Never Forget

Henry Blackaby: Remembering America's Fallen | Baptist Press

As we pause today to remember all of the brave men and women who have given the ultimate sacrifice in service to our country, we are humbled by their courage. As the father of a US serviceman, not a day goes by that I don't think about the possibility of him, and the rest of our family, being called on to make that same sacrifice.

God bless the families of all who serve. But let us never forget, that in this current war with radical Islamic jihadists, that the first casualties were neither soldiers nor sailors, but civilians and civil servants. Let us never forget the lives that were taken from us. Let us never forget the passengers of United 93 who fought valiantly to take the plane back from the hijackers, saving our nation's capital building and all who were therein. Let us never forget the FDNY firefighters who were running up the stairwells of the burning towers while everyone else was running down.

In Memory of Maria

In Memory of Maria Maria Chapman, the 5-year-old daughter of Contemporary Christian artist Steven Curtis Chapman, was killed Wednesday night in a tragic accident at her home. She was struck in the driveway by a car driven by an older sibling. Please keep the Chapman family, especially the teenage driver, in your prayers. A blog has been set up in Maria's memory. Please visit the blog and click on "comments" under either of the two entries to leave your condolences. Adoption Community Mourns Musician's Daughter | Associated Press

Pray for our Soldiers

Afghanistan Firefight Heard on Voice Mail|KPTV.com

Our son Jonathon joined the army last summer, and is currently undergoing training in Arizona. We are thankful that he is not currently in harms way, but are keenly aware that he may be sent into a hostile area when he finishes his training. I hope we never come home to a voice mail like this. A soldier in Afghanistan tried to call his parents, but they weren't home. Later that day, in a firefight with insurgents, he leaned against his Humvee and accidentally redialed his phone. His parents still weren't home, but 3 minutes of the firefight was recorded on their voice mail. They were able to return his call and found him to be in good health after the firefight, thanks be to God.

Be warned, the audio is not clear. Also, if you can make out the language, it is the type of language you would expect among soldiers under fire. Enough said.

Click here to hear audio from the message left on the Petee's answering machine(WARNING: GRAPHIC LANGUAGE).

Alaska Governor Lives out Pro-life Values

The Associated Press: Alaska governor balances newborn's needs, official duties

Al Mohler: Welcome to the Word, Trig Paxson Van Palin

In a time when up to 90% of children who are determined to have disabilities before birth are aborted, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin has chosen to give birth to a downs syndrome baby. The Associated Press article states:

There was never any doubt the Palins would have the child, and on April 18 she gave birth to Trig Paxson Van Palin.

"We've both been very vocal about being pro-life," Palin said. "We understand that every innocent life has wonderful potential."

Reading this story is the first I've heard of Palin, but I admire her for living out her convictions. In order to become governor of Alaska, she had to beat the Republican incumbent in the primaries and then beat a former two-term Democratic governor in the general election. Interestingly she has been described as a "maverick" by some in her state. It is rumored that the better known maverick, John McCain, may be considering her as a running mate. Stay tuned.

Healthy Kingdom Churches | Discipleship & Family Ministries

Healthy Kingdom Churches | Discipleship & Family Ministries

This morning I am meeting with Greg Ambercrombie of the Georgia Baptist Convention's Healthy Kingdom Churches department. We will be discussing the strengths and weaknesses of our church, and how we might become a more healthy church. In his book, The Purpose Driven Church, Rick Warren insist that our focus should be on church health rather than church growth, because healthy churches, like healthy plants, naturally are growing churches. Please pray for this meeting that God will give us insight into the needs of our church.