Deeply Loved

Is "Thank You" ever enough? The importance of Memorial Day.

I like that holidays such as Memorial Day give us a 3-day weekend, but to me, it's more than that. In my family, we were raised to stand and sing along with the Star Spangled Banner, say the Pledge of Allegiance, and go to patriotic events such as Air Shows on patriotic holidays. This heritage has stayed with me. I still hang my American flag out front on my house and buy poppies from the veterans as these holidays are about more than a 3-day weekend and cookout for me. And it kind of bugs me when I see people milling about and talking during the singing of the national anthem.

My dad, who was orphaned when he was 12, quit high school and joined the Navy at 17; he served in the Korean conflict traveling and seeing a world so very different from the small Texas town he grew up in. He was very proud of his military service and would show us photos and tells us stories. He got so many tattoos while he was in the Navy. My brother was in the Air Force for a number of years; he was never called to active duty, but we were all together (he was home on leave) the day we heard President Reagan had been shot. That was a very eerie day; we froze in front of the TV awaiting news. Was our nation under attack? Would he be shipped off to a war? We were blessed then to retain our innocence as a country a little longer when we learned it was a lone gunman with a terribly misguided mind. We had no idea what a day in our future, September 11, 2001, would bring to our security and smugness as a nation.

My Mom's family had many serve in the military. She is one of 10 kids and they were a farm family. Three of her older brothers served in WWII; her brother B.W. was exempt from serving because he was the 'last boy' at home and needed by the family to work the farm. But, he was compelled to join and serve. He had a bad ear and was rejected by 3 branches of the military; the Army accepted him. Now, my grandparents had their 3 eldest sons far from home fighting a war.

Somewhere in the Philippines, my uncle B.W. died; they never recovered his body. That alone made his loss so much more difficult for my grandparents. This photo I found on Ancestry .com .

In my Grandmother's last years, she was moved to a nursing home; she left behind the majority of all the things she'd spent a lifetime collecting. But she had this big black purse she always kept near her at the nursing home. When she died, we learned of the contents she held so close to her heart... the letters her sons wrote her from war. In that day, a soldier wrote a letter and a photograph of the letter was sent. If a soldier communicated something unacceptable (i.e. anything that might give confidential info such as location, etc.) it would be blacked out with a marker. Sometimes they sent a very brief telegram. It was surreal reading these letters written so many decades earlier. They were upbeat; they tried to calm my grandparents' concerns for them. Then, came the telegram from the military officials informing my grandparents that my uncle was M.I.A. Then, the 'we regret to inform you' letter where they confirmed he had died. That's all the information my grandparents received. Then, letters from my uncles who had learned the news and were researching to see if they could find out any other information through their military connections. And the letter from a fellow soldier friend of B.W. who wrote the family about what a great guy he was. There is an "In Grateful Memory "certificate that reads in part: "He (B.W.) stands in the unbroken line of patriots who have dared to die that freedom might live, and grow, and increase it's blessings. Freedom lives, and through it, He lives in a way that humbles the undertakings of most men." The certificate is signed by Franklin D Roosevelt, US President.

The contents of Grandmother's purse she kept so close to her at the nursing home showed that even though more than three decades had passed since her son had died, her grief had not subsided.

A friend of mine from high school is currently in Iraq; he is a nurse and tells stories about the wounded that come in. He has two small daughters back here at home with his wife and the hardest patients for him to treat are the innocent Iraqi children. A former boyfriend was an Army Captain and a member of the elite Army Rangers who defended us in Desert Storm; his brother, a marine, also served. Their older brother is a Colonel who recently returned from Iraq.

In Dallas, a group of veterans gather at the DFW terminal each week to greet soldiers returning home for a brief respite and are also there to send off the soldiers returning to Iraq. Click here to see this heartwarming and inspiring message.

How can we not be touched by the horrors of war?! And to be inspired by the bravery of those who defend freedom and human rights at the expense of the nightmares that will haunt them when they return home--and for some, at the expense of their very lives? I think a nation like the US that has been blessed by God has a sovereign responsibility to defend the innocent who are victims of the insanity of the likes of holocaust and genocide...even as incredibly difficult as it is for the soldiers who must be brave and for the loving families that stand behind them.

Somehow, 'thank you' feels so inadequate at times like this. But how do you bundle all that you think and feel and want to communicate to a soldier or veteran for the work and sacrifice he/she does on our behalf?

Maybe we should at least try to say 'thank you.' And be a little more respectful the next time the nation's anthem is played while Old Glory waves.

A Secret Faith Revealed

Sunday, our pastor Pete was teaching from John 18-19 and I learned something I hadn't understood before.

In the hours of Jesus' suffering and eventual death on the Cross, people were very fearful. Of all the people who had believed Him to be the Messiah, only a few were there with Him while He paid the penalty on the Cross for us.

But this is what I found so interesting--and inspiring. There were two men who were believers of Jesus, but had been fearful of living their faith in a way that others knew they were Christians. Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus. Yet at the time when it was most unpopular and dangerous to be a follower of Christ, they stepped forward, out of the 'closet of their faith' and their actions were recorded for all of eternity in the Bible.

"Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jews. With Pilate's permission, he came and took the body away. He was accompanied by Nicoemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds. Taking Jesus' body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen. This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs. At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid." (John 19:38-41, NIV).

Where did their sudden confidence come from? They'd just seen the terrible beating Jesus had innocently endured. Surely they were still very fearful. Yet somehow, they decided to act in spite of their fear, to honor Jesus. I find that very inspiring. Pete also pointed out that the 75 pounds of spices Nicodemus brought were the burial preparations generally reserved for a King. They were preparing Christ's body for a King's burial--they recognized who He was and were not afraid to do so publicly.

I wonder how many people today believe in Jesus, but are not comfortable sharing Him with others? They live a private faith. But in Matthew 28, Jesus asks us to go into the world and tell everyone about Him. Will you?

The Physical Death of Jesus' Crucifixion

At Easter, we celebrate the resurrection and are reminded of Christ’s suffering on the Cross. We all have a point of reference to understand suffering. However, Jesus endured extreme suffering; some began before the Cross. As He prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, the agony of His pending fate caused Him to sweat blood.

Can we ever fully understand the suffering and penalty Jesus paid for ours sins? During this Holy Season of celebrating our risen Savior, take a moment to reflect on the price Jesus paid for us, for you, for me, so that we might spend eternity in Heaven with Him. The following is excerpted from “Reason and Revelation” copyright of Apologetics Press. It is a difffult read, but one that depicts a greater understanding of the completed work of Jesus on the Cross. He gave His life for us in love so we might have eternal life. My pastor taught from John 18 yesterday. He said at the time of Christ's death on the cross, a total of 332 Old Testament prophecies had come true.

Jesus was scourged. “In their critically acclaimed article, “On the Physical Death of Jesus Christ,” in the March 21, 1986 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, William Edwards and his coauthors (of the famed Mayo Clinic) described the instrument used by the Roman soldiers for flogging as “a short whip (flagrum or flagellum) with several single or braided leather thongs of variable lengths, in which small iron balls or sharp pieces of sheep bones were tied at intervals” (Edwards, et al., 1986, 256:1457, parenthetical item in orig.). Edwards and his colleagues described Christ’s scourging in the following manner: “Then, as the flogging continued, the lacerations would tear into the underlying skeletal muscles and produce quivering ribbons of bleeding flesh. Pain and blood loss generally set the stage for circulatory shock (1986, 256:1457).”

“Having suffered considerable blood loss from the scourging, Jesus likely was in a dehydrated state when He finally reached the top of this small knoll. Jesus was offered two drinks at Golgotha. The first—a drugged wine (i.e., mixed with myrrh) that served as a mild analgesic to deaden some of the pain—was offered immediately upon His arrival (Shroud, 1871; Davis, 1965, p. 186). However, after having tasted it, Christ refused the concoction. He chose to face death with a clear mind so He could conquer it willfully as He submitted Himself to the cruelty of the cross. “And when they came to a place called Golgotha, they offered him wine to drink, mixed with gall; but when he tasted it, he would not drink it” (Matthew 27:33-34). This particular drink was intended to dull the pain in preparation for the next step of crucifixion—the nailing of the hands and feet. Thus, it would have been around this time that a battered, bleeding Jesus was thrown to the ground and nailed to the cross.

“Christ’s hands and feet were nailed to the cross. Archaeological data indicate that the specific nails used during the time of Christ’s crucifixion were tapered iron spikes five to seven inches long with a square shaft approximately three-eighths of an inch across (Haas, 1970; Tzaferis, 1970; Clements, 1992, p. 108). Various studies have demonstrated that the bony palms cannot support the weight of a body hanging from them (e.g., Barbet, 1953). The weight of the body would tear quite easily through the lumbricals and flexor tendons—breaking the metacarpal bones as the nails pulled free—allowing the body to fall to the Earth. However, in ancient terminology, the wrist was considered to be part of the hand (Barbet, 1953, p. 106; Davis, 1965, p. 184; Major, 1999, 19:86).

“The pain Christ must have experienced up to this point would have been excruciating, and yet the Roman soldiers were about to deliver even more. There were many ways to nail the feet to the stipes, but most required the knees to be flexed and rotated laterally. It would not be uncommon by this time for insects to burrow into open wounds or orifices (such as the nose, mouth, ears, and eyes) of a crucified victim; additionally birds of prey frequently were known to feed off the tattered wounds (Cooper, 1883). It was in this position, with His precious blood seeping down the cross, that Christ uttered the amazing statement: “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34).

“Even though blood poured from His lacerated back, one major pathophysiological impairment Jesus faced during crucifixion was normal respiration (i.e., breathing). Maximum inhalation would have been possible only when the body weight was supported by the nailed wrists of the outstretched arms. When Christ first was lifted onto the splinter-covered surface of the cross, His arms and body were stretched out in the form of a “Y.” A momentary “T” position would be required to allow proper support for inhalation. Thus, in order to breathe He was required to lift His body using His nailed wrists for leverage. Exhalation would be impossible in this position, and the immense pain placed on the wrists quickly would become too great; therefore, Christ would have to slump back into a “Y” position to exhale. Jesus would be forced to continue alternating between the “Y” and “T” positions with every breath, trying all the while not to reopen the wounds He had received from the scourging. Fatigued muscles eventually would begin to spasm, and Christ would become exhausted from these repeated tasks, slumping permanently into the shape of a “Y.” In this position, chest and respiratory muscles soon would become paralyzed from the increased strain and pain. Without strength for breath, Christ’s body would begin to suffer from asphyxia.

“As insects and dogs circled, and as passersby spat on Him, Christ—with blood dripping from the open wounds on His back and nail holes in His hands and feet—shouldered the sins of the world. As exposed nerves exploded into unbearable pain with each movement, and as His internal organs began failing due to a lack of sufficient oxygen, for the first and only time in His life, Jesus found Himself separated from His Father. Matthew 27:46 describes His anguish: “And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, ‘Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?’ that is, ‘My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?’ ” This was the first time in His life, so far as Scripture records, that Jesus did not address God as His Father. Isaiah 59:2 informs us of that separation, and the reason that God had to turn His face from His sin-laden Son: “But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid His face from you, so that he will not Hear.”

“It is with both medical and biblical certainty that we know Christ died upon the cross at Calvary. He was laid in a tomb with nail wounds in His hands and feet, and still possessed those scars following His resurrection. The extreme physical insults to Christ’s body left Him ragged, torn, bleeding, and tormented with pain. Yet He endured willingly all the agony and torment of the cross for each one of us. We would do well to heed the advice of the writer of the book of Hebrews, who said: “Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God (12:2).”

“Oh, the overwhelming love that God showed each one of us when He allowed His only begotten Son to suffer that excruciating (Latin, excruciates, or “out of the cross”) pain and agony—for our sake!

Read this article in it's entirety!

It Only Appears...

That I've fallen off the face of the earth. Dave and I married a few weeks ago and the weeks leading up to the celebration were quite busy. We had a glorious ceremony, more wonderful than I could have dreamed, a sunny and adventurous honeymoon, and now we are settling into married life (home organization--ugh! not my strength!). CLICK HERE AND YOU CAN SEE A FEW PHOTOS!

Thanks to everyone who's written to say 'hi' and to check in on me. Have a great week!

A Warm Thought on a Cool Day...

I coordinate a blog for a new community garden and created this image for that site. It's been so pretty this week, sunny and it the 70s. Today, it is a cool, cloudy day and it seems a good sentiment to share here too!

Love Lost, Love Found

When I got in from church today, I unlocked the door so Dave could just let himself in when he arrived. I was in the kitchen and heard the door open twice. Instinct kicked in, and I knew Maggie must have ran out the door and he'd gone after her. Sure enough, I went out, and he was down the street looking for her. She's a beagle and when outside, the nose just takes over! My heart stopped when I realized no one knew where she was. One neighbor guessed that maybe she'd gone through his yard to the alley. So I took off running in my dress and boots calling out to her. Dave took off the other direction. A lady on the street behind me had just seen her. Fortunately, this nightmare only lasted a few minutes. Another neighbor a few doors down had found her in his garage, staring adoringly at their refrigerator, wagging her tail. His wife had taken her and placed her in my house while Dave and I were frantically looking for her.

I like to think she has a good life here. Lots of love, doggie treats, and as you can see from this photo made in December, full furniture privileges. But, a beagle will forever be a 2-year old, never thinking to look before crossing streets, or to remember she's not allowed to go off by herself. Tonite, she just wanted to lie on both Dave and me as we sat together on the couch watching TV. She is love. And I am thankful she is safe and home!

Sexy Back?

There is a 20-something pop icon with a hit on the charts where he sings he's bringing sexy back. I'm not sure what he's talking about. As you can see from the photo, Dave is very sexy and he never left.

(He's also very humble and private, so I may be in trouble for this post!)

Sometimes Life Moves Fast!

Dave and I planned to elope. Then we decided to have a small ceremony. But we needed to stay with our original date because of some things with Dave's career. So...I find myself planning a wedding in 3 weeks! My life has definitely picked up a few RPMs!

It has been so cool to watch God at work! He's opened doors that amaze me! From the beautiful ceremony location (the original person who had booked my date months ago, had called just 2 days earlier and asked to move their event to a new date), to the help from friends, to front row parking at the mall when I was on a tight time schedule...big and little the blessings are all around.

But the greatest of the blessings is Dave! He told me early on he knew he could marry me. More than a year later, I have learned what it is like to be loved unconditionally. I always dreamed of that, but never experienced it. He loves God so much and it is evident in how he treats me. He is really smart, can build/fix anything, not to mention he is really handsome with awesome blue eyes! He is very inspiring to me!