How did you spend your lunch hour today?

So, what did you do? Head for the lunchroom and reheat leftovers from last night? Order a pizza with some friends? Hit the drive thru? Take a nap? Watch the soap?

I drove to a street corner grabbed an American flag and cried as a hearse following the honor guard carried the remains of a 21 year old infantryman home from Afghanistan. He died protecting seven of his fellow soldiers by taking the brunt of an improvised explosive device after coming off patrol.

I had no idea this morning when I got up that this is how I would spend my lunch hour. About 11:15 I got a message on facebook telling me about the motorcade. I didn't even think twice, I knew I had to be there. I finished what I was doing, got in my car and drove to one of the final streets in the route from the airport to the funeral home. I didn't see anyone anywere, did I misunderstand the message? I kept driving until I saw a row of American flags along the side of the road, this is where I decided to stop. I pulled into a parking lot and next to me there was a woman in a car waiting and another across the street sitting in a chair with a flag in her hand. I got out of the car and the woman next to me asked me if I was there to show my support, she had just gotten back into town and had been sitting there for over an hour, she forgot about the time change. I looked around and couldn't help but wonder where were all the people?

Someone's child, someone who thought more about his country and fellow soldiers than himself gave up his life so that we can safely go to a curb and wave an American flag and no one cared enough to show up and thank him! How self centered can we get?

Soon an elderly couple showed up, they said that they had just seen the procession on the news and wanted to be part of it. A young mother pulled up and asked what was going on, she had just come from a few blocks away on another street and said that the roads were lined with people. I explained to her why we were there. She said that her young son who looked to be about 3 wanted to know what was going on, she asked if they could stay, she wanted her children to see this, to be part of this. I went across the street to borrow some flags for everyone to hold and together we stood in silence as the motorcycles, police cars, hearse and limos past by.

I found it hard to breathe as they past by, before I knew it tears were streaming down my cheeks. I didn't even know this young man.

You see, my daughter was in the military and as strange as it seems once you have a child in the military, they all become your children. Every time I hear about someone leaving for the military I feel like it is my child, when I hear about one coming home, I go out to the parade route to cheer them home. I send packages and letters. I don't know most of them, but it doesn't matter. When my daughter was in the reserves, she became a mom, shortly after her son was born she decided not to re-enlist; I was so relieved but I knew deep down in my soul that God was telling me that even though my daughter would be home and safe that I couldn't forget about all the other children who were going.

Ever since that time, they have all been my kids. I hurt when they leave, I rejoice when they come home safe and I mourn when the hearse drives them back to their home town.

God did not intend for any of this to happen. He told us to love one another other, if we had only listened we would not be dealing with war, our children would not be coming home in wooden boxes, there would be no tears. Tonight, when you go to sleep in your nice warm bed in a comfortable home located in a safe neighborhood in a country that still allows you the freedom to choose your faith, job and lifestyle, take a few minutes to pray for our children that are in the military. Ask God to comfort and protect them and their families. Pray for our leaders whether you agree with their politics or not. Pray that tomorrow when you wake up that you can be someone that can help change this world for the better.

What's the matter Bunky? Can't sleep?

Do you ever get tired? I don't mean tired of waiting in line, or tired of people hacking into your facebook account, I mean don't know if you can make it to the bed, can't keep your eyes open for another second tired only to make it to bed and not be able to fall asleep? I have, did not notice the name of my blog???

I haven't been able to just lay down and fall asleep in over two years. My mind just won't stop. I have tried to figure out why, no problems weighing me down, nothing that I needed to remember to do before I went to bed or had to remember on my way out the door the next day. It isn't because I had a good day or a bad day, it just is. When this problem first started it was for a couple days in a row, then for a couple weeks and then for about 3 months at a time, then it would go away till about the same time the following year. Then it was just always there. Went to the doctor, their answer? DRUGS. OK, so I take them, every day. I have tried to go to sleep without them, the last time was for two weeks, I almost lost every friend I had. I didn't even like being around me, so here I am, on drugs.

It occurred to me the other day that my days are so busy that I don't get to my quiet time until just before I go to sleep. I get all I can get done in a day, take my sleeping pill and then open my Bible! I read the devotionals, have a quick conversation with God and then I go to sleep. That's not the way it is supposed to be, we are supposed to give God our firsts, not our lasts. The Bible says, actually God says "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28 There it is, in plain English. Almost everything in the Bible is in plain English, we just can't accept the fact that it is that easy.

So, here is what I am going to do, tomorrow, I am going to get up early (please let me sleep tonight so I can) and give Him my first part of the day instead of the last. It certainly can't hurt. A very good friend of mine said once that he would rather be sleep deprived rather than God deprived, I should have listened.

We need to share

OK, we have all gotten them, you know those posts that say, “If you're really my friend post this on your profile for an hour”, or how about “let's see how many (insert your favorite here) there are out there, post this to your profile” . . .  I have a list of friends here on facebook and I want to see how many are really my friends. A friend will hear their friend out even if they don’t care about what is being said, that’s what I want you to do, read what I’ve written, all the way to the end, that’s it.

I was at a conference last weekend and one of the speakers told us that it was our responsibility to tell others about Jesus and what He did for us, the Bible tells us the same thing, but do we? I was at a restaurant for dinner tonight, my server Mike came up at the end of my meal and said I’ll go get the good news ready, when he came back he brought me the bill. I have good news for you too, but it’s not a bill, it won’t cost you anything, all you have to do is accept it.

I am reading a book called “Crazy Love” by Francis Chan, it’s a really good book. I had already decided to write this before I read the following lines: “You could die before you finish reading this chapter. I could die while you’re reading it. Today. At any moment.” Seemed to confirm that I should post this. It’s true you know, look at the obituary in tonights paper, how many say “died suddenly”? We all know it’s coming, from the day we drew our first breath our bodies started to die. Our whole life leads up to one thing, death. When we die, we have two options, heaven or hell; if we go to heaven we have eternal life, if we go to hell, we have eternal suffering. I don’t mean to be morbid here, but let’s face it, those are our choices.

It’s really a no brainer as to where we want to go, isn’t it? But how do we get there? I bet you can ask anyone, literally anyone and they will tell you that they are a good person, that they try to help others, that they haven’t done anything in their life nearly as bad as Hitler or some of the other well known bad guys, so that means that they will go to heaven, right? WRONG!! In God’s eyes, telling a tiny white lie is a bad as flying a plane into the twin towers. Sin is sin. So, now where does that put us if we were to die right now? We are all done for, right? WRONG again! First we need to realize that we are all sinners no matter how good we think we are. Once we realize that we are sinners we need to turn away from sin; that doesn't mean we become saints it just means we know who we are.

The Bible tells us that there is ONE way to get to heaven, it’s Jesus. Jesus came down to earth, He left heaven to come down here to pay the penalty for every wrong thing that you and I have ever done. He left paradise to live like one of us, knowing that He would end up nailed to a cross as punishment, our punishment. See, Jesus never sinned, all He ever did was teach and heal, just before He died He told His best friends that they would be able to do the same things that He had done, even more, and they did. All they had to do was believe that He came to save us, He came back from the grave to show them how serious He was about it.

Our life span seems like a long time when we are kids, we don’t even think about dying. As long as our bodies feel good and work like we think they are supposed to, we live out each day the way we did the day before. What goes through your mind when you get bad news at the doctor, when someone you love dies, when you get older and suddenly realize that you aren’t going to live forever? It starts to get scary, doesn’t it. Eternity IS forever, life is a blip on the screen. Where are you going to go?

All the things on this earth that we enjoy came from the same place, they are really pretty cool too if you take the time to really look at them. What we see here is nothing compared to what heaven will be like, it will also be nothing compared to what hell is like. The Bible says “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” Jesus said “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.” That’s it in a nutshell. That’s all we need to do, believe; invite Jesus into your heart, Jesus has already done everything else.

I told all this to you because you are my friend, and I love you and I want the end of life here on earth for all of us to be the beginning of eternity in heaven. So, that is the good news that I have for you, you can live forever in paradise, all you have to do is make a decision, if you don’t one will be made for you. If you have any questions about any of this, there are people who are available to talk to you, I’ll talk to you.

Feel free to pass this on, it’s something that everyone should hear at least once.  Did you read it all? I hope so, friend.