Happy Birthday - United States Army

The United States Army marks as it's inception date June 14, 1775 - before there was even a Unites States. That was date that the the Continental Congress established a unified army for the states to fight Great Britain. They also appointed George Washington as its commander.

The mission of the Army is to serve as the land-based branch of the U.S. military. §3062 of Title 10 US Code defines the purpose of the army as:

• preserving the peace and security and providing for the defense of the United States, the Commonwealths and possessions and any areas occupied by the United States
• supporting the national policies
• implementing the national objectives
• overcoming any nations responsible for aggressive acts that imperil the peace and security of the United States.

For 238 years, the men and women of the United States Army have done just that.

And I thank God for all of them! I especially thank:

My father, Ed Blonski, for his service in the Unite States Army in the early 1960's, serving in the Army Air Defense Command.

My grandfather, Ed Blonski who served in World War II, and my good friend Mitch, who served in Vietnam, both part of the 1st Infantry Division.

What Am I Doing?

I’ve been leading a Bible study on Romans for the men of the congregation I serve and our community.

This week our topic was “The Depth of Morals” and was based on verses were Romans 2. These two verses made me stop and think.

²³ You who boast in the law dishonor God by breaking the law. ²⁴ For, as it is written, “The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.”

I was cut to the quick with these two verses. That’s me Paul is talking about! I had trouble sleeping last night thinking about these words and how they apply to parts of my life.

I tell people about God and sin and how God wants us to live in His Gospel light.

But while I tell them about this wonderful good news, I sometimes don’t do it myself!

Why? I certainly know better. I wouldn’t be living my life telling others about how God loves us and sent Jesus to die for our sins and transforms our hearts and lives unless I knew that to be true deep down in my heart.

But even though I know better, I still find myself sinning. I feel ashamed, beaten down, so much so that I can barely function at times.

Thankfully, these feelings don’t last too long. And the reason for that is because the Holy Spirit – while convicting me through Romans 2 and other verses – also builds me up with verses like:

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. (Romans 3:23-25)

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. (Romans 5:1)

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. (Romans 8:1)

This Good News – this Gospel – gives me new hope every time I’m beaten down by my sinfulness. I can live a new life. I can be a new man.

Every day, I have to remember, “I am baptized” and, as such, I am a child of the heavenly Father and I have Christ living in me!

Every day, I wake up and remember, “It is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me.”

I can do this – and all things – through Christ who strengthens me!

Part of our Bible study was dedicated to a “what now?” discussion. What do we do with this information? How do we live a different life.

There were some great ideas like:

Pray daily.

Read the Bible daily.

Attend a worship service weekly.

Like I said, great ideas that have a proven track record. However, there was one thing missing.

You see, all these great ideas are things that we can – and should – do.

But they are not things that we can rely on to do by ourselves.

I am convinced that in order to be truly transformed by the Holy Spirit working through Word and Sacrament, another person needs to walk along side me. I need a friend, a partner, a brother who will ask the tough questions:

How were you tempted today? Did you succumb to that temptation?

This brother would then pray with me and will pray for me every day. And I ask the same questions of him and do the same with him.

This is God’s plan. That a man or woman of God would have someone who is dedicated to them and they to them, being an instrument of the Holy Spirit to bring about fundamental transformation over a lifetime of being a disciple of Jesus Christ.

David had his Jonathan.

Paul had his Silas.

Timothy had his Paul.

Who walks along side of you?

A Day to Remember

This Monday is Memorial Day in the United States. It is also known as the “Unofficial Start of Summer” as most Americans have the day off from work and school. It is common to grill meat outside and have friends and family over; in general, have a good time.

And there’s nothing wrong with this. I’ll be doing this with my family and we all look forward to it every year. We’ll be grilling steaks and potatoes, having cake decorated as an American Flag. I’ll probably play catch with my sons, definitely lounge around the backyard and enjoy the day.

But I will also share with my sons what Memorial Day is really for – the reason we have this day in our nation’s calendar.

It began as “Decoration Day” by freed negro slaves in 1865 in Charleston, South Carolina. They had created a cemetery near the place where many Union prisoners of war had died and were buried in a mass grave. Out of gratitude – it is said – of the soldiers’ sacrifice for their freedom, they reinterred the bodies and decorated the graves with flowers.

The following year cities in the Northern United States began to hold what would become yearly observances of memorial and decoration of those who had died during the United States Civil War. After World War II, Decoration Day became more commonly known as Memorial Day and in the 1960’s it was officially designated as such by an act of Congress.

Today there are no survivors of the Civil War nor the Spanish-American War. There are also no living veterans of World War I. The last veteran died in 2012.

The veterans of World War II have reached their late 80’s and older.

For World War I and all previous wars, they are truly second-hand history for us. World War II and more recent wars are still “memories.”

We must never forget what these men and women did to ensure our freedom. I say we should also thank God for their sacrifice, especially those who gave their lives during the conflicts. And that is what Memorial Day is for.

Remembering is a biblical thing. During Jesus’ earthly ministry, He celebrated remembrances such as Passover and Purim. In the “Law” as recorded in Deuteronomy, God instructed His people to remember what they have gone through to get where they are now and to pass on those memories to their children and their children’s children (Deuteronomy 6:7).

This is a basic to the Christian faith: that what is believed about Jesus Christ is passed on to others, to teach and confess it to especially to children.

Memorial Day is a great opportunity to do both: to share a bit of the history of our country and to share our faith in Christ. I pray that you will do this and also have a blessed Memorial Day.

©2013 True Men Ministries.

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LiveJournal Tags: Memorial Day,Jesus Christ,remember

The Experience of Pain

“And they all lived happily ever after.”

That’s a good ending to a good story.

But is it true?

I think it is, for the most part. I think it is based on what we mean by “happily.”

For a Christian, it might mean that heaven is awaiting us. It might mean that we will live forever with Christ in paradise. It might mean that we live – in this life – with the joy of the presence of God in our life.

I’ve heard from several people that have gone through sickness or injury about how God got them through, calmed their hearts and minds. How they had a sense of peace because they could feel the presence of God with them.

But I’ve come to realize that being a Christian doesn’t mean that this kind of happiness comes automatically. Sometimes it works out that God changes your circumstances to give you happiness. But sometimes, God changes your perception of happiness to fit the circumstances you find yourself in.

I think that’s what has happened to Craig.

Craig loves to climb. He climbs with ropes carabiners, and he climbs with just his hands and feet (bouldering). He’s also really, really good at climbing – as is his wife, Cyndy and their two children.

One day Craig was climbing with a friend in Colorado and, through a misunderstanding and miscommunication, he ended up falling.

Statistics tell the story – that if a person falls 10 feet, they have a 10% chance of dying, and if they fall 20 feet they have a 20% chance of dying.

Craig fell 100 feet. Statistics tend to not lie.

But Craig did not die. He fell straight down, starting out horizontal, but about half-way down he hit a tree branch and it turned him vertical. He hit the ground practically standing straight up. He landed on his feet at nearly 55 miles per hour.

His story is told in “After the Fall” – which he wrote with Bill Romanelli.

Craig is honest about his Christian faith and where he was in his relationship with God before and after the accident.

Craig says, “I thought about how I had worked hard to fit God into my life where it was most convenient for me, and wherever there was a conflict it was as if God was just the kid I played with because he had cool toys. I saw how I had always put my faith and trust into my own body, and the fall had taken away the one thing I had put the most stock in, myself” (After the Fall, page 51).

During his recovery and rehab, Craig documents how sometimes he felt that God wasn’t there. I’ve heard this called the “Silence of Heaven” and I know from experience that it happens. Not that God isn’t there, but sometimes He’s not saying anything. I wrote about this in what I called “The Silence of Heaven.”

Craig says it this way, “But as the weeks went on [after leaving the hospital and was going through rehab], the apparent absence of God became like a huge hole. I kept thinking God would keep guiding me, and He wasn’t. Where I should have seen his hand at work all around me, instead almost every experience was a muddled collage of good and bad, as if joy and despair were waging war inside me, and to the victor would go my spirits” (After the Fall, page 80).

This is what Craig is teaching me: that while God is always in my life, and is always there through good times and bad, it doesn’t mean that I’m going to have a life that is all “sugar plums and lollipops.” Craig has taught me that life will have pain. God in my life doesn’t change that. But God in my life does change how I deal with the pain.

It helps me to remember this: because Jesus endured pain – the pain of the cross and death itself – I can deal with pain, too. Jesus forgives me all my sin and restores true life to me. Jesus restores the life God intended for me to have. In doing this, Jesus never promised that I wouldn’t have pain or trouble or disappointment. He promises that I will have Him! And He promises that He’s preparing a place where all that stuff will never be experienced again – heaven.

Thank you, Craig, for reminding me of this!

Not Why. Rather, What For?

Peter was in a place he never imagined he would be.

Those three years seemed to go by in a blink of an eye. Yet, that day on the beach seemed like a lifetime ago.

He and his brother fished all night, catching nothing. In the morning, an itinerant preacher came by and asked to use his boat to preach from. After the sermon, a miraculous catch of fish, and then Peter heard the words of Jesus he would never, ever forget.

“Follow me, I will make you fishers of men. Do not be afraid.”

Afraid? Peter wasn’t afraid of anything! He would stand up to even Jesus when he didn’t like what he was hearing!

But then the betrayal by Judas, the arrest by the temple guards, and the farce of a trial at the High Priest’s house.

This man who earlier wasn’t afraid to confess boldly that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of Living God, cowered in fear before a servant girl. All she did was ask him if he was one of Jesus’ followers.

Three times, Peter ended up denying he even knew Jesus.

Then the crucifixion and the bitterness of living through that Saturday with the knowledge that he had all but nailed Jesus to that cross.

Yes, all that changed the next day. Jesus was suddenly there! The tomb was empty – he had seen it was empty – and Jesus was there with him in the upper room that afternoon!

Then Jesus was gone. Peter saw Him ascend to the heavens.

Peter mulled that over for 10 days.

He gathered again with his brothers and sisters in the Upper Room. Suddenly a loud sound, like a rushing wind, and what appeared to be tongues of flame!

This was it! The promised gift! Jesus said He would send the Holy Spirit and this was it!

This man who stood up to the Son of God, then cowered in fear before a servant girl, now found himself standing before a crowd of thousands.

“Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words.”

And when he was finished speaking, the Holy Spirit converted over 3000 people – the Christian Church was born and set into motion!

Ah, those were heady days for Peter. But now he finds himself in a very different place. Chained to a wall, in a damp and dark Roman jail. His death sentence was delivered and he was waiting for his own crucifixion.

“In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials….”

Peter didn’t ask, “Why?” As in “Why me?” Rather, he focused on “What for?” For what reason do we suffer? What will be the good in my own death on a cross?

“…so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”

When you go through tough and terrible times, it is only natural to ask, “Why me?”

But I challenge you (and myself!), by the power of the Holy Spirit, to ask instead, “What for?” And to know this answer – to give God glory so others may know the hope that you have within you!

Jenny’s Story

I’ve been looking for something. It isn’t really something I lost but something I never really had. I don’t want to go into the details, but I grew up in a typical family. Nothing really out of the ordinary. But after I moved out onto my own, I found I really needed “completeness.” Its hard to put into words, actually. There was something missing in my life. Maybe you know, or have known, what I mean. Some people call it a longing, a search for meaning, whatever. All I know is that I’ve been looking for it for a long time.

After a while – I don’t know when, really – I began thinking of it in terms of what I want instead of what I need. Maybe I never actually thought of it as a need. At any rate, I’ve searched for something to fill the want. I’ve searched in places I’m not proud to admit. Love, drugs, drink. I’ve searched in all those places for what I wanted – without really knowing exactly what it was I did want. At first I did find what I wanted in them. They filled me with something I didn’t have as a little girl. Don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t into hardcore stuff. Drugs were never really my thing. I wasn’t a falling-down drunk, and I only had slept with those I really loved. Pretty average stuff, really.

But after a while, I realized that nothing really satisfied me. I wasn’t really getting what I wanted. I still couldn’t put my finger on what it was, exactly, but these things didn’t get it for me.

It was about this time I started to really learn about Jesus. Now before you tune me out, hear me out. I’m not one of those who tell their story of strife and woe and then I found Jesus and he made me all better and my life is full of joy all the time! I don’t knock those who have experienced it like that, but it isn’t my story.

One of my friends took me to church with her one Sunday. The pastor talked about the hope that can fill a person’s life – a hope only Jesus can give. There was no flash from heaven, no fire in my belly from a massive conversion experience. But this hope from Jesus intrigued me. I went back the next week and he talked about it again. I kept going, rarely missing. What I was hearing was comforting. I heard about faith and hope and love. I heard that Jesus died and rose from the dead for me. That all my sins were forgiven. That all my longings would be satisfied in Jesus. The pastor didn’t present this as if it was some one-time, instantaneous solution, either. Jesus’ hope and peace and grace were life-long gifts. I realized that this was what I wanted. I was searching in all the wrong places. I was searching for the wrong things. It wasn’t about what I wanted but rather what I needed. Somehow Jesus knew and He gave it to me.

Is everything perfect now? It sure would be great to tell you it is, but it isn’t. Life is better, though. I have a satisfying relationship with Jesus and brothers and sisters in the faith at my church. Jesus makes the difference because He took my sins away. And He continues to take my sins away as He fills my need. My life isn’t perfect (really, what is in this world?) but it is more fulfilling with Jesus as the center of it.

Constant Change Is Here To Stay

I recently checked out of my local library a CD called “American Spirit.” It is by the Mannheim Steamroller and also features C.W. McCall and the Chicago Symphony Chorus (Duain Wolfe, conductor).

Listening to music such as “America the Beautiful,” “Fanfare for the Common Man,” “Home on the Range,” and “Convoy,” brought an immense feeling of nostalgia to my heart. Days long past, when I would roam the neighborhood on a hot summer day with my friends until the fireflies (or lighting bugs) came out; watching fireworks from the lake shore; grilling chicken and hamburgers and shooting off firecrackers while the adults would sit, smoke, and talk on the deck throughout the afternoon.

Where have those days gone? Where is today’s equivalent of such music and activities?

Why do things have to change?

I’ve heard that nostalgia originally was defined as the longing for home by soldiers off to war and that it was considered a medical condition.

But today it is said that nostalgia is more a longing for a time rather than a place. Recently there has been a series broadcast on the National Geographic Channel called “The 80’s: The Decade That Made Us.”

Is it possible that some people – enough to secure six hours of expensive broadcast time – are nostalgic for the 1980’s?

It seems like the 80’s where just here. How can anyone be nostalgic for last Tuesday?

But I’m reminded – and I’m not sure if I’m happily or sadly reminded – that the 1980’s were thirty years ago. I graduated from college in 1987 – that was a quarter of a century ago. I graduated from high school 30 years ago!

So much time has gone by. So much of my life has gone by. My wife and I have been married 22 years this August. We have lived St. Louis, MO, White Cloud, MI, Mayville & Beaver Dam, WI, Upland, CA, Lake Villa, IL and now Hawthorn Woods, IL. Our oldest son will be 17 next month. Our youngest son just turned 13 last month. Our middle son is now taller than my wife and he’s 14!

So much has changed.

And that reminds me of something I read last week.

“If something changes, then something else must stay constant and unchanging behind the thing that changes, otherwise we would not be able to recognize change” (H. Peter Steeves, quoted by Steve Johnson in his Chicago Tribune article “Nostalgia seems a fading memory,” April 14, 2013).

At first, I considered that it was me who hasn’t changed. That I’m the constant and unchanging by which I’m able to recognize all this change.

But then I got a good look of myself in the mirror this morning. That notion went right out the window!

I certainly have changed. In 1983, I was 18 years old. Now I’m 48. In 1983 I weighed about 220 pounds. Now, well, now I don’t. 30 years ago I had more hair, sharper eyesight, and pain-free knees. You get the idea.

So, if I’m not the constant, what is? Certainly not the culture. Steeves goes on to say, “But if it is the culture itself that has changed, then what is it that has remained stable, that allows us to recognize the change?” (ibid).

Here’s my thought. I’ve changed. You’ve changed. The culture has changed. Yes, even the world has changed.

Kids in my neighborhood used to stay out all day – from just after Ray Rayner and a bowl of Apple Jacks™ till mom called us in for dinner. We used to fish down at the lake, walk barefoot everywhere, and, when thirsty, drank from the garden hose out back.

That simply doesn’t happen today.

So what hasn’t change? God has not changed.

One thing that I used to do 30 years ago I still do today. On Sunday mornings I go to church. I worship with my family (wife and sons as well as by brothers and sisters in Christ). I still worship God who has never changed.

There’s a passage in the Bible that says, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). In other words, Jesus has never changed.

He’s the constant and unchanging by which I’m able to see all the change in my life and in the world. All the myriad of changes in the world, from Twitter to Google to iPads to Facebook had made one thing perfectly clear to me.

People desperately need the rock-solid and unmovable and unchangeable Jesus Christ in their lives. Because no matter what else has changed, sin is still ever-present. Pain, suffering, and death – caused by sin infecting this world – need to be dealt with.

And it is dealt with by the unchanging Jesus Christ. He shed His blood to take away our sin. He destroyed death with His own death on the cross. And He changed the grave into a gate leading to paradise for those who believe in Him as Lord and Savior.

Whenever I’m feeling nostalgic these days – and they are more and more frequent – I’m reminded of the unchanging Good News of Jesus Christ.

LiveJournal Tags: Nostalgia,change,Jesus,Christ,God,Bible,1980's,80's