Victory's Frontlines

Singing songs at 2010 VBS

Sunday School songs have been part of my repertoire for as long as I can remember. As a child, we gathered in the basement of the Byers United Methodist Church and sang tunes like "Deep and Wide," "Wide As the Ocean" and "Do Lord!" We dropped our coins through the little slot in the top of the white plastic church and then sang some more before we went into our Sunday School classrooms.

But somehow, we missed the children's song, "I'm in the Lord's Army." I didn't hear that song or learn those actions until we partnered with another church for a Vacation Bible School years ago.

I may never march in the infantry,
Ride in the cavalry,
Shoot the artillery.
I may never fly o'er the enemy,
But I'm in the Lord's army!
Yes Sir!

May is the time when we honor our military heroes - past and present. Saturday, May 21, is Armed Forces Day. Our church bulletin lists military men and women with Stafford connections. There are 24 names on the list, which seems like a lot for our small town of about 1,100 people. After looking at a wall of military personnel at school, I think there are even more than that.

I heard on the radio the other day that there's a disproportionate number of enlistees from rural areas because they have been raised to honor America and to serve their country. It seems to be true for my little part of the world.

Like the song says, I've never marched in the infantry, ridden in the cavalry or shot the artillery. But I am deeply appreciative of the sacrifice our armed forces and their families make for me, my family and my country. We list our service men and women in the church bulletin each week and have their pictures on the wall at school so we are reminded to pray for them and for the other brave military personnel who keep us safe.

I do believe we are all called to take different paths and serve God in the ways that best use the time and talent that He grants us.

From I Corinthians 12:
⁴ There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. ⁵ There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. ⁶ There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work. ... ¹¹ All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines. ¹² Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. ¹³ For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. ¹⁴ Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.

I don't fight on the frontlines of a battlefield. But I can honor the men and women who currently serve. And I can make sure that Memorial Day on May 30 is more than a day at the lake or a family barbecue. It is a time to honor our service personnel, past and present. And it's a time to honor family members who have gone on before us.

When we were cleaning out my grandparents' house, I found an old cookbook. It was dated 1942 and was compiled by the Ladies of the W.S.C.S. of the Byers Methodist Church. As I looked through the cookbook, I found recipes from both my grandmothers, as well as childhood neighbors.

The cookbook was produced during World War II. Children collected scrap metal. Families did without sugar and other staples. Women in some parts of the country had to go to work in factories and other jobs outside the home to fill the void left by men who were serving overseas.


In Victory Hints, found at the front of the cookbook, it says, in part:

Victory is more than just another word. It is a challenge to the ingenuity of womanhood. Victory means taking care of and making the most of what we have. It means saving time and strength as well as material things.

Those are valuable ideas, even today.

A friend shared another cookbook published in 1943, also during World War II. In the preface of The Connecticut Cookbook, the writer included a section called Cooking in War Time:

Today, when sacrifice is demanded of us, we have learned the true value of each and every comfort. ... Meat and bread, vegetables and fruits, coffee and milk have become symbols. They are no longer merely the sustenance of physical being, but the strength of the will to win. It has been said many times and cannot be said too often, that this is a war to maintain spiritual ideals. It is a war of progress against savagery, of the power of right over the rule of evil.

During World War II, Americans were called upon to sacrifice.

Food used to be an accepted necessity instead of a luxury. We gave little or no thought to our good fortune in having enough to eat, just as we thought not at all of giving thanks for warm blankets on cold nights or enough fuel to keep from freezing.

Makes you think, doesn't it? Today, military personnel and their families are making a sacrifice, but the rest of us go on our merry way. We give little or no thought to our good fortune in having enough to eat, a roof over our heads and gasoline in our cars (albeit more expensive than we'd like!)

So maybe this is our call to arms. Be that prayer warrior that you are called to be. Be that "service" person who is serving their neighbor or their church or their community. Figure out what gifts you have been given and then endeavor to serve the Lord through those special gifts. Be the Lord's hands and feet in the world today.

Join the Lord's Army ... Yes sir!

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Want to make a patriotic treat to celebrate Armed Forces Day or Memorial Day? Try these bar cookie recipes.

Hymn of Promise

I wasn't doing much singing as I walked on a windy Kansas morning. It felt more like trudging, as I leaned into the wind, put one foot in front of the other, and kept moving. And then I heard them. Even though the wind was whistling and moaning, I could hear the trill of birds. Why were they singing? They had to be struggling with the ferocity of the wind. They are just little bits of bone and feather bucking a 30 mph wind. They certainly had nothing to sing about, did they? But sing they did. They didn't have their head down, merely getting the job done. They were rejoicing in a new day. And I should be, too.

Psalms 25: 4-5 NLT says: Show me the path where I should walk, O LORD; point out the right road for me to follow. Lead me by your truth and teach me, for you are the God who saves me. All day long I put my hope in you."

One definition for hope is "to look forward to with confidence or expectation." When we bring hope, we bring life. It is life changing to hope. It is more than just asking God for something we so badly need; we must expect our miracle. Somewhere in the midst of asking, believing, and expecting God to answer, we will find what we are looking for. Are you looking for HOPE in your life? Check out the HOPE page on the Lovely Branches Ministries website. It's all about the hope we can find in Jesus Christ. Sometimes we must walk forward, bucking the wind with every step. It may not be the wind on a Kansas morning. The winds that blow through our lives could be illness, death, financial setbacks, a fight with a friend, world conflicts, natural disasters, family troubles ... the list goes on and on. But so do God's promises: Psalm 31: 24 says:

Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord.

April brings us Easter this year. As the world wakes up from its winter sleep and puts on the newness of spring, isn't it fitting that we will celebrate Christ's awakening from a tomb? He is no longer there! He is alive! Hope is alive! Hallelujah! Even though Hymn of Promise isn't a traditional Easter hymn, for me, it perfectly illustrates the hope that we can find if we place our faith in Jesus Christ and his promises. Happy Easter!

Hymn of Promise
In the bulb, there is a flower In the seed, an apple tree. In cocoons a hidden promise Butterflies will soon be free. In the cold and snow of winter There's a spring that waits to be Unrevealed until its season, something God alone can see.

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There's a song in every silence, seeking word and melody. There's a dawn in every darkness, bringing HOPE to you and me. From the past will come the future; what it holds, a mystery, unrevealed until its season, something God alone can see.
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In our end is our beginning; in our time, infinity; In our doubt, there is believing;
in our life, eternity. In our death, a resurrection; at the last, a victory, unrevealed until its season, something God alone can see.
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Easter means ham at our house! Do you HOPE for leftovers? Me, too! I have several recipes that help put all those leftovers to good use. If you are looking for tried and true ham casserole recipes, check these out!

Joyce's Stovetop Ham Casserole

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Plantation Turkey (and Ham)
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Ham and Cheese Casserole