September 2006
CHAPLAIN’S CORNER
Greetings to all of you from the land of the Big Red. Fall is upon us, college football, the weather is chilly and soon the trees will begin to lose their leaves. It is a most beautiful time of the year. Dawn and I will be leaving at the end of the month to drive out to Monterey, California to be at Caleb’s graduation from language school. He is doing very well and we are pleased with the talent that our gracious Lord has bestowed on him. We would appreciate your prayer for us for traveling mercy.
As I have pondered and prayed over what to bring this time, I have really wrestled with it. Many times it is very evident what the Lord would have me to bring, this time it wasn’t so easy. As I was in the shower this morning chewing on a thought, the Lord laid on my heart what I believe he would have me to bring.
Last week we had a spirited email exchange within our Ranger listing and this is what provoked my thoughts. If you show me two men who agree on everything, I will show you one who doesn’t think. The neat thing about this is that we can disagree on an issue and we need not become enemies. We have all fought to preserve this right and this is what I will focus on.
We live in the greatest nation on the face of this earth. Secular history tells us that this nation was birthed because of desire of those forefathers who desired to worship God as we are commanded in the scriptures. Revisionist historians have robbed us of this heritage, but God will not be mocked.
Men need spirited debate today, not political correctness. The PC movement has castrated strong men, and during this turbulent time in our world’s history, we need strong men who can lead through conviction of character. The problem is we have too many men who are characters. Can you imagine where our nation would be today had it not been for men of God who would not allow religion to continue to imprison them? No, these men stood up and debated leaving their homeland, leaving many family members, and risking all they traveled to the new world. We can read about the exploits of the members of the Mayflower as they came to begin this greatest experiment. Did they have any idea they would begin what they did? I doubt it, they just wanted to raise their family to know and fear God without worrying about ending up in prison. Their only crime was that of preaching the word of God.
As we moved on toward the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the fire that was upon these early founding fathers was upon those in that elite group of men. It has been written many times, better than I, that these were educated men, men of means, and men who would stand up and passionately lay out where they stood. When these men pledged their fortunes and sacred honor they fully knew the ramification if this experiment failed.
We all know the outcome, but fast forward to today.
We have come to the point where it is not acceptable to display any vestige of Almighty God in any public place. Our Bill of Rights guarantees us freedom of religion, not freedom from religion. I believe that it was God who moved on the hearts of those men to begin this nation, later to gain independence from Great Britain, and later to become a super power to save this planet from madmen from Germany, Italy, and Japan. We became a great nation because we were a good nation. This goodness came from the fear of God, preached by the man of God, from the word of God, to the people of God. The pulpits of this nation were aflame with the preaching of the true gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Tomorrow is the fifth anniversary of 9/11. A day that should make us take note that our freedom is in jeopardy. There is a real enemy bent on our destruction. Our enemy laughs at our timidity, in some insane desire not to offend anyone. It is time that we wake up! If a Thomas Jefferson or another founding father were alive today they would sit and weep at the slide this nation is in. Why you may ask? Simply because we have allowed the pulpits of this nation to be usurped by hirelings. Men who are just in it for the position and money. They do not care about their congregations, only a furtherance of their agenda. They tell us from their lofty perches that we don’t have an inerrant word of God, Jesus was not God, and they deny the virgin birth. They preach love and piece, they entertain their congregations with praise bands and then when emotion is peeked they preach deceits to their masses. Why you may ask? Because the bible says that in the last days, men will become lovers of their own selves. Deceiving and being deceived. The congregations heap to themselves teachers who tickle their ears. The people cry out “preach to us smooth things, preach deceits.” Sound familiar? We don’t need someone to write about a purpose driven church, we need preachers who are called of God to stand up and preach the word of God, with the power of God!!!
There are many today who believe peace is the absence of war. If you are one of those, you have been deceived. We of all people should understand that freedom is not free. It has been paid for with the blood of patriots, many of whom we knew and loved.
In the book of Ephesians chapter 6, it states that we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Our battle is not against each other, it is with sin. The bible says that all men sin and fall short of the glory of God. This is the simple truth that caused religious leaders of England to throw the likes of John Bunyan into prison, but that did not stop him. He wrote Pilgrim’s Progress there. His only crime was telling people how to be saved. I wonder right now how close we are to this happening in this country.
In closing, I must write something I read in an email just the other day. There has been only two willing to die to make others free, Jesus Christ and the American soldier. I am proud to have served with all of you, and desire that every one of you is in heaven with me some day. Because of the finished work of Christ who died, was buried, rose again on the third day and because of HIS work I now am saved and know I have a place in heaven.