Lord Bless ...Memorial Day 2023

LORD BLESS

       

                                   Lord Bless

Lord Bless the memories

of those who have given their lives in service to our country

Lord Bless the soldier

at their post, where ever that may be

Lord Bless the families

who are left behind to continue on with their  lives

Lord bless the ones

who carry the scars as a reminder of their sacrifice

Lord Bless those

who have been and are prisoners to an enemy

Lord Bless the children

who hold a picture of the man they call their Daddy

Lord bless the wives

who sleep alone,

Lord Bless the parents

who wait at home

Lord Bless them,

the men and women

who have dedicated their lives

to protecting what we know as our country,

our freedom, our home;

the United States of America

Tracey J. Thompson

©5/27/06

Photos by RachelRamsdellPhotography

"Lord Bless those who have given their lives"......

I wanted something a bit more concrete to pray for...so I looked up some statistics starting with the Civil War... (Decoration Day was instituted in 1868 by the Grand Army of the Republic to decorate the graves of Union soldiers who lost their lives in the Civil War. Eventually the two competing decoration holidays, Union and Confederate, merged into one and included the honoring of all Americans who had died while in military service.  The term Memorial Day was first used in 1882, but was not declared the official name until 1967. At this point Memorial Day was May 30th...until the Uniform Monday Holiday Act in 1968 was passed and Memorial Day was moved to the last Monday of May, which took effect at the federal level in 1971)

NOW that the history lesson is over!  On with my thoughts:

American military lives lost;

Civil War: 750,000

World War I: 116,516

World War II: 405,399

Korean War: 54,246

Vietnam: 58,204

Afghanistan War: 2,356

Iraq War: 4,497

The list of conflicts and wars is much larger, but I looked at the ones we are most familiar with.

That is a HUGE amount of casualties....add in the families and people that are also affected by this...not to mention those wounded.

LORD BLESS.....

We, as those who live in the country that these people fought for and defended, must remember in prayer all those affected, and for those who continue to serve knowing what the out come could be.

Whether we agree with any of these wars and conflicts....we can still commit to pray.

We pray for peace....because with peace  comes the end of conflict and with that the end of war.  We pray for the peace that Christ brings.  I also pray for peace for those amid the conflict, that Christ can give them inner peace as they live and battle in not so peaceful nations.

On Memorial Day we remember. There are pictures posted on social media of men and women in uniform who have served our country, cemeteries are decorated with wreaths and flowers and flags, parades with those in service now, and those who have been, wind the streets of many towns across the country.  Remembering names and stories and even statistics is our way of preserving the past, of making sure generations do not forget the sacrifice and loss that was done, in essence for them, and for those generations to come.

There are many instances in the bible  (more than 300 times in the Old Testament) where God commanded a memorial be built so they would not forget what He had done for them, or people built and altar to honor and memorialize what God had done.   Noah built an altar in gratitude and honor that God saved him and his family and the animals from destruction.
Abraham
The Lord appeared to Abram and said, "To your offspring I will give this land.” So he built an altar there to the Lord, who had appeared to him. Genesis 12:7
Isaac
Isaac built an altar there and called on the name of the Lord. There he pitched his tent, and there his servants dug a well.  Genesis 26:25
Jacob
Then God said to Jacob, “Go up to Bethel and settle there, andbuild an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you were fleeing from your brother Esau. Genesis 35:1
Moses
Moses built an altar and called it The Lord is my Banner.   Exodus 17:15
...and this list goes on.

Every day, as a Christian, should be a memorial day, should it not? We come before the Lord humbly, on our knees, grateful for what He has done for us...the sacrifice and the loss suffered for us.  Our lives should be that memorial....how we live and the choices we make should honor the One who allows us to live with His presence here and the assurance of eternity when we leave this earth. 

LORD BLESS......

I included a video link I found to an beautifully done video for this year's Memorial Day.

May We Never Forget  (Producer/Director/Editor: Brad Neese)

( This blog Adapted and reworked from Coffee Time With A Dear Friend; Lord Bless May 29,2017)

Intentional Connection

Sorry the blog is so late this week, I was out of town. 

As chaplain of West Stockholm Fire Department my husband had the annual conference for New York State Association of Fire Chaplains, this past week at the State Fire Acadamy in Montour Falls New York.

The theme was "A Cry For Help". As firemen, first responders and EMS they may see a lot of trauma and tragedy that may, in turn cause them mental, emotional and spiritual duress.

As chaplains they are called upon to be a resource to those in need and not just fellow emergency personnel, but the general population as well.

I was fortunate enough, as were several of the other wives, to sit in on this portion of the conference and found lots of great information as well as some inspiration for this blog!

The first presentation, by NYS Office of Mental Health, was about Social Connectedness. One word...thought, that I kept having in much of what he was saying was....INTENTIONAL.

Intentional in our connections, our relationships, our community.

We are "with" people every day, sometimes all day. But it does not mean we have a connection with them. 

We may be "connected" through our work, our organization even our family, but it doesn't mean we have "a connection". 

We have to BE INTENTIONAL if we want that intimate, important connection that allows us to interact with a person; to truly see what may be going on with them.

It takes awareness and a concerted effort; to step outside of our own issues and circumstance to really see.

It takes compassion, empathy and a bit of time; to set aside our own agenda and allow another to become our priority, at least for a time.

What came to mind is the very first relationship we have to make an intentional connection with....is Jesus Christ!

📖 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.  If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.  If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.  This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. John 15:5-9

Without that relationship being a strong, solid connection we won't have the internal, spiritual resources to reach out and help others.

We need to wake purposefully each day seeking Him and His word. Intentionally spending time with Him in prayer.

📖 Look to the Lord and his strength;
    seek his face always? Chronicles 16:11

📖 O God, You are my God;
Early will I seek You;
My soul thirsts for You;
My flesh longs for You
In a dry and thirsty land
Where there is no water.
2 So I have looked for You in the sanctuary,
To see Your power and Your glory Psalm.63:1-2 (NKJV)

We need to intentionally surrender ourselves; heart, mind, body soul, resources and time to His plan and purpose.

📖  He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ Luke 10:27

📖Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.  Romans 12:1

We have to be aware that there are things out there working against us.

📖Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings. 1 Peter 5:8-9

But if we Intentionally seek Him...

📖 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Matthew 6:33

we will be able to Intentionally give others what they may need, or at least be able to give them love and support and help them find the resources they need.

📖if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place. 2 Chronicles 7:14-15

If we are intentional in our connection to Him He will not only see us through our difficult situation, but will allow us to be that beacon of hope for someone else.

🙏My prayer today is that if you are in a situation where you are feeling disconnected, isolated, alone, I pray you let someone know how you are feeling, you reach out a hand to someone. I pray you can lift your prayer to God, who will hear and bring someone into your path. I pray strength to reach out, I pray courage to share your heart and I pray each one feels connected to His love, protection and healing. I also pray that if some one reaches out to you, God gives you compassion, empathy, and a heart for that individual. ❤️

Mothers Day

First Things First https://coffeetimewithafriend.blogspot.com/2023/03/first-things-first.html

I posted back on March 7th. 

My Mother's Day message was a spin off from that blog, that song.

I am going to link the songs that we sang on Sunday, because they went with the flow of the service.

And I apologize this is a repeat for those of you who were at church for Mother's Day!

If you would like to watch click on the link

👀Victory Baptist Mother's Day Service

🎵First Things First - Consumed By Fire

First of all the statement "first things first"  has been around for centuries, it means to prioritize, do the thing that is most important first, before things of lesser importance get in the way etc.
I would venture a guess it might have been a mother that coined the phrase!
As moms that is what we do, all day,  prioritize.:
No dessert until the food is eaten
No outside until toys are picked up.
School work first 
Bath first etc
You all can hear it can't you.... childhood memories 😁
We all do it through out the day with ourselves
But this song made me think about what should be first. And today more specifically what our mom's and those who were a big part of our growing up demonstrated for us.

 First let's get rid of anything that might distract or disturb our worship, our service.
We go to God's word first, to know how to live, what to do
Let's pray these verses together 
📖 But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, Colossians 3:8-9
📖 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Ephesians 4:30-32
📖 Search me, O God, and know my heart;
Try me, and know my anxieties; And see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting.  Psalm 139:23-24
📖 Create in me a clean heart, O God,
And renew a steadfast spirit within me. Psalm 51:10
 
We want to empty ourselves to be full of Him. 
📖 He must increase, but I must decrease. John 3:27-30
 
Some you may have brought a Bible that hold some special meaning.
I have bibles throughout the sanctuary to help give us a feel for the idea of what is most important.
📖 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.  2 Timothy 3:16-17

On the front table is a child first bible, my Mom's Devotional Bible and a Grandmother’s bible.  To remind us that we use God’s word at ALL stages of our lives.
Teaching our children that Gods holy word is the first thing we should look to for our guidance, our map, our instruction manual
📖 Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path. Psalm 119:105

Our mom's are generally the first to pray over us, for us and with us.
And the first prayer Jesus taught us;
📖  “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.  And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.  Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
“This, then, is how you should pray:  Matthew 6:5-9
🎵 The Lord's Prayer - Matt Maher
 
No matter how difficult and troubled our situations become if we have a relationship with Christ, we have something to be grateful for. 
📖 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Galatians 2:20

We have God’s love to be grateful for
For most of us I pray, our mom is the first to love us, EXCEPT God loves us First
📖 We love because he first loved us. 1 John 4:19
📖 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

And we learn how to love, from the ones around us and from Jesus himself,
📖 He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.” Luke 10:27
 
SO if we take a moment  even in the worst of times I bet we can find something to praise the Lord for
 
📖 Praise the Lord, my soul,
    and forget not all his benefits— Psalm 103:2
 

I think we will find we have more than enough to count.
🎵 Count Your Blessings
 
Hopefully, your mom or someone in your life, more than one person I pray! Helped/helps you to see how God blesses you and is working in your life.
 
Maybe your mom didn't pray over you, but someone, maybe even someone you didn't know, was/is.  I believe each of you has been prayed for, times you may not have even known about. We pray for people; and sometimes we don't know names or circumstances,  but we pray. Like we do for the children who receive the shoeboxes, as well as the families and communities they affect
 
I know some of you here pray fervently for many; 
We pray for our parents, siblings, children and grandchildren great grandchildren, our brothers and sisters here in our church family. 
 
This song has become a prayer of mine, I have lifted it to God for many, I have sent the link to some,  I played it over my father in ICU, when he was intubated. 
Today,  I know Moms who are be praying in Jesus name.
 
🎵 In Jesus Name - Katy Nichole
 
When we put first things first we allow God to be front and center. In His word, and in communication with Him.
For many here this may just be a reminder of our priorities.
But for some, you may not be sure of where your priorities are, or you want to put Christ front and center in your life but aren’t sure how.
Our hearts need to be humbled before God, realizing our broken and sinful selves need salvation. Believing that God sent His only Son to this world to save us from our sin. We believe that He died on a cross, but conquered death and rose 3 days later and walked amongst His disciples but them ascended into heaven, but not before telling His disciples to GO and TELL others about God’s love and the salvation they can have in Christ.
📖 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20

And not just Moms, but Dads grandparents, mentors, friends we all pray and
we all want to set good examples of what should come first in our daily lives 
And we should all be committed to pray, especially for our children as they grow up and in the Lord.
It says in James 5:16
📖 pray for one another

🎵Promise My Prayers
 

🙏 I promise my prayers for each of you, every time I post. I pray that you seek to look into God's Word every day and put the first Thing first.🧡
 

Family/Heavenly Love

As I was reflecting on all the events of this past weekend things seemed to gather into one theme that inspired this blog!

We gathered as a family to day goodbye to yet another one of my mom's sisters. Susan Kenyon Plante, (#6 of 13), passed away on April 28th.  We lost Aunt Linda, (#4 of 13) six months ago. (Aunt Marge #1 of 13 was almost ten years ago) Not to mention my sister, Leah two years ago, as well as close family friends.

At Aunt Susie's service Friday sadness and tears mingled with the beautiful sentiments and memories.

But Saturday there was a family reunion that had been planned prior to Aunt Susie's passing (she was hoping to attend).

And not just a family reunion but a KENYON FAMILY reunion! There IS a difference!

Despite sadness, grief and hurt, we gathered to celebrate life!

In spite of brokenness, hurt, discord, tragedy, anger, failure, pain we gathered.

We gathered, in forgiveness, acceptance, restoration, hope, promise and covering all of it was love.

📖 Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.1 Peter 4:8

📖 Hatred stirs up conflict,
    but love covers over all wrongs. Proverbs 10:12

We gathered and danced and hugged and visited and loved because of those things!

And because Leah would have dressed in her best hippie or disco attire! Because Aunt Linda and Aunt Susie would have danced every dance, and danced circles around us!

Because my Mom thought it might have been my Dad's funeral last year, and Dad thought, even though recovered, he would never dance with the love of his life ever again.

We gathered and reconnected, we hugged and held on tight because we hadn't seen some in a long time.

We shared stories of joy and hope and healing.

We even had one Aunt come who just the day before, at graveside, took a tumble and sprained her ankle and cut her hand, but Aunt Ann was there with her foot up and iced. Why? because of LOVE!

Love for the siblings that were there, for their children and grandchildren and even great grandchildren that were there. To connect, or reconnect to family.

And as I thought of all of us dancing to the last song of the evening (played for the 2nd time) We Are Family! (Sister Sledge) There was hugging and cheering ...it was heaven!  

 Yes, a tiny glimpse of Heaven!

As I thought about that, it was very fitting. We are all broken, hurting, full of faults and flaws, but because of the gift of eternal life that Jesus has given those who believe in Him, we will one day be dancing together in heaven!  Leah, Linda, Susie and all the rest were...ARE having their own party in the presence of our Lord and Savior! Celebrating LIFE ETERNAL!  Of course we are going to celebrate that here!

📖 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.” 

John 14:1-4

📖 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”  Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”  John 14:5-7

🙏My prayer for you is that you know the Way, and you can celebrate that you have the family of God to rejoice and celebrate with, not only here on earth, but one day in heaven!❤️

Cracked Pot

 This was supposed to follow The Empty Pitcher" blog!

The Empty Pitcher April 11, 2023

  AND I felt like I had blogged this before, but I couldn't find it in the past posts. It may be because I have thought about this many times as I have used the broken pitcher at church.

As I said in "The Empty Pitcher" blog this is a pitcher from an old pitcher and bowl set that had been discarded, or should have been discarded....and it is used to place seasonal arrangements in and is displayed on the front table in our sanctuary.

Father's Day 2021

It is a broken vessel, a cracked pot! But I use it anyway!

📖  Now in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver but also of wood and clay, some for honorable use, some for dishonorable. Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work. 2 Timothy 2:20-21(ESV)

We may feel useless, cracked, broken, even crushed;

📖 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.  We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.  For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body. So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you. 2 Corinthians 4:6-12

But the treasure of God is within us!

Our brokenness, our weakness is why Christ can shine, why His strength can be glorified.

📖 Even if I should choose to boast, I would not be a fool, because I would be speaking the truth. But I refrain, so no one will think more of me than is warranted by what I do or say,  or because of these surpassingly great revelations. Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.  That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:6-10

He doesn't see the cracks, He sees our hearts, what we are capable of FOR HIM!

📖But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”  1 Samuel 16:7

There are many instances in the Bible where God used the broken to further His kingdom, because He saw their heart.

They are included in the Holy Bible, their purpose was for us.

Rahab - a prostitute  (Joshua 2)

David - even a man after God's own heart, committed adultery and conspired to murder (2 Samuel 11)

Tamar & Judah - Genesis 38 (you have to read that one!)

Moses - Couldn't speak well (Exodus 3)

Jonah - self righteous and disobedient ( the whole book of Jonah)

and there are many more!

Jesus associated with the broken, tax collectors, women with bad reputations, sinners.....

hmmm 🤔 like me?!

📖When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.”  So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly. All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.” But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.” Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” Luke 19:5-10

He even said He came for the sinners!

📖While Jesus was having dinner at Levi’s house, many tax collectors and sinners were eating with him and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?” On hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” Mark 2:15-17

Which is me!  I can relate to what Paul says;

📖 I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me trustworthy, appointing me to his service. Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life. Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen. 1 Timothy 1:12-17

God can use us when we are broken...actually it is better when we are!  We just have to surrender ourselves, cracks and all, to Him so He shines!

 📖For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.  2 Corinthians 4:6

God draws near BECAUSE of our brokenness

📖The Lord is close to the brokenhearted

    and saves those who are crushed in spirit. Psalm 34:18

He is waiting for us to humble ourselves before Him in that brokenness.

🙏My prayer for you this week; you know that God is close, no matter how broken and crushed you feel. That you are able to allow Him to use your brokenness for His glory! That you can see yourself as He sees you, as a beautiful vessel and not a cracked pot!❤️