives us to the throne of His grace and brings the showers of blessings that will follow.

Just like a current, that we can’t see coming, we can’t see what sorrow, loss, or trials are in store for us. We only know that when we trust God to get us through it, the Father comes next to us and leads us to the shore.

When Randy and I emerged from our undertow, we noticed a couple sitting on the beach calmly watching us fight the waves. When we walked up on the shore, the lady said, “Well, thank heavens you made it. I thougt we might have to get our feet wet and try to save you!”

Many of us are sitting on the shore because we are afraid to get into the water. God’s undertows are gracious experiences to help us deal with whatever comes our way.

God leads us on by paths we do not know; He leads us on through all the unquiet years; Past all our dreamland hopes, doubts, and fears. He guides our steps through all the tangled maze, Of losses, sorrows, and clouded days. We know His will is done; And still He leads us on. Nicholaus Zinzendorf

If your child asks for bread, do you trick him with sawdust? If he asks for fish, do you scare him with a live snake on his plate? As bad as you are, you wouldn’t think of such a thing! You are at least decent to your own children. So don’t you think the God who conceived you in love will be even better? Matthew 7:11 The Message

This coming weekend is the time we set aside to gather as families to honor our Fathers. Although, it seems as if we have been celebrating this special day as long as I can remember, it was actually only made official in 1972 when, then President Richard Nixon, signed a presidential resolution proclaiming the second Sunday in June as Father’s Day!

Father’s Day was actually inspired by a woman, Sonora Smart Dodd from Spokane, Washington after hearing a Mother’s Day sermon. She proposed the idea in 1909, wanting a special day to honor her Father, William Smart, a civil war veteran who raised his six children alone after the death of their mother. It’s amazing that it took almost 70 years to make it official.

The celebration of Father’s Day seems to take a back seat sometimes to Mother’s Day. A small boy once said, “Father’s Day is just like Mother’s Day only you don’t spend as much on the gift.” Someone once said that “Fathers spend the first part of their child’s life teaching them to walk and talk, and the rest of the child’s life telling them to sit down and be quiet.” The reality is, where would we be today without our Fathers?

The word father is defined as a man who begets offsprings; a male parent, but a true father is so much more. A true father cares for his family. He attempts to show his children the way they should go in this world. He sets a good example, works hard, and protects his children. He loves unconditionally just like his heavenly Father.

It seems that each of us have or have had different experiences with our Father figure in our lives. No matter whether it is good or bad, I always remember what the Father in the Prodigal son taught us about a Father’s love. No matter what we have done, how we have behaved, when we come home to God there is no condemnation, only love and acceptance. I equate that experience with those of a true earthly Father.

The following story of Fathers is by one of my favorite humorists and authors, Erma Bombeck, and I share it with apologies for some of the changes I made!

When the good Lord was making Fathers He started with a tall frame. A female angel nearby said, “What kind of Father is that? If you are going to make children so close to the ground, why put Fathers up so high?” God smiled and said, “Yes, but if I make him child sized, who would children look up to?”

When God made a Father’s hands, they were large and sinewy. The angel remarked, “Large hands are clumsy and can’t handle diaper pins, buttons, pony tails, or remove splinters.” God smiled. “Yes, but they are large enough to hold everything a child empties from their pockets, yet small enough to cup a child’s face.”

Then God molded long legs and broad shoulders. The angel was aghast! “Do you realize you just made a Father without a lap?” God smiled and said, “A mother needs a lap, but a Father needs strong shoulders to pull a sled, balance a child on a bike, or support a sleepy head after a long day.

When God began work on the huge feet of a Father, the angel could stand it no longer. She exclaimed, “Do you think those big feet will hit the floor when a baby cries or manuver through a child’s birthday party without stepping on the little ones gathered there?” God smiled. “They’ll work – you’ll see. They’ll support a small child who wants to ride horsey, scare off mice, and display shoes that will be a challenge to fill.”

God worked through the night giving the Father few words, but a firm authoritative voice, eyes that saw everything but remained calm and tolerant. Finally, almost as an afterthought, He added tears. Then He turned to the angel and said, “Now are you satiisfied that He can love as much as a Mother?” The angel shutteth up!

Happy Father’s Day to all Dads on this special day. Thank you for the significant impact you have on the lives of your children, grandchildren, and all those who come after. I especially want to thank the fathers in our family! We are so thankful for the love, support, and guidance in all areas of our lives! We love you!

Thank you, Patsy Burberry, for sharing your beautiful painting of a special Father and son!