Holiday Survival Guide

Today is Memorial Day. I hope you enjoyed last weeks blogs by the faithful regarding the true meaning of this day.

This week the Kingdom Bloggers are going to write about summer - and Jesus!

Once the parade is over, the 21 gun salute is fired, and I am undone by taps, I silently thank God for freedom to just be an American. I have spiritual freedom, and I am free to do many more things than folks around the world. It is a day to miss my dad, and the chain of unspoken thoughts seems endless on the ride home. HERE is last years story.

As I pull in the driveway, there it stands, glimmering on the farmers porch: the grill! It is also unofficially summer in southern New England! (I know, and the Bruins are still playing hockey and it's 91 degrees outside!) 

That's right, it is a sign of manly freedoms earned, a return to the prehistoric phenomena known as fire! The thoughts of sizzling meats, and the smell of BBQ sauce captivate me. In my world, if it can be eaten, it can be grilled - well not Lucky Charms.

Here are some quick tips to make it a great holiday. I hope you'll share one of yours in the comments section and feel free to add a recipe!

Gas: That's right, fill up the extra tank early, because you know they are closed - it's a holiday!

Be Daring: We really do grill everything. Other than the obvious steaks, chicken, brats, hot dogs, shrimp, salmon, tuna and gak, tofu burgers, we also grill fruit and vegetables are not often on the list. Corn, peppers, squash, apples and even pineapple. And don't forget kabobs of every type!

Spices: If it's on the grill, it's needs to be spicy. Lots of great spice combinations, but the common denominator seems to be cayenne pepper. HERE area few you might like!

Marinades: We have favorites for different meats and fish. Teriyaki and garlic for steak, Italian or zesty Italian for London Broil, Honey Mustard for chicken breast, Honey Teriyaki for salmon and traditional Brown Sugar or Buffalo BBQ for chicken wings and drum sticks.

Cool Sides: We like sides made with vegetables in varying sorts of salads and slaws. I'll let Martha Stewart handle this! Of course you might just want pasta salad, so HERE is that list.

Cool Drinks: From water to beer and everything in between, ice cold drinks on a hot day are essential!

Dessert: It just seems fitting to have frozen desserts or fruit to refresh the pallet for the next Swiss burger! HERE you go!

I hope that you have memorable Memorial Day.

Thank you just doesn't seem to be enough...

Some people don't consider Memorial Day a religious holiday...but I certainly do.

From the very mouth of Jesus, we are told that:
Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. John 15:13 (NIV)

There have been many sacrifices on my behalf. While none are greater than the one made by my Savior, many have still been great...the ultimate...sacrifices. Each year, I approach Memorial Day with a heavy heart for the few that I've known personally, and the many I will never know, who gave their life to defend a freedom I enjoy today. That freedom allows me to gather my family together several times a week in our chosen house of worship. There's no fear of persecution. No anxiety. Just free, unencumbered worship.

I sometimes wonder how diligent we would be as Christians in our worship if the environment where we dwelled was far less open. Churches so easily available. That's a different post, however, and thankfully I've never lived in such a place. Neither has my father, nor even his father. We owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to a number of unselfish men and women for that fact. Let us never forget.

While I often catch flak for publicly admitting my fondness for the PBS NewsHour, the show is unique to other news sources in one certain aspect that I greatly admire. As names and photos become available, the NewHour will run a silent Honor Roll at the end of a broadcast to acknowledge the most recent service men and women to answer the ultimate call of duty. Without fail, the noise from just another daily routine stops in our house as all eyes fall on the television, and we watch as a family at the names and pictures flashing by on the screen...usually in complete silence...sometimes with a faint gasp at how young life can be snatched away or thoughts of the families left behind. Even our pre-schooler has come to recognize a reverence about the 'people who have died in war.' It breaks my heart to think she is exposed to such a heinous concept at such a young age. We tell her they have 'gone to live with Jesus' even though there's no way of knowing their particular spiritual state at the moment the ability to freely choose our Savior was longer an option.

It's hard to swallow that such a tremendous sacrifice wouldn't be enough for eternal life in Heaven... but that's just not how it works.  In fact, the path to salvation is so much easier.

Below is a clip from a recent NewsHour Honor Roll. Less than a dozen souls from a list of thousands, no hundreds of thousands, that we all should take a moment to reflect upon before eating our hamburgers, hot dogs or steaks this coming Monday at family cookouts nationwide.

Memorial Day marks so very much more than just the start of another summer...

Watch the full episode. See more PBS NewsHour.

Memorial Day Gratitude

We learn things from our parents, even when they're not directly trying to teach us.

I can remember that my mother always got a lump in her throat when she looked at an American flag.

She and my father were both in what was then the Army Air Core (there wasn't an Air Force yet) during WWII. That's how they met. All of my uncles served in the military, and my son Devon graduated from USMA West Point last year and is scheduled to deploy this coming February, if not sooner. Through these people I hear accounts of war time experiences. (Although my father never shared a single war story. It is through my mother that I learned that he was a POW for a short time and had malaria.)

One of Devon's favorite quotes is from John Stuart Mills and I always think on it around Memorial Day:

"War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself."

As I think on those who have died in service to our country I don't have anything creative or clever to say. Just that I'm grateful for their exertions, grateful for what they gave.

Stones of Help

I have been known to cry when a military band marches by in a parade.  I’ve never known why I do this and usually try to hide it.  Somehow my emotions are always stirred at the sight of soldiers marching.  I’ve lived long enough to see patriotism be unfashionable and see it return.  I guess I’ve always been patriotic.  Even during the turbulent years of the Viet Nam war, I remember wearing a pin that said love it or leave it.  I was young and probably didn’t understand all the nuances of politics; I was just patriotic.

When I heard the topic for the day, I thought hmm, that’s a hard one for me.  Even though I’ve always been patriotic, I don’t remember Memorial Day (or Decoration Day when I was a small child) as a significant holiday.  It was a day off of school.  It was the first Sunday I’d sit alone in Sunday School as all my friends had fled with their parents to their beach houses in Long Island.  We had no car.  We had no beach house.  We rode the Subway to Coney Island for our beach experiences.

My great grandfather (or maybe it is my great, great grandfather) fought in the Civil War.  At least we think so, that side of my family history is murky including stories of horse thieves during the same war.  My father was in the “great one” – World War ONE – yes, I did say father and did say WWI.  He was a young Merchant Marine sailing on a Norwegian vessel when a German sub took them down.  During WWII he was too old to serve.  However, he was block warden and made sure everyone observed the black outs.  I have uncles and cousin who are Veterans.  My oldest granddaughter served for a short time until a broken bone sent her home.  I see the faces of children I taught in Sunday School who are serving.  I read the laments of spouses of these same children as their husband’s go to war now sanitized with terms like deployment.

I honor all of them today.  While in my heart I think I want to be a pacifist, I am conflicted.  Regardless of politics or religion, I still tear up at the sight of a Veteran’s cemetery.  The graves so erect speak of the soldiers who died for my freedom.  I wonder why freedom always comes with that price.  My spiritual freedom was also paid with death.

Memorial Day also makes me think of Eben-Ezer.  Playing on 53^rd Street I could see the sign every day that said Eben-Ezer.  It was the name of the Norwegian language church across the street.  My father went there often for special meetings.  Eben-Ezer literally means stone of help.  It can also be translated “thus far the Lord has helped us” or in KJV, ” Hitherto hath the Lord helped us.”  Often we read in the Old Testament of stones of remembrance.  Eben-Ezer was such a stone.  It was a stone placed to help people remember God’s help.    

Memorial Day is a day we decorate the stones of help, those erect graves standing in Veteran’s resting places all across the country and world.  American blood was spilled and is still being spilled with the goal of bringing freedom.  Let us pray that our leaders will make wise decision because the “Eben-Ezer’s” that line our cemeteries are a very high price to pay for freedom.

Saving Private Ryan

Next Monday is Memorial Day. Most of us have never seen war up close, I know I haven't. War isn't pretty, it isn't fun and what it costs in blood and treasure is really hard to calculate.

America has had quite a few foes over the years, and joined in the fight against some of history's most evil leaders.

Memorial Day is in honor of those that gave their lives in the line of duty. Veteran's Day is to honor those that have served. I celebrate both. I don't personally know anyone that gave their life to war, but I am grateful for those that have - really grateful. I like freedom, I like choosing to work, to have a job, to decide where I want to be educated, what town I live in and how I express my faith.

I have a number of soldiers in my linage, all who were better at it than I; they all saw front line battles and lived to talk about it.

My grandfather on my mother's side, born in Ireland in 1888, came to the USA and served in WW I. He also chased Pancho Villa are around the Mexican border in 1916. He received a Purple Heart - I actually can't remember how the story goes - but his injury affected his hearing.

My father also served his country in both the European and South Pacific theaters during WW II as well as the Korean War conflict. He received 2 Purple Hearts for injuries sustained fighting for my freedom and yours.

How I wish I had a better understanding of their sacrifice while they were alive.

My nephew was wounded in Iraq, he too has a Purple Heart.

No one likes war, regardless of the rhetoric. It is, however; a fact, that war has made America free. From the Revolutionary War to the battlefields of New York City, Afghanistan and Iraq, brave men and woman have laid down their lives for you; for your freedom of religion, your freedom of speech and your pursuit of happiness.

Today the VFW was taking donations and giving away poppies at the local grocery store. I always like to stop by the booth and listen to a tale or two, to see a tear shed because someone cares enough to listen. And these are the ones that survived. Memorial Day, this is to honor those that didn't. The ones who's lives weren't really completed. They forsook families, jobs and retirement to serve you and me. Others left parents, wives and children without sons, husbands and daughters. The price was high.

Next time you watch the opening scenes of Saving Private Ryan, or the firefights in Platoon, remember freedom, it's not free.

2 Chronicles 20:15 (b) This is what the LORD says to you: 'Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God's.


Happy Memorial Day, and God Bless you and America.

We will always prevail as long as we never forget...

I'll try not to come across flippant or trite with how I personally feel about Memorial Day because after Easter and Christmas, it is the next most reverent day for me.

Several years ago when my teenager was still in that inquisitive phase, she was in my room looking at a shadow box that had been given to me with things from my time in the Marine Corps. My dog tags, first set of gold bars, jump wings and other badges along with the few ribbons and two medals I had earned. There was also a poster next to the box that displayed all of the United States Services medals and ribbons. She would look at a ribbon or medal then go to the poster and find it. I was folding clothes and watching, and she would turn and ask me how to pronounce words like expeditionary or exemplary always curious to how the words were defined in terms she could understand.

She studied for the better part of half an hour when the inevitable question was presented. The medals and ribbons on this particular poster are arranged by an order of importance or distinction with the Medal of Honor for each branch at the top. Being a very perceptive little girl, she noticed my personal decorations didn't make it to the top three lines of the poster.

Did you ever fight in a war daddy?

The concept of war and killing another human being over reasons of principles and politics is a little hard to grasp for a 7 year old. As delicate as possible, I explained that our country was at peace for the most part during my service with the exception of a few short military operation. She quickly connected a few dots.

Did people shoot at you? Did you shoot at other people? Do you know anybody who died in battle?

Her rapid fire delivery made it hard to keep up the gentle pace of explanation and avoidance of certain answers , so

I took a deep breath and told her that people in the military serve in order to keep her and everyone else in our country safe. If needed, they are ready to give their life in a fight to keep us safe... many have already and many would in years to come.

As a tear formed in my eye thinking about a few friends I had lost in service to their country, I saw tears also welling in her eyes and looked away as not to embarrass her. I put my arm around her and explained the extraordinary circumstances necessary for the medals on the top row, and that I served with SGTMAJ Allan Kellogg in Hawaii who was one of the few people alive that wore that medal.

I took the opportunity to explain why it's important to show respect to the American flag and what the flag represents. She reminded me she had been witness that past winter when I left my broadcasting table during a basketball pre-game following the National Anthem, walked to the opposite side of the gym and addressed a certain young man who had talked on his cell phone during the entire song...while sitting down. She now finally understood the applause from the people in the immediate section when I was finished saying what I had to say. The lesson was taking root, and I explained that during that time the National Anthem is being played and I'm looking at our nation's flag...I always remember the price that has been paid so that I can do the things I do...in freedom.

Today, I close with heartfelt praise and gratitude first to God for giving me the opportunity to teach these lessons to my children. May we never forget those who have died on our behalf...starting with Jesus. I also thank Him for those who didn't get that same opportunity because their service to others was far greater than their service to self.

Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.

John 15:13

Don't Be A Scrooge, Raise Your Ebenezer

For 16 years of my life, I was blessed to live in the little town of Cromwell Connecticut. Like most New England towns, it had its quirks. One of the quirks was the celebration of Memorial Day. Cromwell disregarded the three-day weekend accommodation. In Cromwell, May 30, and ONLY May 30 was the day to celebrate Memorial Day.

If May 30 fell on a weekday, the parade would be in the early evening. The parade consisted primarily of the various little leagues, the fife and drum corps, the honor star parents and the Legend. The parade would end at the town green. The American Legend handed out flags while we waited for the ceremony to begin. The ceremonial speech would always include a reference to keeping Memorial Day as May 30. To rousing applauds, it was proclaimed that Cromwell would ALWAYS keep May 30^th as the only official Memorial Day remembrance.

The school year in Connecticut usually runs until mid-to-late June. The children have the opportunity to learn about the meaning of Memorial Day. They also experienced Flag Day that comes in mid-June. Many a year I stood outside the elementary school for the annual Flag Day program. I miss those days.

Recently, I have been involved in another type of Memorial remembrance. On Facebook, I started a group to honor and remember the church of my childhood, Salem Gospel Tabernacle in Brooklyn NY. I’ve written about the church before. It was a Norwegian ethnic Pentecostal church with no strong ties to any American Pentecostal denomination. Its theological ties were to Norway.

I don’t remember exactly my thought process when I decided to start that group. It was probably a day where I was feeling nostalgic. I probably had googled the name of the church. Or perhaps I was looking for specific people. At the time, I probably didn’t think that I was being led by the Holy Spirit at the time.

But I was. There is a Biblical concept of Ebenezer. (See 1 Samuel 7:12) The word Ebenezer in Hebrew means Stone of Help. Its concept is also that the stone is a symbol to call to remembrance the help of the Lord.

That Facebook group for people, who were helped, shaped, formed and grew in Christ through a unique ethnic church in Brooklyn NY has become an Ebenezer. I am in awe of how God has brought nearly 100 of us from various generations together. There is energy to the group. We share and laugh, but ultimately, we honor our elders.

The Pastor of my childhood was a very significant person in my life. I remember him well. He was the type of pastor that poured his life into his ministry.  His daughter now advanced in years she has joined the group. She has shared how blessed she is that her father is remembered. I see God’s Spirit at work as we honor those who gave their lives in both small and big ways to the work of the gospel in that local church. 

Through this Facebook page, we are erecting a virtual Ebenezer. We view pictures of our lives, each one contributing what they have. Excitements rise as a new person is located and joins the group or as new pictures are posted.

I would never want to take anything away from honoring our veterans on Memorial Day. However, we have people who fought the good fight of faith. There are people in our lives who gave their lives for us. Maybe you need to raise an Ebenezer to them in some way. If you know where they are, maybe you could call them, write them, email them, and tell them how much you appreciate their service for the Kingdom.

The scripture is full of metaphors to being in a battle. Today, I will visit the cemetery to pay respects to my parents. While I am there, I will also visit two other graves. One of those graves is that of an officer in the Lord’s army, another former Pastor. The other is that of a former teacher and officer in the Lord’s army. Both gave their lives for the work of the gospel – they gave it all and now I will honor them.

Who might you honor today?

Memorial Day

Today I plan on attending the Memorial Day parade in Holliston, MA; a little town not too far from Boston. We'll probably park the car at St. Mary's, arriving early enough to get a shady seat on the bench in front of Fisk's Variety Store. My wife's family and friends will be there. (MORE on this story)

It's a yearly tradition much like Christmas or Easter. It's a time when our family plans to be with others, to have a feast, and make some memories.

Memorial Day is not a Christian celebration - and like Christmas and Easter, it has for the most part, become something that it's not. HERE is the history of Memorial Day.

Yesterday a fellow at work was talking about being a kid in Brooklyn and going to the parade. They had tanks and other military equipment which you could go and climb on after the parade. Wow! Me, I am small town sort of guy - we had a couple of old Ford's and a few WWI vets.

It's hard not to be grateful when we are face-to-face with a WW II vet. It's hard not to be proud of those that are home from a tour in Iraq or Afghanistan. I admit, I am lost for feelings as I remember the lives of those that dies in battle,

Today is a day in which we are to remember those that gave thier life so that the US could be what it is today. In many ways it is not a spiritual day - except when we think about the founding of the US as the only other country in the world that was set apart for the God of Abraham, Issac and Jacob except for Israel. Hmm...

Unfortunately war will be a way of life.until the last generation. In all it's violence, destruction and death, it seems to be the only force left in which nations can shape themselves. There is no more undiscovered land - it's all taken. I wonder what world events will cause the 10 (horns) kingdoms described in Revelation? What if the EU is the first?

In between root beer, hamburgers and lemonade, I am remembering those that have died in service to our country - wondering how many of them will be in Heaven?

I think about my dad who served in 2 wars and received 2 Purple Hearts. He was a disabled vet most of his life. I am thinking about the fear and violence on the battlefield - something out of Saving Private Ryan - soldiers giving the ultimate sacrifice.

I am thinking about the sacrifice of Jesus who took my place on the cross.

I am thinking of millions of small flags placed on the graves of those the lost their lives so that you and I could be free to worship Jesus.

I am thinking that freedom isn't free.

I am praying for our troops.

I am praying for God to have mercy on the US.

I am thinking about the return of Jesus.

How about you, what are you thinking about today?

May God Bless America - Happy Memorial Day



(Photos Life Magazine unless otherwise noted)