The National Anthem. Stand? Kneel?

To stand or kneel for our national anthem seems to be the hot button topic for both the NBA and MLB  (I'm not sure about the NHL). With the death of George Floyd on May 25th, a lot of the players from these professional teams have decided to kneel during the national anthem at the start of a game. They are kneeling to protest police brutality and the social injustice that has been happening to people of color. What I don't understand is, why? Why the national anthem? The anthem isn't just for police departments and it's officers. It's for every American. It's for the American Flag whom so many have fought for and died for, so these people could even play a sport. So to me, by taking a knee during the anthem is disrespecting the flag, our country and the men and women who have bravely fought for it.

 Of course the NFL has already had kneeling going on for a few years now. Tim Tebow started it with kneeling to honor and thank God, for something good that had happened during the game. Then Colin Kapernick started kneeling to protest police brutality and social injustices towards African Americans.

In my personal opinion, both of these players were run out of the league because they both took a stance and kneeled for something that they believed in. Tebow for his belief in God and Kapernick for his belief of injustices against African Americans.

 So opening day of baseball, there was a game between the  L.A. Dodgers and the San Francisco Giants. Both teams knelt during the national anthem. Except for one player. Pitcher Sam Coonrod. The reason that Sam did not kneel is because he is a Christian. He feels the only time to bow or kneel is before God.

 Joshua 23:16 Amplified Bible

16 When you transgress (violate) the covenant of the Lord your God, which He commanded you [to follow], and you go and serve other gods and bow down to them, then the anger of the Lord will be kindled against you, and you shall perish quickly from the good land which He has given you.”

 This whole scenario reminds me of the story in the book of Daniel. Daniel and two of his friends were told to bow down to a golden statue that the king had made of himself. They refused to do that and that made the king very angry. You can read the entire story in Daniel, chapter 3.

 Daniel 3:16-18 New Living Translation

16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you. 17 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty. 18 But even if he doesn’t, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up.”

 So Sam did not kneel during the anthem, because that meant that he would be kneeling for something other than God. He made a bold statement about his faith and belief in God that day. May we all be so bold.

 Matthew 10:33 The Message

32-33 “Stand up for me against world opinion and I’ll stand up for you before my Father in heaven. If you turn tail and run, do you think I’ll cover for you?

 There might not have been a fiery furnace that Sam was going to get thrown into for not kneeling during the anthem, but there is the court of public opinion. And you can get roasted pretty good there. If I remember correctly, he took some heat for his stance (literally) during the anthem.

 I don't know where y'all stand on this issue, but for me I am going to stand for the flag! I'm going to stand for the anthem! I'm going to kneel at the feet of Jesus!

This Shirt.

This shirt. What can I say about this shirt? Well I'll tell you one thing, it is definitely a conversation starter. No matter when or where I wear it, someone always asks about it or inquires about what it means. Whether I'm out walking, at work or even at Aldi (a woman at Aldi actually stopped my wife and I and proceeded to tell us that the shirt was not Biblically accurate). Someone always has something to say about it. Just to give you a little back ground on this shirt. Every year We Care Pregnancy Clinic has a 'Walk For Life'. This shirt is from one of those walks. I have several in my wardrobe as I have been partaking for several years now. But this one. This one seems to always get the comments and questions. I don't know why. It just does.

I always enjoy telling people about where it comes from in The Bible. You know me, I love to talk about God's word!

Psalm 139:13-14 English Standard Version

¹³ For you formed my inward parts;
    you knitted me together in my mother's womb.
¹⁴ I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works;
    my soul knows it very well.

 

I tell them, that before they were even born, God knew them. He knew what they would look like. How tall they would be, what color eyes and hair that they would have. Read all of Psalm 139 to get the complete picture of God's love for us. People keep saying "you are wonderfully made." I tell them, "we are all wonderfully made." In God's image.

 

Genesis 1:27 New Living Translation

²⁷ So God created human beings in his own image.
    In the image of God he created them;
    male and female he created them.

 So, that is the story of this shirt. Much conversed about every time I wear it. And that my friends, is one of the reasons that I still wear it.

 

The Trip!

A couple of weeks ago, my wife and I took a 10 day road trip out west. We just had to get out of Illinois for a little bit. I think that this virus and everything that is associated with it was getting to us. So we decided to head out and explore God's creation.

Psalm 24:1(NIV) ¹ The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it,
    the world, and all who live in it;

Our first stop was at the Badlands in South Dakota. We had been there a few years ago, but decided to see it again. This time from the air. We took a helicopter tour over them. What an amazing site let me tell you.

The next leg of the trip we went to see Devils Tower (mans name for it, God's creation) in Wyoming. We parked and got out and hiked around it for about an hour. This was probably one of my favorite parts of the trip. What an incredible thing to see and witness in person.

From there we went to the Big Horn mountains. To see them forming in the distance as you drive towards them. Felt like I was in a movie. The trees on the sides. The snow caps. The mountain itself. Gods glory on full display. A visual I will never forget.

We spent a couple of days in Yellowstone National Park. We got to see a lot of wild animals roaming around. Some so close that you could almost reach out and pet them (which is frowned upon by the way). We saw bison, elk, moose, fox, deer, prairie dogs, goats. The one animal that we didn't see that I really wanted to was a bear.

Revelation 4:11New Living Translation

You are worthy, O Lord our God, to receive glory and honor and power. For you created all things, and they exist because you created what you pleased

To see all these animals in the wild, just roaming around. I loved it. Every minute of it. I could just imagine God saying, "we need one of those, a couple of them", and He just kept creating and creating, till He was pleased.

We stayed two nights at a hotel in Montana. After dinner we would go out and just look at the sky. With no light pollution around, we were able to see the stars and constellations with ease.

Psalm 19:1 New Living Translation

¹ The heavens proclaim the glory of God.
    The skies display his craftsmanship.

 

The only "bad" part about driving through Yellowstone, were the roads. Steep inclines and declines. Sharp, and I mean sharp curves. We did the drive at night our first night. Let me just say that was a bit harrowing!

 

We made our way down to see 'Old Faithful'. That was really cool to see. I still can't believe that it erupts on a time schedule. But when it does, it is a site to behold. Another one of Gods awesome creations on display.

 

The final leg of sight seeing was going to see the Grand Tetons. Another majestic site. I was amazed to say the least. Being from Illinois and never really seeing anything other than corn fields. Then since we were so close, we had to drive into Idaho. We found this little restaurant, and had one of the best breakfasts I have ever had.

 

Then finally we started our trek towards home. This was definitely a trip of a lifetime. I have always wanted to go out west, and I was not disappointed. The shear beauty of it all. I had no idea. I mean I had seen pictures and movies. But to see it in person, much different story.

 

We drove well over 3,000 miles and covered 8 different states. The memories made were worth every mile. Time spent with my beautiful wife enjoying this trip together, priceless!

 
Thank You Lord for it all!

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

Psalm 19:1 New Living Translation

¹ The heavens proclaim the glory of God.
    The skies display his craftsmanship.

 

When Should We Pray?

Prayer. It should be our first response, not our last resort. We should pray before, during and after things arise. A decision we need to make. A difficult spot we find ourselves in. Any and every situation can be covered by prayer.

The Bible tells us to pray without ceasing.

1 Thessalonians 5:17 New Living Translation (NLT)
¹⁷ Never stop praying.

God wants us to come to Him with our prayers and petitions.

Philippians 4:6 Amplified Bible (AMP)
⁶ Do not be anxious or worried about anything, but in everything [every circumstance and situation] by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, continue to make your [specific] requests known to God.

God wants us to come to Him in times of trouble. That we do not lose faith, or become an unbeliever.

Psalm 50:15 New Living Translation (NLT)

¹⁵ Then call on me when you are in trouble,
    and I will rescue you,
    and you will give me glory.”

 

Pray when we are prosperous. That we do not become boastful or proud.

 

Deuteronomy 8:18 The Message (MSG)

^17-18 If you start thinking to yourselves, “I did all this. And all by myself. I’m rich. It’s all mine!”—well, think again. Remember that God, your God, gave you the strength to produce all this wealth so as to confirm the covenant that he promised to your ancestors—as it is today.

 

Pray when we are facing danger, so we don't become afraid or doubt God's protection.

 

Isaiah 41:10 Amplified Bible (AMP)

¹⁰ 
‘Do not fear [anything], for I am with you;
Do not be afraid, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you, be assured I will help you;
I will certainly take hold of you with My righteous right hand.

 

Pray when we are feeling secure. That we have everything under control. Pray that we do not become self sufficient and have no need for God.

 

2 Corinthians 3:5 Amplified Bible (AMP)⁵ Not that we are sufficiently qualified in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency and qualifications come from God.

See. We are to pray in all circumstances. The good & the bad. If we pray believing that God will answer, He will hear us. The answer may not be the one that we wanted, but God knows what we need. His will be done, not mine!
Amen!

 

 

 

 

The Wall

Imagine a wall standing before you. Not a physical wall, but maybe an emotional one. A spiritual one. A wall that you think that you have no idea on how to get around it, over it or through it. In the flesh, you think that this wall is immovable. Insurmountable. There is no way that you are going to get to the other side of the wall. So you feel like giving up. Throwing in the towel.

I've got good news for you. There is a way.

Psalm 18:29 Amplified Bible (AMP) ²⁹ And by my God I can leap over a wall.

That's right. With God, He will get you over that wall. He will have you leap right over it and the next thing you know, you'll be on the other side. Wondering how in the world did that happen. See when you look at things from your human perspective, it looks impossible, but with God, it is possible!

Matthew 19:26 The Message (MSG)²⁶ Jesus looked hard at them and said, “No chance at all if you think you can pull it off yourself. Every chance in the world if you trust God to do it.”

You put your trust in Jesus, and everything is possible. He can do things that we can't even understand with our limited, human thinking.

Luke 1:37 Amplified Bible (AMP)³⁷ For with God nothing [is or ever] shall be impossible.”

So what walls stand before you today? Is it a habit that you can not break? Emotion that defeats you? A bad attitude about certain situations? A heart full of doubt, discouragement or fear?

Every time we try and conquer these walls on our own, we fall short. Far short. Repeatedly, over and over again.

But, with God's help, we can leap over these walls, barriers, obstacles. Whatever you want to call them, that keep us from moving forward to what God has for us.

A great reminder,

Philippians 4:13 New Living Translation (NLT)

¹³ For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.

 

It is Christ's strength that sustains us. That carries us through. Not our own.

 

Thank You LORD!!

I. CAN'T. BREATHE.

"I can't breathe." Three words spoken in desperation by a man whose neck was being crushed by a city of Minneapolis police officers knee. His knee was on this mans neck to 'subdue' him. He was already face down on the ground, handcuffed and not resisting. Yet this officer felt the need for a little more "force" if you will. This man, George Floyd was pleading for his life. He told the officer that he couldn't breathe. That his neck hurt. His chest hurt. What did this officer do in response? He kept his knee on his neck for over 8 minutes. Finally an ambulance arrived and took Mr. Floyd away, where he later passed away.

The video of this is horrific to watch. Made me sick to my stomach. I could not believe what I had just watched. Did that really happen? Did an officer of the law continue to use unnecessary force when the suspect was pleading with him, pleading with him that he couldn't breathe. The officer showed absolutely no mercy or compassion to Mr. Floyd. He felt it necessary to keep his knee on his neck.

To make matters worse. The police officer is white, and the suspect is black. People keep saying that this country is being divided by race, and this incident definitely did not help with that. This stirred the pot of police brutality, and racial profiling against African - Americans. I don't know if this cop was a racist or not. Not really sure what his intentions were when he had his knee on this mans neck.
I just know that it was wrong. I know the difference between wrong and right. This action, by this officer was definitely wrong! I can not condone what he has done.

James 2:9 New Living Translation (NLT)
⁹ But if you favor some people over others, you are committing a sin. You are guilty of breaking the law.

The law is supposed to be equal for everyone, no matter what skin color, ethnic background, whatever. But we all know that its not. It really seems to be unfair against a certain people group, and that is not right. I am not a black man. So I have no idea what it's like to not know if you are going to make it home tonight. Do you think that George Floyd knew that he was going to die that day that he left his house. I highly doubt it.

Galatians 3:28-29 The Message (MSG)^28-29 In Christ’s family there can be no division into Jew and non-Jew, slave and free, male and female. Among us you are all equal. That is, we are all in a common relationship with Jesus Christ.

We are all equal to Jesus. White, Black, Asian, Hispanic. No matter what ethnicity, we are all made in the image of God!

I am reminded of a children's song we used to sing in Sunday school.


"Jesus loves the little children
All the children of the world
Red, brown, yellow
Black and white
They are precious in His sight
Jesus loves the little children
Of the world"

Doesn't matter if you are 1 or 101, we are all still children of God. Not matter what color we are, He created us and loves us.

I have many family and friends who are in law enforcement. I stand with you all my brothers and sisters who go out and keep us safe from what ever comes against us. God bless you all.

Matthew 5:9 New Living Translation (NLT)

⁹ God blesses those who work for peace,
    for they will be called the children of God.

Rev. Keven.

Faith, Is a Partnership.

"Don't you trust Jesus?" "What" I respond back. "You are still wearing a mask, don't you trust Jesus to protect you from getting the virus?" Why, yes I do trust Jesus to protect me from contracting this deadly virus. I have faith that He will keep me from getting ill. But having faith in Jesus, is a two way street. It is a partnership with Him. He will always do His part, but He asks us to participate also.

Amos 3:3 New Living Translation (NLT)
³ Can two people walk together
    without agreeing on the direction?

Do I lack faith or trust if I wear a seatbelt in the car? No. I still trust that He will keep me safe while driving or riding in a car. He does His part and we have to do ours, by putting on the seatbelt.

Same thing with wearing steel toe boots at work. He provides the boots for me, all I have to do is put them on. Really can be said with any kind of PPE. Gloves, safety glasses, hard helmets, etc, etc. All we have to do, is simply put them on.

Not hard to do. All we have too do is participate.

James 2:24 The Message (MSG)^21-24 Wasn’t our ancestor Abraham “made right with God by works” when he placed his son Isaac on the sacrificial altar? Isn’t it obvious that faith and works are yoked partners, that faith expresses itself in works? That the works are “works of faith”? The full meaning of “believe” in the Scripture sentence, “Abraham believed God and was set right with God,” includes his action. It’s that mesh of believing and acting that got Abraham named “God’s friend.” Is it not evident that a person is made right with God not by a barren faith but by faith fruitful in works?

So I will continue to trust God with every aspect of my life. Doesn't meant that I'll stop wearing a seatbelt, steel toe shoes, or whatever else He wants me to put on, to help me.

James 1:17 New Living Translation (NLT)¹⁷ Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow.

All the things mentioned above are good and perfect. Provided us by God. All we have to do is use them.
Amen!