A Letter to My Soldier Son on His First Veteran's Day

Dear Son,

Today, November 11, 2010, is your first Veteran's Day as a soldier in the United States Army.

I have a great admiration for both our veterans and active duty soldiers. When I see a soldier in a public place, if appropriate, I tell him how much I appreciate his service to our country. I think this embarrasses some of them but I can tell that it also makes them proud. This will happen to you, son, and when it does accept the gratefulness of your fellow countrymen with dignity and humility but never put off their gratefulness as if it were no big deal. It is a big deal.

I was thinking this morning about you and I thought of Isaiah 6:8. You remember the context: Isaiah was in the temple and in a vision he heard the Lord say, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?" And he replied, "Here I am! Send me!"

This brought to mind the long line of American soldiers throughout history who have heard the call of duty and responded.

When the tyranny of the British Crown became unbearable for the colonists in 1775, a fledging nation appealed to its citizens, "Whom shall I send?" Thousands of untrained patriot farmers, smiths, and merchants answered, "Here I am! Send me!"

In 1812, when the British were capturing American citizens and forcing them to serve on their warships, again the call went out "Who will go for us?" And the American soldier said, "Here I am! Send me!"

When the annexation of Texas came under question, President Polk sent a call out to the American people, "Whom shall I send?" Men from all over the east trekked their way west with the response, "Here I am! Send me!"

In those dark days in the mid-1800's when brother fought brother, and the call came from the north and from the south, "Who will go for us?", it was answered by old men, young men, black men and white men who stepped forward to fight for a cause they believed in, answering, "Here I am! Send me!"

After the sinking of the Maine in 1898 and American involvement in a war with Spain, men like one of your heroes, Teddy Roosevelt, needed a volunteer band of infantry and cavalrymen. Once again the American soldier said, "Here I am! Send me!"

In World War I and World War II, a call came from across the ocean for men to fight in The Great Wars...wars they hoped would end all wars. Uncle Sam told thousands of young men, "I want you to go for us." The American solider responded valiantly and bravely said, "Here I am. Send me!"

During the Korean and Vietnam Wars, thousands of American men and women received the call from their country to fight in a war that they didn't understand and that, to many of them, didn't seem right. Yet they did their duty: "Here I am. Send me."

Now we are engaged in a war that has no foreseeable end in a place that seems forsaken by God and embroiled in centuries long disputes that make no sense to the American mind. And yet the call still goes on..."Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?"

Throughout our history, most of our soldiers have been volunteers and today in 2010 every single one of our soldiers has joined the military by choice. The American soldier, time and time again, has said, "Here I am. Send me."

You, my dear son, are a member of that elite group who has heard the call of your country and responded with those affirmative words. You have stood and publicly stated, ""I, Erik Oberg, do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God."

And you did it voluntarily. "Here I am! Send me!"

And you do not do it alone. Your father, your little sisters, and I sleep safely tonight in a free country because millions of other fathers, mothers, sisters, husbands, wives, brothers, sons and daughters - some of America's finest - stand ready to be deployed to any trouble spot in the world. You are privileged to walk among the future heroes of this land. They are not rock stars or movie actors who play at being heroes. Our soldiers - both men and women - are the real thing. They have responded to the call with "Here I am! Send me!"

My beloved son, in whom I am well pleased...I am proud that you stand among them.

Happy Veteran's Day! Know that your mama never ceases to love and pray for you.

Ad virtutem per sapientiam,
Mom

A Recent Entry from My Journal: Struggling with Sin

In the words of a Gaither song, "God has blessed me...and the doubts have been few."

There has always been a reason to believe...and to obey.

But, over the past year, I have found myself tempted to flagrantly run away from His will. I have deeply desired a short reprieve from walking on a hard path that He has chosen for me. I have struggled with a battle to give in to temptation to meet my needs in ways outside of what He has clearly revealed to be His will for my life. I have asked Him "Why?" "Why am I struggling with this issue so intently? Why am I so discontent with Your provision?"

God's commands are spiritual - but I'm sure not. I am so often very carnal. I've lived so long in a sinful world that it has become a part of who I am. I was born to it.

I want to follow God and yet I find myself desiring and doing things that I despise. The problem is not that I do not know God's will for this situation. The problem is that I do not really want to do it. I desire God's will but not all the time. When I decide to do good...I don't always follow through on it. When I decide not to do bad...I often find myself doing it anyway. The power of sin within me continues to sabotage my best intentions and I find, once again, that I obviously need help. I don't have what it takes.

I truly delight in God's commands but it's pretty obvious that not all of me joins in that delight. There is a part of me that covertly rebels - and then, when I let my guard down, those desires take charge. In the words of that great country philosopher, Charlie Daniels, "When I have a choice between good and bad I pick bad two out of three."

"I know it's wrong...but I want it." Sigh...what to do?

The reality is that I cannot save myself from this. I cannot sanctify myself any more than I could justify myself. Just as I could not redeem myself from sin I find that I cannot keep myself from sin. I thank God that it is Jesus Christ who can and does save me. It is His righteousness and not my filthy rags of works that I depend on....and His incredible mercy and grace that remembers that I am just dust.

And, if I may be so bold, I think that my Father is pleased that even when I am so pulled by the influence of sin I still crawl back to Him and ask for His help even though He knows that I really DON'T WANT to do things His way. He is still pleased that I have crawled to Him even if it is just to beg for help to be willing to be made willing to obey.

He loves me and I can come to Him. He knows that even though I no longer desire His will in this I still intend to do it. He wants me to learn to walk with Him; and if only the will to walk is there then, perhaps, He is pleased with me even when I stumble.

The key is not in my abundance of desire for God's will but in my steadfast decision to do it anyway.

There is something in me that continues to hold on to Him even when it seems that all I am holding onto is the sheer will to continue....when the desire is gone and nothing holds me here except commitment to follow His path. He still finds pleasure in me even when I find myself functioning, not on desire, but on discipline.

You can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on";
- Kipling

But, I also believe that God is a Rewarder of those who seek Him...and I continue to wait patiently to see that full revelation of His reward...whether it is here on earth or at the moment when I hope to hear "Well done, good and faithful servant."

From My Morning Devotions...

Lord, my love is frost and cold, ice and snow;
Let Your love warm me,
lighten my burden,
be my haven of rest;

May that Love be more revealed to me in all its influences
that my love for You may be more fervent and glowing;
Let the crashing tide of Your everlasting love
cover the rocks of my sin and care;

Then let my spirit soar above those things
which else had wrecked my life.

Make me fruitful by living to that love,
my character becoming more beautiful every day.
If traces of Christ's love-artistry be upon me,
may He work on with His divine brush
until the complete image be obtained
and I be made a perfect copy of Him, my Teacher and Guide.

Lord Jesus, come to me
Divine Spirit, rest on me
Holy Father, look on me in mercy and make me like Your Son.

My Perspective on Alcohol

I have been asked to share my belief about the use of alcohol - specifically Christians and social drinking.

Beliefs are usually formed by a variety of things. As a Christian, I believe that the Scriptures are my authoritative rule of faith and conduct; that means that the Scriptures have the right to tell me what to believe and what to do.

In this instance, the Scriptures do not clearly forbid all use of alcohol. They do specifically forbid drunkenness. Drinking to the point of excess is out of the question for someone claiming the name of Christ, according to the Scriptures. So the question really is: Can a Christian drink alcohol if it is in moderation? I do NOT believe, from a Scriptural standpoint, that I can definitively say that drinking in moderation is sinful behavior. I believe the Christian is free to follow his conscience on the matter.

That said, I will share my personal perspective on the subject. To help you understand why I have come to hold the position that I do about the use of alcohol I must share some of my experience because it has influenced my perception.

My first exposure to alcohol was at about age 8. My sister had married and I was visiting their home. We had found a little lost kitten and my sister said I could keep him. A few days later, her husband had been drinking and thought it would be fun to put whiskey in the kitten's milk. The kitten, feeling no pain, chewed it's little paw off and died. My brother-in-law, again under the influence, thought it was funny and laughed and laughed...

...and I couldn't make him stop.

At age 14, I was asked to go to the rodeo by the cutest guy in our small town. He was 19 and I couldn't believe that he asked ME to go with him. He was so much older and cooler. When we got in the truck, he handed me a bottle of cheap wine. I wanted to impress him and not look like a little kid so I drank enough of it to look "cool." He drank his share, too. Then he pulled over on an dirt road and turned to me...

...and I couldn't make him stop.

At age 15, I was spending the night with my other sister. Her husband came home in the morning from a night of drinking. I could hear my sister screaming from her room downstairs. My nieces woke up and began to calmly get ready for school while listening to their mother's cries...this was not an uncommon occurrence for them. I went to the balcony and looked down into the family room. My sister's blond hair was streaked with red as her drunken husband hit her over and over again...

...and I couldn't make him stop.

At age 20, I attended my sister's funeral. I stood by her casket, looking at the bullet hole in the side of her head placed there by a gun she held in her own hand. She had everything to live for - two daughters age 17 and 12 - but she didn't want to face life with a man who loved booze more than her. Everyone had talked to her about life changes that could be made and how life could turn around...

...but we couldn't make her stop.

I had a precious little girl live with me off and on for four years. She loved her daddy so much and he loved her. All she wanted was to be able to go home and live a normal life with her daddy. Some days she could do it; but there were the other days. The days when Daddy wouldn't wake up. The days when she had to go to the neighbor's house to ask for food. I spent hours with Dad talking to him about how much his little girl needed him and he would cry and say, "I know...and I need her" but the drink just kept calling to him...

...and I couldn't make him stop.

I have visited AA meetings with friends and listened to the heartbreaking stories of broken finances, broken families and broken lives. People who were at the point that they WANTED to quit...

...but they just couldn't make it stop.


On August 9, 2010, one of my deacons was riding his motorcycle home from Sturgis along with three of his buddies.  On I-29 at Little Sioux they were met by a truck driven by a very drunk 21 year old kid....

...and no one could make him stop.

If I thought these stories were isolated occurrences and anomalies I might not feel as strongly as I do. But they are not isolated. My experiences are repeated thousands of times over again across my town, my country, and the world I live in.

Therefore, I have come to this conclusion: Wine is a mocker, strong drink is a brawler, and whoever is led astray by it is not wise.

My experience with alcohol has shown to me that I am unable to stop it and it's effects. It puts me in situations where I am not in control of my faculties and am around others who are not in control either. This does not sound wise to me, and therefore, I have chosen not to drink nor to frequent places where drinking is the main purpose.

This does not mean that I do not go out with friends who drink at the dinner table. I have had fantastic evenings with friends who are having a glass of wine or some other drink with our meal...and I do not condemn them for doing so.

But, as for me and my house, we have taken a pledge of abstinence. I do not condemn those who drink in moderation because I don't believe that Scripture would do so. But it seems to me that playing with alcohol is like trying to have a rattlesnake for a pet. You just never know when it's going to turn around and strike you.

I believe that I am free to have a glass of wine if I want to...but wisdom has told me not to and I am going to listen to that voice.

So there's my perspective.

I don't watch the Ellen show but I'd love to see Joyce Drake get her due

Here's the deal: for YEARS this album has topped the "Worst Album Covers" lists. It's on every website, it's been published in books, and this week Jeff Bridges showed it on the Ellen show. Joyce's picture has been photoshopped hundreds of times in less than flattering (and some down-right disgusting) pictures.

I knew her when I was a kid. She's actually a very nice lady and we had this album. As I remember, she's actually a pretty good singer. She's also a fellow Assemblies of God pastor's wife from Texas.

Her image has been used hundreds of times on the internet and in print publications. There are entire websites and fan pages on facebook dedicated to this album cover and making fun of Joyce. She has never received one dime of compensation for the use of her image and name.

Soooo....since Jeff Bridges decided to put her on the Ellen show I think that Ellen should be encouraged to let Joyce come on the show and show everyone that she's really pretty cool, has a great message and a great voice to go with it.

I'm asking you to let Ellen know that Joyce needs her 15 minutes of GOOD fame. Go to http://ellen.warnerbros.com/show/respond/?PlugID=253 OR you can call 866-355-3684. Just let them know that you would love to see Joyce Drake have a few moments on the show to discuss all of this. I think Ellen is crazy enough to do it...which would be pretty cool.

There is also a facebook group that Joyce's family has put together about it: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=282203757058&ref=ts

Just to show what kind of "fun" people have had with this album check out this facebook group: http://www.facebook.com/search/?q=joyce+drake&init=quick#/group.php?gid=7230032851&ref=search&sid=887495690.2048305977..1

Thanks for helping out!
Ruthie

Is the Haiti earthquake God's judgment?

A friend of mine wrote and asked me what my take is on the statements being made about the earthquake in Haiti being God's judgment for sin. Is it good theology or not?


Well...the answer is "yes" and "no."

Support for the "yes, it is good theology to say that God uses catastrophes to judge nations, cities, and individuals for their sin" is found throughout Scripture. Common examples would include Noah's flood, Sodom and Gomorrah, and the judgment on Israel after David's census. The prophetic books consist of chapter after chapter detailing God's chastisement on nations for their national sins. Even in the New Testament we read of promised judgment on "Babylon" in the book of Revelation. After all, the main writer of the New Testament made this bold statement: "The wages of sin IS death"...all the time, every time. One really cannot come away from a thorough reading of Scripture and doubt that it is a good understanding of the nature of God that He is the Ultimate Judge of sin and that when His judgment falls it is swift and sure.

SO....all that said...is Pat Robertson right? Was the earthquake and devastation in Haiti the direct result of their national sin of voodooism? Well, it very well could be.

However, there is also much Scriptural support for the "No, it is bad theology to say that catastrophe is the result of God's judgment." There is an entire book in the Bible that backs up this claim: The Book of Job. Remember Job's friends? Their theological understanding was actually quite right. God does punish sin. However, their application of that theology was quite wrong. God does punish sin...but He was not punishing Job. There was more to the story that had not yet been revealed.

Jesus actually answered this question for us in Luke 13:1-5. As He was teaching, men came to him and asked about a current news event: Pilate had some worshipers slaughtered right in the Temple courts. "What do you think about this, Jesus?" Jesus' response was to bring up another natural event (the decay of some towers that had fallen and crushed 18 men) and then to use both of the current events to drive home this Truth: "Do not suppose that these men were greater sinners because of their fate. No, listen to Me on this point: Unless you repent, you will all perish just like they did."

Note that Jesus did not say that the men who died were not sinners. He simply said they were not GREATER sinners than anyone else standing there that day. I believe there are a few principles we can draw from the way Jesus responded to these two tragedies of His day:

1. Great suffering does not necessarily equate with great sinning. Be careful not to confuse the two. Gold is cast into the fire to be purified just the same as chaff is cast in to be consumed.
2. Do not make use of current events to criticize those who are suffering, as if their sin is any worse than your own.
3. Tragedy should cause us to examine our own need for repentance.
4. Our place is to preach Truth (which includes that the wages of sin is death) and to leave the judgment in the hands of the Judge. Remember, God's harshest words in the book of Job were reserved for Job's friends who had good theology but bad application.

So...was it God's judgment on sin? Well, sure. All of the negative effects that come from living in a fallen world are the results of sin. I doubt, however, that the sins of those Haitians were any more despicable in the eyes of God than my own sins. I deserve judgment just as much as they did...and without repentance my judgment is just as sure.

Let's remember that there are parts of the Great Story we have not yet read. Watch the news, pray for the suffering, do what we can to ease that suffering....and look into our own hearts because, as Jesus said, "unless you repent, you will all likewise perish." (Luke 13: 5)

Thoughts this morning on Haiti...and God

While hearing the news this week and looking at the pictures of the devastation in Haiti, my mind began to wonder what it might be like to be Jesus. Imagine the sights His eyes must see as He views the pain and suffering going on all around the world, not just in Haiti but in the brothels of Delhi, in the business rooms of Beijing, and in the family rooms of Des Moines. Imagine the cries that His ears must daily hear. Imagine the loving heart of the Creator being broken by what has happened to His creation over the years of recorded history.

Is it any wonder that He decided to step into history, take on human flesh, and participate in our suffering? We often think along these lines "How could a loving God just stand by and watch this take place?" Well, the truth is, He doesn't just "stand by"....He enters into the suffering, partakes in it, and then provides a way of relief from it. He did so in the Incarnation over 2000 years ago, and He is still "putting on flesh" through every relief worker that gives a cup of clean water in His name. He is there in every dollar that buys food for a hungry child and in every construction worker that assembles a safe shelter for a defenseless woman without a home. He is the added strength that allows a pastor to comfort a grieving father while his own home lies in wreckage.

Imagine how the heart of the Creator must long for the fullness of time when all of creation is restored! He must yearn for that time when redemption is fully realized....and there will be no more tsunamis, no more earthquakes, no more rape, no more genocide, no more war, no more divorce, no more sickness...and no more death. Romans 8 tells us that even creation itself is groaning for its redemption.

But you know what? I believe God's heart must be looking forward to that time of the fullness of redemption even more than mine is.

Help me feel your heart today, Lord...and then help me to be your hands.

Resolutions and Jonathan Edwards

I have always been a New Year's Resolution type person because I love setting new goals and having something to use as a tool to evaluate my progress. Some resolutions get repeated every year, some get tweaked, some serve their time and are crossed off the list, and some are just ridiculous and get tossed at the end of the year. For the past 4 years I have had at least one resolution that has stayed the same: to be more fun. I mentioned this one to the children at breakfast this morning to see how I did last year. I, personally, felt that I had more fun last year but, apparently, the children didn't notice. Note to self: have more fun WITH children in 2010.

I also like to read through other people's resolutions. Sounds voyeuristic, I know, but you can learn an awful lot about another person by looking at their immediate and long-term goals. One of the papers on my desk is a list of 70 Resolutions of Jonathan Edwards, pastor and theologian of the First Great Awakening. He wrote these over the years of 1722 and 1723.

His first resolution is this: "Resolved, that I will do whatsoever I think to be most to God's glory, and my own good, profit and pleasure, in the whole of my duration, without any consideration of the time, whether now, or never so many myriad's of ages hence. Resolved to do whatever I think to be my duty and most for the good and advantage of mankind in general. Resolved to do this, whatever difficulties I meet with how many and how great soever."

I like the way he puts the priority of his decision making: 1. Is this to the glory of God? If no, then cross it off the list. If yes, move on to 2. Is this to my own good? It may be for the glory of God but is this something that God has given to ME to do? If no, then cross it off my list for the time being or delegate it on to someone else or make it a matter of prayer that the right person will take it on. If it is something that I should do then 3. How do I do it in a way that it works for the most good for the advantage of mankind in general?

So, here's a resolution for me on January 5, 2010: Resolved, to make my decisions about my time based on three things - 1. God's glory 2. My personal place and priorities as I understand them and 3. To do those things in a way that would be of the best advantage for others.

Sounds like a good way to kick off the new year. Happy New Year!