I would like everyone to join with me today in honoring those who have placed their lives on the line to serve their country, those who are serving today, those who have served in the past and especially those who have given the ultimate sacrifice for the love of freedom and the love of country.

Gracious Lord, today we recognize those who have committed themselves to struggling to preserve the rights and freedoms we hold dear. These brave men and women have offered their lives to ensure that our birthright of freedoms, freedom to speak, freedom to vote, freedom to choose, freedom to worship, will remain the cornerstone of our way of life.

Touch the lives of these brave men and women. Those who have given their all, take them into Your everlasting love.  Those who have been in harms way, welcome them home.  Those who are in harms way now, give them shelter until their tasks are done and they return to their loved ones.

Guide them and preserve them, for they are all children of God.

Amen.

Good evening,

I was struck today while reading continuing coverage of that unthinkable crime that took place outside of a high school in Richmond, CA, on a night that should be a night of carefree fun for the students.

What struck me is the parents of this poor girl, the family of this victim, urged people following the coverage to stop the violence. To not respond by causing more hate and more pain. This is from CNN.com:

"If you need to express your outrage, please channel your anger through positive action," they said, according to a spokesperson. "Volunteer at a school. Go help a neighbor. Be courageous in speaking the truth and in holding people accountable. Work toward changing the atmosphere in our schools and in this community so that this kind of thing never happens again."

God bless them, and I hope they can find a way out of their pain.

Here is my prayer for tomorrow:

Lord Jesus, even in the midst of so much pain help us to remember that with You there is always healing. Even in the midst of so much sadness, with You there is always joy. Even in the midst of so much despair with You there is always hope. Touch this family, and this poor little girl, with your hand and help them to know the way to healing through Your boundless Grace. Amen.

Well, we just had a wicked long Church Council meeting.  We had some matters to discuss that everyone had some strong feelings about. It's a blessing, really, to be part of a church where people care deeply enough to get worked up about the decisions we have to make.

We started the meeting in prayer and we ended in laughter, and in between we did good work. So the meeting was long, but by my book it was a good meeting.

Tomorrow morning at 7am, this is what I am going to pray:

Gracious Lord, thank You for the Gift of passion: passion that fuels our hearts, our minds, our voices, and directs our energy. Help us always to use that passion, to use that energy, for Your good work.  Thank You also for the many people who give so much of their lives to Your church.  May the enrichment they find at working for You be a blessing to them, and a blessing they pass on to others, in Your name.  Amen.