| Good Morning Everyone, Our theme for this month: “Be Thankful” Our Bible verse for today: “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people he chose for his inheritance.” Psalm 33:12 (NIV) Our thought for today: “Be thankful for our country” I love patriotic songs and one of my favorites is “God Bless the USA” by Lee Greenwood. Many years ago, I had a chance to meet Lee and to spend a few minutes with him. It was in 1985. I was on active duty in the U.S. Navy and serving as an officer onboard the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Kitty Hawk. I was an Officer of the Deck, which meant that every day I spent four hours up on the bridge of the ship giving orders and directing the ship. I was the guy who would say, “Right full rudder, all engines ahead two-thirds!” And then I would strike my best John Paul Jones pose as I stood there trying to look important and in-charge. Aircraft carriers are impressive ships and tend to get a lot of V.I.P. visitors. Once, while we were at sea off the coast of Southern California, Lee Greenwood flew out on a helicopter to visit the Kitty Hawk. I was the Officer of the Deck at the time and so when Lee came up to the bridge, I was the one who got to explain things to him. I even handed him my binoculars so he could scan the horizon, and then I stepped aside so he could give some orders to the Helmsman to alter the ship’s course. At that time, Lee’s song “God Bless the USA” was at the top of the music charts. After he left the bridge, he went down to the Hanger Bay where much of the crew had assembled and he sang his song for us. “God Bless the USA” is still a much-loved song today, almost thirty-six years later, because it beautifully depicts the wonders and the glories of our great land. Today our nation is in the middle of what seems to be a perfect storm of turmoil and struggles. We have a lot of problems and we are deeply divided as a people. But this really isn’t so unusual. In the history of our nation there have been many times like this before, and one thing we learn from that history is that the USA is extremely resilient. We have withstood terrible wars, economic recessions and depressions, pandemics, times of social unrest, big shifts in political power, and worse. There have been many times when things looked bleak but we have always come through it in the past – and we will this time too! I encourage you to spend some time this morning thanking God for our great country. For almost 250 years God has used this nation to accomplish much good in a broken and hurting world, and I believe He will continue to do so. We are an exceptional nation, founded on Biblical principles, with a long history of honoring God and of being a blessing to the world. Pray for our country. Pray for our leaders and for our entire population that we will find ways to come together for the greater good and that we will once again be one nation under God. As Lee’s song reminds us, God has blessed us richly in the past and He wants to bless us even more in the future. If we bless God, God will bless us. God Bless, Pastor Jim |
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