Month: November 2009

Veterans Day

/ Steven Ruff / Leave a comment

Today is Veterans Day. Today is the day that has been set aside to remember our veterans and their service. Throughout history, men and women have given their time, energy, and their lives to the defense of freedom. Some enlisted. Some were drafted. In either case, they were willing to do what was necessary in order to keep America safe and free. We owe our veterans a great debt of gratitude. For it was their willingness to leave their family, endure unknown hardship, and give their lives to protect our freedoms of expression and speech.  I believe one of the greatest expressions of commitment is found in the service of our veterans. Even though there are countless numbers that don’t agree with the given reasons for their war, they still fought, and fight today, to give Americans the right to say, “You should not be there.”  In my opinion, this is the true picture of devotion and service.

It has been said that pictures are worth a thousand words. Take time and watch this moving video tribute to our veterans.

 

 

Walls

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Twenty years ago today, the wall that separated communist East Germany and the republic West Germany, as well as divided its capital city came crashing to the ground. The winds of political change brought an end to communist rule and the German citizens of Berlin were able to do what they had not been able to for more than twenty-five years. They were finally able to move freely around the city without fear. I was a senior in high school the day this history-making  event took place. I can remember the events unfold on television. I remember seeing the German citizens sitting on top of the wall swinging hammers. With each swing, another piece of the wall fell became rubble. One swing at a time they removed the barrier that kept the citizens of this once unified country apart. I can remember thinking how happy and excited they must have been. I was excited for them and I didn’t even live in Germany.

The fall of the Berlin Wall was not only a literal one, but a symbolic one as well. The crumbling of the wall symbolized the end of the Cold War. The iron curtain of communism had fallen. The removal of this wall also symbolized access and freedom. As I think about this wall coming down between two countries, I can’t help but think about the wall that has come down between God and man. The death of Christ on the cross for the sins of mankind means access and freedom. Scripture tells us that the very moment Christ died, the veil of the temple was torn from top to bottom. This tearing of the veil now meant that mankind can have personal access to God through the blood of Christ. No more human intercessors were needed. We can approach God anytime, anywhere, and for any reason beacuse we are His. Jesus brought down the wall of separation. Lord, thank you.

The winds of change are still blowing today. The Holy Spirit is still at work in the hearts of men and women. He is at work removing the walls that separate. From time to time, we are guilty of allowing walls to come up in our lives. Walls that are not beneficial to our spiritual walk. Walls that hinder future growth as believers. What do these walls look like? These walls can take on many looks: favoritism, prejudice, disobedience, and lovelessness, to name a few. We must be faithful to remember what Christ has freed us from so that we are not continually plagued by it. Jesus died to rescue mankind from these walls of separation. No wall is too great that Christ cannot keep down. 

FIFS : Ecclesiastes 7:14

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‘In the day of prosperity be joyful, but in the day of adversity, consider: without question, God has made the one as well as the other, so that man cannot discover anything that will come after him.’

The one thing that each of us have in common is that we have no idea what the future holds. Life is full of joyous occasions. In these  times we are able to laugh, smile, and rejoice. Life is also full of difficulty. It is in these times that we feel empty and confused. What is important for us to remember is that God has made both. He has made the times of rejoicing as well the times of advesity. Solomon tells us the reason for this is so that man cannot discover anything about his future. We have today.  We may be on the mountain today, and tomorrow find ourselves in the worst of valleys. In the joyous times I must thank Him, love Him, and always trust Him. In the times of adveristy I must thank Him, love Him, and always trust Him. God holds our future in His hands. We are given one day, one season at a time. What we must remember is that the same God that allows the difficulty also blesses us with prosperity.

Worth Repeating

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“This is the fear of the Lord. Most of our fears are poisonous. They steal sleep and pillage peace. But this fear is different. From a biblical perspective, there is nothing neurotic about fearing God. The neurotic thing is to not be afraid, or to be afraid of the wrong thing. That is why God chooses to be known to us, so that we may stop being afraid of the wrong thing. When God is fully revealed to us and we ‘get it’, then we experience the conversion of our fear… “Fear of the Lord’ is the deeply sane recognition that we are not God.” 

Max Lucado, Fearless

Opening Doors

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This past Saturday we held our annual Fall Festival at PRBC. This was my first at Port Royal. I was very impressed . The events of the night were well put together and a smmoth flow of all events existed. Our festival included children’s games, face painting, cake walks, a trunk-or-treat, a chili cook-off, and a teenage scavenger hunt modeled after the television show The Amazing Race. Oh yeah, lots of candy. I believe that events like this one are important to the life and health of the church. We had two reasons for hosting this event:

1. To give families a safe alternative to the traditional Halloween activities.

2. To provide an entry point into thhe church that is non-threatening.

The second is more important that the first. We can’t expect a person who is not already part of the church body to know how the church works. It is events like this one that gives a person a chance to take a look at the church outside of a normal worship service.  An opportunity is given to make connections with others so that when they do visit a regular service, some barriers have been removed. These events help the unchurched to answer the question,”How do I get in?”

Saturday we had the opportunity to talk with guests who do not attend church at all. Once guest, along with her two children said they were driving by, saw the sign, and stopped. She later told me they were not involved in a local church. Bingo. That is the reason we plan and labor over events like these. It is not for us, it is for them. We need to open as many doors as possible. I want to thank everyone who planned, decorated a trunk, cooked, and manned a game booth. Your efforts made Saturday night a success.