By Brad Campbell –

Just a thought to help start your week.

It is no secret that there is turmoil in our nation.  The word “disrespect” is probably one of the most used words in today’s language.  Allow me to add my two cents.  This picture is an enormous depiction of the “Star Spangled Banner”, the flag that inspired our national anthem.  Both this model and that original flag are displayed in the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C.  And they are just a couple of examples of the patriotism on display there.

Patriotism is a beautiful thing.  I believe in it and I love to see it happening.  However, patriotism will not save a soul.  Our national anthem is sung as a reminder of the greatness of this nation and those who fought and died to keep us free.  However, that great song will not save a soul.  Our flag, whether flying clear and crisp, torn and tattered, or folded neatly in the proper triangular form and handed to a soldier’s widow at his grave, is to be respected, saluted, and pledged to.  However, that flag will never save a soul.

The rampant disrespect is not really against those things.  It is completely against those who stood and fought, and especially those who never had the chance to return home from battle.

I’ve told you all before that I promised myself several years ago that I would not let these emails become a political forum, and I’ve kept that promise.  This isn’t about politics, who is in office, or anything else of the sort.  This nation is hemorrhaging because some individuals who make entirely too much money have mistakenly assumed that they know what’s best for the rest of us.  And they couldn’t be more wrong.  It isn’t one knee that needs to be taken.  It is two.

The Bible reminds us that one day every knee will bow in respect to God the Father. EVERY knee.  We each have two.  Take a stand for what is right and against what is disrespectful, but take two knees and pray that God Himself will forgive the ignorance.

Just a thought.

By Ryan Kelly –

It’s such a joy to be able to help others in the name of Jesus. Spending time with fellow believers and helping with their needs is not just a mission of the church, but a true priveledge that each Christian can enjoy. 

But, how often do we really do this?  How often do we get caught up in our own lives and neglect our brothers and sisters?

Philippians 2:4 says, “do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.”

As we stay in constant fellowship with God, we too should keep the interests of fellow believers at heart. 

Take an opportunity this week to reach out to a brother or sister in Christ and see how they are doing and maybe pray with them for a need they they have. If you can, take the next step and help them with that need. You’ll be glad that you did. 

By Brad Campbell –

Just a thought to help start your week.

Have you ever reached a point in your life where you absolutely didn’t care?  You felt so low that you didn’t care what happened next, and you felt like no one else cared either? I pray you’ve never felt this way, but sadly many people do at times.

I snapped this photo of my youngest as we ventured into Georgetown on our most recent D.C. trip.  We had enjoyed a full week and were all tired, and she chose this moment to rest — leaning against the post that clearly says “No Standing”.  At that moment, she didn’t care.

Very recently, I was put in touch with a young man who will never read this, and whom none of you will know, so I feel confident in sharing his story.  Simply, he felt as if all was lost.  Basically homeless, except for the kindness of one lone friend.  Wife ill and hoping for help from a disability filing.  Part-time work with not enough pay to take care of the basic bills.  Applying for help, but stuck in the waiting period.  Heartbroken because they can have no children.  Estranged family members because of a sad misunderstanding.  No car for transportation.  And the young man truly felt as if no one cared.  After a long afternoon, I still can only pray that I managed to convince him otherwise.

God always cares.  When it seems as if your world has fallen apart, God cares.  When it seems as if no one loves you or is concerned about what happens to you, God cares. When you seem as if you have nowhere else to go and you are crying for help, God cares.  And, God wants to use His children to show that caring love to a hurting desperate world around us.

Listen, someone is calling for help — right now.  Before it’s too late, introduce them to the One Who cares.

By Brad Campbell –

Hi all.  Just a thought to help start your week.

First a disclaimer — My wife took this picture; I didn’t.  However, it is a picture of yours truly.  I am standing in a portion of a display in Washington D.C.’s Newseum about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  Although this was a “visitor friendly” display, it was not “flash friendly” for photos, so I hope you can make it out.  I’m standing behind a bronze casting of the Birmingham, Alabama, jail cell door where Dr. King was jailed for eight days in April 1963 for protesting segregation.  It was from that cell that he wrote his “Letter from Birmingham Jail”.

 

Dr. King is most well-known because of the fact that he took a stand for what he believed was right.  And so should we.  In a world and nation where so many folks are standing up for what is wrong, we must stand up for all that is right.

God gave you a brain, a mouth, and a voice box for a reason.  Use them to proclaim His glory.  Speak up for Him to a lost and hurting world spiraling toward destruction.  Shout from the mountaintops words of praise to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

Looking through metal bars of a jail cell door puts a different perspective on what you see on the other side.  Most of us will never spend a day in jail for simply speaking our minds (thank God!), but the day is very quickly approaching even in the great US of A when we Christians will be greatly persecuted for speaking up for the Lord.

Simply ask yourself this week if it’s worth it to you.  If yes, then let’s speak up together, even if it’s behind the cell door.

By Ryan Kelly –

How many people have you spoken with that are not ready for death?  Many people say they want to see Jesus, but “just not right now.”  Many will say they are not prepared, or that there is something that they still needed to do before they die. 

Hebrews 9:27-28 states, ““Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.”

Death is coming for us all. We cannot run from it or pretend that it does not exist. It may happen today, tomorrow, or in eighty years. Whenever God plans to take us home, we should always be ready. We should always be “where God wants us to be.”  

If there is sin in your life, NOW is the time to get rid of it. If there is something that God has told you to do, NOW is the time to do it. Do not wait for another day or a better time. NOW is your time. 

Only God knows when the end will come. But we all know there we will have an end. It is our responsibility to do today what God has told us to do. Therefore when there is a tomorrow and a time for us to go, we will be ready. 

By Brad Campbell –

Today something will happen that a lot of folks have never seen before – a solar eclipse. The moon will move between the earth and the sun, blocking the sunlight for a little while.  You’ve no doubt heard all the hype, and perhaps you have special equipment with which to view the show today, but I do not.  So, alas, there will be no photo of the eclipse for me to share.  However, here’s a shot of a beautiful full moon from a while back, so that you get the idea (lol).

Glasses have been given away or sold in many locations.  School children are being turned out early today.  I have even heard folks saying they were planning to stay inside and stay away from the eclipse.  People are hiding their pets and making arrangements to bring them inside.  It’s as if the year 2000 is hitting again and folks are scared of what might happen.

As preposterous as all of this sounds, sadly it’s true.  And yet when is the last time you looked with this much enthusiasm at the returning of Christ?  If we truly were as prepared to meet Him as we seem to be prepared for the eclipse today, the world would be a much better place.

Live today (and every day) to its fullest.  But, don’t let the hype of the world and its activities eclipse the real news.  He’s coming back.  And we better get ready!

By Brad Campbell –

Just a thought to help start your week.

It’s another Monday morning in a month of many new “firsts” for a lot of folks.  New schools, new college experiences, new adventures, perhaps even new jobs that all begin this month are each bringing with them new challenges for which we must all be ready.

Failure to prepare for school or work will likely lead to some disappointment sooner than later.  And yet, some days we prepare, we study, we pray, we talk to the Lord, and it still seems as if nothing goes right, and we catch ourselves wondering if He was listening.

We arrived home one day recently to find this little fellow on the edge of the carport – either exploring on his own or unwillingly drug up by the cat.  It doesn’t matter the size or color or countenance of a snake – NO ONE is prepared to walk up on their own turf and encounter one.  And yet, there they are.

The dangers, disappointments, and difficult days will still be there.  However, we are to prepare as much as possible anyway.  Preparation lets you know when the snake is poisonous or simply a cat-snack.  Preparation helps you determine that even through difficult days, it can still be very good beginning to a very good adventure.

Talk to the Lord.  He IS listening.  Prepare your heart for whatever He allows to come your way this week, trusting Him to always go ahead of you and take care of you.

Blessings on those new beginnings!

 

By Ryan Kelly –

We as Christians know that evangelizing to non believers is part of our joy, privilege, and responsibility. There is a huge number of people in our land that do not place their faith in Jesus. Some know of the Bible, some  may even know who Jesus is, but many are waiting to receive the Word of God

Jesus illustrates the reaction to the Word in the parable of the sower in Mark 4. Some will reject the Word on the outset (birds devouring the seed), others will see the seed produce a good work but not saving faith (rocky soil), and others will receive the Word but will have it drowned out by distraction and conflict (seed among thorns). But, some will have good soil and will grow the seed. This good soil represents the non believers that accept Jesus and worship Him as a result.

It is not up to us to cultivate someone else’s soil. We are to take the perfect Word of a God (the seed) and scatter it to everyone. Then, as we see in Galatians 6, it is God that will water the seed and produce fruit.

So, scatter God’s seed in our land and watch Him produce a great harvest in the name of  Jesus!

By Brad Campbell –

Hi all.  Just a thought to help start your week.

My family considers the acclaimed Newseum to be a “must-do” when visiting our nation’s capital.  One major exhibit there is dedicated to the news about the attacks of 9-11.  Most of us will forever remember where we were and what we were doing when those horrific events took place.

Here you see what is left of the base portion of one of the large radio towers that stood atop one of the World Trade Center buildings in New York City.  It is massive.  And it is mangled – part of the wreckage.

Each person has in his or her past some event, some challenge, some thing, some wreckage of which we are not very proud.  And yet it remains there as somewhat of a memorial to times past when things weren’t what they should have been.  These things – these memorials – are difficult to see because they bring back awful memories.  And yet, these memorials need to remain, because they also remind us that, thank God, we are not where we once were!

Think on the wreckage in your past, forgiven and left behind, but wreckage nonetheless. And thank God for those things that will forever remind us of His goodness, His grace, and His merciful forgiveness in your life.  And on those days when you catch yourself in the cockiness of the “I-can-do-all-things-by-myself” attitude, visit your memorial and be thankful.

 

Just a thought.