Six Legs and a Leash

One of the greatest joys I experience in my ministry through Sermons4Kids is the people I get to know.  I have formed friendships literally all over the world. Although I  never get to meet most of them "face to face," we form a friendship and our ministry to children is our bond.

One of the most interesting people I have come to know is Judy Brown. Judy began a very special ministry about seven years ago at the age of 72!  She has recently published a book about her ministry entitled "Six Legs and a Leash: Stories of a Therapy Dog." It is a delightfully told story about how God has used Judy and Reggie, her 120-pound Schnoodle, to minister to others.  Judy takes Reggie to churches, hospitals, nursing homes, and anywhere else where there are people in need of a message of hope and a touch of God's love.

I highly recommend Judy's book.  It is inspiring, entertaining, and even includes a good collection of sermons for children.  Hopefully, it will cause you to step out of your comfort zone and look for ways that God can use you to spread the Good News.  The book is available for purchase on Judy's website and also from Amazon.com and ebay.com.

Freedom Isn't Free

This week we celebrate Memorial Day.  The holiday was originally called Decoration Day and dates back to the days following the Civil War. It was established three years after the end of the Civil War on May 5, 1868 when Union General John A. Logan designated a day when the graves of war dead would be  decorated with flowers.  It was not until the end of World War I that the day was expanded to honor those who have died in all American wars.  In 1971, Memorial Day was named a national holiday and people were urged to pause for a moment of silence at 3:00 p.m. to pay tribute to the men and women who died during military service fighting to protect and defend our freedom.

We enjoy a lot of freedom in our country. We are free to attend church and worship, we are free to choose where we want to live, we are free to choose most of the things that affect our daily lives. We enjoy our freedom, but we also know that our freedom wasn't free. Many courageous men and women gave their lives to pay the price for the freedom that you and I enjoy.  These are the ones that we honor this week as we celebrate Memorial Day.

The greatest freedom that we have is the freedom that we have in Christ Jesus. The apostle Paul writes, "The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 6:23)  We have been set free because Jesus was willing to pay the penalty. Jesus died on the cross to set us free from the penalty of our sin. "So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." (John 8:36) Instead of death, we have been given eternal life. This freedom wasn't free, Jesus paid the price.

This week as we celebrate Memorial Day, let us remember to stop and give thanks for those who have paid the price for our freedom. Let us also remember to thank God for Jesus, who has set us free from the penalty for sin, because he was willing to pay the price.

Father, we give thanks for the freedom that we enjoy. We are thankful for those who paid the price for that freedom, but even more important, we thank you for the freedom we have because Jesus was willing to pay the penalty for our sin.

Why? Because She Loved Me!

This coming Sunday is Mothers Day.  My mother passed from this life on August 30, 1996, but Mother's day will still be filled with thoughts of my mother and the impact she had upon my life.  I keep a copy of her obituary in my Bible marking Lamentations 3:22 — that great passage about God's great love and faithfulness.  Like our Heavenly Father, my mother's love and faithfulness was unfailing.  She reared her three children faithful to the teachings of God's Word and with a heart filled with love and compassion.

There are things that I see around our house each day that bring back childhood memories of my mother and her parenting techniques.  Perhaps they will bring back memories of your own mother.

Oatmeal! My mother always insisted that I eat a well-rounded breakfast. Now, my idea of a well-rounded breakfast was a chocolate covered doughnut, but my mother did not agree! I always had to eat something like oatmeal, toast, and orange juice.  Why?  Because my mother loved me and wanted me to grow up to be strong and healthy.

Books! Some of my friends went home after school and watched cartoons on TV, but not me! My mom always insisted that I do my homework before I watched any TV. Why ? Because my mother loved me and she knew that a good education was one of the best things she could give me.

Clocks! I am reminded of my mother by a clock because she always insisted on knowing where I was every minute of the day. If I wanted to go to a friend's house after school, I always had to call my mom and ask for her permission and tell her where I was going to be and what I was going to be doing. Why? Because she loved me and wanted me to be safe.

Dish washing detergent! I guess my mom never heard about child labor laws. She had this idea that every member of the family should chip in and help with the chores around the house. I had special jobs to do and I was expected to do them without being told. Why? Because my mother loved me and wanted me to learn that a happy family is one where everyone works together.

As previously mentioned, mother isn't here anymore. She's in heaven and I imagine that she probably has the angels dusting the pearly gates and sweeping the golden streets! My mother was like that! Sometimes I thought I was being mistreated, but I wasn't. Why did my mother do all these things? Everything she did was done because she loved me and wanted what was best for me.