Making America Good Again

       Psalm 33:12a says, "Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord;"  I am thankful to live in America, and I definitely believe in American exceptionalism.  However, I believe we are an exceptional country not because we are exceptional people; rather, I believe we are an exceptional country because we serve an exceptional God.

       There is a wicked spirit of pride that pervades America today, and here is what it says- 'We can make America great again, because we made her great in the first place.'"  Friends, no human being can make us great again, because it wasn't humans that made us great in the first place.  Alexis de Tocqueville said it best- “America is great because she is good. If America ceases to be good, America will cease to be great.”  Today, we have ceased from goodness (faith in God, and righteous living), and thus are rapidly losing our greatness.  Here are three things that I believe we need in order to "Make America Good Again."

       First, we need to start praying. (II Chronicles 7:14). We say that it is terrible that prayer has been removed from our schools, and it is terrible.  But which is worse, the ungodly removing prayer from the schools, or Christians neglecting prayer in our homes?  The founding fathers prayed to an Almighty God for deliverance, protection, and wisdom; why are we so proud that we think we can fix our problems ourselves?

       Second, we must start living with purity.  Proverbs 13:34 says, "Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people."  John Adams said this- "Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other."  America will never be right again, until we become righteous again.

       Third, we have to start praising God again.  Psalm 35:28 "And my tongue shall speak of thy righteousness and of thy praise all the day long."  John 12:32 says, "And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me."  May our lives, homes, churches, and government once again be filled with true praise, as we glorify God with our thoughts, words, motives, and actions!
     
       Alexis de Tocqueville said, "Liberty cannot be established without morality, nor morality without faith.”  America will only become "great" again, when she becomes "good" again; and she will only become good when born-again Christians start living right and sharing the Gospel!

Memorial Day Photos

       Here are some pictures from Memorial Day-

       

The man in the wheel-chair is Mr. Richard Manning, a veteran of WWII.  In this picture, Mr. Manning is explaining to us what his medals signify; the second one from the left is a Purple Heart. 

I do not remember this gentleman's name, but he is also a WWII vet.  Meeting him and Mr. Manning has given me a greater appreciation for what our veterans have done; they were simply ordinary men, who chose to take a stand and to fight for the right.  These men, along with all of our troops today, are heroes; they deserve our respect and honor.

Standing next to this tank gave me more respect than ever for our troops.  War is no game; it's real and awful.  And yet, throughout our country's history, the American soldier has chosen to put his own life in danger, so that his fellow countrymen could live in peace and freedom.  That, folks, is sacrifice.

Here I am, shooting (or rather, attempting to shoot) clay pigeons.  I never did hit any!

Aaron Nyitrai, showing us how it is done.  He used to shoot clays at competitions, so he rarely misses!

Memorial Day- Remembering the Fallen

       To some Americans, today is just another holiday.  Another day to take off work, go fishing, have a picnic, or spend time with family and friends.  Too often, we forget the countless multitudes who have sacrificed their lives so that we could have these blessings.  We have become so calloused in America; we take our freedom for granted.  We think that because we are born in a free country, we deserve freedom.  Folks, we don't deserve ANYTHING.  Everything we have is a gift from God, and the freedoms we enjoy every day are ours ONLY because of the multitudes of brave American soldiers who have given THEIR lives, so that we could live OUR lives in freedom.  We owe our fallen soldiers a debt of gratitude that we can never repay; let us then live our lives in the same way they lived theirs; let us live for others.
 
       As you and your family celebrate this Memorial day, remember this- there are some who will never again have their whole family together to celebrate ANY holiday, because someone in their family laid down their life so you could keep yours.  And to all of our military- we salute you this day for the sacrifice you have made; for the price you have paid.  To the rest of us- may we always remember and honor those who have sacrificed their lives so selflessly for us; may we always remember that freedom is NEVER free.

"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."  John 15:13