TODAY IN SCRIPTURE: Three of the thirty chiefs came down to David to the rock at the cave of Adullam, while a band of Phillistines was encamped in the Valley of Rephaim. At the time David was in the stronghold, and the Phillistine garrison was at Bethlehem. David longed for water and said, �Oh, that someone would get me a drink of water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem!� So the Three broke through the Phillistine lines, drew water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem and carried it back to David. Josheb-Bassgebeth, a Tahkemonite, was chief of the Three. Next to him was Eleazar, son of Dodai the Ahohite. Next to him was Shammah, son of Agee the Haraite.
I Chron. 11:15-18 and II Samuel 23:8,9,11

It�s Memorial Day, 2008, the first day of summer for most of the country. It always seemed to be rainy and cold when I was growing up in southern Kentucky. That�s the way it is most years in the Midwest. I�ve heard that the reason the Indianapolis 500 is now run on the Sunday before Memorial Day is because rain is less likely on that day. You probably remember the old adage �as sure as rain at the 500�.

School generally was out the week of Memorial Day as I remember. I loved Memorial Day. When it arrived I could start thinking about the fun stuff of summer, swimming, baseball, and those long summer evenings. Even as an adult, I have not always appreciated the significance of Memorial Day.

Memorial Day originated in 1868, when Union General John A. Logan designated a day in which the graves of Civil War soldiers would be decorated. Many southerners resisted the holiday for many years because they viewed it as a commemoration for �Union� soldiers only. In a number of southern states, Confederate Memorial Day was observed well into the 20th Century. Known as Decoration Day, the holiday was changed to Memorial Day within twenty years (1888), becoming a holiday dedicated to the memory of all war dead. It became a federal holiday in 1971.

Memorial Day is tied to war. Most cable movie channels run war movies all Memorial Day weekend. Unless you�ve been there, it�s easy to romanticize war. But here are some pretty startling statistics:

All U.S. Wars:
Military service personnel during war 43,185,893
Battle deaths 653,708
Other deaths in service (theater) 14,560
Other deaths in service (non-theater) 525,930
Non-mortal woundings 1,447,281
Living war veterans 17,835,000
Living veterans 23,976,000

War On Terror (As of 12-31-2006):
Total Service Members (Worldwide) 1,384,968
Deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan 165,000
Battle Deaths 2,333 (this number now exceeds 4,000)
Other Deaths (theater) 707
Non-mortal woundings 21,649
Living Veterans 588,923

Today we remember those who have served and are serving the United States in the struggle to preserve our freedom. It is a day to honor those who �gave the last full measure of devotion for their country�. It is also a day to remember that we have not acted alone in our determination to live free. Millions of our allies have also perished on the field of battle for this noble cause.

David remembered his comrades in arms, particularly �the Three�. Their bravery is legendary. So is the bravery of all those who have served and are currently serving in the defense of our country. It is fitting today that we remember those who fought, and also those who died, for the hope, for the dream, for the ideal of liberty.

MENTAL NUTRITION:

"One man with courage makes a majority."
-General Andrew Jackson

"Courage is rightly esteemed the first of human qualities because it is the quality which guarantees all others."
-Anais Nin

"A man of courage flees forward in the midst of new things."
-Jacques Maritain

"Far better to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows not victory, nor defeat."
-Theodore Roosevelt

"Fear is met and destroyed with courage"
-James F. Bell

"Any time you try to win everything, you must be willing to lose everything."
-Larry Csonka

HOUSEKEEPING:

1. MEMBERSHIP QUESTIONNAIRE: If you haven�t already done so, please return the Membership Questionnaire that was emailed to you a couple of weeks ago. If you need it again, just let me know.

2. INSURANCE INFIRMATION: Please complete and return the insurance information we requested. Again, there�s no obligation connected to it. We need the information to assess NACCFA�s viability to obtain insurance rates that would be a savings to the membership.

2. 3. PRAY FOR YOUR COLLEAGUES TODAY

Have a blessed Memorial Day and remember:

We're Better Together ...

Steve

TODAY IN SCRIPTURE: : But Peter insisted emphatically, �Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.�� He began to call down curses on himself and he swore to them, �I don�t know this man you�re talking about.� Immediately the rooster crowed�and he broke down and wept.
Mark 14:31,71,72

The last week of Jesus� life on earth is one of confrontation and aggression. After his entrance into Jerusalem with palm fronds waving, he sets about his objective; to go to the cross by the end of the week. If there ever was any doubt about Jesus� single-minded resolve, it�s removed in this last week of his earthly life. He drives the moneychangers and livestock dealers out of the Temple; has several edgy encounters with the religious leaders; heals many; has one last meal with his disciples; and then doesn�t defend himself before the Jewish Council or Pilate.

How non-Hollywood! No mobilizing the masses with inspiring speeches, no cleaver twist in the late stages of court arguments that frees him from a death sentence, no fist or sword fights, no rising up from death�s door to defeat the bad guys, no band of loyal supporters coming to his aid at the last minute, no heavenly army rescue. He simply goes to the cross, a bloody, beaten, half dead, would-be world changer who dies an excruciating death. His killers, the religious establishment, show no remorse and without sympathy note that he could have been a great leader in the rabbinical tradition if he had just �played ball with us�. I�m struck by the words of Michael Card, �This is such a strange way to change the world�.

The account of Jesus during the Passion both inspires and confuses me. It�s difficult for me to identify with him. But I can identify with Peter. This aggressive, volatile, coarse man who loved Jesus and whom Jesus loved, frequently engaged his mouth before he thought through what he was saying. I�m convicted by the passage referenced above. I see myself in Peter�s arrogance. Many times, like Peter, I�ve talked tough, when no eminent threat existed, thinking I would be a �rock for Jesus�. Then, when the chips were down, I�ve lost courage and caved in being anything but an advocate for the Lord.

But I find hope in the resurrection. On the shores of Galilee, Jesus reinstates Peter. Interestingly, he doesn�t speak words of forgiveness for Peter�s cowardice but he simply asks him, �Do you love me?� Three times Peter confesses his love for Jesus, perhaps symbolically neutralizing the three denials he made of Jesus in Caiaphas� court yard. To his confessions Jesus only offers a prophecy, saying in so many words, �You�ll be tested again�.

The test of faith comes not in Sunday school but in the jungle of our modern world. It comes in a business meeting, a state association conference, a social gathering composed primarily of non-believers, and/or a classroom session where a spiritual response may prove to be socially, politically, or economically risky. To my shame, I�ve failed to stand boldly for Jesus more times than I care to admit. My high resolve and arrogant statements of fidelity at times when the threat level was low, gave way to fear and denial, through my silence, when my own welfare was on the line.

But I�m forgiven! In my guilt, in my remorse, Jesus comes to me, just as he did to Peter, asking me to again confess my faith. Then he says without fanfare, �You�ll be tested again�.

Perhaps your experience is similar to mine. The good news of Easter is that the price has been paid. There is, therefore, no condemnation. Our sins, our shortcomings, our failures are forgiven: past, present, and future. And that�s the best news I�ve ever heard.

HOUSEKEEPING:

1. NACCFA NEWSLETTER: NACCFA is publishing a newsletter later this spring. Joining me in this editorial venture is Pat Oatis, CEO at Christian Haven, Wheatfield, IN. We�re calling for articles, research, interesting items, agency activities, announcements, pictures, and other items that might be of interest to our members. The deadline for submission is May 1, 2008.

2. SAVE THE DATE: The NACCFA Spring Leadership Gathering is scheduled for Miami, FL, April 30-May 1. The Gathering is in conjunction with the Cry of the Orphan Conference in Ft. Lauderdale, FL, May 1-3. Sponsoring this spring�s Gathering is His House Children�s Home, Opa-Locka, FL. Details to follow.

2. 3. PRAY FOR YOUR COLLEAGUES TODAY

MENTAL NUTRITION:

"One's philosophy is not best expressed in words; it is expressed in the choices one makes. In the long run, we shape our lives and we shape ourselves. The process never ends until we die. And, the choices we make are ultimately our own responsibility."
- Eleanor Roosevelt

We must continually work hard so that each of our actions is a way of carrying on little conversations with God, not in any carefully prepared way but as it comes from the purity and simplicity of the heart.
- Brother Lawrence

"Far better to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows not victory, nor defeat."
- Theodore Roosevelt

MAY YOUR DAY BE BLESSED. And remember ...

We're Better Together ...

Steve

E-ZINE: February 21, 2008

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E-ZINE: January 03, 2008

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