{"id":1792,"date":"2018-05-29T20:40:19","date_gmt":"2018-05-30T01:40:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/afriendoftheking.com\/?p=1792"},"modified":"2022-01-10T21:36:01","modified_gmt":"2022-01-11T03:36:01","slug":"remembering-2018","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/afriendoftheking.com\/?p=1792","title":{"rendered":"Remembering… 2018"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>At an early morning men\u2019s meeting recently a man prayed about Memorial Day, that we would \u201cremember the sacrifices that gave rise to our freedoms and our futures.\u201d Amen. May it be so. It certainly should be so\u2026<\/p>\n

It reminded me of what I journaled on Memorial Day.<\/p>\n

“”The Bob Goff book \u201cEverybody Always<\/i><\/a>” that Elizabeth read to me over the weekend is impactful. It was a joy to read and to contemplate, full of “self revealing thoughts” as well as “wonder” at the life of imagination and faith we can live with God\u2026 here and now \u2014\u00a0 <\/span>with “everybody always.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>The book could be placed in the genre of \u201cdream and believe big\u201d looking to God for favor, leading, and help \u2013 like”Chase The Lion<\/i><\/a>\u201d by Mark Batterson \u2026 but is remarkably different in it\u2019s\u00a0 <\/span>focus on \u201clove\u201d as the motivation and method.<\/p>\n

There is a tendency to feel and think you’re used-up and your impact in the world has come and gone \u2013 or going quickly \u2014\u00a0 <\/span>when you’re mid-sixties in our youth-worshiping, humanistic culture and times.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>But there is never a better time to play offense or go on the offense! [A] You live with more awareness of the brevity of life. [B] This is a strength because you’re seeing and functioning in truth. [C] It helps you with humility, focus, and to act more in accordance with reality. Something along the lines of Solomon\u2019s words,” It’s better to be in the house of mourning than in the house of feasting.\u201d And,”The day off one\u2019s death is better than the day of one\u2019s birth.\u201d [D] If you have been blessed and exercised some restraint and wisdom, you probably have more time, freedom from work, and money to play offense. \ud83d\ude42 [E] You are probably quiet \u2013 or more quiet \u2014 in your spirit and more philosophical about life and living \u2013 its meaning and purpose. [F] You realize it’s your last chapter (or 4-5 chapters) to enjoy your earth life and live it as intended. [G] Or to \u201cstore up treasure in heaven\u201d by “feeding His sheep\u201d or acting with His \u201csheep and goats” story in mind. [H] Or both.:-) [I] Grace to you all. We all need it! And it is His intention. \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>So what about those serving now, and those who have gone before? Soldiers in the military and soldiers in the faith, who have laid down their lives, serving others, for our freedoms and our futures?<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s remember. And let\u2019s purpose to live lives worthy of their sacrifice, with thanksgiving for\u00a0 <\/span>them and to God.””<\/p>\n

Right now I\u2019m thinking of Navy Seal Adam Brown who\u2019s from Arkansas and whose story is told in \u201cFearless<\/i><\/a>.\u201d And another seal who wrote, \u201cMake Your Bed<\/i><\/a>.\u201d And the great cloud of witnesses who have gone before us, many recorded in the Bible, and many in books like \u201c7 Men<\/i><\/a>\u201d & \u201c7 Women<\/i><\/a>\u201d by Eric Metaxas. My aunt Reba Gann, 96, who passed into glory last month. My good friends Brian Fields, Justin Blasingame, Charles Saulsbery, Bill Spilman, Clyde Davis, and Harold Hartley\u2026 I remember. Thank you for your example, sacrifice, and service for me, for your family, for your friends, for your country, and for your King.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>May He bless your descendants \u2014 physical and spiritual \u2014 forever. Amen.<\/p>\n

***************************************************<\/p>\n

\u201cTherefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,<\/i>\u201d (Hebrews 12:1, ESV)<\/p>\n

So with Paul the Apostle we can also say\u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cI have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.<\/i>\u201d (2 Timothy 4:7, ESV)<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>And with Paul, and those mentioned above, we can say\u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cin the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.<\/i>\u201d (2 Timothy 4:8, NASB95)<\/p>\n

And remember these words\u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cI am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever.<\/i>\u201d Jesus (John 6:51, NIV)<\/p>\n

Remember this Promise! The Bread & the Wine! And the greatest sacrifice of all times, giving us the greatest prospects for the greatest of futures\u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cI came that they may have life and have it abundantly.<\/i>\u201d Jesus (John 10:10, ESV)<\/p>\n

\u201cBehold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!<\/i>\u201d John the Baptist (John 1:29, ESV)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

At an early morning men\u2019s meeting recently a man prayed about Memorial Day, that we would \u201cremember the sacrifices that gave rise to our freedoms and our futures.\u201d Amen. May it be so. It certainly should be so\u2026 It reminded me of what I journaled on Memorial Day. “”The Bob Goff book \u201cEverybody Always” that […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,10,9,12,11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1792","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-friendoftheking","category-be-a-leader","category-be-a-man","category-bread-for-the-spirit","category-understanding-our-times"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/afriendoftheking.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1792","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/afriendoftheking.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/afriendoftheking.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/afriendoftheking.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/afriendoftheking.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1792"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/afriendoftheking.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1792\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1837,"href":"https:\/\/afriendoftheking.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1792\/revisions\/1837"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/afriendoftheking.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1792"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/afriendoftheking.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1792"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/afriendoftheking.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1792"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}