We Will Never Forget!

Stuart Margel writes:
"Last week, while traveling to Chicago on business, I noticed a Marine sergeant traveling with a folded flag, but did not put two and two together. After we boarded our flight, I turned to the sergeant, who'd been invited to sit in First Class (across from me), and inquired if he was heading home.

"No!", he responded.

"Heading out?" I asked?

"No. I'm escorting a soldier home."

"Going to pick him up? "

"No. He is with me right now. He was killed in Iraq. I'm taking him home to his family."

The realization of what he had been asked to do hit me like a punch to the gut. It was an honor for him. He told me that, although he didn't know the soldier, he had delivered the news of his passing to the soldier's family and felt as if he knew them after many conversations in so few days. I turned back to him, extended my hand, and said, Thank you. Thank you for doing what you do so my family and I can do what we do.

Upon landing in Chicago the pilot stopped short of the gate and made the following announcement over the intercom.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to note that we have had the honor of having Sergeant Steeley of the United States Marine Corps join us on this flight. He is escorting a fallen comrade back home to his family. I ask that you please remain in your seats when we open the forward door to allow Sergeant Steeley to deplane and receive his fellow soldier. We will then turn off the seat belt sign."

Without a sound, all went as requested. I noticed the sergeant saluting the casket as it was brought off the plane, and his action made me realize that I am proud to be an American.

So here's a public Thank You to our military Men and Women for what you do so we can live the way we do.

signed: Stuart Margel -- Washington, D.C.

WE WILL NEVER FORGET!

"No arsenal, no weapon in the arsenals of the world, is so formidable as the will and moral courage of free men and women."

-- Ronald Reagan

[There is an external link with this story. Click on the title "Wearing Red". When the link opens scroll to the picture of the marine and click to open and watch the "audio slide show."]

Life Under the Sun

Do you ever feel like you are running in circles? Is life a drag? Does it seem to have no purpose? If you feel that way, you are probably not alone. A very famous king felt the same way.

I was reading in the Book of Ecclesiastes the other day. To read the book of Ecclesiastes at face value can be depressing. Solomon, the wisest man to ever live, was in one of life's biggest funks. "Life Under the Sun" as he described it can be boring, fleeting, repetitive and empty. Look around you. Observe the lives of others. Watch the cycles of life. If you take a quick glance you will probably agree with Solomon.

However life "under the sun" will never have meaning and purpose until we know the ONE who is above the sun. We will never understand life apart from the ONE who gives it. It is really simple when you think about it. God is not only the creator of life; He is the giver, sustainer and hope of life. He is the only one that can make sense out of it.

Life "under the sun" will never mean much until we know and are in the SON of the ONE. God longs for and has provided a way for us to have a relationship with Him through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. The man known for his wisdom writes, "There is an appointed time for everything...He has made everything appropriate in its time. He has also set eternity in their heart..." (Ecclesiastes 3:1,11).

When you know the SON of the ONE, then life "under the sun" will begin to make sense. "He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life" (1 John 5:12 NASB).

This is the only way life will be FULL and not futile.

GOT LIFE? GET (to know)JESUS!

A New Day For Georgia Baptists

Duluth--The Georgia Baptist Convention formally opened its new headquarters in Duluth on Tuesday, September 12. Duluth mayor Shirley Lasseter, Executive Committee members from across the state, other Georgia Baptist leaders, and the Honorable Sonny Purdue, governor of the state of Georgia, attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

The Georgia Baptist Missions and Ministry Center campus features a 55-foot cross rising out of a lake and a stone replica of the Ten Commandments in the building lobby. The center will be the new home for the convention offices.

The convention moved into the new headquarters in May after spending 31 years at its previous location near Mercer University's Atlanta campus.

"We have a great heritage, but our greatest days are ahead and the most efficient facility possible is needed for these future years," said Dr. J. Robert White, the convention's executive director.

The new headquarters is located on a 43-acre tract at 6405 Sugarloaf Parkway in Duluth. Over 200 convention employees work in the building.

The Georgia Baptist Convention represents 1,401,525 Georgia Baptists and 3,621 churches.
[The Christian Index]

BAMA BOYS

I heard someone say that, "Grandchildren are God's reward for not killing your children." Although there were times that our girls had their moments all in all they were fairly obedient and cooperative. They were a blessing and still are. Yet, grandchildren are great. God has blessed us with two precious grandsons and we hope to have more (hint, hint). Elijah and Samuel live in Tuscaloosa, AL with their parents Ben and Shauna Pilgreen. The only problem I have with that is the distance and the Tide influence. As you can see in the picture the shade of red is wrong. But as long as they love their Mimi and Pops I will try to live with it.

The "Crocodile Hunter"

Steve Irwin, the "Crocodile Hunter" died this week from a stingray wound. A LIFE-long friend told how the Crocodile Hunter pulled a deadly stingray barb from his own chest before losing consciousness and dying. Irwin, 44, was filming a television program on the Great Barrier Reef off far north Queensland.

Other reports reveal that Irwin was not as careless as some of the things we have seen him do would make you think. He knew the animals that he worked with and their tendencies. He was careful not to put himself in a dangerous position. I know that is hard to believe when you're dealing with "crocs" and snakes.

Irwin was a trained and experienced professional and the liabilities of his work got him. I have been told that stingrays are not aggressive and that this was a freak accident; and that water creatures were not as familiar to him as land creatures. Yet, people all around us are playing with danger. Internet pornography, dating services and chat rooms. The world is full of snakes, crocodiles and other dangerous creatures ready to snatch life from the most experienced people.

Sin is deadly. A crocodile may take your life, but sin will destroy your soul. A stingray may puncture your heart, but sin will rob your joy. God told Cain, "sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it."

The Bible warns, "be on the alert. Your adversary the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour" (1 Peter 5:8).

A Blast From the Past

I met my dad in Macon on Labor Day. The purpose was two-fold. Have lunch together and deliver a package. The package consisted of a set of "stone guards" for his 55 Ford Crown Victoria. Just more embellishments for one of his toys. I arrived a few minutes before he did and was sitting in a rocker at Cracker Barrell when I saw him approaching. He was in another one of his toys, a 63 Covair Monza Convertible. It is a great little ride. The Convair was manufactured by Chevrolet from 1961-1969. Like the VW Bug the engine is in the rear and the luggage compartment in the front. Here are a few of pictures that show dad's Corvair.