1968 - A Year To Forget

By all accounts, 1968 was a year most people would rather not remember. I was eight years old and it seemed like the world was exploding in front of my very eyes. Many of you reading this blog were not even born and have only read about it in history books or historical videos. Regardless, let’s remember for just a minute about the year that everyone wanted to forget:

January 1968. The war in Vietnam is raging and the Tet Offensive kicks off on all fronts across Vietnam. This month-long attack by Communist forces brings a new level of violence and bloodshed to the American military in Vietnam—and to American television screens from coast to coast here in the States. Up to that time, no war has ever been televised. But now, but now Americans everywhere see the bloodshed and carnage every night . . . and it has an effect on our Nation. In fact, in February 1968 after the Tet Offensive, CBS newsman Walter Cronkite declares that the war in Vietnam is unwinnable. And yet, the war rages on for seven more years. By the way, over the course of 1968, an average of 50 American servicemembers  

February 1968. The movie “Planet of the Apes” is released. Like a number of movies during that era, this blockbuster is based on the premise that humanity has destroyed itself through nuclear war. Indeed, the very-real specter of nuclear annihilation hangs over the Baby Boom generation like few other things do.

March 1968. American troops commit what becomes known as the “My Lai Massacre,” the worst slaughter of unarmed civilians on the battlefield in American history. A company of American Soldiers brutally kill and mutilate over 500 men, women, and children in the village of My Lai. The American public is outraged, and the anti-war protests swell in numbers.

Justification vs Sanctification

“Justification is God declaring us righteous based on Christ’s righteousness. It’s forensic—like a legal verdict. It’s instant and complete the moment we believe. Sanctification is God making us righteous through the Holy Spirit. It’s progressive—over our lifetime. Justification changes our position before God. Sanctification changes our practice. Justification is once-for-all. Sanctification is ongoing.”

Justification is as simple as A-B-C-D. Justification is an Act of God. It does not describe the way that God inwardly renews and changes a person. It is, rather, a legal declaration in which God pardons the sinner of all his sins and accepts and accounts the sinner as righteous in His sight. God declares the sinner righteous at the very moment that the sinner puts his trust in Jesus Christ (Rom. 3:21-26, 5:16; 2 Cor. 5:21).

She Is . . .

Just a quick post to remind my daughter how much I love her and how very proud I am of the young woman she is becoming! You know that phrase, "I can't find the words to properly describe what I'm feeling"? Well, that is such a true statement when it comes to the blessing that God has given me through my daughter. 

But I'm going to give it a try . . . 

Here are some 'She Is' statements:

She is smart. Like crazy smart, the most social intelligent person that I think I've ever met. 

She is funny. 

She looks for ways to make people's special days memorable. 

She is absurdly creative. 

She is beautiful.

She is compassionate.

She is great at reading a room. 

She is financially astute.

She has a great dog.

The Goodness Of God

This is truly an experiment in brain dumping on the subject of God's material blessings in my life. Random memories that I wanted to chronicle to hopefully encourage anyone who might be facing similar struggles in their own life. 

Random #1 - God providing when I desperately needed a hand. This is going to be a long note . . . I remember walking through Walmart, didn't have enough money to buy my daughter diapers, and finding a $20.00 bill in my jacket pocket, which I had already checked when I left the house. Or once when my daughter really wanted to go out to eat in the Mall and I really wanted to spend that time with her in a sit-down restaurant. She started tugging my hand and with great excitement proclaimed that she wanted to eat at El Chico (local Tex-Mex restaurant located in the Mall). This was going to exceed my budget but I figured I'd order her a kids meal and skip my lunch. We were seated at a booth and while getting settled in our seats, she discovered a $100.00 bill tucked in the cushions. We called our waitress over, told her of our find, and asked who had been sitting in these seats this morning. She said no one had sat at this booth for a two days, they had a leak in their ceiling and had roped off this section. She checked with her manager and he said no one had let them know they had lost any money in their restaurant. At this point my daughter was almost jumping up and down proclaiming that God was buying our lunch. And she was right! 

These are just a few of the many times God has showed His hand of faithfulness in my life. My parents paying for most of my daughter's braces when that specific bill exceeded all of our financial options. Strangers paying for funeral costs when my ex-wife's Mom passed away, another time after a challenging season of medical expenses, a group of friends at church pitched together to give us a car! (Which became the car my daughter drove until after she graduated college!) Or that time when close friends, who knew of my struggles after my divorce, provided money for my new apartment's deposit, first month's rent, and even enough to pay off two other pressing financial obligations at the time! The church where I worked allowing me to 'move in' for almost four weeks before I could find an apartment after my divorce. Going to pay my medical bills at the doctor and being told that bill had already been paid! The church where I work paying for a unexpected tax bill due to a mistake processing our medical receipts. Cashier checks appearing in our mailbox, money in envelopes slid under my office door, and this is by no means a comprehensive list! There have been so many times where God showed us His mercy and provision over and over and over! Praise God for His faithfulness!

Random #2 - God moments when I needed them the most. This list could encompass several blogs! I'm thinking about so many times where friends called me to see if I needed to talk, opening up their homes when I felt like there was no safe place to rest, and shared meals when I lacked the resources to purchase groceries. So many cards and letters outlining how God had put me on their heart to pray specifically for my needs, I'm recalling the set of circumstances that God orchestrated to help get my daughter into high school and college. Or the countless moments experiencing God's Creation when He encouraged me, comforted me, or just reminded me of His Power through sunrises, storms, the quiet of a spring morning after a night of steady rain, the companionship of pets, the love of friends and family, and most importantly, His Words spoken through the Bible at just the right moment, with just the right clarity and wisdom. 

"So do not worry, saying, “What shall we eat?” or “What shall we drink?” or “What shall we wear?” For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them." - Matthew 6:31-32 

"If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!" - Matthew 7:11

"And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus." - Philippians 4:19

God is the ultimate provider. While Scripture does not promise to make every Christian financially wealthy, meet every want, or heal every hurt, the Bible does tell us that God will provide for our needs in a way that is best for us and best for His glory. His provision is just further proof of His faithfulness and grace. 

He knows when you lack physical needs. He knows when you are concerned about your next paycheck. He knows, and He cares. These verses about God’s provision are just a small sample of His character. Present your concerns to God in prayer and trust that He will, like a good father, provide in a way that is best.