Eight Year Old Letter

I found these on another site and they are powerful, written by elementary children. They seem to have nailed it! The Link is on the bottom.

Dear Soldier,

Happy holidays. I hope you have a wonderful Christmas. I feel very bad that you have to be in the war during the holiday, but the one thing we’re all happy about is that you’re fighting for our country.

Dear Soldier,

I dedicate this letter to you because you are fighting for the U.S.A. Is it hot in Iraq? I do thank you for keeping us little kids safe. I wish you a merry Christmas and a happy New Year.

Dear Soldier,

Merry Christmas to you. Thank you for serving our country. You are so brave for going across the ocean. I am so proud of you.

Dear Soldier,

How is it going? You know if I was there I would be scared. I’m sure I would miss my family and friends, but you are doing the right thing. You’re saving a lot of people. You people rock! I hope you have a wonderful merry Christmas.

Dear Soldier,

I am in second grade and I live in Tennessee. I like how you are fighting for me and my family. You and your buddies should get to come home when Christmas comes.You are brave to go out and fight. All of you are real brave. I like you.

Dear Soldier,

I wish you could spend the holidays with your family. I appreciate your dedication to serving our country and fighting for our freedom. Our whole class of 25 students is writing letters. I’m the only one who wrote two. I know you don’t want to be there right now. I hope you come back in one piece.

Dear Soldier,

I like the army. I almost read all of the army books. We just moved here a week ago. The old school I went to ws good, but this school is better. We are glad you are doing this. Thanks for making the world a better place. I know I want to join the army. I had fun writing this letter and I will write another.

Dear Soldier,

I appreciate what you have done for our country. I have written a poem especially for you.

Heroic, brave

Fight, protect, guard

Thank you for everything

Fighter

the Link:

http://themediansib.com/2006/12/11/from-tennessee-children-to-our-soldiers-in-iraq/

He That Hopes

As I was praying and walking this morning I happened upon an overwhelming moment: I miss my son Matthew (tear, tear) and I know how much I love him, yet immediately I knew that Jesus loves him more than I ever can. How many of his children who are far away from him, walking there own path, break his heart? I am thankful that His love is so much greater than mine. I am so thankful that He is God and I am not!

“He that hopes dances without music” George Herbert

A Comfortable Escape

The question for me today, has been: Am I operating my life by faith, or have I settled for something way less like the comfortable and the familiar? I know I mention my quote wall too much and yet almost everyday that I really look, it speaks to me. Today?, Simple, Romans 1:17b, "the righteous will live by faith."

Thanks Peter, for the incredibly bold sermon yesterday on Revelation 11. In the shower today I was considering some of what you said and I am beginning to believe that we Christ followers have become much like our first century Jewish brethren. They had a definite opinion about what the "Messiah" would look like and do, that developed over the centuries. He would free them from Roman oppression and reinstate the Davidic prominence of the nation and God's rule on earth. They wanted release from their pain and hard lives, avoiding the curse. Many of us have adopted the same attitude today. We want the end times to benefit us. We want Rapture and no pain, a comfortable escape from persecution and we are willing to give the "sinners" another chance after we are gone, just as long as we are NOT persecuted, or taken advantage of in any way! But how is that living by faith during these end times?

"Don't look for shortcuts to God. The market is flooded with surefire, easygoing formulas for a successful life that can be practiced in your spare time. Don't fall for that stuff, even though crowds of people do. The way to life—to God!—is vigorous and requires total attention." Matthew 7:13-14 The Message

Are you? Am I?
Faith on dudes!

Thanks Steve Gura for the cool barn picture!

The Nativity

I saw a movie with Connie today. I cried. For Hollywood to do a film on the birth of Christ I was pleasantly surprised. I would recommend that everyone see this movie this year, make it a huge success so more will be done like it. Mary and Joseph were portrayed as real people, wrestling with the issue surrounding the birth of Christ. I cannot imagine the stress they faced in their culture where Mary could have been stoned for apparent unfaithfulness to her betrothed. Joseph, the fear and uncertainty he faced by taking the hand of what appeared to be an unfaithful woman in marriage. Connie and I faced some of that pressure with the choices that we made early in life, but nothing on the scale that even approached this. Can you imagine the wonder and awe of knowing, (how long did they need to even begin to understand what was taking place?) that the chosen one of God, who was God himself, was born to them, in the flesh? People came and worshipped the child in their midst. This had never happened to anyone before, where was the manual for dealing with it all? There was only simple trust in God each and every day to get them through. Sounds like good advice.